News wrap up issue #1

Each fortnight we take a look at the news and compile a summary of some of the exciting stories about our schools, staff and students.

The stories featured in these issues were published either in newspapers or online sources that are behind a paywall.

This fortnight (9/10/2021 – 22/10/2021) we saw inspiring stories covering topics such as students volunteering their time for others, celebrating and learning about Aboriginal culture, and World Teachers’ Day.

 

Dogs’ home benefits from sweet success of lemonade stall – Subiaco Post - 9 Oct 2021

Summary

A group of 11 Year 6 students from Floreat Park Primary School have worked together to raise money for the Dogs’ Refuge in Shenton Park. The students spent two weekends planning and creating a lemonade stand, with the help of behind-the-scenes workers who made signs, squeezed the lemons and made the lemonade. The students spent more than eight hours over the weekend - even in the rain - selling the lemonade to locals driving by. The hard work paid off as they raised more than $200 and chose to donate the money to the Dogs’ Refuge.

 

Donations are canned music to the ears – Bunbury Herald - 12 Oct 2021

Summary

School students across the South West have shown they’re passionate about helping those in need in the 21st year of the Bunbury Leschenault Rotary’s annual charity drive. Twenty-six schools took part in this year’s Give a Damn Give a Can campaign which involved donating non-perishable goods. Rotary members collected the donated food in the last week of Term 3 which will be used to create food packs, Christmas hampers and supplies for day-to-day living. A record-breaking total of 10,033 cans were donated. “The outright champion school was again Kingston Primary School with 1780 items, followed by tied runners-up Grace Christian School and Bunbury Catholic College, who had over 1250 cans each,” said Rotary campaign coordinator Vic Puzey. South Bunbury collected 1004 items and 845 for Adam Road Primary. Picton Primary School won the title of “Cans per Student” champions as they donated 697 items which equalled more than four cans per student.

 

Learning Wangkatja – Kalgoorlie Miner – 14 Oct 2021

Summary

Laverton School is introducing Wangkatja language classes to students and staff. Around 85 per cent of students at Laverton School are Aboriginal and the majority of families attending the school are from the Wangkatja nation. “It’s important that staff can speak and understand some of the local traditional language,” said Laverton School principal Diana Kirkland. “Our focus is on providing a positive learning environment as part of a two-way learning model — Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people learning from each other — during our time at Laverton School, which we can take with us when we leave and share it with others.”

 

Artwork highlights a celebration of culture – South Western Times – 14 Oct 2021

Summary

Aboriginal students from Newton Moore Senior High School have unveiled their long-term project that celebrates Aboriginal culture. As a belated NAIDOC Week celebration, the school held various activities such as a special lunch, traditional face painting, Australian reptile lessons and building habitats for rescued possums. One of the highlights was the long-term project of a sea container covered with traditional Aboriginal designs, co-designed by students and local artist and proud Koori woman Karinda Farrant. Ms Farrant said it was a privilege to work with the students on the project. “I have helped guide them through painting it, but most of the artworks are theirs,” she said. “The story told through the artwork represents the NAIDOC theme Heal Country. We have one side that represents the land and the other which represents the waters.”

 

Wiluna students learn Matuwa lore for bird week – Kalgoorlie Miner – 16 Oct 2021

Summary

Year 5 and 6 students at Wiluna Remote Community School have celebrated Bird Week for the 10th year. The students learnt from Elders, rangers and scientists at Matuwa Station, where they participated in various on-country activities. Wiluna Remote Community School principal Bernadette Delaney said: “Two-way science is a place-based culturally responsive approach to education that connects the science curriculum to Aboriginal knowledge through local school and community partnerships.” The Year 5 and 6 students set up bird sound recorders and cameras, visited a bowerbird bower, and took part in bird surveying and night spotting. “It’s experiential learning and I think that’s what the Martu kids here are taking away. They’re learning from the Elders, the Elders are teaching the young kids, and the kids are seeing and doing, and touching and feeling, and that’s taking them away from the four walls that is a classroom,” said Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation environment manager and ranger coordinator Dorian Moro.

 

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far – Mandurah Mail – 21 Oct 2021

Summary

Starting out as a way to help her twin boys, Solomon and Sinclair, Ngahuia Hughes found her passion for teaching while completing her teaching prac. "My two boys were going into a school curriculum I didn't understand because I was raised in New Zealand," Ms Hughes said. After realising that she had a knack for teaching she started at Pinjarra Senior High School in 2008, a place where she said she felt immediately at home and eventually enrolled Solomon and Sinclair there for school. "I've had many jobs - but I don't consider this work,” said Ms Hughes. Solomon and Sinclair agreed that having their mum as a teacher was a fond memory. Years later her sons pursued degrees in filmmaking before following her footsteps in their own education careers. They are now teachers at the same school. Both sons have worked together to create a Dungeons and Dragons club at the school and involved their mum's class in the activity. Ms Hughes said it was a great joy being able to watch her sons become teachers.

 

School focus on local jobs of the future – Collie River Valley Bulletin – 21 Oct 2021

Summary

Collie Senior High School students are getting a head start with the ever changing job market in their hometown. Fantastic new Certificate II opportunities are being offered to their students, now as early as Year 9, to prepare them for diverse local jobs. School principal Dale Miller said they’re working to ensure Collie students will be able to take advantage of jobs in new industries coming to town. Current teachers are able to be upskilled in these new courses as they become available. “We had 30 Year 9 students going into local workplaces this year to get a taste of the workplace and they find out if they like that sort of work,” Ms Miller said. The Certificate II course in autonomous workplace operations prepares students to be job-ready when they begin their careers. “The one certain thing is there is going to be change in the future. People are unlikely to enter a job and stay in it for life, as jobs are changing and developing all the time,” she said. The Certificate II courses include Autonomous Workplace Operations, Civil Construction, Resources and infrastructure Work Preparation, Hospitality, Community Services and many more.