Vaping Education

The College invited a company called “Clear the Air” to present some facts to the students around vaping, as well as to the parents in the evening. I was pleased with the candour and the honesty of the presentation. There was no attempt to soften the message. The facts are disturbing.

The amount of nicotine in a vape is proportionately much higher than in cigarettes; therefore, there is a much greater chance of addiction. Some students think it's glamorous, but it is important that they know that there are significant and negative health effects associated with vaping.

Father Ozzie

Father Ozzie is a former Parish Priest of St Mary’s in Leederville. He recently celebrated his 50th anniversary of the priesthood at the College and afterwards in the CASS. Fr Ozzie is closely connected to the Burmese Catholic Community, and he is currently the Parish Priest in Girrawheen. We heartily congratulate him on this significant milestone and his contribution to all of those he has served over those many years.

School-Based Immunisation Program Update

We have received a memo from the Catholic Education Office regarding the School-Based Immunisation Program (SBIP) that the Department of Health coordinates.

The SBIP have requested that Catholic schools remind parents/guardians about using the VaccinateWA online platform to gain parental consent for student vaccinations for 2023. The current consent rate within VaccinateWA as at 7 February sits at approximately 7% for the Year 7 cohort and approximately 1% for the Year 10 cohort.

For more information, please visit healthywa.wa.gov.au/schoolimmunisations

Mr Declan Tanham
Principal

Interim Reports and Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews

Teachers have commenced entering data for the Interim Reports.

The timeline given below indicates the main dates of which you need to be aware:

• Interim reports will be available to parents/guardians, via SEQTA-Engage, on Tuesday 4 April.

• The parent/guardian interview booking portal, via PTO, will go live on Tuesday 11 April.

• The three-way (Parent – Student – Teacher) interviews will be held on Thursday 4 May from 3pm to 7pm.

More information regarding how to access PTO to make appointments will be sent via SEQTA and email.

We look forward to seeing as many parents/guardians as possible at the forthcoming interviews.

Mr Danny Battistessa
Deputy Principal – Curriculum

Protocol for Reporting Student Absences 

Parents are kindly reminded to use the following protocol to inform the College when their child is absent from school.

It is important that you contact the College, before 10am, if your child is going to be absent.

Absentee Email: absentee@aranmore.wa.edu.au
Absentee Hotline (24 hours): 9201 5277

When informing the College of your child’s absence, please be sure to include the following information:

• Student’s full name
• Year Group
• Brief reason for absence (eg sick, appointment, personal reason)
• Duration of absence
• Relationship to child

Secondary Assistance Scheme

The Secondary Assistance Scheme is available to parents/guardians with children enrolled in secondary schooling who hold an eligible concession card. The Secondary Assistance Scheme comprises a Clothing Allowance of $110 that is paid to the parent.

How to Apply

Application forms are available from The College, or here. Students or parents need to provide proof of eligibility and a school officer needs to witness the application form. Applications must be completed and returned to the College by Friday 31 March 2023.

Eligibility

Available to parents/guardians of secondary students if the parent is a holder of: Pensioner Concession Card, or Health Care Card (Not children’s concession card which has been issued for medical purposes) or Department of Veterans Affairs Pensioner Concession Card.
Available to independent secondary students if the student is a holder of a Department of Human Services Health Care Card.

Thank you.

Mrs Julie Hawes
Business Manager

On Thursday, 30 March from 2pm in Convent Gardens, Sr Janina will be selling pre-loved blazers, jumpers, grey trousers and other uniform items at heavily reduced prices. 

Congratulations to Jacob Scoon, who competed in the Senior State Athletics U16 competition. Jacob competed in four events and won 4 medals! He received Silver in Shotput and Discus and Bronze in 200m and in 100m. Jacob has now qualified for Nationals, to be held in Brisbane, in 200m, 100m and Discus.

Well done, Jacob!

Congratulations to Tara Markey, who represented WA at the Festival of Gaelic Football in Adelaide over the weekend. Tara was in the U14 State Girls Team, which was narrowly defeated by just 4 points in the Grand Final. Well done to Tara and her teammates!

Photo credit: Gaelic Athletics Association of Western Australia Inc and Mr Markey.

Join the Aranmore Drama Club!!

Every Monday from 3:30pm - 4:30pm!
Join in for drama games and showcase performances!

If you have any questions, please ask Mrs Dice or the Year 12 Arts Leaders.

IEC Students Get Creative!

IEC students at Aranmore have been delving into the world of media production, trying their hand at photography, videography, and animation.

Over the course of the year, they will learn the basics of video production and editing, allowing them to develop useful skills for potential jobs in creative industries.

Ms Phoebe Bennett
Head of Learning Area - Arts & Technologies

Sixteen of our young people participated in a workshop at the Literature Centre on the 9 March 2023 as part of the Young Writers Collective (YWC).

The presenter was Barry Jonsberg, an author from the Northern Territory who shared his wisdom and some tips for good writing. Many of our students reported that they found the workshop helpful with such activities as exercises to develop character by visualising and not overthinking. Tips included to write 1400 words for an essay but then edit it to 1000 words and when constructing a narrative, not to over-describe but to keep a clear focus for the reader to engage with the story. For some, it was the first time they had met an author and visited the historical location.

The presenter was Barry Jonsberg, an author from the Northern Territory who shared his wisdom and some tips for good writing. Many of our students reported that they found the workshop helpful with such activities as exercises to develop character by visualising and not overthinking. Tips included to write 1400 words for an essay but then edit it to 1000 words and when constructing a narrative, not to over-describe but to keep a clear focus for the reader to engage with the story. For some, it was the first time they had met an author and visited the historical location.

In Year 12, English Foundation students welcomed our College’s Director of Ministry, Mrs Lauren Ierace-Bowers as a guest speaker on Monday 20 March. The students are working on a module about volunteering in the syllabus context of “Literacy for Community Participation”. They enjoyed hearing Mrs Ierace-Bowers share her perspective on volunteering as part of Christian Service Learning in our Aranmore community.

Mrs Donna Dennis
Head of Learning Area - English

Year 11 ATAR Psychology

Radiographer Emma Lipman-Murphy visited the Year 11 ATAR Psychology class last week to present an introductory lecture on brain scanning techniques. 

Ace Chess

Year 8 ACE students had a crash course in chess with Mr Beaton. This is in preparation for the da Vinci Decathlon academic competition in which chess is one of ten disciplines. 

Year 11 Physics – Simulating Radioactive Decay

In Physics Dr C’s ATAR class separated M&M’s to simulate radioactive decay. We shook the bag containing all M&Ms and then separated them based on whether the logo was facing up or not. The logo facing up showed that a particular atom had decayed. This was repeated until no M&M’s remained.

Jasper Murphy & Sam Nevitt

Chem Centre Talk

Belinda Evans from the Chem Center came and spoke about the different types of work run at the center.

She spoke about the fibre testing that took place and helped to find the Claremont serial killer.

Year 11 Psychology Brain Dissection

One of the best ways to learn about the structure and function of the brain is to dissection one!

Year 10 Natural Selection

Year 10 Science class recently explored the fascinating concept of Natural Selection and how environmental factors can influence the traits of different species.

The lesson began with the teacher instructing the students to place the coloured paper on a plate. Next, Skittles were scattered onto the plate to represent a population with different genetic traits. The students were then introduced to a predator, who was given a specific utensil and tasked with collecting as many Skittles as possible within a set time limit of 10 seconds.

The number of each colour of Skittle collected was recorded on a table, and the process was repeated with a different coloured background. This exercise allowed the students to observe how the background colour affected the number of Skittles collected and how the background colour influenced the predator's choice of Skittles.

Through this hands-on activity, the students gained a better understanding of how natural selection works and how environmental factors can play a crucial role in determining which traits are more favourable for survival. By changing the background colour, the students could simulate changes in the environment and observe how these changes influenced the population's survival.

Written by Mr Halden using Chat GPT

compiled by Mrs Naomi Geoghegan
Head of Learning Area - Science

Applications for the 2023 Youth Parliament are now open!

Are you passionate about issues in your community?
Would you like to have the chance to speak about these issues in Parliament House?
Then apply for the 2023 Youth Parliament program!
Applications close on the 26 March.
To apply, click the link: https://ymcawa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVhCDvmGP2WUUce

For the College Calendar, please see here.

www.aranmore.wa.edu.au