Walcom Ngarrwa News
12th November 2024
Principal News
Dear School Community,
Over the past few weeks, the College has been a hive of activity for students and staff. This has included excursions, extra-curricula activities and various opportunities that are run throughout the school day to support students learning and wellbeing. All of these activities are designed and delivered, with the one intent, to Build Bright Futures for our students and to support their development as healthy, happy and active members of our community. As the year has developed, we have been able to build in more of these opportunities for students, as they have grown and developed throughout the year, now more readily demonstrating our learning mindsets and the positive behaviours we encourage all students to model and demonstrate. Thank you to our staff team for not only providing these opportunities but also supporting the social emotional growth and development of our students. We also extend this thanks to our parents and carers, for their continued work and support of our efforts at school and to support our students to be well rounded, community ready individuals.
A key component of our work is equipping students with the skills they need to function effectively as a community member, as a learner and as a leader beyond school. This is shaped by our connection to our values of Belonging, Curiosity and Achievement, in addition to a focus on using opportunities as teaching moments and opportunities to maintain relationships. As our staff support students to make better decisions, the support and action we provide for students is guided by our values and some very clear and specific responses to both positive and negative behaviours that students demonstrate. The Stand Up Project and our whole school commitment to Respectful Relationships, are key components of this work. Parents, if at any stage you are unsure about our actions as a school, please reach out to your child’s teacher or their Year Level Leader (Susie Blake), in the first instance.
In a further effort to support our families to understand our work and how to best support their children, we will be running a couple of parent information sessions in Term 1, 2025. Please mark these dates in your calendar now.
- Tuesday 5th February, 4:00 – 5:15pm - Parenting Strategies for Teenage Success facilitated by world renown speaker, Darren Pereira from Success Integrated.
- Tuesday 18th February, 4:00 – 5:00pm – Stand Up Program facilitated by our own Student Leaders and Dr Zach Greig from The Stand Up Project.
Preparing for 2025
We are now heading into the final 7 weeks of Year 7 for our current students, before they successfully move through to Year 8 in 2025. As I mentioned earlier, the growth we have seen in our students as both learners and people, has been amazing and we look forward to this continuing as they cement their place as our school leaders in 2025.
Each year, we unfortunately say goodbye to a few families who need to relocate for various reasons. If you are intending to have your child at a different school in 2025, and haven’t already let us know, we would really appreciate you letting us know ASAP. This not only helps us in our planning but ensures we can provide your child with the support they need in changing schools.
A key component of preparing for Year 8 in 2025 will be the opportunity for our students to reflect on their first year of secondary schooling. On Tuesday 10th December, our current Year 7 students will be required to learn and work from home for the day. On this day they will be provided with a couple of activities that they need to complete at home on their laptops. There will be no onsite classes for our Year 7 students on Tuesday 10th December.
A number of our student leaders will be asked to come onsite on Tuesday 10th December, to assist with the Year 6-7 Statewide Transition Day. Parents of those students to be involved, will be informed and asked to provide their consent via COMPASS. We are excited to provide an opportunity for our student leaders to support our new students for 2025 on this day.
Return of laptops
At the end of each school year, all students will be required to return their school provisioned laptop device. This will allow us to service, clean and prepared devices for all students in Year 8, 2025.
All students will be required to return their device to school on Wednesday 11th December 2024.
Where devices are not returned to the school, parents will be contacted directly to arrange immediate return of the device after this date. If necessary, families will be invoiced for the cost of devices that are not returned.
Attendance Champions
Each term we are striving to support students to have an attendance rate of 95% or higher. This not only supports student learning but also supports a strong sense of belonging and connectedness for our students, both key drivers in enjoying school and being successful throughout their schooling.
Congratulations to the following students who achieved 100% attendance rates during Term 3:
Danielle Baluyut Damian Bugaj
Sierra Chew Liam Dwyer
Logan Griffin Kaiyah Harris-Pont
Ikram Hussein Tuna Ashmeet Kaur
Zanariah Parvex Lillian Pritchard
Chloe San Jose Abbey Tonkin
During the month of October it has been great to see the following students achieving an attendance rate of 100%:
End of Year Activities
Our team have been busy planning end of year activities to celebrate the milestone of our first Year 7 cohort, completing our inaugural year at Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College.
Friday 13th December will be the last day of formal classes for our Year 7 students. The following week students will participate in a range of activities and events. Consent forms for the excursions have been published on COMPASS, with payment and parental/carer consent required by Friday 29th November.
On Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th December, students will be involved in a number of school-based activities and events. Students will participate in learning area events throughout each day, under the guidance of teachers. A detailed program will be provided to all families at the start of December.
At 2:00pm on Tuesday 17th December, we will be conducting our Annual Awards Assembly, to recognise the achievements of our students. Details about this event and the opportunity for parental/carer involvement will be provided in the coming weeks.
Adventure Park
On Wednesday 18th December all students who have demonstrated suitable behaviours and attitudes at school, will visit Adventure Park in Geelong to celebrate the end of Year 7. Students will have access to a range of rides and activities on the day. The cost of this excursion will be $61.
Please note: On Thursday 19th and Friday 20th December, there are no planned activities and students are not required to attend on these days.
Positive Impressions
During assembly on Monday, students were awarded with Positive Impressions These are an award, handed out to our students, based on the observations of our Belonging Group teachers. It gives me great pleasure to share with you the following students who have been congratulated.
| 7A | Farheen | For always having a positive attitude and participating in all class activities. |
| 7B | Lexi | Lexi has a positive attitude and embodies our Healthy, Happy and Curious motto! |
| 7C | Logan | For consistently making positive choices regarding his approach to learning |
| 7D | Paiten | For modelling our college value of Belonging in all aspects of our College community |
| 7E | Divya | For always being willing to lend a helping hand during Belonging. |
| 7F | Sam | For making a wonderful start to his secondary schooling at Walcom Ngarrwa |
| 7G | Advika | For modelling our college value of Belonging in all aspects of our College community |
| 7H | Gaeun | For always being the first in the class room to offer assistance and for her consistent work ethic. |
| Year 7 (Coordinator Award) | Kaiyah | For demonstrating the college value of Curiosity in all areas. |
| Math | Abbey | For always demonstrating a positive attitude and tackling all work in Maths Enrichment with a smile on her face. |
| English | Mae | Is always a role model for her peers. |
| Humanities | Liam | For working effectively in teams. |
| Science | Ryder | For performing well on his Earth, Sun and Moon test. |
| Art | Kayla | For demonstrating college values by persevering with her difficult and intricate design work in Ceramics. |
| PE | Ashmin | For her can-do attitude towards PE, collaborative tasks and teamwork. |
| Materials Technology | Blake | For demonstrating our college value of achievement by continually pushing himself to do his best in our metalwork unit, well done! |
| Music | Sebastian | For providing feedback and assistance to his peers to improve their compositions. Awesome work! |
| Digi Tech | Farheen | For demonstrating our college value of achievement by continually pushing herself in all class tasks. |
2025 Booklists and Student Supplies
2025 Booklists and Student Supplies
We are now able to provide you with details of our student booklist and required supplies for Year 7 and Year 8 in 2025.
Our Booklist supplier for 2025 is Lilydale Books and they offer an online portal where all families can order student requirements for 2025. Their online portal can be accessed at https://www.lilydalebooks.com.au/BookList/School/Walcom-Ngarrwa-Secondary-College
Being parents ourselves, we understand the financial pressures of starting school and getting everything ready. Please don’t feel obligated to purchase everything from Lilydale Books. If you can get better prices at other stores, please take the best option for your family.
We do however ask that students have all the materials that we have specified, as this will allow them to fully participate in our programs for the year ahead.
Our Booklists and student supplies for each year level are attached for your information.
Essential items that must be purchased through Lilydale Books by all Year 7 students are:
- English – The Secret Library of Hummingbird House
- Maths – Mathspace subscription
- Science – Stile X Student Resource Booklets
Essential items that must be purchased through Lilydale Books by all Year 8 students are:
- English – The Giver (Essential Modern Classics)
- English – Flying Lessons & Other stories
- Maths – Mathspace subscription
- Science – Stile X Student Resource Booklets
Ordering Information for Booklists 2025
Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College 7 2025 - Booklist
Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College 8 2025 - Booklist
The School Saving Bonus for Government school students can be accessed via the School Saving Bonus online system in November 2024.
Families can choose how they spend the School Saving Bonus. It can be used towards 2025 school costs, which may include:
- camps, trips, excursions and incursions
- swimming and sporting programs
- outdoor education programs
- graduations
- school uniforms
The School Saving Bonus will be emailed directly to parents and carers in November 2024. Please check your junk folder if you cannot locate the email. If you do not receive information by 25 November 2024, please contact our office team on 03 8000 6688 for support.
Families can allocate all or part of the bonus to help with the cost of school activities. This allocation will be made within the online system.
The bonus can also be used at your school’s designated textbook or uniform suppliers in-store or online, or through State Schools’ Relief until 30 June 2025.
If any amount allocated to textbooks or uniforms is unspent as at 1 July 2025, it will become a school activities credit for you to use for excursions, incursions and activities.
Support
If you require any further assistance or support around our booklist and student supplies, please do not hesitate in contacting a member of our friendly office team on 03 8000 6688 or via email at Walcom.Ngarrwa.SC@education.vic.gov.au
Scienceworks Excursion
Scienceworks Excursion
Thursday and Friday of week 4 the year 7’s ventured on an excursion to Scienceworks. This excursion was to round off the Earth, Sun and Moon unit they were studying in their science classes.
At Scienceworks we attended a Planetarium show name ‘The stories in the stars’ all about how indigenous Australians saw the constellations from the Southern Hemisphere.
The students were then able to explore the Sportsworks, Think ahead, and Beyond perception exhibits in Scienceworks. Overall, the students had a positive experienced and enjoyed the day of learning outside of the classroom.
Progress Reports and Learning Mindsets
Progress reports and Learning Mindsets
This week students received their Term 4 progress report which is the final progress report issued before Semester 2 reports. Progress reports are an important tool to allow students and teachers to reflect on and plan for both academic and social success. At Walcom Ngarrwa, students are supported to navigate the 6 Learning Mindsets including: Willingness to Learn, Positive Attitude, Collaboration, Communication, Self Management and Resilience. You can support your child to reflect upon the year and set goals for the future by discussing these Learning Mindset definitions from a students perspective.
| Willingness to Learn | I value learning, displaying a strong social conscience and interest in real world contexts and problems. I take full responsibility for my own learning. |
| Positive Attitude | I have a can-do attitude, am optimistic and respond to setbacks and challenges with a proactive, solution focused mindset. |
| Collaboration | I work well with my classmates to achieve common goals, share knowledge, and support each other's growth. I communicate clearly, with respect and a commitment to the task at hand. |
| Communication | I express my ideas clearly. I genuinely seek to understand others' points of view. I am a genuine and active listener, who values respectful interactions. |
| Self-Management | I take responsibility for my learning by organising my time, setting goals, and staying focused. I manage my emotions, stay motivated and am proactive about my learning. |
| Resilience | I stay strong and persistent, even when things get tough. I bounce back from setbacks, learn from mistakes, and maintaining a positive attitude despite challenges. |
Sports
Interschool Sport
On October the 22nd, the Year 7 Boys cricket team competed in the Sporting Schools Victoria Wyndham cricket tournament. Our boys played against Werribee SC and Manor Lakes College. Although we played a person short, our boys had a narrow loss to Werribee, and outplayed Manor Lakes College for a convincing win.
On November the 7th, our Year 7 girls softball team represented the College at the South Western Metropolitan Region Finals. We traveled to Stead Park in Geelong, to play against Northern Bay College and St. Albans Secondary College.
Our first game against St Albans SC, our girls recorded a 'side away' scoring 7 home runs to force an early lead. St Albans countered by scoring a side away score, setting up a thrilling second innings. Unfortunately, our girls where outplayed in the second innings and recorded a 2 run loss, a massive effort!
In their second game, we played an experienced and well-coached Northern Bay College team, we started well but where outplayed in the second innings and lost to Northern Bay College.
Representing the College at Softball, in our first South Western Region is a huge achievement and our girls were phenomenal representatives of our College, well done girls!
Both teams represented the College amazingly, showcasing our values of Achievement, Belonging and Curiosity.
Sporting Schools Basketball
Walcom Ngarrwa is fortunate to have received sporting schools funding. Our students voted on running basketball as our coached program delivered with the funding. We have partnered with Wyndham Basketball to deliver these amazing coaching sessions for our students at Walcom Ngarrwa.
Monday lunchtimes, 1:10 pm - 1:45 pm, we are offering a free basketball program for GIRLS ONLY.
Monday afterschool, 2:50pm - 3:45 pm, we have our boys and mixed basketball programs.
Both sessions are FREE and available to any student who meets our SWPBS expectation matrix. Please contact or see Mr V to sign up!
Grade 6 - 7 Transition
Grade 6 - Year 7 Transition
Ms Hawke and Mr Vassallo have been very busy attending multiple primary schools in our catchment zone, meeting and getting to know Grade 6 students who will join our Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College community in 2025. In the last two weeks, our transitions team has attended Iramoo PS, Riverwalk PS and St Josephs Catholic PS.
During these visits, Ms Hawke and Mr Vassallo played get-to-know-you games, answered a plethora of questions about the 'day to day' of secondary school, and showed a video of a day in the life of a Year 7 student at Walcom Ngarrwa.
We look forward to visiting Laa Yulta PS, LollyPop Creek PS and Wyndham Vale PS this coming week!
Student Leadership
Student Leadership
Our student leaders have been working hard to shape our College culture and provide opportunities for their peers. Recently, our work has focussed on assisting the Grade 6 to Year 7 transition activities and statewide transition day.
We have also been working hard on designing a Walcom Ngarrwa Sports uniform that students will borrow and wear when representing the College at School Sport Victoria Sporting events. Below is a concept sport uniform that the students have been working on.
As 2025 draws closer, we're finalising our student leadership portfolio for Year 7 and Year 8. These positions will be advertised in week 7, for a week 9 and 10 interview process. We look forward to students applying for these positions and representing our College and their peers.
Classroom libraries for the love of reading
Classroom libraries for the love of reading
Did you know that reading has the power to develop empathy in readers, which enables them to navigate and find joy in their social relationships?
Did you know that reading is also a form of therapy? It can help us to escape from the worries and stresses of daily life while we devote time to exploring the realm of the author’s imagination and the world they have constructed. Creating a bedtime ritual, like reading before bed, signals to your body that it’s time to wind down and go to sleep, so it is also therapeutic in that sense, allowing us to rest and recover.
At Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College we believe that reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Research has confirmed that reading stimulates a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. As we improve our reading ability, these networks become stronger and more sophisticated.
Reading can influence our writing skills and increase our vocabulary. When we read well-written work, we naturally observe its writing style, cadence, and composition. These characteristics inevitably seep into our writing. Studies show that those who read regularly tend to develop large vocabularies.
The more we read, the more we are exposed to issues and solutions to the common problems we face as a people. Reading is the crucial ingredient that enables our students to lead, create and inspire in this complex, rapidly changing world.
Lastly, there is a direct correlation between volume and frequency of reading and academic achievement. Chances are, if a student is excelling academically, it's usually because they're an avid reader.
So for all these reasons, we want to see our students reading – we want them to have books in hands, reading in spare time in class, taking them home to read, returning them and reading more.
This week each classroom was loaded up with books purchased using the student voice wish-list during Book Week/Book Fair and titles suggested by staff. There are hundreds of titles and quite a lot of series/box sets. Students are welcome to take home one book at a time and are expected to return them once they are read. They can borrow from all classrooms libraries. A huge thank you goes out to Kayla Johnson for her work in making this happen.
Already, students have asked to borrow and are taking about the titles they are excited to see on the shelves – a great start to establishing a thriving reading culture in our school community.
We thank families for their support and encourage them to reflect on how they can support and model reading for pleasure at home.
Guest Music Artist
Guest Music Artist
On November 18th, Walcom Ngarrwa is hosting a guest musician, Lily Grace from Brisbane. Lily's music can be found at her website, https://linktr.ee/lilygracelive
This will be a free lunchtime concert for our students!
We thank Wyndham City Council for this amazing opportunity and look forward to hosting Lily and her band.
Bright Coin
Every week, students have a chance to ‘bank’ their BrightCoin, building up credit that can be viewed by parents and students in Compass. When students have earnt enough BrightCoin, they can redeem it for a range of items and experiences. These include fidget toys, stationary, special lunchtime activities and more.
If you find BrightCoins coming home, ask your child how they earnt them and encourage them to bank them at the next opportunity. We will be reviewing the success of BrightCoin this term, and if successful, it could become a permanent part of our school in 2025.