I would like to welcome our new families to the school and hope that our returning students are well rested and ready for an exciting year ahead.   It has been a smooth start to the year so far, despite the extreme hot weather.

Congratulations to our Class of 2023

Our Year 12s continue to do us proud and last year was no exception.  Last year we had a WACE achievement rate of 96%, well above like schools (92%) and the state (90%).

Sixteen of our students received a SCSA Award of Distinction or Merit and many of these students received the Principal’s Award at the end of 2023.

Declan Cowin and Ari Davidson received a Certificate of Distinction and Certificates of Merit went to Erin Aiken, Livy Bowden, Samantha Clements, Noah Gowland, Isabella Harris, Trinity Hewlett-Banning, Sharlini Hollier, Isabel Jeffreys, Kitty Kingston, Mikayla Lanigan, Enya Matthews, Sean Rudolph, Anisha Sullivan and Ethan Thomas.

87% of our students completed Year 12 with a Certificate II, III or IV and 37% o our ATAR students received an ATAR over 80.

Congratulations to all our Class of 2023, and we wish them well as they begin their next chapter in their lives.

Congratulations to our KPA program

We congratulate Anna Head, Michelle Vivian and our KPA students for their nominations for “Best School Production" and “Best Ensemble in a Musical” in the 2023 ITA Robert Finley Awards – for our production of Disney’s Frozen Jr last year.  You can read more about the awards in this issue, and whilst we did not win, were delighted to be named in the Top 5 Youth Productions for 2023.

Welcome back to our Italian Exchange students

We welcome back Lilliana Wright, Talay Hollier, Luca Englaender, Savannah Friday, Ana Fehrman and Nicole Cooke from their exchange to Italy at the end of last year, returning over the Christmas break.  They had an amazing time experiencing culture and immersing themselves in language.  Thank you to Maria Pennington for all her support for this program and the students participating.

Building update

As you can see, the main building project is moving along well, with our Visual Arts block beginning its first floor, and the Teaching Block completing the foundations and footings. 

We were very excited to start the new year with two new rooms, Food Technology and Science.

Road and carpark safety

Over the next few months, there will be many deliveries and vehicles entering the building site, and we ask parents to take care when picking up and dropping off students.  A reminder that the main carpark on Canning Rd is not to be used for student drop off or pick ups, and safer locations are:

• Cotherstone Rd – Students may be dropped off along the school side of this road. Please do not park during the afternoon (2.30 to 3.30) bus pick up times.  Parents may park during the school day (9.00 – 2.30pm)
• Central Rd – Students may be dropped off along this road where they can access the school via the supervised crossing.
• Kalamunda Sporting Complex (Kostera Oval) – Students may be dropped off by the clubs rooms on Recreation Rd and access the school via the oval.

Year 7 Values Week

We send a huge thank you to our Year 7 staff, Kelly Walker (our Year 7 Coordinator) and all those who helped out during Year 7 Values Week.  We hope that our values of Pride, Respect, Resilience, Love of Learning and Community resonate with our new Year 7s as they transition into our school.

Our Year 7s spent two days at the Bickley Camp site participating in activities and challenges.  They also spent time at school having an induction to the library and getting their BYODs connected to the network.

This year we held a Year 7 swim trial during Values Week.  This was a wonderful way for students to end the busy week.  Our school House Carnival was held on Friday 24 Febuary and was for competitors only.  Despite adjustments to the day due to the heat, students enjoyed the opportunity to compete in the carnival.

School Board and P&C

I encourage new parents to get involved in our P&C and our School Board. 

Our P&C meet twice a term and manage the operation of the school canteen. 

The school board also meet twice a term, and positions are for 3 years.  School board members contribute to the effective governance of the school by monitoring student achievement, finances and approving contributions and charges and uniform changes.  Board members also provide feedback and advice on school planning and assist in promoting the school vision and values.

This year there are new positions vacant and an election process is currently underway.

P&C Movie Night – save the date

The P&C will be holding a movie night at the school on Tuesday 26^th March and further information will be emailed to parents shortly.

Piano Donation

We are very thankful for the donation of a beautiful piano to our school by Kaye and Raymond Mitchell.  Ray was a former student at the school and so it is very special to have this connection.  Thank you also to Mr Puvanendran for organising the pick up and drop off of this instrument.

School calendar

Each Year Coordinator will be placing a school calendar on their year group's Connect page.  A term calendar is also available on the school website and will be updated each term.

Contributions and Charges

I would like to thank those families who have already paid their school charges and contributions.  For some families it might be easier to make arrangements to pay the balance over the year via a payment plan.  Please contact our manager of Corporate Services, Natalie Robertson to finalise your account or to set up a payment plan.  These funds are used to pay for teaching materials to deliver high quality programs for your child.  All tuition, staffing and infrastructure costs are provided by the Department of Education.

Welcome to our new and returning staff

This year we have some new staff joining our school and we welcome:

Melanie Hogg and Sharon Mann (Year 7 team – Maths/Science), Joanne Pescodd (Year 7 team - Hass/English), Teagen Sloman (English/Hass), Chelsea Walczak and Kayla Maritz (Science), Nick Stretch (HOLA Technologies), Catherine Bode (Maths), Lauren Smail (Maths/Science), Alex Gallagher (Home Ec), Monique Lehembre, and Natalie Robertson (Manager Corporate Services).

We would especially like to welcome Luthfia Putri Utami and Satsuki Imagawa and welcome back Davide Gottardi, as Language assistants this year in Indonesian and Japanese and Italian respectively.  We are very fortunate to have them working with us to enrich the learning for our Language students.

Wishing everyone all the best for the term.

Over the summer holidays, KPA's 2023 production of Disney's Frozen Jr, was nominated for 2 awards in the 48^th Robert Finley Awards.

The ITA Robert Finley Award is made annually to what is judged to be the best theatrical production in that year by an amateur group in Western Australia for a Play or Musical. Originally there was one award — that of “Best Production” — later the award was altered to 2 categories, Best Play and Best Musical. In recent years the awards have been expanded to include Best Actor and Actress and many other categories.

The Award was originally made available by the former Finley Trust Fund, established in 1975 by Miss Hetty Finley, in memory of her brother Robert, and was controlled by the Finley Trustees through the Perth Theatre Trust.

The Robert Finley Awards is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate community theatre and the individual volunteers that make up the community. The Awards honour outstanding achievements of community theatres and artists in Western Australia, and are named for the late Robert Finley, who was a devoted patron of the local arts.

We were nominated for an Adjudicator’s Certificate for Best School Production, and we were also nominated for the Best Ensemble in a Musical Award. Both nominations are highly regarded, but to be nominated for Best Ensemble in the open category was a wonderful surprise. Michelle Vivian and I attended the awards night on Saturday 13 January at Newman College. I was also honoured to present an award on behalf of Kalamunda Senior High School. Whilst we did not win either of the categories, we were delighted to be named in the Top 5 Youth Productions for 2023. 

There were also many KPA students in other community theatre productions that were recognised on the evening. It is wonderful to see how prolific our KPA students are in the community theatre world.

This is the first time we have entered the award program, with the idea being to benefit from the 3 adjudication reports that are provided as a part of the process. The nominations were an added bonus, and should be considered a very high accolade. Many congratulations to all involved.

Here’s to another wonderful year of performance ahead!

Anna Head
Kalamunda Performing Arts Coordinator

As part of our gradual move towards a streamed approach for lower school in the Academic Excellence Program, this year our students in Years 7 and 9 have commenced classes in 2 streams: English/Humanities, and Mathematics/Science. This class grouping will allow students to focus on their areas of strengths and interest and teachers more capacity to extend students in their classrooms.

Our Year 7 Academic Excellence Program students attended a performance of Jungle Book Reimagined on Thursday 15 February at the Heath Ledger Theatre. It was an engaging and relevant contemporary reimagining in a climate change context and was thoroughly enjoyed by the students. This dramatic and musical interpretation of the classic story is part of the Perth Festival.

Our Year 10 Academic Excellence Specialist Students came together as their newly formed cohort of 59 students across 4 distinct classes in Mathematics, English, Science and Humanities on Tuesday 27 February for the annual Year 10 AES Symposium, developing their study skills and critical thinking.

We also commenced our Year 11 ATAR Support program, which is being delivered through our meeting period sessions this year. Meeting period teachers Mrs McNally and Mrs Morris and I delivered sessions checking in with the students, exploring our strengths and challenges, setting goals and providing useful tips for effective studying including Now. Soon. Later. and the yearly assessment calendar. Resources, timetable and other useful information for Year 11 ATAR support can be found on the Year 11 ATAR Meeting Period Support Program 2024 Connect page.

Our Primary Academic Excellence Year 6 students recommenced classes in Week 3. This term we are focusing on the Mathematics learning area. Students explored square and triangular numbers, formed groups with students from different schools to complete investigations involving 2D and 3D shapes, and learned how Maths can save lives. In Week 4, students explored the Mathematics of bees and behives. We will be welcoming our new Year 5 students in Week 7.

Coming up later this term, our Year 8 and 9 students will develop their resilience in our ‘Failing Well’ and Mindfulness incursions.

Orietta Stokes
Academic Excellence Coordinator

Welcome all Outdoor Adventure (OAP) Students and parents to the program for 2024. I am Alice Hall, the Program Coordinator at Kalamunda SHS and I am excited to see the program grow and our students develop their love for the outdoors as the year progresses. The following teachers are involved in the delivery of the program across years 7-10:

The Year 7 entrants have made a strong start the program with a focus on navigation and preparing for the first excursion to the Canning River. Our Year 8, 9 and 10 groups are continuing to develop their roping and abseiling skills in preparation for their upcoming excursions to Boya and Statham’s Quarry. Some key dates to note are:

Some of our programs memorable moments and events to look forward to this year can be seen in the following images:

Any students from Year 7 – 10 that wish to put in an expression of interest to join the program should see me in the Phys Ed office for an information pack.

Alice Hall
Outdoor Adventure Program Coordinator

KSHS Italian Exchange Experience - An Incredible Journey

I would like to say a big congratulations to Lilliana Wright, Talay Hollier, Luca Englaender, Savannah Friday, Ana Fehrman and Nicole Cooke. These students of Italian actively participated in the 2023 Italian Exchange Program. They departed at the end of November 2023 and returned in January 2024. Our students were matched with spectacular Italian families situated all over Italy, including the island of Sardinia. They experienced an Italian Christmas, New Years and the Italian school system, having completed 8 weeks attending a specific Italian school.

I am very proud of these students. They returned with cool haircuts, leather jackets, authentic accents and a love for Italian rap music (especially Talay!)

Thank you to the families for supporting the Italian Program and again congratulations to these students. You are wonderful advocated of the Italian language and culture. You participated in this program with an open heart, mind and a love of learning!

A special welcome to our Language Assistants!

Luthfia Utami

Hi everyone! I am Luthfia Putri Utami, a language assistant from Indonesia. I was born and raised in Bekasi, a city where the rhythm of life never ceases. In the classroom, students have the privilege of addressing me as Ibu Luthfia. For me, embarking on a journey to Australia marked a significant milestone in my life. It was my first foray into a foreign land, and Australia quickly found a special place in my heart. However, the transition was not without its challenges. Upon arriving in Australia, I found myself immersed in a world vastly different from my own. One of the most notable differences I observed was the rarest of motorbikes, a ubiquitous sight in my hometown. In Bekasi, motorbikes are not just a mode of transportation but a way of life, weaving through the labyrinthine streets with practiced ease. In Australia, however, I found myself adjusting to a landscape dominated by cars and bicycles. Despite the stark contrasts, I embraced the opportunity to immerse myself in Australian culture wholeheartedly. From exploring the picturesque landscapes to savoring the diverse culinary delights, I approached each experience with an open mind and a willingness to learn. Yet, amidst the excitement of exploration, there were moments of adjustment. The tap water, a seemingly mundane aspect of daily life, posed a significant challenge for me. In Indonesia, where access to clean drinking water is limited, tap water is often unsafe for consumption due to bacterial contamination. As I reflect on my experiences and embrace new horizons, I invite you to stay tuned for the exciting chapters yet to unfold in my journey ahead.

Satsuki Imagawa

Hello, I’m Satsuki from Japan! I came from Tokushima which has a beautiful nature and temples. It’s famous for Tokushima ramen and traditional dance. I like listening to music especially K-pop, reading books and comic books, and watching movies and YouTube. I come here every even week in this term, feel free to talk to me!

Fascinating Facts about Italy

• Italy is considered by many to be the art capital of the world
• Approximately 66 million people speak Italian worldwide
• Italian is the universal language of music, especially classic music
• Italian is considered one of the closest languages to Latin
• Italy is one of Western Europe's youngest countries
• The Italian alphabet only has 21 letter. J,K,W,X and Y and Ancient Greek letters
• The economy of Italy is a highly developed social market It is the third-largest national economy in the European Union
• Scientific collaborationis very dynamic: 25 agreements are active between Australian universities or Departments and Italian universities; the two countries collaborate on important projects (such as the Square Kilometre Array and the SABER project on dark matter); there are 4,600 joint publications; the community of Italian researchers in Australia is over a thousand.

It is important that we understand the country that we are studying! It allows us to make personal, social, historical and economic connections!

Important Reflective Question:

Which industry are you interested in studying and how will it link to Italy or the Italian language? Medicine? History? Architecture? Engineering? Tourism? Forensics?

Maria Pennington
Teacher in Charge of Languages

Welcome back to another year in the English Department. The English teachers are excitedly watching the new building take shape and looking forward to seeing it progress further throughout the year. We welcome back some familiar faces and have some new members of the team joining us for 2024. Nicolee McNally is in the position of Acting Head of Learning and Orietta Stokes is the 2IC for Semester 1. The English teaching team for this year is Michelle Aslett, Anjali Chaurasia, Ruth Dogovski, Emily Wilkinson, Teagan Sloman, Scott Henry, Rosie Fitoussi, Lukasz Sijka, Corey Zinnecker, Seb Jay, Kelly Walker, Joanne Pescodd, Jessica Ganza and Heini Cattell.

It has been a busy start to the year in the classrooms. The Year 7s have been learning the habits of high school and making new friends. They look forward to delving into the fantasy genre and practising creative writing. The Year 8s are practising reading comprehension and learning about sustainability. The Year 9s are discovering Science Fiction and reading short stories. The Year 10s are undertaking a novel study while the Year 11 General Classes are discovering weird and wonderful characters in many different texts. The ATAR classes have been busy practising reading comprehension and writing short answers. In Literature the Year 12s are studying the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and the Year 11s are studying The Drover’s Wife, Jasper Jones and enjoying Wednesday Dramas with Dr Aslett. The 12 General classes are investigating the Future of Work and writing feature articles on their chosen industries.

We wish you all the best for a positive start to 2024 and look forward to seeing all the students in the classroom excited to learn. 

Nicolee McNally
Head of English Learning Area

Welcome to the Mathematics Learning Area for 2024!

This year we welcome Catherine Bode, Melanie Hogg, Sharon Mann and Lauren Smail to the team.  The Mathematics teaching team is as follows:

Now that students have started their various courses of study, I would like to remind you of the importance of checking in with Connect. All course information, including course content and assessment outlines, can be sourced in the Library section of Connect. Teachers will also use Connect to post notices regarding assessment tasks and upload relevant learning tools. 

All students continue to have access to Mathspace [http://mathspace.co/] in 2024, and it has been great to see many taking advantage of this wonderful resource to assist with their learning. Within Mathspace, there is a lesson function and a textbook, which can be used by students to keep up with their courses of study.  Please contact your child’s teacher if login details have been forgotten over the summer holidays. 

Maths Homework club is running on Wednesdays between 3 and 4pm. We encourage all students to come along and spend some time working on class work or Mathspace. The team will be happy to help answer any of your Maths related questions.

Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher, or Head of Learning Area, if you have any concerns regarding your child’s learning program or progress throughout this year.

Alanna Webb
Head of Mathematics Learning Area

Our growing school community has stretched capacity for some time now but the opening of our brand-new Science Lab (SC8) should help. Some very lucky students have been making themselves comfortable and testing all systems since the key to the door was handed over for the commencement of Term 1.

As always, there have been a few bugs to iron out but its worth it to enjoy the thrill of first use of a new working environment.

Lindesay Pound
Science Teacher

How to Help Your Teen When They’re Feeling Lonely and Isolated

The start back to school can be challenging as friendship groups evolve and change during their high school years. When your teenager is shutting themselves away in their room, refusing to join in family activities and is being generally withdrawn, it’s hard to know what to say or do to help them. You can support them by strengthening your own connection and by helping them to connect with others.

Is Your Teen Just Introverted?

Sometimes teens need a break from social activity, and being alone gives them time to recharge. If your teen is introverted, they might prefer to spend time alone rather than hang out with friends and family all the time.

Most people are on a spectrum between introversion and extroversion and it can be difficult to tell where on that spectrum someone is. This is especially true with teens, who might try to act more extroverted than they really are in order to fit in at school.

Have a discussion with your teen about what sorts of social activities they like, and to what extent (e.g. how often, for how long, and with how many other people). This will help you to understand what will help make them feel socially connected. Teens who are more introverted still need to feel connected, just in different ways.

If your teen is being more withdrawn than usual, or is spending less time with friends, they might be feeling lonely or disconnected.

Strengthen Your Connection With Your Teen

It’s possible that your teen will reject your first offer of help. But even if they refuse to talk to you, it’s really important that you keep trying to connect with them. If your teen is feeling sad and frustrated because they’re socially isolated, your role as a parent is to provide a safe and consistent place for them.

Here are some things that can help you to strengthen your connection with your teen:

• Start a conversation. Asking your teen how they’re going and opening up a conversation can help you to figure out if they’re feeling lonely and whether there are other things going on, too. If they don’t want to talk, that’s okay – let them know that when they’re ready, you’ll be there for them.
• Be available and present. When talking to your teen, focus your attention on them and actively listen to what they’re saying.
• Do some activities together. Simple activities like taking a walk around the block after dinner or going for a drive can help your teen feel connected with you. It’ll also provide a less confronting opportunity for them to talk about how they’re feeling.
• Relate to and validate your teen. Tell them about times when you felt lonely as a teenager (or as an adult) and explain how those feelings passed. Let them know that everyone feels like this sometimes.

Help Your Teen Connect With Others

Working, volunteering and being creative are ways teenagers can contribute to their community in areas where they feel useful and knowledgeable. It’s likely they will find other people in these environments (whether in real life or online) who can become their peers and friends.

Here are some ways you can support your teen to connect with others:

• Find interest groups in your area. Check out your teen’s school, or your local library or council, or search the Ending Loneliness Directory online, for interest groups that are available for free or at a low cost.
• Find volunteering opportunities. Suggest that your teen volunteer for a cause they’re interested in. They could help out at an animal shelter or a homeless shelter, or they could coach a younger sports team. They can check out what’s listed online to get started.
• Nurture your relationships with other parents. Invite families with teenagers to visit and share meals, so that another teenager is there to connect with your child.
• Encourage your teen to find a part-time or casual job. Work can be a great way for your teen to meet new people. Help them to write a resume that outlines their skills, achievements and strengths, and the positive contribution they make to their school or community. Be prepared to help them talk with local business owners about potential jobs, then encourage your teen to apply for them. For more tips, watch our video Should I help my teen get a job?.
• Suggest other people for them to talk to. Not all teenagers want to share their feelings with their parents. You could help them to identify other trusted adults they could talk to, like an aunt, a neighbour, a friend’s older brother, a teacher or even their school counsellor. If they don’t want to talk in person, they could hop on to the ReachOut Online Community, which is a safe space for young people to share anonymously about what’s going on with them.

Remember To Look After Yourself

It’s so important to look after yourself while supporting your teen. There’s a bunch of things you can do to take care of yourself, but here are some key ones:

• Talk to other parents. You’d be surprised by how many of your friends and colleagues struggle with similar issues with their teens. Other parents might be able to share ideas or strategies that have worked for them. Check out the ReachOut Parents Forums to chat with like-minded parents of teenagers.
• Prioritise your own wellbeing. Remember what they say on planes: in the event of an emergency, fit your own oxygen mask first, then help others. Get some ideas to help you practise self-care.

When your teen is experiencing loneliness and isolation, it’s common to feel like you’re going through it alone as well. However, many parents of teenagers have experienced the same thing, and their teen has emerged from the difficult times stronger and more connected.

Article accessed from Reachout.com (you can sign up for free for lots of useful information).
How to help your teen when they’re feeling lonely and isolated - ReachOut Parents

Aundraea Stevens
Convenor of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Committee