WA Parliament, Electoral Education Centre and Law Courts Excursion

On Friday 23^rd May, about 50 intrepid Year 9 students attended the WA Parliament and the Electoral Education Centre of WA.

The WA Parliament is a significant and powerful place in the lives of all Western Australians and it was great to be able to visit this centre of power. Students spent time in both chambers of the Parliament and learnt about the process of passing a bill into law. Stories of the history of the building were shared and the students were able to see photos of previous Premiers of Western Australia and other significant political figures from our great state.

The Electoral Education Centre of WA provided students with a clever introduction to the process of elections through a mock election process. Students found themselves in a mock television studio where reports about the election were being broadcasted. The timing of our visit could not have been better considering the state and federal elections having been held recently. This gave all students an insight and understanding of this very important process in our democracy.

Towards the end of the excursion, we had the pleasure of meeting with the newest local member of parliament, Mr Adam Hort MLA. Mr Hort generously spent time answering many questions from our Year 9 students on the steps of the parliament.  A week later, Mr Hort visited Year 9 classes at Kalamunda SHS to meet those students who weren’t on the excursion.  He has very kindly offered to visit again to meet with more students and reinforce to them the importance of holding members of parliament to account and ensure they represent the interests of the electorate. We thank Mr Hort for taking the time to speak with us and wish him success as he represents the electorate of Kalamunda over the next 4 years.

All students are to be congratulated for the mature approach they took throughout the excursions and thank go to Ms Davies, Ms Hawkes and Mr Petit for their work in making the excursion a success.

In Week 6, another 50 Year 9s embarked on an excursion to the Law Courts in Perth.  Students made their way to a civil court to learn about the roles of court personnel and participate in a courtroom role play in Perth’s oldest building.  The highlight for the students was to sit in a real court watching proceedings, one group witnessed a sentencing and another group got to witness a jury trial, specifically when they were looking at video evidence. The judge who was present in the Sentencing Court adjourned proceedings to talk with one of the groups and answer the students' questions, which was appreciated by all in attendance. It’s always a fascinating experience for staff and students alike to see the courts in action. 

Our Year 8s spent the first half of Term 2 learning about the free-market forces of supply and demand.  Their dreams came true when they were legitimately allowed to make paper planes and test-fly them.  Once students made their sales pitch to the class, they were gifted with millions of dollars to participate in an auction. The ‘laws’ of demand well and truly took place as fewer and fewer students bid as the prices rose.

This is just a snapshot of the real-life application of the key concepts of our Humanities courses as we work to provide our students with the knowledge to make sense of their rapidly changing world and skills to engender a life-long love of learning.  Year 8s are now immersed in the world of work as Term 2 draws to a close and a key area of interest is the role Artificial Intelligence is having on entry-level jobs.  Future demand for workers will be based on their ‘soft skills’ – such as communication, collaboration and critical thinking.  Thus, we encourage all students to continue their studies of Humanities and Social Sciences as they make their way through to Year 11 and 12.

Year 10 HASS - Pathways to Protection

During Week 5 and 6 Year 10 students were lucky to be able to hear from two guest speakers from the Australian Red Cross. The purpose of the visit was for students to hear about the role Australia plays overseas. The incursion explored important questions such as –

• “What is an asylum seeker and how do people become refugees?”,
• “Is it legal to seek asylum?”,
• “What is Australia’s obligation towards asylum seekers?”, and
• “What is the difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee?”.

 It outlined the facts regarding people seeking safety and provides an insight into their journey to Australia. 

The program included a:

• Presentation: covering human rights, United Nations Conventions and facts about the refugee plight within the global and Australian context.
• Simulation activity: an exciting, interactive opportunity for the whole class to imagine what it might be like to flee.

The sessions enabled students to build awareness and understanding about people impacted by migration, with the aim of improving critical thinking skills and developing empathy. The program is designed to help prepare students for an increasingly multicultural society and a world in which people’s lives are affected by issues that transcend national boundaries.

A big thank you to Pat and Mark who spoke to all eight classes of Year 10s.