Kiara College Newsletter - April 2022
Principal's Message
Principal’s Message: Term 1
Kaya from Kaye at Kiara
Congratulations to all of us. We survived a challenging Term 1 and even managed to thrive a little under the pressure. It was an exceptionally busy term as the Covid-19 virus started to really impact our community and we became contact tracers in addition to our normal roles as students, staff, and parents. We tried as much as possible to provide engaging curriculum and learning experiences to all students whether at home or at school.
We were able to continue important traditions such as Kiara Surf and celebrating Harmony Week. We even managed an Interim Report night of sorts - not quite the same chatting on the phone rather than face to face but still a valuable opportunity to develop partnerships with our families. Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 still had an opportunity to pass their OLNA and our City of Gold theatre excursion went ahead. International Women’s day and the Anniversary of the Apology to the Stolen Generations were both acknowledged through curriculum activities. High achievers were celebrated at student only year assemblies and our Interschool Basketball teams were still able to compete in (and win) tournaments.
I would like to thank all members of our community for their cooperation and support of our efforts to minimise the spread of Covid and to keep learning on track as much as possible. I appreciate it has been a huge effort in a landscape of fear and uncertainty and it is a testament to your strength, resilience, and commitment to helping others that we are still standing.
At the end of the term, we farewelled several staff who left us to take up other responsibilities and positions. I would like to thank Mr Bryan Rodrigues, Mrs Rebecca Robson, Mr Simon Breen (SSO), Mr Mike Weggelaar (Mathematics and Year Coordinator) and our Chaplain, Mrs Alison Van Corler, for their contribution to our community and wish them all the best in their future endeavours. This term we welcome back Mr Grant Brown as Principal and I will be the Associate Principal for Years 9 and 10. I have enjoyed the opportunity to be Principal and I am also looking forward to getting to know the Years 9 and 10 students a little better. I hope everyone had a relaxing, safe and healthy holiday and have a great Term 2.
Kaye Stevens
Principal (Term 1)
Principals Message: Term 2
Term 2 begins: Thank you and welcome.
Thank you to Kaye Stevens for her astute leadership as Principal in Term 1. It was assuring to know that whilst I was on leave the ship was being steered in the right direction, albeit through the stormy waters of Covid-19 and ever-changing guideline and rules.
Thank you to all staff who negotiated the same waters, where there were often requests for additional duties, reporting and compliance.
And thank you to our students, families and caregivers – showing significant support and resilience in managing daily school life and the challenges presented.
Best wishes for a successful term 2
Warm wishes
Grant Brown
Principal
WAFL Guest Speaker
Our Big Picture Education (BPE) Team were excited to welcome Sarah Lakay. WAFL West Coast Eagles player, as a guest speaker for the students. She shared her experiences on how Covid-19 has impacted her WAFL career and how resilience has played an integral role in adapting to the new conditions. Having guest speakers share insights in their specialised areas is a great way for BPE students to explore potential career interests.
If you have any interests that you are willing to chat to our students about, we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at kiara.college@education.wa.edu.au
Harmony Week
With 46+ nationalities represented in our community, we were excited to celebrate Harmony Week with our students and staff. The week was filled with lots of great activities organised by our Student Services Team and included painting small canvases utilising the Harmony Day theme "Everybody Belongs" that will become part of an art piece in the College, photo booth which was loved by students and staff, singing, flag painting, and the opportunity to sample foods from different countries (pancakes, fried rice, filipino spring rolls and frozen ice dessert).
Ms Bhanot worked with the English Department as an additional language/dialect (EAL/D) and students discussed their different cultures and plotted on a map of the world where they, and their parents, were from.
It was clear that everyone enjoyed the celebrations, a big thank you to our Students Services Team for organising everything.
English Department News
After studying the documentary Chasing Asylum, Miss Jeewa's Year 12 English ATAR class practiced their creative writing by composing letters taking on a persona to present a perspective on Harmony Week. The Year 10 Extension English class studied the play City of Gold along with of the themes "grief". They then had the opportunity to see the play which they all thoroughly enjoyed.
For Harmony Week, the students have been looking at grief across cultures and created posters in groups to present their information.
City of Gold Excursion
During Term 1, 19 students and 2 staff members (Ms Jeewa and Mr Stein) participated in an excursion to the Health Ledger Theatre to watch the play “City of Gold”, described by the Perth Festival website as “an unflinching force of drama that urgently questions injustice and racism in Australia today, and asks: have things changed?”
Most attendees from our College were from Senior School with one adventurous year 9 student in the mix. This excursion provided many students with their first opportunity to experience a live theatrical performance, and further assisted the Year 10 English Extension class in their comprehension of the “City of Gold” script which they studied during the term.
The students were also given an opportunity to directly engage with both the cast and director in a Q&A session immediately following the play.
The excursion was a rousing success with all attendees animatedly discussing the play and its central themes during the bus ride back to Kiara College.
Quick Moves by our Handballers
Mr Stephens and Matua Epiha held lineball/handball tournaments during their Years 7 and 8 Physical Education classes in Term 1. As students developed a competitive edge towards other teams, they soon wanted to take on other year groups in a competition while showcasing learned skills to their peers
Competitions were held over 2 days with Year 7 girls versus Year 8 girls, and Year 7 boys versus Year 8 boys in games of handball.
Competition 1
It was competitive from the very beginning as both teams were scrambling all over the court defending their opposition and it was tied at 1-1 for most of the first half until a flurry of errors from the Year 7s allowed for a 5-1 lead at half time. The Year 7s bounced back in the second half and brought the scores back to 5-4 with a minute to go. On the final play of the game the Year 8s forced a turnover and moved the ball downcourt to get a final shot on the siren and the game ended 6-4 in favour of the Year 8s.
Competition 2
It was a fast start from the Year 7 boys as they struck an early goal, catching the 8s off-guard. The Year 8s quickly responded scoring several goals through quick movement and solid defence as the Year 7s struggled to maintain possession of the ball in the first half, ending 6-1 in favour of the 8s. The Year 7s came out firing early in the second half, scoring 3 quick-fire goals leaving the Year 8s worried when they couldn't hold onto the ball. In the end the defensive pressure of the 8s was too strong with the Year 7s unable to break through and were defeated 9-6.
Teachers and peers were very impressed by the effort and determination showed by all teams whilst displaying great sportsmanship!
Kiara'surf
The Health and Physical Education Department at Kiara College provides students with a number of opportunities to represent their house faction through our whole school beach and athletics carnivals; Champion Schools Sports, Lightning Carnivals, and Interschool Athletics.
In March our College beach carnival, Kiara’surf, was held at Mullaloo Beach. Kiara’surf involves each year group rotating around six stations with each one including a mixture of novelty and competitive events.
Kiara'surf is a ‘House Carnival’. It provides an excellent way for students to team build, and strengthen their association with their ‘House’, their peers and the teaching staff.
Results at the completion of the day’s events were:
Overall House Placings
1st: Maali
2nd: Karak
3rd: Koolbardi
Year Champions
Year 7
Male: K’Zahn Koha
Female: Emily Anderson
Year 8
Male: Marley Sam
Female: Nikilah Carson
Year 9
Male: Tyrone Doran
Female: Summer Keenan
Year 10
Male: Dylan Greenhill
Female: Ariana Pihema
Year 11/12
Male: Kayleb Money-Elder
Female: Ellie Skinner
SmArts Workshops for Drama Students
During Week 10, fifteen students in Years 8 to 12, who are a part of the upcoming musical Heathers, attended a 3-day SmArts excursion to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), where they upskilled themselves in the art of Musical Theatre. Sponsored by The Smith Family, the SmArts Art Enrichment program supports students engagement within school by increasing their creative skills, self-confidence, social networks, and knowledge of post-school options.
The students focused on acting, singing, and dancing, led by WAAPA lecturers and previous students, and performed for representatives from The Smith Family. Their performance included singing and dancing to a musical number from Guys and Dolls, and their own version of ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ from Encanto, where the students created their own dialogue and choreography. The students showed so much enthusiasm and energy and there were many comments from the WAAPA staff and The Smith Family representatives about how well they conducted themselves over the 3 days. Congratulations to all the students involved – you should be extremely proud of your efforts!
Civics & Citizenship for Year 8 Students
Our Year 8 students did a fantastic job in their Civics & Citizenship, Humanities, and Social Sciences classes where they created resources to show young people ways in which they can participate in Australia's democracy before they turn 18.
Awards Ceremony
With Covid-19 restrictions meaning we could not have whole-school assemblies, the High Achievement awards for 2021 were presented to students in smaller groups during the term. Congratulations to all awardees.
International Women's Day
International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. At Kiara College, we acknowledged International Women's Day with purple balloons (the colour purple signifies dignity and justice) and by making the sign of the Venus female symbol (a circle with a cross handle that is the most used symbol of International Women's Day).