Welcome to Whyalla Secondary College
Whyalla Secondary College respects Aboriginal People as having the oldest continuing cultures in human history. Our students develop an understanding of diverse cultural backgrounds, appreciating our differences, and inspiring in many a life long respect for the uniqueness and perspective of every individual.
Our students will become the social, political and cultural leaders of the next generation and the school has a clear responsibility to ensure that every student has been prepared to respond in a well informed, imaginative, courageous, caring and socially responsible manner.
Newsletter
Last Tuesday WSC celebrated World Down Syndrome Day. Did you know the 21st chromosome looks like odd socks? 🧦
Student Jacob gave a speech about WDSD followed by spending the lesson colouring in 'odd socks' which is the symbol for the day. 😊
For more information about WDSD please visit their website https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/
Today was the last day for NAPLAN testing!
A BBQ was held last Friday to celebrate all students who participated. Congratulations and well done for completing NAPLAN 🤩
This week performing arts students from across all year levels were able to watch a new performance by Slingsby Theatre Company entitled "The River That Ran Uphill". This was a biographical work exploring the effects of climate change on one performers home nation of Vanuatu and how the community comes together to rebuild after disaster strikes. This was followed by a theatre technique workshop for year 7's and a devising workshop for our SACE students. This has given our SACE students a kickstart to their summative performance assessment in term 2 and has provided them with new industry knowledge. 😀
Earlier this term, the year 7 cohort held a year level assembly and the following students were awarded with certificates for demonstrating the school value of Inclusion; Congratulations Lilli-Anne, Ben, Logan, Caleb, Brrych and Karley. 😀
Today is Harmony Day! 🤝
Today is about celebrating unity and diversity, whether that means becoming closer to our neighbours or gaining a better understanding of someone from the other side of the world. 🌏
Visit the official Harmony Day website for more information ⬇
https://nationaltoday.com/harmony-day
Senior School Study Session!
Our students were given time and space to:
• Complete overdue tests/assignments
• Catch up with work that is due soon
• Improve grades enacting on teachers’ feedback
• Students said they completed significant sections of their work
• Teachers received drafts and final copies for summative tasks
In a few words: Study Sessions were extremely successful. 😀
Year 7's and Year 9's completed their NAPLAN today!
Putting in action, positive behaviours for learning and ATRIUM philosophy our students were rewarded with activities of their choice. 😃
On Saturday 11 March, the Whyalla Recreation Centre held a Community Day. WSC year 10 student Drake (along with 3 others) swam 10km (400 laps) each! What an amazing effort by Drake! After 399 laps, he completed the 400th lap doing butterfly. Drake is raising money for the organisation Reach out | Laps for Life which helps to support better mental health and wellbeing for all young people. 😃
Please see below for more information about the cause.
More than 1 in 3 young people in Australia are currently experiencing a mental health difficulty. But there’s an even bigger problem: more than 1 million of them are not accessing professional support, and suicide remains the leading cause of death for 16-24 year old’s in Australia. After friends and family, the internet is the first place young people turn to for information and support. That’s where ReachOut Australia comes in. ReachOut Australia helps you feel better about today and the future, no matter what challenge you're facing. It's a safe place where you can openly express yourself, explore what’s happening in your life, connect with people who understand your situation, and find the resources to help you manage challenges now and in the future. Anonymous, free and 100% online, ReachOut has been designed specifically for – and with – young people. From one-to-one support from experienced peer workers, to online forums, as well as tips, stories and resources. ReachOut offers a wide range of support options that allow you to engage in the ways you want to, when you want to. Last year, ReachOut provided support to more than 2.5 million people.
Students in 10C PLP (Personal Learning Plan) had a chance to practically demonstrate the SACE capabilities they have been learning about. It gave students the opportunity to verbally showcase their learning and link their understanding of how to set an effective goal. Students were asked to explain the strategies they followed to successfully make the set recipes to connect the learning from this term. Well done, the finished meals were amazing! 👏
In week 5 our VET students completed their second block week! 😃
Some photos below from the following programs:
Certificate II Automotive Servicing Technology Course Code: AUR20520
Certificate II Electrotechnology (Career Start) Course Code: UEE22020
Certificate III Early Childhood Education and Care Course Code: CHC30113
Certificate II Cookery Course Code: SIT20416
NAPLAN starts today for students in years 7 and 9 at WSC. 📝
It’s important to remember that this is just one of the tools used to support your child’s learning. An open, honest and positive conversation can help reassure your child and build their overall confidence.
It's important to encourage students to:
👍 Try their best
📄 Read each question carefully
💤 Have a good night’s sleep
🍎 Eat healthy food on the day
Good luck to everyone taking part!
Our first group of year 9 students went on camp to Port Lincoln last week 🤩. Students had a great time participating in a number of aquatics-based activities in Coffin Bay and Lincoln National Park along with sandboarding, bushwalking, fishing, bubble soccer, archery tag, Glen Forest Animal Park and mini golf.
These camps are a fantastic opportunity for our year students to create new friendships, challenge themselves with new activities and spend quality time with their classmates outside the classroom. The students represented the college proudly and received great feedback from all venues. 👍
We look forward to the two remaining camps in the coming weeks!
This month marks #closethegap Day and WSC celebrated today by having community stalls at recess. We had a visit from Mission Australia, headspace Whyalla, D'faces of youth arts Inc., Plaza Youth Centre Inc and Unisa Whyalla. Each stall provided fun activities such as a silent disco but also gave the students an opportunity to share knowledge and learn about the importance of the day.
We were also fortunate to have a visit from @scottdarlow who performed a number of songs as well as speaking to staff and students about the importance of identity and culture.
A big thank you to everyone who came along and showed their support for Close The Gap Day. 😃
A reminder that the college will be closed on Monday 13 March due to the public holiday! 😀
Stage 2 Chemistry students undertook their first summative practical, using the volumetric analysis technique of titration at WSC this week. This practical demonstrated the student's ability to use analytical chemistry equipment to determine total acidity of two types of liquids. It is fantastic to see our students completing university quality practicals and developing strong chemistry knowledge and skills. 🧪
This week the college has been fortunate to receive a visit from SA’s leading alcohol and other drug education program Encounter Youth. The team are speaking to students, staff and families about topics such as the effects of alcohol on the brain and vaping.
A parent seminar will be held at 6pm tonight on how to talk and have influence around alcohol and other drugs. The team will present evidence-based information and strategies for families to support their young people. The presentation will be held in the WSC Mount Laura Theatre for any interested parents.
A big thank you to Encounter Youth for visiting the college and to the Whyalla City Council for their help in coordinating such an important event. 😃
Congratulations to students Elysia, Tyson (pictured) and Caitlin (absent) for being selected to represent SA high school students on this year's South Australian Student Representative Council (SA SRC) 🤩
This project demonstrates the efficacy of student voice and agency, for our National Partners to implement across every state and territory. These students will play an important role in the creation and development of this program and will work alongside participants to ensure students in SA can demonstrate their capacity for participation and active citizenship.
To read more about the SA SRC please follow the link SA SRC - Commissioner for Children and Young People (ccyp.com.au)
Port Adelaide Football Club held a Junior Clinic on the WSC College Oval yesterday afternoon. The players organised drills for the participants and signed Autographs. 🤩
On Wednesday, all year 7 and 8 students participated in a design thinking challenge based around Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday March 5. 😃
Students worked in groups to answer the driving question ‘How can we design an effective waste collection system or strategy to manage waste more effectively in our school yard?’ And pitched to a panel consisting of Mrs McEvoy, Mrs Richman and David from Veolia.
Our winning teams for the day were Milly, Harry and Jordan from 7B, Layla, Olivia and Rhys from 8A and congratulations to Spencer Gulf for a great initiative and winning a morning tea. 😁
Well done to all students involved and thank you for Veolia for donating prizes for our winning teams.
Please see information below on a Parent Seminar with Encounter Youth. It will be held in the WSC theatre. Please let us know if you will be attending by calling the school on 8668 9600 or email dl.1035.info@schools.sa.edu.au 😊
Discover our college
Explore our three communities below
Year 7 and 8 community
Year 9 and 10 community
Year 11 and 12 community
Events
Acknowledgement
of Country
Whyalla Secondary College is located on Barngarla Country. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge and pay respect to the past and present Traditional Custodians of Country in Whyalla and throughout Australia. We respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ connections to land, sea, sky and community.
