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Several students have had eye-opening experiences lending

a helping hand to children in need overseas – and set

impressive examples for their classmates in the process.

Tegan Edmondson (Year 10) and Kirsty

Kennedy (Year 12) returned home on Sunday

22 July after spending two weeks working

with Filipino children in impoverished

communities.

They joined a small group of students

and staff from four other schools as part

of the Anglican Schools Commission’s

second Reachout pilgrimage to Manila,

supplementing the efforts of local Anglican

parishes by serving and working alongside

the poor.

They spent five days each at two of the

poorest communities on the outskirts of

the city, feeding and eating with children

and their mothers, teaching literacy and

numeracy, singing and praying, creating a

play area and planting trees.

The heat, humidity, and basic living

conditions and resources were confronting.

“These people have very little material

possessions but the love and acceptance that

everyone gave us, without knowing who we

were, was one of the best things about the

trip,” Kirsty said.

“I was so happy that day, knowing that I had

helped this girl who isn’t that much older

than me – I really made a difference, and that

is what my trip with my grandmother was all

about.”

Georgia is already planning her third visit to

Ethiopia, while James Devine is hoping to

return next year to India. The Year 11 student

has twice assisted at orphanages, an aged

care home and community facilities in India,

most recently continuing a family history of

missionary work during a three-week visit in

January.

Principal Anne Ford said John Wollaston’s

students were generous – evidenced by

regular House Group charity fundraisers and

events – and were increasingly making more

significant attempts to reach out to the less

fortunate.

“I hope many of our students have similar

opportunities in the future, as experiences

such as this are often catalysts for personal

growth,” she said.

Year 12 Prefect Georgia Gazzone fundraises to

purchase supplies for a hospital, school and

orphanages in Ethiopia and, with the help of

family and friends, collected $12,000 before

returning to the Third World country at Easter

with her grandmother, who she credits with

inspiring her to help the needy.

Georgia has begun sponsoring a family she

met while visiting the Addis Ababa Fistula

Hospital, which offers free surgery to women

who have suffered potentially fatal or

debilitating childbirth injuries.

“I gave the hospital $US500 to help a 20-year-

old mother named Gete to get back on her

feet, and this was enough to provide her

family with a home in the country and rent

for an entire year,” Georgia said.

Charity begins at home

ABOVE | Georgia Gazzone visiting her nan’s Ethiopian sponsor family at their government shelter.

Georgia and her nan collected hand-made teddies and lollipops and donated them to the Hope for Children Kindergarten.

PAGE TWO | FROM THE PRinciPAl

PAGE TWO | nEW lOOk FOR A BRiGHT FuTuRE

PAGE THREE | SEcOnD Run JuST AS Fun

PAGE FOuR | STATE SElEcTiOn A SiGn OF THinGS TO cOME

PAGE FOuR | lET THE GAMES BEGin

PAGE FiVE | FiRE SAFETY lESSOn A REAl BlAST

PAGE FiVE| ‘BRinG A BAG’ SuPPORTS cHARiTY

PAGE SiX | A lESSOn in Fun PAGE SiX | SQuASH TEAM iMPRESSES

PAGE SEVEn| JuMPinG JEllY BABiES

PAGE SEVEn | STAFF SAluTED PAGE EiGHT | GRAnDPAREnTS’ DAY

THIS ISSUE | AUGUST 2012 | EDITION 33

The Charter

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THE CHARTER | AUGUST 2012 | EDITION 33

A school of the Anglican Scools Commision Inc

Dear Parents and Friends

One of my favourite events on the school calendar is Grandparents’ Day. Each year students

in the Early Learning Centre host their grandparents for the morning. The day begins with an

assembly hosted by the Year 2 students. This year’s special guests were treated to a colourful

spectacle of drama, dance and song. Generous applause followed each item with beaming

smiles on the grandparents’ faces only matched by the children’s joy in performing. Prayers for

grandparents concluded the assembly before everyone moved to the Early Learning Centre for

morning tea and time in classrooms with the children.

Each year we are delighted to welcome back familiar faces and new grandparents to the School. The attendance of great grandparents is

also growing with special acknowledgment this year of Nanna June, who turned 90 on the day. I’m quite sure she has never had 400 people

sing “Happy Birthday” to her in her life! She took the gesture in good spirit as grandparents invariably do.

Grandparents are frequently the custodians of values and traditions in families. They possess the wisdom borne of life experience and

derive much enjoyment from seeing their grandchildren being happy and learning at school. They recognise that a well-rounded education

underpinned by strong values is important preparation for success in later life.

I have particularly fond memories of my maternal grandmother who was a strong, independent woman – in many ways ahead of her

time. At 99 she was still sharp of mind, well-versed in current affairs and vitally interested in the lives of her grandchildren. Despite her own

modest formal education, she always espoused the value of education in its broadest sense. She recognised the increasing importance of

women having a career and financial independence. As I grew into adulthood I came to appreciate her views on many things and especially

one of her favourite sayings, “all things in moderation”. Certainly her long life was testimony to that.

Term 2 has been full of activity across the School. Our students have been well-engaged. I hope you enjoy this issue of The Charter.

With warm wishes

Anne Ford

From the Principal

02

ABOVE | Year 8 student Steffanie Conneely was photographed for a new advertisement to promote John Wollaston’s Open Mornings.

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THE CHARTER | AUGUST 2012 | EDITION 33

A school of the Anglican Scools Commision Inc

Second run just as fun

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John Wollaston’s second annual Fun Run attracted more than 200 competitors who laced up their sneakers for a serious run or more leisurely stroll on Monday 4 June.

The event started and finished in the school

grounds and offered a choice of a 4km or 7km

course that took in the nearby Champion

Lakes Regatta Centre.

There were categories for those aged under

eight, 12 and 18, an open category for those

aged over 19, and a family division.

Event Coordinator and Head of Primary John

Stewart said the family category proved

popular and was likely due to the event

coinciding with the WA Day public holiday

and people seeking local activities for all ages

to participate in.

With prizes on offer for winners and runners-

up in each category, there was much

anticipation at the starting line.

Some impressive times were recorded and

Mr Stewart hopes competitors will return for

next year’s event to see if they can beat their

times, and that they will be joined by some

new faces as well.

THE CHARTER | AUGUST 2012 | EDITION 33

03

Right | Simon Wats and Julia Muller atiis ut hit liam vero totatur sam est, nonsequat offic te nam, sent.

A school of the Anglican Scools Commision Inc

Long-time readers of The Charter will

notice a new look from this edition.

This is part of a review that the School has

taken to assist in the further development

of the John Wollaston brand and its overall

marketing.

The aim is to build a unique and compelling

brand in the independent education sector

in the south-east metropolitan area,

particularly as new schools are established

locally within the next two years, raise

awareness of the school and position John

Wollaston as a leader in the market.

A new website, prospectus, advertisements

featuring current students, and other

promotional material are being developed

to attract prospective students, based

upon the theme of ‘Bright Futures’. New

stationery and signage will also be created.

The ‘Bright Futures’ tagline supports the

work that staff do to teach our students

about the world and encourage them to

examine their place in it. The messaging

highlights how the School empowers

them to dream big and face the future with

confidence, and prepare them for their own

Bright Future – whether that is through

the pursuit of university entrance, other

tertiary education, learning a trade, or

work placement.

New look for a Bright Future

Let the games begin

Eight Year 8 students pooled their creativity

and problem-solving skills as they

represented John Wollaston in a series of

challenges in the Western Australian da Vinci

Decathlon on Friday 1 June.

The event brought together teams from 28

schools at Wesley College to complete tasks

based on engineering, mathematics, code

breaking, games of strategy, art and poetry,

Science, English and forensic sleuthing.

The John Wollaston team included Steffanie

Conneely, Sarah D’Ermilio, Evie Dodge, Dylan

Gibson, Bevan Hargrave, Breanne Williams,

Scott Winstanley and Jason Witt.

Brad McPhail has been touted as a footballer

of the future after impressive performances

during the AFL Under 16 National

Championships at Blacktown, Sydney, in July.

The Year 11 student represented Western

Australia in three matches against teams

from South Australia, Vic Metro and Vic

Country and was named amongst the best

on ground in two of those games.

It placed first in the art and poetry category

and fifth in creative producers.

Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning

Anne Harris said John Wollaston finished

eleventh overall.

“Our students worked impressively as a team

under high pressure, demonstrating a wide

range of abilities,” she said.

“They put in a lot of preparation for the event

and participated wholeheartedly in each

challenge.”

The Decathlon is named after Leonardo da

Vinci, one of the world’s greatest thinkers and

scholars and also included general knowledge

and philosophy.

It originated at Knox Grammar School in

New South Wales as an offshoot of a gifted

and talented programme and is now open to

private and public schools across Australia,

celebrating the academic talents of young

students with a stimulating competition run

in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon.

Students from the winning school (Hale) and

host school will compete in the national da

Vinci Decathlon in Sydney during week 10 of

Term 3.

At 189cm tall and weighing 75kg, Brad played

on footballers who were at least seven

centimetres taller and up to 20kg heavier.

Only four goals were kicked against him

during the entire competition.

Guided by former West Coast Eagles Assistant

Coach Rob Wiley and support staff including

current AFL players Adam Selwood and

Aaron Sandilands, WA finished the carnival

undefeated.

The event is part of the AFL’s NAB Rising Stars

youth development initiative and provides

200 of the nation’s best young footballers an

opportunity to test their skills against each

other.

Brad is a member of the South Fremantle

Football Club’s highly-respected Warriors

talent programme and his selection in the WA

squad was the icing on the cake after he was

awarded the Jim Hurst medal for best and

fairest in the Warriors 16s programme in June.

State selection a sign of things to come

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ABOVE | Anglicare Youth Ambassadors Kate Quinlan, James Devine, Jake Liebregts and Jessica Williams encouraged their classmates to donate clothes

Children in the Kindergarten classes jumped

at the opportunity to become a fireman

– complete with an operational fire hose

– when the Gosnells Volunteer Bush Fire

Brigade visited the school in early July.

With the help of firefighter Allan Webster,

they took aim and set off a siren when their

blasts of water hit the target.

It was a highlight of the visit, which also

included practical sessions about fire safety

and smoke alarms, and the appropriate

actions to take in the event of a fire.

Mr Webster said while the subject of fires was

serious, it was also important the youngsters

enjoyed themselves because research had

shown that children learned by doing and

recalled more information from hands-on

experiences.

“We love doing these visits,” he said.

“The kids listened really well and were so

proud of themselves for being able to use the

fire hose.”

Fire safety lesson a real blast

05

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Hundreds of local residents will be able to dress more warmly this winter thanks to the generosity of John Wollaston students.Hundreds of local residents will be able to

dress more warmly this winter thanks to the

generosity of John Wollaston students.

Children from Kindergarten to Year 12 reached

into their closets and drawers to collect

items of clothing they no longer needed or

had outgrown, and placed them into bright

orange bags provided by Anglicare WA for the

charity’s ‘Bring a Bag Day’ appeal.

Nearly 200 bursting-at-the-seams bags

were stockpiled in the corner of the Berry

Durston Indoor Sports Centre on Wednesday

13 June to await collection by an Anglicare

representative.

Principal Anne Ford said the clothes would be

sold at Anglicare Op Shops, which provided

good quality, recycled clothes and household

goods at affordable prices to thousands of

West Australians.

“This exercise was a simple way for our

students to participate in community service

and express their support for those who are

less fortunate, particularly as we head into a

cold and wet winter,” she said.

John Wollaston’s Anglicare Youth

Ambassadors promoted ‘Bring a Bag Day’

across the Early Learning Centre and Primary

and Secondary schools to raise awareness

of the initiative and urge their classmates to

take part.

Kate Quinlan, in Year 10, was thrilled with the

number of bags of clothes collected.

“We regularly hold events to support

Anglicare and previously we’ve collected cans

of food,” she said.

“Donating clothing was another simple way

to help other members of the community on

the same day that we celebrated the birthday

of Bishop Hale, who was very passionate

about helping those most in need.”

‘Bring a Bag’ supports charity

Three John Wollaston staff have been

recognised for making a difference to the

education and personal development of

students at the School.

Principal Anne Ford, Careers and VET

Coordinator Mark Anderson, and the

Learning Enrichment Centre’s Michelle

Willis were surprised to learn they were

nominated by members of the broader school

community for the 2011 ASG Inspirational

Teaching Awards.

The initiative, run by the National Excellence

in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) Foundation,

allows parents and children to honour

educators who connect with their students

and inspire them individually to achieve to the

best of their abilities.

The Primary School’s Class Representatives

organised a free dress day in June that served

as more than just a fundraiser.

‘Jelly Baby Day’ raised $600 across the Early

Learning Centre and the Primary for the

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

(JDRF).

It also generated awareness of an increasingly

common condition which affects one of their

classmates.

Relief teacher Haylee Godfrey said Class

Representatives had proposed organising an

event in Term 2 to raise money.

“I suggested doing something for charity as

a way of being part of our wider community,”

she said.

“They responded with the idea of raising

money for diabetes as we had a student in the

Primary School who was affected by it.

Mrs Willis, who has worked at John Wollaston

for 15 months, said she felt privileged to be

part of the Learning Enrichment team and

honoured to be recognised for the effort and

passion she put into teaching.

“I have been teaching for 31 years and

recognition like this award encourages me to

stay with my profession and continue to help

children to reach their potential,” she said.

“In my teaching role at JWACS I love seeing the

absolute joy on a child’s face when they finally

‘get something’ and I enjoy finding different

ways for children to improve their skills and

knowledge and build their self-esteem.”

Mr Anderson said his focus with his students

was not only on achieving to the best of their

ability academically but also helping them

to develop into valuable and contributing

members of the community.

“A free dress day was unanimously decided

upon, with students donating a gold coin to

participate. The Class Representatives helped

promote the event and collected the monies

for it.”

Brightly clothes were the order of the day

on Friday 1 June, with classrooms and

playgrounds reflecting a rainbow of colours.

Juvenile diabetes – or Type 1 diabetes – is

caused by the immune system mistakenly

turning on itself, destroying cells within the

pancreas and removing the body’s ability to

produce insulin. Insulin allows the body to

process sugar to create energy, and without

insulin, the body starves as it cannot process

food. Type 1 diabetics may feel sick or faint

if they do not have enough glucose in their

blood and therefore sometimes need sugary

foods like jelly babies to restore their blood

glucose levels.

“As a career counsellor I can assist students

during their time at John Wollaston as well

as in taking their first tentative steps into

the real world – they are just bursting with

potential and I am always keen to catch up

with them after graduation to see what they

are up to.”

Nominations for the awards closed on

Tuesday 31 July. State and Territory awards

will be presented to teachers in late October

and 12 finalists will receive a professional or

project development grant of up to $5000

early next year.

The JDRF sells jelly baby-themed merchandise

each year to raise money for medical

research.

Staff saluted

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ABOVE | Hayden White, Brayden Fox and Justin Meason

ABOVE | Joshua Bydder and Tiffany Trainer had fun with visiting author Steven Layne.

ABOVE | Dylan Andrews and Nadia Geb dressed in bright colours in the spirit of ‘Jelly Baby Day’

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A team from John Wollaston battled tough competition in the 2012

Interschool Squash Tournament on Wednesday 4 July to finish runners-

up in its category.

Twenty-one teams entered the event, held at the Blue Gum Park

Squash Club in Brentwood, with John Wollaston participating in

division two boys.

WA Squash Metropolitan Development Officer Sue Hillier said the

standard of play was excellent.

“Those new to the game showed improvement with each match and

this year the competition had several State squash players,” she said.

“Some of the players who returned from last year went from runners-up

to winners this year, and many of the matches played were exciting to

watch and won by a margin of one point.”

Squash team impresses

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A school of the Anglican Scools Commision Inc

American author Steven Layne had children in fits of giggles when he visited the Primary School during Term 2.

His sense of humour was contagious as he

spoke to the Years 3 and 4 classes about his

passion for writing and his love of books.

The visit was part of a three-week trip around

Australia.

The Professor of Literacy Education at Judson

University in Illinois formerly taught in

public schools and is a frequent speaker at

conferences and meetings of educators and

librarians around the world.

His passion is building lifetime readers and

as an author, he has written award-winning

picture books and a novel for young adults.

Mr Layne’s time at John Wollaston focused on

where ideas for writing come from and how

those ideas translate into books.

He started the sessions with a game by

weaving four statements into a speech about

his background and asked the children to

answer whether those points were true

or false, urging them not to guess but to

support their responses with reason and

logic.

Mr Layne’s energy and jokes ensured an

hilarious incursion.

“I love teaching and I love working with kids,”

Mr Layne said.

“I really appreciated the polite behaviour

of the John Wollaston students and their

manners were outstanding.”

A lesson in fun Jumping jelly babies

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A school of the Anglican Scools Commision Inc

Grandparents’ Day 28 June 2012