As we come to the end of this first term, I would like to thank all our parents and carers for their continued support of the College. Our school mission states that our aim is to be a school where students, teachers and parents actively engage as partners in the education process and I am pleased to see that this has been occurring this year. I hope that many Senior School parents have had the opportunity to access SEQTA to view assessment rubrics and comments from teachers about areas of the curriculum where their child is doing well in class as well as feedback about where they can improve in the future. For our Junior School families, student portfolios are coming home today. Please do find some time over the break to read through the portfolio with your child and engage in a discussion about their learning over the past 10 weeks.  

Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences

On Friday 5 May, we will be holding our Parent-Student-Teacher conferences for Years 6 to 10 in the GFC Gymnasium. Details of how to make bookings with teachers will be emailed out to parents today, along with details for accessing student Interim Reports. Unlike previous years where teachers may have requested conferences with parents, I would like to encourage parents to make bookings with whichever teachers they wish to meet. I encourage students to join the interviews so that they are engaged with the discussions also. 

Junior School Parent-Teacher conferences are also being held on the same day, which will provide a wonderful opportunity for parents to discuss their child’s academic and social progress this year.

With these conferences occurring, there will be no school for students in Years Kindy to Year 10 on Friday 5 May, however, classes will continue as normal for Year 11 and 12 students. 

Staff Changes For Term 2

The end of a school term often brings some staffing changes, with this year being no different. 

Senior School Mathematics and Science teacher, Amy Bennett, will be finishing with us at the end of this term and will move to a new position at Guildford Grammar. We wish Amy all the best and thank her for her years of service to our students and the College. Moving into the Mathematics Department from the start of next term will be Jonathan Diaz. Jonathan is a Helena College alumni and has been teaching Mathematics at Eastern Hills Senior High School for the past six years. 

With Ms Bennett’s departure, Dr Maree Baddock, our K-12 Director of Teaching and Learning will be stepping in to teach a Year 11 Chemistry class.

We would also like to wish our Senior School Head of English, Ms Rebecca Ewing, all the very best as she begins maternity leave at the end of this term.  Rebecca will be taking leave until the end of this year and Mrs Jasmine Watts, who taught at the College last year, will be returning during this time. Mr Steve Smith will serve as Head of Department while Ms Ewing is on leave. 

I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge and thank Amanda Marriott for her many years of service in leading the Helena Basketball Club. So many of our students have benefited from Amanda’s commitment and dedication to basketball and, as she leaves, she does so with the basketball program in a very healthy position. The College will present Amanda with a gift as a sign of our appreciation for her hard work in the near future. 

Happy Term Break 

As we all head towards the term break, I hope all students and families stay safe and enjoy their time away from the daily school routine. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Wednesday 26 April.

Peter Coombs, College Principal

Don't let your 10¢ containers' potential go to waste.

Helena College is now participating in containers for change! You can use our code (HELENA COLLEGE COUNCIL INC Member number: C10292875) when you drop your containers at your local depot. This is a great way to responsibly throw out your old containers while helping to support our school. Put this code into your phone, so you have it handy next time you drop your bottles and cans off at a Containers for Change depot. You can find the depot closest to you at https://www.containersforchange.com.au/wa/where-to-return

The money collected will go towards supporting our environmental projects. We will be keeping you updated on how much we are raising. If you have an environmental project that you would like to see the funds raised go towards, please make those suggestions via the Student Council email studentcouncil@helena.wa.edu.au

Tanami Boggs, 2023 Environment Captain

The Pre primary children have enjoyed the Inquiry this term on Friendship. In celebration, and part of our summative assessment, we invited the Kindy children to have a special time where we practiced all the skills we have learnt about being a good friend. We shared, played and took turns. We also introduced ourselves to our new friend. It was a fun way to share some time with the Kindy children and meet some new friends.

Kellie Sorensen Kindergarten Teacher

Excursions are a wonderful way of extending student learning beyond the classroom. Recently, I was fortunate enough to accompany the Year 4 students and their teachers to the Gravity Discovery Centre at Gingin. The Year 4 students have been studying forces and this was a great opportunity for students to see them in action.

One of the highlights of the day for the students was attempting to replicate Galileo’s investigation into the effect of mass on the time taken for objects to fall to the ground. The students climbed a 45 m tower with water filled balloons of various sizes and dropped them in pairs. The aim was to see if two balloons of different masses would hit the ground at the same time. The hardest part was releasing the balloons at the same time.

The Gravity Centre also has a solar walk. Models of the planets are placed so that students can gain better understanding of the large distances between the sun and some of the outer planets. Students shared their knowledge of the solar system as they walked as far as Jupiter.

The students also spent time in an interactive space learning about the universe, such as the curving of space and different types of waves using physical models. This was a hands-on exhibit that students thoroughly enjoyed. It was great to watch them investigate and further develop their science understandings.

The last activity of the day was to be an observation of the sun, with the proper solar filters, but cloud cover and the beginnings of some rain presented a challenge. Instead, students had the opportunity to ask questions about the solar system and the various telescopes on display. The students offered insightful observations and asked searching questions, some of which stumped the experts. I was impressed by their enthusiasm to know more.

Excursions such as this one help our students see the relevance of the content they are learning and, hopefully, will encourage them to consider careers in science. I would like to thank Mr Peter Cumming, Mr Alex Cook, Mrs Candice Demascio and the Year 4 students for allowing me to accompany them – it was a wonderful day.

Dr Maree Baddock, Director of Teaching & Learning K‑12

Suara Indonesia Dance presented an energetic mix of music, dance, body percussion and songs in an informative and entertaining workshop for our Year 6 and 8 Indonesian-language classes. The highly rhythmic body percussion dances are fun and fulfilling - boosting self-esteem and confidence. Students had a lot of fun: see comments and photos below!

This was an engaging experience that taught me a lot about Indonesian culture and how to do the dances that entertain people. It was an enjoyable activity that I would definitely try again. I recommend this to other students. - Owen Czerw, 8C

We learned a lot from the guests that came to our school, including Indonesian culture and dance. We got to learn and do some body percussion, musical rhythms and dances from various places in Indonesia, like West Sumatra. It was a really fun and engaging experience, where everyone got involved. My favourite part was getting together in groups and working together to come up with a routine based on what we had learnt. In the excursion, we also learnt about Indonesian culture. We wore traditional pants that made sound as you spread your legs out and banged the middle. The Year 8s and the Year 6s combined, allowing the two year groups to learn from each other. This was a really fun experience and I hope we get to do it again next year. - Elise Durkin, 8W and Rose Hendry,  8W

Some of the Year 6 and Year 8 students participated in a fun Indonesian incursion. It consisted of us learning about the traditional Indonesian Rendai dances often performed in theatres and on the streets of Indonesia. We watched Pak Jack and Ibu Alfira perform a dance while three volunteers played the instruments (a small drum and two hand gongs). After that, we were all told to put on the traditional Indonesian trousers (called Galembong), and copied the actions of Pak Jack and Ibu Alfira. Having already experienced a similar Indonesian incursion last year, I felt comfortable and confident participating. The trousers are always a laugh because I think they look funny on, and when you hit them, they make a really loud drum noise. At the end, there was time for a few questions from students. We learnt a little bit about the tradition and history behind the dances. - Oliver Fletcher, Year 8C

This year, Helena College entered two teams in the Synergy Solar Car Challenge. The competition was held at Lumen Christie College. Both teams had 45 minutes to build a solar-powered car from scratch and then test it, before the race off against the other schools on the track outside on the oval.

Our Year 8 team comprised of James, Charlotte, Kaitlyn and Samuel, who were selected based on their performances in the races we held here at Helena College. The practice they put in during the races at Helena stood them in good stead, helping them reach fourth place in the Finals at Lumen Christ.

The Year 6 team all volunteered to give it a go, with Oliver, Carlo, Mathew and Albie, putting their skills to the test. They performed very well, winning their first two heats and making it to the Finals where they raced off against three other schools. They placed third in the finals, narrowly missing out on a spot in the Grand Final.

For the Year 6s this was a great experience and they can look forward to having another go in Year 8. A big Thank you to Mr Ford for accompanying the Year 6 team and to Mrs Gallagher and Mr Pitt for driving us down. Well done to both teams and we look forward to next year.

Deven Reddy, Head of Science

The Year 12 Media students recently went enjoyed an overnight camp in the City of Perth  to film footage for their individual ATAR film submissions.  These films will be worth 50 per cent of both their internal and external marks. The locations available were great for our Hills kids, and they certainly had a lot of fun filming, especially when they got to play pool as part of the film. We also managed to clock up over 14kms of walking in one day around the city - a pretty impressive effort!I We can’t wait to see the completed films.

Heather Owen, Media Teacher

Ceramic Dragons

Year 9 Visual Arts students recently completed a ceramics project which involved designing and constructing dragons using various hand-building techniques. Students very were engaged in the creative process, drawing and designing their dragons, before bringing them to life through sculpting and painting with layers of acrylic paint. The project provided a great opportunity for students to develop their artistic skills and explore their creativity.

The eight days of the Language Perfect World Championships were rather competitive for the Year 6 to Year 12 students who entered, and the results below prove that community spirit and support, commitment and the willingness to broaden one’s mind to a variety of foreign languages are qualities can lead to a well-deserved success.

The beauty of this competition is the fact that students were able to make connections between different languages. Despite focusing mainly on competing in French and Indonesian, many students attempted vocabulary lists in Maori, Latin, Russian, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic, developing vocabulary building skills and enhancing their knowledge of English along the way.

We would like to thank all the students studying either French or Indonesian at Helena, as well as the enthusiasm and competitive spirit they displayed during the duration of the competition. The Language Acquisition team feels really humbled by the results.

All prizes and certificates will be distributed soon in assembly.

Congratulations again everyone: you certainly did an amazing job and made the College proud!

Final results for the Language Perfect World Championships 2023

• Total questions answered: 563,211
• Competing students: 507
• Points earned: 198,622
• Hours spent: 688
• Awards: 102

School achievements:

• 19th overall globally (out of 2,532 schools)
• 12th overall in Australia (out of 1,783 schools)
• 2nd overall in WA (out of 238 schools)

• 1st for French in WA (out of 146 schools)
• 5th overall in French (out of 1,342 schools)
• 5th for French in Australia (out of 997 schools)

• 4th for Indonesian in WA (out of 123 schools)
• 7th overall in Indonesian (out of 651 schools)
• 7th for Indonesian in Australia (out of 539 schools)

• 1st for Maori in WA (out of 58 schools)
• 3rd for Latin in WA (out of 74 schools)
• 5th for Malay in WA (out of 80 schools)
• 6th for Spanish in WA (out of 109 schools)
• 8th for Greek in WA (out of 113 schools)

Student Achievements:

• Elite Awards: 1 (10000+ points) This student deserves particular recognition – Stella (Year 9)
• Emerald Awards: 5 (5000+ points)
• Gold Awards: 6 (3000+ points)
• Silver Awards: 11 (2000+ points)
• Bronze Awards: 27 (1000+ points)
• Credit Awards: 52 (500+ points)

Some comments from our participants: 

EP championships is always a fun time of the year, with multiple languages to choose from. I did mostly all languages learning little bits from each and applying my knowledge of French to Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Support from friends and family kept me going to achieve what I did and I learnt heaps more. I got to revise previously learnt French which is great for upcoming French tests. Stella - Year 9

The languages I tried were Indonesian, French, Latin and Japanese, there were other languages I did but did not get many points from them. The thing that motivated me was that I wanted to beat my score from last year. I was awarded gold, but for this year’s education perfect world championship I came Emerald with an extra 1000 points. To get these points I memorised the words over and over until I knew the language words. I strive to  get Elite next year and am enjoying learning the French language. Henry  - Year 7

In this year's Language Perfect World Championship I achieved 6666 points. The languages I studied were French, Spanish, Italian and Indonesian. The language I mainly focused on was French because I have been learning it at school and enjoy it. What motivates me to participate in the Language Championship is the fact I have the option to choose what language I am able to study and expand on my experience of learning different languages. Emily - Year 9

Béatrice Archambaud, Head of Department - Languages

Year 10 French students attended the French movie Ride Above.

Literally born and raised with horses, Zoe leads a happy life at her parents’ racehorse stables, driven by the dream of becoming a jockey like her father. But her dreams are shattered one stormy night, when she’s accidentally injured, leaving her permanently disabled. Furious at life, Zoe slips into despair. But with the support of her family and the help of Seb, a stable hand with a gift for communicating with horses, Zoe will seek to conquer the impossible, in pursuit of her dream. With magnificent shots of Normandy, this emotionally riveting movie will let you broach the themes of handicap, tolerance and perseverance.

The students provided some great feedback on their experience.

The excursion to Palace Cinemas to watch 'Ride Above' was such a good experience. Being able to spend an hour and a half listening to Ffrench really helped me understand a lot of what was going on without having to look at the subtitles. The movie was so inspirational and motivational and I especially really enjoyed the whole trip. My friends and I had so much fun and we learnt a lot - I really hope we get to go again. The movie helped us understand how natural French speakers speak and how they structure everything. The experience was really beneficial and definitely one of the best excursions I've been on. - Abigail

Our French excursion was a really fun one. I went with all my friends and we were all excited on what French movie we were about to watch; during the bus ride we were all very impatient as we couldn’t wait to start watching and know what the film was exactly about. Once we had sat down with popcorn and drinks, we saw the title of the movie 'Ride Above' with a horse in the background and we then all knew that it was about a horse and potentially a girl. The movie had an interesting start and got better and better as it went on. There were a lot of good plot twists but also very sad problems, the main plot of the movie. Half way through it was very sad but then at the end it had a very happy ending and I was really happy for the girl as she got a chance to pursue her dream. Overall I really liked the film!  - Dasha

I enjoyed the film 'Ride Above'. It had an interesting plot and had a lot of things that were accurate as to how horses would act. The film was quite inspiring yet still had the formulaic format, following the problem, failure, and finally succeeding format common to other films of the genre. The film shows us the family connections in the French culture. For example, even though Sebastian (the farm hand that built the house for Zoé) wasn’t related to them by blood, he still was family. 'Ride Above'’s language reinforces the word order used in French, such as “Grand Prix d’Amérique” - Joshua

Béatrice Archambaud Head of Department - Languages

NEAS Sport

It was a big Term 1 for NEAS Sport this year. It has been quite some time since the NEAS competition has run in it’s usual format due to COVID interruptions, but 2023 has seen a return to normalcy for the program. Helena students represented the College with fantastic efforts in both basketball and ultimate frisbee over the course of the season and performed well in trying conditions (it has been hot!).

Of the eight teams involved in the NEAS competition, four teams earned a spot in the Grand Final, which is an outstanding achievement. This included the Year 7, 8/9 and 10-12 Girls' Basketball and the 10-12 Mixed Frisbee teams. Our Junior Girls Basketball Teams (Year 7 & Year 8/9) both finished the season undefeated, and then all three of our Girls' Basketball teams went on to win their respective Grand Finals, an incredible effort!

Well done to all students involved in the NEAS program this term. The sportsmanship, teamwork and determination that you have all shown while representing Helena College was outstanding.

I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the staff who have volunteered to be involved this term, giving up their time to coach, manage, supervise and support the students throughout the NEAS season. Thank you!

I wanted to share with you some of the exciting activities that your children participated in during their recent camp and the range of activities designed to help students build relationships with peers and their teachers. Along with the fun and exciting activities, the children had the opportunity to develop important skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving and resilience.

I would like to thank the staff involved in making the camp a huge success. Their dedication, enthusiasm and care for the students were greatly appreciated by the students. Without their hard work, the camp would not have been possible.

Laser Tag was a popular activity that had the students caught up in the world of virtual shootouts, team challenges and tense ambushes. The students enjoyed working together to outsmart their opponents and were thrilled by the excitement and adrenaline of the game. Some of the most memorable moments were seeing students ganging up to take out their teachers. 

The High Ropes Course provided the students with the opportunity to experience the native Australian bush like never before. They climbed, weaved and flew through the tree-tops on elevated tightropes, cargo nets, bridges and rope ladders. This activity challenged the students' physical abilities and helped to build their confidence and self-esteem. There were so many students who pushed the limits of what they knew they were capable of. 

Jumping into the Zorb Balls was another favourite activity that allowed the students to experience what it feels like to be a hamster on the go! They traversed a course, raced their friends and rolled around until they could roll no more. This activity provided the students with a fun and memorable experience that they will be talking about for a long time. 

Despite the cold weather, Outback Splash was great fun and the students certainly got their money’s worth.  After a fun-filled day at the water park, everyone was happy to get back to school and to their own beds. And the sleep was good! 

Aside from the distinct lack of sleep, the camp was a raging success and provided your child with the opportunity to build relationships with peers and teachers while participating in a range of fun and challenging activities. We look forward to providing more opportunities for your child to learn and grow in the future and welcome any feedback about how we might improve the experience for your students.

Mr Matt Zarb, Head of Year 7

This has been the first time we have held the Year 11 Camp this late into Term 1, with its traditional timing in Week 1 making for some very hot hikes along the Cape to Cape if the Doctor does not come in.  While that meant a few less red faces, it also meant a chillier dip in the Margaret River for the morning crew!  

The aim of the Year 11 camp is to:

• Push students out of their comfort zones, in terms of physical, creative, interpersonal, sensory, intellectual and artistic challenges, and 
• To bring the Year 11 cohort closer together as a  group who are in this together.  

On the first day, following a dip in the ocean at Gnarabup Beach, the cohort was firmly in their close-knit, but often quite exclusive friendship groups.  These are the people they hang out with, who they sit next to in class and have been buddies with since Year 6.  They’re the people they tent with.  And high school can be a great enforcer of social groups, social boundaries, often purely out of habit.  

Then, on Year 11 Camp, we deliberately separate them into groups with people who are, eeek, not their best mates, or in some cases, soulmates.  Some of them were not impressed, some were very sceptical about their participation on the Camp, and yet, I’m very pleased to say that by the end of the week, the disparate groups, with all their differences and talents, were working together as teams to achieve their goals.  

Whether it was encouraging someone over the edge of that abseil, running back along the hike for that compass someone had accidentally dropped, giving someone their moment in the sun for some interpretive dance on the final night, the teams, our students started to come together much more than they ever would in school.  

The reminder of the Camp as our students transition from childhood to adulthood is that they can push themselves out of their comfort zones to achieve their goals and that they are all in this together for the rest of their school career.  In this, the camp really does its job.

Mr Steve Smith, Year 11 Camp Coordinator

Outdoor Education has been a hive of activity this term. Students have participated in a large number of practical activities and been learning theoretical concepts across a broad range of areas.

Year 9

The Year 9s have been busily preparing for their expedition early in Term 2, learning basic camp skills such as sourcing equipment, pitching tents, planning meals and cooking on camp stoves. Students have also been involved in Mountain Biking and Navigation sessions while learning about 'Leave No Trace' principles and safe operating practices.

Year 10

The Year 10 paddling class have been working on their canoeing skills this term, gaining a greater knowledge of paddle strokes, how to rescue a capsized boat and how to safely perform paddling activities. Next term, they will turn their attention to kayaking.

Year 11

In Year 11 Outdoor Education students have been preparing for their first expedition together, a three day, two night Mountain Biking journey between Jarrahdale and Dwellingup. They have been participating in Mountain Biking sessions around school and in John Forrest National Park to improve their skills and fitness while completing a comprehensive planning document to prepare them for the journey.

Year 12

And last, but certainly not least, the Year 12s have had an extremely busy term, planning and preparing a sea kayaking and snorkelling expedition through the Shoalwater Marine Reserve. Students undertook practical sessions of kayaking at the river and snorkelling in Bilgoman pool before a day trip to Penguin Island honed their skills further. This culminated in a three-day paddling expedition where students had to be self-sufficient while managing to fit (and keep dry) all their gear in their sea kayak. After an extremely long second day of paddling into a strong headwind, all the students were exhausted but pushed on to the finish line. With just two terms left (and one expedition to Kalbarri) it will no doubt be a busy finale to their Outdoor Education experience at Helena College.

Joel Cullen, Outdoor Education Teacher

Small oval parking

We do hope families have appreciated this additional parking space throughout Term 1. During autumn and winter, use of this space will be restricted for special occasions, such as assemblies, when regular wet weather arrives. The aim being to keep this play space in the best condition possible - with the grass not coping well with turning vehicles during our cooler and wetter seasons. When the warm weather returns, and the grass is more durable, it is envisaged that the small oval parking will reopen consistently for morning drop off and afternoon pick up. Thank you for your understanding.

Parent-teacher conferences - a student free day

As a reminder, our parent-teacher conferences will take place on Friday 5 May. For those who have not yet done so - you are encouraged to book a time with your child’s teacher. Please refer to the detailed email communication that was sent to all families in Week 8.