Head of Senior School - Edition 1 - 2022

Welcome

Welcome back to the 2022 school year even though we have not had all students back for the first two weeks. A very warm welcome to all the students and families who are new to Westminster and I hope you feel part of the community very quickly.

I would like to commend all the students whether they have been at school, in boarding or at home for the way they have approached their studies and in particular those who have been online. Talking to some students who have been online, it is clear they are looking forward to being back next week and we are certainly eager to see the school full of students in classrooms interacting with each other and teachers.

I have been impressed with the way the students at school have adhered to the wearing of masks in buildings, the canteen and around lockers and encourage all students to ensure you have a supply of masks in your lockers as the school is not able to supply masks for every student. At the present time masks should be seen as part of the uniform.

I believe all the Year 9 to 11 students have been informed by their Head of House where you are to go when you arrive at school on Monday. If you have any questions about this please make contact with your Head of House.

I look forward to the year ahead and watching all the students continue to develop their talents.

Class of 2021

As you would have seen from previous communication, the Class of 2021 did exceptionally well in their SACE results. I would also like to acknowledge that many students had to overcome difficulties and should feel extremely proud of successfully completing your secondary schooling. It is always pleasing when students take the time to reflect on the help and support they received over the years whether that be from family, friends and teachers.

There are many occasions where staff have been critical in the success of a student whether that be helping them academically or helping them through difficult times by talking, offering encouragement and advice and giving hope to support their wellbeing. I received a very heartfelt email highlighting the extraordinary support Ms Dee Barton gave to a Year 12 boy and helped him through a very difficult few years encouraging him to stay at school and find his passion. It is a credit to the student that he accepted Dee’s advice which was instrumental in him achieving his first preference at University.

This is just one example of the support that our staff provide to the students and I encourage all students to ask for help when you are not sure what to do, how to manage workloads or get through difficult times.

Uniform and Photographs

Just a reminder from an email I sent last week, we are trying to reduce the number of times students have to use the change rooms although there will be times that they will have to use them. On days when students have Health and PE, Outdoor Education practical sessions or Dance they may come to school in school sports uniform.

If a student has only co-curricular after school they will have to change into their sports clothing after school, unless they have any of the above subjects on that day as well.

On Tuesday 15 February, students have individual photographs and all students must be in summer uniform with blazers.

A reminder regarding the change in hair policy which means all students who have hair below their collar must have their hair up. Also, any extreme haircuts as determined by the school are not permitted.

Standard Data Collections

At this time of year, Government departments are seeking information from Westminster (as well as other schools across the nation) to provide current information about our families. The two underway are for NAPLAN (Years 3, 5, 7, 9) and the Student Residential Collection (Reception to Year 12). Both require up-to-date residential addresses, occupation and employment status. As a matter of course, we email families to ensure that all information that is being held about them is current. The emails also explain the easiest way to update your data and provide the deadlines for completion. The NAPLAN email was sent Wednesday 9 February (only to the year levels involved in 2022) and the Street Residential Collection email to all families on Friday 11 February. If you haven’t moved or changed employment in the past year or if any information has changed and you have already advised us, there is no further action required. Thank you for your assistance.

Communication

The Pastoral Care or Student Wellbeing structure in the Senior School is designed to support students and their families. I sincerely invite parents to make contact with the School if you have any concerns which arise about matters relating to your son or daughter. The method of communication can be via phone, email SEQTA or a personal meeting and I would encourage parents to make contact sooner rather than later if an issue arises. For students in Year 7 or Year 8, the Class Tutor should be the first person to contact followed by the Head of Year 7 or the Head of Year 8. Parents of Year 9 to 12 students should contact their Head of House in the first instance as this can help to gain an overall picture of each student in their House. You are welcome to contact teachers directly to discuss academic progress, but it is always a good practice to copy in the Head of House. I suggest email can be the most effective form of communication, as often teachers will not be able to answer phone calls immediately due to their teaching commitments. The contact details of the above key people and others can be found on our Key Staff Contacts page.

For general enquiries, the Senior School Office can be contacted on T: 08 8276 0251.

I look forward to meeting many of you as the year progresses and again hope that 2022 will be one of growth and success.

David Wallage
Head of Senior School