Head of Senior School - Edition 16 - 2021

Year 12 Last Day

Friday is the last day of school for Year 12 students. Of course, many of the students will be studying for exams while others will have assignments to finish off before they can actually say they have finished Year 12 and their Secondary School education.

Our tradition has been for the Year 12 students to celebrate this occasion by having a breakfast for the Year 12s and staff, which is cooked by the parents of the School Leaders. An Assembly exclusively for Year 12s follows this, where the year group entertain each other with various acts and presentations. One of the highlights of the day is in the House Meetings when the current House Captain hands over the leadership of the House to the following year’s leadership team. The Senior School then comes together for an Assembly presented by the Year 12 students and is a celebration of their time at Westminster. The Assembly concludes with a ‘Guard of Honour’ followed by a lunch for the Year 12 students and staff.

Since 1996, it has been a day of celebrations, thankyous, and farewells, rather than seeing how much mess can be created. This tradition has been the result of hard work by the number of staff over the years. I thank our Head of Senior Students, Mr Tony Ritson ('93) for all his work in making this a day to remember.

I wish the Year 12 students all the best for their exams and final moderation and encourage those sitting exams to stick to a structured revision program and access their teachers to discuss any areas of concern.

I encourage all the Year 12 students to make a special effort to attend the Prize Giving Ceremony, Valedictory Service and the Valedictory Dinner on Thursday 18 November.

Dance

On Tuesday 19 October, the Co-curricular Dance concert was held, involving students from the Preparatory School through to Year 12. This evening highlighted the success of the Dance program here at Westminster and the growth that has occurred over the years.

It was also the last time our Year 12 Dance students will perform as Westminster students and I would like to express my thanks to them for the many times they have entertained so many with their considerable talents.

I would like to congratulate all the dancers for the high quality of the dancing which made for a very enjoyable and entertaining evening. We are very lucky to have very skilled and creative Dance teachers in both our curricular and co-curricular programs. I would like to congratulate Ms Carolyn Obst for her leadership of the Dance program and Miss Sophie Wilson for all her management of the co-curricular program.

One more thank you

In my last eNews article for Term 3, I thanked a number of businesses who generously supported the Year 8 Gala which raised over $3,500. I would also like to thank the Coles Park Holme store for providing goods for this event.

Senior School Canteen

The Senior School canteen will move to the Boarders’ Dining Room on Thursday 4 November as the current remaining 400 Block building is being handed over to the builders for refurbishment as the new Year 12 Centre and House Head offices.

As a result, the caterers are planning to turn off the Senior canteen lunch order system that is used with the Qkr! app and only offer grab and go items from the Dining Room. Most of the current menu will be available daily and other specials of the day will also continue as normal.

Girls’ Cricket

I received the following information from the Adelaide Cricket Club:

The Adelaide Cricket Club (ACC) have been granted a license for a team in the SACA Woman’s Premier Grade cricket competition for this Season (2021-22).

Our aim is to develop a Woman’s Program at ACC that is a leader in South Australia and for ACC to do that we need to work closely with community clubs and schools in the ACC zone to

• Develop the skills of young female cricketers
• Increase female participation rates at community and schools
• Provide a pathway for young female cricketers to play Premier Grade and state-level cricket

One of our initiatives is to create a Junior Buffs Academy for girls in the Adelaide zone. The Junior Buffs – Girls will provide opportunities for girls from age 10 to 16 to develop their skills under the guidance of experienced Level 2 coaches and a past state player. It does not matter their skill level, the Junior Buffs will cater for players new to the game, to players that want to improve their skills and potentially take the next step into Premier Grade Cricket at ACC. If you get an opportunity to play at ACC, you will still be able to play at your community club or school teams as ACC play most of their games on Sundays.

• Program: 9 Weeks from Wednesday 20 October to Wednesday 15 December 2021
• When: Wednesdays 4.00 to 5.30 pm
• Where: Glandore Oval
• Cost: $99 (includes a free ACC Hat and Training shirt)

If you have any questions or require additional information, you can contact me via E: beeper1@adam.com.au or on M: 0423 027 354.

Barry Earl
ACC Woman’s Cricket Coordinator

Meat Sale Orders

A huge thank you to all families who have ordered meat with the School’s Sturt Grove Farm. Your orders are ready and will need to be picked up next week between 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, Monday to Thursday. Please text Farm Manager Stefan Aynesbury, M: 0434 390 466, to book a time to collect your order.

There will be another meat sale in early December in readiness for Christmas.

Reflections 2020

Reflections 2020, our annual School publication, will be distributed in the coming week. Our usual procedure is that this will be sent home with the youngest student in each family from ELC to Year 12, to families who were at Westminster last year. If you do not receive your copy as expected, please either speak to the Preparatory School or Senior School Office or contact the School via E: ws@westminster.sa.edu.au

David Wallage
Head of Senior School