Junior Play

I would like to congratulate all the cast and crew of the ‘The Alchemist’ which was performed on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week. The quality of performances by the entire cast were very high and were the result of many hours of organised rehearsal, along with time spent by students learning their lines and thinking about their character. It was a very entertaining and thoughtful production.

To find a play that can cater for such a large group of students is not easy and the expertise of Mr John Doherty in ensuring the students are able to play characters which show their strengths as actors is highly evident. I’m sure the positive feedback from the audience that the students have received will encourage many of them to continue with their Drama studies.

A special mention must also be made of the Year 11 Drama students who provided guidance in a wide range of areas to the cast. This is a great example of the support that the older students provide to the younger students within the Senior School.

End of Year Programme

Weeks 8 and 9 of Term 4 are a time when the normal timetable stops and a variety of activities for Year 8, 9 and 10 students take place. The Year 10 students provided service to a variety of organisations around Adelaide and beyond on Monday and for the remainder of the year they will be involved in preparing for their Research Project which they will complete in the first semester of 2020. A small group of students were also undertaking training to be Peer Mentors for the Year 7 and 8 students.

The Year 9 students spent Monday assembling IKEA furniture which was then donated to organisations who will distribute it to their clients. For the remainder of the week they have been undertaking an exercise in creative thinking and applying learning form a variety of subjects to achieve an outcome. One of the days they will also undertake aquatics preparation for Westventure.

The Year 8 students have also been involved in a designing and constructing exercise. They looked at different ‘mini-golf’ courses around Adelaide for inspiration and then have worked in groups to design and construct their own golf hole. The amount of collaboration and reflection on their initial ideas has been impressive.

I would like to thank all staff members for their input into the week and providing different and engaging experiences for the students. In particular Ms Angela Phillips who took on the overall coordinating role for the week.

In Week 9, the Year 8 students will undertake Basic First Aid training and Surf Safety while the Year 9 students will be involved in broadening their knowledge with the Senior First Aid course.

Climbing Kilimanjaro for a Worthy Cause

One of our staff members, Adam Burford, is about to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania during the upcoming school holidays. Mount Kilimanjaro is the world’s highest free-standing mountain at 5897m. Adam and his wife started a charity, TANZEED (www.tanzeed.org), after living in Tanzania in 2013 with their children Zoe and Zac. The charity’s aim is to provide access to an education for the most poverty stricken children living in isolated regions of Tanzania. Currently Adam, along with his family and a couple of teacher-friends, are raising funds to build two primary school classrooms next year. The classrooms will enable 100 students to be taught in their home village rather than walk three hours each way just to reach the nearest government school. This walk often can’t be completed every day by young children due to the distance. When the students do make the 26km round trip on foot, they are often late and important learning is missed.

Tanzania is one of the few countries in the world where primary exams need to be passed to enable entry into secondary school. A lack of access to primary schooling for these children results in their education being cut short and a bleak future. For some young girls, marriage at an early age becomes an inevitable destiny. Adam’s target of $25,000 will be enough to construct two classrooms in 2020. Those interested in supporting Adam and TANZEED can find the link at https://enablr.org.au/campaign/Tanzanian-classroom-fundraiser. TANZEED is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission, all donations are tax-deductible.

Reflections 2018

The 2018 Reflections year book has undergone yet another delay outside of our control. We are working closely with our printing house to ensure that copies of Reflections will be distributed as soon as can be. As this is the last eNews for 2019 we will keep you informed via School Star and email as to when and how we will manage distribution. The good news is that 2019 Reflections is underway with our aim to having it distributed to families by the end of Term 1 2020.

End of Year

Students should begin cleaning out their lockers so that they are empty as locker allocations for next year could change. I encourage all students and their families to check School Uniforms towards the end of the holidays and take appropriate steps to ensure that they comply with the School’s Uniform Regulations.

Finally I would like to extend to all students and their families my best wishes for the Christmas and New Year period and hope that it is a relaxing and enjoyable time. To those students who are leaving, I would like to thank you for your contribution to Westminster and wish you all the best for the future. To those students who are returning, I also thank you for your efforts this year and encourage you look positively to returning in 2020 with enthusiasm and determination to achieve the goals that you have set for yourselves.

David Wallage
Head of Senior School