Please click here to see other articles within this edition of the eNews.

School Musical ‘School of Rock’

The cast and crew are working hard to put on a fabulous show at the end of March. You may have seen their preview song (If Only You Would Listen) in last week’s 60th Anniversary Assembly (you can still see it through the facebook link if you didn’t).

Tickets for ‘School of Rock’ will shortly go on sale, leading to the first big theatre community audience in some time. Consequently, we’re sharing additional information before bookings open to ensure we can enjoy the performances within current COVID-19 guidelines:

There are three performances scheduled - Monday 29, Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 March (there will also be an in-school morning matinee in the week prior for students in Junior and Middle Primary – more on this to follow).

One of these evening performances (to be confirmed) will be reserved for students with staff also in attendance. This allows us to maximise the seating as it will be consistent with what is allowed for a School Assembly. We anticipate that this would suit students not requiring parental supervision from Years 5 to 12 but it is up to each family to make their own decision/booking around this and arrangements for drop-off and pick-up.
The other two nights will be reserved for families to attend and for each of these nights, the numbered seating will be sold in chequerboard style (ie alternate seats in each available row). This allows us a maximum of just over 300 set-seating tickets for each performance.
We ask that families select one night only to attend in the first instance so that everyone gets a chance to see the show. From 9.00 am on the day of the two nominated community performances, any unsold seats can then be purchased by families who would like to see it more than once.
You may decide you want to see the show as a family so parents can book for their children as well, even if your child attended the ‘students only’ night.
When you book, you will be assigned set alternate seats. On the night, families living under the same roof can close up the gap/s, as long as at least one seat is left either side between your family and the next group.
Where you are sitting will determine which Murray Centre entry door you should access.. The doors to be used will include the foyer doors and side doors of the Murray Centre – this is to avoid overcrowding in the foyer. On the night, there will be signs and people on hand to assist.
We ask that in the theatre you move promptly to your seat rather than stand in the side aisles to chat (as much as we know how much we all like to do this!).
The Friends of Music team is drawing up a COVID-compliant plan to safely serve refreshments during interval.
Pricing (adult, student and family group) and performance times will be advised when the bookings open.
At this time, wearing of masks in the theatre is not essential as we are not exceeding 50% capacity but it is your choice – if health directives change around this, we will let you know.

Of course, if any ticket-holding member of your group is not well, we ask respectfully that they do not attend.

Thank you for your understanding and we expect the Trybooking link to open before the end of February – you will be advised in due course.

SchoolStar Sports Communication

Communicating game details before and after competition will again start taking place through our SchoolStar app. Many parents should already be familiar with this app from previous years, however if you are new to Westminster, you can find information on how to download and use the app in the document below.

Team Managers and Sports Staff will push out notifications of game details and results via the app, and parents have the option to opt-in to notifications about their child's teams.

If you’re ever unclear about what’s happening in your child’s sporting team, you can contact the Sports Department via T: 08 8276 0276.

SchoolStar App User Guide

Swimming Carnival

The Senior School Swimming Carnival will be held on the afternoons of Thursday 25 and Friday 26 February. The Year 7, 8 and 9 students will compete for their Houses on Thursday and the Year 10, 11 and 12 students will be competing on Friday. Unfortunately, due to COVID guidelines parents will not be able to attend the event on either day.

While there are many competitive swimming events that will showcase the more serious swimmers, there are opportunities for other House members to be involved in the Carnival, including a range of novelty events designed to increase participation on each afternoon.

Year 12 Retreat

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Year 12 Retreat at the Dzintari Latvian Camp, Normanville which ran from Saturday 13 to Monday 15 February.

Westminster’s Wellbeing Framework recognises there is a variety of components that contribute to a sense of wellbeing. The Retreat provided fun and engaging activities to offer a positive effect on students’ emotions and attitude. There were opportunities to promote positive psychology, resilience, and optimism through information sessions and guest speakers. Each of the activities provided strategies for students to manage the inevitable challenges that Year 12 brings.

The sessions that the students experienced were Yoga, Mindfulness, Physical Fitness, Rock and Water, Diversity and Study and Revision Skills. These were delivered by Westminster staff and external providers. Each session provided information and strategies to the students to provide them with the skills and confidence that they are capable young men and women and there is a strong support network around them in order for them to do their best.

On the Saturday evening were very fortunate to have three time Para–Olympian and current parent, Katrina Webb address the group and tell her story about the emotions she felt growing up feeling different but not knowing why, and then being diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was at the AIS as an able bodied netballer. She won two Gold medals, and a Silver medal in Atlanta 1996 and at Sydney 2000 went on to win a Silver and Bronze medal. Still wanting to win another gold Katrina went to Athens in 2004 she won another Gold Medal in the 400-metre sprint and set a new Paralympic record. Katrina spoke about the three areas of her life which she feels are important to provide the balance that is required to achieve at a high level. These are Priority Management, Energy Management, Mind Management. Given the number of questions and students who wanted to talk with her at the end of the presentation there is no doubt she made a positive impact on many of the Year 12s and staff. I sincerely thank Katrina for driving all the way from Pt Lincoln on the Saturday to be with the Year 12s that evening.

I would also like to thank Head of Senior Students, Mr Tony Ritson ('93) and Head of Wellbeing, Ms Liz Collins for their organisation of the Retreat, and Chaplain, Rev Phil Hoffmann, Director of Learning, Andrea Sherwood, School Psychologist, Melinda Pfueller, Heads of House Alice Kelly, Rob McLean ('99) and Michelle Payne, and Careers Counsellor, Jenny Howland, for their input to make the camp such a success. School Captain Aidan Ross and School Vice Captain Kimberley Li also had a major input to the weekend.

Lost Property

Most student items that are misplaced or forgotten by students tend to find their way to the Senior School Office where Bev Le Cornu sorts and returns named items. Unfortunately, items that are not named rely on students and parents asking Bev if she has an item handed in. I would encourage all families to ensure that all clothing and personal possessions are named so that they can be returned. At the end of each year there is a significant amount of lost property that is not claimed, some of which ends up in hard rubbish. There are still many school uniform items in the Senior School Office, and I would encourage students or parents to come in and see if any of the clothing belongs to them.

David Wallage
Head of Senior School

Please click here to see other articles within this edition of the eNews.