Carpark System and Access Road

The opening week of using the new carpark and access road has proceeded most smoothly, while still observing there were a few frustrations on the first day or so. We thank all of our parents for your patience, cooperation and understanding, with the level of cooperation form all of you being fantastic. Due to this approach from the College community, traffic flow has improved markedly as time has progressed and we have also received very insightful suggestions for consideration. I have been out and about at various locations in the system and one significant observation is the high level of safety for all our students. This is a fantastic result, thanks in no small part to the level of care taken by all drivers. Thank you.

We still have some access/safety concerns to address in the new staff carparking area (red zone) which we will continue to work through to acceptable solutions.

To assist you, along with the FAQ document I shared last week, I have put together the following friendly reminders to help with clarification.

• If you have not received a carpark allocation and you have a Primary age student, please contact the Primary Reception and our staff will be able address this very quickly.
• The Blue Carpark drop off/pick-up area is immediately in front of the Sports Centre doors at the red brick paved area. Blue permit holders, please use this area instead of the Gold Park Kiss and Drive.
• Where possible we would like all Blue permit holders to exit the carpark by 8.50am to avoid cars moving in this area when students are making their way to class at 8.55am. If this is difficult for you, please discuss your situation with us so we can accommodate your needs.
• If you need to access the Primary School during the day please use the Gold Carpark regardless of your permit colour.
• For Secondary parents and students, there has also been improved access to the College through the use of the Western Oval Carpark off Kennedya Drive. This carpark is no longer allocated for staff and is now designated for parent and visitor use. Further improvements will be announced for the beginning of Term 3.
• Please contact the Primary Reception Staff should you have any queries and we will strive to help in way we can.

Principal for the Day

On 12 June 2019 Head Boy Todd Rennix and Head Girl Justine Paul were 'Principal for a Day' while I attended a combination of their Year 12 classes. They provided the following comments relating to their day:

“We had a great day and enjoyed walking around the school, hanging out with Maxi and the primary school kids. We are quite sure that Mr Pollard had an interesting time attending our classes and walking around the school in uniform. We especially enjoyed coming up with special events or activities for every area of the school… We had a few meetings and received a mountain of suggestions from both primary and high school students. We are really looking forward to seeing how we can implement some new ideas and changes in the coming months… It was a very full day and we were so busy enjoying ourselves that we both forgot to eat lunch! It was, most definitely, an interesting experience for both of us and gave us insight into the workings of the school and what a day in the life of a principal looks like. We are grateful to Mr Pollard for coming up with this idea and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”

From the Principal’s Viewpoint

The day was most beneficial for me also, not only from observing the student outcomes described by Todd and Justine above, but also from me being able to gain a different perspective from attending classes as a Year 12 student for the day. Interactions with students were most insightful, with observations of student engagement, relationships with teachers and curriculum delivery giving first hand perspective of teaching and learning within the College.

Well done to Justine, Todd and the student body for the way they made the most of this opportunity and I look forward to working through the suggestions and ideas that have been generated.

I am looking forward to meeting up with you as the opportunity arises, which is one of the joys of being part of our wonderful community.

Daryl Pollard

Principal

Gratitude and Compassion at the College

This term our Year 9 Wellbeing classes, under the direction of Mrs Brink, have focussed on gratitude and compassion. Compassion is a genuine sympathy for hardship or suffering that other people are experiencing, and a desire to ease that pain. There are many different ways to show compassion for others; the important thing is that it comes from the heart. Compassion literally means 'to suffer together'. Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you feel motivated to relieve suffering.

While empathy refers more generally to our ability to take the perspective of and feel the emotions of another person, compassion is when those feelings and thoughts include the desire to help. The six Year 9 Wellbeing classes, after discussion, chose who they would like to support or show gratitude to in our local community and they were:

• The Patricia Giles Foundation
• Morning Tea for Paramedics
• Thanking the Police
• Thanking Teachers
• Thanking the College Grounds Staff

It has been wonderful seeing their planning unfold through the Direct Messages on SEQTA and I have enjoyed sharing these well planned events with our Year 9 students.

Having taught in the Science Learning Area, I am always interested in what compassion does for the student. Scientists have started to map the biological basis of compassion, suggesting its deep evolutionary purpose. This research has shown that when we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, we secrete the 'bonding hormone' oxytocin, and regions of the brain linked to empathy, caregiving and feelings of pleasure light up, which often results in our wanting to approach and care for other people.

Our Year 10 and 11 students cultivate compassion by completing 10 hours of Service each year. Volunteering connects you to others, giving you the opportunity to make new friends and increase your social skills. A number of our students are already involved in serving others e.g. by helping younger students with their reading or through their local sports clubs and coaching younger members. Students are reminded to have their Service hours signed off.

The best way to learn how to be compassionate toward others is to be compassionate with yourself. Praise yourself for your successes (even things as little as making your bed in the morning) and forgive yourself for your mistakes. Focus on your strengths and positive qualities.

There are many ways to care for ourselves, from taking quiet time for reflection and eating well, to taking care of our bodies and forgiving ourselves and others for long-held grudges or hurts. This kind of self-compassion opens the door to discovering our own inner strength and compassion for others too. Forgiving ourselves for our mistakes can truly offer a sense of relief and healing.

Helen Del Frate 

Dean of Students

On Wednesday of week 7, we were given the opportunity to switch places with Mr Pollard for the day. We had a great day and enjoyed walking around the school and hanging out with Maxi, and the Primary School kids. We are also quite sure that Mr Pollard had an interesting time attending our classes and walking around the school in uniform.

We especially enjoyed coming up with special events or activities for every area of the school. Some of our ideas included: extended recess and music for the Primary, hot chocolate and games in the Sports centre for Years 7 – 9, free coffee for the upper years and we opened up the T&E building as a common room for the day for Year 12 students. We also left a small gift for all the staff in the staff rooms as a way of saying thank you for all that they do for the students.

We had a few meetings and received a mountain of suggestions from both Primary and High School students. We are really looking forward to seeing how we can implement some new ideas and changes in the coming months.

Our first meeting for the day was with the Primary School Head Boy, Head Girl and the two Vice Captains. We had a long chat with them and they were full of new and innovative ideas. We talked about how the High School can be more involved in the Primary School and how we can help the current Year 6s transition up into High School next year.

After this meeting we had the chance to head up to the Primary School and chat to the lower years during their recess. As Principals for the day, we decided to extend the Primary School recess by 5 minutes and organised to have music playing through the speakers. This was a big hit with all of the students and we got lots of smiles and high-fives from them. We also got the chance to hear what many of the students wanted changed or improved on. The suggestion box in the Primary was a big hit and we received many suggestions from enthusiastic students. Most suggestions included playgrounds, more free dress days and having extended recess and lunch permanently.

As we both attended the LJBC Primary School, we had the chance to catch up with some of our previous Primary teachers and it was great to see how much the Primary School has expanded and improved since we were there.

We got to spend some of our free time in Mr Pollard’s office and we also made our way through his tea selections and chocolate supply.

We also walked around the High School and popped our heads into a few classes. We checked up on Mr Pollard in the classes he was sitting in and had a look at how he was going as well as the notes he was taking. The suggestion box in the High School gave us some insight into what most of the High School students were most concerned about. We also had interesting suggestions such as having surfing classes before school. Most suggestions centred around the school canteen, alternate uniform options such as ‘skorts’ and sport leggings and areas in the school that could be renovated or added to.

We were so excited to have Maxi tag along with us throughout the day and we even got to take her over to the Primary School cross country.

It was a very full day and we were so busy enjoying ourselves that we both forgot to eat lunch! It was, most definitely, an interesting experience for both of us and gave us an insight into the workings of the school and what a day in the life of a Principal looks like. We are grateful to Mr Pollard for coming up with this idea and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Justine and Todd 

Head Girl and Head Boy

Our LJBC Lions design competition is going extremely well and we have already received some great designs!

We are so happy with the designs that we have decided to extend the close of the competition until the end of school holidays, on 21 July.

This will give school aged children the chance to ‘get creative’ in the school holidays.

Become part of LJBC history and see your design become an integral part of our great new sports program.

Visit our website HERE for more information or to enter

In Week 7, our Pre Kindy Possums and Kindergarten students had some very special visitors! West Oz Wildlife brought some animals for us to meet. We learnt many wonderful facts about these animals that live in Australia. We met Spike the Bearded Dragon. Bobby the Bob Tailed Lizard, Kiera the Koala, 2 different species of Pythons and Bruiser the young Kangaroo Joey. We all had the opportunity to touch the animals gently and most of the children were even brave enough to hold the small python snake around their neck! Mrs Harris, Mr Sonneman-Smith and Mr Pollard decided to pop in to meet some of the wildlife and to say hello to the children too. What a wonderful day of learning, wonder and exploration.

Cindy Bingham, Amanda Hoffensetz and Gillian Smith 

Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers 

This term Years 3 - 6 participated in the Pay it Forward Project by focusing on how we can pay kindness forward. Students were encouraged to write about the kindness they experienced or witnessed, and place this into a box in their classroom. Over a four week period, Mr Chappell celebrated kindness in each classroom by drawing one entry from the box to read to the class and that student's entry received a prize, acting as a reminder to continue paying it forward.

On Monday 24 June, the final raffle prize was given out to two students from Year 6 who spoke words of affirmation over a peer who was upset. The boys received a movie voucher for themselves and a guardian.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the project! We are fortunate to have a culture of kindness at LJBC, which was demonstrated by receiving over 250 nominations. Reading through the entries there were some recurring themes, some of which included:

• Helping others when hurt
• Playing with and including others
• Picking up pencils, or other belongings, that fell
• Helping with school work
• Encouraging one another
• Helping during games at recess or lunch
• Asking others to play when they were alone
• Being there for others that are sad or down

Alyssa Carter and Jeremy Chappell

College Counsellor and Primary Chaplain & Coordinator of Christian Ed

Recently the Year 7 and 8 Home Economics students individually completed their Healthy Cooked Breakfast in a single lesson. All worked well to prepare and serve a wide variety of nutritious breakfasts suitable for growing teenagers.

Shondra Driesen

Technologies Teacher

On Friday 24 May, the Glee Girls visited St Mary’s Cathedral for a vocal workshop with the Cathedral’s Director of Music, Jacinta Jakovcevic. Jacinta is an acclaimed organist and is conductor of the Cathedral Choir. The students were accompanied by Mrs Campbell, Mrs van der Nest and Mrs Vickers.

The group worked through a series of vocal warm-ups and had an opportunity to practice sight-singing, aural pitching and even chant. At the conclusion of the workshop, the Glee Girls went into the Cathedral to explore its magnificent acoustics from a variety of perspectives, singing from the altar steps, the side chapels and the choir loft. The group performed a beautiful two-part Ave Maria by Camille Saint-Saëns, Donna Nobis Pacem in canon, Christ The Lord is Risen Today and the plainchant Kyrie from the Missa de Angelis. They were also treated to Jacinta’s spectacular playing on the main Cathedral pipe organ.

A wonderfully educational day was enjoyed by all and the Glee Girls sang beautifully!

Catherine Campbell

Head of Langauges

On 13 June the Year 11 Children, Family and Community class had the opportunity to participate in the Virtual Baby Program. This program is facilitated by an organisation named ‘Red Ginger Services’ who come into the class and run the sessions. The babies are programmed to cry at certain times- it is different for every baby- and the students have to work out why the baby is crying and meet it’s needs. The reasons the baby may cry include; needing a feed, burp, nappy change or a rock.  The babies must have their neck supported at all times and a computer records the care of the baby. The students were all tired at the end of the program, but agreed that it was a worthwhile and informative experience.

Michelle McLean

Technologies Teacher

This term, the Year 7 Dance and Drama students combined to perform for each other and show the work they completed during Term 2. The Dance students studied contemporary/lyrical dance and explored lifts, holds and balances during class. They performed a short, choreographed piece to contemporary music incorporating the skills covered. The Drama students studied Physical Theatre and circus skills, including plate spinning, juggling and comedy. They performed in groups creating a scripted performance based on the television show Hoopla Doopla. It was a joy to watch the talent, energy and enthusiasm of the students and a celebration of the work they completed. Well done to all involved. We look forward to seeing you again in Year 9 Dance and/or Drama.

Elzette Schroeder and Jethro Pidd

Drama and Dance Teachers

The Year 11 Children, Family and Community ATAR class have enjoyed visiting Mrs Bingham’s class each fortnight in 2019. The students have taught the kindergarten students about a culture, made some craft activities and tested some of the developmental theories that they have learnt in class.

The bonds are growing strong between the Year 11 Children, family and Community class and their kindergarten buddies.

Michelle McLean

Technologies Teacher

Ava Bushby – Year 11 Sports Delegate

Sports I have previously participated in:

• Dance
• Soccer Cricket
• Touch Rugby (CAS)
• AFL (CAS)

Sports I take part in now:

• Swimming
• Surf Life Saving

Achievements (school and other):

School

• ACC teams
• Sports delegate
• Champion Girl Swimming and Cross Country

Surf Life Saving

• U15 state gold medallists Rescue and Resuscitation 17/18 Season
• U15 National Finalist Rescue and Resuscitation 17/18 Season
• U15 Silver National Medallist 17/18 Season
• U15 Gold medallist and Record breaker Pool Rescue 17/18 Season
• U17 state silver medallists Rescue and Resuscitation 18/19 Season
• U17 state bronze medallists Rescue and Resuscitation 18/19 Season
• Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club Team of the Year 17/18 Season
• Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club Youth Achiever of the Year 17/18 Season
• Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club Lifesaver of the year 17/18 Season
• Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club Patrol of the Year 18/19 Season 

What sport means for me, future goals etc:

Sport for me is a lifestyle as I have built and developed myself around it. Through sport, more specifically surf club, I have gained lifelong friends as well as lessons for life. Participating in Surf Club has assisted me to promote a fit and healthy lifestyle, be a team player and work well with other people but also first aid skills which have led me to became a bronze medallion volunteer life saver. Sports has opened up options for my future as well as broadened my life pathways. My goal for surf club includes promoting beach safety and developing my competing career which will one day lead to working for Surf Life Saving WA.

We are now almost half way through 2019! Many of you would have set goals at the beginning of the year, and now is the time to check up on those goals, especially for students who have tests/exams approaching, or for those who have completed exams and are looking towards the second Semester of school work.

I thought it would be helpful to go through The Children’s Center for Psychiatry, Psychology, & Related Services recommendations for Goal Setting. It can be hard for parents, let alone students to make goals and meet them. Fortunately, we can achieve goals if they meet the following criteria:

SMART is an acronym that stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable, Achievable
• Realistic and Relevant
• Time-Limited and Trackable

Breaking down each step, here are some SMART goal examples:

• Specific – Don’t say, “I want to get better grades in school.” Do frame the desire for better grades in the form of something such as, “I will get all B’s and higher on my report card.” Stating the specific goal in concrete terms helps it become measurable.
• Measurable – How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal? In the case of getting better grades, you’ll know if you’ve succeeded when the next grading period ends and you can see the results of your efforts.
• Attainable (Achievable) – It’s probably unlikely that a student could go from mid-level grades to making straight A’s in one grading period, so they would want to set a goal they know they have a good chance of hitting. Don’t say, “I will make all straight A’s on my next report card.” Instead, do say, “I will raise all my grades by one letter by the end of the next grading period.
• Realistic and Relevant – Again, it’s going to be tough (and, therefore, self-defeating) to try to go from C-grades to straight A’s all at once. Raising grades by one level is realistic, however, setting this goal won’t matter unless it’s relevant to the child. Is the goal something they are excited about attaining?
• Time-limited and Trackable – Using the goal of raising grades on a report card, a time-limited goal would be to set the goal of achieving the result by the end of the next grading period or maybe the end of the school year. This goal is trackable if the child (and you) have a way of keeping tabs on their grades. Talk to the teachers to see if they’d be willing to give the child progress reports to help keep them motivated. Another way to track results is by keeping a chart of grades from papers, tests, and projects, so your child can get an idea of their progress. Keep the age of the child in mind – preschoolers have much shorter attention span. Their goals need to have a shorter time period.

(goal examples taken from the following website: http://childrenstreatmentcenter.com/smart-goals-teach-kids-goal-setting/).

By starting with small, achievable goals, and actually working to achieve them, we can build our confidence and move on to larger goals in the future. We can role model this to our children in our own lives, showing them how we do it ourselves, such as writing down your goal on paper, going through the SMART acronym and ticking it off as you get through it, perhaps on a calendar.

As a student, you can do this yourself, for sporting/fitness, mental health and academic goals.

My encouragement is to start small, and in time, build towards larger goals. And to keep God involved in the process. He can provide strength and encouragement when we don’t feel we are capable to achieve goals.

Isaiah 41: 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

If you would like to talk further about this article, require more information or have concerns for your child (if you are a parent) or yourself (if you are a student), please don’t hesitate to contact myself at Catherine.DaSilva@ljbc.wa.edu.au or Matthew Harris (Secondary Chaplain) Matthew.Harris@ljbc.wa.edu.au at the College. We would love to chat with you.

Catherine da Silva

Secondary Chaplain

Ten recycling bins have been purchased, with funds raised by James House and Cumberland House, they have been adorned with bright stickers and information about acceptable commingle recycling of waste. Recycling is one of the best ways for individuals to have a positive impact on the world in which we live and we need to strive for a more sustainable way of life. Thank you to every student who supported this very important and worthy cause!

Anmar van der Westhuizen & Nola Hebiton

Head of James and Cumberland House

LJBC Reading Awards

LJBC Reading Awards 126.91 KB

David Scott

Teacher Librarian Literature Services