30 March 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome everyone to the new year!

Once again, we have had to start the year with a flexible approach, coping with the challenges that Covid has in stall for us. As fortress WA has progressed, we have been blessed with relatively low rates of Covid cases thanks to strong leadership. Moving to a more open model has meant we must deal with this at a school level with much more uncertainty. I thank the school community and in particular the parents and carers for their support with vaccinating their children and safe practices. We have had only a few cases so far and are well prepared for whatever may come. We used the development days to prepare home schooling kits which have all gone home. These are only to be used in case of a school lockdown due to a severe Covid outbreak at school.

We have still been able to have some great activities at school. The annual Super Circus event went ahead, and the students loved it as usual. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the basketball carnival and we have been forced to restrict in school events like assemblies and avoidable large gatherings. With any luck these events will be on again before the end of the year. Despite these restrictions the students are still able to access valuable learning experiences with our literacy, numeracy, Cadets, Art, Physed, Cooking, Workshop and VET programs, all motoring along.

We welcome Duncan Sanders on to staff and Julie Higham back from her stint at Warnbro. Our numbers are up again this year with a total of 37 students. We look forward to working collaboratively with students, parents and carers, providing opportunities for access to workplace learning and maximising their NDIS funding with relevant and meaningful plans.

I will be on Long Service Leave for the final 2 weeks of term one and the first two weeks of term 2. The school will be in the very professional, caring and capable hands of Ms Lucas, acting principal in my absence. Parents and carers, please be assured that Ms Lucas will be only too happy to help you negotiate any problems you may encounter

Cran Collis
Principal

Dates to Remember

Literacy

Duncan Sanders

It's been a busy start to the year in FG04, despite the challenges of mask wearing and other co-vid restrictions. The students have continued their Literacy Preliminary Units from last year. Activities have included filming interviews with staff members about the rules around the school and creating PowerPoint presentations of the various important signs on campus. The students have enjoyed viewing a social skills video series helping them socially to cope and adapt to everyday life and its challenges.

Cooking

Julie Higham/Charm Guest/Trish Bradford

We have had a great start to the school year with our cooking program. Some of the things that we have made include egg-fried rice, cookies, pizza, mini frittata and spaghetti bolognese. Students are becoming increasingly OSH aware in the kitchen, following hygiene regulations and becoming aware of the dangers around equipment, especially knives. We have been learning how to keep our fingers away from knife blades by using a bridge hold and claw-grip or using a fork to hold ingredients still while chopping and slicing.

Students have also been practising their numeracy and literacy skills in the kitchen by measuring quantities, timing dishes in the oven, following and sequencing recipes and adjusting quantities to suit fewer or more people.

The cooking program staff are very proud of our students’ achievements.

FG03

Tarryn Lambert

FG03 students have settled in beautifully this term; they have made new friends and are bonding nicely as a class.

The students have been out and about doing different activities both at school and out in the community.

Monday mornings our students have fitness, they are enjoying playing croquet, archery, grip ball and challenge each other to a game of “Toss the Bean bags”.

They have volunteered to clean and restock the kitchen, after breakfast club each Monday. They wipe down counter tops, wash dishes, clean & sort cutlery at each station, refill detergent bottles and wash laundry at the end.

Our students look forward to a Tuesday morning. They walk over to Woolworths and buy groceries for their cooking class and the breakfast club. They learn about numeracy life skills, such as counting items up to 10, looking for items in the different aisles and using the self-service checkout to pay for their groceries. They also enjoy preparing heathy delicious snacks and show off their cooking skills.

Our class is privileged enough to visit Rocky Bay twice a week. Tuesdays they have art and crafts – where some have completed beautiful mosaic murals. On a Thursdays they have dance and absolutely enjoy it! They get to move and shake to their favourite songs. Sometimes if the horses are feeling friendly enough, they usually come up to the fence, where the students get to feed or just say hello.

Integrated Lifeskills (Fun Friday)

Danielle Du Plessis, Julie Higham, Duncan Sanders

During integrated life skills the students have improved their tent making skills and built a DIY electric guitar to be presented to another school. The students have also explored the construction industry, and had fun, at the Construction Futures Centre in Belmont.

A great start to the year!

Maths

Julie Higham

In maths this term we have been practising our numeracy skills such as place value and recognising which operation to use when solving a word problem. We have explored the relationship between the four operations and discovered that multiplication and addition are very similar.

Students have been developing their financial literacy learning about Centrelink payments and budgeting and everyone was shocked by how much money is needed for rent and power bills.

The classroom staff have been amazed with students’ mathematical knowledge and perseverance when faced with difficult mathematical challenges.

Leadership

Jocelyn Carosin/Lorna Craggs/Trish Bradford

As part of JTCESC’s continuous improvement in supporting our students to meet their educational, social, and emotional needs, JTCESC have introduced a new Vocational Educational Training (VET) course for students, a Certificate I in Leadership.

Students have taken on several small projects throughout the term, all whilst working through their assessments for the Work Health and Safety unit. Each Thursday, students are presented with opportunities to learn new skills, such as sewing small lap blankets and heat packs as well as learning the art of knot tying instructed by one of our very own leadership students, Korbin. Thank you, Korbin!

Our main project for Term 1 has been partnering with VisAbility WA. Students are busily working on creating tactile/sensory story books which will be stored at VisAbility WA’s library for vision-impaired children.

Students created their own Story-board’s using a template and then designed their books using Canva – an online design program, printed and laminated each page, and lastly decorated each book with small objects that relate to the story for children to feel and touch.

Once the books are completed, a Speech Pathologist from VisAbility WA will provide Braille stickers to stick under each word.

A very special thank you and acknowledgment to Ron King of the Mandurah Free Masons, Jodi Wilkes from Melville Animal Clinic, and the Mandurah Motorcycle Charity Ride Association for their generous and kind donation towards our school’s Leadership program.

Retail

Meagan Green/Nat Harris/Charm Guest

This year we have 12 students in Retail they will study 5 Units including learning essential skills by preparing, catering, and selling goods through the Retail Sausage Sizzle to students and staff from TAFE, JTC College and JTC ESC. Students will experience the necessity of effective teamwork and communication through sales, stock control, health and safety protocols including procedures to learn personal work requirements required for future jobs.

Construction

Mark Barritt/Sharan Hegney/Jacquie Willcocks

Students have had a good start to the Construction Skills Set with an emphasis on teamwork and an introduction to Workplace Health and Safety Requirements.

Students have started to use basic materials and hand skills whilst practicing their brick laying skills in preparation for their basic construction project later in the course.

They have also been learning how to safely set up and use the cement mixer to mix mortar and to use hand tools such as a brickies trowel and spirit level.

Workshop

Mark Barritt/Danielle Du Plessis/Jacquie Willcocks/Sheri Henderson/Jessica Tipton

In Wednesday’s Workshop class students have started building their major personal project. Students are building a table; others are building a planter/storage box, and some are building a workmate. The students are working really well and following the safety procedures they have been taught.

Students have also been getting excited and having fun learning how to use the 3D Printer and Laser Engraver.

Emergency Cadet Program

Duncan Sanders/Sharan Hegney/Nat Harris

In Cadets, the students have studied the dangers of fires and other hazards, improved their knot tying skills and learnt about the effects of World War 1 and Gallipoli amongst many other topics.

Art

Kristin Lucas/Nat Harris/Tess Wyllie

In Art we have been looking at drawing styles including observation (drawing an object as you see it), frottage (rubbing a textured item), sgraffito (scratching a surface). and blind contour (drawing an object without taking the pencil off the paper or your eyes off the object). Students have explored textures found in the school environment such as flowers, leaves, screens on windows and the mural on the side of the art room to create their observation and frottage art pieces. They made their own sgraffito using oil pastels and scratched a design of their own choosing.

They have practiced a “Gallery Walk” by observing others’ artworks and discussing with small groups and as a class their impressions of the works. They have begun making artist statements about their own works. In their statements they talk about the media (what art tools and supplies) they used as well as how they feel about their art and what they are most proud of about their art.

Students each entered an artwork in the ESSN (Education Support South Network) art competition creating artworks with the theme of “Cool”. The classes brainstormed what is “cool” and discussed the various meaning of cool and how it can be represented, cool colours (blue, green, purple) or what each student sees as cool. The artwork created was amazing, with each student choosing their own media and image to represent their individual idea of cool.

Health & Phys Ed

Deneegan Subramanian/Trish Bradford/Mark Barritt

Term 1 has seen our students learning the different dimensions of Health, including physical, emotional and social health. We have been looking at various interpersonal skills that students can use to communicate their feelings, needs, and opinions to others. By focusing on the various non-verbal and verbal communication aspects, students understand how to communicate effectively and involve others in activities.

Basketball has been the primary focus in Physical Education this term. By playing basketball, students have increased their confidence in their ball-handling skills. Students enjoy getting out of the classroom and having a bit of fun playing team-based games. I've also seen a marked improvement in their positive interactions with other team players.

Transition

Jocelyn Carosin/Julie Woodman

Due to Covid restrictions we were unable to meet face to face this term, however, may we say a big thank you to parents and caregivers who made the time to speak with us over the phone regarding your child’s transition. For those parents we have not yet had the opportunity to talk to, hopefully we can in Term 2. The phone meetings have allowed us to discuss your child’s strengths, skills, interests, and supports needed to connect with external providers.

Julie Woodman and Jocelyn Carosin are JTCESC’s Transition Officers and will help you and your child in planning and developing strategies to include in their Individual Transition Plan (ITP) in preparation of your child achieving the skills they will need to become independent young adults within their community, post school life.

Julie and Jocelyn can assist you in:

• Centrelink allowances: Disability Support Pension, Health Care Card, Conveyance Allowance
• Introduction to outside disability support agencies
• Options for further training and education and future employment
• Connecting with the NDIS

Please contact Jocelyn or Julie should you have any queries regarding your child’s transition or how we can best support you and your child.

Jocelyn Carosin – Jocelyn.carosin@education.wa.edu.au
Julie Woodman – Julie.woodman@education.wa.edu.au

Animal Studies

Jacquie Willcocks

Students learnt about communication, tasks in workplace, interacting with animals. Byron was transferring a budgie to its home cage. Montana, Byron and Emma are joined every week by Hanna and Bonnie – “the super dogs”

Breakfast Club

Meagan Green

Breakfast Club is proudly supported by the Peel Foodbank, which enables healthy food options for students 4 days a week. These include toasties, quiche, slices, muffins, cereal and fresh fruit.

Here’s a delicious recipe we made this term. Very easy and tastes great.

Quiche

Ingredients

1 grated zucchini
1 grated carrot
1 cup grated cheese
½ cup milk
10 eggs whisked
1 teaspoon chicken stock
Salt and pepper
1 cup self-raising flour

Method

Whisk eggs and milk add other ingredients and stir well. Place in a large rectangular greased oven dish.

Bake at 180 degrees for an hour or until cooked through.

Other News

Meet our Team

The best thing about our school?

Many things, including the relaxed and positive vibe at the school. I've always found the staff to be supportive and friendly. If someone has a good idea often, we get a chance to try it out.

Coming back to the school after a few years away was like coming home. There are also great courses offered to the students, many of which go on to employment or further study options.

Why I love teaching?

The positive challenges of helping students with disabilities to learn, grow and gain confidence in their own abilities. I also enjoy the banter with the staff and students.

Fun facts and what I do in my spare time?

I was born in Oxford in the UK and support Oxford United. I also like cricket and golf. My favourite hobby is music. I like to play the guitar and keyboards in my spare time and occasionally write songs by myself and with others.

Super Circus

We had Clinton from Super Circus came along this term, a morning of fun, energy and learning circus skills. Students were entertained and actively involved in performing hula hooping, spinning plates, juggling and the diabolo. A fantastic hour of fun and learning skills.

Footy Tipping

Footy tipping has once again started, with Mr Collis winning Round 1, Round 2 we had 3 winners with Mrs Craggs, Mrs Henderson and Mr Collis. Top student tipper is Keira.

School Board

On behalf of all students, staff and parents we would like to thank outgoing School Board Chairperson Mrs Sue Hill for her valuable contribution to the school over her seven years of tenure. She has worked closely with the school over the course of several school reviews, made meaningful contributions to school Business Plans and was a vocal advocate for the school. Again, we thank her for her dedication to our school and wish her well in her future endeavours.

School Uniform

JTC ESC – Code of Conduct

All Students and Staff have the RIGHT to work in a clean and safe environment.

RESPECT

• Appropriate language and behaviour
• Treat equipment appropriately
• Zero tolerance of bullying
• Be aware of personal space
• Phones of and away (8.00am-2.40pm)
• No smoking on school grounds

RESPONSIBILITY

• Follow mobile phone rules
• Wear correct uniform
• Be punctual
• Be kind to all
• Be prepared for all classes
• Stay within set boundaries – students not to leave the premises during school hours.

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