Tag: secondary

Community Freezer

January 30, 2018

School Notice for the Community Freezer

We are really excited to continue with our initiative of the school community freezer. It is located in the Get Well Room in the Primary School Office. The purpose of this freezer is to support families from Pre-Kindy to Year 12 at SSS Duncraig with a home cooked meal when they are going through a very difficult family situation.

If you would like to contribute to this freezer by cooking a meal we would greatly appreciate it. We are looking for simple, nutritious meals that are both family and freezer friendly. These include meat and vegetable based casseroles, lasagnes, hearty soups and mild curries. Please do not use any nut or nut products. Please include all components of the meal e.g. “Casserole with rice” to make it as easy as possible for the families receiving the meals.

Please follow the steps below:

Read the food safety link: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/handwashing-why-its-important

Choose your own recipe or look for one at:

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/collections/freezer-friendly

Buy the ingredients.
Ensure your hands are adequately washed.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/food-safety-when-cooking

Cook the meal.
Cool the meal and pack in a reusable or recyclable container (either donate a container or collect a foil container from next to the freezer at school).

Label the meal (stickers are available next to the freezer at school).

Freeze the meal.
Bring the frozen meal to school and place in the freezer for another family to enjoy!

Thank you for your support.

Safety Around Schools

January 30, 2018

A reminder from the City of Joondalup.

Vehicles which park contrary to parking signage around schools are a major hazard and impact on the safety of children, pedestrians and other road users in these areas. It is imperative that drivers are aware of, and park in accordance with, the parking conditions which apply near schools.

9836 Rangers_School Parking Brochure_DL-21m59w7

The Role of Student-Owned Mobile Phones at School

January 29, 2018

Dear Parents

With every student owning a tablet or laptop, the role for mobile phones at school is negligible. We strongly believe in our three guiding principles regarding the use of technology:

Teaching and learning can be transformed by technology
Communication and collaboration can be enhanced by technology
Using technology develops students’ skills for future learning and work

In the use of technology, users agree to be responsible for their own actions, comply with relevant laws and comply with the School’s code of conduct. Personal behaviour, in online environments, must not compromise the good reputation of the School.

In the School Handbook, the following points are made:

No use of phones as phones for texting or calling in class time
No use in class without the express permission of the teacher
Any calls for a student to be collected are made by an adult in Student services
We expect students to take personal responsibility for their own phones at School

During 2018, there will be very little reason for any students to use a phone during the school day. No phones will be used in class unless the teacher specifically asks students to use phones, e.g. to photograph something on an excursion. We will be strongly discouraging the use of phones during recess and lunch: these are great opportunities to grow relationships with friends. No student should be on (or posting to) social media during the school day, or using their phone to film teachers or fellow students. No student should be viewing Netflix or YouTube instead of socialising. It makes complete sense for a child to have their phone on public transport before and after school.

We would appreciate your assistance in 2018 in strongly discouraging the use of mobile phones during the school day. Our children do not need the distraction or the anxiety of having to check what others might be posting. This is not a change to policy, but a chance to affirm what our School policy is with an emphasis on student well-being. Phones are not banned: they have a safety function. They are not needed during the school day and we do not want to see students using phones at school unless instructed by their teacher.

Plenty of Smiling Faces as the Year 7s enjoy their Orientation Morning

January 29, 2018

A huge welcome to our new Year 7 cohort, starting today at St Stephen’s School. We look forward to having you as part of our school community for the next 6 years.

Our Year 7s arrived looking excited and a little bit nervous in readiness for an action-packed day.

They started off with a Orientation Morning in the Secondary Library which included bookmarking important sites, SEQTA access, Office 365, and their school email account.

Here are a few snapshots of the morning.

“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” – Psalm 20:4

Student Portal – Info Sheet

January 25, 2018

Student Portal – Student Info Sheet

The School has put together a simple platform for students to access everything in the one place.

The Portal offers a streamlined system that can be saved on smart devices and used like an App.

The main changes for students are outlined below.

If you have any queries or feedback about the new Portal, please contact the ICT Support Student helpline on 9243 2650.

To set up your access:

Rather than accessing tools and information on the School’s website, students will now log into https://portal.ststephens.wa.edu.au for all services.
Add @student.ststephens.wa.edu.au to the end of your username. E.g. Student John Smith with user ID of Smith will now login with John.Smith@student.ststephens.wa.edu.au (see graphic)

Your St Stephen’s password has not changed. Please enter this when prompted.

To save it to your device:

These instructions can also be accessed via the Support & Contacts tab in the Portal.

Parent Portal – Info Sheet

January 23, 2018

Parent Portal – Parent Info Sheet

The School has put together a simple platform for parents to access everything in the one place. The main changes for parents are outlined below.

If you have any queries or feedback about the new Portal, contact the ICT Support Parent helpline on 9243 2160.

To access the portal:

Navigate to https://portal.ststephens.wa.edu.au
Add @parent.ststephens.wa.edu.au to the end of your username. E.g. Parent John Smith with user ID of 9834 will now login with 9834@parent.ststephens.wa.edu.au (see graphic). If you don’t have this user ID number you will need to contact us.

Your St Stephen’s password has not changed. Please enter this when prompted.
To help reduce the number of times you are asked to sign in, please select Yes to the option ‘Stay signed in’. (see graphic)

To save the Portal on your smart device:

These instructions can also be accessed via the Support & Contacts tab in the Portal.

Welcome Back Message from the Head of Secondary

January 22, 2018

Dear Parents and Students

Welcome to 2018! A new year is filled with new possibilities for all of us – in our roles as teachers, parents and as students. We also have a point from which to grow personally as well. It is strange that the 1^st January becomes an arbitrary point from which to start, but the new year comes after a rest and after a time for reflection. New Years are important. Many of our plans may be focussed around our families, our work and our relationships.

Within a few weeks we will each know whether we have thought about what we would like to achieve and how we might do that – or whether we have lapsed back into 2017 and that 2018 is looking more like a repeat of 2017.

The School has released its new Strategic Plan which will carry us through the next 3 years and beyond. Our focus is threefold and simple: People, Purpose and Place: the best teaching and learning possible; students and staff in strong healthy, constructive and respectful relationships; and the best possible teaching environment.

Our children are not all the same. Half of our 2017 uni-bound ATAR bound students achieved rankings in the top 20% in the state and we are very proud of all of our students who achieved what they hoped. Last year rather unusually, 91% (against the usual 80%) of all Year 12 students at the Duncraig Campus worked towards ATAR rankings, yet many had not planned on university as a destination or on using their ATAR for university entry. Some of our students who planned on using a Certificate 4, in conjunction with 4 ATAR subjects, for that purpose have felt very stressed through the time they pursued a “joint” strategy and had to let go their ATAR plans to focus on the Certificate 4. The Cert 4 worked, the ATAR did not.

There are two things students often say that I find worrying: the first is that they want to go to university without knowing what they might even be interested in – and the second is the hope to be famous, again without any idea of why and in what field.

Together, as parents and teachers, we are blessed to have another year to work with our children. We have a year in which to work out whether what might be best for each child is what we had planned and dreamed. Between us we can create the conversations, the attitude of positive growth and enough realism to make happier, resilient and less worried children.

Students: your parents and your teachers have runs on the board, they have valuable experiences and advice for you to consider as you enjoy their support this year. There will be hard work and the satisfaction of knowing you have done your best at something wisely chosen.

Best wishes for 2018

Bruce Titlestad

Head of School