Woodleigh Messenger
- A Time to Reflect
- Activities Week: Student Reflections
- Ms Penelope Potts from Little River
- SPORTS REPORT
- ‘Risk taking’ – why do teens do the things they do? What can parents do to keep them as safe as possible?
- 2023 Woodleigh Arts Festival Opening & Showcase Concert – Transcendence
- 2023 Woodleigh School Film Festival – Friday the 13th!
A Time to Reflect
As Term Three comes to a close, it is timely for us to reflect on what we have achieved this year and continue our plans for the future.
At all three campuses, we have been busy creating life-changing experiences for our students. At our Junior Campuses, we have had students attending camps in Victoria, the Northern Territory, and internationally. As I write this article, I am preparing to attend the Year 6 Wugubank experience evening at Penbank, and our Year 6 students from Minimbah have just touched down in Bali as part of their sustainability experience at the Green School. Both have been and will be life-changing for the students involved as they are immersed in cultures and languages different from their own and experience perspectives from Aboriginal people in Beswick and Indonesian people in Bali.
These experiences and Camps Week for our Senior students all help to shape a Woodleigh education. This is an education that prepares students for life both at school and beyond. They are real-world, challenging, and provide provocations for some of the most important issues facing our country and the world. While life-changing, they can be daunting if we don’t offer optimism and the opportunity to develop the complex capabilities required to engage with such complicated and overwhelming issues. The capabilities to unpack and understand complexity, solve problems, and organise others as they project manage possible solutions. These are the skills required for life and the skills our student generation will need to impact the world in which they live, positively. If we add to our list of provocations increasing inequality in our world, rising well-being issues, the growth of artificial intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution, global boiling, shifting geopolitical tensions and world conflict, and closer to home an upcoming referendum and the cost of living crisis.
To fully understand and be prepared to find solutions for societal issues, our students still need the basics, and it is important for us to ensure they have a strong understanding of the fundamentals of education; however, we aim to go much further than mere competence and explicit teaching and wish for our students to master complex concepts and be able to apply these to real-life contexts in which they will have depth and mastery.
We continue to look for and find opportunities for student agency and the ability to teach students about the capabilities they will need for life. This occurs through our approach to the International Baccalaureate, the PYP, and the MYP and also through our introduction of the Futures Program to Year 10 in 2024. I look forward to further engaging with our community about this program in Term Four and inviting our advisor, Joost Bakker to the school in October. Together with our architects, they will talk about how we can create generative ecosystems in place of buildings to encourage the depth of thinking our students require for their future.
I am often asked, what about NAPLAN and VCE results, how do they fit with our philosophy as a school and our plans for the future? The NAPLAN tests and ATAR are not going anywhere, and I strongly believe that the work we do will complement both of these measures; however, we also aim to provide our students with more than just a number. We hope to provide a personal transcript of the complex capabilities they have developed during their time at Woodleigh. We continue to work with the University of Melbourne to develop tools for the measurement of character growth that are genuine, authentic, and warrantable. The Year 10 Futures Program will provide us with an opportunity to road-test these tools and provide feedback and data to over 35 schools involved in this project.
It has been a very busy term, and yet we still have much work to do. I hope that all of our families will have an opportunity to enjoy some family time over the holidays and I wish them well for this time and look forward to continuing this conversation in Term Four.
Best wishes
DAVID BAKER
PRINCIPAL - WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
Activities Week: Student Reflections
Horse Riding in the High Country Camp.
Every morning we would get up early to pack our saddle bags, get ready and tack up our horses for the day while the frost was still clinging to the grass. We would ride throughout the day and see beautiful views of the Australian bush, and sometimes, if we got lucky, we would see animals like wombats, kangaroos, deer and kookaburras.
At the end of the day, before dusk engulfed our surroundings, we would make our way back and untack our horses, eat our dinner and spend the evening around the constant warmth of the roaring fire. Overall, this camp was an amazing experience.
Maalika Calarco – Year 8
Contemporary Jewellery Camp
Participating in the Contemporary Jewellery camp surpassed my expectations in every way! The incredible organization by Mr. Butler and Mrs. Norman made for a great atmosphere, enabling us to explore numerous techniques and projects throughout the week. With the additional guidance of industry expert Chloe McColl, the quality of our work achieved something that would only be seen in the Pandora store!
I thrived during the lost wax investment project led by Chloe. Although most students created unique silver rings, I created a sterling silver pendant. This intricate process involved shaping, joining, and refining wax, which was then sent to be cast into a sterling silver piece. We then filed, sanded, and polished our returned products.
Remaining on the Woodleigh campus further enriched our experience, as we were able to socialise with the other school-based camps. In all, I recommend this camp for any passionate student keen on jewellery and the design process.
5 stars, would highly recommend – Barney Boadle
Yarrawonga Golf Camp
Yarrawonga Golf Camp was a camp everyone could participate in and, for me, it was great because I got to see myself improve throughout the week, from being unable to hit the ball straight to successfully driving the ball decently far down the fairway. The improvement this camp had on my golfing skills was amazing. But this camp also helped me improve my friendships and meet new people. You can play a very fun game with some of your mates while making new ones on the greens. Throughout the week you participate in many fun activities like going to Black Bull golf course and doing a session with Glenn and Mal who give you so many great and useful tips I used every day I was on the courses. This camp was great as well, as no matter your skill level everyone got to have a fair go as we would play Ambrose, which included everyone in your team. The accommodation was amazing as we had so many activities to participate in like playing pool, darts, or even practising at the free driving range at the resort. It was an amazing week that I would definitely do again.
Tom Oswell – Year 11
Sports Camp Articles
I really enjoyed Sports Camp. I enjoyed most of the activities but especially the Australian Sports Museum. I enjoyed the ‘game on’ section because it felt like a break from learning. Another activity I enjoyed was wheelchair basketball. It was really fun and a new experience. Overall, this camp introduced me to new experiences and lots of opportunities.
Ruben Charlton
Sports camp was a great experience as I learned many things about sports and their back story. My favourite activity would be kayaking on the Yarra River. Unfortunately, I couldn't go ice skating but I had a lot of fun throughout the week. We went to the Essendon Football Club, visited the VIS, and the MCG and played wheelchair basketball. I also enjoyed the activities at Bounce and at PARC pool.
Raj Sahni
Mt Arapiles
This camp was incredible. I didn’t expect anything like what we experienced on this camp week. The adventures we went on were spectacular, dangling our legs of a little rock ledge 100m up, taking in the amazing view. The guides where amazing, encouraging us the whole way and teaching us how to climb and manoeuvre on the different terrains, teaching us about the amazing place named Mount Arapiles. Some of my highlights were seeing a PeregrineFalcon, being with friends and taking in the view after a long day of climbing. I am so grateful to be able to come on such an amazing camp, and thanks to the awesome teachers that came along, giving up their time to put up with us.
Lorne Dargan and Archie Gay
Ms Penelope Potts from Little River
Field Gnats Trip to Mount Rothwell, Charlie
Last weekend, on Saturday 9th of September, Woodleigh’s Field Gnats headed off to Mount Rothwell Biodiversity Interpretation Centre for their last weekend trip to Little River for the year. The bus was filled with the usual buzz of excitement as we arrived at Rothwell in time for a short morning tea break before getting straight to work. We spent the morning taking care of the quolls, dingoes, and curlews – taking particular care around the newly hatched chicks and then headed to a nearby paddock to clear tree guards from previous years’ planting efforts. Lunch was wraps and sandwiches, a tasty break after a long morning. Next, we set to replacing the browse in the Spot-Tailed Quoll pens and weeded the empty quoll and curlew enclosures. We also spent some time setting up wallaby traps through the stony rises which was a brilliant opportunity for us all to take in our beautiful surroundings atop the rocks.
As the sun began to set, we headed back to camp to set up our bedding and start preparing dinner – a Mexican feast of tacos, burritos, and nachos. After a delicious dinner, we all rugged up and walked back to the rocks we had visited earlier to take in the night sky. Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast, but the view was still tremendous as ever as we all lay down upon the rocks to take it all in. We then walked back and snuggled into bed for some much-needed sleep.
The next morning, we were all up early for breakfast, followed by routine animal husbandry. We then took on the difficult task of removing the almost impossible to find, African weed orchard that had taken over many of the paddocks. While undoubtedly hard to find at first, we soon uncovered large patches that we tackled in small groups. The weeding itself was far from fun, but the mood was kept positive thanks to the blasting of all the best musical theatre tracks and lively group discussion. Once we had cleared a large section, we came back to not only feed ourselves, but the hungry animals, and then began to clean up the site and pack our things.
While we were all sad that the weekend was over, we had much to be proud of. Over the course of the weekend, the 14 of us were able to accomplish over 168 hours of conservation work, a brilliant achievement that we are all very satisfied with. We also brought back a new friend, Ms Penelope Potts – an unwell potoroo, who will be joining Barry the glider up at the reserve.
Mount Rothwell was a brilliant experience as always, thanks to an awesome group of students, staff, and alumni! I know we all can’t wait to be back next year to see how our hard work has paid off, but for now are all excited for the upcoming trip to Tiverton in the holidays!
Charlie Russo Year 8
SPORTS REPORT
Senior Campus Sport News
The end of Term 3 saw the culmination of Winter Sport, with many Woodleigh teams enjoying very successful seasons. At SIS level, Term 3 Weekly Sport had 8 Woodleigh teams competing, three winning their pennants.
Congratulations to the Intermediate Boys Touch Rugby (undefeated), Intermediate Girls Netball (undefeated), and the Intermediate Girls Netball teams, who were all pennant winners.
The Winter Season FDNA Netball competition finished the term with its finals series. All four Woodleigh teams won through the Semi-Finals, qualifying for their Grand Finals. Grand Final night was special; it was the first opportunity we had to play inside the incredible new Jubilee Park Stadium. The atmosphere was amazing; the crowds were large and full of voice, and the competition was intense. The Woodleigh Pearls were victorious on the night in a dominant display of precision netball.
Our teams represented the school impressively, not just in the Grand Final but throughout all of Term 2 & 3. FDNA Grand Final Results were:
Year 7/8 Division 1 – Woodleigh Diamonds 22 lost to Flinders Thunderbirds 24
Year 7/8 Division 2 – Woodleigh Sapphires 12 lost to Purple Tigers 28
Year 9/10 Division 1 – Woodleigh Topaz 14 lost to Flinders Vixens 17
Year 9/10 Division 2 – Woodleigh Pearls 32 defeated Flinders Giants 17
As I write this article, the Winter Season FDBA Basketball competition is in the middle of Grand Final week. The Under 16 Girls D2 team had an epic Grand Final contest, going down by just one point in the final seconds – Woodleigh Wolves 36 lost to Mt Eliza Meteors 37. The Woodleigh Whippets have their Grand Final on Saturday, when they take on the Panthers in the Under 14 Boys C2 decider. Good luck!
Well done to all students, parents, and coaches on a wonderful school and community sport season.
Ben Davenport
Director of Sport
‘Risk taking’ – why do teens do the things they do? What can parents do to keep them as safe as possible?
Adolescence is a risky time. As a teen matures and becomes more independent, they experience dramatic hormonal changes, increasing social and peer pressure and have greater access to alcohol and other drugs.
This presentation will briefly examine the history of ‘teenagers’, rebellion and the different ‘temptations’ that have existed over time. Using the latest research on the developing brain, it will also discuss why young people make the decisions they do during this time.
Sleepovers, parties and gatherings provide teens with valuable opportunities to develop important socialising skills but are not ‘risk-free’. Some practical strategies and tips for parents considering allowing their teen to attend such events to help ensure they are as safe as possible.
Join DARTA (Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia) head, Paul Dillon, for this important Parent Education Program Session.
Paul has been working in the area of drug education for almost 30 years. Through Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) he continues to be contracted by agencies and organisations across the country to provide updates on current drug trends.
BOOK NOW2023 Woodleigh Arts Festival Opening & Showcase Concert – Transcendence
All Woodleigh families and friends, past and present, are invited to join us in the Visual Arts Courtyard from 6.30pm to enjoy refreshments and to take in and celebrate the work of this year’s VCE Studio Art, Visual Communication and Product Design Technology students.
The Showcase Concert, commencing in the Hall at 7.30pm, will feature Year 12 Drama, Media and Music performances and screenings.
Please join us as we celebrate the creativity and craft of Woodleigh's Art Students!
BOOK NOW!2023 Woodleigh School Film Festival – Friday the 13th!
It's Freaky Friday Film Night, and the Senior Campus Hall will never be the same again.
Join us on Friday 13 October from 6.30pm to enjoy the short films produced by the 2023 Year 12 Media Class.
Drinks, popcorn and choc tops will be available to purchase on the night! Entry to see the films is free.
There will be prizes for best dressed, so test-drive your Halloween getup and help us celebrate the hard-work and talents of the 2023 Media Class.
BOOK NOW!Horse Riding in the High Country Camp.
Every morning we would get up early to pack our saddle bags, get ready and tack up our horses for the day while the frost was still clinging to the grass. We would ride throughout the day and see beautiful views of the Australian bush, and sometimes, if we got lucky, we would see animals like wombats, kangaroos, deer and kookaburras.
At the end of the day, before dusk engulfed our surroundings, we would make our way back and untack our horses, eat our dinner and spend the evening around the constant warmth of the roaring fire. Overall, this camp was an amazing experience.
Maalika Calarco – Year 8
Contemporary Jewellery Camp
Participating in the Contemporary Jewellery camp surpassed my expectations in every way! The incredible organization by Mr. Butler and Mrs. Norman made for a great atmosphere, enabling us to explore numerous techniques and projects throughout the week. With the additional guidance of industry expert Chloe McColl, the quality of our work achieved something that would only be seen in the Pandora store!
I thrived during the lost wax investment project led by Chloe. Although most students created unique silver rings, I created a sterling silver pendant. This intricate process involved shaping, joining, and refining wax, which was then sent to be cast into a sterling silver piece. We then filed, sanded, and polished our returned products.
Remaining on the Woodleigh campus further enriched our experience, as we were able to socialise with the other school-based camps. In all, I recommend this camp for any passionate student keen on jewellery and the design process.
5 stars, would highly recommend – Barney Boadle
Yarrawonga Golf Camp
Yarrawonga Golf Camp was a camp everyone could participate in and, for me, it was great because I got to see myself improve throughout the week, from being unable to hit the ball straight to successfully driving the ball decently far down the fairway. The improvement this camp had on my golfing skills was amazing. But this camp also helped me improve my friendships and meet new people. You can play a very fun game with some of your mates while making new ones on the greens. Throughout the week you participate in many fun activities like going to Black Bull golf course and doing a session with Glenn and Mal who give you so many great and useful tips I used every day I was on the courses. This camp was great as well, as no matter your skill level everyone got to have a fair go as we would play Ambrose, which included everyone in your team. The accommodation was amazing as we had so many activities to participate in like playing pool, darts, or even practising at the free driving range at the resort. It was an amazing week that I would definitely do again.
Tom Oswell – Year 11
Sports Camp Articles
I really enjoyed Sports Camp. I enjoyed most of the activities but especially the Australian Sports Museum. I enjoyed the ‘game on’ section because it felt like a break from learning. Another activity I enjoyed was wheelchair basketball. It was really fun and a new experience. Overall, this camp introduced me to new experiences and lots of opportunities.
Ruben Charlton
Sports camp was a great experience as I learned many things about sports and their back story. My favourite activity would be kayaking on the Yarra River. Unfortunately, I couldn't go ice skating but I had a lot of fun throughout the week. We went to the Essendon Football Club, visited the VIS, and the MCG and played wheelchair basketball. I also enjoyed the activities at Bounce and at PARC pool.
Raj Sahni
Mt Arapiles
This camp was incredible. I didn’t expect anything like what we experienced on this camp week. The adventures we went on were spectacular, dangling our legs of a little rock ledge 100m up, taking in the amazing view. The guides where amazing, encouraging us the whole way and teaching us how to climb and manoeuvre on the different terrains, teaching us about the amazing place named Mount Arapiles. Some of my highlights were seeing a PeregrineFalcon, being with friends and taking in the view after a long day of climbing. I am so grateful to be able to come on such an amazing camp, and thanks to the awesome teachers that came along, giving up their time to put up with us.
Lorne Dargan and Archie Gay
Field Gnats Trip to Mount Rothwell, Charlie
Last weekend, on Saturday 9th of September, Woodleigh’s Field Gnats headed off to Mount Rothwell Biodiversity Interpretation Centre for their last weekend trip to Little River for the year. The bus was filled with the usual buzz of excitement as we arrived at Rothwell in time for a short morning tea break before getting straight to work. We spent the morning taking care of the quolls, dingoes, and curlews – taking particular care around the newly hatched chicks and then headed to a nearby paddock to clear tree guards from previous years’ planting efforts. Lunch was wraps and sandwiches, a tasty break after a long morning. Next, we set to replacing the browse in the Spot-Tailed Quoll pens and weeded the empty quoll and curlew enclosures. We also spent some time setting up wallaby traps through the stony rises which was a brilliant opportunity for us all to take in our beautiful surroundings atop the rocks.
As the sun began to set, we headed back to camp to set up our bedding and start preparing dinner – a Mexican feast of tacos, burritos, and nachos. After a delicious dinner, we all rugged up and walked back to the rocks we had visited earlier to take in the night sky. Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast, but the view was still tremendous as ever as we all lay down upon the rocks to take it all in. We then walked back and snuggled into bed for some much-needed sleep.
The next morning, we were all up early for breakfast, followed by routine animal husbandry. We then took on the difficult task of removing the almost impossible to find, African weed orchard that had taken over many of the paddocks. While undoubtedly hard to find at first, we soon uncovered large patches that we tackled in small groups. The weeding itself was far from fun, but the mood was kept positive thanks to the blasting of all the best musical theatre tracks and lively group discussion. Once we had cleared a large section, we came back to not only feed ourselves, but the hungry animals, and then began to clean up the site and pack our things.
While we were all sad that the weekend was over, we had much to be proud of. Over the course of the weekend, the 14 of us were able to accomplish over 168 hours of conservation work, a brilliant achievement that we are all very satisfied with. We also brought back a new friend, Ms Penelope Potts – an unwell potoroo, who will be joining Barry the glider up at the reserve.
Mount Rothwell was a brilliant experience as always, thanks to an awesome group of students, staff, and alumni! I know we all can’t wait to be back next year to see how our hard work has paid off, but for now are all excited for the upcoming trip to Tiverton in the holidays!
Charlie Russo Year 8
Senior Campus Sport News
The end of Term 3 saw the culmination of Winter Sport, with many Woodleigh teams enjoying very successful seasons. At SIS level, Term 3 Weekly Sport had 8 Woodleigh teams competing, three winning their pennants.
Congratulations to the Intermediate Boys Touch Rugby (undefeated), Intermediate Girls Netball (undefeated), and the Intermediate Girls Netball teams, who were all pennant winners.
The Winter Season FDNA Netball competition finished the term with its finals series. All four Woodleigh teams won through the Semi-Finals, qualifying for their Grand Finals. Grand Final night was special; it was the first opportunity we had to play inside the incredible new Jubilee Park Stadium. The atmosphere was amazing; the crowds were large and full of voice, and the competition was intense. The Woodleigh Pearls were victorious on the night in a dominant display of precision netball.
Our teams represented the school impressively, not just in the Grand Final but throughout all of Term 2 & 3. FDNA Grand Final Results were:
Year 7/8 Division 1 – Woodleigh Diamonds 22 lost to Flinders Thunderbirds 24
Year 7/8 Division 2 – Woodleigh Sapphires 12 lost to Purple Tigers 28
Year 9/10 Division 1 – Woodleigh Topaz 14 lost to Flinders Vixens 17
Year 9/10 Division 2 – Woodleigh Pearls 32 defeated Flinders Giants 17
As I write this article, the Winter Season FDBA Basketball competition is in the middle of Grand Final week. The Under 16 Girls D2 team had an epic Grand Final contest, going down by just one point in the final seconds – Woodleigh Wolves 36 lost to Mt Eliza Meteors 37. The Woodleigh Whippets have their Grand Final on Saturday, when they take on the Panthers in the Under 14 Boys C2 decider. Good luck!
Well done to all students, parents, and coaches on a wonderful school and community sport season.
Ben Davenport
Director of Sport
Adolescence is a risky time. As a teen matures and becomes more independent, they experience dramatic hormonal changes, increasing social and peer pressure and have greater access to alcohol and other drugs.
This presentation will briefly examine the history of ‘teenagers’, rebellion and the different ‘temptations’ that have existed over time. Using the latest research on the developing brain, it will also discuss why young people make the decisions they do during this time.
Sleepovers, parties and gatherings provide teens with valuable opportunities to develop important socialising skills but are not ‘risk-free’. Some practical strategies and tips for parents considering allowing their teen to attend such events to help ensure they are as safe as possible.
Join DARTA (Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia) head, Paul Dillon, for this important Parent Education Program Session.
Paul has been working in the area of drug education for almost 30 years. Through Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) he continues to be contracted by agencies and organisations across the country to provide updates on current drug trends.
BOOK NOWAll Woodleigh families and friends, past and present, are invited to join us in the Visual Arts Courtyard from 6.30pm to enjoy refreshments and to take in and celebrate the work of this year’s VCE Studio Art, Visual Communication and Product Design Technology students.
The Showcase Concert, commencing in the Hall at 7.30pm, will feature Year 12 Drama, Media and Music performances and screenings.
Please join us as we celebrate the creativity and craft of Woodleigh's Art Students!
BOOK NOW!It's Freaky Friday Film Night, and the Senior Campus Hall will never be the same again.
Join us on Friday 13 October from 6.30pm to enjoy the short films produced by the 2023 Year 12 Media Class.
Drinks, popcorn and choc tops will be available to purchase on the night! Entry to see the films is free.
There will be prizes for best dressed, so test-drive your Halloween getup and help us celebrate the hard-work and talents of the 2023 Media Class.
BOOK NOW!