Blair Clan – Spring Term Update 2022
Spring term and the calendar year has finished with a flurry of events, from Valedictory to Paint Ball and a host of other school and boarding events. Here’s what your sons have been up to in boarding:
New Year 9’s
- We welcomed our new year 9’s for 2023 at our Boarder’s Assembly on Wednesday 23rd November. The boys then came into our Senior Residence on Sunday 27th November for a sleepover. Followed by the Senior School Orientation on Monday 28th November. Our new boys for 2023 are: Declan Crombie (Babakin), Tom Falconer-Radford (York), Hugh Fairclough (Beverley), Cooper Messina (Mullewa), Tate Robertson (Kulin), Harrison Russell (Dandaragan) & Lynton Ugle (Karratha).
New Year 10’s
- Boys enjoyed Recreation activities:
- Twilight Hawkers market in the CBD on Friday 11th November
- High School Musical @ PLC on Friday 11th November
- Gym Games at Scotch Gym on Friday 25th November & 2nd December
- Golf at Cottesloe Golf Club on Saturday 12th, 19th, 26th November & 3rd December
- Cottesloe Beach Run on Sunday 13th November, Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th December
- Black Panther Movie @ Innaloo on Sunday 13th November
- Perth Aqua Park with St. Hilda’s on Sunday 20th November
- Paintball on Saturday 26th November
- Ice Skating with Penrhos @ Cockburn Ice Arena Sunday 27th November
- Fish & Chips with PLC @ Kailis Fish Market Fremantle on Friday 2nd December
- Bubble Soccer on Saturday 3rd December
- Pool Swim @ Scotch Pool on Saturday 3rd December
- Christmas Shopping @ Westfield Karrinyup on Sunday 4th December
- Oscar Male & Xavier Risinger participated in the Year 9/10 Ethics Olympiad. More photos and a social media post here.
https://home.scotch.wa.edu.au/teaching-and-learning/academic-enrichment-and-extension/middle-school/ethics-olympiad/
New Year 11’s
- Boys enjoyed the following Recreation activities:
- Twilight Hawkers market in the CBD on Friday 11th November
- High School Musical @ PLC on Friday 11th November
- Gym Games at Scotch Gym on Friday 25th November & 2nd December
- Golf at Cottesloe Golf Club on Saturday 12th, 19th, 26th November & 3rd December
- Cottesloe Beach Run on Sunday 13th November, Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th December
- Black Panther Movie @ Innaloo on Sunday 13th November
- 10 Perth Aqua Park with St. Hilda’s on Sunday 20th November
- Paintball on Saturday 26th November
- Fish & Chips with PLC @ Kailis Fish Market Fremantle on Friday 2nd December
- Bubble Soccer on Saturday 3rd December
- Pool Swim @ Scotch Pool on Saturday 3rd December
- Christmas Shopping @ Westfield Karrinyup on Sunday 4th December
- The boys attended their final “Tomorrow Man” program module for the year, Module 6 (Emotional Muscle). I encourage you to speak to your son about what they have experienced within the program. In 2023 this group of young men will be part of a Pilot Program run by the people at Tomorrow Man, entitled “Tomorrow Woman” (normally a program for young women), it will be co-facilitated by both a male and female staff member, with the aim for the boys “to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges of being a woman in 2023.”
- Seven of the boys (along with six from Stirling Clan) made the commitment to keep walking the Bib Track. They walked 126.2km over 6 days, from Palings Rd (North of Beedelup) to Northcliffe, under the guidance of Mr. Seb Crossley (Boarding Mentor) and Mr. Tom Bell (Outdoor Education Assistant). Boys were treated to some fresh produced courtesy of Nic Giblett. Well done Will, Jasper, Huddo, Toby, Noah, Oli Mac & Oli Wandel on your choice to continue this significant Rite of Passage.
- We celebrated Rylan Firth’s 16th birthday (21/11) with some delicious cupcakes courtesy of Rylan’s parents Marianne & Colin.
New Year 12’s
- Boys enjoyed Recreation activities:
- High School Musical @ PLC on Friday 11th November
- Gym Games at Scotch Gym on Friday 25th November & 2nd December
- Golf at Cottesloe Golf Club on Saturday 12th, 19th, 26th November & 3rd December
- Cottesloe Beach Run on Sunday 13th November, Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th December
- Black Panther Movie @ Innaloo on Sunday 13th November
- Bring a Mate to Dinner on Thursday 24th November
- Paintball on Saturday 26th November
- Bubble Soccer on Saturday 3rd December
- Pool Swim @ Scotch Pool on Saturday 3rd December
- Christmas Shopping @ Westfield Karrinyup on Sunday 4th December
- Harrison Hammond has put himself just one leg (148.1km) short of becoming a Bib Track “End to Ender”. He completed the 115.6km leg from Inlet Rd (near Broke Inlet) to Peaceful Bay under the guidance of Mr. Peter Tresise (Middle School Teacher) and Miss Amber Flynn (Outdoor Education Assistant). Harry was joined by Lochie, Jett and Azhar from Stirling Clan. One more walk to go Harry!
Year 12 (Leavers 2022)
- Valedictory on Saturday 26th November and then the Awards Assembly on Friday 2nd December. I was great to see some of the boys for a final time. Well done on finishing school!
Christmas and Secret Santa
On December 1st, we had Christmas Dinner in the Dining Hall, this was followed with a Secret Santa’s for the three year groups. Many thanks to our 2023 leaders, Lochie, Jensen, Jett & Kaymus for organising. I was lucky enough to be included in the Year 11 SS. A great initiative that made us all laugh!
Final Week Beach Fish and Chips
On Monday 5th December Richard Hales & I took the entire Senior Boarding House for Fish & Chips at Cottesloe Beach. The weather gods were on our sides, with a sensational 30oC and a soft easterly blowing.
We departed the house at 5.45pm and returned to Keys House at 7.30pm for Prep. Boys were well fed, played Spikeball on the beach and had a nice refreshing swim! I did manage to take some photos…but getting them all to look at the camera….at the same time…..with the sun and the glare…..
Academic Achievement
Excellence in any area should be celebrated, remembering that each boy is individual. It was pleasing to sit through Friday Assemblies and the Senior School Presentation Ceremony and see boys rewarded for their efforts, Well done guys!
Student Achievements 25 November 2022
ASDAN Certificates
Congratulations to: Kai Allan, William Fairclough and Oliver Macnamara.
Vocational Education & Training Certificates
Congratulations to:
- Ben Brierley for achieving a Certificate III in Fitness
- Solomon Short for achieving a Certificate II in Music
- Ben Brierley, Harrison Hammond, Lewis Parsons, Myles Ross and Sam Thompson for achieving a Certificate II in Workplace Skills
Prize Winners
Congratulations to the following students who were presented with their prizes at the Senior School Presentation Ceremony on Friday 3rd December.
SS Presentation Ceremony Prize winners
“An Endeavour Prize is awarded to a student in Year 9, 10 or 11 who is industrious and who consistently demonstrates that they are striving to work to their full potential. The prize is achieved by nominations from at least six teachers in Years 9 and 10 and at least five teachers in Year 11. An Endeavour Prize is superseded by a Subject Prize or a Proficiency Prize.”
“A Subject Prize is awarded in each subject that runs for the whole year. A student who attends a cross campus class, is in a class with a small cohort or who studies a Diploma course through Pamajo can still win a Subject Prize if their results are of a prize winning standard (at least an A in WACE or a high Grade 6 or 7 in Diploma). In the Diploma program, Subject Prizes are available for Standard Level and Higher Level.”
“A Proficiency Prize is awarded for a high level of performance across all learning areas. In Year 9 and 10 this is determined by summing the course results achieved by each student and the top 5% receive a Proficiency Prize. In the Diploma program the grades of each student are summed and the students ranked. In the WACE program the school scores for each student’s best five subjects are summed and the students ranked. The top 5% receive a Proficiency prize. The top student in WACE, Diploma and VET programs are awarded Dux.”
Year 9
Academic Proficiency – Design: STEM
- Mike Liu
Academic Proficiency – Health & Physical Education & Philosophy
- Oscar Male
Year 12
FG Medcalf Proficiency – Mathematics Methods – ATAR (WACE)
- Shunta Numano
Clash of the Clans
Capture the Flag was held on Wednesday 9th November, it was a great initiative and was thoroughly enjoyed by all boys, well done Jensen for organising.
Paintballing saw Blair with a great win.
The year 10’s fought valiantly but went down to Stirling in the Softball match on Monday 28th November.
Other News
Blair Clan Teams Meeting
Was held on Friday 2nd December, with approximately seven families in attendance. It was great to meet some of the new families joining Senior Boarding for 2023, as well as parents of some of our overseas students.
Programs
“Preparing boys for life”, in looking to provide a structured, supportive and caring educational environment in which boys develop skills and attitudes which prepare them to become contributing and caring adults in modern society. This is done through Wellbeing Programs and Life Skills.
Recreational Skippers Ticket
In late November Mr. Alex Wood, Assistant Head of Residence for Blair Clan oversaw the delivery of the Recreational Skippers Ticket to some of our Year 11 & 12 students. Having an RST means legally the owner is eligible to drive a recreational boat.
Your sons can look forward to these programs in 2023.
Tomorrow Man
The flagship program, “Breaking the Man Code”, question the rules of masculinity creating space for real and honest conversations, is six modules spread over Year 10 and year 11.
Circle Convos
Our year 9 students will undertake Circle Convos with Rev Gary. These are not new to the boys, having done something similar in Middle School Boarding. These conversations create a deep listening experience for our students and provide a forum of acknowledgement as stories are shared by a group of witnesses.
Keys4Life
I will implement the School Drug Education and Road Aware (SDERA) program Keys 4 Life to the Year 10 students. Keys 4 Life is a pre-driver education program that allows students to learn about safe driving and sit their Learner’s Permit Theory Test.
P.A.R.T.Y Program
The Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y) Program is undertaken by our Year 11 students. It is an injury prevention initiative run at Royal Perth Hospital. The program provides useful, relevant information to young people to help them recognise potential injury-causing situations and make informed prevention-oriented choices about activities. It is also designed to help them adopt behaviours and actions that minimise risk.
City After Dark Tour
The City After Dark Tour is undertaken by our Year 12 students.
After dark, the city changes and the safety risks increase. Young people may be vulnerable to crimes such as theft and assault.
City After Dark (CAD) tours are designed for secondary school students, tertiary students and community youth groups.
Led by a WA Police Officer and a Constable Care Foundation assistant, tours highlight how relatively safe areas during the day become riskier when darkness falls.
Workshop Skills
Mr. Brent Van Ingen-Kal (Design & Technology Teacher) will look to provide some hands on skills in and around home maintenance and DIY skills to boys from year 9-12.
Finally, I wish you all a safe break, enjoy time with your sons, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Andy