principaL's addresS
Mr M. Paton, Principal
We have had a busy start of Term 3 with many activities and in-school events.
We started the term with a Careers Expo and Course Information Evening for our Upper School families. Year 10 students and their families had the opportunity to attend course information sessions to help them in their course selection process and all Year 10, 11 and 12 students could check the stalls that interested them.
The following week, our Year 10 students commenced the Course Counselling sessions to select their Senior School subjects. These sessions are a fantastic opportunity to discuss students’ interests and make sure that we help them select the subjects that align with their interests and future aspirations. I have been delighted to meet many of our families and students to provide support and advice. It is a privilege for us to be part of such a pivotal moment in our students’ school life.
Learning areas have been busy with incursions and excursions and we have excelled at events such as the School to Stage competition where our dance troupe performed, and our Year 12 dancers placed first with a dance choreographed by our Dance Captains, Abbey and Marika.
After six months of construction, our state-of-the art STEM room is completed and will be available in the next few weeks for students to attend specialised classes. This area is split into three functional areas fitted out to encourage student learning in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. We are thrilled to have this new space to provide hands-on training and bring our students’ learning to the next level.
As part of our PERMAH program, Active August is running throughout this month, with students participating in several activities during their House time to encourage physical fitness, teamwork and to promote wellbeing.
On Monday evening the final Senior Recital for 2024 was held. There were around 40 performers showcasing their talents in solo, duo, and group settings. Some highlights included Nicholas C’s solo-bass rendition of Just The Two Of Us (with loop pedal), Abby L’s “Laufey” item, Sanjiv G’s epic performance, and a wonderful combined 11/12 Japanese group-piece by composer Taeoko O. It is great to see such talent at Leeming SHS.
Week 9 and 10 we will have OLNA exams and Year 12 Mock Exams. Remember to pace your studies, don’t leave everything for the last minute and seek support if you need it.
Thank you to all the students, families and staff for your ongoing support and dedication. We are all working as a team to make Leeming Senior High School the best place to learn and grow.
COMPASS PUSH NOTIFICATIONS
It is important that you have Compass downloaded on your phone to receive all school notifications.
If you haven't updated your Compass app to receive push notifications on your phone for upcoming events such as excursions, please follow the steps below.
TERM 3 DAtES TO REMEMBER 2024
Art Exhibitions
We have eight Year 11/12 Visual Arts students having their artworks being exhibited in current competitive youth art exhibitions, the largest amount EVER selected!
Meta 2024 at Gallery Central - North Metro TAFE
Emerge Youth Art Awards - Tresillian Arts Centre Nedlands
The Year 11 Visual Art students had the incredible opportunity to participate in a portraiture workshop with local artist and Archibald prize finalist, Melissa Clements. Students developed their oil painting skills, and built confidence to produce some lively outcomes.
Once again this year, students of Leeming SHS entered the Alliance Française de Perth Poetry Competition, competing against students from other high schools such as Perth Modern, St Hilda's or Willetton SHS. Out of the 13 students, from Year 7, 9 & 10, who entered the competition in May, five students were finalists and recited their poem in this past June front of a French jury at Alliance Française in Nedlands. Anna C., our wonderful Year 10 student, placed 2nd in her category.
As a reward for their efforts and time spent learning and perfecting their poem recitation skills in French, a 'crunch and paint' afternoon was organised for these students. The students were treated with a very traditional and very seasonal French lunch, la Raclette, while painting French-themed works of art, either of their own creation or as a paint by number of famous tableaux from Van Gogh or Monet.
Book Week is coming – Reading is Magic
Week 6, 20-23 August
There will be lots of exciting activities to celebrate this year’s books and to encourage a lifelong love of reading as well as a Scholastic Book Fair with lots of books for students to purchase.
Friday 23rd will be Dress up day for students and staff. We are encouraging students to pair up with their friends and join in the fun.
A Mad Hatters tea party will be in the library at recess for everyone who dresses up.
There will be lots of activities including an Emoji competition of the book titles, a Popcorn movie session, Magical Mindful colouring and a Leeming Lego Wall activity where students will create a Magical Book Week Lego Wall.
Golden Ticket – Every time students borrow and read a book, they enter their name on a Golden Ticket and join in for the draw on the Friday of Book Week. All students are encouraged to participate and enjoy reading – whether it is a ‘physical book’, an audio book or an ebook.
Manga Collection
Manga books are still very popular with students so we have added a Manga section to the Library. Students are enjoying the cosy area reading Manga.
Olympics display
Leeming had their very own Eiffel Tower in the Olympic Games display as well as a running track and a large replica of the Olympic logo. We also had a lot of memorabilia from the Games – including two Gold medals.
Jackie Pereira is a Leeming ESC Education Assistant who has competed in the Australian women’s hockey team at three Olympics, winning two Gold medals. She also competed at international level successfully representing Australia in the World Cup for several years as well as being inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
We are really appreciative of Jackie allowing us to display all her Olympic memorabilia and especially her precious gold medals.
Intraschool Chess Tournament
The Leeming Chess Club played an Intraschool Tournament on August 5,6,7 & 8th. They played against students from all year groups and there were a few surprise wins with several new students testing their skills against the older players.
Congratulations to Arthur who won first place and Zac who came in a very close second.
Congratulations to all the competitors.
BYOD
Leeming is a Windows school, and we have a preferred device – Surface Pro, Go or laptop. Other devices such as iPads and Chromebook have limited functionality and can be very complex for students to use. (ie: when saving work to specific folders and also using certain websites)
Ms C. Steel
Embrace the limitless sky; let's soar high without any boundaries."
In a sunny meadow, a bumblebee named Buzz dreamed of flying high, despite whispers that his body shape made it impossible. “The bumblebee cannot fly,” the insects said, pointing to scientific tests and their doubts.
But Buzz had a different plan. One warm morning, with a heart full of dreams, he leaped from a hill and began to flap his wings with all his might. To his surprise and everyone’s awe, he stayed aloft, buzzing gracefully through the sky.
Buzz’s flight wasn’t just about defying the odds; it showed that limits are often self-imposed. His story spread through the meadow, inspiring others to chase their dreams and believe in themselves. Buzz soared proudly, proving that the sky’s the limit when you truly believe.
Carl the Chaplain.
Dental Health Services
Parents/Guardians of school aged children reminder about the importance of accessing dental services for your child’s teeth annually or as needed.
The School Dental Service is a free, public, dental health program available to all children of eligible age in Western Australia, whether they are enrolled in a public or private school. The service is funded by the Department of Health.
Treatment is limited to general care and there are a number of exclusions, for example, specialist services such as orthodontics and oral surgery. Treatment outside the scope of the School Dental Service is referred to other providers and any costs are the responsibility of the parent or guardian.
Children are eligible for the School Dental Service from the year they turn five until the end of Year 11 or 17 years of age whichever comes first. In remote areas, Year 12 students are eligible for the Service.
Community Health Nurses can refer children to the School Dental Services by direct phone call to the clinic or via the parent who will be required to attend the first visit with their child.
To find out where the local School Dental Service is located, call 9313 0555 or visit
Community health staff, parents and teachers can visit the website to access dental health resources.
The closest Dental Service to Leeming SHS
1. Leeming Dental Therapy Clinic, 15 Meharry Rd, Leeming. Tel No: 93323194
2. South lakes Dental Therapy Centre 62 Mason Crt, South Lake Tel No: 94173242
3. Willetton Dental Therapy Clinic 14 Woodpecker Ave, Willetton Tel No: 9457424
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule provide financial support for basic dental services for children aged 2–17 years, who receive, (or their family, guardian or carer receives) certain government benefits such as Family Tax Benefit Part A. For further information, visit www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/medicare/child-dental-benefitsschedule
Spine Check
The National Self Detection Program for scoliosis (NSDP) – 2023 reminds us that it is recommended that girls & boys in Years 7 and 9 participate in the NSDP by downloading the Self-Detection Brochure for Scoliosis. The brochure can be accessed directly via a link on the Scoliosis Australia home page www.scoliosis-australia.org. Parents can download a scoliosis self-detection brochure from this link.
Scoliosis (spinal curvature) is an important health problem for adolescence and 25 per thousand are at risk of developing significant spinal curve. Three girls per thousand require active treatment (a spinal brace or surgery). In the early stages the condition is most often asymptomatic so screening in the age range 11-14 years is a sound preventive health measure.
Vision check
Vision disorder can markedly affect academic performance, especially for those children who are struggling to learn. It is recommended that parents take their child to have their eyes examined regularly during their school years, particularly if they have learning difficulties.
Screen time - limit your child’s use of TV and computer games
Children and adolescents should not spend more than two hours a day on screen based activities. Excessive screen time often leads to poor health, poor fitness and overweight.
Activities like surfing the net, social networking, watching TV and playing screen games can be educational and fun, but all involve sitting still for long periods of time. Set family rules around screen time and encourage your child to try a range of active pastimes.
For more information, go to:
Sleep – Tips for teenagers
Teenagers need about 9 -10 hours of sleep a night. Lack of regular sleep is likely to affect academic and sporting performance, and behaviour. The risk of emotional problems, such as depression, may also increase in teenagers who regularly do not get enough sleep. Even getting an extra 30 minutes of sleep each night will make a difference.
The typical teenage brain wants to go to bed late and sleep late the following morning, which is usually hard to manage. You may be able to adjust your body clock but it takes time. Suggestions include:
• Choose a relaxing bedtime routine; for example, have a bath and a hot milky drink before bed.
• Avoid loud music, homework, computer games or any other activity that gets your mind racing for about an hour before bedtime.
• Keep your room dark at night. The brain’s sleep–wake cycle is largely set by light received through the eyes. Try to avoid watching television right before bed. In the morning, expose your eyes to lots of light to help wake up your brain.
• Do the same bedtime routine every night for at least four weeks to make your brain associate this routine with going to sleep.
• Start your bedtime routine a little earlier than usual (for example, 10 minutes) after four weeks. Do this for one week.
• Add an extra 10 minutes every week until you have reached your desired bedtime.
• Avoid staying up late on the weekends. Late nights will undo your hard work.
• Remember that even 30 minutes of extra sleep each night on a regular basis makes a big difference. However, it may take about six weeks of getting extra sleep before you feel the benefits.
To get further advice contact your school Community Health Nurse, Deb Kitak.
Raising Children Network
Children are as individual and as different as their parents and making decisions about what’s best for raising children is very personal.
The Raising Children website offers up-to-date, research-based material on more than 800 topics spanning children’s development, behaviour, health, nutrition and fitness, play and learning, connecting and communicating, school and education, entertainment and technology, sleep and safety.
It covers grown-ups, newborns (0-3 months), babies (3-12 months), toddlers (1-3 years), pre-schoolers (3-5 years), school age children (5-9 years), Pre-teens (9-11 years) and early teens (12-15 years).
There are tips, videos and other useful resources.
The Raising Children Network provided information that can help parents with the day to day decisions to do with raising children. It also provides information to help parents and carers look after their own needs. The information is based on the best science in parenting, child health and development, presented in language we can all understand.
This is a website for Australian mothers, fathers, grandparents and anyone else who has responsibility for the care of children.
Acknowledgement of Country
We respectfully acknowledge the past and present traditional custodians of this land on which Leeming Senior High School stands, the Whadjak/Noongar people.
It is a privilege to be standing on Noongar country. We acknowledge the contributions of Aboriginal Australians to the education of all children and people in this country we all live in and share together – Australia.