7 March 2025

A NOTE FROM THE PRINICPAL

Welcome to the Thornlie Senior High School Community

The 2025 school year has commenced with quite a different look as we now have three brand new demountable classrooms bordering the Netball Courts. These rooms have been allocated to the Health Education and Mathematics classes.  Work is also nearing completion on the refurbishment of our very busy Student Services and Wellbeing Centres. 

We were delighted to a full teaching staff and have normal school operations in place as we welcome up to an additional 100 students into an action-packed new year of learning opportunities.

Separate to these improvements the school is working with the Department to improve ‘Accessibility’ across the school site for students with disability. A series of ramps, pathways and the lifting of current balcony floors to reduce steps into key classrooms is planned and tender documents are being prepared for Department approval over the coming years. This will be a lengthy project with work being actioned in stages.

Thornlie SHS has always been very willing to offer our facilities to community groups to access outside of school hours. You may have noticed the school is a busy place on Saturdays with a Punjabi Language school. Sahinzada Fateh Sing Lee Inc (SFSJ) offer 450 students private language tuition. The school will use the funds received to upgrade classrooms. First off the rank for upgrades has been our Maths Block which now has lovely new carpet!

A special thank you to our hard-working P&C who have been advocating and fundraising for further upgrades to our school facilities. Volunteers at the Democracy Sausage Sizzle on Saturday March 8, 2025 greatly appreciated the support from voters who purchased food and drinks on offer. The sum of $1,800 was raised and will be used support the Japanese Exchange Tour in October.

The highly successful three-day Year 7 Induction Program has been completed, and our newest students have settled into their secondary schooling career.

We are proud to see the Class of 2024 have maintained good results in ATAR, OLNA, WACE and Year 12 Attainment. We celebrate 85% of Year 12s successfully achieved the Western Australian Certificate of Excellence (WACE) and 92% success in OLNA. The school’s median ATAR was 66.2 with an outstanding performance by Dux Rongrong Jian on achieving a tertiary rank of 93.73.

In Week 3 our Academic Assemblies to celebrate Semester 2 2024 were conducted to induct our incoming student leaders and acknowledge our highest performers across all subject areas. City of Gosnells, Rotary Club of Southern Districts Ron Sloan Scholarships, Certificate II Scholarships and the ADF Long Tan and Innovator Scholarships were also presented. Congratulations to all deserving recipients.

Upcoming events in Week 7 will again see the celebration of Harmony Week and include a Parent -Teacher Meet & Greet on Wednesday 19 March 3.30pm – 5.30pm. In addition to guest speakers and quizzes over the week, students will have a Multicultural Festival with tasty multicultural food choices, dance performances and activities on Friday afternoon – 21 March on the school oval.

Finally, Weeks 9 and 10 will see most Year 12 students with local employers in the world of work for their Certificate II Work-Place Learning Block. ATAR students will continue to attend their classes.

The ANZAC Service will be conducted on the last day of Term 1 – Friday 11 April.

Mrs Donna McDonald
Principal

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Facebook is used to feature stories of interesting activities happening around our school and any other important information that is useful to our school community as it happens.

MEET THE TEAM BEHIND YOUR TEEN

We’re excited to invite you and your child to the Thornlie Senior High School Meet & Greet!

This special afternoon is a great opportunity to:

✅Meet your child’s teachers
✅Discuss their interim report
✅Enjoy student entertainment & open training sessions
✅Attend various information forums
📌Thornlie Senior High School (400 Block Quad)
📅Wednesday 19th March
⏰3:30pm - 5:30pm

Your child plays a key role in introducing you to their teachers - we’d love for them to join in the fun!

There will be more detailed information to come via email but in the meantime, save the date and we can't wait to see you there.

LOGGING INTO COMPASS

Haven’t logged into Compass yet? All logins have been sent home via email so if you haven’t received yours, please check your junk mail or SPAM folder first and then contact our office to have yours emailed home. It is essential that you log in and use Compass for a variety of reasons so please ensure you can log in.

Any issues or queries, please contact our office on 6235 7900.

ENGAGE INSPIRE ACHIEVERS

Rotary Club of Southern Districts – Ron Sloan Endeavour Scholarship

For many years Thornlie students have been recognised for their academic achievement and service to community by the Rotary Club of Southern Districts.

The prestigious Ron Sloan Endeavour Scholarship was awarded this year to two very deserving and worthy Year 11 students, Eli Wells and Kingstin Wei both students presented very sincere and thoughtful acceptance speeches to the Rotary Club of South Districts.

The scholarships presented provide $500 to assisting in offsetting the cost of schooling and educational resources.

We thank all Rotarians for their commitment to supporting local youth and working with our school to improve our students’ educational opportunities in our community.

City of Gosnells Scholarship

The City of Gosnells Education Scholarship provides $500 to a Year 10 student who demonstrated excellent results and is continuing into Year 11 with a view to study at university or TAFE. The worthy 2021 recipient achieved “A” grades in all her subjects and is an outstanding, hard-working student. Congratulations to Madison Farrall!

The Arts and Technology Scholarships 2024

The Arts and Technology Scholarships were presented by Rotarian Mr Phil Cordery & Joe Byl in recognition of excellence in Vocational Education and Training.

Hospitality

Community Services

Applied Digital Technologies

Workplace Skills

Dance

Engineering Pathways

The scholarships will support students in their final year of their secondary education.

Thornlie Senior High School Careers Centre Sport & Recreation Scholarship

Australian Defence Force Awards

It is customary at our first formal Assembly of the year to present the Long Tan Leadership Award to a deserving Year 10 student at the beginning of the following school year. The Award is funded by the Australian Defence Force and encapsulates the values of our dedicated service men and women. Unfortunately, due to the current restrictions we were unable to hold our usual Academic Assembly to acknowledge our Australian Defence Force Award Winners in front of the whole shool.

The ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership Award recognises students who demonstrate leadership and teamwork within both the school and the broader community

At the same time, they recognise those who display strong values, such as doing one’s best, respect for others and ‘mateship’; characteristics that are integral to Australian Society.

The recipient of the 2024 award Year 10 Elaha Hakimi consistently demonstrates all these qualities and she was rewarded with a cheque of $250.

The Australian Defence Force also award the 2024 Future Innovators Award. The award is also a cash prize that encourages Year 10 and Year 12 high school students in their STEM pursuits and recognises their innovative talents as they move into Year 11.

ADF continues to build a high calibre STEM capability to shape and grow its modern workforce.

STEM skills are integral to Australia’s expertise, productivity and prosperity. It is recognised that the passion for excellence in STEM starts at school

40 per cent of full-time ADF roles require STEM skills and Defence are looking for young innovators to join the services and tackle the challenges of a fast evolving, technological world

This annual award will assist worthy students to graduate high school STEM capable, knowing the Navy, Army and Air Force will value their skills

ADF servicemen and women who are passionate about their STEM careers will continue to share their skills and experiences with these rising young talents and demonstrate the exciting opportunities available across the services to work with frontier technologies and to make a difference to Australia’s security and future.

The recipient of the 2024 award was awarded to Year 10 Eli Wells who we acknowledge is a person who we know demonstrates all these qualities and will be an asset to their future employers.

SEMESTER 2, 2024 AWARD WINNERS

The following students are to be congratulated on their outstanding academic achievements.

Our Amazing High Achievers

UPCOMING EVENTS

2025 STUDENT COUNCIL MEMBERS

2025 Student Council Members

As we step into a new year, we are excited to introduce and welcome the newly elected members of the 2025 Student Council! These dedicated students will represent their peers, bring fresh ideas, and work hard to make our school an even better place. From organizing events to advocating for student needs, they are ready to take on the challenge. We look forward to seeing their leadership in action and the positive impact they will make throughout the year. Congratulations to our new Student Council. Congratulations to our new Student Council led by School Captains Riley Blaker and Tia Nikita —let’s make 2025 a fantastic year! 

2025 House Captains

With the new school year brings fresh, new House Captains for Thornlie SHS. Many nominations were accepted and the voting of the Year 12s was enthusiastic with some very close results in some houses.

After an exhaustive count the following are our House Captains for 2025.

2024 House Captains

We are looking forward to a hectic and exciting year working with students and staff throughout the year.

Mr Rod Firth
Health & Physical Education Teacher

YEAR 12 NEWS

THORNLIE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

SCHOOL BALL 2025

General Information

The Thornlie Senior High School, Senior School Ball for 2025 is fast approaching.

Please take note of the following information to plan and prepare for this event.

School Ball

Venue: Burswood on Swan 1 Camfield Dr, Burswood WA 6100
Date: Friday 20^th of June 2025
Time: 5:30pm arrival, 10:30pm pick up
Tickets: TBC

• Permission and medical forms must be completed via compass prior to ticket purchase. 
• Tickets will be available for purchase from the commencement of Term 2
• Final day for purchasing Tickets – TBC
• Invitations will be distributed to all students on TBC

Please be aware that this is a school function and as such the usual expectations and code of conduct apply to all students as they would at any other school event.

Who is eligible to attend?

•  This event is a celebration for students who are currently attending Thornlie Senior High School in Year 12, with a potential extension of invitations to Year 11 Students who will be notified of this should final venue numbers allow.  No outside guests are permitted. This allows provision for all Year 12 students to have access to tickets for this event first, before a potential extension to Year 11 students.
• Students need to be aware that Student Services staff monitor all students very closely to ensure they are on track to achieve their personal best. Students on ‘Advanced’ or ‘Good Standing’ will have full access to ticket purchase.  Students on ‘Conditional Standing’ (due to attendance, behaviour or academic performance falling below expectations) may not be eligible to attend the ball. This will be at the discretion of the school Executive Team.
•  Tickets are non-refundable.
•  All schoolcontributions and charges need to have been paid in full at the time of ticket purchase. This includes any fees owed from previous years.
•  Full information regarding this event including permission and health forms will be available prior to the start of the ticketing period.

Other

• Alternate Date: Should the ball date need to be moved due to any reason; you will be notified immediately.

• Theme: Your ‘2025 Ball Committee has been working hard to come up with a Theme, it will be announced later in Term 1.

YEAR 7 NEWS

Year 7 2025 Scholarship and Specialised Program Winners

Thornlie Senior High School Scholarship

Rugby Scholarship

Rugby Academy

Accelerated Achievers Program

Cheer & Dance Program

Instrumental Music Program

Netball Program

CAREERS CENTRE

Year 12 Workplace Learning

Workplace Learning for Year 12s will run during the last two weeks of Term 1. Commendations to those students who have already provided the Career Centre with their placements and paperwork. The due date for placements and paperwork submission was the 7^th March. If more time is needed, students should come into the Career Centre to arrange an extension. We’re happy to discuss extra time for those students who are genuinely trying to find a placement or who have been let down.

Please understand all business need to be visited prior to commencement of any WPL or Work Experience placements and, with around 100 students on placement, we need the three weeks from the cutoff date just to complete any pre-visits.

All General Studies students are expected to take part in this programme, two school weeks, twice a year, as the work hours contribute to the completion of students’ Certificate II courses. Successful completion also provides grades toward WACE and TAFE entry and students gain a valuable insight into real working life. There is the real possibility of part-time or casual work and great future contacts and references.

The fact that more than 25 of Thornlie SHS’ 2024 graduates only earned WACE due to their WPL grades demonstrates how useful Workplace Learning can be to students. Completing 4 WPL blocks over two years provided 4 C of 14 C’s needed for WACE.

No regular General or Certificate II classes are scheduled for General students during WPL.

ATAR classes run as usual during these times. ATAR exams are also often scheduled during WPL in Term 2.

Year 12 Workplace Learning

Workplace Learning for Year 11 students will take place in Term 2 from 26^th May – 6^th June.

Students will receive their WPL packs during a Homeroom assembly and they’ll also be delivered during class time if they missed out. They’ll include all permission forms needed to find placements over the holidays.

If students are having difficulties finding suitable placements, they need to see staff in the Careers Centre asap.

Dates for Year 11 Work Placement 2025 are:

Dates for Year 12 Work Placement 2025 are:

Parents and Carers. Unless unavoidable, please don’t plan any family time away from school during the scheduled WPL blocks. Catch-up days to earn placement hours would fall outside our allowed insurance periods and they only take time away from regular classes, making them even harder to successfully complete.

Certificate II Classes

All Certificate II classes have now commenced. Students are reminded of the importance of being in class on time, maintaining a minimum of 90% attendance and completing all class work by yourself, to a satisfactory standard, during class time.

Providing any training organisation your USI prior to commencement of a course is compulsory. Thornlie SHS, as an RTO, is no different to this rule. We currently have around 60 students without USIs. Students are not officially enrolled in their Certificate II until a USI is submitted. This may well affect some year 12s come the end of Term 3. Please ensure your child has submitted their USI to the Career Centre and not dismiss any emails stating otherwise.

Successful Certificate completion provides another 4 of the 14 C Grades needed for WACE. If you’ve been keeping up, that 8 of 14 C grades for WACE from WPL and Certificate II.

Mr Zambon and Mrs Boston
Careers Centre

SCIENCE NEWS

It has been a fantastic start to the year. We began with great energy and enthusiasm, and that excitement has stayed with us. Every step of the way, we have continued to move forward, making great progress and keeping up the pace.

Year 8 students are studying chemistry and looking the particle theory and how and why changes of state occur. To make learning about sublimation exciting, we used dry ice to create bubbling effects and colour changes, sparking curiosity among the students. Mrs Hutson’s class completed an investigation of the diffusions of colour from M&M’s. They placed three different coloured M&M’s and made observations every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. In this time the colour and the sugar coating of the M&M’s dissolved and then diffused into the water. Students could see the spread of the colour throughout the water.

Year 8 Chemistry

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The Year 9 students began their study of Physical Sciences by exploring the properties of waves and light. They conducted an experiment on the laws of reflection, applying their mathematical skills to measure the angles of incidence and reflection, successfully demonstrating the law of reflection.

Year 10s are studying Chemistry getting our top students ready for ATAR next year. They have completed an assignment on Periodic Table.

Senior school has started off on a positive note, with most of our students adjusting well to their new courses. As they settle into their routines, many are beginning to embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with the increased workload and responsibility.

Year 11 Chemistry is off to a strong start. The students have been learning about how different scientists and fields of study have helped shape our understanding of atomic structure. They've also conducted several experiments, including a flame test to identify an unknown metal ion in a salt.

Year 11 Chemistry

Mrs Hutson’s Year 11 Physics have been exploring the physics of displacement, velocity and acceleration.  To assist them with visualising these concepts, the students are using trolleys that are attached to ticker tape (strip of paper) which runs through a timer that places a dot on the paper strip every 0.02 seconds. The trolleys are pulled along the desktops by weights attached to the trolley that are hanging off the edge of the bench via a pulley.

They have commenced their first Investigation, which is using measuring the swings of a pendulum to calculate the constant for gravitational acceleration. Galileo is the first person to have used this technique to estimate gravity on Earth. It is also useful for geologists who calculate gravity when studying plate tectonics and searching for valuable oil and mineral resources.

Year 11 Physics

A Big Boost for our Future Scientists

Huge thanks to Modern Teaching Aids, partner of The Smith Family, for donating an enormous amount of Science resources and equipment to our school.

This generous gift will give our students an even greater hands-on learning experience, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding for the subject.

‘Learn today, Change tomorrow!’

Thank you MTA and The Smith Family!

MUSIC NOTES

Welcome to Instrumental Music!

This year we have welcomed a new class of Yr 7s to the Instrumental Music Program. We have approximately 75 students accessing free instrumental lessons through the IMSS program. IMSS is short for Instrumental Music School Services.

For those who have not heard of IMSS, it is a long running, free instrumental tuition scheme that is available only to Western Australian government schools. The program began in the 1970’s and is unique to WA. This year, IMSS is offering instrumental tuition to over 400 schools around WA, with Thornlie Senior High School lucky enough to be one of the schools able to offer this program to our students.

This year we have 6 specialist IMSS staff who visit our school once a week on set days to provide our students with expert guidance through lessons on their chosen instrument.

Our IMSS staff for 2025 are:

Ms Corrina Collins (Flute)
Miss Michelle Wilde (Brass)
Mrs Robyn Gray (Percussion)
Mr David D’Uva (Contemporary Guitar)
Mr Sean Hayes (Clarinet and Saxophone)
Mr Joseph Bonini (Classical Guitar)

Lessons for the school year began in Week 2 and before and after school ensemble rehearsals commenced in Week 3. The students involved in the Instrumental Music Program attend ensembles either before or after school to further extend their technical skills and musicianship. Participation also fosters the opportunitiy to create the feeling of  belonging to a team, developing freindships with peers and also it also provides opportunities for students to be involved in performances to build their confidence as musicians.

Our Ensembles for 2025 are:

Concert Band with Mrs Batty

Tuesdays after school - for all flute, clarinet, saxophone, brass and percussion students.

Senior Classical Guitar Ensemble with Mr Bonini

Thursdays before school – for Year 9 and 10 classical guitar students.

Junior Classical Guitar Ensemble with Mr Bonini

Fridays before school – for all Year 7 and 8 classical guitar students.

If you have any questions regarding instrumental lessons or ensembles, please contact either myself or the IMSS teacher.

I look forward to working with all music students this year and watching their growth as performers and musicians!

Mrs Tessa Batty
Instrumental Music Coordinator

Meet your Specialists

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Term 1 has already seen a huge amount of involvement and participation across our courses and classes. Netball and Rugby classes are working hard with upcoming games and carnivals in the coming weeks. Outdoor Education have already been off site snorkelling and canoeing preparing for their expeditions later in the term.

Year 7s have settled in nicely, with a focus on core fundamental and movement skills in term one. A great display of gymnastics and balance being performed in class.

Events to look out for:

-Parent Meet and Greet- Wednesday 19^th March- Volleyball and Netball match from 3.30pm
-Aranmore Cup Netball Carnival- Friday 4^th April
-Year 8 Lightning Carnival- Monday 7^th April

Mrs Bayliss
Head of Learning Area
Health and Physical Education

Term 1 Sports Action

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ADVANCED SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball training has now commenced for 2025 with a large number of students expressing an interest to further develop their skills. This year there will be an emphasis on team dynamics and introducing specialist ‘setters’ into our teams to further our progress and allow us to compete more competitively against other schools. We are fortunate to welcome back a past student (graduate 2024) Seth Shoup to our coaching team, who has kindly volunteered his time to assist with the trainings.

Trainings are every Friday mornings 7:30am – 8:40am and students are encouraged to bring a change of clothes and a water bottle. Various tournaments will become available throughout the school year and correspondence relating to these events will be explicit closer to the date. Please remember to consent for your child/s participation via compass at your earliest convenience.

If you have any questions relating to our Volleyball Program, please don’t hesitate to email me at: Jeremy.Binder@education.wa.edu.au

Jeremy Binder (Advanced School Volleyball coach)

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST UPDATE

This year our School has employed an additional Psychologist. We have two Psychologists Allison Hanshaw (Years 9 –12) and Kathryn Hallifax (Year 7-8) who work a combined total of 7 days across the school week. Any request for School Psychology Service starts with the year coordinator who will initiate a referral process as appropriate. School Psychologists support the school through a variety of ways such as consultation, short term 1:1 intervention for school-based issues and whole school interventions to improve general wellbeing. Each newsletter we will be providing some relevant tips and strategies for navigating the world of adolescents.

A new school year can sometimes bring uncertainty with the change and adjustment. Below are some tips for helping your young person to settle into their new school year.

• Encourage your teenager to join one of the school clubs or groups to meet some new people
• Take 10 minutes of undistracted 1:1 time with your teenager to ask how their day went and how they are going.
• Talk to your teenager about how to use social media and technology safely and have boundaries around use
• Attend school events for parents so you as a parent can get to know other members of the school community.
• If you are concerned about your young person, please reach out to their year coordinator.

Please see the school TV link below for further information on school transitions and helping your young person through them.

Allison & Kathryn

WHAT’S ON AT THORNLIE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

CONTRIBUTIONS & CHARGES

Statement of Accounts & Secondary Assistance Form

All statements have been printed off and mailed home so be on the lookout this this in your letterbox over the coming week. Options available are:

• Pay in full by the end of this term
• Set up a payment plan –download the form attached and return via email    
• Centrepay can be used for a payment plan – download the form attached
• If you have a Health Care Card or a Pensioner Card, don’t forget to submit the Secondary Assistance Scheme for form before the end of this term and return via email with a photo of your card or in person.
• Abstudy supplement form

To return forms or if you have a query, please email thornlie.shs.accounts@education.wa.edu.au or phone 6235 7900

We welcome payments in a range of ways to assist you with family budgeting. Payments can be made by cash, EFTPOS, credit/debit card over the phone or by direct deposit to account:  Thornlie Senior High School BSB 066 162 Account 10682762 using your child’s name as a reference.

Also to assist with easy payments the schools QKR Commonwealth Bank Payment App can be downloaded onto your phone or tablet, visit our website for instructions on how this works.

UNIFORM

Uniform Supplier

Uniform Concepts

30 Kembla Way,
Willetton
Ph: 9270 4669

Online ordering is available at www.nellgray.com.au/Schools/Thornlie-Senior-High-School 

COMMUNITY NEWS