Dear Parents and Caregivers

Child Safe School

From time to time I like to draw your attention to the Protective Behaviour programmes we use in the School. The importance of teaching our children, teenagers and young adults how to keep themselves safe in a variety of areas is something we take very seriously at Frederick Irwin Anglican School. 

In Primary, the Helping Hands programme has been fully adopted; while in Years 7 to 10, the Keeping Safe programme is mapped to the Protective Behaviours curriculum taught through Health classes. For Years 11 and 12, the Pathways programme has always contained age-appropriate Protective Behaviours material. 

Frederick Irwin Anglican School is also an eSmart school, with a great deal of work being done in CyberSafety as well as around the more ‘traditional’ types of bullying. 

Parents are reminded that on the Meadow Springs and Halls Head campuses, Primary students have the opportunity to report bullying as well as other concerns through the Voice Box in each hall; while Secondary students have the opportunity to report bullying, cyberbullying and other concerns through the Get Help ‘button’ on the Student Intranet. This takes Secondary students to a page that outlines ways in which they can get help immediately and/or in good time should they need it (including links to Kids Help Line and Headspace), as well as ‘buttons’ such as ‘Report Bullying’, ‘Report a Concern’ and ‘Make a Complaint’. Please ask your child to show you this page in the Student section of the Intranet. 

I would also like to remind parents of the following important policies which are easily available for parents to read on the School’s website (Our School → Policies):

Child Safe Policy (Anglican Schools Commission)
Bullying and Harassment Policy
Staff Code of Conduct Policy
Student Code of Conduct  

The Wellbeing section of the School’s website also has useful resources for parents and students. Staff training in Child Safety continues to be one of our priorities. A helpful website for parents is that of the Commissioner for Children and Young People – www.ccyp.wa.gov.au 

Best wishes 

Kerry Robertson
Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Time flies when you’re having fun! This old saying has certainly proven true for this term. It seems like only a blink of an eye since I welcomed students back to the school year in February. Of course, time does fly when everyone is busy learning and Primary School has been a hive of activity with many different learning experiences taking place from Kindergarten to Year 6.

Our students have competed in Swimming Carnivals, tennis events, attended camp and swimming lessons to name just a few extracurricular events. 

Last week the Year 2 students embarked on an excursion to the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip, to learn more about our Indigenous history. The Year 2 children travelled by train from Mandurah Station before viewing the many exhibits. Of particular focus was the ‘Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters’ exhibition. This exhibition tells the Aboriginal creation story of the Seven Sisters and promotes an understanding of the importance of songlines in preserving indigenous history and culture. 

Next week the Kindergarten to Year 1 children will enjoy an Easter themed musical experience with Rebecca Flannagan. While a select group of extension students from Year 6 will compete in the Da Vinci Decathlon at the University of Western Australia.

Not all learning happens within the classroom. Our students have many opportunities to participate in lunch time clubs and activities which support social and emotional skill development. This week the ‘Girl Power’ club had its inaugural meeting. 

By creating a safe environment where girls can connect, express themselves authentically and celebrate themselves and each other the ‘Girl Power’ club aims to help our Year 6 girls navigate the challenges of friendships, self-esteem, body image, relational aggression, bullying and cyber drama.  It gives girls the tools to create a kinder Girl World through activities that are designed to boost self-confidence and empower girls. We want to support our girls to be fearless leaders, who will display our School’s core values along their path to making positive and inspiring change in their lives and the world.

Kind regards

Sue Youens
Head of Primary –  Meadow Springs

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Student Code of Conducts and ICT Acceptable User Agreements
You may recall that in 2020 we introduced Student Codes of Conduct to our Year 4-6 students. This aligns with what every school in Western Australia is expected to do under the School Registration standards umbrella. Discussion around these Codes of Conduct provides a great opportunity to talk with our Years 4 to 6 students about the School's core values and how we conduct ourselves each day at school and in the broader community. In the coming weeks and into early Term Two, we will be going through these Codes of Conduct again for the Years 4 to 6 students.

This also applies to our ICT Acceptable User Agreements. As the students move into Years 4 to 6, greater privileges apply in terms of using computers. With this greater independence comes greater responsibility. These agreements provide further opportunities for teaching staff to discuss safe and responsible ways of managing technology. In the coming weeks and into early Term Two, we will go through these agreements with the Year 4-6 students, and copies will be sent home with your children, asking for your signatures. For any support with managing technology within the household, the office of the eSafety Commissioner has a fantastic website: www.safety.gov.au 
 
It Only Takes One
At the end of the term, our Year 6 students will commence some work in the ‘It Only Takes One’ programme. This is an Anglicare WA’s community education initiative, raising awareness of critical social issues and empowering young people to see themselves as part of the solution. Through presentations and interactive exercises, our students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to make a positive difference in their community. Late in Term One 2021, It Only Takes One will be providing information to students and staff in Year 6 on 'Healthy relationships and prevention of family and domestic violence' and; 'Understanding Emotions'.

'It Only Takes One' includes a guest presentation by Anglicare WA staff on the topic to students in each year group, followed by the provision of follow-up activities led by school staff. The follow-up activities explore the topic in more detail in smaller groups and allow students to work on an advocacy project related to their topic, to educate others about what they have learned.

There may be scope to expand this programme into Year 5 from 2022. If you have any queries about this please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Glyn Teape
Deputy Head of Primary - Meadow Springs

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Recently, I was searching for an analogy to explain our approach to Faith in the School. Having just had a COVID-19 vaccination, this experience was uppermost in my mind, and I thought vaccination made a good analogy. Of course, like all analogies, it might not support too much scrutiny!

Vaccination works by giving the body a taste of the illness we are vaccinating against; a small amount of a virus is introduced to the body, and we have a reaction to it. The next time we are exposed to that virus, we know how to deal with it.

Faith in education works in the same way. We present our students with a small amount of spirituality and religious thought and practice, and they recognise this in later life. The kind, inclusive and generous “strain” of the faith virus we provide ensures that those in our care are protected from more extreme strains, or perhaps the wild strains of bigotry, intolerance and superficiality they will encounter in the world.

Our faith vaccine also protects against the broader challenges to be faced in the future, providing emotional and spiritual resilience against many other germs, bacteria and viruses that life throws at us.

Like all vaccinations, they work best if everyone is immunised. Some may choose to decline, and in modest numbers, that is fine. Some may prefer one vaccine over another, and yet others may suggest that vaccines are a hoax, and are unnecessary.

Our School is definitely a supporter of vaccination, and the benefits of our approach are clear, as are the benefits of the vaccine. Our faith vaccine keeps us safer, healthier and happier, and the long term benefits are significant. And even if we never catch the faith bug, we will be all the better for having been exposed to a little bit when we are young!

Reverend James Tabor
Chaplain

Kindergarten 2023 
This term, applications for admission in 2023, particularly for brothers and sisters of existing students, will be considered for enrolment in Kindergarten at Frederick Irwin Anglican School, Meadow Springs and Halls Head.

Parents who wish their son or daughter to be considered for these years in 2023 should, if they have not already done so, submit an application as soon as possible.

If you have any queries please contact Mrs Jackie Smith at the School Office or email registrar@frederickirwin.wa.edu.au.

Click on the image below to find out more. 

As in previous years, the Department of Education and Training's Secondary Assistance Scheme forms will be available to eligible parents. 

Forms are available from the School Office.  Applications close 1 April 2021. 

Term Dates 2021 

Term 4: Tuesday 12 October – Wednesday 8 December 

Term Dates 2022 

Term 1: Monday 31 January to Friday 8 April
Term 2: Thursday 28 April to Friday 1 July
Term 3: Tuesday 26 July to Friday 23 September
Term 4: Tuesday 11 October to Wednesday 7 December

Term 1 Fee Statements were emailed to families on Friday 19 February 2021 and are due for payment by Friday 5 March 2021. 

Families who have not paid or made payment arrangements with the Business Manager by the due date should be aware that a late penalty of $55.00 (GST included) may be imposed. The School has BPAY facilities and we encourage parents to avail themselves of this.

To assist families to budget for their school fee payments, we also offer weekly, fortnightly, monthly or termly payment plans.  For further information, please contact Mrs Lesley Hedley, Assistant Business Manager, in the School Office.

Year 6 2022 Special Top

Our current Year 5s will be completing their Primary schooling next year. With this in mind, we would like to inform you that Frederick Irwin Anglican School recognises this and has decided to offer a ‘special top’ to all Year 5 students (2021) for Year 6 (2022).

As all students require a gold polo shirt as part of their sports uniform, we have decided to have this polo top made with the class-lists printed on the back. The cost to parents will be the cost of the polo top plus the printing. 

Please either place your order online via Quickcliq or call into the uniform shop by 23 September 2021 at the latest (no orders will be taken after this date), to order and pay for the correct size ready for delivery in February 2022.

Dry Cleaning your Blazer
The purpose of this article is to provide some guidance and advice relating to the safe laundering and dry cleaning of your Frederick Irwin Anglican School Blazer.

The first rule is that blazers should never be home-laundered. Treat your blazer like any suiting jacket – which is dry clean only. Just like a suit, blazers have high quality fabric (containing wool) together with fusing and lining which must be professionally cleaned. A quality dry cleaner should be used where possible. 

The above said, there are some dry cleaners that do not always dry clean in accordance with garment specifications. The primary complaint about dry cleaning is over-heating. When a blazer is over-heated, the fusing (used to make collars and the lapel maintain shape) will come away from the fabric and result in bubbles, a wave pattern or bulging. An experienced dry cleaner will know this and can prevent this from happening. 

Frederick Irwin Anglican School's blazer manufacturer recommends using a larger-scale dry cleaner rather than small shopping centre-based dry cleaners. Larger volume dry cleaners tend to be more professional and have experience with special garments. If you are in any doubt, do not be afraid to ask questions about the dry cleaner’s practices and knowledge. 

Sound dry cleaning practices will ensure your blazer will last longer.

Lost Uniforms
Can you all please check your children's uniforms for names. If the item is not yours, please return it to the school office as soon as possible, where we are able to give the item to the correct child; if you know the child please pass it on to the owner.

Recently, I have had several parents into the uniform shop, concerned about lost/taken uniform items. 

Please be mindful that all items of clothing MUST have your child’s name on it, this will not only reduce the risk of lost items, which result in additional costs for families, but items can easily be returned. 

Second Hand Uniforms
Have you any uniforms that no longer fit? Re-sell them through the Uniform Shop. Items must be laundered and in good condition.

Forms are available from either the Uniform Shop, Reception or online – details needed:
Name and address – so payment can be deducted from your school fees – once items are sold
Date purchased – this will help set the selling price 

The selling price is set at 60% of the original price, and then you receive 75% of this selling price. 

A new system has been developed to help process the secondhand uniforms into the shop and sell on for you. Unfortunately, any item that has been taken in cannot be returned if either unsuitable or unsold.

Please see below the Uniform Shop Hours for Term 3.

Please be aware that when ordering online, you will receive an email to confirm your order, and that collection is to be from Primary Reception or Secondary Reception. 

MEADOW SPRINGS CAMPUS

HALLS HEAD CAMPUS

On 23 March our swimming team travelled to HBF Stadium to compete in the 2021 Associated Catholic Colleges ‘C Division’ Swimming Carnival.

Frederick Irwin placed second overall on the day, only 56 points off first place, which went to Lake Joondalup Baptist. Our girl's team had outstanding success, taking out both the Junior Girls Aggregate and Overall Girls Aggregate Shields! 

As a school community we can be extremely proud of the participation of our students, their determination to give their best and their support and encouragement of each other was exemplary. It was an extremely enjoyable day to be part of!

In the Individual Competitor Championship we also had some excellent results;

U/13 Female: Lily Clegg 3rd

U/14 Female: Chelsea Maley 2nd

U/15 Male: Aiden Pennacchio 3rd

U/15 Female: Serena Quinn 3rd

U/16 Male: Luke Strbac 2nd

U/16 Female: Caitlin Leather 1st

U/17 Female: Sophia Pinto 3rd

U/19 Male: Oliver Brehaut 1st

We have many talented swimmers at our school and we look forward to their continued participation in future years and possibly taking out the carnival in 2022!  Congratulations to all competitors on their participation on the day and Mr Watson and Miss Pettit for managing the team.

On Wednesday, Primary and Secondary Arnold House students celebrated their House Day, commencing with the Eucharist held in the Rush Chapel, plus a delicious breakfast of hash browns, egg and bacon muffins and iced coffees for students.

Following the Arnold Mascot Raffle being drawn by the Primary House Captains, Arnold students were then invited to attend a special lunch – a sausage sizzle for the Secondary students and a canteen order for Primary students.

Lunches were eaten quickly in excitement, as the Primary students joined the Arnold Year 12s and House Leaders for an extended games lunch, which included face painting, tug-of-war, sack races, soccer and flag-belt chasey.

Years 8 to 11 also enjoyed their Arnold lunch as they competed for points in a basketball hoops competition.

A big thank you to all who helped organise the day including Mrs Crock (Head of House) and Mr Blake (Assistant Head of House).

What a great day!

On Friday 19 March, the Year 2 classes from Meadow Springs visited the new WA Museum, Boola Bardip. They were very excited about experiencing their first-ever school excursion which included both a bus trip to the station and a train ride to Perth. 

They walked across to the museum and were astounded by the size of the building which looked like a floating box above the trees. Once inside, they made some amazing discoveries such as the huge blue whale and the megalodon. Playing video games and exploring technology from the past was a firm favourite.

In class, the students had learned the Storyline of the Seven Sisters and were very excited to experience the immersive exhibition which included lying on their backs under a dome to see cave paintings from the north of Western Australia. As one student whispered, “It is just like being there.”  The sculptures of the Seven Sisters were too beautiful for words. Year 2 would like to thank the parent helpers who made this excursion extra special.

On Friday 12 March, Frederick Irwin sent a team of three Year 11s and three Year 12s to Bunbury to compete in the 2021 Have Sum Fun Competition. Mr Marcus Baker accompanied them on the night.

Our team placed 3rd, which is a great result. They were just one point away from winning, with the final result coming from a tiebreak with the top three teams!
The team consisted of the following students: 

Year 11
Tess Rafferty
Kira James
Jaimee Thompson

Year 12
Rui Harrison
Jaco van Zyl
Tafara Manyonga

Congratulations to everyone who competed, what a fantastic result

Last Friday evening, 19 March, Frederick Irwin sent two teams of Years 7 and 8 and Years 9 and 10 to the Have Sum Fun competition in Bunbury.

Both teams placed 2nd which is an amazing result! The Year 7 and 8 team tied for first but then lost on a tiebreaker.

Year 7
Samantha Samuels
Keira Chatfield
Lucas Hall

Year 8
Samuel Matthews
Ashley Bailey
Zac Elvidge

Year 9
Tamara Stewart
Nina Mouton
Arvin Nair

Year 10
Charlie Hayres
Dhairya Vachhani
Arya Singh

Another season of summer basketball is over and what a successful, inspiring and positive one it has been. Frederick Irwin Anglican School was represented by over 50 teams in the Mandurah Basketball 2020/2021 Domestic Competition. Our teams were coached and managed by volunteers, mainly parents, siblings, staff and secondary students. 

Thank you to all our coaches and managers who gave up their time, this is a selfless role and your efforts are recognised and appreciated across the school; similarly thank you to the parents and students who made this season special. Whilst COVID proved to challenge the competition at times, it was credit to our coaches, managers, parents and students for being flexible and continuing to represent our school in such high regard. There were some fantastic results throughout the season and from all accounts some close FIAS vs FIAS games that were played in the best spirit.

Whilst it is important to not always measure success in statistics or wins, we did have a number of Frederick Irwin teams play in grand final
matches and also go onto win. We would like to acknowledge the grand final teams for their efforts, congratulations to you all.

A special mention to the following individual students who received MVP and Runner-up for their division. What a season you all played, well done.

During Week 7, Year 8 students visited the Serpentine Camping Centre, where they participated in a wide range of exciting activities!

These included circus skills, an amazing race, low ropes courses, wall climbing, art, pool games, and op shop disco, plus so much more

Congratulations to Year 8 student Aavi Barker for her amazing results in the 2020 AMEB Examinations. 

She received an Award for Excellence in Violin Comprehensive, Grade 3.  This is a brilliant result and Aavi was presented with her certificate at a ceremony at the University of Western Australia. 

What an amazing result, congratulations Aavi! 

A number of our students have been taking part in the WA State Surf Life Saving competitions over the past few weeks and have had some fantastic results.  

Congratulations to the following students: 

Serena Quinn Under 14
Gold - 2km run
Gold - Ironman
Gold - Surf swim
Bronze - Board race
Bronze - Board relay
Bronze  - Cameron relay

Marcus Quinn Under 13
Silver - Board Rescue 

Caide Ellis Under 14
Gold - 2km run

Jimmy Wong Under 8s completed a huge 150m Ocean Swim, came 4th in his Sprint Heat and made Round 2 in Flags. 

Colt Nye also in Under 8s achieved Semi Finals for Boards and Flags, and the U8 State Bronze Medal for the 75m Sprints.

Congratulations to all of these students! 

Congratulations to Nash Ferraro on his amazing results in Karting! Nash recently competed in the Western Australia State Karting South Eastern Zone Series round at Eastern Goldfields Kart Club in Kalgoorlie, and the Western Australia State Karting Goldstar Series round at Bunbury City Kart Club. 

Nash has moved from Cadet 12s (children aged 10 to 12) up to the KA4 Junior Championship class (children aged 13 to 15) for the first time this year. Nash managed to bring home first place from both race meets. 

With a new sponsorship deal, Nash has joined BRM Karts Australia as a junior team member and is the first to run the new BRM junior chassis at state level in Western Australia.

Congratulations to Year 7 students Milly Holdich and Ryleigh Allan. 

Milly competed in the WA Little Athletics State Championships and earned two medals for the Under12 girls (after qualifying for 5 events). 

High jump 1.43cm Silver (9cm PB)
800m 2.31s Bronze (5s PB)

Ryleigh has qualified for the WA State Athletics Championships for the 1500 metres after competing in the trials two weeks ago.  

Congratulations to both students! 

Class of 2010 Leavers enjoyed a wine and cheese evening for their 10 Year Reunion on Friday 12 March 2021, after embarking on a twilight tour of the School to see the changes that have been made since they left.

Alumni were able to reminisce in the foyer of the Performing Arts Centre, as they looked back on past photos, year books and reminisced about the past and caught up on what everyone has been up to.

We hope they enjoyed the evening!