Secondary Update – Term 1 Week 4

Jenni Vile on 28/02/2025

Guild Swimming Carnival

On Thursday 20 February our secondary students gathered at Perth HPC for the Year 7 – 12 Guild Swimming Carnival. The day was filled with excitement and guild spirit led by our Guild Coordinators and Year 12 Guild Captains. The novelty events offered a lighter side of competition and were a lot of fun.

There were some fantastic individual achievements, and we look forward to celebrating these students in the coming week. Congratulations to Chisholm Guild who were awarded the Guild Spirit Award and to Marcellin Guild for taking out first place in a very close race!

Online Safety – How Parents can support their children in the digital world

In today’s digital age, the internet is an integral part of daily life for children. From school assignments to socialising with friends, online platforms have become essential tools for learning and entertainment. However, with the countless opportunities the internet provides, there are also risks that parents must be aware of and address. As guardians of their children’s wellbeing, it’s crucial for parents to play an active role in ensuring their children stay safe online and knowing what the legal consequences are, should a young person under the age of 18 be found to break the law. Further information for parents can be found here.

It is also a timely reminder that the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 will take effect by December 2025 and will introduce a mandatory minimum age of 16 for certain social media platforms. The change aims to strengthen existing measures for protecting young users, especially where there are particular risks associated with accessing potentially harmful social media content and features, such as persistent notifications and alerts that have been found to have a negative impact on sleep, stress levels and attention. Further information of the

Transperth

The College is aware that there are some Transperth morning bus services that are arriving late. The College is liaising with Transperth regarding this and hope to reach a solution as soon as possible. Students arriving late to school due to these bus services will not be penalised.

Replacement Smart Riders

Replacement Smart Riders can be ordered from Student Reception at a cost of $5.00, which will need to be paid when ordering. This can be paid by EFTPOS at student reception or by parents paying by card over the phone. Please note that we will no longer be accepting cash payments.

FlexiSchools Ordering

The College Canteen operates through the ordering platform FlexiSchools. Students can link their FlexiSchools account to their SmartRider (Student ID), to preorder or pay for food in the Canteen. Please find below the FlexiSchools flyer and instructions on how to set up cashless payments through your child’s SmartRider.

FlexiSchools Flyer

Cashless Payment/Ordering Setup  

Parents are reminded that students are not permitted to pay with their phones, and are therefore encouraged to utilise this payment function provided through Flexischools.
 

Year 10 Immunisations

Earlier this week families were sent an email regarding the Year 10 Immunisations, taking place on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 March. The School-Based Immunisation team will be visiting Newman College to administer the Meningococcal ACWY Vaccination (1 dose of menACWY vaccine) to all Year 10 students. For this to occur, parental consent needs to be given by no later than Wednesday 5 March.  All vaccines provided will be recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). If you have not yet completed a consent form, please complete the digital form (preferred) which can be accessed here. Alternatively, you can download the Paper-based consent form and return it to the College.

Pathways and Careers Information: Year 11 

WACE (secondary graduation) requirements 

In Year 11 and 12, students are progressing towards their Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), otherwise known as their secondary graduation. 

In order to achieve their WACE, students need to meet certain academic targets across Year 11 and 12. These are: 

  • Demonstrate the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy (either in Year 9 NAPLAN or in Year 10-12 OLNA). 
  • Be enrolled in English / Literature in Year 11 and 12. 
  • Be enrolled in at least 1 ‘List B’ (Maths / Science / Sport / Technology) subject. 
  • Achieve at least 14 C grades, with at least 6 C grades in Year 12 subjects. 

For students considering UniReady / UniPath in Year 12 

A reminder to students on the General Pathway who are considering UniReady / UniPath in Year 12 next year. It is expected that students from the General Pathway would have participated in extra-curricular activities such as work experience, VET Certificates, Leadership, Service, and/or College sport. General Pathway students who have not participated in any of these extra-curricular activities may not be eligible for UniReady / UniPath. 

For students thinking of attending University 

Bricklaying free course 

The Bricklaying Job Ready Program is a FREE 4-week course designed for students eager to begin their journey in bricklaying. It offers the students a white card and experience in the bricklaying industry. 

Course Dates: 1st Semester 2025:  

  • Start date 10 March – South Metropolitan TAFE Rockingham 
  • Start date 17 March – North Metropolitan TAFE Balga 
  • Start date 5 May – North Metro TAFE Clarkson 
  • Start date 2 June – South Metropolitan TAFE Thornlie 

Apply NOW: Bricklaying job ready program | HIA 

Defence Force Work Experience Opportunities 

Army  

Navy 

Air Force  

Pathways and Careers Information: Year 12 

WACE (secondary graduation) requirements 

In Year 11 and 12, students are progressing towards their Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), otherwise known as their secondary graduation. 

In order to achieve their WACE, students need to meet certain academic targets across Year 11 and 12. These are: 

  • Demonstrate the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy (either in Year 9 NAPLAN or in Year 10-12 OLNA). 
  • Be enrolled in English / Literature in Year 11 and 12. 
  • Be enrolled in at least 1 ‘List B’ (Maths / Science / Sport / Technology) subject. 
  • Achieve at least 14 C grades, with at least 6 C grades in Year 12 subjects. 

University Early Offer information 

Please see below for the latest available Early Offer information. 

Curtin University No details as yet.  
Edith Cowan University Full information and list of eligible courses at: https://www.ecu.edu.au/degrees/early-offer-program  Open to ATAR, Certificate IV, and UniReady students. Submit your Early Offer application by placing an eligible ECU course as your first TISC preference. First offers released to students on 2 September 2025.  
Murdoch University No details as yet.  
Notre Dame University Full information and list of eligible courses at: https://www.notredame.edu.au/study/applications-and-admissions/pathways/early-offer  Opens 1 May 2025. First offers released to students on 1 September 2025. Apply via the Notre Dame online portal or via TISC. Open to ATAR Pathway students only. All offers are conditional offers.  
University of WA No details as yet.  

University Information 

Thinking of studying Medicine or Dentistry in 2026? 

All students who wish to enrol in Medicine or Dentistry in 2025 (including Assured Pathway at UWA) will need to sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) this year. 

Please see below for some important dates: 

  • 4 March 2025: UCAT bookings open 
  • 16 May 2025: Deadline to book your UCAT for 2024 
  • 11 June 2025: Deadline if you need to cancel your UCAT booking 
  • 1 July 2025: UCAT testing begins 
  • 5 August 2025: Last test date 
  • September 2025: Results available 

You can check https://www.ucat.edu.au/ for more information, tips and practice tests. 

Also, students applying for Medicine at Curtin University are required to sit the CASPER Test. CASPER scores are valid only for the next available admissions year, so applicants should only complete the test in the year immediately preceding their planned year of admission. 

The CASPER Test is held nationally and is sat online from home. Applicants are responsible for making their own arrangements to register for the CASPER Test.  

You can find more information about this, and book your test, here: https://acuityinsights.app/casper/ 

UWA Medical entry handbook here (for Assured Pathway): https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/-/media/uwafs/docs/course-guides/2025/uwa-2025-hms-admissions-guide-web.pdf 

Curtin Medical entry handbook here: https://www.curtin.edu.au/study/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/5804HS_Medicine-Admissions-Guide-2025_web-updated.pdf 

Notre Dame Medicine program information is here: https://www.notredame.edu.au/programs/school-of-medicine/postgraduate/doctor-of-medicine-wa 

University scholarships 

Curtin University Search scholarships | Curtin University, Perth, Australia  
Edith Cowan University (ECU) ECU | Overview : Scholarships  
Murdoch University Scholarship finder (murdoch.edu.au)  
Notre Dame University Find a Scholarship | Notre Dame  
University of Western Australia (UWA) The University of Western Australia : Scholarships (uwa.edu.au)  
Christian Leaders Scholarship https://ichthys.org.au/christian-leaders-scholarship/ 

Gap year information 

Students interested in taking a gap year in 2026 might find the following interesting: 

Bricklaying free course 

The Bricklaying Job Ready Program is a FREE 4-week course designed for students eager to begin their journey in bricklaying. It offers the students a white card and experience in the bricklaying industry. 

Course Dates: 1st Semester 2025:  

  • Start date 10 March – South Metropolitan TAFE Rockingham 
  • Start date 17 March – North Metropolitan TAFE Balga 
  • Start date 5 May – North Metro TAFE Clarkson 
  • Start date 2 June – South Metropolitan TAFE Thornlie 

Apply NOW: Bricklaying job ready program | HIA 

Defence Force Work Experience Opportunities 

Army  

Navy 

Navy Careers Experience – HMAS Stirling – 30 June – 02 July 2025 

Applications close: 18 May 2025 

Apply here: Defence Careers – Navy Careers Experience: HMAS Stirling (June) 

Air Force  

UPCOMING CAREERS EVENTS 

EVENT DATE LINK 
Murdoch University Careers Fair 19 March https://www.murdoch.edu.au/events/all-events/2025/03/19/general/student-and-graduate-career-fair 
Engineering Institute of Technology: Careers in Engineering webinar 19 March Finding Your Path: Choosing the Right Engineering Discipline for your Career 
ECU Open Day (Joondalup) 23 March https://www.ecu.edu.au/open-day/overview 
UWA Open Day 30 March https://www.uwa.edu.au/open-day 
Murdoch University Open Day 5 April https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/open-day 
Curtin University Open Day 6 April https://www.curtin.edu.au/open-day/ 
Sound and Engineering College Information Night 16 April https://sae.edu.au/event/perth-info-night/ 
Engineering Open Evening (ECU Joondalup) 1 May https://www.trybooking.com/CYPLT 
ECU Open Day (Mt Lawley) 4 May https://www.ecu.edu.au/open-day/overview 
Perth Careers Expo 15-18 May https://www.careers-expo.com.au/ 
Notre Dame Open Day 24 May https://events.nd.edu.au/open-day-freo-2025 
Year 9 and 10 Parent Information Evening (Murdoch University) 4 June https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/year-9-10-parent-supporters-information-evening-tickets-1232500053839?aff=oddtdtcreator?aff=oddtdtcreator 
Year 11 and 12 Parent Information Evening (Murdoch University) 4 June https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/year-11-12-parent-supporters-information-evening-tickets-1229599558379?aff=oddtdtcreator?aff=oddtdtcreator 
   

If you are thinking of attending a University Open Day, this blog might help you get the most out of it: https://infocus-careers.com.au/2025/02/07/year-12-how-to-approach-university-open-days-in-2022/