2014 College Report
Prior to joining, the consistent messages I received about our College were that the staff are
very passionate about the school and provide excellent care for the students and that the
students are of high calibre, I have been fortunate to experience these outstanding qualities
of the staff and students this year.
Our College life this year has been within the context of the Catholic education system three
year strategic plan LEAD. The focus areas of Learning – Engagement – Accountability –
Discipleship.
In the area of Learning the focus has been to further develop a culture of academic
excellence, and for each student to aspire to and strive for their full potential. The Curriculum
has been developed to have more Academic Extension classes in Years 7 to 10 and
programs to focus on students requiring additional support with literacy and numeracy. Staff
have also been focused on implementing the new WA Curriculum courses for Year 11 in
2015 and Year 12 for 2016.
In the area of Engagement or community, our pastoral care structure will be extended to
include Year 7 enabling for students to have the same Care Group Teacher from Year 7
through to graduation in Year 12. The Head of Year position will be extended to become a
Dean of Year, with membership of the College Executive. The Deans of Year will have
additional responsibilities and be given more time for the pastoral care of students.
In 2014 the College opened Irene’s Cafe, a canteen to provide for the nourishment of
students before school, recess and lunch times. The canteen has enabled the College to
have the convenience to cater for all school events, rather than having to rely continually on
the goodwill of Home Economics and other staff, or to outsource catering.
In the area of Accountability, in 2015 work will commence on a College gymnasium with
provision for extending the Physical Education, Outdoor Education, Sport, Music and Dance
programs. Additional temporary classrooms will be provided for the increased number of
students. There will be enhancement to the Design and Technology facilities, as the College
will increase the time students will have for elective programs in Years 7, 8 and 9.
2014 has been a significant year for the College in the area of Discipleship, the Catholic Life
of the College. Fr Robert Carrillo, Parish Priest of St Andrew’s, Clarkson, was appointed
College Chaplain which has enabled further development of the Liturgy and Sacramental
programs. The College was proud to host Archbishop Timothy Costelloe and Bishop Don
Sproxton for the Catholic Schools’ Launch of the Perth Archdiocese LifeLink Appeal for
Catholic welfare agencies. The College was also recognised by being awarded the Catholic
Education Commission of WA LEAD Award for Discipleship for our outstanding Christian
Service Learning Program and the College contribution to LifeLink.
The ongoing growth of the College, building on the excellent work of our foundation Principal
Mr Paul Rafter, is only possible through the passion and effort of the College Board, with
Chairperson Mrs Kerrie Carter, the College Executive, all staff, the families and students of
the College. I extend my gratitude to all members of the College staff, all students and
parents for their strong commitment, through personal effort and working in partnership, to
enable our College be an outstanding Catholic learning community.
School Performance Data
Context
Irene McCormack Catholic College is a co-educational secondary College accommodating
approximately 940 students from Years 7 to 12. Irene McCormack offers a holistic education
where students are challenged to meet their spiritual, religious, intellectual, physical, cultural,
social and emotional potential. The College prioritises the acquisition of learning skills and
competencies in Years 7 and 8 while in Year 9 the emphasis is on experiential learning.
Years 10 to 12 allow students to choose between University Entrance and Vocational
Pathways. An extensive range of Christian Service Learning, music, dance, drama, debating
and sporting options is available to all students. Our daily life is modelled on our working
vision: Respect for Self, Care for others, Skills for life.
In 2014, the College engaged in exciting initiatives and events not limited to but including:
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Planning the construction of a gymnasium, music dance and multipurpose facility.
Extending its focus on the Specialist AFL and Soccer Academies.
Celebrating multiple awards at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival.
Rejoicing in the great success of the Rite Journey program
Participating in several community events including; The Chevron City to Surf, Caritas
40 Hour Famine, Shop Front Tin Drive and the RAAFA Christian Service Learning
program.
Staff
Irene McCormack Catholic College employs 66 teaching staff (37 females and 29 males)
and 26 non-teaching staff (18 females and 8 males). All members of the teaching staff are
four year trained with Bachelor Degrees. Many have engaged in further studies attaining
Master Degrees, Graduate Diplomas and Certificate IV qualifications in key learning areas.
Student Attendance
Student attendance at Irene McCormack Catholic College is monitored by key staff including
the Deans of Year. The attendance profile is as follows:
Year 7:
Year 8:
Year 9:
Year 10:
Year 11:
Year 12:
94%
93.39%
92.35%
91.72%
92.37%
91.61%
Parents are contacted for all unexplained absences. Chronic absences are referred to the
Department of Education Services and/or the Participation Unit at the Western Australian
District Education Office.
Senior Secondary Outcomes
In 2014, the Year 12 cohort achieved 100% Graduation.
ATAR
NONATAR
51% of students studied for and received an ATAR result with 77%
earning their first preference.
49% of students completed studies in a Non-ATAR pathway with 41%
noted to achieve 220 or more nominal hours.
NAPLAN
Reading
Writing
Spelling
Numeracy
94.3%
Grammar
and
Punctuation
96.8%
Year 9
2014
Total
Cohort
98.7%
93.0%
156
157
157
157
155
Year 7
2014
Total
Cohort
97.8%
96.2%
96.2%
97.8%
98.2%
184
184
185
185
184
96.1%
Parent, Student and Teacher Satisfaction
Parents
At Irene McCormack Catholic College, our parents form an integral part of the College
through their involvement on the College Board of Management and being involved in
various Parent Groups. They attend the many and varied activities organised by the College
including College Masses and sporting events. Our parents have also been involved with the
Quality Catholic Schooling project with the completion of a survey.
Students
An education at Irene McCormack Catholic College is about learning, discovery, relevance,
resilience, organisation and achievement. Our students are proud of who they are and
consistently reflect the College’s vision and mission by carrying the torch of Sr Irene
McCormack in participating in camps, retreats, excursions, sport days and special
celebrations. They are conscientious in their approach to their school work and value laden
in their communication with their peers, teachers and families.
Exit Surveys reflect a high degree of satisfaction with the College. Of particular note are: the
degree of care of staff, staff willingness to assist and the provision of a plethora of
opportunities for broad curriculum offerings.
Post School Destinations
University
TAFE/Training
Employment/Deferral
Travel
51%
30%
15%
4%
School Income 2014
Visit the My School Website
http://www.myschool.edu.au
Religious Education
Inspired by the practical example of Irene McCormack, our lives are centered in God. We
strive to be living proof of social consciousness, recognising the needs of others and
addressing them. We challenge our students to follow the inspiration of Mary MacKillop who
said “Never see a need without doing something about it”.
The Religious Education curriculum at Irene McCormack Catholic College (“IMCC”) supports
the catechetical and evangelising mission of the Church while supporting young people in
their lifelong journey in faith. It has been developed to stimulate and challenge students,
especially in their understanding of Catholic Scripture and Tradition, their critical thinking and
moral reasoning.
The curriculum provides an opportunity for all students to achieve graduation regardless of
their chosen career path. We are delighted that the number of full time Religious Education
staff at IMCC is increasing. This is a positive reflection of our enthusiastic staff wanting to
live the Gospels. The Bishop’s Religious Literacy Assessment results for 2014 indicate a
steady rise in the College’s mean score and is bridging the gap between the State mean and
IMCC.
The new WACE course for Religion and Life has begun in Year 11 with four classes
currently involved in the program.
We are proud of the way our Religious Education staff have embraced the proposed
changes to the way we will assess in Religious Education, all year groups will be having
Semester exams. The lower school’s assessments will mirror the format for the Bishop’s
Religious Literacy Assessment in Year 9, while the upper school’s assessments will reflect
the WACE exams.
We are extremely privileged to have a committed Religious Education staff whose task at
times is difficult compared to other Catholic schools that have only a small percentage of
Non-Catholic students. The dedication of our staff to both the academic and evangelising
ethos of the College is outstanding.
Careers, Vocational Education & Training and Structured Workplace Learning
The Careers department continues to support all learning areas and year groups, with a
strong focus on senior school students and parents at important transition points through
high school. Career development is embedded across the curriculum and in 2014 has
involved personal development opportunities, excursions to universities and training centres,
incursion presentations by industry and tertiary sectors, vocational education and training
onsite at school and at offsite locations, work experience and subject and pathway
counselling. A partnership with local stakeholder Edith Cowan University has provided
several opportunities for target groups of students in specific subject areas to participate in
tailored engagement programs on campus e.g. Faculties of Business and Law, and Western
Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
In 2014 there has been a growing demand by parents and stakeholders to engage middle
school students in their learning and future planning. Ms. Tonkin ran small group workshops
for parents of middle school students on pathways through high school, and post-school
destinations. Meanwhile, new engagement opportunities for this younger middle school age
group were developed at Perth universities and were promoted via the Careers Newsletter
along with events and opportunities for senior school students.
General pathway students in Year 11 and 12 are required to participate in Vocational
Education and Training (VET) to graduate. Ms. Lindsay our VET Coordinator has been
developing the range of VET options available for our students. It has been a successful
year for the VET students in 2014. Students participated in the CareerLink courses at local
training providers, which included Nursing, Electrotechnology and Early Childhood studies.
Students gained work experience via CareerLink in various areas including Aged Care,
Education, Nursing, Hospitality, Sport Teaching, Childcare, Boat Maintenance, Animal Care,
Electrical, Office Administration, Justice Courts, Civil Construction, and Travel. Miss Lauren
Ierace has supported CareerLink students back at school in the Workplace Learning
classroom.
Government funded certificate courses were popular ranging from Metals Fabrication to
Animal Studies and we have continued to keep strong links with Ertech, where students
complete the Certificate II in Civil Construction. School Based Traineeships and
Apprenticeships continued to grow in 2014 with new opportunities in hospitality, aged care,
childcare, and business.
VET courses are also delivered on site at IMCC in most learning areas. In 2014 partnerships
have evolved with Woolworths and Wanneroo City Council, providing IMCC business and
computing students with work experience.
Today’s world requires young people to imagine a range of possible futures and engage in
ongoing career exploration. Students at IMCC are on a pathway to a personally determined
and evolving preferred future, with the assistance of the Career Centre and all teaching and
pastoral care staff.
Design & Technology
2014 has seen some significant changes to the physical layout of the three main work areas
that are currently assigned to Design & Technology. In preparation for an increase in both
the frequency and the size of all D&T classes Mr Williams, Mr Bastow, and Mr Hunt have
spent many months re-fitting all three of the workshops to accommodate the changes. This
renovation work has been a challenging time for all involved as work was completed in
between the usual teaching loads. I am extremely grateful for the team who have gone
beyond what is expected of any normal classroom teacher.
We also remember our dear friend and maintenance team member, Mr Bryan Nolan. Bryan
joined our team in D&T temporarily this year to help in the woodworking aspect of the
renovations. During this time, Bryan fell sick and began a very short battle against a cancer,
which ultimately took his life six short weeks later. During the two weeks that he began
helping us he did manage to complete two extremely well crafted, solid jarrah woodworking
benches. These benches will be dedicated to the memory of Bryan with two brass plaques
and they should stand in testament to the skilled craftsman which he was for many years to
come.
The College has employed an additional D&T teacher for 2015. This will enable the
formation of a new contemporary D&T Curriculum that is focused on meeting the needs of
the new Technologies based School Curriculum and Standards Authority by 2016.
We are also very hopeful that a purpose built Building & Construction shed, which is
currently in the design phase, will also be available for the start of term in 2015.
Design & Technology at Irene McCormack Catholic College has developed considerably in
recent years and 2014 is no exception. The courses are in a constant state of flux with
projects being tailored to suit the strengths of each year group.
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Mr. Bastow has led his students through a plethora of Building and Construction jobs.
More notably, inviting Ertech Training Academy to join us on campus to help construct
new cricket pitches for the College. New Cubby houses were produced for sale to
various community groups and students started delving into the world of cast concrete.
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Woodwork continues to develop into a popular course under the leadership of Mr.
Williams. Some of the more notable projects being fine inlayed Jewellery boxes and
Adirondack outdoor furniture. The ever-popular subwoofer box has reappeared this
year. These professional looking units have been produced with care and are now
being installed into various ‘P’ plate laden mean-machines around the campus.
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Metalwork has managed to produce some pretty wild looking machines again this
year. It seems as though many students are looking to motorise just about anything
that can be fitted out with a wiper-snipper motor. With the enthusiastic support and
advice of Mr Bastow and Mr Williams, we have no doubt that these creations will
continue to amuse and engage students in years to come.
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There has been some excellent work undertaken in Graphic Design this year with the
level of work continuing to establish higher standards. In the Upper School course this
year we focused on commercial design skills. All students have managed to produce
professional multi-page design portfolios with industry standard page-layouts in Adobe
InDesign. Next year the focus will move towards more artistic and expressive
endeavors in Illustrator and Photoshop.
We are extremely blessed to work with such devoted staff who continue to go above and
beyond what is expected of them and have dedicated their extended working days to
improving the quality of education and conditions for both the students and the College as a
whole. We thank them wholeheartedly for their support and commitment to the College.
As always, we look forward to the year to come… Exciting times ahead.
English
“Books may not change our suffering, books may not protect us from evil, books may not tell
us what is good or what is beautiful, and they will certainly not shield us from the common
fate of the grave. But books grant us myriad possibilities: the possibility of change, the
possibility of illumination.” ― Alberto Manguel
2014 has seen the English Department continuing to engage students in the wonders and
enlightenment that literature can offer. Our texts expose students to a plethora of global and
local contexts to develop their empathy and compassion for others, whilst developing their
reading practices and imaginations. Literacy has been a strong focus this year, in order to
equip students with the tools to express their ideas effectively. As a team, we are passionate
about developing grammar skills in students, so we have continued to develop our practices
to ensure that students thrive with this essential knowledge.
We are always seeking ways to engage students in the curriculum and to make the content
relevant, so to compliment the Year 12 study of the expository text, Broken Lives, students
had the chance to meet John Button, who spoke about his wrongful conviction for
manslaughter and eventual exoneration. Year 8 students gained invaluable insight into the
horrors of the Holocaust from guest speaker, Hetty Velrome, during their study of the novel,
Once.
With the implementation of the Western Australian Curriculum, our team has been
developing new Literature, ATAR and General courses for Senior School, which will see an
increasing focus on Asian and Aboriginal texts, sustainability and creative writing. We are
also excited to host another Literacy Quiz Night next year; this popular annual event
encourages students to work together to test their knowledge about literary texts, films,
poetry, spelling and grammar, whilst also competing for fantastic prizes.
We thank the wonderful teachers of the English Department, whose passion and dedication
for student learning is outstanding. They work tirelessly to facilitate engaging, relevant and
challenging lessons. On a daily basis, they inspire and impart knowledge, using literature to
illuminate the minds of our students.
Home Economics
The Home Economics Department is growing from strength to strength. With an increased
social awareness of the great need for all individuals to take more responsibility for their
health and wellbeing, both Food Technology and Childcare are very popular and essential in
the lives of all.
In Food Technology “We are what we eat” has been a strong focus this year and it is
encouraging to see raised awareness of the need to make informed food choices for health
and wellbeing. Students have been given many opportunities to practice healthy food
preparation techniques and the knowledge as to how and why we need to make these
changes.
Other highlights for the year are the opportunities where students are able to be creative,
and produce and present food well. Standout activities include the Year 12 Restaurant that
was a great success and “My Kitchen Rules IMCC style”. It is always rewarding to see
students present their food with pride and enjoyment.
Childcare endeavours to raise awareness of the skills and knowledge essential in the care of
young children. The students enjoyed learning the role of play in the developmental process
and had fun reliving some of the ways they “played and learned” when they were younger.
Active learning is good for all ages, young and old! It has been exciting to see the
introduction of Childcare to the Year Ten option subjects. We hope to engage the students in
the process of learning how children develop and how we can better care for them.
It was with great pleasure that we welcomed a new staff member this year to our
Department, Mrs Felicity Kennedy. Mrs Kennedy has fitted in well with staff and students
alike.
2015 promises to be another busy year in the Home Economics Department, with increased
number of classes across all year groups. After nearly twelve years in the Home Economics
Department Mrs Smith moves to the new role of Dean of Year Seven. Under the direction of
newly appointed Home Economics Coordinator, Mrs Janet Flematti, the team will continue to
strive for excellence with our students.
We would also like to acknowledge the hard work of Mrs Catherine Summers, our Home
Economics Assistant, who is a fantastic worker and an integral part of the process that
keeps the department running so smoothly. The Learning Support Staff are also of great
assistance to us as we run our classes. We benefit greatly from their input and could not
work as well without their dedication, patience and support. Thank you to you all.
Integrated Studies
As 2014 comes to a close, so does the College’s Integrated Studies Program. This will make
room for changes to the curriculum. Students in Year 7 will undertake an Information
Technology course and more time will be allocated to Years 7 and 8 electives. Over the
years Integrated Studies has proved to be a valuable subject to build on student learning
and equip them with practical experience.
Integrated Studies is a thematic unit, which has seen the Year 7s in 2014 cover the areas of
technology and cyber safety, nutrition, disasters and space survival. While Year 8s have
explored the game of life, smoking and alcohol issue, small business and mysteries. IST
lessons see students contribute to thorough and informative discussions; extend and push
their creativity, improve literacy and numeracy and work both independently and with others.
Integrated Studies sought to connect students to real world issues and educate them in
order for them to make well-informed decisions in the future. It aimed to give students the
skills they needed in communication and technology and to improve literacy and numeracy.
We can confidently say that this has been achieved and is evident in the hard work
completed by students.
A number of staff has made each IST lesson memorable, educational and enjoyable. A
sincere thank you must go to Mrs Jodie Bastow, Mrs Lauren Gillespie, Miss Lauren Ierace,
Miss Cherie Milne, Mr Ryan Walker, Miss Danielle Maher and Ms Amanda Keats, who have
ignited passion and enthusiasm in their students in 2014.
Information Technology
2014 has been a very busy year for the Information Technology Department with many
opportunities for students to show their passion for Business and Computing. Our students
in Years 7, 8 and 9 have been exploring topics such as Frame-by Frame animation, Game
Creation, 2D & 3D Animation, Robotics and Motion Graphics. During the year our Year 10,
11 and 12 students have been concentrating on Website Design, Programming, Database
Management, Video Production and even building their own computers. These topics have
not only broadened their knowledge of IT but also challenged them to put that knowledge to
practical use. Business has continued to thrive this year with courses offered from Year 10
onwards. These classes have looked at entrepreneurs, small business management,
accounting as well as marketing and running their own small businesses.
We are very proud of all of our students and their achievements this year, including those
students involved in the ‘Just Start IT’ competition run my Curtin University. Our team not
only won the state competition with prize money of $5000 awarded to the team, they have
also been approached by a high profile corporation to help turn their IT and Business idea
into reality.
We now look forward to 2015 excited at the introduction of Cert III Business and Cert III
Information and Digital Media Technology along with a significant focus on programming and
robotics. We also aim to further engage our Year 7 students with an expanded IT program in
2015, that will see all Year 7s spending 2 periods per cycle over the whole year. We will be
covering many aspects of IT including coding, research and cyber safety.
The IT and Business Department would like to recognise the valuable contribute made by
Ms Lauren Ierace over the past two years as our highly engaging and professional teacher
of Business. She has played a major role in developing this subject area and we would like
to wish her all the best as she joins the Religious Education team for 2015. We would also
like to thank Mr Fred Lafitte for his continued hard work and enthusiasm in preparing and
delivering our IT courses across all year groups. We look forward to 2015 being even bigger
and better than 2014.
Learning Support
In 2014 students in the senior years have been given the opportunity to follow tailored
programs that include supported work experience placements and opportunities for private
study within the Learning Centre. The younger year groups have continued to have support
both in and out of lessons. All Year 12 Learning Support students have graduated from the
College. Under the guidance of Mrs Sandra Finn the department has continued to work with
and support students for whom English is their second language. This support has been
given both in class and in small group situations. The department has worked closely with
Mrs Lauren Gillespie, Head of Year 7, to support the transition of Year 7 students throughout
this year.
The main aim for 2015 is to oversee the implementation of the Course One programs and
work with all teachers to ensure the programs are accessible to all students. We hope to
develop a dedicated team of Course One teaching staff as well as implementing a new
process for completing Student Education Plans utilising Coneqt. This will involve a new
process for staff to complete the plans and change the way the data is imputed and
recorded. It is our goal to improve the Literacy and Numeracy NAPLAN results through
support of both the English and Mathematics departments. We will also be researching and
implementing strategies to assist those students who have not achieved the benchmark in
their Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment.
We thank our teaching assistants Mrs Tammy Johns, Mrs Tara Johnson and Mrs Sally
Tabram who have continued to work tirelessly to support both students and staff. Without
their hard work and dedication we would not be able to achieve the successes we have thus
far. Thank you also to Sandra Finn for her tireless work with ESL students and working
within the English department to support those students with specific needs. Along with this
we would like to express our gratitude to Mrs Dianne Bridge, our College Psychologist for
working so closely with the department to help support those students and families who
need our support.
Library
In 2014, the Library was extremely busy with many research, information literacy, reading
and literature-promotion classes. It was packed at lunchtimes and before school, students
doing exams being able to take advantage of the additional early opening times. Photo
displays of student readers promoting their favourite reads were particularly popular as were
student work displays such as the Year 8 Book Week Bookmark Competition entries and
Year 7 Book Reviews. Our major promotions were Library Lovers’ Day, Anzac Day and, of
course, Book Week. Students enthusiastically joined in the quizzes and other activities. As
promoting the library is promoting the community of readers, frequent, eye-catching, everchanging displays promoted our collection and showcased new books often bought in
response to an entry in the Request File. The weekly Book Club and chess were particularly
popular with boys. A title discussed in Book Club would often go the rounds.
Having a library computer laboratory that has Windows-based computers along with two
trolleys each of 20 ipads for the teachers to borrow for their classes has proved a valuable
means of extending the student exposure to different devices. We were fortunate to be able
to add a significant number of titles to our school-licenced eBooks from Britannica. These
titles may be read on different devices by all the school community at the same time and are
a great support for the Australian Curriculum. Moreover, with reference to the sixth general
capability, ethical understanding, the citation facilities in these eBooks and in our online
Encyclopaedia Britannica make it easy for students to respect copyright.
The library continues to be the hub of the school. Weekly Masses, the Art Exhibition, Year
group assemblies, the Homework Club and many guest speakers use this venue. Recently,
Hetty Verolme, author of The children’s house of Belsen and Hetty: a true story was guest
speaker. Her moving talk was of particular interest to the Year 8 students of Once. Many
students wanted to buy her books or read them from our library.
We look forward to 2015 as the library goes from strength to strength.
Languages
Spanish was offered as an option to all students in Years 7 and 8 with a focus on the four
main language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Along with the social, cultural
and vocational benefits to learning another language, the study of an additional language
has also been proven to enhance first language literacy. The lessons were very student-led
with games, role-plays and lots of interactive activities to aid language acquisition.
In 2015 all Year 7 students will study French for one semester leading to the opportunity to
choose French as a full year program in Year 8. There will also be one Year 8 class running
for the full year for those students who chose French as an option for 2015. The aim of these
new programs is to develop a continuous language program that will provide students with
the opportunity to study a language as an ATAR course.
Mathematics
The new Western Australian Curriculum was again our focus this year in the Mathematics
department. Our Year 10 students are the first year group to cover this content each year
since Year 7, and it was developed further with the introduction of an advanced class. This
group of Year 10 students covered the Year 10 Curriculum plus the additional 10A content.
Our Year 7 students enjoyed the ‘World of Maths’ activity day. Working with peers to solve
problems using a hands-on approach is always a fun and rewarding experience. In addition,
2014 saw the College stream the Year 7 students for their second semester. Students were
placed into classes more reflective of their ability in Mathematics. The Course 1 students are
working through a program called ‘Elementary Maths Mastery’. This program is linked to the
National Curriculum and is designed to strengthen their understanding of key mathematics
skills through explicit delivery and repetition of content. The program has proved successful
and will be used for Years 7 and 8 in 2015.
The department gained two new staff this year, Mrs Joanna Strydom and Miss Danielle
Maher. Both ladies have made a fantastic contribution to the department and College. In
Term 3, Georgia Broad, an intern teacher from Notre Dame University, joined the
department for her final practical appointment. Mr Ray Metcalfe took long service leave for
Term 4 and we welcomed Mr Robin Rosario for the Term as his replacement.
On Thursday 7th August approximately 240 of our students across all year groups competed
in the Australian Mathematics Competition. Congratulations to Caleb Whiting, Katrina Boult,
Phoebe Chippendale, Andrew Peskett and Dion Lau who each achieved the highest result
for their age group in this year’s competition.
Term 4 saw the introduction of the new WACE courses for Year 11. These new courses
consist of three new ATAR Mathematics; Specialist, Methods, Applications, and two new
General Mathematics; Essentials and Foundations. Staff attended professional development
to work on programming, reviewing textbooks and other resources, and creating
assessments for these courses.
Performing Arts
2014 has been a typically creative and vibrant year for the Performing Arts at IMCC. Dance
Groups have performed at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival, Carnivale, and the Dance
and Drama Night. Cheerleading workshops have also been held, hosted by an International
Cheerleading Coach.
Drama students have had had the opportunity to view numerous live theatre events this
year, as well as a backstage tour of the Heath Ledger Theatre and practical workshops run
by a professional costume designer and stage manager. Four talented senior students also
performed monologues at the Catholic Performing Arts. The September Drama and Dance
Night showcased some of the talent we have at the College.
The Music Department hosted their annual Term 1 and Term 4 Sounds at Sunset concerts.
Recital Night, featuring senior students and ensembles, was held in Term 2, and all our
Ensembles (Years 7-12 Rock Bands, Swing Band, Jazz Ensemble, Barbershop, 2108
Singers and Percussion Ensemble) and soloists performed at Catholic Performing Arts
Festival. Our musicians also performed at Awards Night, and provided music for important
College Masses such as the Graduation Mass. The annual Escape Festival at the end of the
year showcased all of the arts in a festival format. The Specialist Music Program continues
to offer talented students a rigorous pathway to musical success.
The College Production of Beauty and The Beast was the main undertaking of the year.
Drawing the College and wider community together, audiences were transported to Belle’s
French Village and mesmerised by the fabulous dance, drama and musical performances. A
special mention must go to the Visual Art and Design andTechnology Departments for their
assistance in creating the sets, as well as the many staff who assisted with artwork, front-ofhouse, catering, backstage, and ticketing, to mention a few.
We owe a great debt of gratitude to the excellent staff in the Performing Arts Department for
their sense of commitment and willingness to go way above and beyond what could be
reasonably expected; Ms Jessica Dixon, Ms Sinead Harte, Ms Kylie Malam and Mrs Rosalie
Richardson. We would also like to acknowledge the outstanding commitment and work of
the IMCC Arts students.
Physical Education, Health, Sport and Outdoor Education
This year IMCC welcomed the successful development of the Australian Rules Football
Academy, supported by West Perth. Girls’ football has been placed in the spotlight with 38
Year 7 girls participating in the Perth Fremantle Cup Carnival and the girls winning this
competition. The program will expand next year to include a Year 8 girls’ team as well as
boys Academy teams.
Once again the Soccer Academy proved to be a driving force of the College by starting the
year off winning the Year 7 Girls Perth Glory Cup. The girls then continued on to win the
CAS title and were joined by the Year 8/9 boys who also won this title. The Year 8/9 Girls
team capped off a successful year by winning the finals of the School Sport WA State Shield
Competition.
The major achievements in inter-school sport included runner-up in the ACC Swimming
Carnival and winning the CAS title in Senior Girls Touch. The following teams where finalists
in their respective CAS competition: Year 8 Girls Basketball, Year 10 Girls Netball, and
Senior Girls Soccer.
Outdoor Education’s 22 Surf Cadets successfully completed their Surf Rescue Certificate
and Remote Area First Aid Course, as well as the Year 12 students receiving a Certificate II
in Outdoor Recreation. We once again had over 60 students taking part in the Learn to Surf
program.
Goals for 2015 include introducing SDERA’s ‘Keys for Life’ in the Year 10 Physical
Education General course. We are beginning to implement the Australian Curriculum in Year
7 – 10. Introducing a new Outdoor Education course in Year 9 and developing links to
community groups to enrich our Senior School teaching programs.
We would like to thank the Physical Education staff members for their hard work and
dedication, Mr Ross Laing for completing his Football Federation of Australia ‘B’ License, Ms
Chelsea Burns for coaching the Associated and Catholic College’s Girls All Star Team, Mr
Ryan Coutts for his coaching of the Year 8/9 Girls Soccer Team and continued support in
the leadership in the department, Ms Karolina Lewy for her role as Head of Junior Sport and
support of the Outdoor Education program, Mr Devin Martin for his leadership in the Role of
Senior Sports Coordinator, Mr Ken Dillon for his role as the Director of the Australian Rules
Academy and promoting all things footy, Mrs Janice Bell for her continued professionalism
and enthusiasm for Physical Education and Sport and Miss Laura Donaldson for excelling in
her role of Physical Education Assistant.
Society & Environment
The highlight of 2014 for the SAE department was the international excursion to Japan,
successfully led by Miss Cheryl McKenzie. The trip was a wonderful success with 56
students enjoying the culture and sights of Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and Kyoto. A huge
thank you to the staff who accompanied the trip, their enthusiasm was the primary reason
the trip was so rewarding for all involved. During 2015 we will be announcing the destination
of the 2016 trip.
Academically the department was very pleased to receive a certificate in recognition of being
a College with the highest performing students in the 2013 WACE Stage 3 Geography exam.
We have continued to write and develop the new Western Australian Curriculum programs
for Years 7 -10 as well as developing the new Year 11 Unit 1 and 2 Geography and History
courses.
On a staffing note we were pleased to welcome both Miss Danielle Maher and Mr Alan
McLatchie to the College, both have proven to be great assets to the department.
As a department we would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Ryan Walker for his
outstanding contributions and wish him the best of luck in his new teaching position. Also we
congratulate Mrs. Adele Baker on her appointment as HOLA for 2015. She will prove to be a
great success in the role with her strong staff relationships and curriculum knowledge.
Finally thank you to every member of the SAE for his or her contribution in 2014, you are all
greatly appreciated.
Science
In 2014 the Science Learning Area has continued to offer the opportunity for students to
consolidate what they have learnt in the classroom, in an external environment. This has
included excursions for small and large groups to places such as the Gravity Discovery
Centre, Perth Zoo, Scitech, Adventure World, The Chem Centre and the Harry Perkins
Institute of Medical research. These opportunities have allowed students to see firsthand the
theory and skills they have acquired in the classroom and put them into practice, where
appropriate, on a real world level. The students have also had access to current software
packages such as IntoScience, which have allowed them to utilise technology to solve
Science related problems from given scenarios and consolidate their theory.
In 2015 and beyond, Science aims to continue this trend and of course add to it. The vision
is to continue to allow access to Science outside the College and also take Science to the
wider community. To achieve this, some of the ideas Science are working on are developing
ways to incorporate the local community in Science Week in August, ongoing Science based
projects that utilises the skills of local people and involvement in state and national Science
competitions.
Of course to arrive where we are now and to continue the development of Science for the
betterment of the students and the College, would not be possible without the dedication of
the Science staff. To them we say thank you. These staff are continually searching for new
alternatives to keep Science exciting and relevant and regularly give more time than is
required to ensure maximum understanding and enjoyment by the students.
Visual Arts
2014 has seen the Visual Arts in the College flourish. Students were given opportunities to
extend their artistic ability by working on projects that encompassed ceramics, sculpture,
acrylic and oil painting, print and wearable art. The time and effort placed in every piece of
work was evident at the annual IMCC Art Exhibition in September. With a range of works
exhibited from Years 7 to 12, it was an event that saw students proud to show off their
talents.
The department has had an overwhelming number of applications for the Year 8 Specialist
Art program, showing the value and passion of the Arts driven by students. 2014 has seen
the Specialist classes thrive and the General classes develop their repertoire of techniques.
Students in the Year 9 Specialist Art program visited Sculpture by the Sea in Term 1. This
experience saw students increase their understanding of art in our community and witness
the work of local artists. The annual Arts Camp was held over three days in Term 2. Year 10
Specialist, Year 11 Stage 2 and Year 12 Stage 3 students attended the camp and used the
time to develop ideas for their final works. The Year 10s explored ideas of recycling in a
work of ‘wearable art’, while the 11s and 12s developed oil paintings and paper cuts based
on the theme of identity and point of view.
IMCC was well represented by its artwork submissions in the Angelico, St Georges and
Metamorphosis exhibitions. The Year 8 Specialist art class received third prize in the 2D art
category for their work ‘School of Fish’.
No department would survive without the dedication and enthusiasm of its staff. The Visual
Arts is no different with the uttermost thanks going to the Head of the Arts, Mrs Vanessa
Schneider, who left at the end of Term 3 to commence maternity leave, Mr Michael
Speechley, who brings a dynamic quality and creativeness to his classes and Miss Bronte
Reeves, our ever helpful and hardworking Art Technician.
2015 will see the students engage further in the Visual Arts, learn new skills and continue to
ignite passion for creativeness across all year levels.
College Board Chairperson’s Report
The School Board has been active again this year and I would like to take a few minutes to
provide a brief overview of our activities;
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We started the year welcoming our new Principal Mr Rob Marshall to the school
community.
Sandra Long, a long standing Board member, submitted her resignation after many years
of service to our school community.
The Board endorsed the introduction of blazers for all year groups, from 2015.
The Year 10 retention data indicates that more Year 10 students are electing to stay at
IMCC than in previous years. This is incredibly positive.
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The school canteen, Irene’s Café as it is fondly known, opened in April providing a service
to students and staff as well as catering for school meetings and functions. Irene’s Café is
being well supported by the school community. For this we thank you.
Our school is undergoing changes as you are aware and this includes the construction
of demountable buildings at the front of the college. These are in readiness for the
College student enrolment increasing to almost 980 students for 2015.
In the area opposite the College Office entrance a further five classrooms were
constructed for the commencement of the 2015 school year. Additionally, the
temporary classroom at the front of the school has been renovated and fitted out to
become the College Uniform shop, allowing for easy access for parents.
In August last year we received notification from the Catholic Education Commission of
Western Australia that they have approved our application to build a gymnasium at a cost
of approximately $8 million. The building will incorporate specialty dance and music
classrooms, other classrooms, work areas for our Physical Education and Performing Arts
staff and a rock climbing wall. The building will also include an abseiling facility on the
external wall, adjacent to the interior rock climbing wall. A lift will be included for disabled
access to the second level, and a walkway will be constructed at that level to connect with
other College buildings. Tender applications will be requested in February 2015 and we
anticipate building will commence in April 2015 with a completion date of April 2016. What
a fantastic addition this will be to our growing school.
This year the grounds & maintenance team have been very busy finishing off gardens and
landscaping and, they should be recognised and congratulated for their efforts. Thank you
so much, the appearance of the school grounds is just beautiful.
Finally, in relation to infrastructure, fencing is being erected around the school parameter,
which will provide further security of our property.
The Board would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to all teaching, admin, IT, maintenance
and grounds staff for your positive contributions. We acknowledge and appreciate that you all
go beyond our expectations in your roles at IMCC.
In closing the Board would like to wish everyone success for 2015.