Principal’s Message

From the Principal’s Desk

Dear Parents & Guardians

Assalam o Alaikum

As Term 2 ends, I take this opportunity to thank you for your support and understanding. The challenges of the pandemic have caused us to adapt to how we teach, work, and interact while dealing with students’ & teachers’ absences. However, the school continued to offer students the best possible learning opportunities. 

Seeing so many of you on Parent & Teachers evening was great. Thank you very much for admiring and supporting our staff and teachers. Your feedback is always valuable to us. It was also pleasing meeting you during the School’s Annual Quran Recitation Contest

Alhamdulillah, the school continues to thrive as we continue to develop our education programs at school and outside the classroom initiatives such as educational field trips, excursions, incursions, and exhibitions. Our sports program continues to be very busy and successful. We were delighted to support our Year 10 & 12 students with highly subsidized weekend classes. It has been a jam-packed term with students’ success to celebrate, and the details are on other pages of the newsletter.

A vital feature of the school is the active involvement of students in the life of the school. The voices of our students are imperative in school life. The school visions of student leaders are to provide opportunities to develop caring young people who are optimistic, passionate, able to use their knowledge to help others and genuinely interested in people and their needs, supportive, and empathic.

I must mention Sr. Fatima Peyman, one of our former brilliant students, an enthusiastic social worker and a promising politician who has been elected as a Senator from WA in the Australian Parliament.  Fatima joined the Oath Taking Ceremony of the leadership team as a guest of honour. Her presence not only inspired our students but has also provided student leaders to commit to each other to work together, take the initiative & commit to being where each person’s contribution is needed and valued.

I want to congratulate Student Leadership Team for the honour and trust that students have given to them; I hope they will be able to meet their expectations as good Muslim and Australian citizens.

At this juncture, I would also like to draw your attention to the school’s concerns that every parent must take notice of. There has been an increase in non-school issues impacting our students’ academics and behaviour. Unfortunately, we are also experiencing several situations like other schools where social media has been the vehicle for inappropriate behaviour by students.  We have had to deal with students using social media to be unkind to others, causing behaviour coordinators to spend a considerable amount of time trying to manage issues and situations.

The school has been advising and helping students to realize their digital responsibilities and the dangers associated with the inappropriate use of social media sites such as Facebook, Snapchat, and others. Find out what they are putting out there for everyone to see. I also request to be vigilant about your child’s use of social media and chat apps; take time to have your child show you their social media sites and go through their apps.

The school ensures the safety of all students; please be advised that if any student is cyberbullying, sexting, or posting text or images that disturb the learning environment at school, it will be dealt with seriously as a school matter. The Deans of Students will ensure that the School Behaviour Policy & Student Code of Conduct is enforced.

Recently, the school has noticed Vaping, a relatively new phenomenon amongst our young people. There have been some instances of students vaping at high school. We take this issue very seriously due to the adverse health effects vaping can have on our students.

On Friday, 10 June, the Minister for Education and Training, the Honorable Sue Ellery MLC, mentioned her concern and announced the new WA Schools Anti-Vaping Toolkit. At school, through our Pastoral Care Services and Health Curriculum, we continue to raise awareness of vaping and the dangers surrounding e-cigarettes.

The most significant misunderstanding about vapes is that they are harmless compared to cigarettes. It is not true; vapes are not safe.

VAPING FACTS

• Many vapes contain nicotine making them very addictive.
• The nicotine in 1 vape can equal 50 cigarettes.
• Vapes can contain the same harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killers, and bug spray. They just don’t put it on the pack.
• Vapes can leave young people at increased risk of depression and anxiety.
• Young people who vape are three times as likely to take up smoking cigarettes.
• Vape aerosol is not water vapour.
• Vaping has been linked to severe lung disease.
• Vapes that contain nicotine can cause long-lasting adverse effects on young people’s brain development.

Whether you suspect your child is vaping or not, take the time to talk to them about vaping and help them understand the risks. Try to start the conversation in a relaxed, easy-going way, be patient, and remember your goal is to have a conversation, not deliver a lecture. Importantly, have your facts ready.

Get the evidence and facts at www.education.wa.edu.au/drug-education.

Like all risk-taking behaviours, we need to highlight the dangers to our young people and provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions.

We will continue to provide students with health information through our Health Curriculum, Theme of The Week, and Pastoral Care programs on ‘vaping’ and other harmful activities.

Dear parents & guardians, we ask for your help and support with this. Please have a conversation with your children about the effects these products have on their bodies and outline the serious consequences they will face at school should they make poor choices.

We have zero tolerance for students bringing banned substances to school or supplying them to other students. E-cigarettes or vapes are considered a banned substance, and students involved in this type of activity will face the following consequences:

• Supplying e-cigarettes to other students (anywhere and anytime): 5-day suspension at home, a parent interview to discuss continued enrolment at school.
• In possession or using e-cigarettes at school: 3-day suspension at home, reflective activity on the health effects, and a parent interview.

We thank you for your support in keeping our young people safe and well.

I would like to personally extend my thanks to our teachers and staff as we complete another successful term with excellent teaching & learning practice at school.

I hope your child has a restful holiday with the family. The students in Years 10, 11, and 12 need to balance rest with some serious revision as their examinations start soon into Term 3, in sha Allah.

Sincerely,

Br. Mohammed Nazar Khan

Principal

Kewdale Campus