21 February 2025

Message from College Principal

Dear WCC Parents

As we step into another exciting year at Western Cape College, I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which our College stands, and pay my respects to Elders past, present, and emerging. We are privileged to learn, work, and grow on the lands of the Alngith and Tjungundi people in which our Weipa and Mapoon campuses are located Wik, Wik-Way, and Taepadhighi peoples, and we honour their enduring connection to Country, culture, and community.

I extend a warm welcome to all returning students, families, and staff, as well as a special greeting to those joining our College for the first time. We are delighted to have you as part of our community and look forward to supporting your journey at WCC.

It has been fantastic to see such strong attendance across the College in these first weeks of the year. Your commitment to making every day count is vital to student success, and I commend our families for prioritising learning from the outset.

At our recent College Leadership ceremony, I had the privilege of witnessing the next generation of student leaders step forward. Leadership at WCC is not about titles or accolades—it is about self-belief, self-awareness, and a commitment to making a difference. I encourage our student leaders to embrace this journey of growth and transformation, and I wish them every success as they lead their peers in 2025.

This year, our work as a College is guided by both our 2025 Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) and our Strategic Plan, which together define our vision, purpose, and key priorities. At WCC, our vision is to empower students to confidently pursue their passions and make meaningful contributions to vibrant and diverse communities, and our purpose is to deliver a rich and inclusive educational experience from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Our 2025 Annual Improvement Plan focuses on three key priorities: Positive Culture for Learning, Leading the Learning and Moderation. Through this plan, we are strengthening our commitment to a positive learning culture, high-quality teaching practices, and strong partnerships with families and community stakeholders.

We look forward to another year of growth, achievement, and collaboration, and I thank you for your ongoing support of WCC.

Kind regards
Dan Tonon
College Principal

Message from Associate Principal – Secondary

At Western Cape College, we embrace three core values that guide us every day: We are learners, we are safe, and we are respectful. These values are not just rules—they are the foundation of a positive, thriving school community. We encourage our students to cultivate a mindset of curiosity, perseverance, and growth. After all, learning is a journey, and every experience—no matter the challenge—is an opportunity to improve.

A heartfelt thank you to our parents, guardians, and carers for ensuring a strong start to the school year. Your commitment goes beyond providing a backpack and lunch; your role in helping children establish a healthy morning routine is crucial. The consistency of a good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and a positive mindset all contribute to school readiness and set the stage for success. When children start their day organised—whether by setting out clothes, packing their bag, or preparing schoolwork—they approach their day with confidence and purpose.

It’s been an exciting start to 2025 at WCC! Our students have already taken advantage of a wide variety of extracurricular opportunities. In just the first four weeks, we’ve had our student leaders attend a leadership camp in Townsville, kicked off sporting events, and celebrated with Year 12 families at the Clontarf dinner. This week, we recognised our 2025 student leaders at the Leadership Badge Ceremony. And if that wasn’t enough, we’ve had the honour of welcoming back Tia Toomey, who shared her inspiring journey to becoming the fittest woman in the world. She emphasised the importance of setting goals and working steadily toward them—a message that resonated with all of us.

If you ever feel your child could benefit from extra support—whether academic, social, or emotional—please reach out. Our dedicated student support team is here to assist. Together, we will ensure each student receives the help and resources they need to thrive.

Thank you for your continued partnership. We look forward to an incredible year ahead!

Kind regards
Kelly Dorries
Associate Principal – Secondary

Message from Associate Principal – Primary

Welcome back to a new year! I hope you all had a restful holiday and are ready for another exciting year of learning and growth. It’s wonderful to see all our returning students, and we are especially thrilled to welcome our new prep students who are starting their very first year of school and our new teachers to western cape college. Our community is truly special, and we are excited for the opportunities this year holds for every single student.

Changes for Prep Students- This year, we are introducing a new approach for our Prep students based on V9 of the Australian Curriculum. They will be “experiencing” a range of subject areas rather than being formally assessed and reported on. This shift allows them to explore different areas of learning without the pressure of formal assessments, giving them the space to develop their skills and confidence. We’re looking forward to seeing how our Prep students flourish in this supportive environment.

Stationery and SRS Invoices- A quick reminder to our families that stationery is included in the School Resource Scheme (SRS) this year along with all other necessary learning resources. Invoices for this will be forwarded to parents in the coming weeks.

Transition Success- We are pleased to report that the transition of our Year 4 students into Year 5 across the road has been extremely successful. It’s been wonderful to see our students adjust and continue their learning journey with enthusiasm and confidence. Additionally, we have seen smooth transitions across all other grades, with students settling well into their new classes. A special shout-out to our new Prep students, who are embracing their very first year of school with excitement and curiosity!

Welcoming University Students- This term, we are thrilled to have university students completing their practicum placements here at the school. These students are in both teaching and occupational therapy fields, and we are excited to have them bring their fresh perspectives and professional experiences to our school community. We welcome them with open arms and look forward to the positive impact they will have on our students.

Prep Classroom Upgrade- A long-awaited improvement to our school infrastructure will be the upgrade of the Prep classrooms, which is expected to begin in Week 8 of Term 2 and continue through to Week 3 of Term 4. During this time, the Prep classes will temporarily relocate to other spaces on the junior campus. While we understand this may cause some inconvenience, the end result will greatly enhance the learning environment for our Prep students, and we thank you for your understanding during this time of transition. I will provide further updates to prep families as I receive confirmed information.

Updated Homework Policy- We have updated our homework policy this year to include a strong focus on home reading. All students are expected to bring home readers and books to further develop their literacy skills. This important part of the learning process helps strengthen the skills they’re building in the classroom and provides an opportunity for continued learning at home. I encourage you to find time with your child for a small period each day to read to them and hear them read to you.

Guidance Officer Recruitment- As some of you may know, we are operating without our permanent Guidance Officer in the primary school. However, we are actively recruiting for this role and anticipate having a new Guidance Officer in place by the start of Term 2. We appreciate your patience as we work to fill this position and are utilising other college Guidance Officers and our Social Worker where required.

We’re excited for the year ahead, full of opportunities, growth, and collaboration. Thank you for being an integral part of our school community- if you have any feedback for our continued improvement, please reach out.

Kind regards
Amanda Allender
Associate Principal – Primary

Message from Head of Campus - Mapoon

As we step into the new school year at Mapoon Primary, we are excited to share some exciting updates! We have not only welcomed some fantastic new teachers to our team but also introduced a range of engaging activities that will enhance our students’ learning experiences and cultural connections. Our commitment to providing a well-rounded education continues, and we’re excited to embark on this journey together. Introducing our 2025 classroom teachers:

Miss Jo Sanewski – Kindy teacher. Miss Jo brings a wealth of experience and a passion for fostering creativity and connection in her classroom. With a focus on play-based learning, she aims to ignite curiosity and the love for learning in her Kindy students. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, running and fishing with her husband.

Miss Claire McAuliffe – Prep / Year 1 teacher.  Joining us all the way from Western Australia, Miss Claire is excited to teacher our Brolga students. Miss Claire loves to create hands-on learning experiences for her students, ensuring that learning is not only educational but also fun! Outside of school, Miss Claire likes to run, go camping and fishing.

Miss Stacey Hooper – Year 2 / 3 teacher. Miss Stacey moved to Mapoon in July 2024 with her husband and two children. Miss Stacey has a passion for art, creativity, reading and building strong connections with community members and families. This year Miss Stacey will continue to build our students passion for creativity by running our Art Club.

Miss Ruby Borzi – Year 4 / 5 / 6 teacher. Miss Ruby is passionate about ensuring every student has the support they need to thrive. She looks forward to supporting our Year 6 students prepare for high school. In her free time, Miss Ruby enjoys reading books, running and cooking.

Miss Katelyn Hill – HASS / Arts teacher. Miss Katelyn has joined us from Lockhart and is looking forward to building strong connections with all our students and families at Mapoon Primary. Miss Katelyn has a dog called Rosemary and she loves to take her dog on drives to see the amazing country.

In addition to our new teachers, we are grateful to have Diane Nicholls join us in the role of Community Liaison Officer. Aunty Di is a respected Elder of the Mapoon Community and she is looking forward to working together with the school and community members to build strong community and cultural connections.

We are also excited to introduce new clubs, including a Run Club, Art Club, Basketball Club, Boys and Girls Club, where students can explore their interests and develop new skills alongside their peers and build strong cultural connections with our community members and Elders.

We look forward to what this year can bring.

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Kind regards
Caroline Elliott
Head of Mapoon Campus

2024 Dux

Congratulations to our 2024 College Dux – Tyron Smith.

Ty is a quiet achiever whose dedication and hard work have earned him this well-deserved recognition. Ty will soon commence studying a Bachelor of Education at JCU in Townsville, and we wish him all the very best on this exciting journey. We look forward to the day he returns to WCC—not as a student, but as a teacher, inspiring the next generation.

2025 Student Leaders

During Tuesday's Leadership Ceremony, we proudly honoured our 2025 student leaders, presenting them with their badges as they stood before their peers, staff, family, and community members.

Our 2025 student leaders are stepping into a year filled with opportunity, growth, and the chance to make a lasting impact. As they take on the responsibility of guiding and inspiring their peers, they will lead with integrity, empathy, and a vision for a stronger, more connected community. This year, they will champion new ideas, foster inclusivity, and create meaningful change through their dedication and passion. Their leadership is not just about making decisions—it’s about empowering others, setting an example, and shaping a culture of collaboration and excellence. As they embark on this journey, we celebrate their commitment and look forward to the incredible difference they will make in the year ahead!

Tia-Clair Toomey

On Monday 10 February 2025, students, staff and our WCC community were treated to a visit by past students Tia-Clair Toomey and her husband, Shane. Tia-Clair is known as the fittest woman in the world being a 7-time CrossFit World Champion, as well as an Olympian and a Commonwealth Games gold medalist!

Tia-Clair was a student at WCC from Year 8 in 2006 through to Year 10 in 2008.  During their WCC visit, Tia-Clair and her husband walked through the school grounds and reminisced on their time and memories as a student all while being filmed for an upcoming documentary chronicling Tia-Clair’s life journey.

At a full school assembly, Tia-Clair to shared her journey from WCC through to becoming a champion.  Tia-Clair highlighted the importance of having education alongside your passion for sport.  She also shared inspirational wisdom such as the importance of “believing in yourself”, “focusing on what you can control, like your commitment to preparation whether it be training or study and not the outcome which you can't control".

Students who represented the Peninsula Region at a State level in 2024 were privileged to be mentored by Tia-Clair and Shane during a special session where they discussed difficulties of being a remote area; the importance of refuelling their bodies with the right nutrition and sleep; and the importance of having the right support people around you for encouragement to succeed.

WCC Student Wellbeing

School Based Youth Health Nurse

WCC’s School Based Youth Health Nurse (SBYHN) service is back up and running for 2025.

How can our SBYHN support your young person? Click on Guide for parents and carers to find out more.

School Immunisation Program (SIP – Years 7 and 10

The Queensland School Immunisation Program enables Year 7 and Year 10 students to be vaccinated through their school for free.

The School Immunisation Program (SIP) is fast approaching with the first dose of vaccines being administered on Tuesday 11 March and Wednesday 12 March 2025.

Year 7 students will be receiving Human papillomavirus (HPV): dose 1 and diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (Whooping cough): dose 1.

Year 10 students will be receiving Meningococcal ACWY strains: dose 1 and Meningococcal B strains: dose 1. (Dose 2 of meningococcal B will be given 2 months later).

In preparation for the upcoming immunisations, all Year 7 and 10 students have been provided with a consent pack to be completed by their parents/guardians/carers. These need to be returned by Friday 21 February 2025 to the main Admin Office. These packs contain information on the immunisations being administered, the diseases they are targeting and the common side effects post vaccination.

Kind regards
Ashley White
School Based Youth Health Nurse
Ph: 0429 896 899

NAPLAN 2025

NAPLAN  (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) will be conducted for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 this term.  Please see our WCC NAPLAN Timetable for more information. 

Click on the link for specific parent and carer information regarding NAPLAN.

Secondary Update

Senior Schooling Update

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students,

Welcome to Week 4! Well done to our secondary students who have settled back into their school routines and are now preparing for their first assessments of 2025. Assessment schedules for this term have been distributed to all students—this is a valuable tool to help them stay organised and manage their study time effectively.

Earlier this week, we proudly celebrated our students’ achievements and leadership qualities at the Leadership Badge Ceremony. It was a significant moment for our school community as we recognised the dedication, initiative, and commitment of our student leaders. A special mention goes to our 76 Year 12 students who received their senior badges, marking their important role as mentors and role models for younger students. Congratulations to all badge recipients!

Our Year 10 students have also had an exciting start to the year, commencing their Certificate II in Tourism course with external trainers visiting Weipa to deliver the program. As part of this qualification, students will also gain a First Aid certification, equipping them with valuable skills for both their studies and future careers. Later in the year, they will travel to Mission Beach to take part in leadership and tourism-related experiences—an incredible opportunity to apply their learning in a real-world setting.

Thank you to the parents, guardians, and families who joined us for our Meet and Greet afternoon on Tuesday, 18 February. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with teachers, build relationships, and strengthen the home-school partnership that is so essential for student success.

I also want to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for our dedicated teachers and staff. Your commitment and dedication makes a real difference in the lives of our students every day—thank you for all that you do!

As always, we appreciate your ongoing support and involvement in our school community. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Kind regards
Siobhan Wilson
Deputy Principal Senior Secondary

Primary Update

Prep-2 Sector Update

Welcome to 2025 in the Early Years!

What a fantastic start to the school year we’ve had in Prep to Year 2. It has been wonderful to see our students settling into their new classrooms, forming friendships, and embracing learning with enthusiasm. A special welcome to all our new families—we are thrilled to have you as part of our school community.

This year, we also welcome new staff to our Early Years team. Prep has a whole new teaching team with Miss Millard, Mrs Maxwell, and Miss Dooley leading our youngest learners. Supporting them, Miss Hannah and Miss Emma-Leigh will be joining Miss Gigi as Prep teacher aides.

Our Year 1 team remains unchanged, with Mrs Williscroft, Mrs Trenaman, and Miss Stoddart continuing their fantastic work.

In Year 2, we welcome back Mrs Kootoofa and introduce Miss Orman and Miss Derby, who bring fresh energy and expertise to the team.

Our Preppies have made a smooth transition into ‘big school,’ learning routines and engaging in hands-on activities that build early literacy and numeracy skills. Year 1 and Year 2 students have dived straight into their learning, exploring new concepts in mathematics and some exciting science investigations. It has been fantastic to see the curiosity and creativity in our classrooms.

With plenty of exciting events and learning experiences ahead, we look forward to a wonderful term of growth. Thank you to our families for your ongoing support, we can’t wait to share more of our learning journey with you.

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Kind regards
Lydia Jamieson
Deputy Principal P-2

Year 3-4 Sector Update

Welcome new students and their families. Our teachers and staff are committed to making your child’s learning and social experiences at WCC as enjoyable as possible. Please reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns.

This year we have an amazing team of established and new teachers:

• Teacher Cohort Leader (TCL): Mrs Melanie Brewer
• Year 3: Ms Emma Cerutto, Ms Sherece McCulloch, Ms Emma Landro
• Year 4: Ms Kate Corbett, Ms Lizzy Polak, Mrs Kate Cunningham
• Inclusion: Ms Kellie Bithell, Ms Marita Birch

A dedicated support team also works with students from Years P-6. We are grateful for these experts in their field and the amazing support from our Teacher Aides on a daily basis in Years 3 and 4.

This term, Year 4s are studying the Twits by Roald Dahl. They are playing pranks on staff and students to gain real life experience before writing their own chapter.

Year 3s are writing to persuade me to do amazing things for them. I’m not sure I can deliver on a million dollar playground, pool or all day lunch breaks. We are also excited about the Year 3 caterpillars’ journey into butterflies. Keep watching social media for updates!

We hope that you attended our Open Classrooms on Tuesday afternoon to see your child’s work and classroom. Please come to our Parent Teacher conferences at both Weipa and Napranum in Week 9 this term to see more of the wonderful work your child is doing at school.

A massive thank you to parents, students and teachers for managing our monsoonal weather these past weeks. The students have been a credit to all families. They have remained calm, dry and followed instructions as usual even after long periods of time inside.

Homework will be out in Week 4 and we trust that you will enjoy reading with your child which is our primary focus this year. Reading is not an easy skill to learn and it needs a village to raise a reader. Read with your child. Read to your child. Listen when your child reads to you. Ask questions about the book or text you are reading together. We will see greater results when we work together to support our students.

Have a fantastic week.

Kind regards
Danielle Ross
Deputy Principal, Years 3-4

5/6 Sector Update

A big welcome back to all students and families.

There are a few new faces around the 5/6 sector this year. In Year 5, we have Miss Beasley joining the team, along with Miss Mon and Miss Carson. Miss Beasley has previously supported some of our residential students and is excited to get back to Primary and get to know some of the younger students in our College.

In Year 6, we have Miss Smith, Miss Ostler and Ms McVean. Miss Smith and Ms McVean are new to our College this year and have settled in well. The students are making them feel welcome with numerous detailed stories about fishing adventures and secret swimming spots.

Mrs Lynch continues this year as our 5/6 Teaching Cohort Leader and Ms Hunter is continuing as our PCL Teacher.

Please make the time over the coming weeks to touch base with your child’s classroom teacher via phone, email or face to face. They are always to first point of contact for families and building a strong and positive relationship between home and school is crucial to a successful year of schooling.

Looking forward to meeting all of our new families over the team and welcoming our existing families back.

Kind regards
Danielle Krall
Deputy Principal - Years 5 & 6

Year 6 Update

Year 6 students, Deniz, Maryanne, Alfreda, Ebenezer, Pearl, Evangeline, Peyton, Nathan, Flynn and Tanner, sparked their curiosity exploring the world of electricity. In their science unit this term, they are hands on with simple and series circuits, discovering how energy flows and lights up their learning.

Uniform Shop Update

In the lead up to our interschool Cross Country on Friday 21 March, our Uniform Shop is extending its opening hours.

Do you need a house shirt or hat? Place your order online via Flexischools and receive a 5% discount on Sports house Polos. - www.flexischools.com.au. 

Community Announcements