Year 6 - Year 7 transition program

It is our pleasure to welcome you and your young person to our wonderful learning community which supports and encourages students to achieve their full potential in an inclusive and caring environment based on our core values of respect, responsibility and excellence.

Go to Principal's welcome for more information including our school vision.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we teach and learn, the Pambalong people of the Awabakal nation.

We pay our respect to all Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff, families and community.

For more information about our Aboriginal education team including key contacts, visit Aboriginal education.

We offer many opportunities at West Wallsend High School for students to connect outside the classroom. Go to Clubs and groups to find out more.

Regular attendance at school for every student is essential if students are to achieve their potential and increase their career and life options. At West Wallsend High School, we have high expectations regarding student attendance and work with students and families to promote and support attendance.

We regularly monitor student attendance and contact the student and their parent/carer if attendance becomes a concern. We also celebrate and reward student attendance throughout the year.

Go to Rules and policies for a list of attendance FAQs.

Go to Bell times to find our current bell times and download a copy for your reference.

Go to Canteen to download our current canteen menu and find information about ordering online via QuickCliq.

If you have had any change of details, such as address, phone number (including mobile number), email address or living arrangements, please make sure you notify the school as soon as possible.

Please also notify the school if there is a change to your nominated emergency contact phone numbers.

You may notify the school of these changes via the:

• Sentral Parent Portal.
• Change of family details form located at Our Forms.
• Hard copy 'Change of family details form' available at our office.

Visit Communication to find out how we connect with families.

Some of the platforms we use such as the Sentral Parent Portal require parents/carers to register for access. If this is your first young person to enrol at West Wallsend High School, you will receive an email in Term 1 containing a family access key for the Sentral Parent Portal.

If you forget how to log in to our platforms, you can find links at Our Useful Links or embedded in the image on our Communication webpage.

We will also invite parents/carers to join our Year 7 closed Facebook group.

Visit Our Learning to find out what your young person will learn at our school including the stages of learning and structure of our curriculum.

For many young people, the start of high school marks the start of exposure to smartphones, social media and apps. We encourage you to visit our tips and resources at eSafety to support you in navigating your young person's online safety.

Visit Student health and safety to learn about our asthma and anaphylaxis health procedures and rules regarding bikes, scooters, illegal and prohibited items, and personal property.

Individual work at home in addition to classwork is essential for students to learn successfully. Go to Help with homework for tips to support your young person.

Our Stage 4 Horizon program meets the needs of students who would benefit from a more structured, strength-focused class provided by one core teacher for a number of key learning areas in a homeroom learning environment. All students in the Horizon program will have one core teacher for at least three key learning areas. 

Go to Horizon class to find out more.

Visit Inclusive learning support to access resources and information for students with disability and/or additional learning and support needs.

Further information about our support classes can be found on our Support faculty page and on our Birabahn and Kapara pages.

Our Integr8 program is an innovative numeracy improvement initiative. Students in Years 7 and 8 participate in an engaging Integr8 lesson each fortnight with targeted explicit teaching, problem solving and gamified activities that build individual and group numeracy skills.

A key focus of the program is to build students’ confidence in their numeracy abilities and their enjoyment of mathematics. Through appropriately levelled challenges, fun and interactive games and group-based problem solving, students build their skills in a way that is stress-free and enjoyable.

The following guide may be helpful when contacting the school for matters affecting your young person. All enquiries should be directed through our front office. Details can be found at Contact us.

In response to the NSW Government and Department of Education’s (DoE) Student Use of Mobile Phones in Schools Policy, our school has developed the West Wallsend High School Mobile Phone and Personal Technology Procedure to guide the way mobile phones and personal technology are accessed by students during the school day.

For further information including a visual procedure, visit Mobile phone & personal tech policy and procedures.

Where it seems that a student’s progress is ‘at risk’ or the student is reluctant to take advantage of educational opportunities offered by the school, a range of strategies may be employed.

Contact with parents/carers is made first.

If necessary, the Year Advisor will arrange an interview with parents/carers, student and class teachers. Progress reports may be arranged from time to time in consultation with the Year Advisor, Head Teacher Wellbeing and Deputy Principal.

All students in Years 7 and 8 will engage with our literacy program, ‘obLITerate’. This program is designed and created by teachers at our school to meet the personalised needs of our students.

Students will have one lesson per week that is an explicit literacy lesson. These lessons revolve around core literacy skills such as spelling, punctuation, grammar and reading skills. The lessons follow a structure that is based around game style activities and content that is tailored to our students.

In addition to their lesson, we have a ‘Word of the Week’ that is shared via the daily notices. Students are encouraged to use this complex word in their conversations during the week to win a Zooper Dooper.

We encourage families to join our Parents and Citizens’ Association (P&C) to hear direct updates from our senior executive team and to voice ideas or concerns.

Visit Parents, carers and the community to find out more.

PBL stands for Positive Behaviour for Learning.

It is a consistent, school-wide system of support that helps define, teach and support appropriate student behaviours, creating a positive school environment.

For more information about PBL and our commendation system, visit Positive Behaviour for Learning.

Core rules

All students in NSW government schools are expected to:

• Attend school every day, unless they are legally excused, and be in class on time and prepared to learn.
• Maintain a neat appearance, including adhering to the requirements of the school’s uniform or dress code policy. Correct enclosed footwear for practical subjects is compulsory. 
• Behave safely, considerately and responsibly, including when travelling to and from school.
• Show respect at all times for teachers, other school staff and helpers, including following class rules, speaking courteously, cooperating with instructions, and learning activities.
• Treat one another with dignity and respect.
• Care for property belonging to themselves, the school and others.

Go to Rules and policies to find out more.

Early in Term 1 parents/carers will receive information regarding school financial contributions. School contributions help provide additional educational resources for the benefit of students. Payment is voluntary. Visit Financial contributions and assistance to find out more.

Families experiencing financial difficulty should contact our Head Teacher Wellbeing for support.

Our Spark class is part of the High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) program at West Wallsend High School which is committed to high-quality educational outcomes for all high potential and gifted learners.

Go to Spark class to find out more.

Year 7 students will participate in a specialised sport program in Term 1. During this program students will be introduced to some of our local sporting venues including our cross-country course. There will be a specific focus on skill development in a range of team-based sports and a strong emphasis will be placed on participation, team skills and enjoyment. 

Students will also be required to participate in a mandatory swimming program at West Wallsend Swim Centre.

Year 7 will be given the opportunity to select a sport from the wider 7-10 sport program for Terms 2-4.

For more information about sport at West Wallsend High School including carnivals, representative sport, knockout compeitions, gala days and school sport, visit our Sport page.

To learn more about our sport houses including house colours and the history of our house names, visit Sport houses.

Go to Our staff to find a list of West Wallsend High School staff members including the senior executive team, head teachers, teachers and Year 7 advisor.

Helping our students develop leadership skills is not just confined to formal positions. We encourage all students to be leaders. Students are given many opportunities to lead including in the classroom, on the sporting field, at community events and as mentors to other students.

To find out more, visit Student leadership.

Visit Student support and wellbeing to find out ways in which we support our students at West Wallsend High School including our Small group wellbeing programs.

For more information about our counselling services, visit School counselling service or make a referral using the Referral to school counsellor form located at Our Forms.

Go to Subject requirements to view and download our 'tools for learning' guides.

The first day for Year 7 2024 is Thursday 1 February 2024. Year 7 students will have an ID photo taken for Sentral on this day so please ensure your young person is in full school uniform.

• Visit NSW school holidays for school holiday and term dates.
• Go to Calendars to download printable calendars and planners.

Our library provides resources to support students and staff in their learning and teaching as well as for leisure-time activities.

Students will usually be sharing the library space with students and staff from other classes as well as our senior study space where Year 12 are working. It's important that everyone works quietly in this shared space.

Students can borrow books directly from the library or through our WWHS eLibrary.

Go to Location and transport for further information about school Opal cards and bus timetables.

When students wear a school uniform, they feel included in our school community.

Our school uniform reflects school community standards and expectations. It is based on strong student and parent voice and the whole school community has a role to play in encouraging the meeting of these standards.

We expect students to wear full school uniform:

• during school hours
• while travelling to and from school
• when engaged in school activities out of school hours
• on excursions unless otherwise stated.

Enclosed leather shoes are required at all times.

For more information, visit Uniform.

For assistance with uniforms, please contact our Head Teacher Wellbeing.

Year 7 2025 camp information TBA.