Students are given a broad range of opportunities and experiences to develop their skills across a range of academic, performing arts, sport, service learning and co-curricular activities.
Christian Education and Service Tours
The spiritual and liturgical programme in the School is varied.
In the Secondary School, worship is predominantly conducted in Houses. House Reflections are held throughout the school year, while Year groups share in the Eucharist at least twice during the year.
In Secondary, each year level studies a different Christian Education Programme course. These courses are Australian written and endeavour to reveal the truths and foundations of the Christian faith in the everyday lives of young people. In Senior Secondary, classes can become more tutorial like with studies in world views, religions, overseas service learning, and moral and ethical issues.
Service Immersion Tours have become integral to Service Learning and are designed to inspire the intellectual, spiritual, emotional and social development of our students. Immersion is designed to deeply involve participants beyond their comfort zones, cross-culturally and through new relationships. These experiences often lead to the transformation of students’ intellectual and emotional view of the world. The Anglican Schools Commission has a school in Samoa and students can attend a service learning tour to support the school in any of the term breaks across the year.
The School commenced its Overseas Service Learning journey in 2012, when two staff and six students went with the ASC Reachout Pilgrimage to Manila, in the Philippines, to work with ‘informal’ communities. The School continued to be a part of this program until the end of 2015. Then following an exploratory visit by Fr Noel and Mrs Helen Oakey, coordinated with the help of ABM, the School entered a three year MOU with the Diocese of Taungoo, Myanmar. This pilgrimage (first in 2016) took students to the mountains near the Thai border and the people of Thandaung Gyi. Here students and staff lived for eight days, immersing themselves in the life of the village and working in schools, kindies etc.
Community Connections
The links between service and the curriculum allow students to relate the lessons of the classrooms to the realities of the outside world to apply what they have learned in the wider community.
The programmes encourage students to make connections between intellectual and social development, leading to action and reflection.
Current Community Connections:
- Uniform Free Dress Days - each year a different charity or organisation is selected for the Day's proceeds to be donated to.
Additional programmes Frederick Irwin Anglican School staff and students participate in include:
- Anglicare Sleep - Out at Optus Stadium
- Anglicare Ambassadors (Years 10-12)
- Relay For Life staff team, and a morning tea for staff.
- Ongoing Cancer Council support – (Biggest Morning Tea and Daffodil Day)
- Sponsor a Child
The Arts - Music and Drama
Inspiring the development of creativity. All students have the opportunity to step into a world of visual and performance arts and develop their confidence in creative self-expression.
Students develop their practical, problem solving and analytical skills through all our Arts, whilst having the opportunity to experiment and take risks in our extensive and varied programmes. Our Arts are delivered within our Academic Curriculum, as well as within our House system and Co-curricular programmes, providing an all-inclusive education.
Music
Music is at the heart and soul Frederick Irwin Anglican School. With many of the School's student population involved in instrumental and vocal lessons, or in musical ensembles, music is an area where students are wholly engaged from an early age through to Year 12.
Frederick Irwin offers a diverse and exciting range of arts offerings across Secondary Campus. We have a team of highly skilled music teachers and tutors. With a Musical production every two (2) years, an annual music camp, outstanding small drama productions and an eclectic range of music ensembles and instrumental tuition.
To apply for the Music Programme click here.
Drama
The aim of our Drama programme is to build students’ abilities in all facets of dramatic performance, so as to maximise skills and capacities, and to develop within each student a lifelong appreciation of theatre, for the enrichment of their lives and of others.
Each student’s creative ability is developed and nurtured by activities that can include acting, direction, dramaturgy, stage management, set design, costume, lighting, properties, make-up and sound. Frederick Irwin Anglican School recognises and supports the important role Drama plays in our lives.
Curricular and Co-Curricular Programmes
All students are able to be involved in Curricular and Co-curricular performance activities. Drama is a compulsory subject for Years 7 and 8 students, and becomes an elective from Year 9 to Year 12.
The Drama Department offers Drama ATAR (WACE) as part of the Year 11 and Year 12 Curriculum.
Every second year, the students have the opportunity to participate in a Years 7 to 12 drama production or musical. Recent notable productions include The Wizard of Oz, Matilda, Little Shop of Horrors, Oliver and Mary Poppins.
Health and Physical Education
Sport is highly valued and forms an integral part of the school culture at Frederick Irwin Anglican School.
At Frederick Irwin we recognise that participation in sporting endeavours makes a critical contribution to a child’s holistic development and their participation in life long active healthy lives.
All students from Kindergarten to Year 12 are involved in compulsory Physical Education each week and we currently have over 100 teams participating in 16 sporting codes through a variety of school and community associations.
Frederick Irwin participates in Associated Catholic Colleges Sports Carnivals (ACC) Swimming, Cross Country Running and Athletics as well as Champion Schools Competitions in Basketball, Hockey and Soccer. We participate in School Sport WA Champion School Competitions, AFL, Basketball, surfing, netball, hockey, equestrian and triathlon, in addition to students representing our school in a variety of community sports associations, and for Primary students numerous sporting events and competitions as part of the Peel School Sports Association Carnivals (PSSA).
It is one of our primary goals to provide all students the opportunity to play sport and develop their skills whatever their previous experience. Frederick Irwin Anglican School will again be represented by students who are very talented and experienced right down to those playing their first games. At Frederick Irwin Anglican School we believe players at all levels need to feel valued and supported.
We see sport at Frederick Irwin Anglican School providing the opportunity for all students who choose to participate, to be active, have some fun and experience some success in a quality sports experience. At the same time we aim to provide players with a pathway that supports the achievement of excellence in their chosen sport and recognise their individual achievements.
As a school we are very excited to have the addition of the Frederick Irwin Anglican Schools ‘Kwobadiny Sports Scholarships’ to further support our elite athletes in pursuit of their goals. Year 11 and 12 students can also apply for permission to participate in a SCSA endorsed Elite Sports Programme which provides addition time during the school day to assist in balancing the demands of both school and sport.
Increasing evidence demonstrates that the benefits of greater physical activity participation include assisting with maximising children’s learning, as well as improving their physical, social and mental health – benefits that are likely to extend into adolescence and adult life.
Frederick Irwin has a culture of participation, a culture that can be strengthened and enhanced to provide exemplary outcomes for our students.
Tours and Outdoor Education Camps
Venturing beyond the classroom encourages students to develop their social and leadership skills, build teamwork, develop self-reliance and resilience by engaging in unique experiences that compliment and support the Frederick Irwin core values.
Ski Trip
- Year 12 students at Frederick Irwin Anglican School, who have been supportive of the ethos of the school over their time at Frederick Irwin Anglican School, have the opportunity to participate in the annual ski trip. Students travel to Mt Perisher in the Snowy Mountains for seven days of skiing with a visit to the Australian Institute of Sport and the War Memorial in Canberra on their way home.
Outdoor Education Camps
Students who have selected Outdoor Education as an elective course participate in a camp or expedition which includes activities relevant to the skills and knowledge they have learnt through the year. The camping or expedition available to students builds from Year 9 where students participate in a residential camp experience essentially directed by staff to Year 12 where students participate in a completely self-sufficient, self-reliant expedition in a remote, physically challenging environment.
Significant focus is placed on concepts of sustainability, of building self-confidence, self-reliance, resilience, and leadership.
- Year 9 Outdoor Education Camp – Year 9 Outdoor Education students choose between a four-day camp conducted either at Lane Poole Reserve, Nanga, or Geographe Bay, Dunsborough. Activities are undertaken which are specific to the environment of the camp including; canoeing, mountain biking, orienteering, bushwalking, sea kayaking and camp cooking. All students camp in tents and are responsible for their own meal preparation for the duration.
- Year 10 Outdoor Education Camp – Year 10 Outdoor Education students participate in a four-day camp held in various locations in the Blackwood River area. Students camp in tents in one location and are responsible for the provision and preparation of all their meals during the camp. Activities undertaken specific to the environment of the camp including; canoeing, mountain biking, abseiling and climbing, bushwalking, sea kayaking, surfing and camp cooking.
- Year 11 Outdoor Education Camp – Year 11 Outdoor Education students prepare for and participate in, their first five-day expedition experience where they are mobile over the week in a mode of transport of their choosing. Modes of transport can include bushwalking, mountain biking, canoeing, sea kayaking, sailing or a multi-disciplined experience. Increasing emphasis is placed on self-reliance and leadership.
- Year 12 Outdoor Education Camp – Year 12 Outdoor Education is the culmination of the Outdoor Education experience at Frederick Irwin Anglican School. Students prepare for and participate in a five-day bushwalking expedition, in a remote physically challenging location of their choice where they are completely self-sufficient and self-reliant during the week, carrying all their provisions. Locations for these experiences are determined by the students and have included Kalbarri National Park (between Nature’s Window and the Ross Graham Lookout), the Stirling Ranges ‘Ridge Walk’ and various sections of the Bibbulmun Track on the south coast. The expedition addresses major outcomes of GT Outdoor Education, Year 12 Outdoor Education.
Sporting Competitions and Carnivals
One of the goals of the School is to provide all students with the opportunity to participate in sport, have some fun, be active, develop their sporting skills whatever their previous experience and partake in some success.
The School is also focused on providing students with pathways that supports their achievement of excellence in their chosen sport(s), recognising that through participation in quality sports experiences, students can develop personal skills related to commitment, determination, perseverance, support, encouragement and resilience. Participation in a Frederick Irwin Anglican School team demands exemplary conduct and sportsmanship.
Participation in sport provides life skills beyond the enjoyment of the sport itself, including teamwork and developing healthy and active lifestyle habits which we hope will endure.
Inter-School Competitions
Frederick Irwin Anglican School maintains a strong commitment to providing the opportunity for students to represent their school and participate in sport in both local competitions and Inter-School competitions.
The Inter-School competitions include ACC (Associated Catholic Colleges) – Swimming , Cross Country , Athletics. We also participate in sports competitions offered by SSWA ( School Sport Western Australia)
Additional to this wide range of sports are available to students:
Basketball, Cricket, Football, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Sailing, Soccer, Surfing, Tennis, Triathlons, Water Polo.
Inter-House Carnivals
The School provides opportunities for all students to engage in sports carnivals through the House system, with Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country being the ‘Big 3’. Here both participation and excellence in performance are valued and encouraged.
Plus: Endball, Footy 9’s, Grasketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Soccer, Volleyball.
Extension Challenges
The Secondary School offers a range of extension activities for students which range from Technology challenges to Mathematics and Writing projects. These are open and inclusive activities focused on a range of challenges often including critical and creative thinking.
Year 12 Engineering Pathways
Preparations are well underway for our entry in the 2020 eV Challenge. The eV Challenge powered by Synergy is Australia’s longest running electric motorsport competition, first established in 2001. The aim of the event is to have teams – mainly from high schools – design, build, test and construct a small single seat electric vehicle. Powered by a limited battery capacity and built to a limited budget, teams try and complete as many laps of a closed course as possible in 1 hour. Our year 12 VET students have been designing and prototyping our entry for 2020. They are currently designing steering, braking and the other required systems around a wooden prototype of the Chassis Design. Work is well underway on the final Aluminium Chassis, with production of all of the other systems to occur when we return to school. Whilst students are working from home they are completing the required theory associated with this course and 3D modelling various components of the car to ensure their success in production. The event is Scheduled for later in the Year and hopefully the efforts of our students will be recognised with success on the track.
Talented Young Writers’ Programmes (TYWP): Young Writers’ and Youth Literature Days (Years 8-10)
The purpose of this great adventure is to nurture a group of young writers over several years by exposing them not only to superb authors but also to their own talents. For Term 1 and Term 3, the same group of talented young writers from multiple schools come together for a day working with one of Australia’s top authors for their age group. Each author is a brilliant teacher of his/her craft, offering some informative, practical, and fun inspiration. During the day the author shares their background experiences relevant to their books and incorporates several readings from them and then presents two or three hands-on creative writing workshops, exploring different techniques and ideas. The students engage in silent writing, editing and sharing with both a partner and the larger group when confident and encouraged to do so. Any aspiring future authors, or avid readers within the school, are encouraged to indicate their interest to Mrs Linda Preston, Head of English, for 2021.
Australian Olympic Change-Maker
The Australian Olympic Change-Maker program recognises and rewards students who are demonstrating the Olympic spirit through leadership and driving positive change in their communities. Students are chosen through- displaying leadership through sport at Frederick Irwin or local community and/or Using sport as a vehicle to improve health and well-being and drive social change at school or local community. A comment from our 3 chosen representatives in 2019; Georgia Payne, Daniel Riegert, Keegan Williams: “The 2019 Olympic Change-maker conference was an amazing and truly inspiring experience. Daniel Riegert, Keegan Williams and myself, Georgia Payne joined over 100 young athletes making changes in Western Australian communities for a day of lectures and inspiring panel discussions at Curtin University. The event is a new initiative from the Australian Olympic Committee to positively change schools and communities by young athletes working to influence people to change for the better.”
The event was rich in inspiration, with a panel of olympians as guest speakers including Grant Irvine, Jake Whetton, Brooke Peris and MC Jesse Phillips. These influential athletes spoke to us about what they had achieved in there careers, including many medals, and the three panelists spoke of their continued Olympic journeys to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Keynote speaker Olivia Vivian, Olympic gymnast and ninja warrior finalist, provided one of the most inspiring and thought provoking speeches about the dedication and hardwork she has put in to her gymnastics and as a ninja, overcoming obstacles as the first woman to ever reach the grand final in the TV show series. We also had a basketball clinic hosted by four time Olympian and Wildcat basketball player Andrew Vlahov.
The event was a great opportunity to meet with other like minded athletes who are pushing for changes in our communities using sport to promote healthy lifestyles and break cultural, gender and age barriers.