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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-03-19 Daily Xml
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Windsor Gardens Secondary College

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (15:27): Create, Inspire, Excel is the motto for the newly named Windsor Gardens Secondary College in my electorate of Torrens. These words truly reflect the feel of the college as you walk through its new performing arts music recording suites, impressive classrooms, commercial standard kitchen, art exhibitions and speak with the students. With 56 different cultural groups, Windsor Gardens Secondary College this week is a hive of activity as it embraces Harmony Day. Students are creating images of silhouettes with their origins, country and cultural emblems, for showcasing at a special Harmony Day assembly next week and then for exhibiting under the heading, 'Lots of places, lots of faces,' outside the school's multimedia building.

This heading is also the theme for the movie ImagiNATION produced by last year's media students and entered in the Department for Education and Child Development's New Media Awards. I have seen this movie and it is a fantastic documentary. As a finalist, it was shown at the Piccadilly Cinema and also formed part of the Adelaide Kids Film Festival, and the students and school community are very proud of it.

Among the diversity of cultural groups at Windsor is the Wiltja senior students, Anangu students from across the central desert regions of South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. They live locally at the Wiltja facility at Northgate and attend Windsor Gardens Secondary College during the school day. At the end of last year, eight Wiltja students successfully completed their SACE. I was pleased to be able to attend their graduation at the impressive John DiFede Reception Centre and to congratulate the students and meet with their families.

I have also had the pleasure of dining at the school's Parndendi Café, where students studying for their certificates cooked and served the meals. They were immaculately attired in their hospitality uniforms. They were well spoken and confident and MasterChef could probably learn a lesson from these students. From the service, the menu and, importantly, the taste, the whole experience was a glowing example of the success of the school's program. The cafe's name, Parndendi, is an Aboriginal word meaning 'sparkle', and that is exactly what it does. The cafe is open to the public during terms 3 and 4 for lunch and dinner and, if you want to go, you need to book.

The college also incorporates the Windsor Gardens Centre for Hearing Impaired for students from years 8 to 13. Known as the CHI students, they have access to the entire curriculum, and they receive expert support from experienced teachers and staff to develop their skills and to transition into future study, training or work. Windsor Gardens Secondary College also offers students the full range of Australian curriculum and SACE subjects across years 8 to 12. In addition, it offers a successful pathways program in engineering, business, sport and recreation, laboratory skills, hospitality, creative industries, building and construction, and community services.

The 2014 graduates from Windsor who completed their SACE and achieved their ATAR have accepted university offers and this year commenced studies in a variety of fields, including science, health science, engineering, media, social science, nursing and teaching. Next year, in 2016, the college will have a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), with pathways developed through to university in those areas of new clean technologies. It will also be offering a certificate in music (Certificate III in Technical Production), which will be delivered in the new music suite, which incorporates a performance space, practice rooms and a recording studio.

There is already a significant cohort of music and arts students at the college, and I have had the good fortune in the past two years to attend Windsor Under the Stars, an annual arts evening staged by the college, to see and hear the students on stage as well as to view exhibitions of their multimedia, painting and photography. At all year levels, students at Windsor Gardens Secondary College are engaged in projects that provide creative thinking, such as the very popular Pedal Prix, Concept to Creation, dramatic games and media competitions, and academic challenges.

It has developed over 100 partnerships with universities, local businesses and community groups which support the students to gain real life experiences which provide learning for their future pathways. College principal Paulette Sargent told me that the college focuses on developing the students' educational achievements, vocational skills, academic knowledge and IT skills.

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