August 2025
Principal
Dear Durham Community,
It’s been another busy and exciting term at Durham Road School, filled with learning, achievements, and celebrations.
Our Leadership Team recently attended two days of professional learning at the Leadership Institute on Leading School Improvement. This valuable training has equipped us with fresh skills and strategies to guide the creation of our new Business Plan and to continue driving student improvement. A heartfelt thank you to our amazing Durham team who kept everything running smoothly in our absence – your dedication makes all the difference.
A special moment this term was Indie’s inspiring speech on the importance of inclusion at the Rotary Schools Speaking Contest in Bedford. Indie did an incredible job, and we are so proud of her! Thank you to the Satellite 4 team for helping her prepare and to Rotary Morley for providing this wonderful opportunity. It was a truly special community event attended by many.
We also celebrated NAIDOC, where students and staff came together to honour culture, history, and community. The highlight of the day was a captivating dance performance by the talented Trinity College Didge and Dance Boys – a memory we will all treasure.
The term has been brimming with activities, including Pyjama Day, where many students and staff came to school in their cosiest PJs, raising funds for Telethon. A big thank you to everyone who supported this fun event for a great cause.
Teachers are currently meeting with families to design Individual Education Plans (IEPs), which will be sent home soon. These important conversations help ensure every student’s learning journey is tailored to their needs and goals.
Looking ahead, we have more exciting events on the horizon. Next week, we celebrate Book Week, followed closely by Science Week. Please keep an eye on the school calendar, as there’s still so much to enjoy this term.
And don’t forget – our 50th Celebration and Annual Art Exhibition will be held early next term on October 23. We look forward to welcoming our whole school community for this milestone event.
Thank you for your ongoing support in making Durham Road School a place where every student can learn, grow, and shine.
Kind Regards,
Ellen McAllister
Principal
From the Leadership Team
It has been a busy but productive start to the term for our Early Years and Primary students. Our recent NAIDOC Day celebrations were a resounding success! The students enjoyed a wonderful day of activities, learning, and cultural appreciation. The assembly was a highlight, showcasing student engagement and respect for the occasion. A heartfelt thank you to the NAIDOC Committee for their hard work in organising such a memorable and meaningful day for our school community.
Teachers are currently busy with Individual Education Plan meetings, working closely to develop individualised plans for students. These plans will be sent home in the coming weeks, ensuring families are well-informed and involved in their child’s learning journey.
There has been a change to the Room 12 and Room 16 Assembly! It will now be held on Friday 12th September at 9:30am.
Looking ahead, we have an exciting term in store with Science Week, Book Week, and our much-loved Father’s Day Breakfast on the horizon. We can’t wait to see the creativity, curiosity, and community spirit these events always inspire!
Term 3 has commenced with a splash of wet and cold weather and students engaging in their secondary educational program. It has been pleasing to see the pride students show in their progress brought about by the wonderful support from staff. This term we welcome new staff to the Secondary team. Stefanie Yearn joins us from the Early Years team. Stefanie works in room 25 and has hit the ground running. Gary Francis joins our team, supporting in room 24. Gary is getting to know the staff and students being fairly new to the Durham Road context. Big welcome to Stefanie and Gary, we know you will really enjoy working in the Secondary phase.
We also welcome a number of Education Assistants to the Secondary phase this term. Big welcome to Veronika Hayman, Jen Deaman, Pat Mangmee and Nancy Sequeira. It is great to have you with us in support of the students.
Given we are in the middle of winter we wish all the students and staff the best of health during the colder months. We are so pleased to see so many students working hard, interacting with each other and striving for their goals.
Uniform Reminder
A friendly reminder to all parents:
- Early Years & Primary (Kindy – Year 6): Red polo top
- Secondary (Years 7 – 12): Navy polo top
Please ensure your child is wearing the correct uniform for their year level.
Your support in keeping our school uniform consistent is greatly appreciated.
Susan Moran (Associate Principal)
Cassie Camacho (Early Years + Satellite)
Simon Hume (Primary + Satellite)
Sharon Peach (Student Services and Operations)
Carl Gregory (Secondary)
Justine Loggenberg (Secondary)
NAIDOC
Room 2
Room 2 are learning all about Australian Animals. We have enjoyed reading 'There’s a Magpie in my soup' by Sean Farrar, 'By the Billabong' by Maura Finn and 'Waiting for Yabbies' by Sue Briggs-Pattison. Art has been a particular favourite so far where we have enjoyed making a billabong scene with all the animals from the book and getting messy by painting our hands and feet to make yabbies. We can’t wait to jump further into term 3.
Room 3
It has been lovely to welcome the students back from the school holidays. They have already enjoyed dressing up for Pyjama Day in support of Telethon and taking part in NAIDOC Day activities. In class, the students have been engaging in a variety of art-based learning experiences linked to the theme of weather. We have also been fortunate to receive new technology that allows students to practise their switching skills using the classroom iPads, which has been both exciting and motivating for them.
Room 10
Room 10 have had a great start to term 3. During last term’s assembly, four of our students proudly gained achievement certificates. It was lovely to see the big smiles all around.
This semester in ASDAN we are focusing on relationships and personal matters, such as our teenage ever-increasing height, birthdays, dressing for school and identifying public symbols for toilets or exits.
This term the boys are lucky enough to participate in the FunFit dance program. Building on this program from term one, they enjoyed last term’s day light disco and look forward to the next one in term 3. The boys all bust out their dance moves to their favourite songs. They also really enjoy running through the bubble machine, or watching the strobing lights. It is great to see them having fun with their fellow classmates and the rest of their school peers.
Room 11
Room 11 Highlights: Drumming, Sensory Fun, and More!
In Room 11, we’re all about learning through movement, creativity, and fun — and we have our favourites!
At the top of our list is drumming. There’s nothing like feeling the rhythm and making music together! Drumming helps us with coordination, focus, and teamwork — and best of all, it makes us smile and move to the beat.
Coming in a close second are our sensory activities. From squishy textures to coarse salt or oats and colourful visuals, sensory play is a big part of our routine. These hands-on experiences help us relax, explore, and engage all five senses in creative ways.
And of course, we love cooking! From stirring and measuring to maybe tasting our creations, cooking lets us practice real-life skills while having tons of fun (and snacks!).
Every day in Room 11 is full of joy, discovery, and connection — we can’t wait to see what we’ll explore next!
Room 12
A Warm Welcome from Room 12!
We’re thrilled to share what we’ve been up to in Room 12 this term!
First, we’d like to give a big, warm welcome to our newest classmates, Paul and Lennix. It’s been wonderful getting to know you both.
Our afternoons have been full of sensory fun, especially during our edible slime experiments! We've explored making slime in three different ways and rainbow spaghetti, testing textures, colours, and even taste (safely, of course!). Agdar and Zachary were especially enthusiastic about this gooey, hands-on activities. While Ashley-John and Norm weren't the biggest fans of the texture, they still got involved and enjoyed the creative process of making it.
Even with all the cold mornings we have managed to get out and enjoy the sunny weather, We’ve loved playing on the swings, chasing and popping bubbles, and exploring the nature playground. A special shoutout to Connor, who has been impressing us all with his amazing balancing skills!
This term, we’ve also been making the most of our visits to the MSR (Multi-Sensory Room) and Library where Lennix, Norm and Agda like to unwind and listen to a story. Plus, our Friday afternoon art sessions have been a huge hit, giving everyone a chance to express their creativity and have fun with colour and paint.
We are super excited for all the new adventures in Room 12 this term!
Stay tuned!
— From all of us in Room 12
Room 15
This term Room 15 is exploring the theme under the sea. We have read several books on this topic including 'Hooray for Fish' by Lucy Cousins and 'Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas' by Aaron Blabley. We have begun our work on our whole class under the sea collage and have created spotty fish, stripey fish and scary piranhas. We can’t wait to dive further into Term 3.
Room 16
Welcome back to Room 16, can you believe it’s Term 3 already! And what a start it has been, we’ve introduced 2 new students to our room and it’s been so exciting to get to know our new friends.
This term our theme is ‘Lost in Space’, so we’ve been reading lots of books about outer space and have been learning about the Sun, Moon and Earth in Science. Our art this term has been just ‘out of this world’ and we’ve made rockets, the moon and aliens so far!
In week 4 we got to celebrate NAIDOC week: we read a book about keeping stories alive, made a beautiful handprint tree which is on display in our window and made yummy damper in our cooking lesson.
We’ve got jam packed term coming up – book week, science week, our assembly and our sports carnival, to name a few, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the term holds!
Room 26
We can’t believe we are in Term 3! Our class have had a great start to the term. We welcomed Taylor Manuel to our class. She is settling in well enjoying being around her peers. We’ve started learning about different cultures and countries based on our HaSS and Health goals. Our students are very excited about visiting more countries. Our cooking is based on the countries we visit. For France, we made crepes and we look forward to making sushi on Friday. Our students are most excited to start their weekly excursions for our ASDAN program.
Room 27
What an exciting end to the term it’s been for Room 27! To celebrate all the hard work we've put into Semester 1, we kicked off with a fun-filled excursion to the movies, where everyone enjoyed relaxing and spending time together outside the classroom. We also had a fantastic Pyjama and Games Day—complete with comfy clothes, laughter, and lots of friendly competition. It was the perfect way to wind down and recognise our efforts. On top of that, we’ve been thrilled to welcome Music back into our weekly routine. Karli has been teaching us how to play the drums, and the classroom has been alive with rhythm and energy ever since. Everyone has been giving it a go and absolutely loving the beat! We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved this term and are looking forward to even more learning and fun in Semester 2.
Room 31
This term, Room 31 students are excited to participate in fortnightly excursions as part of their community engagement program. We will be visiting Karrinyup Shopping Centre to enjoy games of bowling, as well as Belmont Shopping Centre, where students will shop for ingredients for their weekly cooking sessions.
In addition to these outings, we continue our regular visits to the Enterprise and Training Centre and student work placements. As you can see, we are very busy getting out into the community and building real-world skills!
The photo attached shows one of our excursions at the end of last term — the students had a fantastic time!
Satellite 1
We've had a wonderfully energetic start to Term 3 in Satellite 1!
Students have returned full of enthusiasm, kicking off the term with a focus on fitness and movement. We wrapped up our final tennis clinic sessions with Coach Anthony, who brought so much fun and helped build fantastic skills on the court.
Following this, students put their best foot forward in the recent cross-country event. We were so proud of everyone giving it their best and completing the track!
To prepare for the Faction Sports Carnival in Week 7, we've been busy practicing events like the flag race, zigzag run, running races, and tunnel ball. So much teamwork and excitement!
In Week 6, we’ll be celebrating Book Week, with Dress-Up Day and the Book Fair. Our Embleton Library looks amazing, themed 'Book an Adventure.' Satellite 1 created their own passports and had a blast 'travelling' around the school, collecting stamps and exploring countries from around the globe.
Our garden has also been thriving! Students were so excited to harvest fresh kale and lettuce, they couldn't wait to take some home and share their gardening success.
Among all the activity, it's been lovely to see friendships blossoming. The students are growing more considerate and cooperative, playing and sharing with kindness each day.
And finally, a big happy birthday to Bhavya, Timothy, and Phoenix who celebrated this term!
Satellite 2
Students have been busy lacing up their sneakers and getting active in preparation for our upcoming Athletics Carnival. Weekly practice sessions during PE and lunchtime have seen great participation and enthusiasm across all year levels. It’s been fantastic to see students supporting one another, building stamina, and challenging themselves to improve.
Cooking in the Classroom
Our chefs have been making magic in the kitchen during design technology cooking classes this term. From measuring ingredients to mastering basic cooking techniques, students are developing life skills and having a great time doing it. Recent recipes have cake, fairy bread and pizza! The delicious smells coming from the kitchen have certainly kept everyone’s mouths watering.
Assembly Practice Underway
Preparations are also in full swing for our Term 3 Book week assembly. Our class assembly will take place on the 22nd of August.
Art
Kaya and welcome to another update from The Arts. Students continue to impress staff with their production of amazing art works. Last term we focused on fruit and vegetables and how there is pattern in even the natural foods that we eat. Students used vibrant oil pastels to produce fruit art works. They completed mushroom designs and prints and made ceramic mushrooms. There is going to be a great mushroom field in this year’s annual art exhibition, which is going to look stunning.
This term has started off with bright birds. Students have begun their painting program and whilst producing some beautiful bright birds, they are learning colour theory. Thank you to all the staff who work with our students to support their creative growth. I always look forward to teaching Art.
Although we have seen the winter solstice move past us for another year, it can still be very cold in the ETC, so please continue to send students to school in their warm clothes.
Family Liaison Officers
Listed below are some possible services and/or information that may be useful for your family
Family Liaison Officers here at Durham Road School:
Lisa.burgess@education.wa.edu.au
Kerry.potter@education.wa.edu.au
9238 0900
Below are just a few of the organisations that may be able to help you.
Companion Cards
WA Companion Card, 1800 617 337, wacompanioncard@nds.org.au
The Companion Card is for people with a significant and permanent disability, who require attendant care support in order to participate at community venues and activities.
You can apply for a WA Companion Card if you can demonstrate all of the following:
- you live in Western Australia
- you have a significant and permanent disability
- due to the impact of your disability you are unable to participate at most community venues and activities without attendant care support
- your need for this level of support will be lifelong
Service providers, organisations or companions cannot apply for a Companion Card. Cards are only issued to, and remain the property of, the person with a disability. This enables them to choose who they would prefer to take as a companion to a venue or activity.
All students at Durham Rd school are eligible for a Companion Card. A Companion Card can help reduce the costs associated with a Support Person taking your child out when entering the community.
DDWA - Developmental Disability WA
ddwa.org.au
9420 7203
Is an organisation that supports people with disabilities and their families across various areas of life, including education, employment, recreation, health and disability services. The provide support with planning and coordination of services for individuals with complex needs.
DDWA also offers free membership to those interested in advancing disability rights and needs.
MIDLAS
9250 2123
Midlas is a not-for-profit community legal centre based in Midland and Ellenbrook that provides financial counselling and well-being, tenancy advocacy, disability advocacy and legal services to people throughout the northern region of Perth. Supporting people in our community for over three decades, Midlas has a long-standing strong commitment to improving lives and building resilience.
SECCA
9420 7226
For our Senior Students
SECCA supports people with disability to learn about relationships, sexuality and sexual health. They offer Education, Counselling, Consultancy, workshops and Resources.
Siblings Australia inc
(08) 8253 4936
Siblings Australia is a unique national organisation promoting better support for siblings of children and adults with disability.
We recognise that siblings are often overlooked, which can lead to feelings of isolation. If this is not addressed, children (and later, adults) become vulnerable to a range of emotional and mental health problems. However, if siblings are acknowledged and connected to support, the sibling and in turn their family are likely to experience better outcomes.
I hope you find these useful.
Future Pathways
Planning for a Meaningful Adult Life
At Durham Road School, we are committed to helping every student work towards a fulfilling and meaningful adult life. To support this, we have developed a clear pathway for each student, informed by their achievement levels in baseline testing.
Throughout their time at Durham Road, students are assessed in literacy, numeracy, and communication, and we also take into account their interests and social interactions. This information helps us plan towards specific post-school opportunities, which may include:
- Social and Community Participation (SCP) – previously known as Alternatives to Employment (ATE)
- Supported Employment
- Open Employment
- Micro-Enterprise
For Secondary students, this planning process often begins during IEP meetings, where parents may be introduced to the Secondary Future Pathways Program table as a starting point for discussion.
If you would like to explore options for your child’s post-school future, please contact your child’s teacher or one of our Deputy Principals.
School Bus Service
