Forward 2016 | Page 16

SENIOR SCHOOL

Thomas ’ Surf Rescue Certificate Experience

Year 8 student Thomas Mascall-Browne ( 8Wb ) has been involved with the City of Perth Surf Lifesaving Club for six years , recently gaining his Surf Rescue Certificate . Thomas is looking forward to putting his new skills to the test and becoming a qualified Surf Life Saver in the future .
I started as a Nipper at City of Perth Surf Life Saving Club when I was 7 years old . Within six years I had learnt lifesaving and surf skills , whilst making friends with a great bunch of mates . I am sure these relationships will continue into lifelong friendships , based on mateship from state competitions , trust through supporting each other and lots of beach fun and camaraderie .
I owe great thanks to my coaches ( including my dad ) who helped me develop surf rescue and competition skills . I have gained so much from learning about the beach and surf , and particularly how dangerous the ocean can be and how to treat it with respect .
These skills allowed me to recently gain my Surf Rescue Certificate . With this certificate I can participate in beach patrols and start my journey towards being a qualified Surf Life Saver ( SLS ). This will enable me to give back to others the opportunities and experiences that others have given me , and give to the community my services to make the beaches safer .
To participate in the SLS Surf Rescue Certificate ( SRC ) course I had to complete a 200-metre swim in less than five minutes . I was then able to complete a 4-day course to prepare me for a final assessment to obtain
Thomas Mascall-Browne
my SRC . The course included Individual skill / scenarios focusing on :
• Hand signals – communicating effectively using standard SLS non-verbal signals .
• First aid techniques – performing appropriate basic first aid .
• Resuscitation – conducting patient assessment and providing appropriate and effective resuscitation .
• Run-swim-run – demonstrating the appropriate level of fitness and physical ability to perform lifesaving duties .
• Rescue – demonstrating the appropriate rescue skills to identify and conduct a rescue by negotiating surf , and effecting individual board and tube rescues .
Patrol activities focusing on :
• Completing an incident report log and recording patient details .
• Conducting a patrol visit and reviewing patrol equipment and recording review findings , and discussing the review outcomes with the Patrol Captain .
Theory Assessment – completing a series of questions based on the key learning areas , which required a 100 % pass mark .
Final Assessment – a practical assessment by the City Beach Club Assessor through scenarios including signals , first aid , resuscitation and rescue ( in 3m wave conditions ).
The assessor thankfully determined me to be competent with good team working ability to successfully obtain the Surf Rescue Certificate .
I can ’ t wait for summer to get back to the beach !
Thomas Mascall-Browne ( 8Wb )

Languages Week

This year ’ s Languages Week was held in Week 3 of Term 3 . The Languages Faculty arranged a number of different activities to make Languages Week interesting and engaging . These activities included :
• Bible reading in Chinese and French during the Chapel Service .
• Serving a different nationality of food each day in the Dining Hall and Tuck Shop
• Providing Chinese and French food for the language class students
• Traditional games of Petanque and Jianzi during Monday and Tuesday lunch time
• Display of students ’ posters and French Tour pictures in the library
• Languages Week Assembly with Year 6 students presenting Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower .
School Captain , Cassius Hynam , shared his learning of language experience , Zac Williams and Dane Begovich shared their French Tour highlights and the Language Prefect Student Awards were presented .
• Inter-House table tennis competition in the gym during Wednesday and Thursday lunch time .
It was a successful Languages Week except for the cancellation of Petanque sessions due to heavy rain !
16