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Head Prefects, William and Ailee welcome visitors during Open Day.
Open Day
KHS held our annual open day on Sunday, May 2. As with previous years, prospective families have the opportunity to visit learning areas, get a snapshot of the school and meet our current teaching and learning support staff. We had fantastic weather for the day and our grounds were well presented, thanks to the ongoing work of our groundsman Steve O'Donnell. I would also like to acknowledge our current SRC, students, support staff and teaching staff who supported the day. Families who attended were able to gain a sneak peek into the new Middle School Learning Space that is due for completion around the middle of the year.
Staffing News
You may be aware that I am continuing this term as Acting Principal, with Mrs Tracy Warner appointed Deputy Principal for the term and Mrs Lara Shaw appointed to the role of Assistant Principal - Learning Support/Excellence/Pedagogy for the remainder of the year. I would also like to welcome Mr Josh Earle who will be replacing Mr Brad Westley who is on leave for the remainder of the term.
Healthy Minds
This term, our Year 8 students are participating in the Healthy Minds programme, which has been developed by Clinical Psychologist, Dr Tom Nehmy and is funded by the Federal Government.
In 2019, Kapunda High School was one of ten schools across Australia selected to participate in a free trial of the programme in government schools with the view to ‘roll out’ more widely. Following the initial trial, it was decided that the program was to be funded by our Governing Council on an ongoing basis to support the wellbeing of our students.
Each week, Tom leads a group session with our students, which is then followed up several days later by trained Kapunda High School staff members who work in class groups to re-visit the week’s concept.
Tom refers to the programme as psychological ‘immunisation’ suitable for all. It is about teaching healthy thinking skills.
Parents are also integral to the development of ‘healthy minds’ and as such, each week they are emailed a summary of the information covered in the programme which supports them to reinforce at home.
Earlier in the term, Tom offered a session for parents, which was well received by the families who attended.
Some key points that emerged during the presentation included:
- It is not normal to feel happy 24/7.
- A life free of stress and discomfort is also a life devoid of personal growth. It is our job as adults to coach our young people to expand their comfort zones. We inhibit their growth when we allow them to ‘opt out’ of the hard or uncomfortable ‘stuff’.
- Realistic thinking is the key – again we can support young people to see a situation more realistically through our questioning.
- Self-compassion is far more important than self-esteem as it is an important antidote to self-criticism.
- Unhelpful perfectionism and unrealistic media ideals can inhibit achievement and we as adults once again have an important role to play in modelling this.
I’d especially like to acknowledge our Leader of Well Being, Lee-Anne Cummins, who has been an ongoing 'champion' and supporter of the program.
Improving Attendance
Good attendance is the foundation of school success. This doesn’t guarantee success, but without it, success is so much harder to achieve.
Students who are regularly absent from school;
- miss valuable instruction from their teachers and are more likely to have difficulty understanding important concepts. Over time, ‘gaps’ appear in their learning.
- often shut off options for higher level maths and science subjects.
- are less likely to gain A or B grades.
- are more likely to leave school without finishing their SACE.
- are a risk for a prospective employer.
- struggle to maintain relationships with their peers.
The Education Department has identified 95% attendance as the goal for every student – ten or less days absence for each student across the year. (Please note, attendance at TAFE or other VET courses through the Trade Training Centre or other school activities is not counted as an absence).
Attached is a copy of the flow-chart we use to follow up absences at Kapunda High School.
Where your child is absent from school, parents are legally required to provide an explanation. There are a lot of ways this can occur:
- written note
- telephone
- email or DayMap
- Response to SMS sent
- SZ App for Kapunda High School – Absentee
If you are struggling to get your child to school, please seek support sooner, rather than later. Year Level Managers, along with our Leader of Well-Being, Lee-Anne Cummins, are your first points of contact.
Tim Jones
Acting Principal