Welcome to our School Newsletter for Week 7, Term 1 2024.

The past weeks have been highly engaging for students, staff and also our parent/caregiver community. We continue to work together to build cohesion across our school and foster an environment where every student can be their best and do their best. Recent initiatives have included:

• SRC & Prefect Induction – to acknowledge and celebrate elected student representatives for 2024. This is a great tradition of our school, stretching back many generations and involving our parents/caregivers and community.
  
  
• Berry Street Training Day 1: Trauma-informed practice – aligned with our Wellbeing and Engagement strategy to lift student engagement, wellbeing and attendance.
  
  
• Sports Day 2024.

Congratulations to Hughes House who were the overall Sports Day champions for 2024. Also well done to all other Houses, teams and individual students for their efforts and contributions to what was a fantastic day for all, with a high degree of school pride and school spirit.   

Students can continue to accrue individual points for their School House throughout the term and year, to recognise and reward them for displaying growth, achievement and modelling our school values. 

Traffic Lights

In Week 6 Traffic Lights Indicators were published on the DayMap portal for Year 8 to 12 students and parents/caregivers. Traffic Lights are a progress indicator to outline how each student is travelling over the first half of Term 1 and designed to encourage conversations between: students and staff, students and parents/caregivers and staff and parents/caregivers.  

While not a formal school report the value of this information lies in the timing, being part-way through the term and providing extra time for improvements to be made ahead of end of term reports. Learning is a partnership, so please connect with your child/ren’s subject teacher if you have any queries or would like to discuss Traffic Light Indicators further.

Berry Street Training

On Friday 8/3 all staff undertook the first workshop on the Berry Street Education Model.

Berry Street describe the program as: “shaped by 140 years of experience, decades of research and thousands of dedicated teachers, the Berry Street Education Model helps educators gain new perspectives, strategies and skills to build safer, healthier and more engaging classrooms for all students. This is one of several comprehensive strategies outlined in our School Improvement Plan for growing student wellbeing and engagement. If you would like further information on the BSEM, see here.

A key message from the Berry Street Educational Model (BSEM) is maintaining a school environment that is safe and predictable. Working in partnership with students, staff and parents/caregivers our Conditions for Learning are one key strategy we are undertaking to foster and maintain a school environment that is as calm, consistent and predictable as possible.

See an outline of our Conditions for Learning below:

Conditions for Learning

Working in partnership with students, staff and parents/caregivers, our Conditions for Learning set an optimal school environment for learning where students feel safe and can perform at their best. In 2024 we have re-doubled our efforts on ensuring clarity, consistency and safety for students including:

• Responsible Behaviour expectations – including positive recognitions and responsive practices.
• Sun Smart Protection –to ensure students are sun safe, in line with our Sun Protection Policy and Sun Smart policy.
• School Lockers – to ensure individual student health, wellbeing and safety. Our Lockers help students to be well planned and organised. Minimising the trip hazard of school bags is also vital in the case of emergencies.
• Mobile Phone and Personal Electronic Devices – to ensure students are safe and our school is a Mobile Phone impact and distraction-free environment, in line with Government legislation.

I’ve been impressed with students’ efforts and congratulate them on rising to the occasion over the first half of Term 1.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our Conditions for Learning, to make our school a safe, engaging and enjoyable place for all students to excel.

NAPLAN

Over Weeks 7 and 8, we are undertaking the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy. The tests look at how well students are learning core skills of reading, writing and mathematics, which are vital life-long skills. Information has been circulated to all families, including the purpose of the tests and how data is used at a local level for student feedback, as well as a state and national level to measure trends in educational outcomes. If you have any questions about the NAPLAN assessment for Year 7 and 9 students, please reach out and contact the school.

Further information about NAPLAN is available here: NAP - What's in the tests

Final Weeks Term 1

As we work through the final weeks of Term 1, we encourage students to make every effort to learn, grow and achieve their best. Following on from Term 1 Traffic Light Indicators, please reach out and work in partnership with Subject Teachers to discuss any queries and negotiate proactive strategies to help students’ grow their learning and achievement.  

Let’s keep working together to ensure an environment where every young person can learn, grow, achieve and strive for their best.

David Marino

Principal

Interschool Athletics, Thursday, 21st March (T1W8) Lunch orders only in KHS Canteen- no recess orders.

Good Friday Public Holiday Friday, 29th March (T1W9)

Easter Monday Public Holiday Monday, 1st April (T1W10)

Last Day of Term 1 Friday 12th April (T1W11)

First Day of Term 2 Monday, 29th April (T2W1)

On Thursday the 21st of March, KHS is lucky enough to be hosting this years Interschool Athletics Carnival. Due to having a very tiny space, and limited volunteers, there will be Lunch Orders ONLY on this day – NO RECESS ORDERS!

When placing orders for the day, participating students need to select KHS under the ‘Interschool Athletics Carnival’ section to place their order. All other students need to use the Lunch Menu – Thursday 21st March option to place your orders.

We will be operating with a limited menu, and only a small amount of food will be available for purchase over the counter.

Sam

Canteen Manager

KHS Sports Day was held on Thursday 7th March. Students participated in many events across the day. The results were neck and neck all day, with Hughes winning by 11 points. 

AGE GROUP CHAMPIONS

HOUSE RESULTS

Recently, we received a generous donation from Mr Philip Holmes and Mrs Jean Holmes. They were in possession of some original doors from Eringa, and have very kindly donated them to KHS for the rebuild. The doors were sold years ago during a school upgrade. Students in our Heritage Trades program will work to restore the doors, for eventual reuse in the building.

From Chick to Plate: A Journey in Raising Meat Chickens

Embarking on the journey of raising day-old meat chickens is an educational and rewarding experience for students in agricultural projects. Beginning with nurturing tiny chicks, students witness firsthand the growth and development of these birds. Over seven weeks, they learn essential husbandry skills, ensuring the birds are healthy and well-cared-for until they reach processing age.

Students engage in various tasks such as feeding, monitoring growth, and maintaining clean living conditions. This hands-on approach fosters responsibility and empathy towards the animals. As the chickens mature, students observe their transition into robust birds ready for processing.

The culmination of this project comes as students proudly present the processed chickens to the school community. This experience not only teaches about agriculture and food production but also fosters a deeper understanding of where our food comes from and the importance of ethical farming practices.

Buzzing with Success: Harvesting of School Honey for the First Time

Our school bees have been diligently buzzing back and forth, collecting pollen and turning it into nature's liquid gold – honey.

Last month marked a significant milestone for our school as we celebrated our first-ever harvest of school honey. The two flow hives were brimming with honey, signaling that the time had finally come to reap the rewards of our bees' hard work.

Our Year 9 Agriculture students played an integral role in the the process of designing labels for the jars of school honey.

All the labels were printed and affixed to jars of honey, which were then presented to the Governing Council for a final decision. After much deliberation, a design was chosen – a label featuring bees, honeycomb patterns, and our school's name proudly displayed.

This project not only highlights the importance of hands-on learning but also serves as a beacon of education and inspiration for our students. As we move forward, the school honey project will continue to provide opportunities for students to expand their knowledge of beekeeping and sustainability, nurturing their commitment to protecting our planet and its precious pollinators.

The materials and services charges for 2024 are $480.00, less the $100 government rebate = $380.  This is used for the purchase of loan text books, equipment and materials used in the delivery of the curriculum.  A basic stationery issue is supplied (which is GST Free) which includes an ID card and monthly printing and internet allocation. 

UCAT 2024 Registration is Now Open

For Year 12 students considering a career in medicine or dentistry, you will need to sit a compulsory entry exam known as the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) before they can apply for relevant placements in the aforementioned fields of study within most universities. 

Candidates taking the UCAT ANZ in 2024 for entry to universities in Australia and New Zealand in 2025 should note the following key dates. 

UCAT ANZ 2024 Key Dates 

PLEASE NOTE: UCAT registration is only via the UCAT ANZ website - ucat.edu.au

Universities and the UCAT Requirements

UCAT Format

Attention: Year 9 - 12 Students, Parents and Career Advisers

UCAT & Pathways into Medicine Information Session 

Free Webinar

3 April 2024 at 7.00pm (AEDT)

The National Institute of Education ( UCAT NIE) is proud to present the free information seminar all about UCAT and the undergraduate pathways into medicine and dentistry.

This forum is an excellent opportunity for teachers, students, and parents to find out about the UCAT and to have their questions answered by an expert who has been working in the field since 1999.
The session is PACKED with loads of valuable information during which we will be covering the following topics and more. 

• What is UCAT? UCAT scores? UCAT Sub-tests?
• The Undergraduate Selection Criteria
• Application process into universities for medicine and dentistry
• When and who can sit the UCAT
• UCAT vs GAMSAT - How is UCAT different?
• Can you prepare for the UCAT?
• Undergraduate medical school interview explained and medical school interview preparation advice
• Gap Year
• Alternative degrees and career choices
• Q & A

REGISTER