27 July 2018

Newsletter Articles

International Mathematical Modelling Challenge participants, Georgia Flavel, Isabel Castaneda and Angus Godfrey (absent: Hunter Hemsworth). See Mathematical Challenge article further in this newsletter

From Our Principal

EXCITING NEWS

As you will recall, our school was allocated a total of $12m for new building projects under the previous state government. The new Minister of Education has confirmed that this will be honoured and furthermore, we have recently been advised that our project will be in the first round to commence.

Towards the end of last year, we worked with an architect to develop an overall plan to increase the capacity of the school to cater for increased enrolments, replace many of the transportable buildings and also improve specialist facilities in the performing arts, visual arts and home economics.

The plan will now undergo a review in the context of the new government’s policy to integrate Year 7s into secondary settings. Currently our school does not have the physical capacity to do this, so one of the priorities of the building project will be to ensure can occur.

Whilst we are in the early days of preparing for the introduction of Year 7 into our school, my view is that it offers us a fantastic opportunity to reimagine how we ‘package’ the middle years of years 7-9 to create a rich learning experience for young people aged 11-15.

In the months to come, we look forward to opening the dialogue with our school community about this and welcome your input.

DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION?

During the first week of the holidays, we had intruders in many areas of the school – on several occasions.

Security and SAPOL responded to alarms on several nights, but were not successful in apprehending the intruders who were only sighted from a distance. Those sighted appeared to be teenagers and had backpacks.

Alarms were triggered after midnight on all occasions. Do you know of young people who were out until 2:00 -3:00am during weekdays of the holidays?

Theft of items from the school has resulted in a significant cost to our school. [NB as a government agency we do not/cannot have insurance].

Intruders left graffiti on a number of surfaces. Please click on the images below to see them. If you recognise them or believe that you may know who is responsible, please contact SAPOL on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.

At Kapunda High School we believe that we are part of the community – not separate from it. We welcome people using our facilities such as the basketball court and gym out of school hours in a responsible way, however, events like these are very concerning.

STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOCUSSED ON STUDENT WELL BEING

The facts are clear – students who have positive well-being are more likely to be engaged and successful at school. When students are happy, feel comfortable in their own skin, have good social relationships, feel a sense of belonging and purpose, are healthy and see themselves accomplishing things, we see them flourish. When they don’t we can, and often do, see them struggle.

At Kapunda High School, data collected from year 8 and 9 students on an annual basis, sees students all along the continuum, but in recent years we’ve become concerned with the increasing number of students reporting difficulty with managing their emotional self-regulation and also perseverance when things get tough. We see these things getting in the way of students’ learning.

At Kapunda High School we believe that we do a lot already to support students’ well-being, but Monday’s pupil free day focussed on taking this further by having a common language across the school – particularly around growth mindset and the use of character strengths.

I would like to particularly acknowledge the work of our Leader of Well Being, Lee-Anne Cummins, for facilitating the day.

FOLLOWING UP FROM TERM 2 REPORTS

At the end of term all students received a written report providing information about their progress in all subjects. If, as parents, you haven’t seen this, please contact staff at Reception. Additionally, an electronic copy is available via DayMap – both through the Parent Portal and the student’s log in.

For students in Years 8-10, subjects are aligned with the Australian Curriculum. For each learning area there exists a description of the standard students need to reach by the end of the year to gain a ‘C’ standard. Students who provide evidence of learning that is above standard receive an ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade. Students who provide evidence of learning that is below standard are allocated a ‘D’ or ‘E’ grade.

While there are not scheduled interviews for this term, please do not hesitate to make appointments with teachers to discuss any aspect of your child’s report. Again, this can be arranged through Reception.

For students in Year 11 and 12, the information in the reports is very important – especially as the grades obtained are often very vital in terms of university or TAFE entry, future employment or, in the case of Year 11s, making sure that they meet pre-requisites for SACE Stage 2 subjects.

Our Senior School Assistant Principal, Tracy Warner, and I will be meeting with families over the next few weeks where there are concerns that the student’s SACE is in jeopardy. The intent in these meetings is to problem solve and where possible put additional assistance and guidance in to support the student to make the necessary changes to be successful.

However, once again, I encourage any family to make an appointment to discuss progress if there are any queries or concerns.

Kristen Masters
Principal

Mathematical Challenge

In term one, four maths students from years 9 and 10 solved a mathematical problem collaboratively as part of an international competition; The International Mathematical Modelling Challenge. This year’s problem: ‘The best hospital’.

Students needed to consider and create formulas to mathematically measure variables such as doctors’ experience, staffing, accommodation, medical equipment and death rates to develop a model to allow patients to choose the ‘best’ hospital for their condition.

Students were asked to write an expression of interest and selected on their ability to work in a group without teacher assistance, as well as their creative and mathematical abilities. Year 10 students, Isabel Castaneda; Georgia Flavel; Hunter Hemsworth and year 9 student, Angus Godfrey, spent five full days in the Resource Centre to calculate, analyse and prepare a 25 page report for the competition.

Participation certificates were awarded at the assembly to celebrate the successful completion of the problem. Congratulations to all four students who worked very hard and diligently.

Jeannette Venhoek
Maths Coordinator

Subject Selection and Career Pathway Choices

This term is subject selection term! Students will go through a process and hopefully undertake some research so that they best prepare themselves for their future goals and aspirations, or keep as many options open as possible.

There are some great resources available to undertake quizzes, seek information about different occupations and find about more about transitioning from school into pathways of work, VET Training or University studies.

For a handful of university courses there are pre-requisite subject requirements, but mostly great SACE results are generated from students choosing subjects they are passionate about and enjoy. Many SACE subjects offer flexibility and room to negotiate so that students can “tailor” their subjects to incorporate their passions.

I strongly recommend students, parents and caregivers view the video at this link for some future planning inspiration. The Skills website offers lots of links to a wide range of future pathways information.

Other really helpful websites to find out more about occupations, employment predictions, statistics and wages are:

Each of these sites provide links to more specific information.

If you and/or your child have queries during this term, in leading up to subject selection, please do not hesitate in contacting me to discuss further.

Penny Chancellor
Flexible Pathways Coordinator (VET, FLO and Careers)
penny.chancellor315@schools.sa.edu.au

Medical Information Updates

Where students have medical conditions, the school must have a current associated care plan and medication authority (if required). Care plans and authorities are completed and signed by a doctor as well as the parent/caregiver and provide daily routine and emergency response information to enable adequate care for your child.

With upcoming camps for some year levels, parents may need to check that the school has the current information related to their children’s medical conditions.

Medication provided must not be expired and should be labelled correctly with the student’s name, dosage and instruction (including pain medication such as Panadol, and anti-histamines) with a limited supply provided for the camp period (except asthma medication). A medication authority must also accompany the medication.

If you are unsure of what the school has or need to organise the appropriate documents, please contact Ann Richardson at the school as soon as possible.

School Refusal

When your child refuses to go to school, it can be a difficult time for families. Click on the link below to view an interesting article with advice to help manage the situation.

Outstanding Materials & Services Charges – of great concern

Following the last instalment payment date scheduled for this Friday (27 July), it seems there may still be a number of families who will have outstanding school fees.

If you are having difficulties in meeting your financial obligations, please make contact with our Administration/Finance Officer, Sue Coppin and she will assist you in setting up a manageable payment plan to avoid an inevitable referral to the Debt Recovery Unit as required by DECD process.

Options for payments

Payment may be made by cash, cheque, EFTPOS, Visa, MasterCard or by Direct Bank Deposit (see details below) Students are to make payments prior to the start of the school day (8:50am) to avoid carrying around large sums of money through the day. Parents/caregivers may make payments anytime from 8:30am to 3:30pm.

*Consider scheduling payments using online banking.

Instalment options – remaining due payment date:

27 July – payment to be finalised (Term 3, Week 1)

Further Education Information

This article centres on Tertiary Open Days. These are great to visit to get up to date information for new and existing courses that can lead to some really exciting careers.

The attachment, What’s New at Flinders University in 2019, provides information about new courses that have been released so far this year, for enrolment in 2019. Flinders offers a large range of online courses suitable for rural students that can be viewed online.

Applications for Tertiary courses will open in early August. Year 12 students will go through the application process during home group so they can share the information with families. My next newsletter article will include video links to explain the enrolment process and an attachment featuring ATAR calculation, selection ranks, and a range of alternative ways to be considered for a tertiary place.

Open Days for University and TAFESA – a must see for all students. Information about the Universities, Courses, HECS fees, Facilities.

Students in Years 10 to 12 have been offered a free trip to Flinders University on Friday, 10 August to experience an Open Day. They will be able to go on a campus tour, experience hands on activities, speak to current students and lecturers and attend subject presentations, besides having a fun day, they can pick up lots of information.

This is the first time we have been able to do this; thanks to funding from the university, so we are really looking forward to the visit.

UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE OPEN DAYS

Please contact me at school, if you would like further information.

Tracy Warner
Assistant Principal
Senior School

Year 12 Soup Day

Staff and Year 12 students enjoyed delicious soup and bread rolls on a chilly day at the end of term 2.

Youth Opportunities Scholarships

Elijah Smith is the proud recipient of a Youth Opportunities Scholarship. A ceremony, which was held at Playford Civic Centre, saw 30 graduates of the Youth Opportunities program from across SA presented with scholarships. The items awarded ranged from laptops and cameras to courses and tutoring. Elijah won a financial scholarship to assist him to attend Youth Parliament and the Rotary Adventures in Citizenship trip to Canberra. Congratulations to Elijah on his well-deserved award and fantastic commitment to his goals.

The next round of YO scholarships will open in week two of term three. Any student who has graduated from the Youth Opportunities program is welcome to apply. Please email scholarships@youthopps.com.au for an application form if you wish to apply.

Kapunda High has a proud partnership with Youth Opportunities, a not-for-profit organisation that offers a Personal Leadership Program to our Year 10 students. The course runs for one day per week for a term. Students gain skills and strategies in areas including: leadership, achieving goals, career planning, changing habits, increasing motivation, improving communication and relationships, developing confidence and cultivating long-term happiness. Graduates receive 10 SACE points, plus ongoing opportunities and coaching from Youth Opportunities until they finish high school. The program, which supports our student’s wellbeing, has been running for over 20 years. For further information, please visit the website below or contact me at the school.

Shani Robinson
KHS Youth Opportunities Coordinator

Kerry Warry Legacy

On Friday of the last week of term 2, woodwind students, Aneisha Whitmore, Georgia Flavel, Marisha Hughes and Isabel Castaneda, gave a special musical performance to the family of Mrs Kerry Warry, who was a well-respected music teacher at Kapunda High School in the past. An engraved flute was generously donated to our music department by the family, in honour of Mrs Warry who passed away earlier this year.

Friday Activities

Poison Ball and Table Tennis

Jack - up for the challenge!

True or False Staff Dinner

On Friday evening of Week 9, just over 20 staff enjoyed a meal in the Kidman Room while having some fun trying to work out if comments written about their colleagues were true or false.

Mr Greg McLachlan was the winner with the most correct answers.

How would you answer these (True or False)?

1. Victoria Newbold holds the record for eating the hottest curry at the Jasmine Restaurant in Adelaide?
2. Drew has a photo from actress Drew Barrymore that is signed with the wording 'To Drew from Drew'?
3. Meagan Menzel has raced a formula 1 car on a grand prix track?
4. Lara McCarthy has appeared on international television?
5. Kristen Masters defeated a state champion at a tennis tournament

Answers: 1. False 2. False 3. True 4. True 5. True