10 August 2018

Newsletter Articles

Japanese students visiting from Hachioji Junior High School

From Our Principal

STAGE 2 RESEARCH PROJECT RESULTS

Last week we were delighted to learn that 100% of students who submitted their Research Project at the end of Semester 1 were successful in gaining a ‘C’ or better – essential for completing the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).

Equally impressive was the proportion of students who gained A and B grades. In Research Project B, 66% of Kapunda High students achieved in the ‘A’ range - compared to the state average of 33%. Results in Research Project A were also above state average with Ariana Schiller gaining an A+. Special congratulations to her!

A small number of students are still working on their Research Project and will be submitting at the end of this term.

I would especially like to acknowledge the work of Research Project teachers: Jill Nash, Craig Cope, Penny Chancellor and Liz Gary-Smith. As a former Research Project teacher, I am very aware of how much additional time goes into supporting students through this journey.

STUDENTS SHINE REPRESENTING SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Over the past two weeks, we’ve had two students be successful whilst representing South Australia.

Darcie Brown was part of the 15 and under netball team which won the national championships last week in Victoria for the first time in 24 years. Additionally, she was named in the All Australian team which will compete in New Zealand in 2019. Last year, Darcie was named as an All Australian for football and she also was a part of a Cricket Australia under 15 team that competed in the Australian under 18 championships last year.

Zoe Perry was part of the 15 and under football team which won the bronze medal at the national championships here in Adelaide in the first week of term. With the development of the Women’s AFL, it seems to be just the right time to be shining at football.

HAVE YOUR SAY - REVIEW OF TIME-OUT ROOM PROCESSES

Our Time Out Room has been in operation since Term 2, 2009 to support the rights of students to learn and teachers to teach. While it has evolved over time, reviewing how it works is part of the work of our behaviour management policy working party. Comprised of Scott Durand, Liz Gary-Smith, Ashleigh Callins, Lee-Anne Cummins and myself, we will be collecting feedback from staff, students and parents in the early part of this term.

Over the next two to three weeks, members of our working party will be making phone contact with approximately thirty randomly selected families and asking you to let us know:

• what works,
• what needs strengthening and
• What needs changing?

Additionally, we invite any member of the school community to provide written feedback. This can be emailed to Kristen.masters775@schools.sa.edu.au or alternatively left at our reception area.

MANAGING CONFLICT – SAFELY!

At last week’s assembly, I spoke with students about managing conflict – especially in the yard - and how an aggressive response to comments or rumours is never a good option as things can quickly spiral.

Threats of violence as well as actual violence is one of the reasons students can be suspended from school. Repeated or high level incidents can lead to exclusion (4 to 20 weeks according to their age).

Sometimes parents ask what their child is meant to do if another student is rude or mean or ‘stirring’ them up.

At Kapunda High School we always encourage students to talk to a trusted adult if they are having issues with another student. That way a plan can be made for trying to resolve the situation. This is not ‘dobbing’ – it is managing a situation maturely and in a way that supports the safety of all students.

WHAT IS BULLYING?

There is no doubt that the impact of bullying in all aspects of our lives is profound. However, the term is used so freely, that sometimes we find that ‘one off’ comments or a conflict between two people is referred to as ‘bullying’.

By referring to conflict or low-level issues as bullying, is diminishes our understanding of what bullying actually is.

I’ve found the following explanation very useful:

Kristen Masters
Principal

Hachioji Junior High School

We were fortunate enough to host ten students from Hachioji Junior High School from 26 July - 3 August. The Japanese students were hosted by local families and attended Kapunda High School for the duration of their stay.

Whilst the students were here they engaged with a variety of different activities that we offer throughout the school. They attended ESL lessons, created Australian artwork, cooked Australian foods, made and engraved boomerangs in Design and Technology, experienced different science experiments as well as attending lessons with their buddies along with a number of other activities.

On Tuesday, they went on a day excursion to the Gorge Wildlife Park and the Whispering Wall accompanied by their buddies. The students were able to get up close to Australian native animals and were lucky enough to hold a koala and snake as well as pat kangaroos. They thoroughly enjoyed their day and it was a great experience for our students to spend the day communicating with the Japanese students and learning about their culture.

We would like to thank all the families and students that were involved in making this a successful trip for the Hachioji students.

Dani Ryan
Japanese Tour Coordinator

Trade Taster Days

Blake, Brock & Hayden get a taste of Doorways

Year 9 students who may be interested in choosing the Doorways 2 Construction course as an option in their Year 10 subject selections and Year 10 students who would like to consider Automotive in Year 11, were given an opportunity to ‘Try a Trade’ last week.

Students learned about the courses offered through KENTTC (Kapunda, Eudunda, Nuriootpa Trade Training Centres), how they work, what the expectations are, clothing requirements, who the trainers will be and WHS considerations whilst on site. They were also able to engage in hands on activities. There were many reports of having valued the experience. Students who participated are now able to make informed decisions.

If anyone has any questions about their subject selections coming up later this term, please don’t hesitate to contact me, the Home Group teacher or Year Level Manager.

Penny Chancellor
Flexible Pathways Coordinator

Parents in Education Week

Parents in Education week is a joint initiative between the government, independent and Catholic preschool and school sectors. Parents in Education week promotes and highlights the importance of parents being engaged in their child’s learning and education from birth through to the end of school. The theme of the week for this year is Behaviours for learning and wellbeing: skills for life. Expert speakers will provide information and practical advice for parents to support their child’s learning and wellbeing while also being relevant to staff.

As a school we were successful in gaining a small grant to enable us to host sessions at school where recorded sessions of the presentations will be on offer.

The following sessions will be available for parents to attend at Kapunda School.

Wednesday, 29 August at 7:00pm – Living positively in a digital world: How to balance screen time with children’s learning and development. Presenters – Linda Cranley, University of Notre Dame and Genevieve Johnson, La Trobe University.

Wednesday, 5 September at 7:00pm – Behaviours for learning and wellbeing: How to set your child up for success. Presenter Dr Justin Coulson, leading parenting expert.

To register interest please email leeanne.cummins452@schools.sa.edu.au to book a place. Please indicate which sessions you would like to attend.

If you are interested in attending the live sessions they are running from 28th to 30th August at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Program details and registration can be found at the link below

If you have any further questions please feel free to email me or contact me at school on 8566 2203.

Lee-Anne Cummins
Wellbeing Leader

YEAR 12 INFORMATION

Last week the Year 12 students were given information about the KHS Centenary Foundation Awards.

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to apply for a grant to assist them financially when they commence full time study or training including an apprenticeship at the completion of their secondary schooling.

Applications opened on Friday, 27 July and have a closing date of 10:00pm on Sunday, 30 September 2018.

On Monday, 6 August, SATAC applications opened for students considering university placements in 2019. Attached is an outline of key dates for applications, costs and offer dates. During the week students will be going through the process at school and will be introduced to the new terminology and pathways into University and TAFE.

There is a video link which explains to students and families how to register online with SATAC and enter course preferences if they would like to enrol from home.

SATAC applications for TAFESA will open at 8:30am on Monday, 13 August. Students apply through SATAC using the same process as for University entrance, but using the TAFESA section indicated in a red box.

If you have any questions, please contact me at school.

Tracy Warner
Assistant Principal (Senior School)

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.

Materials & Services Charges - Now we’re concerned!

Thank you to all families who have paid their Material and Services Charges for 2018. Unfortunately, there are still a large number of families who have outstanding fees.

Communication is the key

KHS understands that sometimes families have difficulties meeting their financial obligations. Please contact Administration/Finance Officer, Sue Coppin as a matter of urgency 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.

School Card Assistance

Have you been waiting for School Card acceptance and now you've found out that you're not eligible?

Time to make contact with our Administration/Finance Officer, Sue Coppin. KHS would certainly prefer to have an achievable payment plan in place for the family involved than refer to the Debt Recovery Unit. Have you considered scheduling payments using online banking to meet this financial obligation? Some families have found that being able to set the amount and regularity suits their needs well.

Haven't yet applied for School Card this year - you've been eligible in the past, but have you checked the criteria - have your circumstances changed? Are you sure you are still eligible?

Visit the following website for information about eligibility and to apply online or obtain a hard copy application form

Alternatively, the school can provide a hard copy.

We get it every year – doesn’t that just happen? Surely we don’t need to keep applying each year?

School Card Assistance must be applied for each year. Circumstances change and so may your eligibility.

It’s the school’s responsibility to apply for School Card Assistance for our family, isn’t it?

Sometimes people have an understanding that the school is responsible for applying for School Card Assistance on their behalf – this is not the case. However Sue Coppin, our Administration/Finance Officer, is happy to offer support to families in completing the application.

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.

Year 10 Knockout Netball

KHS Knockout Netball Team

On Wednesday, 25 July the Year 10 KHS Netball Team played an intense game against Riverton High School. The KHS team led throughout all four quarters and held themselves well against a strong Riverton side.

For a team that had never all played together before, they came together to pull off a win. Kayla Shaw played well in defence and turned the ball over for the team. Lillie Rothe’s running in the centre was really helpful for the team. Ruby and Katlyn worked well in putting up goals for the team. The mid court worked well together when feeding to the goalies.

Overall, the whole team played an excellent game and because of the win they now advance to the finals in Adelaide in Week 6.

Canteen

Friday Activities

Catch The Dragon’s Tail & Kubb

At recess time on Friday of Week 1, students had fun playing Catch The Dragon's Tail.

Students were in pairs (one as head of the dragon, the other the tail of their dragon). Heads of the dragon's had to try to grab the tail (a Chux superwipe) of opposing dragons, to eliminate them from the game.

At lunchtime, several students enjoyed playing the popular game of Khubb, where players use wooden batons to knock over their opponent’s blocks.

Student Crows versus Student Power - Showdown 1

In term two, the inaugural Staff Showdown saw the Crows team victorious in a game that ended prematurely (when the footy got stuck in the roof beams).

Last Friday, it was the inaugural Student Showdown.

The game was played in the gym, three players per side, with four, four minute quarters. Teams were able to swap players at the end of each quarter to give more people the opportunity to participate.

Boys and girls participated fiercely in the fast paced game that was professionally umpired by Mr Leslie and Mrs Ryan.

At three quarter time the scores were level with both teams on 4 Goals and 4 Points.

In the final quarter one team powered ahead kicking accurately at goal, and therefore eliminating the need for any video review of a ball that could have hit the post!

Final score: Power 8:4 Crows 5:5

Community Notices

International Service Opportunities for High School Students this summer

Projects Abroad are a global volunteer organisation who provide opportunities for high school students to take part in service work in developing countries across Africa, Asia and South America among others. Thousands of students join their projects each year, helping with initiatives aimed at assisting childhood education, community renovation, conservation work or even community healthcare, all in third world countries such as Cambodia, Nepal and Fiji.

Students in years 10 and 11 can join with friends or as individuals on their 2-week High School Projects, where they will meet and work with students from across Australia and the world, all supervised by Projects Abroad’s team of full time local staff in each destination, who offer constant support and guidance for volunteers.

Students in year 12 might consider an alternative to traditional schoolies festivities with a meaningful project to Samoa, Thailand or Sri Lanka on a 2-week Alternate Schoolies Projects, or perhaps a more tailored project in their summer break geared towards university studies prior to beginning in March, such as a teaching project for the budding teacher or a medicine project for the budding doctor.

Interested students can visit the website at the link below or email info@projects-abroad.com.au for more information.