2 November 2018

Newsletter Articles

Congratulations, VET students!
Principal, Kristen Masters with award winners, Olivia Muster, Fraser Arbon and Adam Schmidt, along with Mrs Penny Chancellor, VET Coordinator.

From Our Principal

CELEBRATING VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (VET) SUCCESS

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Barossa VET Awards sponsored by the Rotary Club of Barossa District. Five of our students were recognised through the award evening: Adam Schmidt (outstanding merit), Liv Muster (outstanding merit), Fraser Arbon, Hayden Mills and John Tucker.

We’ve come a long way since vocational education and training first entered the realms of secondary education over twenty years ago. Prior to that time, there were clear boundaries between school, employment and training. Students had to leave school to undertake the latter two.

Soon, VET competencies became recognised as accredited learning within the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) and over time the universities began to accept completion of a Certificate III as ‘equal’ to a Stage 2 subject for the purposes of tertiary entrance.

At Kapunda High School we have been very fortunate to have Flexible Pathways Leaders with enormous expertise and passion to support students and their families identify suitable pathways. In recent years, Penny Chancellor has overseen tremendous growth with over one hundred students now currently accessing VET both here at school, through the Kapunda Eudunda Nuriootpa Trade Training Centre, other registered training organisations (such as TAFE) and through school based apprenticeships.

VET, however, is not for everyone. Since undertaking a VET course means being out of school for at least one day per week, for most students who have a clear pathway towards university, a full complement of SACE 2 subjects is the usual route.

The introduction of VET into secondary schools has no doubt made the day-to-day management of learning more complex. For a senior school teacher, it is likely that they will have students out attending VET courses every day of the week and therefore learning needs to be packaged differently. For students it means taking responsibility for using DayMap extensively to check on what they are missing in classes and also messaging teachers more regularly to seek clarification.

However, despite the logistical challenges of having so many students involved in VET, last week’s awards presentation was a fantastic reminder of the value of students undertaking, as part of their SACE, learning that is relevant, purposeful and geared specifically towards their futures.

Liv, Fraser and Adam following the awards presentation

BYOD DEVICES FOR 2019

The ‘roll out’ of Bring Your Own Device at Kapunda High School has been overall very successful with families able to access a range of options to ensure that their child has access ‘anytime, anywhere’ to digital technology.

Once again there will be the same options for those families who need to make new arrangements for 2019.

• Purchasing a recommended device through our partner, Learning With Technologies (LWT). This is the preferred option as we know that all devices are of education standard in terms of having sufficient battery life and storage capacity as well as being robust enough to cope with school life. There is also a three year warranty on these devices.

• Purchasing a device from another retailer that meets minimum specifications. Below is a card that lists the minimum specifications. Don’t forget to take it with you when you go shopping to avoid disappointment (printable version may be found in Forms & Documents from this website).

• Applying for use of a long-term loan from Kapunda High School for 2019. This option is available for families experiencing financial hardship. An application form is below. These need to be returned to the KHS Reception by Friday, November 23.

Unsure what to buy?

Our IT Network Manager, Jack Mickan, will be available in the Kidman Room to discuss the options with families on Tuesday, November 6 from 3:30pm – 6:00pm.

This is the same evening as the Uniform ‘fitting’ session so after getting your uniforms organised for 2019, call into the Reception area of the school and get some advice from Jack.

PREPARING FOR 2019

Planning for the 2019 school year is well underway.

The selections made through the subject counselling process last term have ‘driven’ the school timetable which is close to complete. Commencing with Year 11s, students will be receiving letters informing them of their subjects for 2019. Due to clashes and demand for subjects, it may, in some cases, be necessary to ‘tweak’ the preferred programme. If you are ever unsure, please contact the Year Level Manager for clarification.

If circumstances have changed and your child will not be attending Kapunda High School in 2019, please contact the Front Office.

If you are aware of any students moving to the community, please encourage them to contact the school as soon as possible so that we can ensure we have adequate staffing in place for the beginning of the year.

THE KAPUNDA HIGH SCHOOL ERINGA AWARD

Nominations are open for the prestigious Eringa Award. This award acknowledges outstanding contribution from a student, staff member, parent/caregiver or community member and will be presented at our Presentation Evening on Monday, December 10, 2018.

Previous winners have been Mr Grantly Bell, Mrs Kristin Hodge, Mr Andrew Mickan, Mrs Anne Hornsey and Mrs Deb Hook. Nominations for this year’s award can be made by completing the form below or emailing Kristen.masters775@schools.sa.edu.au – maximum of 250 words. Nominations close on Friday, November 16.

MATERIALS AND SERVICES CHARGES FOR 2019

Our Governing Council is recommending that the Materials and Services Charge for 2019 be $450 – an increase of $10 from this year. Attached is a full schedule of the charges.

Parents/caregivers are invited to attend the next Governing Council meeting on Monday, November 5 at 7:30pm to discuss this issue or alternatively provide information in writing to the Chairperson, Mr Andrew Hayward. This can be left at the Reception desk at our school.

STAFFING NEWS

Mr Neville Sloper has officially retired in recent weeks after being on long service leave for much of 2017 and 2018. Neville was a stalwart of our Design and Technology learning faculty since the early 1980’s, having transferred from Kimba Area School. Due to his longevity at our school, Neville had the pleasure of teaching several generations of students from the local area. Neville was passionate about students developing high level skills and he enjoyed very positive relationships with students. Additionally, he was a great mentor to pre-service and early career teachers. We look forward to officially farewelling Neville later this term.

Mr Greg McLachlan has taken leave for the remainder of the term for health reasons. We welcome Mr Josh Dolling who worked with Greg’s classes in the latter part of Term 3 when he was on long service leave.

Kristen Masters
Principal

Order Your School Magazine Now!

By ordering now, you will secure a full colour, limited edition magazine, which will be available to collect on Presentation Evening.

History - A Personal Account

On Friday, 26 October, students from year 10 and 11 History classes were very fortunate to have a guest speaker, 95 year-old Mrs Lissy Amtsberg, of Nuriootpa, accompanied by Mr Simon Newbold from Barossa Village. Mrs Amstberg spoke to around sixty students about her experiences as a German citizen prior to, during and after WWII.

Mrs Amstberg was a member of Hitler Youth during the 1930s. She told the students how much he was adored because he brought employment and infrastructure to Germany following the difficult times experienced after WWI. She once actually saw Hitler when he drove past in a parade.

She was 16 at the time the war broke out. During the war she married her husband, a botanist who was conscripted to guard the Reichstag (government house). They all believed the war was successful, because of the propaganda heard on the one and only radio station. However as the war continued, they started to feel differently. From 1944, she lived mainly in the basement with her baby, due to the bombing of Berlin. There was no food, and they lived on boiled stinging nettles. It was only after the war that they found out about the Holocaust, and she was shocked, horrified and saddened.

Berlin, after bombing

When the war ended, the incoming Russians treated the citizens of Berlin terribly, and Mrs Amstberg told of some of the atrocities committed by the Russian soldiers, including wide-spread rape and beatings. Her father was sent to a concentration camp in Siberia never to be seen again. Mrs Amtsberg and her husband continued to live in Soviet-controlled East Germany. Her husband was outspoken against the communists, and they received word that he was to be transported to Siberia also – so during the night, they escaped into West Berlin with their three children and nothing but the clothes they wore.

After more years of hardship and rations, they applied to migrate, and found themselves in Australia. They knew no English and had no knowledge of Australia at all. One of her challenges was interpreting Aussie ‘slang’ – such as people telling her where the ‘dunny’ was, and being asked to bring a ‘plate’ to an afternoon tea, so she brought an empty plate.

Mrs Amstberg said her migration experience was very positive, and that she is very grateful for their safe and happy lives in Australia, with the only negative being her children being bullied and called ‘bloody Nazis’ at school, which made her sad because she knew it was their parents who encouraged this.

Mrs Amstberg also talked about the changes she has seen in her lifetime in opportunities for women, and encouraged the girls to make the most of their freedom and life choices.

The students were extremely moved by Mrs Amstberg’s life story. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn history from a real-life participant, bringing a personal perspective to the information from documentaries and text books.

Victoria Newbold

Student Comments

Listening to her perspective on events extended my knowledge on historical events. Elijah Smith

She truly emphasized the impact the war had on her life. Jack Melia

Her story was truly inspirational and her words gave us a closer look into what life was like during World War II in Berlin. Abbey Trotta and Ava Teasdale

I was amazed how calmly she was able to talk about her experiences in Nazi Germany. It was also good how she was able to have a bit of a laugh, while giving us insight to a side of WWII that we have never really learn about. Chloe Jones

State Student Constitutional Convention

At the end of term 3, three students from KHS (Elijah, Shakira and Bradley), travelled to State Parliament to participate in the state round of the national high school student constitutional convention. The theme of the convention was: Should the Australian constitution be amended to include environmental law?

At this convention, students had access to two presentations from pre-eminent scholars in environmental law and attended workshops to help build their knowledge and understanding of key issues and the law. Susan Close MP, Adrien Pederick MP and Senator Tim Storer from the Parliament of Australia then made a short presentation and took questions from the students. These workshops and presentations helped them to present a speech in parliament and then participate in a debate on the floor of parliament.

Participation in the debate was a prerequisite for winning a fully funded trip to Canberra to participate in the National Constitutional Convention. This was an amazing and rich learning experience for the students. It was great to have the opportunity to visit State Parliament and experience firsthand, its important history of our State.

Scott Durand

A month or so ago, Shakira, Bradley and I attended the SA Schools Constitutional Convention. The theme of the day was the environment, specifically, should the Commonwealth have specific powers to legislate for the environment. Throughout the jam packed day, we engaged in learning about our constitution, as well as the general political system. During the day, we heard from a range of different experts on the environment, as well as a panel of State and Federal members of parliament. The day concluded with a debate regarding the topic of the convention. This gave us the opportunity to combine all the knowledge we gained over the course of the day. Overall, the convention was a valuable experience, where we were able to expand our minds into different perspectives and gain a complex outline on a difficult issue. Elijah Smith

The convention Elijah, Bradley and myself attended was a very enjoyable and educational experience. The topic we were provided to think about was whether the Commonwealth should hold specific powers to legislate for the environment. Throughout the day, we heard from many educational speakers, who all presented their various perspectives on the issue. We engaged in enlightening group conversations about what specific powers for the environment meant from a personal and political stand point. Overall the knowledge we have gained, not only on the debated topic, but on how to synthesize our own opinions from a political outlook will forever be useful. Shakira Pollard

I found the constitutional convention a brilliant experience. Learning about the constitution, the way it is managed, amended and kept in order. The convention was a great program to be a part of, especially those who are politically-minded or have a genuine interest in learning about the Australian legal system. Bradley Haylock

Well Being Focus

Parents in Education Week – new dates

Streaming of parent education sessions, by experts in the field

Both sessions will be in the Kidman Room in the main Eringa building. Come along for the opportunity to listen to experts in the field and have a discussion with other parents and share ideas. Supper will be provided.

Please indicate your interest in attending by replying to Leeanne.cummins452@schools.sa.edu.au.

Mindfulness

This term some teachers have been trialling mindfulness practice in some classes to see if it can help improve engagement with learning and persistence. See below to learn more about what mindfulness is all about.

Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity and without judgement

There are two parts to mindfulness

The first is learning to focus attention on one thing, and being able to bring the attention back when the mind gets distracted. The second part is about the attitude you bring to paying attention – being open, non-judging, and curious about what you are focusing on.

Mindlessness is the opposite of mindfulness

Have you ever:

Eaten lunch at your desk, without tasting a single bite? Or been driving from work to home and then all of a sudden realised you don’t actually remember seeing what colour the traffic lights were? These are examples of a state of automatic pilot, where we're going through the motions in our mind and we're disconnected from our body.

What's the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

Mindfulness and meditation can be practised in a number of ways. But there's a difference:

Meditation is the formal practice of mindfulness which we sometimes refer to as exercise for the mind. We meditate to strengthen our mindfulness skills. Informal mindfulness is bringing that attitude of paying attention into your daily life.

Benefits

Mindfulness is a tool that can help you to:

• Reduce worries, anxiety and distress
• Enjoy more energy
• Create a sense of calm
• Learn how to relax and regulate emotions
• Enhance awareness and creativity
• Improve concentration and increase productivity
• Develop a sense of empathy and connectedness
• Enjoy better health and sleep.

Download the Smiling Mind app and have a look.

Lee-Anne Cummins
Well Being Leader

Space School Camp

With missions to Mars being planned, STEM careers are the future.

During the first week of the school holidays, I was fortunate to be part of this years’ Space School Camp. This opportunity is open to Year 10 students who have an interest in the universe, across South Australia.

The first place we visited was the University of Adelaide to experience studying a variety of space related degrees. We learnt about South Australia’s involvement with the Japanese Hayabusa Asteroid Program in Woomera. Guest speakers outlined physics and engineering degrees at Adelaide and explained gravitational waves. We also were privileged to hear Owen Mace’s experiences with Australis Oscar V, the first Australian built satellite. We were also able to listen to the Astronomical Anniversaries from ASSA.

Our second day included access to secure areas in Edinburgh. The RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Base included aerospace and a tour of the new training area. We were lucky to experience the new flight stimulators used for training and were shown the Aviation Medical Centre, which teaches people to understand the effects of aerospace travel. One key area was the oxygen chamber where the oxygen is removed to stimulate travelling in an aircraft. It was used to demonstrate the effects of lack of oxygen or hypoxia. DST (Defence Science and Technology) indicated how the Defence Force use physics and space technology. Recently, DST launched a Cube Satellite with NASA to discover more information about Australia. DST also has telescopes to observe stars and galaxies. We visited the Planetarium at Mawson Lakes at the University of South Australia. We observed the stars moving across the night sky through the year and learnt about constellations. We were able to Skype with four Australians (two from previous Space School Camps) at the International Astronomy Conference and discussed Mars, university, Australian involvement as well as careers in the space industry.

On our final day we built rockets and learnt about the solar system. Whilst testing our rockets, we experienced difficulties with the electronics. We were able to tour the Mike Roach Space School at Hamilton Secondary College. Students are able to simulate missions to Mars with multiple rooms. The Briefing Room indicates the purpose of the mission and the Communication Centre allows students to use technology to communicate and solve problems. The Mars Environment stimulates the surface of Mars and students wear clothing like astronauts. The Laboratory allows students to examine rock samples and conduct experiments.

The camp was an excellent experience for me to learn more about space and STEM. I hope that next year, another Kapunda High School student is chosen for this opportunity. Thank you to Mr Lehmann for inviting Year 10 Students at Kapunda to be part of the Space School Camp.

Isabel Castaneda

A week of celebration for our Year 12s

Year 12 Dress Up Day

Staff Vs Students Table Tennis

Table Tennis

Year 12 Home Group teachers, Tracy Warner (Senior School Assistant Principal), Tony Gabb, Jeanette Venhoek, Hayley Laney, Kristen Masters (Principal) and Sam Fetherstonhaugh

BBQ lunch and activities

Final assembly for Year 12 students

Year 12 Remaining Events Calendar

Year 12 2018 Examination Timetable

Uniform ‘Try On’ Afternoon

This is the perfect opportunity for current Kapunda High School families, as well as future KHS parents, to bring their child/ren along to get fitted for uniforms for 2018. Devon Clothing will have some stock available, so you may be able to purchase and collect items that afternoon. Should your items be unavailable, you will still be able to order and have them either delivered to KHS before transition day or posted directly to your home.

Tuesday, 6 November
3:00pm – 6:00pm
Room 50 (Home Economics room)

New Uniform Dress - Available Now!

The new KHS school dress is now available from Devon Clothing:

Brimmed Hats for Sale

From 2019, in accordance with our SunSafe Policy, staff and students will be required to wear brimmed hats. Kapunda High School has a range of reversible bucket style hats available for sale at $9 each. The house colours of yellow, red and green are perfect worn ‘colour up’ at Swimming Carnival and Athletics Day!

Volunteers Needed!

Our Governing Council has been approached with the opportunity to run the canteen at the Trotting Track for 4 to 5 meetings January to March next year to help raise funds for the school, BUT we will need your help. Anyone interested - either in being involved in the organising committee, running or just volunteering time at the canteen, please let us know so we can take up this great fundraising opportunity.

Please contact Sue Woods 0418 810 782 mjskwoods@gmail.com or Samantha Fetherstonhaugh/Tracy Warner via the school.

PRESENTATION EVENING 2018

Kapunda High School has again had a most successful and eventful year and it is now the time when we are looking to acknowledge the success of our students and their efforts throughout the past twelve months.

To do this we rely very much on the generosity of local businesses, community members, organisations, parents and staff of Kapunda High School, to support us. In the past we have been very pleased with the response to our invitations calling for donations to enable the whole community to be part of our school’s success.

We now have pleasure in inviting you to make a donation towards our evening in 2018. The school recognises students in years 8-11 with awards for Academic Achievement, Improvement, Consistency, All-rounder and School Citizenship. The top student of each year 12 subject is awarded a Subject Prize. Your contribution will go towards a $30 voucher for a selected student(s).

The prize will be awarded at our annual Presentation Evening on Monday, 10 December 2018. We cordially invite you to attend the evening at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start. Your generosity will be acknowledged on the night as the student accepts the award, also in subsequent press releases, magazine and newsletter articles.

If you would like to take up this offer our bank details are:

BSB: 105006
Account No: 057125140
Ref: Presentation Evening

Or you can send a cheque or call into the school Reception Office.

So that we can finalise our prize list in good time, we would appreciate it if you could reply before Thursday 8 November 2018.

Kerry Brown
Presentation Evening Co-ordinator
Email: Kerry.brown429@schools.sa.edu.au
Phone: 8566 2203

School Bus Bushfire Procedures

On days of forecast catastrophic fire danger rating for the Mid-North district:

Kapunda High School will remain open.

All school bus routes travelling to Kapunda High School will be cancelled.

Parents/caregivers of students who travel on school buses will be contacted via an SMS message to their mobile phone or a direct call to their landline (where a mobile has not been given to the school). This will generally occur the night before.

Kapunda High School will additionally ‘broadcast’ using Facebook and the website www.kapundahs.sa.edu.au to remind families of bushfire procedures.

If a bushfire is reported in the area during the day:

Affected bus runs will not leave the school until the roads are declared safe by emergency services authorities.

Parents/caregivers will be notified and students will be supervised at school until buses can run, or until parents/caregivers are able to collect their children.

If during a bus run, the bus driver sights a bushfire and there is concern that it may affect the routes ahead, then the bus driver:

Has the authority to abandon the bus run and return to school, or

If safer to do so, drive to one of the pre-planned emergency areas (or CFS safer places) and activate the emergency bus procedure.

To support student safety, parents/caregivers are requested to:

Ensure that Kapunda High School is informed of any changes to phone numbers

Follow weather announcements through the media.

Ensure that they do not put themselves at risk when coming to collect students from school.

Friday Activities

Gemma Brett Cup

The Gemma Brett Cup, a staff versus student wheelchair basketball competition, was held in the gym recently.

Gemma Brett Cup

Some of the match

Year 12 boys in action

Community Notices