1 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Year 12 students, Matthew McLean & Ashly Cocks welcome Year 8 students, Zoe Wylie & Alexander Harrison

From Our Principal

Welcome Back

There has been a buzz around the school this week as students have settled into new classes and established new relationships with teachers and students alike.

I would particularly like to welcome new students and their families to our school. As I said to students at our first assembly, graduates from Kapunda High School can and do go onto do anything and everything – using their education here as a foundation for life success.

Parental support and encouragement is a huge factor in ensuring that a young person’s potential is reached. I encourage you to take every opportunity to remain connected with our school and your child’s learning via our newsletter, website, Facebook page, Day Map and SZ app as well as face to face opportunities (parent BBQs, interviews, etc).

Pleasing Year 12 Results

Congratulations to the following students who successfully completed their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) at our school in 2018:

96.6% of students enrolled in a full complement of subjects completed their SACE with in excess of 97% of grades being A, B or C.

Congratulations to our school DUX, Abigail Lemar who achieved a raw ATAR of 91.90 and 98.45 with adjustment points. Abigail has been accepted into a Bachelor of Laws (Double Degree). Other students who performed exceedingly well include Aaron Hayward, Jack Mace, Courtney Loffler and Amy Wilsdon.

Congratulations also to Ariana Schiller (Research Project A) and Annaliese Pasfield (Community Studies) who achieved subject merits which will be presented at a ceremony at Government House over the next few weeks.

I would once again like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of teaching and support staff who worked with students last year to achieve these results. Beyond the scheduled classes, many teachers offered out of class tuition, holiday seminars and supported out of-class Day Map contact.

TERTIARY OFFERS/EMPLOYMENT – CLASS OF 2018

The majority of our students gained their first preference when the first round of university and TAFE offers were released during the holidays

Sound Year 12 results meant that students were successful in obtaining offers for courses with high ATAR cut-offs.

Students have been offered places in a range of courses including Media Arts, Law, Engineering, Film, Animal Science, Psychological Science, Education, Criminology, Business (Tourism and Event Management), Nursing, Architecture, etc.

A small number of students have also joined the Australian Defence Forces and it is also great to hear of a number of students gaining apprenticeships and other employment.

STAFFING NEWS

We welcome the following new members of staff this year:

Welcome back to:

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD)

The vast majority of students have arrived ready to begin the 2019 school year with their own device with new students in the process of connecting to the KHS wireless network and downloading the Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud software.

Where students haven’t made arrangements for a device for learning, we will be making contact with the families and discussing options. There are still a small number of long term loan devices available through the school for financially needy families. Application forms are available from KHS Reception or below.

Recommended devices can be sourced via our partner company, Learning with Technology (LWT) by following the links on the school website.

Alternatively, families can purchase from a retailer. Please ensure that the minimum specifications are met to avoid disappointment.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF PARENTS

Please consider attending the AGM of parents on Monday, February 25 at 7:30pm. The main purposes of the evening are to report on the ‘health’ of the school through the presentation of the Annual Report and to elect the new Governing Council.

Ideally we would have a Governing Council that is representative of our school community with parents/caregivers from all regions. Last year we had one of our meetings at Roseworthy and the intention would be to do it again.

We meet every six weeks and for approximately two hours in duration.

Please check out the additional information in article: Governing Council AGM, further in the newsletter.

Kristen Masters
Principal

School Uniform

It has been great to see the majority of our students begin the year positively and wearing their correct uniform. Wearing a uniform serves several purposes:

1. Represents our school community positively – builds a sense of belonging and pride in our school
2. Helps with school security, in that students are easily identifiable from visitors
3. Helps prepare students for the world of work beyond school where there will likely be a dress code or uniform
4. Contributes to a learning environment distinct from a leisure environment

There have been some reminders that PE tops may only be worn during PE class times, and that shorts and pants must be navy or grey, with no stripes or large logos. Other reminders are being displayed on posters around the school (see below).

Where students are out of uniform, but have the correct uniform at home, they have been given a reminder in the first instance. If the incorrect uniform is worn again, the student may incur a lunch time detention. Home Group teachers will follow up with parents/caregivers where there are ongoing uniform breaches.

Where a new item of compliant uniform needs to be purchased, please can students collect an exemption form from the Reception office. This needs to be completed by the parent/caregiver and return to the Home Group teacher. Families are able to seek a period of time (for instance a week or two, up to one month) to be able to acquire the new uniform item. Students will not incur any consequence whilst the exemption is in place.

If you are experiencing financial hardship and need assistance with acquiring uniform items, please complete the exemption form process and speak to your child’s Year Level Manager.

We look forward to working with students and families to build a positive and equitable, comfortable whole school uniform culture. If you have any queries please contact me at school.

Penny Chancellor
Assistant Principal (VET, FLO and Careers)

Grab your hat!

This year, in accordance with our SunSafe Policy, staff and students will be required to wear brimmed hats when spending time in the sun during terms 1, 3 and 4. Our policy is in line with Department policy and Work Health and Safety legislation and aims to reduce the risk of skin cancer for staff and students of KHS.

The recommended sun protection times and UV rate is stated each day at the top of the DayMap Daily Bulletin Notices. This week, the UV rate has been 14 (Extreme) and the recommended sun protection times, from around 9:00am to 5:30pm. It’s clear from this that we need to be vigilant about being sun safe and get into the habit of grabbing our hats when heading outdoors. As baseball style caps only offer minimal protection, leaving the neck and ears exposed, our policy requires the wearing of 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! Navy bucket hats with the school name & logo are available at $12 and plain navy bucket hats are also available through Devon Clothing at $10

Students are also encouraged to ‘slop’ on sunscreen, which is available at various locations around the school and at events such as Swimming Carnival and Athletics Day, or they may bring their own supply.

Swimming Carnival

Wednesday, 6 February (Week 2)

Best Dressed House

Reminders:

• SunSmart: hats, rashies, sunscreen, sun glasses etc
• School day starts at the pool and buses will drop students at Kapunda Swimming Pool.
• Races start at 9:00am

Parents are welcome to come along and watch.

Megan Samain
Whole School Sport Coordinator/PE teacher

Congratulations to House Captains for 2019

School Photos

School photo day will be on Thursday, 7 February (week 2), with a ‘catch up’ session on Tuesday morning, 12 February (week 3).

Photo envelopes were sent home with students earlier this week. Information about packages available and online ordering appears on these envelopes. If possible, it is preferred that ordering be completed online to reduce administration and potential security issues related to the return of cash and envelopes on photo day.

Online ordering and payment may be made at

If payment is to be made by cash or cheque, students must hand their photo envelopes directly to the photographers on the day.

Sibling photos

Photo envelopes for sibling photos may be collected from the school Reception office.

Friendship photos

Friendship group photos of no more than 10 students can also be arranged and photo envelopes are also available from the school Reception office. A minimum of 3 orders (at $12 each) must be paid on the day to the photographers.

Should you wish to purchase a sibling photograph online, the order must be placed no later than the day before photography day. Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed.

Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to

enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

2019 Immunisation Program

Health and Immunisation Management Services, in conjunction with the Light Regional Council, will again be conducting the School Immunisation Program, this year.

The schedule will be as follows:

Year 8 Immunisation

Consent Forms

Year 8 families, please return the consent forms as soon as possible (sent home with students earlier this week), regardless of whether consent is given or not.

Please return your consent forms asap.

Preparation

Often, students feel anxious about having the immunisation and it is important to discuss this event with your child to help alleviate unnecessary fear. It has been noted that some adults refer to the immunisation as ‘getting stabbed‛ or ‘getting your needles‛ - this leads to unimaginable horror to some children and is quite unhelpful. Some may remain ‘wobbly’ at the prospect or may have had an adverse effect, previously. Parents may therefore, wish to support their child by attending an early session from 8:55am - 9:10am on the day. Please contact me at the school if you would like to do so. Anxious students can also attend this early session on their own to avoid waiting with their class groups. Students are encouraged to have the immunisation when their parents have given consent; however, they are never forced. If a student is unwilling, parents will be contacted later by the program nurse.

Information Session

In an effort to provide information and alleviate anxiety that some students may feel, a representative from Health and Immunisation Management Services (conducting the Immunisation Program at our school), is providing an Information Session for Year 8 students on Friday, 1 March (Week 5) at approximately 9:10am, following morning assembly. Parents/caregivers are also welcome to attend (please register your attendance at the school Reception office). The session will offer information about the immunisations and the procedure on the day; and aims to answer any questions our students may have. With the information given and the opportunity to ask questions, it is hoped that students will feel more comfortable about what to expect during the sessions.

Influenza Vaccinations

Influenza Vaccinations will also be for senior students. Consent forms, which will become available in due course from KHS Reception office, are to be returned on the day with payment ($22 - TBC).

Year 10-11 Immunisation

Consent Forms

Year 10 and 11 families, please return the consent forms as soon as possible (sent home with students earlier this week), regardless of whether consent is given or not.

Further information about the vaccinations, please contact:

Health & Immunisation Management Services
Phone: 08 8152 0363
Email: admin@haims.com.au

Ann Richardson
Administration

KHS Facebook

Keep in touch with the daily events at Kapunda High School via Facebook. Join over 1,840 ‘friends’ of Kapunda High and be connected with school life.

Teachers @ KHS

As well as our official school Facebook page a number of teachers have their own @KHS page to keep students and families informed about their subject areas. ‘Like’ their page to keep up to date.

Visitors to KHS

Visitors to the school are reminded to sign in at Reception on arrival.

It is an important process. (Our school staff and students need to be able to easily identify visitors to the school or indeed, intruders.)

It should also be noted that visitors are not permitted to attend the school for the purpose of socializing with students during the school day.

Year 8 & 9 Parents & Friends ‘Welcome and meet the teachers’ BBQ

To be held:

Tuesday, 5 February
5:30-6:30pm
top lawn in front of Eringa

To help with catering, please return the ‘tear off’ slip on the attached flyer and return to home group teacher by Monday, 4 February or email danielle.ryan489@schools.sa.edu.au, mark.leslie815@schools.sa.edu.au or nathan.brady84@schools.sa.edu.au.

Stay around afterwards to have a brief 'crash course' in using DayMap to connect with your children's learning.

All welcome!

Dani Ryan, Mark Leslie - Year 8 Managers
Nathan Brady- Year 9 Manager

Year 8 Camp Reminder

The first camp will be in Week 3, Monday - Wednesday 11 - 13 February.
The second camp will be in Week 3, Wednesday - Friday 13 - 15 February.

Please pay outstanding amounts to school Reception as soon as possible.

Students not attending camp are required to attend school as normal.

Governing Council AGM

Have you ever wondered why a decision was made about a certain issue at school?
Do you ever think there could be a better way of doing things?
Have you considered joining Governing Council and being part of the decision-making process?

There are a number of parent vacancies on Governing Council for 2019 and we strongly encourage you to think about nominating. There is a nomination form below.

In 2019, there will be six or seven meetings – each of approximately 2 hours duration.

The Governing Council shares responsibility with the Principal for setting the strategic directions of the school and contributes to policy development. Being a councillor is a good opportunity to contribute and shape the direction of the school.

The Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, February 25. Even if you don‛t feel you can commit to being on Governing Council, you are most welcome at this meeting. Rest assured, there will be no pressure to join Governing Council. At this meeting, we will formally present the Annual Report and the school‛s financial report.

Materials & Services Charges 2019

The materials and services charges for 2019 are $450.00. 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.

The due date for payment of materials and services is FRIDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2019.

Prompt payment of school charges ensures that all parents accept their share of the responsibility for the education of their students.

From time to time, families have difficulty meeting their financial obligations. Should this happen, please do not hesitate to contact Sue Coppin, KHS Finance Officer 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 Department processes.

Please be aware that if no prior arrangements have been put in place, unpaid monies can be forwarded to the Department Recovery Unit at the conclusion of Term 1.

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.

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.

SCHOOL CARD SCHEME

If you think you may be eligible for School Card please go online (see link below) and complete the application. Should you require a hard copy application, please see our Reception office.

OTHER CHARGES

Parents are advised that text books and materials issued to students remain the property of the school.

In addition you may need to pay for:

• replacement stationery, if the initial supply runs out
• additional Internet and printing after the initial monthly allocation is used
• excursions and camps, etc.
• materials for particular Design and Technology projects (invoices will be issued)
• materials for Home Economics sewing projects
• school uniform, including PE polo shirt
• a scientific calculator (available for purchase from the Reception office- $22)
• School Magazine
• Personal photocopying and printing - Copies will be 10 cents each

Donations

All families are invited to make a voluntary donation to the Kapunda High School to support a group or interest of your choice. You may like to consider contributing towards the program or activities that support the work of the PCW (Pastoral Care Worker). The PCW is at the school for 2 days per week and is available to all students during this time. Other programs you may consider are Pedal Prix, Youth Opportunities Personal Leadership Program and/or Australian Business Week. All of these programs benefit and encourage our students in a variety of ways and all contributions will be gratefully received and acknowledged.

Pastoral Care Worker

Welcome back to KHS for 2019. For those I haven't had the pleasure to meet, my name is Felyka and I am the Pastoral Care Work or PCW at KHS.

As a PCW, my role can cover six different dimensions - these are social and emotional support, role modelling and mentoring, school engagement, spiritual support, community engagement and extra-curricular activities. To make it easy, I like to package it together as my job is to offer support to students, families, staff and the school community.

With such a diverse role it allows me to be involved in quite a few different things. Therefore, I thought I would give you a little insight on my plans for Term 1.

2019 starts with a bit of encouragement for staff and a welcome pack for the year 8s.

In week 2 I am excited to help out Hawke triumph at the school swimming carnival.

Mondays and Wednesdays between 8:30am and 8:50am we have DIY Breakkie which is a free breakfast for all who partake. We have Muffin Mondays and Cheese toasties on Wednesdays amongst other things.

This year, we are launching a year 8 room for Wednesday lunchtimes. It is a space for year 8s to hang out or engage in activities. Also to support the year 8s we have Peer Support, a program run by year 11s to help the year 8s settle in to KHS.

With the rest of my time, I like to help out in classes or support students with mentoring or advice in tricky times. I am in on Mondays and Wednesdays and am happy to offer support for anyone who asks.

University Survival Guide

CEF's 2019 University Survival Guide is now available!

As students across the country head off to university this week their minds will no doubt be racing with questions. This has the answers!

Download the 2019 University Survival Guide for FREE at

Canteen Information

Kidman Kafé

How do I order my lunch from the canteen?

Recess and lunch orders can be made at the serving window of the canteen from 8:30am - 8:55am.

Your order can be collected at the window during recess or lunch time.

Canteen volunteers are always welcome – contact Canteen Manager, Deb Hook, Ph 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. However,

• 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 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.

Absences from school

Parents/caregivers at our school are informed by mobile phone Short Message Service (SMS) each time their child is away from school.

At Kapunda High School, student attendance and safety is a high priority.

We know that students who attend regularly are more likely to be successful and safe at school. To support this, we inform parents/caregivers about any unexplained absences for their child.

The school expects parents/caregivers to contact the school in advance if they know their child is to be absent.

An SMS text message is sent to the mobile phones of parents explaining that our records show that your child is absent from school. The message will read as:

Kapunda HS records show JANE JONES is absent 29 January. Please reply with Student Name, reason & date or Phone 85662203

Options for notifying the school of absences

• Parents can reply to the absence notification text by pressing the reply option on your mobile phone when you receive a message from the school and add your son or daughter’s name, year, date of absence and the reason they are absent or late. e.g. Steven Scott, Year 11 was sick yesterday (Tuesday 15 November)
  Text version: Steven S yr11 sick Tues 15 Nov

These phone numbers should not be used to send messages or contact the school at other times as this system works on a one on one reply basis from randomly generated phone numbers (e.g. absence messages from different days may appear from a different number) and any subsequent messaging may not be seen by the school.

• Phone the school office
• A note sent with your child, explaining the absence.
• Notify the school by clicking on the Absentee icon on the eNewsletter app, SZapp (free to download to smart phones).

Student Driver and Parking Information

Providing Information & Gaining Consent

Students driving or riding motor vehicles to and from school must complete an Information/Consent Form, available from the school Reception office. If circumstances change, the school must be notified.

Students must not transport other students as passengers without the knowledge of the Principal and a written consent from the parents of both driver and passengers. Students bringing their vehicles to school must have a note from their parents notifying the school of this arrangement. A permit is then issued.

Parking Areas

Students have access to public street parking on Hawke Street (at rear of school) and on High Street (opposite entrance of the school). Parking along West Terrace, directly in front of the fence line of the school, is by local council permit only and therefore not available to students. The opposite side of the road is an area for ‘drop off’ and ‘pick up’ during school hours only.

It is expected that students obey the road rules with regard to parking near neighbouring residents’ driveways and also show consideration to areas where their refuse collection takes place.

Parking on school grounds is generally not permitted.

Disability parking is available just inside the main entrance and to the left.

Caution

The beginning and end of the school day is a busy time, particularly on West Terrace and drivers are urged to drive with caution at the limited speed of 25 km/hr in the school zone.

Any accidents must be reported to the police and also the Principal. The Bus Coordinator is on hand in the bus parking area at the beginning and end of the school day and support can be sought, if required.

Incidents of vandalism may be reported to the police, and the Principal should be alerted to the situation.

Community Notices

Kapunda Football Club Training

Training begins:

Under 17: Tuesday, 5 February at 5:00pm
Under 15: Tuesday, 12 February at 5:00pm

Thereafter, training will be every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 5:00pm.