1 March 2019

Newsletter Articles

Prefect Induction special guests, Mr Lindsay Smith & Miss Ella Mickan with Deputy Head Prefect, Corey Wall, Head Prefects, Chloe Dabrowski & Cameron Schmidt and Deputy Prefect, Lucy Drewett.

From Our Principal

Student and Parent Leaders – 2019

Last week our student leaders were inducted at a special whole school assembly.

I’d like to congratulate all students who have been elected by their peers as Prefects (Years 10-12) and Student Representatives (Year 8/9). From my observation, there is a great deal of energy, enthusiasm, maturity and initiative amongst the team.

I’d especially like to acknowledge our Head and Deputy-Head Prefects who were elected following a vote of members of the SRC and staff. Congratulations to:

• Cameron Schmidt and Chloe Dabrowski (Head Prefects)
• Corey Wall and Lucy Drewett (Deputy Head Prefects)

It was great to welcome back our 2009 Head Prefects, Ella Mickan and Lindsay Smith, to address the assembly. Both Ella and Lindsay have achieved a great deal since they completed their SACE at Kapunda High School and it was really inspiring to hear them reflect on their journeys.

Thank you especially to SRC mentors, Ms Kathy Coombs and Miss Lexi Champion, who co-ordinated the ceremony; Ms Sam Fethers and the Stage 1 Food and Hospitality class who provided a sumptuous morning tea; Mrs Carolyn Thorne and Concert Band students; our grounds person, Mr Steve O’Donnell, for setting up the gym for the occasion and Mrs Ann Richardson for the invitations and programmes.

Governing Council AGM

On Monday evening, we held our Annual General Meeting of parents.

Thank you to the following parents who are on our Governing Council for 2019:

• Andrew Hayward (Chairperson)
• Stephen Ruediger
• Tracy Wilson
• Sue Woods
• Belinda Matz
• Grantly Bell
• Stella Bliss
• Sarah Johnson

Thank you to our departing members of Governing Council, Carolyn Barter and Rosi Wendt. We have greatly appreciated your contribution to our school community in recent years.

The 2018 Annual Report was presented at the meeting and is an overview of the ‘health’ of the school with NAPLAN and SACE data; the results of the parent opinion survey and the PIVOT student survey included.

Congratulations To Our Swim Team

Last week our school swimming team participated in the Lower North carnival at Burra. Coming second overall to the strong Clare team, we were particularly pleased to see Year 10 student, Tara Hayward, achieve success as the Girls Under-15 Runner-Up and Year 12 student, Nicole Kruse gain the Girls Under-21 Runner-Up medallion.

Respecting Learning Time

There has been an increase in reports of parents trying to directly contact their children during the school day – either through a phone call or a text message.

While students are currently permitted to bring phones to school, we do have clear guidelines about their use during learning time.

Students who use their phones without permission during lesson time can expect to have them confiscated for the remainder of the day.

As such, we ask that if you need to contact your child urgently, you ring our Reception office. Otherwise, we ask that you leave all communication with your child until designated break times.

Check out the Personal Technology policy to ensure that you know what responsibilities come with the privilege of bringing technology such as phones to school.

Improving Attendance

Last year our student attendance rate for the year was 89%. Put like that it sounds quite healthy but when you realise that, on average, every student missed twenty one days from school, it is somewhat concerning.

Good attendance is the foundation of school success. It doesn’t guarantee success but without it, success is so much harder to achieve.

Students who are regularly absent from school:

• miss valuable instruction from their teachers and are more likely to have difficulty understanding important concepts. Over time, ‘gaps’ appear in their learning.
• often shut off options for higher level maths and science subjects.
• are less likely to gain A or B grades.
• are more likely to leave school without finishing their SACE.
• are a risk for a prospective employer.
• struggle to maintain relationships with their peers.

The Department has identified 95% attendance as the goal for every student – ten or less days absence for student. (Please note, attendance at TAFE or other VET courses through the Trade Training Centre or other school activities is not counted as an absence).

There are occasions where students are ill or there is a family bereavement and obviously we have a small number of students with chronic health issues. In such circumstances, absences are perfectly acceptable, but do consider the wisdom in:

• staying away to celebrate a birthday
• staying away to go shopping
• staying away after an argument with a friend
• staying away to catch up on school work – it’s a double-edged sword (think what explicit teaching your child is missing)
• staying away on the last day of term (just because…)
• senior students staying away on days when they have a number of study lessons (what about the lessons they are missing?)
• staying away on Sports Day (even if you are not an athlete, it’s a great day to get involved in novelty events and cheer on fellow students)

Attached is a copy of the flow-chart we use to follow up absences at Kapunda High School.

If you are struggling to get your child to school, please seek support earlier, rather than later. Year Level Managers, along with our Leader of Well-Being, Lee-Anne Cummins are your first points of contact.

Kristen Masters
Principal

It’s (not) got to be perfect

Pursuit of excellence versus Perfectionism

As we really settle into the rigours of meeting deadlines and submitting work I often hear stories of students who fail to submit work because they don’t believe it is good enough and have a fear of failing. If we do not give ourselves opportunities to fail, then we do not learn.

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. (Winston Churchill)

Researchers report that perfectionism is a serious epidemic affecting the physical and mental health of young people. There is a difference between healthy striving for high achievement and unhealthy perfectionism. Perfectionism has been linked to depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and a range of other conditions. Many people may think being a perfectionist is a strength, but it can also be a flaw that can potentially cripple people’s growth because they become so afraid of failing they avoid trying anything new. Both teachers and parents can help by encouraging young people to take calculated safe risks.

Characteristics of Perfectionists

Some characteristics of children who are extreme perfectionists:

• having exceptionally high expectations for themselves;
• being self-critical, self-conscious and easily embarrassed;
• having strong feelings of inadequacy and low self-confidence;
• exhibiting persistent anxiety about making mistakes;
• being highly sensitive to criticism;
• procrastinating and avoiding stressful situations or difficult tasks;
• being emotionally guarded and socially inhibited;
• having a tendency to be critical of others;
• exhibiting difficulty making decisions and prioritizing tasks;
• experiencing headaches or other physical ailments when they perform below the expectations of themselves or others.

There is a difference between striving to do your best work and being inhibited by perfectionism. See the table below for the comparison.

How Parents Can Help with Perfectionism in Children

Parents may help children who exhibit extreme perfectionism in the following ways:

• Provide unconditional caring and respect.
• Provide a calm, uncluttered, and structured environment.
• Avoid comparing children.
• Give specific praise to the effort not the outcome.
• Avoid using words such as brilliant, genius, and perfect.
• Acknowledge without judgment children’s negative emotions such as frustration, anxiety, sadness and fear.
• Help them understand that it is impossible to complete every task without making mistakes.
• Encourage high standards, but explain that there is a difference between perfectionism and quality work.
• Involve them in setting realistic standards for themselves.
• Let them know that even if they fail at something, they are loved.
• Challenge their belief if they call themselves a failure, and provide a more rational evaluation.
• Help them prioritize tasks and to break assignments or projects down into manageable parts.
• Teach them to revise, start again, and learn from their errors.
• For those who procrastinate, change the goal from perfection to completion.
• Help them learn coping skills such as positive “self-talk.” (Encouraging Thoughts)
• Promote relaxation techniques such as listening to soothing music, counting slowly, taking deep breaths, participating in a hobby, walking, reading or something else that helps calm them.
• Read biographies together of successful people who overcame failure, persevered and achieved greatness; for example, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Helen Keller.
• Help them understand that saying disparaging things about themselves is detrimental to their well-being.
• Encourage constructive peer interaction through various activities.
• Admit to making your own mistakes.
• Model perseverance when faced with a difficult task.
• Use constructive coping skills when dealing with disappointments.
• Examine your competitiveness and, when necessary, decrease your emphasis on winning.

Encourage your child to be the best version of themselves that they can be, but remember that no-one can ever be perfect!

Lee-Anne Cummins
Well Being Leader

TAFESA Open Night

(excerpt http://lmip.gov.au/maps.aspx#layer=LabourForceRegions&region=/default.aspx?LMIP/LFR_SAFOUR/SA/BarossaYorkeMidNorth )

According to the Labour Market Information Portal, the youth unemployment rate is looking slightly better in our region, than it did two years ago. This is great news, but students still need to explore employment options, tertiary training or apprenticeship pathways, and consider and plan for the possibilities that their future holds to ensure they are in the 85% of young people who are employed or engaged in learning beyond school. Very exciting!

On March 18, the Barossa Tafe campus is hosting an Open Night. Taking your child(ren) along to Open Days like this can open their eyes to the pathways from school, through Tafe (or other private Registered Training Organisations), into industry or on to university. These local trainers are connected to employers and have current industry knowledge. They have a good sense of upcoming local opportunities and development.

Attending Open Days can inspire students to dream of future possibilities and open up conversations about potential employment options.

Barossa Tafe campus offer a great range of courses including Screen and Media, Information Technology, Automotive, Commercial Cookery, Early Childhood Education and Care, Individual Support Services, Metals Engineering, Agriculture, Winemaking, Hospitality (Front of House) and Horticulture to name a few! Trainers will be available to speak about course delivery and employment options, as well as allowing visitors to have a ‘hands on’ experience if they attend the Open Night.

I hope to see you there!

Penny Chancellor
Assistant Principal (VET, FLO, Careers)

Kapunda High School Centenary Foundation tops $205,000 in Country Education Grants

At this year’s recent Kapunda High School Centenary Foundation 11th Annual Awards Presentations, over $26,000 was distributed to sixteen former Kapunda High School students, through the Country Education Foundation of Australia grants programme. This brings the total amount of funding facilitated by the Centenary Foundation since 2009, to just over $205,000 distributed to 77 students and trade trainees.

Past recipients consistently acknowledge that the Centenary Foundation support has assisted them along their pathway to achievement and success. Following the initial significant donation from a former Kapunda High School student, the late Jim Bettison, other supporters regularly continue to support the Foundation with generous donations, ensuring a financially secure future for the Foundation.

Principal, Ms Kristen Masters, Abigail Lemar and Foundation chairperson, Mr Barry Vogt.

Mr Clyde Hazel with Madison Roehrs

Country Education Grant recipients, Sheralee Hackett & Michaela Massey with Mr Paul McCarthy & Mr Frank Ware

Johnson Award recipients, Renee Helmore & Marisha Hughes with KHS Governing Council Chairperson, Andrew Hayward

Thrift Shop Award recipient, Courtney Launer with Kapunda Thrift Shop managers, Di & Des Ellis

Chairperson, Barry Vogt acknowledged the Centenary Foundation’s continuing support of the Jim Bettison Scholarship awardees: Elise Prior (2016-19), Ben Weichert (2017-20) and Katie Christian (2018-21), along with the Helen James Awardee for 2018-19, Morghan Prior, and the Ahrens Regional Education Awardees for 2018-19, Molly Ellis and Callum Fox.

Jim Bettison Scholar (2016), Elise Prior spoke of her successful progress through her previous three years of study for a Bachelor of Psychological Science degree, which she anticipates completing at the end of this year. Her results have been outstanding throughout; consistently achieving High Distinctions.

Callum Fox, one of the Ahrens Regional Education Awardees for 2018-19, spoke of his first year’s experiences at the University of SA where he is studying for a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours). A highlight of Callum’s year had been to represent the University of SA at a National level at an Engineers Without Borders conference in Melbourne.

Anne Hornsey
KHS Centenary Foundation Secretary

Year 9 Art – Drawing and Design

In Year 9 Art students have been learning drawing skills looking at proportion, tone and mark making. The students each drew five faces, one in a realistic style and the other exploring methods of using mark making to create more dynamic and somewhat abstracted artworks.

They then had to draw a cottage using two-point perspective techniques where accuracy and maths come to the focus. Whilst in Year 9 Design patterns have been the focus over the last two weeks as an introductory task to learn Adobe Illustrator techniques. The students have also been showing their skills through homework tasks with a range of sketching, digital and sculpture work being made.

Jennifer Ahrens
Art teacher

Interschool Swimming Results

Tara Hayward & Nicole Kruse

Kapunda High School Results:

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

SSSSA Swimming

On Tuesday, 26 February, 37 students travelled to SA Swim Centre at Marion to compete in the E Grade State Swimming Competition. After winning the F Grade competition last year we assumed the competition would be a little tougher! The early start from Kapunda (7:45am!) was well worth it though. The girls finished up in third place, by only 20 points and the boys finished in fifth. The combined competition is the important one though, as this determines if we move up or down a grade in 2020. Our overall result left us in third place. This means we will stay in E grade in 2020, however the two schools above us will move up to D grade.

We had some strong results throughout the day, including four first places, six second places and seven third places.

I was particularly impressed with the attitude of the team, especially those who stepped up and swam in races that weren’t their preferred stroke.

Well done to the whole team, no one missed their race, we filled ALL the events and we celebrated well at our traditional fast food stop on the way home!

Big thankyou to the parents who made the trip to Marion to help out with timing.

The KHS Swim team is in a great position; I look forward to hearing about the results next year.

Megan Samain
Swimming Coordinator

Keeping Motivated

It is hard to believe that we are already in the thick of Term 1. By this point in the term, the ‘new’ has worn off and the work has increased. Around this time students would be working on or have just handed in one or more assignments.

A student’s motivation and their understanding of a task’s relevance to their life are both factors which affect assignment completion. I find it interesting that I can sit with a student and they can almost complete the whole task, but as soon as I walk away they choose not to continue.

It is all well and good knowing that motivation has an impact, but how do we become motivated? A simple way of motivating yourself is to set goals. Even a task which seems pointless at the time, can be changed to something you want to achieve, by changing your aim. If I am aiming for nothing, I am likely to achieve nothing.

Mind Tools Goal Setting is an important method for:

• Deciding what you want to achieve in your life.
• Separating what's important from what's irrelevant, or a distraction.
• Motivating yourself.
• Building your self-confidence, based on successful achievement of goals.

(excerpt: https://www.mindtools.com/page6.html )

It’s great to set goals, however if they are unachievable, unrealistic or too far off, our motivation will once again diminish. I often look at goal setting like a set of stairs. I have my ultimate goal at the top of the stairs, however I have to make it up each step (each smaller goal) to reach it.

For example - If my ultimate goal is to publish a book, I need to work through the steps below.

Submit my book to a publisher.
                   Have my book edited.
                                    Write the book.
                                         Find something to write about.
                                               Decide on what kind of book.

Each step can then be set as a goal, using the SMART Goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound). Once a smaller goal is set, then you can make decisions to support your goal. For example, if my goal is to pass all subjects, then I need to hand in work - which means I need to pay attention more in class - which means I might have to move away from distractions.

Do you or your child have a goal for this year? Is your goal achievable? Does it need to be broken down? Are there any choices you need to make to support your goal?

Just remember you can choose what you are aiming for, so try not to aim for nothing.

Felyka Leske
Pastoral Care Worker

Athletics Day

Families are welcome to join us for our Athletics Day, next Friday. There will be a sign in station under the Moreton Bay fig trees at the northern end of the sports field for visitors. We ask that you role model being SUNSMART by wearing a hat, sunscreen and clothing that keeps you protected from the UV radiation.

If you’re able to be a volunteer helper at events (measuring, time keeping etc.), please let organiser, Mark Leslie know. mark.leslie815@schools.sa.edu.au.

SunSmart

The predicted UV Index has been recorded at 11 or 12 this term, and with our annual Athletics Day next Friday (8 March), everyone will need to respond to this by wearing brimmed hats, sunscreen and suitable clothing per our SunSmart policy.

Hats – available now!

A variety of bucket and broad-brimmed hats are available from our Reception office. Plain navy bucket hats are available through Devon Clothing

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 Camps