20 September 2019

Newsletter Articles

Our Agriculture Show Team with our goats and sheep in preparation for the Gawler and Royal Adelaide Shows.

From Our Principal

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’ – Progress with the Redevelopment

Over the last month, we have been on a massive rollercoaster of emotions as we have worked with architects, bureaucrats from the Department for Education and the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Engineers, Cost Consultants to see what a $15m re-development would actually deliver.

Answer: Far less than what we could have possibly envisaged.

The initial plan which the architects developed in consultation with the school community would have seen 60% of the school demolished and replaced – but would have required approximately $40m.

What we are now working with is limited demolition and the construction of two new contemporary buildings that will provide additional classroom spaces to cater for growth in the school with the arrival of Year 7’s in 2022 as well as other expected growth.

One of those new buildings will provide an additional five general classroom areas plus an additional science facility and will be located in the area where the Music Room and Rooms 100/105 currently are.

The other new building will be built on the edge of the oval behind the existing Design and Technology area and will provide three stories of accommodation – including a STEM area – and a larger number of general and specialised learning areas.

The existing change rooms, Room 260 and sheds will be demolished. New change rooms and storage facilities will be built onto the west side of the gym.

Year 9 NAPLAN Results

Parents/caregivers of Year 9 students will have results mailed to them over the next week. NAPLAN provides a ‘snapshot’ of student achievement and progress from Year 7.

In South Australia, we have a strong focus on the components of Reading and Numeracy, believing that they are good indicators of how well students can ‘access’ the curriculum.

We were pleased that the average result for students who undertook the Reading test was higher than 2018 with the vast majority of students showing appropriate levels of growth from Year 7.

Just over 65% of students provided evidence of reading skills at Year 9 level or above (Band 7+). Unfortunately seven students were absent and for the purpose of school data are counted as ‘not’ meeting the standard of educational achievement.

There were similar results in Numeracy and once again we were pleased with the level of growth from Year 7 – particularly with students in the high bands. Again, the absence of nine students had an impact on the school’s data with a number of capable students being assessed as not meeting the required standard – because they didn’t sit the test.

Writing results were significantly ‘up’ on last year with the overall mean exceeding the national mean.

End of Term Reports

All students will be issued with written reports following the end of term assembly on Friday, September 27. Due to our tight timelines, we will not be able to issue these any earlier.

For students undertaking South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) studies (usually in Year 11 and 12), grades are assigned according to the performance standards that are stipulated for each individual subject. Copies of these performance standards can be found on the SACE Board website.

For Year 8-10 students, the Australia wide common definitions apply:

The hard copy report going home is meant to be read in conjunction with the results and comments teachers have put on Day Map as the assessment tasks have been assessed.

Teachers are required to:

• Report the achievement level on DayMap for each summative assessment task across the term.
• Ensure that there is at least one substantial comment provided throughout the term identifying strengths and areas for improvement
• Ensure that results are published within three weeks of submission
• Provide a checkpoint comment for large assessment tasks that go over a term (eg making a cabinet in Design and Technology).

When I read reports I place a lot of emphasis on the effort grade. This is a judgement about how hard the student is working on their learning in that particular subject and is given independent of the final achievement grade.

Students inevitably have different abilities, skills and natural aptitudes but there is nothing to stop every one of our students giving of their best and gaining an ‘excellent’ for effort.

At our end of term assembly, we award ‘Personal Best’ Certificates to those students who have gained ‘Excellent’ effort for all or most of their subjects (can have a maximum of two ‘goods’)

Staffing News

Tim Jones and Nathan Brady will both be on leave for the final week of Term III.

I have been appointed as Acting Education Director (Gawler Portfolio of Schools) for the first two weeks of Term IV, while Kathryn Bruggemann is on leave. I will be based in the Gawler Education Office. Once again, it will be a good opportunity for me to work across a range of schools and learn about how different principals are guiding their school’s improvement journey.

Tim Jones will be Acting Principal for the two weeks. We are in the process of selecting an Acting Deputy Principal for the first two weeks.

School Dismissal on Final Day

School will dismiss at 2:15pm on Friday, September 27. Buses, with the exception of the Link SA Gawler one, will leave shortly after.

Term lV

Term IV resumes on Monday, October 14.

Kristen Masters
Principal

The Agricuture Report

Ashly gives words of encouragement

The Grower series

Kapunda High School was one of 2000 schools to receive The Grower series of books for free, earlier this term. These books are proudly donated by John Nicoletti to enable young Australians to connect where their food and fibre comes from. As an adolescent, John left home with $200 to his name and carved out a great life for himself in Agriculture. John hopes that through these books, he can inspire the farmers of tomorrow by highlighting the importance of Australia’s agriculture industry and the amazing career opportunities it provides. A big thank you goes to John Nicoletti for kindly donating these books, and to Alice Mabin for taking all the gorgeous pictures and organizing the postage of these books.

Adelaide show 2019

Students, who participated in Ag Club this year, spent their lunch times throughout terms 2 & 3 preparing goats and sheep for the Royal Adelaide Show. It was fantastic to see students participating in Ag Club and I would like to acknowledge the amazing work done by ALL of the Ag Club students throughout the year.

This year we entered two pens of three Merino wether sheep in the Merino Wether Competition and eight boer wether goats in different categories of the LED goat competition.

The Merino Wether Competition this year was the feature event of the Adelaide Show and saw 201 sheep and students participate. The competition judges the wool, meat, conformation of the sheep and handler’s. We placed second in the most valued fleeces.

The LED wether goat competition was also a tough competition this year. Bambi placed eighth in the Chevon category, while Pongo placed second and Stacatto placed fourth in different restaurant categories. Congratulations to Demi Rogers who was selected to participate in the handlers competition.

Well done to all of the students – another great year at the show.

On a personal note I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone that helped me in anyway with the show.

Special thanks to:

• Mr Steve O’Donnell, who does an excellent job behind the scenes and supports the Ag department, any way that he can.
• The Jones family for not only organising the sheep, but also assisting behind the scenes with various tasks.
• Mel Coulter for supporting Ag Club and to Mr Rob Stansborough for being my right-hand man.

The Royal Adelaide Show was a lot of fun. Students had to work on their adaptability skills as the competition had changed this year. It was great to see all of our hard work, throughout the year, come together and despite being a small school, we still did really well. Ashly

Gawler Show

dressed for success

This year KHS students had the opportunity to show boer goats at the Gawler Show. The competition was on the Sunday, 25 August and saw Talisha Rundle and Ashly Cocks showing four of the schools boer goats, with assistance from James Soar. Treble placed first and Charles placed second in the Capretto competiton, while Stacatto placed third in the Restaurant category. Our group of three wethers placed second and as a group of four we placed third. The finale of the day was the fancy dress section where Ashly and Stacatto took out second place – wearing a very stylish dress/high heels and suit and tie respectively. Both students and goats had a great time at the show.

It was a great new experience, had a good time and was less stressful than the Adelaide show. It was a good chance for students to be able to enhance their leadership skills. Everyone had a lot of fun. Ashly

Karen Bromley
Agriculture Teacher

Year 12 Information

Year 12 Remaining Events Calendar

Year 9 Art

The Year 9 Art class have been busy this term. First, they tried their hands at drawing in two-point perspective. The class had instructions to follow for the outline of the house and then the students could create the textures and landscape around the house. The students displayed focus and effort which shows through the quality of work that they produced. Their next project will be focused around them designing and creating their own jewellery.

Last week, the students went on excursion to the Jam Factory in Seppeltsfield where they viewed the Kinder Kuche Kirche Art Exhibition, which focused on a contemporary interpretation of the traditional arts and crafts of the Barossa area and its connection to German heritage. Afterwards, they saw the jeweller’s studio where Sue Garrard demonstrated ways that she creates jewellery from recycled materials that she finds in Op Shops.

This week, the students began planning their design and figuring out how to make their own jewellery by using the laser cutting equipment to cut designs in plywood or leather, as well as casting with pewter into moulds.

Jennifer Ahrens
Art teacher

Presentation Evening 2019

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 2019. 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, 9 December 2019. 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 7 November 2019.

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

State Secondary Students Constitutional Convention

Kapunda High School was fortunate to have two year 11 students participate in the 2019 State Senior Secondary Students Constitutional Convention. The focus of this constitution was to debate changing the preamble to the Australian Constitution.

Georgia Flavel and Ella Fiegert attended the Convention as representatives of KHS. They listened to a lecture from Dr Rob Manwaring, senior lecturer in the College of Business, Government and Law Flinder University, which provided an outline on the Australian constitution preamble. Students participated in workshops with past student mentors to prepare them for a debate. They also participated in a Q&A session with two South Australian parliamentarians Natalie Cook (ALP) member for Fisher and Senator Rex Patrick from the Centre Alliance. The students also participated in a debate on this topic and mock referendum. Students who participate in this Convention can apply to participate for an expenses paid trip to the National Senior Secondary Constitutional Convention in Canberra in the following year.

Japan Study Tour 2020

Building on the success of the recent Hachioji High School Study Tour, we are seeking expressions of interest of our students in travelling to Japan in 2020. The plan would be to travel in November for approximately two weeks, after the Olympics, including staying with a Japanese host family and going to Hachioji High School along with several days of touring, potentially to Kyoto & Hiroshima.

The estimated cost of this trip is approximately $4000 for return airfares, taxes, accommodation, most entry fees and some meals, but not spending money. Families would need to organize their own travel insurance and also passports for the travelling students.

Students in Year 8 and above are eligible for this trip, even if they are not currently learning Japanese. Conducting this trip is subject to the number of participating students and our students would combine with those from other schools to ensure the trip is viable. This is a great opportunity for our students to experience a different culture with supervision and support from staff your child(ren) know.

Your expression of interest is not binding. When numbers are confirmed, there will be an information session to go through the finer details and determine fundraising, payment plans and scholarship opportunities. If you are interested in the possibility the Study Tour, please contact Scott Durand, ph 8566 2203 or email scott.durand752@schools.sa.edu.au by Thursday, 20 September (Week 9 Term 3).

Marrin Gamu Song Continues

The year 12 Society and Culture class continued on with their social action based on using the Ngadjuri language. Last week, they attended Freeling Primary school to teach Mrs Brooksby’s Year 3/4 class the Marrin Gamu song. Afterwards they made this into a short video for the class.

Why choose to look at Indigenous language?

Firstly, it is the United Nations year of Indigenous language. Most importantly, however, languages play a crucial role in our daily lives. They are not only our first medium for communication, education and social integration, but are also at the heart of each person’s unique identity, cultural history and memory. The ongoing loss of indigenous languages is particularly devastating, as the complex knowledge and cultures they foster are increasingly being recognized as strategic resources for good governance, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and sustainable development. More importantly, such losses have huge negative impacts indigenous peoples’ most basic human rights.

On Friday, at the school assembly, the class completed their social action by inviting the Kapunda Primary School Year 1/2 class to perform. The assembly started with the traditional acknowledgement that the meeting was held on Ngadjuri land. Chloe Jones introduced the social action to the assembly and then Elijah Smith played a true and false game on myths/facts with the entire audience. Well done, to the eight winners which included three students from Kapunda Primary School.

Finally, the Year 1/2 class, our year volunteers and the Year 12 Society and Culture class performed the Marrin Gamu son for the assembly. Thanks once again to Jaylen Rigney for playing the didgeridoo.

Elizabeth Gary-Smith
Assistant Principal, Learning Support/Learning Excellence

The Evatt Competition

Elijah Smith participated in the state finals of Evatt SA on Monday. Elijah was paired with Ruby from Wilderness School. Evatt is a schools’ diplomacy competition which places young Australians in the shoes of UN Security Council representatives. Evatt provides students with a deeper understanding of worldwide issues and the skills they need for global citizenship.

Taking on the role of international diplomats, students jump straight into the hard-and-fast world of global diplomacy as they battle to form complex solutions to international security conflicts. Delegates develop their leadership, negotiation, public-speaking and critical thinking skills, and gain a practical understanding of international politics.

Congratulations to Elijah and his partner Ruby, who finished in the top 5 of the competition.

Spray Deodorants and Perfumes Banned

At a recent assembly, Principal, Kristen Masters discussed the issue of spray deodorants and the significant danger it presented in our school environment to people who have asthma and other allergies.

Strong smelling colognes and perfumes can also trigger a similar response, particularly when applied in confined places such as classrooms and hallways.

Unfortunately, some members of our community are still bringing them to school - perhaps under-estimating the impact that they can have on the health and well-being of others.

Spraying them in rooms or the vicinity of others is very dangerous as across Australia, on average, one person dies each day as a consequence of asthma.

Career Pathways

Work experience is a really valuable opportunity for students to explore the world of work, develop their employability skills - both industry specific and transferrable, and to gauge their level of interest in a particular role or industry in order that they can make informed decisions about future pathway decisions.

FYA (The Foundation for Young Australians) undertakes a range of research in relation to the future, producing reports, statistics and data that can also inform young Australians’ and employers’ decision making. They publish articles that support opportunities for young people such as advising employers how they best can offer work experience placements that support genuine learning. This article can be found at:

The website offers many other interesting articles and reports.

Have a look at the FYA website, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube sites to explore a range of information that can inspire future pathway conversations with your young people. Short videos like this one;

raise some really relevant, future decision making topics also.

I am always happy to discuss any pathway ideas students may be exploring and provide links to resources that can assist them with their researching. There are so many exciting opportunities ahead!

Penny Chancellor
Assistant Principal (VET, FLO, Careers)

Carissa Wins GOLD!

Year 8 student, Carissa Wood, has returned from the National Taekwondo Championship competition on the Gold Coast as a gold medallist with the title of Australian Champion.

Carissa has been training and competing in Taekwondo since she was six years old and during this time has won a gold medal a total of three times and silver once. Competing this time in the 12-14 years cadets, black belt (weight 47-51kg), Carissa skilfully won her three fights with surprising ease and now has her sights set on competition later in the year at the Adelaide Taekwondo Open.

Carissa, who attends Ilyo Taekwondo in Kapunda Thursday and Saturdays, also plays football during the winter months and dance throughout the year, which keeps her fighting fit for Taekwondo.

You can view Carissa’s medal winning fight on Ilyo Taekwondo’s Facebook page:

Contact details – we need to know

KHS relies on various methods of communication between the school, students and their families to relay information about learning, student well being and numerous other topics. In order to do this, our family records must to be accurate.

In the event of an emergency - for example, medical or an extreme environmental event such as the Pinery fire, KHS endeavours to communicate with families promptly and in whatever way is effective and efficient.

This can be extremely challenging, if not impossible, when contact details are not current. When this is realised, every effort is made to seek alternative, even round-about ways of making contact eg through emergency contact persons or known associates.

If you've changed your mobile phone number, email or other details, please contact the school.

Living with Young People Workshops

Youth Opportunities Scholarships

Youth Opportunities are now offering thousands of dollars in financial aid scholarships to graduates to support them in their future studies. For further information:

Community Notices

STEM Photo Contest

Disability Policy and Programs Parent Conference

The 2019 Disability Policy and Programs Parent Conference is coming up in term 3 for parents or carers of children/young people/students with a disability.

When: Wednesday 25 September 2019

Times:

• 8:45am to 9:30am – pre-conference session
• 9:45am to 2:15pm – conference and workshops
• 2:15pm to 3:00pm – post conference Q&A

Venue: Hilton Adelaide, Victoria Square, Adelaide

Opening: The Hon John Gardner MP, Minister for Education

Keynote: Positive Special Needs Parenting – Kirsty Russell

Workshop strands:

• Building capacity and knowledge to support parents
• Listening to experiences: Successful role models

Contact: Libby Brown, Manager SERU, phone 8235 2871

Saver Plus

Year 12 students - 2020 Hawker Scholarship

Applications for the 2020 Charles Hawker Scholarships open on 9 December, 2019 and close on 8 January, 2020. An application form and further information about C.A.S. Hawker and the scholarship is available from the link below or by contacting the secretary to the Trustees in Adelaide on 08 8127 1654.

Hawker Scholarships are valued at up to $60,000.00 over three years and are amongst the most generous privately funded residential scholarships available to Australian undergraduate and postgraduate students.

There are a number of scholarships awarded each year. The Trustees offer them to capable students of principle and character, who have demonstrated a committed to the wider community. Selection is based on personal qualities, as well as academic ability.

Since 1990, the Hawker Scholarship Trustees have awarded $6 million dollars to 126 Australian students, including a significant number from regional areas.

On Stage

30 September – 4 October
For ages 8–16

Looking to get your child out of the house and away from screens these school holidays?

Our popular school holiday workshops bring together the best arts instructors to develop confidence, communication and leadership skills in a fun and friendly environment.

These holidays we have more programs than ever before, with workshops available in musical theatre, song writing, dance, drama and technical theatre including sound and lighting, spanning from short two-hour sessions to three-day masterclasses.

Whether your child loves to perform, create, learn about other cultures or get hands on behind the scenes, we’ve got something to inspire them this spring.

YMCA South Australian Junior Parliament program

Applications for the YMCA South Australian Junior Parliament program for 2019 have officially opened.

The YMCA South Australian Junior Parliament is a non-partisan program that gives young people aged 12-15 an opportunity to learn about democracy, parliament, team building, public speaking and leadership skills in a fun and supportive environment. The program is based on the successful and nationally recognised Youth Parliament program.