Week 4 marked the occasion of Science Week and we celebrated it in a big way at BHS with daily quizzes, treats in the canteen, loads of decorations and a fair bit of learning too.  However, the most spectacular celebration of Science occurred when our Year 9 Science classes hosted a series of learning experiences for the students from Balaklava Primary School across the school day.  Our students represented us with pride and the feedback from BPS was very positive with rockets, sherbet and plenty of dancing proving to be highlights.  Congratulations and thanks to Mrs Manuel, Miss Schahinger and Mrs Kent and their classes for their efforts during the week.

Mobile Phone Policy

Did you know that the most typical addictions and problematic teenage behaviours of smoking, drinking, drug-taking and sex leading to teen pregnancy are on a steady decline?  Did you know that as these addictions have decreased, they have been replaced by another one, in the form of electronic devices?  Teens are now turning to electronic devices for the pleasure jolt that typically comes from playing online games (most commonly if you're a boy) and engaging with social media (most commonly if you're a girl).  As a result of these teenage addictions and problematic behaviours we believe we have a moral obligation to separate our teenagers from their devices and encourage them to interact in person with their peers when they are at school.

Therefore, the Governing Council have changed our existing electronic devices policy based on this information.  The main points of the new policy, which will be implemented in Term 4 this year, are that mobile phones are to be banned during the school day (including during breaks).  The consequence for breaching the policy will see the phone remaining at school until a parent can collect it.  Student refusal to hand their device to a staff member when requested will result in the student being sent to CTO and following the School’s behaviour procedures, which may include suspension.

Of course, if students need their phones after school, they are able to bring them to school, have them switched off during the day and then access their phones at the end of the day.  Parents can still contact their children via the front office if they urgently need a message to be passed on.  I am inviting parent feedback on the new policy.  There is a link on the left hand side of this newsletter or you can contact the office and we can send a copy home if you’d prefer.  

The Hunting

SBS have recently aired a short, 4 episode mini-series that addressed themes of misogyny (dislike of, or prejudice against, women), privacy, sexuality and sexualisation, as well as online exploitation, masculinity and gender. The series explores some of the most pressing issues of our time and offers a view of modern, multicultural Australia.  It is, at times, confronting but these are issues our children and young people are dealing with and this series provides a prompt for us, as parents, to have these discussions with our children.  The series is set and filmed in Adelaide and can be viewed online or streamed via SBS On Demand.

In partnership with the eSafety Commissioner, SBS has created discussion guides for teachers, families and carers around cyberbullying and image sharing, to promote safe and positive experiences online. They can be accessed via the following link: https://www.sbs.com.au/learn/the-hunting

Restorative Practices

A letter has been sent home inviting all parents and carers to attend an important information session at BHS on Thursday 5^th September at 5 pm as an introduction to Restorative Practices.  We are offering a free crèche on the night, a free sausage sizzle at the end of the session and an opportunity to win cash prizes just by attending this event.  Please return the reply slip or contact us at the school to register your attendance.  Community members are also welcome to attend.  If you would like more information about this session or the concepts behind restorative practices, please contact me at the school and I will be happy to discuss it.

Student Free Days

Last Tuesday we had a Student Free Day that started here at school with a session on Learning Assessment, Design and Moderation, which had a focus on planning and using formative assessment in the classroom.  This work was led by Carena Brookes, David Szular, Joshua La Grutta and Anthea Papagiannis and we look forward to embedding this ongoing assessment in our everyday practices.  We spent the remainder of the day in Riverton, working with our colleagues at the High School on the flexibilities of the SACE, quality teaching practices and collaborating in learning areas.

Other dates of note this term are:

Week 7 Monday 2^nd September – Student Free Day for work on our Site Improvement Plan

Week 10 Wednesday 25^th September – School Closure Day for Paskeville Field Days

As always, I encourage parents to contact me at the school with any issues or concerns or if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s learning.  I can be contacted at the school via Daymap, email Sonia.Pringle235@schools.sa.edu.au or phone 8862 0600 where you can speak to me directly or make a time to come and see me.

Sonia Pringle