Year 12 Farewell

Whilst each term is important, this one is especially significant for our Year 12 students as they embark on the exciting, and somewhat scary, adventures of finishing their secondary schooling and beginning the next stage of their lives.  Formal lessons for Year 12s will conclude next Thursday, with a formal farewell assembly being held at BHS at 9 am Friday 1^st November, however students may still be completing final assessment tasks after this date and some of them will have exams, which brings a new set of stressors.

The SACE Board offers the following advice to students for managing exam pressure:

• Develop good study habits – devise a study plan, set aside a quiet study space and take regular breaks
• Eat and sleep well – eat healthy food, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep and exercise daily
• Use friends – study together, discuss exam topics and test each other
• Speak to family and friends – tell them how you are going and let them know when you need quiet time
• Recognise stress signals – discuss concerns with family and friends, speak to teachers, take a break

Reach Out.com also offers advice for parents to support their teenagers through everyday issues and tough times.  They offer the following advice for your child while waiting for Year 12 results:

• Avoid discussing potential results before they are released as speculation about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ results isn’t helpful
• Stop worrying what other people might think of your child’s results and avoid comparing your child’s results with other family and friends and appreciate individual success
• Recognise signs of stress in your child and offer support if needed
• Most importantly, don’t panic if the results are not what you’d hoped for as there are many alternative options available for university degrees and employment.

More advice on supporting your child can be found at the following link:

https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/everyday-issues/6-things-parents-can-do-to-help-teenagers-handle-exam-results

As the Year 12s embark on their next great challenge, from the safety and routine of school to the uncertain expectations of Uni or work, I’d offer the following advice:  Change is a good thing; embrace it.  Accept offers as they arise.  Take safe risks.  Think things through and make the right decision for you.  Talk to others if you need it.  Step out of your comfort zone.  However, above all, stay true to yourself and what you believe in.  You are at a very exciting point in your lives.  Enjoy every minute of it.

Mobile Phone Policy

This term we have implemented our new mobile phone policy where phones are banned during the school day (including during breaks).  I am pleased to report the majority of students have easily adapted to this policy and it is refreshing to see students walking around the yard with their heads up, talking to each other and interacting positively in the yard and I also thank parents for their support with this.  Later this term I will ask for feedback on the policy from students, parents and staff and I encourage you to share your thoughts at that time.

External School Review

As part of our continuous school improvement process, we will be involved in an external school review with a Department for Education review panel.  The purpose of an external school review is to support us to raise achievement, sustain high performance and provide quality assurance to build public confidence in government schools.  The focus of the external school review is to evaluate our school’s performance. All government schools are externally reviewed every 3 years.  Our school review will occur on Monday 11^th and Tuesday 12^th November 2019.  The review panel will identify aspects of our school’s improvement that have been verified through the review processes, as well as the improvements that we need to make in the future.

During the external school review, some students, parents, governing council members and staff will be asked to provide information to the review panel in a number of ways. These include:

• individual interviews
• group discussions (with students or staff or parents)
• meetings (governing council, staff meeting)
• visits into classrooms.

If you would like more information or, if you do not want your child to participate in providing information to the review panel, please contact me at the school on 8862 0600.  We appreciate everyone’s support and time in helping us with this external school review process.

I am excited for all of the learning opportunities this term holds for students as we continue with our learning program until the very end of the year.  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

Principal