No matter which industry our students enter after leaving school, there are a collection of skills that are transferable to every job including:  confidence, creative thinking, improvisation, collaboration and imagination.  These skills are foundational in the Arts.  At Balaklava High School, we pride ourselves on our arts education in performing arts through Drama and Music and the visual arts through Art and Design and these two areas have been on display recently with the art exhibition, The Country, at the Balaklava Courthouse Gallery and the production of Annie Jnr, The Musical being delivered in spectacular fashion over two nights at the Balaklava Town Hall.  You will read articles about these events further in this newsletter but I want to make mention of the staff members who work behind the scenes to make such events possible.

I would like to thank our Art and Design teachers; Thomas Fregona and Chelsea McCormack for their passion for their subjects, their desire for their students to succeed and their hard work in bringing the art exhibition to life.  I also thank and acknowledge the work of Suri Umapathysivam and Melanie Evans and the rest of the crew who brought Annie Jnr to life in two extraordinary performances, which left the audience enchanted and wanting more.  It takes a large amount of extra effort to stage such events and I thank all staff members involved in showcasing our talented students in such diverse ways.

External School Review

All government schools are externally reviewed every 3 years as part of the Department for Education’s continuous school improvement process.  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.  We have undergone our external school review this week and I will share its findings with the school community once we have received the official report.

I thank all students, parents and staff members who were involved in the process by provided honest responses to the review team’s questions.  They found some very good practices occurring in the school and have also provided us some direction on areas in which we can improve.  We anticipate getting the final report before the end of the year and I will share those details once I have them.

Relay for Life

This weekend we will send our largest team to Clare for the Cancer Council’s Relay for Life event, which seeks to raise money for cancer research and to remember and support people impacted by cancer.  I acknowledge and congratulate all of the 89 students and 9 staff members who are participating and I also thank the organising team, particularly Luke Clark, for their hard work in coordinating this very large team.  I anticipate the relay will be a highly successful and positive experience for all involved.

World Challenge

The following weekend is also significant as 13 students leave for their month long World Challenge expedition to Malaysia and Borneo, accompanied by staff members Lucy Thiel and Neil Richards.  This highly demanding and challenging program will see students complete two treks in the Cameron and Kelabit Highlands as well as undertaking community engagement.  Particpants will also have an opportunity to spend some time with the orangutans, which is something most of us won’t ever get to experience.  I congratulate these 15 people for accepting this challenge and wish them all the very best on this potentially life changing opportunity.

Our staffing for 2020 is nearly complete and I look forward to being able to announce all of our appointments in the next newsletter, as well as listing those staff members who are leaving us to take up new opportunities.

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