Balaklava High School
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14 Gwy Terrace
Balaklava SA 5461
Subscribe: https://balakhs.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: dl.0769.info@schools.sa.edu.au
Phone: 08 8862 0600
Fax: 08 8862 0650

Principal's Report

Last week we gathered as a school community to hold our formal induction ceremony for Student Council Leaders and House Captains for 2020.  This gave us an opportunity to celebrate students who have been nominated and elected to undertake leadership roles in the school as Student Leaders, House Captains or both.  By accepting these roles, students agreed to take on the responsibility of representing their sports houses, classes, year levels and, for some, the full student population of Balaklava High School.  This is a great honour and not something to be taken lightly.  Leadership can often mean making hard decisions and having to do what is right in a situation, not just what is easy or what is popular and I commend these students for their willingness to accept this responsibility.  I thank old scholar Steph McArdle who joined us at the assembly and spoke of her experiences as both Head Student and House Captain in 2014 and the balancing act required to manage these roles as well as her Year 12 studies and other external commitments.  We wish all leaders the best for the 2020 school year.

Responsible Technology Use

As parents and carers, it can sometimes be hard to keep up with the constantly evolving developments in technology that attract children and teens. While we may not always be able to keep up with all of the latest advancements, we can introduce a framework so the young people in our families can develop a healthy and safe relationship with technology. Young people are often open to talking about online safety if you show them you understand the huge role that social media and the internet play in their lives and have a discussion around the issue and don’t just lay down rules.

ReachOut.com offers the following tips and conversation starters to encourage your teenager to use technology responsibly:

  • Technology is a part of life. Help your child recognise that it’s a privilege to have this ‘tool’ and that they should use it responsibly. That means sticking to the rules you set up for its use
  • It’s an important lesson to learn that online material is forever. How does your child want to be seen in the world – not just now, but when they’re an adult looking for a job?
  • Respect is key. Teach your child not to say or do anything online that could hurt or humiliate anyone; just as you would expect them to behave in real life
  • They must only make friends with people they know in real life and should not do anything that they know you would be unhappy with, such as forwarding material that would hurt or embarrass someone else
  • If they ever receive material that is private, such as personal or explicit photos or videos, they should delete them immediately. Failure to do this could have very real consequences.

Mobile Phone Policy

At BHS, our mobile phone policy, which has been ratified by Governing Council, is in effect and it means that mobile phones are banned during the school day (including during breaks).  Teachers can specifically request an exemption to this policy if phones are needed in class as part of the learning plan.  Examples of this may be if a camera is needed to record progress on artwork, if students need to film a task for English or if they are required to record information whilst out in the Ag area.  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.

Attendance

Attendance at school is vital for student success in multiple aspects of their development.  Children and young people are required to be enrolled in a school or approved learning program between the ages of 6 and 17 years of age.  Every day of these years matter and each day of attendance has a positive impact on the development and future success of these young people.  Missing one day of school per week from Reception to Year 10 results in missing two years and one term of schooling.  Long term studies have shown that not completing school can be linked with poor physical and mental health, poverty and involvement with the criminal justice system.

Children and young people who do not attend school regularly also miss out on planned learning experiences, sequences of instruction and class participation.  The impact of this loss is compounded with each absence.  It is also more difficult for them to build positive relationships with others, which is the basis of all that we are working towards at BHS.  If you are struggling to get your child to school, please contact us and we can support you with this.  If, however, there are occasional, unavoidable reasons for your child to be absent from school, please inform their homegroup teacher via Daymap, telephone, email or a note in your child’s diary.  You can also reply to the text message sent from the school to provide a reason for the absence.

Bushfire Procedure

BHS is considered a low/medium bushfire risk site, therefore, on days deemed catastrophic, the school will remain open as closures based on the predicted forecast do not apply to us.  However, our bus runs are located in both the Mid North and Yorke Peninsula Fire Ban Districts, which means if a Catastrophic Day is declared in either district, all buses that travel through these areas will be cancelled.  We will inform parents of this information as soon as practicable after it is declared on the CFS website at 4pm the day before.  We will do this via a text message to parents/carers and Facebook and Balaklava Primary School will inform bus families via FlexiBuzz (please download the app if you haven’t already done so).  As we may need to contact you urgently, it is vital that we have your most current details on our system.  Please keep us informed if any of your contact details change throughout the year.

Parents can also call a parent hotline number (1800 000 279) to gain further advice when a catastrophic bushfire day is forecast.

Governing Council AGM

A reminder that our Governing Council’s AGM will take place on Wednesday 4th March 2020 at 7.00 pm in the Community Library.  The majority of our councillors started their two year tenures last year, therefore we only have once vacancy this year.  There is a nomination slip for Governing Council in this newsletter or you can access one by contacting the Front Office.  Even if you are not considering nominating for Council, I encourage you to come along to the AGM, where we will present the Annual Report on the 2019 school year.

As always, I invite 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 via Daymap or email Sonia.Pringle235@schools.sa.edu.au or you can phone the School on 8862 0600 to speak to me directly or to make a time to come and see me.

Sonia Pringle

Principal