Last Friday we held our first Athletics Carnival on the main oval and what a fantastic day it was!  Given the poor state of our oval by the gym, the decision was made last year that we would move our athletics day to the main oval this year and that required a significant amount of work to prepare for with an oval layout to be designed, a new tabloid style introduced and a new computer and timing system being implemented.  As with all such major events, the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is substantial and I would like to thank Alison Schahinger and her team, including Ash Parsons and Josh Jenner, for all they did in the lead up to the event and on the day.  I would also like to thank the other staff members who worked tirelessly on the day to make it a day full of school spirit, participation and, of course, some great athletic feats.  See further in this newsletter for a full report on the day’s events.

Governing Council AGM

The Governing Council’s Annual General Meeting was held last Wednesday and I would like to thank the parents and community members who attended to hear about our achievements with the presentation of the 2019 Annual Report as well as various other committee reports.  If you were unable to attend the meeting and would like a copy of the Annual Report which reviews our priorities, goals and achievements for last year, please contact us at the school and we can send home a hard copy or you can access it electronically through our website.

The following people have accepted roles on this year’s Governing Council:

I thank the members of the Governing Council for taking this important opportunity to be more involved in their children’s education and for supporting the school community.  I look forward to another productive and successful year.  Please contact one of the members above if you would like to know more about Governing Council or if you would like something raised at a future meeting on your behalf.

School Uniform

All students at BHS are expected to wear the agreed school uniform and, if meeting these expectations is a concern for families, I ask them to contact a member of the leadership team to discuss this.

Students are expected to wear a navy or white school polo top, navy bomber jacket, navy rugby top or plain navy hoodie, all of which are available for purchase from TADS in Balaklava.  Shorts and trousers are to be navy or grey and trackpants are to be navy or grey with no stripes or large logos.  Families are reminded that black pants and tops are not part of our uniform and leggings, jeggings and jeans are also not acceptable for school.

When people ask why we have a uniform, I offer the following as some of the reasons why a school uniform is important:

• Sense of belonging – a uniform allows all students to feel they belong at school and they are equal to everyone else. If students were able to wear clothing of their choice it may cause an uneven social distinction between those who can afford name brand clothing and those who cannot
• Sense of pride – we are proud of our students at Balaklava High School and they should also have pride in their school. Members of the public can instantly recognise which school a student is from by their clothing and it sends a positive message to the community if our students look smart and are all dressed the same
• Provide a safe learning environment – we can easily identify our students in the yard, on an excursion or in a crowd through their uniform. A staff member can scan our school yard or classroom and instantly see who belongs and who shouldn’t be there
• Saves arguments – when there’s a uniform in place it saves arguments in the morning about what a student is going to wear and parents don’t need to feel the pressure to provide a variety of different outfits for their child for each day of the week. It is also a great thing to not have to think about what to wear each morning!

As always, I invite parents to contact me at the school with any issues, concerns, celebrations 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.  Only four weeks of term left to go; it’ll be Easter, and holidays, before we know it!  Have a fabulous week.

Sonia Pringle

Principal