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 will conclude this afternoon and we will hold a formal farewell assembly at the school at 9 am tomorrow (Friday 22nd October).  After this date, some students may still be completing final assessment tasks and some will be preparing for 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.

The SACE Board have announced that Year 12 results will be available in Students Online from 8:30 am on Tuesday 15 December with hard copy documentation arriving from this date onwards.  Year 12 students should log in to Students Online and activate their accounts prior to results release day.  Waiting for these results can also be a stressful time and Reach Out.com offers the following advice for parents to support their teenagers during this time:

• 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 often uncertain expectations of Uni or work, we wish them well and hope they have many happy memories of their schooling.  They are at a very exciting point in their lives and we hope they enjoy every minute of it.

Building Works

If you have driven past the school this week you would have seen that temporary fencing has appeared around G, H and J Blocks in preparation for their demolition next month.  We are very excited to see this work begin, which will remove these old transportable buildings that were put there ‘temporarily’ sometime in the 1960s (we don’t have an exact date of arrival but a past staff member recalls them being here in 1969 when she first arrived at BHS).  The building works are due to be complete by the end of Term 2 next year and will house 8 general learning areas and 2 art rooms.  Ms Brookes has done an amazing job to be able to shuffle our classes into different rooms for the remainder of this year and will do so again for the start of next year; however, this short-term inconvenience will be well worth it once we have the new buildings.

Presentation Evening

As highlighted in an earlier newsletter, Presentation Night will look a little different this year.  After much thought, reference to the current COVID guidelines and restrictions and consideration for our Year 12 Class of 2020, we have decided to hold a modified event at the Balaklava Town Hall with restricted numbers of audience members and no external presenters.  Year 12 students and two members of their family will be able to attend, with all other award recipients receiving their academic, sporting or other award before the night.  These early presentations will be live streamed and recorded, as will the Presentation Night event, to give other family members the opportunity to watch the ceremonies remotely.  We understand this maybe disappointing for some, however it is out of our control and we are pleased to be able to gather in a larger group at all.  Letters to Year 12 students and their families explaining how this will work have already gone home and letters to other award recipients will follow shortly, once we have worked out some final details.

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