As the sun rises on a new year, it is fantastic to welcome all of our school community Back to Balaklava High School for 2024 school year. I am extremely privileged to represent our communities as Principal of BHS for Term 1 and I already feel a great sense of PRIDE and belonging in our school. Our team is geared up for an amazing year after a productive Week 0 and we look forward to supporting our students with their personal growth and development.

There are many things that are new here at Balaklava High in 2024.

Firstly, I’d like to extend a very warm welcome to our new Year 7 students and their families into our school community. You’ve just become part of a school family that values the power of learning, individual growth and striving to be one’s best. I know that we have an amazing team that will support your transition to High School life and it has been great to pop into classes over the past couple of days to see this smooth transition in action.

We also have many new students who have moved into our communities and are starting Here at Balaklava High School for the first time. We are thrilled to welcome you to our school and part of the BHS family.

Our school also has a relatively new look staff for 2024 and while our team may be full of fresh faces, we still have the same passion and commitment for quality public education! Please welcome and get to know the following staff members:

New beginnings can be scary no matter if you are young or old! They can be daunting and incredibly confronting. So, my challenge to our school community is to make sure our new family members are not only welcomed at Balaklava High School, but they are truly embraced. This is achieved through creating an atmosphere where everyone feels like they belong. Take the initiative to welcome new teachers, students and peers. A simple "hello" or a friendly gesture can go a long way. Remember, each one of you has the power to make someone's day brighter, and that's a superpower worth using every day.

Something that is very important to me is wellbeing. We can’t expect our Student’s to achieve education outcomes if they are not equipped with a positive mindset, build their resilience and ready to learn. The journey of a successful school year starts with taking care of ourselves. It's not just about acing tests and exams and getting A’s; it's about finding balance, staying healthy, and enjoying the educational journey.  Students and families are encouraged to reach out whenever support in needed. We're here for each other and we have a fantastic Wellbeing team who are led by Kimberly Walker and Ash Parsons.

I spoke to students at Monday’s Welcome Assembly about one of my expectations of them which is that they actively strive to be the best versions of themselves. It's important to remember that it’s not about comparisons to other people and their capabilities; it's about personal growth and doing your best. I’m sure that when students step out on the sports field or log on for a game of Fortnight or Participate in their individual hobbies, they always strive to do their best. School should be no different. While some students may love school and others are still trying to find their place or fell negatively towards school, I believe school is very much like a bank! Everyone loves earning money and banking it (before we spend it all!). When we invest our money into the bank, we watch our investment grow and grow which can be exciting and fulfilling.  School is very much like a bank, but instead of money, you are investing in one’s own knowledge. When you learn, your bank of knowledge grows. We can’t spend or use our knowledge if we don’t have it and if we don’t learn and bank our knowledge is relatively empty. So, I encourage students to invest in themselves and their bank of knowledge! Excel today to challenge your future.

To our Year 12’s, I want to extend my best wishes. This is a big year for these students, but a really exciting year. It’s hard to believe that in little over 3 terms they will be completing their schooling journey and will set out into the wide world to begin their adulthood. Yr. 12 is their audition to this adulthood I encourage them not to waste their opportunities, be prepared to sacrifice a little to achieve their goals and don’t put off until tomorrow what they can achieve today. They have some wonderful mentors in life, so I encourage them to use their resources to make this year count.

2023 SACE Results

It was another successful year for SACE results in 2023 with a 98% overall SACE completion Rate. Olivia Allen was the BHS Dux with an ATAR of 94.55, without bonus points. An amazing effort Olivia! Congratulations also goes to Kashaya Carpenter and Brooke Michalanney who achieved an ATAR in the 90’s. Abby Bigg was awarded a Merit for Agricultural Production and 4 students achieved A+ grades in Food and Hospitality, English, Research Project and Agricultural Production. Congratulations to each of these students and their teachers for these fantastic results. Other highlights with our 2023 SACE data include

• 99% of all Stage 2 grades were passing grades
• 61% of all Stage 2 grades were As and Bs (up from 58% last year)
• 45.45% of all of our students who completed their SACE did so with a VET component (state average – 39.14%) 

Attendance

Everyday matters in the school life of a young person. Each day of attendance has a positive effect on their development and future success. Regular attendance at school is essential to assist students to maximise their potential. Unless students have a negotiated individual learning program that takes their learning beyond the classroom and school grounds, students need to be at school and attending lessons to support them to gain the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to be productive citizens capable of shaping their world. Schools, in partnership with parents, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students. Attendance at school contributes to a community that is well educated, healthier, employed, financially independent and more empowered. Young people who do not regularly attend school miss out on planned learning experiences, sequences of instructions and class participation. The impact of this loss is compounded with each absence. 

Missing one day a week adds up to two weeks across a whole term. Over the six years of secondary school, this adds up to more than a year of school that Is missed – essentially equivalent to only finishing Year 11. The impact on learning is serious. While we understand that students may be absent due to illness, and that sometimes a family matter can require a short period of absence, we ask for your support in ensuring your child attends each school day.

Take a moment to study and absorb the following table which demonstrates the impact on learning across a child’s school journey from R-12.

Student Free Days and School Closure

We are currently working through our proposed Student Free Days and date of the School Closure which will be for the Royal Adelaide Show in Term 3. Once these dates are set and approved, we will communicate these with families.

Parent Contribution

The old proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is most Definitely true and we want our students at Balaklava High School to have access to as many opportunities, events and services as possible to allow them to thrive! Occasionally, this requires assistance from our parent body to ensure these opportunities are available or functioning to the best of their ability. It would be great to see the reintroduction of a Parents and Friends group in 2024 where our school and parents can work hand in hand, not only for the benefit of our students and also as a support network. In addition, we are keen to form an AG Committee to utilise the expertise of our farming community and assist with the management of our farm like weekend feeding.

Our school canteen provides an amazing service to not only BHS, but BPS as well. Assistance in the canteen is always required and welcome. Please pop in and see me for a chat or contact me via DayMap, email me at derek.friedrichs@schools.sa.edu.au or call 88620600.

Position Vacant

Do you have a passion for all things Agriculture?

We are looking for a Groundsperson to join our team for 21 hours a week to assist us with all things Agriculture.

Please follow this link below for the official J&P or give our Business Manager Elly Swift a call to discuss the role further.

Ancillary Jobs (education.sa.gov.au)

Communication

Communication is one of the key pillars of success in schooling and I encourage parents to contact teachers directly if you have a question, need to share information or if you have a concern.  You can contact teachers via DayMap or phone the school on 8862 0600 and leave a message for them to call you back.  The first point of contact should always be the subject teacher for class related matters, the Homegroup teacher for broader concerns or a member of the Leadership Team for more significant issues.  DayMap is a place for parents to access crucial information including feedback on student work, absences, homework and other school related tasks and I Encourage you to access the Parent Portal regularly.  There are instructions on how to do this later in the newsletter and you can always contact the Front Office if you have any issues with access.  Another form of communication is through social media and I invite all students and their families to like us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with school events and information.

There have also been some changes to the Leadership team this year and I encourage you to contact the relevant person when a need arises:

Governing Council AGM

The Governing Council is an important component of the school’s decision-making and consultative processes and it provides an opportunity for parents to be more  involved in school operations and to gain a deeper understanding of how the school functions.  Our Governing Council’s AGM will take place on Tuesday 20^th February 2023 at 7.00 pm in the Balaklava Community Library.  Please consider nominating, or renominating, for the Governing Council, which has a crucial role in ensuring that the school is meeting the educational needs of the community.

Please see the nomination slip for Governing Council below or you can access one by contacting the Front Office.  We have a number of current Council members who are finishing their time on Governing Council and I thank them for their contribution to our school throughout their tenure.  If you are not considering nominating for Governing Council, you are very welcome to come along to the AGM where information and reports will be shared.

While we have not been able to offer Music as a normal timetabled subject this year, we are delighted to welcome Melanie Evans to the team in 2024 to offer different music programs to our students on a Thursday. We are also in the process of confirming an Instrumental Music teacher for the school.

Parents, its competition time for you! Would you like to win your child a $15 canteen voucher? Throughout my newsletter article, there are words in the middle of sentences with a bold capital letter that do not belong. These letters spell out a short phrase. Once you have found the phrase, Daymap message the phrase to me or comment on our Newsletter Facebook post to go into the running to win your child a $15 canteen voucher. There are multiple canteen vouchers up for grabs!

Please feel free to contact me here at school if you have a matter you wish to discuss regarding your child’s education. I understand that there are sometime issues or concerns you wish to communicate and I also enjoy hearing about the wins and success stories! I can be contacted via Daymap or email derek.friedrichs447@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. 

Regards

Derek Friedrichs

Principal Balaklava High School