Welcome back to Term 3; it is hard to believe that so much has been packed into the first three weeks of this term. Several sport teams have played in this time: the Year 11 and 12 Boys and Girls Basketball teams had a very successful day here at Balaklava, the Year 7/8/9 Girls Football team travelled to Maitland and today our Year 7/8 Boys Football team are playing in Balaklava.  Last Friday, I had the pleasure of seeing our BHS Vocal Ensemble perform at the Balaklava Eisteddfod, in the Senior School Vocal Competition. They sang with joy and pride and I thank Melanie Evans for her hard work and preparation. Ag had a busy and long day out at Jamestown last week. Best wishes to Holly Crighton and the AG team, as they prepare for the Copper Coast and Adelaide Shows in the coming weeks. Senior school students have been exploring their options and planning their futures with subject selections, Year 12 Focus Day, the Wakefield Regional Council Careers Expo and the Mid North Immersion and Career Expo. For our Year 12s, more than half of their year is over as formal classes will finish early in Term 4 but for some, exams will follow. We have hosted important visitors to the school including; Uncle Micky in NAIDOC week, Solly Bushby - an inspiring Olympian and six Japanese students on a study tour at BHS for two weeks, hosted by six local families. To top off the week, early Tuesday morning, our Operation Flinders group left for the Northern Flinders Ranges for a week.

See all the reports and photos further in the newsletter.

We look forward to Science Week and Book Week coming up in the next two weeks.

Student Free Day

On the first day of the term, we had our third student free day of the year. Staff engaged with the Department for Education’s new Public Education Strategy and explored the Guiding Principles. One of the Guiding Principles is Collective Responsibility and staff spent the morning session creating mindful agreements for our collective responsibilities to our stakeholders, community and each other. Staff also spent time with their curriculum teams discussing Continuous Assessment and how this functions in each faculty area.

Annual Parent Survey

Parents are invited to complete the 2024 annual Parent Survey, which is now open.  By now, you should have received an email or SMS from the Parent Survey Team with a unique link to participate in the survey.  If you did not receive an email or SMS with your unique survey link, contact education.ParentSurvey@sa.gov.au and include our school’s name in your email.

The survey takes less than 10 minutes and will help us understand:

• what we’re doing well
• where we can improve
• what’s important to you.

It has been coordinated centrally and your answers won't identify you or your child and only collated feedback will be provided to us.  Information collected will inform school improvement planning and activities at the school.

We encourage all parents to complete the survey, which closes midnight Sunday, 8^th September (end of Week 7, Term 3)and to share the positives as well as areas in which we can improve.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Over the next 5 weeks, Balaklava HS is engaging in a Positive Behaviour for Learning trial to promote positive behaviour choices across the school. During this trial, we will focus on the desired behaviours that support a positive learning environment and explicitly teach these expected behaviours to establish clear and consistent boundaries.

Our first lesson focused on ENSURING MOBILE PHONES & PERSONAL DEVICES ARE ‘OFF AND AWAY’

This applies to our student cohort from the time they enter the school grounds until 3:15pm.

The mobile phone ban is a State Government legislation established in 2023 to bring SA in line with other states across Australia. Students at all public schools must keep their mobile phones and other personal devices, such as smart watches, switched off and put away while they’re at school.

The mobile phone and personal device policy helps to:

• limit the times students may be exposed to negative impacts from inappropriate or unsafe use of devices, such as cyberbullying or harmful content
• promote classroom environments where teachers can teach, and students can learn, free from distractions caused by personal use of device
• encourage use of breaks as quality time away from screens, for more physical activity, play, and face-to-face connections. 

WHAT CAN PARENTS DO TO ASSIST YOUR CHILD WITH THIS POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR EXPECTATION?

• Reinforce this expectation with your child at home
• Support your child’s positive behaviour choices by not contacting them via their mobile phone from the time they arrive on school grounds until 3:15pm.
• Ring our Front Office on 88620600 if you need to contact your child during the day.
• Support your child’s canteen purchases through cash, card or ordering via the QKR app.

For more information on the mobile phone ban of BHS Mobile Phone and Personal Device Policy, please follow the links below.

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/mobile-phones...

https://balakhs.schoolzineplus.com/.../mobile_phone...

Student Led Conferences

Student Led Conferences are just around the corner, in Week 6 and I am excited that we are again hitting the road in 2024 and taking a night of these conferences to one of our communities, Port Wakefield.

Bookings for Student Led Conferences will open at 9am on Monday the 12^th of August and close at 3pm on Friday the 23^rd of August. Parents will receive an email with additional information regarding this by the end of today and I encourage all parents to make sure you book an appointment and engage with your child’s learning.

Congratulations Tayla

It was amazing last Saturday night to watch Balaklava High School alumni Tayla Williams become a back-to-back Suncorp Super Netball champion with the Adelaide Thunderbirds. Not only did she collect her second championship, Tayla was also recognised for her outstanding season and first recipient in the leadership team to be honoured with the Spirit Award, as voted by her peers.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds have a strong connection and have been an active force in our communities, inspiring not only the next generations of netballers but young (and older) girls and boys alike with their class, professionalism and generosity.

Congratulations on your achievement Tayla. The BHS community was certainly cheering you on and proud of your efforts.

 

Enjoy your weekend and please feel free to contact me at the school if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s learning.  I can be contacted via DayMap or email derek.friedrichs447@schools.sa.edu.au or you can phone the school on 8862 0600 and ask to speak with me directly. Alternatively, I would be happy to discuss your needs in person – please pre-arrange this with the Front Office Team so that I can ensure I am available when you arrive.

Derek Friedrichs

Principal