Anyone who suggests schools wind down at the end of the year should have a look at our calendar.  Since our last newsletter we have said farewell to our Year 12 cohort with a parent dinner, had both Year 10 and Year 11 exams, an amazing Year 8 Performing Arts production, Success Camp, Presentation Night, Year 7-8 transition, Authentic Assessment and a catastrophic fire day!  In amongst these events, there was also a fair bit of learning that occurred.

It is difficult to believe that we find ourselves in the last week of the school year already.  It seems like not that long ago I was writing my first newsletter article for 2019 and now I’m penning my last for the year.  There is no denying that the start of this year presented us with a number of challenges that we, as a school community, had to work through together.  It was a difficult time, however, with hard work and commitment, we did this successfully and we finish the year as a more cohesive group of students, staff and parents than we were in February and we will continue to work towards strengthening our relationships and building on our sense of community into the future.  I want to acknowledge and thank the vast majority of students who have done the right thing all year; those students who made positive choices and who actively involved themselves in the myriad of opportunities available to students of Balaklava High School.

Presentation Evening

Last Wednesday, 4^th December, we held our annual Presentation Evening at the Balaklava Town Hall.  It was a wonderful celebration of the academic, sporting and musical achievements of our students but it also gave us the chance to recognise students for their leadership skills and their work in the broader community as well as being an opportunity to finally farewell the Class of 2019.  One of the highlights of this evening each year is when we invite an old scholar to speak about their life since leaving BHS.  This year’s guest speaker was Scarlett Schumaker who is currently the in-house lawyer for the Department for Child Protection.  This would be an extremely confronting role where she would see the very worst in people, however, Scarlett also said she has seen the very best with ‘some truly amazing stories of bravery, strength and determination.’

Near the end of her speech, Scarlett pondered what she had learnt from her experiences and she offered the following:  ‘By all means you can have a plan and a goal of where you want to go and do, but there will be moments of disappointment and some mistakes will be made. It is how you deal with those mistakes and the disappointment that will open you up to new opportunities. But sometimes opportunities don’t land neatly in the palm of your hand – you have to seek them out, you have to work hard, you also have to take risks and you also need a bit of luck. Sometimes what looks like the perfect fit, isn’t, and that’s more than okay.’

After a request from a parent, Scarlett has provided a full copy of her speech and we have attached the full transcript to this newsletter for your interest.

I would like to thank the organising committee who dedicated a large number of hours in preparation for Presentation Evening, in particular Sue Pratt, Sarah Reusch and Cherie Cmrlec.  The work Cherie does behind the scenes for many school events is significant and we are very grateful for this.

Staffing for 2020

I am very pleased to be able to announce a number of our teaching staff have been made permanent at BHS this term.  Amber Buick (Maths/Science), Ash Parsons (HPE/Science) and Suri Umapathysivam (Music/Drama) have all won teaching jobs that will see them remain here in the future.  As mentioned earlier in the year, Michelle Pudney (Assistant Principal, Middle School) and Colleen Lowe (Coordinator:  Student Engagement) will join our staff in leadership roles in 2020 and we have also had Joshuah Jenner appointed to our school in an ongoing role.  Josh has been teaching in the APY Lands for the past 4 years and we look forward to welcoming him here next year where he will be teaching PE and English.

We are also pleased to welcome back Kelly Schubert (Maths/Psychology), Chelsea McCormack (English/Art), Sarah Mayer (Home Ec) and Jess Daniel (Special Options) on 12 month contracts.  We anticipate having our Art/Design and other Special Options positons filled by the end of this year.  I am very confident that we have a strong teaching team with dedicated leaders to continue to move our school forward in 2020 and beyond.  Having a strong and stable staff who have a commitment to improving outcomes for our students is vital for success.

Farewells

At this time of the year we also have people to farewell.  Michael Brooks is leaving us after 5 years at BHS as PE/HASS/Sport Coordinator to take up the position of Assistant Principal at Keith Area School.  We thank Michael for his work over the years as leading events such as athletics and swimming carnivals takes considerable effort and teamwork and they ultimately provide opportunities for the broader school community to come together as one.

We also farewell Cerys Harris-Howson who has been at BHS for the past 3 years in our Special Class and who has now won a position at Salisbury East High School.  Cerys has set up that class from its inception and we thank her for the work she has done in supporting her students to achieve outstanding success as well as preparing them for life beyond school.

Sharon Kent joined us at the start of this year and we thank her for the work she has done in Maths and Science, particularly in the middle school.  Many students will have fond memories of Science excursions with Mrs Kent and we wish her well for the future.

We farewell Kirsten Mooney and thank her for being so flexible and accommodating in supporting us to deliver consistency to her English and HASS students.  She stepped up when we needed her and we appreciate this commitment.

We also farewell Laura Cereceda and thank her for the work she has done in English this year.

Finally, we farewell our groundsman, Gavin Harding, after nearly 15 years of service.  Time and again, Gavin has gone above and beyond what is expected to ensure our school grounds look as good as they do and that everything remains in good working order.  The knowledge of the school he takes with him will be a huge loss and will be difficult to replace.  To all staff members leaving we thank them for their time here and wish them well for whatever the future holds.

Mobile Phone Policy Review

This term we implemented our new mobile phone policy banning phones during the school day (including during breaks).  I would like to congratulate the majority of our students who have easily adapted to this policy and I also thank parents for their support with this.  We are now asking for feedback from students, parents and staff on the new policy.  Please contact me by the end of the year at the school via Daymap, email Sonia.Pringle235@schools.sa.edu.au or phone 8862 0600 with aspects of the Policy that have worked well and areas in which we could improve the policy.

I thank the broader school community for their support this year and I look forward to continuing these positive relationships next year.  I wish you all an enjoyable, relaxing and safe break with your families and friends and I look forward to seeing many of you back at school on Tuesday 28^th January 2020 ready for another year of learning.

Sonia Pringle

Principal

Class of 2019

TOP PERFORMERS IN YEAR 12

ACADEMIC MEDAL WINNERS

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Year 12

SWIMMING TROPHY WINNERS 

Under 14:              Sasha Branson, Seth Pascoe                 

Under 15:              Charlotte Davey, Bailey Arthur              

Under 16:              Abbie McArdle, Lachlan Hendry                       

Open:                    Chloe Lamond, Ethan Brownlie

ATHLETICS TROPHY WINNERS

Under 14:              Ella Standley (absent), Jed Davis

Under 15:              Charli Griffiths, Jack McLean/Harrison Taylor

Under 16:              Abbie McArdle, Logan Olsen

Open:                    Catelyn Harkness, Ethan Brownlie

SPECIAL AWARD RECIPIENTS

Volunteer Award:         Mr Dwayne Menzies (Canteen volunteer)

Rowan Ramsey School Community Award: Karyn Von-Zieden

Dux of 2018:        Tranel Churchett-Gomez

Wakefield Regional Council Leadership Awards:          

Jacinta Cocks & Taylah Pratt, pictured with Mayor Rodney Reid

Valedictorian 2019: Blake Guerin

Long Tan Leadership Awards, presented by Ryan Bernhardt

Year 10:  Shannon Schutt

Year 12: Kara Binka

House Shield: KEITH HOUSE

House Champion of the Year: Matt Mojares

Sports Girl and Boy, sponsored by Physio Prime: Haylee Studam & Karl Binka

Visual Arts Award, sponsored by Balaklava Courthouse Gallery:

Paige Lamond, picured with Leonie Enman

Performing Arts Award, sponsored by Balaklava Community Arts:

Abbey Bubner, pictured with Naomi Bousfield

Des Ross Memorial Prize for Literacy: Blake Guerin

Primary Industry Award, sponosored by Elders Rural

Jack Heaslip, with Michael Brougham

Balaklava Betta Home Living Improvement Award: Rhys Simpson

Apex Citizenship Award: Beth Spurling

Caltex Best All-Rounder: Jacinta Cocks pictured with Sonia Pringle

2020 will see some changes to our School Swimming and Athletics Carnivals. From next year we will be removing the limit of the number of participants that can compete in an event per house, there will now be unlimited entries allowed from each house. This change has been implemented in order to increase participation and ensure that we are able to select the best team for the Interschool Carnivals as all students will be given the opportunity to compete. Next year will also see the introduction of the School Spirit Shield which will be awarded to the house that accumulates the most points from the following categories:

• Participation numbers
• Student volunteer numbers
• Presentation of House area (cleanliness, house pride and decorations)
• War cry/ House chant
• House warm-up
• Novelty events
• Additional points awarded to students demonstrating the School Values (PRIDE)

The Championship Shield will be awarded to the house with the most points accumulated from 1^st to 8^th placings from the U14-U21 age group events. An Overall Shield will be introduced and awarded to the house that accumulates the most points from the School Spirit and Championship categories.

Swimming Carnival will return to an all-day event next year to ensure adequate time for all races, novelty events and the Teacher vs House Captains vs Parents race. Students that do not wish to participate in the Swimming Carnival will stay at school for a modified education program. Athletics Carnival will continue with a similar format to previous years but will be held on the main school oval (Wallace Street) next year due to the deteriorating condition of the gym oval.

Next year interested students will have the opportunity to compete in the School Sport SA Secondary Swimming Championship at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre as an individual entry. The Individual Day will be held on Monday the 24^th of February, please contact Miss Schahinger for further information if you are interested in competing.

This year Governing Council approved and formalised our School Sport Participation Policy which states that students must seek approval from their teachers to participate in School Sport and meet appropriate academic and behavioural expectations. The Policy also states that students will commit and participate to the best of their ability in any sporting team they have been selected for unless they are granted an exemption because of medical reasons or personal reasons which they have notified to the coach in a timely manner. Consequences of failing to meet the above can result in the ineligibility of the student participating in any further sporting events. The full policy is included for your reference.

Keep an eye out for the first newsletter of next year for important dates of the 2020 Swimming and Athletics Carnivals and Term 1 Knockout Sports Competitions.

Alison Schahinger

2020 Sports Coordinator

SPORT PARTICIPATION POLICY

Balaklava High School students are able to participate in a range of sporting events throughout the year. These events include School Athletics and Swimming Carnivals, Knockout Sports and lunchtime activities.  Following participation in these Carnivals students may be selected to represent the school at Lower North or Adelaide Athletics and Swimming Carnivals. These activities are provided to promote and develop sporting excellence in students.

Participation in all teams must be approved by BHS staff and students must meet appropriate academic and behavioural expectations for approval to be granted.  Students must also complete and submit a Co-curricular Activity Planned Absence Sheet to the supervising teacher one day prior to event or they will be unable to participate.

Participation in school sport should be seen as a privilege and an opportunity for students to further enrich their schooling life.  Successful selection in an Interschool or Lower North teams, as per the values of the school, should see students commit and participate to their best of the ability for themselves, the school and their peers.

Exemption from participation in sporting events will only occur when:

• Medical exemption with evidence and parent/caregiver signature provided to the organising teacher
• Excuse deemed reasonable and timely with parent/caregiver signature by the organising teacher

The following actions will be deemed unacceptable in relation to Interschool and Lower North sport:

• Unreasonable excuse/s for non-participation
• Lack of, or late communication regarding non-participation
• Unsportsmanlike behaviour, or, any other behaviour that may/can put the school in disrepute when participating
• Withdrawing from selected events when in attendance

The consequence for the above actions can result in ineligibility from Knockout events for the particular school year or as determined by the HPE staff and Sports Coordinator.

In Week 6 the Year 8s put on a production called ABBA that was a composition of dances to the music of ABBA. These dances were choreographed mainly by students with Miss Umapathysivam supporting them. The Year 8s performed on two sold out evenings, a huge congratulations to the Year 8s!

Casey Brice 

After graduating from BHS in 2010  I had a gap year and worked at Gilmac in Balaklava in an administrative role. After 12 months of work I moved to Adelaide for uni and was originally enrolled in a double degree in Journalism and International Relations. I found the move to Adelaide quite a big adjustment and was a bit unsettled in my first year of university. I decided that the degree I was studying wasn’t for me, but not knowing what course to change in to and not wanting to quit university all together I decided to move into a Business Administration course. This course covered the basics of management, marketing and commerce, and I thought any study involving a business focus would be beneficial regardless of where I eventually ended up in my career. In my first year in my Business Administration course I was lucky enough to win work experience with a large mid-tier accounting firm, Grant Thornton. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working in an accounting firm and transitioned into a Commerce degree majoring in Accounting shortly after. I was lucky enough to be offered a permanent position with Grant Thornton following my work experience where I am still currently working today.

Current job role:

I am a Senior Associate at Grant Thornton in their Private Advisory division. My role is focused around providing support for mid-sized businesses, in particular family businesses, helping to enhance and develop business operations and performance.

Highlights of your current job/career:

There have been so many highlights throughout my 5.5 years with Grant Thornton including:

• Being nominated as Accounting Student of the Year in the Australian Accounting Awards in my final year of university while working as an undergraduate accountant with Grant Thornton.
• Travelling to Vanuatu as a Grant Thornton representative to undertake volunteer work with World Vision.
• Playing an integral role in a number of Grant Thornton’s strategic internal projects looking at the processes and performance of our Private Advisory division nationally and delivering training to each of our offices.
• Developing Grant Thornton’s Client Service Delivery Model which has set the standard for how we engage with our clients nationally.
• Completing the CA Program to become a Chartered Accountant.

I have lived and breathed family business my whole life, having grown up on my family farm just out of Balaklava. One of the most rewarding things about my current role is that I get to help businesses like my family’s every single day and support them in achieving their business and personal ambitions.

Looking back on your time at BHS, did BHS help with your career pathway?

While I was at school I really didn’t have a definitive career path, however, I did have a very supportive group of teachers in my final few years at the school who helped me work through my options. I wanted to achieve high results to be able to keep my options open and my teachers were wonderful in pushing me to achieve the results that I wanted.

Anything else you would like to add about your time at BHS?

BHS gave me so many wonderful opportunities to learn and develop. High School is wonderful in setting you up for the future, but it won’t define your entire career. Don’t get bogged down in having your life mapped out just yet. Get all that you can out of your time at school and most importantly, enjoy it – life gets so much more hectic once you finish.

Students in Years 10 and 11 have the opportunity to participate in our bi-annual, combined schools trip to Falls Creek held during Week 1 of Term 3, departing on the evening of Saturday 18^th July and returning the following Saturday morning. The cost of the trip is approximately $1,800 (with some expenses ie clothing & insurance not covered in this amount) but final cost will depend on numbers.  Students who participate have the opportunity to obtain a SACE Stage 1 Integrated Learning Unit worth 10 credits. 

In the past, this trip has been extremely successful and popular with our Year 10 and 11 students and with students from the other schools.  Unfortunately, there may be a limited number of places available, so it will be important for students to secure a position on the trip.  Students who are suspended during 2020 will not be permitted to attend. There is also an expectation that participating students will be maintaining a good school attendance record and achieving academic success.  Other financial commitments to the school (eg school fees) will also need finialised prior to departure.

Expressions of interest were required by the end of this year, however, to confirm a place on this trip a deposit of $200 will be required by Wednesday 13th February 2020.  More information will be provided early next year.

Karyn Von-Zieden

On the 25th of November, 24 students from Years 8 and 9 ventured to Port Vincent for three days of aquatics for Success Camp accompanied by Miss Buick and Mr Parsons. Students who had demonstrated excellent academic achievement, high involvement in extracurricular activities, improvement in their learning and exemplary behaviour were invited to attend Success Camp to celebrate their achievements and hard work across the year.

Our first day saw wet conditions in and out of the water, with light rainfall for most of the morning and a chance of a storm. That didn’t dampen our spirits as we tried our hand at sailing and knee boarding. Tuesday’s weather was perfect as students tried windsurfing and kayaking.

Amber Buick

HUMMOCKS NETBALL CLUB

Season 2020 Coaching & Registrations

Applications are now being taken for Coaches for all Senior, Junior and NetSet grades.

If you are interested in playing for Hummocks Netball Club in 2020 please register your interest via the contact details below.

Please contact Ash Williams for more information.

hncsecretary@hotmail.com or 0437 849 227

*Please note we will be participating in the Sports Vouchers program*