Welcome back for Term 3.  The end of last term, and the start of this term, has certainly been much calmer than the end of Term 1.  This year has seen a change to the way we do, or don’t do, many things but we are pleased that large-scale gatherings such as assemblies, excursions, school sport and other important aspects of school life are able to return this term.  That said, the current situation interstate is a timely reminder for us to remain vigilant with our hygiene and health protocols.  If your child is unwell, we ask that they stay home until they have recovered.  Whilst COVID-19 has taken an emotional toll on many, there have also been some positives, such as: giving us a reason to stop our busy lifestyles and slow down at little, seeing a return to family activities and allowing our planet some time to heal and repair after years of human pollution.

Student Free Day and School Closure Day

We started this term with a Partnership-wide Student Free Day on Monday, during which we began our work with Connected Self on trauma informed practices including how we can best support our students if they’ve experienced trauma.  We learnt that trauma can be from a single event but that it can also be from ongoing or cumulative experience, which ultimately overwhelms a person’s capacity to cope.  We also learned about how the different parts of the brain work, what their functions are and how we can retrain our brains to change well-worn pathways (or ‘goat tracks’) to choose different, more appropriate responses.  We look forward to continuing this work this year and I encourage you to ask a staff member if you’d like more information on any of these concepts.

Our next Student Free Day will be a combined day with Riverton and District High School on Tuesday 18th August.  We have also had confirmation from the Department that, as our School Closure Day had been approved by the Governing Council before the Adelaide Show was cancelled, it will still go ahead as planned on Monday 7th September.

Student Led Conferences (formerly known as Parent Teacher Interviews)

Student Led Conferences will be held in Week 3 on Wednesday 5^th August at the school.  They provide an opportunity to drive student engagement and ownership of their learning as they set themselves achievable learning goals and review those set earlier in the year, in partnership with their teachers and parents/caregivers. Conferences can be held with both Homegroup and subject teachers. Bookings for Student Led Conferences are now open and instructions for how to book a conference have been sent to families both via email, on Daymap and later in this newsletter.  If you have any questions about the process or are having issues booking conference times, please contact the front office on 8862 0600.

Site Improvement Plan

Last year all South Australian schools adopted a new, common approach to school improvement planning through an agreed Site Improvement Plan (SIP).  At BHS, after analysing the data, we developed our SIP with two goals:

• Literacy - Improve students' ability to write effectively (structure, fluidity, formal language and concise expression of ideas)
• Numeracy - Improve students' ability to apply numeracy skills in all curriculum areas in Number and Multiplicative Thinking.

At the end of last year, we reviewed our actions and measured success, which led to the refinement of these goals.  I would like to acknowledge the work of David Szular in Numeracy and Joshua La Grutta in Literacy as they continue to lead the staff on these aspects of the improvement plan.  A full copy of the SIP can be found on our website or you can contact the front office if you would like a hard copy to be sent home.

Staffing News

We recently advertised two Coordinator positions to start next year for three year tenures.  These were advertised statewide and I am pleased to announce the successful applicants:

• VET Coordinator - Rosemary Goode - we were pleased to welcome Rosemary (and her wealth of VET knowledge and industry contacts) back this year and we are very happy to have her on board for the next 3 years
• Maths/Numeracy/STEM Coordinator - Alana Sharman from Craigmore High has won this position and will join us from next year. Alana has particular interests in both STEM and the middle school and we extend a very warm welcome to her and look forward to what she will bring to our school. I would like to acknowledge the work of David Szular in this position for the past two years and, in particular, his work on the SIP.

In other staffing news, Richard Thomas has been appointed to BHS in an ongoing capacity from 2021 and we have had a slight change this term in our Special Options Class with Sally McArdle joining us on Thursdays and Fridays (and Jess Daniel will still be there Monday to Wednesday).

We would like to congratulate two of our staff members on the arrival of their babies over the last few weeks.  Josh and Kasey Jenner welcomed William and Matilda at the end of last term and Jamie and Jenna Banwell, along with big brother Chase, welcomed baby Maya in the holidays.  Both fathers have had (or are having) time with their families before settling into their new routines.  We wish them all well and know they will have many happy times ahead.

As always, I am available to speak to parents about any issues or concerns or to discuss any aspect of their 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

Student Led Conferences (formerly known as Parent Teacher Interviews) will take place on Wednesday 5th August from 3:40 - 7:30pm at Balaklava High School. 

The attached document provides instructions on how to book conferences with your child's Homegroup and subject teachers online via the Daymap Parent Portal. Being a Student Led Conference it is important that your child attends, this way they will be able to discuss their progress and establish goals moving forward for the remainder of 2020.

When you finish booking your interviews please either print or take note of your allocated times with specific teachers. The conferences will take place in the Science/STEM Building. The waiting room will be in STEM Room 3, where you will find signs that tell you where you can find specific teachers. 

If you are unable to attend the evening and would like to speak to any specific teachers please feel free to contact the school and request a phone call. 

We look forward to seeing you on the 5th August. If you have any questions please contact the school. 

Joshua  La Grutta

English and Literacy Coordinator

Semester 2 is off and racing. Year 10 and 11 students have settled into their new subjects whilst Year 12s are hitting their strides.

There are some very important dates coming up this term for 2021 Senior students. The first being an online SACE Information Seminar run by myself and Rosemary Goode on Tuesday 11^th August (Week 4) at 5:30pm. We hope this will be well-attended by parents with their children in the comfort of their own home. We will outline what successful SACE completion can look like and then take questions. A link to join this meeting will be e-mailed out to current Year 9, 10 and 11 families. A recording of this will be made available on our website for those unable to attend.

Wednesday 12^th August (Week 4) is our Subject Counselling evening for current Year 10 and 11 students. Students and their parents are strongly encouraged to make an appointment with one of our Leadership team between 3:00 – 7:00pm to discuss the best subject options and pathways. Information regarding this is currently being prepared and will be sent home with students in Week 3. Subject Counselling for current Year 9 students will occur in Pastoral Care in Week 5 and paperwork will be sent home for parent consent.

I look forward to seeing you either online or in person at both of these events.

Carena Brookes

Senior School Assistant Principal

At the end of last term, members of Balaklava High School’s Choir, Vocal Ensemble, senior music students and Performing Arts student leaders went to Mill Court Nursing Home to spread some joy to the residents. The students had been preparing for a concert in a nursing home setting from the start of the year but when COVID-19 struck, we thought it could not go ahead.  After some creative thinking from us, and the open minds of the staff at Mill Court, students were able to present a ‘Footpath Concert’ for the residents. This socially distanced concert allowed our students to share their musical gifts and provide some community engagement for not only the residents of Mill Court but also the students themselves. The concert showcased group performances by the Choir and Vocal Ensemble and solo performances from Charlie Evans (Voice), Leyla Jacobson (Piano), Tyler Durdin (Piano) and Abbey Bubner (Voice). Students positioned themselves in Mill Court’s outdoor dining area, whilst the residents opened their windows and positioned themselves by a window or a door to watch, listen and enjoy. This is hopefully the first concert delivered by the performing arts student in a series of many, not only at Mill Court but also at other places in the community.

Mrs Evans and I are very proud of all of the students involved, not only for their musical performance, but also for their school pride and compassion for others through this concert.

Suri Umapathysivam

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

What is the NCCD?

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) takes place every year. The NCCD is a collection that counts:

• the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability.
• the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students.

Students are counted in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments at school due to disability. This ‘help’ allows them to access education on the same basis as a child without disability. The NCCD uses the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Schools provide this information to education authorities.

Why is this Data Being Collected?

All schools in Australia must collect information about students with disability. The NCCD:

• ensures that the information collected is transparent, consistent and reliable
• provides better information that improves understanding of students with disability
• allows parents, guardians, carers, teachers, principals, education authorities and government to better support students with disability.

What are the Benefits of the NCCS for Students?

The information collected by the NCCD helps teachers, principals, education authorities and governments to better support students with disability at school. The NCCD encourages schools to review their learning and support systems and processes. This helps schools to continually improve education outcomes for all students.

If you have any questions about the data collection, please contact Lucy Thiel on 8862 0600. Further information can be found at: https://www.nccd.edu.au/wider-support-materials/parent-guardian-or-carer-what-do-i-need-know

Lucy Thiel

Health and Wellbeing Coordinator

Flinders Virtual Open Days 2020 will run from 10 August – 14 August, and will be a fantastic opportunity for your Year 10, 11 and 12 students to:

• View over 60 video presentations on careers, study areas and University life
• Learn about course options and career pathways
• Chat online with study area experts
• Hear from current students and alumni  
• Take a virtual campus tour

This event will assist your Year 12 students finalise their SATAC preferences, and assist Year 11 and Year 10 students with subject selections for next year.

The virtual platform supports a personalised experience and requires unique registrations. These are now open for each student to book a virtual Q&A session at a time and day that fits within their school timetable.

Please help us to encourage your students to visit flinders.edu.au/opendays for more information about participating in the event. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on (08) 8201 5322 or email us at schools@flinders.edu.au

Get a taste of UniSA life at Open August

Open August is your opportunity to explore the range of degrees and pathways on offer, ask questions about your future and discover how your unstoppable career starts with UniSA.

Be led by your fingertips or your feet, depending on what suits you – attend our virtual open days online from anywhere, or step onto one of our six campuses by booking an in-person tour.

Check out the details below to see how you can join us at Open August!

Join us online

Kick-start your unstoppable career at one of our Virtual Open Days! 

You'll be able to access presentations on-demand that are specifically tailored to your degree, as well as interact with live Q&A sessions to find out everything you need to know about studying in 2021.

Sunday 9 August 12.00pm - 6.00pm
Monday 10 August 10.00am - 4.00pm

Visit your future campus

Make the most of your Open August experience by taking a campus tour!

Explore the facilities and opportunities available to you as a UniSA student. Take a small group tour of our state-of-the-art teaching and learning spaces, and chat to staff and students about your study options at degree information booths.

Campus tours will take place across all six campuses.
Bookings are essential and spots are limited.

www.unisa.edu.au

A painting apprenticeship with a reputable Balaklava-based Painter and Decorator is available. Potential applicants that meet the following critiera is preferable:

• minimum of 17 years of age
• drivers license and own transport
• based in Balaklava or the surrounding area
• has an genuine interest in painting and enthusiasm for learning the many aspects of the trade.

For more information please call Terry on 0407077992 or email your resume to taredden@internode.on.net