Since our last newsletter there have been many activities at school including Year 8 camp, student led conferences and our Athletics Carnival.  Last year we made some significant changes to this Carnival, which included us moving from the oval by the gym to the main school oval and the introduction of a tabloid style program where all students participate in all events.  Last Friday we held our second Carnival under these new conditions and it was a resounding success!  The weather was amazing, the oval was in great condition and the athletes (and supporters) were in fine form.  As with all such major events, the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is substantial and I would like to thank Alison Schahinger and her team for all they did in the lead up to the event and on the day.  I would also like to thank the other staff members who worked tirelessly on the day (many from 7am) to make it a day full of school spirit, participation and, of course, some great athletic feats.  See further in this newsletter for a full report on the day’s events.  This year we are also hosting interschool athletics and further information about this has been sent home to families earlier this week.

School Values

Our school values are a code of conduct decided on, and agreed to, by the school community and they provide a set of standards for us all to measure our behaviour.  Last year Michelle Pudney led us through a process of looking at our values and promoted a positive school culture by considering ways in which we live these values and display them in classes, the yard, the bus and online.  Staff, students and parents participated in this process, which ultimately resulted in a poster which gives examples of how we can demonstrate our values in these situations.  There have been a couple of occasions recently where I have referred to our values, the core attributes we measure ourselves against and reflected on what they actually mean.  Do you know what the BHS values are?  I’m sure a most of you have heard us use the acronym of PRIDE when referring to values/awards/actions but I wonder if everyone knows what these initials stand for?

P = Positive Relationships

R = Respect

I = Integrity

D = Dedication

E = Excellence

Looking at the first one, Positive Relationships, is the most important of them all for me.  Relationships are the basis for everything we do in schools.  There many relationships within schools but the key ones occur between students, their families and the staff.  As a school that lives by restorative principles, we value relationships and will work with all of these key players to make sure our interactions are strong and positive and, on those occasions when the relationships can fracture, we will work to repair them when needed.  Your children might come home and talk about participating in a restorative conversation whilst here at school.  We believe it’s important to talk about issues, to give everyone a chance to share their point of view and to work towards a way to repair a relationship so all parties can move forward.  Positive relationships, in the form of interactions between people, are vital and that is why it is our first value. 

Governing Council AGM – Rescheduled Date

Just a reminder that our Governing Council’s AGM will now take place on Tuesday 16^th March 2021 at 7.00 pm in the 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.  There is a nomination slip for Governing Council in this newsletter or you can access one by contacting the Front Office.  Even if you are not considering nominating for Council, I encourage you to come along to the AGM, where we will present the Annual Report on the 2020 school year.

Support for Students and Staff

As our school and local communities continue to heal after a number of recent tragic events, I would like to remind families that professional support is available for your child through:

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

Lifeline 131 114

eHeadspace https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/

As always, I invite 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 via Daymap or email Sonia.Pringle235@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.

Sonia Pringle

Principal

So far it has been a busy term for our 2021 Student Council Members.

In Week 3 we headed off to our leadership camp at AFL Max, where we participated in communication and team building activities. We also discussed our purpose for this year, which is to try to improve student engagement and participation both in and outside of the classroom.

To begin this, we are running a badminton competition to be held at lunchtimes for the rest of the term. This event aims to promote students giving things a go in a safe environment with prizes to be won.

We held our annual fundraising BBQ during the school's swimming carnival again this year. This time we opened up the running of the BBQ to all students for house points. This was extremely successful with students who would normally not participate in the swimming carnival, stepping up and receiving points for their house. We also provided ‘non – swimming’ events for students, including giant Jenga, giant Connect 4, Finska and Bocce. Students who were not participating in the swimming events, were able to compete for points for their respective houses. These games were very popular, with students competing all day.

For our annual Sports Day Bake Sale, we asked for donations of food from the school community in house colours for points for their houses. We were genuinely overwhelmed by the support of the school community with more donations than we could handle. Thank you so much to all parents/caregivers and students who donated to the bake sale this year, your participation and support was incredible. The winning house for the Bake Sale was Ross, with a sea of blue cookies, cupcakes and slice flooding the sale. Again, thank you.

Our next events will include another fundraising BBQ at our interschool sports day as well as ‘Worlds Greatest Shave’, where our Head Student Lachlan Gaze, will be shaving it all off for a price!

Student voice concerns will also be addressed, with a uniform survey being sent out to students in an attempt to update some policies as requested by the student body. Please bring any concerns you may have to your Student Council Representatives, as our main function in the school is to provide a voice to the student body.

2021 BHS Student Council with Rodney Reid, Mayor of Wakefield Plains Regional Council and Sonia Pringle, Principal at Induction Day on the 2nd March 2021.

2021 Student Council Leaders Tiarhn Carpenter and Lachlan Gaze with Mayor Rodney Reid and Sonia Pringle.

YEAR 8 PORT VINCENT AQUATICS CAMP

This year, in Week 5 our Year 8s at Balaklava High School attended a brand new orientation camp at Port Vincent Aquatic Centre, with almost perfect weather conditions the whole three days. However, the early morning rain experienced on our last day, did mean a few wet towels but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits. The Year 8s were lucky to stay in the newly renovated Port Vincent Primary School, which is now owned by the Port Vincent Seaside Cabin and Caravan Park and is only a five minute walk to the Aquatic Centre.

The Port Vincent Aquatic Centre is a Department for Education aquatic centre which is a division of the water safety team. Our Year 8s were able to participate in a range of activities including; sailing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and knee boarding all within the safe and picturesque Port Vincent bay.

The highlight of camp for the teachers would have to be the constant support and encouragement students provided one another, helping others to face their fears – especially to those first time knee boarders. Students should be very pleased with all they have achieved and how well they behaved during their three day camp.

The highlight of the camp for students would have been participating in a very “fishtastic” quiz night run by Miss Buick and creating the latest fashion in a garbage bag fashion parade organised by Mr Thomas.

Student comments include:

 “The best thing about camp was the food because we had the best cooks and all the water activities (mainly the knee boarding) because it was really fun. The thing that will stick with us was almost having the sail boat tip over because it was scary and I almost fell in the water. We will also remember the skills/knowledge to know what to do in the water (well maybe not all the sailing techniques) because we did it twice and we do want to do them again so we hope we remember them. This camp was awesome it was great to get to know others and do all those activities. Even in our dorms it wasn't that bad with every Year 8 girl in one room.”

Bella Griffiths and Elleanor Bowden

“The best thing about Year 8 camp was the water activities because I have never done them before. What challenged me the most was trusting myself and to not doubt myself because I was expecting myself to fall off but I didn’t. The thing that will stick with me is that I need to try new things because I tried new things at camp and it was a good. The camp was amazing.”

Zeanna Watlen

“The best thing about Year 8 camp would have to be the knee boarding because I have never done it before. What challenged me was the stand-up paddle boarding because it is hard to steer it and I nearly bumped into a kayak. The thing that will stick with me is the knee boarding because it was my first time and it was the best. If I could pass my advice onto future Year 8s it would be if you have never done it before, just give it a try.”

Chloe Watlen

A big thank you to Miss Buick, Miss Hoepner, Mrs Niblett, Mr Thomas, Mr Cmrlec, Mrs Lowe, Mr Banwell, Mr Hay, Mrs Thiel, Ms Pringle and Mrs Pudney for making it such a successful camp, one that the Year 8s will recall as a positive highlight for many years to come.

Balaklava High School Athletics Carnival

On Friday the 5^th of March, in pristine conditions, our annual Athletics Carnival was held. This is one of our favourite days on the Term 1 calendar. The oval was a sea of red, blue, yellow and green with students and staff getting into the house spirit with creative costumes and house areas. Highlights of the day included the warm-up run by the Senior Captains, large participation numbers across all events, the annual Wheelie Bin Relay and the sportsmanship displayed by students throughout the day.

The House Spirit Shield was won by Walter who made it two from two in 2021, well done to their House Captains who encouraged and supported their team. Jake Humphrys was this year’s winner of the Plains Producer 100m Handicap Sprint in a tight finish. Ross House took out the Championship Cup by 38 points, congratulations to Ross and their House Captains who had strong participation numbers and performances from their athletes.

Overall, the 2021 Athletics Carnival was a great success with plenty of house spirit, participation, enthusiasm and fun. A big thank you to Chris Nolan our Groundsman for all his hard work and many hours of line marking, problem solving and sprinkler maintenance to ensure the track was in perfect condition. Many thanks to David Pratt who also contributed to getting the oval prepared. Thank you to all the parents and families who came along to support their children; it was great to see so many in attendance. Thank you to Balaklava Primary School for bringing over your classes to spectate and see what a high school athletics carnival is like. A huge thank you to all staff taking on official roles to ensure the day ran smoothly and in particular Mr Parsons and Mr Jenner for their efforts in the lead up to the day.

We now turn our attention to the Lower North Interschool Athletics Carnival which we are hosting on Thursday the 18^th of March where we have assembled a strong team of 70 athletes to compete against other schools in our zone. As the host school we have a number of students and staff involved in the day and therefore the decision to suspend normal lessons on the day has been made. A letter went home to families this week detailing this change and asking parents/caregivers to indicate their child’s intention on this day. Please contact the front office if you did not receive the letter.

Championship Cup 

House Spirit Shield

Age Group Winners

Volunteers are needed to help in the school canteen on Thursday 18th March as we are hosting the Interschool Athletics Carnival here at Balaklava High School. We would appreciate any help even if for an hour.

Please call Lisa on 8862 0600 if you can help. Thank you