As always, the first term is very busy with events and this year has been no exception, with the term speeding by as a result.  Over the past few months, we have enjoyed watching our new buildings be installed and they are now nearing completion and they look amazing!  The building work is on track for final handover to occur on the last Friday of the holidays and we plan to use Week 1 to install the interactive boards, add furniture and move equipment in, ready for use at the beginning of Week 2 next term.  Over a number of years, we have been steadily working towards the point where all of the facilities in the school are above standard and this project has been a major part of the redevelopment.  The final piece of work regarding facilities is on track for later this year with a site funded internal upgrade of the Home Ec building scheduled.  We want BHS to be a place for all staff, students and parents to feel proud to be associate with and the grounds and facilities provide a tangible link for this.  Once completed, the buildings will finally reflect the high quality work that is already occurring inside them.

Bus Safety

Earlier this week Michelle Pudney and I were involved in a meeting to review current procedures and discuss how we can improve the safety of our students at the end of the school day when there are a large number of students, cars and buses trying to leave the school at the same time.  The meeting involved representatives from Balaklava PS, Balaklava Community Children’s Centre, Horizon CS, Wakefield Regional Council, LinkSA, Spencer Gulf Coaches and the Department for Education.  We are investigating both short and long term solutions and I will keep you informed as information comes to hand.  We hope to have some initial strategies in place at the start of next term.

Governing Council AGM

The school’s Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday 16^th March and I want to thank the parents and community members who attended.  A very large number of the Governing Council chose to renominate for a further two years and I am grateful that they want to continue in this important role.  I would also like to acknowledge Jan Jacobson and Tarnia Pratt for their work over the past two years and thank them for their service to the school community during this time.

The following people have accepted roles on this year’s Governing Council:

I thank the new Governing Council for taking this important opportunity to be more involved in their children’s education and for supporting the school community.  I look forward to a productive and successful year.  That said, we still have room for one more Councillor and I encourage you to volunteer for this important role.  Please contact one of the Councillors named above or the School on 8862 0600 if you are interested in joining us.  There are only two meetings per term and it provides an opportunity to have a greater say in your child’s education.

Student Free Days and School Closure Day

At the Governing Council meeting held after the AGM, the following Student Free Day and School Closure Day were approved for 2021.  Please put the following dates in your diary:

Term 3 Week 6 Tuesday 24^th August – Student Free Day for Literacy Day 2

Term 3 Week 8 Monday 6^th September – School Closure Day for Adelaide Show

We traditionally alternate our school closure days between the Paskeville Field Days and the Royal Adelaide Show, however this year the Field Days are in the school holidays so we are having a day for the Show instead. This date is the same as Balaklava, Owen and Port Wakefield Primary Schools.  There will be two more student free days later this year, which will likely have a Year 7 focus, however, we are trying to coordinate with our local primary schools to have them on the same day and we will notify you as soon as dates are confirmed.

Office365

Did you know that students are able to download Office365 for free if they sign in with their LearnLink account?  They can install this full suite on up to five devices so it can be shared with their immediate family if needed.  Part of Office 365 includes access to OneDrive, with 1TB of free cloud storage for each student.  This proved particularly useful last year when we moved to online learning and a number of current students still access this feature.  This form of cloud storage allows students to access files from any computer, in any location, when they sign in to Office365, whereas if they save work to a USB it can be forgotten or lost or if work is saved to their H drive at school they need to be on site to access it.  It also prevents work from being lost so it has many benefits.  To access this free resource, go to https://portal.office.com/account

Reports

Year 12 reports are currently being written and grades for all year levels are being finalised by staff.  At BHS, we provide grades only and no comments for Years 8-11 with more relevant and real time feedback being provided to students and parents through each individual assessment on Daymap.  This is in place of comments in reports, which can provide limited time for students to act on the feedback and make improvements, whereas ongoing feedback allows time for action.  Year 12s will continue to have full written reports for Terms 1-3.  As always, we will publish student reports on Daymap for students and parents to access on the last day of term.  Please contact us at school if you are not currently on Daymap so you can access these documents or if you’d like to request a printed copy of your child’s report.

Finally, I would like to wish all of the students and their families a safe and relaxing time for the upcoming holidays.  This break provides an opportunity for families to spend some time together, for students to catch up on some rest and relaxation as well as allowing the chance for senior students to balance some study with these periods of rest.  Have a good break and I’ll see you back at school on Tuesday 27^th April for the start of Term 2.

Sonia Pringle

Principal

Individual Tennis Championships

On Wednesday the 10th of March and Friday the 12th of March Jesse Humphrys, Josh May, Seb Hughes, Adawynn Hughes and Lachlan Groth competed in the School Sport SA Individual Tennis Championships at the Riverside Tennis Club. The tournament was a similar format to the Australian Open, winners progress to the next round and losers are knocked out. Unfortunately the Year 8 boys all lost their first round matches against very skillful opponents, but were able to play further matches against other students knocked out in the opening round. Lachlan Groth won his first round match but was knocked out in the second round. The boys all demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and represented our school with pride. Thank you to Josh La Grutta and the parents who assisted with transport to make it possible for the boys to compete.

Big thank you to Cameron Curnow for setting up and umpiring.

Thank you to Emily Curnow and Abbey Fagan who scored for the day.

Special mention to Nana Curnow who supplied the entire team with ice creams after the game which was very much appreciated! 

Ash Parsons

Lower North Athletics Carnival

After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID, the Lower North Athletics Carnival was back in 2021. On Thursday the 18th of March we hosted Burra Community School, Clare High School, Kapunda High School and Riverton District High School on our school oval for this year’s Lower North Athletics Carnival. Our team was made up of 58 keen athletes who represented our school with pride. Their efforts were rewarded and we were the winners of the Improvement Shield with 117% improvement from our 2019 scores. We also placed 3rd in the Di Day Shield (previously the Handicap Shield) behind Burra and Riverton and 3rd in the Girls Championship, Boys Championship and Overall Championship Shields behind Kapunda and Clare. Congratulations to Janna Mojares and Sharni Rowland who won Runner-up Age Group Champions in the U15 and U21 Girls, respectively. Special mention to Riley Hannaford and Natthen Oliver who were the fastest 100m runners in their age groups which meant they qualified for the Plains Producer 100m Handicap race.

Congratulations to our team which consisted of: Brooke McArdle, Abbey Fagan, Kasey Battle, Maylea Carpenter, Jasmin Artwik, Elleanore Bowden, Emily Curnow, Janna Mojares, Madison Litzow, Kaye Arevalo, Tamzyn Dos Santos, Bella Pratt, Samantha Lockwood, Bligh Wilson, Nicola Tiller, Ella Standley, Abbey Bigg, Casey Pratt, Sophie Hamdorf, Kashaya Carpenter, Sasha Branson, Kelsey Urwin, Sharni Rowland, Mel Myers, Abbie McArdle, Charli Griffiths, Tiarhn Carpenter, Makayla Litzow, Jesse Humphrys, Jack Fagan, Jack Pike, Riley Hannaford, Cooper Jagiello, Adawynn Hughes, Spencer Gaze, Natthen Oliver, Trae Barter, Alex Evans, Beau Warner, Darcy Harbrow, Michael Myers, Jake Humphrys, Billy Aston, Hunter Lamond, Mitch Barker, Tyler Harbrow, Fergus Tiller, Lachlan Rudd, Oska Rana, Matthew Oliver, Brayden Cocks, Tom Michael, Jack McLean, Tom Tiller, Shannon Schutt, Matt Mojares, Lachlan Groth, Jacob Battle.

Hosting the Lower North Athletics event is no small feat, many hours of preparation and planning went into ensuring the track and field were in top condition. A very big thank you to Chris Nolan and David Pratt for all their hard work, David stayed until 6pm Wednesday night and was back again before 7am on Thursday morning with Chris for set-up. Without their help and support we wouldn’t have been able to host as successfully as we did. My PE team of Ash Parsons and Josh Jenner were also integral in supporting me to ensure the day ran smoothly, a big thank you to both of them. I also need to thank and acknowledge my colleagues who played a role in supporting me, undertaking an official duty, organising the team on the day, supervising students at school or any other way they helped out, it was greatly appreciated. Finally, thank you to the student volunteers who came out and helped out on events all day.

Our final athletics event for the year is the SSSA Track and Field Championship at Mile End which will be held on Wednesday the 7th of April. We are part of a combined Lower North team with Burra Community School and Riverton District High School sending 27 athletes out of the team of 52 competitors.

Alison Schahinger

Sports Coordinator

On Tuesday the 30^th of March, Stage 1 and Stage 2 Visual Art and Design students visited the SACE exhibition at the Light Square Gallery in Adelaide. The students were amazed by the hundreds of art and design works on display and accompanying development folio. These prime examples of the Folio and Practical tasks account for 70% of the Stage 2 requirements and take many hours of class and home work to complete.

The aim of this excursion is to show the students the many ways other students have approached these assignments. The Folio task helps students to see how ideas are initially conceived right through to refining and final development.

There were large and small Practical pieces consisting of drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, products, posters, costumes and multimedia works (animation) throughout the gallery space. The range of media on display shows the endless possibilities that senior art and design has to offer. Senior students at Balaklava High School are encouraged and supported to explore their interests and skills within the SACE curriculum. 

The SACE exhibition will run until the 16^th of April.

Amy Tilbrook 

Over the past few weeks, Miss Mayer’s Stage 2 Food and Hospitality Class has been researching Native Australian Bush Tucker. The students were assigned a task that had them researching how Australian Native Bush Tucker could be utilised better around Australia. They then had to create a café style meal that incorporates native ingredients. After much research and planning, the students travelled to Adelaide’s Central Markets to purchase local produce and native ingredients.

During this excursion, students were encouraged to try new foods from different market stalls and interact with market vendors to fully explore the markets. Students found that the fresh produce in some market stalls are freshly picked and delivered to the markets within as little as three days compared to months in large supermarkets. The students also took the opportunity to admired art in Rundle Mall and snapping a photo of the new pigeon sculpture.

Back at school, students worked creatively during their summative practical to plan, prepare and serve their bush tucker café styled meal. New flavours and smells were discovered as students tried their very own creations. What a lovely way to highlight our beautiful native foods in the hope we can utilise them further in Australia.

Sarah Mayer

On 16th March, our students represented Balaklava High School at the local level of the Lions Club Youth of the Year Public Speaking Competition. Our students discussed local and global issues and opportunities and came away with increased confidence and plenty of successes. Brooke Michalanney, Clair Allen and Taylor White competed with Clair winning Best Prepared Speech and Taylor winning Best Overall Competitor. Taylor then went on to represent Balaklava in Adelaide (see below). A huge thank you to the Balaklava Lions Club, and congratulations to all the students who were involved.

District Finals

In making it through to the District Final Taylor White competed on the weekend in North Adelaide. The students were passionate and determined, discussing a wide range of both personal and political topics. They represented a diverse range of South Australian schools from Whyalla, Yorke Peninsula, our Mid North, and Adelaide. Taylor battled it out amongst some fierce competition to successfully earn herself a place in the State Finals! A huge congratulations to all of the students, parents, and particularly Lions Club members who consistently encourage and support our amazing young people to continue to do great things. It's onward and upward for Taylor, and we'll be cheering alongside her in the last step to Nationals - congratulations!

Anthea Papagiannis

On Wednesday the 24^th of March, our Year 10 Homegroup 0PST5 went on a Geography Field Trip to Port Hughes to check out the sand dunes. We also walked along the beach front to Moonta Bay. The class followed along the trail starting at the sand dunes, then looked at the boat ramps closest to the Port Hughes Takeaway and Tackle shop. We followed the walkway and walked along the beach observing the cliffs and erosion.  We took a good look and reflected on all the things we saw.  This information was used for our coastal development and planning task.

We want to thank Grant Hay for coming on the excursion with us. Grant lives at Port Hughes and he was able to give us an Indigenous perspective on the First People’s connection to the land and the importance of preserving the environment from both a cultural and environmental perspective. 

The Special Ops class and teachers also participated on this excursion, walking from Moonta Bay to Port Hughes.  Both groups enjoyed a long lunch break at Port Hughes.  Chips were a popular choice for lunch.

Lillie Snelgrove

Nutrien Ag Solutions

We would like to thank Nutrien Ag Solutions Balaklava (Landmark) for their ongoing support of Balaklava High School. They are always willing to lend a hand or forklift as demonstrated recently when we required a little bit of assistance to manoeuvre the kiln into one of the classrooms currently under construction.

Japanese Plaques

The final part to complete our Japanese Garden has arrived.  The two plaques pictured below will be placed in our Garden to celebrate our Japanese Exchange program which has been running very successfully at Balaklava High School for many years.

We wish to thank Kelly and David Cook of Cook Memorials for their extremely generous donation of these plaques for our Garden.  When they were approached to produce the plaques, there was no hesitation in offering to provide them to the school free of charge.  Thank you very much Kelly and David for this kind donation.

In Term 2 Balaklava High School Students will be running a farmers market every Thursday from 2:30pm until 3:10pm at the Nature Play across from the High School.

Fresh eggs will be available every week, with other produce available seasonally.

Produce will include eggs, fruit, fresh meat and products made from farm produce such as jam and baked goods. Livestock such as layer chickens will also be periodically available.

Information will be available weekly, letting you know what will be on offer. See the electronic board and Facebook for what’s available.

On the 19^th of March our school took part in National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, this was organized by Emily Lemon and Ava Woodroofe as part of their Year 12 Health and Wellbeing assignment. A school photo was taken with students holding the pledge banner which they signed to say that they stand against bullying and violence. Other activities were done throughout the week leading up to this day including learning about bullying, where to go for help and support if you experience bullying and a nice note activity where students wrote an anonymous nice note to someone in their Homegroup.

Fun For Children

An Open Day for Children is being held at the Avon District Hall, 1883  Avon Road,  Avon on Tuesday 20^th April 11am to 3.00pm. A casual day to challenge parents, grandies or carers to giant floor and table games, as well as craft activities for children of all ages.

Cost:$3 per person or $10 per family of 4.

All children must be accompanied by an adult and remain the responsibility of that person. Refreshments for sale.

Giant mat games, table tennis, carpet bowls, a games table, toss four, plus others. Tutors available for those who may wish to learn to knit, crochet, or finger knitting. Bookings for supplies and catering appreciated Ph: 88671127 or 0447328019.

HUMMOCKS NETBALL CLUB

Junior netball trainings

Junior Netball Trainings going forward will now be held in Port Wakefield from 5:30pm-6:30pm. Wednesday 14^th of April will be the first training back in Port Wakefield at the courts.

The NetSet Program (training only) commences on the 28^th of April from 5:30pm-6:30pm.

Please contact Ash Williams for more information.

hncsecretary@hotmail.com or 0437 849 227