Public Education Awards

There are many features of Balaklava High School that are outstanding points of difference between us and other sites across the state, not least of which are our quality teachers and supportive learning programs.  These aspects were acknowledged recently when three of our staff members were announced as state finalists in the 2021 Public Education Awards.  Please see below for exactly who was selected and part of the reasons why.

Sue Pratt – Secondary Teacher of the Year Award

Mrs Pratt is an inspirational teacher who is outstanding in her field of Agriculture. Her outcomes with students are consistently strong from the middle school through to the senior school with many high SACE grades.  She has genuine links to industry and invites experts in to the school to speak to students and give real world perspectives of people in various fields of the Agriculture industry as well as taking students to visit local farms to extend their knowledge and to see theoretical concepts in action.

Jess Daniel – Inclusive Teacher of the Year (Disability) Award

Mrs Daniel is genuinely passionate about inclusive education and consistently looks for ways to include our students with disabilities. She does this by not only working with these students, but also by working with the mainstream students in the school to educate them on inclusion and being accepting of those who might appear different to us. She champions our students with disabilities and takes them out of the school setting to engage with the community and provide them with learning experiences they would not be able to have in the classroom. All of the curriculum is modified and available to students at the appropriate entry level.

Lucy Thiel on behalf of the Enhanced Learning Hub – University of South Australia Team Teaching Award

The ELH is not only a physical space where students can go to get support, 'cool down' and know they will have a trusted adult to help them with whatever is going on, it is also an emotionally safe space that offers support for students with a Youth Worker. The ELH also offers both literacy and numeracy extension and intervention, cooking opportunities, goal setting and a multitude of other positive experiences for our students. It is important to all staff in the ELH that students are well set up for success on their individual paths. Lucy is an extraordinary leader of this group with a clear vision for improvement and an understanding of how to support our students.

Facilities Upgrade – Home Economics

If you have driven past our school recently, you will have noticed a stark change in the school landscape.  In much less than a decade, the school has gone through a massive grounds and facilities upgrade and there is hardly a transportable building to be seen!  With the contemporary Performing Arts suite, upgraded STEM facilities and the new modular buildings, there was only one building left on site that needed a facelift and that was Home Economics.

We were very pleased to take back the upgraded Home Ec facilities last week and, as you can see from the images below, it is very impressive.  We gutted the building, divided it into two separate rooms with a door between them and we now have stainless steel kitchens that can accommodate extra students and a new classroom that can be used for theory lessons and sewing classes.  We were able to engage the services of a large number of local businesses to complete this work and we must also acknowledge the work of our Business Manager, Ruth Stevens, who took on the massive task of project managing the upgrade.  There are still a few grounds projects to complete before the end of the year but the school is looking outstanding and we are all very proud to be able to learn and work here.

Baby News

We were very pleased to receive the news recently that Lucy and Shaun Thiel had welcomed their son, Tommy, to the world.  Both Mrs Thiel and Tommy are at home and doing well and we hear that Eddy is learning how to be a good big brother.

Mrs Sally McArdle has worked with us on a number of occasions over the past two years and we are very thankful for her ability to step in when and where we need her.  We are very appreciative of this flexibility and we will be sad to see her go at the end of this term as she prepares for the arrival of her third child.  We are currently working on a replacement for this position and we will share this information with families once the position is filled.

Student Free Day

Last Friday we had a student free day where we spent some time sharing aspects of the preliminary NAPLAN results and we started the final review of our School Improvement Plan (SIP) priorities of literacy and numeracy before we create a new 3 year SIP to commence next year.  We also spent some time looking at ways to differentiate learning for our students so we can engage everyone at an appropriate level and the afternoon was spent in learning areas to continue our preparation of units of work for the Year 7s who will join us next year.  It was a very productive day.

Upcoming Student Free Days

• Monday Week 3 Term 4, 25th October
• Friday Week 6 Term 4, 19th November

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

Operation Flinders 2021 was an experience none of us will ever forget. It was a challenging experience both mentally and physically. Operation Flinders taught us all about teamwork, honesty, trust and how to walk up mountains.

One of the best experiences was abseiling, with most of the team going 2, or even 3 times. Personally I enjoyed beating our team leader down the cliff, in a race to the bottom. Other highlights included the amazing views and being able to climb the 3 tallest peaks in the Yankaninna Station.

Something that really helped was being provided with a journal so we could write each day a little summery of how we were feeling. For some of us it was a great way to collect our feelings and thoughts, whether it was overthinking, being overwhelmed, needing space, or just being really excited for dinner.

Operation Flinders was a great way for all of us to step out of our comfort zone and do things we normally would never do, like lead the team, navigate using a map and compass, prepare dinner (it was mainly cans in a pot over the fire) digging holes to use as toilets, and so much more. It built our character and in general made us a better person, we all felt better about ourselves by the end of the trip.

Operation Flinders is the most challenging experience I’ve ever had but even though it was an extremely challenging 8 days, it was the absolute best. Thank you to the organisers and sponsors, who made this trip possible.

Lara Dunstall

Operation Flinders was an experience of mixed feelings. There were many ups and downs, not just the mountains.

Operation Flinders was something that caused a lot of inner conflict within ourselves. We all had moments of doubt and insecurity but, when you are on top of the highest mountain and watching the sun set knowing that you didn’t give up and kept going, that was amazing. Seeing the hills and mountains you walked over for eight days and finally have reached the peak of the highest mountain; you prove that you can accomplish a lot if you keep pushing through it.

We went abseiling and climbing. We sat in a valley and ate vegemite and cheese. It’s an unforgettable experience. Every little detail is something that is to be cherished and remembered fondly. I know that I will never forget it or say I shouldn’t have done it, because it was truly a remarkable experience.

Clair Allen

How many cups will need to be stacked to reach Mrs Sharman’s height?

Mrs Sharman’s Year 8 Math Students have been using algebraic thinking to determine how many cups will need to be stacked to get to Mrs Sharman’s height. Students measured Mrs Sharman’s height to be 163 cm. Estimates they decided would be too low were 20 cups, too high would be 400 cups. They then measured the dimensions of the cup. Here is what they noticed.

Students are now using tables, graphs and algebraic equations to calculate how many cups will be needed. What do you think? How many cups would it take to reach Mrs Sharman’s height?

Linear equations are used anywhere a number increases or decreases consistently to make a graph of a straight line. They follow the formula y=mx+c. This can include phone bills, wages, speed, distance and more.  Where do you use linear equations in your job? We would love to know. Please send Mrs Sharman an email: Alana.Sharman550@schools.edu.au

Mrs Sharman and Ms Schubert have also been learning more about hands on authentic maths learning through Thinking Maths: Junior Secondary and students have been enjoying the activities from this training.  Here are some key take away points:

• The habits that make someone an expert in any field such as being creative, thinking critically, being reflective, solving problems, trying new things are the same habits that allow for good math learning.
• Visual representations are important for learning maths. This can be drawing images, using tiles or lego, drawing a graph, creating a table.  There are multiple ways of solving a problem.
• Before trying to solve a problem, try to estimate an answer that would be too low and one that would be too high.

Numeracy Intervention students travelled to Foodland to learn about percentage discounts. They have also been using training from Thinking Maths to solve multiplication problems in many visual ways.

Year 12 Methods students have been creating rollercoaster designs using DESMOS to demonstrate their learning of calculus. Here is an example by Robert Tiller.

Year 9 Students have been enjoying the sunshine by using clinometers and trigonometric ratios to measure the height of trees, netball rings, football goal posts and the STEM building.

Lots of fun is to be had in Maths!

Alana Sharman

Food – Different by Design

To celebrate Science Week this year, we combined a whole range of activities for our students.

Year 8s & Special Options Class

Our Year 8s and Special Options Class really got to “sink their teeth into” this year’s Science Week theme. The students visited the Urlwin Park Agricultural Museum here in Balaklava. Students “ate up” the opportunity to learn about the history and changes in agriculture and food production first hand. A big thank you to Roy and Norma Schopp for welcoming our students, showing them around and answering their questions.

YEAR 9

The biggest event was held on Thursday August 19, with all the Year 6 and 7 students from Owen, Port Wakefield, Mallala and Balaklava Primary Schools coming to the High School to participate in our Science Extravaganza! Year 9 students had designed food related activities to entertain, educate and enthuse our visitors. There was sherbet and dry ice ice-cream, taste testing and fairy floss, states of matter using chocolate, chickens hatching and oobleck dancing, donut on a string competitions, fermentation products and drones, popping canisters and much more. It really was an extravaganza! Primary students collected items for their show bags at each activity. Principal Sonia Pringle and Ag teacher Sue Pratt addressed all the students, welcoming them and explaining the importance of agriculture in our world. Students then shared in a sausage sizzle and donuts from the Lions Donut Van. A Superb Science Sensation.

YEAR 10

Andy Barr, Professor of Agriculture came and shared his numerous and colourful adventures as a plant breeder and cereal consultant. From meeting Bill Gates to hostage situations in Mexico, his wealth of knowledge and experiences gave our Year 10 students insights into global food security and how genetic modification creates solutions. Students also dissected barley and wheat seeds, learning how cross pollination and plant breeding is achieved. Thanks Andy.

KINDY VISIT

On Friday, the Kindy students came and joined in some rocket fun on our oval. Lachlan Gaze and Shannon Schutt joined in with the count down and Rachel Feltham, Samantha Lockwood and Hamish Pike helped with the blast off.

Thanks also to Pepper Batten who came up to with some funny food facts for our daily bulletin notices.

Merridy Manuel

Adelaide Show

This year we entered the Merino Wether competition at the RAHS for the first time. We were very pleased to receive the MerinoSA scholarship of $2000 which we used to purchase feed and the equipment needed for showing. A group of dedicated Sheep Club students have been working for two terms with expert help from Ian and Jake Michael. The Show Team of Jayana Dos Santos, Emily Newton and Abbey Bigg made all the work worth it as they took eighth position out of seventy teams for the "best pen of three wethers" component. We did not expect to bring home a ribbon - our focus in our first year was to build our skills and learn as much as we could ready for future competitions. We were very proud of the quality of our animals and I was very proud of the three outstanding students who presented them for judging.

Ready for judging at the Royal Adelaide Show

Emily, Abbey and Jayana

AgXtra Crop Competition

The Year 11 Agriculture class caught up with BHS graduate Jessica Heaslip at the AgXtra Crop Competition Field Walk last week. Jessica is working with AgXtra as part of their graduate program and it was great to have her with us as we inspected our crop trials. The Competition has seven schools participating this year and we are hoping to reclaim the trophy! The student teams have selected the wheat variety, seeding rate, fertiliser rate and most recently, urea application rates. Given how much a couple of our groups put on, we are now hoping for a very wet and mild spring to make use of it all!!

Sue Pratt

Ag Teacher

9Lympics

In Year 9 Pastoral Care the Year 9 students competed in the 9lympics. Inspired by the recent Olympics and Paralympics, Mr Szular’s home group organised a series of school based events that could be competed in to gain bronze, silver and gold medals. This was a great way to spend the Pastoral Care lesson last Thursday. Congratulations to all that were involved, with a special mention to Daniel Hidden for breaking the record for the floor swimming. Here are the results!

Basketball

On Tuesday the 24th of August we hosted the Open Boys and Girls Knockout Basketball Carnival with teams from Kapunda, Clare, Burra, Riverton, Peterborough, Gladstone and BHS competing. Our boys' team coached by Mr Jenner, finished the day in 2nd place with 4 wins and 1 loss. While our girls' team coached by Jamie Banwell, finished the day in 4th place playing three very competitive games. Special thanks to Steve Renton, Josh Michael and Dylan Williams our umpires for the day.

Netball

On Wednesday the 1st of September our Open Girls Netball team travelled to Riverton to play off against Burra Community School, Riverton District High School and Clare High School for a spot in the State Final. Our team, coached by Miss Schahinger, won all three of their games with their excellent skills and teamwork. The State Final will be played on Monday the 13th of September at Priceline Stadium. Thanks to Mrs Ruth Stevens our ever reliable and consistent netball umpire.

Open Boys Football

Unfortunately our Open Boys Football team, coached by Ash Parsons, went down by 1 point in the Pool C Statewide Schools Knockout Football State Grand Final against Hallett Cove at Woodville Oval on the 18th of August. We started well and had a 4 goal lead during the opening half but ultimately succumbed to a determined and more disciplined Hallett Cove. Although this was not the result we wanted, we have now made 3 out of 4 State Grand Finals across the last two years so we are on the right track and still improving. Next year we will be back better than ever!

The top 2 players across the series will be acknowledged at our end of term assessmbly.

Ultimate Frisbee

On Thursday the 2nd of September the Stage 2 PE class played their first Ultimate Frisbee match against Horizon Christian School. Each student is responsible for coaching their team with a specific focus (technique, tactics, fitness and motivation) and it was very rewarding to see the past 6 weeks of training and planning put into action. Our next round match will be played in Week 10.

On Thursday 26th August we held our Public Speaking competition at school. Congratulations to all participants and special congratulations to the Middle School winner Sarah Davies and Senior School winner Kayleigh Parker. Thanks to Mr La Grutta for organising the event, the English teachers who helped students prepare and the teachers who judged the presentation.

We are currently in the process of visiting our feeder schools as part of transition. On Tuesday 24th August our Year 8 Ambassadors helped create connections with our future Year 7s and 8s at Balaklava Primary School. This provided current primary school students the opportunity to ask former BPS students what it was like for them to transition to high school. We can’t wait to see these new students at our school next year!

Progressive Achievement Testing (PAT)

Each year our Year 8, 9 and 10 students sit the PAT in Reading and Maths towards the end of Term 3. By measuring a student’s knowledge, skills and understanding in a subject, it helps teachers pinpoint where their students are in their learning journey – and what they need to progress. PAT was held in Week 7 in your child's Maths and English class. If you have any questions, please contact the school.

On Wednesday the 9^th of September the Year 9 Literacy and Numeracy Enrichment classes went to the Innovation and Creativity school at Trinity College to have a look at the amazing STEM technologies they have been using with classes. We started the day with a tour of the building and a 360^o gallery experience shown to us by two lovely staff members, Mr Grant and Ms Simons. After a small break in the tranquil outdoor grassed area, we proceeded to create podcasts and green screen videos. In our podcasts we talked all about STEM and the impact it has and will have on our world. The students enjoyed this task and had fun with the freedom to just talk and experiment with the fun effects. Creating the green screen videos was very entertaining and almost scary. Picking out the images or videos you wanted to be set behind you allowed us to use our own creativity. We were given some research to use as a basis for our green screen creations, and the videos that came with the research were very funny to watch. The video that many enjoyed was the “Wake-Up Machine” created by Simone Giertz, where a hand was attached to a machine that spun around when the alarm went off and hit the person to wake them up. Before lunch we were given the chance to create our own 3D printing design on an application called TinkerCAD. We looked at spinning tops and what makes them most efficient. After lunch we had our final experience using Virtual Reality goggles. We talked about the 6 dimensions of freedom, and learned some new things about cells, viruses and vaccines. A big thank you to Ms Schubert for organising this experience, and to Mr Grant at Trinity college for planning such an inspiring day!

Written collaboratively by the Numeracy and Literacy Intervention classes and collated by Dahli Jacobson.

As you may be aware, our BHS Summer Dress is custom made and can take some time to arrive once ordered. We currently have some stock available for immediate sale, ranging in size from 10-16. The cost is $85. If you wish to purchase from our existing stock or register your interest in future orders please send an email through to Elly.Rankin592@schools.sa.edu.au

BULLDOGS BASKETBALL CLUB

Bulldogs Basketball club is seeking junior and senior players for the 2021/22 season.  We are affiliated with the Adelaide Plains Basketball Association which play Friday nights in Balaklava.   The season starts on Friday 15th October.  We train on Tuesday nights in Balaklava and the first training is on Tuesday 14th September at 5.30pm.  If you are interested in playing or coaching, please submit your name, contact number and email address to bulldogsbasketballclub@outlook.com by Sunday 5th September.  New and returning players welcome.  Contact Kirsty Williams 0419 180 502 if you have any questions.

BALAKLAVA TENNIS CLUB

Calling all tennis players for the 21/22 tennis season

• Junior Tennis Practice (Thursday afternoon)
• Junior Tennis Hot Shots  (Thursday afternoon) 5 – 8 yrs
• Junior Tennis Competition (Saturday morning) 8 – 17 yrs 
• Senior Tennis A and B Grade Competition (Saturday afternoon)
• Senior Social Tennis (Thursday nights 7:30pm)

Closing date Friday 17^th September

Please contact: Kirsty Ingram 0428 853 220 or Tania Allen 0419 034 096