Term 1 is always busy and full of events and the past three weeks were no exception with Student Led Conferences being held both in person and online last week to provide families with options to best suit their family needs.  Last Friday saw near perfect conditions for our annual Athletics Carnival and I would like to acknowledge the work of Mrs Alison Parsons and her team for the organisation of the day and preparation of the sports field.  This week we have also held the first of our NAPLAN tests for our Year 7 and 9 students.  These assessments will provide a snapshot of where students are at this point of their schooling and give an overview of what we, as a school, need to be focussing on regarding literacy and numeracy improvement.

Governing Council

In our last newsletter I welcomed our new Governing Council and highlighted that we had one vacancy left.  I would like to thank Angela Battle for accepting this position.  Our next Governing Council meeting is Wednesday 29^th March and I encourage you to contact a member of council if you have anything you’d like to be discussed there.  A reminder that our Governing Council parent members are Ben Marshman, Steve Williams, Lauren March, Kimberly Brownlie, Andrew Gilbert, Belinda May-Woidt, Karla May and Angela Battle, our student representatives are Kashaya Carpenter and Brooke Michalanney and staff representatives are Amber Buick, Peta Solomon and me.

Purpose of Public Education

The Chief Executive of the SA Department for Education is undertaking an extensive consultation process with key stakeholders to come up with a statement relating to the purpose of public education.  The reason for doing this is to ensure the education we provide meets our students’ needs and that we take advantage of the opportunities we have as a community.  Parents received an email inviting them to take the survey and have their say and there is still a chance to complete it if you haven’t already as surveys close this Friday (17^th March).

Parent/Carer survey: https://survey.education.sa.gov.au/n/1xkSlZ3?ver=2044010819460224306

Student survey: https://survey.education.sa.gov.au/n/1vWSxxr?ver=6537217881201827775

Community survey: https://survey.education.sa.gov.au/n/17jSQ53?ver=12637984901790536586

Thank a Teacher or Support Staff Member

Did you know that the Department for Education has a way for families, students and community members to acknowledge the work of staff members who are making a real difference in our schools?  Teaching and support staff play a significant role in inspiring our young people to reach their full potential.  ThankED gives you the chance to celebrate and thank public educators and support staff.

I encourage you to use the link below to acknowledge our teachers, leaders and support staff at https://www.education.sa.gov.au/department/feedback-and-complaints/thanked and send them a positive message.

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

On Friday 3^rd March we held our House Captain and Student Council Induction ceremony.  House Captains have already begun their leadership this year, showing the dedication, persistence and organisation required to fill events and encourage team spirit at the Swimming and Athletics Carnivals.  Members of the Student Council have also begun their work with their camp in Victor Harbour earlier in the term where they participated in team building activities and scoped their plan of action for the year and they’ve started regular meetings as well.

Our guest speaker on the day was old scholar, Jacinta Cocks. During her time at BHS she was on Student Council, including being Head Student in 2019 as well as being a House Captain for Ross.  Since leaving school Jacinta has completed a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science and has now started a two year Honours program in Clinical Exercise Physiology. Last year she worked with the West Adelaide SANFL men’s team but the bulk of her work was as strength and conditioning coach for West Adelaide’s women’s team and this year she is their head trainer.  Jacinta’s speech was engaging, entertaining and informative and she connected well with the students.

Sonia Pringle, Jacinta Cocks, Kashaya Carpenter and Brooke Michalanney

Student Council:

Taylor Harkness, Rafferty O'Shea, Steele Harbrow, Seb Hughes, Will McArdle, Harry Dall,  Michael Myers, Spencer Gaze, Samuel Wakefield, Alex Evans, Corbin Branson, Tahlia Zerk, Isabelle Poole, Aliyse Medley-Lomman, Melanie Cavanagh

Denise Nellas, Hamish Wildbore, Tess Rana, Maylea Carpenter, Janna Mojares, Sophie Hamdorf, Alice McArdle, Clair Allen,  Kaye Ashley Arevalo, Pepper Batten, Lachlan Rickard, Molly Warnes, Annabelle Cay

Brock Hore, Jacob Swift, Madalyn Wandel, Amy Tilbrook, Kashaya Carpenter, Sonia Pringle, Brooke Michalanney, Richard Thomas, Matilda Williamson, Ruby Lemon, Holly Baumann

Absent: Emily Kirkland, Nathan Higgs

House Captains

James:

Clair Allen, Kashaya Carpenter, Beau Warner, Oska Rana

Jake Dean, Maitlda Williamson, Khyan Carpenter, Joshua Hodgetts

Walter:

Bligh Wilson, Jaden Brownlie, Josh Michael, Nicola Tiller

Isabelle Poole, Lily Tiller, Frank Podiotan, Jacob Swift

Balaklava High School Athletics Carnival

In perfect weather conditions on Friday the 10^th of March our annual Athletics Carnival was held. The oval was a sea of reds, blues, yellows and greens with students and staff getting into the House spirit, the day kicked off with the House Captain warm-up which is always a highlight. Other highlights of the day included the large participation numbers in many age groups, the iconic Wheelie Bin Race and the Plains Producer 100m Handicap race.

We had a number of new records set in the 13 & Under Age Group in addition to Flynn Young breaking, by 1 second, the 16 & Under Boys 200m record set by his father, Nathan, in 1993. See below for the full list of new record holders.

The House Spirit Shield was once again won by Walter who impressed House Spirit Judge Mrs Elly Swift with their House area set-up, House chant and large number of student volunteers, well done to their House Captains who encouraged and supported their team. Jake Dean was crowned this year’s winner of the Plains Producer 100m Handicap Sprint in a close finish. Ross House who came from 3^rd position at the start of the day and 150 points behind 1st place were crowned champions, by a narrow 7 points in front of James House. Congratulations to the students and captains of Ross House who had strong participation numbers and performances across the events.

Overall, the 2023 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 oval maintenance to ensure the track was in great condition. Thank you to all the parents and families that 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. A huge thank you to all staff taking on official roles to ensure the day ran smoothly and in particular the HPE team consisting of Mr Parsons, Mr Jenner and Mr Noack for their efforts on the day and in the lead up.

We now turn our attention to the Lower North Interschool Athletics Carnival which will be hosted by Riverton and District High School at Riverton Oval on Thursday the 23^rd of March. Information will be sent home with the students selected in the team.

2023 Athletics Results

Age Group Winners

House Spirit Shield

Championship Cup

New Records

Alison Parsons

Sports Coordinator 

On Tuesday 7th of March the Youth Leadership Academy Australia held its State Youth Leadership Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre. This was attended by Mr Parsons and 11 students seen as potential future leaders. The day involved networking activities and multiple entrepreneurial speakers including comedian Thomas Green and professional track racing cyclist Kristina Clonan who spoke about leadership and the challenges they had overcome in their journey to success.

This online wellbeing program runs in the Empower Program from Years 8-12 (Year 7s start Term 2). This program addresses issues of stigma surrounding mental health in young people, encourages helpseeking, and creates a culture of mutual support and respect for any struggles that students may face. Please see the email sent to parents with attached PDF with clickable links to the resources.

This program was developed by Dr Hayley Watson, a child and adolescent clinical psychologist who has been developing programs across Australia and internationally for the past 15 years. There are video-based resources to provide you with practical tools for supporting the well-being of your child at all stages of their life. You will be sent links to accompany the topic areas that your child will be learning, with a specific skill to help them reinforce their learning of this material at home. 

Please see the first introduction link https://www.openparachute.com.au/overview-for-parents/ 

“A message from the founder, Dr Watson: “I am so pleased that your child is taking part in this program. I developed this resource because I want every child to learn practical mental health skills, so they can live life to their fullest potential. This program aims to build a strong foundation of resilience so that your child can learn to trust in their own abilities, relate to their own feelings in a healthy way, and change any unhelpful thoughts and/or behaviour patterns that may hold them back at any point in their lives. It is normal for your children to have feelings stirred up throughout the course of this program, because we are intentionally providing a space where they can address challenging issues in a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment. These conversations can also continue at home if you and your child would like to explore these topics further – the resources for parents can help guide these discussions.”  

If you would like to discuss this program or you have not received the email with the clickable links, please contact the school on 88620600.  

Kimberly Walker

Wellbeing and Inclusion Senior Leader 

Over the long weekend, Georgia Renton competed in the National 25 & Under Young Judges competition at the Welsh Nationals in Victoria. She qualified and won the state show before Covid. Representing South Australia & Victoria, Georgia won with a high score of 152/160. Georgia Renton is now the Welsh Pony Club Society National Junior Judge for 2023/2024.