As the sun rises on a new year, it is fantastic to welcome all of our school community Back to Balaklava High School for 2024 school year. I am extremely privileged to represent our communities as Principal of BHS for Term 1 and I already feel a great sense of PRIDE and belonging in our school. Our team is geared up for an amazing year after a productive Week 0 and we look forward to supporting our students with their personal growth and development.

There are many things that are new here at Balaklava High in 2024.

Firstly, I’d like to extend a very warm welcome to our new Year 7 students and their families into our school community. You’ve just become part of a school family that values the power of learning, individual growth and striving to be one’s best. I know that we have an amazing team that will support your transition to High School life and it has been great to pop into classes over the past couple of days to see this smooth transition in action.

We also have many new students who have moved into our communities and are starting Here at Balaklava High School for the first time. We are thrilled to welcome you to our school and part of the BHS family.

Our school also has a relatively new look staff for 2024 and while our team may be full of fresh faces, we still have the same passion and commitment for quality public education! Please welcome and get to know the following staff members:

New beginnings can be scary no matter if you are young or old! They can be daunting and incredibly confronting. So, my challenge to our school community is to make sure our new family members are not only welcomed at Balaklava High School, but they are truly embraced. This is achieved through creating an atmosphere where everyone feels like they belong. Take the initiative to welcome new teachers, students and peers. A simple "hello" or a friendly gesture can go a long way. Remember, each one of you has the power to make someone's day brighter, and that's a superpower worth using every day.

Something that is very important to me is wellbeing. We can’t expect our Student’s to achieve education outcomes if they are not equipped with a positive mindset, build their resilience and ready to learn. The journey of a successful school year starts with taking care of ourselves. It's not just about acing tests and exams and getting A’s; it's about finding balance, staying healthy, and enjoying the educational journey.  Students and families are encouraged to reach out whenever support in needed. We're here for each other and we have a fantastic Wellbeing team who are led by Kimberly Walker and Ash Parsons.

I spoke to students at Monday’s Welcome Assembly about one of my expectations of them which is that they actively strive to be the best versions of themselves. It's important to remember that it’s not about comparisons to other people and their capabilities; it's about personal growth and doing your best. I’m sure that when students step out on the sports field or log on for a game of Fortnight or Participate in their individual hobbies, they always strive to do their best. School should be no different. While some students may love school and others are still trying to find their place or fell negatively towards school, I believe school is very much like a bank! Everyone loves earning money and banking it (before we spend it all!). When we invest our money into the bank, we watch our investment grow and grow which can be exciting and fulfilling.  School is very much like a bank, but instead of money, you are investing in one’s own knowledge. When you learn, your bank of knowledge grows. We can’t spend or use our knowledge if we don’t have it and if we don’t learn and bank our knowledge is relatively empty. So, I encourage students to invest in themselves and their bank of knowledge! Excel today to challenge your future.

To our Year 12’s, I want to extend my best wishes. This is a big year for these students, but a really exciting year. It’s hard to believe that in little over 3 terms they will be completing their schooling journey and will set out into the wide world to begin their adulthood. Yr. 12 is their audition to this adulthood I encourage them not to waste their opportunities, be prepared to sacrifice a little to achieve their goals and don’t put off until tomorrow what they can achieve today. They have some wonderful mentors in life, so I encourage them to use their resources to make this year count.

2023 SACE Results

It was another successful year for SACE results in 2023 with a 98% overall SACE completion Rate. Olivia Allen was the BHS Dux with an ATAR of 94.55, without bonus points. An amazing effort Olivia! Congratulations also goes to Kashaya Carpenter and Brooke Michalanney who achieved an ATAR in the 90’s. Abby Bigg was awarded a Merit for Agricultural Production and 4 students achieved A+ grades in Food and Hospitality, English, Research Project and Agricultural Production. Congratulations to each of these students and their teachers for these fantastic results. Other highlights with our 2023 SACE data include

• 99% of all Stage 2 grades were passing grades
• 61% of all Stage 2 grades were As and Bs (up from 58% last year)
• 45.45% of all of our students who completed their SACE did so with a VET component (state average – 39.14%) 

Attendance

Everyday matters in the school life of a young person. Each day of attendance has a positive effect on their development and future success. Regular attendance at school is essential to assist students to maximise their potential. Unless students have a negotiated individual learning program that takes their learning beyond the classroom and school grounds, students need to be at school and attending lessons to support them to gain the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to be productive citizens capable of shaping their world. Schools, in partnership with parents, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students. Attendance at school contributes to a community that is well educated, healthier, employed, financially independent and more empowered. Young people who do not regularly attend school miss out on planned learning experiences, sequences of instructions and class participation. The impact of this loss is compounded with each absence. 

Missing one day a week adds up to two weeks across a whole term. Over the six years of secondary school, this adds up to more than a year of school that Is missed – essentially equivalent to only finishing Year 11. The impact on learning is serious. While we understand that students may be absent due to illness, and that sometimes a family matter can require a short period of absence, we ask for your support in ensuring your child attends each school day.

Take a moment to study and absorb the following table which demonstrates the impact on learning across a child’s school journey from R-12.

Student Free Days and School Closure

We are currently working through our proposed Student Free Days and date of the School Closure which will be for the Royal Adelaide Show in Term 3. Once these dates are set and approved, we will communicate these with families.

Parent Contribution

The old proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is most Definitely true and we want our students at Balaklava High School to have access to as many opportunities, events and services as possible to allow them to thrive! Occasionally, this requires assistance from our parent body to ensure these opportunities are available or functioning to the best of their ability. It would be great to see the reintroduction of a Parents and Friends group in 2024 where our school and parents can work hand in hand, not only for the benefit of our students and also as a support network. In addition, we are keen to form an AG Committee to utilise the expertise of our farming community and assist with the management of our farm like weekend feeding.

Our school canteen provides an amazing service to not only BHS, but BPS as well. Assistance in the canteen is always required and welcome. Please pop in and see me for a chat or contact me via DayMap, email me at derek.friedrichs@schools.sa.edu.au or call 88620600.

Position Vacant

Do you have a passion for all things Agriculture?

We are looking for a Groundsperson to join our team for 21 hours a week to assist us with all things Agriculture.

Please follow this link below for the official J&P or give our Business Manager Elly Swift a call to discuss the role further.

Ancillary Jobs (education.sa.gov.au)

Communication

Communication is one of the key pillars of success in schooling and I encourage parents to contact teachers directly if you have a question, need to share information or if you have a concern.  You can contact teachers via DayMap or phone the school on 8862 0600 and leave a message for them to call you back.  The first point of contact should always be the subject teacher for class related matters, the Homegroup teacher for broader concerns or a member of the Leadership Team for more significant issues.  DayMap is a place for parents to access crucial information including feedback on student work, absences, homework and other school related tasks and I Encourage you to access the Parent Portal regularly.  There are instructions on how to do this later in the newsletter and you can always contact the Front Office if you have any issues with access.  Another form of communication is through social media and I invite all students and their families to like us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with school events and information.

There have also been some changes to the Leadership team this year and I encourage you to contact the relevant person when a need arises:

Governing Council AGM

The Governing Council is an important component of the school’s decision-making and consultative processes and it provides an opportunity for parents to be more  involved in school operations and to gain a deeper understanding of how the school functions.  Our Governing Council’s AGM will take place on Tuesday 20^th February 2023 at 7.00 pm in the Balaklava 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.

Please see the nomination slip for Governing Council below or you can access one by contacting the Front Office.  We have a number of current Council members who are finishing their time on Governing Council and I thank them for their contribution to our school throughout their tenure.  If you are not considering nominating for Governing Council, you are very welcome to come along to the AGM where information and reports will be shared.

While we have not been able to offer Music as a normal timetabled subject this year, we are delighted to welcome Melanie Evans to the team in 2024 to offer different music programs to our students on a Thursday. We are also in the process of confirming an Instrumental Music teacher for the school.

Parents, its competition time for you! Would you like to win your child a $15 canteen voucher? Throughout my newsletter article, there are words in the middle of sentences with a bold capital letter that do not belong. These letters spell out a short phrase. Once you have found the phrase, Daymap message the phrase to me or comment on our Newsletter Facebook post to go into the running to win your child a $15 canteen voucher. There are multiple canteen vouchers up for grabs!

Please feel free to contact me here at school if you have a matter you wish to discuss regarding your child’s education. I understand that there are sometime issues or concerns you wish to communicate and I also enjoy hearing about the wins and success stories! I can be contacted via Daymap or email derek.friedrichs447@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. 

Regards

Derek Friedrichs

Principal Balaklava High School

We are honored to be your 2024 head students at Balaklava High School.  We hope you all had a safe holiday and are ready to jump back into another year of school.

Although as students we are ultimately here to learn, and our teachers are here to educate us, we want to remind you that school isn’t purely about the work, it’s a culture, and culture is created by the people!

Our priority is to continue to build a strong culture here at Balaklava High that is fun, environmentally friendly, and active. However, this is not something that the two of us can achieve alone, we need your assistance because this is our school, and at BHS we do things together. To help, we ask from you these three simple things to concentrate your efforts on throughout the year that can help our school take a step towards building a better culture that represents our school values with PRIDE.

Number 1: Be respectful. It is a fact of life that everyone is different and unique and this is what makes the world such an interesting place. We are not all destined to be best friends. You don't have to like everyone, but respect is a simple act we can all follow. A place where everyone feels valued and respected will help the togetherness of our school and create a safe environment for everyone. Please show respect through the way you communicate with each other, allow others the opportunity to shine and relationships you build with your teachers.

Number 2: The environment is important to us so please put your rubbish in the bin! Wherever you're standing, I assure you that there is a bin 5 steps away for you to put your rubbish in. If we keep our school clean and tidy from the start of the year, then we won’t have to spend our own time during recess and lunch participating in yard clean ups. A clean school free of litter demonstrates to our community that we take PRIDE in our school and we value the resources we have.

And lastly, Number 3: We encourage you to have a go and do your best! Whether it's engaging in school sports, music programs, fundraisers, or anything else, we encourage you to seize every opportunity that presents itself to you and create new connections with those around you. We're here at high school for 6 years of our lives, so it is also our responsibility to do the little things that can make school a little bit more exciting than a Maths lesson. We can make these lessons more exciting with a positive mindset.

As your head students, we will be working closely alongside students and staff to make positive changes and benefits for everyone at Balaklava High School. We can't wait to see where the year takes us and we're excited to see what's to come in 2024.

Stay Connected to Your Child's Learning with Daymap Connect!

What is Daymap Connect?

Daymap Connect is your gateway to staying informed and involved in your child's education. This secure online portal is an extension of our Daymap Learning Management System, used by teachers to share lesson materials, assessments, and reports.

Through Daymap Connect, you can:

• Monitor your child's learning progress and performance.
• Access essential information like attendance and behaviour records.
• View upcoming events and school announcements.
• View your child’s end of Term Reports.
• Send and receive messages with your child directly through Daymap.
  (This new feature is being piloted in Term 1 to support the Mobile Phone Policy. We ask that parents use it responsibly as our students are busy learning during school hours.)

Accessing Daymap Connect:

Each parent receives a unique login and password for secure access. Parents can access the portal using the link below, from the Balaklava High Schools website or via the mobile application.

https://balakhs.daymap.net/daymapconnect

New or inactive accounts should check their email for login instructions. Alternatively, Parents can click "Forgot Password" and enter the email address provided to the school and your student's ID code (can be found on their Daymap portal). If you need more support, please contact the school.

Year 7s Daymap:

As our Year 7 students settle in, their Daymap Connect portal will gradually populate with information. While lesson notes and assessment tasks won't be visible immediately, you can use Daymap Connect to contact their teachers right away. By Week 3, when students receive their laptops, the portal will display lesson materials, tasks, and reports, keeping you updated on their academic progress.

Term 1 is our busiest time of the year for School Sport Carnivals with the first event being our annual School Swimming Carnival held on Friday the 9^th of February (Week 2) at Balaklava Swimming Pool.

House Captains

Yesterday we held our first House Meeting of the year to elect our Junior and Senior House Captains and Vice-Captains and to begin preparations for the Swimming Carnival.

These lessons provide students the opportunity to practice in preparation for Swimming Carnival, build confidence in the water and be physically active. 

You should have received an EdSmart email with the consent form for your child/ren to leave school grounds and attend the pool. If this has not been returned your child will remain at school under alternate supervision and complete an alternate learning activity. Please contact the front office if you require a hard copy consent form to be sent home.

House Shirts

House coloured polo shirts are available to purchase from Tads Embroidery for students to wear for House Carnivals as well as making an excellent top to be worn for practical PE lessons. Tops are $27 each and can be personalised with your child’s name or nickname for an extra $10. Shirts are ordered directly through Tads Embroidery Balaklava. Year 7 students received an information letter this week with a tear off order form at the bottom, a copy can also be found below. Please contact Alison Parsons if you have any questions or require further information.

Important Sports Dates

Friday Week 2, 9^th February: BHS Swimming Carnival, 8:50am – 3:15pm @ Balaklava Swimming Pool

Monday Week 4, 19^th February: Lower North Zone Swimming Carnival, 9am – 3pm @ Riverton Swimming Pool

Monday Week 5, 26^th February: School Sport SA Secondary Swimming Championship, 9am – 2:30pm @ SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Marion

Friday Week 6, 8^th March: BHS Athletics Carnival, 8:45 am – 3:15pm @ Balaklava High School

Thursday Week 8, 21^st March: Lower North Zone Athletics Carnival, 9am – 2:30pm @ Kapunda

Wednesday Week 10, 3^rd April: School Sport SA Secondary Athletics Championship, 9am – 2:30pm @ SA Athletics Stadium, Mile End

A reminder that our Wellbeing Team are here with a range of supports and services.

Steve Cuts (Connected Self Wellbeing Practitioner) will be on site Tuesday and Thursdays supporting young people in the form of Group Work, intensive one to one and social emotional capacity building in our students. 

Josh Benge (Pastoral Care Worker) works Thursdays and half days Fridays providing support for staff and students in a range of roles. One part of Josh's role will be to maintain and strengthen our connection with community.

Neil Richards (Hub staff member SSO3) can provide immediate/one-off mental health support for students at school. He is able to provide ongoing mental health support for students through mentoring or other arranged meetings. He can provide support through case management and manages the Hub. 

Ash Parsons (Wellbeing and Engagement Coordinator) can provide immediate/one-off mental health support for students at school. He can provide ongoing mental health support for students. He can also support families and teachers to work with individual students and refer to tailored external services.  

Kimberly Walker (Senior Lead Wellbeing and Inclusion) can provide immediate/one-off mental health support for students at school. She can provide ongoing mental health support for students. She can also support families and teachers to work with individual students and refer to tailored external services.  Kimberly oversees the wellbeing support and implementation of services within the wellbeing team.

Kellie Van Eyk (Schools Mental Health Service Practitioner) has extensive experience in supporting young adults who may be experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems. This service is designed to intervene early in the development of more serious mental health concerns and can provide the following support:

• assessing student mental health needs and concerns 
• supporting students to develop strategies to manage distress and maintain their mental health 
• contributing to referral and case management processes for students with more complex mental health presentations 
• supporting referrals and linking to external support services as required 
• developing the mental health literacy of their school communities
• supporting families and carers 

No Mental Health Care Plan is needed and no GP appointment is required. Kellie is on site Mondays, Tuesdays and alternate Wednesdays. If you would like to know more or have your child access this service, please contact Kimberly Walker to discuss a referral.

Eddie (Dog) is a part of the wellbeing team, he is located in Mr Thiels office and is used as a therapy dog to assist in co-regulation and positive distraction.

Lessons will be provided by Mrs Melanie Evans (Bachelor of Music, Grad. Dip. Ed.) Mrs Evans has many years of music teaching experience at BHS, in the classroom as full time Yr 8-12 Music teacher, as Specialist Music Teacher, and as a private piano teacher.  Outside of school she is passionate about training up young musicians in her church, enabling them to use their music skills in a purposeful way.  As a former student of BHS, she has benefited from the musical opportunities provided for her.  She knows the importance of providing education and opportunities that can lead to a career pathway for young musicians.

Our goal in providing ELH Music lessons is to continue the growth and development of young musicians at BHS and provide educational pathways with a focus on learning to Read, Write and Reproduce music.

Lessons Offered:

Music Foundations - Beginner course. Learning to read music while playing.

• Group Keyboard class (numbers will be limited to the number of keyboards available.)
• Students will learn to read music through learning to play the keyboard.   If time allows, drum-kit and bass guitar basics will be included later in the course.

Music Extension – For experienced musicians.

This class is suited to students who have had lessons on their chosen instrument/voice and would like to extend their skills. Students who haven’t had lessons but are proficient on their instrument/voice may also be considered for this course.  If in doubt, please ask.

Students in Music Extension classes may choose one or all of the options below:

1. Play in an ensemble (duet/trio/class group) and as a soloist.
2. Learn to write and arrange music using Musescore software. 
3. AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) Music Theory Classes with the option of completing an exam with certification. (*Cost involved: Course booklet - $30. Exam - $82-$85).

Vocal Ensemble – Audition required.

• Students will learn various vocal arrangements to a high performance standard and may be asked to represent the school by performing at events.

 *More groups may be offered after these initial groups are established.

The Middle School Scholarship is awarded yearly to two students who can demonstrate a high level of academic excellence, commitment and contribution to school life. 

We are very excited to announce that Halle Young and Molly Payne are the 2024 Scholarship winners! We are excited to see these young people flourish at high school whilst representing their peers as Student Council members.

Congratulations!

Year 7s have had a great start to the school year, settling into new routines and making new connections. Today we rounded out Day 3 with a fiercely contested UNO competition!

The Year 8 Science classes have started the year learning about cells and how to use a microscope. Check out some of the things Mrs Parsons class observed under the microscope during their first double lesson below.

Look at for more photos in the next edition of all the weird and wonderful things the Year 8 classes observe!

School Card applications are now open!

With Term 1 fast approaching, now is a great time to see if you're eligible to receive financial assistance for school fees.

School Card is available in government schools to:

• families with children aged 4 years and over who attend a school full time
• independent full time students studying Year 10, 11 or 12
• adult re-entry students undertaking subjects to complete their SACE.

To qualify, your family's gross income in the 2022/23 financial year must be below the threshold, based on the number of dependent children you have in your family.

Information on the eligibility criteria, income limits and the application process is available on https://brnw.ch/21wGaGH.

PIANO LESSONS

Piano lessons available.

Please contact Meriel Lane for details on 0428 499 856