Balaklava High School PO Box 41 Gwy Tce BALAKLAVA SA 5461 Phone 08 88620600 Fax 08 88620650 Email: [email protected] 19th September 2014 PRINCIPAL’S REPORT With the end of term only a week away I want to acknowledge the school’s excellent staff who have gone the extra mile to organise the broad range of enrichment activities that have characterised the term and who have ensured the quality teaching that is the norm across the school. While there have been an extensive number of such excellent activities, including the Ski Trip, the Year 9 Science Fair, the Year 11 Aquatics Camp and the Amazing Literacy Race to name but a few, all of which require a large amount of time to organise and run, I want to particularly acknowledge the Balaklava High School Showcase. This event, held in Week 7, served to highlight the great talents of our students across a range of fields and also reflected the successful programs and dedicated staff who support their learning. One invited guest, Kristen Masters, Acting Educational Director for this Region, commented that she “was very impressed with the standard of the (public speaking) finalists,” that “the impact of the specialist music program was most evident” in the “very high quality vocal and instrumental performances.” She also noted that the “supper prepared by the Food and Hospitality students was evident of the Showcase being a ‘whole school’ event.” Another invited guest, Margaret Manuel, said that “it is always encouraging to know that there are so many talented people among both staff and students…and you need to pat yourselves on the back for the great event. It was indeed a “showcase” and a great tribute to the staff and students.” Such excellent events do not happen without a vast amount of organisational effort and an uncompromising commitment to high standards. I thank and acknowledge all staff and students who contributed to the night’s success and particularly acknowledge Kerry Williams and her team for their extraordinary work in staging this outstanding whole school event. NAPLAN The NAPLAN results will be sent home next week. Should you wish to get clarification regarding your child’s achievement in the test please contact the school. While the NAPLAN results are significant it is important to remember that the test is just one of many methods of assessing student performance and should be taken in consideration with the range of other feedback you receive on your child’s progress from the school. Mark Healy PRINCIPAL George Cafcakis DEPUTY PRINCIPAL Ruth Stevens ADMINISTRATOR Important Dates Sept 19 -21st 24th 26th Oct 13th 14 21-22 31 Dec 3-18 Pedal Prix, Murray Bridge P/T Interviews—Balaklava Term 3 finishes at 2:20pm Term 4 begins Yr 12 Biology Field Trip Yr11 Biology/Tourism Field Trip Yr 12 Final Day Yr 12 exams Excel today to challenge the future While analysis of the results is still occurring there is much to be pleased with. In literacy, the percentage of students achieving in the top 2 bands have improved in all test elements, with the percentage of students in the writing component exceeding DECD, Regional and Like School numbers, (as it has done broadly for the last 4 years), while in the spelling section the school percentage exceeded those of the region and like schools. The mean score in the Reading component has improved for 3 consec- P ositive relationships R espect I ntegrity D edication E xcellence utive years, with the Mean score in Grammar and Punctuation increasing by 4.4 on the 2013 figure. In the numeracy section the mean score improved by 7.9 on the previous year reflecting 4 years of continuous improvement. Students achieving in the top 2 bands increased by 2.9%, reflecting 4 years of continuous improvement, the percentage of students achieving the National Minimum Standard (NMS) was 98%, exceeding both the State and National figures, and the percentage of students above the DECD Mean Score exceeded State, Regional and Like School figures. These are very pleasing outcomes reflecting trends of improvement in aspects of all test components and are good indicators that the school’s literacy and numeracy focus is having an ongoing impact. Staffing We are very much into the staffing process for 2015 and while a number of positions and appointment processes are still pending, it is with real pleasure that I can announce that Josh LaGrutta and David Szular have won permanent teaching positions here and that Carena Brookes has won the Leadership position for Science, Agricultural Studies and SACE. I congratulate them on their appointments and look forward to working with them over the coming years. I wish all a good holiday, and encourage our Year 12 students to use the time well, avail themselves of the holiday lessons provided by their teachers and aim to ensure they complete their year successfully. Reminder: Early dismissal 2.20pm next Friday 26th September School resumes Monday 13th October Mark Healy DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT We are nearing the end of another term and the business end is fast approaching for our senior students as final deadlines and exams loom. This can be a stressful time and it is normal for students to feel anxiety. A bit of pressure can act as a motivator and enable people to get down and do some serious work. It is important that students organise their time and plan ahead to keep a reasonable schedule and balance school demands with exercise and relaxation. If students are feeling anxious they need to talk to their teachers. Talking to friends and family also helps keep things in perspective and confiding in someone that they trust who will be supportive is a great way of alleviating stress and worry. Some tips that may help: Develop a timetable to monitor progress and allow time for relaxation and breaks. If you start losing concentration take a break so that you come back refreshed. Try different revision techniques to maintain motivation and make it fun. Do not load up on caffeine and fizzy drinks but eat healthily and regularly, your brain will benefit. Regular and moderate exercise will boost energy levels, clear your mind and help reduce stress. Try some relaxation techniques like yoga or taichi, it will help keep you calm, improve concentration levels and help you sleep better. Over the last week we have conducted parent teacher interviews and subject counselling with students. The interviews have proceeded well and if you have missed out there is still another opportunity for you to catch up with a teacher next Wednesday at the Balaklava Town Hall. All you need to do is phone up the school and request a time slot. If you cannot make it then I urge you to request a phone interview with a particular teacher. As I write this article the Pedal Prix team is finishing their last minute preparations as they pack their equipment and go through their last minute check lists. The students are all excited, they and the supporting staff have put in countless hours of work for this weekend and we wish them well for the weekend. I am sure that they will have a lot to share with us in the next newsletter. George Cafcakis BALAKLAVA HIGH SCHOOL SHOWCASE Showcasing the best talents at Balaklava High School! Last week Balaklava High School put on the 5 th and arguably the best Showcase yet! There were a record 54 students participating on the night. The 2014 Showcase incorporated new items including a Science display and dance performance that added extra dimension to an already packed night of entertainment. Initially designed as a public speaking event, this event has truly become sophisticated in its integration of faculties and the polish in the performance of all students on stage. There were amazing highlights to the night from each section including rousing speeches from Jon Fiegert, the Senior School Winner of Public Speaking, who discussed the concerning issue of anxiety and depression and Winner of the Middle School Public Speaking Amy Langdon who spoke about “Skating on thin ice” and left us with the quote by ice skater Anita Shreve, “If you’re skating on thin ice, you may as well dance”. Congratulations also go to the Runner-up speakers Tayla McBride and Amy Paech and Lions Encouragement Public Speaking Awards recipients Olivia McColl and Caroline Barber. Thank you to the adjudicators Barb Rodgers, Marc Van Kleef, Bev Venning and Malcolm May. The Visual Arts students presented the judges Valerie Veitch and Amanda Lockwood with difficult decisions as the calibre of work was outstanding. In the end Samantha Merritt won for her charcoal portrait and Darcy Watkins won the Popular vote from the audience for her painting on an outback cowboy. Aisling Flynn, BHS Art teacher, has really worked hard to extend the art students this year. Both Melanie Evans (Specialist Music teacher) and Tahlia Crickmar (Drama teacher) have added their own special flair with well-practised performances from the Performing Arts students. The outstanding performances are too long to list but a special mention must go to Caroline Barber who won the Showcase Musical student award for her contribution to music this year. Further to this the drama judges Kelly Bickle and Anne Read deliberated over their decision because of the high level of talent, but were delighted to present Karsia Jagiello the Drama Award for her performance in the skit “Passport Office”. The finale of the night was “When you’re an Addams” from the musical The Addams Family which was truly inspiring! It was visually stunning to see the monochromatic ghouls and walking-dead appearing from every nook and cranny! Comments from the students at the end of the night included “it was fun and I can’t wait for next year!” Kerry Williams English & Performing Arts Coordinator day Chutney by Aaron Blabey. The purpose of the high school students reading to the younger children was to increase awareness of Literacy and Numeracy Week and encourage children of all ages to read. The high school students engaged with the younger children, reading them the unique and quirky book, Sunday Chutney. At the end of the reading the students presented this book to the Balaklava Primary School and BCCC to keep, so that children who engaged with the book can borrow it out and read it at home. Thank you to the staff and children at Balaklava Community Children’s Centre and Balaklava Primary School for participating in this event with the Balaklava High School students. SCIENCE WEEK Fun at the Fair During National Science Week (16 th – 23rd August) the Year 9 Science classes demonstrated to 60 students from Balaklava Primary School just how fun Science can be. Activities ranged from Oobleck (dancing goo on a speaker as seen in “Big Bang Theory”), lava lamps and bottle rockets to ice cream, sherbet and making paint. Many primary school students raced home that afternoon to recreate what they’d seen and share what they’d learnt. See photos on last page READ FOR AUSTRALIA This week Balaklava High School students celebrated Literacy & Numeracy week by reading at Balaklava Primary School and Balaklava Community Children’s Centre. Karsia Jagiello read to a highly engaged group of Kindy and childcare children on Thursday. Whilst Caroline Barber and Ethni Mitchell presented at the assembly to the entire school, including the parents! The reading at the primary school coincided with the planned “Read for Australia”, where all schools throughout Australia were encouraged to read the same text at the same time, which was the children’s picture book, Sun- YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES Balaklava High School is further promoting the wellbeing and learning for young people by providing Year 10 students with the chance to participate in the Youth Opportunities Personal Leadership Program. Currently, in Term 3, a group of 18 students are participating in the program. The program is delivered one day a week over a 10-week period and focuses on the development of specific goals that provide direction and motivation for each student to achieve their short and long term goals. The Graduation ceremony for the current group will be held at the Balaklava Council Chambers at 4 pm on Thursday the 25th of September. Your support of the students would be appreciated and if you would like to attend the upcoming graduation, please come. For more information on how you can support and be involved in the ongoing success of the program at Balaklava please contact Youth Opportunities on 8240 3133 or speak with Nick Prokopec (Youth Opportunities School Based Coordinator at Balaklava High School). FUN RUN When: 26th September, last day of Term 3 Who: students, teachers and any parents! Why: to raise money for World Challenge project Vietnam. What: Fun Run followed by a carnival at school. BBQ, drinks, cakes, dunking well, horizontal bungee, cream pie throw, thong toss and more! ities including leadership, community involvement, sport, cultural activities and academic achievement. On the night the girls were required to answer two impromptu questions, which was the scariest part of the evening and then presented their prepared speeches. We enjoyed a range of topics including “An Act of Courage”, “Still Waters Run Deep” and “Freedom or Licence?” Congratulations to all the girls who participated and represented Balaklava High School admirably. A special mention goes to Caroline Barber who won the Best Prepared Speech and congratulations to the Overall Winner of the Lions Youth of the Year, Amy Paech. Amy will now go on to represent the Balaklava Lions Club at a zone final in Bute in October. Thank you to Kossie and the Balaklava Lions Club for involving the students in this competition, which gives our students an opportunity to step up and demonstrate their leadership and public speaking skills. Thank you also to the parents and staff who supported the girls on the night. It was yet again another event that showed what our young emerging leaders are capable of. Kerry Williams So bring your spare change! And come along for a day of fun on the 26th September. All parents are welcome to attend or donate or help! Pl e as e ri n g M er ri d y on 0427532007 if you can help on the day! Checkout: wwwworldchallenge.com.au WET THE HEALY! Get him wet! Our Principal, Mr Healy, will sit on the dunking-well if the price is right! The Price = $1000 So dig deep and let’s Wet the Healy Lions Youth of the Year Coordinator Amy Paech (winner) & Caroline Barber (best prepared speech) AMAZING LITERACY RACE LIONS YOUTH OF THE YEAR Two weeks ago five brave students; Amy Paech, Tayla McBride, Jessica Heaslip, Caroline Barber and Alyssa Allen represented Balaklava High School at the Lions Youth of the Year. Prior to the dinner meeting students were interviewed by the judges, Darren Scholz, Helen Walker and Jo Michalanney who asked them some general knowledge questions. The girls were also judged on other qual- Last Wednesday our Year 8 & 9 students participated in the Amazing Literacy Race, a challenge designed to have them racing physically around the school completing and engaging with literacy activities along the way. The third annual Amazing Literacy Race was this year organised by the English faculty and supported by Jess Daniel who has been involved with the organisation of the race since it was developed by Sonia Pringle. Students raced from station to station completing tasks which included transforming images into a story or poem, summarising information, converting words to images, identifying nouns, verbs and adjectives within a recipe and p l a y i n g scrabble words. Each pair of students were also required to try out the new online catalogue system in the library, familiarising them with the 1LMS system. A big thank you to all the staff involved on the day and in the lead up to the race, without your support it would not be as successful. Well done to all the students who participated, you were highly engaged and got into the spirit of the day. Feedback from the event overwhelmingly supports it happening again next year. I look forward to seeing if our champions from 2014 can defend their titles. There was rivalry amongst the students with lots of banter between the homegroups as to who would win the coveted title of Fastest Homegroup. These accolades went to Mr La Grutta’s Year 9 homegroup, 9LE3, who were defending champions and Mr Ritchie’s Year 8 homegroup, 8RH3. Fastest Year 9 Pair were Sophie Wehr and Cody Norris (9SH2) and Fastest Year 8 Pair were Alli Bowyer and Aaron Cross (8RH3). Thank you to Danielle Murphy, Joshua La Grutta, Ryan Evans and Jess Daniel who supported me to put together this Amazing Race! There are numerous hours that go into this event to ensure that it all runs smoothly on the day. Kerry Williams English & Literacy Coordinator) on behalf of the English Faculty COMMUNITY NEWS ADELAIDE PLAIN GIANT ATHLETICS First meet after school holidays Mon 13 October at 5pm at Pt Wakefield Oval Thurs16 October at 3.30pm at Balaklava High school (meet at gym) Tiny tots program 3- 5 years old Age groups U5- U17 Came and try fees $5 this fee will come off rego fee when join. All athletes must have a guardian. Athletes events available : 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m run, high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, javelin, walks, relays. Encourage Athletes: - keep fit in the off season to netball and football. Assist with skills for school sport days. Great family fun Meet new friends If you join you would help us win a BIG TROPHY CUP and you also get a small trophy of your own. BALAKLAVA TENNIS CLUB Calling intending players for junior, senior, and social night tennis Please contact Louise Michael on 0438 286275 or Tania Allen on 0419 034096 by September 26. AUSTSWIM The AUSTSWIM Certificate is the industry standard for swimming and water safety teachers and is an essential qualification in gaining employment as a swimming instructor by employers in Australia. Due to recent changes in the Vacswim guidelines all instructors wishing to work within the 2015 Vacswim program will require an AUSTSWIM licence AUSTSWIM will be holding the following training: Port Pirie: October 18/19th 2014 Clare, the Valleys Lifestyle Centre Nov 8/9th 2014 Kadina November 29/30th 2014 Secondary school students can claim 10 Stage 2 SACE points on completion of the qualification. The AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and water Safety accredited training also appears on the recognised VET training register Interested candidates can enrol online at www.austswim.com.au or by completing and returning the attached enrolment or by telephoning the SA Business centre on 08 83540873 BALAKLAVA BASKETBALL CLUB TRAINING & UNIFORM NIGHT 4:30-6pm at THE COURTS WEDNESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER **** WANTED **** COACHES & MANAGERS ANY ENQUIRIES CALL AYNARA ON 0438 645 360 BALAKLAVA SWIMMING POOL SUNDRY GOODS AUCTION Sunday 19th October 2014 Please support our Sundry Goods Auction to be held at Ralli Park, scheduled to begin at 9.30am. Start collecting any suitable goods for the auction. For more information or goods collected/stored, please contact Peter Butterfield : 0417884877. YOUTH UNITED Youth United is a Christian youth meeting where youth from all of the churches and those who have never been to church can meet together. Meetings include Worship time with our youth band leading, a speaker and small groups. It is our goal to encourage and equip youth for life as they grow in their faith. We would love to encourage you! Thursdays fortnightly during school terms at the Balaklava Uniting Church Hall (Edith Tce.) 5:307:00pm. For more info please contact Melanie Evans 0427796970 or Lee Cunningham 0429621143 Term 3 dates: Sept 26 WOULD YOU LIKE TO HOST AN OVERSEAS STUDENT? Experience another culture, make new friends and improve your language studies at home Hosting – An Experience for Life Student Exchange is looking for host families across Australia to welcome overseas students into their home www.studentexchange.org.au 1300 135 331 (cost of local call) CHILD CARE Available in Auburn Fun, Safe & Caring Farm Environment Family Day Care Educator - over 20 years experience Childcare Benefit & Rebate Apply Provider No: Country Central F68101020 Christina’s Family Day Care 8849 2520 Balaklava Dental would like to congratulate Elizabeth Anderson of Pt Wakefield Primary as the lucky winner of our Dental Health Week competition. She has won a $30 Balaklava Newsagent voucher. All dental care is free for children under the age of 18 years at Balaklava Dental please call us on 88622092 for an appointment. Keep smiling Dr Robert Bickmore—Dentist Jenny Young—Dental Therapist / Hygienist 2014 Showcase
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