Many people I have spoken to recently, find the term seems to be vanishing at an extraordinary rate. We are no different. Since the last newsletter, there have been many school activities and events. 

Continuous Assessment 

At the beginning of the year, we planned to continue to use Continuous Assessment on Sentral as one of our main reporting methods home after the positive feedback we received from parents and students in 2023. However, at the beginning of this year, we transferred to an updated version of the timetable software, which has continued creating issues within Sentral. The latest concerns are that various assessments uploaded to Continuous Assessment have vanished and we are still unable to determine the cause of this. As a result, we have made a decision to provide a brief report (no comments) at the end of the term in conjunction with interviews to provide a progress report for all students. As soon as we are able to ensure continuous assessment tasks and feedback are secure we will return to using that as our most effective and regular reporting method. At the end of Term 2, written reports with semester grades will be provided. 

Parent-teacher-student interviews 

On Wednesday 10th, April, we will have parent-teacher-student interviews. All families are encouraged to attend, with the bookings opening soon. If you are unable to use Sentral to book or none of the times available suit you please contact the school to organise an appropriate time to meet with your child’s teachers. 

Playground 

We were extremely excited to be able to open the playground for use on Monday. One piece of equipment is awaiting some new parts to comply with regulations, but the rest is certainly being well utilised by our students. The playground has been a project planned for a long time, and with the support of the Governing Council, student fundraising and the Georgetown Community Development Association, it has finally eventuated. 

Male toilets 

We continue to monitor the boy's toilets for damage and misuse following regular reports from the cleaners about the lack of respect being shown for this space. The boys have been sent back to the old toilet facilities, and still, the vandalism occurs. We ask parents to please also have a conversation about treating these places with respect and valuing the efforts that went into getting new toilets after students declared that was one of the things they most wanted to see an improvement in. It is a shame that extra money now needs to be spent on cleaning instead of using the funds to improve the learning opportunities. 

We hope you all have a lovely Easter break and enjoy the fast approaching school holiday time. 

FUNDRAISING

The Year 12s have been enthusiastically raising money for the Year 12 Formal. At sports day, the Year 12s ran a bake sale with house-coloured biscuits, cupcakes, brownies and other delicious treats. A few of the lads manned the sausage sizzle on the day and did a great job feeding the hungry masses. Keep an eye out for an online silent auction later in the year and take part to help the Year 12s as they organise a spectacular formal.

This term has been jam-packed with learning and other activities, both in and out of the classroom. Year 7 students went on Aquatics camp to Pt Augusta in Weeks 4 and 5. 7B was accompanied by Mrs Gaunt, Mr Wren and Mrs Davis, and 7A by Mrs Seidel, Miss Pullan, Mr Kennewell and Celeste. All students participated in a wide variety of aquatic activities, including sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, fishing and stand-up paddle boarding, and it was amazing to see them challenge themselves and step outside of their comfort zones to try something new.

We held our first Middle School Assembly on Friday morning of Week 6. Mrs Cameron ran our Morning Circle routine, Mrs Hogan talked about Cyber Safety and Mrs Gaunt talked about things that have happened so far this term, some improvements that can be made and things we are looking forward to.

Over the last couple of weeks our Year 7 and 9 students have undertaken NAPLAN testing in the Learning Hub. We were extremely proud of and impressed by the way they conducted themselves during their test sessions.

Parent/teacher interviews are coming up soon, but please feel free to contact your child’s teacher by phone or email if you have any questions or concerns, or would just like to have a chat.

Parent, Student and Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday 10^th April (FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEWS)

Interviews will be at the Southern Flinders Regional Sporting Complex next to the school from 3:30pm to 7:00pm

Sessions bookings open from Thursday 28^th March, and are able to be booked online or by phoning the school if you don’t have access to Sentral Portal.

Term One is always such a busy term with many school events and with students getting used to the workload of their new year levels, particularly our Senior students. With all of these pressures, it is a good time to remind students and families of the importance of work/life balance. Check out the link from the Kids Helpline, which has some relevant and useful tips about self-care. Read through these with your children; it might be a good conversation starter. https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/self-care

This year has got off to great start in the GHS Art Studio. Our Year 7s have shown a great level of skill and creativity through their work on Pop Art. Many of their finished artworks in the style of Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein show their understanding of techniques and design choices to fit into the style, whilst still making their artwork their own.

The Year 8s have been learning and testing their knowledge on colour theory this term, alongside creating some fantastic mandala artworks. After practicing and designing their patterns, these required them to apply their geometry skills to plan out a unique radial pattern on a round canvas and use their colour theory knowledge to create an effective colour scheme. With the help of the students we have also created a colour theory booklet quiz. It has a lot of fun game modes and has help students memorise key vocabulary on the topic which they are including in their written reflections.

We are very excited this year to have enough interest in both Food and Textiles to extend the year levels in which we are running these as separate subjects. For the first time in as long as we can remember, there is a Year 10 Textiles class with four students who are new to sewing and some who did the subject last year. Miss Lloyd-Smith has had them brushing up on basic techniques before moving into more complex tasks.

In the kitchen, a range of year levels are working on different skills and techniques.

Mrs Pech’s Year 7s did a lot of cooking for the aquatics camps making pin wheels, quiche and Weet-Bix balls. They have also been focusing on knife skills and safety, oven and stove top use and kitchen routines. After camp they will be starting a unit on a class BBQ

The Year 9s have been cooking with chicken and learning about food safety and cross contamination with Miss Lloyd-Smith. They demonstrated their understanding while making chicken parmigiana. They have learned more about food safety through working with eggs and rice as high-risk ingredients.

Mrs Seidel’s Year 10 class are working on assignments where they are required to plan catering for a special event of their choice. This includes planning a theme, the menu and budget. They have made a sample of the dishes chosen, with specific focus on how they would present their food for the event. Their creativity has been very impressive!

Kate Seidel - Home Ec Teacher 

The South Australian Aboriginal Sports Training Academy provides opportunities for our Year 10 and 12 students to work with students and staff from John Pirie Secondary School, Aboriginal community members and the SAASTA team from Adelaide to focus on culture, art, leadership and teamwork. Students will participate in the Power Cup in Term 2, with a football focus.

The first task for this year was to design artwork for consideration for the Power Cup guernsey or banner for the Port Pirie Academy. This task involved working with our ASETO Judy, a local artist who shared her knowledge about significant land, animals and symbols for the Nukunu people. Judy joined us in the art room to teach the students some techniques and help with colour choices.

Some highlights from students about their artwork are:

Antwan talked about his own family history with his Nan, who is also an artist. He wanted to find a way to include significant Nukunu elements along with the colours of the Aboriginal flag. He creates mane of the shapes by tracing the line of his hand, givng a very personal connection to the piece.

Lucy’s focus was the Flinders Ranges and she also wanted to show the transition from daylight to night by using an ombre effect with the paint, from light to dark blue. Incorporating creek bed, emu footprints and the Aboriginal flag were also important connections to the local community for Lucy.

Gavin worked on several ideas with his Nan to plan his artwork. This reflected community meeting in the creek bed, surrounded by animals. Judy had talked to the group about the significance of the carpet snake to Nukunu and Gavin incorporated this at the meeting of the creek bed and the land. Gavin challenged himself to try new techniques with painting, with awesome results!

Ryan’s focus was also on the Flinders Ranges at sunrise/sunset. He used a range of different paints to create a textured effect, similar to the unevenness of earth. Ryan’s artwork represents journeys and crossing paths in the creek bed and emu tracks.

The group’s engagement and effort on their artwork so very impressive and we look forward to sharing more of their SAASTA journey throughout the year.

Kate Seidel - SAASTA Teacher 

Welcome to the new school year.  Payment of the Materials and Services Charges 2024 is due for payment by the end of Term 1.

Below are options for payments.

Option 1:        

Payment in full.

Option 2:

Four equal instalments, paid on the first day of each term.

If neither of the two options above suits, please ring me on 86622171 to discuss alternate payment arrangements, such as a payment plan and/or  School Card.

School Card can be applied for online.

School Card application forms are available from the Office as an alternative.

2024 Materials & Services Charge - REBATE

The SA Government has again issued a $100 rebate for parents, carers and independent students who are required to pay the 2024 materials and services charge.

Please remember when paying your fees the $100 rebate will be deducted from the 2024 materials and services charge

WE HAVE CREDIT CARD and EFTPOS FACILITIES

***Fees can also be paid via the QKR App***

Thank you - Sue Foulis, Finance Officer 

Governing Council AGM - 21st March 2023

Are you:

• Keen to see how Gladstone High School works?
• Keen to know the principal, Teachers and other staff well?
• Eager to make a difference in your child’s life?
• Keen to make a difference at Gladstone High School?
• Keen to be a part of an exciting future at Gladstone High School?

Meetings are held twice a term. For more information please contact Gladstone High School on 86622171 or Kathryn Hansen (GC Chairperson 2022) on 0438363123.

We would love for you to be a part of our team!