4 December 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

As the 2018 school year draws to a close we have much to celebrate as we reflect on a successful year of learning. On Wednesday the 6th December we will be gathering in the gym at 7pm for our 2018 Presentation Evening. All families are welcome to attend as we celebrate the achievements and growth of our learners during 2018. The end of year reports also offer opportunity to both celebrate and reflect and they will be available online on Friday 14 December from midday. This shift to online reporting will make future reports more accessible thus increasing opportunities for both you and your child to reflect on achievement and plan for future growth in learning.

Our improvements in learning were recently recognised as best practice and we are delighted with our progress over 2018. We are also confident that 2019 will offer us further opportunity to build upon this success, as we continue to update our infrastructure, STEM provision and learning opportunities. These changes will include many new developments linked to individualised programs based on the latest learning technologies. In order to support these developments we have made some changes to our Bring Your Own Device strategy and I ask caregivers to read the update included in this newsletter.

Unfortunately, we are still awaiting confirmation on some teacher contracts and this means we are currently not in a position to confirm classes and teachers for 2019. We will send a notification through the SZ app once this information is available.

As this is our final newsletter of the year I would like to thank the staff whose dedication and professionalism has enabled us to make significant progress towards providing a 21st Century learning environment. Whilst we are still in the process of finalising staffing for 2019 I can confirm that we will be farewelling Kathy Radif, who is returning to her previous site and we thank her for the contribution she has made to Aboriginal Education at our school. We will also be farewelling Mike Unger, who is leaving after eight years and we offer him our best wishes for the future. In farewelling our Y12 learners I would like to thank them for the significant contribution they have made to the school, through both their dedicated approach to learning and commitment to its values. We wish both them and their families well for their futures and we are confident that they will thrive in their chosen pathways.

I would also like to thank all of the families for their support in building a centre of learning that reflects the values of our community and its hopes for the future generations. Finally, I would like to wish all of our learners and their families a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Andrew Gilsenan-Reed

End of Year Presentations

Please be seated in the Gymnasium so we can begin at 7.00pm sharp. This is a whole school event and students are asked to wear school uniform. Family and friends are welcome to attend and celebrate student achievements.

Bring Your Own Device Update

Since 2017 we have encouraged all learners from Y7-12 to bring their own laptop to school. In 2019 we will be supporting the use of BYOD across Y5-12 with learners being able to access a growing number of carefully selected online programs to enhance learning and engagement in all curriculum areas. Our ASI laptop purchase portal is accessible through the school website and it has recently been updated for 2019. The models we currently recommend are:

Lenovo ThinkPad 11e
Lenovo ThinkPad 11e 5th Gen Yoga with Pen

For those caregivers considering purchasing from another retailer we ask that you refer to the minimum device specifications and considerations on our website. Please note that all software required for school use, with the exception of security/antivirus, is supplied directly by the school.

BYOD Purchase Portal Access

Click ‘Register’ located just under the email and password fields. When asked for a Registration Key Code, please enter: qOrn@s2017

End of Term Reports - Online

All Term 4 reports will be published online via the Daymap Connect App next Friday 14th December from midday. They will give an overall indication of your child’s progress this term. Please take the time to go through the report with your child and discuss both their progress and future goals. If you have any concerns about the report, please do not hesitate to contact the teacher directly to discuss the issue at a time arranged, suitable to both parties.

If you are having problems logging into the Daymap Connect app, please contact Matt Griffiths prior to next Friday’s scheduled release. Matt.Griffiths310@schools.sa.edu.au

Senior School Report

Graduation Dinner

On November 16th we farewelled our Year 12’s with an amazing dinner at Pichi Richi Park. It was sad to see such a great bunch of students leave our school, as they have been inspiring role models for our younger learners over their time here. Thank you to all the family members who came along and supported those young adults in their graduation. Also thank you to Hamish and Bart at Pichi Richi Park for going above and beyond to look after us, it made for a really special night. A huge thankyou also to Chloe Hilder, Meggan Finlay, Aiden Hately-Bell and Ethan Baker for volunteering their time to serve food to us on the night. This was such a great gesture and shows the community what amazing people you are.

Senior Transition

In Week 7 we began the transition of our Year 11 students into Year 12 subjects. This aims to kick start their learning for 2019. This week, all of our learners from Years 6 -10 will also move into their assigned year levels for 2019. The aim of the 2 weeks of transition is to set the foundations for next year so that when our learners return they are ready to start immediately. Teachers have planned lessons that are engaging and will provide great learning opportunities for our students. If you have any questions about the transition process, please make a time to speak with me.

Miscellaneous Reports