18 May 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Over the remainder of this week we will be completing the NAPLAN test cycle for 2021. During these tests, the engagement of our learners has been exceptional and is testimony to the investment made by our professional staff to grow assessment capable learners. I have been privileged to sit in tests and see our learners exhibit many of the dispositions we value. In addition to this, I was thrilled to witness our youngest learners plan, execute and edit their writing using every single minute of the allocated time. Unfortunately, it appears inevitable that our media feeds are awash daily with conflicting and confusing reports regarding the purpose and validity of these national assessments. As a site, we use various measures to assess our progress, and NAPLAN provides a wealth of information to support our learning journey. The results will give us a clear indication of the effectiveness of our current Literacy and Numeracy programs and highlight areas for future improvement.

I am pleased to report that our recent biennial Careers Trip was a great success. Our Year 9 & Year 10 learners spent four days in Adelaide and surrounding areas, where they had the opportunity to investigate potential future pathways further. Although interestingly, some learners returned to the school less sure about their future, they did develop a far greater understanding of the limitless opportunities that learning can provide. Again, we are fortunate to have teachers who go above and beyond to both plan and attend these experiences for our learners, and I would like to express thanks to Brad Forkert and Megan Novillos for their leadership of this year’s trip.

Finally, on behalf of our senior learners, I would like to thank Brad Forkert for his planning and support of the 2021 MNSEC formal and Amber Tomney for supporting our learners on the night.

Andrew Gilsenan-Reed

Future Dates - Student Free/School Closure Days 2021

Advance Notice - QAS Sports Day has been set for Friday 6th August

News from the Prefects

Do it for Dolly Day

Our Do it For Dolly fundraiser last Friday raised $110, we are going to match this amount and donate a total of $220 to Dolly’s Dream. It was great to see a sea of blue throughout the school supporting this important movement.

Students were also shown a clip during their morning Caregroup about Dolly and the effect that bullying has on others. We have attached the URL if you would like to watch it at home

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea

Walk to School Wednesday

Once again, the school Prefects with support from House Captains are organising 'Walk to School Wednesday'. This is a great opportunity for our learners to get into the team spirit and support their House. All walkers earn points that are included in the final tally for the end year House award. For those that do not know how it works; School Captain's and a staff member will meet learners on Wednesday mornings at 8:15am at the Town Hall and all walk to school together.

Secondary Report

Careers Trip

Week 2 this term our Year 9 and 10 learners embarked on the biennial Careers Trip to Adelaide. During their four days they had the opportunity to experience various career opportunities firsthand. I am pleased to hear how this experience has opened the minds of our learners to the countless career pathways available to them. We are also very fortunate to partner with UniSA (Mawson Lakes and City West Campus), The University of Adelaide (Roseworthy and North Terrace Campus), Flinders University and TAFE SA (Regency and Tonsley Campus). Our learners were inspired and influenced by successful professionals, and experts in their field.

This trip also aids with one of the assessments, which our Year 10s (who are studying the compulsory SACE subject - Personal Learning Plan), must successfully complete. Likewise, our Year 9's will use this experience and be prepared for next year when they commence the subject.

This year looked slightly different due COVID-19 restrictions being in place, some of the places that had hosted us previously like Fort Largs Police Academy, SA footy clubs, and the Metropolitan Fire Service were unfortunately unable to offer their tours. From Tuesday 4th May until Friday 7th May, our trip was jam-packed yet fun filled with tours and activities to ensure the unique interests of our learners were catered for. We went to TAFE campus sites for carpentry, electrical, sign writing/painting/decor, plumbing, hospitality, building and construction. Learners were impressed by the hi-tech facilities at the TAFE Tonsley campus and the incredible culinary talent showcased at the International College of Hospitality Management (ICHM). We explored various university campuses such as STEM careers like Engineering, Computer Programming, and IT at UniSA Mawson Lakes and at UniSA City West we discussed careers in Arts, Law, Architecture, and Business. Then we visited The University of Adelaide for careers in Agriculture, Veterinary and Animal Sciences. We also travelled further to Flinders University for careers in marine biology, palaeontology, exercise science, and took the Flinders Living tour. Seeing different educational institutions allowed our learners to compare options and reflect on which of these may best suit their future interests.

Lastly, we wrapped up the trip with a visit to the Career Expo at thew Wayville Showgrounds where learners filled their booklets by seeking information from at least 3 experts from different fields. There were heaps of freebies and our learners received ‘career showbags’ filled with stationery, cool freebies, and booklets/pamphlets/brochures. Our learners also had the chance to develop friendships and build teamwork at go-karting, our all-you-can-eat buffet, late night shopping, and amazed at the augmented exhibition at the MOD gallery. We trust that our learners will cherish this experience and reflect on their plans for the future. Thank you to Mr. Forkert, our learners, parents/caregivers, and all the organisations for your efforts and support to make this memorable trip a success.

Year 9 Science

Learners in Year 9 Science participated in a simulation process to better understand the scale and size of an atom. They had the opportunity to compare textbook models of an atom with actual positioning of nucleus and electrons at subatomic scales.

In the pictures the black bin bag represents a nucleus of an atom. Learners were making sense of where they could find elctrons about the nucleus (the bin bag).

Homework Club

MNSEC Formal

Our Year 11/12 students attended the MNSEC Formal in Orroroo last Friday night. Accompanied by Mr Forkert and Miss Tomney, the students enjoyed themselves throughout the evening, with reports a few spent most of the night on the dance floor! It was great to see our senior students dressed for the occasion, looking all grown up in their formal attire. Thank you to everyone at Orroroo Area School for hosting this invent for us all to enjoy.

Primary Report

Jump Rope for Heart kicks off this week in the Primary School!

Jump Rope for Heart is a fantastic physical activity and fundraising program that has been run by the Heart Foundation for over 36 years. It’s a great way for your child to keep fit and learn new skills, but it also helps raise funds for vital heart research and education programs.

Since Jump Rope for Heart started in 1983, schools like ours have raised more than $104 million for the Heart Foundation’s lifesaving work.

It’s important you register your child online , so they can receive the full benefits of the program and participate in online fundraising, simply follow the link below to get started.

Students will be skipping during their P.E lessons and at break times throughout Term 2, 2021. During this time, you can share their online fundraising page with family and friends to help raise money for this great cause.

We will hold our school Jump Off Day on 30th of June (Wednesday Wk 10), this will mark the end of the program and is a chance for everyone to come together to skip and show off their newly learned skills.

Thank you for supporting the Jump Rope for Heart program!

Governing Council

Governing Council Update May 2021

Welcome to (almost) winter! Our Governing Council met late last week. Topics discussed at the meeting included reviewing the annual budget and the current school lunch order system. Due to low numbers of lunch orders and amount of staff time required to manage this system, the current lunch order system is being reviewed. There are likely to be changes starting from next term, so please provide input to the school if you have any. There have also been concerns raised to the school about the limited food options available for students that comply with Healthy Eating guidelines.

In early May, the Department of Education convened a webinar series for Governing Council Chairs around South Australia to discuss Vocational Education & Training (VET) in SA High Schools. The Coalition of Australian Governments have recognized the importance of a commitment to provide VET qualifications to school students that are valued by employers and provide clear pathways for school leavers to careers that require VET qualifications. According to research, 84% of the 50 occupations projected to have the most jobs growth in the next eight years do not require a bachelor degree. Only 67% of students in South Australia transition from school to earning or learning. It is with this in mind, that our understanding and support of VET and its place at Quorn Area School needs to be reviewed.

For more information, please check out the Policy online -

Happy Haven is the current service provider of Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) at QAS. OHSC provides an important service for our school and wider community, and as a Council we are keen to support and promote this service to our community. Please get in touch if you’d like to know more.

Lastly, it’s National Volunteer week! Thanks to all the volunteers who help to make our school a wonderful place for learning. A special shout-out to Hollie and Katrine for all the work they put into Toastie Tuesdays, raising funds for fabulous projects in the school.

Next Governing Council Meeting – Week 9, Thursday 24th June 5:30 in the school staff room.

Regards, Andrea Tschirner

Parents and Friends

Pichi Richi Marathon

On Sunday the 27th of June, Parents and Friends will be running a stall at the Pichi Richi Marathon. We will be selling soup and damper. If anyone would like to donate soup, make damper or help out on the day please contact the school.

Sustainability in our School

We continue to stock the 4myearth wraps and sandwich pockets which you can purchase through the front office. Using them in your lunchbox is a great way to keep our school waste free. Come in and have a look at the different designs we have for the following products:

Miscellaneous Reports

Schoolzine

If you haven’t already done so, please download the Schoolzine App to keep up to date with news and calendar events at Quorn Area School. The App is free to download from Google Play and the App Store from any of your electronic devices.