16 February 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Last week we held our first information night of 2021. I want to thank the primary team for their support of the evening and the invaluable insight into our extensive learning programs. A large number of caregivers from across the primary sector supported the event, and we will explore future information evenings based on the feedback of those in attendance. This Wednesday, we will be turning our attention to our senior learners, and I encourage their caregivers to join us at 6 pm to gain further insight into learning at Quorn Area School in 2021.

Our Learner Management System Daymap has proved invaluable in terms of our improvement journey over recent years. It has connected learners with their learning and provided teachers with the tools to complete their work at the highest level. It has also significantly improved our ability to ensure full compliance with all procedures and policies to ensure your child's safety, health, and well-being. We regularly review files/policies to ensure that consent forms and agreements are complete and filed correctly. In the event of any new permission, or a duplicate copy being sought, we ask that you contact the school directly if you need additional information. We have had some caregivers seek clarification regarding the CONSENT FORM FOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE APPROVED EARLY DISMISSALS. I can confirm that this represents no change to our historical practice of early dismissal. The dates for 2021 are:

Thursday 1 April - Easter weekend, 2.05pm
Friday 9 April - end of Term 1, 2.05pm
Friday 2 July - end of Term 2, 2.05pm
Friday 24 September - end of Term 3, 2.05pm
Friday 10 December - end of Term 4, 2.05pm

We do not currently close early for sporting events, and any change would only occur following consultation with the community.

An electronic version of this consent form is available on the Schoolzine App under Forms and Documents.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of the volunteers and staff who contributed significantly to our recent swimming carnival success. High levels of community support and learner participation combined to make it a fun filled and exciting sporting event. We wish our senior swimmers the very best at the upcoming MNSEC carnival.

Andrew Gilsenan-Reed

Secondary Report

2021 is well underway and our learners have not missed a beat. They have started the year with a great mindset and are eager to continue their learning journey. This is partly due to the amazing transition we did throughout the secondary school in 2020 which prepared our learners early so that when we returned to school they were all ready to go. I am looking forward to seeing what our amazing learners can achieve in 2021.

In 2021 our staffing has remained very consistent which is a great positive for our school community and our learners. A list of the teachers, their contacts and the subjects taught is included below.

Mr Forkert – bradley.forkert285@schools.sa.edu.au – 7 HASS, 8/9 HASS, 10 HASS, 10 English, Year 12 English, 10-12 Care Group teacher
Ms Novillos – megan.novillos702@schools.sa.edu.au – 7 Media Arts, 7 English, 9 English, 10 PLP, 11 English
Mr Sambi – Sambi.Sambi575@schools.sa.edu.au – 7/8 Science, 8 Math, 10 Science, 11 Math
Mr Pathan - Faruk.Pathan723@schools.sa.edu.au – 7 Math, 9 Math, 10 Math, 12 Math, 12 Physics
Mr McDonald - Travis.McDonald470@schools.sa.edu.au - 8/9 Tech, 10/11 Pichi Richi, 11/12 Tech
Mrs Bury - Sarah.Bury988@schools.sa.edu.au – 8 English, 9/10 HPE, 10/11 Food & Hospitality
Mr Griffiths – 7/8/9 Care group teacher, 7/8 HPE, 11/12 Nutrition, 11/12 Biology, 11/12 Integrated Learning

My position as the Secondary Coordinator has not changed, so if you have any questions about your child’s learning or progress please do not hesitate contacting with me via email matt.griffiths310@schools.sa.edu.au or by a phone call to the school.

Year 12s of 2020

As was mentioned in Andrew’s first newsletter article, we have celebrated some excellent results from our 2020 cohort of students. As a teaching group we were extremely proud of the effort that all our learners had put in and we are very excited to see where this hard work leads to next. Generally we do not publish the results of the learners as we feel it is their story to tell, however this year is extra special with all the challenges that these learners faced and with their permission I will share a couple:

Tayla Finlay – ATAR of 99.10 and an A+ in Integrated Learning
Aiden Hately-Bell – ATAR of 98.75 and an A+ in Psychology
Jayde Finlay – A+ in Research Project, completing Year 12 in 2021.

Please do not forget this is just a small sample of the amazing results that our 2020 learners have achieved. We also had a one of our learners also complete their SACE through VET training in a Certificate 3 in Agriculture Mechanical Technology. If you are interested to see how our group of 2020 learners went please take the time to ask them as they should all be proud of their efforts.

Primary Report

Foundation Class News with Miss Miller

I just want to say a big welcome to our new Foundation learners this year; Lily, Charlie, Tomas, Tasmia, Zara, Ava and Brooklyn.

The Foundation’s have had a great start to the year. They have settled in nicely and are already learning so much. We are so excited to see what is in store for our new learners this year.

Swimming Lessons and Swimming Carnival

During Week 2, Foundation learners had the opportunity to participate in swimming lessons before the swimming carnival on Friday. Learners were able to jump in the pool and learn some swimming skills with the help of our swimming instructors. They had so much fun during these swimming lessons and were well prepared for our swimming carnival.

On Friday the 5th February we were able to take part in a modified program of the Swimming Carnival. During the morning we were able to jump in the pool with the House Captains and participate in some fun relays with noodles and kick boards. All learners did an amazing job and showed off their wonderful swimming skills.

After the relays, we had a quick break and then participated in some fun water based games on the lawn. These games included water balloon toss, painting with water and chalk, throwing sponges at targets, water balloon bottom pop and squirting matchbox cars with water blasters. The F-2 learners really enjoyed these activities and loved staying cool and wet. You can see some of the fun we had in the photos below. I think their favourites were the water balloon bottom pop and squirting matchbox cars with the water blasters. Thank you to all those people who helped us out on the day to make it run smoothly; especially our SSOs and teachers from Hawker Area School.

STEM Challenges

Each week, Foundation learners are doing a STEM based construction and building activity to develop problem solving, construction and inquiry skills. Last week, they were learning about how boats float on water. They then had to construct a boat out of making materials that could float in a container of water. Learners used their thinking skills to build the boat and had to describe why it was able to float or why it sunk. Most of the boats that were constructed were able to float in the water. Here are some videos of learners testing out their boats and describing what happened.

Numeracy

In Numeracy this term, learners have been working hard to build their numeracy skills. They have been learning to count collections of objects, recognise Numicon shapes and numerals. They have been learning to identify each of the Numicon shapes, use them to count and make Numicon shape patterns.

They are beginning to recognise patterns in number and repeating patterns with Numicon pegs, Numicon rods and building blocks.

We have also really enjoyed using the Mathgames website on the iPads to practice our counting and maths skills. You can log onto mathgames from home to practice all sorts of numeracy skills at all different year levels. They have both learning activities and games that are engaging and fun. Click on the link below to explore the website from home.

Parent/Teacher Learning Conversations (Foundations class only)

To begin the Foundations school journey on a positive note, I am asking Foundation families to come in and have a conversation with me about how your child is settling into school. This is an opportunity to share thoughts or any questions you may have about learning here at QAS and learner goals for Term 1. Please return the form that was sent home with a convenient time to come and meet me.

Times are available during Week 5 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon from 3:15-4:00pm

Crunch and Sip

Each morning, Primary learners have a crunch and sip break to re energise in between literacy lessons. This is a good time to re-fuel and have a fresh start to the next lesson.

We ask that learners please bring a small amount of fruit or veggies cut up in a small container ready to eat. Pre-cut up fruit and veggies makes it quicker and easier to eat with little mess. Crunch and Sip is supposed to be a short 5–8-minute break in between learning or as learners work.

We understand that some learners have different preferences to fruit and veggies due to taste. Alterative options can include yogurt in sip pouches or cheese.

Tegan Miller
Foundation Class Teacher

Sports Report

Swimming Carnival

Quorn School Community Library

Scholastic Book Fair

Please make plans to visit and invest to enrich children’s learning.

SAVE THE DATE
Tuesday, 16th March – Friday, 19th March 2021
at Quorn School & Community Library

Reading for pleasure unlocks the power of information and imagination! It helps children discover who they are…

eBooks & Audiobooks

Happy Haven OSHC

Bookings for our OSHC service can be made via our Schoolzine App, there is a link on our home page.

Miscellaneous Reports

Working for the Department for Education

Are you interested in registering for work as a School Support Officer? Below is a link for you to access the 2020 Employable Ancillary Register. Once your application is complete you will receive notification of your suitability to work with the Department for Education. Bring this letter into the school so we can keep a record, if vacancies were to arise.

School Photos

School Photos – Thursday 11th March

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.

2020 School Yearbook

We have a couple of excess copies of the 2020 Yearbook. If you missed out please call into the Finance Office to purchase yours today.