21 June 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

After much discussion, planning and the inevitable COVID-19 delays, our upgrade to the Stokes Road entrance is complete. The final results are magnificent, and we now have a frontage that reflects our standing as a centre of learning committed to a continuous improvement journey. Linking the old and the new is always a challenge in redevelopment, and this was further compounded by the need to create an area that could handle the heat and the water flow accompanying any heavy rain. In time our learners will benefit from additional natural shade and the cooling effects of lawn and plants in this historical barren and exposed area. I want to thank all of the staff and the wider community who have contributed to this development, and we are optimistic that we will complete the second stage in 2023.

As the semester draws to a close, we are preparing our interim reports for distribution on Monday, 4 July. Before receiving the reports, we encourage all learners and their caregivers to review their goals from the term one reports and reflect on their performance during term 2. We will be holding learning conferences early in term 3, where you can meet with teachers to discuss your child's progress and collaborate on future goals. However, you do not have to wait for these formal meetings as all our staff can be contacted at any stage to discuss your child's growth.

Finally, I would like to thank Travis McDonald and Sarah Bury for their support of our learners during the recent MNSEC formal at Jamestown. The formal is always an important event in the lives of our senior learners, and for many, it represents a significant milestone as they realise that their time left at the school is soon to be measured in months rather than years. Despite the early start to the evening, the group looked splendid, and I am sure they will enjoy sharing the pictures in this newsletter with family and friends.

Andrew Gilsenan-Reed

Whole School News

Absentees

If your child is away from school, please contact the school by phoning the office or by sending the school a notification via Schoolzine. Please don’t contact teachers personally as this information is not always relayed to other staff members.

Secondary Report

MNSEC Formal

Our Yr 11/12’s travelled by private bus to the ‘Maple and Pine’ Function Centre in the Bundaleer Forest for the MNSEC Formal last Friday. Schools including Quorn, Orroroo, Booleroo, Jamestown, Peterborough, Gladstone and Jamestown were all in attendance. It was a lovely event which was enjoyed by all. It was pleasing to see students from all schools mingling and dancing and thoroughly enjoying themselves whilst making new connections. Our thanks to the Jamestown Community School for hosting the 2022 MNSEC Formal. The music, decorations and venue were just beautiful. A big thanks to Mr Mac for joining us at this event.

End of Semester Stage One SACE

It is very hard to believe that the end of the semester is almost here. Our senior secondary learners are currently busy finishing tasks to submit for their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) subjects. It is a timely reminder to ensure that you check in with your teachers and complete the required coursework. I am meeting with some families/learners this week to ensure that they are aware of the outstanding pieces of work for subjects. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at school. Our stage one learners must be up to date with stage one credits for semester one, as this will stand them in good stead for achieving their stage one requirements at the end of the 2022 school year.

Year 7-10 Learners

Year 7-10 learners are also busy finishing off their semester one subjects for 2022. End-of-semester reports will be available during week 10. Students will have the opportunity to reflect upon term 2 achievements and challenges during their care group in week 10. This will allow them to set achievable and relative goals moving into semester two. It is pleasing to see several of our learners striving to achieve their best and using class time effectively. It is a timely reminder for our families/learners - that our teachers welcome and encourage communication at any stage of the year. If you have questions/concerns about your child’s learning or any other concerns, please get in touch with us via email/Daymap or phone call.

Lunchtime Badminton Competition

Our enthusiastic SACE Integrated Learning class have been busy planning and hosting a lunchtime badminton competition for our secondary learners/teachers. They developed a competition structure as a class and are currently setting up, scoring and umpiring during the first break. Students are developing their personal and social capability through organising this competition and have to complete a written task/evaluation as part of their SACE course.

Road Awareness Program

On Monday, the 25th of July, our Yr 11/12 learners will be participating in the RAP, which is begin hosted by Booleroo District Community School.

Statistics show that road crashes are one of the major causes of death and serious injury for 16-24 years olds in South Australia.

Through the South Australia Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) Road Awareness Program (RAP), we can work towards keeping our students safe on the roads with an honest and straightforward concentration and common-sense message.

A firefighter from the MFS will be visiting your school to speak with students about:

• good attitudes, smart decision making and safe behaviours
• the dangers of excessive speeds, distractions and driving under the influence
• being a responsible passenger and pedestrian
• becoming a responsible driver
• first-hand experience of the trauma suffered by all parties involved in both fatal and non-fatal road crashes

Firefighters also address the lasting trauma from injuries and fatalities, including the ongoing impacts of loss and disability for victims and families. A central element of the program is a talk by a real-life road crash survivor who will implore students to learn from their mistakes.

Permission forms and more information will be sent home over the next few weeks.

See the link attached

Sarah Bury
Secondary Coordinator

7/8/9 Digital Technology

It is estimated by a report produced by the Australian industry and skill commission that 2.7 million Australian jobs are at risk from automation over the next fifteen years. However, the good news is that more than twice as many jobs be created if we decide to invest in the digital skills of our workforce. It means that we need to equip our future workforce with digital skills such as coding and programming so they become confident to evolve and be agile to keep up with these new immerging technologies.

A survey conducted in the USA suggests that children who study Computer Science perform better in the other subjects, excel at problem-solving, and are 17% more likely to attend college. Computer science teaches students critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital citizenship, and benefits all students, no matter what opportunities they pursue in future.

Our school has been enabling learners to develop basic to high levels of digital skills including coding. Programming and robotic technologies. As part of an initiative to make ‘everyone can code’, no matter how novice you be at it, the computer science curriculum has become a part of Digital technology class.

Code.org is a fun and creative platform that teaches computer science and basic coding. I am using this platform to instil basic to advance coding skills in my learners. Parents can also get involved with this excellent resource and support their kids’ learning at home. In fact, parents themselves get involved and learn some coding to inspire and challenge their kids.

I have attached a copy of the welcome letter from Code.org for your reference to help you make the most use of this free resource. I also attached a link for a video to watch that may inspire you to motivate your children to learn computer science.

Primary Report

From the Year 5/6 class

We've been growing in so many areas! We have been practicing how to order food from a restaurant in Spanish. We can also tell now when the restaurant will be open and closed.

This week we're returning to Patterns and Algebra. Examining Multiples, Factors, and Prime numbers.

Algorithm creation is developing greatly with a Slalom activity that we've been practicing with the Spheros in the COLA.

From the Numeracy PLC

Here are some of the terms that are being used in Mr B's Numeracy group.

• Multiple: The multiple of a number is the product of that number and any other whole number. 2, 4, 6, and 8 are multiples of 2.
• Common Factors: A factor shared by two or more numbers, common factors are numbers that divide exactly into two different numbers.
• Factor: A number that divides into another number exactly. The factors of 10 are 1, 2, 5, and 10 (1 x 10, 2 x 5, 5 x 2, 10 x 1).
• Prime Numbers: Prime numbers are integers greater than 1 that are only divisible by themselves and 1.
• Composite Number: A positive integer with at least one factor aside from its own. Composite numbers cannot be prime because they can be divided exactly.
• Factor Tree: A graphical representation showing the factors of a specific number.

Matthew Buckingham
5/6 Class Teacher

SAPSASA Football

Congratulations to Noah Kruger and Sam Finlay (Yr 6’s) who were selected in the District SAPSASA Football competition. The boys travelled to Adelaide from Monday the 30/5 until Wednesday the 1/6 and competed in a 15-a-side competition with other students in the Port Augusta region. The event was held at Barratt Reserve, West Beach. There were three days of tough competition where the boys competed against a number of other country regions. The Northern SAPSASA Football team had some great wins and some challenging games as well. Thanks for doing QAS proud!

Library News

Overdue Items

We have many books that remain overdue, as of late 2021 overdue notices with fines have been introduced. As this is the first you may have heard of the fines, the library is having an amnesty on overdue books to clear the backlog. We would appreciate it if you would take the time to search for any library books and return them before the end of the term. If you have any issues please speak to the library staff.