1 November 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

On Tuesday the 8th of November, we will be farewelling our Year 12 learners who will commence study leave in preparation for the forthcoming Stage Two SACE examinations. The assembly will begin at 2:40pm, and we hope to be joined by all of our learners who have completed Stage 2 SACE in various ways during 2022. Week four will also mark the last week of scheduled lessons for our 2022 Stage One courses. We will be commencing our 2023 SACE courses on the 15th of November as part of the transition process that has benefited our senior learners over recent years.

Preparations are well underway for 2023. I can confirm that despite the challenging recruitment environment, we have appointed quality teachers successfully to support our improvement journey and return us to a full complement of teaching staff. I want to acknowledge the support of the Department for Education and its creative thinking in supporting us to continue our upward trajectory and ensure growth for every learner in every classroom every day. We are confident our new appointments will prove invaluable as we seek to re-engage with learning outside of the classroom in this new post-pandemic environment. Presently, I can confirm that we have committed to the following:

• We are maintaining a Foundation class to ensure the best possible start.
• We are introducing an additional Numeracy class in our primary school to support continued growth in this critical learning area.
• We are further developing Digital Technology with an increased focus on robotics.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the work of all teachers in producing the quality reports that we sent home at the end of term three. We have worked hard in recent years to ensure that these essential documents contain details of growth and important information on where to next in learning. The inclusion of goals written by learners was a logical but essential step, and it has been richly rewarding to visit the classroom and hear learners discussing their goals and how it impacts their learning. If you have any questions regarding your child's goals and how you can support them in achieving these agreed goals, please don't hesitate to contact the class teacher directly.

Andrew Gilsenan-Reed

End-of-Year Presentation Evening

The Quorn Area School End of Year Presentation Evening will be held on Thursday, the 8th of December, at 7.00pm in the school gymnasium. We are looking forward to celebrating another successful year both within the classroom setting and in some extra curricula events.

QAS would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the families/individuals who support and fund some of the major awards presented at the end-of-year presentations. Many of these families have been donating these awards for many years. These awards are well respected and valued by the school and the community.

There are four awards listed below that we are unable to award this year. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we could not hold events at a school level. Nor were we able to participate in district and state events, which were also cancelled. We are optimistic that 2023 will allow for a much wider variety of opportunities for our learners, both academically and in a variety of extra curricula activities. We also look forward to re-engaging with several events that were not possible during the 2022 school year.

Sarah Bury
Secondary Coordinator

2023 School Fees

The proposed school charges for 2023 have been set, awaiting final approval. Foundation to Year 6 will be $269, and Year 7-12 will be $355. Please see the attached documents for the breakdown of these charges. Parents are invited to attend the next Governing Council meeting on Thursday, 10th November, at 5.30 pm, where the proposed charges will be discussed. In lieu of attendance at the meeting, you can express your views in writing to the Chairperson of the Governing Council prior to the meeting.

Secondary Report

Term 4 is moving forward at a very rapid pace. Our Year 12 learners are preparing for their exams scheduled for weeks 4 and 5. These are very anxious and exciting times for them, and we wish these students all the very best. Our Year 11 learners are actively finishing off their Stage One assessment tasks for 2022 and will have completed their subjects by the end of week 4. The Traffic Light system is proving successful for our Year 11 learners, as the work required for each student is displayed visually in the classrooms. Individuals are now aware of what has and what needs to be completed to be successful and meet the SACE deadlines. I have been busy meeting with SACE learners and their families for 2023 in preparation for subject selections/VET options and career planning to ensure that each learner has a clear path to the new school year. If your child is in Year 11/12 next year and you are yet to have your SACE meeting, please contact me ASAP to organise a suitable time.

Year 12 Leavers Assembly and Graduation Dinner

We will be hosting a Leavers Assembly for our Year 12 learners on Tuesday, November the 8th at 2:40pm in the school gymnasium. The whole school will be involved in this, and we welcome family members to come along and celebrate our students who have been successful in completing their SACE and will be leaving us and moving on to the next stage of their lives.

The Year 12 Graduation Dinner will be held at the Quandong Café on Thursday, the 17th of November, at 6.00pm. We are looking forward to celebrating this milestone with our learners and their families, and I am sure this event will allow them to reflect upon all of their hard work and celebrate with the people who have been on this journey with them. Personal invitations have been distributed to these family members and school staff.

Secondary Transition Program

Commencing in Week 6 will be our Secondary Transition Program that will allow learners in the secondary school to move into some of their new subject classes for 2023. This will ensure that our learners can begin to develop new routines and environments. This will allow them the opportunity to become exposed to some of the curriculum and assessment tasks, resulting in smooth transitions when they return to QAS to begin the 2023 school year. The 2023 Year 11/12 SACE students will begin their coursework, allowing learners the opportunity to complete one of their assessment tasks to stand them in good stead for 2023. There will also be the opportunity for our current Year 6 learners to move into the secondary environment and engage in some Year 7/8 lessons in preparation for 2023.

Secondary Punctuality

It is becoming evident that several learners are consistently late to school each day. I want to remind learners and families that the first lesson of the day begins at 8:45 am SHARP. Being on time helps students develop the habit of punctuality, as they will soon be moving towards employment. It also illustrates their commitment to learning and friendships and reduces classroom disruptions and distractions for both learners and teachers.

Sarah Bury
Secondary Coordinator

Design & Technology

Students in Years 7 and 8 are working on developing skills using the Design, Make, Investigate and Appraise process for project development. As a group, students have continued to develop skills in working safely in the workshop and using the equipment to manufacture a timber stool. This allowed students to develop skills using the Technical Drawing method of Two and Three-point perspective to sketch their idea before building the model and testing the final idea. Students are currently developing skills in fusion welding, fusion welding with filler rods and braze welding mild steel with oxy-acetylene gas welding equipment.

Students that have completed their stool idea are working on designing a similar concept to build out of metal or a small shelf storage idea out of timber.

Travis McDonald
Design and Technology Teacher

Primary Report

Year 5/6 Class

We've been quite busy with the Year 5/6 class this term. We are beginning to look at different festivals within Spanish culture and Spanish locations around the world. We've looked at different dishes and foods that are a part of the Day of the Dead. We made biscuits and we made Pan de Muerto. We’ll be looking at Mardi Gras next, and the cultural practices involved.

We’re developing our striking and fielding skills in Health and PE. We have some good skills, and they should be even better by the end of the term.

In Numeracy, we are returning to scaled drawing as part of geometry after having just covered finding the area of composite shapes.

Mickstar the Trickster

Last term we had a visit from Mickster the Trickster. The learners laughed along and watched in amazement at the display of tricks performed. Here are some photos from the event.

School Disco

A successful school disco was held on Wednesday the 21st of October. Students dressed in the Country and Western theme and enjoyed a fun time with friends. A big thanks must go to the staff for their supervision on the night and to our older students who assisted with decorations, music and canteen duties.

Miscellaneous Items

Happy Haven Employment Opportunities

Happy Haven OSHC is currently and urgently looking for both Qualified and Unqualified educators to join our team at our Quorn service.

Position Title- Casual Qualified Educator
Location- Happy Haven OSHC Quorn, Address- Stokes Rd, Quorn SA 5433, Australia
Qualifications- Diploma Early Childhood Education and Care, 2-year equivalent of a teaching degree.
Certificates- Working with Children Check, Respond to Harm and Abuse and Neglect in an Education and Care setting, First Aid HLTAID04 or HLTAID0012, CPR HLTAID001 or HLTAID009
Hours available- 10-15 per week.
Pay Rate- $36.46
How to Apply- Careers | Happy Haven

Position Title- Casual Unqualified Educator
Location - Happy Haven OSHC Quorn, Address- Stokes Rd, Quorn SA 5433, Australia
Certificates - Working with Children Check, Respond to Harm and Abuse and Neglect in an Education and Care setting, First Aid HLTAID04 or HLTAID0012, CPR HLTAID001 or HLTAID009
Hours available- 10-15 per week.
Pay Rate- $27.31
How to Apply- Careers | Happy Haven

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