24 November 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

On 16 November, we bid farewell to the Class of 2022, who marked the end of their school career with a graduation dinner at Quandong Cafe. It was heartening to see the number of family members, friends, and staff who attended the event to celebrate the success of our 2022 leavers. On behalf of those in attendance, I would like to thank Sarah Bury for managing the event. The school community bade farewell to the learners a week earlier at a whole school assembly. The journey of our leavers from fresh-faced foundation learners to graduates was celebrated, and the leavers shared their reflections, aspirations and advice on maximising learning with those in attendance. The class of 2022 exited through a tunnel of foundation learners whose guard of honour highlighted the continuity of learning offered by the school. We wish all of our leavers the very best as they embark on the next stage of the journey.

This week we welcomed Greg Graham and Graham Slarks from the External School Review team of the Department for Education. All schools in South Australia are reviewed on a three-year cycle. The external school review identifies and provides directions to the school about the next steps for continuous improvement. As a school, we celebrate growth and achievement for all learners, and we acknowledge that improvement has no endpoint. We look forward to the directions we will be given to support our continuous improvement. I want to thank the community members who contributed to the review process, the learners who shared their learning stories, and the staff who reflected on their achievements and future directions. The review findings will be published on our website in early term one.

Our most recent Professional Learning Day on the 14 November was focused on the importance of feedback, and this has become a recurring theme as it is key to our goal of securing success for all learners. One of the day's main talking points was how we, as a school, assess how feedback is received and acted upon by our learners. We have worked hard to develop many ways to provide feedback, and our Feedback PLC, led by Amber Tomney, challenged us to consider how we assess whether our feedback made a difference. Our goal in 2023 will be to ensure that every learner is given multiple opportunities to review their feedback and discuss how they have used it to improve outcomes.

Andrew Gilsenan-Reed

End of Year Presentation Evening

Thursday 8th of December, 7.00 pm

The Quorn Area School End of Year Presentation Evening will be held on Thursday, the 8th of December, at 7.00 pm in the community/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

Splash Day

Friday 16th December, 11.00 am BBQ Lunch supplied

End of Year Early Dismissal

Friday 16th December, 2.05 pm from QAS

Remembrance Day

Thank you to Miss Novillos and the Year 9/10 HASS class, who organised the Remembrance Day service here at QAS. It was lovely to see our learners recognise this significant event.

Secondary Report

Leavers Assembly & Graduation

During weeks 4 and 5 of this term, we farewelled our Year 12 learners from Quorn Area School. I would like to once again congratulate Anton Thompson, Josh Parrott, Emily Reed, and Lachlan Finlay for successfully completing their SACE and wish them all the very best in their future endeavours. It was lovely to see the whole school support at the Leaver’s Assembly during week 4, in particular our Foundation learners who played a large part in the celebration. I often think how lucky we are to be in an Area School. It allows students to develop a sense of confidence and familiarity at their school, a smooth transition from primary to secondary education, as well as a community environment where positive relationships are nurtured along the way.

The Graduation Dinner was hosted by the Quandong Café and was held last Thursday evening. It was a lovely informal celebration where we celebrated and reflected upon the Year 12’s last thirteen years of schooling. The learners were presented with a graduation gift from the school and enjoyed some stories and photographs which encapsulated their schooling over the years. I would like to thank Pat and the staff at the Quandong Café for their lovely hospitality. The three-course meal was thoroughly enjoyed by the school leavers, their families, and teachers. It was a lovely way to finish off a successful school year.

Secondary Transition Program

Our secondary transition program is underway this week. The timetable has allowed learners in 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 and allow the opportunity to become exposed to some of the curriculum and assessment tasks, therefore resulting in smooth transitions when they return to QAS to begin the 2023 school year. Year 11/12 SACE subjects will be beginning their coursework, allowing the opportunity to complete one of their assessment tasks to stand them in good stead for 2023. Our current Year 6 learners will be transitioning into Year 7/8 English and Health and Physical Education during week 8 and week 9.

Vocational Education Training (VET)

Congratulations to Lachlan Holtham, who successfully completed the SA – 5-day novice Shearing and Wool Handling Course this term. Lachie spent 5 days in Booleroo Centre completing a number of accredited units which can contribute towards his SACE requirements.

George Peart also completed a 2-day Introductory Skills in Wool Handling Course this term which was held in Jamestown. George is planning to move on to the next course, which is the SA – 5-day Novice Shearing and Wool Handling Course held in 2023.

Well done to both boys for extending and keeping your employment options open. Please see the attached Flyer, which advertises the 2-day Introductory Skills in Wool Handling opportunity for anyone else interested.

SACE/VET Meetings

Thanks to all the learners and families for meeting with me to discuss and plan future pathways and subject selections for 2023 and beyond. I feel confident that every learner is fully prepared with a plan moving forward for their SACE pattern. Please see me if you have any questions or concerns regarding Senior Secondary (SACE) Education for 2023.

Sarah Bury
Secondary Coordinator

Primary Report

Year 1/2 Class report

Numeracy

In Numeracy, we have been focusing on applying our Mathematical Mindsets to solve problems. We work in collaborative teams to share ideas and strategies. We draw our thinking and justify our answers. In the last week, we have been grappling with the concept that ‘=’ does not mean the answer but is the same on both sides. We can use this knowledge and understanding to find missing numbers in equations such as 13+16= 16+ ?

Science, Design and Technology

In Science, Design and Technology, we have been learning about force. We have discovered that many everyday devices use push, pull or both forces to operate. We also explored how the push and pull forces can change objects, such as stretch, bend or compress. We had the challenge to use bend to turn paper into an origami dog and two pipe cleaners into an animal. We also applied our understanding of the design process to make an object that uses push or pull force in some way.

Quorn Heritage Walk Excursion

Last week, the Year 1/2 Class took a walking excursion around Railway Terrace to look at the Quorn Heritage signs. We were looking for how the town has changed over time and what things are still the same. We read the signs along the walk to find out information and see photos of what the town initially looked like. We discovered that many buildings remained with upgrades such as new paint. We also learnt that the Railway Station was originally made of wood before being rebuilt with stone.

We then went over to the Quorn Bushwalk Trail. We discussed how even though the trail is relatively new, things only become part of the heritage walk if we look after them for future generations. Learners suggested ways to look after the trail, such as weeding and not breaking things to ensure that it comes as part of our Quorn History.

Sound Scouts

Have concerns about your child’s hearing?

Undetected hearing loss can impact your child’s ability to progress at school. Sound Scouts is a free Hearing Screening Program endorsed by the Department of Health to help identify learners with undetected hearing loss.

The program is free to participate in. Please follow the link below to enrol your child.

Alternatively, you can contact Kate Neu via phone at 08 86486101 or email at kate.neu862@schools.sa.edu.au for a paper copy.

For more information, visit https://www.soundscouts.com/au/ or contact Kate Neu.

QAS Community Library

This a reminder to all families to return overdue library books before the end of the school year. Invoices will be issued for unreturned items.

Miscellaneous Items

Happy Haven Employment Opportunities