7th March - The Heights School

9090
Richard
Brunel Drive
Modbury Heights
South Australia, 5092
Ph: (08) 8263 6244
Fax: (08) 8263 6072
Email: [email protected]
WWW: http://www.theheights.sa.edu.au
NEWSLETTER No. 3
7 March 2013
OUR SCHOOL VALUES
We work hard to learn
We respect ourselves and
each other
We value acts of
generosity
IN THIS ISSUE
Front of MS Re-development
Key Contacts
Gifted Education News
Past Ignite Student
Camps
DIARY DATES
13/3 Parents & Friends
20/3 Junior School 3 way
Interviews 3:15-7pm
22/3 Gifted Ed Parent Ref
Group
26/3 Finance Advisory 5pm
29/3 Good Friday
1/4 Easter Monday
1 ream of paper = 6% of a
tree and 5.4kg CO2 in the
atmosphere
3 sheets of A4 paper = 1 litre
of water
If you are reading this
newsletter online you are
making a responsible
contribution to the
environment.
THANK YOU
Helen Calvert
Principal
The school community welcomes the new members and welcomes back current
members to the Governing Council for 2013.
Adrian Marschall, Andrew Cool, Anna Brennan, Dawn Westmoreland,
Frances Bedford MP, Jim Rouse (Chairperson), Jodie Stribling, Julie Hahn,
Kym Papp, Leanne Stevens (Secretary & Pre-school Representative),
Mardi Lammas-Turner (Deputy Chairperson), Pauline Rusby (Community Member &
Parents & Friends Representative), Steve Marriott (Treasurer)
and staff members, Helen Calvert (Principal), Valerie Beatty (Senior School),
Anne Sim (Middle School)
Alison Denee (Junior School)
A big thank you to the retiring members who contributed their time to support the
school in 2012, Renee Love, Kris Nielsen, Sheralyn Oakey, Megan Marriott, Larisa
Edwards, Linda Friganiotis and student representatives, Lily Bilsborow and
Henry Beggs.
The new Governing Council will have an especially important role as representatives of
the parent community. We have engaged a consultant, Judi Quinn (Educational
Leadership Consultants SA) to undertake a conversation with the whole communityparents, students and staff- to determine what makes The Heights School unique.
We will all be part of a process that identifies what we value and what is special about
THS. We will all have the opportunity to say what we think is important. From this we
will develop a Charter for the school that sums up our beliefs about what the
community values, what it stands for and where we are heading. We can move
forward with a strong sense of commitment and pride in the school and a
determination to make it a special place for learning.
Please take whatever opportunity is offered to you by phone, survey or interview to be
part of this important enterprise.
We all come with different points of views and beliefs and what we want is a charter
for learning that we all agree with and can commit to.
Each member of the
community must do their bit to ensure that our children get the best education.
I look forward with enthusiasm to getting a true and genuine picture of what the
community believes and wants. Working with people to make it happen will be an
exciting challenge for the Governing Council. There are 4 vacancies for parent
Representatives on Governing Council so if you would like to be a key part of the
community consultation please contact the school
Governing Council meets twice per term.
FRONT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL RE-DEVELOPMENT
The area as it is now
The area in front of the Middle School will
undergo re-development beginning on the first
day of school holidays. The developers hope to
finish this task before the students come back to
school on Wednesday the 1st of May. (Parents
are reminded that the 29th and 30th of April are
Student Free Days.)
This area will become a multi-use space for
students and staff to meet informally, as well as
an inviting break out area for students in the
Middle School. It is also intended that this area
will be used for small group staff meetings as
well.
This re-development will ensure that an area which was under-utilised until now will become an inviting space for
interaction between teachers and students.
The area as it will be after re-development
KEY CONTACTS IN THE SCHOOL 2013
Principal
Senior Leaders (4)
Helen Calvert
Anne Sim (Middle School)
Middle School Team Leadership, Middle School
Curriculum, PS-12 Parent Participation, MS & SS Publicity & Promotions,
PS-12 Grounds & Facilities Committee, PS-12 Curriculum Leaders’ Meetings
Alison Denee (Junior School)
Junior School Team Leadership, Junior School Curriculum, Pre-School, Sustainable
Education, PS-12 OHS&W, Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, Induction
Senior Leaders (2)
Valerie Beatty (Senior School)
Senior School Team Leadership, Senior School Curriculum, SACE, VET, Pathways, FLO
Tobias O’Connor (Senior School)
ICT, DayMap, Reports, Curriculum Timetable, SS organization and procedures
Rob Perkins (Middle School)
Ignite, Gifted Education PS-12, Yrs 6-12 Yard Duty, 6-12 Student Teachers, FLO,
Middle School organization and procedures
Kathy Lyon (Junior School)
Intervention & Inclusion R-12 – Special Needs Reception-Yr 12, Out of School Hours
Care, EALD Reception-Yr 12, Aboriginal Education Reception-Yr 12, Reception-Yr 5
Student Teachers
Student Counsellors
Lesley Diack
John Remfry
Business Manager
Vicki Kennewell
Finance Officer
Renae Lambden
School Card Liaison
and Fees Enquiries
Sonja Hahn
Year Level Leaders
Year 6/7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Community Liaison Officer
Lyn Albury
Vocational Education
Nik Surikov
Work Experience
Nick Pizimolas
-
Vic Dybala
Julie Hambour
Stephen Miles
Ashli Richards
Daniel Quinlivan
Catherine Bourn
Visitors on School Grounds
Parents, care-givers and volunteers make valuable contributions to our school community. To maintain a
safe, secure environment for all students we ask adult visitors to respect the following protocols:•
All visitors, including regular volunteers, are to ‘sign in’ the Front Office.
•
If you would like to speak with your child’s teacher, please make an appointment through the Front
Office (so that teaching programs are not interrupted).
•
Middle and Senior School parents/caregivers are asked to wait for their children outside the school
grounds, rather than come directly to classrooms.
•
Junior School parents/caregivers are welcome to bring their children into class in the morning and
to collect them at the end of the day.
•
Please do not approach or confront other children – if you have any concerns about the behaviour
or safety of students, please inform a staff member so that appropriate action can be taken.
Your support with this will be much appreciated. Please feel free to contact me if you would like further
clarification of our responsibilities in relation to student safety.
Anne Sim
Deputy Principal, Middle School.
Lockers & Lunches
I would like to thank those parents who alerted us to fact that food stored in
lockers was spoiling in hot weather. In response to this, students are being
encouraged to bring their lunch into class during Terms 1 & 4.
However students have been reminded that they are still not to eat in the classrooms.
Anne Sim
Deputy Principal, Middle School
Parking…..
Parents are reminded to please park in allocated parent parking areas when
dropping off or picking up students.
The school community needs to be aware of the safety of children in and around
these areas.
Thank you.
YOU CAN DO IT
This term in our class we have been learning about the keys to
success in the You Can Do It Program which is Program
Achieve for younger children. Students learn to match the
keys to success with the corresponding characters such as
Connie Confidence, Oscar Organisation, Pete Persistence,
Gabby Get Along, and Ricky Resilience. They also learn to
identify their own positive behaviours with the characters.
We are being like Oscar Organisation
“I keep things tidy”, said Samuel and “I clean up the
mess”, said Angus.
We are being like Pete Persistence
“We keep trying with
our work”, said Haydn,
Dylan and Kendall. “I
keep trying especially
with my reading”, said Brayden and “I don’t give up”,
said Lokhlan.
We are being like Connie Confidence
“I try hard learning my sight words”, said
Ai Ai.
“I try new things”, said Jorja and “I try
my best”, said Lachlan.
We are being like Gabby Get Along
“We play nicely with our friends”, said Dimitrios and Riley
“We care for my friends”, said Grace, Denise and Sophie.
We are being like Ricky Resilience
“We are now listening and smiling”, said Rosie, Kade and
Aiden.
By Ros Harrison R/1 Class CG2
807 News
On behalf of myself and Mr. Perkins I would like to welcome all students and
especially students new to The Heights to 807 and hope they will have a
challenging and successful year.
We started off the year with a room change and are now located in a room at the
rear of The Library. This gives us great access to computers and resources.
It was terrific to see so many parents attend Acquaintance Night and I hope we
were able to answer all your questions and concerns. Apart from the normal
curriculum, students have been encouraged to join a number of activities at the
school including Pedal Prix, Chess Club and Star Group.
Recently students participated in our Splash Carnival and it was great to see
several of the girls create a banner to encourage our team. This Friday we are
holding the annual Sports Day and nearly all students have entered a race or
novelty event.
As the end of term is approaching students are busily completing assessment
tasks so the work load has increased. Homework is set every night. If you have
any questions or concerns please contact either Mr Perkins or myself.
Sandra Potts
Gifted Education P-12
What’s happening this term?
Ian London is working with Junior School students to provide extension and enrichment in mathematics. This will
culminate in students participating in the Westpac mathematics Competition.
All year 4 students will be tested using an Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) abstract reasoning test.
The purpose of the test is to identify students with high potential and to ensure we are meeting their needs. One
focus will be to determine if any of these students are underachieving.
Kym Gray and Colleen Goerner will attend workshops on ‘Digital Thinker’s Keys’. The Junior School are using
Thinker’s Keys as the tool to ensure higher order thinking is embedded in their day to day practice.
Gifted education parent reference group meets Friday March 22 at 2.00pm. If you have an interest in gifted
education please come along for an informal discussion about gifted education at The Heights.
The 806 and 906 Ignite Extended classes are participating in an integrated interdisciplinary program on Mondays. On
this day four separate learning areas combine to deliver an integrated program on a theme or fertile question. The
806 class is studying the debate around the use of stem cells and the 906 class is studying inventions over time and
creativity.
For any questions or clarification please contact Rob Perkins, Senior Leader, Gifted Education at the school.
Gifted Education Professional Development
On Friday February 22nd all teachers newly appointed to The Heights undertook a day of professional learning with a
focus on gifted education. The teachers were provided with information and resources in respect to:
The nature of giftedness
Identification of gifted students
Underachievement of gifted students
Social and emotional needs of gifted students
Developing curriculum for gifted students
Thank you to all staff who participated and thank you to Kris Nielsen and Dave Roberts who helped deliver the
program. Further training and development opportunities for staff will occur throughout the year.
Rob Perkins Senior Leader
SRC Camp at Mylor
The Middle School SRC camp at Mylor was held between the 27th
February and the 1st March. Thirty seven students from Years 6-9,
including teachers Ms Niven, Mr Perkins, Ms Sim and myself
attended.
Students participated in a wide range of team building and
leadership activities including a Challenge Course, Canoeing,
Initiative Pursuits, Giant Swing, Flying Fox, Archery, Bridge
Building, Low Ropes and the Karaoke Singing competition.
Staff at the site were quite impressed with the way our students worked together as a team and were supportive of
each other in a number of events.
Students were also asked to provide feedback on a number of items, one of them being the positive things our
school can promote to students from other schools who may be thinking of enrolling at The Heights School:
“The teachers are fantastic”
“The Heights has brand new school blocks”
“Large ovals”
“A Lecture Theatre”
“Extra programs such as STAR, WAKIKIRRI, PEDAL PRIX, SPECIALIST CRICKET, SCHOOL SOCIALS, SPLASH CARNIVAL,
SOCIAL”
“An SRC camp, 6/7 aquatics camp, Year 8 Camp”
Students also began the planning for a stationery shop run by SRC students during school time.
Attached are numerous photos from the camp. A large photographic display of the students’ adventures will also be
featured in the Middle School.
Students will also be able to download various videos and photos from the Student Access drive at the school.
Mr Roubanis
Middle School Student Voice
YEAR 12 SAILING CAMP
Phil Jones and Katie Hart
On Wednesday 27th February to Friday 1st of March the two Year 12 Integrated Learning (Physical Education) classes
attended Murraylands Aquatic Centre in Murray Bridge. As part of their assessment for the year the students were
required to participate in a number of 90 minute sessions of Sailing, Kayaking, Windsurfing or Knee boarding and
then reflect on their individual learning of the skills taught by the instructors.
Accommodation for the 43 students and 3 teachers consisted of tents onsite. An abundance of food prepared by
teachers ensured students remained in high spirits throughout the camp. Table Tennis and Volleyball equipment also
helped to keep students entertained and enthused.
The weather conditions on the first day were perfect for Sailing – not too much wind and just enough sun to keep
spirits high. The day consisted of 4 sessions, setting up of tents followed by time for written reflection.
The second day brought with it another 5 sessions with windy conditions. The Windsurfers were struggling to stay on
the boards and the sailors barely managed to keep the 420’s upright. Most students were able to display their
improved skills with some excellent footage captured on film.
The last day included just 2 sessions, pack up and a long wait for a delayed bus. All students showed dramatic
improvement from their initial session on the first day.
Thank you to all involved with the organisation and running of the camp.
AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS
U14’s Basketball
HELP……….HELP……..HELP…….HELP……..HELP
26/2/13
Heights Magic drew the game with
SFX Boomers 22 v 22
It was an exciting game that went
down to the wire.
Kuol Kuol has been drilling the team
on their defence which made a huge
different to the score.
Well done!
U10’s Basketball
27/2/13
Heights Highjumpers were defeated
by SFX Jets 24 v 14.
Great try again and the new members
of the team fitted in well.
6/3/13
Heights Highjumpers were defeated
by Prescott Penguins 22 v 16
So close to a win!
STEPHANIE ALEXANDER KITCHEN
We are in need of the following items for use in the kitchen:
Large metal mixing bowls
Extra large metal mixing bowl
Large jam pot
Extra large saucepans or soup pot
We would be grateful for any donations of the above items to
help the students in the kitchen.
Kirsty Hatchard
Online Tutors to help Year 10, 11 and 12 with homework
Last week our students attended a demonstration of the Your Tutor system and were issued with an access card,
which gave them their unique user-name and password. Students are now able to log into YourTutor between
3pm and 10pm from Sunday to Friday and get support with their homework when they need it most. This is a
free service.
YourTutor connects students to expert Australian-educated tutors, who are waiting online. The expert Tutor
encourages each student to think independently, to concentrate on the problem, and to avoid the frustration
that can lead to “I give up”.
Go to www.yourtutor.com.au to log in or watch an explanatory video clip. This service is being provided by
UniSA in 2013.
A REMINDER FOR PARENTS
Student Free Days
Monday 29th April
and
Tuesday 30th April 2013
The Ignite Program – Past Successes
Over the past 16 years Ignite students have graduated from the Heights
and gone on to achieve highly in their university studies and careers. In
future newsletters I will showcase some of these students. The first
student is Lachlan Horne. Lachlan was an Ignite student who completed
year 12 in 2004. Below is his story.
Lachlan’s bionic breakthrough
Engineering and computer science graduate Lachlan Horne is helping to
create history in Australia with the development of a world-first bionic
eye and low vision devices.
The 24-year-old former Adelaide resident is part of a national
consortium of researchers working on one of the biggest medical advancements since the cochlear implant
for the profoundly deaf.
Lachlan is undertaking his PhD studies at the ANU in Canberra, researching video segmentation for the
Bionic Eye vision project.
His research is specifically focused on helping to improve the capabilities of a prosthetic vision system to
recognise symbols and text.
Working at the National Information Communication Technologies Australia (NICTA) organisation under his
PhD supervisors, Lachlan is investigating computer vision techniques to improve the clarity of common
street signs for the visually impaired.
“Humans with normal – or even lower than normal visual acuity – use street signs and symbols to navigate
their environment. I am working on a visual prosthetic system which can identify symbols such as digits
and letters readily at a distance,” Lachlan said.
The Bionic Eye project will use a camera mounted to a person’s glasses to ‘see’ and send patterns of
stimulation to the implant in their eye.
“This project aims to develop a new range of assistive devices that visually impaired people can wear
without medical supervision,” Lachlan said. “Our team is also contributing expertise to build the first
Australian bionic eye implant which will enable individuals to recover some of their lost vision via electrical
stimulation of the retina. “Vision processing will be one of the key components of a bionic eye as it will
enable efficient encoding of high resolution images into a set of stimulation signals on a retinal implant.”
The initial results have been encouraging, with the BVA team recording a breakthrough in August 2012
when a blind Melbourne woman implanted with an early prototype bionic eye – about the size of a watch
battery – had her vision partially restored.
Researchers are now taking the project to the next step, testing various levels of electrical stimulation.
Lachlan graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2010 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer
Systems) with Honours, Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences and a Diploma of Languages
(Mandarin).
Rob Perkins
Senior leader
VOLUNTEER TRAINING
Responding to Abuse & Neglect Education
& Care Training Session
Everyone wishing to work or volunteer with children and
young people at the school must first undertake training in
their child protection responsibilities.
We have a responsibility to support and protect volunteers and at the same time a very important duty of care to
students.
Our next training and induction for Volunteers will be:
Wednesday 13th at 9.15am
in the Lecture Theatre
Please RSVP to Lyn Albury [email protected]
so I can inform you if there are any changes and it also enables me to send you any necessary paperwork before the
session
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PARENT CLUBS
Parent Forum – Students with Disabilities and
Learning Difficulties
Speakers on:
Australian Curriculum (DECD)
Department for Education & Child Development and its role in
Special Education (about the unit, policies etc) (DECD)
Specific Learning Difficulties (SPELD)
Special Education Resource Centre (SERU)
Support for parents (Parents for Parents)
What happens at school (Disability Unit St Morris Trinity
Gardens Primary)
Date: 20 March 2013
Time: 9:30am – 3pm
Where: Australian Education Union Building
163a Greenhill Road, Parkside
No charge
Lunch will be provided
For more information, phone 1800 724 640.
Free Training Opportunities for Volunteers
Tuesday 19/3 9:30am-12:30pm
You and the Customer – Customer Service
NVSA Conference Room,
39 John Street, Salisbury
Tuesday 19/3 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Dealing with Conflict
NVSA Conference Room,
39 John Street Salisbury
Tuesday 19/3 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Taking the Risk for Safety’s Sake
Gawler Resource Centre, venue to be
confirmed
For bookings please phone Northern
Volunteering on 8250 1582
Protect your child for only $29* per year.
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Applications for StudentCover are only accepted online,
so to get the peace of mind you need, visit
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