It’s been a vibrant and productive term at Balaklava High School, with fantastic learning experiences happening across all areas of school life. As you’ll see in the curriculum spotlights below, our classrooms are buzzing with engaging and meaningful learning. Beyond the classroom, students are embracing a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, from knockout sport and lunchtime activities to specialised training such as barista and first aid courses. Our Site Learning Plan, with its strong focus on building resilience and resourcefulness, is well underway, and it’s exciting to see the positive impact it’s already having as we continue on this important journey together.

Youth Opportunities

As communicated to students and parents this week, Balaklava High School is excited to offer our Year 10 students the chance to participate in the Youth Opportunities - Personal Leadership Program.

Youth Opportunities is a self-discovery and personal leadership initiative designed to empower young people to achieve their full potential. The program focuses on developing essential life skills, enhancing self-esteem and fostering a positive mindset through workshops and activities that encourage self-reflection, goal setting and resilience. Students will have the chance to build on their toolkit and cultivate the mindset needed to succeed in school and beyond, promoting personal growth and lifelong learning.

We are proud to offer 20 Year 10 students a $500 scholarship to participate in this program during Term 3.

The program will take place every Monday at an off-site location, which will be confirmed shortly. Students will also be eligible to receive 10 SACE credits upon successful completion of the program.

Key Dates:

• Friday, 6th June: All Year 10 students will participate in a Youth Opportunities pre-information workshop to learn more about the program.
• Monday, 16th June: Interested Year 10 students will attend a further information session and begin the application process.
• Monday, 23rd June: Applicants will be notified of the outcome.
• Monday, 21st July: The Personal Leadership Program commences.

For more information, please refer to the attached flyer or visit www.youthopportunities.com.au

Parent_Info_Flyer_Pre_Info_Session_Balaklava_2_.pdf

Parent_Info_Flyer_Pre_Info_Session_Balaklava_2 pdf 131.16 KB

Balaklava Croquet Clubrooms 

As many in our school community may be aware, Balaklava High School currently holds the lease for the Balaklava Croquet Clubrooms. We are actively working with Wakefield Regional Council to extend this lease into the future to support a broader community vision.

In collaboration with the Balaklava High School Governing Council, we have recently submitted a Community Grant Application to the Wakefield Regional Council. This grant aims to support the redevelopment of the Croquet Clubrooms into a vibrant community hub that fosters learning, connection, and participation across our region.

Our vision for the space includes:

1. The redevelopment of the clubrooms into a welcoming, multi-purpose venue suitable for community groups to meet, run small activities, and build local networks.
2. The installation of a fully equipped kitchen, enabling the space to be used for community functions such as birthday parties and social gatherings. It will also allow the school to run training and development courses, and student-led pop-up cafés, with links to our market garden program.

Should the grant be successful in any capacity, we will undertake wider community consultation to gather feedback on how the space can best serve the community and to inform the final concept plans.

A short summary of the application and draft concept plans is included below. We look forward to working together to bring this exciting vision to life

Brief description of the project: 

The Balaklava High School Governing Council is applying for funding to redevelop the Balaklava Croquet Clubroom into a vibrant, multi-purpose community hub. This transformation will revitalise an underutilised facility to increase community engagement, strengthen social connections, and support a range of educational and training programs. The project will involve essential internal building and infrastructure upgrades (kitchen upgrade, new flooring, painting, new window/doors, new furniture and appliances) and external improvements (painting/paving/new furniture) to create a welcoming, functional space suitable for community gatherings, events, and learning activities. In addition to enhancing local amenities, the redevelopment will foster stronger partnerships between the school and the broader community, reinforcing Balaklava High School's role as a central contributor to the region's social and educational development.

How will this project benefit the Wakefield community?

The proposed redevelopment of the Balaklava Croquet Clubroom into a vibrant community hub presents a unique opportunity to enrich the Wakefield region both socially and economically. By transforming an underutilised facility into a welcoming, multi-functional space, the project will foster community connection, support youth development through school-led training programs, and provide an accessible venue for local events and social gatherings. The inclusion of a quality kitchen and the integration of school and community-led initiatives directly align with the goals of Wakefield 2030 — enhancing liveability, supporting economic growth through local enterprise and procurement, and promoting community wellbeing. Importantly, the redeveloped facility will directly complement and promote increased use of the adjacent nature playground, a fantastic space for families, by offering a nearby place for refreshments, gatherings, and family-friendly activities. This initiative not only addresses current community needs but also creates a lasting asset that will serve residents of all ages, strengthening Wakefield as a place where people belong, participate, and thrive. 

A reminder that we have a Student Free Day on Monday 23^rd June where staff will undertake observations of best practice at other sites around South Australia. This is the first day of Semester 2.

Please feel free to contact me at the school if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s learning.  I can be contacted via Daymap or email derek.friedrichs447@schools.sa.edu.au or you can phone the school on 8862 0600 and ask to speak with me directly. Alternatively, I would be happy to discuss your needs in person – please pre-arrange this with the Front Office Team so that I can ensure I am available when you arrive.

 Enjoy the long-weekend and bring on the rain!!

Regards

Derek Friedrichs

Principal BHS

It’s been a productive term in the Home Economics faculty, with students across all year levels diving into a range of hands-on learning experiences that are helping them build both confidence and capability in the kitchen and textiles room.

Year 10 – Perfecting Pastry Techniques
Our Year 10 students have been mastering the delicate art of pastry making this term. From shortcrust, choux and rough puff, students have explored a variety of techniques and textures, developing both skill and an understanding of how ingredients, temperature and technique all come together to create delicious results. The smell wafting from the kitchen has been nothing short of mouth-watering!

Year 8 – Building Kitchen Confidence
Meanwhile, one of our Year 8 Home Economics classes has been busy cooking up a storm. Focusing on essential kitchen skills, students have tackled a variety of recipes designed to help them develop practical skills. From knife skills and measuring to sautéing and baking, their enthusiasm and teamwork have been fantastic to see.

Year 8 Textiles – Crafting with Confidence
One of our Year 8 classes has also been working hard in the textiles room, creating their own oven mitts—a project that’s not only fun and functional, but also a brilliant way to develop sewing skills. Students have learned how to make and apply bias binding, a challenging yet rewarding technique that helps give their finished projects a polished, professional look.

It’s been an exciting term of learning by doing in Home Economics!!

Balaklava High School Students Brew Success with On-Site Barista Training

Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 at Balaklava High School have had the exciting opportunity to complete a professional barista course right on campus, thanks to a partnership with the Adelaide Institute of Hospitality.

Over several sessions, students were guided through the fundamentals of coffee making—from grinding beans to creating perfect espresso shots and mastering milk texturing. The course also covered essential customer service skills and workplace safety, preparing students for real-world hospitality environments.

Delivered on-site at the school, the program gave students hands-on experience using commercial-grade coffee machines under the expert instruction of a trainer from the Adelaide Institute of Hospitality. By participating in this course, students not only developed practical skills but also earned a nationally recognised accreditation that can open doors to part-time work and future careers in the hospitality industry.

Louise O'Halloran

Students who completed the Barista course last week putting their skills to the test at the Year 7/8 Basketball at Ralli Park.

Year 12 Maths: Calculations on the Coaster

Year 12 Mathematical Methods students have taken on a high-speed challenge, designing their own rollercoasters using calculus and graphing software.

Using Desmos, students modelled sections of the track with parabolas, straight lines and other functions to ensure smooth and realistic transitions. Their designs required precise equations, accurate gradients and creative thinking to meet real-world constraints.

This task brought advanced maths to life, showing how concepts like differentiation and continuity apply beyond the classroom. With curves, loops and calculated drops, students proved that solving problems can be a real thrill ride.

Amber Buick

We’ve had a busy and exciting term in Performing Arts, and there’s still plenty to come!

First up, we are thrilled to announce the Year 12 performance of Know Your Role on Monday, 10th June. Doors open at 5:00 pm for a 5:30 pm start.
Girls wear pink. Boys wear blue. Gender Roles for me and you.
This powerful one-act play dives into the expectations placed on us from birth — how boys “should” act, how girls “should” behave — and how these pressures shape teenage lives. Through a mix of hilarious and heartbreaking scenes and monologues, the cast explores dating, body image, family pressures and more. It’s sure to be an unforgettable night!

Our talented Year 8 students will take the stage on Wednesday, 18th June, with a showcase evening of both music and drama. Doors open at 5:00 pm for a 5:30 pm start. These students have been working incredibly hard this term, and we can’t wait to celebrate their creativity and energy with family and friends.

Lastly, the school musical is moving along practically perfectly in every way! Our amazing backstage crew has been busy bringing costumes, props and sets to life. We’re excited to announce a few more key characters:

George Banks – Kobi Arnold
Northbrook – Maya Shepherd
Mrs Corry – Charli Dall
Miss Andrew – Caitlin McLean

Thank you for your ongoing support of our Performing Arts students — we hope to see you at these upcoming events.

Celebrating Student Success Beyond the Classroom!

We love seeing our Performing Arts students shine both in and out of school!

Colbey Bowden has been performing with Comedy Capers through Scouts Australia, bringing laughs and joy to audiences.
Caitlin McLean has earned a spot in the Festival of Music Orchestra for the 2025 concert series — an incredible achievement!
Paetyn Slayter will be taking the stage in Peter Pan Jr with Now Productions, showcasing her wonderful acting and singing talents.

We are so proud of these students and can’t wait to see where their talents take them next!

Senior Performing Arts Experience

Last week our Senior Music and Drama students were treated to a truly unforgettable experience as they attended Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Adelaide Festival Theatre.

It was a day filled with laughter, gasps and even a few tears as the timeless tale unfolded before our eyes.

The opportunity to see such a high-calibre professional production was not only inspiring but also a valuable learning experience for our aspiring performers. Witnessing the artistry and dedication involved in a live theatre performance deepened their appreciation for the craft and sparked plenty of conversation on the journey home.

It truly was a tale as old as time—and one that our students will treasure for years to come.

Year 7 Science: Zoo-per Scientists in the Making

Year 7 students have been letting their curiosity roam free as part of their classification unit, taking a walk on the wild side with a research trip to the zoo. Armed with clipboards and questions, they gathered inspiration for their summative task: designing and justifying their very own zoo layout.

Back in the classroom, students created posters featuring custom zoo maps, scientific park guides, dichotomous keys to identify animal species and data displays showing how space would be shared among creatures great and small.

Along the way, they used scientific language, applied classification systems and showed serious critical and creative thinking, all while designing habitats that were engaging, informative and ethically considered.

Whether sorting species or sketching enclosures, these students proved they are truly wild about science.

Year 9 Science: Nerves of Steel

Year 9 Science students recently flexed their frontal lobes as part of their “Coordination and Control” unit, creating life-sized posters of the human nervous system to explore how our bodies maintain homeostasis, that is, staying cool, calm and collected when the pressure is on.

In teams, students investigated how the brain and body work together to respond to stimuli and keep internal systems in balance. Their posters featured labelled diagrams, detailed neuron models and reflex loop examples, like pulling your hand away from something hot before you even realise it.

Each group presented their work to a panel of staff, showing off their scientific understanding, teamwork and creativity. It’s safe to say their brains were firing on all cylinders.

Amber Buick

Stay tuned for updates on Round 2.

Year 9/10 Boys Football

On Wednesday 28th of May, our Year 9/10 Boys played off against St Francis of Assisi College and Burra/Eudunda/Riverton in Round 1 of the School Sport State Competition. First up, was B.E.R and as usual, a nice competitive game with our mates up the road. BHS worked hard in the cold Eudunda conditions and did enough to score a win.

Our second game of the day was a big test against St.F.A.C and finished in dramatic fashion with a very close win coming the way of BHS. It was so close at the end; a score check was needed to clarify the winner. After a five goal head start to St.F.A.C, our boys showed fantastic resilience to claw the game back on our terms and really impose themselves on the contest after the second quarter. Heading into the last quarter, we finally snatched the lead with 5 minutes to go and while losing the lead again shortly after, were able to regain it in the last 2 minutes to steal with the win by 1 point! A serious team effort with the boys playing their roles to perfection.

Stay tuned for an update for Round 2 details!

Final scores

Balaklava 11.5.71 def B.E.R 2.3.15

Balaklava 10.4.64 def St.F.A.C 9.9.63

Goals: Aden Baker 8, Zac Hadley 3, Khyan Carpenter 3, Connor Wilmer 2, Brock Hoare 1, Charley Wildbore 1, J Charleson 1, Jacob Swift 1, Tyler Toholke 1

Best Players: Aden Baker, Ryan Boobyer, Khyan Carpenter, Connor Wilmer, Max Aston and Charley Wildbore

Open Girls Football 

On Monday June 2^nd our Open Girls Football team headed over to the Balaklava oval to take on Kapunda High School and Yorke Peninsula zone side. After a cold start to the day, the sun came out and provided perfect conditions for footy. First up the girls had to take on Kapunda and unfortunately were outclassed. The girl’s effort was fantastic throughout the game and there were many signs of a developing side stringing together some consistent plays and scoring opportunities. It was excellent to welcome over 7 debutants in the side playing their first game of footy.

Next up we faced Yorkes after our lunch break in the middle. Again, more experience and aged players proved too good for our girls and unfortunately it was a second loss for the day. Right to the final siren, the girls battled hard and continued to improve which was fantastic.

Many of our girls were playing as underages or bottom age and Mr Parsons and Ms Hanson could not have been prouder with the effort and resilience that was on display!

A big thank you to Sharon Higgins who came down and supported the team last minute.

Final scores

Game 1 vs Kapunda 

Kapunda - 10 goals, 12 points defeated BHS - 2 goals, 3 points

Goal kickers - Payton Zazzaro, Alexa Young

Game 2 vs Yorke 

Yorke - 11 goals, 6 points defeated BHS - 1 goals, 2 points 

Goal Kickers - Zarlia White

Best Overall Players: Maylea Carpenter, Alexa Young, Tahlia Zerk, Kasey Battle, Tayla Dale and Hayley Heemskerk

Ash Parsons

Tailored Learning has replaced Flexible Learning Options (FLO).

Tailored Learning supports young people who have disengaged from school or who have poor attendance at school and may be experiencing:

• anxiety and depression
• unstable accommodation
• family complexities
• pregnancy, parenting or young carers

If eligible, young people will:

• be supported by a qualified case manager/youth worker
• develop a plan for increased engagement in learning
• access a variety of learning opportunities.

Tailored Learning supports young people through a wraparound support approach to address their personal barriers.

The aim of Tailored Learning support is for the student to reengage with their learning in a location that best suits their needs. 

Tailored Learning at BHS is coordinated by our Wellbeing Senior Leader in Ash Parsons who over sees all aspects of this approach and is supported by SSO/TLP Youth Worker Neil Richards who is our Internal Case Manager onsite. BHS has a working partnership with Employment directions who also provide External Individual Case Management to several of our TLP students.

Currently, we have 35 students accessing a TLP approach at BHS and are seeing positive developments in attendance and student learning. So far in Semester 1 we have supported 11 students to complete First Aid, 5 students are undertaking driving lessons and testing through TLP and multiple have completed Cert 2 or higher accreditation of learning. Additionally we have 3 undertaking the Regional Skills Training course.

We’re excited to let families know that from Friday, 13 June, our school will be moving to Daymap Version 11.6, which introduces several new features designed to improve communication and make it easier to stay connected.

The biggest change is the completely redesigned parent portal, which will be available through a new mobile app called Daymap Companion. This update provides a more streamlined and user-friendly experience, with easier navigation, improved communication tools and a clearer calendar and timeline view.

We’ll be sharing more information to help families access the new features after the update, including guides on our Facebook page and in our next newsletter.

Amber Buick

We are running a Kytons Bakery fundraising drive to raise money for the Year 12 Tourism Camp and attached you will find your order form with the products available.

Kytons Bakery have been helping groups to fundraise in Adelaide for over 30 years, and are best known for their delicious, fluffy lamingtons which have won numerous local and national awards. Kytons also makes a range of other delicious goodies, including cookies, fruit crumble pies and even Belgian waffles. 

Kytons use the best ingredients, traditional recipes and great care to bake products that delight.

Their products are all about the special moments in life - special moments remembered forever.

Kytons Bakery is a family owned business and their products are well known in South Australia, so we encourage you to pass your order form around to friends, family and work colleagues. You will probably find that they are enthusiastic to purchase from you, and the more products we sell, the more money we will raise for the Year 12 Tourism Class.

Please return your order forms with the relevant money to Balaklava High School by 24^th of June.

Orders will be available for collection on the afternoon of the 2^nd of July from Balaklava High School.

Payments can be made on QKR but please make sure you return your forms either to the school or via email: Hannah.marshall830@schools.sa.edu.au

Thank you in anticipation of your support for our Kytons Drive.

Hannah Marshall and the Year 12 Tourism Class

If you would like to know more about Kytons Bakery’s products, including nutritional information, ingredients lists, or serving suggestions, visit www.kytonsbakery.com.au

The Public Education Awards were established in 2011, to recognise the vital role our people play in helping children and young people to learn and thrive. The awards offer a chance for everyone to celebrate our achievements, be proud of our work and where we are heading together.

Everyone is encouraged to help recognise great practice and success in public education at our school so we can celebrate, learn and grow together. Nominate an outstanding team, colleague or yourself for an award. This year you can also nominate community members, individuals or teams, who have made a significant contribution to the site community for the Community Impact Award.

Winners and finalists receive prizes to under take professional learning, community activities or invest in resources.