Term 1 is our busiest time of the year for School Sport carnivals and tournaments with the first event being our annual School Swimming Carnival held on Tuesday the 7^th of February (Week 2) at the newly opened Balaklava Swimming Pool. We can’t wait to get back in the pool after our 2022 carnival was cancelled due to COVID restrictions and we are even more excited to be back at the new Balaklava Swimming Pool.

House Captains

Yesterday we held our first House Meetings for the year to elect our Junior and Senior House Captains and Vice-Captains and to begin preparations for Swimming Carnival. Walter House showed that they are a strong contender to keep their grasp on the House Spirit Shield with a well-polished and choreographed House chant, check out our Facebook page for the video!

It is my pleasure to announce our 2023 House Captains:

Well done to all students who nominated for a House Captain position and congratulations to all of our successful candidates. 

Swimming Carnival Changes and Information

This year we have changed the structure of our Swimming Carnival slightly to encourage greater participation from all students. The day will begin with the running of the 25m Freestyle, 25m Backstroke and 25m Breaststroke heats for all age groups. We have made the decision to revert back to 25m races for some events based on feedback from students to enhance participation numbers and with the intention of returning to 50m races in the future as students become stronger and more confident swimmers. The 25m Butterfly final and 100m Freestyle final events will remain unchanged and take place before the recess break. New to our carnival this year will be ‘House Challenge’ Activities for non-swimmers to participate in at school while the morning heats are taking place to earn House Spirit points. After recess all staff and students will join the morning swimmers at the pool to compete in novelty events and cheer on the top 8 fastest swimmers who will compete in the 25m Freestyle, Backstroke and Breaststroke finals in each age group. The afternoon will include Relays and the Plains Producer 50m Freestyle Handicap event. A new novelty event this year will be the House Relay, each House can submit 2 relay teams which are made up of 1 student, 1 House Captain, 1 teacher and 1 parent/family member/ex-student. You can find a copy of the program in this edition of the newsletter.

The school canteen will be available for students to order their lunch by QKR, food will also be available to purchase from the pool canteen and Student Council will be running a BBQ. Entry into the pool for students is $2 and will be collected in morning Homegroup.

Top performers from our Swimming Carnival will be selected in the Interschool Swimming Team which will be held on Monday the 20^th of February at Burra, time TBC. These students will also be offered the opportunity to compete in the School Sport SA Secondary Swimming Championship at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre as an individual entry. The Individual Day will be held on Friday the 3^rd of March, please contact Alison Parsons for further information if your child is interested in competing.

House Shirts

House coloured polo shirts are available to purchase from Tads Embroidery for students to wear for House Carnivals as well as making an excellent top to be worn for practical PE lessons. Tops are $25 each and can be personalized with your child’s name or nickname for an extra $10. Shirts are ordered directly through Tads Embroidery Balaklava, please contact Alison Parsons if you have any questions or require further information.

Important Sports Dates

• Tuesday Week 2, 7^th February: BHS Swimming Carnival, 8:50 am – 3:15 pm @ Balaklava Swimming Pool
• Monday Week 4, 20^th February: Lower North Interschool Swimming Carnival, time TBC @ Burra
• Friday Week 5, 3^rd March: School Sport SA Secondary Swimming Championship, 9 am – 2:30 pm @ SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre
• Friday Week 6, 10^th March: BHS Athletics Carnival, 8:45 am – 3:15 pm @ Balaklava High School
• Thursday Week 8, 23^rd March: Lower North Interschool Athletics Carnival, 9 am – 2:30 pm @ Riverton
• Monday Week 10, 3^rd April: School Sport SA Secondary Athletics Championship, 9 am – 2:30 pm @ SA Athletics Stadium