Grief Support for Students and Staff

As our school community deals with the tragic death of one of our students, I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the student’s family and friends at this very difficult time. We are all feeling this as a community and it’s important that people look after themselves and each other.

We have come together as a school community to make sure our students, teachers and staff know the support available to them.  We have professional counsellors and support services on site for students and staff. This support will continue for as long as it’s needed.  One-on-one counselling is also available for students. If you would like to access this for your child please contact the school to discuss their needs.

As I outlined in my letter to you on Tuesday night, children’s response to grief may vary.  Letting your child know you are aware of the accident and will listen to their concerns at any time can help. Staying connected and engaged with your child is one of the best ways you can support them.  Also be aware that media and social media coverage of this accident is likely in the days ahead.

Professional support is also available for your child through:

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

Lifeline 131 114

eHeadspace https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/

We have had many kind words of support and these are very much appreciated.  We are a strong and resilient school community and will remain close as we work through our grief together.

Governing Council AGM – Rescheduled Date

The Governing Council is an important component of the school’s decision-making and consultative processes and it provides an opportunity for parents to be more strongly involved in school operations and to gain a deeper understanding of how the school functions.  Our Governing Council’s AGM will now take place on Tuesday 16^th March 2021 at 7.00 pm in the Community Library.  Please consider nominating, or renominating, for the Governing Council, which has a crucial role in ensuring that the school is meeting the educational needs of the community.  There is a nomination slip for Governing Council in this newsletter or you can access one by contacting the Front Office.  Even if you are not considering nominating for Council, I encourage you to come along to the AGM, where we will present the Annual Report on the 2020 school year.

A few reminders:

• At BHS, our mobile phone policy, states that mobile phones are banned during the school day (including during breaks). Teachers can specifically request an exemption to this policy if phones are needed in class as part of the learning plan.  The full policy can be found on our website.  We thank students and their families for support with this policy.
• School Uniform - students are expected to wear a navy or white school polo top, navy bomber or spray jacket, navy rugby top or plain navy hoodie, all of which are available for purchase from TADS in Balaklava. Shorts and trousers are to be navy or grey and trackpants are to be navy with no stripes or large logos.  Families are reminded that black pants and tops are not part of our uniform and leggings, jeggings and jeans are also not acceptable for school.  If meeting the uniform expectations is a concern for families, please contact a member of the leadership team to discuss this
• Students are not to go to the main street of Balaklava before or during the school day. We have a duty of care for our students and need to know where they are at all times.  We have an excellent canteen facility on the school grounds where cheap and nutritious food can be purchased.

Student Free Day

We held a joint student free day on Monday with Riverton and District High School.  We focussed on writing in the curriculum and then spent some time in learning areas to focus on preparation for Year 7s joining us at high school next year.  It was a productive day and we value your support in these days to ensure our staff have continued access to current professional development.

As always, I invite parents to contact me at the school with any issues or concerns or if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s learning.  I can be contacted via Daymap or email Sonia.Pringle235@schools.sa.edu.au or you can phone the School on 8862 0600 to speak to me directly or to make a time to come and see me.

Sonia Pringle

Principal

Student Led Conferences will take place here at school on Tuesday 2nd March and Wednesday 3rd March after school. Please see the attached letter explaining how to book your times with your child's teacher.

Alison Schahinger 

Sports Coordinator

We have had a few families struggling to access Daymap. If you are needing support with gaining access to Daymap please do not hesitate to come in, we will be more than happy to help.

Daymap is a learning and student management system that can be accessed by staff, students and parents. Valuable information such as student timetables, lessons, assessments, results and all assigned homework can be accessed. Students can utilise Daymap as their electronic diary. Messages can also be sent directly to all staff via the Parent Portal.

Parent Portal is live and can be accessed at https://portal.balakhs.sa.edu.au/DaymapConnect

It can also be accessed on the Balaklava High School website on the bottom of the home page.

https://www.balakhs.sa.edu.au/

New users can access their account at the link above and will require their email provided to the school and a six-digit student ID found on a student card, Daymap or by contacting the school. Existing users can reset their password on the Portal or by contacting the school. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date.

This year a new mobile app has been developed and can be downloaded from the App Store. After the app has downloaded, to log-in you will need to firstly log in on web browser on the mobile device and click go to mobile app. 

Please contact the school if you need support with any of this.

Alana Sharman

Coordinator – Mathematics/Numeracy/STEM

At Balaklava High School we understand that working with parents/caregivers is paramount to improve student academic outcomes. Every four weeks our teachers record how every single student in the class is tracking. This information is provided to students and sent home for parents/caregivers. In Week 6, we will also have Student Led Conferences, where your child has set goals with each of the teachers on areas they would like to improve on. Teachers will also contact home if your child has struggled in an assessment task, to discuss further strategies we can put in place to help your child be successful. Parents/caregivers can also contact their child’s teacher(s) on Daymap if they have any concerns regarding their child's progress in a task or subject. When we are all working together in the best interests of your child, they are likely to reap academic and social benefits, like:

• regular school attendance
• positive school results
• a positive attitude towards school
• positive social and relationship skills
• a sense of wellbeing
• school completion
• progression to post-secondary education like TAFE, university or apprenticeships.

Michelle Pudney

Middle School Assistant Principal

In advance of taking NAPLAN Online, students, teachers and parents are invited to use the public demonstration tests to familiarise themselves with the type of questions and related functionalities available in the NAPLAN Online assessment.

Some of the key features include a range of question types, onscreen tools, timers and interactive navigation. Students are encouraged to try all the tests for their year level to practise the complete range of question formats available in the online assessment.

The demonstration tests cover a sample of possible questions and do not reflect the range of literacy and numeracy content or skills NAPLAN Online will assess.

You and your child can access the public demonstration site by using the link below:

www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

Nominalisation and our Frayer Models

What better than to start the new year with learning how to write like an expert. Our Year 9s discovered that nominalisation is the process of changing verbs to nouns. This grammatical process helps to make writing more academic and develops more complex grammar structures. To make sure we understood this concept we used a template called “The Frayer Model that is used for word analysis and vocabulary building. This four-square model prompts students to think about and describe the meaning of a word or concept by . . .

Defining the term,

Explaining how you would know if it was being used/Draw it ,

Providing examples of the idea, and

Offering non-examples of the idea.

Here are two examples created by our very clever students.

After students completed their Frayer Model, they had a go at nominalising the following paragraph.

Original Paragraph

“The population is getting bigger each year so earth’s natural resources are feeling the pressure. Forests are being cut down really fast so that farmers can grow crops. In some other places trees are being cut down for timber that local people can use or send overseas to make money. Cutting down the forests means that there will be lots of problems for the environment as well as human and financial problems. The main problems are things like people not having enough to eat, changing how animals and plants relate to each other, and people having to move out of their homes. To fix these problems we have to protect the forests that are left”.

Bligh Wilson

The increasing population is pressuring earths’ natural resources. Deforestation is occurring rapidly, to accommodate the need for cropping and timber production. Environmental issues, along with financial problems can be the result of deforestation. The most substantial issues include lack of food, changes in relations between plants and animals, and eviction. Conservation is a must to resolve these problems.

The Enhanced Learning Hub (ELH) is an initiative to improve the wellbeing and learning of students. The ELH includes many programs representing a range of curriculum and non-curriculum areas. In order to get the best from each program, it is expected that participating students will attend all scheduled ELH lessons, contribute positively and complete required tasks to the best of their ability. In most cases, students will be missing a subject area class to be involved in an enhanced program. This means subject teachers will be required to adjust requirements to ensure the student does not fall behind whilst still gaining the key learning outcomes of the course. All Hub programs run for 1 semester and student achievement can be tracked via Daymap.

To support the Year 8s to transition smoothly into high school there will be no Year 8 students involved in Enhanced Learning Hub programs for Semester 1. The amount of transitions a high school student experiences in regards to classrooms, teachers, and subjects dramatically increases from primary school to high school; the ELH will increase the amount of transitions. Once the students have settled, all ELH programs will be open to all students. Please note that extra SSOs have been put into key subject areas to support students and to help identify possible ELH students for Semester 2. If a student is struggling, please communicate with subject teachers. Some extra mentoring can be provided.

At present we do not have a maximum amount of programs that students can be involved in. However, it is crucial that students are able to maintain a balanced school life so please consider this with your child. More details including a course outline and times of classes can be accessed on Daymap. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have further questions regarding the program your child has been selected to participate in. Upon viewing your young person’s timetable please discuss any allocated ELH classes with them. If there are any issues or you would prefer that your child is not involved please contact the assigned teacher as soon as practical.

Lucy Thiel

Senior Leader Health and Wellbeing

Thank you

Balaklava High School and especially the Enhanced Learning Hub would like to acknowledge and from our heart give an enormous thank you to Litl Mo’s Bakery & Café. Brendan, his family and amazing staff at Litl Mo’s Bakery & Café, 6/8 Main St, Kapunda, has for several years been a generous and community spirited business supporting the Hub with donations to our Breakfast/Lunch Program at BHS.

I personally would like to thank Litl Mo’s for your support and the genuine interest you take in what we do in the ELH.  

Neil Richards

BHS March Charge Team – helping tell cancer where to go!

During the month of March, 8 members of staff, so far, have joined forces to raise awareness and funds for the Cancer Council. Together, we have pledged to run/walk at least 525 kms and raise $3,300.

Sadly cancer still takes too many of us. 1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. Research sees more people than ever survive but we’ve still got a way to go. And we need your help to end cancer.

Please sponsor us today to support our Charge and join us in telling cancer where to go!

https://www.themarchcharge.com.au/fundraiser/BalaklavaHighSchool6419

Your donation will help our local Cancer Council support all those affected by cancer, and fund life-changing research to help more people survive.

Alternatively, it’s not too late to join our team, you can do this by jumping into the above link and clicking on the “join us” button.

Thank you for your support.