What a delight it was to have our Year 7, 8 and 12 students join us for face to face learning this week and it was also great to see all of the smiling faces on the screens of our Year 9, 10 and 11 students.  We can’t wait to have all students physically back at school on Monday 14^th February.

I would like to welcome back all students and families returning to Balaklava High School for another year and give an especially warm welcome to our Year 7 and Year 8s and other new students and their families joining us at BHS for the first time.  This is definitely not the start we anticipated for the new school year, however, I would like to thank all of the families and students for their support in making the staggered start as smooth as possible.  We are a cohesive and proud school community and I very much look forward to the time we are all able to be back on the school site together.

Traditionally, Term 1 is action packed with events such as Swimming Carnival, the Year 7/8 Meet and Greet evening and a variety of camps, however most of these have already been cancelled or postponed due to COVID restrictions.  As restrictions change or ease, we will keep you informed of the impact on events throughout the term.

Staffing

As has been the case for the past three years, we have a very small number of new staff joining us, which is excellent for consistency and shows a desire for staff to stay at BHS and continue the work we have started in strengthening relationships and working towards individual success for all students.  That said, the arrival of the Year 7s to high school has seen us expand our teaching staff and we are pleased to welcome:  Miss Ashleigh Leonello (Local and Global Perspectives (LGP), Digital Technologies and Home Ec), Mrs Laura Hadley (LGP, HPE) and Miss Eva D’Alboy (French and LGP).  Mr James Mussared and Mr Josh Jenner will return to BHS as full time teachers this year after reducing their time last year.  We are also pleased to welcome Mrs Peta Solomon to the role of Business Manager for Term 1 initially, whilst Ruth Stevens is on long service leave and Mary French, Abbie Tiller and Charmaine Dos Santos who will join us as classroom SSOs.  We have a strong teaching and support staff team with dedicated leaders to continue to move our school forward in 2022 and beyond.

Class of 2021

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 and the success they achieved when results were released in December and again in December/January for those who applied for university.  Our Dux was Matt Mojares who achieved an ATAR of 92.95 (without bonus points).  Matt has been accepted into his first preference university course, a Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) at the University of South Australia.  Matt has also designed our Centenary logo and you can see from this example that he clearly has design skills.  Our proxime accessit (second highest score) was Emily Lemon with Paige Lamond and Madeleine Karklins also achieving in the 80s.  A few statistics from the 2021 results:  100% of eligible students achieved their SACE.  63.3% of all grades in Stage 2 were As and Bs (up from 2020 when we had 49.77%) and 99.41% of all grades in Stage 2 were passing grades.

100% of our students who applied for university received offers in the first round of preferences in courses such as Engineering, Education, Physiotherapy, Agriculture, Social Work, Finance, Business, Arts, Nursing and a variety of Science degrees.  A number of our graduates have also accepted apprenticeships and employment and we anticipate hearing success stories from all of our old scholars as they continue with the next step of their lives.

Communication

I have many beliefs about education and one of the most fundamental is my belief in the importance of the relationship between teacher, parent and young person for student success.  As a parent, I know that no one cares for our children like we do so it is vital that we are active participants in our children’s education.  Communication is one of the key pillars of success in schooling and I encourage parents to contact teachers directly if you have a question, need to share information or if you have a concern.  You can contact teachers via email (see the attached list of contact details), Daymap or phone the school on 8862 0600 and leave a message for them to call you back.  The first point of contact should always be the subject teacher for class related matters, the Homegroup teacher for broader concerns or a member of the Leadership Team for more significant issues.  We use emails and text messages as forms of communication with families as well as Daymap, which is a place for parents to access information including feedback on student work, absences, homework and other school related tasks and I encourage you to access the Parent Portal regularly.  There are instructions on how to do this later in the newsletter and you can contact the Front Office if you have any issues with access.  Another form of communication is through social media and I invite all students and their families to like us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with school events and information.

Student Free Day

Governing Council has approved a student free day on Friday 11th March (Week 6) for staff to undertake training in the Keeping Safe:  Child Protection Curriculum (KS:CPC).  The KS:CPC is a respectful relationships and child safety curriculum for children and young people from age 3 to Year 12, which provides age and developmentally appropriate strategies to help children and young people keep themselves safe.  There was an update in August last year, in particular focussing on consent and online safety, which all staff need.  This day precedes the Adelaide Cup Public Holiday and will give families a 4 day weekend.  As always, we value your support in these days to ensure our staff have continued access to current professional development.

Governing Council AGM

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 is scheduled for Wednesday 2^nd March 2022 at 7.00 pm.  Traditionally it is held in the Community Library, but it may need to move to an online format this year and we will keep you informed of the format.  Due to the large number of parents who joined Council last year, we only have one vacancy.  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 2021 school year.

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.  I know we’ve had a couple of disrupted school years but I am very much looking forward to a great 2022 and look forward to all it offers.

Sonia Pringle

Principal

Key School Contacts

Parents and carers should make contact via Daymap or email with the appropriate staff member as soon as any learning or wellbeing issues arise.  Parents should expect a response from a teacher or leader within one school day of their initial contact. 

Initial Concerns

• Learning/academic – contact the individual subject teacher
• Attendance and/or wellbeing – contact the homegroup teacher

Ongoing Concerns

• Literacy/English Coordinator – Joshua La Grutta
• Numeracy/Mathematics Coordinator – Alana Sharman
• Student Engagement Coordinator – Colleen Lowe
• VET Coordinator – Rosemary Goode
• Wellbeing Senior Leader – Kimberly Walker
• Middle School Assistant Principal – Michelle Pudney
• Senior School Assistant Principal – Carena Brookes
• Principal – Sonia Pringle

Other Key Contacts

• Business Manager/Finance – Peta Solomon
• IT Support – Michael Mazzone
• Enhanced Learning Hub – Neil Richards

I am incredibly proud to be the Middle School Assistant Principal of Balaklava High School. We are all looking forward to a successful, productive and fun 2022. It is with great pleasure that we welcome our new Year 7s and Year 8s with face-face learning and our returning Year 9s online and all of the middle school families to the 2022 school year. Our Year 7 and 8 students have settled in well and have managed to easily negotiate their way around their new exciting timetable. During their first couple of days I have had many students come up and talk with me in the yard, sharing stories about primary school and telling me a little bit about themselves. It is great to see our students display great manners and they are keen to build positive relationships with their teachers and peers.

As a future focused school, we at Balaklava High School are passionate about engaging all of our students with relevant, meaningful and exciting learning. This week, our new Middle School structure was implemented and it includes the introduction of two new integrated subjects to allow students to pursue learning in a holistic way. These subjects are Local and Global Perspectives and Food and Fibre.

Local and Global Perspectives: Through an interdisciplinary approach, Local and Global Perspectives enhances the study of English, History, Geography, Business and Economics and Civics and Citizenship all underpinned by a strong focus on literacy. Students will have the unique opportunity to undertake tasks that combine content, skills and perspectives from a range of these areas of study.

Food and Fibre: With the combination of Agriculture and Home Economics, students strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the processes involved in the whole production chain of food and fibre. Students will build strong practical connections between ‘paddock to plate’ as well as understanding the properties of materials through a ‘farm to fabrics’ learning approach with a focus on local industries including poultry, sheep, horticulture, pigs, and dairy.

Our students are inspired and supported to achieve their best so they can thrive in a rapidly changing and interconnected world. To succeed in their future careers, we need to ensure all of our students are equipped with the skills that will be most valued by their future employers. Students in Year 9 and 10 will choose from several different studios, which extend beyond the content delivered in the Australian Curriculum, providing students with a choice and voice in their learning. In our new structure, students are able to choose subjects they would like to study in more depth in Year 9. Incorporating more future focused aspects to learning at Balaklava High School is guaranteed to assist students to excel not only throughout school, but for all of the years to follow.

As a site we are extremely excited to begin our new Middle School Structure in 2022 and know we have a strong foundation to continue to inspire and support our students to thrive. I look forward to getting know more about our students, their families, staff and the Balaklava community within my role this year.

See photos below of our new Year 7s and 8s

Year 7s - 7HCL1, 7LCL2, 7DCL5

Year 8s - 8SFL1, 8MGL3, 8HGL4

Meet and Greet Evening, Wednesday 16th February

Michelle Pudney

Assistant Principal

To further assist with setting up your child and yourself on Parent Portal please find instructions below.

To access Daymap

1. Go to our webpage

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

2. Scroll down

3. Click on student Daymap or parent Daymap

For Student Portal

Username:

Username is first two letters of their first name and then their last name

Example: alsharman

Password:

Password is their date of birth (all 8 digits)
Example: 08062003

For Parent Portal

Username:

Use your email that you registered with us on enrolment

Password:

Use your child’s Daymap number (if you do not have access to this you can ring the school or reply all to this email and we can support you)

If you are having any difficulties please do not hesitate to call the school.

Unfortunately, the COVID interrupted start to the 2022 school year has meant we have had to cancel our annual BHS Swimming Carnival and the Lower North Zone Interschool Swimming Carnival. At this stage it is unlikely that we will be able to reschedule these carnivals as restrictions are in place for the first four weeks of the school year. We will still have an opportunity for any keen swimmers to participate in the Secondary School Sport SA Swimming Championships held at the Marion Aquatic and Leisure Centre. This carnival has been rescheduled to Term 2 and we can submit individual entries for students who wish to participate and can be transported and supervised by their parent or caregiver. If this is of interest to your child please get in contact with me via the front office or email for more information.

We are hoping to be able to hold our annual BHS Athletics Carnival which is on the Calendar for Thursday Week 6. At this stage we are going ahead with planning as usual with the hope of eased restrictions for the second half of Term 1.

New students, Year 7’s and Year 8’s should have all been allocated a House Team by now and Year 7 and 8 students were given information about purchasing a House polo shirt that can be worn for School Carnivals and HPE lessons. A copy of this letter can be found in this newsletter and all orders go to TADS Embroidery, Balaklava. Please get in contact with me if you are unsure of your child’s House Team or you would like further information on Sports, Carnivals and House Teams.

Alison Schahinger

Sports Coordinator

In the past, we have forwarded to parents a number of forms which needed to be signed annually.  We have reviewed our processes and have determined that this yearly signing of documentation is no longer required.

As a result of this decision, once signed, the following documents will remain active for the entire time that a student is enrolled at Balaklava High School. 

• School Laptop ICT Agreement
• Parent Code of Conduct
• Student Code of Conduct
• Permanent Permissions (Head Lice, Local Excursions, Emergency Permissions, Policy Acknowledgement)
• DfE Early Dismissal
• DfE Media Permissions (Permission to use image, video, voice, and/or creative work of students and children)
• Balaklava Community Library Membership Application

Balaklava High School offers Literacy, Numeracy and Social & Emotional programs through our Enhanced Learning Hub. Our Literacy and Numeracy programs are targeted however nominations for Social and Emotional Programs close Friday 9am 4/2/22. Year 7,8 and 12 students received this information as hard copy and Year 9,10 and 11 students received this through parent email via an online form. Please complete the form or return the slip if you wish your child to be considered for our Social and Emotional programs. 

Our Hub space, located near the Wellbeing office, is available each day for all students at Balaklava High School. We understand that all students at times may feel overwhelmed, socially anxious and need options for an alternate space outside of their classroom. The Hub is a space designed for a variety of reasons however our students use this to self-regulate, receive 1:1 emotional support through co regulation with one of our Hub Teachers and a break out space. The Hub can provide this support through the use of a Time Out Card. Experienced and compassionate staff are present in the Hub during all lessons and available to support. If you would like to discuss your child receiving a Time Out card to use this space, please contact the school on 88620600.   

Kimberly Walker

Wellbeing senior Leader 

Jack Rau our Wellbeing Practitioner is on site every Thursday this year and can provide a variety of support and strategies for all Balaklava High School students. Jack provides social and emotional support, empowerment through self-reflective practices, 1:1 or group conversations, physical programs and psycho-physical engagement programs such as Rock and Water. He is a highly skilled and trained practitioner with a trauma informed background and is available for mentoring. Students can meet Jack before school and at break times in the yard.  

Kimberly Walker

Wellbeing Senior Leader

A huge congratulations to 2021 Graduate Matt Mojares on his successful nomination into the 2022 SACE Art Show Exhibition!

Matt created a Philippines Monopoly board game using digital media techniques. He worked very hard completing the requirements of Visual Art – Design criteria in completing a huge 40, A3 page Folio of his idea development. A great achievement this year for our Dux student.

“The journey from researching and analysing Monopoly boards and contemporary art styles to designing my own was an enjoyable, insightful journey. Such research and design processes informed me on effective and ineffective use of various design elements and principles including colour, line, shadow and composition. Along with extensive knowledge on diverse art styles and trends, I have a broadened perspective about the functions and aesthetics of different typography and its impact in diverse contexts.”

The SACE exhibition will be held at the Light Square Gallery at the Adelaide College of the Arts, from Tuesday the 22^nd of March to Friday 22^nd of April. This year they will have both the physical event and a virtual online gallery for those who cannot attend.

Great things are happening to the Art department at BHS.

Amy Tilbrook

Art Teacher

Thank you to the students and parents who expressed an interest in participating on our planned Trip during Week 1 of Term 2. With current Covid19 restrictions and concerns about travelling interstate, we will NOT be going ahead with this tour.

Hopefully we can reschedule a Canberra Trip for later in 2022. We will investigate other options and keep you informed.

Karyn Von-Zieden (on behalf of the HASS Faculty)

This semester we will have a new mechanical program running through the ELH. The course aims to teach students how to develop positive relationships between staff and their peers through practical mechanical tasks. Students will gain practical life skills that relate to owning a vehicle and how to make a career in the automotive industry. The course will have a focus on creating a positive team culture by supporting and learning from one another. Both Mr Noack and I are very excited to meet our team and have some big plans for our BA Falcon.

We are after a few items to help get it off the ground if you can help out. We are in need of axle stands or a set of ramps which would be return after completion of the course. If you can help please contact the school.

Jamie Banwell