It’s hard to believe that it’s Week 5 already but the term is flying by, filled with many events at BHS.  Our last Year 12 exam will be held this afternoon and we will celebrate our Year 12 students at their graduation dinner tonight, our Year 9 students have been to the Zoo, the Operation Flinders crew have been fundraising with a community carwash and our students are actively engaged with learning experiences every day.

Remembrance Day

On Saturday morning we were proud to host the town’s Remembrance Day service at the Balaklava Triangle.  We paused to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and to thank those who have served in the armed forces.  I would like to acknowledge the work of Suriya Umapathysivam in organising the service, which included soldiers from the 9^th Combat Service Support Battalion based at Edinburgh.  The BHS Vocal Ensemble led the singing for the service, whilst Alexander Evans took on the responsibility of playing ‘The Last Post’ with a spine-tingling performance and our 2024 Head Students, Janna Mojares and Joshua Michael laid a wreath on behalf of our school.

Staffing

As is often the case at this time of the year, there are some movements with teaching and support staff.  In the next newsletter I will farewell those who are leaving and also hope to be able to announce their replacements.  We are working through these vacancies and are excited for all that our new staff members will bring to the school.

As per the email sent to families last week, we welcome Derek Friedrichs to Balaklava High School as acting principal for Term 1 next year.  As a Balaklava local, Derek is well known to many and he has the community’s interests at heart.  During Term 1, the position will be advertised for a 5 year tenure and we will continue to keep families informed about this process as it unfolds next year.

World Teachers’ Day

At the end of October we celebrated World Teachers’ Day which gave us the opportunity to acknowledge our teaching staff; many of whom go above and beyond what might be expected to provide engaging learning programs, activities and experiences that set our students up for success in their lives beyond school.  I would like to say thank you to all of our teachers for the work they do each day.  To acknowledge this day for teachers, our ancillary staff members had organised a morning tea and a small gift as tokens of appreciation for our teaching staff.

Art Exhibition

On Wednesday 1^st November a large number of parents, students, staff and invited guests attended the opening of our annual Art Exhibition at the Balaklava Courthouse Gallery.  This event showcased our students’ work in the fields of Visual Art, Design and Creative Arts, curated by our Art and Design teacher, Mrs Amy Tilbrook.  I would like to acknowledge Amy’s passion for the Arts, her desire to see our students succeed and her hard work in bringing this exhibition to life.  Thanks also to Cherie Cmrlec for her behind the scenes efforts to organise the opening night.  You can read more about the exhibition later in this newsletter and, if you have the chance, I encourage you to visit the Gallery and see the quality student work on display.

Student Free Day

Our final Student Free Day for 2023 is Friday 24^th November.  A number of our feeder schools, including Balaklava Primary School are also having a student free day on this date so no buses will run on this day.

I am excited for all of the opportunities the remainder of this term holds for students as we continue with our learning program until the very end of the year.  As always, I encourage 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 at the school via Daymap, email Sonia.Pringle235@schools.sa.edu.au or phone 8862 0600 where you can speak to me directly or make a time to come and see me.

Sonia Pringle

Principal

Josh and Janna have been selected for showing a strong sense of responsibility, empathy and a willingness to represent their peers; qualities that align perfectly with the values and goals of Balaklava High School.

In their roles, they will be responsible for organising school events, fostering a sense of unity and serving as representatives for the student body. We would also like to acknowledge the other students who nominated themselves for these positions. We look forward to an outstanding year under the capable leadership of Josh and Janna.

The much-anticipated 2023 Balaklava High School Student Art Exhibition kicked off with a bang on the 1^st of November. The exhibition showcases an impressive range of artistic talent and design works across Years 7-12. The opening night witnessed an exceptional turnout, filling the Balaklava Courthouse Gallery with an atmosphere of creativity and appreciation.

I extend my gratitude to the Year 11 Hospitality class and Miss O'Halloran for catering, making the event even more memorable. Special thanks to Cherie Cmrlec for her invaluable support in organising this fantastic showcase.

The awards were a highlight of the evening, with Caitlyn Cox receiving the Year 7 Encouragement Award for her captivating Cat Skull drawing. Ruby Lemon's sketch of a dog earned her the Junior Runner-Up title, while Melanie Cavanagh claimed the Junior Category with her innovative recycled clock design.

In the Senior Category, Alexander Evans secured the Runner-Up position with an extensive display of clay products, and the Winner was Jackson McArdle for her exceptional pet portraits.

The People's Choice Award went to Year 10 student Denise Nellas for her captivating landscape painting titled "Sunkissed River". Denise was awarded a $50 Eckersleys Art voucher to support her future endeavors in art making. Congratulations, Denise!

The exhibition will continue to inspire and amaze visitors until November 20th at the Balaklava Courthouse Gallery. I extend my sincere thanks to everyone who attended the opening night to celebrate the incredible talent within our school community.

Amy Tilbrook

STEM students in Year 10 and 11 went to Adelaide University’s Ingenuity with Mr Szular and Miss Schubert. It was an opportunity for upcoming graduates to showcase their final design projects to the public. We had a great time walking around and engaging in all of the activities that Adelaide University had to offer. There were lots of robots, including an arm showing a mechanical grip and a dog chasing everyone in the convention.  

One thing that I learnt was that resin printing exists, which is cool, as it uses light to create a solid out of resin and then transfers the layered pieces into another box that works like a microwave (except it uses UV radiation instead of Microwave radiation) to harden it. Those guys were using the biology of birds to engineer and replicate flight through 3D printing.  

There was also a group that made ice cream without dairy products by using the protein from broad beans and liquid from a can of chickpeas because it reacts similarly to egg white. They then used liquid nitrogen to make it freeze as fast as possible. This fast cooling created small ice cream beads which are a texture sensation that proves quite nice, especially when paired with coco pops.   

Alexander Evans 

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL!

When you purchase any 12 or 24-month Membership to The Entertainment App between 6 pm, Tuesday 14^th November AEDT and 11:59 am, Monday 20^th November during our Early Access Black Friday Sale you will receive a bonus 2 months for free as well as a complimentary Entertainment Membership equal to your purchase.

Go to our link on: https://www.entertainment.com.au/orderbooks/1s61485

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