Term 1 | Week 10 | 4 April 2019 From the Principal It is hard to believe that it is almost the end of Term 1, 2019 Governing Council and what a term it has been! The Governing Council Annual General Meeting We began the year with a clear message to students (AGM) was held on Tuesday 5 March. At this about excellence - excellence in learning, excellence in meeting the 2018 Annual Report was presented achievement, excellence in all that we do. and endorsed. This report is now available on the school website, along with the 2019 – 2021 School Across the term, teachers have supported students to Improvement Plan which the Governing Council achieve excellence (their personal best) by providing endorsed earlier this year. feedback about learning and strategies to improve student skills, knowledge and understandings. In week It was wonderful to have new parents/caregivers five, ‘traffic light data’ was collected for each student attend the AGM and nominate to join the Governing as part of our tracking and monitoring of student Council, as well as other parents/caregivers progress. This process assists us to identify early in the nominating for another tenure. Congratulations to year students ‘on track’ with learning and those who the following parents/caregivers elected to join the require intervention and support. This data was shared Governing Council for a two-year tenure: individually with students and they were supported Di Edwards to reflect on their progress and set learning goals for Catherine Elliott further development/improvement. Year Level Teams Dan Johnson followed up students whose progress was identified Helen Keen as concerning and parents/caregivers were informed Megan Resch of intervention strategies to support improvement. Russell Scutchings Michael Shanahan Mid-Semester 1 reports will be given to students on Jacinta Walton Friday to bring home to share with parents/caregivers. I would expect that there are ‘no surprises’ in the Thank you to the following parents/caregivers who reports as students should be aware of their progress will continue on the Governing Council for one more and achievements across the term and (hopefully) year: have kept their parents/caregivers informed. Parents/ Melissa Brown caregivers can also monitor their child’s learning, Gerald Westbrook progress and achievement through the Daymap Also, congratulations to parents/caregivers elected Parent Portal. as Office Bearers for the Governing Council. We Next week parents/caregivers and students will greatly appreciate their willingness to take on these have the opportunity to discuss student learning roles to enable the effective functioning of the and achievement at the Student/Parent/Teacher Governing Council. Conferences which will be from 1.30pm on Tuesday 9 • Di Edwards – Chairperson April and Thursday 11 April. Information about how to • Michael Shanahan – Deputy Chairperson book conferences with your child’s teachers is included • Russell Scutchings – Treasurer/ Assistant Secretary in the report package. I strongly encourage students to • Dan Johnson - Secretary attend with their parents/caregivers so they actively Finally, on behalf of the Blackwood High School participate in the conversation about their learning community, thank you to retiring Governing Council and contribute to strategies that will further support members Sarah Tucker, Michael Clark and Bertram them to be successful and achieve excellence, their Ostendorf, for their service and support of our personal best. wonderful school. Department for Education Strategic Plan and 2019 Action Plan The Department for Education Chief Executive, Rick Persse, launched the new Strategic Plan and the 2019 Action Plan at the Department’s Leaders Day held on Monday 25 February. The key vision is to build a world- class education system in South Australia within 10 years and the Achievement and Growth for every child in every class and in every school. A key area of focus is Challenging Learning with School Improvement, Learning Design, Assessment and Moderation and Literacy and Numeracy identified as key drivers. There is a strong correlation between the Department’s key actions and the actions identified in our Improvement Plan to lift student learning and achievement at Blackwood High School. Please take the time to read the Department’s plans at the link below. https://www.education.sa.gov.au/department/about-department/strategic-plan Student Free Day The first Student Free Day to support our Improvement Goals was held on Friday 8 March. The day focused on Goal 2, in particular writing, with the following expected outcomes: • Identify and list the structural and language features of one or two learning specific genres • Use the Elements of Quality Assessment Task Design to create/reinvent quality assessment task(s), which foreground one or two key assessment genres • Develop quality models of writing in one or two specific assessment genres at a level that students are aspiring to – IB Grade 7/8. Teaching staff appreciated having significant time to work in curriculum teams to focus on ‘the doing’. This enabled teams to work through the expectations for the day so that staff have a better understanding of key subject specific genres, their structure and features. We will continue to progress this work next term through curriculum meetings. Our next Student Free Day will be on Tuesday 11 June. This day will focus on Collaborative Moderation and our teachers will work with teachers from Mitcham Girls High School, Unley High School, Urrbrae Agricultural High School and Springbank Secondary College. Open Night The school’s annual Open Night was held on Monday 18 March. Approximately 750 people visited the school to view our facilities and learn about what we offer and deliver at Blackwood High School. With the enrolment of Year 7 students to high school in 2022, there was an increase in the number of families with younger children visiting. The evening was very successful with lots of positive feedback from our visitors. A special thank you to our student tour guides and assistants who were such wonderful ambassadors for the school. Principal Tours At Blackwood High School, we conduct regular Principal Tours across the year. These tours provide an opportunity for families to see the school ‘in action’. The first tour was held on Tuesday 26 March and the next opportunity is Tuesday 9 April. Future dates can be found on our website at https://www.bhs.sa.edu. au/upcoming-events/principal-tours/. Please contact the school to book in on a tour. Finally, thank you to our wonderful staff for their efforts to support our students to be successful this term. I wish students and teaching staff a relaxing break, and I hope everyone has a happy and safe Easter. Sharon Goldman, Principal 2 Inspiring Achievement and Respect Pedal Prix The Governing Council are seeking interest from parents/caregivers who are keen to form a sub-committee to help establish a Pedal Prix team at Blackwood High School. This sub-committee will be looking into what is needed for a team to be set up, including understanding the participation requirements, vehicle and trailer purchase, structure of the team, and what supports will be needed for the team to move forward into the sport. Previous experience in Pedal Prix will be helpful, but not necessary. Please contact Gerald Westbrook on 0451 013 210 to register your interest. School Uniform Thank you to parents/caregivers for your support of the Blackwood High School uniform. There has been a considerable improvement this year, particularly concerning the wearing of black shoes. As we approach the cooler months of the year I ask that families ensure their children have correct winter uniform in readiness for the new school term. Acknowledging that it can be very cold at Blackwood, and the need to ‘layer up’ to keep warm, we have introduced a green woollen jumper, a long sleeve polo and a water proof winter jacket. These items are available from our uniform supplier, Devon Clothing. Sharon Goldman, Principal Bullying No Way Blackwood High School stands together During a very busy start to the year, Year 11 Peer Support Leaders delivered anti-bullying messages across Year 8 classes and also at a Year 9 Assembly to coincide with The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. Peer Support students worked with students identifying the different types of bullying and demonstrated safe and effective bystander interventions in a bullying scenario and a short video, Stand Up, Stand Strong, The Consequence of Words. The purpose was to encourage students to explore their own behaviour when it comes to witnessing bullying and speak out when you feel safe to do so. Student Reflections When you are an active bystander you feel like you are helping the person that is bullied. You should block communication with people who harass others online and tell someone you trust. Jack Keen, Year 8 student A world without bullying is peaceful and kind and nobody is hurt. Students should not provide a supportive audience for the person who is doing the bullying. Maksim Maclean, Year 8 student Isabella Stephens and Scarlett Partridge Powell, Year 11 Students 3 Blackwood High School high achievers • Congratulations to Olivia Wheeler in Year 12 who has been chosen in the SA Track Cycling Team which competed in the National Track Championships in Brisbane from 28 March to 7 April. • Congratulations to Jamilla Hartogh-Jennings in Year 9 who participated in the 24th Annual Flagstaff Gift Athletics Carnival on 2 March. Jamilla placed first in the Girls U18 70m final. This is Jamilla’s second sash of a very successful first season running pro’s, with the first being won at the Brighton Gift 2018 U14 120m. • Congratulations to Jacob Koop in Year 10 who represented South Australia in the National Junior Track Cycling Championships held in Brisbane from 25 March to 1 April.