Term 1 - 2 March 2020 FinNews FINDON HIGH SCHOOL “Start with a dream. Finish with a future” FROM THE PRINCIPAL STEVE ATSALAS It gives me great pleasure to present the Principal’s Report for the first time as we begin our journey through 2020. Traditionally we do not have a high turnover in staff from one year to the next but in 2020 I am pleased to welcome seven new staff members to Findon. Tristan Kouwenhoven and Jess Dangerfield are teaching across all levels this year, with Kati Balla teaching in The Palms on a 0.2 contract. We also have a number of SSO’s which have been appointed and these include: Peter Stimpson, Matt Perkins and Ashleigh Toll. Our new ASETO person is Steve Phillips who will work closely with Brenton Kovaleff and our ATSI students. We also welcome Yvonne Noordhoek, the new Canteen Manager. 2019 was another successful year for our Graduate 2 students with the school’s SACE completion rate at 94.74% ,meaning that from 38 potential completers 36 students successfully completed their SACE. Findon High School’s Dux for 2019 was Jonathan Lam with an ATAR score of 98.3 . We also congratulate Jonathan on achieving two Merit awards, one in Work Place Practices and the other in Essential Mathematics. Jonathan was also officially recognised at the Merit Ceremony at Government House earlier this year. On Monday of Week 3 the school hosted the Celebration Assembly with special guest, Member for Cheltenham, Joe Szakacs MP, parents and friends. This assembly presented an opportunity to recognise students for academic results from the end of 2019 as well as student community awards and the presentation of the 2020 Prefects and House Captains. I am pleased to announce the following student leaders who will be representing our school and the wider community Prefects: Zané Britz Lucie Halliwell Muse Hassan Ryan Hennig Ali Ozturk House Captains: Blight Foundation; Alborz Razaghi Intermediate; Evelina Tsantiri Graduate; Joban Virdi Flynn Intermediate; Karleisha Geischek Intermediate; Angela Vellotti Graduate; Leah Monaghan **Flynn had no Foundation student nominate Hoffmann Foundation; Ciza Asante Intermediate; Anthony Dodd Intermediate; Rachel Vawser Graduate; Josh Vawser **Anthony and Rachel tied for votes Congratulations to the student leader body and I look forward to working with them closely in 2020. Findon High School : Drummond Avenue FINDON SA 5023 P: 8445 7944 E: [email protected] Our Foundation students have had a very busy but productive start to their secondary schooling. The first two weeks of the program was about familiarising themselves with logistical matters which would affect them everyday at school. This was closely followed by the Splash Carnival which both Foundation and Intermediate students participated in at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre. Congratulations to Flynn on their victory. They dominated from start to finish. From all reports and from what I observed for the hour that I visited, the students had a great time and it offered further opportunity to establish friendships and networks, especially for the Foundation students. Leading into Week 3 the Foundation students made preparations for their attendance at the Foundation Camp which would be held at West Beach Shores Caravan Park. The camp ran for three days from Wednesday, 12 February through to Friday, 14 February. Students attending the camp participated in a variety of activities ranging from; High Ropes Adventure Course, Adelaide Oval Tour, Escape Rooms and The Beach House. The camp was a huge success and helped foster even stronger relationships for the students who attended over the three days. As students and staff settle into the term we now look forward to our whole school Sports Day which will be held on Friday, 6 March. I would like to invite parents and carers to attend on the day to support the students as they participate in traditional athletic events along with novelty events. The SRC will also be holding a Sausage Sizzle on the day with funds being generated to support our foster child which the SRC sponsor. I would also like to take this opportunity to invite parents and carers to take a minute to think about the possibility of joining our School Governing Council. The Governing Council is a parent body which is made up of the Principal, staff and student leaders. It is a decision making body which influences how the school is operated. Policies and procedures are discussed and used by the Governing Council to provide a strategic direction, ensure outcomes are met, manage risk and ensure resources are used responsibly. Meetings are held twice a term, usually around Week 3 and 8 of the term and start at 6.30pm but are capped at 8.30pm. It provides an excellent opportunity for you to be involved in your child’s schooling and have input into the direction of the school. The Governing Council’s AGM where new members will be elected for 2020 will be occurring on Tuesday, 24 March 2020 starting at 6.30pm in the Conference Room. Please feel free to contact the school if you require further information or would be interested in attending the AGM to nominate for the Governing Council. Steve Atsalas Principal SPLASH CARNIVAL ALICE GEE On Thursday, 6 February 2020 Foundation and Intermediate students from Findon High School travelled to the Adelaide Aquatic Centre for our annual Splash Carnival. We started the day with the ‘Early Morning Race’. This is a race between all of the House Captains and it was a great way to start the day. This was one out of the 14 events in the Splash Carnival. Lots of the events were novelty based; including the ‘drag race’, ‘lilo race’ and ‘underwater hoop relay’. We also ran the more traditional Swimming Carnival events such as 25m Backstroke, 25m Freestyle and the 4 x 25m Freestyle relay. In the students vs. teachers race, the teachers continued their winning tradition. Much to the disappointment of the students! Blight got off to a great start, leading the scoring early in the day. Hoffmann were competitive throughout the day, but it was Flynn who finished strong and came away with the win. Another successful Splash Carnival- well done Flynn!! Alborz Razaghi- Blight House Captain STUDENT WELLBEING LEADER UPDATE KIAH CRAIG Welcome back to 2020 everyone! I hope you and your family are settling in well to the new school year. To kick start 2020 there are a couple of new exciting Student Wellbeing initiatives that Findon High School is offering: 1. Youth Worker We are very lucky to introduce Ashleigh Toll to our Wellbeing team. Ashleigh, comes to us from the Workskil employment service. Ashleigh is a trained Social Worker and has been working with our school in other areas over the last few years. This year Ashleigh will be looking to support a select group of students with their transition to the 2020 school year and support them to other programs and/or services. Please welcome her if you see her around! 2. Restorative Peer Mediators (RPMs) Did you know Findon, compared to the rest of South Australian schools, has low levels of bullying? If you, or your young person has an interest in keeping our school safe and inclusive maybe think about training as a RPM – a student who supports other students with low level conflict. If you’re interested please see Kathy Pivetta or Kiah Craig about our next training session or even ask one of our Prefects, who completed the training in late 2019! 3. Wellbeing and Engagement Collection (WEC) Late this term we will be asking all students to participate in the 2020 survey of Wellbeing and Engagement. Last year this data was used by students to help plan for 2020, so jump online and don’t forget to have your say. Absent from school? Parents are advised that if their child will be absent or late for school for any reason, they are asked to contact the school by 9.30 am. Phone: 8445 7944. Student Records To ensure that all student records are accurate and up to date, could you please ensure that the school is notified of any changes to address, phone number, emergency contact, etc. Attendance = Success We ask families to please call the Front Office, or write a note in your child’s diary if there is a legitimate reason for their absence. DARLING BRANDO PERFORMANCE KARLA HUFFA Upcoming musical sensation Darling Brando performed for our school on Wednesday, 12 February. The group, made up of a trio of amazingly talented pop vocalists, amazed the audience and definitely made some new fans! Their visit was part of an attempt to play 100 gigs in 28 days and break a world record and we were certainly excited to be a part of it! STUDENT PUBLICITY TEAM KARLA HUFFA This year the student publicity team has expanded to three members. Paige Lucas, Courtney Quix and Angela Vellotti will be capturing the life of our school in photograph throughout the year. They have big plans to engage the school community in a range of photography competitions and are excited about taking charge of our school’s social media platforms to share the Findon High School experience through the eyes of students. FOUNDATION CAMP 2020 LYN MEYNELL Foundation camp ran from 12 February to 14 February 2020. Thirty nine excited students met Wednesday morning looking forward to the camp activities that they were going to experience. We took the school bus and a hired bus to South Terrace and spent some time in the playground. After lunch all students participated in the Adelaide tree climb, a tree top obstacle course that runs along the cusp of the city.