General School News

NAPLAN 2019

NAPLAN is the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 annually. Students participate in tests in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

This year, there are some changes to how NAPLAN will take place at Edenhope College. In 2019, we are one of approximately 1000 Australian schools who are making the transition from paper-based tests to online assessments. By 2020, it is the expectation that all schools in Australia will have transitioned to NAPLAN Online. With the exception of the Year 3 writing test, all NAPLAN tests will be conducted using an online platform. The Year 3 writing test will remain a pen-and-paper assessment.

Tests completed using the online platform will be tailored to individual students, where the test automatically adapts to the student's test performance. The test presents questions of higher or lower complexity, depending on how students have performed in earlier questions.

NAPLAN testing in 2019 will take place between 14th and 24th of May.

Preparation for NAPLAN

On Thursday 28th March, all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students will be participating in a Coordinated Practice Test. This test will be conducted at the same time as all other schools who have transitioned to NAPLAN Online, with the purpose of testing the online system.

Prior to the Coordinated Practice Test, Ms Duncan and myself will be familiarising the students with the online platform, and demonstrating the tools available to them during the test.

If you wish to assist in preparing your child for NAPLAN Online, you can visit the NAPLAN demonstration website at www.nap.edu.au . Click on the tab NAPLAN Online, and then the public demonstration link on the left hand menu to open the demonstration test.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s participation in NAPLAN, please do not hesitate to contact the College.

Emma Wallace

NAPLAN Coordinator

Edenhope High School Reunion 

On the 10th of March 2019, Edenhope College opened its doors to welcome past students and teachers from the last 60 years. The day was a huge success reuniting old acquaintenances and and reminiscing, along with the sharing of life experiences. The weather was dismal, but we were lucky enough to avoid the bulk of the rain. Speeches were held to initiate the day, with people sharing their stories of how their lives have changed since they finished school, ending with the singing of the school song.

Mr. McClure, Ashleigh Kouroupakis & I were in charge of the day with the responsibilities of tours, mingling and speaking about how the school has changed. With everybody being a big fan of the home economics, especially the automatic dishwasher. Another highlight was seeing the impressed face when we showed off the automatic door in the BER building.

There was an extensive range of memorabilia on display in the Centre to be enjoyed by everyone. This included old newsletters, the "Ripple", a blazer and tie which was a part of the old uniform, the old prefect photos going back to the 1950’s and we were even shown a snippet of the old school song.

Overall the day was one to remember, leaving myself and Ashleigh excited for our reunion in the future.

Ariana Smith-Ralph

College Captain

Parent Teacher Interviews

Term 1 Parent Teacher interviews will be held on Wednesday April 3 2019. Please note that students are NOT required during normal school hours, only for their interview times. Sessions with Teachers are 15 minutes and are available between 2 and 5pm and 5:30-7:30pm.

Letters regarding Parent Teacher Interviews have been sent home with the eldest child of each family (Friday 22 March).  

Once again we will use an online booking system for the interviews using the Xuno portal. Please see the guide below with step-by-step instructions on how to do this. If you experience any difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact the Front Office for assistance.

Parents & Friends Canteen

On Friday March 15, the canteen reopened after a considerable absence at the College. The first Parents & Friends Association Canteen offered students and staff a fresh, healthy and hassle free lunch option. The P & F Volunteers who ran the canteen were welcomed with a sea of eager faces awaiting them when the roller window went up!

Look out for details of the next Canteen coming up on Sports Day! 

Mates Mentor Program

On Tuesday 12 March, there was a Mates Mentors wind up and celebration to thank all the Mentors for sharing their time with our students over the last 12 months.

Both the Mentees and the Mentors gained enjoyment and special friendships that will last beyond the boundaries of the MATES program. Every pair spent time together for one hour once a fortnight and participated in activities such as cooking, going for a walk, playing a game, scrapbooking or just having a chat. The students were able to extend their circle of trusted adults and the adults were able to enjoy the company of a younger person. The school thanks all the Mentors for giving up their time to this special program.

If you would like to be involved in our next MATES program please contact the College Office.

Harmony Day

Edenhope College Staff got into the spirit of Harmony Day and wore many shades of orange on Thursday March 21.

Resilience Project

The Resilience Project will be coming to Edenhope in the first week of Term 2. There will be a Parents Session on Tuesday April 23 and sessions for the students will be run throughout the day on Wednesday April 24. Please look out for more details in the next Whytalla. 

For more information please visit theresilienceproject.com.au