From the Principal

Welcome to the 2025 school year which commenced on 28 January. We held a whole school assembly emceed by the school captains and vice captains. Our 2025 Student Representative Council, (SRC) were inducted in front of the students and staff given certificates and their badges.

I would like to warmly welcome our new year 7 students along with students who have joined us in other year levels. We have also been joined by 18 International Students.

Success at school has many ingredients. They include:

• Being organised. Decide for what you are going to do and when you are going to do it. This will make sure you are always ahead of the curve and less likely to fall behind and have to try to catch up.
• Avoid multitasking. Studies have shown that multitasking is physically impossible and impacts on your capacity to complete tasks.
• Break things up. Studying isn't always fun. Forcing yourself through a study marathon will only make it worse. Dividing your work into manageable chunks and rewarding yourself when you finish each chunk will make studying better and assist you to realise that you have made progress and gained ground.
• Get enough sleep. Adolescents and young people need at least eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep helps the brain the prune and process, sharpening the focus and improving the working memory.

• Plan your day and week – set a schedule. 

  Students need to know if they

  • Work better right after school or after you have eaten dinner?
  • Are they more productive in 90-minute blocks or half-hour spurts?
  • You need to find a schedule that works for you.
• Take and make notes. Taking and making notes will keep you more engaged during class time. It helps you narrow down what you need to study when assessments including tests and examination time happens. It is much easier to reread your notes than to reread your entire textbook!
• Study You need to know that there's a right and a wrong way to study. Review your material several days ahead of time, in small chunks, and in different ways such a writing flashcards one day, summaries and take practice tests. In other words, don't cram, mix it up and certainly do not leave things to the last minutes.
• Manage your study space. Find a place that will maximize your productivity. Look for places away from the television, game station and other distractions. Whether it's your local library or space in your bedroom, set aside a study space where you will want to spend time in.
• Find a study group. Sitting down with a group of people who are learning the same things as you, is a great way to go over class material or prepare for an assessment task such as a test. You can quiz each other, reteach material, and make sure that everyone understands what they need to know. Teaching someone else is often one of the best ways to learn.
• Ask questions. You are in school to learn, so don't be afraid to do just that! Asking for help - from a teacher, other students or your friends. This helps to make sure you truly understand the material. 

It is important that students work with their peers and teachers to take full advantage of the learning that is available to them. This requires not only concentrating on their work in class. Essentially, students need to seek help early when they are unsure of what they have to do. Trying not to get behind with their work and allowing too many tasks to be tackled at the same time particularly as due dates loom.

A reminder that mobile phones are banned in school. Our process is that students, without exemptions, need to secure their mobile phones and smart watches in their Yondr pouches. 

The Yondr locking and unlocking stations are located at entrances to the school. Students who arrive late or need to leave early can have their pouches locked or unlocked at Student Services.

During the school holidays there were some improvements around the school. 

This included:

• Installation of new carpet in some of the classrooms
• Installation of a large school sign on the retaining wall adjacent to design and technology as well as a direction sign to the front of the school.

Planned developments for 2025 include:

• Completion of the reconciliation garden at the front of the school, working with Nature Play SA.
• Upgrading of some teaching spaces that were not included in the redevelopment

Staffing:

We have welcomed the following staff for 2025.

• Jonathan Burns teaching design and technology
• Kyle Clarke teaching chemistry, science and mathematics
• Ben Dening teaching Activating Identities and Futures and music
• Suriya Down teaching music and dance
• Adam Langley teaching health and PE
• Cecelia Lui teaching Japanese
• Sharmaine Mills teaching English and HASS
• Brooke Nykiel teaching HASS and Exploring Identities and Futures
• Danielle Speer teaching visual arts
• Alisha Willima teaching health and PE and English
• Jordan Tassell teaching Japanese
• Kim Kirchner teaching English for term 1
• Jess Kuss teaching visual arts and psychology
• Michael Walker teaching digital technology and mathematics
• Cody Needham teaching design and technology

In addition, we have welcomed Loren Panno to the support teaching staff leading the literacy and numeracy interventions for students and Ciara Flynn has returned to undertake the school promotion’s role. 

We have also welcomed our new Social Worker, Lucy Alver to the school. Lucy will be in the school from Wednesday to Friday. We have also welcomed back Tamisha Mably. 

In my last newsletter for 2024 I had provided some incorrect information about a staff member who is leaving our school. Jenny Palmer has provided 51 years to education. She started her teacher career in 1977. I want to acknowledge the commitment of Jenny to public education since 1977.

The 2025 School Sports Day will be held on Thursday 21 March. All students and staff have been allocated to our houses: Yarta, Karla, Tindu and Tirntu. Prior to the sports day students will be nominating for the events. There will be some pre-sport day events which will be held before 21 March.

Our Sports Day enables students to come together to participate in a range of ways including contributing to the carnival atmosphere by dressing up in their house colours. The ability for our whole school to be together for this school event provides supports for students to interact in different ways: as participants, spectators or in supporting the event through involved in the catering or organisation.

2024 Class of Year 12

The 2024 Class of Year 12 students faced the end of the school year with their results being released on 16 December. Our students should be justly proud of their achievements.

A summary of the results for the 2024 Class of Year 12 includes:

• There were 134 students who completed their SACE. This represented 98% of the potential students who could complete their SACE achieving it. 
• 95 students received an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR)
• 46 students had Vocational Education and Training (VET) as part of their SACE.
• 62.5% of the grades were in the A and B bands.
• 8 students got an ATAR of 90 and above.
• 21.87% got an ATAR above 80.
• 66 students got at least one A grade with 23 students achieving between two and five A grades.
• Three merits were awarded: two in Activating Identities and Futures and one in Spanish continuers.

Congratulations to Mariarose Santhosh who achieved an ATAR of 96.8. Mariarose is understaking a medical imaging degree at The University of Adelaide. We will be inviting her to the Class of 2025 Graduation to acknowledge her achievements as the 2024 Dux of our school.

Our students have been offered places in a broad range of tertiary courses. As well, some students are continuing their apprenticeships and traineeships and some are going into employment. 

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the Year 12 subject teachers for their commitment and perseverance throughout 2024 and the unrelenting commitment to make sure students completed their work.

Governing Council

Information about the forthcoming Governing Council Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 18 February has been emailed to all families. Involvement in the Governing Council provides parents/caregivers with the opportunity to have input into the policies and direction of the school. There are a total of 16 positions on the Governing Council for parents/caregivers.

If you are interested in attending the AGM and/or nominate for the Governing Council, please contact Rachael Kuhl by ringing the school on 8270 44 55, select 4 or email rachael.kuhl201@school.sa.edu.au 

2024 Leadership

Executive

Marion Coady - Principal

Cassie Dickeson - Deputy Principal

Ryan Brown - Assistant Principal: Innovation in Curriculum and Pedagogy including IGNITE

Fran Charlton - Assistant Principal: Senior School Innovation and 7-12 Career Education

Danielle Speer - Assistant Principal: Information Systems Timetable and Daily Organisation

Laryssa Montgomery - Assistant Principal - Middle school Innovation and 7-12 Wellbeing for Learning

Hazel Bashford - Business Leader

Curriculum Leadership

Suriya Down - The Arts

Fran Charlton - Cross Disciplinary studies related to SACE compulsory requirements

Sharmaine Mills - English/EALD

Amanda Chandler - HASS

Adam Langley - Health and Physical Education

Ben Dening – VET and Pathways

Brooke Nykiel – Effecting Identities and Futures

Ryan Brown - Design and Technologies

Leadership Related to Wellbeing

Harmony Fenoughty - Year 12

Julie Mohtasham - Year 11

Brooke Nykiel - Year 10

Shauna Thompson - Year 9

Michelle Stephens - Year 8

Vanessa Ingram - Year 7

IGNITE

Amee Allison - IGNITE leader

Support for Learning Needs

Ben Young - Learning Inclusion including differentiation

Support for Specific Student Groups

Vanessa Ingram & Nigel Lockyer - First Nations students

Alanna Maurin - English as an additional language/dialect

Support for Student Wellbeing

Jules Hanrahan - Wellbeing Leader

Alan Peat - Wellbeing Leader

In addition, we have our two social workers, Katrina Schmitt and Lucy Alver. Our Pastoral Care Worker is Matt Peters.