October, 2018

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UPDATE 12 Community | Curiosity | Excellence

21 February, 2019

Community | Curiosity | Excellence

From Alistair Brown - Principal

 Starting at a new school always has the potential to be a stressful and challenging time for students as well

as for parents. During the past few weeks we have been mindful of how best to support students through

this transition and provide opportunities for them to feel comfortable as part of our school community and

develop a sense of really belonging. The Studios have provided time and activities for them to become far

better acquainted with the school, as well as the precinct. Events such as the Swimming Carnival and DNA

Action Days have specifically focussed on providing opportunities to develop new friendships outside of the

classroom environment, at the same time building a strong sense of community through the house

structures. Coming up soon will be the Parent Connect Evenings which will enable you to meet with your

child’s Connect teacher to hear some information that will assist with your understanding of the school and

help you support your child. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and have your child take you for a

tour of the school.  

I have recently been asked by a number of students and parents why students enter and leave school from

the rear of the building. The rear of the school (student entrance) was designed to provide a safe entry and

exit point as well as provision of services for our students, with access to the Botanic Terrace, Plaza, Café,

Gymnasium and Atrium. Rather than students being expected to wait outside the front of the school on the

forecourt and footpath in the morning, the school was designed so that they could access the Café for

breakfast and choose to stay in the undercover areas of the Plaza or move up to the Botanic Terrace.

October, 2018

Each of these areas are located away from the general

public and give safe and comfortable locations for students

as they arrive in the morning.  Each day prior to students

arriving the school grounds are cleared through the same

security protocols used by the adjacent universities to make

sure that area is safe and clear of anything that may put

students at risk. As students arrive, there are staff on duty at

the rear of the school in high visibility vests to supervise the

Café, Plaza and Botanic Terrace from 8.45am each day,

except Wednesday when students are supervised from

9.35am. Please note that students are not supervised

outside of these times. The building opens at 9.10am when

students come in to go to lockers and move to Connect

Group (on Wednesday this occurs from 10.00am). 

We have encouraged students to access the student

entrance by arriving at the front of the school and using the

access ramp along the side, or to come across Frome Park

which is highly visible and to access through Botanic Park at

the rear. Each of these areas are highly visible to the teacher

on duty. We do not encourage students to come through the

treed area at the rear of the school.  

As part of students moving through any urban environment,

it is important that you as a parent and we as a school

continue to reinforce safe practices for our young people,

whether it be related to the entry to the school or movement

to and from school. 

2Community | Curiosity | Excellence

Introducing our Student Support Team Please familiarise yourselves with our support team for your students in 2019.  

Parent/Caregivers primary (first) communication contact and liaison is via their students Connect Group teacher.

Connect Group teachers have emailed families as way of introduction over the last week, and have invited families to a “Time to Connect” session.

We also provide Year Level and Wellbeing support as follows:-   

Year 8 Assistant Principal Donna Mason 

Year 9 Assistant Principal Bronte Nicholls 

Learner Support Assistant Principal Kirsty Gebert 

Wellbeing and Transition Coordinator Eden McEwen 

Alistair

CONTACTING STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY

We ask that if parents/caregivers need to contact students during the day that they do so via

Student Services (8214 7700) as student mobile phones are kept in lockers during lesson time and

are inaccessible. 

If a student becomes unwell during the day we require that they seek support from Student

Services first of all. First Aid staff will assess the situation, provide care/support and if contact

with home is warranted they will make that a priority.   

October, 2018

Sport at Adelaide Botanic High School-Kylie Trenorden Coordinator - Lifestyle Choices and Innovative Pedagogies

Co-curricular sport is already up and running with our Year

8/9 Boys Cricket team playing Blackwood High School in

Week 3, and with the SASSSA Swimming Carnival coming

up next week. There are also a range of other sporting

opportunities that will arise later this term and further into

the year including Athletics, Soccer, Netball, Badminton

and many more.  

As a brand new school, we are still getting to know our

student cohort and their interests and passions. Once we

have a better understanding and knowledge of our

student body, we will be in a better position to offer

activities that will suit the needs of our students.

If your child is seeking to be involved in a particular sport

after school, we are more than happy to help link your

child up with a local club that can offer them the expert

coaching that will further develop and enhance their

existing skill levels. 

3Community | Curiosity | Excellence

Lifestyle Choices Curriculum

-Kylie Trenorden Coordinator - Lifestyle Choices and

Innovative Pedagogies

In Lifestyle Choices the students have participated in “getting to know you” games in the gym, started discussing individual and community health in the classroom, and had an induction into the Food Technology space on Level 5.

This week they make their first visit to the playing fields for sport and we will begin inducting the students into the Fitness Centre so that they learn how to use the equipment safely and effectively.  

In the coming weeks, students will begin their Lifestyle Choices assignment, engage in a range of physical activity experiences and cook for the first time in Food Technology.

October, 2018

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Cricket - the first interschool game Student Captain’s Report by Jovial Kadambatt

We started our journey on an early, cold Monday morning to participate in first interschool cricket

match with Blackwood High School. As a team we started preparing for the day beginning with a

warm up. We faced strong winds and rain which could be either an advantage or disadvantage.

Following our pre-game practice, we lost the toss and went into bat. As we started the game, we

were hit with more rain, but we enjoyed it thoroughly. We posted a total of 9/98 at the end of the 35

over innings. We started with one of our great ballers and the first ever wicket for ABHS was taken in

the 6th over by a catch, which was quite exciting for the team. Each of our teammates tried their

best, but Blackwood were able to score at a high rate to attain the target and win by eight wickets.  

Regardless of whether we won or lost, it was an amazing experience for all of us as a team who

came together just last week. It was an incredibly exciting time and we all were proud to be

representatives of our brand-new school. Personally, and as a team, we would like to thank

Blackwood High School for an amazing experience. Additionally, we would like to thank Adelaide

Botanic High School and our coach Andy for organising this sporting event which gave us an

opportunity to build a team and team spirit in all of us. I heartily appreciate the efforts and

sportsmanship of teammates that tried their hardest and most importantly we had heaps of fun

together. This occasion will be remembered amongst the players and the school. We are looking

forward for more of these kinds of events to learn leadership, sportsmanship and team spirit in the

coming times together.  

October, 2018

Student AbsencesNotification of student absence from school Students who have not attended school will be considered

as absent for the whole day.  An SMS will be generated and

sent to the parent/caregiver listed as the enrolling parent

in our database. We ask that a brief response to this text

message is sent to inform the school of the reason for the

absence.  

Leaving school during the day Students who need to leave the school grounds during the

day must:  

- Have a signed note with a school approved reason from their parent/

caregiver  

- Show that note to their Connect Group teacher, and the teacher

whose class they are leaving from   

- Sign out from school at Student Services (Level 1)  

- Students returning to school must sign back in at Student Services

(Level 1) to record their return.    

News from Cafe BYou can now pre-order food from Cafe B   Using the Qkr! App, you can now pre-order and pay for either Breakfast or Lunch for your child.

Check out the large range of menu options via the App, and confirm your selection prior to 9am on the day of your order. Orders can be made in advance, and repeat orders placed.

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Reporting an Absence We are pleased to now be able to

offer families the following

methods for informing the school

of your child’s absences. 

• SMS message to 0419 850 419*  

• Telephone on 8214 7700 to

speak with Heidi in Reception or

Elaine in Student Services 

• Email the school on

dl.1919.info@schools.sa.edu.au 

For all absences we ask that you

clearly provide a reason for the

absence.  Appropriate reasons for

absence may include: Unwell,

Family reasons or Appointment  .

Students on an excursion or

school sport will be marked

appropriately at school. 

If a family is intending on taking

students out of school for a family

holiday, you must contact the

school and apply to the Principal

for an exemption.

* please note only SMS messages to this number about absences will be monitored, all other communication with the school must be via email or phone call.

October, 2018

Starting Strong in STEM- Daniel SeymourSTEM Technologies and Innovative Pedagogies Coordinator

- Theo PapazoglovSTEM Maths/Science focus and Innovative Pedagogies Coordinator

It has been an amazing couple of weeks getting to know

our cohort and what they bring to the Adelaide Botanic High

School community. The learning students are currently

undertaking has been specifically designed to help gather

information on students so we can learn how best to

support them over the reminder of the year. One way we are

going about this is through our ‘Lesson Starters’. These are

mathematical problem-solving activities that provide the

opportunity to develop problem-solving fluencies, while also

developing resilience and confidence towards maths.

These skills will be given a workout through the rest of Term

1 in readiness for the national tests in Term 2.  

We understand that students would like to participate in

competitions and extra curricula activities, so will share

more information about these opportunities in the near

future.

In the meantime, we have started a ‘Maths Club’ for any

students who have a passion and desire to learn

mathematics and want to be pushed to the next level. This

group meets during Break 1 on Thursdays in Room 3.03 on

Level 3.  

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STEM Year 8 Year 8, students are considering what the Adelaide Botanic High

School community would look like if it was represented by 100 people.

Inspired by a video titled “If the World

was only 100 people”, students are collecting and analysing data while

also considering the ethics behind data collection and the use of personal information.

Students are exploring ways to communicate data and

mathematical ideas visually, as the outcome of this learning will be a digital product such as an

infographic or animation that can be displayed within the school.

STEM Year 9 Year 9, students are studying stress and how it effects the human body. They have been collecting data on

themselves throughout the day, including heart rate, respiration rate

and skin surface temperature. To measure this data students have created a digital device, by coding a

microcontroller, and will be comparing the reliability and

accuracy of their own device to that of a purchased sensor. 

We have highlighted the fact that not all stress is bad stress. To reinforce this we’ll be calling upon guest speakers to share how they manage their stress in the world of elite sports.

By the end of this learning, we aim for all students to have a better understanding of how they personally respond to stress as a way of developing strategies to manage their wellbeing in the future. 

Community | Curiosity | Excellence