Newsletter Issue 2 2014

Diary Dates

01 02 08 11 28

Aquatics Yr12 Flinders Uni Visit Youth Op Graduation School Concludes 2pm Term 2 Starts—ANZAC Assembly

09 12 12-16 19-21 26-28

02-04 09 13

Arts Showcase 7pm Governing Council Meeting Year 10 Work Experience VET Camp VET Camp

VET Camp

Queens Birthday Pupil Free Day

WILLUNGA

HIGH SCHOOL

239 Main Road, Willunga SA 5172 t (08) 8556 2105 f (08) 8556 2243 e info@whs.sa.edu.au w www.whs.sa.edu.au

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

INTERNET BANKING Families wishing to pay via Internet Banking, the a/c details are:

Bank: Bank SA BSB: 105 108 A/c 394002140 A/c Name: Willunga High School Ref: Student ID (Must be supplied)

April

ABSENTEE LINE - 8557 0153

SUCCESS FAIRNESS SAFETY RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY

May

Newsletter - End of Term 1.

Term 1 has just ‘flown’. With this newsletter you will receive your

child’s report. It has been placed into a Report Folder. This will be where

you will be able to store all of this year’s reports. Terms 2 – 4 reports

will be posted home. It is important that all reports are kept in a safe

place and be easily accessed. We often have requests from past

students who have “lost”, “misplaced” or “destroyed” their originals and

then they have to go through a whole process of retrieving them. When

a young person leaves our school we pass on their files to the next

school or in the care of graduating students. Files are archived. We do

our utmost to accommodate requests but it is very time consuming and

at times, very frustrating for all parties.

We are working towards a “paperless” reporting system using our

new Learner Management System. In order to do this we are working on

our Parent and Student Portal. This will be operational by Term 3 and

really working well by Term 4 so that as we head into 2015, every

parent and student will be able to access academic results at any time.

We want to get it right, so therefore we are moving cautiously!

Sports Day: This day was another triumph. I am always so very proud

of our students, their conduct and team spirit. For the first time ever I

was brought to tears when I witnessed 3 delightful Students (Courtney

Proctor, Megan Kelly and Kate Pringle) running alongside a Year 9 girl

(Crystal) and encouraging her every step of the last 400 metres. They

were so supportive and it really did impress me that they wanted her to

do well and that they took time out of their own very busy day to

provide a younger person with mentoring. What wonderful young role

models these girls are! Another exciting event was the Year 8 High Jump

with Jack Banning breaking the record by 1M 67. This young man

jumped his own height and with most of the crowd watching and

cheering him on, he broke the record and then was rewarded with all of

the students forming an arch which he was encouraged to run through

to celebrate his achievement. What a great spectacle! It was wonderful

to see the carnival atmosphere with the cheer leaders performing at the

start of the day, twisting and tumbling to the delight of the crowd. The

way the House Leaders encouraged everyone to participate in events,

the attendance of a large number of parents, the involvement of

students in the fun events such as the ‘tug of war’ and ‘sack races’ and

the best event of all, the relay events. This was special as this is the

event that staff (male and female) run against the students, and staff do

NOT want to be beaten! Students dressed up in their house colours and

as you will see by the photos, what a grand event it was! We are looking

forward to SANTOS and competing against all the neighbouring schools.

June

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Buses: Our buses are getting very full and we cannot have students going on a bus that is not

allocated to them. If there is an occasion when you would require your child to change their bus, could you please provide a written note. We cannot have students catching a bus for

sports practice or for part time work, so other arrangements need to be made.

Principal’s Tours and Open Night: Open Night was held on Wednesday 19th March and it was great to see so many parents and visitors in our school, marvelling at our facilities and very excited by the displays. It is always fun to be able to show off the vast array of learning

opportunities and experiences that are open to students. I wish to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication to their learning areas. Our numbers continue to grow and we always

strive to provide great opportunities for every student to harness their talents and interests.

Janelle Reimann—Principal

SPORTS DAY 2014

Just a reminder that School Card 2014 Application Forms are available from the Finance Office or can be accessed via www.decd.sa.gov.au/goldbook (follow the links to download the forms). Families experiencing financial difficulties are encouraged to call the Finance Office to discuss payment options such as paying by instalments. We thank you those families who have used our internet banking facility.

Cindy and Kasey FINANCE OFFICERS

Reminder Year 10 Work Experience is now Term 2 Week 3 from Monday 12th May to

BUS ELIGIBILITY

Students who are ZONED to the school and who live more than 5 km from the school have an automatic right to ride to school on an assigned school bus.

Students who wish to be an INELIGIBLE traveller (this means that you have bypassed your zoned school either at High School or Primary School) – must apply to District Office Noarlunga House for permission. This will be judged on an individual basis.

All buses have CCTV – please be aware of this!

DECD policy is that all seat belts must be worn at all times!

SUCCESS FAIRNESS SAFETY RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

2014 SCHOOL FEES

New Learner Management System - SEQTA

This year has seen staff implementing a new Learner Management System - SEQTA. This

system will enable us to manage attendance, student welfare, lesson planning, curriculum mapping, marking and academic reporting while engaging parents and students in an

interactive supportive community. We have spent many hours of Training & Development learning the system, uploading programs and making the student portal easily accessible and an engaging place to access subject information. The student portal is called CONEQT.

This term sees a number of classes trialling accessing their work, grades, and submitting assignments on CONEQT. By the end of Term 2, all students will have this same access. By Term 4 parents will be able to view similar information regarding their child’s progress at

school – very exciting! The Governing Council have volunteered to trial the parent portal during Term 3 which will enable us to iron out any “glitches” before the final roll out.

Kirri Minnican—Deputy Principal

AFTER SCHOOL “LEARN TO SURF”

The WHS After-School "Learn To Surf" program was originally coordinated by Mr John

Griffen, however the surfboard was handed over to Mr Leith Gourlay in 2004. The program's original intent was to provide both younger and new WHS students with the

opportunity to socialise with other students in a non-traditional sporting environment, whilst the tradition continues; as evidenced by the photo below, the young get older and this year's Year 10, 11 and 12 students have continued their patronage.

DECD Port Noarlunga Aquatics Centre staff teach new surfers the basics of surfing, such as surf etiquette, wave selection, and beach safety. WHS staff attend each session and join in

the fun of learning to surf, as well as providing support and extra assistance for beginners. If you'd like further information on the school's After-School "Learn To Surf" Program, please contact the school on 85562105, or email info@whs.sa.edu.au

Rear L-R Georgia, Alison, Cheyenne, Megan, Karri, Natasha. Front L-R Tristan, Mr Gourlay, Brock, Jake, Kevin

Photo of Corbin Donovan(yr8) from Willunga High School with Captain Craig Heap and an excerpt of a letter addressed to Corbin from the Australian Air Force

CONGRATULATIONS CORBIN DONOVAN Yr8

STUDENT COUNSELLING AND WELLBEING NEWS

SUCCESS FAIRNESS SAFETY RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY

The Wellbeing Team have been incredibly busy this term, supporting our young people and establishing support programmes across the school. The team for 2014 consists of Avril

Dargie (Acting Coordinator/Counsellor), Jeff Glass (Alternate Programmes Coordinator) and Rachael Ansell (Christian Pastoral Care Worker).

The first Wellbeing meeting took place during Week 5. A large number of staff attended (approximately 25) to establish the purpose of the meeting, share ideas and concerns.

Several issues arose regarding young people within our school, which was a positive for the Wellbeing Team. Future meetings will address upcoming support programmes, staff wellbeing and parent/caregiver connections to the school.

Our Youth Connections worker, Julie Clifton, is working with a range of young people who are at risk of “slipping through the cracks.” Julie acts as an advocate for each young

person, linking with their family, teachers and other support agencies. Julie’s position in

the school is funded and supported through Workskill.

The SRC have “hit the ground running” this term. So far they have planned and cooked the BBQ for the Parent Evening at the beginning of the school year and the recent Sports Day. Student Ambassadors from the SRC “wowed” visitors at the first Principal’s Tour for 2014,

and acted as guides and greeters on Open Night. On Thursday 27th March, members will be attending a leadership conference especially designed for young leaders.

Rachael Ansell (Christian Pastoral Support Worker) has been working with young people

and making her way around the school to be a visible member of the support team. Rachael is supporting the Girls’ Group (a confidence building programme for young women), and looking at ways to enlist support from local organisations.

High Resolves Programme – will be offered to all Year 8s this year. The programme

focuses on personal leadership and assisting young people to reach their full potential. This will begin approximately Term 2.

Jeff Glass, Alternate Programmes Coordinator, is busily helping young people needing that extra support through alternate offerings. So far he has young people engaged in the

Orchid Club and The K9 Therapy Dog programme. He is now working to compile the list for the Operations Flinders experience and supporting young people involved in the

World Challenge programme.

The After School Surfing programme is in “full swing”. Rob Love and Leith Gourlay support this programme after school on Wednesdays.

Interagency Support – provided through DECD, our Guidance Officer and Interagency Student Behaviour Coordinator have been supporting students (and the school) wherever

possible. The bulk of this occurs through Special Needs and Year Level Management.

Alongside the above, there has been LOTS of general counselling, dealing with crises in young people’s lives and assisting families in need. Our counsellors’ days are never dull! Shaun Walsh—Assistant Principal, FLO/Service Provision

One of the many ways that the young people in your care are able to gain recognition

towards their SACE for the learning that they do outside of school is through the recognition of community based learning process.

The SACE Board recognises two kinds of community learning:

Community-developed Programs Many community organisations develop and accredit their own programs. These programs are

referred to in this document as ‘community-developed programs’. Examples of community organisations that develop such programs are the Australian Music Examinations Board, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the Royal Life Saving Society (SA

Branch), Scouts Australia, and the SA Country Fire Service.

Self-directed Community Learning There are many programs that are not formally accredited. These are programs or sets of activities that are developed by the individual student or developed specifically for individual

students by others. Examples of these programs could include undertaking an independent life skills program or a personal enrichment program, caregiving, taking leadership or roles of

responsibility in the workplace, coaching sporting teams, participating in high performance sporting programs, participating or leading extra curricular school or community

responsibilities and mentoring. Students who apply for recognition of a Self-directed Community Learning Program will

need to participate in a formal interview with a trained assessor at the school.

The interviews generally run for about 30 minutes, at the end of which the assessors will make a decision to recognise the learning (or not) and about how a many SACE credits will be accredited.

More information

If you think that the young person in your care may be eligible to apply for recognition under the Community Based Learning scheme, then please copy the following link into your browser for access to further information and the application form: http://bit.ly/19FUy6s

Rob Love—SACE/VET Coordinator

SUCCESS FAIRNESS SAFETY RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY

RECOGNITION OF COMMUNITY LEARNING

FLO/Alt Programmes

The FLO team has “hit the ground running” this year, with planning sessions and parent meetings beginning on the 6th of January. The FLO teaching space (K5) has been another

energetic zone of the school, with students and team members busily organising Flexible Learning and Transition Plans (FLTP) and external courses.

The FLO Team for 2014 consists of: Beth Wright – FLO Director Chris McEwen – Youth Worker

Kirsty Hewlett-Parker – Youth Worker Stef McDonald – Career and Training Coordinator – FLO

Creena Baird – Data Administrator – FLO John Griffen – Teacher Jeremy Woods– Teacher

Jeff Glass – Counsellor Shaun Walsh – Assistant Principal, FLO/Service Provision

Commonly asked questions about FLO What is FLO?

FLO is an acronym for Flexible Learning Options (FLO). FLO is supported by DECD and Innovative Community Action Networks (ICAN). FLO supports young people who are enrolled in school, but at risk of leaving early; attending school but not actively participating in their

education; leaving school early and are not pursuing employment or further education OR not engaged in a “learning or earning” pathway.

How do young people become recommended for FLO? Generally FLO enrolments/recommendations occur through a school or external service

provider. One of the most important things to remember is that a FLO student CANNOT be counted in the beginning of school year census.

What happens when a young person is “FLO’d”? A young person who is FLO enrolled is assigned a case manager. This case manager is either provided through the enrolling school, OR the young person is “outsourced” to another

service provider. All case managers are required to have Cert 4 in Youth Work or Diploma Youth Work or Youth Justice or a degree in Social Work. Willunga High School case manages

some young people on site, but we also “outsource” to Campbell Page. Campbell Page provides a service through the VOLT at Aldinga.

Once a case manager is assigned, meetings take place with the young person and their family, to build the FLTP (Flexible Learning and Transition Plan). The FLTP underpins the young person’s learning journey and clearly outlines the goals they wish to achieve. The case

manager supports the young person to achieve the goals of this plan, assists with booking into courses and acts as a “go to person” to support with life’s ups and downs.

What qualifications does a young person gain through a FLO enrolment? This is based largely on the needs of the young person and the goals outlined in their FLTP.

For many young people, it is the completion of a Certificate 3 course and support into apprenticeships/traineeships or further TAFE study. There are a number of young people who

successfully complete their SACE.

The most common “starting point” for young people in FLO programmes is completion of

Certificate 1 in ESD (Education Skills and Development).

Where can I find out more about FLO?

For more information about FLO and a young person’s eligibility, www.ican.sa.edu.au Alternatively, make contact with either Beth Wright (FLO Director) or Shaun Walsh (Assistant Principal – FLO/Service Provision) 8556 2105.

Shaun Walsh—Assistant Principal, FLO/Service Provision

FLO-FLEXIBLE LEARNING OPTIONS

LIBRARY NEWS

SUCCESS FAIRNESS SAFETY RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY

Canines Assist in Student’s Academic

Success

Congratulations to 2013 Year 12 student Belynda

Ling who assisted in the training of Jak one of the

school’s therapy dogs for her SACE Research

Project. Belynda has been offered a place at Flinders

University to undertake a BSC in Animal Behaviour.

She says that it was the experience of working with

the dogs and their trainer Nicola Ridley that helped

her to decide on a career path working with

animals. We wish her every success in achieving

her goals.

Trish Walker - Library Manager

Student Library Assistants

Did you know that we have a great team of

Student Library Assistants who assist library staff

to keep the collections in good order. Each

assistant has a section of the library which they

are responsible for, keeping the books in correct

order and the shelves tidy. To reward their great

work we have a morning tea twice a term. If you

love the Library and would like to get involved

please come and sign up at the library desk to

become an assistant. Your help is greatly

appreciated.

Premier’s Reading Challenge Why not enrol in the Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Even if you have taken the Challenge previously you

can progress through the levels to the Hall of Fame and

become a Gold Reader for Life. All you need to do is

read twelve books before the 5th of September. Come

to the library for an enrolment form, or ask your

English teacher.

Year 9 students Daniel Jackson and Ryan

Hollingsworth (left) enjoy a relaxing read in

the Library.

At the end of 2013 we held a Minecraft Fest in the

Library for all of our Minecraft enthusiasts. Andrew

Head (below left) did a great job in setting up the

server for the game to enable all participants to

play together. Everyone enjoyed themselves

Enormously, topped off by pizzas at the end of the

morning. Andrew has had recognition for his

organization of this event as part of his Citizenship

Project for his PLP.

Andrew Head demonstrated his superb IT skills in organising the Minecraft Fest.

Belynda Ling

Jak

SANTOS

SUCCESS FAIRNESS SAFETY RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY

COMMUNITY NOTICE BOARD

www.willunga.com/175

willunga175@gmail.com

Tour Of Opportunities Ph: 8226 2614

student1@reconciliationsa.org.au

Art Exhibition Flagstaff Hill Rotary Club 17th to 26th April 2014

10.00 am - 4.00 pm daily

12 noon - 7pm Anzac Day

Closed Good Friday

Flagstaff Hill Primary School

Black Road

Flagstaff Hill

South Australia http://www.flagstaffhill.rotaryclub.org.au

or Facebook

COMMUNITY NOTICE BOARD

Come & Try Flinders Uni Ph: 8201 2118

disability@flinders.edu.au

Career Ideas Ph: Jen Cousins 8207 8652

jennifer.cousins@tafesa.edu.au

Fleurieu Dental is participating in the new Med-

icare Child Dental Benefit Schedule (CDBS). CDBS will commence on 1 January 2014 and

provides basic dental services to eligible children,

replacing the Teen Dental Plan. Children are

eligible if they are aged between 2 –17 years on

any one day of the calendar year and they

receive, or their family, guardian or carer

receives, certain government benefits such as

Family Tax Benefit Part A or youth allowance for

at least part of the calendar year. Fleurieu Den-

tal will be Bulk Billing with no out of pocket

expense for eligible dental services. Please call

Fleurieu Dental on 8323 8457 (McLaren Vale) or

8552 3961 (Victor Harbor) for more information

or to arrange an appointment.