Year 12 students, Zachary Bell & Amber Craig, welcoming Year 7 students, Isaac Chappell & Lia Babic, to Kapunda High School

Welcome to our first newsletter for the year.

As the Deputy I am happy to provide an update to families on the beginning of the year as David is on Paternity leave for the next two weeks. I am happy to announce that David and his wife Mel have recently welcomed their first born into the world. I am sure that he will be excited to share the news with the community and we wish him and his new family well over the coming weeks.

Our start to the year has been very positive with a number of events already successfully completed. Last Friday we had our swimming carnival where we were still able to hold the competitive elements of the carnival to ensure students had the opportunity to qualify for our interschool swimming competition at Burra early in week 4. The afternoon was spent in the Gym where we were able to continue the competitive spirit with novelty games in house groups. I would like to acknowledge the work of Mark Leslie, staff, students and our grounds staff who ensured that the day was a success for all.

I was fortunate to attend our Centenary Foundation awards presentation ceremony on Tuesday night, where a successful group of Year 12 students from 2022 were awarded scholarships to support their transition from school to further education. Thank you to all the members of the Centenary Foundation who have provided significant support for Kapunda High School students over the years. The community support and sponsorship is significant, and is greatly appreciated by our families and community.

In coming weeks we will have opportunities for families to connect with Kapunda High School. Next week we will be hosting new families to Kapunda High School with our Middle School BBQ on the 21^st of February, and information will be going out to families in preparation for the Year 12 Information Night in coming weeks.  As we settle into the year and focus on high expectations in the yard and classroom, I would encourage all families to take the opportunities provided to connect with our teaching staff at Kapunda High School to ensure our partnership can strengthen to support the success of all students in our school.

Tim Jones

Acting Principal

We have a number of new staff at KHS this year, and we are very excited to have them on board.

SENIOR HOUSE CAPTAINS 2023

JUNIOR HOUSE CAPTAINS 2023

Swimming Report

On Friday of Week 1 our students braved the wintry conditions at our annual interhouse swimming carnival at the Kapunda pool. Given the unusual and somewhat unpleasant conditions for swimming, those involved participated and performed exceptionally well!

The first half of the day involved swimmers competing in the individual swimming events for house points. This included backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle events. With help from staff, who performed their roles efficiently, we managed to get through all of the heats and finals before the rain settled in. As a result, we had to cut the carnival short and could not run the fun home group novelty events which many students were looking forward to.  In replacement of this, students were able to represent their house back at school in the gym participating in some alternative novelty events.

One of the highlights to come out of the day were the 6 swimming records that were broken by two of our swimmers: Emily Towers and Amber Craig.

After many years, Hughes have shown they are on their way up with a convincing win!!

KHS Swimming Carnival 2023

AGE GROUP CHAMPIONS & HOUSE WINNERS

NEW RECORDS

Kapunda High School Centenary Foundation awards Country Education Grants to post-school students

Back: (l to r) :  Principal David Marino, Toby Woods, Jayden Matz, Mitchell Trotta, Riley Menzel and Mr Barry Vogt (Chairman).  Front: (l to r):Jessica Both, Abbey Menzel, Liana Antonioli, Georgia Malkin and Sadie Shanahan

On Tuesday evening, 7th February, the Kapunda High School Centenary Foundation’s 15^th Annual Awards Presentation was held. Approximately $30,000 was distributed to 17 former Kapunda High School students, through the Country Education Foundation of Australia grants programme. This brings the total amount of funding facilitated by the Centenary Foundation since 2009, to just over $380,000 distributed to 135 students and trade trainees.

MC for the Presentations, Anne Hornsey, was pleased to introduce Centenary Foundation Chairman, Barry Vogt who welcomed a large crowd of enthusiastic donors, supporters and family members of grant recipients to the Presentations, held in the grounds of “Eringa”. 

Mr Vogt spoke proudly of the achievements and success enjoyed by a number of past grant recipients, all of whom had strived to follow their dreams. Mr Vogt also paid tribute to the initial significant donation from a former Kapunda High School student, the late Jim Bettison, enabling the Centenary Foundation to get off to a flying start.   This had encouraged other supporters who regularly continue to support the Foundation with generous donations.  Mr Vogt hoped this would always be so, ensuring a financially secure future for the Foundation.

Clyde Hazel was pleased to announce the recipient of the Foundation Award for 2022, Mitchell Trotta, who was acknowledged 2022 DUX of Kapunda High School.    Members of the Hazel Family have been strong supporters of the Centenary Foundation since its inception.

Barry Vogt then announced the recipient of the 2023-2026, Kapunda High School Centenary Foundation JIM BETTISON SCHOLARSHIP, Poppy Brady.  

Principal of Kapunda High School, Mr David Marino, spoke on Poppy’s achievements and her ambition to be an airline pilot. She has already undertaken extra studies relating to her desired vocation and is well on the way to fulfilling her dream.

The recipient of the HELEN JAMES AWARD for 2023-2024, Liana Antonioli, was announced.  David Marino spoke highly of Liana’s years at Kapunda High School, where she showed excellent leadership skills as Head Prefect, and also being the recipient of the Light Regional Council’s Young Citizen of the Year Award for 2023. Liana has a keen interest in Politics and is currently filling a part-time position in the office of the Member for Frome, Ms Penny Pratt.

Deputy Principal, Mr Jones  announced the following Country Education Foundation grants for 2021, including the 2023-24 Ahrens Regional Education Awards, the Ian Murray Education Grant, the Johnson Family KHS Country Education Awards, the Ware Family Education Grants, the Light Regional Council Education Grants and the Kapunda Community Thrift Shop Award.  

Presentations were made by Centenary Foundation committee members Treasurer Steve Ruediger, Frank Ware and Barry Vogt, to the following students:

Jessica Both and Jayden Matz (Ahrens Award), Toby Woods (Kapunda Community Thrift Shop Award), Abbey Menzel (Ian Murray Award), Mikayla Pratt and Akira Selway-Glaister (Johnson Family KHS Country Education Awards), Riley Menzel and Georgia Malkin (Ware Family Country Education Grants), Sadie Shanahan (Light Regional Council Country Education Grant)

Chairman Barry Vogt acknowledged the Centenary Foundation’s continuing support of the Jim Bettison Scholarship awardees:  Chloe Dabrowski (2020-2024) Georgia Flavel (2021-2024) and Cameron Gerhardy (2022-2025), the Helen James Award recipient William Gambling (2022-23), along with the Ahrens Regional Award recipients for 2022-23 Owen Matz and Meg Shanahan.

Mr David Marino, Principal of Kapunda High School spoke highly of the work of the Kapunda High School Centenary Foundation and its support of Kapunda High School students. 

Mr Marino also spoke on the steady progress being made in the reconstruction and restoration of the school’s main building, “Eringa”, which was gutted by fire in March 2022. 

Said Mr Marino, “the support from all people connected with Kapunda High School has been magnificent and speaks highly of the place the school holds in Kapunda’s heart”.

In his closing remarks, Chairman Barry Vogt thanked everyone involved in the evening, including the members of the Centenary Foundation Selection Panel, David Marino, Tim Jones, and Anne Hornsey. He also thanked grounds personnel, Shane and Lance  who had assisted with setting up the area for the presentations.

The evening concluded with a light supper enjoyed on the lawns of “Eringa”.

 Anne Hornsey

The materials and services charges for 2023 are $470.00, less the $100 government rebate = $370.  This is used for the purchase of loan text books, equipment and materials used in the delivery of the curriculum.  A basic stationery issue is supplied (which is GST Free) which includes an ID card and monthly printing and internet allocation. 

PAYMENT OF MATERIALS AND SERVICES

Payment of materials and services is due before the end of Term 1.
Payment may be made by cash, cheque, EFTPOS, Visa, MasterCard or by Direct Bank Deposit (see details below). Students are to make payments prior to the start of the school day (8:50am) to avoid carrying around large sums of money through the day.  Parents/caregivers are encouraged to make payments to the Finance Desk in the Front Office Reception Building from 8:30-9:30am.

Prompt payment of school charges ensures that all parents accept their share of the responsibility for the education of their students. 

INSTALMENT PAYMENT PLAN

Download and return the following form to apply for paying school fees by instalment this year.

SCHOOL CARD SCHEME  

If you think you may be eligible for School Card please complete the online application form at the link below prior to Friday, March 17th, 2023.

Have you ever wondered why a decision was made about a certain issue at school?

Do you ever think there could be a better way of doing things?

Have you considered joining Governing Council and being part of the decision-making process?

There are parent vacancies on Governing Council for 2023 and we strongly encourage you to think about nominating. There is a nomination form below, which can be returned to the Reception office with your child or via email:  dl.0779.info@schools.sa.edu.au

In 2023, there will be approximately seven meetings – each of approximately 2 hours duration. 

The Governing Council shares responsibility with the Principal for setting the strategic directions of the school and contributes to policy development. Being a councillor is a good opportunity to contribute and shape the direction of the school. 

The Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 22nd at 6:30pm. Even if you don‛t feel you can commit to being on Governing Council, you are most welcome to attend this meeting. If you do intend to come along, please RSVP attendance by emailing dl.0779.info@schools.sa.edu.au by Monday 20th February, for a copy of the agenda and for organisational purposes. The meeting will be held in the Resource Centre.

Rest assured, there will be no pressure to join Governing Council. At this meeting, we will formally present the Annual Report and the school‛s financial report.

Students that were absent on Tuesday for Photo Day will be able to have their photo taken next week.

When: Wednesday, 15/2/23

Where: Resource Centre 

Students will be notified with a time to attend.

Tab Mackenzie

School Photo Coordinator 

Wellbeing Update

The Wellbeing team is extremely excited to have a brand new Wellbeing Hub at the school. The Wellbeing Hub is located between the basketball court and Student Services and will be a space where meetings, check-ins and support can be provided to students in need.

The Wellbeing team in 2023 will consist of:

• Sam Milne (Assistant Principal – Positive School Culture & Wellbeing)
• Avylon Magarey (Wellbeing Leader)
• Dale Price (Youth Worker)
• Renee Floyd (Pastoral Care Worker)

We are really looking forward to supporting our KHS students this year. If you would like to get in touch, you can do so via Daymap or contact through the Front Office.

House Points System

The KHS House Points System is an exciting new initiative that has been created to promote and recognise positive student and team behaviour. The House Points System is designed to create healthy competition between the 3 schools Houses (Hughes, Hawke & Kidman) and allow students and teams to win points for their house based on positive student behaviour and engagement.

The main way that students will be able to receive House Points will be through Positive Student Recognitions. These recognitions can be provided by staff members to students each day who demonstrate positive behaviours such as helping others, demonstrating improvement, representing the school to a high standard, improving the environment or other positive actions.

House points will also be based on Swimming Carnival results, Sports Day results, Golden Event results, Effort data, Academic data and Attendance data. The points will be tallied on an ongoing basis with updates provided in assembly twice a term. In Term 4, the House Shield will be awarded to the House with the most points (think Harry Potter House Shield presentation).

Staff and students are really excited about the competition this year and we can’t wait to see the positive behaviour throughout the school and community.

 Sam Milne

Assistant Principal

Positive School Culture and Wellbeing

I'm Jen Williams and I am very happy to be starting here at Kapunda High School. I have been at Nuriootpa High School for the past 11 years, and I have always heard great things about KHS, so I'm excited to be here. I have had a very warm welcome from both staff and students. 

This year we are going to continue to work on the amazing work that has been established in the Learning Hub, around supporting students to self regulate, in preparedness for achieving personal best in their learning. To do this, we will continue the work on Interoception as well as self check-ins, using the Zones of Regulation to inform this work. 

I'm looking forward to a great year ahead and working with the students and their families at Kapunda High School.

Jen Williams

Assistant Principal

Learning Support & Pedagogy

VET / FLO / School Based Apprenticeships

As we start 2023 Kapunda High school will be working with 12 current students to combine their schooling with a school-based apprenticeship. This involves a combination of school and work across the week along with VET training in their specific field. There were also another 6 students that have elected to commence a full-time apprenticeship this year.

Week 2 of term 1 sees the commenced of Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses both onsite at Kapunda High school, offsite at other regional schools/TAFESA campuses and a small group studying online.

In another exciting venture Kapunda High school is developing partnerships with local businesses and a prominent land developer to offer students exposure to a wide range of opportunities and career pathways. Watch this space as this is consolidated and announced to the school community.

Jason Keep

Assistant Principal

Flexible Pathways

I have had a wonderful start to 2023, and I would like to thank all of the students and staff who have made me feel very welcome at Kapunda High School. I am genuinely excited to be here. 
My name is Emma Oliver and I am the new Assistant Principal leading the Middle School.  I have a very exciting vision for where I would like to take the Middle School, and I am busy learning everything I need to know about how things are done at KHS; there is a lot to learn!  I grew up in the Adelaide Hills in Belair where we ran around as a pack of kids catching tadpoles, building jumps for our BMX bikes, go-carts, rope swings and cubbies… We basically always had a project on the go and it was great fun.  I have worked as an educator for nearly 20 years and have worked in schools across Melbourne and in Malaysia before returning to South Australia.  My background is in Wellbeing; I was the Head of the Senior School at the Australian International School Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and the Wellbeing Coordinator at Yorketown Area School as well as Meningie Area School.  Prior to my appointment at Kapunda, I was the principal at Geranium Primary School in the beautiful Mallee, however due to a declining population my school became too small to function successfully.  I am eager and motivated to get into my work here and to get to know this lovely community.
We are having a Meet the Teacher BBQ on Tuesday 21^st February from 5:30 – 7pm on the front lawn in front of the gym for families of students in Years 7 & 8.  I hope to see you there.

Emma Oliver

Assistant Principal

Middle School

All visitors please check in with our friendly staff on arrival at our Reception office, which is situated along the walkway from the West Terrace entrance. Staff will assist visitors, contact appropriate staff for meetings or arrange for student collection. 

'Signing In'

It is an important process (our school staff and students need to be able to easily identify visitors to the school or indeed, intruders). It should also be noted that visitors are not permitted to attend the school for the purpose of socializing with students during the school day.

Finance Desk

If you need to make a payment to the Finance Desk in our Front Office Reception Building, we strongly encourage school community members to do so between 8:30 and 9:30 each morning. 

Parents/caregivers at our school are informed by mobile phone Short Message Service (SMS) each time their child is away from school.

At Kapunda High School, student attendance and safety is a high priority.

We know that students who attend regularly are more likely to be successful and safe at school. To support this, we inform parents/caregivers about any unexplained absences for their child.

The school expects parents/caregivers to contact the school in advance if they know their child is to be absent.

An SMS text message is sent to the mobile phones of parents explaining that our records show that your child is absent from school. The message will read as:

Kapunda HS records show JANE JONES is absent 29 January. Please reply with Student Name, reason & date or Phone 8566 2203.

• Parents can reply to the absence notification text by pressing the reply option on your mobile phone when you receive a message from the school and add your son or daughter’s name, year level, date of absence and the reason they are absent or late e.g. Steven Scott, Year 11 was sick yesterday (Tuesday 15 November)

Text version:  S Scott yr11 sick Tues 15 Nov

These phone numbers should not be used to send messages or contact the school at other times as this system works on a one on one reply basis from randomly generated phone numbers (e.g. absence messages from different days may appear from a different number) and any subsequent messaging may not be seen by the school.

• Phone the school on 8566 2203 and select Option 1 from the call menu to be put through to Student Services.
• A note sent with your child, explaining the absence.
• Notify the school by clicking on the Absentee icon on the eNewsletter app, SZapp (free to download to smart phones).

Health and Immunisation Management Services, in conjunction with the Light Regional Council, will again be conducting the School Immunisation Program this year.

All Years 7 & 8 students will be offered:

2 doses of the human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil^®9 at two separate visits.

1 dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough vaccine, Boostrix^®

All Year 10 students will be offered:

 2 doses of the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero® at 2 separate visits.

1 dose of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine, Nimenrix® 

Please see below the Immunisation Schedule for 2023.

Forms have been sent home with year 7, 8 and 10 students. Please ensure these forms are filled out, signed and returned regardless if your student will/will not be receiving the immunisations.

Immunisation consent packs have been sent home with all Years 7,8 and 10 students. It is important that you read the information contained in the packs before you give consent for your child to be vaccinated at school. If you have any questions about this program, please contact Health and Immunisation Management Service (HAIMS).

All parents / legal guardians are to complete, sign and return the Consent Cards, even if you do not consent for the student to be vaccinated at school. Students aged 16 years and above can complete the consent for themselves.

If you do not receive an Immunisation Consent pack from your child please enquire at the school. 

If you do not want your child to be vaccinated at school, please contact Health and Immunisation Management Service to arrange for your child to receive the free vaccines. If you go to your local doctor for the vaccination, they will need to order the vaccine and may charge a consultation fee.

Preparation

Often, students feel anxious about having the immunisation and it is important to discuss this event with your child to help alleviate unnecessary fear. It has been noted that some adults refer to the immunisation as ‘getting stabbed‛ or ‘getting your needles‛ - this leads to unimaginable horror to some children and is quite unhelpful. Some may remain ‘wobbly’ at the prospect or may have had an adverse effect, previously. Parents may therefore, wish to support their child by attending an early session from 8:55am - 9:10am on the day. Please contact me at the school if you would like to do so. Anxious students can also attend this early session on their own to avoid waiting with their class groups. Students are encouraged to have the immunisation when their parents have given consent; however, they are never forced. If a student is unwilling, parents will be contacted later by the program nurse.

Remember to keep your child's School Immunisation Program records in a safe place as they may be required for future employment or travel.

Influenza Vaccinations

Information about Influenza vaccinations for students will be given in future newsletters.

Tab Mackenzie

Immunisation Coordinator

On days of forecast catastrophic fire danger rating for the Mid-North district:

Kapunda High School will remain open.

All school bus routes travelling to Kapunda High School will be cancelled.

Parents/caregivers of students who travel on school buses will be contacted via an SMS message to their mobile phone or a direct call to their landline (where a mobile has not been given to the school).  This will generally occur the night before.

Kapunda High School will additionally ‘broadcast’ using Facebook and the website www.kapundahs.sa.edu.au to remind families of bushfire procedures.

If a bushfire is reported in the area during the day:

Affected bus runs will not leave the school until the roads are declared safe by emergency services authorities.

Parents/caregivers will be notified and students will be supervised at school until buses can run, or until parents/caregivers are able to collect their children.

If during a bus run, the bus driver sights a bushfire and there is concern that it may affect the routes ahead, then the bus driver:

Has the authority to abandon the bus run and return to school, or

If safer to do so, drive to one of the pre-planned emergency areas (or CFS safer places) and activate the emergency bus procedure.

To support student safety, parents/caregivers are requested to:

Ensure that Kapunda High School is informed of any changes to phone numbers.

Follow weather announcements through the media.

Ensure that they do not put themselves at risk when coming to collect students from school.

Volunteers play an important role in our school canteen being able to offer a wide variety of healthy food to our students and staff at recess and lunch times. Volunteers are encouraged to come and help in our canteen - even for an hour. Assistance during the peak preparation times, between 10:00am and 2:00pm would be most valued and appreciated. And of course, a regular commitment would enable Canteen Manager, Sam, to better plan the menu in advance.

What hoops do I need to jump through?

Yes, there is some paperwork and some legal requirements such as completing the online Responding to Abuse and Neglect (RAN-EC) course and having a Working With Children Check (WWCC). Mrs Sue Coppin, our Finance Officer, can assist with beginning the process of applying for the WWCC, which is free to our volunteers. There will also be a general induction with the Department for Education and we will share other important information before you begin.

Call the school and ask to speak to Sam at the canteen if you'd like to learn more about the kind of help our canteen requires, or if you're keen to begin, please contact Volunteer Coordinator, by phoning the school.

During the summer months, the UV rating consistently hovers around level 12 for most of the day. The UV rays come through the cloud layers therefore even on a cloudy day, we need to be wearing broad-brimmed or bucket style hats and sunscreen to safeguard damage against these rays. Students and staff are required to wear hats in terms 1 and 4 and whenever the UV level is 3 and above in terms 2 and 3. The predicted UV level appears in the school's daily bulletin.

Staff and students follow the policy and are independently responsible for their future health by wearing the prescribed hats or sitting in solid shaded areas when learning or being active in the outdoors.

Hats may be brought from home and be of any colour. The hats may include logos, providing they do not promote alcohol, drugs make other illegal or inappropriate references. Alternatively, the school has a range of hats at affordable prices that are available from the Reception office.

• Reversible sports hats $12
• Bucket Hats $12  

Students are also encouraged to ‘slop’ on sunscreen, which is available at various locations (Reception, Resource Centre, Student Hub and gym) around the school and at events such as Swimming Carnival and Athletics Day, or they may bring their own supply.

Cross the River activity.

Students had to get their team across the ‘river’ in the gym with only selected equipment. They had 5 minutes planning time and then had to get across without leaving one person behind.

Students were developing their personal and social capability including leadership, listening skills, cooperation and group work.

Most teams were successful, some fell into the ‘river’, others touched the water, but didn’t fall in!

Megan Samain & Shani Robinson

Sports Studies Teachers

Providing Information & Gaining Consent

Students driving or riding vehicles to and from school must complete an Information/Consent Form, available from the school Reception office. If circumstances change, the school must be notified.

Students must not transport other students as passengers without the knowledge of the Principal and a written consent from the parents of both the driver and prospective passengers.  Students bringing their vehicles to school must have a note from their parents notifying the school of this arrangement.  A permit is then issued.

Parking Areas

Students have access to public street parking on Hawke Street (at rear of school) and on High Street (opposite entrance of the school). Parking along West Terrace, directly in front of the fence line of the school, is by local council permit only and therefore not available to students. The opposite side of the road is an area for ‘drop off’ and ‘pick up’ during school hours only.

It is expected that students obey the road rules with regard to parking near neighbouring residents’ driveways and also show consideration to areas where their refuse collection takes place.

Parking on school grounds is generally not permitted.

Disability parking is available just inside the main entrance and to the left.

Caution

The beginning and end of the school day is a busy time, particularly on West Terrace and drivers are urged to drive with caution at the limited speed of 25 km/hr in the school zone. 

Any accidents must be reported to the police and also the Principal. The Bus Coordinator is on hand in the bus parking area at the beginning and end of the school day and support can be sought, if required.

Incidents of vandalism may be reported to the police, and the Principal should be alerted to the situation.