Craig Markham (Villawood), Ben Moore (Villawood), David Marino (Principal), Michael Scarman (Pathways Advisor), Jason Keep (Assistant Principal) 

Welcome to our School Newsletter for Week 6, Term 1.

Over the past two weeks students have engaged in a wide range of learning opportunities and experiences, some of these including:

• Year 7/8 Parent/Caregiver Meet and Greet
• SACE Information Evening
• Year 12 Interviews
• Swimming Carnival
• Open Boys Cricket
• Year 7 NAPLAN Practice Test
• School Assembly – first whole school update of House Points for 2023

SRC Prefect Elections

Congratulations and well done to all students nominating and interviewing for SRC & Prefect roles in 2023. This is a great opportunity to participate in our school governance system, represent your peers and contribute to the rich culture of our school. We have an SRC Prefect Induction morning scheduled later in March. I look forward to working with you throughout 2023. 

Governing Council

On Wednesday 22nd February we held our Governing Council Annual General Meeting.

This was a welcome opportunity to talk through our progress and advancement as a school, as well as identify a number of projects to focus on for our work over 2023.   

Congratulations to all elected members in 2023, including:

• Chairperson: Sue Woods
• Secretary: Belinda Matz
• Treasurer: Steve Ruediger
• Deputy Chairperson: Stella Bliss

Also welcome to newly elected and returning Governing Council members including:

• Irena O’Reilly
• Robyn Haywood
• Alison Schultz
• Jenny Polley
• Rosi Wendt
• Veronica Thomson

Governing Council also comprises nominated SRC, Staff and Local Council representatives.

Our next Governing Council meeting is scheduled for the evening of Tuesday 21^st March. I look forward to another productive year working with our team and advancing our school for students.

Curriculum

We are in the process of reviewing, renewing and expanding on our Curriculum offerings in a number of areas. Recently we established a School & Industry Partnership with the William Lakes lifestyle development by Villawood at Gawler Belt. This partnership will see a wide range of enriching learning opportunities for students including:

• Careers education, information and opportunities
• Visits to the development
• Guest speakers visiting KHS students
• Curriculum subject links
• Authentic industry learning and experiences

Two other areas we are in the process of exploring and expanding on for our school include:

• Our Agriculture programs and offerings
• Our Trade skills programs and offerings

We are working in partnership with our DfE Pathways Advisor to value-add to our successful programs in a number of areas. I look forward to sharing more news around the progress and development of our programs in the near future.

Student Free Day: Tuesday 14th March

Our upcoming Student Free Day on Tuesday 14th March will focus on our work for quality Teaching & Learning. Staff will participate in a range of Professional Learning workshops and work in Learning Area Teams to develop updated Unit Plans. This work will continue on from Scope and Sequence planning occurring over 2022 and aligns with our School Improvement Plan goals for sharpening Literacy and Numeracy skills. 

Mobile Phones

In line with the state-government school restriction on Mobile Phones, we have made excellent progress as a school in implementing the new policy across our school this year. I’d like to acknowledge the work of students, families and staff in implementing the updated policy. Observations over the first six weeks of the year have shown that students can focus on their learning, spend more time investing in interacting with their peers and also a sharp reduction in incidences of cyber-bullying. Keep up the great work.

Grounds and Facilities

The clean-up process for Eringa is progressing steadily. A number of items have recently been recovered from the building, including old books, trophies and general equipment all in various states of repair. The area has been a hive of activity, with each day students and staff seeing the meticulous process unfold: workers being airlifted in, items being airlifted out, conveyor belts being used to sort and dispose of rubble and drones capturing images to inspect and model the building.    

Working with the contractors, we are saving all items possible of value and will look to establish a school-community display in the near future.

Removal of items from Eringa: network server case.

School Crossings

Please note the updated Traffic Conditions for our front of school access on West Tce, including the recent installation of a School ‘Emu’ Crossing. This is one of a number of School & Governing Council initiatives, working with DfE and LRC to make our school safe and welcoming for students.

Please take care to drop students off near the school crossing and avoid dropping students off at the busy West Tce / High St intersection near buses.

David Marino

Principal

Adelaide Cup Public Holiday Monday, 13th March (Week 7).

Pupil Free Day Tuesday, 14th March (Week 7).

Good Friday Public Holiday Friday, 7th April (Week 10)

Easter Monday Public Holiday Monday, 10th April (Week 11)

Last Day of Term 1- Early Dismissal Friday, 14th April (Week 11)

Click the link below for our School Calendar

Parent teacher interviews will be taking place in week 10 of this term. This will provide an opportunity for you to meet with your child’s subject teachers at Kapunda High School. 

Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th of April  

Kapunda High School    4:00pm – 7:00pm    

(All interviews will be held in Building A and B – Main Entrance.) 

Students are strongly encouraged to attend with their families to discuss their progress in different subject areas. 

Appointment bookings can be made any time from Friday 17th March, up until Monday 3rd April. Additional information will be provided to families in week 7 and in our next Newsletter. 

Year 10 students have been studying genetics in science throughout Term 1. Part of the exploration within this unit is around DNA and it's structure which students often find difficult to visualise and understand. One way we work around this is to conduct a DNA extraction using strawberries and other common household items. Students loved conducting this experiment and being able to feel a strand of DNA. 

Michael Raschella 

Science Teacher

Some completed Snack Pillows from Ms Fethers Year 7 Textiles class. 

Josh Lloyd, the first Year 12 Food and Hospitality student to make a coffee on the new coffee machine.

Sam Fethers

Home Economics Teacher

This term, we have been working to develop the ‘Consult Room’ – a safe space where students can meet with their Allied Health Professionals during school time. This means less time away from school, and an opportunity to express themselves, within the school environment. This makes their thoughts and sharing relevant to the school experience. The allied health professionals also have access to teachers and leaders if they would like to connect and share their expert insights.

If your student has regular sessions with an Allied Health Professional, feel free to ask if they make school visits, then make contact with the school to book the room.

We hope your student is settling into the new year routine.

Jen Williams

Assistant Principal for Learning Support, Excellence and Pedagogy

Over the last couple of weeks, the PE staff have been holding various Athletics events ahead of our KHS Athletics Carnival which is occuring today.

On Monday 27th February, students took part in the 3km run. 

The wellbeing team have been organising a number of lunch time activities, run by staff, for students to get involved in.  On Fridays one of those activities is Chess Club in room 135, where competition ranges from friendly to fierce!

On the 11th and 12th April we will be having a visit from the School Dental Foundation Van. If you're interested in having your child use this service, please collect a form from Tab in Student Services. 

At Kapunda High School, we rely on valued volunteers to help run our school canteen. Our volunteer numbers have dwindled this year and we are desperately seeking assistance from anyone who may be able to spare a day a week to help. Our Canteen Manager Sam Barclay does a fantastic job of running the canteen with the assistance of Sharon, but without volunteers we will not be able to guarantee the long-term survival of our much loved school canteen. 

If you would like to help, please contact Sam Barclay on 8566 2203. 

If you need to report your child’s absence, there are a few ways to do this but the most preferable option is to report via the school inbox on Daymap. To do so, the best way is to download the Daymap app, log into the Daymap parent connect portal, and report an absence through this app.

Here's a helpful guide to using the Daymap Connect Parent Portal.

Phone System

When you call Kapunda High School you will hear a list of options to choose from. We have provided a brief description of what each option will be able to assist you with to provide further clarity on the best ways to communicate with staff.

(08) 8566 2203

KHS Phone Extension Guide

1 Student Absences

This is another way you can report a student absence, via our absences message bank. Just state your child's name, the date/s of absence and the reason for their absence. 

2 Enrolment & Student Services

Student Services covers a range of different services for both students and parents alike. You can report absences here, contact First Aid, let the school know if your child will be signing in late or leaving early, pass a message on to your child etc. 

3 School Bus Enquiry

If you need to enquire about school buses, choose this option and talk to our bus manager Kaye Clancy for assistance.

4 Finance & Payments

If you are paying for school fees, excursions, camps or any other finance enquiries.

5 IT Support

Choose this option if you require assistance with Daymap, your child's laptop or any other IT concerns.

6 VET & Flexible Learning Pathways

Choose this option if you need to speak to someone about your child's VET course etc.

7 Learning Support Centre

To speak with our helpful Learning Support Centre Staff.

0 (or hold the line) Reception

For general enquiries.

If you'd like to speak to a teacher, this is the best option to choose. Our Receptionist Keeley can get a message to them and arrange for a phone call back.