KHS Prefects welcomed prospective families at our Open Night on Tuesday 20th May

Bridging Now to Next - National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Kapunda High School Staff and students have worked to create a bridge of reconciliation. It is said that Aboriginal culture is the longest continuing culture in the world, a fact that we acknowledge and celebrate at Kapunda High School. We continue to build on our understanding and acts towards Reconciliation.

Semester 1 Final Weeks

The past few weeks have seen a variety of opportunities for students to learn new knowledge, lift their achievement and grow new skills. Some of these initiatives have included:

• Year 10 Geography Excursion
• Open Boys Football
• Media Studies Excursion
• Year 11/12 Psychology Excursion
• 7//8 Knockout Basketball
• 9/10 Volleyball competition
• Girls Football Competition

As we reach the final three weeks of Semester 1 (changeover to Semester 2 occurs from Week 9, Monday 23rd June). Students are encouraged to make every effort to put in their best effort and achieve their personal best. Remember to ask staff for any assistance that may be needed.

School Attendance and Achievement

One of our goals in the School Improvement Plan this year is to increase attendance rates. We are currently tracking around 87% attendance for the year to date. Well done. Our House System recognises and rewards students’ for their individual achievement and attendance to school, with House Point updates published twice per term. We have continued to review our attendance and intervention process to support all students connecting with Kapunda High School in a positive way.

University of Adelaide - Papua New Guinea Visitors

We were fortunate enough to host a group of 30 visitors from PNG last Thursday. All of which have been involved in an eight week study tour in association with the University of Adelaide.  The feedback from our visitors, along with the University staff was very positive and we received plenty of comments on how beautiful our grounds are and how welcoming and polite our students are. Many of the educators made comparisons with their own schools, some of which were over 2000 students, average class sizes over 50 with limited resourcing. Sometimes we do need to be reminded about how fortunate we are.

Kapunda High School Open Night and Principal Tours

Last week's Open Night was a resounding success, with learning areas welcoming prospective families from our feeder primary schools and beyond. Kapunda High School Staff and SRC were actively involved in setting up and directing families around our school. The evening was well received by families who are currently in decision making mode and looking at options for their children for 2026 education. We will be offering Principal's tours to support any families that could not make it to Open Night.

The next Principal's Tour is Thursday, 5th June.

Cross Site Moderation Student Free Day Tuesday, 10th June

Our upcoming Student Free Day will provide an opportunity for staff to collaborate with other sites gives staff an opportunity to share resources and have professional conversations about consistency in assessment of student work. The intention of the Student Free Day on Tuesday, 10th June is to provide staff from Kapunda High School to work with Nuriootpa High School to ensure consistency and integrity in assessment through moderation process. Additionally, staff will have the opportunity to share and discuss individual assessment tasks with an emphasis on accessibility for all students, while providing challenge and stretch.

Governing Council Meeting

Governing Council recently met on Wednesday, 21st May for the first meeting of Term 2. At the meeting we discussed a number of items, including our school re-build, policy updates and Our Strategy for Public Education. Last week was Volunteer Recognition week where we were able to recognise our Governing Council members and present a small gift including a Department for Education Volunteer’s mug. Thank you to our Governing Councillors for the work you do to advance our school.  

Eringa Update

Click the link below to see the progress to date on the Eringa restoration:

Tim Jones

Principal

Girls Football Monday, 2nd June (T2W6)

Year 10 Business Excursion Wednesday, 4th June (T2W6)

Arts Presentation Evening Wednesday, 4th June (T2W6)

Principal's Tour Thursday, 5th June (T2W6)

King's Birthday Public Holiday Monday, 9th June (T2W7)

Student Free Day Tuesday, 10th June (T2W7)

White Card Course Wednesday, 11th June (T2W7)

White Card Course Wednesday, 18th June (T2W8)

Semester 2 Begins Monday, 23rd June (T2W9)

Governing Council Meeting Wednesday, 25th June (T2W9)

Last Day of Term 2 Friday, 4th July (T2W10)

On Wednesday, 28th May we saw the commencement of Passion Projects for 2025. Students from Years 7-10 have all chosen their area of interest, with many choices such as AFLW, sewing, podcasting, robotics, art and many more. Passion Projects will occur fortnightly through the rest of the year. We look forward to seeing how students explore and gain skills in their area of interest!

When? From Term 3 Week 2

Approximately: July 30th-August 13th 

Details 

Kapunda High School is hosting 10 Japanese students from Meiji Universities High School in Tokyo (Hachioji), Japan. Kapunda High School will be the key contact and support for the students while they are at Kapunda High. We will organise two excursions, one to the Gorge Wildlife Park and Whispering Wall and the second to Adelaide to visit the Central Market and the South Australia Museum. 

Benefits 

• Enrich your understanding of a different culture 

• Build a personal connection with Japan 

• Free Working with Children Clearance for every member of the household over 18 

• Host family students (if they attend Kapunda High) attend the excursions as buddies to support their host students 

• A small stipend for hosting the students 

Host family responsibilities 

• Provide a bed for the student to sleep in (shared room is fine) 

• Provide meals for the student Breakfast, lunch and dinner 

• Be prepared for every member of the host family to have a Working With Children’s Check 

• Be prepared for the Supervising Teacher (Scott Durand) do a very quick home visit before the host experience 

Key Contact person for your support 

  Scott Durand 

                Contact: 85662203 

Email: scott.durand752@schools.sa.edu.au 

On Wednesday, 28th May the Year 10 Geography class visited beaches across the Northern Metropolitan coastline to examine coastal processes, landforms and management practices currently underway to sustain sand on the beaches. Sites visited included Outer Harbour, Largs Bay, Semaphore Breakwater, Tennyson Dunes, Torrens River Outlet and West Beach Boat Ramp. Students had the unique opportunity to witness storm and wave damage along the coastline that was the result of Monday's wild weather.

Greg McLachlan

Geography Teacher

The Year 11/12 psychology students recently enjoyed an informative excursion to the UniSA Magill Campus Research and Sleep Lab. They observed how research is conducted in a sleep lab, gaining insights into the technology and methods used to study sleep. Following this, the students visited the MOD in the city, where they explored engaging exhibitions focused on lifespan, senses, and life. This excursion provided a valuable opportunity for students to connect classroom learning with real-world applications, deepening their understanding of psychological research and human experience.

Tiesha Perry

Psychology Teacher

On Tuesday, 20th May we held our Open Night. Students and staff have been working very hard in recent weeks to ensure the success of the evening. There were many impressive curriculum displays on show. Prospective families toured our facilities, participated in activities, and enjoyed coffee and other hot drinks from Kappy Brew.

PAYMENT OF MATERIALS AND SERVICES 

The payment for materials and services is now overdue. 
Thank you to those who have already paid, if you have not, please contact the Finance office ASAP to make payment arrangements.  

KHS Bank Details: 

Bank SA 

BSB 105-006 

Acc No.  057125140 

Family ID : eg SMIT10 

 (left hand side of invoice) 

Please ensure to use your family code when making online payments. The family code can be found on both statements and invoices. 

INSTALMENT PAYMENT PLAN

SCHOOL CARD

If you require assistance with any of the above, please don't hesitate to reach out to the finance team. 

Email: dl.0779.finance@schools.sa.edu.au 
Phone: (08) 8566 2203 ext. 4

On Thursday, 22nd May we were very fortunate to be able to host a group of 30 educators from Papua New Guinea. They have been involved in an eight week study tour in association with the University of Adelaide.  

Four of our Year 11 students recently took part in the UniSA Creative Challenge, an exciting program held at MOD. The challenge brought together students from multiple schools to collaborate with engineers and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems.

Day 1 began with an early meet at Gawler Train Station, braving the cold in anticipation of an inspiring day. After some creative warm-ups to get us thinking, we were introduced to Sean Rooney and Nicholas Quadrio from Southcott Hydraulics and Control Systems. They shared the company’s fascinating history — from saddle-making to hydraulic innovation — and explained the mechanics behind hydraulic systems, which use oil and pressure to power tools and machinery.

The central challenge? In mixed-school teams, students had to develop a solution to ensure the safe operation of a hydraulic crimper — a tool unfamiliar to most of us. We learned about four key safety approaches: electrical, physical, procedural, and educational, and each group was assigned one area to explore.

• Eloise’s group focused on agricultural use. They proposed replacing hydraulic oil with bio-oil for environmental safety and implementing a key-start system to simplify use and prevent accidental activation.
• Katie's group tackled usability and injury prevention. They designed a smart screen interface with safety features, a troubleshooting guide, and pressure settings, along with an emergency stop button and warning lights.
• Jessica’s group engineered an electrical safety solution. They designed a sensor to detect human presence in the crimping area and automatically shut off the machine, supported by a manual override with a large emergency stop button.
• Ruby’s group addressed user error through education. Their solution was a comprehensive six-day training program, including hands-on learning, testing, evaluation, and certification to ensure safe operation.

It was a hands-on, collaborative experience that gave our students a taste of creative problem-solving in STEM and showed how innovative thinking can lead to practical safety solutions in industry.

Teala Cameron

Science Teacher

This term, our Year 8 students are participating in the $20 Boss program, where they each receive $20 in start-up capital to create and run their own small business. ​From handmade products to games and food stalls, students are developing real-world skills in creativity, teamwork, budgeting,and entrepreneurship. It’s learning by doing – and they’re thriving!​ We’re looking forward to seeing their hard work come to life at our upcoming Market Day on Thursday, 5th June between recess and lunchtime for almost half of the students. There will be a second Market Day on June 12th for the rest of the Year 8 students.

The Metropolitan Fire Service Provided the opportunity for Kapunda High School's Year 10 students and Eudunda Area School’s Year 11 students to participate in their Road Awareness Program. This is an annual event at KHS, where our students can learn of the grave consequences of being distracted by mobile phone usage or risk-taking behaviour on the roads. The presentation is very well led by Doug from the MFS who communicates his passion for educating young people on the pitfalls of dangerous behaviour while behind the wheel. Sam from the MFS RAP shares her personal experience of being a rural traffic accident survivor. This is powerful learning for the students, who received the message in a manner that represented the school values of respect and excellence with their behaviour. 

Scott Durand

Year 10 Year Level Manager

Last week, we celebrated Canteen Week here at KHS. Our Canteen workers, Deb, Amy and Regan were presented with certificates of thanks for their continued hard work.