2025 SRC Representatives and Prefects with Lauren Mace, Principal Mr Tim Jones, Mayor Bill O'Brien, and SRC Mentor Mr Josh Earle

We have had a positive start to the year with several successful events over the past few weeks. Last week, we hosted our Year 7 Welcome BBQ to introduce our middle school team. Year 12 teachers were available for interim parent-teacher interviews, and we held a Year 9 Canberra camp parent information session. This week, our Year 7 and 9 students have been preparing for NAPLAN 2025. Next week, we look forward to our Athletics Carnival on Thursday, followed by our second pupil-free day on Friday to support staff professional learning.

STUDENT VOICE

Invited Guests Lauren Mace and Mayor Bill O'Brien with our Year 12 Prefects on Tuesday

On Tuesday, we formally inducted our 2025 Prefects and SRC. It was a pleasure to hear from Lauren Mace (formerly Schmidt), one of our Head Prefects in 2015, who shared her leadership journey and reflections on her time at Kapunda High School, along with valuable advice on leadership. We have invited a leadership development team, Driven from Within, to work with our student leaders this year. This partnership with Eudunda Area School aims to build connections within our district. Special thanks to Matt Krieg from Driven from Within and Dan Kirk from gr8r.me for providing this opportunity for our new leaders.

Introducing Your Parent Representatives

On Wednesday evening, we held our Annual General Meeting of parents, with a strong turnout. This is encouraging for KHS, as parents are taking a keen interest in school operations. Thank you to the following parents who are our elected Governing Council for 2025:

Veronica Thomson- Chairperson

Stephen Ruediger- Deputy Chair

Belinda Matz- Secretary

Jenny Polley- Treasurer

Irena O'Reilley

Rebecca Holstead

Robyn Haywood

Jack Mickan

Benjamin Forster – Staff Representative

Tracy Warner – Staff Representative

Retiring Governing Council Members

On behalf of the school community, I wish to recognise the contributions and service of our retiring members: Rosi Wendt and Sue Woods, who have had a long-standing association with KHS GC chair, including significant events like the 100-year celebration in 2022.

The 2024 Annual Report was presented at the meeting, along with my Principal's report. This outlines our current status at Kapunda High School and our Site Improvement Priorities. In 2025, Kapunda High School will focus on enhancing achievement, wellbeing, and belonging. Key initiatives include:

CONNECTION AND BELONGING

Post-COVID and the fire in ERINGA, this area within our school has required significant investment to maintain connection with our students. Our attendance data, along with wellbeing and engagement data, suggests we are making gains in this space. However, this will remain a key improvement priority. Efforts include:

• Positive School Culture Focus
• Wellbeing and Engagement data collection and analysis
• Berry Street Education Model

CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING

Kapunda High School has invested heavily in this area. Our first whole staff professional learning day was with Bill Hansberry, who worked with our staff in week 2. This aligns with our ongoing learning with the Berry Street team, aiming to develop whole school agreements and processes to ensure a safe, predictable, and productive learning environment. Key focuses include:

• Consistency around Hats, Phones, Bags
• Attendance intervention

PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS

In 2024, we saw our largest number of students complete their SACE at 68, with nearly 30% of grades in the A Band. We aim to provide pathways for success in both University and Trade pathways. We encourage students to consider STEM pathways and are working with regional cluster schools to support students interested in Physics, Chemistry, and Specialist Mathematics. Additionally, we are supporting girls in STEM to explore pathways in this area. Initiatives include:

• Heritage Trades and Carpentry
• Entrepreneurial Learning Strategy
• Girls In STEM Program
• Emphasis on Local Delivery of Academic Pathway Subjects
• High ATAR and Study Skills Program
• Tailored Learning options on site at Kapunda

STUDENT AGENCY and VOICE

Feedback suggests we need to enhance how we provide a genuine voice for students in decision-making at KHS. I have started conversations with the SRC leadership to grow this area. Beyond SRC, we see an increasing role for student agency and entrepreneurial learning in the classroom, providing opportunities for students to learn in a relevant context and develop skills to become independent learners.

FACILITIES AND GROUNDS

The majority of the rebuild of Eringa and Building C (60s replacement) will take place in 2025. We look forward to progress on the classroom and Eringa Rebuild. BADGE Construction has been supportive, working with our Doorways to Construction students, and we hope to involve students again this year. Additionally, we will continue to invest in our grounds to improve movement across the school and support safe entry and exit at the front. In the coming weeks, phase one of our CCTV installation will begin, funded corporately to enhance security and safety across our site.

Tim Jones

Principal