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FROM THE ACTING PRINCIPAL
Welcome to the Week 9 Newsletter. As most of you now know I am backfilling for Daren who is on Long Service Leave until the end of term. My name is Jan Love. I come from a tiny town on the shores of Lake Alexandrina called Narrung, where I live with my husband Richard and 3 camp dogs and spend as much time as I can watercolour painting, gardening and hanging out with my 5 gorgeous grandchildren (not all at once). I have worked for the Education Department for 43 years; as a Junior/Primary teacher for 20 years, an Early Childhood Special Educator and Hearing Impairment Coordinator for 10 years which included 18 months as Manager Support Services. I was a School Principal for 13 and a half years at Amata Anangu School, Cambrai AS and lastly Leigh Creek AS. While I am semi-retired I have enjoyed undertaking periods of temporary relief teaching in Far North schools, including a few weeks at Hawker last year. Being back in classrooms has been a great joy, reminding me of why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place. I have been made to feel very welcome by and am enjoying getting to know staff, students and the families I have met on my return to Hawker. I am really happy to be here.
NAPLAN
In week 8 all Years 3, 5, 6 and 9 students completed the NAPLAN tests in Literacy and Numeracy. All the testing was completed online apart from the Year 3 Writing, which was a pen and paper test. It was great to see the positive attitude with which all students participated. A special thankyou to Ms. Sharon Lam for her coordination, organisation and leadership ensuring that the testing ran so smoothly.
By the time this letter is published Year 11 and 12 students will have had the opportunity to participate in the SA Gov Road Awareness Program on Wed 5th April. Years F-12 students will also have helped plant trees along the Avenue of Honour on the road to the cemetery.
Teachers are currently very busy writing student reports. These will be sent home in the last week of school. There will be an early dismissal on the last day of term at 2.15pm.
Thanks so much to the whole school community for having me. I hope you all have a safe and restful break over the school holidays.
- Congratulations to Vai who participated in the MNSEC interschool sports day at Jamestown in Week 8. He participated in several track and field events coming 2nd in High Jump. Check out his style in the photo.
Jan Love
Principal
Mrs Amanda Hilder
Ms Penolope McCulloch
As we approach Easter and end of term one Penny and I have reflected on a fast paced and wonderful time spent with the F-2 class. Penny and I are very much enjoying our collaborative effort with the class and can only see amazing things in our time ahead with the students in our class.
Read Write Inc to ticking along nicely and all F-2 students have had their second assessment check already. The students are all doing well…we may have to give some of the students wings as they are trying to fly!!
Maths is moving along nicely too. We are concentrating heavily on counting, counting strategies and place value at the moment.
In Science I am working on research and in particular how to write a science report on an animal. I have chosen nudibranchs as our research topic but the students will have individual choices within the plethora of nudibranchs available to learn about. So far we have learnt about The Blue Dragon sea slug and next we are looking at The Leaf Sheep sea slug. Such tiny little pockets of awesomeness! The Blue Dragon is a scavenger, feeds on dead blue bottles and can absorb their poison in its extremities and use it on other creatures! The Leaf Sheep can undergo photosynthesis! Just amazing! In the week leading up to Easter we will learn about The Sea Bunny…of course.
In our writing lessons we are using our VCOP board to focus our learning. Here is the board set up to support students with their nudibranch reports…there is a lot more vocabulary to come. I have heard there are students coming home and wanting to write for fun…I can tell you how happy that makes me!
For the last two weeks in Technology we have been looking at building the tallest tower with special pop-sticks. Some students chose to work solo and those that wanted to could choose to work in a pair. We’ve had some great results and they are all on display in the classroom. I’ve been very impressed with the students’ fine motor skills and resilience when faced with challenges.
To all of our new parents, Penny and I hope you have enjoyed the ride so far, we are loving getting to know your children. To All, have a great run to the end of the term and we’ll look forward to making the most of our learning opportunities in term 2.
Much thanks for your support, Kind regards, Amanda Hilder and Penny McCulloch
Foundation - Yr 2 Teacher
Hi all,
This term has been a cracking and positive start to the year.
To begin with, I would like to welcome our new students, Esme, Liam and Noah, to the 3-6 class. It has been great getting to know them and watching them settle into Hawker Area School.
In English, we have been looking at sentences structures, different types of sentences and poetry. This week the students will start creating a anthology of poems, using the skills they have learned.
Maths has seen us moving on from place value to fractions and the kids are working amazingly well in this topic. We are also focusing on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division strategies as well.
In science we are still working on Biology with the students investigating living things. We have covered living vs non-living, what living things need to grow and survive and how changes to an environment can affect living things.
In home economics we have made biscuits and savoury scrolls in the kitchen and looked at water pollution in sustainability. The kids are building up their skills in typing and becoming more confident in sending and receiving emails in computing lessons.
In health and PE we have been looking into how physical activity can help improve mental health and the kids have taken on a sit-up challenge to see if we can collectively complete 2700 sit-ups before the end of the term. So far, we have made an impressive start.
HASS has had us look at Australia and it's states and flags, natural and sustainable resources and what to do in a bushfire or flood.
It has been a wonderful start to the year and I look forward to learning more and teaching your children as the year progresses.
Miss Victoria Barratt
Year 3-6 Teacher
English 7/8
This term we have focused on writing persuasive and narrative texts, and have also spent time on the basics of spelling and vocabulary. We have studied the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople where we looked at motifs, themes and symbols. The students also wrote a Haiku poem, as this poetry was a feature of the film. Currently we are reading and completing activities on the novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio. So far students are enjoying the story and learning about kindness, empathy and being inclusive which is a bonus! We have also introduced some STEM activities along with close reading where students read a passage carefully and answer questions, they then work together in teams to complete a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) challenge which relates to the reading we have read.
Here are some photos of today’s pipe cleaner structure challenge.
English 9/10
English for years 9 and 10 has been focused around a novel, A Single Stone which looks at dystopian societies and the role of women. Students have completed reading the novel and are currently working on an assessment task analyzing it. Year 9 and 10 have also joined in the with the reading and STEM challenges which have been enjoyed immensely.
HASS 7-10
The year 7/8 class has enjoyed learning about Ancient Greece this term. We have covered every day life, religion, the role of women, the Olympics and war methods. The favourite topic was wars where we learned about Leonidas of Sparta and the battle of Thermopylae. All students finished the unit of work by completing a research project on either Leonidas or Alexander the Great which they will present to the class.
The year 9 students have been focusing on World War 1. We have looked at causes, battle fronts, the home front and trench warfare. Students completed an assessment task looking at the failures, successes and sacrifices of the front in Turkey, Europe and Palestine.
Year 10 has looked at rights and freedoms since 1945. This has incorporated the struggle for Aboriginal rights, American and Australian Freedom Riders, the Mabo Ruling and Prime Minister Keating’s Redfern address. Students have conducted their own research and completed a range of short answer questions to consolidate their understanding.
Personal Learning Plan
Our personal learning plan students have spent time preparing for a mock interview which will happen in week 10. They will then reflect on how they went and begin preparing for work experience. Students have arranged their work experience placements which will occur early in term 2, after we have visited the Career Expo in Adelaide in May.
Physical Education
The latter part of the term has been spent playing ball games. We have played baseball and soccer, and then attempted both with an oversized ball, just to see what adjustments needed to be made. Students have also devised their own game which is a mixture of softball and cricket. All students were involved in coming up with rules and how to play, and they successfully adjusted things to make the game work.
Mrs Sharon Bates
Year 7-12 Teacher
We are excited to announce that Hawker Area School has joined the Children's University program, which is operated by the University of Adelaide. The Children's University is an international organization that encourages students to participate in various learning experiences outside of school hours. Students who complete 30 hours of learning experience will be eligible to attend a graduation ceremony at University of Adelaide.
We will be organizing lunchtime activities that students can count towards their hours. There are three categories of activities: online portal, learning destinations, and regular restricted activities. Students will have access to an online portal where they can complete a variety of activities such as cooking, music, and DIY at home. Students who visit a learning destination such as a library, museum, art gallery, or camping can count the hours. Students can also count a maximum of 10 hours for each type of regular restricted activity, such as sports or volunteering.
In Years 7-10 Science, our students have been learning about natural disasters and making 3D designs using Makers Empire. They have also learned about chemical science this term, including atomic structure and the periodic table. Students have been using red cabbage to make a pH indicator to test the pH values of different solutions, including lemon juice, baking soda, and water. They have also learned about chemical reactions by mixing vinegar and baking soda to create a volcano.
In Years 7-10 Mathematics, students have been studying various topics including algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. They used patten blocks to revise fraction multiplication.
In Chinese, students have also learned basic Chinese characters and culture, solving ancient Chinese puzzles, and Chinese calligraphy using traditional brushes. Students watched the famous Chinese story, Journey to the West animation, as part of their language learning experience.
In the nutrition program, students have learned about the daily consumption of sugar, sodium, and fats and the harmful impacts of over-consuming these nutrients. They have debated about the safety of genetically modified organisms. The program has been fun for the students and has allowed them to gain valuable knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating habits.
We are excited about the learning experiences that our students are receiving and hope that they will continue to participate in the Children's University program. Thank you for your continued support.
Miss Sharon Lam
Mathematics / Science / Research Project / Chinese Teacher
While our students regularly visit the library during the school week, it’s important that they see the library as a place they can go outside of school times. Hawker School Community Library is open until 5:00, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and until 4:30 on a Wednesday. Additionally, we are open during the school holidays. With this in mind, here are Ten reasons why you and your kids should visit the library.
- Help your children be better readers. Research published by the National Literacy Trust shows that young people (aged 8 to 16) who use the library are nearly twice as likely to be above-average readers than youngsters who don’t.
- Establish the reading habit. Weekly or fortnightly trips to the library help you and your children make a regular “date” with books and so you all get into the habit of reading – something that your children can enjoy for the rest of their lives!
- Something for everyone.Libraries offer books for all ages and interests, all under one roof – from board books for babies, to picture books for young children, and novels and information books for older children and adults.
- Reading for free.We all know that books are expensive and libraries offer a wider variety of reading material than we could ever own – and it is free!
- Who’s your favourite?Libraries are great places to find out who your favourite authors are – and where you can keep discovering new ones too!
- Reading to write.Reading stories written by others can help inspire children’s own story writing.
- More than books. Many libraries also offer more than just books to educate and entertain you and your children – for example, CDs, DVDs and magazines. Some libraries also have newspapers for you to read while you are there, and computers you can use to access the Internet.
- Enjoy free activities.Some libraries offer activities especially for children (like regular storytelling times) that let them have fun with books.
- Ask for advice.Librarians are knowledgeable! Ask them about good and popular books for children, teenagers and yourself.
- Quiet time.The library is a peaceful place for older children to do their homework. It’s quiet and there are plenty of books to help them do research for school projects and assignments.
https://www.nalibali.org/how-to/ten-reasons-why-you-and-your-kids-should-visit-the-library
During the school holidays, there will be a selection of activities available for you and your children to do, such as our Lego Makerspace, Craft activities and boardgames.
The library will be open at the following times during the holidays:
Monday April 17: 9:00-5:00; Tuesday April 18: 12:00-5:00; Wednesday April 19: 8:30-4:30; Thursday April 20: 10:30-5:00; Monday April 24: 9:00-5:00; Tuesday April 25: Closed (ANZAC Day); Wednesday April 26: 8:30-4:30; Thursday April 27: 10:30-5:00
Digital Technologies: Foundation to Year 6
During this term, the F-2 students have been studying the aspects of the digital technology we use, such as smart phones, tablets and Gameboys, the hardware and software used in computers and what we find inside a computer. They are currently working in the 3D printing app, Maker’s Empire (a 3D printing program), learning about Fairy Tales and creating fairy tale themed designs. Through this, the students need to:
- Follow a series of steps to create their designs
- Plan their final design using a design brief
- Use 3D modelling tools to design simple 3D models
- Evaluate their own design
- Provide feedback to their peers about their designs
The 3-6 students have been involved in completing the Natural Disasters’ Challenge Course through Maker’s Empire. Students have learnt about how and why natural disasters happen and how to prepare for them to lessen the impact they have. They were guided through the Design Thinking process as they learnt about the strategies and technologies used by scientists, engineers, and emergency service workers to prevent and manage the effects of natural disasters. The Challenge course concluded with a Design Thinking Project where students were asked to design, develop, modify, and communicate design ideas that address an authentic problem or issue related to preventing or minimising the damage caused by a natural disaster.
Ailsa Green
Student Representative Council (S.R.C)
I would like to introduce you to the Student Representative Council, elected on March 1, 2023.
Back Row: Lily Morgan, Oliver Du Bois, Rowan Bevan
Middle Row: Harry McAuley, Angus McInnis, Archie Morgan, Pjay Milera
Front Row: Lachlan Hilder, Annabelle Allen, Madison-Lee Hately, Emily Wallis
Our first meeting for year was held on Wednesday, March 15. We plan to meet fortnightly, on Wednesday L6. We meet again on Wednesday March 29 and then again on May 3. One of the first activities the S.R.C. will spearhead will be how best to use the money the S.R.C. has raised over the last couple of years to benefit the school. This will involve consultation with the whole school community.
Ailsa Green and Stef Teague
Mrs Ailsa Green Teacher Librarian and Ms Rosie Luckraft CLA
Focus this term has been settling back into school routine. We are implementing more consistent use of visuals including our new visual schedule to help both students and stuff.
Some activities this term have been painting, sensory play, paper Mache, bike riding and spending time in the library. The students have also enjoyed some music and yoga sessions.
Our SWAN students are also involved in the Premiers Reading Challenge where the sit and listen to stories being read to them. We are implementing visuals in these reading sessions where we encourage to engage with the picture book and PODD.
Miss Anna Oakey
S.W.A.N. SSO
NOTICEBOARD