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Term Two has started with the extensive construction program that was mentioned at the start of the year. From the Thursday before school started we had our fence around the school being removed ready for installation of our black flat top fence which was in by the Wednesday of week one. This was a big moment that has been about 3 – 4 years in the making, providing security to our students and staff in the yard. In terms of access to the school this has meant the following:
- The main side entrance gate on Arkaba Street is being bolted open in the morning through to 8.50am for parents and students to enter the school and get ready for the day.
- From 8.50am to 3.10pm the gate is locked, to support the safety of our students. The gate will be opened at 3.10pm at the end of the day.
- Late arrivals to the school will need to enter the school through the gate on Wirreanda Terrace and report to the front office.
- Members of the community can still attend the Community Library by entering through the library entrance gate on Arkaba Street, this leads directly to the library door.
- Parents and visitors to the school during the day similarly need to use the Wirreanda Terrace entrance to sign in at the front office.
Also in tandem with the installation of the fence around our hard yard area, we have seen the beginnings of the construction of the oval fence, which will be 2.1m high black corromesh design, with a concrete plinth designed to keep kangaroos out and should discourage the local rabbits as well. There will be the one personal access gate to the oval, with the current vehicle access gate on the northwest corner still in place. Construction of this fence is ongoing and should be completed during week three of the term.
Also commencing has been the lifting of pavers in our basketball court area down to the lunch shed. This was approved by the department due to the uneven nature of the previous paver surface. This will be replaced by a concrete surface over the course of term two.
Hawker Area School will have two pupil free days this term:
- On Tuesday June 13th at the end of the Kings Birthday Long Weekend we will have a Pupil Free Day for our LEAP Level training for our teaching staff.
- On the last day of term, Friday July 7th we will have a Whole School Closure day, the day of local significance being the NAIDOC celebrations in Port Augusta. This will mean that Thursday July 6th will be the last day of school for the term, the day finishing at the normal time of 3.10pm.
In addition to this our whole school camp to Monarto will be held on June 19th to 21st.
Parents and students would be aware of the recent absences due to COVID. We are in the cold part of the school year, and in addition to this flu is once again becoming evermore present with some members at school absent due to this also. Please be aware of these issues when getting your students to school.
Enjoy reading the newsletter, including the articles by our teaching staff. As always I can be contacted at the school through our front office on 86484003 or by my email daren.oneill253@schools.sa.edu.au
Mr Daren O'Neill
Principal
The Junior Primary class with Ms McCulloch Term 2 2023
For English, we are studying the story of Possum Magic by Mem Fox, comparing characters, events and settings. We are also using this book for Geography, as a learning journey around Australia, becoming familiar with places in this country. In Maths, we are learning about using measurements for mass, capacity and length. Students are practicing ball skills for soccer and football this term in Physical Education and in Art, the class is doing a combination of Drama, sculpture and landscape pictures using a range of materials.
Ms Penelope McCulloch
Foundation - Yr 2 Teacher
Welcome back to term 2. Everyone has settled in quickly and we are off and learning.
This term we have a new visual timetable. It is put together using the Universal Learning Design model. Simply put the scaffolding item used in class should suit the needs of every child from SWAN to highly achieving...I think it does this.
We have been busy in Writing with focuses on planning our writing before writing our final copy, and Punctuation. We will keep this focus for much of this term.
In Maths we have started the term learning about fractions in shapes and amounts. We have practised fractions using smarties and by building bread slice pizzas, and by having fun doing it.
In Science and Tech we have started the term looking at Wind. We are currently building land yachts! Some have undergone testing with great results. All have gone through changes and have been evolving into great little machines. I will include photos in the end of term newsletter.
I look forward to chatting with you throughout the term.
Mrs Amanda Hilder
Foundation - Yr 2 Teacher
Hello and welcome to Term Two.
We have had a cracking start to the term with the kids getting back into the ease of things quickly.
In English we are studying the novel Howl's Moving Castle and working on persuasive texts.
In Maths, we have started looking at measurement, starting off with length and mass. We will also be focusing on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division strategies.
HASS has us studying history, where we are looking at the colonisation of Australia and what life was like back then.
In Science, we are studying chemistry and looking at chemical changes.
In Health we are looking at Healthy lifestyles, which will cover diet, exercise, sun care, mental health and basic first aid.
Like last term, we will also continue looking at sustainability, computer operation skills and improving our touch-typing skills.
Miss Victoria Barratt
Year 3-6 Teacher
Welcome to the beginning of a new term. We have lots planned this term so it should be an interesting and engaging time for everyone.
English 7/8
We will continue to closely read Wonder and analyse the themes and motives in the story. We’ve also been looking at grammar and vocabulary through our reading, and paying particular attention to inferencing (reading between the lines) to figure out how characters are feeling and why they behave in particular ways. We will conclude our study on the book by viewing the film and comparing the two.
English 9/10
The senior English class are reading a short prose novel called The Simple Gift it has themes of homelessness and friendship and we will conclude the study with an advocacy text on youth homelessness. In our joint lessons with the year 7/8 class we are looking at different types of poetry and the imagery used in writing them.
SACE English
Our Stage 1 students have completed two assessment tasks, and are currently working on their third which is a creative piece. They are currently practicing creative writing with weekly tasks and will complete their narrative in the next two weeks.
Stage 2 have also completed two tasks. The next two tasks will be related to the novel The Simple Gift which is being read with the 9/10 class currently. One task will respond to the themes in the story and one will be an advocacy text advocating for youth homelessness.
HASS 7-10
This term our focus is on Geography. We have been learning about the geographical skills required to conduct an inquiry, and the kinds of data we can collect with field work. The best way to learn about field work is to get out in the field, so next week we are planning an excursion to Arkaroo Rock where students will have the opportunity to gather their data to answer their geographic inquiry question.
PE 7-10
This term PE will have more of a ball skills focus. Last term we looked at invasion games, how to dodge and avoid, and this term we will introduce a ball. This may take the form of netball, basketball, tag rugby or Aussie Rules football. That all depends on the amount of kids we have on any given day and what the class is interested in the most. But we won’t be playing AFL ALL the time!
Stage 1 Personal Learning Plan
Our PLP students have completed two assessment tasks, which include writing a cover letter and resume and sitting a mock interview. All students handled this really well despite their nerves, and presented themselves as employable candidates! In the coming week they will attend the Career and Employment Expo in Adelaide where they will have the opportunity to explore and discover more about possible career options. In week three they will complete their work experience which they are all looking forward to.
Mrs Sharon Bates
Year 7-12 Teacher
Mathematics:
Our talented Year 7-10 students have been exploring the fascinating world of probability. They are learning how to apply probability concepts to real-life situations, such as analyzing weather patterns. Additionally, they have begun using blocks to enhance their understanding of the four basic operations in mathematics. It's great to see them using hands-on manipulatives, like blocks, to solve long multiplication problems.
Science:
In Science, our secondary school students have been delving into the captivating topic of energy. They have been studying different types of energy, exploring energy transfers, and gaining an understanding of energy efficiency. Recently, they had the opportunity to investigate the intriguing mechanisms of a plasma ball and an electrostatic generator. They also learned about the application of plasma and electrostatic generators in various electrical appliances.
Chinese:
In our Chinese language program, our primary school students have been focusing on building a strong foundation in Chinese language learning. They have started learning pronunciation and sentence construction, enabling them to communicate effectively. Meanwhile, our secondary school students have been exploring Chinese geography. As part of their lessons, they had the pleasure of immersing themselves in the rich Chinese Tea Culture and even sampled a variety of Chinese teas.
Children's University:
This term, our Children's University program has been full of engaging activities. We recently organized a special Mother's Day event, where our students celebrated and expressed their appreciation for their mothers. Additionally, they participated in an exciting photography lesson held in the school library. During this lesson, our students had the opportunity to learn about different professional cameras and develop skills in zooming in and out to capture captivating images.
Miss Sharon Lam
Mathematics / Science / Research Project / Chinese Teacher
Premiers Reading Challenge STEM Design Challenge
During their library lessons this term, the students in Foundation to Year 6 will be taking part in the STEM Reading and Design Challenge. We have done this over the past few years and a couple of our students have won awards.
To enter the competition, we will be reading a book taken from the Premier’s Reading Challenge booklist that has a STEM theme. The F-2 students will be drawing a picture in response to this book. The students in Years 3-5, will be planning an invention inspired by the book we’ve read, while the Year 6 students will be designing a STEM poster, related to the book we’ve read, to inspire interest in science-related fields.
All students will receive a certificate of participation.
Space to Dream
Recently, students were offered a mission: to Design a toy or gadget for a child your age who is moving to Mars. Some students have accepted this mission and will be coming to library one lunchtime a week to create their designs using the 3D printing app, Maker’s Empire.
The students will be using design thinking, a 5-step approach to problem solving that will encourage them to understand people’s needs and come up with effective solutions to meet those needs. Design thinking is the thinking used by engineers and designers all over the world.
Once the students have completed their models, they will be printed here at school and put on display in the library. Some of the designs will be chosen to be sent to Adelaide to be judged along with designs from students across the state as well as some from interstate.
National Simultaneous Storytime
It was finally time for the event of the year, Spike couldn’t believe it—THE GREAT RACE was here! The other sloths said it couldn’t be done, but Spike didn’t care, she was ready to run!
From award-winning creators Rebecca Young and Heath McKenzie, comes this inspiring story to celebrate all winners ... especially those who don’t come first.
This is the official story chosen for ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime 2023, which will be celebrated all across Australia and New Zealand!
- This event will take place in our library at 11am on Wednesday 24 May, 2023.
Storytime for pre-school children & their parents/carers
is held in the Library every Thursday during Term time @ 9:00 a.m.
Book Week 2023
August 19-25 (Week 5, Term 3)
Theme: Read, Grow, Inspire
Digital Technologies: Foundation to Year 6
I believe it is important that our students are involved in activities that students from around the state are also involved in, such as the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Another challenge that is available for our students is the Commissioner’s Digital Challenge. As mentioned earlier, some of our students are entering the Space to Dream challenge. As part of their Digital Technology lessons over the course of this term and into next term, the F-6 students will be involved in activities that follow the Australian Curriculum but will also allow them to participate in Learn to Speak Robot (Digital Thinking) and Zoom Out (Systems Thinking).
Currently, we are looking at how systems, which is anything made from small parts that work together to form something else and in so doing, can carry out functions that the individual part can’t. Next, we are going to be focussing on data (numbers, texts, images) and information (the processing of data to be useful and meaningful).
Student Representative Council (S.R.C)
The SRC helped organise and run the Eggstraordinary Activity, which was held on the last day of Term 1. They also presented the end of term assembly, which they did extremely well.
We continue to meet fortnightly to discuss issues raised by the classes, plan future events, research items to purchase and be a voice for all students in the school
Ailsa Green and Stef Teague
Mrs Ailsa Green Teacher Librarian and Ms Rosie Luckraft CLA
NOTICEBOARD