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Principals Report – Governing Council
- Thank you – firstly I would like to thank Jan Love for taking over for the first two weeks of this term whilst I was on Long Service Leave.
- Hardcourt Shelter – I receive notification whilst I was on Long Service Leave that the school has been successful in winning the $330000 grant for the Hardcourt Shelter / COLA over our basketball court. This grant is to the value of $330000. We were competing with 230 SA school applications for this, totalling over $290m. It is a great result for us, I was advised by the SA support I had for the application that we would be allocated a project officer to assist us through this process. I will detail more about this in my newsletter article including start and finish dates for the project.
- School Bus – Dave Wallis apologised for the meeting tonight but also brought up our school bus from two perspectives:
A matter I would like to raise is the on going maintenance issue regarding the school bus door. It continues to be problematic. This needs to be rectified or the bus replaced. It's a safety issue for the driver, children, and parents.
If the matter of insufficient drivers being available continues is the school willing to train sso staff so that they are able to back fill as required or create a role so there is the capacity for additional hours to make a position more attractive. Please let me know when the next meeting is and hopefully nothing occurs and I can make it.
I am forwarding this on to the Transport Unit, I know that the bus has been nothing but frustration maintenance wise, in particular the door, which gets fixed and regularly afterward breaks down again. I have asked for the bus to be replaced or for someone to come up and have a further look at the bus. I have also asked about feedback on the training expenses that schools face getting Staff trained as drivers, as it can be expensive and then if a staff member is trained and then leaves we have lost the service that they can provide. The only possible local options for training drivers here are in Port Augusta, which we would be willing to send staff to if we can get the right support for.
On the issue of bus drivers I have been involved in this area already and recently had a motion prepared by our local SA ICPA Flinders Ranges branch about this:
Motion
“That SA ICPA work with the Department for Education to address conditions that hinder isolated schools in
getting Bus Drivers who provide a significant service to families of these areas.”
Explanation
There are many potential bus drivers in isolated areas, but often they choose to be employed in more suitable
work settings. There are several factors that seem to affect driver decisions here.
- To successfully apply potential drivers have to first pay for and pass a medical, which potentially also
involves travel if a specialist is required, all at their own cost. In other country locations closer to
Adelaide the cost ramifications of this are mitigated by distance, however in isolated locations this
tends to build up. In addition to this driver accreditation also needs to be applied for and paid for. For
someone who is semi-retired (a typical scenario in these areas) and looking at low hours and
staggered times, a position such as an am / pm bus driver, this is not an appealing scenario, which
can take a few months to unfold.
- Drivers work am and pm, not a great combination of work hours. Schools are then at times compelled
to come up with a modified job situation which does not always suit a school’s needs.
- Professional support for bus drivers is also needed to support them in their role. The work situation
of a bus driver can be extremely pressured. They perform a role which involves managing a vehicle
and a bus full of kids. It is especially a role which is a focus of parents and can erode away at driver
confidence. This is a combination of roles which require support and training and would contribute
to drivers stepping down at times.
- Professional development in the skills and method for managing school students on a bus would
make drivers feel more competent and confident, contributing to a longer period of work in this job.
- School Projects – the gates at the school are due for an inspection a year in from construction. A request has been made in this regard. Some gates at the school do not swing back in certain conditions. The hardcourt area is getting increased use as the weather has become more suitable for this. DAP toilets are being utilised by our SWAN team.
- Upcoming School Events and Days:
- Whole School Closure on May 27th
- Pupil Free Day on June 7th
- Nilpena Excursion (whole school event) on Tuesday July 2nd
- NAIDOC Week – July 1st to 5th.
Mr Daren O'Neill
Principal
I just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed my time here as Acting Principal at Hawker Area School while Daren has been on leave. I head home tomorrow to resume a retired life, at least until I head north again later in the term. It has been great catching up with many of you and always a delight to spend time working with students and staff. Saraya Stewart, who has been backfilling for Tori and supporting in other classes, is also heading home at the end of this week. I’d like to thank her for her great work over recent months.
For the next three weeks Tori will be in the Rec -Year 2 Room from Monday to Wednesday and TRT Louise Watson will be in the class on Thursday and Friday. Further information will be available in week 5.
I wish you all the very best and looking forward to visiting again in the future.
With kind regards,
Jan Love
Acting Principal
Second Term in the 3-6 classroom is gearing up to be just as busy and interesting as First Term. In
Literacy, students are examining the elements of procedural texts. An activity that the whole class enjoyed was the construction of a banana bread recipe culminating in the baking of said bread. At the time this newsletter went to press, the bread had not been baked, so watch this space! This term, the class is also concentrating on punctuation, handwriting and spelling.
In Maths, students have been studying fractions and percentages, and have been enjoying getting their iPads back in Week Three so they can do Mathletics.
On Friday, 10 May, many of the 3-6 girls participated in a netball carnival, and missed out on getting into the grand final by one point. Thanks to Ms Brown for organising this.
Later in the term, there will be a school excursion to Nilpena, and the SRC are organising a PJ Day in order to raise some money for the school, and Patch Theatre will be paying us a visit. Promises to be a busy and productive term!
Ms Ingrid Condon
Year 3-6 Teacher
Paul wrote this as a letter from the trenches for his HaSS assignment. He is studying WW1. Paul talked to members of the community and used information that he had learned for Oxford Big Ideas. The assignment was to write a letter to a loved one at home. Paul earned himself a high grade for this great piece of work.
Priya Moyle
Year 7-12 Teacher
This term, our secondary school students are learning about trigonometry and algebra. Our senior secondary students are using trigonometric ratios to solve real-life problems, such as calculating the height of a building. In Science, they are investigating the scientific concepts of diffusion and density through multiple experiments. In the Research Project, our senior secondary students are continuing their research on solitude and regional school students through literature reviews, interviews, and surveys.
In Week 3, the University of Adelaide outreach team visited Hawker Area School to host the Make History presentation and STEM workshops. Senior secondary students learned about post-secondary educational opportunities, transition pathways, and government and university subsidies. In the STEM workshops, students had the chance to convert hydrogen energy into kinetic energy. During the hydrogen racecar workshop, students modified the racecars by adjusting the water levels and altering the circuit boards to determine how to make the fastest car. In another STEM workshop, students programmed a robotic car for mining. They competed in groups, writing the car's program, designing and creating a ramp, and devising a tool to collect ping pong balls at the mining site. The workshops were engaging and interactive!
For Children’s University, our students received their passports and are ready to embark on the new Children's University year. We had an archaeology session during lunchtime, where students were introduced to different fossils under the microscope. If you would like your child to participate in the Children’s University, please collect a form from the front office and return the signed form to Ms. Sharon Lam.
News from the Library
Teacher Librarian: Ailsa Green; CLA: Leonie McKenzie
“School libraries matter because they can help every member of the school community – students, staff and families – gain new knowledge, skills, and dispositions for learning and personal development that they will use throughout their lives.” Why school libraries matter
Our library is a safe place into which all are welcome. It provides access to stories, information, and technology. Through developing our own collection and connecting with the public libraries network in South Australia, we are able to provide resources that fit the needs of our community. The library gives students the independence to choose their own reading materials and to find resources that will help them develop their interest and strengths at their own pace. Thank you, parents/caregivers, for your support of the library and encouraging your child to develop good reading habits.
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The National Simultaneous Storytime will be held on May 22 @ 11 a.m. in the library. A special guest will be reading the book, Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker. Afterwards, the students will be involved in an activity related to the story. |
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We will be holding a Scholastic Book Fair from Tuesday August 6 to Thursday August 8 (Week 3, Term 3). Further information will come out early Term 3. |
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Book Week-August 17-23. A wonderful theme this year: Reading is Magic. Our dress-up day and Book Week parade will be held on Tuesday, August 20th @ 11 a.m.
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In Term 1, F-6 students worked in the 3D printing app Maker’s Empire. They worked on projects developed by the company, which enabled them to work more independently and at their own pace. The F-2 students looked at Fairy Tales, and have designed castles, magic wands, a Gingerbread Man and a trap to capture him. |
The students in Year 3-4 learnt about the issues associated with pollution in the ocean. They worked on designing an invention that would minimise the effects of pollution on the ocean or stop the ocean from becoming polluted in the first place.
Climate change was the topic for the Year 5/6 students. Their designs focussed on minimising the effects of climate change.
It has been exciting to see the outcome of the students’ thinking.
This term in Digital Technologies, the students will be further developing their knowledge and understanding of how information systems represent data and the components of digital systems (hardware, software and networks). This is about the stuff that happens behind the scenes in computer technology. The topic for the Foundation to Year 2 students is Inside digital systems, representation of data and privacy and security. The Year 3-4 students are delving into Understanding digital systems, and the Year 5-6 students are looking at sending and receiving messages in smart systems.
Recently, the F-2 students worked as a system to create any design they wanted out of K’nex. This activity was helping them understand how a system is a group of people or parts that need to work together to make something happen.
NOTICEBOARD