Term 1 Wk3 No1 - 15 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principals Report

The year at Hawker has started well despite the hot weather. Ironically the students went to Quorn Area School for the swimming carnival this week on one of the coolest days we have had for a while….don’t know how many times that has happened! Parents will already know how their students went, and news of their efforts will appear in our News Flashes on Schoolzine, along with some photos. Calendar notifications of other sports events the school is involved in will be made also through our Schoolzine app.

In this newsletter you will find overviews from all our staff on their programs for term one, from our F – 2 curriculum right through to all our Year 12 subjects. It is a big year for our secondary students in particular, with four students undertaking Year 12 and completion of their SACE. In a busy start to the year at the other end our F – 2 class is also burgeoning, with 20 students attending.

Last week I welcomed once again our school staff for the start of year. This week you will also find their profiles in the Newsletter outlining who they are and their roles. It was remiss of me however that I did not mention our new Design and Technology teacher, Travis McDonald, who will be teaching one day a week on Wednesdays whilst still working at Quorn on the others. It is great to have Travis here, a teacher with many years’ experience in this area at Quorn; he will have a lot to share with our students in the Technology workroom.

Just a reminder to parents and students that our Goal Setting Interviews are next week, on Monday to Wednesday and on Monday to Thursday for Secondary students. Our teachers have been taking students through the process of setting goals for 2018 and our meetings will be an opportunity for parents, students and their teachers to meet and discuss the goals. As I said last week the meeting is also an opportunity for teachers and parents to document how they will assist their students in achieving their goals in 2018. The goals will be part of a more formalised process in 2018, where they will be referred back to in our reporting processes, and if necessary reviewed in order to make them more relevant. As part of our assessment and reporting processes in 2018, parents and students can expect to see another round of interviews in term 3, as well as ‘Progress Checks’ on every student which will act as a spot check on progress for all our students.

On Monday this week the school had their Activ Panel TVs installed, in the F – 2, 3 – 6 and 7 – 12 classrooms. The 75” TVs will act as a virtual whiteboard for teachers, but much more than this. With the capacity to download educational apps, refer to thousands of resources on the Promethean website and to ‘cast’ an image from another device onto the TV screen, they offer huge potential for engagement in the classroom. We already have one TV installed in the library at the end of last year, and plan to install two more in 2019. The staff will follow up with some further training in the Activ Panel TV and their software at a staff meeting in March.

Thank you to all the people who will have nominated for positions on Governing Council and Parents and Friends on Monday night, this is much appreciated. Volunteering is something that can be a rewarding experience at this level. Further to that the school is always looking for volunteers to help out in the classroom if possible. Please consider the idea of helping out at school, especially in the classroom as it can be a rewarding experience.

Don’t forget to download the Schoolzine App so that you can keep up to date with all our news via our Newsletters and regular News Flashes. The app also contains a calendar item that syncs with the calendar on your phone. Information on how the app can be loaded up went out last year recently via email and we have also included the instructions within this newsletter again for all. As always if you wish to make contact regarding any school matters I can be contacted via the Front Office on 86484003 or by my email at daren.oneill253@schools.sa.edu.au

Mr Daren O’Neill
Principal Hawker Area School

Stage 2 Tourism @ HAS

Our Stage Two Tourism class this term will start by investigating the basic themes of tourism, linking them to not just the local area, but examples from Australia and around the world. The subject is structured around three compulsory themes and three topics, the topics we will be doing will be negotiated with our students, with an eye to allowing some robust local investigation, but to also tap into topics of the student’s interests. Firstly students will investigate the theme of “Operations and Structures of the Tourism Industry”, investigating how the industry operates and the organisations that support its operation, including governments and tourism organisations. We will learn who the different organisations are in the Flinders Ranges region, including businesses, representative bodies and government authorities and how they operate to deliver experiences to visitors in our region. We will compare this approach to other locations around the world. Our investigations will involve the use of internet resources, as well as a great variety of print documentation and a variety of primary sources through field activities.

Mr Daren O’Neill

Foundation – Year 2

Hello from the Foundation to year 2 management. Term 1 sees us begin the year with the largest junior primary class for over 20 years! We start with twenty students and eight of these children are fresh from kindy.

For term 1 the children are learning under the themes; Reuse and Recycle, TBA and Garden Design. The To Be Advised item means that in weeks 5-9, I (Amanda) will be taking long service leave and I am still negotiating an agreed theme with the teachers stepping into my role. I will let junior primary parents know soon.

Generally for the theme of Reuse and Recycle the children will be learning about; What do those terms mean, How do we do it, Where do we do it, Why do we do it, When do we do it. As much as we can we will be using STEM to guide us for (Science, Technology and Design, Engineering and Maths). We have already begun in Visual Arts by creating a piece of art that carries an intended message about what can be recycled from everyday shop bought items. By the end of the week I had chosen the one recycling area of Paper and the children have begun learning about how paper is made in the first place and what is a process. We will then learn the process of making our own recycled paper and then enjoy making some to bring home and show you. We will also look at the processes involved in other areas of recycling. Overall the learning needs to reflect the concept of use, reuse/recycle, use where possible, ‘Closing the Loop’.

The final theme is the final design and action plan for the Library garden extension. We will be submitting our plans to Mr O’Neil, working busily on different features for the final two weeks of term and then at the beginning of term 2 we will action everything for our Outdoor Library Garden Space. If you think you might be able to lend a hand at the start of term 2 we will gratefully accept as a mini working bee will be in order.

Mathematics will follow the themes where possible. The areas of study include; Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability. There will be an element of Maths homework for your child.

English will follow the themes where possible too. Writing will see us concentrating on Narrative and Recount Writing this term. Our Reading Comprehension Strategies will include; Word attack strategies, Predicting, Connecting, Comparing, Inferring, Synthesising and Creating Images. Spelling and Grammar will follow my class routine but will also be included in each child’s homework schedule. Again this year the most important homework remains at each child reading to an adult every night. In my humble opinion it is best to share the levelled reader with your child at bed time and make it a nice way to finish the day together. If at any time listening to reading becomes a ‘not so happy’ time please let me know. It may be the wrong levelled reader has come home, the book is dead boring or your child is just too late to bed to be able to concentrate. We’ll work it out.

Listening to Reading Volunteers Needed “We need you.” I have two volunteers at the moment but will need more to satisfy the needs of this super keen class!! It takes at least 5-7 minutes (some more like 10) to listen to a child read and also have time to chat and ask questions about the story. With 20 children it means at least 140 minutes plus time in between listening to each child as they put away their book etc… I am aiming for each child at school to read every day.

Welcome and good luck in your year ahead.

Mrs Amanda Hilder
Foundation – Year 2 Teacher

Year 3-6 class

This term in the year 3-6 class, our theme is Amazing Animals. We will use this theme in most of the subject areas this term, and we are in the process of decorating our classroom accordingly.

In English we will be focusing on writing narratives and persuasions. The students will write stories using animal characters and factual information about those animals. Later in the term we will be focusing on litter and the affect it has on animals and their habitats.

Our science topic this term is biological sciences which fits our topic well. We will be doing some research on living and non-living things and animal habitats.

In math we will start off by focusing on number and algebra. This topic will include number properties, mental and written strategies and using the four operations.

During our HASS lessons, we will find out about animals that have lived here in the past and have gone extinct. We will also investigate some of the introduced animals in this area and find out how they are impacting the local environment.

Miss Hayley Brown
Year 3-6 Teacher

Year 7-12 class

I would like to welcome back our students, parents and care givers to a brand new 2018. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday and I’m sure my students are ready for a year of hard work.

In English this term the Years 7 -10 students will be studying George Orwell’s Animal Farm. They will explore Orwell’s satirical, ironic and sarcastic techniques which he employs to critic what was then his contemporary society. At the end of this learning experience, students should have completed work on chapter summaries, character (s) criticism and theme exploration. Further into the term the learners will revisit persuasive texts and focus on skills of writing powerful persuasive paragraphs.

In Stage 1 English our sole candidate this term will be doing Essential English. The work he will do incorporates; persuasive texts, film and novel analysis, oral presentations and video making. Stage 2 English students will be working on their English folio which is a comparative analysis of two texts where they evaluate themes, language and stylistic features of their selected texts. They will use Orwell’s Animal Farm and Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.

In History this term the 7 – 10 class will be studying the 19th Century ideologies on Capitalism, Marxism, Socialism, Communism and Egalitarianism. The students will research the incidents that triggered the popularity of these ideologies and move on to the comprehensive study of the Russian Revolution.

I hope the learners will thoroughly enjoy engaging in the study of the topics selected for the term. Thanks to all parents and caregivers for your continued support to our keen learners. Help them to keep believing in themselves because they are just great learners!

Mr Mphilisi Manombe
Year 7-12 Teacher

Physical Education and STEM

As part of my new role as STEM coordinator I will be assisting our schools staff and students to implement a whole school approach to STEM in 2018 and into the future. This will include working with the school and local community to identify curriculum links to local, regional and national industries and careers in STEM. As a school we have already purchased a 3D printer which will be a fantastic addition to the school and the technology department.

So what is STEM? STEM is teaching based on the idea of education students in four learning areas – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Rather than teach the four learning areas separately, STEM integrates them all into a cohesive learning opportunity based on real world application and problems.

I have included a brief overview for each subject this term to keep the community up to date.

• STEM: my Year 7 to 10 class will be undertaking a project this term which requires them to research and design a Tiny House. This project allows for creative design solutions as well as developing skills in architectural presentation drawing, scientific inquiry and mathematical application. We will be learning how to use SketchUp with our goal to be able to use our brand new 3D printer to bring these houses to life. The learning outcomes for this project are plentiful and it will give students the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge, understanding and skills in the learning areas of Science, Mathematics and Technology.
• Science: Tiny Houses – each year level will have a different inquiry question to answer in order to research and design their house. The Science in house design including - Renewables and non-renewable resources and energy, energy transfer and transformations within systems, population displacement caused by natural disasters and global systems – including global warming and climate change.
• Mathematics: Tiny Houses – the Mathematics in house design including: Measurement – surface area and area, geometry – ration and scale factors in constructing scale drawings of floor plans and designs. Linear relationships and data analysis including evaluating statistical reports and analysing graphical displays.
• Health and Physical Education: my Year 3 to 6 PE class will be participating in various invasion games this term with an emphasis on skill development and tactical awareness. My Year 7 to 10 Health class will be focusing on personal, social and community health this term with an emphasis on healthy and safe choices in topics such as food and relationships.
• Face to face SACE subjects – General and Essential Mathematics, Physical Education

I will still be promoting sport and physical activity this year too, even with our extra focus on STEM. This term will be busy early with a few athletic and swimming carnivals with Quorn Area School. I would like to thank staff, students, parents and families in advance for their support at all sporting events this year. I know it will be as great as always.

Finally good luck to students, parents and staff for 2018 and I’m looking forward to a great school year. As always if you have any concerns, compliments or anything in between please feel free to have a chat at any stage.

Mr Vinny Urbancic
Physical Education Teacher and STEM Coordinator

Music and Languages

Welcome back! Over the holidays (when I wasn’t gallivanting around Tasmania!) I spent a lot of time in various training and professional development activities, including doing a week long intensive summer school program in Adelaide for Secondary Music, participating in professional mentoring conversations related to teaching Indonesian, and working across professional associations in Adelaide to develop resources and opportunities for teachers of all disciplines to have greater access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives through Music. I can’t wait to bring all these back to Hawker and apply them to our students. Later this term the school will also be participating in the BRIDGE program through the Asia Education Foundation, which links our school with a school in Asia, in our case, Brunei! In March I’ll be off to Sydney for training, then bringing back our partner teacher for a week in our school to develop relationships and program development across countries!

Music:

This year my focus is on ENGAGEMENT, and the various ways that musical skills can be applied using props and instruments and helping children to develop more appreciation for music in all its forms, all while continuing to develop music literacy skills.

Foundation – Year 2:

This term in Music students will be working on comparatives, e.g. Singing vs. speaking voice, high vs. low pitch etc., before moving into the more abstract idea of rhythm. We will of course be doing lots of singing and moving (and playing musical games!) and being introduced to two special new friends who are going to help us on our musical journey this year! Given the success of the ‘Ask Me’ cards from last year, I will be continuing with this idea, but in the form of a term book. Approximately 10 songs/rhymes will be sent home in either week 2 or 3, with the same purpose as the ‘Ask Me’ cards – that students and parents are singing together at home and reinforcing the learning and enjoyment from the classroom. Due to the success of the Kindy Music program, students should know most of the tunes, but don’t stress if some aren’t learnt yet! They will be covered this term. I look forward to feedback on these to see if we continue with it in Term 2.

Year 3 – 6:

This term in Music we will be focusing on revising and reinforcing past materials including repertoire, knowledge and skills, and filling in any gaps. By mid-term I expect us to be on track with all aspects of musical literacy, including rhythm and pitch, and working more on the application of these skills in part work and improvisatory activities. Of course we will also be playing musical games and learning new repertoire, as well as a weekly music listening task. We will also be applying our musical knowledge to the ukulele this year! Students in this class will also be receiving a repertoire book to take home, with some similar, and some different material to the F-2 class. Again the idea is to encourage the learning and enjoyment of music and singing at home, and again I appreciate feedback on this initiative.

Year 7 – 10:

My holiday training was specifically focused on this age group, so I have many new ideas to apply! Of course singing and musical literacy are the focus at this year level, and again musical games will be our gateway to this. Application of these skills will occur in the form of simple keyboard exercises and part work exercises. We will also be having a focus on style, with Music of the World being our first topic, and further application of the literacy elements will be applied to each style.

Indonesian:

The first semester of the year we will be continuing to learn Indonesian. I’ve been reading up and learning a lot about Teaching for Comprehensible Input and engaging in professional mentoring on teaching languages ‘narrow and deep’ rather than ‘shallow and wide’. This should result in a greater retainment of vocabulary and language concepts and I will be constantly reviewing my practises this Term in particular.

Foundation – Year 2:

Astaga! Taylor Swift di McDonalds! And she met Mr O’Neill! That will be the story to kick start the term, and to develop in students a rich understanding of the vocabulary nama saya/siapa nama? (my name is/what’s your name?), ya/tidak (yes/no), berkata (said) and astaga (omg). We will also be learning classroom vocabulary, through the use of games and application in the classroom. As we get closer to the start of the BRIDGE program, more activities on intercultural awareness and understanding will be added to the program.

Year 3 – 6:

The story for this class will be identical to the F-2 class, in the beginning. Extension will occur though, including other vocabulary (including the ‘Super 7’), more reading and writing activities, and age appropriate practise activities, including using technology. Again as we get closer to March more activities related to our partner teacher visit will occur.

Year 7 – 10:

As many students in this class have not done any Indonesian before, we will also be starting with the ‘Please to Meet You’ topic and story. Appropriate extension will occur for students with some background in Indonesian and activities for intercultural awareness will start in late Feb. I am looking into ways to share the learning here at Hawker with our partner school in Brunei, and this cohort will be a large part of the organisation and the relationships in that.

Yura Muda:

The Yura Muda program will re-start at the beginning of Term 3. I look forward to working closely with Kerri (our new ACEO) and Aunty Pauline in the organisation and development of this program, and other programs to increase the application and involvement of Adnamatna and Indigenous culture in our site.

Choir:

The Primary Schools Music Festival Choir is open to students in years 3 to 7. I’m off to the Choir Conference next week and should learn the material and receive our resources then. Our site is affiliated with the Adelaide Festival and so once again will be travelling to Adelaide in September for the performance. Unfortunately, performance at the Festival is only available to a select number of students in years 5-7, but it is hoped that all students will be travelling with us to celebrate this huge achievement. Notes home to eligible student’s families will be sent out by the end of week 2 with further information. Please note that joining the choir is a yearlong commitment and a small fee to cover the cost of resources must be paid and is not refundable if your child chooses not to continue with Choir.

Band:

Notes will be sent home in week 1 regarding eligibility for the Band and the expectations of students participating. Please note that this program is not run by the Instrumental Music Service (DECD) but programmed according to our students needs by myself. It is expected that students who were in the band last year will continue with their instruments this year, and interested new students (from middle primary up) will be offered instruments in accordance with the needs of a balanced concert band. Band is a yearlong commitment, and the cost of instruments is covered by the school.

If you have any questions about any of the programs I am running this year, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me at the school on 8648 4003

(I work Wednesdays and Thursdays) or via my email: sasha.andersson157@schools.sa.edu.au

Thank you and here’s to a great 2018!

Mrs Sasha Andersson
Music and Language Teacher

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