17 May 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principals Report

Welcome back to term two, classes have started with their curriculum and the term ahead includes some interesting activities to engage our students. In the newsletter you will find reports from all our staff on plans for this term in different learning areas as well as extracurricular activities.

Operation Flinders

Just coming back this week are our students who ventured out with the Operation Flinders team. Going on the week long trek were Kane Press, Ebony Rose and Mariah Schmerl, with Hayley Brown accompanying them as our staff member. The students were travelling with a team from Leigh Creek and in a motivational and team oriented exercise were walking up to 20km each day, with just the basic supplies and comforts and no access to the technologies of the outside world. The program aims to take students through a test that stretches their patience, physical capacity and challenges them to come together as a team due to the nature of the experience. An additional benefit to those participating is that on completion Operation Flinders will present Certificates that can be recognised for SACE credits. It will be interesting when they come back to hear about their experiences.

Attendance Promotion

At the end of last term I spoke at the assembly about attendance and a promotion for students that we hope will further bolster attendance at Hawker. I spoke about how we value having a high attendance rate as a school and the Department for Educations benchmark of 95% attendance for all students. Attendance has been a focus in our newsletters and the department weekly puts out an analysis of our attendance. Our year to date attendance currently sits at 87%, this is a target that we need to raise up. In quite a few weeks this year we have had a better figure than this and at times in term one our weekly attendance figure was on the target. Research shows that there is a direct link between success in learning and regular attendance at school. The more you attend the better the chance of achieving more at school, getting better grades. However research also shows that students who drop off five days in attendance over a term on average lose one whole grade, such as an A Grade student dropping to a B. In effect drop offs in attendance lead less opportunity to improve reading, writing, students making and playing, things that students get from all their lessons combined. There is a link between poor achievement from poor attendance and lack of success in life. People who don’t attend school enough, have less chance of succeeding at school, and then less chance of getting the best jobs available and the best income. The result of all this is a promotion aimed at the students in the short term, to encourage students to keep an eye on their own attendance in the short term, to provide some incentive for attendance. This will be based on the week to week attendance of students, providing recognition to students who show they can attend consistently each week. Every time a student attends for all five days of a school week they will receive a $2 award that they can spend on food at school. Every time a student attends for all days of the week except one they will receive $1 in recognition of this. Evidence of this will be found at the front office for students to check, each student having a card labelled with their name, and gold and silver stickers on the cards, gold representing a full week and silver one day short. If a student accumulates five weeks of full attendance they will receive a further $5 in recognition of this. The hope is that this will lead to improved attendance for students who may miss a day every now and then and recognition for those who already have good attendance habits. Consistent attendance plays an important part in every child’s education, please look at this initiative and encourage your child to make the best effort in attending Hawker Area School.

Assessment and reporting

The school for the first time will report by a brief progress check for every student this term. This will occur at this stage in week 4, where teachers will report on students in terms of effort and punctuality. This will give students and parents another avenue for feedback and allow the chance for parents to receive further information if required. At the end of term two, parents of students in primary classes will receive a written report and students in secondary classes can expect a summary report of end of semester grades, with a comment by their home group teacher.

Sun Smart Students

As we would know from the Sun Smart ads we see on TV protection from the sun in the form of hats and other clothing needs to be worn when the UV level is higher than 3. At schools this means that in terms one, three and four students are now meant to wear bucket hats every day due to the risk of skin cancer, this is a Department of Education directive. In term two schools can monitor the UV reports and get students to manage their use of hats otherwise. On days where the forecast is for a UV level of greater than 3 to occur, at these times students will be required to wear hats. The school will manage this at home group each morning wear students will be informed of the maximum UV level for the day and when the UV level will be greater than 3, at these times hats will still be required. It has been interesting that in the first week of term two, UV levels have still been up to 5, gradually decreasing down to 4 in the second week. This will be an educational exercise for the students as they keep track of what UV conditions are actually like in winter and get an appreciation of the level of risk that is still there. As we approach June it will be interesting to see what levels drop to and later in the year through spring and summer how high the UV level can get. For more information for parents and those that work outdoors the Sun Smart App can be downloaded on iPhone and Android, while there is also a widget that can uploaded onto computers. These are all highly informative as to UV daily levels and protection that needs to be worn.

Pupil Free Days

On June 12th and 13th staff from Hawker will be attending professional development sessions with other schools in the Far North Partnership in Port Augusta. The focus of our training is a continuation of the Learning Design and Moderation strategy from previous years, with this year a look into Assessment for learning in particular. As a result of this both of these days will be whole school closures.

As always if parents need to make contact they can ring the school on 86484003 or contact me by email on daren.oneill253@schools.sa.edu.au

Mr Daren O’Neill
Principal Hawker Area School

Stage 2 Tourism @ HAS

This term in Stage Two Tourism students will have a special focus on the upcoming Hawker Races. This will consist of a Practical Activity where they will get the chance to investigate all aspects of tourism in our region, from levels of government regulation and support, including local government. This will essentially be a Primary Source based investigation. Apart from this the class will visit examples of tourism businesses and organisations in Hawker and its surrounds conducting fieldwork which will consist of the opportunity to get primary source information in the form of photographs, interviews, surveys, brochure collection and analysis to name a few possible activities. From here the task will be to gain an understanding of how local programs and events have working relationships with other sectors of tourism and government. It will be an exciting opportunity to really start developing a picture of how tourism works.

We will also commence our topic on Indigenous People and Tourism. In this topic we will be investigating secondary sources to investigate ‘Indigenous Tourism’ as a growing trend and to understand its potential importance by comparing indigenous projects in different parts of the world. Indigenous tourism globally is a topic of great success but also merits further investigation as different societies develop strategies to manage culture based tourism with respect.

During Term Two the class will also get the chance to start their Investigation, which will be on a negotiated tourism trend, development and/or issue. Through our investigations the intent will be to develop observations concerning aspects of tourism that may merit further investigation. They will then will identify, select, analyse and evaluate primary and secondary sources of information about their chosen trend, development or issue, and make recommendations based on the findings.

Mr Daren O’Neill

Foundation – Year 2

An update from the strange and mysterious land of the little people…

This term in the F-2 class we are continuing our Garden design theme for the first 4 weeks. At the end of last term we began by taking part in whole class discussions on what we would like to see in our new garden space. We formed into 6 groups of three with a year 2 student taking charge of their own group. Each group drew a large freestyle drawing incorporating some elements that they were asked to include and some elements they came up with on their own. The next step was to form inquiry questions on how to actually go about getting this project off the ground and to completion.

Since returning to school this term the children have been busy making models of their garden designs. They have been mainly using plasticine but some groups have used many other available resources such as straws, cotton reels, leaves, string etc.… In week 3 Mr O’Neil will be meeting with each group for approximately 15mins each where they will have to ‘pitch’ their design in terms of individual element and as a total design. Each child will be required to contribute verbally and be prepared to answer Mr O’Neil’s questions. If Mr O’Neil asks a question they don’t know they will have to declare they don’t know but will investigate further and get back to him. Each group will also make a promotional video/movie using the iPads highlighting each element.

We will keep you all updated when we have some on ground progress to share.

For the second half of the term we will be switching topics entirely to Flight. We will incorporate all of the Learning Areas into this theme and I have some fun and engaging activities planned.

Garden Design Theme

Mrs Amanda Hilder
Foundation – Year 2 Teacher

Year 3-6 class

This term in the year 3-6 class, our theme is Vikings! We will use this theme in most of the subject areas this term, and our classroom looks awesome!

In English we will be doing a mini research project, where students have chosen a topic within our Viking theme. Later on in the term we will be writing some historical narratives. This will overlap a little into our HASS lessons.

Our science topic this term is physiological sciences. We will be learning about forces and later in the term we are going to find out how Vikings used crystals to navigate the open ocean.

A reminder that the homework expectations are outlined in the kids homework books. They are sent home on Mondays and are expected back on Fridays. Week 2 and 3 will be a little different as I am away on Operation Flinders. Diaries are also expected to be bought to school every day. This is the number one communication method between the school and home.

We are looking forward to the booty of knowledge we will receive through plundering our research and enquiry skills this term!

Miss Hayley Brown
Year 3-6 Teacher

Year 7-12 class

7-12 Mr Manombe Mphilisi Head shot picture 006.png (float right)

A warm welcome to Term 2 of 2018 everyone. Term 2 is always an exciting and eventful part of the year in our class. This is a term when Years 7’s and 9’s sit their NAPLAN tests. We are optimistic for terrific results from our NAPLAN candidates, SACE Stage One Essential English and SACE Stage Two Research Project candidates who are going to be completing their courses this term and will be getting their results around July. Therefore, there is a lot of hard work lined up for these students and we are counting on the support from our parents and caregivers so we continue realising even greater achievements than we did last year.

In our English lessons the 7 – 10 class will be exploring ways of writing spectacular narratives and creating colourful and enticing persuasive posters. We will also study Tim Winton’s Lockie Leonard Human Torpedo, an Australian classic that helps adolescents come to grips with their identity and puberty battles. We will also collaboratively link our English Curriculum to other subjects through incorporating the STEM whole school focus.

This year in HASS we decided to do History in Semester 1 and Geography in Semester 2. Our History topic for Term 2 is Asia and the World (1750 – 1900) and our focus countries are China and Japan. We will focus on the key features of Chinese and Japanese societies around 1750. Secondly, we will investigate the effects and results of Chinese and Japanese invasions by European societies. Next we will explore the significances of The Boxer Rebellion and The Battle of Shimonoseki. Finally, we will find out about the positions of China and Japan by 1900. Students will also research the Chinese and Japanese legacies that have survived to this day!

In regards to our senior students; this year we offer one of the largest varieties of SACE Stage One and Stage Two subjects ever! These subjects include Stage One and Stage Two English, Research Project 2, PLP, General Maths, Essential Maths, Stage One and Stage Two P.E, and Stage Two Tourism. We also offer Child Studies, Psychology and Business Enterprise through Open Access. Furthermore, we have VET courses such as Pichi Richi Training, Certificate 3 in General Construction, Certificate 3 in Rural Operations and many others.

I believe in my students and feel confident that they will enjoy the term and will thrive!! All the best for the year.

Mr Mphilisi Manombe
Year 7-12 Teacher

Physical Education and STEM

I hope everyone has had a refreshing two week break and is ready for another busy term. From a sporting perspective some of our students have begun their sporting commitments for Port Augusta, Quorn and Orroroo teams. I always enjoy hearing about your sporting endeavours and am happy to offer any help or guidance if I can. I am looking at promoting AusKick this term so if you have any children interested, please let me know so I can get the ball rolling. SAPSASA netball and football will be in the first two weeks of term, so good luck to the Year 5 to 7 students representing our school. As always if any parents or family members would like to come along and cheer along their children, they are more than welcome and your help and support is greatly appreciated.

In our 7-10 STEM class we will be concentrating on the theme of the Human Body. This term the students will discover how the human body works, how external factors impact our bodily functions and how science and technology may influence the future of the human body. We will be dissecting animal organs and using the 3D printer to design and build human bodies of the future. This theme will allow students to develop their problem solving, inquiry and creative thinking skills. Scientific outcomes include: the physics of the human body (forces, simple machines, gravity), cells, organs, internal systems, DNA, evolution and the bionic body. Mathematics concepts covered will include: probability and statistics, measurement, relationships, patterns and algebra. The theme of the Human Body will also be connected in our Health class as we discuss the impacts that drugs and alcohol have on our body and promoting healthy life choices to others and the community. Forces in sport, fitness testing and the health benefits of physical activity will be discussed and researched.

Good luck to students, parents and staff for Term 2 and as always if you have any concerns, compliments or anything in between please feel free to chat with me anytime.

Mr Vinny Urbancic
Physical Education Teacher and STEM Coordinator

Music and Languages

Music:

Music for all classes this term will continue with work started last term. The focus is, as always, on building musical literacy and raising engagement, through the use of folk songs and the voice. ‘ASK ME’ booklets for the F-2 and 3-6 classes will go out in week 3 and all classes are starting to build listening to Art Music segments into their weeks. I completed the Level 1 Secondary course of the Australian Kodaly Certificate in the holidays, and 7-10 students will benefit from this. We will be continuing our World Music unit for a few more weeks, as the last topic of ‘Maori Stick Dancing’ is just too much fun to pass up!

Languages: (Indonesian/Adnamatna)

Due to a change of time table, there are no longer any double language lessons for students in 3-9. This is good news for us. It means that we are able to do both Indonesian and Adnamatna for the full duration of the year, rather than stopping and changing each semester. While the lessons will be shorter, they won’t stop and students will still get the same total number of minutes for each language in the year.

In Indonesian we will be continuing to develop vocabulary through the use of simple stories and creativity. Our current focus is on family, and the people (and animals) that live in our house.

In Adnamatna we will be revising past knowledge, and moving forward with a focus on building sentences and phrases, and not just memorising individual vocabulary.

Bridge:

Thank you to those families who have returned their media permissions for the B.A.S.K and AEF pages. Cigku Aina is meeting with staff at her school to introduce them to the project this week and we are hoping that relationships between staff and students will kick off soon. As always, you are invited to check out both the Asia Education Foundations social media pages, and our own B.A.S.K. website for updates on the project internationally, and locally. The BRIDGE Program was also featured on the Bruneian National Television. You can see this at

Yura Muda:

Please keep an eye out for an invitation to a meeting of the Yura Muda Group in the near future.

Choir:

Due to timetable tabling constraints with a new timetable this term, choir does not yet have an allocated time. We are working to rectify this as soon as possible and when this is organised, a note will be sent home to families informing them of the new time.

Band:

We are now blessed with two band lessons in order to better meet the needs of all our instrumental students. Notes for this were sent out in Week 1.

As always, feel free to contact me at the school, either on 86 484 003, or my email sasha.andersson157@schools.sa.edu.au.

I am currently working Monday -Thursday afternoons.

This piece of art work was done by Annabelle Allen. I have included it in this newsletter article because it is the perfect example of the integration of cultures that we strive for at this school, and the variety of identities we have as students here.

Mrs Sasha Andersson
Music and Language Teacher

Teacher / Librarian

Term 2 has begun in a busy and rewarding way with the library supporting the Nunkuwarrin Yunti’s Link-Up SA program. Link-Up provides family tracing, reunion and counselling services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families who have been separated under the past policies and practices of the Australian Government. Assistance is also provided to people over the age of eighteen years who have been adopted, fostered or raised in institutions.

As well as storing collections of books, DVDs and teaching resources the library is the repository of Hawker’s local history. These important archives contain old school registers, documents, photos, books and maps. During week 1 we were privileged to meet Ron Miller, a gentleman whose father (Robert Miller) had never known his family as he was fostered as a baby. Ron was keen to see if any of his father’s family were pupils at Hawker and whether we could identify his father in an old Hawker school photo. Ron was accompanied on his visit by representatives from Link-Up.

Looking through old lists of the school register from over one hundred years ago, we were able to find Ron’s father and other family members with details such as birth dates, home addresses and what happened to the students once they left school. Unfortunately we were unable to help identify anyone in the photo. If anyone could help us in this task we would appreciate your help. A large copy of the photo is in the school library and one will be included in the Town Crier. There is also one attached to this newsletter. We would really appreciate your assistance in recognising the students in the photo and Robert Miller in particular. The photo is circa 1917-1923.

This term the library is initiating two intensive literacy programs for individual students. The first, Jolly Phonics is underway already. This program focuses on phonics as a way to build letter recognition, word blending and reading. We are also about to begin Multilit, a very prescriptive and intensive schedule that can build students’ work knowledge, spelling, reading and comprehension. This course is backed by research and has been used successfully in many schools and we are excited to implement it at Hawker.

The governance of the library has undergone a transformation in the past year. There is no longer a library board but a committee who meets twice a year to oversee the library operations. This committee is now named the Hawker Area School Community library Partnership (HASCLP) and our first meeting was held in week1.

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is making good progress in the Primary years and I would encourage Secondary students to further participate. The Challenge gives students a focus on their reading, offers a sense of achievement, builds self-esteem and pride and contributes to school unity. It’s also a lot of fun.

Lastly, an early reminder about the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book Week August 18-24 2018. This theme this year is Find Your Treasure. More information to follow about the library display, and book character dress ups and parade.

Mrs Janet Spooner-Adey
Teacher Librarian

Reminder