5 July 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principals Report

It has been a busy conclusion to our school term with quite a few highlights to report on. Apart from the Arbury Park camp, we have had the SAASTA camps in Port Augusta and at the Power Cup in Adelaide, the Work Experience camp at the end of the term, and our community services events.

The Arbury Park Camp for me has been our highlight of the term. Our students got the chance to experience the hills environment in winter, enjoying a range of curricular activities encompassing science, the arts, geography and health and personal development. In addition to this our Junior Primary students got the chance to participate in their bike safety workshop with the police at Thebarton, where students were educated by the police on road safety and got the chance to put their skills and knowledge into practice on the road safety track.

Our students got to participate in a range of interesting activities, some which brought about interesting comparisons with Hawker. On the first morning the Year 6 - 12 and 3 - 5 students from Hawker and Leigh Creek went on orientation walks over some hilly wet woodlands discussing facts about the environment. An interesting aspect of the walks was a pause at the boundary where the Kaurna People of the Adelaide Plains in the past would meet with the Permangk People of the hills. The teachers gave a good description to the students of how the entrance of the Permangk people at these meetings was hard to track, portraying their skill in blending in with the hill’s environment.

On the Tuesday night all the students from Hawker and Leigh Creek got the chance to attend the Trent Hill Aboriginal Cultural presentation. This was an interesting chance to gain an appreciation of the culture of the people of the Adelaide Plains and Hills. Students viewed a variety of implements and were told about their purposes, getting an understanding of the environment that the Kaurna and Permangk peoples lived in.

Also, on the first morning the 3 – 5 students participated in activities exploring Arbury Park and learning how to orienteer using maps and identifying features of the landscape. This was followed by an entertaining and fun game called the web of life, where students took on the roles of different animals and humans in our ecosystem. The behaviours of different animals were explored in depth, with rules which supported the relationship between herbivores, through carnivores to the ultimate predators which included hazards such as bushfires and the role of man in our environment.

The Earth and Art activities also gave students the chance to gain an experience of the diverse range of sensations that nature can offer. The secondary students learnt about the variety of plants in the hills and their qualities for use by man. An interesting activity at the conclusion of this was the chance to explore the aromas and tastes of these plants by assembling a ‘bush cup of tea’ from the Arbury Park garden area.

Science activities were a highlight of the camp with all students getting the chance to examine the features of plant, insect and microbial life at Arbury Park under the microscope. The results of this were amazing with students able to examine some samples of organic life right down to their structural features, a highlight for me being the opportunity to see reproduction in action as different examples of pond life were born as students examined them under the microscope.

All year levels took part in team building and survival challenge activities. Our 6 - 12 students took on the survival challenge activity, recovering from a plane crash, preparing a nutritious meal, crossing a raging river, escaping killer spiders to successfully find their way home. The 3-5 students similarly had to team up with the Leigh Creek students in competitive challenge games aimed at generating teamwork through communication and problem solving.

This term also saw the beginnings of a partnership between the school and different community services that will benefit not only our students but also other members of the Hawker Community. On May 31st we held our Inclusive Services for Families and Young People Expo in partnership with Mission Australia, the NDIS, and the National Disability Coordination Officer Program. The event was planned in recognition of the needs of people in our communities and the issues that distance from services creates. In our isolated location it was a great opportunity for members of the broader community to access information readily about accessible services to support people in need and for our own students to be part of the community event. Opportunities for local members of our community to access these services will occur again in the future, giving members of our community access to services that sometimes are hard to reach.

Headspace from Port Augusta also attended the program. The also represents the start of a partnership between the school and Headspace, through Country and Outback Health. Hannah Whetham from Headspace will deliver a program aimed at building young people’s resilience and wellbeing. This will be achieved through activities with our classes as well as work on an individual level with our students, which will require parental consent for those under 16 years of age. Information on this initiative can be found on our School zine app.

During term two our Year 10 student, Kirsty Stuart has continued her participation in the SAASTA course, in the process gaining SACE credits through the completion of Stage One Aboriginal Cultural Studies and the gaining other SACE credits. Workshops in Port Augusta were held, with a final event recently held in Adelaide where students from all over the state participated in the Power Cup, sponsored by Port Adelaide Power. Both the Far North Girls and Boys teams were very successful with the Boys team winning the event played at Adelaide Oval. Students celebrated at the end of the event with free attendance at the Power vs Geelong match at Adelaide Oval.

Students from across the Far North Partnership also recently attended the annual work experience camp in Adelaide, concluding on Friday, June 28th. Two students from Hawker, Rebekah O’Neill and Kirsty Stuart attended work at Weslo Holdings in Torrensville over five days. Weslo is a diverse company with a range of services, especially in the areas of entertainment and security, coordinating events and concerts and Thebarton and Holden St Theatres. Over their week Rebekah and Kirsty completed tasks in advertising (researching future performers at Weslo events for advertising campaigns), stocktakes of uniforms, attended a board meeting, took a tour of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre which included a look at the work undertaken here, they spoke to people at Weslo about their jobs and career paths, and also worked a night shift at Holden St Theatre on the Thursday where they ushered people, served food, collected and handed out fliers – apart from watching the illusionist show. In addition to this the camp doubled up as an orientation to Adelaide with the students getting familiar with navigating Adelaide via bus, tram and trains, and using the Adelaide Metro App! The camp, which helps to finish of the Personal Learning Plan subject at Year 10, and earns students ten SACE Stage One credits, is in its second year and will play an important role in the education of students in the Far North. The photo below shows, Rebekah and Kirsty with Heather from Weslo and two Leigh Creek students, Starla and Shamiya.

The newsletter contains a variety of articles from our teaching staff, summarising the terms work for our students, enjoy the read. I am on one week’s leave at the start of next term, but will still be available to receive any emails at daren.oneill253@schools.sa.edu.au. Alternately I can still be contacted by ringing the Front Office on 86484003. Have a great holiday and see you all next term.

Mr Daren O’Neill
Principal Hawker Area School

Meet Hannah from Headspace

Foundation – Year 2

From the strange and mysterious land of the little people…

The students have been working very hard this semester and have come ahead in leaps and bounds. We have spent our class time studying two topics, Dinosaurs and Toys/Playgrounds. We have also started the new English program Read Write Inc. It is not dissimilar to other programs used to teach sounds, letters, words, however it is focused on teaching children very intently within their own level of attainment and with decodable texts rather than whole language text. Therefore, the school has had to commit many extra human resources to the F-2 class during English teaching lessons to allow for such a wide variety of abilities within it. It is working and some students have grown exponentially.

During our topic on Dinosaurs we firstly brainstormed everything we knew about dinosaurs and displayed our poster. Then over the next five weeks we did many activities to further our knowledge growth and skills. Some of the pictures displayed here show; Science: Brainstorm poster, Classifying dinosaurs, Visual Arts: Potato print dinosaur skin, Cretaceous Period flower print painting

Or course in week six, four students and I went to Whole School Camp and had an amazing time at Arbury Park in the Adelaide Hills. So many wonderful activities in the outdoors, and sometimes in the gymnasium and laboratory.

For the last four weeks we have been looking at Toys and Playgrounds…as we edge closer to setting up a Play Space in the bark chip area outside the Library. We have looked at approximately 30 toys from throughout history, researched their approximate invention date and used a basic timeline to get an idea of Modern/Old/Ancient. We have also looked at some toys that have been around for a very long time and are still very popular today. We have also mirrored similar activities with the Playground in mind. Pictures displayed here show; HASS: a basic timeline showing - ancient – old like great/great grandma and grandpa – old like Mrs Hilder – Modern (like the high school kids) with toy picture cards to match, Technologies: some gorgeous playground equipment that has been popular since playgrounds first appeared in cities like Manchester, England and New York, America albeit with more safety features these days.

Thanks for all the support I have received again this term. Your support makes this incredible job more achievable and rewarding. It gives me even more drive and energy to do my job to the best of my ability so thank you. Semester two is almost upon us and my goodness we have so much further to go but I’m as keen as mustard and hope you are too.

Mrs Amanda Hilder
Foundation – Year 2 Teacher

Year 3-5 class

School Sport

For the duration of term 2, students participated in Jump Rope for Heart and The Premiers Be Active Challenge. Everyone’s skipping skills have improved over the term and it has helped us to be more active! Students have enjoyed skipping to music and some students have even managed to receive sponsorship for their efforts. To this date Paul Haywood has raised $189.66 and Sierra Wiltshire has raised $80.84 for the heart foundation and they will receive a prize for their efforts. There is still time for students to register and receive sponsorship.

During PE students have also continued learning some football skills. The Primary and Secondary class joined together to play a game of AFL 9s which was very successful and a lot of fun!

3-5 Class

The 3-5 class has been very busy working on story writing skills, grammar and punctuation, research skills and how to look after their health and wellbeing.

In HASS this term the 3-5 students enjoyed learning about different wars that Australia has been a part of. Once they found the key information about these wars they wrote a detailed paragraph about it and then visualised how that war could have looked. The then drew or painted their chosen war to accompany their research. As a class they constructed a timeline and discussed the connection between many of these wars.

I hope that everyone has a safe and relaxing break and you come back refreshed and ready to learn even more next term!

Miss Hayley Brown
Year 3-5 Teacher and HPE Coordinator

Year 6-12 class

We are halfway through 2019 already and the 6 – 12 class have worked hard and are ready for another two-week break, so they refuel.

This term, the 6 – 7 class were involved in a lot of NAPLAN practice tests in preparation for Week Three of Term Two. The class completed two Narratives, one Persuasive, one Reading Paper and one Language Conventions paper with no winging. This demonstrated my learners’ resilience and determination. Furthermore, they did a mini research project on an animal that fascinates them and then wrote an information report for me. This was done very well but my class needs a lot of support regarding referencing and I hope to work with them on referencing skills next term. Their major final task for the term was poetry analysis. We are currently still working on this and students’ work will be handed in on Friday for assessment. Unfortunately, I cannot give you feedback on that yet. However, the discussions were fruitful, and I am optimistic their work will be of a high standard.

The 8 - 10 English class focussed on researching a historical figure who is fascinating to them and then wrote an information report on this figure. Their referencing skills are somewhat better but are still not perfect. Students’ essays on Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men demonstrated a high level of analytical and critical thinking skills.

In History, the 6-8 class explored Ancient Rome and investigated information on their beliefs, values and practices. Students worked in pairs and researched different topics. Their power point presentations were mostly above standard which was very pleasing. The role play assignments where students chose to belong to one of the social classes in Ancient Rome and then wrote a diary entry describing their position in Roman society were mostly at standard but lacked creativity and critical thinking.

This semester in our SACE Stage One we had students studying Modified English and PLP and their results have been confirmed by the SACE board and I am pleased to announce that both candidates did well with one of them being awarded a ‘B’ grade pass.

The Research Project candidate will be resulted in Semester Two, however, he appears to be going all right at the moment.

I wish the 6 - 12 class a sensational two-week break. Have fun and stay safe!! All the best!!

Mr Mphilisi Manombe
Year 6-12 Teacher & SACE Coordinator

Mathematics and Science

During term 2 students across all levels have had a few challenges given to them to solve, allowing development of independent reasoning skills and development of a deeper understanding of the application of mathematical principles. Students need to become proficient mathematical thinkers, with highly developed Problem-Solving skills, and a deeper understanding of mathematical principles and high reasoning skills.

Year 3-5 students have worked very hard to become proficient mathematical thinkers. They have a lot of challenges and they are working hard to improve their own problem-solving skills. The estimation of length in the unit of measurement seems like a great challenge for most of the students. I would encourage parents and carers to create the opportunities for students to practice their estimation and measurement skills at home.” How long do you think is ….?” Please allow them to help you to measure the length of……. correctly. Check their reading of the measurement and ask what units of measurement they are using.

Mrs Lidia Szelzak
Mathematics and Science Teacher

HAS Community Library News

Vocabulary Learning (Lessons from my 2 year old)

Were you aware that having a strong vocabulary aids in comprehension and word recognition? Check out the following information by Jodie Rodriguez

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My son would be considered a late talker by some. He didn’t say more than five words until he was 26 months old. Then, we were reading Cars, Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry one day and my son said, “flat tire” on the page where all the cars and trucks run over nails. I was a bit stunned and quite amused. From that day on he spoke in two-word phrases quickly progressing to short sentences.

I’d say from the beginning that about 90% of what he said to me was clear from the start. So, what exactly has my 2 year-old taught me?

1. Vocabulary acquisition starts long before we can articulate it through reading, speech or writing. It starts with listening. We read all of the time in our house. Each time we read to kids we are planting the seeds of new vocabulary. Little ones love to have a book read over and over again. This works out great for vocabulary development because we need to hear new words over and over again until they become our own.
2. Once we acquire a new word we have to practice it. My son loves the word “silly” right now. He likes to look for situations where he can associate the word with an event that is happening, a picture or something he hears. He is constantly looking for opportunities to name the word in multiple contexts.
3. To help define the word, it helps to say what it is not. For example, my little one might say, “That’s not hard. That pillow isn’t hard. That’s silly (remember this is his fun word right now!).” Learning examples and non-examples helps to clarify the vocabulary word.
4. Conversations are one of the strongest ways to build vocabulary. I’m fortunate that I get to stay home with my boys and talk with them all day. Yes, it can be tiring. However, I love to hear about what they are thinking. Talking with kids is a super powerful way to increase vocabulary naturally.

And most important- read, read, read!

Book Week 2019

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) was founded in 1945 at a time when Australian children’s books were few, and Australian authors and illustrators were virtually unknown. In 1946 the CBCA established annual book awards to promote books of high literary and artistic quality. These awards are now the most influential and highly respected in Australia. Book Week, held in August each year, sees schools across Australia celebrate these awards. This year’s theme is Reading is My Secret Power and we are in the process of planning activities to help celebrate.

A time to Borrow

Students in Foundation to Year 7 have a lesson in the library each week. During this time, I share with the students such things as new books to the library, books about a particular theme, like the recent Refugee Week or the upcoming NAIDOC Week or introduce them to the styles of different authors.

Borrowing days and times

Students are able to borrow books during their library time. Whilst they can have these items for up to four weeks, I encourage students to return books when they have finished reading. This helps them keep track of what they have borrowed and not have outstanding overdue books. Below, I have listed when students have their class borrowing time. It would be greatly appreciated if you would support your child in being a responsible library user by helping them remember when their library lesson is and encouraging them to ensure any book they wish to return to the library is placed in their school bag the night before. Thank you.

F-2: Wednesday L5 (straight after lunch)
3-5: Friday L3 (straight after recess)
6-7: Tuesday L6 (last lesson of the day)

The library is open at lunchtime and after school and students are also able to borrow at these times.

National Simultaneous Storytime

It was at 11 o’clock on the morning of Wednesday May 22 that students and staff from the school and kindy joined over 1 million people in nearly 10,000 places around Australia to indulge in this year’s book chosen for the 19th annual National Simultaneous Storytime. Mr O’Neill really got into the groove reading Alpacas with Maracas by Matt Cosgrove, ably assisted by Holly, Mrs Hilder, Mr McDonald and Mr shaking maracas and a rain stick at strategic points in the story.

Mrs Ailsa Green & Rosie Luckraft (CLA)
Teacher Librarian

S.A.K.G – Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden

No, no, no we are not trying to grow milk bottles! We are recycling the containers as frost and pests guards for the young lettuces. We have planted over 200 seedlings which we grow from seeds: silver beets, lettuces, Asian greens, herbs, brassicas early flowers… The pelargoniums and geraniums cuttings are doing very well too. Thank you to Jenny McInnis for the donations of her pruning.

Radishes and broad beans are growing fast. This ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) would be envied by many a restaurateur in Adelaide.

Emily’s parsley which survived the summer is amazing.

We are having a go at growing cherry tomatoes in the green house, they are in flowers a promising sign of an early crop.

We have already planted seeds which should be ready for transplanting when the garden beds will be harvested.

Most of the students are going through the rhythms and cycles of gardening all aspects for this science have been visited with enthusiasm, other prefer cooking which will happen more frequently now that the garden beds are in prosecution. So far this year the students have practiced: manuring the beds, potting cuttings, sowing seeds, airing the soil, putting worms in the garden. This week we will make worm casting liquid manure and give a boost to the garden. The students spent some time updating their seed-bank accounts and show great interest in this activity. Well done!!!

This term we have spent more lessons in the garden than in the kitchen. Unfortunately there are no photos of some of the cooking we have done. The last lesson was on safety with peelers and graters, a good excuse to make delicious carrot, potato, sweet potato pasties. Delicious.

We will need to revisit our understanding of composting!!!!!!

Mrs Joelle Sharples
Kitchen Garden Specialist

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