11 November 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principals Report

We are now in term four and looking back it has been a pretty fast year. We have been addressing the goals stated in our new School Improvement Plan and it has been a year of many positive achievements in this regard. With Literacy and Numeracy at the forefront of our approach to improvements in learning we have had a year of progress, and with continued application to the teaching and learning involved we can look forward to greater progress.

In line with this we are now in the planning phase for the 2020 year, and over this term staff will be reviewing our School Improvement Plan and also undertaking an External Review that will provide us with further recommendations for the next 3-4 years. Our External Review will be held over Tuesday and Wednesday November 19th and 20th. As a part of this a team consisting of a Review Office and a Peer Principal will visit Hawker Area School to investigate the teaching and learning and culture of our school that goes with this. From this some recommendations will then be made to assist us in moving forward to greater success with our teaching and learning. Already as part of the early phase of this data associated with our teaching and learning over the last three to four years has been examined, including NAPLAN, PAT, Running Records, Spelling tests and surveys of students, parents and staff. The review will cover a range of activities starting with a presentation by myself and leading through a tour of the school, walkthroughs of classes during lesson times and interviews with groups of staff, students and parents. It will be an extensive process over the two days, with a debrief session on the third day followed by a report in the new year. With this and our other preparations for the 2020 year earlier in the term the school will then have a Pupil Free Day on Monday November 25th to further support us in the planning for 2020.

Our students from Year 2 to 10 underwent the annual PAT testing at the end of last term. These tests are all online with students in Years 3 to 10 undergoing tests in PAT Reading, Maths, Vocabulary and Grammar and Punctuation. The tests all went without a hitch which was pleasing considering the number of students online at different times. Data is already processed for the PAT tests and it is pleasing to see some good evidence of student improvement and achievement. Students who achieved well in the NAPLAN tests earlier this year once again did well, while students in years 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 also performed well. Apart from NAPLAN tests the PAT tests are the only other national test which has an SEA (Standard of Educational Achievement) assigned to each test in Reading and Maths and it was good to see that we had some good outcomes in this area. Data associated with the PAT tests, NAPLAN and other examples of student learning will be referred to in our planning for the year on November 25th.

I would like to say well done to our SRC on their planning of ‘Bandanna Day’ and ‘Bring Your Wheels to School day’, our two fundraisers which were both held on Friday October 26th. The day was a great fundraiser for Canteen, which has been supporting young Australians 12 – 25 living with cancer for over 30 years, this support being for young people who are dealing with their own, a parent or a sibling’s diagnosis, or have lost a loved one to cancer. The charity provides a broad range of services to these people including free counselling services, life changing peer support and specialised services. I would also like thank Teagues Motors who have been selling Bandannas in support of the cause helping us to really make the day worthwhile. The day was a lot of fun for the students as all types of wheeled vehicles were on display from bikes to scooters, to BMX, to Ripsticks – all of course requiring helmets! Our students had a lot of fun on the day negotiating heavy traffic, speeding around bends and putting into effect their own tricks.

The SRC have worked hard in this area in 2019 to raise funds with ‘The Worlds Greatest Shave’ day at the end of term one another fundraiser for this cause.

We held our Open Night last week on Thursday where our staff and students opened the school up to all members of the community. I was really pleased with the overall attendance as parents and extended family members came in for a look at all our classrooms. All areas were open for a viewing, to see the 3-5 class competing in an interactive online quiz on ‘Kahootz’, the secondary students all presenting on public speaking topics in the secondary room, being part of a Read Write Inc class with Amanda Hilder in the JP room as well as displays and presentations in the Science Lab, the Music & LOTE room, Design and Technology (where a demonstration of the 3D printer was producing a model of a hand) and our Kitchen and Multipurpose Room where dinner was served. It was fantastic to see so many people in attendance and getting the chance to see and talk about the learning that goes on at the school.

This term’s Presentation night is our final school event for the term and this will be held on Tuesday December 10th. As always I can be contacted at the school on 86484003 or via my email at daren.oneill253@schools.sa.edu.au. I look forward to seeing you over the term.

Mr Daren O’Neill
Principal Hawker Area School

Hannah from Headspace

Next Visit

Week 4 – WEDNESDAY 6TH November
Week 6 – FRIDAY 22nd November

Foundation – Year 2

From the strange and mysterious land of the little people…

Welcome back to the final term for 2019. The year always looks so big at the beginning of the year…and now I’m wishing there were a few more weeks than just 6, to fit in all that is required to be done before the end of term!

Our overarching themes for term 4 are; Fairy Tales weeks 1-5, Christmas weeks 6-9.

In mathematics for the first three weeks of this term we have been studying division/sharing, comparing area and comparing capacities. The photo showing the strings of beads is how I chose to have all of my year levels together for the first part of the maths lesson before moving into groups to focus of specific skill/knowledge levels. The photo of the square blocks covering two rectangles was part of the year two task of comparing area. The photo of the two containers represents the foundation and year ones work on comparing capacities. They used sand to fill one container then they had to estimate whether the second container will be filled, part filled or overflow, then they checked by pouring.

The Read Write Inc. program continues to provide excellent content and scaffolding for the students to learn English. Most members of the class have moved up to their next colour group and are very proud of their efforts, as I am too.

As part of our daily Interoception and Wellbeing lesson we are slowly building a, “Know your worth tree”. Each child picks a name out of a hat and must write one positive thing they notice about that person on to a heart cut out. We then ask the child receiving the message, “Do you know you are good at…….?” The child will 99% of the time say yes, then they get handed the heart with the message, “So do I.” The idea is to reinforce belief in self without initially relying on others to tell us we are good at something. I hope that makes sense.

I have also bought some new games into the class that are designed to help with speed of memory recall and memory training, and understanding and accepting cause and effect.

Best wishes with your children over the next 6 weeks as we head towards Christmas. I know daylight savings makes life harder for us as parents to get our kids to sleep at night but don’t give up. At this young age children are still needing 10+ hours of sleep each night to be expected to focus and concentrate at school. If your children are watching a blue lit screen up to 2 hours before bed and are not getting to sleep when they should, perhaps try taking that screen away before tea so the natural sleep chemicals in the brain get a chance to build up. Good advice for us as parents too.

Mrs Amanda Hilder
Foundation – Year 2 Teacher/Literacy Coordinator

Year 3-5 class

School Sport

Term 4 promises to be another busy term. In week 4 we had the Leigh Creek Swimming carnival, which all classes will be participated in. Although the weather was quite windy at times, the day eventually settled into a good pattern and our students were postive competitors. Eventually we finished second behind Marree Aboiginal School.

This term classes will be playing a modified version of Badminton. The sport is called Speedminton. Speedminton is played with a racquet which has a larger head on it than a badminton racquet which makes it easier for students to hit with. It is also played on the oval without a net, making it more accessible to us here at Hawker. Students will also participate in a variety of minor games.

SRC

At the end of last term, the SRC organised a Footy Colours Day to raise money for the Fight Cancer Foundation. Thank you to those who participated and brought in a donation. In week two we held a Bandana Day. Thank you to Stef and Hawker Motors who helped us to sell so many bandanas this year! The third event that the SRC organised was Wheels Day. The day was super fun and it was great to see everyone riding around on their wheels at recess and lunch time.

3-5 Class news

This term we have Erica Graham, a pre-service teacher from Uni SA here to help us out in English, PE and HASS. In English this term, we will again continue the ‘Fresh start’ program, while some students focus on writing genres such as Narratives and different Poetry styles. Our HASS topic this term is ‘Belonging’. Throughout the topic we will be analyzing different cultures around the world and how they belong in their respective parts of the world. This unit will be a collaboration with Mrs Green and her Cultural Studies classes as well as Art. Being a shorter term I’m sure it will pass by very quickly!

Miss Hayley Brown
Year 3-5 Teacher and HPE Coordinator

Year 6-12 class

Welcome back to Term Four everyone. I hope you had a wonderful two-week break. A big thank you to everyone for your support when I was away on sick leave last term. I was very impressed by the amount of work my students did during my absence.

This term, the 6 – 8 class will do book and film reviews, wedding speeches, narratives and they will also explore Tim Winton’s Blueback.

They will sharpen their critical appreciation skills by responding to fiction texts from their culture. The highlight for the term will be responding to Winton’s Blueback by writing essays based on learners’ opinions regarding either the success/failure of the author to convey critical ways young people in Australia build resilience and cope with adolescent challenges such as poverty.

The Year 10 English class still continues working on their SACE Stage One English. Unfortunately, we have lost one of our candidates to Leigh Creek Area School. Our sole candidate is tracking well because she has completed 80 percent of her assessments and is only left with one oral assessment with a weighting of 20 percent. Her work is going for moderation in week 4 and I am optimistic that she will make it.

In Geography, the 6-8 class will explore the causes for water scarcity and do case studies allowing them to research the effects of water scarcity in Yemen, Cairo, Sao Paulo, Mexico and Lima. In the last four weeks of the term, we will study Economics and Business focussing on why we need to have careers, types of careers we can do and we will also look at alternative ways of earning an income without being an employee.

There is no longer any SACE Stage Two candidate this semester. Most of the candidate’s Stage Two subjects are being done through TAFE or through VET.

I wish the 6 - 12 class an exciting and rewarding study time this term. All the best!!

Mr Mphilisi Manombe
Year 6-12 Teacher & SACE Coordinator

Mathematics and Science

This term students year 6- 7 were given a STEM activity – the Egg Drop. The challenge is for students to design a contraption using various materials (usually recyclables) to protect a raw egg from a high fall. Students were instructed to bring in materials from home for their egg contraptions. I changed the rules and eliminated a few materials the kids usually use in their egg contraptions- no battery powered items.

After collecting materials over a few days, students were able to work independently to design a contraption to protect their raw egg. We had some successes and some had to rethink their designs and start again. Eggs were dropped from the highest point at the playground. It took 3 tests for most students to design and build a successful egg contraption.

They year 3-5 worked on the water efficiency project. They developed good understanding that the earth is constantly recycling water in a complex process called the Water Cycle. Students developed appreciation of water value and they understand that water is a precious resource, especially in Australia.

Students learned how to use the Flow Rate cup and they checked the flow of water in the school taps. They used the units of time and volume to communicate their findings. We discussed a water efficiency and ways how we can waste our water.

Mrs Lidia Szelzak
Mathematics and Science Teacher

Language and Music

Adnamatna

In Adnamatna, students are continuing to work on their language skills with the help of Aunty Pauline, and are looking at the idea of Country as a concept. We have also got some new Adnamatna-English resource books in, written by Uncle Buck McKenzie.

Music

This term in Music, students will be revising and consolidating on work learnt in Semester 1, with extension where required, and a strong focus on vocal music and musical literacy/notation across all grades.

Band / Choir

Both Band and Choir are continuing this term, with a focus on Presentation Night and Carols performances.

As Always, if you have any questions about anything mentioned above, or any other queries about your students learning, feel free to call me at the school 86484 003, or send me an email.

Sasha.andersson157@schools.sa.edu.au

Mrs Sasha Andersson
Language Music and AE Teacher

HAS Community Library News

Library Blog

Would you like to keep up with what is happening in the library? We have developed a Blog, called Caught Between the Covers (because that is where I hope we’ll often find our children- reading a book). The web address of our Blog is

Here you will find various things pertaining to our library, including information about upcoming events. A number of links to other websites have also been added. One of these links is to the new catalogue for kids developed by Public Libraries S.A. Whilst it has been developed with children in mind, it can be used by anyone. The students in Years 3-5 have already worked with it, learning how to search for titles or subjects and placing a hold on a book they would like to read that is in another library.

Weird and Wonderful Wednesdays – Lunchtime Activities in the Library

Squeals of laughter could be heard emanating from the library last Wednesday as students got to know Ollie & Bolt. Remember what it was like when you first had to learn how to control a bike or a car? Remember how you had to work out how not to oversteer and how to control the speed effectively? This is what it was like for the students as they worked with Ollie & Bolt, robotic toys created by the Sphero company based in the USA.

Using apps on the iPads, the students are exploring how to control their robot. It is not easy as it can suddenly go faster than planned, bump into an obstacle or disappear under a shelf. The aim is for students to learn how to program the robot using coding, but before that, they will further develop their skills to master the art of controlling them.

Digital Literacy

The Year 3-5 students are continuing to develop their Blog. As I mentioned last newsletter, they are preparing to create a biography page for their Blog. This has entailed them writing about themselves, providing general information about things they like to do, both in school and outside of school. They are now in the process of translating some of that information into Adnyamathanha. This is not an easy task. However, in completing this task, the students are gaining a deeper understanding of how the Adnyamathanha language works.

This year, the students in Years 3-5 have been involved in the Commissioner’s Digital Challenge. Earlier in the year, the Commissioner for Children and Young People challenged South Australian children to complete digital coding or computational thinking lessons. Through our work in digital literacy, the students have completed this year’s challenge and have received their certificates.

Congratulations go to Deborah Bayley, Lachlan Hilder, Harry McAuley, Angus McInnis, Jimmy Morgan, Paul Haywood, Hayley Pondi, Vai Uran, Sierra Wiltshire, Annabelle Allen, Mia Coulthard and Katrina Stuart.

During Term 3, the library received copies of some picture books written in the Adnyamathanha language and translated into English. Eight of the stories are from the Dreamtime. The other two, Wadu Matyidi: A Long Time Gone and Utnyuapinha: The Ghosts, are stories set in current time but involve animals from the Flinders Ranges that are either endangered or extinct. The F-2 students are currently learning how to use the coding program, Scratch Jr, on the iPads to create an app about some of these animals. They are using some of the Adnyamathanha language in their app, along with making, through code, the characters do or say things. Learning how to code helps the students understand a little of what goes on behind the apps they use. It’s an exciting project.

Cultural Studies/ Visual Arts

I am always fascinated by the creativity of people, especially in the recycling of material. For instance, Nespresso, who create aluminium coffee pods for their coffee machines, recycle these pods. One example is into a bike. Most of this bike was made out of recycled coffee pods.

A couple of years ago, plastic bottle tops started to be collected. We now have quite a few boxes of various colours sitting in cupboards at school. The time has come to put on the creative thinking caps and recycle them. The students in Years 3-8 have started collaborating to develop a community art project that will use these lids and in which all the students in the school can be involved. We are still in the very early stages, having first looked at the artwork of Street Artists from different cultures, including Aboriginal, South African and Thai, as well as viewing the varied artworks that have been created by others out of plastic bottle tops. Whilst this project will be guided and supported by Hayley Brown and myself, it is student led.

Mrs Ailsa Green & Rosie Luckraft (CLA)
Teacher Librarian

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

So far we have worked in the garden composting what was left of the winter crops, raking and getting the ground ready for summer and eventually autumn. We will be planting capsicums that should last at least three years. We are nurturing potatoes and corn for an expected harvest in week 9 or 10. The 30 % shade cloth is in place to protect the plants from sudden hot weather and cold nights. The basil bushes are ready to be placed from the milk bottles where they have grown as mature seedlings to the vegie patches with the tomatoes: they are good companion plants.

In an interesting estimation exercise we found that at least 24 000 seeds were produced by 4 tatsoi plants. Now we can share them.

Our courageous brassica are doing their best braving the 34 + degrees

Bamboo markers indicate where the potatoes have been planted. Some have accidentally been called King George instead of King Edward! The first potato arrived in Ireland in 1589. On the right: the “fields of corn!!!

A mulch of manure is keeping the soil moist and at even temperature.

This week the garden looks at its best and hopefully it will stay like this for a while now that the strong wind has brought down a lot of the pepper tree berries!!!!!

Mrs Joelle Sharples
Kitchen Garden Specialist

Reminder

Check our calendar for upcoming events each month –