Wellbeing/Mathematics/Science/Children's University
Wellbeing Talk with Mayor Ken Anderson
Early this term we welcomed Flinders Ranges Mayor Ken Anderson to speak with our Year 3–12 students. Ken’s easy-going storytelling covered everything from council life to his many hobbies—music proved a real hit! Hands shot up around the room with questions about the instruments he still hopes to master and the pathway that led him to the mayoralty. The session not only broadened students’ career horizons but also reminded us all that learning and passion go hand in hand.
Alternative Delivery Partnership Visit
Hawker Area School’s collaboration with Coober Pedy Area School through the Far North Partnership’s Alternative Delivery program moved from screens to real life this month. After two terms of teaching Year 11 Mathematics online, I finally travelled north to meet our Coober Pedy students in person.
Paul Haywood, Jimmy Morgan, our program coordinator and I left Hawker and caught an early Rex flight to Coober Pedy. A student-led tour of the Coober Pedy school campus helped the boys picture where their online classmates learn each day. That evening, over dinner with the Year 11 English teacher, we swapped teaching stories and laughed about the lone, free-standing door we’d spotted en-route to the Mud Hut Motel—locals later revealed it was the last remnant of an old DVD store.
Thursday was packed with our first combined Mathematics and English lessons, a shared lunch, and a town tour. The standout moment came deep beneath the surface in the Old Timers Mine, where students traced opal seams and imagined life in the dugouts of 1916.
After Friday morning classes we boarded the return flight to Adelaide—tired, inspired, and already planning joint projects for Term 3. Special thanks go to Assistant Principal Aki Puri and Local Alternative Coordinator Jake Miell.
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
Our PBL framework continues to celebrate the values of Cooperation, Learning, Responsibility, and Respect. Students earn Warndu tickets for positive behaviour and trade them at the Reward Café for small prizes. The smiles in this term’s café photos say it all—acknowledging the good choices students make every day builds a culture where everyone thrives.
Children’s University
This term, we had a screen-free robotics workshop in the library. Students pieced mats together to create coding pathways, strengthening problem-solving and computational-thinking skills without a single device in sight. We also received thoughtful gifts from Children’s University for last year’s graduates; our students responded with a handmade thank-you card.
Secondary Class Mathematics and Science
This term our secondary classes dove into several hands-on investigations designed to spark curiosity and deepen understanding. From modelling cellular processes with lollies to engineering solutions on tabletop “construction sites,” each task invited students to ask questions, collect evidence and communicate their findings.
Their favourite was the Gummy Bear Osmosis Experiment in Year 7 Science. Students used the bears’ gelatin coating as a semi-permeable membrane, submerging them in water, saline and vinegar solutions. Over three days they measured the bears’ density, watching some bears swell while others shrank dramatically. Lab reports followed, linking observations to the particle model of diffusion and osmosis.
To consolidate key maths and science concepts, we also ran a six-station revision rotation. Small groups spent 18 minutes at each station tackling open-ended challenges such as maximising parking space for toy cars with base-ten blocks and constructing 2-D and 3-D symmetrical shapes from pattern pieces. The fast-paced format kept every student engaged while fostering collaboration and problem-solving skills across disciplines.