/090212

9090

OUR SCHOOL VALUES We work hard to learn We respect ourselves and each other We value acts of generosity

IN THIS ISSUE Star & Ignite Students Mission Discovery

Specialist Cricket Melbourne Trip Pupil Free Days for Australian Curriculum

DIARY DATES 14/2 Senior School Info Night 7-8:30pm 1/2 Monitoring & Review Committee 3:15-4pm 15/2 Middle School Splash Carnival 21/2 Fund-Raising Comm 3:15-4:15pm 22/2 Parents & Friends 9:15am 25/2 IGNITE Testing 28/2 AGM 7pm 1 ream of paper = 6% of a tree and 5.4kg CO2 in the atmosphere 3 sheets of A4 paper = 1 litre of water If you are reading this newsletter online you are making a responsible contribution to the environment.

THANK YOU

Brunel Drive Modbury Heights South Australia, 5092 Ph: (08) 8263 6244 Fax: (08) 8263 6072 Email: contact@theheights.sa.edu.au WWW: http://www.theheights.sa.edu.au

NEWSLETTER No. 1 9 February 2012

WELCOME TO THE 2012 SCHOOL YEAR AT THE HEIGHTS SCHOOL We are pleased to welcome continuing and new students and their families to The Heights School community. We experienced a very smooth beginning to a new year of learning thanks to parents and staff: the hard work of the Finance Office and Uniform Shop, enabled well organised fee paying and uniform collection prior to school starting and ensured that information was posted to all families in the holidays; to Kris Nielsen who manages the timetable for Middle and Senior School students and teachers so that lessons could begin on day one and all new teachers were in place; to parents who organised their children at home with uniform, equipment and forms returned signed and a positive attitude. This is a good beginning to a successful year.

Welcome to our new teachers: Lindsie Shipham (Preschool), Trent Feil, Jessica Rogers, Kirsty Hatchard, Jemma Tolhurst, Leanne Davies, Neil Piggott (Junior School), Tina Pham, Candice Moir, Rachel Moore (MS&SS). Sam King has been appointed to the English/LOTE/Literacy Coordinator position for a tenure of 5 years and Leah Overstreet takes on the role of Early Years Coordinator in 2012. There will be opportunities to meet them on Acquaintance and Information evenings. We encourage you to contact any teacher when you would like to discuss any issues regarding your child’s leaning and wellbeing.

Enrolments are slightly higher than predicted in the Early Years. As a result of the increase in R-2 we have started an additional class in term 1 rather than term 2 as planned. Trent Feil was very excited to be appointed to this new position. This will reduce class sizes in the R/1 and 2 classes. Thank you to the Junior School Leadership Team and Maureen London who were able to negotiate these adjustments with parents and teachers so that the children settled in to their class successfully.

We were also greeted with good news about successful 2011 year 12 students. Ben Geytenbeek achieved a Merit in the Research Project (new compulsory component of SACE) and will also receive the University of Adelaide Principal’s Scholarship. He achieved an ATAR score of 98.45 that gains him entry into his preferred course of a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) degree. Athena Dawe is the recipient of the BAE/NAMIG C2C (Creation to Concept) scholarship. She is pursuing a degree in Mechatronics at the University of Adelaide. …..contd

……..contd The year continues well with opportunities for our students to pursue their interests and abilities. Four of our students attended the Mission Discovery Course over 5 days at the University of Adelaide in January where they worked with NASA astronauts on practical space related problems.

The students in the Specialist Cricket program participated in the trip to Melbourne to visit the MCG, the Twenty20 game with India, and the National Sports Museum.

We look forward to parents and families taking opportunities to participate in the life of the school and sharing reports in the newsletter of the many other opportunities and achievements that our students will be involved in this year.

Helen Calvert Calvert Principal Athena Dawe BAE Scholarship Recipient

2012 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE HEIGHTS SCHOOL GOVERNING COUNCIL 28th FEBRUARY, 7pm A warm welcome to all of our parents and especially if you are new to the school

Absent: Han Fan

This delightful photo is of our brand new Reception students.

The excitement of starting school is evident on their faces.

PUPIL FREE DAYS FOR AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM The Minister for Education and Child Development, the Hon Grace Portolesi, announced on 5 December 2011 that two additional pupil free days would be provided to South Australian schools. The pupil free days will enable professional development to be undertaken by all government school primary and secondary teachers to support them with the introduction of the new Australian Curriculum over the next six years.

A quality education for all young Australians is critical to maintaining Australia’s productivity and quality of life. The development of the Australian Curriculum represents a commitment by all Australian states and territories to work together to develop a world-class curriculum for all young Australians.

The Australian Curriculum will make clear to parents, teachers and students what young people should be taught and the quality of learning that is expected of them, wherever they go to school in Australia. The Reception to Year 10 Australian Curriculum for English, Mathematics, Science and History has been developed and will be progressively introduced from this year.

Work is continuing on the development of Geography, Arts, Languages Technologies, Health and Physical Education, Economics, Business and Civics and Citizenship.

The support for teachers will mean: • Parents of primary school students can expect reports on student progress in mathematics and science in relation to the new Australian Curriculum achievement standards by the end of 2012, and achievement reports on student progress in English and history, as well as mathematics and science, by the end of 2013.

• Parents of secondary school students can expect reports on student progress in English, history, mathematics and science in relation to the new Australian Curriculum achievement standards for year 8 by the end of 2013. Achievement reports in these subjects will also be progressively introduced for year 9 and 10 depending upon the timeline for the implementation of Australian Curriculum subjects in the senior years.

Dates approved by the Governing Council: Dates to be determined: 1.

First day of Term 2, 23rd April 1.

School Closure Day (Show Day) th 2.

Second day of Term 2, 24 April 2.

Pupil Free Day Number 4 3.

First day of Term 3, 16th July It should be noted that the 25th of April is a public holiday for Anzac Day

SPECIALIST CRICKET MELBOURNE TRIP From Friday 3rd February to Monday 6th February The Heights Specialist Cricket students had the opportunity to be involved in the second excursion of this type to Melbourne.

Mr Costello and Mr Jones accompanied 16 students and 2 parents for the journey.

On the Friday we went to the Twenty20 game between Australia and India at the MCG, alongside 62,000 other fans. It was a great spectacle and the first time many of the students had visited the iconic sporting ground. Unfortunately the result did not go the way of the Australian team, with the Indians being successful by 7 wickets. The students however, were very impressed by the glitz and glamour of this format of the game.

The following morning the group were led around the MCG on a guided tour. Here we were able to visit the cricket changerooms where the players watch the game, access exclusive member and media areas of the ground and were even able to get down onto the edge of the oval and feel the famous turf under our feet.

We also visited the National Sports Museum within the MCG which was fantastic. The students were able to see first hand some of Australia’s most historically significant sporting items such as Don Bradman’s baggy green cap, Brownlow medals, Olympic Medals and a wide range of equipment used in matches of great significance.

There was also a series of interactive games, which the students enjoyed playing and competing against each other.

The second of our matches was on the Sunday- a 50 over One Dayer, also between Australia and India. The game started on time, but in typical Melbourne style the rain then came and settled in for about 3 hours!

The 50 overs per team were reduced to 32 per side.

This time, much to the delight of the group, the Australians were able to reverse the result of the first game and won by 65 runs in front of a crowd of 30,000 fans.

The trip was a huge success and it was great for the students to see up close how the game is played at the highest level. They can’t wait to get back and put into practice some of the tips taken from watching their heroes.

Many of the students have already asked about when the next trip is!

Photos will be included in the next newsletter.

Andrew Costello Specialist Cricket Co-ordinator

PARENTS & FRIENDS Welcome back to school after the holidays. We hope everyone has had a good break.

The first meeting for the year will be 22nd February 9:15am in the Parent Room. Please feel welcome to come and find out what Parents & Friends are doing in your school to make our children’s school life better.

The following meeting will be in week 8 on 21st March at 9:15am. Place of meeting to be advised later.

Jacquie Grivell & Tabitha Bentley

“SAY CHEESE” MSP Photography are on their way!!!

School Photo Day is:

MONDAY 20th February 2012.

Have your child’s school memories captured forever.

Please take time to read the relevant information on the MSP payment envelopes and remember these helpful points.

• • • •

Don’t seal envelopes inside each other – you can pay for all children in one envelope however each child needs to have their own envelope on photo day Family envelopes are available at the school office upon request Please enclose correct money as no change is given – cash, cheques and money orders only (no credit cards) Please feel free to visit our web site www.msp.com.au or enquiries 8132 1148

FROM OUR SCIENCE FACULTY‌‌.

Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program The Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program (SHS-SP) is conducted by the University of South Australia (UniSA) in partnership with the International Space University (ISU).

The SHS-SP is an intensive, five week, live-in experience in the southern hemisphere summer, involving the international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary educational philosophy for which ISU is renowned. The program has over 35 participants from 11 countries and all six continents The program curriculum focuses on space applications, space policy and space services, while giving a well rounded overview of the principles and concepts involved in space physical science, space systems engineering and technology, space life sciences, space and society, space business and management and space legal and regulatory issues.

And now they're coming to The Heights Observatory on Wednesday 8th February!

STAR students will be attending as well as a number of staff. Photos and more information will be featured in the next newsletter.

STAR & IGNITE STUDENTS MISSION DISCOVERY!

From the Mission Discovery session on 18 January 2012.

From left to right: Karman, Astronaut Ken Ham, Tim, Scott Kelly, Richard and Nikita

Nikita Mickan, Karman Sawhney, Richard Harris and Tim Geytenbeek attended a 5 day course run by the International Space University in conjunction with Adelaide University, from the 16th-20th January.

Working with NASA astronauts as well as astronauts from France and South Korea, students improved their skills in a range of areas including designing scientific experiments, team work, presentation skills and leadership. They developed an understanding of the challenges and benefits of space exploration and the importance of continuing to study Science and Mathematics at the school.

Thank you to Andrew Cool for his work in obtaining scholarships for the students. The students will present a summary of their work at the next meeting of the Astronomical Association of South Australia.

Nikita Mickan said being able to interact with the astronauts and speak to them individually was invaluable. Karman said he appreciated talking to real astronauts. Richard enjoyed seeing how things work in space whilst Tim enjoyed getting involved in lots of different activities during the course.

Rob Perkins, Ignite & Gifted Education P-12 Senior Leader Arthur Roubanis, Science Coordinator

STAGE 2 RESULTS FOR 2011 Congratulations to those students who completed their secondary education at the end of 2011, the first cohort of students to complete the new SACE. There were a number of outstanding personal achievements amongst these students including nine students who achieved an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Assessment Rank) of more than 90, the maximum that can be achieved being 99.9.

Ben Geytenbeek gained an ATAR of 98.45, that included the maximum of 20 in the Research Project and he has been accepted into a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) degree at the University of Adelaide. Ben is also the recipient of the University of Adelaide Principal’s Scholarship. Athena Dawe gained an ATAR of 95.55. The BAE/NAMIG C2C Scholarship she was awarded will support her to study Mechatronics (Engineering) at the University of Adelaide. Eighty eight percent of students who applied for either TAFE or University entrance were successful in gaining a place.

Ben Geytenbeek

Aron Puddy-Mathew, Oleksandr Pushkarov, Ben Riches, William Bennett, Harrison Steele, Alexander Sturm and Marc Farmer will be studying Science & Engineering degrees and double degrees in Telecommunications, Mechanical, Civil and Structural, and Computer Systems.

Congratulations also to staff who have worked with these students over a number of years to help them be successful in completing their senior years of schooling.

Kris Nielsen, Senior School Leader (4)

Congratulations to all our year 12 students who achieved their personal goals in 2011 but congratulations in particular to Ignite student Oleksandr Pushkarov who completed year 12 last year achieving an ATAR score of 94. What makes Oleksandr’s score more remarkable is that he was also studying Physics 1 at Adelaide University last year.

Oleksandr was enrolled at Adelaide University under the Headstart Program which is designed to enable students to study at university while completing year 12. Oleksandr achieved a distinction in semester 1 and a high distinction in semester 2. He is now enrolled at Adelaide University full time, completing a double degree in engineering and science.

Year 8 Ignite students were treated to a presentation by ex-Ignite student James Byrne last Tuesday. James completed his schooling at The Heights in 2006 and studied Microbiology at the University of Adelaide. He has now completed his PhD in Microbiology and is working at the Royal Institute for Science. James has also written numerous articles for The Advertiser explaining how science impacts on the lives of every day people. James talked about how he benefited from the Ignite program and gave some practical advice to the year 8 students around being successful. He also talked about his career and what he hopes to achieve in the future.

Rob Perkins, Ignite & Gifted Education P-12 Senior Leader

OLD SCHOLARS’ SUCCESS STORIES Adelle Neary who was at The Heights from 1987 to 1999 was recently featured in the newspaper media.

Adelle is a Third Secretary at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. She was propelled to the Grand Final of Asing Star or “Foreign Star” – a talent show for expatriates viewed by about nine million locals.

Another success story for an ex-student!

Joel Horskins who was at The Heights from 2006 until 2009, plays cricket for Prospect B-Grade. Recently, at a training session with the Australian and Indian Test teams, he bowled to Sachin Tendulkar who edged Joel’s shot.

“If we had been playing for real I probably would have gotten him out. It was pretty nerve-racking bowling against the Indian team, very daunting and scary”, Joel said. Joel is a left arm wrist spinner.

Joel is also a member of the State Under-19 team.

He is also studying law at university.

Well done to another ex-student of The Heights School

Is your son or daughter gifted or bright?

Then you might like to consider applying for a place in the Ignite program at The Heights School.

The Ignite program is a selective entry program for gifted and bright students entering year 8. Ignite students at The Heights can complete years 8, 9, and 10 in two years. They can be accelerated in individual subjects and they can participate in a range of enrichment activities such as debating and night time astronomy programs in the schools astronomical observatory.

They study with and form friendships with other students who are also gifted or bright, in an environment which is caring and nurturing.

Ignite testing will occur at The Heights School on Saturday 25th February 2012.

An information session will be held on Tuesday 21st February in The Heights School Resource Centre from 7.00 to 8.00 pm. The session will discuss the testing process and the benefits of the Ignite program. Please RSVP Michelle Crush on 82636244 if you are attending.

Application forms can be downloaded at www.igniteprogram.com.au or collected from The Heights School.

For further information contact Rob Perkins (Senior Leader 2) or Michelle Crush (Middle School Secretary) on 82636244

AFTER HOURS BASKETBALL AT THE HEIGHTS SCHOOL Games started last week for both teams.

Results:

The Under 12’s won against Golden Grove Allstars 38 v 22.

Both teams need a couple of extra players and any enquiries should be directed to: Cindie Tucker in the Junior School.

ATTENTION PLAYGROUP IS BACK Do you have a child or do you look after children o Monday mornings??

Yes!! Then we would love to see you at The Heights Playgroup.

Come and let your little one experience new people, toys and maybe even make something special to take home.

We get messy sometimes and play with a large variety of things inside and outside.

We enjoy painting, drawing and play dress ups, everyone gets involved!

A snack time is enjoyed just before we leave while a story is read.

You will enjoy talking with other parents about their experiences and you can pool for resources from the centre or take one of the many courses that are free to members of Playgroup SA 2012.

Coffee and tea facilities are provided so come and have a free cuppa and chat.

Playgroup is a parent run non-profit volunteer group. th Starts this Monday the 6 February 9am until 10:45am.

Located in the Pre-school of The Heights School Supervision is required at all times, as we are a safe environment PLAYGROUP IS ALL ABOUT FUN, PLAY AND INTERACTION Play = Learning @ Playgroup!

Just $2 a family per session and a membership card can be paid per term or check out our Early Bird Offer to “WIN” a holiday to Tumby Bay!! Membership includes insurance and a free ABC card. (Discounts around SA). We hope to see you soon. Best wishes, Tracy-ann Enquiries phone Krysten 0406 399 522 or email the Coordinator, Miss Tracy-ann, fox_mx13@hotmail.com