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OUR SCHOOL VALUES We work hard to learn We respect ourselves and each other We value acts of generosity IN THIS ISSUE…… Sports Day Ab Ed Camp Pre School Learning UN Women’s Breakfast Sailing Camp Splash Carnival Canteen Price List http://www.theheightss chool.com.au/index.php ?option=com_content& view=article&id=79:cant een‐ prices&catid=47:cantee n‐prices&Itemid=386t DIARY DATES 14/3 Adelaide Cup Day 22/3 Special Education Parent Information Evening 7:00pm Staff Room 29/3 Open Morning 11am – 12:30pm Additional dates for your Calendar Proposed Student‐Free day: Monday 2nd May Monday 25th July Proposed School Closure day: Monday 5th September (Show day)
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 At the recent AGM the Annual Report provided information about improvement in attendance and significant decrease in unexplained absences. Target: 3% increase in student attendance annually We have achieved an increase in student attendance and met our 3% improvement target at Reception, and Year 9. Improvement in attendance, (less than 3%), has been achieved at years 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 11. Attendance at The Heights School from Reception to year 7 and at years 8, 9 and 11 was above both regional and state levels. Target: 3% decrease in unexplained student absences We achieved greater than 3% decrease in unexplained absences at year 1 (58%), year 2 (35%), year 3 (9%), year 4 (20%), year 5 (54%), year 6 (73%), year 7 (52%), year 8 (67%), year 9 (46%). Attendance is required for achievement and success. The attendance module of our new Learner Management System – Daymap - is a key tool to even greater improvement in attendance. Daymap is a system teachers are learning to use and, as with all new tools, we experience ‘teething problems’. Please accept our apologies for misdirected SMS messages and thank you for your patience and vigilance as we check that your child is at school and all lessons. Parents who attended the AGM had a demonstration of the scope of the system and its ability to also communicate homework tasks and assessment results directly to parents online. As a member of the Governing Council you are able to provide suggestions about how the school can use systems like Daymap to provide a better service to parents. I encourage you to consider nomination for the vacant positions on Governing Council and join us in our quest to achieve equity and excellence in education at The Heights. Helen Calvert Principal
NEWSLETTER No. 3 10 March 2011
?????? WHAT CAN YOU DO TO.... ‐ Save trees, look after the environment ‐ Redirect $7,000 of the school budget (printing & paper costs) to equipment for your child – sports equipment, computer equipment, readers, textbooks ‐ Join your child in the 21st century digital environment
!!!!!! ACCESS THE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER ONLINE !!!!!! ‐You will get to read the newsletter as soon as it is published ‐ You will get information about important dates BEFORE they happen ‐ You won’t have to search through a messy school bag to find a copy ‐ You will enjoy the colour coverage of events and pictures of your child ‐ You will receive a friendly personalised email and direct link to the newsletter on line as soon as it is published
HOW CAN YOU MAKE THIS HAPPEN? Do nothing if you have already provided your email address to the school Send your email address to contact@theheights.sa.edu.au If you do not have Internet access we will provide you with a hard copy. Please complete and return the note to the school. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ I do not have Internet access and require a hard copy of the school newsletter Student’s name _________________________ Class/Home group ______________________
PARENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF THE GROUP THAT DETERMINES THE DIRECTION OF THE SCHOOL? ARE YOU KEEN TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF THE SCHOOL? ARE YOU ABLE TO ATTEND 2 MEETINGS PER TERM?
IF THE ANSWER IS YES THEN GOVERNING COUNCIL IS THE GROUP FOR YOU VACANCIES EXIST FOR PARENT MEMBERS OF GOVERNING COUNCIL Complete the nomination form on the website and forward to the Principal http://www.theheightsschool.com.au/documents/NOMINATIONFORM.doc
THE HEIGHTS NEEDS YOU
MS/SS Sports Day 2011
On Monday 7th March the annual Heights School Middle and Senior School Sports Day took place featuring a range of sports, novelty and championship athletics events. Our Sports Day offers students of all interests an opportunity to gain points for their house. The results gained from Sports Day are used to select our school athletics team which will compete at the NE Vista Zone Athletics Carnival at Santos Stadium on Wednesday 30th March. Successful students will be notified in coming days. Following a very successful day in which all students embraced the spirit of the day, final results were: 1st: CORVUS (RED) 2902 pts 2nd: HYDRA (BLUE) 2484 pts 3rd: DRACO (GREEN) 2243 pts 4th: AQUILLA (YELLOW) 2153 pts A full list of year level winners and runners up will be published in the next newsletter Andrew Costello Sports Co‐ordinator
MONSTER CAR BOOT SALE 26TH MARCH 2011 7am until 1pm $10 to set up a ‘car boot’ or stall Clovercrest Baptist Church Car Park
2 Famechon Crescent Modbury North For further information please contact Daniel Stevens at the church
WINTER UNIFORM ORDERS Please consider placing your uniform orders now for this winter. You do not need to pay for orders in advance; ordering now just ensures your child has all their warm clothes for this year. Orders placed with our supplier can take up to eight weeks to be delivered. Order forms can be downloaded from this link and are also available from the Front Office. There is a sizing guide available to download from our website to assist you with sizes.
Junior School Uniforms ‐Junior school winter items that are purchased this year will be navy blue only. As the school has changed the uniform, you will no longer be able to purchase any of the maroon colours. Please order early from the Uniform Shop to ensure you are ready for winter.
Special Education Parent Meeting Tuesday 22nd March 2011 7:00‐8:00pm Staff Room Parents of students with a Negotiated Education Plan (NEP) are invited to attend a parent information session. DECS Regional personnel will be providing information on how the Department and school work together to provide support for students. This is also an opportunity to meet the School Support Officers who work in classrooms as well as individually to support your child. For further information please contact Katrina Meatheringham 82636244.
Walking School Bus Every Friday Morning
THE COORONG CAMP… th
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On the 5 to the 8 of December a group of students both Indigenous and Non‐ Indigenous went on a camp to 42 mile beach along the Coorong. Camp was okay but it would have been better if the weather was good, hot instead of raining. Having left school on the 5th of December on what seemed like a road trip that would never end we finally arrived at the campsite and were shocked to discover that there was no shower and only a long drop toilet. After setting up the tents and organising a shelter for cooking we had tea. The food was heaps good. Mr Gordon taught some of us how to make Jaffles. They tasted amazing. When tea was finished the majority of us went to the beach, some in Mr Gordon’s four wheel drive and others walking. Then we went into our tents for bed. It was so hard to sleep in a tent. On the 2nd day we went to the beach for a swim and some fishing. When we went back to camp Sharelle Kropinyeri and Teisha Young served us the sandwiches that they had made. We then piled onto the bus after lunch for a quick trip to Salt Creek where Mr Gordon bought us all an ice block. Then it was back onto the bus and back to the campsite. That night for dinner we had fish, potato, and onions. During that meal Cameron Letch and Sharelle Kropinyeri ate a fish eye ball each. We then went to the beach for a fire. Some boys were jumping off the sand dunes and that night Brendon caught a star fish. The weather was WET and WINDY particularly on the second night and we all missed a night’s sleep because of it. Sometime during the night, rain covers for the tents had to be pegged in because the rain had blown them off. It was horrible because it was muddy. Other than the weather, the camp was pretty good. By Brendon Olds and Sharelle Kropinyeri
Pre-School Learning Fun 2011, International Year of the Forest, has truly captured the imagination of the staff and children. ‘How do trees help us?’ […based on the book ‘Trees’ by Jill McDougal] has become our special enquiry project for 2011. Already enthusiasm has blossomed and we have followed interest activities and ideas from the children to initiate this project. Walks around the school to look at different trees, collect bark for art work, exploring books and stories set in ‘the woods and forests’, ICT programs and engaging play sessions are all setting the foundation for further investigations. Later this term a group of Uni SA 4th year Bachelor of Early Childhood Education Students will join us to extend this project… we anticipate some great scientific research activities being undertaken with the children. We are looking forward to this very much.
Aggie Marziale
United Nations International Women’s Day 100 Years Breakfast The 8th of March 2011 was the centenary of International Women’s Day and we were very fortunate to be able to represent the school and attend the breakfast with Ms Oakey, held at The Adelaide Convention Centre at 7.00am. We got up at a VERY early time of the morning and travelled into the city to be treated to a yummy breakfast to celebrate 100 years since the first International Women’s Day event. The breakfast was hosted by Senator the Hon Penny Wong and the MC was Sonya Feldhoff from 891 ABC Adelaide. There was a guest speaker, Professor Tanya Monro, a scientist from Adelaide University, who delivered an inspirational speech about females breaking the mould and delving into the fields of study mainly dominated by men. She also spoke about her work at the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) and issues she deems important in the fields of women and science. We felt privileged to be able to attend such a special event and the memories will stay with us forever. By Nikita Mickan, Paige Albury, Rachael Grivell and Rebecca Regan – 906
YEAR 12 SAILING CAMP th
From Monday the 28 February to Wednesday the 2nd March 2011 the two Year 12 Integrated Learning (Physical Education) classes attended Murraylands Aquatic Centre in Murray Bridge. As part of their assessment for the year the students were required to participate in six 2 hour sessions of sailing and then reflect on their individual learning of the skills taught by the instructors. Accommodation for the 27 students and 2 teachers consisted of tents onsite. Students were extremely helpful with one group cooking BBQ dinner, another BBQ breakfast and another group cooking Spaghetti Bolognaise. Help with cleaning was always on hand with many students volunteering their services without being asked. The weather conditions on day 1 were perfect for sailing – not too much wind and just enough sun to keep spirits high. The last session of the day required most students to force a capsize (forcing the 420 vessel over and both sailors to fall into the water) to ensure they were able to get themselves back in the 420 after accidentally capsizing. This proved to be very useful for the next day. Day 2 brought with it very windy conditions. The sailors were struggling to keep the 420’s upright with many capsizes occurring. However, on a positive note some students were able to display their improved sailing skills with some excellent footage captured on film. Day 3 included just 2 short sessions (one being either knee boarding or kayaking) and a last sailing session. All students showed dramatic improvement from their first session on day 1. Thank you to all involved with the organisation and running of the camp. By Phil Jones & Katie Hart
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPLASH CARNIVAL On Wednesday 16th February all Middle School students visited the Salisbury Swimming Centre for the annual Heights Splash Carnival. Much fun was had by all participants who competed in a variety of championship and novelty events on the day. Individual award winners were: YEAR BOYS GIRLS 7 1st‐ Tyrell Sinclair (39 pts) 1st‐ Erin Carnie‐Bronca (52 pts) 2nd‐ Daniel Kaipara & Aden Verity (29 pts) 2nd‐ Ashleigh Lake (46 pts) 8 1st‐ Jordan O’Doherty (33 pts) 1st‐ Paige Gerlach (39 pts) nd 2 ‐ Cooper Blockland (27 pts) 2nd‐ Caitlin Kramer (37 pts) st 1st‐ Jamie Cruz (46 pts) 9 1 ‐ Matthew Fraser (40 pts) 2nd‐ Tylor Johnson‐Austin & Jordan Kaipara 2nd‐ Caitlin Boyd (40 pts) (27 pts)
TERM 1 KNOCK OUT CRICKET RESULTS OPEN BOYS ‐ Unley HS 7 / 131 (D.Jones 2/28, M.Thomas 2/10) defeated The Heights 129 (M.Thomas 44, D.Jones 22) 8/9 BOYS ‐ The Heights 237 (S.Bradshaw 61, D.Kobzeff 56 no, T.Sinclair 31) defeated Modbury 50 (R.Llewellyn 3/15, S.Bradshaw 3/19, A.Kobzeff 2/6) 9/10 BOYS TWENTY20 ‐ The Heights 6/224 (J.Russell 90, J.Ross 53, A.Higgins 37 no, D.Kobzeff 21) defeated Parafield Gardens 42 (J.England 2/6, L.Welch 2/1) Andrew Costello (Sports Co‐ordinator)
After School Sport Results Baseball Teeball 26th February Heights BYE 26th February The Heights 24 lost to Ardtornish Blue 27 5th March The Heights 21 defeated St David’s 0 5th March The Heights 25 drew with St Francis Xavier’s 25 Well done Josh Lake – 2 home runs, including 1 Grand Slam HR 12th March – no games‐ Adelaide Cup Weekend 12th March – no games‐ Adelaide Cup Weekend