29 June 2023

Newsletter Articles

R-12

Principal’s Report

The influence of home on school success cannot be underestimated and there has been much research done over many years around the globe by very qualified University Academics, Principals, Education Leaders, and Governments that quantifies this. This research also shows that less than 15% of a child’s time is spent in school by the time they reach the age of 18. All experts agree that parents are children’s first and most influential teachers. The point is that schools cannot be held totally responsible for a student’s behaviour as most of this is learnt behaviour from the home and external school environment.

At school we have high expectations and follow all of the department guidelines in trying to ensure we provide a safe and enjoyable learning environment for all students and staff. We have highly qualified staff who are trained to teach positive behaviours as well as the academic side of things.

It is very disappointing when we do not have the support of some parents when we are dealing with poor choices in behaviours. This needs to change as you and your children are responsible for your behaviour, not the school. We can help but need you to meet us halfway through a collaborative no blame approach.

It's not surprising that data shows parents who work collaboratively with the school in the overall education of their children corresponds with the success of their children in life beyond school and I thank the 95% of parents who do this.

Schools are largely responsible for students’ academic learning, but children learn some of their most important lessons at home—lessons that families teach best such as the values of, respect, honesty and following a reasonable direction. What they learn at home provides an essential foundation on which schools can build. Without it, neither students nor schools can reach their full potential. Together we can achieve remarkable things.

Staff, students and parents at the recent EFS create event

There are many fantastic success stories about this school and its students past and present. All very evident in this newsletter.

Thank you for your continued support.

Take care.
Regards,
Ian Kent
Principal
Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School

Term Dates 2023

Eastern Fleurieu School R-12 Important dates

BYOD – Bring Your Own Device to 7-12 Campus

At the 7-12 Campus all students are required to have their own BYOD laptop.

Purchase your laptop here

We have a strong focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) literacies that will enable students to be successful global citizens in the 21st century. EFS have implemented the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) system to meet the increasing demand of ICT in the classroom as we believe that it is a sustainable way to allow students to have one-to-one access to technology.

We recommend you purchase your device through our online portal – for new or students or those needing to upgrade..

School Calendar

Please be sure to check the School Calendar for dates of events. The calendar is available through our SZapp, Website and Newsletter and is colour coded for you to select which campus is relevant to you.

Website

Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)

Your provider of OSHC is YMCA SA.

YMCA South Australia OSHC provides a Before and After School Care along with Vacation Care for school aged children 5-12 years on a casual and permanent basis.

OSHC provides a safe, fun and stimulating place for children to engage in structured, unstructured and educational activities that are specifically tailored to the child’s interests and needs. Our friendly and experienced staff work hard to ensure your children are cared for in a welcoming, supportive and stimulating environment. We value the uniqueness and diversity of every child, and seek to support and empower them to reach their full potential. Our programs are structured in accordance with the National Quality Framework and are led by our highly trained educators.

At YMCA SA we consider the safety and wellbeing of children and other vulnerable people to be our highest priority.

To register your child in our OSHC or Vacation Care programs, view program information or catch up with the latest news visit:

R-12 School Uniform

EFS School Uniform Shop
WE HAVE MOVED

9a Callington Road, Strathalbyn SA 5255

Term Time Open Hours
Tuesdays 8:30 – 10:45am
Thursdays 3:45 – 5:45pm

For uniform enquiries outside of our open hours, contact Ms Julie Martin.
Bubbells Embroidery

Phone: 0417 771 944
Email: bubbells@adam.com.au

If our open hours don’t suit you, we can take email and phone orders and we can arrange remote purchases for your convenience.

Online safety

For a comprehensive guide to resources to assist us in navigating safely through the online world, please visit

Community News

Alexandrina Arts and Culture Program – July to September out now!

Check out the new quarterly program which includes:

• Nunga Screen – Wed 5 July: Sharing First Nations stories on the big screen. All ages.
• Kids Rainbow Dance Party – Sat 8 July: Kick start the school holidays on the dance floor. For 5 to 11 years.
• Nitro Nat – Fri 21 July: A crazy colourful chemistry show for ages 3 to 12 years.
• Infinite Skies Installation – Fri 4 – Sun 6 August: Experience the wonder of nature and the meditative power of an open sky. All ages.

AquaGuard Training

Wed 12 to Fri 14 July, 8:30am – 4pm | $330pp

Aquaguard is a three-day workshop for young people aged 11-17 years held at the Fleurieu Aquatic Centre. Develop swimming and water safety knowledge, carry out aquatic rescues and further your first aid and CPR skills. Participation in this training aims to provide a pathway to lifeguarding. Book your place here .

Ashbourne Campus

14 Ashbourne Road, Ashbourne SA 5157 Ph: 8536 6135

Head of Campus Report

Over the past few weeks the campus has had the roof replaced on two of our classrooms. The children enjoyed watching the builders on the roof and seeing the different stages of the old sheets of iron coming off and the new sheets going on. We have also had new window screens replaced on all our classrooms and will soon have new fire screens on the windows of the Art room and library, which is our fire refuge area.

The Importance of Nature Play - Each week our students reap the benefits of nature play through our Bush school program. Playing outdoors allows children to build resilience and increases their self-confidence, initiative and creativity. Through nature play we have seen our students using their imaginations to create their own shops, build cubbies, use dirt and mud to make food, create their own perfume with the native plants and flowers and pretend to be animals in the wild and the explores that have discovered them. The children are increasing their gross motor skills by climbing, moving, lifting rocks and sticks and running in the natural scrub. Nature play enhances student wellbeing and social skills.

The students at Ashbourne are connecting to nature through their play, while increasing their knowledge of the native fauna and flora. We are building young environmental ambassadors that will lead the way in caring for the environment and educating others.

We are all looking forward to our whole school camp next week at Arbury Park with the Milang campus. The children will take part in a range of fun outdoor activities. The camp builds students curiosity, care and community.

Regards,
Rebekah Fahey
Head of Campus

Bush School

Sit Spot

Sit Spot is a time for our students to tune into the natural world through their senses. The students sit in silence, taking in the sounds around them as well as what the can see and smell. This term our sit spot has been around our frog pond. At the end of 15 minutes the students share their experience of what they have seen, smelt or heard. They are developing their relationship with nature.

Desert Diorama’s

This term our Bush School focus has been on Australian deserts. For the creation project the students applied their critical thinking skills to research a desert. They investigated the features of the desert, what the land surface is like, the flora and fauna in the desert and ecosystem. From the research they then had to apply their creativity to plan and make their desert in the form of a diorama. The students have been working hard on their dioramas each week, using natural materials as well as making animals from plasticine.

Dates to Remember

Langhorne Creek Campus

Bridge Road, Langhorne Creek SA 5255 Ph: 8537 3145

Head of Campus Report

Our school scape is changing with the arrival of the first 5 modules, creating two new learning spaces. Workers continue to prepare the buildings ready for the next stages of our site’s refurbishment.

Students, staff and community watched on with excitement as the trucks rolled in. As the first module was hitched onto the crane and lowered modules into place cheers were heard from onlookers. There was a real buzz on campus. Work is well underway, as contractors prepare the buildings to be ready for the next stages. Decking is in place, and we see the deck is coming together nicely.

LC Building Update

Work is well underway to decant our current Resource Centre with sorting and repurposing of out of use books. With only a few weeks of this term left we anticipate the next stages, in preparation for our final exit from the last building standing, then relocation into upgraded buildings.

Over the past few weeks our students Jack and Thomas have represented our campus at SAPSASA Football. Last week we enjoyed El Shaddai Camp. Students undertook many challenges and were encouraged by camp leaders to push themselves by taking part in a variety of activities. It was so good to see all students engaged and willing to go another step in giving their personal best. A great experience for all. Staff are busily involved in report writing preparations for semester one reports going home at the end of this term. On our recent Student Free Day, staff engaged in Maths training and development with the Maths Association. This was followed by further staff development in Deep Learning and Maths PLCs this week.

Student preparations are well underway for the Student Creation Market to be held at Milang Campus in Term 3. This term students will have the opportunity to attend a Langhorne Creek HUB Morning Tea where they will be able to present a certificate of appreciation for the generous donation provided to support all students to attend such an engaging camp. Students have planned their artwork designs ready for the HUB Art competition. Our campus Garden Project is receiving community attention with the recent receipt of funding through FPAG. We are all looking forward to creating an outdoor learning space, much needed storage shed & propagation shed, as well as redesigning this learning space.

For your information:

• R-6 Art Competition sponsored by local Langhorne Creek HUB
• Volunteers inducted to support our campus and initiatives.

Regards,
Les Cameron
Head of Campus

Kind Koalas

Maths

In maths we have been learning how to skip count. Receptions and Year 1s listened to the story ‘Eggs with Legs’ and made their own eggs with legs to practise skip counting by 2s. We then did some problem-solving questions.

Year 2s were putting their place value knowledge to the test with some same or more problem-solving questions.

LC Koalas Maths

Camp

We went to El Shaddai camp. The kids had a lot of fun going rock and ladder climbing, seeing reptiles, playing laser tag and completing lots of challenges that tested their character. See some of the responses children gave when asked how they showed great character on camp.

LC Koalas Camp

Inquisitive

The students are beginning preparations for the student creation market in Term 3. In groups they planted succulent leaves in damp cotton buds hoping they grow some roots for our student creation market projects. We will keep an eye on them and hopefully can see the lifecycle of a new succulent plant.

LC Koalas Inquisitive

Quirky Quokkas

El Shaddai Camp

We have just been on camp to El Shaddai. It was so much fun doing all of the challenges and pushing ourselves, building resilience and stamina. Here are some of our classes' comments:

I loved doing the Giant Swing and Laser Tag. – Lexi
I really liked all of the challenges and pushing myself. – Thomas
Everyone tried their best at the activities. – Emma
The Giant Swing was so cool, going up so high. – Aidan
Laser Tag was amazing and adventurous. - Hudson

LC El Shaddai Camp

Playgroup

Over the last few weeks we have welcomed many new families to Langhorne Creek Playgroup. It has been wonderful to see so many children socialising and engaging in a range of playful learning experiences. We welcome children from birth to school age.

We celebrated World Environment Day. We picked some oranges and lemons from the trees near our play space, and several children enjoyed potting up their own plants to take home. Some of the children chose to make kites on World Wind Day. Last week was Insect Week, and the children explored their creativity through butterfly painting.

Sensory experiences including playdough and the mud kitchen continue to be a favourite with many children. Each week we come together as a group for fruit/healthy snack time. A range of literacy experiences are offered at this time, including conversations with peers and adults, story time, songs and dance.

Langhorne Creek Playgroup runs each Friday morning from 9:00am to 11:30am during school term time.

LC Playgroup

Regards,
Libby Thornton
Playgroup Co-ordinator

A Brief Note from Nazz

Well, we're nearly at the end of another term, and I've been reflecting on all the great things that are happening at the moment. One of the highlights this term was being able to attend part of the school camp. Everyone showed great character and collaboration as they participated in a variety of activities and it was fantastic to see the students demonstrating grit and resilience as they attempted activities they found challenging. lt has also been exciting to see how the new building works are progressing, and I can't wait until everything is completed!

As we near the end of the term, I hope that reflecting on this quote will help you get through the chilly winter months ahead.

"The colour of springtime is flowers; the colour of winter is in our imagination."
- Terri Guillemets

Regards,
Narelle Vaughan
Pastoral Care Worker

Assembly

Congratulations to our Week 8 Assembly Award winners.

Dates to Remember

Milang Campus

Cnr Cox and Rivers Street, Milang SA 5256 Ph: 8537 0223

Head of Campus Report

This week we are on our annual camp to Arbury Park and we can’t wait to show you all the photos in our next newsletter. Students at Milang are very fortunate that all year levels get to go on camp every year and we have our wonderful staff to thank for that, volunteering their time to stay away from home and support the students.

Moving towards the end of term we are also looking forward to our NAIDOC celebrations in the final week.

We thought we would be saying goodbye to our beautiful Labradors but have secured them for another term to work with students. Each week 6 students learn how to train the dogs under the supervision of Annette from the PAWSAWHILE organisation. It has been wonderful to watch their confidence grow each week.

Our family coffee morning will be held on Wednesday, 5th July at the Milang Mini Mart and all are welcome to attend. Please let Donna know if you can come!

Regards,
Susannah Cook
Head of Campus

Happenings at Milang

Coffee Morning

We have changed our last coffee morning for the term to Wednesday, 5th July as Fridays became less popular. Please come to the Milang Mini Mart for morning tea of scones and tea/coffee free of charge. You can also bring your little ones. Have a discussion about which day would suit better for next term and if Wednesdays is a better day we will need to change the venue to the Supper room at the Institute.

Playgroup

We have welcomed some new children to playgroup this term.

We have celebrated Insect Week. The children enjoyed butterfly painting and exploring bugs in the sand tray. A variety of literacy based experiences are offered at playgroup. The children have explored our Old MacDonald Story Table and small world play with enthusiasm.

Families with children aged from birth to school age are welcome at playgroup. We would love to see you at Milang Play Centre. There is no cost to attend this programme. Just bring a piece of fruit for your child.

Regards,
Libby Thornton
Play Centre Coordinator

Assembly

Congratulations to Patrick from the Junior Primary and Bailee and Harley from the Upper Primary on receiving assembly awards.

Junior Primary Learning

Maths in the Junior Primary classroom has been all about numbers! We have been learning how to separate whole numbers into two or more smaller parts. This process is known as ‘partitioning’ and helps the children to see that a number can be made up of lots of different smaller number combinations. The Year One children began by separating the number 20 into all the possible number combinations. They used 20 blocks to help them visualise all the different combinations.

During one of the Maths lessons each week, the Year Two children have been working through a Maths Revision Booklet. This covers a variety of concepts previously taught during Maths lessons and encourages the children to carefully read the question before completing the answer.

This week we received some new equipment for the Junior Primary Class and Beau had a great time putting it together, showing some great skills.

Upper Primary Learning

This fortnight in the upper primary we have been continuing to explore the voyage of the First Fleet from the leaving of Portsmouth, England to the stops around the world and how the travellers might have felt on the trip.

We will start to explore the influence that the First Fleet had on the First Nation's people at the start of next term and how life has been changed post-voyage.

In mathematics we are still manipulating numbers, practicing multiplication, and reviewing appropriate addition and subtraction strategies to aide our learning and quick use of numbers.

In English we have been using conjunctions in our sentences to develop detailed sentences and worked on spelling patterns and letter sounds in the words.

We have welcomed Jack and Harley into our class and our school community at Milang. They have settled in really well and their little brother Victor also made it to Playgroup.

Enjoy the holidays and stay safe!

Reminders from Donna

Premiers Reading challenge

Premiers Reading Challenge forms have been given out. Please encourage your child to complete the form and return to Donna. Also for those really keen readers there is a 20 book challenge, see attached.

Digital consents for Upper Primary

Please return these forms signed by yourself and your child. Please make sure they understand what they are signing and agreeing to the terms of computer usage and safety. If you have misplaced your form please ask me for another.

Camp

CAMP IS THIS WEEK AND FEES ARE NOW DUE

Thank you to parents who have returned forms and already paid for camp. If you have paid for camp through the school bank account, please make sure you let Donna know so she can mark you off the list. If you still need to pay and have not spoken to Donna about instalments, you will need to pay the full amount by the end of term.

Attendance

Please always contact the school if your child is late, call or come in and sign a yellow slip. Also if your child is away or someone else is picking them up. If we don’t hear from you your child’s absence is marked as unexplained. A message from another student is not enough, we need to hear from a parent. If you are picking your child up early please come into the office and complete a green slip.

Please continue to follow the guidelines for keeping us all safe. If you need to come on site, please ensure you are sanitising when entering any buildings. Keep your visits brief and social distance at all times.

Note Folders

The oldest child in each family is responsible for handing in their note folder each day to Donna and taking it home each night with any new notes. Can you please make sure you are checking these each day and sending back any notes or consents that need to be brought back. Also any book club money and order forms need to be returned in the folder.

NAIDOC Week

On Monday, 3rd July Georgie Trevorrow, Ngarrindjeri Elder will be visiting our campus to deliver a 1-hour workshop on Weaving and Feather Flowers.

Friday, 7th July we are having an R-12 Casual Clothes Day event. Please bring a gold coin donation. The funds raised will be donated towards an organisation that supports our First Nations families.

Dates to Remember

Strathalbyn R-6 Campus

34 East Terrace, Strathalbyn SA 5255 Ph: 8536 2344

Heads of Campus Report

On the last day of school, our Semester One reports will go home with students, and we are excited to share our new reporting format with families. Feedback from students, staff, and parents has prompted a review and decision to decrease the jargon and unclutter the format while still providing quality feedback to students and families. With our continued focus on the Deep Learning competencies we have assessed where students are at and their next steps in the development of these essential life-long skills.

How do I read my child's report?

Our front page is all about your child, their voice through the student comment, competency assessment, and teacher's general comment. We have also included your child's attendance, late arrivals, and teacher signatures.

The second page is all about curriculum. We have kept our literacy and numeracy comments, alongside word equivalent grades and effort. All our specialist subjects and other curriculum areas are listed below. For parents of our newest Reception students, in line with the Department of Education policy, your child is not graded in their first year of school. You will see NA (Not Applicable) in the grade. Occasionally, students in Years 1-6 may have NA if they attend intervention or work with outside school providers during these lessons.

Indicators for Academic Achievement

To guide your understanding about achievement in relation to your child’s letter grade, we have included a one work description. For example, Satisfactory = C grade = At Year Level Standard. A student who receives a C in Year 3 and then a C in Year 4 has made 12 months' growth in this subject area. If your child attends literacy or numeracy intervention, a report reflecting their progress will also be included.

In Week 3, parents will have the opportunity to book a Learning Conversation with class teachers to discuss reports, set future goals, and celebrate successes and progress. Booking information will go out in Week 1 of Term 3.

Primary school reports play a pivotal role in evaluating students' progress and development, offering insights into their academic achievements, social skills, and overall growth. By fostering effective communication between teachers, parents, and students, these reports promote collaborative efforts in supporting your child's education. With a comprehensive assessment and thoughtful feedback, primary school reports contribute to the holistic development of young learners and lay a strong foundation for their future.

Daily Check In

I will be heading off on leave for the first five weeks of Term 3, fulfilling a long-held dream to travel to Europe. Sophie Frost our Assistant Principal, will step in as acting Director during this time. To all families, I wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday break.

Regards,
Jo Garwood, Sophie Frost and Mel Pitt
Heads of Campus

Wellbeing

Girls group is run every second week for girls ranging from Year 3 – 6 . This group is for students who have been identified by teachers as potentially benefiting from a team building, mentor style, social skills group. The group sessions are based around developing positive social connections, developing and strengthening regulation skills, making and maintaining friendships and entering and managing two way conversations. Of course we also have a great deal of fun. Hannah Jenkins and I always look forward to working with this fabulous group.

This week the girls worked on identifying emotions in others and discussed why this was important and what to do if they could not read a friend’s emotions. We had a lot of fun doing this. The girls were then given the challenge of creating as a team, a structure with a story. Cooperation and team work being the theme. What a fantastic job they did. During their ‘What Went Well’ circle to end the session, the girls reflected on the following –

Laughing, having fun, cooperation, and communication, making something cool and repairing a friendship!

Regards,
Heidi Yard
Welling Leader

Deep Learning

Students in the Spotlight

Indigo – Character

What does this competency mean to you?

It means don’t laugh at people. It means being kind when people are hurt. Always respect people.

How have been learning about it in class?

We have learned about being kind. We have read Giraffe’s Can’t Dance. We learned about giving compliments. We learned about kindness.

What is your next goal with Character?

I am not really sure yet.

How can you use this competency in everyday life?

We have to be kind to everyone. In our classroom and in our families.

Ava – Creativity

What does this competency mean to you?

That you are able to be artistic and find new and unique ways to solve problems.

How have you been learning about it in class?

We have had to make music and lyrics for a song which allows us to be creative and focus on making it all work together.

How can you use this competency in everyday life?

If you find a problem in life, you need to be creative and find new ways to solve the problem differently.

What is your next goal in Creativity?

My next goal is to figure out how to blend music to make it sound nice together.

Edward – Character

What does the competency Character mean to you?

Working with each other, helping friends, including everyone, trying our best always.

How have you been learning about it in class?

Learning new writing techniques and spelling patterns. Learning how to multiply big numbers and division. Finding new recipes from different cultures, Budgeting, Cooking and trying new things, communicating well with peers around compromise and delegating job roles.

What is your next goal with Character?

Asking for help from teachers when needed at break times instead of waiting until learning time to tell my teacher.

How can you use this competency in everyday life?

Trying my best at everything. Being proud of myself, being a good friend and helpful to our school community.

Regards,
Ben Smith
Innovative Pedagogies Coordinator

Character in Room 20

In Room 20, we have delving deeper into our ‘Character’ focus for Deep Learning. The children have been brainstorming what Character means, including things like using our growth mindset, taking responsibility for our actions, recognising emotions of ourselves and others. We have read a few books and watched Bluey episodes that highlight character including ‘Kind’, ‘Giraffe’s Can’t Dance’, Bluey episode ‘Obstacle Course’ among others.

The children have loved pointing out moments when they ‘notice’ someone using good character! They are also able to recognise when they see an example of poor character. We have talked about the fact that we can all have moments where we demonstrate both good and poor character traits.

The children have also been exploring what a compliment is. We have created a Y chart showing what we think a compliment looks like, feels like and sounds like. The children have been challenged to give a compliment to someone each day. It is a work in progress but gradually the children are getting the idea of what a compliment it and how it can make people feel.

Our next steps are to continue building the compliment idea. We hope to build into our learning the notion of a ‘random act of kindness’. This will be something that we hope will gain momentum over time.

Regards,
Ally Mead

Room 28 Bike Safety

Regards,
Donna Prusa and Lynley Driver

Parent Club Update

Room 3 Update

Hi Eastern Fleurieu School community. I can't believe it has been six whole weeks since our last update. As well as continuing to work on persuasive texts, we have also been researching the effect of people on their environment this term. The students have produced some wonderful assignments, like these ones:

Room 3, along with Room 7, also had a wonderful camp at El Shaddai back in May. Here are a few photos of that as well:

Regards,
Kevin O’Connor

Mental Health in Room 6

This term we have had a big focus on ways we can improve our classroom culture. As a whole class we decided to refer to ourselves as a ‘team’, rather than a class and have been exploring ways we can support that. Alongside of our health lessons focusing on mental health, Room 6 have been working on positive affirmations based on personal challenges to give each other each morning and advice to a kid from a kid.

To celebrate Miss Shields having her baby, as a class we made contrast cards as a present for Miss Shields and our new little team member. On one side we had students drawing black and white pictures and patterns, and on the other we have a piece of advice to ‘a new kid’ from an ‘older kid’.

I came up with my piece of advice because Miss Clark always reminds us that we should be working towards being the best version of ourselves and other teachers can help us with this too. So I thought it would be nice for him to think about this. – Pagey

When we write the positive affirmations in the morning and we read them, it gives me happiness because we are all using positive language towards each other. When we wrote our advice, it was good to give another kid some advice and it’s good practice to help others. – Mackenzie

I think its good for kids to give each other advice to help them never give up, do good things in life and make good choices. – Archie

One good piece of advice for a kid is to be yourself and have the most fun that you can. – Evelyn

A piece of advice would be to never give up on something you want to do and if something is wrong, tell somebody that you feel comfortable talking to. – Heath

Chase your dreams because your dreams won’t chase you back. – Bella

Be the best version of yourself because people will like you. – Eddie

Never give up even if things are really hard so you can get through the challenges. - Dane

Regards,
Donna Clark

Shapes with Room 31

Room 31 had a great time drawing shapes in the Front Garden with Jo last week!

Room 11s Visit to the Zoo

Earlier this term Mrs Parry and Ms Nikita’s class went down to the city to enjoy a show at the Dream Big Festival….it was AWESOME! We watched Erth’s Prehistoric World at the Dunstan Playhouse.

Here are some of our thoughts on the show!

I thought it was cool that the dinosaurs looked like real life- they looked realistic! - Liam

It was really funny when the dinosaur ate the kid on the stage…they didn’t really eat them though! - Zara

They looked real and I really wanted to pat one and take one home. I really would like a pet dinosaur, which would be so cool! - Evelyn

It was really fun, when the brachiosaurus came out, they looked a bit like a mini T-Rex and were chasing everyone around the stage. - Tom

I was just really interesting to see a bunch of dinosaurs that we didn’t know about and I really liked the underwater part. - Lacie

It was the best show that I have ever been to, and I loved how they made the dinosaurs so realistic and my favourite part is when they went underwater. - Jaxon

I was so good, I have never been to one and it was very loud but I enjoyed it and I would go back again. - Amari

After we went to the South Australian Museum to check out the displays on Aboriginal Culture and the mammals.

Check out our photos!

Regards,
Belinda Parry and Claudia Norris-Green

Dates to Remember

Strathalbyn 7-12 Campus

11 Callington Road, Strathalbyn SA 5255 Ph: 8536 2455

Head of Campus Report

DEEP LEARNING HIGHLIGHTS

At the end of Semester 1 we have enjoyed some amazing learning showcases at 7-12 Campus, highlighting authentic learning experiences and genuine engagement from our students and families.

Thank you to all of you who attended events such as EFS Create, The Block Goes Viral and the Music Showcase. It is fabulous to see so many families showing an interest in the achievements of our talented young people and it certainly ups the stakes for students when they are accountable to audiences or community members at events such as these.

Students continue to attend a wide range of extra-curricular activities; a particular highlight for students in Year 9 and 10 was the Science and Engineering Challenge at Flinders Uni, during which they competed in a range of challenging events including “building a bionic hand”.

QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching staff and SSO teams have been engaging in their own deep learning activities. On the recent Student Free Day, teachers and SSOs worked together on identifying shared beliefs about the moral purpose for education after an interrogation of our recent data. It was an insightful exercise that showed common trends across our 5 campuses. 7-12 staff perspectives aligned significantly with the views of their colleagues at R-6 sites; these perspectives will form the basis of a range of improvement initiatives.

A number of secondary teachers are working towards Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation, involving an in-depth process of preparing a folio of evidence against highly accomplished and lead teacher professional standards. We are lucky to have many extremely competent, expert teachers at EFS who show leadership capacity by supporting less experienced colleagues to develop their practice in really proactive and collaborative ways. The HALT initiative has sparked a range of projects which are already having a direct impact on professional practice. For example, Maths teachers across the site are experimenting with Thinking Maths pedagogy to generate excitement and promote student engagement with Maths learning in the Middle Years.

SEMESTER 2

Week 9 is the start of the new semester with students starting a range of new elective courses. The timetable and class allocation process is highly complex and the team have been working with students to make necessary changes arising from clashes and other matters. Please bear with us while we finalise class placements this week.

UPCOMING EVENTS

We are looking forward to our annual NAIDOC events in Week 10. The First Nations team have joined with our community to put together a range of events and excursions to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our Term 2 Youth Opportunities group will be graduating in Week 10, and we look forward to welcoming families to share in this wonderful achievement.

The Year 12 Formal is fast approaching; we are excited to be joining our “Class of 2023” who will be dressed to impress for the celebration at the local Lake Breeze venue. This will be a wonderful event to end a busy semester.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Another reminder to please encourage your children to wear the appropriate colours for under-layers and jumpers during Winter. The school colours are navy or white (underlayers only) and we want students to wear them with pride! Please remember that hoodies are not permitted at any time.

The Uniform Shop is located at 9A Callington Road, Strathalbyn. Julie’s contact numbers are 8536 2648 or 0417 771 944 or you can email her at bubbells@adam.com.au.

Keep your details up to date

Please contact the school if any of your personal details change. This helps us to keep you up to date and informed with school news. Thank you.

If you have any issues you would like to raise, or would like to share constructive feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the 7-12 Campus on (08) 8536 2455.

Regards,
Vanessa Coker
Director Secondary Education

Important Dates to Remember

Science and Engineering Challenge

In Week 7, 25 enthusiastic Year 9 and 10 students competed in the Science and Engineering Challenge at Flinders University. Students worked in teams, participating in various activities ranging from coding, bridge building, building suspension systems for a Mars Rover, and gliders among other activities.

The Science and Engineering Challenge is an outreach program conducted nationally by the University of Newcastle and is designed to inspire secondary students to study maths and science at senior levels. Students competed against public and private schools in the Southern Area.

Our students worked extremely well in their groups and challenged themselves in different learning experiences. We competed as a school extremely well and came second on the day, just behind Heathfield High School.

Congratulations to our AMAZING team of Year 9 and 10 student who did an outstanding job at the Science and Engineering Challenge held at Flinders University on Thursday. Coming runners up in day two of the challenge is a great effort!

Congratulations to all that were involved.

Regards,
Ryan Diepgrond
Math/ Science Teacher

Try-a-Trade Course

Eastern Fleurieu 7-12 Campus are hosting a Try-a-Trade course for the last five weeks of Term 2. Students in Years 10-12 are participating in a variety of trade introductions including paving, tiling and carpentry. Before commencing the course, students also received their White Card qualification. Through the guidance of experienced mentors, students are putting their skills into practice by paving a small section of our school yard. This experience will provide valuable experience, exposure to trades and evidence for VET course applications.

Year 7/8 Girls Knockout Netball – 20/06

On Tuesday, 20th June the Year 7/8 girls netball team headed to St Francis College to compete in the knockout netball competition against St Francis and Blackwood High School. The first match was against St Francis. The girls gave their all in an exciting and competitive game. Despite the tough competition, EFS were able to maintain their lead throughout the game and win by an impressive 17 goals. EFS then went on to face Blackwood. Once again, they displayed their impressive netball skills and determination, defeating Blackwood by 12 goals. After a successful day, EFS are now through to the Year 7/8 state knockout netball finals. Congratulations to the squad for a successful and exciting day of netball. We are excited to see what they will achieve at the finals.

Year 9/10 Knockout Volleyball

On Wednesday, 31st May we took two Year 9/10 teams to Victor Harbor High School to play Knockout Volleyball.

The Year 9/10 boys team played against Aldinga Payinthi and Victor Harbor High School in their pool. Our boys won against Aldinga Payinthi 3 sets to 0 and just lost to Victor Harbor High School 2 sets to 1. They finished 2nd in their pool coming up against Seaford in the crossover who finished first in their pool. The boys knew this would be a tough game, but they played very well against a team that is much more experienced. Unfortunately, the boys lost this game to Seaford meaning that they finished 4th overall.

The Year 9/10 girls team started strong in their pool playing against Aldinga Payinthi and Seaford. Seaford gave our girls a good hit out with lots of great rallies. However, the girls won both of their games 3 sets to 0. They then had to play against Victor Harbor High School to get into the final. It was a hard-fought game, but our girls were too strong with their serving winning multiple points. They made it into the final against Investigator College who were very experienced and had a lot more height than our girls. This didn’t stop our girls from giving them a good run for their money considering that most of the Investigator girls were Year 10s and our girls were all Year 9s. Our girls just won the first set and lost the second set by quite a bit, putting them into a third set. The last set was an amazing game for both teams with some great and long rallies, but our girls held on winning the last set 27-25 to win the game and go on to the next round. The girls will now play in the knockout finals in week 9. We wish them all the best!

Music Showcase is Back!

Thursday, 8th June saw our first Music Showcase in full cabaret style since 2019 take place in the Performing Arts Centre.

What a thrill it was to see so many of our music students performing to the capacity audience. We had them all, from first timers to seemingly seasoned pros playing everything from Mendelsohn to Motörhead… well, Bizet to Metallica anyway! Of note is the increasing number of original compositions featuring in these events, such as those by Dallas, Akeyla and Lachlan.

Congratulations to all students – performers and crew – who worked so hard to bring the event together and make it a success!

The next Music Showcase will be on Thursday, 16th November from 6:30pm in the Performing Arts Centre – get it in your diary now!

Regards,
Shayne Tarling
Music Teacher

Sport Zone Table Tennis Carnival

On Thursday, June 22nd a small but dedicated team of students went to Southern Table Tennis Centre in Morphett Vale to take on the best players from schools across the Southern Fleurieu zone. Jo, Billy and Kiefer didn’t let the wet and windy weather dampen their spirits (perhaps because table tennis is played indoors!) and approached the day with a positive and supportive attitude that drew compliments from teachers from other schools.

A rapid-fire shootout was played to establish seedings before the players were split into two round robin groups. Jo and Billy were drawn together with both showing great improvement and endeavour across their matches. Jo went down in a pair of close matches against the number 3 and 4 seeds to finish 5th in the group while Billy also fought valiantly and finished just behind Jo in 6th. In the other pool, Kiefer got off to a flyer both falling just short against the group’s number 1. He recomposed himself to win his remaining matches and finished 2nd in his group.

Finals and playoff matches followed with Jo fighting for 9th place overall and Billy battling it out for 11th overall. By finishing second in his group, Kiefer had qualified for a semi-final against the top player from the other group. Jo played some of his best table tennis of the day to win his playoff for 9th while Billy dug deep to come from a game down to also win his playoff! Kiefer gave his all but went down in his semi-final and then also just couldn’t get over the line in the 3rd place playoff match.

I am exceptionally proud of the team and how they conducted themselves throughout the day. To finish 4th, 9th and 11th overall is a great result and I look forward to the next table tennis carnival!

Regards,
Mr Langhans

Fleurieu Food Miles Excursion

The Stage 2 Food and Hospitality students spent Tuesday, 20th June at Harvest the Fleurieu in Mount Compass, The Salopian Inn and Dawn Patrol in McLaren Vale. The students used the special opportunity to interview local business owners Ryan Sherry and Karena Armstrong about the food miles, and the importance of sustainability within a business.

Thank you to Ryan and Karena for giving up their time to chat with our Stage 2 students, they left the day feeling very inspired!

Regards,
Megan Wood

Variety Kids’ Picnic at the Zoo

On Tuesday, 9th April Elljay, Room 20 and the Room 29 students went on an excursion to the Adelaide Zoo for the Variety Kids’ Picnic at the Zoo. When we arrived at the zoo, there were hundreds of people from other schools there.

As we entered, some of us wanted to get photos with the mascots there like the Port Power Thunderbolt, the Variety Bear, and the Avengers.

Then we went onto see the animals and take photos. These included tiger cubs, lions, meerkats, giraffes, and penguins, just to name a few.

Heading back to school the hour-long bus ride didn’t seem to take that long because the time was filled with excited chatter about the day. It very enjoyable day and it was good to catch up with the students from Millindilla. - Harmony

One of our favourite animals, the giraffe.

VET - Automotive

The second year class of the Certificate 2 in Automotive shown here completing a unit on Inspect and Service Brakes in the EFS Automotive workshop. They have removed and replaced the majority of the brake hardware and Harry is in the driver’s seat allowing them to bleed the brakes. This unit follows units on Steering and Suspension, where the class have performed similar operations on vehicles in the EFS fleet. Our TAFE Lecturer, John, places a strong emphasis on helping students develop workplace-ready skills by working hands-on to reinforce their technical understanding of vehicle components and systems.

Graduates from last year’s class are working in apprenticeships as diverse as automotive servicing and agricultural equipment repair. The first year group are moving into the Inspect and Service engines module and our Year 10 Power Technology group are moving from Power Technology A, to Power Technology B, where they move from building their own single cylinder engines to developing a plan to inspect, disassemble, rebuild and start a range of 4 and 6 cylinder engines.

Outdoor Education

In early June, both Stage 1 Outdoor Education classes went on a Mountain Bike Riding Experience. Ms Humphries class journeyed to Kuitpo Forest to improve their skills and to take in the natural surroundings for the final time. Mr Doody’s class had the pleasure of heading to O’Halloran Hill Bike Park. Both classes were lucky enough to have mostly fine weather (no rain) but being June it was still chilly. Students skill levels initially ranged from hardly ever riding a bike recently, to the more experienced who ride mountain bike trails most weekends. It was great to see the skill level and student confidence increase over both days. Over the next couple of days, there were numerous complaints of sore muscles, especially the ones you sit on! These experiences were useful for the students to utilise, in their final assessment task for the semester, where they were required to evaluate and critically reflect on how their skills had developed, in two of the three experience days this semester. Snorkelling and Rock-climbing were the other two experiences.

Safety Briefing prior to riding

Skill improvement

Downhill skills on show

Racing to the line

Bike control, looking out for the stumps

Regards,
Mr Doody and Ms Humphries

YEAR 10 ARCHITECTURE

THE BLOCK! GOES VIRTUAL

Over the last eight weeks, Year 10 Architecture students have been working on their major project, The Block! Goes Virtual. Students were given a 3D model of an existing home and tasked with researching, planning, designing and costing all the renovations with the intention of selling their newly renovated homes at auction in Week 8. Students used industry standard software, Revit and Twin Motion, to create accurate floorplans and high-quality digital walk throughs and renders of their designed homes - head over to the school Instagram if you would like to see more!

We were lucky enough to have some local professionals donate their time to the class with Kerry Macaulay, a real estate agent from Harcourts in Stirling, coming in to value the homes and talk to the class about Real Estate as a career. Our auctioneer for the day was Lindsay Warner from Lindsay Warner Auctioneering Services, who generously ran the auction and got some incredible prices for our young architects! The bidding was fast and furious with the most valuable home selling for over $3,000,000!

Big thank you to all who were involved in the day, but especially to the students who put hours and hours of time into creating exceptional work.

EFS Create

Our inaugural E F S C R E A T E event was a colourful, inspirational, stunning success!

We showcased an extraordinary array of creative endeavours from all year levels.

We would like to thank the amazing teachers who worked tirelessly to mobilise our students and give them the opportunity to showcase their creativity.

We were so pleased to see so many families come and enjoy the event too. Thank you for supporting your young people to explore their creativity in such a variety of ways.

Stay tuned for our next event at the end of the year!

Regards,
Matt Taylor and Narelle Lakin-Hall

Sammy D Presentation

On Wednesday, 7th June, our Year 9 Rite Journey classes were lucky enough to have been visited by creator of the Sammy D Foundation, Neil Davis. Neil came to share the tragic story of his son, up and coming football star, Sammy Davis. The presentation was about young people controlling their anger and emotions and it provided us strategies to help look after us and our mates, ultimately stopping that one punch.

Sammy D was hit in the back of the head after going to a friend’s party, he ended up suffering from the brute force of the punch which ultimately killed him. Both his parents in result, created the Sammy D Foundation which brings to light the dangers of anger and intense emotions when enacted on other people. The foundation was crafted to prevent violence among young people, and Neil bravely speaks of the horrors that he and his wife had faced on a regular basis, just to educate others. - Montana

Push-Up Challenge

Earlier this month, a group of Year 9 students set themselves the challenge of completing the push up challenge to raise money and awareness for mental health. Jaidyn, Luke, Brodie, Archer, Jake, Dylan and Tayer completed this challenge by each performing a total of 3,144 push-ups over 23 days. The figure of 3,144 represented the number of lives lost in Australia in 2021 to suicide. Each day, a certain number of push-ups were required that represented a different fact about mental health. The students’ push up team, The Rigatrons, raised $2390 out of the 14 million dollars total that the Push for Better Foundation raised. Well done to everyone who completed this challenge. Fantastic effort!

BSEM Masterclass

Merryn Gomez and Heidi Yard were invited to attend a two day Masterclass in June led by Berry Street Education Model Director and author, Tom Brunzell.

The Masterclass focussed on leadership of positive wellbeing and trauma informed practice in schools as an essential ingredient for supporting wellbeing and connection for the whole school community. The link between wellbeing and learning is evident in every activity, interaction, and micro moment throughout the school day. Practices such as Welcome Circles and Brain Breaks are specifically designed and implemented by teachers to increase self regulation, self reflection, build connection and support students to be ready to learn.

During a recent visit by DFE Chief Executive Martin Westwell, our student leaders shared with him that they enjoy starting the day with Welcome Circles because it helps them connect with classmates they may not have met before, provide a positive start to the day and get them in the zone for learning.

During the two day Masterclass there was plenty of opportunity for reflection and planning. It was reinforced many times that Eastern Fleurieu School is leading the way in providing essential learning around wellbeing through trauma informed practice that will help students to navigate life far beyond the school gates.

Library News

Jigsaws

The donated jigsaws are remaining popular. Another one has been completed. Students enjoy doing the different jigsaws that have been donated over the years.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Remember, this challenge needs to be completed by the 8th September, 2023. There is also the special option this year of reading 20 books for the 20th anniversary of the challenge, to receive a special one-off award.

Overdues

Most books have a two-week loan. If students need more time, they can bring the book back in to get the due date extended. If your child has an overdue you will get an email reminding you of this, which comes out once a week.

Regards,
Adrienne Carter

Canteen Menus at 7-12 Campus

July School Holidays

The Adelaide 36ers July School Holiday Clinics supported by HomeStart Finance are back. Facilitated by our Community Coaches, 36ers legends and Current Players, our 2-day School Holiday Training Camps provide the perfect environment for tomorrow's NBL stars to hone their skills and to learn from stars of our game. Available 36ers players will be in attendance.

Link to the Clinics: