TERM 2 This term has certainly been very busy with a number of student and staff events. On Friday 11 May our Year 12 students and their partners participated in the Year 12 Formal at the Sebel Playford on North Terrace. All the staff were impressed with the mature and responsible behaviour of all of the young people there. It was a pleasure to be present to witness our students and their friends at such an important event, signalling the move towards the final months of Year 12. Congratulations to all and particularly the students involved in organising the formal. On Saturday 12 May four teams of our students competed in the National School Aerobics Competition. This year we had teams in the Junior and Senior Hip Hop and the Junior and Senior Theatrical sections. Three students, a Year 12 and two Year 10 students have been involved not only in the performance but also choreographing the performances. This is no mean feat as it requires leadership, coordination and creativity. All four teams have progressed through to the State Finals on Sunday 2 June with results from 12 May as follows: Junior Hip Hop - 1 st Senior Hip Hop - 3 rd Senior theatrical - 3 rd Junior theatrical - 6 th The success of the students has been a joint effort by students, staff and parents. I would like to acknowledge a number of staff; Katrina Constantopoulos, our powerhouse Dance teacher who has been overseeing this opportunity and Jeanette Beadnall, Brigitte Esvelt, Lynette King, Bronwyn MacLean and Mary Oleschenko who have worked tirelessly on making the costumes. Thank you to the parents who supported their children in this opportunity. We wish all of the teams success in the preparation for the State Finals. On Thursday 10 and Friday 11 May, teachers were involved in developing curriculum plans to support the implementation of the Australian Curriculum using the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP). Over the two days we were joined by teachers from Belair, Blackwood, Coromandel Valley and Eden Hills Primary Schools to ensure our curriculum meets the IBMYP requirements and supports students from these four schools make successful curriculum transition to Blackwood High School. We were fortunate to have Curtis Beaverford, the Asia Pacific IBMYP School Services Manager, from Singapore, working with the teaching staff over the two days. Curtis was able to explain the new developments of the IB, the unit planner and new documents, particularly the command terms (specific terms and their application) in teaching, learning and assessment. For example: Determine: obtain the only possible answer Examine: consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers the assumptions and inter-relationships of the issue. Justify: give valid reasons or evidence to support an answer or conclusion Synthesize: combine different ideas in order to create new understandings These command terms are used to ensure that they are used consistently across the IBMYP and become part of the common language used by teachers and students. The New Christian Pastoral Support Worker (CPSW) We have welcomed Stephanie Simpson as our new CPSW. She started on 17 May and will be at the school two days a week. Stephanie has had experience in working with young people and as a CPSW in a school. On the school’s website is information about the roles and responsibility of the CPSWs in our school. I would like to thank the Mitcham Hills Inter Church Council for their commitment and contribution to Blackwood High School in providing support for our two CPSWs Sam Thomson and Stephanie Simpson. (cont. on page 2) No 5 – 25 May 2012 www.bhs.sa.edu.au CALENDAR Sun 2 June School Aerobics Finals Mon 4 to Fri 8 June Yr 11 Exams Yr 10 Work Experience Tues 5 June Principal’s Tour 9.00am Finance Advisory Com Mtg 6.30pm Mon 11 June QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY – Public Holiday Tues 12 June Governing Council Mtg 7pm Wed 13 & Thur 14 June Yr 12 Drama Production 7pm in PAC Fri 15 June CASUAL DAY-Relay for Life Arts Showcase – matinee at 11am & eve perf. 7pm Tues 19 June Science & Engineering Challenge at Flinders Uni Mon 25 to Fri 29 June Year 12 Exams Thur 28 June Semester 1 reports for Years 8-11 sent home with students. Fri 29 June LAST DAY OF TERM 2. Mon 16 July First day of Term 3 Tues 24 July Yr 10/11 SACE Parent Info Mtg in the PAC at 7pm.
Transcript
TERM 2 This term has certainly been very busy with a number of student and staff events. On Friday 11 May our Year 12 students and their partners participated in the Year 12 Formal at the Sebel Playford on North Terrace. All the staff were impressed with the mature and responsible behaviour of all of the young people there. It was a pleasure to be present to witness our students and their friends at such an important event, signalling the move towards the final months of Year 12. Congratulations to all and particularly the students involved in organising the formal. On Saturday 12 May four teams of our students competed in the National School Aerobics Competition. This year we had teams in the Junior and Senior Hip Hop and the Junior and Senior Theatrical sections. Three students, a Year 12 and two Year 10 students have been involved not only in the performance but also choreographing the performances. This is no mean feat as it requires leadership, coordination and creativity. All four teams have progressed through to the State Finals on Sunday 2 June with results from 12 May as follows:
Junior Hip Hop - 1st Senior Hip Hop - 3rd Senior theatrical - 3rd Junior theatrical - 6th
The success of the students has been a joint effort by students, staff and parents. I would like to acknowledge a number of staff; Katrina Constantopoulos, our powerhouse Dance teacher who has been overseeing this opportunity and Jeanette Beadnall, Brigitte Esvelt, Lynette King, Bronwyn MacLean and Mary Oleschenko who have worked tirelessly on making the costumes. Thank you to the parents who supported their children in this opportunity. We wish all of the teams success in the preparation for the State Finals. On Thursday 10 and Friday 11 May, teachers were involved in developing curriculum plans to support the implementation of the Australian Curriculum using the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP). Over the two days we were joined by teachers from Belair, Blackwood, Coromandel Valley and Eden Hills Primary Schools to ensure our curriculum meets the IBMYP requirements and supports students from these four schools make successful curriculum transition to Blackwood High School. We were fortunate to have Curtis Beaverford, the Asia Pacific IBMYP School Services Manager, from Singapore, working with the teaching staff over the two days. Curtis was able to explain the new developments of the IB, the unit planner and new documents, particularly the command terms (specific terms and their application) in teaching, learning and assessment. For example: Determine: obtain the only possible answer Examine: consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers the assumptions
and inter-relationships of the issue. Justify: give valid reasons or evidence to support an answer or conclusion Synthesize: combine different ideas in order to create new understandings These command terms are used to ensure that they are used consistently across the IBMYP and become part of the common language used by teachers and students. The New Christian Pastoral Support Worker (CPSW) We have welcomed Stephanie Simpson as our new CPSW. She started on 17 May and will be at the school two days a week. Stephanie has had experience in working with young people and as a CPSW in a school. On the school’s website is information about the roles and responsibility of the CPSWs in our school. I would like to thank the Mitcham Hills Inter Church Council for their commitment and contribution to Blackwood High School in providing support for our two CPSWs Sam Thomson and Stephanie Simpson. (cont. on page 2)
No 5 – 25 May 2012
www.bhs.sa.edu.au
CALENDAR Sun 2 June
School Aerobics Finals Mon 4 to Fri 8 June
Yr 11 Exams Yr 10 Work Experience
Tues 5 June Principal’s Tour 9.00am Finance Advisory Com Mtg
6.30pm Mon 11 June
QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY – Public Holiday
Tues 12 June Governing Council Mtg 7pm
Wed 13 & Thur 14 June Yr 12 Drama Production
7pm in PAC Fri 15 June
CASUAL DAY-Relay for Life Arts Showcase – matinee
at 11am & eve perf. 7pm Tues 19 June
Science & Engineering Challenge at Flinders Uni
Mon 25 to Fri 29 June Year 12 Exams
Thur 28 June Semester 1 reports for
Years 8-11 sent home with students.
Fri 29 June LAST DAY OF TERM 2.
Mon 16 July First day of Term 3
Tues 24 July Yr 10/11 SACE Parent Info
Mtg in the PAC at 7pm.
NEWSLETTER NO. 5 – 25 May 2012
.2.
Student Free Days As indicated in a previous newsletter, the Governing Council approved a Student Free Day for Monday 10 September. The focus of that day will be on Teaching for Effective Learning (TfEL) and Literacy. TfEL is the pedagogical framework developed to support student learning. The Governing Council has approved our last Student Free Day for Thursday 6 December. We have been able to secure Stephen Graham, a national and international presenter on literacy for learning. Year 8 to 10 Assessment Tasks From 21 May to 1 June all Year 8 to 10 students will be involved in assessment tasks in each of their subjects. Teachers will be using the results of the assessment tasks to identify areas of growth as well as results that will contribute to the Semester 1 achievement against the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program. Year 11 Exams and Assessment Tasks Year 11 students will participate in examinations from 4 to 8 June. The Year 11 Exam timetable has been posted on Studywiz for your convenience. Students will be attending for their scheduled exams and the remainder of the time they will be studying for their other examinations. Some parents will receive letters where their children are expected to be at school on Monday 4 June to complete assessment tasks in the compulsory subjects of the SACE. Quicksmart Literacy At Blackwood High we will be commencing the Quicksmart Literacy program with a small group of Year 8 students. Four of our teaching and support staff have been undertaking training to be able to deliver this focussed literacy support program. The program has a significant educational evidence base and as part of our school’s involvement and commitment we will be collecting data to measure the growth in learning of the students involved. The intention of the program is to improve student’s recall skills and automaticity (ability to recall quickly and accurately) thereby freeing up the working memory to undertake learning of a high level. Through our annual reporting process the achievements of students involved will be reported. Further information is available from Terry Patiniotis, the Personalised Learning Leader. NAB Schools First Student Awards The NAB Schools First Student Award was developed to reward great ideas for school-community partnerships that have been initiated by students. There are 10 Student Awards available in 2012 with award winners receiving $5,000 to implement their school-community partnership idea as well as support from the NAB Schools First team. Each award winning student will also receive an Apple iPad. If you know a student who has a great idea for a school-community partnership, encourage them to apply now. Up to two students from a school can apply. Further information at http://www.schoolsfirst.edu.au. School buses If parents have any information or concerns about buses either not arriving or arriving late could you please let the school know. You can ring Student Services or Marion Coady. Where we have received information immediate contact has been made with the bus company to get the situation addressed. Parents can also ring the bus company Transfield Services on 83776429. CFS Bushfire Safety Expo The safety of everyone in the community is important in the lead up to the 2012/13 Summer. The CFS has arranged a Bushfire Safety Expo on 24 June from 10am to 4pm at Bellevue Heights Primary School. The events will have family fun activities, and advice and displays about preparing your home to be bushfire ready. Brenton Ragless; the Channel 9 weather presenter and former Blackwood High School student will be appearing at the Expo.
Marion Coady, Principal
BLACKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL HIGH ACHIEVERS ♦ Congratulations to Asha in Year 9 who has been selected to participate in the School Sport
Australia Netball Championships in Darwin from 4 to 10 August, 2012. ♦ Congratulations to Kelsey in Year 12 been selected for the School Sport Australia Softball
Team competing in the International Challenge Series in Sydney from 24 to 29 July. ♦ Congratulations to Kean in Year 11 who has been awarded a Defence Technical Scholarship.
He will receive a Certificate and a scholarship cheque. ♦ Congratulations to Lachlan in Year 11 who was who has been nominated for a Messenger
Schools Sport Award for his dedication to his athletics training and performance in the Athletics SA Track Classic in January and finishing second in the U18 1500m at the State Titles and also being part of the U17 state team which competed at the nationals in Sydney.
♦ Congratulations to Emma in Year 9 and Marnie in Year 8 who have been selected in the State Team for Rhythmic Gymnastics, are competing at the National Championships in Sydney from 21-27 May. Emma has been involved in gymnastics for 4 years at Venia Gymnastics Club, training three times a week preparing for the Nationals. Emma’s ultimate goal is to come in the top 10 out of the other 29 girls competing. Marnie won the State Champion title in her Junior category over two days on 19 and 20 March.
TEACHING AWARD NOMINATIONS Congratulations to Jenny Arezina, teacher of Spanish and Chris Brookes our Leader of English who have been nominated for the South Australian Public Teaching Awards.
DANCE AEROBICS SUCCESS Congratulations to all four Aerobics Teams, who are now through to the finals against some stiff competition. Particular congratulations to the Junior Funk Team, choreographed and coached by Erin Guppy and Madison Ludlum, who achieved 1st in their division with their ‘Salmon Hip Hop’ number for their Year 10 Personal Project. The teams coached by Blackwood High students; Savannah Young – the Junior Themed ‘Blackwood Cheerleaders’, and Torehn Lobow - the Senior Themed
‘Rockford Peaches’ to the soundtrack from “A League Of Their Own” and the Senior Funk “Blackwood Paparazzi”. Thanks to the costume designer and constructor Jeanette Beadnall, Brigitte Esvelt and the fantastic Home Economics team Mary Oleshenko, Bronwyn MacLean and Lynette King for the stunning costumes. Thanks also to Tracey Roper and parents who assisted with hair and makeup on the day. All teams will perform in the State Final Saturday 2 June from 3.00pm, tickets are available at the door. If our teams finish in the top three we hope to get an invitation to
the National Finals in Sydney from 18 - 20 August. Our teams have been training hard to improve their performances. Good luck in the Finals. Katrina Constantopoulos, Dance Aerobic Manager
YEAR 12 DRAMA PRODUCTION Put a note in your diaries for 13 & 14 June at 7.30pm for this year’s Senior Drama Production: The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard (see the poster on the last page of this newsletter) “It’s a Whodunit, Man – Who killed Thing? No-one will leave the house! That sort of thing!” A very clever send up of theatre critics and Agatha Christie-type whodunits, this one hour play takes the audience – and the cast – on a roller coaster ride of dead bodies, bad disguises, strange costumes and terrible accents! Tickets are $10 for Adults and $6 concession and are available from Student Services or at the door on both nights. This is the SACE externally marked performance for our Year 12’s and they need a friendly – and laughing – audience on both nights so that they can experience a proper performance season and do their best work to achieve the highest possible results. Families purchasing tickets in advance for both nights will only pay concession prices – with siblings admitted FREE the second night. Robyn Trebilcock, Leader of The Arts
BLACKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TACKLE GLOBAL ISSUES – WORLD VISION On Friday 23 March four of our SRC students Vlad Zhelezarov, Madi Winter, Sivi Sivam and Jess Mayman-Kemp attended a World Vision Schools event hosted at Walford Anglican Schools for Girls. The event highlighted the excellent contribution of schools to World Vision’s goal of tackling issues like extreme poverty in the developing world. The result of the 40 hour famine was a specific focus. World Vision CEO Tim Costello spoke as did the 2012 Youth Ambassador Jacinta Clark. They were informative, enlightening and inspirational. The students came away with confidence, purpose and vision for the part they could play in tackling global issues. The following comments were by Sivi Sivam in Year 9. “The World Vision Conference was a very enlightening experience. On the educational side of things I learnt about how other children live and that not everyone lives comfortably and that sometimes we take things for granted. It opened my eyes to the many global issues which I knew existed, but was not aware of the extent. I was surprised at the many facts I learnt: many children as young as five do not attend school, instead have to work to support their families. They have to travel to get fresh water and risk contracting diseases from dirty water. Many people do not have appropriate clothing item. Some parts were very moving and really affected me.”
Mary Hodson, Senior Leader – Senior School SA DENTAL SERVICES PROMOTION Ten of our students were recently involved as models for some promotional materials for the SA Dental Services. Past scholars Cathy Nelson (Senior Project Officer, Health Promotion Unit SA Dental Services) and Meg Hansen (Meg Hansen Photography) visited the school and worked with a volunteer group of students from Years 8 to 11. The students and their parents consented to being involved in the campaign which will help to promote healthy dental practices in young people. Pictured are Tosh Glenn and Hannah Dasovic of Year 11 with some of the props used in the photographs. Jenny Hilterbrand, Deputy Principal
NEWSLETTER NO. 5 – 25 May 2012
.4.
MATHEMATICS HELP CLUB The Mathematics Department have opened the Maths Help Club. The club is open to all students who are having difficulty with their Mathematics. Students can attend on a regular basis or just when they feel they need a little extra support. From Year 8 to Stage two, all students are welcome to attend. They will receive expert tuition from friendly and helpful specialist Maths teachers. The club is open every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday during lunch time in the library. Please encourage your children to attend. Glenn Smith, Leader of Mathematics LANGUAGE PERFECT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2012 From 21 to 31 May our language students will be pitting their talents against over 135,000 students from 1,000 schools around the world in an on-line language competition. Students have to earn as many points as they can during the 10 day competition period by completing basic exercises in vocabulary revision, verb translation and simple sentences. There are major prizes to be won including i-pads and laptops. We will also be awarding prizes here at Blackwood High School for the best student in each language at each year level and an overall class prize. Last year an amazing total of 36,297,004 questions were answered! Here at Blackwood High School we answered 167,820 questions and our global ranking was 60 out of 916 schools registered for the competition. We are hoping to improve our performance this year and have set the challenge for each student to earn at least 500 points. All language students have been registered and have their own logon details. Please encourage your son/daughter to participate and earn some points. The program also provides valuable revision for our upcoming common tests/exams! Karyn Jones - Leader, LOTE and International Student Programs VISUAL ARTS –LARGE PAINTINGS
At the end of last year, three Year 8 students decided to paint a large painting on the back of old table tops as an extension of painting techniques they had been studying. The girls chose their own theme, working furiously and came back in their own time to try and complete their paintings. Ebony is currently completing this task and I hope to have the three paintings up and around our school in the near future! The students involved were Alex, Nadia and Ebony.
VISUAL ARTS – FRAMED WORK IN THE UPSTAIRS FOYER AREA I have recently been able to have some students work framed and with the help of our groundsmen, Garry Farr and Lane Van der Matten, the work is now on exhibition on the upstairs wall above the front foyer. The work is a mixture of Methods and Media consisting of lino prints and water colours completed by Year 8, 9 and 10 students who were in my classes last year. This will be an ongoing exhibition of students work and will be able to be changed consistently.
Jeanette Beadnall, Art Teacher 2012 TO 2013 ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS
Blackwood High School is selling Entertainment Books with great discounts for entertainment, dining and accommodation. The books are available from the front office as a fundraiser for our students who will be travelling to Spain in September this year. SERAFINO WINE FUNDRAISER FOR THE SPANISH TRIP IN SEPTEMBER Serafino has won a deal for its cabernet sauvignon and shiraz to be served on Virgin Business class - a reflection of how good the wine is (as they had to compete with 75 McLaren Vale producers and
10,000 Australian brands). So put your orders in on the attached order form as soon as possible, for delivery on WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE. Jenny Arezina, Spanish Teacher
NEWSLETTER NO. 5 – 25 May 2012
.5.
SPORTS NEWS Open Boys Knockout Football On Monday 7 May the Open Boys football team played Concordia College. Blackwood started slowly and at quarter time was trailing by 4 goals. The next 3 quarters were more closely contested with some quality football being played by both teams. Unfortunately, Blackwood was unable to close the gap from the first quarter and at the final siren were behind by 28 points. The final score for the day was Concordia 11-17-83 defeated Blackwood 8-7-55 Goal Kickers: Zac Randall 3, Nathan Shadiac 2, Matt Macbeth 1, Simon Whitehead 1, Nathan Taylor 1 Best Players: Brett Turner, Matt Macbeth, Chris Perotta, Aaron Hunt, and Bradley Patterson
Glen Little and Dan Smith Year 8/9 Boys Knockout Football On Wednesday 9 May the Year 8/9 Blackwood High School Knockout Football played Heathfield and Oakbank. In the first game Blackwood started strongly kicking 8 goals 2 points to no score. The second quarter was much closer with both teams only adding 1 goal each to their respective scores. After half time the game opened up with Blackwood dominating the second half to run out winners by 114 points. In the second match Blackwood started slowly and was held scoreless in the first quarter. The team worked well in the next two quarters to ensure that the margin of 4 goals did not widen. In the last quarter Blackwood were outplayed and went down by a margin of 57 points. Blackwood 18-5-123 defeated Oakbank 3-1-19 Blackwood 5-1-31 lost to Heathfield 14-4-88 Best Players: Chris Williams, Jacob Donk, Luke Beenham, Bailey Badcoe Dan Smith Open Girls Knockout Soccer On 21 May, the Open Girls Soccer team of: Amelia Vardas, Cassie Wilsdon-Kemp, Katrina Vlachos, Phoebe Siviour, Zoe Smet, Emily Pyke, Jana Marwitz, Bec Pengelley Rachel Maslen, Evie Hart, Monica Hart, Gaby Grant, Kara Booth, Grace Anderson and Molly Fletcher played at Woodcroft. Blackwood High School 6 defeated Hallett Cove School 0 with 4 goals by Zoe and 2 by Jana. Blackwood High School 2 lost to Woodcroft 3 with 1 goal by Zoe and 1 by Jana. Thanks to Molly for her leadership as Captain in the warm up and on the field. It was a fantastic full team effort by all the girls. Thanks to Tess Fletcher for being the linesperson. Chris Olenich, Coach Athletics We are proud to announce that Blackwood High School has been officially promoted to the A2 Grade for SSSSA Athletics in April next year. At our recent full school assembly our athletics captains; Matt MacBeth and Molly Fletcher were acknowledged as having led our school to this success. We also acknowledged the students for their record breaking achievements in our school athletics carnival. Janet Bradley, Sports Manager 9-A-Side Football Carnival Earlier this term, the Year 8 and 9 footballers competed in the annual Southern Zone 9-a-side carnival at the Flinders University Ovals. With a heavy schedule through the day playing teams such as Brighton and Adelaide, the two Blackwood teams had a mix of results with the highlight being wins over Unley and Pasadena. In Team 1, Jacob Donk and Chris Williams were good contributors throughout the day, and Tim Scott was electric in the forward lines kicking 10 goals for the day. They were able to get three wins before losing their semi-final to Unley. For Team 2, Tyson Aiston provided good running throughout the day and Daniel Bartle provided a tall target in the forward line. They had a hard day with one win in the minor round and a win in their final game. Thanks to all the boys who competed on the day. They played in good spirit and showed their enjoyment for getting out and playing football. Dan Smith
NEWSLETTER NO. 5 – 25 May 2012
.6.
HOMESTAY FAMILIES WANTED! SENYO HIGH SCHOOL, JAPAN – STUDY TOUR 2012 Planning is underway for our next Study Tour visit from Senyo High School in Osaka, Japan. The group of 18 - 20 students will be with us from Sunday 22 July to Saturday 4 August. This will be the school’s eighth visit to BHS. A payment of $430 will be paid to each host family to defray expenses for the two week visit. If you are interested in hosting a student or would like more information, please contact me at school via email [email protected] or phone 8278 0900. Karyn Jones, International Exchange Leader
CARLY RYAN FOUNDATION AT YEAR 11 ASSEMBLY On Monday, 21 May Blackwood High School’s Year 11 students and their teachers were fortunate enough to hear a presentation from Sonya Ryan, of the Carly Ryan Foundation. In February 2007, Sonya’s daughter, 15-year old Carly Ryan, was lured to her death by an online predator. Since this tragic event, Sonya has made it her mission to educate adolescents, and the wider community about the dangers posed by online predators, as well as sharing steps by which young people can be protected. I would like to take this opportunity to share some of the steps recommended by the Foundation, steps that you might discuss with your child about. Recognise that from the moment we go online, we’re opening every door and
window of our lives to the world, SO REMAIN AS ANONYMOUS AS POSSIBLE. Consider what your digital footprint says about you (to your family, friends,
colleagues, future employer, future partner, etc.), and remember that once it’s been posted, it’s no longer yours (or yours to control). THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU POST OR UPLOAD. You should also think about texting … before you take or send that shot, image it in the hands of your future boss, or a newspaper. That is the risk you run once you press the send button.
Think about the effect of your online action/posting upon others, and make the sort of choices that you would like them to make in regard to you, so consider and IF YOUR ONLINE ACTIONS MIGHT EMBARRASS, BULLY, INTIMIDATE OR HURT SOMEONE IN SOME WAY, STOP!
Have you thought about what you’re downloading? Many free applications such as software and songs, contain viruses, trojans/worms, spyware/malware. These programs will expose or steal your personal details, and leave you or your family open to identity fraud or personal danger. The best maxim to use when it comes to ‘free stuff’ on the net is … IF IT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS.
Social networking can be a great way to stay in touch with friends, but it is also one of the most common pathways by which predators target young people. So take another look at your Facebook page. Do you really know all of these people? Have you looked at your privacy settings? Are you aware of the conditions under which you are sharing your personal information and images? TIME FOR A CULL?
Like everyone in attendance at the presentation, I was deeply impacted and moved by both the information and advice that Sonya shared with us, but also the courage it must take her to revisit and relive such a painful experience. On behalf of Blackwood High School, we wish her and the Foundation all the best with their upcoming activities in the United States and United Kingdom. If you would like any information on steps that you can take to make yourself or your child safer online, visit the Carly Ryan Foundation at http://carlyryanfoundation.com/index.htm or the Commonwealth government’s http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/ Raphael Zadey, Year 11 Leader
FRIENDLY REMINDER ON BLACKWOOD HIGH’S EXCURSION POLICY AND PROCEDURES Blackwood High School offers many opportunities for students to participate in school sport, excursions and other outside school activities. For the school to ensure safety and appropriate care for all students we require signed authorisation for your child to be outside of the school, as well as contact details in the case of an emergency – this authorisation is to be in writing (using the Excursion Form issued to students prior to activity date). Some of these activities require payment for participation. This can be done in a number of ways. They include:
• Paying directly into Student Services at recess time each day • Over the phone with a credit card • Using the online system called Bizgate.
Bizgate can be found on the school’s website and the icon is on the home page for you to follow the prompts (please note that an invoice number is not required to do this). Payments for all excursions are required to be paid 48 hours prior to the event in order for the school to meet the daily organisational needs. If you have any concerns about payment or require assistance with making an online payment, please do not hesitate to contact the Senior Finance Officer, Sharna Granpre-Moliere on the school’s phone number.
HIMEJI CITY – BLACKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL CULTURAL EXCHANGE2012 APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED… Students interested in representing BHS on a cultural exchange to our Japanese sister city Himeji are invited to participate in the application process. The deadline for written applications has been extended to Wednesday 30 May. The trip is open to all students in Years 9 – 12 with a demonstrated commitment to promoting intercultural understanding and friendship between young people from other countries and cultures. WHEN - In August this year a group will travel from Himeji to Adelaide and stay at Blackwood High School for two weeks. We will make a return visit to Himeji in the Sept/October school holidays. COST – Airfare to Japan (approx $2000), passport, travel insurance, spending money, gifts for host family. The exchange is reciprocal in nature and participating Blackwood High School students will be expected to host the Japanese visitor in their home during their stay in Adelaide (or make arrangements for another Blackwood High family to host the student). The group travelling to Japan will be accompanied by a teacher from Blackwood High and hosted by a Japanese family. In Himeji students will enjoy a full program including Japanese cultural traditions such as Shodo (calligraphy) and Tea ceremony, attend school with their host/buddy, join in club activities and enjoy an excursion to another city (Kyoto, Nara, Kobe or Hiroshima). One of the highlights will be a visit to the World Heritage listed Himeji Castle. For details of how to apply, please contact Ms Karyn Jones or pick up an information sheet from Student Services. Karyn Jones Leader, International Student Programs and LOTE
PARENTS AS CAREER PARTNERS EVENING All parents of students in Year 8, 9 and 10 should recently have received an invitation sent home with their child, to a special event, to be held on MONDAY 4 JUNE, in the Year 12 Centre. The evening is called the Parents as Career Partners interactive workshop. The intention of the program is to assist parents to:
• Gain and share information and insights into the emerging world of work. • Gain insights into the career development of their children. • Explore how they as parents/caregivers can most effectively assist that career development.
The facilitators, Mr Danny Slater Lecturer TAFE SA Regional Office, and Mr Peter Loelkes, Industry Skills Manager Southern Adelaide Region, will lead participants through some key messages in regard to career planning in the current and future context. Increasingly students and parents need to consider career pathway planning as an important process when choosing subjects at high school, and also for Year 10s, as part of the Personal Learning Plan (PLP) program and preparation for Senior School studies. Numbers of participants will be limited, so please book as soon as possible. Parents of students in Year 11 and 12 may also register and attend if places are available. For further information, or to book your place in this unique forum, please contact Ms Sue Booth on 82780900.
BLACKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR SCHOOL FORMAL 2012 If there is one thing that most Year 12 students look forward to during Term 2 it is the Senior School Formal and this year’s event was far from disappointing. The glamorous occasion was held at the Sebel Playford on Friday 11 May, with the ballroom brilliantly decorated in black and gold. Students were full of colour when they arrived, dresses had been carefully selected, hours spent on make-up and hair and nails. Even the guys had cleaned themselves up and put on their stunning suits. Limousines and vintage cars arrived filled with beautifully dressed students. Time for professional photographs was plentiful and so was the time for dancing with the DJ putting on great music. On the dance floor it was apparent that there was no shortage of talent, including that of the teachers. Awards ranging from ‘Best Dressed’ to ‘Most Likely to Take Over the World’ were graciously accepted. On the night students voted for 2012 King and Queen while the teachers voted the best dressed male and female student. Best Dressed were Aragon White and Izabel Lagzdina-Hook. The Formal King & Queen were Torehn Lobow and Aimee Macoustra. Many thanks to the Formal Committee, who worked throughout their lunch breaks leading up to the Formal in order to plan and prepare the event. The Formal of 2012 was definitely a night to remember. Brooke Keenihan and Argie Buesnel Special thanks must go to the Formal Committee who donated so much of their time and energy to ensure the night was enjoyed by all. From Ben Dening, Leader Year 12 Year Level & his team
