We are very excited to announce our School Captains for 2022 will be Bella Zwar and Lara Zanker. Vice captains are George Klemm and Mackenzie Myers. Student leaders for all other year levels will be determined in the first week of 2022. Already we have noticed the impact of these leaders as they ran and minuted their own meeting this week. They have lots of plans and are focussing on ways to welcome the New Year 7 and 8 students. It was wonderful to spend time with all of the student leaders last week to get their input into the Site Improvement Plan. The students were all in favour of an approach to improve self-editing and developing independent learners and provided insights into what they think are important skills.

All of our current staff will return in 2022 and we will have a few new faces as well. In our latest staffing news we will welcome Max Rutjens as a Middle School teacher and Hannah Pech as a classroom based SSO to the staff.

End of year celebrations are fast approaching with the Year 12 Formal next Friday evening at Maple and Pine at Bundaleer. Here’s hoping the weather improves by then! Monday 6^th December is our Presentation Night with an opportunity to farewell the Year 12 students and acknowledge the achievements of all of the students in the school. It is important to RSVP for this event as we do have restricted capacity in the school hall. Masks will be required by all adults who are not staff.

Today a number of students have been involved in a Defensive Driver Training Course provided by Austdrive. After such incredible support from our local community the course was heavily subsidised and our students were able to access this training for a minimal fee. Thank you to Senior School Leader, Jacqui Edge for all of her planning and preparation to ensure this event could go ahead; such a valuable opportunity for our students.

Tyler Hogan - Principal

Headspace Workshops

On Wed 18^th November all students from Years 8-11 took part in workshops with Paul from Headspace. Headspace are a respected mental health organisation with an office in our region, online resources and phone support, they are an important contact for our young people.

The workshops were interactive with balloon juggling to represent the challenges we face and an opportunity to share some strategies that support mental health. Some focus areas were:

• Balancing school and other commitments
• Identifying different causes of stress
• Discussion about services that are available

If you or your child require any further support, check out the Headspace website or contact us at the school.

2022 Year 7/8 Parent Information Night

On Wed 24^th November we invited all families who have a child staring Year 7 or Year 8 at GHS in 2022 to come along for an information session. Topics discussed included:

• Books, equipment and uniform
• Key Dates for Term 1
• Classrooms, Home Group Teachers and Curriculum
• Camps

Parents were able to purchase uniforms which means we are expecting to see a number of students already in GHS t-shirts for their transition visits next week! This is not an expectation – students may also wear their primary school uniforms.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to all staff who attended the evening – Term 4 is a very busy time for school events but the support of our teaching and SSO team is always amazing!

Kate Seidel - Middle School Coordinator

In week 6, the Year 10 SAASTA students attended the SAASTA Shield in Adelaide. This event ran over two days and was focused on competing in a badminton and soccer tournament, along with other activities run by the Defence Force, Workabout Centre, and Pushing Performance.

We joined with John Pirie Secondary School to form our team and competed against different SAASTA academies from across the state. Overall the students performed well over the two days, but did not make it into the finals.

All of our students displayed an excellent level of enthusiasm and engagement with the activities and sports offered. In particular, Ronald Nash performed at a high level and was offered a position in the SAASTA Soccer Academy for 2022. Well done to all of the students, and a big thank you to Judy Crosby for attending with us.

Josh Palmer - SAASTA Coordinator 

On Wednesday, November 10th, the year 9 and 10 art classes were given the opportunity to attend the Tarnanhi art exhibition in Adelaide. The exhibit was highly educational and engaging for many. Arriving around midday with a guided tour commencing within a half-an-hour of arrival, students chilled out on the greenery of The Adelaide University campus.  When the tour began, students were segregated into groups and allocated a personal tour guide. Throughout the tour, students were educated on famous indigenous artworks and artists, learning about their symbolism and historical background.  Enumerated below are comments from students who attended the exhibition highlighting their favourite parts:

Jayden- Viewing a variety of indigenous artworks and learning about their importance was my favourite part of the day. The installation art of the Riverland in Tasmania would have to be the most intriguing piece. Thank you, Miss McAllister, for providing this amazing opportunity to see an art exhibition; it was a divine experience, opening my eyes.

Hugh-  The cars were the most eye-catching artwork within the exhibition.

Chloe- Going to the art exhibition in Adelaide was an incredible experience; my favourite art piece was an installation showed. It had a shadow created by a chair and pieces of paper. Thank you to all the teachers who assisted on the day and thank you Miss McAllister for organising the day.

Evident by the comments above, the students relished the exhibition and learnt many things. We extend our merits to staff who attended and Hanley’s bus service for providing transportation.

Authored By Asia Brand and Laura Rackham

Parents, Friends and Community Members,

You are invited to attend our 2021 Presentation Night:

At Gladstone High School Hall, on Monday, December 6 at 7.00pm.

Please join us for a celebration of learning throughout 2021, including Academic and Citizenship Awards.

Supper provided by GHS Students

Due to COVID 19 restrictions you must RSVP.

On Monday the 22^nd of November, the Year 11 students completed a First Aid course. It taught them how to save someone’s life and the best way to limit the impact of the venom from snakes and spiders. The students also learned different life skills and the proper way to do CPR, including the correct use a defibrillator.  The students took a lot out of the day and are now better equipped in the instance they ever find themselves needing to take life-saving action. We would like to thank ACTFAST for coming out to deliver the session to us!

Mahli Evans - Yr. 11