Lockers

Some recent incidents have been reported by students of other students accessing lockers that are not their own. All students are provided with a combination lock at the beginning of the year to use on their lockers. A few students have chosen to bring their own locks, which is fine. All students are expected to use these locks to protect their possessions and we ask for your support in reminding your child to lock their lockers to ensure their contents are safe.

Newsletter

After some reflection on the different media we use to communicate with families, the time commitment required for each, and following discussion with Governing Council, we have decided to reduce the frequency of the school newsletter.  From next term, we will produce a newsletter twice a term in weeks 3 and 8. You can expect there will be many more photos and updates provided through Facebook, SMS and emails to keep you up to date with what’s happening around the school.

You will already see a short video by Ali Gulin showcasing the first day of the year 12 retreat on Facebook for your enjoyment.

Employment Opportunity

Unfortunately, we are in the position of again looking for a new farm assistant to help manage our school farm. The position is advertised for 20 hours, but there is an option to increase it to 27.5 hours for the remainder of the year. We are interested in talking to anyone who may be interested as there is also an option for the role to continue into 2024.

Assessment and Reporting

Next Monday, Semester 1 reports will come home for all students. They will have a grade for each subject and a comment for Homegroup. For information about the grade, you are able to view continuous feedback from staff on the Continuous assessment component of your parent portal in Sentral. You can expect to see several comments from teachers about students' progress for both formative and summative tasks. Per the email sent out this week, we have discovered a flaw in the system. This means that subjects that have ended after one semester will no longer be visible in continuous assessment as it only shows what students are currently studying. We will leave the comments available for parents to view until Tuesday morning when the new subjects will be included in this reporting process and replace the previous ones.

Reappointment

I am delighted to announce that I will continue in the Principal role at Gladstone High School for a further three years following a recent review process. I look forward to working with staff and families to ensure our students are provided with the opportunities to be successful as they transition from primary school to a future beyond compulsory schooling.

Tyler Hogan - Principal

Year 11 students have just commenced Business this semester. The Students will ultimately set up a business, design a product or service, present a sales pitch and then complete an evaluation of the process. The first task looks at Identifying customer problems and generating possible solutions. A lesson was spent learning how to develop a Value Proposition Canvas. Amelia Barberien, Chloe Crawford, Hailey Hodgson and Layla Willsmore did a fantastic job practising with a made-up product as a test run. The use of modern technology and sticky notes made for an interesting mix.

Scott Watson - Teacher 

In Year 9 Textiles we have been learning about different fabrics. We did an experiment to see how the fabric would react when set on fire. We learned that petroleum-based fabrics, such as polyester, satin and tulle melt and create a smelly black smoke. We found that plant-based fabrics, such as cotton, hemp and linen acted like paper when burnt. We also tested animal-based fabrics, such as wool and silk, which had a strong smell that was similar to burning hair.

Jackson Fudge and Eloise Cowin

In Year 8 English, we have been writing narratives. We have focused on editing processes and on making our writing more sophisticated. When we finished our final copies of our narratives, we did some peer and self-reflection. We think that our writing and editing has improved by helping each other.

Kate Cameron - English Teacher

Our first match was against Yorke Peninsula Zone, we started well with a couple of quick goals. The heavy rain continued throughout the match and our players adapted well to the conditions taking a lead into half-time.  

In the second half, our players continued their good form, but the Yorke Peninsula Zone fought back in the dying seconds to almost tie the match, narrowly missing a goal that would have tied the game. MNSEC won 7.2 44 points to 6.3 39 points.  

Goals: 3 Charlie Flavel, Darcy Jones, 1 Thomas Cootes. 

After winning the first match the boys were excited about the opportunity to progress to the next round against Kadina Memorial School. The rain had eased, but it was still slippery underfoot and it didn’t take long for the ball to absorb water from the waterlogged patches on the oval.  

From the opening ruck contest, it was clear that Kadina was eager to stamp their authority on the match early, quickly locking the ball in their forward. They set up a wall, gained repeated forward entries, and held our team to a point in the first half.  

Our team was competitive, and the scoreboard did not reflect our effort. The conditions were trying and sustaining our initial intensity was difficult. All players should be proud of their efforts. Unfortunately, we fell to Kadina 5.12 42 points to 1 point. Good luck to Kadina in the next round and we appreciated Aaron Smith hosting the competition.  

Thanks to Chris Cains for fieldd umpiring, Brenton Jones and Josh Taylor for goal umpiring, Jai Benton for being our runner, all the parents for transporting students, and each of the MNSEC PE Coordinators and Amanda Bowman for helping facilitate the event.  

 Alby Nicholls (7/8 MNSEC Footy Coach) 

Year 7s are starting Digital Media for the first time. They are getting hands-on straight away using the Sphero Bolt Robots. Students will learn how to block code the robots to move in different directions, change colour make sounds. The topic assignment will see students program their robot to make a series of moves and actions.

A selection of year 8 and 9 students are starting semester 2 with a new program, Unity, a cross-platform game engine, and a professional industry-grade program for game developers. Students have commented that the Unity symbol is on many games they play on their phones or computers. If students want to study game design or development, Unity is one of the programs used by higher educational institutions. First-time Digital Media students in years 8 and 9 have the option to use Scratch to design a game, as this is easier to use.

Scott Watson - Teacher