Governor's Reception for Secondary School Student Representatives

In the holidays the Gladstone High School Captains, Jaxon Brand and Matilda Heinrich, accompanied by Miss Johnson, attended a reception at Government House where they were received by Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC and her husband, Mr Bunton. The students enjoyed some light finger food and beverages, perusing the public rooms at Government House and listening to speeches by Her Excellency and the Education Minister, Blair Boyer. Both Her Excellency and Minister Boyer talked about the privileges and pressures of leadership and noted with optimism the unprecedented number of opportunities that are available for graduating students. 

Year 10 Work Experience 

Towards the end of Term 3, the Year 10s spent a week doing work experience. Students sought out placements in a range of businesses, locally and surrounding areas, including Rocky River Ag Services, Salisbury Bowling Club, Stephens Motors, Hanley's, Kupsch Bakery, Gladstone High School Canteen, Crystal Brook Kindy, Jamestown Community Children's Centre, Brett Cunningham Builder, Perkins Concreting, Thorn Bricklaying, Spencer Motors, O'Deas, Belgravia Leisure, Coates Joinery & Building, Signature Painting SA, Elders and Julia's Kitchen. Thank you to the host businesses for providing this amazing opportunity for our Year 10s to trial a pathway and get an understanding of life in the workplace. 

"It was a good learning experience" - Eliza Heinrich, Brett Cunningham Builder

"It was fun, I didn't burn down the kitchen as I thought I would" - Ryan Mills, Gladstone High School Canteen

"Work experience was pretty radical, I'm not going to lie" - Sam Ford, Kupsch Bakery

Grand Final of the Basketball Tournament  

The Student Leaders organised a school Basketball Tournament in Term 3. Over the weeks leading up to the Grand Final, there were a lot of great games played on the courts outside and in the Stadium. The Grand Final was held on Tuesday of Week 10 and the two teams rocked up, ready to battle it out. There was Nashy's Team, made up of Year 11's and 12's  Ronald Nash, David Nash, Best Iyamuremye, Will Bullock, Cooper Seidel and Nick King and then there was Riley's Team comprised of Year 9's and 10's Riley Hoskin, Hudson Seidel, Jobe Stevens, Isaac Smart, Liam Coe and Antwan O'Brien. The game started slowly, with intense defensive pressure causing turnover after turnover in the first minutes of the game. Just when the spectators began to lose hope of any points being scored, it was Hudson who scored the first hoop. The game continued with the teams vying for dominance, Nashy's Team certainly had the skill when you factor in Ronald's effortless intercepts, swats and deadly accuracy from the three-point and free-throw lines, David's omnipresence on the court and quick hands in the key, Best's control of the ball and Cooper's rebounds. Alas, in the end, it was Riley's team that took the day with a nail-biting result of 30 versus 29. The players in Riley's Team seemed to function as one organism in an extraordinary display of teamwork. Hudson and Isaac were real stand-outs, Hudson was utterly relentless in defence, plucking rebounds left and right and landing hoops, including a 3-pointer. Isaac was amazing from end-to-end, scoring in the key and also landing a 3. Jobe's intercepts and rebounds, along with Riley's keen eye for controlling play and passing the ball were brilliant. Liam's 3-pointer and game-winning lay-up and Antwan's speed down the court gave Riley's Team the win against Nashy's Team, the most worthy of opponents. It was a really exciting game to watch and congrats to Riley's Team for playing such a smart game.

Thanks to Miss Ramm for umpiring and to Jaxon Brand, Luke Hansen and Oscar Kleinman for organising and scoring each game - it was a huge success!

Year 11 Retreat  

Early in the term, our student leaders requested that a camp be planned for our grade to make up for the ski trip we could not attend due to COVID-19. After some planning and negotiation, the retreat was approved, and Aimee Smallacombe volunteered to plan the journey as a community studies task. After many class discussions with the students contributing their ideas, the trip was planned.  

On Monday, 11 September, our retreat began, leaving Gladstone by bus and travelling to Adelaide. A small pit stop was made in Pt Wakefield for lunch. Then our trip continued and we soon arrived at Bounce in Marleston. We had a 3-hour experience of dodgeball, flipping into the pillow, drinking many slushies and more. After, we took public transport to West Beach and unloaded our gear. Some of us enjoyed the pool in the caravan park before meeting up for our pizza dinner. The following day, we went to AFL Max for a 2-hour experience, where we did rock climbing, trampolines, and other interactive activities. We then travelled to Marion for about 4 hours of free time. We participated in shopping, buying dinner, and more. Afterwards, we returned to the caravan park cabins and prepared for the next day, where we spent the morning at Glenelg Beach and Jetty Road. We then travelled to Rundle Mall for some more shopping time. At 4:00, we took public transport to laser skirmish in Gepps Cross. We took part in 3 different rounds, and although we were highly overheated by the end, this was very enjoyable. We returned to Glenelg Beach and Jetty Road for a quick snack. Then we returned to the caravan park for chicken burgers. On the last day, we journeyed to West Beach mini golf and played 18 holes before heading home.  

A massive thank you to the supervising staff of the trip who dealt with our silly pool antics, late-night karaoke and intense excitement, Mr Palmer, Mrs Seidel, and Sarah. Also, a big thank you to Aimee for planning the trip and Miss Johnson and Mrs Hogan for your support during the planning and for allowing this trip to occur.  

SA Water

Chris Soininen, the Technical Training Advisor for SA Water, came to the school in Term 3 to chat with students about exciting career pathways at SA Water. Careers at SA Water offer opportunities in sought-after trades ranging from engineering to microbiology and environment. For more information, check out the local apprenticeship opportunities which are listed on Seek.com.

The Rural Doctors Workforce Agency

The RDWA attended the school late in Term 3 to deliver a presentation about the Road to Rural Medicine Ambassador Program. Two young doctors who were a part of the program came to talk about their experience as high school students in regional areas, to medical school and then returning to work in healthcare in regional settings. The RDWA offers a range of support to students interested in studying medicine, including grants and UCAT support. If you would like more information about health pathways, speak to Miss Johnson.

Northern Areas Council Session

On 19 October, Louise Burford, the Manager for Community & Growth in the Northern Areas visited Gladstone High School to conduct a vibrant feedback session with our senior students. The session was accompanied by a range of delicious hot foods, sandwiches and mouth-watering desserts acquired from the Booyoolee Brew. Approximately 20 students took part in the session where they responded to questions such as what they enjoy about living in the Northern Areas, what they don't enjoy, what would make living in Northern Areas more attractive and identifying what they think the top three priorities should be for the Northern Areas Council. This was a wonderful session led by Louise and it was so great for our kids to be a part of shaping our community.

Year 12 Breakfast

The teachers arrived bright and early on Friday in Week 2 to discover the Year 12s had been at school since 5.30 a.m. "mucking up" the school, the teacher car park was barricaded by bins with the picnic tables moved into the parking spots and the school encased in "do not cross" police tape. Offices were strewn with balloons, Mr Palmer had every object on his desk (including textbooks) encased in alfoil and Mr Gillard's car was wrapped in Glad Wrap. The younger students enjoyed the challenge of finding the little ducks hidden all over the school. The Year 12s were in high spirits as they entered their last official day of their school career, with a group of boys cooking the breakfast, while a group of girls prepared barista coffees. The Year 12s headed off after recess with a number of students waving them off. We look forward to next seeing the Year 12s in their finery at the formal in Week 8.

Year 9's Field Trip - Beetaloo Valley Reservoir and The Bluff. 

We attempted to sketch our surroundings and direction indicators this was because we were looking at a topic on biomes. We took photographs of the different vegetation and signs. We also looked at the hard and soft technologies being used to manage these areas. Julia's bakery was a highlight of the trip. We had lunch in Beetloo Valley and we found a cache from the Geocaching program. In the cache there was a small toy and a hot chocolate packet. We wrote our names in the little book. It was quite a long walk up to the reservoir and we think it was worthwhile if you haven't been we recommend you do. At The Bluff we could see the jetties at both Port Pirie and Port Germein. The excursion took the whole day and was a great chance to improve our field sketching skills. 

We would like to thank the bus drivers for getting us safely back. 

Flinders Mobile Library Visit

On Thursday, Week 2, Louise Simpson from the Flinders Mobile Library visited Gladstone High School. She came to talk to Middle School students about two apps that students can use on their phones to access a range of eBooks and e-Magazines. 

The apps are Libby and Borrow Box. Both are available in the app store. There will never be an overdue book or magazine ever again. Libby sorts eBooks into categories including, Young adult, juvenile, general content to name a few. These apps also sort eBooks by popularity. Borrow Box does something similar and is Australian owned.  

Libby is Ms Travers favourite app because she has it on her phone and always has a book handy to read if she finds herself with time for reading. 

There are audio books, magazine and graphic novels. These resources are all available for free with your free public library card. One really cool thing is the apps keep a record of all the things we read and we can look back over the year and see how many books we have read.   

Gladstone High School students who don't currently have a library card and would like to have one, can see Ms Travers for an application form or visit the Library truck when it is next in Gladstone. The bus is due next Wednesday in Gladstone if you want to visit it.

Veronica Travers

Morning Circle - Homegroup

Our Student Free Day last term was focused on the Berry Street Education Model and included the staff from Gladstone Primary School, Laura Primary School and representatives from Crystal Brook Primary School. The BSEM is centered around positive relationships, engagement, readiness to learn and brain breaks.  

The starting point of our Berry Street journey is implementing Morning Circles in Homegroup across Years 7 – 10. Each morning, our Homegroup time has a wellbeing and engagement focus. The morning circles provide a predictable structure for both students and staff to incorporate:  

• A greeting that includes all people in the class 
• An image to promote reflection/discussion 
• A Positive Primer – a fun and engaging activity to promote critical thinking 
• Announcements – where students can share exciting news 
• Administration – school notices/attendance/etc 

We have seen some great engagement from students in this process but participation is their choice. Staff feedback is that the combination of fun activities, class discussions and structure is working well, with students leaving Homegroup thinking about the ways in which they are “ready to learn” and our school values.  

To support the introduction of Morning Circles, Kate Cameron (as our Wellbeing Leader) liaised with other sites to adapt a template for our Homegroup to use. Teachers are utilising the range of resources available to us through our BSEM training portal to customise the template to the needs of their own classes. We are excited to extend our BSEM implementation with Ready to Learn check-ins and Brain Breaks!  

On Friday the 27^th of October, Gladstone High School students participated in a Breast Cancer Awareness Day, this day was organised and run by Layla Willsmore for her Year 11 Community Studies. Leading up to the day, Layla designed, printed and sold t-shirts for students and teachers to purchase and wear on the day, a total of 30 t-shirts were sold. Cupcakes were also sold on this day. Overall it was a great day and we were able to raise a total of $543.18.

Layla Willsmore - Yr 11 Student 

As has been a School tradition, the whole School travelled to Wirrabara Forest for our end-of-term Picnic Day.  It was a very nice spring day with the vegetation still having a touch of green. Many of the School braved the 7km walk but some preferred to get back to the picnic grounds quicker with detours reducing the distance. When we arrived back at the picnic grounds we were greeted with smells of sausages cooking on the BBQ.  After filling our stomachs, students kicked the football or went exploring the immediate surroundings. We left Wirrabara at 1:30 to arrive back at school, for the early departure. Students and staff enjoyed their day and headed home tired and ready for the holidays.

In Year 9 textiles we have been learning about colour theory and colour harmonies.

We have applied our knowledge of colour harmonies and created our own piece of fabric in a colour harmony of our choice. We used ice dying to create our piece. How amazing do they all look? Watch this space to see what we create with these beautiful one-off pieces. 

Term 4 has seen the Year 7's looking at cybersecurity through Grok Academy. It's an essential skill set for anyone who goes online. This course gives students a boost to their cybersecurity skills and might even be the first step to a career in cybersecurity. Plus, they learn how to protect themselves from hackers! (And do some hacking of their own!) 

The Year 8's have been working on basic cryptography concepts using data representation, impacting how we secure online communication. The program teaches classic cryptographic ciphers like rotation, XOR and mixed substitution and explains the techniques used to break these forms of encryption. The program also explores how cryptography can hide messages in images and sound! 

The Year 9 class has explored web app features and how hackers may expose, change, or corrupt data. The course contains four websites that students explore to have a real-life experience of exploring vulnerabilities in web apps. Video content explains key concepts and emphasises cyber security's ethical component. Students also investigate HTML. 

The Tello drones are being used this term for all year levels. Students will learn to correctly use the technology and safety rules via CASA, and block code the drones to fly a designated flight path. The drones are under 250 grams and are flown inside the stadium. 

Finally, all students compete in the Grok Web Comp, where students learn how to write web pages in HTML and CSS while competing with students worldwide! Web. Comp (Beginners) is designed for students with no prior experience in web development and covers everything necessary to start building real websites. Along the way, the comp also covers many of the techniques behind good web design, making their sites easy to use and beautiful. 

RAGE Celebration

During Week Two, Celeste and I were able to invite our RAGE group, along with their invited guest, to celebrate the completion of the program. We had a lovely morning tea and were able to celebrate every participant's success, participation and completion of RAGE. As previously mentioned, RAGE stands for Renegotiating Angry and Guilty Emotions. The program has been conducted over six sessions, and we looked at how we, and others, respond to situations that may feel uncomfortable. Celeste and I are so proud of this group and look forward to seeing them continue to mentor students with the knowledge they have gained from RAGE.

Preparing to finish Year 12

As Term 4 progresses, we are moving into the finishing off of assignments, tasks and heading into exams (for some Year 12’s). Whilst most students have time management and study plans in place for this, it is a good time to reflect on self-care, as getting caught up in deadlines and due dates can take away from that.

Self-care tips:

Stay active

Our brains need oxygen to function properly, and exercise is the best way to get that oxygen-rich blood pumping to it. Run, walk, swim, dance – find your release and your brain with thank you. Prioritise time for outdoor activities, socialising and exercising to get those endorphins flowing. When the body releases these feel-good chemicals, it also releases stress.

Eat well

Nourish your insides to supercharge your energy levels and maintain focus. Don’t skip meals – that will only lead to irritability and reduce your attention span.

Get sleep

Complement your healthy lifestyle with quality sleep. Get the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep each night to reset your brain. Pop your devices away well in advance of bedtime and set yourself up for a decent, non-interrupted sleep.

Students from both Year 9 and 10 classes have been involved in lawn bowls training this term and were lucky enough to have some comprehensive training from a state level. From there a group of students were chosen to compete in the MNSEC carnival in Booleroo. 

2024 MATERIALS and SERVICES CHARGES 2024

You are invited to attend the Gladstone High School Governing Council meeting on Tuesday 7^th November 2023 at 7.00 pm, to discuss the proposed Materials and Services Charges for 2024 of $400.00.

The School Card for 2024 is $379.00.

Any objections to the proposed charge can be addressed in writing to “The Governing Council Chairperson” and forwarded to Gladstone High School by no later than Friday 3^rd November 2023.