28 July 2016

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Welcome back to Term 3

Week one began with the first of a number of camps this term – Year 10 Careers Camp. We believe that immersion experiences like industry visits, work experience and guest speakers are vital to providing our students with a head start in their career planning.

Choosing a career path or even a study path while at school is a particularly stressful and potentially daunting time for young people. Parents play a significant role in influencing these choices.

Parental influence clearly comes from a wide range of factors, including parents';

• educational achievement
• career choice
• number and type of jobs held
• exposure to other career fields through family and friends
• ongoing general conversation about the types of jobs available
• encouraging young people to think differently about work
• general attitude to employment
• work-life balance

We all want our children to find happiness and success in life and one factor which influences happiness and success is career choice. Research also indicates that when students feel supported and listened to by their parents, they have more confidence in their own ability to research careers and to choose a career that would be interesting and exciting. (Keller 2004). The attitudes and beliefs that we share with our children will unconsciously influence their beliefs and attitudes and perhaps most importantly, their motivation to succeed or willingness to take risks.

How can parents support their students to make wise and successful career choices?

1. Encourage them to continue in education of some form as long as possible – lifelong learning does need a formal institution like school or university!
2. Support and nurture the discovery of other talents and passions – we do not really know what the jobs of the future will be, we do know it is likely they will require creativity and innovation.
3. Try out different options while at school – encourage risk taking in the type of work experience placement students choose, the point of work experience is to try it out!
4. Research and talk about different and interesting jobs (see web links below).
5. Always support Plan B and C and D – after all the predicted number of jobs for a young person today is 12-15!

Parental advice is invaluable, but school leavers must make their own particular career choices.

"Be involved, but not in control. Advise, but do not decide. Support, but do not dominate."

Kathleen Hoare
Principal

Think U Know Topic 5

Social Media Do's and Don'ts –

Do you act correctly when using social networks? Check out the video and get valuable safety tips.

Social Networking sites and application are an increasingly entwined part of our everyday lives. We use them to communicate with friends and family all over the globe, to chat with friends down the hall to decide where to eat, to network for jobs, and to just simply connect.

However, much like any other part of the internet, social networks can be fraught with serious security risks, both for you personally, and your data.

Many social networks will tell you that the more you put into them (your information), the more you get out of them. However, despite privacy they try to engender, it is important to keep in mind that social network takes place in public space, with only the barest of mechanisms providing any security. Even seemingly unimportant data shared with the world can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

The best attitude to take in order to enjoy the benefits of social networking, while minimizing the inherent risks, is to remain SKEPTICAL and CAUTIOUS.

• SKEPTICAL of any requests for information.
• CAUTIOUS of any information you put on there.

For more info check out this short clip

CANTEEN CATERING FUNDRAISING

The Gladstone High School Canteen Committee is catering for an event on Friday August 26th at the Southern Flinders Sporting Complex.

The committee would appreciate any donations of fruit for fruit platters, cake or biscuits for Morning / Afternoon tea.

If you are able to help out with any of the items we are seeking, please contact the school via phone, note or GHS virtual text (0427 708 443) so we are mindful of what is being donated.

Items can be dropped into the school on the Wednesday and Thursday before Friday 26th August.

Thank you for your continued support of our Canteen.

GHS Canteen Committee

YEAR 8 AND 9 THREE WAY CONFERENCE

Once again the Year 8 and 9 students were involved in the three way conference process at the end of last term and, once again, they proved highly valuable and successful with students able to articulate their learning to date and set goals for the future.

At the conclusion of the conferences, we collected feedback from students, parents and staff on areas of strength of the event and areas we could improve on. As a result of this feedback last year this year we changed the timing of the event from the end of Term 3 to the end of Term 2, which allowed for reflection on student learning but, equally as important, the setting of realistic goals and a longer timeframe for students to achieve them. We also introduced a new component of technology to the Year 9 presentations to add further depth and detail to their format.

The vast majority of parent respondents found the process a valuable way to discuss their child's learning, a chance to set goals, connect with homegroup teachers and learn about their child's strengths and area to improve in future. We thank all of the parents, students and homegroup teachers who invested time in preparing and attending the conferences, as well as those staff members who also attended on the night. We look forward to making further developments in these conferences once all feedback has been received and analysed.

Stephen Bosch Year 8 Coordinator
Sonia Pringle Year 9 Coordinator

Parent comments include:

"It is good to see how the students present their work and to see them out of their comfort zone"

"This is a useful process. It's good to have a formal conversation with my child about his learning. Goal setting is a good way to get them to reflect and then look forward towards improvement"

"This process is good for students to reflect on the positives and ways to improve their learning. It's also valuable for public speaking"

Student comments include:

"The process is beneficial because I get to look at my improvements and I can set goals to know I'll make those improvements"

"The three way conference showed me where I am in my learning and I am interested in seeing my progression at the end of Term 3"

"I think I spoke well and presented my work clearly"

"This process taught me that I need to have better time management and ask more questions in class"

"It taught me that I need to use my time more efficiently instead of focusing on being 'perfect'"

NAIDOC WEEK 2016

NAIDOC week was held at the end of last term from the 3rd to the 10th of July. This is a time to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC takes its name from 'National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee' and its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920s that sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians. This year's theme 'Songlines: The living narrative of our nation' describes the dreaming tracks that crisscross Australia and trace the journeys of ancestral spirits as they created the land, animals and lores, singing the land into life.

Across Term 2, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have been working with Aboriginal Cultural Consultant, Sonya Rankine to strengthen their knowledge about their personal histories as well as increase their cultural knowledge. On the final day, students created their own artworks and enjoyed time together in the spirit of NAIDOC Week.

Judy Crosby ACEO and Sonia Pringle AET

STAGE 2 FOOD & HOSPITALITY CAMP

On Tuesday the 28th June the Stage 2 Food and Hospitality class travelled to Adelaide to expand our knowledge of the Food and Hospitality industry. During this time we visited the Adelaide Central Markets where we were given a tour. We then toured through Adelaide CBD on the Handlebar, stopping at different street food establishments to experience multicultural cuisines. Having stayed at Regency Tafe we were provided with a catered breakfast followed by a tour of the commercial cookery facilities. We travelled into Adelaide city where we learnt about the mobile food truck industry through an information session with the manager of the mobile food vendor programme. For lunch that day we experienced the food some of the trucks had on offer. Thank you to Mrs Dianne Smart, Mrs Elmer and Mr Friedrichs for allowing us to embark on this journey!

Stage 2 Food and Hospitality Students

STAGE 2 FOOD AND HOSPITALITY POP UP BAKERY

As part of our Stage 2 Food and Hospitality course we were required to create a pop-up bakery. In small groups we chose a pastry item that showcased local produce to create and sell. There was a mixture of sweet and savoury dishes with such items as kangaroo sausage rolls, beef cheese and bacon pies, traditional beef pies, apple pies and white chocolate and strawberry pies. After lots of preparation we were overwhelmed with the support of students and staff, thank you to everyone who contributed.

Stage 2 Food and Hospitality Students

MOBILE FOOD VAN

Wednesday week two lunch time multicultural food.

WOMEN IN ENGINEERING WORKSHOP

On Thursday and Friday of the last week of term 2 the Year 9 girls had the opportunity to attend Women in Engineering workshops. The sessions consisted of learning about the opportunities for a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), the girls listened to women who are working in the field and the types of projects they are working on. On the 2nd day the girls were able to put theory into practice by experimenting. The first session had the girls designing a bridge and testing the speed necessary for space craft to re-enter the earth's atmosphere. The 2nd session involved building and programming robots to perform particular tasks. All of the sessions were interesting and all of the students had fun completing the experiments. Thanks to Barry Martin for Driving the bus.

Julia Murrie Science Teacher

Year 9 Girls in action during the Women in Engineering Workshp at Jamestown

COMMUNITY NEWS

SHEARING COURSE FOR BEGINNERS

Shearing course from 22nd to 26th August at Booleroo Centre District School shearing shed facility.

NAFC GIRLS FOOTBALL 2016

North Adelaide Football Club Female Football Season 2016

Join the NAFC under 14 & Under 16 Girls Teams today

COMMUNITY INDUCTION TRAINING

• Starclub Development Training
• Committee member roles and responsibilities
• Committee processes and legal obligations clarified
• Effective ways to run a meeting