EDITION 8, Tuesday, April 11, 2017 To View Online Click on ' No Images? Click Here' No Images? Click here The Newsletter of the Roxby Downs Area School TORRENS VICTORYIn this Edition:Regular Items: Acting Principal's Report, R-6 Assistant Principal News, Important Dates, Community Notices Also in this Edition:
ACTING PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
As we are all preparing for our term 1 holiday it is important to reflect on the events and achievements of a very busy 11 weeks. This year we welcomed 59 Reception students to our school. An exciting and challenging time for them and their families, as they come to terms with all the changes that go with entering the school environment. It has been wonderful to see how they have actively engaged in their schooling and how excited they are to take on all the learning opportunities provided by their teachers. We have also had approximately 33 other new enrolments across the school. It is a credit to our students friendliness and caring that these new students have slipped into the Roxby Downs Area School environment so easily. Over the term we have had a variety of activities our students have been involved in including swimming lessons for students from Reception to year 7 followed by a Splash Day and swimming Carnivals for year 3-12 students. Our secondary students, and those from Woomera Area School, have also had their sports day followed by the Western Area Secondary Schools Athletics Carnival (WASSAC) which we hosted this year. This involved students from as far afield as Ceduna, Port Lincoln, Whyalla and Port Augusta and towns in between. It was a wonderful event where all students involved showed great sportsmanship and all pushed themselves to achieve their best. From here a team of 11 were selected to represent the Northern Region at SANTOS stadium competing against athletes from around the state. A wonderful opportunity for all involved. These events do not happen without a lot of extra time and effort from a variety of people. Our thanks go to all staff, students and volunteers who have helped in any way; without your support our students would not get as many opportunities. We have introduced our ‘Three Way Conversations’ across the school this year and it was rewarding to see the way everyone embraced this concept. Many students loved the fact they could sit and share their work and goals with both their parent’s and teachers and discuss what is important to them. We look forward to working with the information gathered at this time to ensure each student is able to work towards the goals they set. We have had our Governing Council AGM and welcome our new members, Deon Vosser and Kelly Thompson. We also welcome back Dianne Gardiner as Chairperson, Todd Parker Vice Chairperson, Mandy Masters Treasurer, Karena Scott Secretary, Wesley Knights and Jo Gordon. Thank you to Tanya Parker for your time and support over the last few years on Governing Council. This group has an important role to play in the running of the school and we thank you for giving up your time to be actively involved in the activities and planning of Roxby Downs Area School. You may have also seen a number of our year 10 students working around town in the last week or so as part of their Roxby Industry Training and Education (RITE) programme where they have the opportunity to experience a week in a workplace of their choosing to help them in their quest to find a career pathway they want. Thank you to all the businesses in our community who support this programme and give our students this opportunity. Students from Reception to year 6 have been working with the Footsteps team in week 10 learning a variety of different skills and dances. It has been amazing to see them able to learn a whole dance in such a short time and having so much fun. As we look forward to next term we have many more opportunities for all students to actively engage in their learning. The weather is starting to cool down so do not forget you can order your winter school uniforms online over the holidays and have them delivered ready for the new term. A reminder to all parents that Steve Bennett will be on Long Service Leave in term 2. Ms Tina Delchau will take on the role of Acting Deputy Principal while I will continue in the role of Principal. Have a safe and happy time with your family over the school holidays. R-6 ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL REPORT We have come to the end of a very busy Term. I thank all the parents and students for supporting our new process with 3 way conversations earlier this term. We will revisit these in Term 3 to see how students are travelling in regards to achieving their goals. As we had 3 way conversations earlier this term we will not be having our traditional end of term interviews. Next term students will receive a written report. Testing and Tracking Student Data Over the last two weeks R-6 teachers have been busy collecting data which is part of RDAS processes to track student progress. This testing helps inform day to day teaching programs and also helps us identify trends which we use in forward planning and teacher development. Our teachers spend a tremendous number of hours outside of the 8am-3pm school day collecting, analysing and planning. We are in a continuous cycle of improvement, striving to offer your child an individualised and appropriate learning program. Harmony Day Thanks to all students that came dressed in orange or traditional clothing to help celebrate Harmony Day. Students participated in some Harmony Day activities in their classroom. Please see some photos later in the newsletter. Footsteps We have been lucky enough to have Footsteps Dance program this year for all R-6 students. Students participated in one lesson a day over the whole week teaching them dance, social & emotional skills. Thanks to Jayne Winter for organising the timetable. Thanks again for all your support this term. The holidays are rapidly approaching, please enjoy your time together and if you are travelling, stay safe. See you in Term 2 Warm wishes, Jess Bawden SISTER PAT'S THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK 3-6 SWIM CARNIVAL TORRENS WIN THEIR FIRST SWIM CARNIVAL IN 11 YEARS On Thursday the 9th of March 2017, Torrens had their turn to do the victory dance. The day started with Torrens in high spirits. They set out to take the challenge of scoring big points for the team. Mrs Greenfield watched on in anticipation as she saw the numbers jump around. At the final tally, Torrens was announced as the 2017, 3-6 swim carnival winner and they all cheered. Mrs Greenfield was so proud and happy with the teams effort she jumped in the pool, clothed! After 11 years of watching other teams win, this was a sweet victory and we all enjoyed watching Torrens celebrate. MRS ZEPTNER'S RECEPTION CLASS WASSAC ROUNDUP The day was fantastic, ran like clockwork largely in part to the amazing support by staff, volunteers and student helpers. Our team of students were super enthusiastic about representing their school, as were the other students. The competition was extremely good throughout the whole day. We have had nothing but good feedback from all schools involved, and teachers on the day were super impressed with how everything was organised and how well it ran. The food and hospitality students, helped by Claire Meatheringham, cooked up a storm for the crowds and they got rave reviews from the students and teachers alike. Individual results worth mentioning – Jasmine Tovakuta 1st in the U15 200m and 100m, 2nd in the U15 Discus and was the runner up of the U15 Female Age Champion Caleb Kemenyvary 2nd in boys U15 200m, 1st in U15 boys 800m and 400m with super quick times Ella Ramsey 2nd in U14 girls 800m and 1500m Bianca Caden 1st in U15 girls Long Jump, 2nd in U15 girls Shot Put and Triple Jump Kallin Pulin (Woomera AS) 1st in U16 boys Discus and Shot Put Jelena Holland 2nd in U16 girls 200m Elise Turtur 1st in U14 girls discus Millicent Cordy 2nd in U15 girls High Jump Bailey French 2nd in Open Triple Jump Jayden Jones 1st in U14 Shot Put Angus Hewett 2nd in U14 boys 1500m Chloe Blieschke 1st in girls U14 Triple Jump Mikayla Kelly 2nd in U16 girls Shot Put Corey Griggs 2nd in U16 boys 1500m Jack Dalgleish 2nd in Open 1500m Due to the participation and great results from the Far North team, which included Roxby Downs Area School and Woomera Area School, the team won the handicap shield for the day. This is great achievement from all the students who competed on the day, and testament to the athletic prowess our students have. Well done to everyone involved. EYRE IS IN TOP FORM AT ATHLETIC CARNIVAL Another early, hot start for RDAS year 7-12 Athletic Carnival. The day saw many records broken. Congratulations on every one that participated and helped in the smooth running of the carnival. Records for the day were as follows: U/13F Triple Jump, Chloe Blieschke, Eyre, 8.39m U/13F High Jump, Chloe Blieschke, Eyre, 1.32m U/21M Long Jump, Brodie Caden, Eyre, 5.61m U/15F Triple Jump, Bianca Caden, Eyre, 8.82m U/15M 800m, Caleb Kemenyvary, Torrens, 2:23.13 mins U/16M Discus, Kalin Pullin, Gairdner, 39.01m SPECIAL ED NEWS We have been very busy in Special Ed! We have been on an excursion to Woolworths to buy some ingredients to make chocolate crackles in our cooking class. While we were there, we saw a huge crane! In science, we made a rain cloud in a jar and explored the feeling of shaving cream. It got a bit messy! In week 10, we also got a special visit from a local police officer! We loved finding out all about his special tools on his belt, how he helps keep our town safe and we even got to sit in his car! RDAS SENIORS CATER FOR 400 AT WASSAC This year the RDAS Senior School Home Economics and Certificate 2 in Kitchen Operation Students had the grueling task of preparing the food for WASSAC. The students spent a number of lessons and the Sunday prior to WASSAC de to preparing the food for approximately 400 people. The menu had a variety of food. The chocolate brownies being the biggest seller of the day. The Vietnamese cold rolls were a popular choice too. Overall catering for the event was a large task, however was very successful. It gave the students a real life experience about catering to a variety of people and interacting with customers. STAGE 1 PHYSICS In stage 1 Physics, the students are learning about electricity. Recently they completed a practical where they set up a simple electrical circuit and investigated the voltage and current in the circuit. They then applied their learning to Ohm's Law. Students are using their devices to record and analyse their data. YEAR 9 ART R-2 SPLASH DAY Have a safe and happy Easter break |