11 February 2011No 1

Walking Bus 2

Wakakirri Update 3

Stage 2 Results 2010 3

Ignite 4

While we were welcomed back toschool with an uncomfortable day ofhigh temperature, we were also greetedwith good news about studentsuccesses.

Two of our year 12 students, TessaRawolle and Stephen Harris, achieved3 Merits in 2010 for 20/20 in SACEStage 2 Chemistry, Biology andMathematical Studies and AustralianTertiary Assessment Ranks (ATAR) of99.8 and 99.1. Stephen was awarded ascholarship to the University of Adelaideas well as being a recipient of the BAE/NAMIG C2C (Creation to Concept)scholarship. These studentssuccessfully entered the Ignite programin year 8 and their gifts and talents werenurtured throughout their senior yearsat The Heights. They worked hard,remained focused and motivated andachieved their goals. Congratulations –we celebrate their achievements andacknowledge the work of the teacherswho challenged their intellect andattended to their wellbeing. (Refer to thearticle in this newsletter whichcelebrates the achievements of our2010 SACE Stage 2 cohort).

We welcome families and teachers newto The Heights community and are keento work with them as together we takeon the challenge of change to the dailytimetable and new programs.

The school is learning to use Daymap– an online information managementsystem. Refer to the article in thisnewsletter for details of the full capabilityof Daymap.

The new litter management programdeveloped with SRC, KESAB andSustainable Education Program is nowunderway. The parallel curriculumcomponent of the program, littering, isalso being developed and implemented.We encourage you to talk with yourchildren about details of the program andto support us to develop respectfulattitudes and responsible behaviourstowards our environment. (more details tocome in future newsletters). The Heightshas been selected to participate in theSchools Entitlement Initiative in responseto the litter/littering plan.

I trust that events such as Tears andTissues, Middle School Acquaintancenight, Year 8 Induction program, JuniorSchool Reverse Interviews and SeniorSchool Information evening scheduled inthe first 3 weeks of school indicate ourstrong desire and commitment to workwith you to support your children and ourstudents to achieve more than they caneven imagine.

Helen Calvert

Principal

ANNUAL GENERALMEETING OF

GOVERNING COUNCIL

Date: Tuesday 1st March 7:00pm

Venue: Stephanie Alexander Kitchen(Junior School)

Come along and hear about thesuccesses of 2010

and the directions for 2011.

ØEnjoy the culinary delights of the

Stephanie Alexander Kitchenand Garden

ØGo online with us using Daymap and

see how we are tracking your child’sattendance and progress.Post an electronic bulletin notice.

Mrs R’s Walking School BusParents and their children can join me (Mrs Rothery) andmy kids on the ‘Walking School Bus’ as it travels aroundthe streets of Modbury Heights on Friday mornings.

Cherie Rotheryhttp://www.theheightsschool.com.au/images/PDFs/newsletters/inserts/walking%20bus%20info.pdf

http://www.theheightsschool.com.au/images/PDFs/newsletters/inserts/walking%20bus%20map.pdf

We were excited to receive $ 420,000from the School Pride Asset FundingProgram to replace the roof and airconditioning in the senior school. Theextensive upgrade commenced after the2010 school year ended andtradespeople worked through Januaryaiming to complete the job for the startof the 2011 school year. Forty two degree

temperatures on day one and the incomplete upgrade meantthat a decision was taken to allow year 10 and 11 studentsto go home at 12.45 even though the temperatures predictedfor the remainder of the week outside were below 36.Communication via the school website, to students duringafternoon lesson, via phone calls and Facebook meant that

students and teachers were able to manage these unforeseenconditions.Untested in 42 degree temperatures, the Junior School airconditioning was found to be inadequate on day one. Teachersensured that children were hydrated and adjusted theirprograms so that classes worked in cooler areas – and thetemperature decreased.

Thank you to those families who worked with us to managethis situation and especially the teachers whose first concernwas always the wellbeing of students and their learning.The air conditioning in the Junior School is functioning effectivelyand air conditioning in 95% of classrooms and the learningcommon in the Senior School is installed and operational.

Teacher Professional Learning ProgramMonday 2.45-3.15pm

Week 1: Reflections on week 0 programpreparation for 2011

:Reflections on First Day of school 2011The program involved teachers identifying sessionsthey considered helpful in setting up the year forsuccess, especially for teachers new to the school,and organisation of the first day that ensured a smoothand comfortable start to the school year for students.

Week 2: ICT – training in the use of DaymapThe new online information management system iscurrently being introduced to more effectively recordand organise information and communicate withstudents and parents about progress. Initial trainingfocused on recording homegroup attendance andattendance at every lesson during the day and anonline staff and student bulletin. (no paper-environmentally responsible).Teachers were able to work together on these activitiesduring the ½ hour early closure and continued afterschool hours until 4.15 on Monday and from 3.30-4.30 on Wednesday. Set up of the new littermanagement program was the main business for subschools and all teachers participated in a session onfamiliarisation of students with learning difficulties,planning support programs.

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Instrumental Tuition 2011Flute/Clarinet/Saxophone/Trumpet/Trombon/Violin: Thereis an opportunity for students in Years 4 - 7 to be involvedin the exciting world of music-making through learning aninstrument. Algis Laurinaitis (Arts)http://www.theheightsschool.com.au/images/PDFs/newsletters/inserts/

instrument%20tuition.pdf

Hot Weather, re-roofing, air-conditioning - but no cyclone or flood

KITCHEN GARDEN NEWSWORKING BEE: - Saturday 19th February from 9am - 12pm. Please bring your gloves, weeding equipment,hat and water. A light lunch will be provided.

HELP: Do you like working with children, getting out in the fresh air, and exercising at your own pace andlearning about gardening? Then we would like to welcome you as a volunteer to the Stephanie AlexanderKitchen Garden at The Heights. We garden with year 3 to 5 every Tuesday during term time. Volunteers are also needed inthe kitchen to supervise small groups of children whilst they cook foods grown in the garden. All you have to do is turn up, nopreparations needed. If you are interested please contact Lyn on 8263 6244 or 0488 02746.

TIDY UP: We are looking for round compost bins. If you have one in the corner of your yard and do not need it anymore pleasedonate to the school. Also, we need any good old garden tools like forks, spades or wheelbarrows. Please leave them at theJunior School Office or just leave a note for Kristin with the item and your phone number.

Don’t forget to order Kytons hot cross buns and lamingtons in time for Easter, all funds will be put towards a much neededgarden shed. If you didn’t get an order form, please collect one from the Junior School office. Kristin Wohlers/Kylie May

‘Communication & Parent Partnerships’ the theme ofMiddle School Aquaintance Night

The Middle School Aquaintance night was held on Tuesday.Approximately 250 parents attended and the evening began with aBBQ. Parents then moved to the year 6/7 area and to the SeniorSchool to listen to updates regarding curriculum and schooldevelopments in 2011. After these information sessions parents metwith individual home group teachers to get to know them better andto discuss the pastoral care program and what they can expect fromthe school in 2011. Home group teachers are the first point of contactfor parents in the Middle School and I thank those parents who tookthe time to demonstrate their support of their children by coming tothe Aquaintance Night.Sheralyn Oakey, Middle School Senior Leader 4

Page 3

Wakakirri Up DateWakakirri’s biggest book of Short Stories ever! has arrived and will be available for viewing & borrowing in the library. Several of our

students are now published authors!

Eye Openers Section

Chymz Angeles, Ashleigh Williams & Tayla Gunn - Piglet

Mind Openers Section

Cameron Fellows - The Giant Galactic Muffin and Ike and The Land Of Mutant Animals

Jasmin Booth - The Two Lost Girls on an Island

Ellena Derer - The Mystery of the Missing Donut Hole

Isabella Tsimeris -The Legend of the Island Treasure

I received the Judges comments for our 2010 Story Dance Dark Deeds In Duckville, during the holidays

and was very pleased! They thought our performance was sensational! Feel free to visit the Activity Room to read the full review.

Students in the Junior School are now in the process of working on ideas for our 2011 story line. I am looking forward to another

fun & creative year! Penny Phillips

DAYMAPThis year we have formally begun to use Daymap across the school to monitor attendance and utilise online bulletins.Daymap is a popular and highly regarded web based solution for schools with a wide range of capabilities. During the year wewill gradually be introducing the other capabilities of this system, as familiarity and skills develop.Daymap is our electronic roll marking system. It is our electronic bulletin system. It will be our booking system for allresources in the school. It will take the place of the current parent SMS system for absent students (parents won’t notice anydifference, but the school will be saved considerable expense). Daymap will be our online assessment tool. Teachers will setwork online, assess it and aggregate the assessment data. It will eventually beintegrated with a reporting tool to take the place of our current model. Studentsare able to: check their timetable, access work tasks and assessments, submittasks and check on due dates. Daymap will integrate with our current networks:a site for students and families with general school information and handbooks, astaff site with team sites for discussions, minutes, folders for shared resources,information and links, and a professional learning site.

AttendanceAs all teachers take electronic rolls that are organised in a central database, astudent’s attendance can be tracked in real time across the school day. Maps of student attendance are easily generatedand parent contact made very quickly if necessary. We believe that Daymap will help both the school and parents to deal ina timely way with any unauthorised student absence. Daymap makes it a simple matter to email or SMS a parent if

appropriate. The parent-teacher-student- partnership, so important in theorywill become easier in practice, we believe. Parents are reminded that studentsrequire a written explanation for each lateness and absence.

Pastoral CareDaymap will help teachers to get to know their students more quickly and todocument information useful for other teachers in their work to support studentlearning. Home group teachers can use Daymap’s substantial record keepingsystem to track a student’s learning, behaviour and individual circumstancesin a way that is accessible and practical.

PrivacyThe fact that there is more information available more easily means that privacy

issues are important to address. The Daymap system has a strong security structure in terms of who can access whatinformation. Students can only access information directly relevant to themselves and their own classes. An appropriate levelof confidentiality is a priority for staff at the school, and information generated by the staff reflects professional standards atall times. Michail Darley, Senior School Senior Leader 2

Stage 2 results for 2010Congratulations to those students who completed theirsecondary education at the end of 2010 by beingawarded their SACE. There were a number ofoutstanding personal achievements amongst thesestudents.Tessa Rawolle gained an ATAR of 99.8 The maximumthat can be achieved is 99.9. Tessa obtained 6 Agrades, with three 20s in Biology, Chemistry andNutrition. Tessa has been accepted into Physiotherapyat Uni SA in 2011. Stephen Harris gained a TER of99.1, with 5 As , including a 20 in Maths Studies. Hehas also won the BEA/NAMIG , C2C scholarship,acknowledging his outstanding performance in theSciences. He will be studying a double degree,

Engineering (Mechatronics) atAdelaide University in 2011. EvanDay , with a TER of 90.15 will bestudying for a Bachelor ofScience(Biotechnology ) atAdelaide University. Overall 23students were awarded A grades inone or more subjects. Eighty twopercent of students who applied foreither TAFE or University entrancewere successful in gaining a place. Congratulationsalso to staff who have worked with these studentsover a number of years to help them be successful incompleting their senior years of schooling.Kris Nielsen, Senior School Senior Leader 4

Stephen Harris

Tessa Rawolle

Year 8 Induction DayWhat a fantastic group of Year Eights we have!The first day of school the students spent Lesson One with theirhome group teachers discussing their schedule, finding outdirections to classes and learning about the expectations of TheHeights. Lesson Two found one half of the students engaged in‘Life Be in It’ activities to foster team building and positiverelationships while the other half had their first Year Eight lesson intheir rooms. An assembly followed where the home groups metall the Year Eight teachers, leadership and support staff. A yummyBBQ followed in the Science courtyard with many returning forseconds.

The last event of the day found students following their scheduleand going to the appropriate class at that time. A smooth andpositive day was had by all.Excellent manners and positive attitudes displayed by the studentswere a highlight to the day.

Helga Hale, Year 8 Team Leader

Is your son or daughter gifted or bright?Then you might like to consider applying for a placein the Ignite program at The Heights School.

The Ignite program is a selective entry programfor gifted and bright students entering Year 8. Ignite

students at The Heights can complete years 8, 9, and 10 intwo years. They can be accelerated in individual subjects andthey can participate in a range of enrichment activities suchas debating and night time astronomy programs in the school’sastronomical observatory.

They study with other students who are also gifted or bright,and form friendships in an environment which is caring andnurturing.

Ignite testing will occur at The Heights School onSaturday 26th February 2011.

Application forms can be downloaded atwww.igniteprogram.com.au or collected from

The Heights School.

For further information contact Rob Perkins (MiddleSchool Senior Leader 2) or

Michelle Crush (Middle School Secretary) on 826 36244

Parents and Friends NewsLooking for something to do??

Want to contribute in some way?

Parents and Friends is a volunteer group whichraises funds through the year by hosting SportsDay BBQ’s, Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day stalls,as well as many other events. Last year weraised $1700.00 for the Stephanie AlexanderKitchen, $1700.00 towards Junior Schoolfurniture and new Vista and SAPSASAUniforms. This year we will continue to supportthe Stephanie Alexander Kitchen GardenProgram and Middle School furniture is also ourpriority.

We have a social lunch once a term. Our sociallunch is coming up on Thursday 17th February,12:30pm at the Modbury Hotel. Please RSVPto Kylie on 8263 6244.

Our first meeting of the year is on Thursday 24thFebruary, 9:30am in the Parent Room which isopposite the Canteen. Come and have a cuppaand a laugh as we start the new year off withMiddle School Sports Day BBQ and Mothers’Day preparations. Hope to see you there!

Kylie May

NEPS UMPIRES WANTEDTeeball and Baseball umpires are required forSaturday morning Primary School Teeball andBaseball games.All umpires must:1. Be in Year 7 minimum2. Have a minimum of three years’ experienceplaying T-Ball and/or Baseball,3 Attend at least two NEPS AssociationUmpire Clinics per term or have a Level 1 orabove Umpire Accreditation.Games start Saturday 12th February. Umpires’training clinics Wednesday 9th and Wednesday16th February at Illyarrie Reserve.

If interested, please phone Sean or RobynDavis on 8264 3018 as soon as possible.

AFTER SCHOOL SPORT -TEEBALL & BASEBALL

Teeball and Baseball games are played onSaturday mornings in Terms 1 and 4 againstlocal schools. Girls and boys from Year 2 to

Year 7 are eligible to play.Matches start Saturday 12th February.

Training is after school on Tuesdays from3pm - 4pm on the Middle School oval.

Places are still available in teams. Pleaselodge an “Out of School Hours Sport”

nomination form with Lyn Albury as soon aspossible, or phone Robyn Davis on 82643018 or Shelly Mickan on 0401853 089

ASTRONOMY AT THE HEIGHTSThere will be a PUBLIC VIEWING NIGHT at theschool on Friday, 11th February at 8:30pm. Entryand car park is off Augustus Street. Members ofthe STAR group will be assisting on the night.

STAR = Students Thinking With Astronomical ReasoningSave yourself unnecessary travel and time. If the weather looks doubtfulwhere you are, check with Paul Rogers on 8263 7666 to see if the event isstill on, or see:www.assa.org.au after 5pm.