brighton secondary school newsletter february 2015

BRIGHTON SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER I ISSUE 1 I February 2015 1BRIGHTON SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER I ISSUE 1 I February 2015

Responsibility | Integrity | Fairness | Co-operation | Respect | Excellence

Welcome to the 2015 school year. Unfortunately 2015 got off to a troublesome start with uniform supply. Let me explain. Late last year the Governing Council terminated the contract with Peter Rowe’s Southern Schoolwear, because of ongoing quality and service issues. We did not purchase the stock from Southern Schoolwear which did not meet our quality standard. Devon Clothing came on board at short notice but they have not been able to provide the full range of uniform, despite their best intentions. We are confident that Devon will provide quality and service in the long-term.

I trust you appreciate the complicated legalities and substantial time line involved with terminating a contract. I thank the school community for your patience.

The Annual General Meeting of parents is on Monday 2nd March at 6.00pm in the Brighton Theatre and I urge parents to seek membership on the Governing Council. A vibrant Governing Council has a significant impact on a future-focussed school. We are seeking Governing Councillors who want to influence Brighton’s direction. The commitment is one meeting, the first Monday of every month from 7.00 - 9.00pm. We have 63 years of history and a responsibility to steer the course for a successful future. The only credential you need is the desire to promote Brighton Secondary School.

Brighton’s core business is to develop students for their futures. I encourage students and parents to develop strong partnerships with the teachers.

Congratulations to the World Challenge teams who successfully built the Kindergarten in Cambodia in December 2014. Mr Peter Thompson from Rotary kindly donated $850 towards the project. Brighton students raised $20,000 in 2014 for the project which will continue in 2015, raising funds to build a kitchen and a fence for the kindergarten.

Congratulations:The 2014 graduates who successfully completed their SACE and Maddison Sims, the 2014 Dux.

Matthew Richardson who won the Holdfast Bay Council Australia Day award, Young Citizen of the Year for his work on making Brighton a renewable energies organisation.

Jeffrey Kong, Head of Music, who was awarded the West Torrens Anniversary Award for Volunteering in the Australia Day ceremony.

Olivia O’Neill Principal

305 Brighton RoadNorth Brighton, SA 5048

P 618 8375 8200F 618 8296 0949

E [email protected]

Department for Education and Child Development

T/A South Australian Government Schools CRICOS Provider Number: 00018A

From the Principal

Brighton Secondary School

NewsletterISSUE 1 I February 2015

Jeffrey Kong receiving his award at the Australia Day ceremonyPeter Thompson with Olivia O’Neill

BRIGHTON SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER I ISSUE 1 I February 2015

Responsibility | Integrity | Fairness | Co-operation | Respect | Excellence222

Diary Dates 2015 FEBRUARY2 Governing Council, 7pm4 Principal’s Tour 9.00am4 iPad Rollout 6.30pm – 8.45pm6-7 Special Interest Music Carnevale9 School Photo Day11 Year 8 Parent Information Evening

6.15pm – 8.00pm12 Swimming Carnival13 House Recognition Assemblies

(Buffalo & Cygnet)17 Photo Catch-up Day18 Special Interest Music Parent

Information Evening 7pm19 Anti-Bullying Plays20 Year 8 Immunisations23 Finance Meeting 5.45pm24 Japanese Music performance 25 Year 10 Outdoor Pursuits Aquatics25 Special Interest Volleyball Parent

Information Evening, 6.30pm26 Leadership & Recognition Assembly

9.00am – 10.30am27 Year 8 Immunisations

MARCH2 Woodhouse excursion Rapid2 Annual General Meeting, 6.00pm3 Year 8 Standards Day4 Principal’s tour 9.00am4 Year 9 Standards Day4 Woodhouse excursion Holdfast5 Woodhouse excursion Cygnet6 Woodhouse excursion Buffalo6-8 Lift Dance performances9 Adelaide Cup Holiday13 Student Free Day (Staff Training)16 Uniform Committee, 1pm16 SIV Year 10 pairs at Glenelg19 Harmony Day20 Sports Day20 National Day of action against

bullying & violence27 Year 11 Road Safety program30 SIV In-school trials for Year 8 & 9

APRIL1 Principal’s tour 9.00am3 Good Friday6 Easter Monday8-9 Year 11 Outdoor Education

West Lakes Aquatics10 SIV Year 11 / 12 Beach challenge10 Last day of term 1, 1.00pm dismissal27 Student Free Day (Staff Training)28 First day for students in term 229 Open Day

MAY1 Year 12 Formal4-8 Year 10 Outdoor Pursuits camp4 SIV Year 8 Challenge at Heathfield4 Governing Council 7.00pm6 Principal’s tour, 9.00am6 Parent / Student / Teacher

conferences Years 8 & 9, 3.30pm – 8.30pm

8 Special Interest Music applications close

11 SIV initial out of zone trial – Year 7 by appt. only

12-14 NAPLAN Testing13 Parent / Student / Teacher

conferences Years 10, 11 & 12, 3.30pm – 8.30pm

16 Special Interest Music shortlisting18 Uniform Committee, 1.00pm21 Safe Partying workshop for Year 10s22 Year 8 Immunisations25 SIV Year 7 out of zone trial by

invitation only28 Special Interest Music auditions29 Year 9 Focus Day29 Reconciliation Event

JUNE1 SIV in-school trials1 Governing Council, 7pm3 Principal’s tour, 9.00am3-4 Year 11 Drama production1-5 Festival of Music5 Student Free Day (Staff Training)8 Public Holiday17-19 Year 12 Drama production18 Meet the Writers19 End of semester 121 Chaplain’s Concert22 Semester 2 begins26 SIV Year 10 KO volleyball30 SIV Year 12 Aquatics

JULY1 Principal’s tour, 9.00am1-2 SIV Year 12 Aquatics3 Last day of term 2, 1.00pm dismissal20 Student Free Day (Staff Training)31 SIV State Schools Cup

AUGUST3 Governing Council, 7pm3-5 Chinese Musicians visit5 Principal’s tour, 9.00am6 SIV Open KO volleyball7 Poetry workshop10 Uniform committee, 1.00pm17 SIV Out of zone trials Years 8-11

17 SIV in zone trial Year 7s19 Parent / Student / Teacher

conferences Years 10, 11 & 12, 3.30pm – 8.30pm

19-21 Adelaide Band Festival26 Parent / Student / Teacher

conferences Years 8 & 9, 3.30pm – 8.30pm

29 Music Spectacular Concert31 SIV Out zone trials Years 8-1131 SIV in zone trial Year 7’s

SEPTEMBER1-11 Year 12 Trial exams2 Principal’s tour, 9.00am 7 School Closure Day7 Governing Council, 7.00pm8-18 Festival of Music9 Percussion Showcase14-18 Ideas Week16-18 Year 12 Drama production19 Japanese trip departs23 Moon Lantern Festival23-25 SIV South Coast Tour25 Last day of term 3, 1.00pm dismissal

OCTOBER12 Term 4 begins16 Year 8 Immunisations20-23 Year 11 Outdoor Education camp23 Jazz Cabaret23 Year 12 Breakfast27-30 Year 11 Outdoor Education camp27 New Music Night28 Valedictory

NOVEMBER2 Year 12 Exams commence2 Governing Council meeting 7.00pm2-6 Year 10 Outdoor Pursuits camp4 Principal’s tour, 9.00am6 SIV year 8 / 9 KO Heathfield11 Year 9 Aquatics Day12 Shakespeare Festival Year 1016-17 SIV Year 8 Beach VB at Glenelg18 Year 12 Exams conclude19 Charities & Recognition assembly20 Music tour departs23-27 Year 11 Exam week30-4 Australian Business Week30-4 Brighton Enterprise Week

DECEMBER2 Principal’s tour, 9.00am5-12 Melbourne Volleyball trip7 Governing Council, 7.00pm



BRIGHTON SECONDARY SCHOOL - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGWill be held

MONDAY 2ND MARCH 2015

6.00pm Welcome / Musical Items / Refreshments6.30pm Annual General Meeting

BRIGHTON THEATREThis is an invitation to attend the Annual General Meeting of Parents of Brighton Secondary School and a call for nominations for the vacancies which will exist for parent representatives on the Governing Council in 2015. We hope many parents will attend the AGM and consider nominating for membership on the Governing Council.

The Education Act and the Regulations Under the Education Act establish the membership and functions of a Governing Council. According to its Constitution, the membership of the Brighton Secondary School Governing Council should be:

• 13 parent members elected by parents at the A.G.M.

• 1 Friends of Brighton Secondary School Member (Affiliated Committee)

• 1 Music Parent Support Committee member (Affiliated Committee)

• 1 Volleyball Parent Committee member (Affiliated Committee)

• 3 Staff Members

• 2 students as elected by the 2015 Student Representative Council

• 3 co-opted members from the community

• 1 Principal

If you would like to discuss nominating for Governing Council, you may wish to contact the Principal, Olivia O’Neill on 8375 8200. A letter with this information and a nomination form will be sent home via each student. Please contact the Front Office on phone 8375 8200 if you would like a nomination form.

The 311 Year 8 students have settled in to secondary schooling very well. They have come to Brighton from approximately 50 different primary schools. The main focus of the first week was to get to know their teachers and fellow students and to learn to navigate between classes.

We are looking forward to the Year 8 Orientation Days which will be held at Woodhouse Activity Centre on the following days:

• Monday 2nd March Homegroups 801R, 802R, 803R

• Wednesday 4th March Homegroups 801H, 802H, 803H, 804H

• Thursday 5th March Homegroups 801C, 802C, 803C

• Friday 6th March Homegroups 801B, 802B, 803B

Students will receive letters to bring home concerning this soon.

Cali Galouzis Student Counsellor

Annual General Meeting

Year 7 – 8 Transition



The school community has cause for great celebration of the outstanding 2014 Year 12 results in the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE). These results reflect the dedication and professionalism of the teachers to make Brighton the school of choice for all students.

We congratulate all students who achieved personal bests and in particular, we highlight the outstanding results of the Dux, Maddison Sims, who achieved an ATAR of 99.60.

3 other students achieved an ATAR of 99 or higher in 2014.

Dylan Bentley 99.55

Jol Lian Lum 99.00

Xinyang She 99.00

15 students achieved the prestigious Subject Merit awards. They are as follows:

No Name Merits

2 Maddison Sims Research Project, Ensemble Performance

2 Chao Sui Solo Performance, Performance Special Study

1 Dylan Bentley Performance Special Study

1 Sabina Fisher Research Project

1 Oliver Hales Research Project

1 Bianca Hoffrichter Research Project

1 Anyue Lang Mathematical Studies

1 Zoe Lee Research Project

1 Audrey Lian Research Project

1 Katarina Plush French

1 Jonathon Poulson Solo Performance

1 Lachlan Schultz Workplace Practices

1 Emily Squires Solo Performance

1 Kyle Trevenen Ensemble Performance

1 Chloe Taylor Ensemble Performance

Dux of 2014We congratulate all

students who achieved personal bests and in

particular, we highlight the outstanding results of the

Dux, Maddison Sims, who achieved an ATAR of 99.60.

Governor of South Australia Commendation

Award Chloe Taylor

is a worthy recipient of the prestigious Governor of South

Australia Commendation which acknowledges and celebrates overall

excellence and achievement in Year

12 subjects as well as success in developing

the SACE capabilities of communication, learning, personal development, citizenship and work.

2014 Year 12 SACE Results



In total, 36 students achieved an outstanding ATAR of 90 or above:

Alex Metcalf 98.15

Mengqi Zhou 97.90

Bianca Hoffrichter 97.45

Natalya Plakhova 97.45

Chloe Taylor 97.45

Chloe Neville 97.35

Josh Niven 96.95

Phoebe Chilman 96.80

Zoe Lee 96.60

Chi leng Chan 96.35

Sabina Fisher 96.25

Nicholas Bachmatiuk 95.90

Vanessa Leak 95.45

Thomas Bryce 94.75

Bayan Yazdani 93.95

Cody Kumnick 93.90

All students who completed their SACE deserve acknowledgement, as Year 12 requires tenacity to navigate the academic requirements while balancing work, family and friends. 2014 Graduates - we are proud of you and wish you all success in your chosen pathway.

Lachlan Tyler-Dowd 93.90

Sophie Witcombe 93.60

Audrey Lian 93.45

Emma Turner 93.35

Sophie Waltham 93.35

Rebecca Whetham 93.35

Oliver Hales 92.85

Matthew Walker 92.65

Madeleine Gurr 92.55

Sung Min Bae 92.30

Aaron Warner 92.05

Lauren Carthew 91.85

Zixuan Chen 91.05

Keely Kither 90.85

Ralph Abregana 90.00

Shannon Pearce 90.00



Volleyball NewsThe Australian Volleyball Schools Cup Championships was held in Melbourne from the 6th – 13th December 2014. Brighton Secondary entered 21 teams in the weeklong tournament involving 210 Brighton students and 52 support staff.At the end of the Presentation Ceremony, Brighton was named the overall Australian Champion Volleyball School. This award is determined by each school’s highest 6 teams results (male and/or female).

Brighton was also named the 2014 Girls Champion School of Australia and runner up Boys Champion School.

The following 16 of the 21 Teams entered in the competition returned home with a medal –totalling 5 Gold, 8 Silver and 3 Bronze.

SENIOR TEAMS• Open Honours Boys – Silver

• Open Honours Girls – Silver

• Open Division 1 Girls – Gold

• U 17 Honours Boys – Silver

• U 17 Honours Girls – Silver

JUNIOR TEAMS• U 16 Honours Boys – Bronze

• U 16 Division 1 Boys – Silver

• U 16 Honours Girls – Silver

• U 16 Division 1 Girls – Gold

• U 16 Division 2 Girls – Bronze

• U 15 Honour Boys – Gold

• U 15 Division 1 Boys – Silver

• U 15 Division 2 Boys – Gold

• U 15 Honours Girls – Bronze

• U 15 Division 1 Girls – Gold

• U 15 Division 2 Girls – Silver

11 out of the 12 Junior teams that competed won a medal. This represents a top 3 podium finish in almost every junior division of this Australia wide competition.

All of the students are to be congratulated on their excellent conduct both on and off the court during the week. We wish our Year 12 SIV 2014 cohort the very best for their future and thank them for their outstanding contribution over the past 5 years in SIV.

Heartfelt gratitude and congratulations is extended to the support staff that travelled with us – teaching staff, parents and old scholars who coached and managed the 21 teams. Without your willingness to volunteer your time and your dedication to our students, these results would not be possible.

Sue Rodger Special Interest Volleyball Coordinator



Music NewsOn Sunday 1st February, Brighton’s Big Band 1 and three guest vocalists performed at the 10th Annual Brighton Jetty Classic. The band played for an hour to a highly appreciative audience on the Esplanade outside the Brighton Surf Life Saving club. Vocalists Kaitlyn McKenzie, Simone Brock and Mikayla Link belted out funk, soul, jazz and classic rock hits and were supported by a slick big band which featured solos by Felix Chapman-Petrone, Kyle Trevenen, James Baird, Lizzie Hartley and Louis Gillespie.

Mark Cameron-Smith Band Director

School Dental ServiceAll babies, children and young people under 18 years are welcome to attend the School Dental Service. Dental care is FREE for most children. SA Dental Service participates in the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. A small fee may apply for children who are not eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

All dental care provided is FREE for preschool children.

To locate your local School Dental Clinic, or for more information about the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, please visit www.sadental.sa.gov.au

Thought About Fostering?Free Foster Care Information session – Wednesday 11th February 2015, 6.30pm – 8.30pm St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 6 Aldersey Street, McLaren Vale. For more information please phone 8337 8787 or email [email protected]

Community News

Open Day

Brighton Secondary School Open Day will

be held on Wednesday 29th April 2015.

Guided tours of the school in action

will be available at 9.00am and 2.00pm.

Self guided tours and a twilight showcase of special programs

will be available from 5.30pm to 6.45pm.

The Principal’s Address 7pm to 7.30pm

will be held in the Brighton Theatre.



World ChallengeBrighton Secondary Students Build a Kindergarten in CambodiaIn 2013 Brighton Secondary School’s Engagement with Asia Teacher Learning Community (TLC) members explored a range of strategies to connect our students with Asia. The TLC listened to a presentation from Paul and Aileen Munn, local business owners, who established the Cares for Cambodia charity. They talked about the pressing need to build a kindergarten in Cambodia.As a result David Thomson, Assistant Principal and a member of the TLC suggested that the Brighton Secondary School community become involved in raising funds to build the kindergarten. The Principal Team wholeheartedly supported this and David spoke to the Student Leadership team about the project. They immediately decided to ‘get on board’ and raise $18,000 to complete the build.

As our World Challenge leadership students prepared to depart for Vietnam in 2013, we launched a World Challenge to Cambodia for 2014. Twenty-four students raised $6,000 each to fund their travel to Cambodia to take part in building the kindergarten. Through a ‘quiz night’ and other fundraising they also contributed $9,000 to the ‘Kindy’ build.

The Student Leadership committee ran the ‘get on board’ and ‘box it’ campaigns asking all students to box their loose change for charity. This raised $11,000. The local cluster of Schools banded together for the ‘Moon Lantern Festival’ raising $1,400 and this is set to become a fantastic annual community event. The local Rotary Branch raffle provided a further $840.

The Brighton Secondary World Challenge students worked for fourteen days on the kindergarten build, assisting local builders. The students worked diligently in extremely hot conditions carrying and laying bricks (‘UT’ in the local Kymer language), mixing cement and building steps. After work they interacted with the local children playing soccer and volleyball. The local community gave a heartfelt farewell and were sad to see the teams leaving.

Looking forward to March 2015 and the ‘kindy’ is complete. The first children of the families from the dump begin a new chapter in their lives. They begin an early education pathway which will significantly change their lives. We can be very proud of the generous role our students, staff and parents have played in bringing this extraordinary dream to life. Our commitment to this project will continue.

Tony Mahar Brighton Secondary School World Challenge Leader



Pastoral Care WorkerHi, my name is Chelsea Russack and I am the Pastoral Care Worker (PCW, formerly Christian Pastoral Support Worker, or chaplain) at Brighton Secondary School. For those not familiar with the work of a PCW, my role is quite a diverse one, but essentially it is to support the school community.A typical day for me might involve visiting an art or drama class, spending time in the yard with students during breaks, visiting homegroups to get to know students, supporting peer leaders and homegroup teachers; connecting with staff in the staff room or at meetings, or having one on one conversations with students needing to share a burden. Of course there are many more activities that pop up – excursions and school events for example – but my day to day tasks generally see me supporting students in feeling comfortable and enjoying their high school experience.

Each year I particularly love visiting the Year 8 classes and homegroups, and spending time in the yard with these new and excited students. (And having been here since 2009, I have had the privilege of seeing students transition from new Year 8s to confident and hardworking Year 12s as they graduate with their SACE.) As I meet these Year 8s at the beginning of the year, I am aware that the excitement showing on the surface is not the only emotion they may be experiencing. For me, remembering back to my Year 8 days, I know there was excitement and anticipation of what this new chapter of life would bring, but also nerves and some fear. “Less than two months ago, I was the big kid and now I’m the newbie at the school. Where are all my classes? Will I remember all my teachers’ names? Are the other students going to pick on me? Will I be able to make new friends, and how do I put in a lunch order at the canteen?” My guess is that the experience I’m describing is not too dissimilar to what many of the Year 8s are feeling in these first few weeks at school.

Some students may embrace this new lifestyle and thrive on the adventure that it brings, but for others this change can be daunting and may take a little getting used to. I’ve met students in the past few weeks that are in both camps. I think the most helpful thing to remember is that these are normal feelings because transition always brings up a little bit of anxiety. Things are changing and there are new people, new information and new routines to get used to. But before long, students – and families of these students who are also adjusting to the change! – will find themselves comfortable and enjoying this new chapter.

If there is anything specifically that you would like my support in, please feel free to contact me through the school.

Chelsea Russack Pastoral Care Worker

A Pastoral Care Worker

is a trained, experienced

and compassionate

person who joins a

school community to

provide extra support to

all young people, families

and staff. They respect

diversity and school

values, and their role

excludes proselytizing,

promoting a particular

set of beliefs, or religious

education. They provide

pastoral care, enhance

student well-being, and

support the school to be

a safe and supportive

learning environment.



The DayMap Parent PortalThe DayMap Parent Portal is proving a great tool for parents to keep up to date with their student’s attendance and homework.If you already have a log-in, and have a Year 8 joining Brighton Secondary School this year, your will be able to use your current log in, and using the drop down box in the Portal, access your student’s data.

Remember it is easy to get a log-in to access this data, anywhere, anytime over the internet. If you have not previously registered, here’s how:

1. Go to the Brighton Secondary School website (www.brightonss.sa.edu.au)

2. Click on the’ LOGIN DAYMAP’ tab

3. Click ‘PARENT PORTAL’

4. Choose ‘NEW USER’

5. Enter the email address that you have most recently supplied to the school

6. Enter your child’s school ID number (you will find it at the top of any student report)

7. Follow the prompts

8. A log in and password will be sent to your email address

9. Go back to the Brighton Secondary School website and log in

If you have changed your email address, or have not provided the school with one, it is important to do so. Please email [email protected] with this information.

Kane Hillman Assistant Principal: Human Resources & Data Management

Student Reception is now situated in the Bright Centre, facing onto the courtyard. The hours of Student Reception are 8.15am – 4.00pm.Parents visiting Student Reception are required to sign in as a visitor via the Front Office. All students arriving late to school, or departing early, are required to sign in or out of Student Reception.

Absences From School• If students are absent from school due to illness or other unavoidable circumstances, parents are required to telephone the

school’s absence phone line on 8375 8231 on the morning of the absence. This is a recorded message, available 24 hours a day. Alternatively, parents may email the school at [email protected] preferably by 10.00am on the day of the absence, and include the child’s full name, the date they will be absent and the reason for their absence.

• Parents / students may be required to provide a medical certificate to explain absence which exceeds three consecutive days, or for any absence on the day that a SACE summative assessment task is due.

Student Reception

February Parent Portal Tip:

If you have more than

one student at Brighton

Secondary School,

you can access each

student using the same

password and log in!

Once in the Portal, use

the drop-down box on

the top left hand side to

select your child’s name

from the drop down list.



Brighton Secondary AppBrighton Secondary School iPhone/iPad App is now available from the App store as a free download (including Android).This app is designed to allow students and parents access to information about events and daily activities at the school. It will be updated daily to ensure that the information provided is the most current and up-to-date available.

• Have the sports fixtures been cancelled due to bad weather? The notice section of the app will tell you.

• Need to check on the venue and start time of the Music Spectacular or Volleyball competition? The calendar in the app will hold this information.

You do not need to receive everything!

One of the features of this app is that you can sign up for only those notices and events that you wish to know about. So, if your child is in Year 8, you can choose to receive only junior school information on the app, and not any information for senior school parents.

We trust that you will enjoy the convenience that this app will bring you. If you have any queries, please see below.

Application Support

We welcome any feedback and suggestions you may have, as the information available will continue to grow with time.

Please contact David Thomson, Assistant Principal School Operations at [email protected] or by phone at 8375 8200 with any enquiries.

LinksNotices

Sports MusicVolleyballAbsenteesEventsLinks

Events Absentees

Notices

Sports MusicVolleyball

Brighton Secondary School on FacebookBrighton Secondary School is proud to announce the launch of our very own Facebook page - www.facebook.com/BrightonSSWe hope that this new initiative will provide an avenue for community networking and sharing school news.

In order to increase student learning opportunities in our community we invite you to ‘like’ our page.

You can access Brighton Secondary School’s Facebook page by searching on Facebook or you can go to the Brighton Secondary School’s website page to click on the Facebook icon link. For any feedback please email the Personal Learning Coordinator, Hayley Reid at [email protected]

brighton secondary school newsletter february 2015

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