Term 2 | Week 9 | 28 June 2019

From the PrincipalThis week is the start of Semester 2. Many classes have started new units of learning. Therefore, it is important to remind students of the opportunity this provides and the key behaviours and strategies that will support them to be successful with their learning so they can achieve their personal best. No matter how Semester 1 went, I ask all students to:• Attend school each day and arrive to Care Group and

subject classes on time• Be organised with all required equipment including

your charged laptop• For each assessment task, be sure that you

understand what it is you have to do to be successful and how the task will be marked

• Plan ahead and record key due dates, such as those for draft work and final submission in your diary

• Ask your teacher for help when you don’t understand• Attempt all tasks to the best of your ability and

complete homework regularly.

Obviously, students should seek the support of their subject teachers who are key to assisting students with their learning to achieve their best. However, students in Years 8-10 may also be referred to the Teaching and Learning Centre for targeted learning support to assist the completion of assessment tasks. Year 11 and 12 students should use the Senior Learning Centre for study lessons where the supervising teacher is available to assist students with their learning. Year 11 and 12 students can also self-refer to the Teaching and Learning Centre.

Semester 1 reports will be distributed to students on Friday 5 July. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to contact their child’s subject teachers if there are concerns regarding their child’s progress.

Staffing UpdateWith the end of Semester 1 we say thank you and farewell to:• Scott Cullen, who is teaching at Edward John Eyre

High School in Whyalla for Semester 2• Colin Taylor, who is on leave and will be retiring early

in Term 3.

Also, we welcome the following new staff for Semester 2:• Keren Asser, teaching Art, Humanities and Research

Project until the end of the year• Georgia Colyer, teaching Dance while Katrina

Constantopoulos is on leave from 1 July until 9 August

• Nicole Cutufia, teaching Humanities for Term 3• Jennifer Gibson, teaching Science and Mathematics

for Term 3• Kirstin Tocker, teaching Food Technology and

Design and Technology for Semester 2.

At the end of next week we farewell Mary Hodson who has been the Senior School Assistant Principal for the last eight and a half years. During this time Mary has admirably led the SACE improvement agenda resulting in 100% SACE completion and an increase in the number of students achieving A and B grades over the last three years. On behalf of the Blackwood High School community I thank Mary for her leadership and support of student learning, wellbeing and achievement in the Senior School. We wish you the very best in your new leadership role at Northern Adelaide Senior College.

2020 Curriculum Currently we are reviewing and updating the school’s Curriculum Prospectus in readiness for the subject/course counselling process which will begin next term. The Prospectus provides a broad range of subject offerings for students to consider for study in 2020. As always happens some subjects do not ultimately run due to very small numbers of students choosing them. This is why it is important for students to choose their reserve subjects carefully as those options may be activated. Once students have selected subjects we will begin the construction of the 2020 timetable. Based on subject selection numbers, decisions will be made as to the viability of subjects and students/families will be informed should their choices fall into the previously mentioned category.

Inspiring Achievement and Respect2

Parents/caregivers are advised that these are school based decisions made by the Principal in consultation with the Timetable Team and staff.

Year 9 - 11 Canberra TripFor the second year I participated in the annual trip to Canberra with students from Years 9, 10 and 11. Assistant Principal, Sue Richards and teacher, Ben Phillips also joined us. We had a very full itinerary visiting national democratic, historic and cultural institutions. It was a wonderful trip and our students, as always, were wonderful ambassadors.

Thank you to the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) program, an Australian Government initiative, that provided financial assistance to support student learning in Canberra.

School UniformWith the cooler weather there has been an increase in the wearing of non-uniform items. I ask that parents/caregivers speak to their children about the uniform requirements and ensure that the following are not worn to school:• leggings or yoga pants• jeans of any colour• track pants• coloured long sleeve tops/hoodies that can been seen underneath school tops.

With school holidays approaching, it is a good opportunity for families to ensure their children have correct winter uniform in readiness for the new school term. Our uniform supplier, Devon Clothing located at 84 Daws Road, Edwardstown has a range of winter options and information can be found in the student diary and on the school website.

If families have questions or concerns about the uniform requirements or require support, please contact the school.

Sharon Goldman, Principal

Helping keep children safe through new screening laws Stronger, more effective and transparent screening laws for people working or volunteering with children have been introduced in South Australia. The new screening laws were recommended as part of Federal and South Australian royal commissions, to help keep children safe in our communities. The new laws mean that from 1 July 2019 everyone working or volunteering with children must have a valid child-related check.

Also changing from 1 July 2019 is the state’s current system for child-related employment screenings, which will be replaced with a Working with Children Check (WWCC). This new check is coming in to better protect children and make sure that people working or volunteering with children are suitable. It does this through a monitored and more robust assessment of a person’s eligibility to work or volunteer with children. Because the check is monitored, immediate action can be taken if a person is charged with a concerning offence. The new check covers off on a person’s national criminal history including all spent convictions, pending and non-conviction charges, and other disciplinary and child protection information.

A WWCC is valid for five years and is portable across roles and organisations throughout South Australia.

Current, valid child-related employment screening checks done by DHS/DCSI will be recognised as a WWCC until they expire. There is also a 12 month transition period for anyone with a National Police Certificate assessed by their organisation, with the certificate valid till 1 July 2020.

For most people, this means they don’t need to do anything to be ready for the new law starting on 1 July 2019.

For more information about the new check visit the DHS website.

3

Blackwood High School high achievers• Congratulations to Tyler Attiwill, Charlie

Scutchings, Mia Mueller and Lily Whitcombe in Year 9 and Bethany Sigley, in Year 8, who have been chosen in the School Sport SA Interstate U15 Girls Australian Football Championships Team which will be held in Launceston, Tasmania from 27 July to 3 August 2019. Ella Knuckey and Ebony Scalan have been selected as reserves.

• Congratulations to Sam Hill, in Year 9, who was offered a place representing the Noarlunga and Districts Junior Soccer Association League. Sam played in the carnival held over the June long weekend and was then offered a position to play for Seaford Rangers Junior Premier League.

• Congratulations to Ashlyn Davies, in Year 10, who has been selected in the U15 SAUCNA State Netball Representative Team to play in Tasmania from 2 to 9 October 2019.

• Congratulations to Tai Sakamoto, in Year 9, who will be attending the World Scout Jamboree and its post tour to Canada from 22 July to 9 August 2019.

• Congratulations to Anna Twining, in Year 8, who will be travelling to New Zealand for the Trans Tasman Archery Tournament during the July school holidays.

• Congratulations to Nicholas Matthews, in Year 12, who participated in the National Gymnastics Championships held in Melbourne from 20 to 27 May 2019.

Inspiring Achievement and Respect4

Year 11 and 12 updateYear 11 students have finished their first official semester in SACE and are now getting into the new semester. Some new classes and new teachers have provided a point where students can reset and approach the rest of the year with new enthusiasm.

The exam week for Year 11 students was a successful one with students studying hard and getting some good results. We really appreciate the support from parents/caregivers during this time to get students to and from school to attend their exams.

Year 12 students have their exams in Week 1 of Term 3. No classes are scheduled during this time unless organised by their teacher. Students are expected to attend all scheduled exams in full school uniform and must adhere to all SACE exam requirements. These exams give students the opportunity to experience how Year 12 exams are run under full exam conditions. They also provide some useful feedback to how students are tracking, moving into the last part of their year.

As part of the Pastoral Care Program, Year 12 students had Sam Ghamwari present a session on mindset and motivation to support them in the intense study period. Sam has presented the Sekseed Program to Year 10 groups over the past two years and the Year 12 students engaged really well with what he presented. He had them out of their seats repeating affirmations and doing exercises and it was great to see all of the smiles as the students left the session. During next term the Year 12 students will have representatives from the Universities and SATAC visiting to talk to them about tertiary studies. They will also be exploring the Blackwood High School Careers Website to look at other possible options they can take up after secondary school.

The Year 11 students will be looking at course counselling in Pastoral Care next term. This will include looking at possible post-secondary pathways including the required skills and relevant educational choices they will need to support them. This will help them make better informed choices as they choose their subjects for next year.

Congratulations to Eduard Van Den Berg for being selected to take part in a co-coaching session with UniSA and the Adelaide Crows. Eduard got to participate in activities with other selected students that tested fitness and ability. The program was run by the UniSA Sport team and there were special appearances by Adelaide Crows players Brodie Smith, Matt Crouch and Marijana Rajcic.

Lastly on behalf of the Senior School team,I would like to wish Mary Hodson all the best in her next venture as Assistant Principal at Northern Adelaide Senior College. Mary has played a major role in the success that the senior students at Blackwood High School have achieved over the best part of the last decade, not only with the outstanding SACE results the school has received but also with the successful pathways students have undertaken after leaving the school. Her contribution has been highly valued and appreciated.

Ashley Robinson, Leader, Year 11 and 12

School Canteen AssistantCasual position available approximately 3 hours per week, commencing Term 3 2019.

Food handling experience would be preferable but not essential.

Please forward your application to Sharna Granpre-Moliere at sharna.granpre-moliere@bhs.sa.edu.au by Friday 5 July 2019.

For further information please contact Sharna on 8278 0929.

5

Charter for Children and Young People SummitOn Wednesday 5 June, five of our students had the opportunity to be involved in the Charter for Children and Young People Summit. There were a number of schools involved including primary and high schools, private and public schools. There were 100 students across all these sectors representing the views and opinions of young people on Health, Safety, Wellbeing, Education and Citizenship.

Paige Harrison, Juliette Brusic, Piers Basting-Fleming, Marvin Yap and Kelsey Murrin represented Blackwood High School at this event. The event was officially opened by the Minister for Education, Mr John Gardner. During the day, students were engaged in a range of activities where they were presented with questions relating to the five dimensions of the charter. A graphic illustrator then created this into a visual display which was presented to the Minister for Education. Teachers were not involved during this time so we got the opportunity to see our young people in action, putting forward ideas and suggestions, collaborating with other students and sharing opinions.

During the day our students were provided with the opportunity to participate in an animal experience including interacting with a range of animals as well as enjoying the zoo during lunch.

Our students represented Blackwood High School in a very professional manner.

Sue Richards, Assistant Principal Middle School

This day gave us many opportunities like becoming better leaders, wearing our school uniform with pride and being able to speak our opinion, knowing we were going to be listened too. We all learnt different things from the experience at the Charter for Children and Young People Summit at the Adelaide Zoo. During the day there were many different topics we talked about like health, wellbeing, education, citizenship and safety. We are all very grateful for being given this opportunity to be able to speak our voice and to have a say in something that is very important and will affect students all across South Australia. These topics weren’t easy to talk about especially when we were interacting with students from all around South Australia. However the conversation had at our table was interesting, engaging and enjoyable. The location of the venue couldn’t have been any better; during lunch break we had the opportunity to explore the wonderful Adelaide Zoo. Paige Harrison, Year 9 Student

I overall really enjoyed the day. I think that it was very well organised and thought that they went to a lot of effort to make all the students feel welcome and comfortable. I also feel like they did a very good job to relate to us and make it engaging by the venue, illustrations, the games, etc. The whole day made me feel like my opinions and thoughts were valued, which was nice.Kelsey Murrin, Year 11 student

Inspiring Achievement and Respect6

Canberra TripOn Sunday 16 June, 31 students left Blackwood High School at 7am on a journey to our nation’s capital, Canberra. The 15 hour bus ride gave us all plenty of time to see the difference in the landscape from Adelaide to Canberra. We arrived around 11.30pm, in time for students to find their rooms and collapse into bed before a very busy week.

Our first day was full of events starting with a tour of Government House. Students were given a detailed tour of the House, including an outline of the role, significance and true nature of the Governor Generals positions. Students were particularly taken by the Rolls Royce which is still in service at the Governor Generals residency. Next it was off to the National Art Gallery where we split into three groups to enable us to look specifically at Aboriginal Art, Australian Artists or Pop Art.

We visited Parliament House, Old Parliament House (where we were provided with the opportunity to role play Gough Whitlam’s 1975 dismissal), and the Tent Embassy that afternoon. These tours provided our students with an insight into how Australian laws are made and the significance of the location of Parliament House. We learned the Red of the Senate and the Green of the House of Representatives reflect our links to the British Parliament but have been slightly modified to reflect the green of the eucalyptus leaf and the red of the gum flower. Exploring the Lego model of Parliament House kept all of us engaged for some time.

We also managed to squeeze in an engaging visit to the CSIRO on our first day. The students had fun working within teams to solve and answer problems, using the displays around us to help. We all enjoyed the opportunity to hold some insects. We headed back to our accommodation for dinner then off to the Mount Ainslie lookout to look over the city. The lights of Canberra were spectacular and we noted how cold Canberra could be at night.

The next day saw us out of bed and on the bus early with a change to our program. We did an informative bus tour of the Embassies and High Commissions around Canberra. It was interesting to see the different architectured designs of the Thailand Embassy, the security surrounding the American Embassy and everything in between. Then we all wound up in court; the High Court, where we heard about our constitutional rights and the purpose of the High Court. We were fortunate enough to see the High Court sitting.

Next we were provided with the opportunity to explore four of the monuments along Anzac Parade, learning what they represented and how they were commissioned. We visited Cockington Green, a miniature village which provided us an opportunity to walk around and explore the different types of buildings on display. Then the majority of us went on a boat cruise around Lake Burly Griffin, this was a highlight for many. We enjoyed the cold embrace of wind in our faces as we enjoyed the views. While this was happening of our junior E-sport team went to a Korean internet café to compete in a competition they are part of. The students have let our Principal know about what they would like our computer rooms to look like including the chairs, keyboards and headphones.

7

A nice early start on Wednesday saw us at the National Museum of Australia where we were given the opportunity to further explore aspects of Canberra and Australian Federation. We had a change of pace after that experience and went to the Canberra Information Centre where we learned about how Canberra was designed by Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion Mahony Griffin and how much impact she had on the actual design of Canberra. Another change to our program saw us back at Anzac Parade to explore other memorials leading up to the Australian War Memorial. We spent three hours at the memorial which was incredibly moving and was only just long enough to explore the surface. The students were particularly moved by the Honour Wall and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Then it was back onto the bus and off to the Australian Mint where we learned how our currency came to be (no free samples unfortunately). Many of our students were able to participate in the story telling of this part of our history.

That night we had a trip to the Mount Stromlo Observatory where we were able to access the telescopes to identify Jupiter and Saturn. Whilst it was very cold that evening, it was cloudless and it was a highlight for the vast majority of the students.

Thursday saw us visit Questacon (Australia’s leading science centre offering a range of hands on activities) and the Institute of Sport. These two visits provided our students with a range of opportunities to be physically active and to challenge themselves.

After all of this excitement and physical activity we visited the Telstra Tower, with some of us opting to go to the top to see the fantastic views of Canberra. We were back on the bus later that afternoon for the gruelling, but welcome, 15 hour coach ride back home to Adelaide.

Parliament and Civics EducationStudents from our school have recently undertaken an educational tour of the National Capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $60.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion to help with the costs of the trip to Canberra.

Student’s viewI really enjoyed spending a whole week visiting different places in Canberra with an amazing group of people. It was really good to visit places I personally never knew existed, like Questacon, and being able to experience a real court case at the High Court was pretty exciting. The Government House and the War Memorial were definitely the main places I looked forward to and definitely enjoyed the experience when we were there, and I learnt many interesting facts about them. We also got to see all of Canberra with the view of lights on Mount Ainslie at night which was the most beautiful view. I definitely encourage more people to go to Canberra next year because it’s definitely a week of fun and enjoyment. Teja Nalluri

Inspiring Achievement and Respect8

Arts updateCome and Try Cabaret WorkshopOn Monday five students from Years 9 to 11 attended an exclusive Come and Try Cabaret Workshop with two leading Australian cabaret artists, Michael Griffiths and Amelia Ryan. The students were encouraged to individually prepare an item to perform and were given feedback with strategies on how to improve. Our students were the only school to self-accompany themselves, showing diversity in ability and outstanding confidence. Michael and Amelia were wonderful mentors and taught the students skills that are imperative when working in any performance industry. Our students did a wonderful job and they look forward to being involved in the Come and Try Cabaret Workshop next year and hopefully in Adelaide’s leading cabaret festivals to come.

Simela Petridis, Art teacher

AC Arts Dance ExcursionThe VET Dance students and Year 9 Dance students had the opportunity to attend a performance by the second and third year AC Arts students. The students participated in a virtual reality dance activity and viewed the performances which were choreographed by international guest choreographers.

The second year performers also featured four alumni Blackwood High School Dance students and it was exciting for our current students to see them perform and discuss their journey since school and dance career aspirations.

Amelia and Natalie also ran a contemporary Dance workshop with the VET Dance students as guest teachers.

Arts ShowcaseThe Year 8, 9 and 10 Dance students, as well as Year 9 and 10 Drama and Music students, performed at the end of semester Arts Showcase in the Performing Arts Centre. It was wonderful to see so many parents/caregivers, grandparents and friends attend this performance.

The students performed class choreographed Dance works as well as featuring the 2019 Dance Star teams.

The dancers were supported by the very entertaining Drama student MC’s who entertained the audience throughout the show.The Music students featured vocalists and instrumental music performers.

The Showcase also featured the Middle School Art Exhibition which was set up by Arts Staff in the Drama Space celebrating the creative artistic talents of the Blackwood High School Visual Art and Design students.

A wonderful evening and celebration of Middle School performing and Visual Arts programs and the talents and creativity of the Arts students.

9

Oh Snap!A macro study by Jessie Hill, Year 10 Photography student.

Emma Golding, Photography teacher

Class of CabaretCallum Drage represented Blackwood High School at this year’s 2019 Class of Cabaret Program. He has been working with the other Class of Cabaret students since the start of the year to develop his performance item that was performed at the Blur Room Festival Centre on Saturday 22 June.

The Class of Cabaret Program offers students a meaningful learning experience where each performer develops their performance skills and learns to confidently communicate their stories to an audience, whilst also gaining accreditation towards their education. The chosen applicants will take part in rehearsals and workshops throughout Terms 1 and 2 culminating in performances during the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. They will also receive expert guidance from an experienced Musical Director, tuition from one of Adelaide’s leading vocal teachers and mentorship in the art of cabaret performance from two award winning artists. An entertaining patter and song that highly engaged the audience.

Katrina Constantopoulos, Leader, The Arts

Inspiring Achievement and Respect10

Sports newsSpecialist Sport Program staffCongratulations to Peta Maher who has recently achieved her Advanced Netball Coaching qualification, one of the highest qualifications in Australia. Her Under 17 State Netball team recently returned from Nationals with a gold medal. She also co-coaches the State 15 and Under schoolgirls team that will play in Queensland in July. Peta has also been invited to join the U19 National squad as a developing elite coach.

Our Special Interest Boys Football teacher, Nick Liddle continues to play well for SANFL club, South Adelaide. His experience at elite football playing level is of great benefit to his football students.

The Special Interest Girls Football teacher, Janet Bradley is assistant coaching at SANFLW club, West Adelaide while doing her Level 2 Coaching qualification. She is also coach for the 15 and Under State schoolgirls team travelling to Tasmania in July.

Our Special Interest Netball and Football students are fortunate to have such highly experienced teachers leading them and creating learning opportunities through sport including physical, academic and community involvement development.

Special Interest Sport Sportsmed seminarOn Monday evening 17 June, Sportsmed sports physiotherapists, Ned Pontifex and Jessica Kemp, led an injury prevention seminar for students and families involved in the Special Interest Netball and Boys and Girls Football Programs. The session was held on site in the Performing Arts Centre and highlighted the importance of concussion diagnosis and management, sports specific warm ups and cool downs and the difference between soreness and injury. The seminar was well attended and specialist sports staff Peta Maher, Nick Liddle, Janet Bradley and Dan Smith, along with students and families, were most appreciative of Ned and Jess giving up their time.

Open Girls Football Round 1In a tough encounter, Blackwood’s Open Girls travelled to Tatachilla Lutheran College to compete in Round 1 of the Statewide Knock Out Competition. SANFL rising star, Tiah Charlton dominated the first quarter to kick or assist in 5 goals for their team. With some defense re-shuffle and assistance from the breeze we won the second quarter by a goal. Final scores were Tatachilla 9-5 to Blackwood 2 – 1.Highlights included Captain Willow Homersham leading from the front with strong contested possessions. Brie Medder continually rebounded the ball in defence. Tia Fox was rewarded with a free for a dynamic tackle on their star, Tiah Charlton. Consistent efforts were displayed by Lily Whitcombe, Charlotte Taylor, Tanisha Villanueva, Taylah Jayne, Kelsey Clare, Beth Sigley and Charlie Scutchings.Goals: Willow Homersham 2Best: Willow Homersham, Brie Medder, Lily Whitcombe

11

Year 11 Special Interest Football trip to MelbourneDuring Week 7 of Term 2, the Year 11 Boys and Girls Football Program travelled to Melbourne for four days as part of an educational, football-based trip. In our time in Melbourne we visited famous sporting locations including the Collingwood Training Facilities, Punt Road (Richmond Football Club) and took part in a tour of the MCG. The students then observed a Western Bulldogs training as well as taking part in a tour of their new women’s facilities and their men’s facilities. During the tour we learnt what it would take to be an elite footballer and the dedication and persistence it would take to reach the professional level of AFL/AFLW. On Friday evening the group were lucky enough to go and watch Hawthorn v Essendon at Marvel Stadium. As well as the football focussed trip students did fun activities such as laser skirmish, bowling and shopping. Students helped organise the trip, planning activities to do, as well as a rugby jumper that they designed and ordered so they were perceived as one group or team whilst away in Melbourne. Staff members Janet Bradley, Nick Liddle and Luke Beenham enabled the planning to come to reality. During the time in Melbourne, students gained an insight on the level of commitment and persistence it would take to make it into the professional league of AFL/AFLW and then learnt the commitment and hard work they would still have to put in when they reached this level so they could be successful as it is an extremely demanding sport.

Olivia Smith, Co- captain, Year 11 Girls Football class

Inspiring Achievement and Respect12

Auskick ClinicOn Thursday 20 June the Blackwood High School Special Interest Girls Football class conducted an Auskick clinic with Year 3 to 6 girls at Coromandel Valley Primary School. The girls had prepared the lesson after a visit from Sturt Football Club’s Auskick coordinator a few weeks ago. The primary school girls had a very enjoyable time and the footy class girls showed great leadership skills.

Janet Bradley, Leader, Health and Physical Education

Round 2 - Year 8/9 Girls Knock Out FootballBlackwood High School hosted Round 2 of the Year 8/9 Girls Football on 19 June against Sacred Heart Middle School (SHMS) and Brighton High School. In game one Blackwood played SHMS. The first quarter was a tussle with both teams scoring two points. SHMC broke away to a 13 point lead at the main break but Blackwood clawed their way back in the second half to win by 4 points – 2 goals 7 to 2 goals 3.Goals – Charlie Scutchings – 1 Libby Willetts – 1Best – Lily Whitcombe, Charlie Scutchings, Tyler Attiwell, Beth Sigley, Tanisha Villanueva, Ella Knuckey

In the second game, Brighton defeated SHMC so Blackwood approached the game with anticipation. We dominated from the start, scoring goals every quarter. Brighton remained scoreless for the entire game.Goals – Libby Willetts – 3 Tyler Attiwell – 1 Charlotte Taylor – 1Best – Lily Whitcombe, Charlie Scutchings, Tyler Attiwell, Libby Willetts, Ella Knuckey, Beth Sigley

The team now progresses to Round 3 to be played next term.

Janet Bradley, Coach

Year 10 and Open Knock Out NetballIn the last month Blackwood High School has competed in two age groups of Knock Out Netball.Our Open team played against Woodcroft College on Friday 7 June. It was an intense game with Blackwood having a great start taking out the first quarter, however Woodcroft mounted a comeback in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to have the game back on an equal playing field by the 4th.Unfortunately Woodcroft were victorious on the day beating us by 6 goals 46-40. It was an excellent display of clean hard netball. A high level of skills were demonstrated by both teams and it was fantastic netball to watch. Best players for Blackwood were Maddie McDonald and Jazmin Harmston.

Blackwood also competed in the Year 10 Knock Out Competition on Friday 14 June against Seaview High School. Blackwood had a strong start and continued to build each quarter having an easy win overall 58-33.All team members were given the opportunity to play and each quarter we were able to build on our lead. The netball was very skillful and fast. Blackwood were consistent in their ball delivery to their goalies who finished with good accuracy. We now move into the second round and will face Cardijn College.Best Players were Mikayla Heddle, Alex Smith and Maddie Burgess.

13

Thunderbirds Visit and St Mary’s GameWith our Netball Trip to Melbourne with our senior classes fast approaching we invited three Thunderbirds players to work with our three teams to provide us with some specialist coaching. Cody Lange, Kate Shimmin and Kelly Altmann provided some expert knowledge to our players on Thursday 20 June. They worked with the girls for one and a half hours focusing on goalies movements, centre court work rate and defensive one-on-one. It was a great opportunity for the girls to meet some our state’s elite players and interact and ask questions of them.

After our specialist session the girls caught a bus and headed down to Netball SA to play a friendly training match again St Marys College. This was an opportunity for the teams to put into practice what they had just learnt from the Thunderbirds girls and to create some links and familiarity within our teams. All teams were successful at implementing their strategies on court that were just learnt and we are very much looking forward to our main competition in Melbourne in the first week of July.

Curtain Raiser Game to the Adelaide Thunderbirds vs Swifts GameBlackwood High School was lucky enough to be invited to play the Curtain Raiser Game to the Adelaide Thunderbirds on Sunday 23 June at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on a custom made Netball court. The Year 11 Specialist Netball class played against the SA Indigenous Academy Team for Adelaide’s Indigenous round for The Super Suncorp Netball Competition.

It was such an exciting opportunity and one the girls will forever remember. They represented our school in the most fantastic way, wearing our uniform with pride and showing professional behaviours.

Each girl, when given the opportunity on court, really showed their skill and knowledge and all combinations of players excelled on the main stage in front of a huge crowd.

Our defenders played a mixture of one-on-one tight Defence and Zone spacial Defence, turning the ball consistently and transitioning it to our quick and athletic mid-court who supplied great ball into our goalies, who were able to finish with very accurate shooting.

Blackwood was victorious winning the game 31-19 and Olivia Burgess was named Blackwood’s MVP by the SA Indigenous team’s officials.

Thank you to all the parents/caregivers and officials who supported the girls with the amazing opportunity.

Peta Maher, Special Interest Netball Program Teacher

The recent Reconciliation Assembly provided an opportunity for our international students to share their experience of living in Australia and attending Blackwood High School. Year 10 students Hongyu (Declan) Ruan and Gia Han (Victoria) Tran and Year 12 student Keyu Liu presented the following speeches:

For today’s speech, I would like to start by saying ‘G’day everyone, how you going?’ Thank you, I’ve been practicing this since I met my Aussie host-mom.It’s a great honor for me to stand here today and share my experiences with you. Since I spoke at this assembly last year so much has changed and in such a positive way, thanks to all of you including my lovely friends, host-mom and teachers who supported and mentored me on my journey in Australia. Also, we have welcomed more international students into our school, and I know that many of you are trying your very best to get used to the new environment and education system here.I know it’s very hard, as we all left our home and came into a strange country without our parents around us. It’s difficult to adapt to the different languages, different cultures and different food.But here’s something we want tell. All the international students out there, we understand your fear, anxieties and home sickness. However, we have been given a wonderful opportunity to study abroad which opens us to brand new experiences. So keep your heart and mind open to the new journey that is waiting for you, be brave, be confident, keep questioning, giving everything your best shot, learn as much as you can and it’s ok to make mistakes, because it’s the best way to grow. To all the local students, please stay open because I believe every single one of you has new and wonderful stories to share. So, sometimes being a listener is more important than being a speaker. Please keep smiling, be open, be kind, be the one who takes the first step to say hello. Moving forward, I hope all of you will follow your own path, start your own adventure, create your own unique journey in this beautiful city and then reach out and help others.Change yourself and the world will change around you.Thank you, Keyu Liu

Good morning everyone. My name is Declan and I’m a Year 10 student at this school. I come from Chengdu, Sichuan province in China which is located in the south west. The distance between Adelaide and my hometown is approximately 8500km. I arrived in Adelaide in July last year. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was that I should use a knife and fork to eat. It was so different from China where I used chopsticks before, but now I had to adapt to using a knife and fork. I really enjoy studying at Blackwood High School because there are kind and friendly teachers and students. For example, my maths teacher Mr. Orell. I like him best because he not only teaches us in a very humorous way, but he usually uses some slang such us “Obama your mama” to make his lessons interesting. He also has deep knowledge and used to teach university students before. I usually have questions to ask Mr. Orell and he tells me how to solve them patiently until I understand. The next teacher is Mr. Nicholls who is my Humanities teacher. He always helps me find enough sources for my task and he understands I am an international student, so he helps me a lot in his class. Therefore, I know more about Australian history. In the future, I want to go to Adelaide University and I want to be an Astronomer and Physicist. Studying at Blackwood High School has taught me how to improve my English, logic capability, interpersonal skills and critical thinking. One difficult thing about being an international student is my language. I remember I could not speak very much English when I arrived. However, I appreciated local students who helped me to improve my vocabulary and organise my English sentences to make sense. Therefore, I think that studying at Blackwood High School is a good choice because here I am closer and closer to making my dream come true. My long journey is starting and the Blackwood teachers and local students are the important characters on my way. I am so glad to be a Blackwood High School student. Thank you, Hongyu (Declan) Ruan

Reconciliation Assembly

Inspiring Achievement and Respect14

Good morning everyone. My name is Victoria. I come from HCM city which is the most popular and biggest city in Vietnam. As an international student, it’s such a pleasure for me to come to Australia and study at BHS, and I really appreciate the opportunity. The reason I’m standing here to talk to you all, is to share with you, my experience as an International student here. Firstly, I want to thank Ms. Jones and Ms. Goldman who gave me this opportunity to present today.On the first day I came to Australia, I felt frightened and nervous about how Australia would be different from my country. I was surprised that there were few scooters on the street like in my country. More than that, in my country we drive cars on the right-hand side of the road, but in Adelaide you drive on the left side of the road. Besides that, the education system here is the biggest difference from my country.You cannot imagine how hard it was when I had to study thirteen subjects every week, then I had to take extra class every night. I had no time to rest or play outside my study in Vietnam where here in Adelaide we have more work-life balance. In Adelaide, I feel much better and more relaxed now, and I also love to study more than in Vietnam.Naturally, there are still times that I miss my family and really feel like I have an opportunity to come here to Adelaide to study, and also represent my family, my country and I wish to make a good impression, that we are good people. So I keep myself motivated and always tell myself that I can and will do it, no matter how difficult it will be at times, but I will be brave and try my best to pass.Thanks to all the teachers from last year and this year, thank you for your help and support in my schooling. To all my classmates, friends and friends of friends, who always assist me with my school work and life lessons. Because of my shyness & lack of confidence, we probably didn’t talk too much, but thank you for your priceless kindness and positivity you share with me. Many overseas students are afraid of speaking English as we do not wish to make a mistake. So, it sometimes seems we do not wish to talk, when actually we are just too scared to speak English. Please be patient with us, we are trying!As I am becoming more confident, I’d like to make more friends, and I wish all of you will do the same. There is so much we can all learn from each other. We are willing to build special friendships with you all and I wish that you will become a part of my friendship group in the future.Thank you, Gia Han (Victoria) Tran

15

Inspiring Achievement and Respect16

The UniSA Health Clinics provide state of the art client-centred care, whilst teaching the next generation of health professionals. They offer tailored healthcare for children through Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Exercise Physiology and GP Services.

UniSA can support Medicare Referral Plans, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funded plans, Private Health Cover, or self-funded clients. We also support low-cost options for health professional student assisted services.

If you would like any further information about the clinics, please contact our Practice Coordinator, Ms Joanna Bouyeesi on 8302. 0986.

17

Inspiring Achievement and Respect18

19

Calendar DatesTerm 2Monday 1 to Friday 5 JulyMelbourne Netball Trip

Friday 5 JulyLast day of Term 2

Term 3Monday 22 JulySTUDENT FREE DAY

Tuesday 23 JulyFirst day of Term 3

Tuesday 23 to Friday 26 JulyYear 12 Exams

Wednesday 24 JulyYear 10 and 11 Immunisations

Tuesday 30 JulyPrincipal’s Tour 9am

Wednesday 31 July to 11 AugustHimeji Visit

Friday 2 AugustISCA Careers Expo

Tuesday 6 AugustGoverning Council Meeting

Monday 12 to Friday 23 AugustUshiku Study Tour

Saturday 17 to Saturday 24 AugustSnow Trip

Friday 30 AugustSTUDENT FREE DAY

Monday 2 SeptemberSCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

Tuesday 3 SeptemberPrincipal’s Tour 9am

Tuesday 10 SeptemberGoverning Council Meeting

Wednesday 25 SeptemberYear 8 immunisations

Thursday 27 SeptemberParent/Student/Teacher Conversations TBC

Friday 27 SeptemberLast day of Term

Monday 14 OctoberFirst day of Term 4

Tuesday 22 OctoberYear 12 Graduation

Friday 25 OctoberLast day of classes for Year 12 students

Tuesday 29 OctoberPrincipal’s Tour 9amGoverning Council Meeting

School ContactsStudent Absences: student.absence@bhs.sa.edu.auStudent Wellbeing Centre: 8278 0900 or see website for staff email contacts