1. education
2. school

Roxby Downs Area School
7 Richardson Place, ROXBY DOWNS SA 5725
Ph: 8671 0011
Fax: 8671 0210
ISSUE 105
TERM 4, Thursday October 30th, 2014
Our School Vision: Empowering all to reach their potential.
October 30th
October 31st
October 31st
November 1st
November 7th
November 7th
November 10th – 13th
November 14th
November 15th
Year 12’s last day of school
Student Free Day
World Teachers Day
Relay For Life
Kindy Transition 8.30 – 11.25am
R-6 Assembly 12pm School Hall
Life Education Program R-6
Kindy Transition 8.30 – 1.25pm
Market Day SATURDAY
Sister Pat’s Quote of the week
If shared problems lessen the burden,
how come we get so upset in a traffic
jam? (P.K. Shaw)
Certificate III in Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) This week has been busy with the auditors arriving to check and sign‐off the work completed by the Year 12s for the Workplace Health and Safety course. Because this is a Certificate III, the work must be sited and signed and the students then assessed as competent or not, by authorised assessors from the RTO (Registered Training Organisation). Each of our Year 12 students that completed the course will be accredited with their Certificate III in Workplace Health and Safety. The students who complete this course are more attractive to employers because of the emphasis that business and industry place on safety. If an employer knows that a student has a Certificate III in WHS, they know that person has been trained to a ‘National Standard’ in safety that is recognised and valued anywhere in Australia. This year, fifteen out of seventeen starters completed the course successfully. The other two left due to employment opportunities – both left school to begin full time work. Thanks to Tony Butson and Peter Hyde from CEG for their patience and dedication in ensuring success for our students. In its first two years of running, this course has provided a successful completion rate of over 90%. Thirty students and two staff members have qualified for their Certificate III in WHS. The course will be offered again in 2015 to our Year 12 students. Once again, the criteria for enrolment will include successful completion of Year 11. We have a plan in place to offer this course for at least three years after 2015, providing the interest remains high. Tony Holden & Ann O'Sullivan Steve Bennett
Principal
Ann O’Sullivan
Assistant Principal
7-12
Tony White
Assistant Principal
R-6
Shane Hodgson
Assistant Principal
Social Inclusion
BYOD Launch at RDAS On the first Tuesday night of this term, 100+ parents and students attended the launch of our BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiative. From the beginning of 2015, students in Year 7‐12 are encouraged to bring their own laptop/ ipads to school, for their specific use during the day. The school has entered into a partnership with HP computers, who are marketing a laptop specifically for our school, at a competitive price. We have also contracted a second company to provide the same product under a lease arrangement. Information about these two offers will be emailed home to parents in the next few days. Parents who are planning to purchase elsewhere and would like some advice are encourage to contact Andrew Hudson at the school on 08 8671 0011. Fire at RDAS On the Friday of Week 1, RDAS experienced its first, and hopefully its last fire in its 27 year history. The fire was caused by an electrical fault in an air conditioning unit in the TAFE section of the school and was contained to the air conditioning room. Significant smoke damage has occurred to the Engineering section of TAFE as well as some of the class rooms. Courses in the TAFE section of the school were cancelled last week to enable a full clean‐up of the area. Our students have recently had a number of practises of our evacuation processes and so they coped extremely well with the ‘real event’, with students and staff moving calmly to school oval so that everyone could be checked off and accounted for. We had a number of parents contact the school and requested taking their children home. I was appreciative that these parents understood the importance of keeping everyone together and accounted for until we had been given the all clear by the CFS, which happened around 1:15pm. Special thanks to the local police and the local CFS for their prompt and professional approach to this situation, it was very much appreciated. School Uniform Update: Governing Council ratified our new uniform policy at their meeting on Tuesday 21st October. 2015 will be an interim year. The new uniforms should be available for purchase at school in the week before school starts (Wednesday 21st January to Friday 23rd January). Parents were asked to place orders; however, we have ordered additional items, which will be sold on a ‘first come first served’ basis. There have been some minor changes to the whole school uniform for 2015, which will be emailed out in the next few weeks. I encourage all parents to read the uniform policy document carefully and let us know if you have any queries. Students moving at the end of the year: We are in the final stages of planning for 2015, which includes the allocation of students to classes, and the assigning of teachers to classes. If you know already that your child will not be returning to RDAS in 2015, I would appreciate if you could take the time to email me this information directly at: steve.bennett345@schools.sa.edu.au). This will assist us greatly as we finalise our staffing and budgets for 2015. School Banking School banking with Bank SA will no longer be available through the school, a decision that has been forced upon Bank SA due to the legislative requirement around the safe transportation of money. If this situation changes in the future, parents will be notified. The last day of school banking will be Tuesday 4th November. Please contact Jade at Bank SA on 08 8678 3200 if you have any queries. DECD Strategic Plan 2014 ‐2017 The Department for Education and Child Development’s new Strategic Plan 2014‐2017 outlines how our public education system will become even stronger over the next four years. The plan is a commitment to children, families and the community to improve learning achievement, health, wellbeing, child safety, community engagement, and access to services. We look forward to working together with you to make sure your children continue to be healthy, happy, and safe and are supported to do their best. For more information, visit www.decd.sa.gov.au/strategicplan RDAS Concert Nights
Please come and support the R‐2 and 3‐6 students as they celebrate the end of another fantastic year! 3‐6 Concert R‐2 Concert When: Monday 17th November Tuesday 18th November Time: 6:30pm 6:30pm Where: School Hall School Hall Hope to see you all there! School attendance, does it really matter??? Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind. Why it’s important we all want our children to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school on time each and every day, ‘every moment counts’. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of life. There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes. Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement. Getting in early Attendance patterns are established early – a child regularly missing days in kindergarten or in the early years of school will often continue to miss classes in the later years, and receive lower test scores than their classmates. It’s vital that students go to school every day – even in the early years of primary school. What we can do? The main reasons for absence are: Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference. It's vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term if it can be avoided. “Day off” – Think twice before letting your child have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – ‘every moment counts’ Truancy – This is when students choose not to go to school without their parent’s permission. There can be many reasons for truancy. The best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together. If for any reason your child must miss school, there are things you can do with your school to ensure they don’t fall behind: Speak with your classroom teacher and find out what work your child needs to do to keep up. Develop an absence learning plan with your teacher and ensure your child completes the plan. How to communicate: At Roxby Downs Area School we have strategies in place to support you in communicating with the school in regards to attendance. Each day at 11am, 12pm and 1pm (if you are on the phone at 11am it will automatically send you another at the next time for a total of three attempts for the day)an SMS is sent letting you know your child/ren aren’t at school and that we require reason for this. When you receive an SMS for your child we ask that you reply to the SMS with a quick text explaining where they are‐ eg sick, away for family etc. The number for attendance at RDAS is 0427016388 – you can send a message to this number at any time to give us details about your child/rens absence. Alternatively you can let your child’s teacher know via email, diary/contact book note or ring the front office on 86710011. It is a legal requirement that students do attend school and all absences need to have reason marked in on daily roll books – if reasons aren’t given teachers legally need to follow this up with you as the parent/carer. If you have any questions about this process please feel free to contact the school for further details. DID YOU KNOW? • Missing one day a week of school from Reception to Year 10 means missing two years and one term of schooling. • There is a direct correlation between attendance and achievement. • Frequent absences make it difficult for teachers who have to continually re‐teach information and skills. • Being half an hour late to school each day from Reception to Year 10 equals missing one year and one‐and‐a‐half terms of schooling. • Patterns of attendance/absence are set up in the early years of schooling. • Being absent five days a term from reception to Year 10 adds up to more than one year of missed schooling. • Students who are frequently absent from school are over‐represented in the juvenile justice system. • Girls are absent more often than boys. • Poor attendance makes it difficult for students to form positive relationships with their peers. • Students who are frequently absent from school are more likely to end up homeless. • Indigenous students are absent twice as much as non‐indigenous students. • Girls who are frequently absent from school are over‐represented in the statistics for teenage pregnancies. • Research shows that students who are often absent from school are likely to earn less than their peers as adults. (Taken from DECD Attendance improvement package www.decd.sa.gov.au ) If you or your child are having difficulties getting to school please contact us to work out strategies to help support you and your children, we are here to help. Thanks Beth Elliott R‐12 Student Counsellor Coordinator. Wellbeing W
‘Emotio
Art Gal
2014
During the Wellbeing Week in term 3 we ran an art competition from Reception to year 12 around the th
‘emotions’. Students work has been displayed in the library and the winners for the different categories are: Junior Primary: Lucy Ramsay, Lacey Fulkner Primary: Annabelle Kruger Secondary: Madelyn Best overall: Cassasndra Henry. The winners will be presented their prizes at the next year level as
Congratulations to all the students who won prizes and to all who participated in the exhibition. The gallery
left up until the end of week 7 so please come in and take a look at the talented art works the students fro
have created. ROXBY DOWNS SCOUT GROUP HALLOWEEN
FUNDRAISER - DISCO
Dress in Halloween Costume
(optional)
Friday 31st October
At the Roxby Leisure Centre
AUDITORIUM
Age Groups 5-10 – (5 -6.45pm)
11-15 – (7 – 9.30pm)
($10.00 entry fee) Prizes during the night
Tickets on sale, Market day 18th October
Mick’s message:
Hi everyone, hope you are doing well. First of all I want to say to the Year 12’s enjoy the journey ahead, as you finish one part of your life and start another. A quote by Walt Disney says this “If you can dream it, you can do it”. Take time to dream big in your life and allow those dreams to lead you down exciting paths. Another quote by Walt Disney says this: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”. Don’t just talk or dream about what you want to do with your life, begin planning out how you can make those dreams come true. Who knows, you may be able to do what people think is impossible! It's kind of fun to do the impossible. Walt Disney Michael Cantell RDAS Christian Pastoral Support Worker. Providing pastoral care and support to students, staff and families At school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Tel: 86710011 Email: Michael.cantell237@schools.sa.edu.au ROXBY DOWNS AREA SCHOOL
WEEK
1
MONDAY
Stage 1 Work
Experience
TERM PLANNER
TUESDAY
Stage 1 Work
Experience
WEDNESDAY
Stage 1 Work
Experience
13/1017/10
2
TERM 4
THURSDAY
Stage 1 Work
Experience
FLIIPSYDE
CLINIC
Stage 1 Work
Experience
20/1024/10
Stage 1 Work
Experience
Stage 1 Work
Experience
Governing Council
Meeting
Parents & Friends
Meeting 7.30pm
Staff Room
Immunisations
Year 8 & 9’s
3
27/1031/10
Stage 1 Work
Experience
R-6 Drumming
performance (free)
Stage 1 Work
Experience
STUDENT FREE
DAY
Year 12’s last
day/Assembly
BELS
MARKET DAY
SAT 18TH
Food & Music
Festival
RELAY FOR
LIFE
World Teachers
Day
Kindy Transition
3/117/11
R-6 Assembly
12pm
Life Education
Program R-6
Life Education
Program R-6
10/1114/11
Life Education
Program R-6
Parents & Friends
Meeting 7.30pm
Staff Room
6
3-7 Term time
swimming
17/1121/11
Governing
Council
Meeting TBC
3-6
CONCERT
NIGHT
Life Education
Program R-6
Kindy Transition
FLIIPSYDE
CLINIC
Year 12 Formal
3-7 Term time
swimming
3-7 Term time
swimming
3-7 Term time
swimming
Yr 6 Transition
R-2
CONCERT
NIGHT
Kindy Transition
3-7 Term time
swimming
Yr6 Graduation
Assembly
FLIIPSYDE
CLINIC
Kindy Transition
Yr 10’s Uni
Ready Whyalla
Yr 10’s Uni
Ready Whyalla
Yr 10’s Uni
Ready Whyalla
3-7 Term time
swimming
3-7 Term time
swimming
3-7 Term time
swimming
3-7 Term time
swimming
Student Voice
Pool Party
R-2 Pool Party
3-6 Pool Party
7-12 Pool Party
High School
Band
High School
Band
24/1128/11
3-7 Term time
swimming
7-12
ELECTIVES
MARKET DAY
SAT 15TH
Yr 11’s last day
7-12
Presentation
Night
7
1/125/12
RFDS Simulator
Visit
Sat/Sun
Melbourne Cup
4
8
Stage 1 Work
Experience
FLIIPSYDE
CLINIC
Kindy Transition
SACE
Art exhibition
opening night
5
FRIDAY
2014
R-12 Assembly
7-12
ELECTIVES
7-12
ELECTIVES
2pm dismissal
CHRISTMAS
PAGEANT