Magazine Articles

7-12 Campus

11 Callington Road, Strathalbyn SA 5255 Ph: 8536 2455

We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Nations of the lands and waters we live and work upon and pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and pay respect to both the Warki People of the Ngarrindjeri Nation and to the Peramangk people as the traditional owners of the land we share our R-12 School on today. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.

2020 Magazine cover

For this year’s magazine cover, I took inspiration and influence from the crazy year 2020 has been for everyone while focusing on two key areas being resilience and unity. The student has been centred in the middle of the canvas with only the eyes being framed by their colourful hands. This helps capture the meaning of resilience and unity by showing that doesn’t matter about your ages or who you are, everyone can capture and change the course of the future it’s in your hands.

By Rachael
Year 12 Student

Open Night/ Acquaintance Night

Wednesday the 19th of February saw the school’s annual Open Night and Acquaintance Night come together again for another year.

The staff and students put on a variety of interactive displays to demonstrate the learning that occurs on a daily basis and visitors were asked to join in.

Some amazing food was on offer in various parts of the site and the student leaders did an amazing job as tour guides. It was again a really successfully evening.

Inclusive Education and Wellbeing

Harmony Week

To celebrate cultural diversity and promote inclusivity, 7-12 campus ran a week long initiative called “Harmony through Harmonies” across Week 8, Term1 . Organised by Mr. Taylor and the radio team, “Harmonies through Harmony” immersed students in a celebration of international music from all corners of the globe. The message was simple, everyone belongs, and what better way to acknowledge the power of inclusive practice and multicultural connection than through music?

Bullying No WAY!

Friday March 20 was the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. As part of our commitment to stamping out bullying at EFS, we have created a short video of some really passionate students and what they think about it!

RUOK? Day at the 7-12 Campus

RUOK? Day was held across Australia on Thursday, 10th September, with the theme of “There’s more to say after RUOK?”. At the 7-12 campus, students took part in a range of activities, including a basketball tournament, face painting, art activities, and a find the Meerkat competition that proved to be a hit!

With the wellbeing of our students and staff being such an important part of our school, finding new ways to create awareness and begin discussions is essential to building a strong community with resilient individuals.

If you, or someone you know would like more information about RUOK? Day, or services to support someone that may need support, head to the website at:

Inclusive Education

Inclusive Education at the 7-12 campus

At the 7-12 campus we have Inclusive Education with some selected students to do extra curricular activities. One student in this program is Year 7 student Nate.

Over the past semester SSO Mel has been doing life skills cooking with Nate.

Nate has been selecting recipes with healthy eating choices. Nate is learning how to be safe in the kitchen and to follow a recipe with accurate measuring of ingredients.

Nate is very proud of his achievements as he is able to take some food home for his family and also get some feedback from staff who have sampled his cooking.

Nate is looking forward to being a regular part of this program.

Eastern Fleurieu School 7-12 GROWTH PROJECT

An Inclusive Education and Wellbeing initiative

The EFS 7-12 Growth Project commenced at the beginning of Term 2. The Growth Project is an additional program to help us in our mission to improve student wellbeing, school pride, classroom engagement as well as community contribution. In the garden students can feel safe, grounded, accomplished and develop their self-esteem. It is a calm environment where students can be mindful, connect with the earth, gain self-awareness, and enhance confidence. The EFS Growth project takes place each school day in lessons 5 and 6. The students selected for the program are given scheduled timeslots where they can come to the garden. They initially select a garden bed to prepare, maintain and grow produce. The produce can be taken home, used to make food or given to others. During this term students have helped to clear up the garden space, build greenhouses, create new garden beds and painting. They have also researched what plants can grow in different seasons and spaces.

This is what we have done so far...

The Growth Project began with a huge clean up. The transformation to date is incredible.

For Mother’s Day students had the option of gifting a plant for mum or a special person in their lives.

In Week 2 a worm farm was set up. Starting with a small number of worms, which are now thriving.

In Week 4 fruit trees were purchased using profits from garden sales adding to our growing collection.

In Week 7 we purchased 4 chickens to live in the garden. Students help to let the chickens out, feeding and maintaining their enclosure.

At the end of the term as a celebration of the student's achievements, contribution and effort, we will be cooking damper in the garden. Additionally, students will be given a collection of photos taken throughout their time in the garden.

As a staff member I have noticed massive improvements in attitudes towards school, class attendance and participation. Students involved have also had opportunities to develop positive peer interactions, teamwork, collaboration and problem-solving skills. It has been a privilege to contribute and witness the growth of the students involved. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year brings!

Throughout the year there will be garden produce available for purchase. Any additional profits from the garden will be used to purchase more plants and items needed to expand the growth project, in turn contributing to making our school an environmentally friendly zone. Produce available includes potted plants, seedlings, eggs, fruit and vegetables. We greatly appreciate those who have already supported the growth project, as it means a lot to EFS, myself and the students involved.

Regards,
Chloe Ward

65 Roses Challenge

On Wednesday the 16th of September 2020 a fundraiser called the 65 Roses Challenge was held at the EFS 7-12 Campus. This event was organised by Harry who is a year 11 student at EFS, who is fighting a chronic disease called Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. CF affects the cells that produce mucus in the body, causing it to be thick and sticky, which plugs up the airways in the lungs affecting the individual’s ability to breathe and providing a haven for bacteria to grow and cause infection. This condition is managed with multiple medications and daily physiotherapy, but sadly there is no cure.

For the past ten years there has been a fundraising event held in Strathalbyn, to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis SA. With the restrictions in place due to Covid-19, this event was not allowed to be held this year, so Harry decided to hold his own fundraising event. All students were allowed to wear casual clothes and people were encouraged to wear red, to show their support. There were 65 metre sprint races held with different races for each year level. The winners of each race got a prize, the choice of either a drink bottle or a cap and valuable house points! The other significant part of the day was a sausage sizzle lunch and bake sale, which was also well supported.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated goods and supported the day. Due to your support we raised $1,044! This money was donated to Cystic Fibrosis South Australia and will help families living with CF.

A massive thank you goes to the Student Leaders for their support, enthusiasm and help with organising the event and to everyone who participated.

Room 20

Indoor Products 2

This year I have been able to learn some life skills in Indoor Products that could lead to a job in the field of carpentry when I leave school.

I am currently making a grain chopping board. First, I was required to learn the safety aspects of the area I am working in and the machinery.

The tasks/skills that we did in Indoor Products 2 included:

1. TCT Sketch up using computers
2. Measurements - mm’s and cm’s
3. Machinery use – sanding machine, bandsaw, gluing, drills and safety aspects
4. Skills for life/job prospects
5. Wood quality
6. Different prices of wood

I am really grateful to be in this class and I love being a part of it. I am having fun and learning skills that I couldn’t imagine learning before. I hope that other people will read this and learn about some new things that you can try and some useful skills that you can acquire like I have.

Simon

Life Skills

How much do you love cooking with your friends? This year in Life Skills we have been looking at healthy eating and quick and easy food that we can cook ourselves outside of school. We have made: scrambled eggs, fruit and yogurt parfaits, smoothies, omelettes and pizza. We found recipes on the internet for the whole class make it. Every Wednesday we headed to the Home EC centre. You put your hair up (if you had long hair), then put on your apron and washed your hands with warm soupy water. Ms M asked some people to help get the equipment and ingredients out and then she explained what we were doing in that lesson. Then we cut up some of the ingredients. Ms M would choose people who were responsible enough to cook, then we would prepare the dish, put it in a bowl and severe it up on some plates. Afterwards, someone would fill a sink of water and dish washing liquid and start to wash some dishes. Then we would all wash our own dishes, dry them and put them away. Finally, we would wash the tables down to make sure that they are clean and ready for the next class.

Cooking this year has been really helpful for me because, being my last year, it has helped me to learn to look after myself after school finishes.

Alistair

Global Perspectives

As a class we learnt about cultural events in Global Perspectives, including, The Lantern Festival and La Tomatina.

The Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival or the Spring Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar. It usually falls in February or early March on the Gregorian calendar. It marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations

La Tomatina

La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the town of Buñol, in the East of Spain, 30 kilometres from the Mediterranean. During this festival, participants throw tomatoes and get involved in a tomato fight purely for entertainment purposes.

The event goes for two hours and then people will use hoses to clean the streets and all the people who are covered in tomatoes.

Lance

Integrated Studies

In 2020, Room 20 started doing procedures as part of our Integrated Studies course. We were able to write a free choice procedure. We learnt that a procedure has a title, ingredients/materials and steps. I chose to write one about how to do split hair dye your hair. Some of the other room 20 students chose to write about how to make slime, rocky road and cupcakes.

Aaliyh

STEM

In STEM this year we watched a video about recycling, which I enjoyed and found interesting. It explained where rubbish goes and the bins that you use for different types of rubbish. The yellow council bin is for recycling, but in our class, we recycle many different types of materials. We recycle: soft plastics, cardboard, bottles and cans and tins. We also learnt about which types of rubbish can be burnt on the bonfire and safety around this.

Thomas

Allied Health

In 2020 I started a course in Allied Health. I started this course because I want to work in aged care and then do a Diploma of Nursing in the future. I have been doing this course for a couple of weeks now and we have done a Communication unit and a Work Health and Safety unit. In our Communication unit we learnt about all the ways that you can communicate with different types of people, including people with hearing deficits and those who are visually impaired. We also learnt how to communicate with people through visual communication. I have passed all of the assessments that we have done so far, including the practicals. In our Work Health and Safety, we have been doing fire evacuations. We had to move all of the beds and wheelchairs out and check all of the rooms to see if everyone was out. That is what we have done so far, but I'm looking forward to what is to come and finishing the course.

Bella

Minecraft Club

Minecraft Club meet every Tuesday in the Internet Centre with Ms Maguire. Minecraft is a fun building game. You can have multiple players playing Minecraft at the same time.

You can have the Pocket edition on your phone and laptop, and Minecraft Education edition on your laptop.

There are skins to put on your character, some are: army, police, builders and Egyptians. There are hundreds of others. I use the normal skin and the builder skin.

There are also pigs, cows, horses, dogs, cats and chickens. You can even make hundreds of chickens rain down.

You can build: houses, safes, barns and you can live underground.

The tools that you have are: pickaxes, shovels, hoes, axes, swords, bow and arrows, plus many more.

The building materials that you can use are: wood and bricks and redwood.

You can explode people up and their houses.

The best thing about Minecraft is playing it. I would play every day if I could.

Adam

English

In English we have been working with Miss Densley on the ‘Words Their Way’, Jolly Phonics and Multi-lit programs. We have progressed from sorting pictures of short vowel sounds, to being able to write phonetical, three-syllable words. We have also learnt about the ‘ai’, ‘ee’, ‘ie’, ‘ow’ and ‘ue’ sounds. Throughout the year we have both significantly improved our sight words, as well as our reading fluency and accuracy.

Madi and Jemmison

Monarto Excursion

On the 23 October 2020, Room 20 and a couple of year 7’s went to Monarto Zoo. We went on a tour bus to all the different areas. The animals that we saw were: giraffes, meerkats, rhinos, cheetahs, lions, bison and deer. We had our lunch outside at the café. We had lots of fun at the Monarto Zoo and would love to back again as a class.

Aaliyh and Bella

Pastoral Care

Noah Raj – Pastoral Care

Hello everybody!

It’s amazing how quick school holidays came and went. Woohoo! Bring on 2020! 2019 has been a great year full of challenges but rewarding. I am stoked to continue this term as Eastern Fleurieu School’s (EFS) pastoral care worker.

I am excited to share this new year with the fantastic students and staff at EFS. I have already met many new faces and am keen to build more new memories and experiences for the year. 2020 holds heaps of potential for the student to learn and grow as well as celebrate some great wins in studies, friendships and life. Challenges and obstacles are bound to show up but as we learn to encourage each other and learn to be persistent we can find a new and better outcome.

My role sees me supporting students to learn and develop these attitudes that enable them to handle the difficulties they face while also being a listening ear. But the best thing I get to do is celebrate and have fun with the students enjoying school and life, building a healthy perspective on what they would like to achieve for themselves.

My days currently are Thursdays and Fridays every week. If you’d like to contact me just leave a message through the front office.

What an awesome start, have a great year everyone!

Regards,
Noah Raj
Pastoral Care Worker 7-12 Campus

Leticia Wise - Term 2

Hey Everyone,

My name is Leticia Wise and want to introduce myself as the new Pastoral Care Worker here at Eastern Fleurieu School (EFS) Strathalbyn 7-12 Campus. I am very excited about this role and the opportunities it will bring to support the young people of the Strathalbyn local area.

A little about me is that I grew up in Strath so I am very familiar with the area, but I am looking forward to meeting so many new people. With my two younger brothers and my parents, I grew up watching AFL football and every Marvel and every spy movie out there.

As the Pastoral Care Worker here at Eastern Fleurieu School 7-12 Strathalbyn, my focus is to assist the Wellbeing team with supporting students and I am excited to work with students through one on one support, classroom assistance and wellbeing programs that will be set up throughout my time here at 7-12. I am a very creative person who loves all things photography and performing arts so I look forward to being involved in these areas within the school and across the board with everything that happens in the school community.

I have been very appreciative of all the warm welcomes into the school that I have received and I look forward to meeting everyone at EFS 7-12 school. So if you want to introduce yourself, feel welcome to do so, let’s talk about different musicals you have seen, your favourite photo you have taken or your opinions on the future of Marvel movies.

Regards,
Leticia Wise
Pastoral Care Worker 7-12 Campus

Indigenous Education 2020

Reconciliation Week

The 2020 focus for Reconciliation Week is ‘In This Together’. The theme reflects the role we each individually have in reconciliation as we come together to build mutual respect and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, history and culture.

Wednesday the 27th of March marked the first day of National Reconciliation Week. Across our R-12 campuses students underwent activities providing knowledge and insight on the importance of this week to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as well as non-Indigenous Australians.

This began with an Acknowledgment to Country developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students from the 7-12 and R-6 campus followed by Home Groups completing activities that encouraged them to consider ‘the ways in which they recognise and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culture and history. These included Indigenous games and videos shared by community members and staff expressing how they engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, history and peoples. The students were posed the question what does recognition look like to you? Some student responses were;

“I support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by learning about them, listening to music and looking at art”

“I follow Indigenous people on social media and like watching Indigenous people like Patty Mills and Eddie Betts”

“I went on a school camp in Primary school to the NT where we stayed with an Aboriginal community. I made lots of friends with the local kids and was taught about the significance of their land and stories. I gained a strong connection and respect for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and their history.” - Ella

“Educating yourself and others is a very simple yet majorly effective gesture that can show your appreciation and understanding towards Indigenous Australians.”

Some ways you can be a part of Reconciliation Week at home could be:

• Deepening your understanding of our shared histories and cultures via Reconciliation Australia’s online learning resource ‘Share Our Pride’
• Read through testimonies of members of the Stolen Generation via the Australia Human Rights Commission
• Watch the short documentary The Apology to better understand why this moment is too important to many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Watch Rabbit Proof Fence or Radiance which both share stories of family, connection to land, and the impacts of removal.

“Here in Australia we’re fortunate enough to have one of the richest and oldest continuing cultures in the world. This is something we should all be proud of and celebrate.”

Dr Tom Calma AO

Indigenous Student Leadership and New Mural!

This week the Aboriginal Education Team elected our first ever Aboriginal Student Leaders. These leaders are focussed and driven to integrate more cultural awareness and activities within the 7-12 campus whilst being exceptional role models and the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at the 7-12 campus. In these positions we have year 11 student Tansy, year 10 student Jakyra and assisting them in their senior roles, and learning the ropes, is year 9 student Taihya.

Aboriginal Student Leaders - Tansy (left) and Jakyra (right)

In these positions these students will deliver an authentic voice whilst being provided opportunities to work closely with staff, as equals to bring about change and innovation. This program will be run again in 2021 electing new student leaders for that year.

Consequently, and excitingly this week these student leaders will work closely with Mrs. Gulliver and Mr. Taylor on their first project of a large school mural which will be located on the side of room 05. A highly visible location as individuals enter the school grounds. We have been fortunate enough to have been awarded funds for this project through The Awesome Foundation. This foundation consists of entrepreneurs and philanthropists who grant money to assist in creative and community projects.

Yarning Circles and Indigenous Student Leadership

Over the past few weeks during Term 3, our Indigenous Student Leaders have conducted their opening meeting with the 7-12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cohort. Within this gathering student were taken step-by-step through their first Yarning Circle, sitting around our own Garrima recycled mats designed by Aboriginal artist Christine Slabb.

Yarning circles are an important process within Aboriginal culture and Torres Strait Islander cultures. This method has been used by other Indigenous peoples from around the world for centuries. Participants learn from collective group responses, build respectful relationships, and preserve and pass on cultural knowledge.

The use of yarning circles provides opportunity for participants to come together and have safe meaningful conversations. Participants can gain an understanding of what matters to each member and to the group. This strategy is suitable for allowing participants to feel safe to speak and be heard in a respectful environment. Yarning circles are not about coming to a decision, they are about sharing perspectives and thoughts with each other on a particular theme (Ulyett).

Garrima recycled mats designed by Aboriginal artist Christine Slabb.

The aim of this meeting was to introduce one another and to provide an opportunity for students to say what they would like to see occur at our site to improve cultural awareness and inclusivity. Our students are eager to meet together regularly and have opportunities to connect with their culture as First Nations people. The Indigenous Student Leaders will be meeting with our Aboriginal Education Team to design a plan to implement these ideas during week 7 and conduct a second Yarning circle in the coming weeks.

Regards,
Chantelle Gulliver

Indigenous Education 7-12 – Big start to Term 4!

Term four has started off with a bang for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) students!

On the Thursday of Week 1, ATSI students began the first workshop in preparation for the upcoming mural which will be constructed on the wall of Room 06 at the 7-12 Campus. Students had the opportunity to work with Elizabeth Close, an Aboriginal Artist who is well known for her large-scale mural work throughout the Adelaide CBD and outer suburbs.

Within this workshop students heard about her influences, discussing how painting assists her to connect to her family and country. She then encouraged the students to consider what they wanted to reflect in this mural, considering themes and landscapes from the Strathalbyn area. Students developed an array of ideas, considering how to adapt these into abstract and simple shapes which can be used in within the mural design.

Each student was able to create their own artwork on acetate sheet, being projected on the Performing Arts wall to see the scale and how their imagery appears on a wall. Elizabeth has now taken all of the student ideas and will develop several final designs inspired by the work ideated by the students.

The ATSI students are then going to vote on these designs establishing the one that will be constructed later this term.

We are all very excited to see this come together later in Term 4!

NAIDOC Week 2020

NAIDOC Week normally celebrated in July, but instead being run in November, is held nationally embracing the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is not only celebrated by Indigenous communities, but by all Australians. Due to COVID-19 NAIDOC this year had to look a little different. In the lead up to NAIDOC Week the Indigenous Education Team were busy videoing a variety of performances and ceremonies to present to students and the wider community during the dates of the 8th to the 15th of November.

The first ceremony was conducted by the Indigenous Student Leaders, Tansy and Jakyra as they welcomed community and council members to witness an Acknowledgment to Country and Flag Raising Ceremony. The flag raising was conducted by two students from the 7-12 campus, Tom and Tait alongside Maddie and Claudia from the R-6 campus. This was then followed by a Smoking Ceremony conducted by Major Sumner, a renown performer and cultural ambassador of Ngarrindjeri arts, crafts, martial arts and traditional culture. A Smoking Ceremony is important, aiding to cleanse the area and the bad spirits, promoting protection. Major Sumner was then able to answer a variety of questions asked by students, community and staff gaining further insight into this tradition. The video was then presented on the Monday of NAIDOC Week, to begin the celebrations as a school but also being accessible to the wider community.

Throughout NAIDOC Week students were encouraged to embrace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture through viewing different performances. One in particular, videoed by Mr. Taylor was the performance by the Deadly Nanna’s. This group consists of eight talented women singing in both English and Ngarrindjeri.

To encourage greater awareness and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, Non-Indigenous students underwent a variety of activities during Student Responsibility and Care assisting to gain an understanding of what NAIDOC week is whilst focussing on the theme for this year ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’. Students underwent a variety of exercises developed by Ms. Linnett and Ms. Humphries, gaining an understanding of the importance of celebrating and acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and traditions. During this time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students underwent a workshop conducted by Freda teaching them the art of weaving. Students then enjoyed a lunch of Kangaroo Sausages cooked on the barbeque by Mr. Steele.

Although NAIDOC Week did look very different to that of last year, students were still able to engage, learn and celebrate the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Year 6 ATSI transition

Throughout Term four, several of the year 7 and 8 Aboriginal students were a part of a small transition program welcoming two year 6 students, in preparation for beginning year 7 in 2021. During week 1, these students assisted by Shaan Broadbent and Chantelle Gulliver, spent a Friday morning cooking Lemon Myrtle Biscuits. The students made a whopping 70 biscuits, which they then kindly gave to teachers to enjoy but not without returning to the R-6 campus with a paper bag full to enjoy themselves. This was then followed by painting in week 3, in which they learnt a variety of painting techniques and symbols, taking small artworks home. These sessions have allowed the students to make connections and build relationships with fellow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at the 7-12 campus therefore ensuring future contacts when they arrive in 2021.

The Rite Journey

The Rite Journey- The Departure

On Thursday evening during Week 5 in Term 1, our Year 9 students brought their parents or significant others to school for The Rite Journey Departure Ceremony. The night began with a presentation in the Performing Arts Centre, which was well hosted by Eric, Abbey and Charlotte. There were many student presenters throughout the evening, including students who read out their gratitude letters, as well as a fantastic music performance by the band, The Gap. The second part of the ceremony provided opportunity for students to share their gratitude letter with their loved ones. It was a very special moment and all families embraced this occasion.

The Rite Journey: The Calling

Term 1, our Year 9 students participated in The Calling ceremony as part of The Rite Journey. This provided students the opportunity to identify childish behaviours that they wanted to begin to let go of. They each recorded these behaviours onto a small river pebble and let go of it in a symbolically throwing into the river. These behaviours were behaviours they recognised, behaviours that limited their growth and ability to truly transition from a child to an adult.

The Rite Journey: Challenge Day

During Week 7, Term 1, our Year 9 cohort faced their fear of heights as they undertook a number of high rope challenges at Woodhouse Activity Centre. Some of the activities included zip lining, rock climbing, team building activities and many high rope challenges such as ‘The Leap of Faith’. The aims of the day were for students to get out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves, as well as effectively work as team to help their mates out. Students demonstrated excellent courage and commitment to the activities, which made for a very enjoyable experience.

The Rite Journey Camp Preparation

In Term 3, our Year 9 students have been busy preparing for their upcoming Solo Camp as part of the Rite Journey program. Lessons have included practising campsite set-ups, preparing team flags and logos for a Survivor Games Tournament, and practising solitude.

The Rite Journey Camp

During Week 10 Term 3, our Year 9 students headed to Monarto to complete their Solo Camp as part of The Rite Journey program. Students participated in a survivor games tournament on arrival, before heading out to begin their Solo experience shortly after lunch. The next morning students were treated to a delicious breakfast catered by Ms Stevens and Ms Wood’s Year 12 Food and Hospitality classes. Later in the week we celebrated completing the Solo component with an excursion to Latitude to enjoy some rock climbing, sky walking and performance trampolining.

EFS Sport

2020 Swimming Carnival

On Monday of Week 3, Term 1 a vibrant rainbow of Red, Yellow, Blue and Green arrived at the Strathalbyn Community Swimming Pool for the Years 7-10 Swimming Carnival of 2020. Led by the newly elected Student Leaders, participation and team building were the goal of the day. The morale and team spirit were evident, particularly in the relay events and water polo. There were lots of individual and team achievements throughout the day which was reflective of the teamwork and participation from all students and staff present.

A massive thank you to the Senior School Student Leaders who helped with the set up and pack of the pool! All leaders set the bar very high for the remainder of the year.

At the end of the day, despite a fierce comeback from Angas, Stirling were crowned the 2020 Swimming Carnival Champions and back-to-back winners.

Congratulations to our swimming carnival champions!

Stirling House Captains with the winning trophy!

Sports Day

Despite the forecast looking sceptical earlier in the week, a more perfect day could not have been predicted for the annual 7-12 Sports Day, which took place on Monday the 24th of February. Flinders began the day with an impressive house parade and did not take their foot off the pedal all day!

With the team events proving popular, the addition of a team Table Tennis event was a ‘hit’. Corner Spry, Football Relay Tug of War and Under and Over sparked interest from the crowd as many close finishes proved entertaining. Despite many different house winners and age group champions from an array of houses, Flinders managed to keep their pace and win the Sports Day Shield.

The lead up and the day did not go without more broken school records. Riley decided that his own records from last year needed refreshing, and refresh them he did! In three cases throughout the athletic events, Riley extended his previous records by large amounts and even managed to meet the state standard in U14 Hurdles. The biggest crowd of the day was seen with most students cheering Riley on to break his High Jump record under the COLA. Excellent work, Riley! Chloe also broke a record in the U16 Girls 1500m, bettering the previous record by two seconds!

Record breakers Riley and Chloe

The set up and organisation was again impressively led by groups of Student Leaders. Cody, Cody and Kayla decided to arrive before the sun and Miss Westley to help Marty with the behind the scenes muscle work before the day.

Thank you to all of the volunteer students and staff who worked tirelessly to make this an enjoyable event for all involved.

If you are interested a watching a video of our day, check out some of the highlights by clicking on the link below:

Flinders House Captains with the winners shield

Congratulations to our champions!

Open State Table Tennis Finals 2020

On Thursday July 30th the EFS Open Table Tennis team travelled to Woodville Table Tennis Club to take on the best of the best in the State wide finals. We were drawn in the toughest pool with last year’s runners up Immanuel College and the strong side from St George.

First up we took on the might of Immanuel who defeated us last year 6-18 to 0-0 so we knew were in for a stern test with three of their players also playing club table tennis. Rin, Jagga, Emmy and Darcy put up a brave fight before going down 5-16 to 1-8. We may have only got one win on the board but picked up sets in four of the six matches which highlighted the great progress made from last year.

We next played St George who Immanuel had drubbed 6-0 and our hopes were high of getting our first team victory of the day. St George jumped out of the blocks and quickly took a two match lead but the EFS crew didn’t give up! After Rin and Jagga won their doubles 3-0 it all came down to the final doubles with the winning team to progress to the play-offs for 4th to 6th. Emmy and Darcy gave their all but unfortunately went down 2-3 meaning that St George progressed after the games count back saw them victorious 12-11.

Defeat meant we were then grouped with Parafield Gardens and Unley High to play-off for positions 7th to 9th. First up was Unley, spearheaded by their #1 Michelle who is ranked third in Australia for her age group. Rin played a brilliant match against Michelle and took her to a deciding 5th set before eventually falling at the last hurdle. Steeled by Rin’s impressive performance, the rest of the EFS squad went on a rampage winning the remaining five matches.

The momentum from our fixture with Unley carried through against Parafield Gardens who we defeated 6-0. In perhaps the most dominant display ever witnessed in table tennis, Jagga won his singles 11-1 11-0 11-0! The comprehensive victory meant EFS finished 7th despite each team member finishing with a winning percentage of 50% or greater in both singles and doubles.

I am very proud of not only how Rin, Jagga, Emmy and Darcy played but also how they conducted themselves throughout the day. Great work team!

Mr Langhans

Southern Wins Silver

In the week starting Monday, 7th of August, netball teams from 40 districts around South Australia came together to compete in the annual SAPSASA state carnival. This year, due to venue and COVID restrictions, the carnival was separated into country and metro pools. The country girls, participating from Monday-Wednesday at Priceline Stadium, were split into two divisions. Our local Southern Fleurieu girls were placed in Division 1, and under coach Kelly White, were prepared to play some great netball across the week. Southern faced 9 highly competitive teams in their quest to be named the best country district in South Australia, dropping only two games for the week. The competition was very close, but after an important win over Northern, and a draw to Gawler, the girls were able to finish on 22 points, behind first placed Riverland on 25.

Selected from the Eastern Fleurieu School were Matilda, Lucy and Mia from the R-6 Langhorne Creek campus, and Rylei from the 7-12 campus. Rylei’s strength, determination and skill were key factors in the team’s success, being named as the most valuable player for the carnival. In addition to the players, two of our Year 10s, Delta and Jet, were selected to receive one on one umpiring mentorship by two of Netball SA’s top umpires, Bruce Stribley and Rebecca Ferguson. The girls learned a lot across the week, and were able to receive SACE points as a part of Stage One Self Directed Learning. A huge congratulations must go to these girls on their development and umpiring across the carnival.

Year 6/7 Girls Netball

A team of ten Year 6’s and Year 7’s across the Langhorne Creek, Strathabyn R-6 and 7-12 Campuses had an active two days of netball in Week 4, Term 3.

On Tuesday, 11th August, the girls attended St Francis de Sales College to play in the knockout competition. While they took a solid win against Mclaren Vale Primary, unfortunately they couldn’t quite beat the St Francis team, knocking them out of the competition.

On Wednesday, 12th August, the girls travelled to Victor Harbor to play in the Southern Fleurieu Netball Carnival. The cold wind and rain didn’t make a difference to the way the girls played! They were undefeated in all five games and took home the trophy!

An extra congratulations to Rylei for being selected in the Southern District Netball Team for 2020.

A huge thanks must go to Year 10 students, Jet and Prue, for giving up their time to umpire on the day.

Back row: Ashleigh, Maddy, Rylei, Grace, Mia, Tilly
Front row: Lucy, Ruby, Alannah, Levi

Open Boys Footy Team through to the Grand Final!

Term 3 has been busy with our Open Boys footballers, who have advanced to the Statewide Pool C Final after defeating Thomas More College and Kingston Community School at Tailem Bend Football Oval. We will now play Balaklava High School in the final at Thebarton Oval on Tuesday, 24th September in Term 3.

Open Boys Knockout Football Grand Final Winners!

The Open Boys Football Team were champions of the School Sport SA Knockout Competition in Pool C.

The boys won their way through to the Grand Final with victories against Kangaroo Island Community Education and Aberfoyle Park High School in Round 1 and Thomas More College and Kingston Community School in Round 2.

The Grand Final was played at a pristine Thebarton Oval in front of a growing crowd of spectators and AFL scouts. In overcast conditions the boys were fired up for the match up against Balaklava High School.

It was a tight tussle with the scores level at quarter time and half time. The boys were playing some free flowing, fast moving football with strong rebound from defence leading to scoring opportunities. EFS took a 1 point lead into the final quarter and with instructions to take the game on the boys worked hard to kick away and build a healthy 21 point lead deep into the final quarter. Balaklava kicked a late goal but the boys brought home the silverware with a 15 point victory.

It was a close, entertaining, and high standard of football with bright futures ahead for the participants. Isaac was awarded the medal for the best player on the ground with a big impact through the midfield and on the scoreboard and strong performances from Jesse, Daniel, Kosta, Mitch, Blake and many others. Captain Cody received the trophy and acknowledged the opposition, School Sport SA and the coaching staff, and commended the efforts of his teammates.

School sport is always a memorable experience when reflecting on your schooling and winning the Open Boys Football Knockout competition will be a memory the boys can hold onto and discuss for many years to come.

The boys were grateful to be assisted throughout the competition from footballing legends and coaches Brenton Roberts, 3peat Premiership captain and 2020 GSFL Team of the Year captain Curtis Perrey and 2020 HFL Team of the Year’s Mark Nielsen.

SAPSASA Year 7 Basketball

On Thursday the 22nd of October Leanne Martin & Ryan Haylock took some of the future basketball stars down to Morphett Vale to compete in the SAPSASA basketball carnival. The day started out with the boy’s team drawing their first match followed by a couple of wins and some close matches. The girls’ team had a very convincing win in their first game and ended the day playing off for third spot. After a hard fought battle the girl’s team came out victors, beating Goolwa and taking home third spot. Both teams played well all day and showed great sportsmanship along with representing Eastern Fleurieu School to a high standard.

Agriculture

First lambs for 2020!

On Friday, 1st May, Eastern Fleurieu School welcomed our first lamb for the season! This was particularly exciting as it’s the first lamb from our new Merino ewes, purchased from Stephen Koehler (Radnor Stud), late last year. The ewe is doing a great job and the little ram lamb is strong, inquisitive and drinking well. Our Alpaca (Latte) is taking his job very seriously and is reluctant to leave them alone.

The second lamb arrived on Thursday, 7th May, with no intervention required. With 10 Merino ewes in the mob, hopefully by the end of May, we’ll have a paddock full of healthy Merino/Border Leicester cross lambs.

Stay tuned!

Mother’s Day arrivals – coincidentally, on Sunday, 10th May, we welcomed three sets of twin lambs. Mothers and babies doing well!

Feeding the Lambs

In Room 20 we have been very lucky to have been given the chance to spend some time with two of the newest and cutest residents at the Strathalbyn 7-12 campus. Currently residing by day in the Agriculture area of the campus are a couple of 2-week-old lambs. Mrs Lisa Halling has done an amazing job of putting together a feeding roster for the new lambs, who are currently bottle fed, that has included the students in Room 20 who have three spots throughout the week where they are required to feed the lambs. Feeding and cuddling the lambs has been a highlight of the week for the students (and staff)! If all goes to plan the lambs will require bottles for another few weeks which is good news for us. For our class it has been great to visit Ag which is somewhere that we do not go to very often and for the Ag department they have been enjoying seeing a few new faces around.

Year 11 Agriculture – Pruning masterclass with Warren Burgess

On Wednesday, 29th July Year 11 Agriculture students travelled to Langhorne Creek for a masterclass with Warren Burgess, agronomist from VinoAgro. Warren spoke to students about a variety of topics including – addressing climatic conditions; innovation in irrigation; water management; re-development of his block; the transition to, and challenges of organic grape production; and pruning techniques.

It was a lot of information for students to digest in a short period. Considering we are re-developing our school vineyard, the information was particularly relevant and timely. Warren consulted at school earlier in the year and provided recommendations on removing specific rows and re-planting in spring. In support of our school, Mark Cleggett has offered to donate the Shiraz and Cabernet rootlings.

A big thank you to Warren, for your time and expertise……. and letting us loose on your boutique Shiraz! Thank you Marty, for driving us and thank you to the students – who were polite, engaged and an absolute pleasure to take out! We look forward to keeping the community up-to-date on the re-development of our school block.

Regards,
Lisa Halling

Novice Shearing and Wool Handling Course

In Week 3, Term 3, five students participated in the Novice Shearer and Woolhandler training held at Eckerts, Langhorne Creek. Clem, Jack, Sidney, Darcy and Mitchel completed the rigorous, 5- day course that introduced them to all aspects of working in a shearing shed. Each day, the shearing process was broken down into sections by instructors, Dave and Josh. The instructors demonstrated the technique and talked students through the complexities of each section.

Students first practiced with a “dummy” handpiece and then got straight into shearing the wethers. Arli worked with students on the wool handling side of the shed – which is where most people start. She taught them the different parts of the fleece, throwing the fleece, basic assessing of wool quality and using the wool press. All Eastern Fleurieu School students did such a great job and certainly gained a greater insight into the industry. They are excited to hopefully put these skills into practice later in the year, when the school merinos will be shorn.

The level of interest in this course was great. If you could not make this course or perhaps were too young (must be 16 years old), it runs each year, around the same time.

Regards,
Lisa Halling

Ag Team 2020 Schools Merino Wether Competition

Well done to our 7-12 Campus Ag team Dan, Prue and Lilly who made it through to the finals at the Schools Merino Wether Competition on at the Wayville Showgrounds. Eastern Fleurieu School are super proud of your efforts, competing against over 200 sheep entries!

The team also came away with the Development Award, after showing the most improvement in fleece and wool scores over the last three years.

Performing Arts

Greek Theatre in Year 7 Drama

In Term 2 we have been discovering lots of cool facts about Ancient Greek theatre. We have seen how ancient spaces used for performance are still used today, and the innovation of these early theatrical minds has given us many of the traditions we rely on for modern performances. During Week 2, we took some time away from our computer screens to make some tragic and comic masks. We enjoyed the mindfulness of this activity as well as creating something we were reading about and turning into a real-life prop. Well done Year 7 Drama!

Regards,
Beth Oxley-Cullen
Drama/Music Teacher

Senior Drama

The Senior Drama class have been working tirelessly on an upcoming production of Michael Gow’s play Away. Set in 1968 Australia, students have been interested to learn about and play with ideas that suit the context and main themes of the play, like love, loss, family and friendship. The ideas centre around many ways you can be “away”, some good and some not so good.

Year 11 Raven and Year 10 Caitlin in their roles as grieving couple ‘Roy’ and ‘Coral’.

Year 11 students Katelyn and Marty in their roles as father ‘Jim’ and daughter ‘Meg’.

We also had an amazing opportunity to participate in a workshop run by Tony Knight. Tony was the Head of Acting at NIDA from 1992-2011, renowned for coaching talent such as Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Sam Worthington, and many others. It was a fantastic workshop and the students really gave it their all. An experience to remember!

The whole group in workshop with Tony Knight.

Acting coach Tony Knight.

Languages

Indonesian Specialties with 8F

In their final week of Semester 1, 8F enjoyed making some Indonesian specialties namely Bakwan (Vegetable Fritters) and Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice). This cooking practical replaced the students’ usual cultural excursion to the Adelaide Central Market which could not be conducted as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

The students enjoyed the meal together as a celebration of their last lesson of Indonesian in Year 8, they also were lucky enough to learn from Nadia Sim our very own Indonesian SSO who makes the best Indonesian food! Enak sekali!!

English

News from English lessons

Stage 2 English is well underway! In Terms 1 and 2 Year 12 students are developing their analysis skills through a novel study and a response to the film Crash.

We are looking at a new novel this year, Celeste’s Ng’s Everything I Never Told You which explores themes about family life, culture and identity.

When connecting these themes with the confronting ideas about race in the movie Crash, students explore how the directors and writers can give their audience the experience of walking in others’ shoes and highlight the detrimental impact of prejudice and stereotypes on society.

The third text response task (which completes this part of the folio) is on hold as, unfortunately, our planned theatre excursion was cancelled due to COVID-19. But the students will be excited to know that I have other ideas up my sleeve – live theatre through the screen… or something?

For the rest of Term 2 students will be working independently on their externally assessed Comparative Study. Their enthusiasm has stepped up a notch, mainly due to the fact that they get to choose their own texts to compare. The range is really impressive this year and reflects the diversity of this group. Choices include political speeches, poetry collections, Hollywood movies, novels, TED talks and TV shows. They say “variety is the spice of life” and I can certainly vouch for this when marking thirty 2000 word essays! I’m really looking forward to seeing their insightful ideas.

Room 20 – Procedural Writing

During Term 2 in Room 20 we have been learning about the features of procedural writing, including: a title, materials, steps and accompanying images. In class we made slime, rocky road, jelly cakes and butterfly cakes in order to complete procedures for these. We are excited to share some of these with you to try at home.

Year 8 English – Procedural Texts

In Year 8 English, we learned about procedural texts including instruction manuals, scientific methods, and recipes. The students each created a recipe for ice-cream sundaes, and during the last week of term, we put the procedural texts to the test!

Kind Regards,
Miss Rodda

Child Studies

Paddock to Plate

Stage 2 Child Studies hosted Room 21 students from our Strathalbyn R-6 Campus on teaching them all about how their food gets from the paddock to their plate. The visiting students were even treated to some delicious treats that had been prepared by the Child Studies class.

Robotics and Systems

3D Printer

EFS has some wonderful technology, including two 3D printers, and Year 10 student Brodie put this tech to great use. After doing some research online, he found an attachment for an Xbox controller, which functions as a mini steering wheel. With some awesome help from Mr Neville, showing Brodie how to calibrate the printer and convert the files to use on our machines, he was able to create two different steering wheels.

After running the printer a few times for the different pieces, the final product is awesome! Well done Brodie, and a massive thanks to Mr Neville.

Robots and Design

Throughout Term 3, students have been working in small groups using Lego Mindstorms kits to make a variety of different robots and designs to overcome challenges. Students have worked hard to develop skills in both coding using the Ev3 software and building using the Lego pieces in their kits. Students have investigated how gyro, ultrasonic and touch sensors are used and their benefits. They have also used several different size motors and investigated how they can be applied in many different ways.

Food and Hospitality

Year 11 Food and Hospitality

During Term 2 our Year 11 Food and Hospitality class have been cooking Lentil and Carrot Soup and Crusty Bread as a part of their Modern Cafe Lunch assessment. Be sure try it yourself with the recipes we have attached for your enjoyment.

Year 7 Food Technology

The Year 7 Food Technology students completed a major cooking assignment and design task on bush tucker foods. In groups, students collaboratively planned, prepared and presented a picnic menu item that featured a native bush tucker ingredient.

Recipes included; Kangaroo mini pizzas, burgers and sausage rolls, wild passion fruit no-bake cheesecake, wattle seed and lemon myrtle cookies, honey chicken skewers and wild mint yoghurt dip with homemade naan bread.

Throughout the practical, students demonstrated excellent mis en place, safety and hygiene, time management, organisational skills and presentation skills. This design task provided students with the opportunity to effectively plan and problem-solve, as well as develop individual leadership and collaborative skills when working in the kitchen.

Regards,
Tess Maple

VET

VET Hospitality making beverages

Term 2 Week 5 VET Hospitality students undertook practice for the unit ‘Prepare and serve non-alcoholic beverages’. They each made a range of beverages, from mocktails to frappes and other iced delights.

Our wonderful VET Hospitality students spent Thursday the 4th of June in the canteen preparing, cooking and serving students and staff with delicious food, including soups, muffins, scrolls, sausage rolls for a gold coin donation.

I enjoyed spending the majority of the day in the canteen, as their assistant!

Tanya Wilson

Maths

Egg Roulette

Year 8 Maths students at the 7-12 campus have been looking into Statistics and Probability over the course of Term 2. To refresh students understanding of probability, Miss Linnett, Miss Jericho and Mr Diepgrond’s classes tested out their luck in a game of Egg Roulette.

At the beginning we started with a dozen eggs, where 4 of them were hard boiled whilst 8 of them had a runny yolk. Two students volunteered to play, taking it in turns to smash an egg on their head. Students stopped to record the probabilities of either getting a runny yolk or a hard-boiled egg after each round.

Students loved watching in anticipation if it was going to be hard or runny! It was the highlight of Week 7… for both students and staff!!

Stage 1 Essential Mathematics

Earlier in term 2, the Stage 1 Essential Mathematics class did a Folio task on Statistics. Students had to investigate the chocolate chips in two brands of cookies. Students had to compare the percentage of chocolate to biscuit for both brands. For each brand they also had to do the 5 number summary (minimum. Q1, median, Q3, maximum) for the weight of each cookie, number of choc chips found in each cookie and the weight of choc chips in each cookie. From this data students then produced box-and-whisker plots. Students were then required to discuss the findings of their mathematical results to state which brand was the better option. They were also required to discuss what assumptions there were, how reasonable their results were and possible limitations to their results.

Regards,
Adrienne Carter and Ryan Haylock

Stage 2 Essential Mathematics

Earlier in Term 2, the Stage 2 Essential Mathematics class did a Folio task for the Business Applications topic. Students had to investigate the mathematics of selling a product at a country market or other market-style location. Products included food (bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, brownies, burgers, chocolate caramel slices, cupcakes, French toast, muffins, omelettes, pancakes, pikelets, sausages), coffee, coconut bath salts, play dough, skateboards and guitars. Students had to cost the product and predict what they would sell it for. They were then required to carry out break-even analysis and calculate the number of products that needed to be sold to reach various levels of profit. Students then investigated the impact of changing the selling price, using cheaper or more expensive components or changing variables in their product. They were then required to discuss what assumptions they made, how reasonable their results were and possible limitations to their results. Most students discovered it would be hard work to make a decent profit selling products at a market.

Kind regards,
Adrienne Carter

Stage 1 Essential Mathematics

In Semester 2 the Stage 1 Essential Mathematics class covers the topics: Measurement & Energy; Earning & Spending and; Investing. All topics have a test and Earning & Spending has a cost of living assignment. This reinforces and leads into the real life maths covered in Stage 2 Essential Mathematics in Year 12.

Pictured are students working on the first topic Measurement & Energy where students cover concepts such as perimeter, area, Heron’s Rule, volume, capacity, mass, energy units, power and start ratings for electrical goods.

Kind regards,
Adrienne Carter

Stage 2 Essential Mathematics

During the first two weeks of Term 3, the Stage 2 Essential Mathematics class did a Folio task for the Investments and Loans topic. Students investigated strategies to reduce a home loan. To do this they were required to set the scenario for a person in their 20s: deciding on a job; what they might earn; and what their living expenses could be. From this, students had to decide what the person could afford to save and find a home for sale. They then had to calculate the minimum 20% deposit needed (to avoid an extra fee), the size of the home loan and decide on a time frame for the loan. Once students had decided on a bank or a building society’s home loan option (with no establishment fee or ongoing fees to reduce the complexity of the cost of the loan), they then calculated the minimum monthly repayment, the total cost of the loan and the amount of interest charged. Students then looked at strategies to reduce the cost of the loan, such as paying more per month; paying more frequently; pay more, more frequently; or paying a lump sum part way through the loan and the impact they had. Students then redid these options with a smaller loan (and a larger deposit). Students were then required to discuss the reasonableness and limitations of their results as well as the assumptions they made and their potential impact. The purpose of this task was to give students the opportunity to understand there are ways to reduce a home loan but that life throws many curve balls that can impact one’s ability to meet these financial goals.

Kind regards,
Adrienne Carter

HASS

Year 11’s Field Trip

On Wednesday, 4th March 2020 our Stage One Geography class visited two sites within the Adelaide Hills that were devastated by the 2019 Bushfires.

Our first stop was Golding Wines, where owner Darren Golding volunteered his time to educate students about the short and long-term impacts of the bushfire. Darren spoke about the smoke damage to existing grapes, damage to the vineyards, failure of existing fire management strategies, and how this event will continue to impact his vintage and business for years to come. Students were able to taste the affected grapes and walked around to see all impacts on the winery.

Our second stop was Scotsdale Farm in Woodside, that was also devastated from the bushfires. Students completed simple field work activities, accessed the damage and witnessed the work that is going into restoring local farms. Blaze Aid were busy restoring fences, tree cutters performing road side maintenance, and farmers working tirelessly to restore their paddocks, sheds and homes.

The students took a lot from the day and were overwhelmed from seeing the devastating affects. We ended the day with a visit to the local bakery, to do our best to support local (and to enjoy a yummy pie)!

Road Trip Break Out

7-12 students had the opportunity to participate in a virtual escape room in Week 1, Term 2. Both students learning from home and those learning at school could fly solo or team up to take on the challenge. By solving a number of puzzles student “BROKE OUT” of the escape room. In a race to the finish Diesel and Tait snuck in for the win followed mere minutes later by Mulokai. Students will have the opportunity to compete for the glory of being the escape room champion throughout the term. Week 1’s topic was a Road Trip and the games you play along the way. Students should keep their eyes on the Daymap bulletin for links to upcoming games.

Year Ten Physical Geography/Sustainability

Compared to recent years, Year 10 HASS has looked a little different in 2020, with students being able to select their preferred HASS subject to complete in Semester Two. The three choices, made by students at the end of Year 9, were Ancient Studies, Human Geography/Tourism and Physical Geography/Sustainability.

In Physical Geography, students have spent time looking at Indigenous Land Management, and how these techniques can be adapted and used to improve environmental issues in Australia, such as bushfires and overgrazing. Before moving onto their Coastal Studies unit in Term 4, students have just completed their visions for Strathalbyn in the year 2040.

After watching the 2040 documentary as a class, students worked in teams to research the main themes of the documentary, completed fieldwork to receive real life data on the issue, and worked on presenting a solution specific to their local community. Topics covered in the presentations included agriculture, transport, energy, resource use, ocean quality and food waste. All groups used creative techniques to present their solutions and completed their assignment to an excellent standard.

Check out the following presentation from our Transport group Ev, Jess, Brooklyn and Shelby:

Regards,
Kelly White

Science

Year 8 Science - Cells

In Term 1 in Science the Year 8 students have been researching cells. We have learnt that all living things are made out of different types of cells. To show their understanding the students were asked to make a specific type of cell. Sam created a nerve cell out of fruit. Each piece of fruit represented a part of the cell with the rockmelon as the cell body. Well done Sam.

Year 11 Physics

Over the last few weeks, the Year 11 Physics class have been investigating projectile motion by launching bottle rockets.

Projectile motion is the behaviour of objects as they move through the Earth’s atmosphere. Understanding how objects behave during flight is important in many areas of study – everything from designing more fuel-efficient aircraft to improving the design of sports equipment.

The design of the rockets was based around a simple plastic bottle with a weighted nose cone and fins added to improve stability. Water under pressure was used as ‘fuel’ to launch the rockets.

The students measured the time of flight and the distance the rocket travelled and used this data to calculate the launch speed and the maximum height that each rocket reached.

There were some very impressive launches this year, with several rockets breaking the 30-metre maximum height record and achieving launch speeds of over 90 km/hr.

As water escapes the bottle, it exerts a force down onto the ground. The ground exerts a force back on the rocket, launching it skyward.

Multimedia

Multimedia with Ms Macaulay

In Multimedia, my year 9 class is doing a great job at learning some new photo shopping skills to create their own artworks. We are learning about how to manipulate photos and existing images as well as creating our own landscapes in monochromatic colour pallets.

In Year 11 Photography, students are getting well underway with their photography skills folios where they are learning new photography tips and tricks, like how to style and light a photo shoot, as well as honing their existing skills to create some incredible images.

Kind Regards
Ms Macaulay

Multimedia in term 4 with Ms Macaulay

The last few weeks have been very busy in Multimedia with the year 12’s finishing their final projects! Students have created a range of projects from magazines and photography to film and brand development. Despite a very challenging year, everyone has worked so hard to create something polished and unique.

The Year 11 digital photography class have been honing their manual photography skills as well as their digital manipulating skills in preparation for completing their major photography task. We have two classes this year and a range of concepts that will be explored through the photography process.

Year 10 multimedia have just finished their major design folios where they were asked to develop the branding for a company of their choosing. We explored how to best appeal to a particular audience and also used the vinyl cutter so that students could transfer their logos onto their own t-shirts.

Year 9’s have been introduced to a range of Photoshop skills and have just finished off learning the basics of photography composition such as leading lines, rule of thirds and fast and slow shutter speed. They are now applying these new skills and will be planning and shooting a front cover for a magazine that they will be designing in the upcoming weeks!

Kind Regards
Ms Macaulay

Research Project

This year’s Year 11s have once again completed the compulsory Research Project. This subject enables students to investigate a topic of their choice while developing important research skills such as locating sources (both primary and secondary) , validating the process used, judging how credible the author/organisation is and how reliable the information is by cross-referencing it with other credible sources. Being able to critically analyse the information they find is an important skill in life, particularly as anyone can publish information online.

An overview of how this subject is assessed and what students need to produce about the topic they investigated, there are 3 assessment tasks:

Folio (30%) which covers planning their question, planning processes to find information, analysing the best of each process used, reflection on Capability developed & reflection of skills & knowledge developed. (10 pages)

Outcome (40%) Answer the question developed for the topic chosen, detailed referencing, clear & coherent presentation. (RP ‘A’ 1500words/10mins max or RP ’B’ option is 2000words/12 mins max)

Evaluation/Review (30%) Reflect on how the Folio & Outcome went. (1500 words)

For this year’s Year 10s we are planning to hold an information session about this subject and to start them planning a topic/question over the summer holidays, ready to start next year.

Here are some questions other students have researched:

• To what extent does immigration detention affect refugees psychologically?
• Should caffeine be an illegal performance enhancing drug within professional short distance sporting athletes?
• How has certain musical genres impacted upon significant social movements within the 21st Century?
• To what extent is utilising a business plan specific to the fitness niche essential while developing a small group and personal training business?
• To what extent are women now better supported in Australian agriculture?
• To what extent do genetics and environmental factors play a role in forming differences in sibling personality?
• To what extent does feminist art accurately reflect contemporary art trends?
• Should Australia start buying Australian farmland and infrastructure back from foreign countries?
• To what extent are humans impacting the environment?
• To what effect does a plant-based diet impact on sporting ability and physical fitness?
• To what extent did Florence Nightingale influence sanitation?

Kind regards,
Chantelle Gulliver, Mandy Melville, Alex Campbell-Wilson & Adrienne Carter

FLECS News

ROCK PAINTING AT FLECS

Students and staff have been enjoying this new activity.

So much creativity in their designs and ideas. Some have been making these as gifts for family or friends and some have been left within the FLECS space for others to enjoy. One things for sure, it brings a lot of smiles.

I now have a rock painting obsession. - Jordan

It’s really calming and relaxing to paint rocks. - Josh

So awesome seeing all the creativity that comes from the students and brings up some interesting conversations. - Case Manager

FLECS students are “learning through doing” with The Duke of Edinburgh Award

So what is the Duke of Edinburgh Award?

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a youth development program, empowering young Australians to explore their full potential and find their purpose, passion and place in the world, regardless of their location or circumstance.

What’s involved?

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is comprised of three levels (bronze, silver and gold) with each level being more challenging. FLECS students are working on their bronze level, which will take 6 months to complete and is worth 10 SACE points. Each person must learn a skill, improve their physical well-being, volunteer in their community and experience an overnight team adventure in a new environment. FLECs students learn new skills by doing activites including learning to cook, taking courses, painting, photography, drawing, gardening, working on farms and much more. They are improving their physical health through yoga, walking, skateboarding, scootering, boxing, lifting weights, working out and team sports. Students are volunteering their time in the community and at home (due to Covid 19), taking on responsibilities that they wouldn’t normally do. They will finish their bronze award with an overnight camp at Monarto Zoo.

What do they hope to achieve?

• Being equipped and empowered to achieve their personal best
• Learn to take responsibility for their goals and choices
• Make a real difference to society through their positive contributions and involvement
• Learn to persevere and overcome barriers to success
• Learn important life skills
• Increase their career opportunities

Cooking Around the World

At FLECS we are doing a Community Studies program in Term 3 and for the semester called, ‘Cooking around the World’. Each week the students choose a different focus country and select a range of dishes to cook and share. This program has been beneficial to the students’ engagement and confidence in cooking a range of dishes and cooking techniques. The students have shown that they can work in a team, calculate measurements and try new foods. We have cooked foods from countries such as Greece, Mexico, India, China, Thailand and Italy.

Regards,
FLECS

Young Citizen of the Year

Congratulations to Ebony, who was presented the Young Citizen of the Year Commendation on Australia Day, from the City of Victor Harbor.

Ebony was a part of a group who won a Local Drug Action Team Grant to provide a ‘natural high’ event in Strathalbyn. The event is aimed at engaging youth and promoting a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle.

Well done Ebony!

School Awards

We wish to congratulate those Students who received Academic and Home Group Awards on Wednesday the 22nd of July.

We also wish to congratulate Laura Webb from Middle Years and Ryan Diepgrond from Senior Years for your creative home group awards film clip that was presented in home group.

International Education

Thank you and goodbye

What a year. A lot of people told me to just say “it´s been real” do a mic-drop and leave but that wouldn´t even come close to describe how incredible the past eight months have been.

I learnt so much about different cultures, believes and traditions and about myself. It made me feel quite small at times. And not only because I am barely five feet tall but because it made me recognise how big the world really is and how little I know about it.

I met so many amazing people over here; and because I knew nothing about anything when I first came over I made friends (or at least I hope I made friends :) ) with all sorts of people.

Hearing all those conflicting stories about who annoyed whom in year seven and why some groups don´t talk to others made me realise how similar we all are. We all have our truth that we live by. We all have values and we have traditions. But in the end…we are all just human and we are all just trying our best. I think it is really important to remember that, especially during these very stressful and complicated times.

I really just want to say thank you. Thank you Eastern Fleurieu School for this extraordinary opportunity. Thank you to all the amazing people I have met, which have been so open minded. Thank you to everyone who saw me for who I am instead of just as “another exchange student”. Thank you to my incredible host family, my remarkable friends and this gorgeous country (and Strathalbyn in all its glory).

I will miss this so very much, it is hard to comprehend. Thank you.

Kind Regards
Laeticia Diehl

Library News

A Novel Idea

‘Aside from the sheer joy of exercising the imagination, research shows reading for pleasure improves literacy, social skills, health and learning outcomes,’ National Library of New Zealand.

To ensure we have books students want to read, the 7-12 Library allows students choose the novels bought. A bookseller from St Georges Books in Adelaide visits us approximately once a month with a display of new releases. Students can also request novels.

Puzzles

Like many school libraries, we offer activities for students to participate in during breaks. Students have access to games and puzzles as well as books to read. Again this year, students have started working on a jigsaw puzzle. Any student is welcome to come in before school, recess or lunch to work on it.

A Puzzle Term 2 Week 9

A new jigsaw has been started. It is based on a photograph taken along the Great Ocean Road. Different groups have a go at putting in pieces at different breaks throughout the day.

The importance of School Libraries

There is extensive research both nationally and internationally that clearly demonstrates that students need school libraries and libraries with qualified staff. In July an article by Dr Margaret Merga in the Journal of Library Administration was published titled “How Can School Libraries Support Student Wellbeing? Evidence and Implications for Further Research”. The school library is a safe haven, a place students can be themselves and explore their own interests and passions and where they are valued for who they are. Librarians know the importance of developing collections that are both printed and electronic to meet student academic and recreational needs which act as a mirror into their lives and a window into the lives of others. This makes our school libraries a valuable space in our schools.

This is a resource where you can look for video content by:

• Subject (Australian Curriculum)

• Year level
• Topic
• Type (movie documentary, TV show)
• Classification (G, PG, M, MA)
• (there are also quizzes, which you can search for by year level & topic)

Privacy and security online

Information is important. The more digital tools students use online, the bigger their digital footprint, the more information others can access about them. Although students are reminded regularly to be careful what they post online, their activities contribute to their own and other’s “uncontainable self” (Barbour & Marshall, 2012). To manage this, students should regularly search their online presence. Search engines such as https://duckduckgo.com/ can help stop personal details being left when doing searches online. This search engine has been recommended to Teacher Librarians by SCIS, the Schools Catalogue Information Service, a service school libraries use to catalogue collections.

Term 3 Week 6

Activities in the Library

The jigsaw of the coastal view of the Great Ocean Road was finished recently, see the progress in the photos.

Now a new jigsaw has been started.

Term 3 Week 9

Trend setting Non-fiction

The non-fiction section of the Library is arranged to reflect the Australian Curriculum rather than pure Dewey. A large number of schools have seen this as the new way to organise non-fiction and since we did this rearrangement about 9 years ago many schools have contacted me or visited to see what we have done.

Jigsaws

Jigsaws have been popular. One has been finished and another started since the last newsletter.

Changes at EFS 7-12 Campus 2020

The Old White Shed

When students returned to school on Tuesday, 28th January 2020 the landscape had changed dramatically.

The building affectionately known as ‘the old white shed’ had been demolished in preparation for proposed new buildings to allow for the growing population of Strathalbyn and surrounds.

While not heritage listed the shed had an interesting past…

It began its life as a ‘Farm Mechanics Shed’ at Strathalbyn High School. It was built in 1927. The subjects taught were carpentry, sheet metal work, leather work, rope work, milk testing and agriculture. The first teacher to conduct a lesson in the shed was Mr Harold Virgo who taught at the school from 1929 to 1959. Mr Virgo was a versatile tradesman who lived in the house next to the school. The ‘new’ Tech Studies building was built between 1970 and 1972 and the shed then became the Activities Room then eventually the Drama Room. It has since been a Phys Ed weights room for circuit training, sports change rooms, and more recently a general classroom and learning support area.

Prior to demolition there were several HazMat inspections undertaken and, despite the shed being built 92 years ago, it contained no hazardous material. The concrete slab was in relatively good condition however the corner posts were rotted at ground level and the walls were only held up by the framework.

NEW CLASSROOMS FOR EXPANDING ENROLMENTS

Another building providing two classrooms (Rooms 49 and 50) has been delivered to 7-12 Campus and placed along the edge of the back oval to the south of the Performing Arts Centre.

The design is similar to the other two transportable buildings (Rooms 45-48) that were delivered in April 2019 and, in keeping with a master plan for 7-12 grounds, all the transportables match the design of the specialist buildings completed in 2015 – Performing Arts and Food and Textiles/Science.

The building came from AUSCO’s facility north of Adelaide and transported via Sedan and Murray Bridge - a trip taking about 4 hours instead of a trip on the South East Freeway that would have taken about 90 minutes because of one bridge on city end of the freeway that is too low for trucks carrying loads such as these buildings. From a safe distance students watched Rooms 49 and 50 as they were craned into place in 3 parts just before the July school holidays. The crane and trucks had to carefully manoeuvre across our back oval that was so wet from winter rains that one truck had already become bogged and needed to be towed out.

The classrooms were occupied from Week 2 of Term 3. As our school was the first of many to have a building of this type delivered under the Government’s stimulus package we have had a steady stream of visitors to inspect it including corporate staff from the Education Department’s Asset Services, Infrastructure Department, Across Government Services, Project Managers and Architects.

Negotiations have been underway around the next facility to be built at 7-12 Campus where “The Old Shed” stood between Admin and Tech Studies. This will provide another domestic Home Economics room and two Science Laboratories, all of which can also be utilised as general classrooms. It was hoped this building would be underway by now but the negotiations with the Education Department have held up the process and we expect it to go ahead by Term 4.

An artist’s impression of the building featured in a recent edition of an Education bulletin and can be viewed via this link:

Kind Regards,
Becky Hawkey

The 7-12 Campus Canteen has a new location

On Thursday, 13th August, the ‘Canteen Shop’ began serving from its new location, at the front of the 7-12 Campus just across from Student Services.

The ordering process remains the same and EFTPOS is still available.

Access will only be from the side door under the verandah on school grounds, with no access to the public.

Thank you for your patience while the Canteen Staff settle in to the new space.

Watch for new and exciting menu items over the coming weeks.

Farewell to Penny Toy

As Term 3 draws to a close I would like to take this opportunity to farewell Ms Penny Toy and thank her for the years of work for the students, community and staff of Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School and wish her luck in her new pathway as a VET Advisor.

We celebrated Penny’s 16 years at Eastern Fleurieu School, with a combined celebration with the Year 12 students for the Year 12 Morning Tea on Friday, 4th September.

Formal Article

2020 was not going to be an easy year for anyone, especially for a group of Year 12’s trying to organise their formal. but the committee have outdone themselves. With the help of Mr Rofe, Ms Rosser and SSO Lauren, this year’s formal will be a very special night to remember!

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