Urrbrae Agricultural High School
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Urrbrae Agricultural High School
505 Fullarton Road, Netherby 5062
Ph: (08) 8274 7455 Fax: (08) 8274 7499
Email: dl.0798.admin@schools.sa.edu.au
http://www.urrbraehs.sa.edu.au
FROM THE PRINCIPAL August 2019| 5
This is our first newsletter for Term 3 and it is hard to believe that the year is already halfway over. This term is very important to every
Urrbrae student, given that it forms the basis of subject selection for 2020. A number of parent information nights will be held early this term
to enable both students and parents to make informed decisions about future pathways. If there is one thing that we have found to be true
over the years, it is that the more energy that is put into subject selection the greater the student outcomes. We strongly urge students to
think carefully about subject choices before entering them online. If you have any specific concerns or would like to talk through the process
you are more than welcome to contact the school at any time.
Science and Engineering Challenge
Urrbrae was delighted to announce that our talented Year 9 & 10 students won the Science and Engineering Challenge at Flinders
University at the end of last term. Next step: the State Championships in August. Many thanks to Ms Bag, Mr Brook and Ms Pakos for all
their hard work behind the scenes.
SALA
Urrbrae has taken an active part in the South Australian Living Arts Festival this year, with an Art Exhibition taking place in our STEM
Centre from August 2-August 5. Ms Suzanne Grist has done a wonderful job of organising this event, which has showcased some amazing
art works created by both students and community members.
Colour Classic Alpaca Show
Congratulations to Year 9 students Lucinda Trenorden and Louise Guy for competing at the recent Colour Classic Alpaca Show in the July
school holidays. Lucinda won the Junior Handler and Junior Judging and was Runner Up Junior Parader Champion. Louise finished 2nd in
both Junior Handler and Judging. As a result of their efforts, Urrbrae was presented with the Most Successful School award.
Suffolk News
One of Australia's most recognised Suffolk Breeders, Helen Shultz of Pine Ridge Suffolk Stud, presented a very informative workshop to
over 50 students at the end of last term. Topics included selecting rams and ewes, judging strategies, fleece preparation and understanding
common faults of sheep. The students and staff involved very much appreciated the opportunity.
Continuing on with Suffolk news, Urrbrae excelled at the Australian Sheep Show held during the last weekend of the school holidays. Our
Suffolk Stud sheep were shown at Bendigo, achieving outstanding results including First Place Ram and Second Place Ewe. Our students
also attained excellent results in the National Handlers Competition with First, Third and Fifth places. Thank you to our Sheep Club
students and their families who represented Urrbrae at this pinnacle event so professionally. Urrbrae was the only SA school at this, the
world's largest Sheep Exhibition. Many thanks to Mr Fleming, Mr Templeman and team for these outstanding results.
Urrbrae Ensemble Night
Urrbrae Ensemble Night took place at the end of last term in the Urrbrae Hall, where the audience was entertained by some outstanding
performances. Many thanks to Mr Symes for the enormous amount of both time and effort he puts into getting the best out of our Music
students. Well done also to each and every performer... it was a wonderful night.
Year 8 Debating Grand Final
Year 8 English students held their Debating Grand Final, between 8G3 (Ms Marschall) and 8M4 (Mr Millburn). All speakers did an
outstanding job and are to be commended for their excellent public speaking skills. Congratulations to 8M4 on their final victory.
Wetlands Open Day
The Environmental Focus Group did an amazing job helping the Friends of the Urrbrae Wetland welcome a record number of visitors at the
recent Open Day. Students ran various workshops about the importance of urban wetlands. There will be another Open Day on Sunday
11th August to celebrate National Science Week.
Masa Quiz Night
The Mathematics Association of SA’s annual interschool quiz night took place at Urrbrae on Wednesday August 7. This year saw a record
number of participating teams from both public and private schools (44 teams from 6 schools). Many thanks to Mr Mike Nordin and the
Maths faculty for their organisation of such a successful evening.
Joslyn Fox, Principal
SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS
Well, Term 3 was off to a flying start with many Year 12 students having their mid-year exams in Week 1. Although some looked very
stressed, most agreed that it was good practice for the end of the year exams and that it wasn’t too bad.
This term sees a lot of activities for Senior Students, Year 10 students are in the final days of choosing their Year 11 subjects and the Year
11 students are also in the process of making their all-important selections for Year 12. For some this is an easy decision, however some
students remain unsure or torn between two of their favourite subjects. If your child is struggling to make a decision, or just wants to chat to
someone about their selections, please encourage them to talk to one of the course counsellors listed on the letter sent home or one of
their teachers about their choices.
Year 12 students have had a number of University and TAFE speakers attend and they now have access to a variety of course information
booklets as well as the SATAC Guide as they look towards their future if university or TAFE is the pathway for them. Applications for
University entry opened through SATAC on Monday 5th August and students have until 30th September to put their preferences in (before
the fees increase). There will be a SATAC information evening for parents and students on Wednesday 21st August in the Hall at 6:30pm
and there will be a SATAC Student Seminar on Monday 26th August in Lesson 4 also in the Hall. To help students make more informed
decisions we highly recommend that they attend the University Open Days and talk to people from the courses they are interested in or
just get a feel for what is on offer at the three major universities.
Flinders Open Day – Friday 16th & Saturday 17th August
UniSA – Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August
Adelaide University – Sunday 18th August
Year 10 students attended a Careers Expo on Friday 2nd August at the Tonsley TAFE/Flinders University Campus. The Expo highlighted
the myriad of career pathways that are available for young people through not only university and TAFE, but also through the Defence
Force, Motor Trades Association and many other training providers and businesses. Many students came away with some new knowledge
to inform their choices about future subjects and career pathways.
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X.
Michelle Rowe, Year 10 Coordinator
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
In reflecting on Semester 1 results from reports, it was pleasing to see such a high level of achievement and also improvement amongst
our Middle School cohort. I look forward to students striving for their best at Urrbrae in Semester 2 as well. A letter regarding uniform was
sent out with reports as well and we ask for your continued support in full compliance with the school uniform policy.
We are well under way with the 2020 subject selection process and it has been great to see Year 9 students enthusiastic about planning
for Year 10 and beyond. A reminder that there is a scheduled Parent Information evening on Tuesday, 13th August at 6:30pm for parents of
Year 9. Year 8 students will receive information shortly about how to choose their Year 9 electives and the process with Web Preferences.
In other news, Mr Z and I were thrilled to see Year 8 students participating and performing so enthusiastically in their dance groups as part
of their Dance unit in HPE. Congratulations to all students and the HPE faculty for their collaboration and team work!
Stephanie Johnston, Senior Leader, Middle School
Allstate Solar your local specialist throughout SA for over 10 years are proud to have an association with Urrbrae Agricultural High School.
We invite everyone attending the September Barn Market to visit our display and while there, speak with one of our solar experts on solar
installations, battery storage and the SA Home Battery Rebate Scheme. The display will feature information on the latest solar technology
and the TESLA Powerwall 2.
AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
Late in Term 2 a group of super enthusiastic Year 9 and 10 students competed in the Australian Science and Engineering Challenge held
at Flinders University. The challenge is a nationwide STEM outreach program presented by the University of Newcastle that focuses on
inspiring students to consider a future career in science and engineering. It’s a day of fierce competition amongst private and public
schools, where students are tested on their critical thinking for a complex changing world. Some of the activities involved working in teams
to problem solve and build bridges, design and operate bionic hands and use codes to send secret messages along fibre optic rods.
A huge congratulations to our Urrbrae students for winning the competition on the day and being only one of eight schools from South
Australia to qualifying for the State Finals held later in August. If successful on the day we have the possibility to compete in the National
Finals held later on in the year in Western Australia. Nisha Bag, Mathematics Teacher
AUSTRALIAN MATHS TRUST
Urrbrae Year 9 student James Martin has recently completed the 2019 digIT
outreach program run by the Australian Maths Trust. The program is
designed to inspire, encourage and increase students’ confidence and
interest in using digital technologies, exposing students to the many study
and career options available, not just the ‘geeky’ core industries of
Information Communication Technology (ICT).
The two residential camps were held at the University of Western Australia in
January and July 2019 and students were guided and supported between
camps by engaging in the personal mentoring program. The camps focused
on algorithmic thinking by developing students’ problem solving and coding
skills moving students from technology consumers to creators. Students
made new like-minded friends, were exposed to outstanding role models,
undertook practical tutorials in programming, robotics and web design, while
deepening their understanding of what their future may hold in the field of ICT. Congratulation to James for being selected to attend this
invitation only experience. Mark Ward, Assistant Principal, Learning Improvement
2019 HUMANITIES GEOGRAPHICAL SUCCESS
Congratulations to our Year 8C7’s classes and the Year 11
students for achieving success in the 2019 Australian
Geography Competition.
This competition is run by the Royal Geographical Society
of Queensland in partnership with the University of
Queensland, Macquarie University and Monash University.
Sixty students from UAHS entered this year’s competition
achieving 3 High Distinctions, 5 Distinctions, 4 Credits and
participation certificates.
Walter Reyes, Humanities Teacher
ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS GROUP
The Environmental Focus Group finished up the Term 2 with some wonderful activities that involved some very interesting learning as well
as sharing their knowledge with many members of the local community.
PARTNERSHIP DAY WITH MITCHAM VILLAGE KINDY – 18TH JUNE
This was a new initiative organised by Liesl von der Borch from Mitcham Kindy Village where members of the EFG were invited to a
partnership day.
The following Urrbrae students
Kira Beaubois Liam Key Jessica Armstrong Hayley Wellington Savannah Guthrie
Jordan Norman Mimi Johnson Sam Boardman Sebastian Rogers Riley Warwick
met the Mitcham Kindy Village students at Brownhill creek and explained to them why the native plants were being planted along the Creek
-line to improve the creek ecosystem. We then all walked back to their kindy where they showed our students the planting they had done.
The Urrbrae students also learnt some indigenous words along the way. A lovely experience for both kindy and high school students to
share their learnings about how we can care for the land and respect for the local indigenous culture.
URRBRAE WETLAND OPEN DAY – SUNDAY 23RD JUNE
Environmental Focus Group students were again involved in developing interactive workshops for families at the Urrbrae Wetland Open
Day. With beautiful weather and a record number of visitors to the wetlands it was a very busy and successful day for the Environmental
focus group students. They were involved in showing the visitors young and old, how to test the wetland water, about what you might find in
a trash rack, to what types of animals live in wetlands including snakes, scorpions and goannas.
Students involved included:
Hayate Yamada Jordan Norman Sebastian Rogers Jessica Armstrong Christan West
Ash Beaubois Jasmine Reader Savannah Guthrie Scott Gillespie Josh Morrall
Lucinda Trenorden Hayley Wellington Felix Maddern-Stoeger Riley Warwick Matilda Stott
Eben Kavanagh Kira Beaubois Ben Knopke Josie Grabis Axel Westren-Schapel
Amelie Trenorden Mimi Johnson
WINTER WETLAND WORKSHOP – THURSDAY 27TH JUNE
The Urrbrae Wetland was lucky enough to host Dr Brian Hiller (USA) and Jeremy Gramp (NRM), two
excellent experts in the field of Wetland Wildlife and Conservation at The Winter Wetland Workshop
held after school on the 27th June, Term 2. Students from the Urrbrae Environmental Club and other
school community members were treated to a fascinating look at methods of counting populations of
the various wetland birds and fish. The students enjoyed the hands-on experiences including returning
before school the following morning to count the rainbow fish and yabbies and then release them back
to the Urrbrae wetlands.
Vanessa Greenslade, Wetlands Manager
YEAR 8 HUMANITIES EXCURSION
8E1 and 8G4 travelled to Hallet Cove Conservation Park, Brighton and Seacliff beach to investigate Coastal Management during Week 8 of last
term. They were able to apply skills learned in both HASS and Science to examine a range of landforms and processes, collect data and suggest
mitigation techniques to preserve the coast - which culminated in presenting a Field Report back at school. It was an absolute pleasure to be out
in the field with such an engaged group of students who were able to participate actively and enthusiastically. A huge thank you to Mr Tim Collis
and Ms Bec Hida for their thorough, cross-curricular planning and preparation for the day as well as Ms Lauren Roenfeldt and Mr Kevin Fox for
their fantastic support during our excursion. What a great learning experience! Stephanie Johnston, Senior Leader, Middle School
YEAR 9 HUMANITIES
During Week 8 last term, students in Ms Johnston’s Year 9 HASS
class were treated to a visit from parent Steve Zidek, who gave an
engaging presentation about tactical analysis and preparation in a
military context. Students learned about Intelligence Preparation
of an Operational Environment and how this would have been
done during World War I, the history topic we focussed on during
Term 2. The class were engaged in this presentation and asked
some probing questions at the end. This was a fantastic
opportunity with many students reporting that the presentation by
“Zac’s Dad” was their favourite and most interesting part of the
course! A huge thanks you to Mr Zidek for his preparation in
linking this to our studies and his engaging presentation.
Stephanie Johnston, Senior Leader, Middle School
ROYAL ADELAIDE SHOW PREPARATION
The Royal Adelaide provides our students with a great opportunity to develop new skills and gain valuable knowledge.
Some of these opportunities include:
Students from the Year 11 Sheep and Goat class as wool stewards, assisted the wool judges this week at the showgrounds.
The Agriculture Club students are busily preparing our livestock. We have entered a range of animals: Goats, Poll Hereford Cattle, Steers, Pigs,
Alpacas, Dairy Heifers, Suffolk and Merino Sheep.
Also the Plant Club students are preparing orchids and native plants to be entered.
There are many students entering their own animals and plants or who will be involved in the many judging competitions.
The Year 8 students as part of their Agriculture course will be attending the Show on the first Friday to visit a range of Agricultural and
Horticultural displays. We wish all our students and staff involved all the best for a successful Royal Adelaide Show.
Mark Innes, Agriculture Coordinator
COLOUR CLASSIC SHOW - ALPACA
Congratulation to Lucinda Trenorden and Louise Guy (both Year 9) for competing at the recent Colour Classic Show
in the July School Holidays .
In their age groups,
Lucinda won the Junior Handler and Junior Judging and was Runner Up Junior Parader Champion.
Louise finished 2nd in both Junior Handler and Judging.
As a result of their efforts, Urrbrae was awarded the Most Successful School. Well done!
Kymberley Warren, Agriculture Teacher
MID NORTH FIELD TRIP 2019
Earlier this year 50 students and 5 staff headed on a four-day trip around the Mid North visiting many well-known agricultural sites. These
sites and properties included Perfection Fresh, hydroponics (Two Wells), Australian Grains Technology, plant breeding (Roseworthy), a
property owned by Andy Barr, Precision Cropping (Pinary), Rhodes Free Range Eggs (Tarlee), Sevenhill Winery (Sevenhill), SABOR
(Clare Valley), Princess Royal Station, Cattle Feedlot (Burra), a property owned by Brad Tiver, commercial sheep enterprise (Hallet) and
Hill River, vineyards, sheep feedlot and export hay enterprise (Clare Valley). Many thanks to those people who graciously hosted us and
gave us a very interesting and encouraging insight into their businesses.
After jampacked days of touring properties and travelling the region we were fortunate enough to stay at the Balaklava High School and
Caravan Park for the first night and the Clare Caravan Park for the last two. It was a very educational and eye-opening trip resulting in job
opportunities for many. Seeing the innovative technology recently developed to ensure efficient and sustainable farming was of particular
interest.
A big thank you to all the staff who supervised this trip and helped make it possible, including Larissa Tallent, Wes Parker, Resmi Jathin,
Kym Tiver and of course our bus driver Gavin Rufus. Finally, a special thanks to Damien Brookes who coordinated the entire trip,
contacting properties, organising food and accommodation and much more. It couldn’t have happened without you.
Tilly Dent, Year 12 Student
AUSTRALIAN SHEEP & WOOL SHOW 2019: URRBRAE SUFFOLK SHOW TEAM ATTENDANCE
The 143rd Australian Sheep & Wool Show was held during the recent July
school holidays (Friday 19th to Sunday 21st July). This national event is the
largest show of its type in the world with more than 3,000 sheep including
25+ breeds, 30,000+ show attendees including 5000 farmers and 20
Agricultural Schools with Urrbrae being the only SA school in attendance.
Exhibitors and visitors gather each year in the Victorian regional city of
Bendigo to watch the country's 'best of the best' sheep breeders compete
and to celebrate fine food, fibre, fashion and the mighty Australian sheep.
The Australian Sheep & Wool Show brings together some of the world's best
breeders of prime lamb and wool genetics. With thousands of sheep from
five states on show and vying for the champion ribbons for each breed, this
is the national benchmarking event to be at. Classes range from Supreme
Prime Lamb and Supreme Long Wool, plus industry standard-setters such
as the National Fleece competition and Black and Coloured sheep classes, as well as Angora goats, cashmere and mohair.
This is the fourth year that Urrbrae Agricultural High School has attended this significant event, entering a total of nine stud Suffolk sheep (4
Rams and 5 Ewes) with the following outstanding results achieved competing against sheep bred by leading interstate studs:
Ram (under 1 ½ Years) 1st Place
Ewe (under 1 ½ Years) 2nd Place
Pair of Rams 5th Place
Urrbrae was very fortunate to have some of our enthusiastic Sheep Club students volunteer, along with their families, to travel to Bendigo
and support the showing of our stud sheep. Thank you to Oceane McGirvan and Shannon Manouge (Year 12), Grace Oakley-Birrell and
Brett Smith (Year 11), Charlotte Poker and Mykaela Pumpa (Year 10), and Jackson Poker (Year 8) and their parents for their attendance,
participation and hard-work to assist in making this show such a success.
Whilst involved in the showing of our sheep the Urrbrae students did our school proud by entering in the Junior Sheep Handling
Competition against other students from schools from across Australia. This was a fantastic learning experience for all involved,
congratulations to our students who achieved the following exceptional results:
Grace Oakley-Birrell 1st place
Oceane McGirvan 3rd place
Charlotte Poker 5th place
Overall our results were some of the best the Sheep enterprise at Urrbrae has achieved in over 30 years and it was a privilege and a
pleasure to be involved. Urrbrae is looking forward to attending the 2020 Australian Sheep & Wool Show to achieve similar or even better
recognition for the quality of our stud Suffolks and the achievement of our students. Vince Fleming, Senior Leader, Senior School
ROYAL ADELAIDE SHOW LEARNING CENTRE 2019
We are well underway with our intention to run the Learning Centre at the Royal Show as an Urrbrae event. Signage has been modified to reflect
this and the area will become the Urrbrae Agricultural High School Learning Centre from 2020 and beyond. Overseen by Ms Larissa Tallent,
Urrbrae will have both sides of the Learning Centre shed this year, and we will have displays from the Wetlands, Aquaculture, Home Economics,
Child Studies (from Paddock to Plate) and Wine-Making. Many of our students will be on hand for interactive displays, and we will have an
information booth to hopefully attract potential Year 7 & 8 applicants for the future. This is an incredible opportunity to be the figurehead of an
agricultural State event, and it is so good to see the whole school getting behind the project. At this stage we have 20 teachers and 200+ students
involved. Make sure you visit us in September!
SENIOR BOYS FOOTBALL “THE RAMS” This season of senior boy’s football has provided our players and our school with many memorable moments. We are a team with a number of players who basically are new to playing football, mixed with a number of seasoned players. This mix has provided our player group with a number of challenges. The way our players have worked together has been a credit to them. Our results have been outstanding winning 5 out our 6 games this season. Finals are on next week. Thanks David Hawes, “RAMS” Coach Below is a collection of our weekly morning notices, it sums up our season well Senior Boys Football “The Rams” win by one point in cliff hanger last quarter Winning was fantastic but the way our senior boys football team won was outstanding. The game was basically won in the last 3 minutes. 12 points down Urrbrae Kicked 2 goals and a match winning point to win. A rousing rendition of “Old MacDonald had a Farm” was sung loudly. Well done to the whole team. Urrbrae 8 -7 = 55 Def St Johns 7-12 = 54 Senior Boys Football “The Mighty Rams” win a physical contest in a dominant display of football. Congratulations to the “RAMS” once again a real team effort. A couple of notable individual efforts Erik Smith in the ruck was outstanding, Tate Illingworth set up many attacking drives. Also the Flying Dutchman “ Yannik” scoring 2 individual goals set the crowd alight. Urrbrae 9 – 13 = 67 Def Adelaide High School 0 – 4 = 4 Senior Boys Football “The Rams” win 3 games in a row Our boys were extremely respectful and played outstanding footy while competing against an emotional Norwood Morialta side. After a minutes silence to pay respect to both a student and a teacher who recently passed away, the RAMS fought hard in a see sawing game to eventually win by 6 points. Sport can provide us with significant moments, our boys represented themselves and our school proudly. Urrbrae 10 - 5= 65 Def Norwood Morialta High School 9 - 5= 59 Senior Boys Football “The Mighty Rams” played themselves into Urrbrae sporting history. With a huge crowd including current and past students, parents as well as many teachers our 2019 Urrbrae Rams played an outstanding game of football to defeat Unley. We are not sure of the last time Urrbrae defeated Unley in senior boy’s football, but this win was celebrated well by all who witnessed the game. Down early by 19 points, Urrbrae fought hard to eventually winning the game by 22 points. 4 Wins in a row well done to all players. Go the RAMS. Urrbrae 7-9 =51 Def Unley High 4 - 5 =29 Urrbrae win by 4 points with a goal kicked after the final siren. Noah THESINGER marked the ball with seconds to go, kicking the winning goal from a tough angle. A pleasing result against a very good opposition. Well done boys. Urrbrae 6 . 7 = 43 Def Pultney 6 . 3 = 39
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TRAINING NEWS
Applications for entrance to Universities and TAFE opened on Monday 5th August and will be open for the
next couple of months. Students currently in Year 12 can apply for courses at University of Adelaide,
Flinders and Uni SA online by going to the SATAC website, www.satac.edu.au Students can also apply for
a wide range of courses at TAFESA which commence in Semester 1, 2020. Mr Oswald is available and
more than happy to assist any current students who need help with this process.
Open Days, where all current students (not just Year 12) can get information about courses offered by the
Universities, are taking place next weekend as follows:
Flinders University - Friday, 16th and Saturday 17th August
Adelaide University - Sunday 18th August
University of SA (City East and City West): - Sunday, 18th August
Tabor College, Goodwood: - Sunday, 18th August
Torrens University, Wakefield St., Adelaide: - Sunday, 18th August
Peter Oswald, VET & Careers Pathways Coordinator
THE SALA URRBRAE ART SHOW
The Urrbrae Art Show was held over the first weekend
in August. It was a great success and created
opportunities for connections to the wider community.
It gave students the opportunity to showcase their
artworks and be part of the South Australian Living Arts
festival, a festival that includes hundreds of artists in
events across the state. Opening night was well
attended. Musical entertainment was provided by the
very talented singer Caitlin Hearne, a former Urrbrae
student, accompanied by the equally talented Mr
Symes on guitar.
Special thanks to Anderson Hills Winery for sponsoring
the night. Many thanks to everyone involved with
setting up the show. We are already looking forward to
next year’s event. Suzanne Grist, Arts Teacher
MATHEMATICS ASSOCIATION OF SA QUIZ NIGHT
On the evening of Wednesday August 7th, our school had the privilege of hosting on of the MASA quiz nights. This was the
second successive year we have done this, Forty four teams (four students per team) from six school ‘descended’ on our
school library for an incredible celebration of Mathematics! Urrbrae assembled thirteen teams ( ten from Years 8 -10 and three
from Year 11 –12). The other participating schools were Glenunga International, Immanuel College, Scotch College, St Mary’s
College and Unley High. Half of the questions involved mathematical thinking, with the remainder being general knowledge.
Competing in the Junior division (28 Teams) against many teams with students two years older, one of our Year 8 teams (Ollie
Bacon, Ashley Bates, Harry Mudge, Mike Harris) finished third in the general knowledge section. Another team of Year 8’s
(Daniel Burden, Coby Edmonds, Will Hunter, Ashlee Gunn) finished fifth in the general knowledge and a magnificent tenth in
the Maths section. Two of our Year 9 teams performed very well too. The first (Charlie Dangar, Joel Austin, Cameron
McSalley, Ben Hincks) finished eighth in the Maths section, while another (Tom Baulderstone, Zach Coombe, Ho Yin
Fitzgerald, Albert Turner) Finished fifth in the general knowledge. Watch these four teams next year, competing against
younger and mathematically less experienced opposition!
One of our Year 11 Senior teams (Zoe Johnson Seb Rogers, Alex Ward, Patrick Hewitt) finished fifth in Maths and equal
seventh in general knowledge, while another (Seb Rozitis-Holding, Louis
Sheppard, Jasper Weenink, Thomas Krassay) were equal seventh in the
general knowledge. Our Year 12 Seniors team (Sara McGann, Carla
Gore, Lucas Morichard, Jasmine La Fontaine) finished a fantastic third
overall, a mid lofty competition. Congratulations to the 52 Students who
represented our school with great distinction. Signs are very good that
next year we will be returning to prize winning ways.
Mike Nordin, Mathematics CoordinatorCOUNSELOR’S CORNER MANY STUDENTS DON’T KNOW HOW TO STUDY. HERE’S HOW PARENTS CAN HELP By James Paterson, April 15 Among the creative and maddening reasons kids come up with for not studying, one familiar one might be worth addressing: They don’t know how. Researchers and experienced educators have found that often students don’t have good study habits and skills, or that they rely on strategies that don’t work, frequently at the urging of teachers and parents. “It is somewhat shocking how many students just don’t know how to do it, which frustrates them and can turn them off to enjoying learning,” says Henry Roediger III, a professor of psychology and brain science at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of the book “Make It Stick.” “It’s something that needs to be taught in third or fourth grade and reinforced throughout their school years.” Busy teachers, however, may not be likely to add those lessons, so it often falls to parents. Nate Kornell, another researcher on the topic and a psychology professor at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., says helping your child study can be a good opportunity to learn about their coursework, progress and abilities — and a way to get to know them better. “It’s like magic when a kid understands how to study and values learning on a deeper level. And parents can really be involved in that,” he says. Roediger, Kornell and other researchers have found that some popular approaches to studying — such as rereading, highlighting or summarizing material — are not very effective, especially long term, while other techniques, including spacing out study and self-testing, are. They’ve also found that when students learn study skills, their performance increases significantly — as does their attitude about a subject. Here are suggestions from experts on how to teach children to study more effectively. Set it up. The ideas here are familiar. Establish a regular time and routine for homework — a pattern that can be started early in elementary school, with scheduled reading time or structured games, says Christine Martin, an early childhood educator and author of the book “You’ve Got This! Keys to Effective Parenting for the Early Years.” And despite competition for attention and time from technology and activities, parents should be firm about rules, including about minimizing distractions and choosing appropriate settings for study. Some research has shown, however, that students learn better if they mix up where they study, so see what works best for your child. Parents should think carefully about their role. Don’t help too much, and resist the urge to nag, which can make students dread studying. Martin suggests establishing the rules and schedule with student input, offer help when needed and monitor the results by having students show them their work, or by checking grades or asking for teacher feedback. Experts suggest multiplying your child’s grade level by 10 to determine how many minutes they should spend studying each day. Space it out. John Dunlosky is a psychologist at Kent State University in Ohio who has done research on learning techniques. In one study with other researchers, he ranked 10 popular approaches using various criteria and he found that spaced practice — or studying a subject then taking a break and studying it again — was one of the most effective. This suggests that a student who studies a topic for an hour on three days over the course of a week will know the information better than a student who spends three hours on it in one night. That may be because forgetting some things between sessions causes you to relearn them more efficiently and deeply, Kornell says. Mix it up. Coaches and music teachers have long known that their students benefit from practicing a mix of skills in one session — scales and rhythmic work, for instance, or hitting fastballs and curves, then catching grounders. Roediger says the same can be true for academic work. When a study session involves a mix of topics or approaches, it helps students “discriminate among the types of problems and select the right method for each,” he says. Spending blocks of time studying one subject or type of problem in a vacuum, experts say, doesn’t let children see the relationship between topics, or teach them to distinguish between problems and solutions. Bring it back. Researchers seem enthusiastic about retrieval — being quizzed about material you have studied, either by yourself or others — as the most effective studying technique. “We think of this for simple kinds of learning, like spelling tests or learning multiplication tables, but it actually works all the way to medical school,” Roediger says. “And it gets you results short-term and long-term.” He says it helps you “know what you know” and reinforces it, while pointing to things you don’t and embedding them. A related technique of self-explanation, where students talk to themselves about their progress through the learning process, also has shown promise, Dunlosky says. Some educators recommend that students eliminate material they know while studying so they are reviewing less material and can focus on topics they are struggling with. But experts say a desire to make quick progress may prompt them to eliminate material they think they know but actually don’t fully understand. “We may very well know that George Washington is the first president and be able to commit some things like that to memory and not have to restudy them. But generally we are a bad judge of what we really have retained,” he says. Make it deeper. Kornell talked about an experience with his daughter, who as a young teenager had planned to memorize terms to study for an upcoming test about plant reproduction. He encouraged her instead to learn the material well enough to teach it to him. Doing that paid off on the test, he says, and enhanced her long-term understanding and interest in the subject, because teaching material is more engaging than simply being tested. He says that, because of kids’ busy schedules and the U.S. education system’s focus on testing, students too often just gather facts for quick recall rather than engaging in deeper learning about a subject, and that’s a mistake. “It’s like climbing a mountain,” he says. “It’s hard, but there is such a payoff. It’s magical when they know these skills and it works.” James Paterson is a freelance writer and illustrator and a former school counselor. Deb Niven, Student Wellbeing Leader
DIARY DATES AND COMMUNITY NEWS
Monday 12th to Friday 16th August Science Week
Monday 12th to Friday 16th August Subject Selection Online for Year 11
students
Tuesday 13th August Year 9 PLP Information Evening 6.30pm
Thursday 15th August Pupil Free Day – Conference Day
Tuesday 20th August School Council
Wednesday 21st August SATAC Presentation to Parents
Friday 30th August to Sunday 8th Royal Adelaide Show week
September
Saturday 31st August ( all week) Year 9 Ski Trip
Monday 2nd September School Closure Day for Royal Show
Saturday 7th September Barn Market
Tuesday 10th September Casual Day
Tuesday 17th September School Council
Tuesday 24th September Year 8 Immunisation
Tuesday 24th September Cabaret Night
Friday 27th September Last Day of Term 3
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Entertainment books or Entertainment Digital Membership are
available. Please contact April Gardner on 8274 7455.
There are approximately 40 of this years’ Senior School Polo tops
remaining, as the colour will be changing for next year the current
stock has been reduced to $20.00, These are available from the
Devon store. Maxine Farrows, Business ManagerYou can also read
