SACE Presentation Night

We are well underway in our planning for 2024. Students have been busy selecting their subjects for next year (or if they are in year 12 looking at future study or employment pathways). 

In week 3 we held a very successful SACE Information Night for year 10 and 11 students and their families. It was a huge success with over 100 people attending, along with surrounding career pathway providers. 

During week 4 we provided subject selection interviews for year 9, 10 and 11 students. These interviews are a valuable opportunity to discuss student options and pathways and we appreciated the parents and caregivers who were able to attend with their student to support them and be involved in the process. 

The next step is for us to use this information to make subject and staffing decisions, so the more accurate the choices are in this time the better.  Students are much more likely to get their choice of subjects next year if they make an informed choice this year.  We aim to accommodate student preferences in order, but keep in mind that where necessary we will go to subjects a student has included on their reserve list if needed.

Paedatric Clinic

As announced last week, we are very excited with a Paediatric Clinic initiative that is being introduced by the Renmark Medical Clinic to our schools. 

Dr James McLeod and Dr Hamish Eske, from the Renmark Medical Clinic, have been looking at ways to support local Renmark families.  As a result, children and teenagers in Renmark will have access to free healthcare consultations with a local doctor at school.  The service is called the Riverland Academy of Clinical Excellence and Renmark Medical Clinic Rapid Access Paediatric Clinic – or RAP Clinic for short. This initiative will include a doctor on each of our sites on a rotational basis to support children with specific needs, concerns or health related matters.

What it will look like:

All 4 Department for Education schools in Renmark will be involved - Renmark High School, Renmark West Primary School, Renmark Primary School, and Renmark North School.

• A Junior Doctor based at school from 8.30am to midday, on a rotating basis
• Booking appointments with the doctors for the morning visit will be arranged through the school
• No cost for the service at school in the morning
• Parents will be required to attend appointments with children (younger than 16 years)
• The Junior Doctor will support health education for students in small groups, with parent permission, on topics such as sleep, screen time, hygiene, and healthy eating
• From 2pm to 5pm, the junior doctors will see paediatric patients at the RAP Clinic at the Renmark Medical Clinic. These bulk billed appointments can be booked through the Renmark Medical Clinic, directly via school staff in liaison with the students and family members, and by the Junior Doctor themselves.

This is a fantastic initiative and opportunity for our students and their families!

Mobile Phones at School

In line with the State Government’s ban, students are required to keep their mobile phones and other personal devices, such as smartwatches, off and away for the whole school day whilst at school.

This policy helps to:

• limit the times students may be exposed to negative impacts from inappropriate or unsafe use of devices, such as cyberbullying or harmful content.
• promote classroom environments where teachers can teach, and students can learn, free from distractions caused by personal use of devices.
• encourage use of breaks as quality time away from screens for more physical activity, play, and face-to-face connections.
• students can still bring phones and use them before and after school for contact with their families, friends, and out-of-hours commitments such as part-time employment.

Please contact Student Services if you need to get in touch with your child during school hours, and any cases where your child needs to leave school early. Likewise, school staff will contact you directly whenever needed.

Students are encouraged to always report to a school staff member in the first instance if they become unwell or experience an issue at school. This is so staff can provide appropriate support, including contact with parents and following formal processes for early collection from school where necessary.

Student Assessment and Reporting at RHS

In our continued endeavour towards reporting in an ongoing way throughout the year, we encourage you check Daymap for teacher feedback on assessments. By keeping track of student progress on Daymap, you are able to support your child in an ongoing way to make changes in their efforts or to challenge themselves to achieve at a higher level.  In Daymap you will currently find the traffic light indicators for week 5 and we encourage you to use these to prompt conversations with your child about their progress at school. Please do not hesitate to contact teachers at the school with any concerns or questions, especially if you see a yellow or red rating.

Mat Evans
Principal