New works for RHS

We are excited to announce that local company Big River Developments has won the tender for our next major works project.  Murray Knowling and his team were the developers for our STEMworks build in the C block and Art space which was finished last year.  This next works project begins in a few days and will finish around the end of April.  It includes an exciting new front to the school (converting one end of the old TAFE building into a front office), landscaping, a new flexible learning space, and air conditioning replacement across the school.  We look forward to working with Murray and his team again!

Minister Gardner visit

Last week we were fortunate to have a visit by our Department for Education Minister, Hon John Gardner.  Minister Gardner was accompanied by Senior Education Advisor Garry Costello and our local MP, Tim Whetstone.  It was fantastic to have an opportunity to show Minister Gardner through our school and show him some of the many, wide ranging, learning opportunities we provide for our students.

Future Planning Expo

It was great to see so many students and their families at the RHS Family Expo Night last week.  Students and families had the opportunity to talk to the teachers about subject options for next year so students could make an informed choice.  If you missed the Expo, the subject information is available on the RHS website curriculum page. We also had some Year 5 and 6 students attend to hear about our school and have a look around to start familiarising themselves. We will run further information sessions in the future for Year 7 into high school so don’t worry if you missed the Expo Night last week.

This is the third year where we have also provided follow up subject selection interviews for Year 9, 10 and 11 students after Expo Night. These interviews are a valuable opportunity and we ask that parents or caregivers please attend with their student to support them and be involved in the process.

The next step will be 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 more likely to get their choice of subjects next year if they make an informed choice this year.  We aim to accommodate student preferences but keep in mind that where necessary we will go to the reserve list if needed.  We are also working with the other Riverland high schools to make the most of opportunities for students.

Staffing

Welcome to Chris Blanden who is joining us for Term 3. Chris is currently employed at Renmark Primary School and will be at RHS for 0.2FTE in the Learning Hub on Mondays.  Chris brings a wealth of knowledge from a career of primary teaching and we look forward to working with her in the team.

Year 12 end of year

The SACE board has announced that the end of the year assessments will proceed as planned.  From the SACE board: “I’m pleased to confirm that exams, including oral exams, will go ahead as scheduled, with the same dates and arrangements in place. We have continued to work with the other curriculum and assessment authorities to ensure there is a nationally-consistent approach to the timing of exams.”

COVID-19

As we have watched the progression of COVID-19 in the Eastern states recently it makes you appreciative that we are in a very fortunate state at the moment.  The COVID-19 pandemic can be unpredictable however, and it is important that we remain well prepared. 

It is important that the school has the most up-to-date contact details (including phone number) for all parents/carers so they can be quickly contacted in the event of a temporary closure or regional closure. We also require students to stay home if they are unwell and if they have symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how mild. Please get tested. 

Please take some time this week to make sure that students can find their subject information in Daymap, that they can upload assessments, and can access Microsoft Teams and Learnlink emails.  If there are any troubles with this please have the students contact their teachers or contact us on their behalf. We are appreciative of our students, families and staff who have been extraordinarily supportive throughout this pandemic to ensure continuity of learning for students, so thank you.