National Reconciliation Week

Our school community is encouraged to take brave, impactful actions towards reconciliation in line with the theme of National Reconciliation Week 2021, 'More than a word.  Reconciliation takes action’.  National Reconciliation Week, which runs annually from 27th May to 3rd June, is a time for us to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements.  Reconciliation is an ongoing journey, for all Australians, and each day we demonstrate reconciliation in our individual behaviours, in the classroom, office, and everywhere in-between.  

We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation and aim to build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.  Reconciliation must be reflected in our actions so we can create a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider Australian community.  

Students have been participating in Reconciliation week activities in their Beyond Tomorrow program, staff were involved in some learning in our Thursday professional development program and it is the topic of our assembly this Friday.  To find out more about National Reconciliation Week please ask students what they have been doing, and visit Reconciliation Australia https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/.

Social Worker

Last newsletter I welcomed our new Social Worker, Alicia Thackray to Renmark High School.  Alicia has settled into the school very quickly and is already working with students to assist them in reducing barriers to engaging with their learning.  If you have any concerns about your young person and their social or emotional needs please contact the school to make a time to speak with Alicia.

Numeracy and Literacy at Renmark High School

Our site learner improvement goals this year are for numeracy to increase the multiplicative thinking of students, and for literacy to explicitly teach the skills of reading, and to improve the vocabulary understanding and use by students across all learning areas.  Part of this improvement work is where our year 8 and 9 students are engaged in regular activities designed to build their skills targeted to their needs, we are calling this “zone work”.  This learning is captured in a folder of evidence that assists in identfiying where they are up to and where to next in their learning.  Please ask your year 8 or 9 student about their zone work in English and Maths and hear about the learning they are doing.  If you have any questions we encourage you to please make contact with their teachers.

Transition

The year 6 and 7 transition to year 7 and 8 for 2022 is well underway with the student’s first “come and try” recent visit. It was fantastic to see the nervous excitement of students, and the excitement of teachers to meet new students on the day.  Students had a taste of a variety of subjects, including cooking in the kitchens, making in our workshops, letting out their inner artist in our Design Centre, making footy colours with chemicals in the Science labs and more.  Students will get to have a try at other experiences throughout remaining visits this year, and of course this is all just a taste of what is to come in their secondary schooling at Renmark High School!

Our next transition visit is on the 5^th of August so please mark that in your diaries.  If you missed the first visit we welcome you to come to the next. We will have other students, that for a variety of reasons, will also make their first visit next time.