We acknowledge that Renmark High School students, staff and community live, study and work on Erawirung Land. We acknowledge the First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee as Traditional Custodians of the Riverland region and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We respect the deep connection Aboriginal people have with land, animals and waters. 

We honour the Lores and customs that cross this traditional Country, the Ancestors who taught and still teach the knowledge that is embedded forever with Aboriginal people today. 

Welcome back

Welcome back and I hope students had a great holiday break to recharge ready for term 4. 

Year 7 transition

We have enjoyed having the year 6 students visiting our school and participating in lessons as part of their transition program.   It is always exciting to be part of a student’s introduction to school life in their secondary school journey.  These visits are as much about our staff getting to know students as students getting to know us and our school.  We are looking forward to their next visit when they return for two whole days of high school!

Year 12 class of 2022

Year 12 is the culmination of 13 years of schooling, and students are now very close to the finish with Renmark High School year 12 students attending their last scheduled lessons this week. We wish the year 12s all the very best at this important time of year for their final assessments, moderations and examinations, and look forward to hearing how they have achieved their goals.

World Teachers' Day

World Teachers' day was celebrated last Friday. I would like to take the opportunity to publically recognise the fantastic teachers we have at Renmark High School and their commitment to student outcomes. Teaching is a demanding profession that requires not only in-depth knowledge of subject content but also how to teach it so that each student can experience success. Our teachers use their many varied skills such as patience, leadership, creativity, innovation, organisation, preparation, and technology enthusiast to name just a few. So on behalf of the Renmark High School, thank you teachers, your efforts are appreciated!

BYOD program

Next year students in years 9-12 will be required to use a device at school to support their learning. To assist with costs to families we will offer the first 50 students to request a coupon code a $150 discount. Families with students in year 7 and 8 are still eligible for a coupon code. You can request a coupon from dl.0794.finance@schools.sa.edu.au. Students who do not have a device will be able to borrow one from the library, daily. From 2023 all students will be issued with a new locker for the security of devices and personal belongings. To view the purchase and payment option and for further information, please follow the link: http://renmarkhs.sa.edu.au/.../11/RHS-SpecSheets-22-23.pdf

If you would like to purchase before Christmas, the cut off date is 15th November. Our second cut off date is 2nd January 2023, for start of school (Term 1, 2023).

Regards,

Mat Evans
Principal

This will be the last formal week of lessons for most year 12 students as exams start next Monday and then continue for two weeks. Other students will continue to attend as they finish off final assessment tasks. They will finish this week with a farewell assembly followed by a staff and student lunch at the Renmark Club on Friday. Parents are welcome to attend the Friday assembly at 11.00am.

Students are being supported by the school with SATAC applications, scholarship information and many job opportunities. We are hoping that over the next few weeks’ students continue to balance their school life with healthy eating and sleeping and take the time to prepare for their exams so they can achieve their absolute best.

After final exams and assignments, students will then be able to focus on upcoming Renmark High School Prom on Thursday 1^st  December and then Renmark High School’s formal presentation night on Tuesday 6^th December. More information to follow.

We wish all of our year 12 students our best over the coming weeks. If any student has any issues with illness or misadventure please don’t hesitate to contact me at the school on 8586 6974 or email marina.pater396@schools.sa.edu.au.

Regards,

Marina Pater
Director of Operations

Congratulations!
All names are listed in order of year level and caregroup 

Year 7/8 School Sport SA Volleyball Competition

After weeks of training during lunch and Thursday afternoons, 17 students travelled down for the School Sport SA (SSSA) Volleyball Championships. The day involved playing a number of games (Clare HS, OLSH, Playford College and Temple – Paralowie) with the top 2 teams moving through to the finals being held in week 6.

It was an early start for the students with both the boys and girls excited and nervous for their first game. The competition provided a great experience for the students as it is very similar to what is expected at the end of year SA Smash Championships.

Even after a long bus ride both teams came away with a win and you couldn’t wipe the smile from everyone’s face. From here the teams battled away and showed some glimpses of what they were capable of although consistency and basic errors meant the results didn’t go our way.

Ultimately the students had a great time, they improved across the day and the experience will ensure they are prepared for the end of year event. Well done to everyone involved.

SA Smash Volleyball

The SA Smash Volleyball Championships are slowly creeping up on us. Students/families recently received the final letter/consent and invoice. If you did not receive the letter and/or you have any questions please give Aaron Camplin or Daniel Clark a call at the school. Well done to those who have done some fundraising. There may be some other opportunities over the next few weeks. Please communicate this with the school as all fundraising needs to be approved by the Governing Council.

House Captains for 2023

Who will be leading the houses Chaffey, Tintra, Sturt and Murray in 2023? Each year the captains work closely with the PE staff and students to ensure the success of our annual events (swimming, athletics and cross country). Students can nominate at the Student Services Office and during the assembly in week 5, they will have the opportunity to discuss why they should be selected before there is a vote. If anyone has any questions about the role please see Mr Camplin for more details.

Sports Awards

As the end of the year is coming around quick, it is time to start preparing for the 2022 RHS Presentation Night, where students will be acknowledged for their efforts and contribution in a variety of areas.

Even with ongoing precautions and at times cancellations, there has been many special efforts and achievements across 2022 in sport at school, community and state level. Some of these efforts have been mentioned throughout the year, although we are aware that we may have missed something. Students have the opportunity to nominate for a variety of sporting awards:

• Year 7-9 Clint Dovendans Junior All-Rounder
• Sports Blues
• Ken Prokopec Contribution to School and Community Sports Award
• RHS Sports Person of the Year

Students can either access the nomination sheet from the school Facebook page or from the Student Services Office. Nominations are due by the end of week 4 (11^th November).

Community success

As seen in some of our previous newsletters, we aim to acknowledge the efforts and success of our students in the class and out within the community. A student who has had a busy and outstanding 2022 is Kierra Schumann.

Kierra is a talented athlete who has been willing to get involved and give things a go. Some of these include supporting her house and school in a variety of events, local football, tennis, volleyball, basketball and netball, where she has had the most success recently.

Some of the achievements include:

• U17 Best & Fairest (Renmark Netball Club)
• U17 Most Potential (Renmark Netball Club)
• A2 Woman’s Runner Up Best & Fairest (Renmark Netball Club)
• U17 Best & Fairest (Riverland Netball Association)
• A2’ Woman’s Runner Up Best & Fairest (Riverland Netball Association)

On top of the above achievements, Kierra has dedicated a lot of effort and time through attending weekly training sessions in Adelaide as part of the Volleyball SA Under 16 Development Squad.

Well done to Kierra on the achievements so far in 2022. I have no doubt there will be plenty more as you always aim to get the most out of yourself.

Aaron Camplin
Leader of HPE and Sports

In week 2 of this term, the year 11 Outdoor Education class, headed to Port Elliot for 3 days of surfing. Despite bus issues and resulting in a late start, we arrived by lunch after to Middleton beach. This year we had some students who had previously surfed, so we were able to skip some of the basics and head out to catch some waves. We had students standing up straight away and enjoying themselves.

After a few hours in the water, we headed back to Port Elliot Caravan Park to set up our tents and organise tea. The class was split into two cooking groups, and we had some great nutritious food prepared by the students, exhibiting their organisational skills. After tea, most students went to their tents early ready for a big next day.

Wednesday was the biggest day of surfing, being out in the water for 6 hours. The waves started inconsistently, but after lunch the waves were cleaner and easier to ride. There was some huge improvement, with every student standing up and riding a wave, even if it was only for a few seconds.

The group had a quick stop off at the famous Port Elliot Bakery for afternoon tea. With more time on Wednesday night, students were able to have an early dinner and then enjoy time on the jumping pillow and playground, and also games of basketball and cricket. We then went for a walk to Horseshoe Bay, getting some fresh air and checking out the local scenery.

On Thursday morning, our final day, students hit the surf again for their last session. After stopping for a late lunch on the way home, the bus was very quiet after 3 days in the water.  We were impressed with the students’ persistence, organisation and behaviour over the three days. Hopefully it was a positive and memorable experience for all involved.

Mark Thiele and Ash Lindner
Outdoor Education and Physical Education Teachers

On Friday 28 October, students participated in the SAASTA Connect program with Chloe Shorrock, Daniel Giles and Mrs Turnbull. SAASTA Connect is a curriculum program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in years 7, 8 and 9, providing a pathway for entry into the SAASTA program in senior years. Renmark High School students have been engaging in culturally appropriate and inclusive learning, working through tasks and assignments after school and in their own time, needing to complete them and achieve a high level of attendance before being invited to the Carnival.

Martine Turnbull
Aboriginal Education Teacher

Last week we welcomed year 6 students to our final transition ‘Come and Try’ session for 2023. Once again, students appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves and the breadth of subject offerings at Renmark High School.

There were some confused faces when Mrs Sotiroulis instructed her class to ensure they brought a stylo into the French class! By the end of the 50 minutes, they had learned the French alphabet, could introduce themselves and spell out their names in French. Bravo!

Tech Studies and Home Ec were again very popular, with students relishing the opportunity to create a timber phone holder with Mr Gove and two different types of scones with Mrs Cole. Students reported being impressed with the machinery in the tech workshop. Following his Home Ec lesson, Tyler stated, “I loved actually cooking independently for the first time.”

Further hands-on options were offered in Digital Art, Science and Music. Mrs Long taught her class the skills of Photoshop including using layers, text and gradients to create digital stickers. Max was very pleased with his design, reporting “I’d like to print 20 [stickers] so I can put them on my boat.” The creation of ‘footy colours’ in Mr Young’s Science lesson was also a big hit as students learned how to safely mix chemicals to create colour combinations. Two students excitedly high-fived each other when they successfully created the colours of their favourite football team. Jacob reported, “I like Science because it’s just fun!”

Students were also introduced to Renmark High School performing arts – drama and music. Despite some having little or no musical expertise, by the end of the Mr Ward’s lesson they could all read music and produce a beat on the instrument they had chosen. Noah reported he had enjoyed the lesson because “I like being loud.” While some students were initially a little hesitant in drama because “drama is boring,” this opinion was quickly challenged! Mrs Matulic introduced her group to several games with a focus on skills, teamwork, voice and improvisation. It was a very energetic session! Cruz reported, “I liked ‘Grandma’s Jacket’ [game] because I was the only person who won more than once.” Alexis said her favourite was, the mousetrap game because you can gang up on people and get them out.”

We look forward to inviting our year 6 students back for the two full school days on Tuesday and Wednesday in week 6, 22nd and 23rd of November.

Danielle Weeks
Assistant Principal - Director of Inclusion

Drama Performance

On Tuesday 20^th September, the year 7 Drama students performed three plays, Little Green Riding Hood, The Three Pigs and Cinderella to the year 7 cohort in the Drama Room.

"I felt good about the performance because our group all tried their best when it was time to perform." - Ocea

"I did well in my knowledge of each scene that happened and I was pretty confident on-stage." - Jemma

"My narrating was fun to do. I am a good speaker and I was good at using expression." - Eric

"I performed well. I had fun and I was very enthusiastic in my role as the 3^rd pig. I knew my lines and that helped a lot, I could also help others then too." - Ethan

Wendy Matulic
Drama Teacher

Is it hot in here or is it just the Kalahari desert? Students in Miss Caputo's Year 8 HASS class have been learning about landscapes and landforms - beginning the unit with various desert types, what makes a location a desert, and how flora and fauna survive in harsh conditions.

Students played a flora and fauna memory game; the cards feature specific examples of plants and animals and their position on the food chain. Students had to use their numerical skills as well as their knowledge on the desert biome in order to be successful and take home the metaphorical 'golden sand dune'.

Kardinia Caputo 
HASS Teacher

Tim Burton Movies

The year 9 drama class has been studying Tim Burton’s movies and his iconic trademarks that he includes in them. Students then created sets based on fairytale scenes of their choice. Some of the trademarks students focused on were the outcast, conveyor belts, snow, dinner scenes, flashbacks, Danny Elfman’s music as well as a holiday season to name just a few. Students showed a lot of creativity in their work.

"In our scene we decided to recreate the tower scene from Rapunzel. We represented Rapunzel as both the outcast and the innocent girl." - Eden

"We interpreted the tower scene and included snow, the innocent girl, the outcast,  contrasting colours, a Halloween theme all in the fantasy style." - Stephen

"Our scene was Pinocchio with a large conveyor belt, in an old toy factory, where we represented Pinocchio as the outcast." - Nitara

"Our scene focuses on a flashback of a Christmas dinner scene to show the wolf’s sad memories from his childhood." - Karina

Wendy Matulic
Drama Teacher

What street does the hippocampus live on? Memory Lane!

This term, students in Mrs Hooper’s Year 11 Psychology have been learning about the physical structures of our central nervous system and how each structure affects the ways that we both perceive and respond to the variety of stimuli that we encounter in the world. Students developed their understanding through a practical involving sensory processing, reaction times and dissecting sheep brains, which are remarkably similar to human brains.

Tamara Hooper
Psychology Teacher