Welcome back everyone! I hope you were able to have some time off with your families doing the things you enjoy and are recharged ready for term 3!

Support Staff Week

Week 5 is an opportunity to recognise and thank our support staff for their vital contributions to Renmark High School. Our Support Staff play crucial roles in numerous areas, including the classroom, administration, library, IT, wellbeing, and grounds. Their dedication and hard work are essential to maintaining the high-quality learning environment and opportunities that enable our students to achieve their potential. On behalf of the entire school community, we express our gratitude for their fantastic efforts throughout the entire year.

A huge thank you to Vidana Appuhami, Aaron Baptie, Anna Burr, Carli Burnnard, Joanna Catalano, Dani Coombs, Travis Coombs, Charlie Cornelius, Maria Dowzard, Daniel Giles, Tom Gregurec, Ethan Hoffman, Ashlea James, Toby Johnson, Suman Kaur, Karina Lambert, Stacey Lambert, Uncle Barney, Sonja Modlinski, Kerrie Pyers, Chloe Rudd, Cathy Schier, Tegan Smith, Karen Steed, Sharen Vasey, Kyla Wade, Leanne Weigall, Brendan Rowe, Jonathan Geyer and Samuel Taylor.   

Future Planning Expo

We encourage current year 10 and 11 students and their parents to attend our SACE information session in week 5, Wednesday 21 August.  Come along and talk to the teachers about the options for next year so you can make an informed choice. We will also have employers and training providers there on the night that will also be of interest to current year 12 students.

Subject Selections for 2025

In week 5 we provide subject selection interviews for year 9, 10 and 11 students. 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. 

Once students have made their choices we use this information to make subject and staffing decisions. 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 in order, but keep in mind that where necessary we will go to the reserve list if needed.

Parent Survey

The annual parent survey is a great opportunity to get valuable insights into parent engagement of students’ learning. Parents should receive an invite directly from the department. We encourage parents and caregivers to complete an opinion survey to help us in identifying our school strengths and where we can focus our improvements. 

NAPLAN results

For year 7 and year 9 students, the 2024 NAPLAN results are now available and are being sent home. Please let us know if you would like assistance in interpreting the reports.

Mat Evans
Principal

Well done to all students who received their term 2 academic certificates as part of our whole school assembly on Friday 26 July.

In the recent school holidays, Renmark High School staff and students attended and supported the NAIDOC week activities. This included visiting the march held in the main street of Berri. Aunty Cheryl Giles presented the NAIDOC week awards following the march. Nominees included Daniel Giles (Aboriginal Person of the Year, Caring for Country, Lifetime Achievement), Amalia R (Sportsperson), Meegan G (Academic), Mia S (Youth of the Year) and Principal Mat Evans (Non-Aboriginal Person of the Year). Nominees who went on to win their category included Isaac M (Sportsperson of the Year), Marley C (Apprentice) and Mia S (Artist of the Year).

Well done to all nominees. Renmark High School is extremely proud of you all. 

Danielle Weeks
Director of Inclusion

Congratulations to Evan M and Lachlan K who both competed in the School Sport Australia Games last week held on the Gold Coast.

Evan competed in the under 18 boys softball team, receiving a bronze medal. This was the first time the South Australian team won a medal in many years.

In May 2024, Lachlan trialled for the 16 and under State School Boys basketball team for the second year in a row. Lachlan was one of 70 boys that trialled, and was successful in being selected in the final squad of 10 to compete in the Gold Coast early term 3. Lachlan was a member of the 16 and under team in 2023 as well and they came home with winning bronze. This year was a very tough and busy schedule with no rest day, with two days that had two games for the day. SA started a little slow against NSW and went down by nine points. The team improved each game and ended up finishing tied for second with two other teams after an upset win over Victoria. SA had to play the top team from WA for a chance to play off for a gold medal. Unfortunately they ran out of steam and were defeated by 18 points. QLD and SA played off for bronze medal and SA came out strong and fought hard, winning the game 100-92. Lachlan has gained valuable experiences from this trip and has brought home another bronze medal.

We are incredibly proud of both students for representing Renmark High School and South Australia at a national level of sport.

'Tailah was a polite, positive and likeable participant on this program. Talilah comfortably engaged in conversations with staff and students particularly in smaller groups.  Tailah listened intently on the program and was respectful to all involved in the program.  Overall Tailah was a pleasure to have on this program.  I wish Tailah success with whatever career choice she makes but I hope she considers SAPOL as a potential option.' - Senior Constable, Kylie. 

We would like to thank SAPOL for hosting Tailah for the week. It is an incredible opportunity for Tailah to learn about the police force and create this as her aspired career pathway.

Well done Tailah!

Marina Pater
Director of Operations

Last Friday, approximately 240 year 10 students from our region participated in 'Taste of Training', Students had the opportunity to choose a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course next year as part of their education. VET qualifications are offered in a diverse range of industries. Renmark High School was a host of four courses: Construction, Allied Health, Child Care and Individual Support. Students participted in a range of activities throughout the day related to their chosen course. What an awesome way to start their career pathway!

Our year 10, 11 and 12 volleyball teams are competing in the Riverland High Schools Volleyball Tournament today hosted at the Alan Coulter Recreation Centre in Renmark. The tournament allows our teams to compete against other Riverland High Schools in preparation for Knockout Cup Volleyball and their end of year trip to Adelaide and the Gold Coast. We wish them all the best for today. Go Renmark!

This term, the SRC have chosen a range of fun sports for students to participate and compete against staff members at lunch time. On Friday of week 1, staff competed against students in a basketball match in the gym. It was an exciting game to watch, with the students taking the win! 

Other sports coming up this term are Indoor Soccer, Netball, Match Sticks, Hockey, Badminton, Volleyball, Dodgeball, Table Tennis and European Handball, There is something for everyone.

At the end of term 2, Mr Clark's Advanced PE students ventured to Adelaide to enjoy two days full of highly motivated activities. Students participated in Go Karts/Laser Skirmish, Latitude, Downhill Mountain Bike Riding, and Cycling at the Adelaide Super-Drome.

As part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning program, we have been delivering a PBL lesson to students every two weeks. Examples of these PBL lessons have been 'being on time and ready to learn' and 'speaking with kindness'. Rewards points are issued to students who display these behaviours and, due to student success they have earnt some school wide rewards this term including a sausage sizzle and hot chocolates at recess time. 

University Open Days are starting this week! Please see below list of key dates of South Australian universities. Attending open days is a vital step in deciding on your future education and training. Open days provide an opportunity to learn about an institution's courses and programs, see campus amenities, and chat with existing students about their experiences. This is a great opportunity for senior students to visit and become familiar with potential courses they are interested in studying in 2025.

This year, universities are offering a combination of virtual and on-campus experiences. Do your homework on precise facts and dates, then register to avoid missing out!

South Australia

If you have any further general enquiries or questions, please contact our front office administration. 

From 1 March 2024 new regulations will extend the smoke-free and vape-free areas to within 10 metres of site boundaries.

This includes:

• school drop-off and pick-up zones that are within 10 metres of the school fence, gate or boundary
• school ovals and sporting fields and within 10 metres of the boundary of the oval or sporting field
• footpaths, roads, public nature strips and public recreation areas that are within 10 metres of a school boundary.

E-cigarettes

E-cigarettes, or ‘vapes’, are not safe for young people. They come in many shapes and sizes and can be hard to spot as they can look like everyday items including highlighters, pens, USB memory sticks or watches.

Key vaping facts

• Many e-cigarettes contain nicotine despite being labelled as not. Nicotine can cause long-lasting negative effects on young people’s brain development, including impaired learning ability and altered mood, and can increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
• E-cigarettes can contain the same harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killer and bug spray, which can lead to serious lung diseases.
• Young people who vape are 3 times as likely to take up smoking cigarettes.
• E-cigarettes are harmful to the environment as they contain single-use plastics and lithium batteries, cause pollution and can start fires.

The laws around selling e-cigarettes

It’s illegal to sell or supply e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 years. Young people often purchase vapes online, from retail stores, or from friends and contacts on social media. There are a number of retailers who sell e-cigarettes to young people. This is a crime.

Talk to your child about vaping

It’s important to take the time to talk to your child about the risks of vaping. Try to start the conversation in a relaxed easy-going way, and remember your goal is to have a conversation, not deliver a lecture. Parenting SA provides a Parent Easy Guide on talking with children and young people about drugs and alcohol – visit parenting.sa.gov.au.

Get the evidence and facts about vaping at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/vaping.

Find out more about how we manage alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in schools at www.education.sa.gov.au/vaping

Students and families who have inadequate or no access to internet at home are eligible to apply for a free internet connection to support learning.

There are 2 options available to eligible families:

• wireless internet access from the Department for Education through the student home internet program
• NBN broadband internet access until December 2025 from the Australian Government through the School Student Broadband Initiative.

You might be eligible if you:

• have a school aged child
• don’t have reliable home internet access or have no active NBN broadband connection.

Find out more about what options are available and how parents and carers can apply by visiting the department’s website.