Shaping the Future Together: Our School’s Vision and Purpose

At Renmark High School, we are privileged to be part of a community that values strong connections, high expectations, and opportunities for every student to thrive. Over the past months, we have engaged with students, families, staff, and our governing council to reflect on what makes our school special and what we want to define our shared future.

Through this consultation, several key themes emerged that reaffirm our strengths and provide direction for our continued growth:

Belonging and Connection: Families and students spoke of the importance of feeling valued, respected, and supported. They see our school as a place where relationships matter and where students, staff, and the broader community work together to support student success.

Personal Growth and Resilience: There was a clear emphasis on preparing students for life beyond school, equipping them with not only academic skills but also confidence, adaptability, and independence.

Achievement in Many Forms: Stakeholders highlighted that excellence is not one-size-fits-all. Whether it’s in academics, vocational pathways, leadership, or personal development, we must continue to support students to achieve their best in ways that reflect their individual strengths and aspirations.

Contribution and Future-Readiness: Our community is committed to ensuring students are well-prepared for an evolving world—not just as learners, but as people who contribute positively to their communities and beyond.

This feedback has guided the refinement of our school’s Vision and Purpose, ensuring they reflect the values that unite us as a school and set the direction for our future.

Our Vision

"A thriving learning community where we all belong, grow, achieve, and contribute to an evolving world."

This vision reflects our commitment to fostering a sense of belonging, continuous growth, high achievement, and active contribution—not just for students, but for our whole school community.

Our Purpose

"Renmark High School provides high-quality, inclusive, and engaging education, where every student belongs, builds meaningful connections, and grows with resilience. We empower students to achieve their best, lead with integrity, and contribute to their community and a changing world."

This purpose statement reflects our core mission: to provide an education that supports, challenges, and inspires every student while ensuring they develop the skills, knowledge, and character to make a meaningful impact in their world.

Looking Ahead

These statements are more than just words; they represent who we are, what we stand for, and where we are going. They will guide our decision-making, help shape the learning experiences we provide, and ensure we continue to build a school that reflects the aspirations of our students, families, and community.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their thoughts, ideas, and perspectives throughout this process. Your voice has shaped our vision, and together, we will continue to strengthen the learning culture and future of Renmark High School.

Parent Representatives – Join Our Governing Council

With our Annual General Meeting next Wednesday 12 March, I warmly invite you to take an active role in shaping the future of our school by joining the Renmark High School Governing Council as a Parent Representative.

Our Governing Council reflects our values of Respect, Connect, and Achieve by ensuring that the voices of parents, staff, and the broader community are heard, valued, and contribute to the direction of our school.

• Respect – Your insights and perspectives as a parent are highly valued, helping to shape decisions that support the learning and well-being of all students.
• Connect – The Governing Council strengthens the partnership between families, staff, and the community, working together to create a school environment where every student thrives.
• Achieve – Through shared leadership, we drive initiatives that enhance student outcomes, school policies, and opportunities for growth.

As a Parent Representative, you will have the opportunity to be involved in key discussions around curriculum, school policies, budgeting, and community engagement—ensuring our students' needs remain at the heart of our decision-making.

If you are passionate about making a difference and would like to express your interest, please contact us. We look forward to working together to continue building a strong and inclusive school community.

Mat Evans
Principal

Academic Coaching

To support our year 12 students, Renmark High School provides each student with a teacher they know and have worked closely with over the years to assist throughout the year as an academic coach. They meet with them throughout the year to support with time management, subject issues, wellbeing, SACE completion and career advice. This is then noted for other teachers to act upon.

Senior Study Space

Senior students have been provided with a spacious, upgraded study area and common room. Year 11 students are expected to be at school all of the time. Year 12 students can have home study if they have study lessons at the beginning or end of the day, and are to sign out at Student Services or Senior Study prior to leaving school grounds. Year 12 students can also access other areas in the school to be able to seek support from specialist teachers.

Flinders University Inspire Program

We had our first visit from Flinders University this term. They offer a mentor program to any student who aspires to go to university. They will meet face to face on four occasions during the first semester as a group. They will also organise mentors (university students) to meet with the students in small, like groups, or one to one, either online or in person. This program does not mean you have to apply for Flinders University, and they will also pay the SATAC application fee for any students who nominate for the program.

University Camp

This trip will occur in week 11 from the Monday 7 April to Wednesday 9 April. Students who are interested in university and have made a progressive start to their studies will be invited. More information will be sent home via Edsmart forms.

Other Career Pathways

There will be many other activities, presenters and information provided to students through out the year to support students who are seeking information and career pathways about apprenticeship or traineeship opportunities or local training at TAFE SA. We also encourage students to use their supervised study time to allow support from SSO staff who can provide assistance in creating a resume, application letters and help seek for jobs to plan for their future.

This is why attending Care Group, Beyond Tomorrow sessions and keeping up with communications is imperative for your student. I will also advertise any current job opportunities for students via the student bulletin or newsletter.

I look forward to sharing more senior news and student success stories throughout 2025.

Marina Pater
Assistant Principal
Director of Operations

Congratulations to the newly elected SRC members who were awarded certificates during last Friday's assembly. These students have exemplified the core values of Renmark High School—Respect, Connect, and Achieve — earning the admiration of their peers.

1500m Run

Well done to all students who participated and supported their house this week in the 1500m run! This is a warm up for the big event coming up next week!
See below key upcoming sport events. 

Upcoming Sport Events

• 800m run (Runners only) - Wednesday 12 March (week 7)
• Sports Day - Friday 14 March (week 7)
• Interschool Athletics - Tuesday 1 April (week 10)
• Adelaide Athletics - Wednesday 9 April (week 11)

All students are encouraged to come along and support their house!

Aaron Camplin 
Leader of HPE and Sports

The past six weeks have been buzzing in Namawi Pulgi, with our SAASTA Connect students eager to get in and get going.

With some new year 7s joining our class, we took time to get to know each other and start the year off right. Our year 7-9 SAASTA Connect students participated in some group dynamics activities to get to know each other and develop their teamwork skills. Students had to complete a variety of activities including flipping over a mat while standing on it, getting from one end of the basketball court to the other while dodging obstacles, and basketball noughts and crosses. These activities really helped developed our students’ teamwork.

Students also learnt about the six SAASTA values and KPIs: Attendance, Academic Performance, Teamwork, Behaviour, Respect, Pride, and created posters which defined each value with its KPI and used First Nations artwork to show their connection to each. They turned out wicked, don’t you think!

Alistair Ward
SAASTA Connect Teacher

Year 7 students recently enjoyed a fantastic camp experience at Camp Kedron in Barmera. This camp serves as a wonderful introduction to secondary school, allowing students to bond with their teachers and forge new friendships. During their stay, they participated in aquatic activities at Lake Bonney Yacht Club, where they had the opportunity to try various water sports, including windsurfing, canoeing, and sailing.

Students in year 8 HASS have been learning about Active Citizenship in our local Riverland community. As part of this unit, we were fortunate to welcome Renmark Paringa Council Mayor, Mr Peter Hunter, who shared valuable insights into the role of local government, community engagement, and how individuals can make a difference. Mr Hunter's presentation was a fantastic opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of civic responsibility and the impact of active participation in shaping our community.

Thank you to Mr Hunter for taking the time to speak with our students and inspire the next generation of engaged citizens!

Kardinia Caputo
HASS Teacher

Mrs Dunn’s year 8 Science class demonstrated their skills in creating microscope slides during week 3. They had to use staining agents to test the best technique to mount onion cells onto microscope slides. They recorded their observations and used their learning so far to answer questions about plant and animal cells.

Ms Blanden's year 8 Science students made cells from lollies to help them learn about the differences between plant and animal cells and the names of the organelles.  They completed the task by drawing a scientific diagram of their cells. 

Mrs Dunn's year 9 students had the opportunity to dissect lambs’ brains in Science. They have been learning about the body’s response to change, with a focus on the nervous and endocrine system. They used safe dissection techniques to separate key glands and sections of the brains and drew a labelled diagram of their observations. They linked the structures they found to previous learning and got to experience their first dissection in high school!

Fitness Plan

Over the last 5 weeks we have been doing a Fitness Plan in our Advanced PE lessons. We started off by undertaking some pre fitness testing and found out our strengths and weaknesses in a range of fitness factors. We then had to identify what fitness factors we wanted to improve and set some goals for the next 5 weeks. We were then required to plan 2 sessions a week to improve our chosen fitness factors. We will undertake a post test in week 6 and write an evaluation of our performance.

Year 10 student - Jemma O

Renmark High School will be hosting students from France, who are arriving mid-term 2 and departing mid-term 3.

Experience a unique cultural exchange by hosting an international student! Share your home, make lifelong connections, and provide a supportive environment while learning about another culture. Enrich your family's life today!

For more information, contact us at dl.0794.info@schools.sa.edu.au

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