Casual Day – PBL Achievement

We’re on track to reach an impressive milestone—16,000 reward points by the end of week 10!

Every point represents a moment where our students have demonstrated our core values of Respect, Connect, and Achieve, both in and out of the classroom. This achievement highlights the positive choices being made across our school community and the collective effort to build a culture we’re proud of.

To celebrate this Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) success, we’ll be holding a Casual Day on Friday of week 11. Well done to all students—your actions make a difference and continue to shape a supportive and inclusive school environment!

Parent Teacher Interviews – Connect to Achieve

Our upcoming Parent Teacher Interviews are an important opportunity to come together and discuss student progress, celebrate achievements, and set meaningful goals for the remainder of the semester.

These interviews aren’t just for students who need extra support—every student benefits from a conversation about their learning journey. For those already achieving success, it’s a chance to explore the right level of challenge and extension. These discussions support students in taking ownership of their learning, developing their skills, and identifying areas to improve.

We encourage all families to book a time via our online system and bring your child along for the conversation. When we connect as a team around learning, we support every student to achieve their best. 

Online portal: www.schoolinterviews.com.au
Booking code: 9m7ng

Closing the Gap – Respecting Voices and Stories

Last week we proudly hosted a family evening to acknowledge Closing the Gap Day. The national Close the Gap campaign was sparked by Professor Tom Calma’s 2005 Social Justice Report, which called for action to address inequity in life expectancy, education, and opportunity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

At Renmark High School, this event was an opportunity to listen to our families—to hear firsthand the strengths and challenges they see in education. Thank you to the families who attended and to the service providers who connected with us to share their supports. Your insights help us improve access, engagement, and learning for all students, and demonstrate the power of working together with respect and understanding.

Sports Day and Interschool Sports Day – Achieving Together

We recently enjoyed a fantastic Sports Day—congratulations to Sturt for taking out the win, and well done to all students for participating with enthusiasm and team spirit. It was great to see our values in action—students striving for personal bests, supporting each other, and showing house pride.

Next Tuesday we are off to Waikerie for the Interschool Athletics Carnival. We wish all competitors the best—Go Renmark!

Governing Council AGM – 2025 Members

Thank you to all who attended our AGM recently and to our new and returning members who have generously volunteered their time to support our school community. We look forward to working together to strengthen student outcomes and uphold our values of Respect, Connect and Achieve.

Welcome to our 2025 Governing Council members:

• Darren Bussenschutt – Chairperson
• Kimberley Wegner – Treasurer
• Sarah Parkyn – Secretary
• David Sims – Council Representative

Parent Representatives:

• Jo Webb, Vanessa Milich, Mari Mouton, Sally Schwartzkopff, Bec Kennedy, Daniel Giles, Clint Tippet

Staff Representatives:

• Kardinia Caputo and Rachel Dunn

Mat Evans
Principal

Studiosity

The online drafting program, Studiosity, continues to gain popularity among senior students. This valuable resource allows staff to access the portal, monitor the feedback students are receiving, and tailor lessons accordingly. We encourage you to ask your child if they have used Studiosity and to review the results with them. The platform offers students the opportunity to revise their drafts before submitting them to their subject teacher. Additionally, Studiosity includes a Live Chat feature where students can connect with mentors for real-time assistance with questions in subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, or Chemistry. The school is committed to supporting this program and will continue to purchase additional time throughout the year if necessary.

University Camp

The Year 12 University Camp is scheduled for week 11, from Monday 7 April to Wednesday 9 April. Students have already registered their interest, and parents should have received an EdSmart permission and payment form by now.

The upcoming Parent Teacher Interviews will take place on Thursday 3 April from 2.40pm to 6.00pm. This is an excellent opportunity for parents to support their child by gaining insights into their academic progress. Parents can discuss with subject teachers how their child is performing and receive advice on improving learning, study habits, and overall results. Please ensure you book a time with your child’s teachers via the details listed below.
Online portal: www.schoolinterviews.com.au
Booking code: 9m7ng

Flinders Inspire Program

Flinders University offers the ‘Inspire Program’ for students interested in pursuing university studies, whether at Flinders University or elsewhere. Students who have nominated for this program will participate in a one-on-one interview on Friday 4 April to determine their group assignments. During term 2, the Flinders Inspire team will visit four times during Beyond Tomorrow sessions to present to the whole group, and smaller groups will meet with their mentors at other times.

Past participants have found the program invaluable, as it provides guidance on how to engage and succeed in university life.

Flinders Early Assessment Centre

The Flinders Early Assessment Centre, designed for aspiring year 11 students, will be held across the Riverland, with Renmark High School hosting the event. As places are limited, students have already nominated and should have provided their general course of interest. Final numbers will be determined, and each student will receive a package before the upcoming school holidays. There will be a few small activities to prepare for, and the assessment day will take place on Tuesday 29 April.

Beyond Tomorrow

Throughout the year, the school will offer a variety of presentations and activities aimed at supporting senior students. These sessions will cover career pathways, study habits, exam preparation, and general wellbeing. It is essential that students attend these sessions, whether during their Beyond Tomorrow lessons, supervised study periods, or occasionally within subject lessons.

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

Marina Pater
Assistant Principal
Director of Operations

28 students from years 7 to 12 competed in the annual Australian Computational and Linguistics Competition, OzCLO on Wednesday March 5 at Renmark High School. One of the most academically challenging school-based competitions in Australia, our students worked collaboratively in their teams to decode some particularly difficult languages.

The five languages students analysed this year, included:

• The Devanagari script used to write Hindi, one of the official languages of India
• Proto-Basque, a now dead language but the ancestral language of Basque spoken today in northern Spain and southern France.
• Cherokee, an endangered language spoken by only 2000 of 450 000 citizens in the southeast of the US.
• Nancowry, an Austronesian language spoken by 950 people in the Nicobar Islands in India.
• Waanyi, an Australian language spoken by people in northwest Queensland and into the Northern Territory.

Congratulations to all of our participants representing Renmark High School for an intensive three hours online with their peers from around the nation. A special mention to Anja T, who has competed in the OzCLO since Year 8 and is the first student at Renmark High School to have participated for five consecutive years. In that time, she has analysed 25 languages. Bravo!

Jasmine Sotiroulis
French and Spanish Teacher
OzCLO Coordinator

Sports Day

After rescheduling our Sports Day due to some extreme weather, the oval looked great and was ready for another successful day. The captains worked hard to ensure every event was filled, often holding challenges during lunchtime.

Age Cup Winners

Prior to the event, the 1500m and 800m runs were held, with plenty of students using the opportunity to get out for a run and challenge themselves.

On the day, the atmosphere was high, with plenty of blue, green, red and yellow, along with some impressive outfits, but most importantly everyone supported the event and had fun. Throughout the day the score fluctuated with both Chaffey and Sturt separated by 1 point prior to the relays starting.

The end result saw Sturt crowned as champions, with Murray winning the Most Improved and Ball Games Shield.

As highlighted earlier, the day was a great success with many students supporting their house in any way possible. The day had a great feeling and most importantly those that attended had an excellent day. A special mention goes to a few students who were successful in achieving a Renmark High School athletics record.

• Zac T – U13 high jump - equalled the current record with a jump of 1.64m (set in 1991)
• Chance M – U13 100m - set a new record of 12.31 seconds (set in 1991)

With the introduction of some new weights for the U13 boys and girls discus, we have 2 other records for that age.

• Rhylan S – U13 discus (750g)- with a throw of 26.20m
• Teagan H – U13 discus (750g) - with a throw of 21.16m.

A special thanks to all Renmark High School staff, SRC for the BBQ, Rob Johnston, David and Veronica Crouch and the many families who supported and attended on the day.

Thank you to our valued sponsors - Almondco Australia Ltd, Priceline Pharmacy Renmark,  BusBiz Renmark, Nutrien Water - Renmark, Hotel Renmark, Tri State Graphics, Koch's Foodland, McDonald's Renmark, Sportspower Zorich Group Renmark and Renmark Club, who continue to support our events and ensure the students have a fun and successful day.

We look forward to challenging the other schools from the Riverland and across the state at both the Interschool and School Sport SA events being held later this term.

Upcoming Sport Events

• Interschool Athletics - Tuesday 1 April (week 10)
• Adelaide Athletics - Wednesday 9 April (week 11)

Aaron Camplin 
Leader of HPE and Sports

Game Making

In year 8 Health and Physical Education lessons, students have been organised into groups and tasked with coming up with their own modified games. They were required to target their games towards primary school grade 2-4 students. Over the last few weeks, each class has visited surrounding primary schools: Renmark North Primary and St Joseph's Primary to teach their games. 

Daniel Clark
Health and Physical Education Teacher

Last week our year 8 Science class got to test their knowledge of organs and organ systems to complete an escape room.

The students had to decipher puzzles, cyphers, and solve problems to escape the room and win the prize. They showed off their knowledge and competitive side throughout this activity.

Rachel Dunn
Science Teacher

On Thursday 13 March, our Year 9 Drama students attended War of the Worlds, an innovative production by Riverland Youth Theatre. Performed simultaneously across multiple locations, the play captivated students with its mix of sci-fi suspense and modern storytelling. Our drama students were particularly impressed by the creative use of technology to connect different casts across Barmera, Whyalla, and Swan Reach in real time.

Students thoroughly enjoyed the performance and found it thought-provoking and inspiring, gaining insight into how theatre can evolve with digital elements. A fantastic experience for all involved!

Wendy Matulic
Drama Teacher

Year 9 Food and Nutrition students researched plant-based diets, the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, and the significance of both macronutrients and micronutrients in maintaining overall health. Through this exploration, they gained a comprehensive understanding of how plant-based foods can contribute to a balanced and nutritious diet. Each partnership then selected and prepared a plant-based recipe that incorporated a variety of recommended food groups, demonstrating their ability to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world culinary practices. 

Jacinta Coombe
Food and Hospitality Teacher

Our young year 10 detectives put their critical thinking to the test last week, diving into a mysterious code-breaking challenge to kick off our Crime Fiction unit! With minds as sharp as Sherlock’s and teamwork stronger than Watson and Holmes, they pieced together clues, solved puzzles, and unlocked the secrets hidden within the text.

Stay tuned, more literary crimes to solve ahead!

Tamara Hooper
English Teacher

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