2019 SA Excellence in Public Education Awards

Congratulations to Renmark High School teacher Jodi Long who received a nomination in the SA Excellence in Public Education Awards. The nominee had this to say about Jodi:

Jodi has worked diligently to develop an extraordinary Digital Media program at Renmark High School over the past eight years. Her dedication in providing exciting, innovative and engaging curriculum has lead to continuous growth in student numbers from years 8-12. Her passion and leadership in this field has led to the school valuing the Digital Arts, and providing high-end resources to support Jodi and her teaching, including state of the art digital software, a green screen, and up-to-date equipment.

Jodi's passion for teaching has been showcased through her year 12 students winning merits in the field of Digital Media. She has invoked the passion of design of her past students, many of whom have gone on to win national awards and state scholarships in the field of design, and gone on to open up their own businesses using the skills and knowledge gained through Jodi's guidance, support, and teaching. These successes are due to Jodi's ability to recognise and respond to students' interests, their own life-worlds, and to provide exciting learning opportunities to cater to the needs of all her students.

Jodi continually undertakes professional development, on a bi-weekly basis, as both a learner and a facilitator, becoming the leading Digital Media teacher in the Riverland region. She works collaboratively with colleagues, and shares her knowledge and passion across the school, wider community and region.

Jodi is an extraordinary teacher and valued member of our school community who deserves to be recognised for her dedication to providing outstanding learning opportunities for all.

Congratulations Jodi on this well-deserved recognition.

On Wednesday of week 7, a number of our year 10 and 11 students had a visit from The Minister of Innovation and Skills, David Pisoni. Minister Pisoni spoke about the value of apprenticeships and traineeships and the range of different careers that they can lead to. We were also lucky to have Julie Robertson, Director of Australian Landscape Trust along with two of their trainees, Caitlin Polack and Jeremy Sumner address the group. Each spoke about their own journey into traineeships and although each story varied, they all had a common thread, being the benefits that come with on the job training. These benefits included a wealth of practical experience, a range of qualifications and opportunities in different fields of employment.

Renmark Primary School students travelled across the oval to visit the alpacas at Renmark High School Agriculture Centre. The students learned about looking after these gorgeous animals, what their wool was used for and asked RHS Principal Mr Evans lots of questions.

On Tuesday May 29th, Renmark High hosted the Adelaide Secondary Schools Concert Band and Percussion Ensemble. The bands, led by Mr Nick Vladcoff, performed a range of music for our year 8 students. Students enjoyed seeing and hearing unfamiliar instruments, in particular the French horns and the timpanis.

Kirralee Baldock

Director of Learning

Community Reading Evening

On the evening of Wednesday June 5th, families and teachers joined together to explore how school and home partnerships can support our children and young people to be successful readers.  Speakers included Mat Evans (Principal of Renmark High School), Meegan Townsend (Director of Renmark West Preschool) and Lyn Bretag (Principal of Renmark Primary School). Our leaders spoke about the importance of reading at each stage of development.

Dr Rosie Kerin, who is working with our staff to improve our reading practices, spoke about the importance of establishing routines at home to counteract the negative impact that digital screens have on our behaviour and learning including sleep deprivation, irritability and addictive behaviours. Developing the habit of reading, independently and together, makes space in the day to be quiet and promotes bonding time with families, as well as setting you up to be a successful reader.

At the end of the presentation I encouraged families to take the ‘20 minute challenge’ involving families turning off devices and reading together for 20 minutes each day. You might like to accept this challenge too!

Kirralee Baldock

Director of Learning

Today I helped out in the Year 10 Home Ec. class and I was somewhat amazed at their skill set.  It was so good to see the wonderful work they did, let me tell you! Last week each student made a plain cake; this week their task was to decorate it in any way they chose. What I saw at the end of the lesson was fantastic! Teacher, Ms. Riar, is pure gold and they learnt so much about the decorating of their cakes. I certainly don’t think I could match some of the designs and the end results. Students used butter cream to top their cakes and then made fondant decorations such as a puppy, roses or flowers and leaves. Some also created tiered cakes with lollies cleverly placed or used fondant icing and then decorations of their choice. Well done year 10’s.  it was an absolute pleasure seeing all of your creations.

Have a lovely week. Stay safe and keep smiling. Something I have on my wall in my office: 'Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment  until it becomes a memory.'  Interesting huh?  Cheers, Pammy

In our year 10 Skilful with Food class, students have been learning about contemporary cake decoration.  They participated in several workshops to learn about and develop skills in various cake decorating techniques.  To complete the assessment for this topic, students were involved in designing their own cakes as desired applying the techniques learnt in class. The popular designs chosen by students included creating cakes for a range of specific events such as gender reveal parties. Cake styles included: drip cakes, emoji, night sky, florals and abstracts. Students were very creative and keen to try out their skills including making animals and individual decorations out of fondant to embellish their final pieces. It was a total pleasure to see the high level of student engagement and personal satisfaction at the completion of their work. I'm sure you will be impressed at the high standard and quality the cakes produced.

Narinder Riar

10 Surprising Ways to Beat Exam Stress

1. Listen to Classical Music

Listening to music can create a positive and productive environment by elevating your mood and encouraging you to study more effectively and for longer. Classical music is recommended as the best type of music to boost your brain power but ambient music can work too. Check out the playlists on Spotify to easily find what works for you.

2. Take a Quick Walk

Many students feel as if they should spend their entire time before exams with their books open and their pen poised for action. However, research has proven that exercising such as taking a walk can boost your memory and brain power.

3. Plan your Study Routine

This may not be a big surprise but what is shocking is the amount of students who discount the benefits of creating a personal study plan. With some initial effort, you can become more productive and motivated each day you approach your study by understanding your learning progress. If you’re using our learning platform, the GoConqr calendar tool will help you align your goals with your day-to-day study.

4. Play with Bubble Wrap & Puppies

Where do puppies come into exam stress? Lots of universities have installed ‘puppy rooms’ where students can go to relieve stress and anxiety. Pets have also been found to help you focus while studying but we wouldn’t recommend dropping into the library with your pet hamster! Popping bubble wrap is another stress reliever you can save for home study.

5. Try to Get Enough Sleep

For some people, this is something that’s always put on the long finger especially if you are trying to get the most out of school life. The benefits of a proper night’s sleep can never be underestimated. Most importantly, sleep helps your brain to assimilate new knowledge into your long-term memory so that you can recall it when it comes to test day. Anyone who has tried to concentrate with half a night’s sleep can also testify to improved focus with better sleep.

6. Use Mobile Apps

There are tons of mobile apps designed to improve your quality of life. Whether you want to get better organised, improve your mental arithmetic or work on your English language skills, there’s even an app for that.

7. Give Your Mind Space

Meditation is one of the most effective ways to take a break and see your stress from a different perspective. Practicing meditation is another way to maintain focus while improving both mental and physical health to reduce pre-exam stress.

8. Eating Dark Chocolate

Believe it or not this is 100% true. Eating dark chocolate which is over 70% cocoa fights the stress hormone cortisol and has an overall relaxing effect on the body. Plus chocolate releases endorphins which act as a natural stress fighter.

9. Let it All Out

Sometimes you just need to talk to someone, other times you need to shout it from the rooftop or scream from the top of your lungs. Figure out what you’re feeling and then let it out. Speaking to a family member or friend can highlight the bigger picture for you and empower you to rise above the exam stress.

10. Break Free from Distractions

I bet you don’t even realise the number of times you check Facebook, Instagram or whatever your vice is? When you add it all up together, it amounts to a significant waste of time. It can be hard to detach from your life outside of studying but keeping the end goal and timeframe in mind will ease the process.