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- PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
- R U OK DAY
- MRS E'S JAPANESE CORNER
- EARLY LEARNING CENTRE NEWS
- PEDAL PRIX WRAP UP
- YEAR 7-10 HOME GROUP NEWS
- VISUAL ARTS
- SCHOOL VALUES & EXPECTATIONS
- SCHOOL UNIFORM
- ATTENDANCE
- SCHOOL LUNCHES
- STUDENT BELONGINGS
- PERSONAL HEALTH & HYGIENE
- MID MURRAY OUR TOWN - COMMUNITY GARDEN
- MISSION AUSTRALIA
- NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
- COMMUNITY LIBRARY NEWS
- COMMUNITY NOTICES
- CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2024
Hello Swan Reach,
When I arrived nearly 10 years ago, little did I know the unbelievably rewarding journey before me. A community that learns together grows together and I am blessed to have shared this learning journey with you.
SRAS staff unanimously agree that ‘making a positive difference’ is the biggest reason that we teach and support. Assisting staff, parents and carers to invest and be partners in children’s and students’ learning is a privilege. We may not always have agreed on how, but we definitely agree that we want the best for our future citizens and leaders.
The children and youth are the reason we do what we do – our purpose. It’s a challenging task to care for, parent, lead, teach and support children and youth, but the rewards and outcomes for them are well worth it.
Goodbye or farewell? Both are similar but my preference is for farewell, which has 3 similar meanings:
- Used as an exclamation for good wishes
- Used as a noun to for the act of parting
- Used as a verb to mark the departure of someone
I like that it is a compound word ‘fare’ and ‘well’, meaning to progress or do well. So, as I bid farewell to SRAS. I am truly fortunate to have experienced something (the SRAS community) that makes saying goodbye difficult. Thank you, SRAS.
Kind regards,
Mr John Robertson
Principal
FAREWELL
SRAS farewells Miss Kara Phillips, whose 7-week practicum with our secondary team and students finished last Friday. Thank you Kara for your energy, enthusiasm and growing teaching expertise, in your time with us. Wishing you the best for your future and we know you’ll make a terrific teacher.
SRAS also farewells Levi and Spencer and wish them the very best for their future schooling endeavours. We’ll miss their friendly and kind manner, and energy they brought to our classes.
THE RESILIENCE PROJECT (TRP)
Snapshot 8: Mindfulness 2
Did you know …
We spend 49% of our waking hours thinking about something other than what we’re doing!
Regular mindfulness practice can improve our:
- Immune system
- Energy levels
- Sleep quality
- Awareness
- Memory
- Productivity
Why don’t you give it a go? Find a mindfulness activity that suits you and that you enjoy, everyone is different. Below are some suggestions:
- Listening to music
- Exercise (eg: walking)
- Colouring
- Puzzles
- Meditation
- Yoga
Students in the year 2/3 class have been looking at ‘Fair, Equal and Being Unkind’ in HASS and as part of our studies we discussed R U OK day and what GEM (gratitude, empathy, mindfulness) means to all of us. We held a competition on who could show their ideas of GEM through the making of a poster. These posters show students ideas on GEM.
Mrs Bonnie Harmer
Class Teacher
This semester, Year 6,7 and 8 class started learning about Japanese sentence structure. For their first task, students had to create a slideshow that explained their daily routine in Japanese. This gives them practise in constructing Japanese sentences for their next task.
The second and the biggest task for the semester is to 'Plan a Japan Trip'. Students have to work out their trip to Japan including 3 places to visit, which air company they are flying with, where to stay, how long to stay, how to get to different places and how much it costs. Their budget is $4000. They will be putting all this information together and presenting the task in English, and then explaining their plan to visit 3 places in Japanese.
Hiragana competition
On Tuesday, this week, Ahna, Charlee, Sebastian, Wesley and James participated in the annual Barossa Light and Gawler Hiragana Competition. Students competed against 9 other schools in the Barossa demonstrating their Hiragana knowledge. Congratulations to all these students who participated very well throughout the day demonstrating their best behaviour and showing sound knowledge of Hiragana. As a result, we came 4th out of 10 schools, which is the highest result in SRAS history. Here are their comments:
Ahna: This was my 3rd and final year because I’m going into high school next year and it was the best year yet. We came 4th out of 10 schools, so I’m pretty proud. The first year I did it, we came 8th and the second year we came 10th so this is the best I’ve done. I’m also thankful for the teachers hosting and helping on the day, Mrs E for getting us food and letting us go to the Japanese restaurant and Mrs Williamson for taking us there. Overall it was a great day.
Charlee: It was a good opportunity and there were kind people and it was fun. The Japanese teachers were nice and it was a good challenge.
Sebastian: I loved the Hiragana competition because it was an opportunity to learn Japanese.
Wesley: It was fun because we got to eat marshmallows and I liked the challenges of the whole thing.
James: I loved the Hiragana competition because I liked the challenges and the marshmallow race (the chopstick race) was good.
Mrs Yuka Endersby
Japanese Teacher
Early Learning Centre News
Last Friday, the Preschool children celebrated the ‘special men in their lives,’ with a belated Father’s Day pizza afternoon. The children were involved in preparing the ingredients for the pizzas and were excited to welcome their special guys into the ELC in the afternoon. As well as making their pizzas together, the children and their guests had photos taken in the photo booth, chatted with each other, and enjoyed playing with some of the kindy toys. Thankyou to all who came in. We are very grateful for the positive impact you are having on our pre-schoolers.
Mrs Trish Horstmann
The Early Years Team
Occasional Care
We have good news! Our Occasional Care service will be back up and running in Term 4. Occasional Care is available for children aged 2-4 years on Friday mornings, from 8.30am till 12.30pm. The service will be integrated with our preschool session, and will be coordinated by our SSO, Mr Roy McKenzie.
As numbers are restricted, families wishing to utilise this service, will need to register their interest by phoning the front office on 85702053. This includes both previously enrolled children and new children. New enrolments also need to fill in an enrolment form and provide birth and immunisation certificates. Roy will then be in contact with confirmation of your booking and further information.
Mrs Trish Horstmann
The 24-Hour Pedal Prix was an exciting event and a fantastic opportunity for our students to challenge themselves both physically and mentally. The energy and determination shown by our riders was intense, as they pushed through day and night to complete the race.
A huge thank you to Phil Carter, Mrs. Bonnie Harmer and her husband Martin, Renae and David Hodge, Troy Haby, and Neill Fawdry for their support and assistance. I am especially grateful to Troy and Neill who marshalled between 12 midnight and 4 am, ensuring the safety and smooth running of the event during the toughest hours. It was also great to see some parents and carers dropping in to check out the race. No doubt it is a lot of hard work and preparation, but ultimately it is an unforgettable experience for our students.
Mr Greg Griffiths
On the 21st- 22nd of September, our pedal prix team, Black Swan Racing, participated in the 24-hour race. We trained over the year to improve our stamina, endurance, and collaboration to prepare for this physically demanding event. The race itself was a true test of perseverance and resilience, pushing our limits both physically and mentally. Despite the challenges we faced, the experience was highly rewarding and enjoyable. In the end, we achieved a commendable 99th place out of 151 competing teams.
The Pedal Prix Team
Here are the comments from the team for the weekend:
The 24-hour Pedal Prix event was a great experience and I hope to do it again next year. it was an emotional rollercoaster with both mental and physical challenges riding the bike. The Pedal Prix is great fun but also mentally challengingfor both riders and teachers and, that shows on the bus ride back. Overall, this was a great experience for me. Lily
It was a fun weekend even though I couldn’t race, I supported the team and my friends. Tehya
I enjoyed riding the pedal prix bike at night and I also enjoyed being with all of my friends. Logan
My highlight from the 24 hour pedal prix race was probably during my first ride; I had just reached the forty minute mark and as I was passing our pit lane, I looked up and saw the whole team there cheering me on. That pushed me to persist and finally reach the hour mark. To see everyone there, cheering me on as I passed by, made my day and encouraged the whole team overall. Maliyah
As soon as the Pedal Prix race began, I noticed an energy and vibe from the entire team which was uplifting and inspiring. Throughout the 24 hours, every time we crossed the pit lane, we could see our team mates encouraging us to keep going. The race taught me about endurance and to push my limits. Summer
I enjoyed the Pedal Prix because I surprised myself by doing an hour and twenty minutes straight in the bike. I started when it was still dark in the morning and then kept going until the sun came up. Penny
What I got out of riding in the pedal prix was the fitness and leading my fellow team mates. Tyron
It made me feel happy that I had the fastest lap for a while, until the last ride of the race. It relieved physical pain besides gaining cramps. Tommy
It was amazing to see people cheering me on when it was my turn in the bike and seeing everyone there was cool. It was a bit difficult to get out of the pit lane but when I was on the track I was fine. I was really nervous at the start and I was a bit scared and did not want to get in the bike but when everyone said I could do it, I felt comfortable and I had more motivation. I am really grateful for Mr G, Mr carter, Mrs G and Troy for staying awake and taking their weekend off for us to be able to do Pedal Prix. It was a great experience and I can't wait for next year to ride in all of the races. Charlee
My favorite part of the 24 hour was riding last and the cheers I got from the entire team. It encouraged me to push harder and go faster. It also highlighted the competitiveness between the team and support for each other throughout the whole event. Jacob
I enjoyed the whole event and seeing everyone work together as a team. My favourite part would be riding at 4am and then watching the sun come up. Jazzy
Black Swan Racing Team
During this term we had the pleasure of hosting Miss Kara Phillips, a student teacher from Flinders University. One of the subjects she taught was Visual Arts. These are just some examples of the drawings the Year 6-10 class produced.
The Swan Reach Area School apparel store is now live. This means you can now order school shirts without having to go through the school. For more information contact the front office. Please allow at least 2 weeks for production and postage if required. Orders can be collected from Print City in Murray Bridge when advised.
The school lunch menu and prices are supplied by the Swan Reach General Store. We thank them for this service to the school. School lunches are available for order on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They are not available on Wednesday.
REMINDER TO PARENTS/CARERS: Thank you for making sure that ALL your children's belongings (clothes, lunch boxes, drink bottles, etc.) are CLEARLY LABELLED with your child's name. Labelled property can be easily returned to its owner. We would also like to advise that we can also offer an embroidery service if anyone wants to have their child/children's names embroidered on their school clothing for a small fee of $5.00 per garment. If you are interested in this service contact the school.
Good health habits and personal hygiene are essential life skills. Children need to learn life skills that are necessary in order to become healthy, confident and responsible adults. In people with poor personal hygiene, the body provides an ideal environment for germs to grow, leaving it vulnerable to infection. On a social level, people may avoid a person with poor personal hygiene, which may result in isolation and loneliness.
- Showering or bathing every day.
- Washing hands with soap and water often.
- Washing hair regularly.
- Brushing hair every day and getting haircuts when needed.
- Brushing teeth twice a day.
- Changing underwear daily and wearing clean clothes.
- Using personal hygiene products such as deodorant.
Attention SRAS Families!We are pleased to announce that Helen Luke, a Local Area Coordinator from Mission Australia, will be visiting our school on:
Date: Wednesday, 30th October (Week 3, Term 4)
Location: Swan Reach Area School
Helen is here to meet with parents and families who would like support with accessing funding from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Whether you need advice or assistance with NDIS funding for your child/ren, Helen can provide the guidance and information you need. Mission Australia is a funded partner of the NDIS, committed to supporting families in our community. If you are interested in meeting with Helen or need more information, please me at the school.
Mr Jayden Coleman
Special Education Coordinator
Due date for articles in the next Newsletter is 10:00am, 16th October, 2024. The newsletter is distributed via the SZApp and school website.
Articles can be emailed to dl.0423.info@schools.sa.edu.au clearly marked in the subject box as Newsletter, faxed to 8570 2325 or delivered to the front office. Due to the way the Newsletter is now being set up, not all photos are included in the print copy, however there are several photo galleries included online and via the SZApp. Apple devices: open the App store and search and download SZapp, on Android devices open the Play store and search and download SZappa; select the Asia Pacific region and search for Swan Reach Area School. Follow the prompts to register using an email address and create a password to access the online newsletter. Contact the school should you require any assistance.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY OPENING HOURS -
'Call and Collect' will still be available for your convenience.
SCHOOL TERM TIME OPENING HOURS - Monday, 8.30am-4:00pm Tuesday, 8.30am-5:00pm Wednesday,8.30am-5:00pm Thursday,8.30am-4:00pm Friday, 8.30am-4:00pm. 'Call and Collect' will still be available for your convenience.
The library has a mobile phone for communication. Please let me know if you would like to be included on the message list to receive notifications, holiday and opening hours etc.
The number is: 0460 366 067
LIBRARY MOBILE APP
| 27th September | End of Term 3 - Assembly 1.30pm, Early Dismissal 2.10pm |
| 14th October | Beginning of Term 4 |
| 4th November | Student Free Day |
| 13th December | End of Term 4 - Early Dismissal 2.10pm |