Kambalda West District High School

Term 1 - Week 4 - Issue 2

From our Principal : Mrs Denyse Delfs

Thank you to all parents who attended our Welcome BBQ last Wednesday. It was a great opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and find out a little about the day to day running of the classroom, as well as what our behavioural expectations are. It was also a chance to ask any questions you had about our school but as always, our staff are happy to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress and achievement at school.

The P and C have their Annual General Meeting coming up on Tuesday March 12 at 9:00 a.m. in the Conference Room. They welcome all new parents and have a number of special projects they are working on this year. If you can help out in any way, please come along. It only costs $1.00 to join.

In 2018 we asked parents, students and staff to complete a National Schools Opinion Survey and I will be sharing the results from those surveys in coming newsletters.

Denyse Delfs

National Schools Opinion Survey Feedback 1

From the Secondary Deputy : Mr Courtney Wilson

Congratulations to our secondary students who have continued to impress with high levels of engagement, behaviour and achievement occurring throughout all secondary classes. It has been fantastic to see the number of students engaged in activities with their peers and teachers.

If you have not liked our school facebook page now is a great time to do so, it provides you with an opportunity to see the fantastic learning opportunities our secondary students are engaged in. We have shared a recent write up about a HaSS activity that had our students well and truly engaged. To like our facebook page click on the following web address:

https://www.facebook.com/kwdhs/.

I would like to remind students and parents/guardians that milkshakes and carbonated drinks are not allowed at school. These high sugar drinks provide very little in terms of nutrition and can lead to students being unable to concentrate and behave appropriately within the classroom. If a student is found with these drinks at school they will be confiscated and returned to the student at the end of the day.

As part of our Year 10 transition program we welcomed the Principal and Deputy Principal of Eastern Goldfields College who spoke to our Year 10 students about the opportunities that can be provided to them at Eastern Goldfields College in 2020. We will provide further opportunities for our Year 10 students to meet with key staff from Eastern Goldfields College so that you and your child can make an informed choice about their future senior school options. If you would like further information regarding Eastern Goldfields College please visit their website

www.egc.wa.edu.au.

Round 1 of OLNA testing is now upon us and next week our Year 10 students will commence a range of assessments to determine their level of achievement in writing, reading and numeracy. Information regarding the OLNA can be found on the SCSA website

https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/olna/students-parents-carers. Feedback on student achievement will be provided in early Term 2 when it is made available by the authority.

“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

Parents and guardians please keep an eye on your emails at the end of Week 6 as we will be emailing home your child’s interim report for Term 1. This report provides teachers with an opportunity to provide feedback on your child’s progress at school this year. I strongly encourage you to contact your child’s teachers if you have any concerns or queries in regards to their academic performance.

Thank you to those parents who took the time to visit and meet the secondary teaching staff at our recent parent information evening. It was very pleasing to see an increasing number of secondary parents being actively involved in their child’s education.

Please feel free to contact the school to arrange a time to meet with me should you have any concerns, queries or ideas that relate to the secondary area of the school. I am more than happy to sit and talk with you about how we can continue to improve the educational experience and outcomes for our students.

Kambalda West DHS Council

Who are our School Council and what do they do?

School Councils have an important role in the running of a school. The role of the school council is to take part in:

1) establishing and reviewing the school’s objectives, priorities and policy directions; to promote the school in the community,

2) the planning of the financial arrangements necessary to fund school directions and objectives,

3) reviewing school performance in achieving its objectives and

4) advising the Principal with regard to policy, including Behaviour Management, Codes of Conduct and Dress Codes.

School Councils do not:

1) intervene in the management of the school

2) have authority over the teaching staff or any other staff employed at the school

3) Intervene in the educational instruction of the students.

Congratulations and thank you to the following members of the KWDHS School Council for 2019.

James Trail Council Chairperson

Denyse Delfs Principal

Jenny Cotter (P and C Rep)

Vicki Kearns (Parent Rep)

Chris Yexley (Parent Rep)

Mark Ardley (Community Rep)

Tracey Rathbone (Community Rep)

Michelle Rumsey (Staff Rep)

Alex Jones (Staff Rep)

If you are a parent and are interested in joining the School Council, please contact Denyse on 90271477 for more information.

Ms Kadi Turner : School Psychologist

How to teach kids to solve problems on their own. Take from the 3P Learning (Positive Parenting Program)

From a board game to the board room, problem solving is a skill that can get you through many tricky situations in life. So how can you teach your kids to become good problem solvers?

Children need to practice their problem-solving skills. The starting point can be everyday play. Here, they are surrounded with chances to problem solve, whether they’re playing an imaginary game with their toys, building with blocks, or colouring. It’s the perfect time for them to show you what they know and what they can do.

It also gives you the chance to prompt them towards a solution and to praise their efforts.

For example, your child might be working on a puzzle. They ask for your help finding a missing piece. Instead of just handing them the piece, you could prompt them to find the answer themselves. You could say something like, “What size piece are you looking for? What color?” and guide them towards the answer.

This not only teaches them about the steps of problem solving, it sends them the message that problems have solutions. And they will realise that they are able to find those solutions.

Growing up in an environment like this will help kids become confident enough to tackle problems in the future.