Findon High School “Start with a dream. Finish with a future”

FinNews Date: 23 October 2018 2018 Issue 16

Inside this issue:

From the Principal

1 &

2

Diary Dates 1

Pupil Free Days 1

Senior School Report 2

Reading the Classics 3

Materials and Services

Fees 2019

3

Simulated Murder Arti-

cle

4

Simulated Murder Arti-

cle

5

Instagrammer of the

Week

6

Twilight Concert &

Raffle

6

The secret life of teen-

age girls seminar

7

Community Notice 8

Phil Fitzsimons Principal

Findon High School

Drummond Avenue

Findon SA 5023

Ph: 08 8445 7944

Fax: 08 8345 5401 Email:

dl.0805_info@schools.sa.edu.au

Web: www.findonhs.sa.edu.au

Welcome to this week’s newsletter.

Welcome back to Term 4. I trust all students and their families had a pleasant holiday break.

Industry Visits During the school holidays I had the pleasure of visiting two local inno-vative manufacturing businesses -Dixon Industries and SA Construct. The purpose of these visits was to gain further insight into the key skills and capabilities industry are seeking from secondary students, as well as see first hand the machinery the school will acquire next year. As part of our partnership with Intellecta Technologies, Managing Director, Dr Tony Pugatschew facilitated the tour of both companies exploring ex-citing opportunities that will be created for our students in 2019, with the construction of the Advanced Manufacturing Centre. The shipping container idea will enable students to create portable learning hubs to highlight advanced manufacturing concepts using high tech equipment such as plasma cutters and 3D printers amongst others. The idea is then to have these containers become our permanent road-show facility that we can transport to any location demonstrating the advanced manufacturing possibilities at Findon High School.

Site Improvement Planning for 2019 Work has begun on creating the new three-year Site Improvement Plan for Findon High School. This is a mandated process for all department schools, which I see more than a tick a box exercise. Extensive conversa-tions have already begun on establishing the three strategic directions for the school, incorporating student centred learning as the framework in which our educational philosophy will be based upon. It is envisaged that the plan will be completed by Week 7 of this term. Students will be given the opportunity to contribute to the goals and targets set within each strategic direction, along with parents on School Council.

2019 Prefect Elections As the year is gradually drawing to a close for our Year 12 students, so too is the time coming to an end for our inaugural Prefects for 2018. Last week, Michael, Sumaya, Ilario and Caitlin facilitated a detailed con-versation with our current Year 11 students on the process of becoming a Prefect for 2019. I was incredibly proud of their enthusiasm in the way they spoke and the pride they have in the role itself. The high number of aspiring nominees who have already nominated validated the work they have undertaken this year.

From The Principal

Important Dates

Wed 31 Oct - Final day of formal lessons for Year 12

Wed 31 Oct -Valedictory Ceremony

Mon 5 Nov—Year 12 SACE exams commence

Thu 8 Nov—School Council Meeting 6.30pm Staff Room

Fri 9 Nov—Remembrance Day Ceremony

STUDENT FREE DAY Term 4

Monday, November 19, 2018

“Attendance = Success”

We ask families to please call the Front Office, or write a note in your child's Communication book if there is a legitimate reason for their absence.

Page 2

Absent from school? Parents are advised that if their child will be absent or late for school for any reason, they are asked to contact the school by 9.30 am. Phone: 8445 7944. Student Records To ensure that all student records are accurate and up to date, could you please ensure that the school is notified of any changes to address, phone number, emergency contact, etc.

Principal’s Tours 2018

Open Day is every day

Contact us for your

personalised tour.

Findon High School will also

be holding Principal’s Tours

on the following dates.

Friday 16 November 2018

Week 5 @ 9.15am

Please phone Natalie

Critchley on 8445 7944

for bookings or

further information.

Senior School Report

Our Year 12 Valedictory Evening will be held on Wednesday, October 31, to celebrate the year that was for our Year 12 students. It is an evening where students receive their Valedictory Certificates and Letter of Encouragement as they venture forth into their next phase of life. The audience will be treated to our traditional, highly amusing and entertaining slide show of baby and childhood photographs of each Year 12 student which precedes the presentation of students by myself, Dr Leach and Mr Spencer. Recipients of subject awards and the five major awards are recognised with special guests making the presentations to the students. The major awards are presented to students whose commitment to school, community and themselves has been exempla-ry. The audience will also be treated to extremely high quality entertainment from the Vo-

cal Ensemble, Year 11 Music class band and the Year 12 Music class band. A summary of

the subject and major award winners is presented below.

Biology: Lucia Fajnorova Community Studies B: Paulo Japhet English: Estahil Warsame & Samantha Sequeira Essential English: Fatuma Adan Maalim & Kathy Lam Food and Hospitality: Kathy Lam Legal Studies: Michael Ivanov Material Products B: Connor Flint Essential Mathematics: Kathy Lam Mathematical Methods: Alexandra Ivanova Music, Solo and Ensemble Performance: Caitlin Tieman-Koster Physical Education: Esther Kleyer Physics: Samantha Sequeira Psychology: Lucia Fajnorova Research Project: Samantha Sequeira SOSE: Michael Ivanov Visual Arts, Art: Lakeisha Watkins VET: Sam Hinds Workplace Practices: Lakeisha Watkins

Caitlin Tieman-Koster, Alexandra Ivanova, Lakeisha Watkins, Estahil Warsame, Michael

Ivanov, Samantha Sequeira, Sumaya Keyse Abdinoor

Caltex Best All Rounder Award: Caitlin Tieman-Koster Josiah Mitton Prize: Lakeisha Watkins ADF Long Tan Award: Sumaya Keyse Abdinoor Rotary Club of Charles Sturt, Grange Owen Sykes Award: Michael Ivanov Principal’s Award: Michael Ivanov

Mr Atsalas Deputy Principal and Senior School Coordinator

NOMINEES FOR DUX OF FINDON HIGH SCHOOL

MAJOR AWARDS

SUBJECT AWARDS

Page 3 2018 Issue 16

Reading the classics

A return to the classics in English this Semester has seen Findon students im-

merse themselves in beautiful stories of people from times gone by, from

places far away. Students have been captivated by the classic S.E. Hinton nov-

el The Outsiders and touched by Of Mice and Men, a timeless story of struggle

during the Great Depression, written by John Steinbeck. Through these classic

texts and their enduring messages, Findon students have developed their abil-

ities to make meaning through the written word while also recognising the

importance of literature in understanding themselves and others. Reading

quality, classic literature is critical in developing vocabulary and a unique style

of writing. It is true that great readers become great writers!

Rebecca Healy Karla Huffa

Please encourage your child to

head to the Resource Centre

to borrow a written text to

read during their down time at

home. They will thank you for

it later!

NOTICE TO PARENTS/CAREGIVERS

2019 MATERIALS AND SERVICES CHARGE

Our Materials and Services Charge for 2019 has been watermarked by the Department for Education to verify it complies with Department instruction. This schedule of charges will be presented for discussion and approval at a School Council meeting on Thursday 8 Novem-ber 2018 at 6.30 pm to be held in the Conference Room at Findon High School. Anyone wishing to attend the meeting to express their views is welcome. Alternatively, in lieu of attendance, you may

write to the Chairperson of the School Council (Findon High School, Drummond Ave., Findon 5023) prior to the meeting.

Enquiries about the charge can be made to the school on 8445 7944.

Page 4

Simulated Murder Article

On September 18, Findon High School had a horrible disaster happen. Student

’Elle Edwards’ had mysteriously died on the office stairs and the Year 11 Legal

Studies class were asked to investigate to determine the cause of death. We were

required to take samples of mysterious substances, photograph the crime scene

and question witnesses to find out if we had to prosecute the offence of murder

in Findon’s Court of Justice.

Mrs Campbell had everything planned out to a

tee. Earlier that day, at 11:10am, there was a

drill for an invacuation. This gave Mrs Camp-

bell, Pauline and Annie time to set up the

crime scene in the front office. When the crime

scene was set up and the invacuation bell rang,

Pauline and Annie went to the Year 11 English

classes to find the Legal Studies students. We

then went down to the front office, where we met a fake body and were given the

task to figure out who killed ‘Elle Edwards’. A week earlier Pauline had come into our

Legal Studies class very upset and had yelled at Mrs Campbell about the ‘new stu-

dent’. We all thought this was true, due to how realistic their acting was, but it all

turned out to be staged in preparation for this case.

The first thing we all had to do was put on gloves so as to not contaminate

any possible evidence at the scene. The class had a list of roles to choose

from to ensure a thorough investigation. They then had to carry out the spe-

cific duties of their chosen role. Detectives had to interview witnesses, (that

later became potential suspects), take photographs of every aspect of the

crime scene, collect evidence and bag it. Some of our class questioned other

students and staff members within the school to determine their wherea-

bouts at the time of the crime and if they saw anything unusual at the time.

The Legal Studies class interviewed witnesses for hours and took fingerprints

of potential suspects. Despite this we struggled to connect anyone to the

murder so a second round of questioning had to happen. This is when wit-

nesses started to have discrepancies in their stories and we could finally

have an insight into who may have murdered ‘Elle Edwards’. Our main sus-

pect was Pauline, an SSO at our school.

After collecting evidence, the class sat down and even had a suspect board, where we dis-

played the testimonies we took as well as some of our own theories. There was a lot of

evidence for us to piece together, such as the spilled tea on the platform on the main

stairs, the voice recording that Sandy had got, the blood on the bottom of the stairs as well

as the platform, and so much more. The aim of this case was to see if we could possibly

take Pauline, or even someone else, to court. It took us almost three double lessons to fig-

ure out what could have happened.

2018 Issue 16 Page 5

After spending so much time investigating and deliberating we came to the con-

clusion that there wasn't substantial evidence to take anyone to court, as most of

the evidence we had was circumstantial. We discussed taking two potential sus-

pects to court, but given they would have been charged with murder and the jury

would have had to return a unanimous verdict (where all 12 jurors agree) that the

alleged offenders were guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. We knew this would

be a challenge as we believed at least one juror would struggle to convict either

of the suspects given the circumstantial evidence. We decided to ask Mrs Camp-

bell the true facts of the case.

Mrs Campbell told us that ‘Elle’ had a blood nose while she was having

an argument with Pauline. She went down the main stairs where she

slipped on the tea, fell and died. We were so shocked because we had

looked so deep into this and even questioned teachers and SSO's that

we thought were suspects. We did manage to work out the blood was

from a blood nose, as there was a note in ‘Elle’s’ student file that indi-

cated she gets blood noses when stressed.

This experience was one that was honestly really inter-

esting and exciting. In Legal Studies we learn and experi-

ence what happens after a police investigation is under-

taken. Being able to see how it would play out was ex-

tremely engaging. Mrs Campbell had told us the purpose

of the crime scene was to appreciate all the work and

investigation that is required to present a solid and ade-

quate case to the courts. We now know that the evi-

dence in a real trial has been thoroughly investigated and

verified before it goes to trial.

Written by Ivy Lockett and Yamini Kollati – Year 11 Legal Studies

Page 6

Instagrammer of the Week Update Congratulations to Ben Mercer, Heather Reyes and Nathan Daff who are our most recent Instagrammer of the Week recipients. Their photographic skills have been showcased on Instagram and they have been awarded canteen vouchers for their efforts. This is a fantastic opportunity to capture Findon High School from your unique perspective. Get your entry in by Thurs-

day 3pm each week to be in the running. If you are interested in building your smartphone photography skills, please

keep your eyes open for upcoming workshops in the Resource Centre.

Kosta Lefteriotis – Student Instagram manager

Twilight Concert Findon High School’s annual Twilight Concert will be held in Week 6 on Wednesday November 21, at 6pm. Come join us for a wonderful night filled with performances by our talented music students. Entry to the twilight concert is by gold coin donation. We will also be holding our very first raffle. To purchase tickets head to the front office, tickets are $1 each.

Donations for raffle Are you an organisation committed to supporting the learning and personal development of Findon High School’s young people? If so, please consider supporting the music students of Findon High School in their quest to raise funds to travel to New Zealand and perform alongside other secondary school students as part of the International Youth Music Festival. As a committed group of student leaders wanting to take charge of our futures as musicians, we have started the fund-raising process by organising a raffle, and this is where you can help. We are seeking donations, big or small, that we can include in the raffle: perhaps a gift voucher or some local produce that showcases your brand? Of course, to reward your generosity, your organisation would be publically acknowledged at the Twilight Concert and throughout the rest of 2018, via our social media platforms and our school newsletter. More importantly though, you would be making a huge difference in the future aspirations of our music students.

Should you wish to make a small donation, please contact our team via email at Kosta.Lefteriotis437@schools.sa.edu.au Kosta Lefteriotis

2018 Issue 16 Page 7

Findon High School is selling Entertainment Books again this year, in both digital and hard copies. You are able to purchase the books by credit card via the following link:

https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/16p1655.A sample book is available to look at in the office. Please tell family and friends that our school is selling them to help our fundraising. For further information please contact:

Melissa.Campbell502@schools.sa.edu.au.

Thank you to the Families, students and staff who collected vouchers earlier this year. Findon High School were able to redeem them for some new sports equipment.