Parent Forums
Large crowds attended both the Year 7 Information Night and Year 10 Parent Forum in recent weeks. Year 10 parents were provided information on a range of topics of interest to students and parents leading up to and including graduation in December. For Year 10 parents the next forum is scheduled for early in term 2, when Narrabundah and Canberra College Principals will facilitate a Q & A style forum to assist in the transition to College for our students. Dates and times to follow.
The Year 7 ‘Mini Timetable’ evening was also a huge success. Parents followed their young person’s timetable and visited all their classes. It afforded an opportunity to share, discuss learning expectations and become familiar with the high school environment. It was great to hear from the many parents who shared positive feedback on their child’s first experiences of ADHS.
The Parent Support Group also met on Wednesday of this week with a focus on MyGoogleLife@ADHS. Executive Teacher for ICT & Mathematics, Jen Feltham, shared information and resources with parents to support our school’s approach to implementing the Directorate’s digital learning strategy. Jenny’s presentation is included in the Digest for those who could not make it along.
Google Summit @ADHS
During week 4 Alfred Deakin High School delivered a range of interactive workshop sessions to Year 7 students building skills to best utilise their Chromebook device in:
- Digital Citizenship
- My Google Life
- Organisational skills
- Advance G Suite (sheets, docs, slides, forms)
Resources, along with an overview of the program can be found in the
Parent Portal. Thank you to Jen Feltham again for her work in design and coordination of the program over several years.
Voluntary Contributions & Learning Innovation Funds
ADHS welcomes all voluntary contributions from our community. These funds are essential to enhancing student learning outcomes and improving the experience of young people in public education. Partial contributions are also most welcome.
Voluntary Contributions – are used to improve the physical environs and amenities across the school. Recent works have included outdoor oval and court resurfacing and outdoor sensory spaces. One contribution per family per year.
Library Trust – used to update Library resources, including e-books. One contribution per family covers the four years at ADHS. Tax deductible.
Learning Innovation – used by faculties to enhance student learning experiences and innovate new programs of learning. Recent examples have included
STEM resources – light and sound investigation kits, Horticulture equipment
ICT – virtual reality system for students to develop and test application
PE & Health – Culture Break and contemporary indigenous dance workshops, Tomorrow Man: Redefining masculinity workshop
Visual Art – new kiln for finishing student projects
Media – DLSR cameras and audio recorders
Online Subscription – provides students with 24 hour online access to learning resources and skill development exercises aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Used in Maths, Science and Languages.
Building Trust – used to upgrade physical learning spaces. Tax deductable.
For 2020, fees will be as follows:
SEMESTER 1
Year 7/8: Voluntary Contributions $100
Library Trust $50
Building Trust $50
Curriculum Innovation $140
Languages, Maths, Science Online Subscriptions $62.50
Year 9/10: Voluntary Contributions $100
Library Trust $50
Building Trust $50
Curriculum Innovation $180
Maths, Science online Subscriptions $32.50
SEMESTER 2
Year 7/8: Curriculum Innovation $160
Year 9/10: Curriculum Innovation $110
Extra Curricular Activities
Participation in learning area excursions and extra curricular activities provide strong educational
outcomes for students and are an enriching and rewarding part of school life. It is important for students and their families to balance participation in voluntary extra curricular activities with time missed from class. At times we see students over-commit to out of class opportunities and as a result they, at times, struggle to catch up and meet the commitments of their class work. ADHS has an expectation of students that they see the teacher of the missed class as soon as possible on return to school to remain up to date with their learning and assessment program. Please be proactive in assisting your child to manage this balance so they can experience strong outcomes in all aspects of their school life.
Carpark and Supervision
I again thank parents for their observance of safety, for giving way to buses and ensuring the flow of traffic in the afternoons.
A further note to our families that, in accordance with the ACT Governments Supervision of Students on School Sites Policy, duty of care supervision commences from 8.30am and concludes at 3.35pm.
Best Regards
David Briggs
Principal
