February 18, 2022 | updates

Term 1: Update 1

Adelaide Botanic High School students engage in learning tasks which are about connecting, creating, communicating, co-ordinating and collaborating.

February 18, 2022

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EMBRACING YOUNG PEOPLE’S CURIOSITY

Update from the Principal

We are beginning to expect that the start of each new school year will bring unplanned challenges and 2022 has certainly lived up to that expectation. Thank you so much for your understanding and support as we moved quickly into both face-to-face and remote learning.

Learning design process

I have challenged our staff this year to focus on the user experience as they design learning rather than a focus predominantly on outcomes. Keeping the student experience at the forefront is a critical component of the design thinking approach that we use at Adelaide Botanic, where empathy is the starting point. Our staff have been absolutely fantastic both in providing an exceptional experience for our new Year 7 and 8 students along with face-to-face and remote learning.

Spending time with our new students it is obvious the planning in preparation for their arrival was worth every bit of effort. They are very quickly becoming a really valued part of our school community and the energy and enthusiasm they have is infectious (in a non-COVID way!). This was none more evident than when they received their laptops.

Year 12 Results

We are thrilled to announce outstanding SACE Stage 2 results including a Merit for English, achieved by our students who undertook Year 12 courses a year ahead of the school having Year 12. More details are provided regarding these achievements and others within this Update.

School Expansion

As you may have already heard through various media releases, a $97.9 million extension to Adelaide Botanic High School has been announced. This is in response to increased demand by students and families to attend the school, along with growth within the school zone. The additional building will join the current building on the south side with seven storeys of learning spaces and facilities, catering for an additional 700 students. Planning has already begun to enable the building to be completed for the start of the 2024 school year.

This is very exciting news as it will significantly increase the facilities available to our students as well as enabling greater access for in-zone families. Please enjoy a few concept pictures of the new addition.

Alistair on behalf of our whole team

Celebrating student success

Term 1 - Student excellence

English and Language Results

A huge congratulations to Kriti on achieving the first merit at Year 12 level for ABHS in 2021. Kriti was part of an accelerated class with students studying Year 12 English whilst in Year 11. Overall, the results were excellent with 80% of students achieving in the A band and three achieving A+.

ABHS has another group of accelerated students studying Year 12 English this year and we look forward to celebrating their success at the start of 2023.

Congratulations to Honey and Alyssa also for their excellent results in Japanese Continuers and Indonesian Beginners. Both girls studied language at the School of Languages (SoL) in 2021.

Honey successfully completed Year 12 Japanese at SoL during 2021 as a Year 10 student and also undertook the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) administered by the Japanese Government and passed the N3 examination. The N3 level of proficiency is the standard required by universities in Japan as an international student enrolling in Japan.

Research Project and Workplace Practices Results

Adelaide Botanic High School was extremely proud of the 2021 Research Project cohort for its 100% satisfactory completion record. Close to 70% of students achieved an A or B band result overall, with 26% in the A band and 7% in the A+ band. It was exciting to see the successes from the first year of Research Project students. These students have helped shape what the Research Project should be for an ABHS student and now, the first group of 2022 Year 11 students are just beginning their projects and following in their footsteps.

Congratulations to Kiara for her result in Workplace Practices, which she studied through Marden Senior College as part of a program for elite dancers and athletes. This is an example of the broad range of options that students have access to in their SACE journeys.

Subject	Grade	Student
English	A+ Merit	Kriti K
English	A+	Kasia C
English	A+	Alexandra W
Indonesian (beginners)	A+	Alyssa O
Japanese (continuers)	A+	Honey L
Research Project B	A+	Felicity B
Research Project B	A+	Kriti K
Research Project B	A+	Kim M
Research Project B	A+	Isabella S
Research Project B	A+	Glebe Z
Workplace Practices	A+	Kiara L

Responsible Behaviour at Adelaide Botanic High School

Adelaide Botanic High School’s Responsible Behaviour Expectations are based on the building blocks of the school’s DNA – Curiosity, Community and Excellence.

When all members of the school community adhere to the responsible behaviours, it helps everyone feel safe and ensures that everybody is accepted for who they are. Teachers proactively teach and model the school’s responsible behaviour expectations so that they can be learned by students.

Explicitly teaching our expectations in Week 1

In Week 1, the Year 7s and 8s spent some time working through the school’s Responsible Behaviour Expectations poster, with a particular focus on how a culture of Curiosity can be developed within the school by respecting and using school facilities safely and appropriately.

Students considered the way in which they use the school building and why these are important expectations to follow now that the school has a full cohort of approximately 1200 students. Students also reflected on why there are explicit Responsible Behaviour Expectations and how this represents what it means to be an Adelaide Botanic High School student.

Staff then worked through an activity which required students to collaborate and decide appropriate consequences for behaviour scenarios that might occur around the school.

Predictable but flexible consequences

In 2022, there is a continued focus on educating the school community about ABHS’ behaviour philosophy. This philosophy is influenced by the Department for Education’s new Behaviour Support Policy, the theory of Positive Behaviour Supports, and a book which staff have read called Discipline with Dignity. Staff have discussed that behaviours which are not OK and not aligned with the expectations will have a predictable consequence.

What is flexible is the type of consequence. Teachers have a choice from a flexible range of consequences from Tier 0 to Tier II. If a leadership staff member is brought into the scenario, then Tier III consequences are also an option.

Staff were extremely impressed with the students’ abilities to maturely engage in deep discussion about which scenarios warranted which level of consequence. Staff were excited to hear students having their own conversations about the appropriate tier responses to behaviour throughout the day.

Click here to access the PowerPoint that students and staff discussed in Week 1 which includes the scenarios and tiered responses.

It has been wonderful to welcome all students back this week and more Responsible Behaviour sessions are being run to guide all students in considering how ABHS will be different with all students on-site.

Jenny Hanks
Student Achievement and Success Manager – Positive Behaviour for Learning

Student Absences from School

At Adelaide Botanic High School, student attendance and safety is a high priority.

To notify ABHS of a Student Absence

The preferred method is to SMS the school to inform of your child’s absence via 0419 850 419. You are also able to telephone the school on 8214 7700 (press 1 for Student Services) or email ABHS.studentservices321@schools.sa.edu.au.

When we have not been notified of an absence and a student has been absent for the day (or part of), an SMS will be generated and sent to the parent listed as Parent 1 in our database. We ask that a brief response to this text message is sent to inform the school of the reason for the absence. Where there is not a response to the SMS, the school will follow up with a phone call to seek a reason for the absence.

Students Arriving Late to School or Leaving Early

A student “sign in/sign out” Kiosk is located at Student Services on Level 1. All students are required to attend Student Services if they arrive late to school to sign themselves in. An SMS will be generated and sent to the parent seeking the reason for the late arrival if an SMS is not received prior to the student arriving late or departing early. Students leaving school early are also required to sign out at Student Services. Students are not permitted to leave school for the purpose of buying food/lunch down the street. Parent requests for this will not be supported.

Students Unwell During the School Day

Students who feel unwell during the school day are asked to report to Student Services on Level 1. First Aid staff will attend to the student and determine the best course of action to support the student to return to class, or Student Services will phone a parent to pick the student up from school.

COVID-related absences

It is important to advise if an absence is COVID-related so that the school can commence contact tracing protocol.

Upcoming Dates - Term 1

Wednesday 23 February WEEK 4 Year 7 & 8 Meet the Connect Teachers	Friday 25 March WEEK 8 Year 12 Formal
Wednesday 2 March WEEK 5 Year 9-11 Meet the Connect Teachers	Thursday 14 April WEEK 11 Last day of Term 1 (normal dismissal time)
Friday 11 March WEEK 6 Student-free Day	Friday 15 April WEEK 11 Good Friday Public Holiday
Monday 21 March WEEK 8 Sports Day

780 books!

Term 1 library display New Year 7 and 8 students were welcomed to the ABHS library with tours of the space ahead of borrowing their first lots of books. By the end of Week 2, 16 classes had toured the library and a whopping 780 books had left the shelves, even without Year 9-11 students onsite! For reference, 5900 books were borrowed in 2021.

The library is open all day for borrowing and students are encouraged to submit requests for new books via the submission box in the library or via the library page on Frog.

Library Lovers’ Day competition

On Valentine’s Day, Library Lovers’ Day is celebrated in the library. This year there is a colouring-in competition for students to enter, with the lucky winner(s) to receive a book to take home for themselves.

Students need to write down one reason why they love reading or libraries and hand in their completed colouring-in piece to the library by Friday, Week 4 (25 February).

Britannica School now available

In exciting news, students now have access to Britannica’s online encyclopedia database at ABHS. Britannica is a fantastic interface for introducing students to online databases and getting them familiar with finding information, knowing that what they are finding is reliable and adjustable to their reading level.

A timeline of overdue notices

Students are initially given 4 weeks to read their books, however they can renew their loans for longer. If books are not returned/renewed by the due date the following schedule of overdue emails are sent out:

Notice	When?	Who is emailed?
Books due soon	3 days before due date	Student
First overdue notice	1 day after due date	Student
Second overdue notice	1 week after due date	Student and parent
Third/final overdue notice	2 weeks after due date	Student and parent
Notice to parent	3 weeks after due date	Parent

Please note, these notices are sent out automatically. Students are encouraged to return books via the self-checkout kiosk so that they are not notified for a book already returned. After four weeks, any unreturned books will be invoiced for replacement.

Lana DiStefano
Library Coordinator

Dangers of Aerosols and Sprays

Aerosol use at school is discouraged as it can cause serious health problems, especially for people with underlying health conditions like asthma. Aerosols include deodorants, hairsprays and perfume sprays.

We acknowledge that personal hygiene is important and we encourage students to use aerosol alternatives such as roll ons or crystal deodorants.

Thank you for helping us keep ABHS aerosol-free!

Why attendance matters

One of Adelaide Botanic High School’s Responsible Behaviour Expectations relates to the Excellence component of the school’s DNA. At ABHS, it is expected that students are able to be punctual and regular in attendance.

Attendance is a key part of the government’s Public Education Strategy, and it is expected that all young people should achieve at least 90% attendance. Underpinning this strategy is the belief that every day matters in the school life of a young person and every day they are at school is a step along the pathway towards future success.

There may be times when students will need to isolate at home as a result of COVID, which will have an impact on their attendance at school. This makes school attendance outside of this even more important.

One or two days of absence a week doesn’t seem like much but…

If your child misses…	That equals…	Which is…	And over 13 years of school that is…
1 day a fortnight	20 days per year	4 weeks per year	Nearly 1.5 years
1 day a week	40 days per year	8 weeks per year	Over 2.5 years
2 days a week	80 days per year	16 weeks per year	Over 5 years
3 days a week	120 days per year	24 weeks per year	Nearly 8 years

A whole year has 365 days, a school year has 190 days. That leaves 175 days to spend on family time, visits, holidays, shopping and other appointments.

Did you know?

A two week holiday during term time means that the highest attendance a student can achieve is 94.7%.

What can parents can do?

Make school attendance a priority.
Talk about the importance of coming to school every day and make this an expectation.
Help your child make daily routines including completing +Time and getting a good night’s sleep.
Try not to schedule medical and dental appointments during the school day.
Ensure your child comes to school every day unless they are truly sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.
Continue to follow current SA Health COVID guidelines as a priority.

Help your teen stay engaged

Find out if your child is engaged with their classes and feels safe at school.
Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers if necessary. Make sure you know how to contact teachers if you are concerned.
Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, or skipping classes.
Encourage meaningful afterschool activities, but be mindful of how many hours a week students are engaged in after school commitments, and support them to balance these with their +Time and downtime.

Communicate with the school

Support the school’s expectations that students should be punctual and regular in attendance.
Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behaviour. These could be related to something happening at school.
Check on your child’s absences in the Daymap portal and make sure they are not piling up.
Respond to SMS requests asking for an explanation for your child’s absence.

Note: there is a new feature in Daymap allowing parents to easily provide reasons for absences. See below for information and examples on how to do this.

Kirsty Gebert
Assistant Principal – Innovation in Teaching and Learning, Education Systems and Inclusive Education

Using Daymap to check attendance

The ‘Attendance’ tab displays a colour-coded attendance map, as well as the student’s attendance rates for each individual class across the school year. Clicking on a particular class under ‘Attendance Rates’ will outline the reason for the absence.

Updating the reason for your child’s absence – new Daymap feature in 2022

The Attendance Map attached to the student’s profile in the Parent Portal now opens an attendance message for the required date when an absence is clicked, making it quicker and easier for parents to provide updates on attendance.

Tracking overall attendance

Data for a lesson or a day can also be found on the home screen

Meet the Connect Teachers

The purpose of the ‘Meet the Connect Teachers’ evenings are to give parents the opportunity to meet the team of Connect teachers supporting their children in 2022. This year, they will all be held online.

These teachers will be the first point-of-call regarding any concerns or updates about students. These evenings allow parents to ask questions and get an understanding about upcoming events, the digital platforms that are used at the school and the Connect approach taken at ABHS.

EdSmart emails are being sent to all families informing them of the dates and providing parents the opportunity to raise any questions with Connect teachers prior to the events. If you have not received yours yet, keep an eye on your inbox.

Instrumental music lessons

Instrumental music lessons have commenced at ABHS!

Students who are involved in the music program have weekly lessons with one of the school’s outstanding instrumental and vocal specialists.

ABHS bands have started rehearsing this week with the following offerings for this term:

ABHS Big Band
ABHS Senior Ensemble
ABHS Stage Band
Be Vocal Choir
ABHS String Ensemble
Rock Solid (rock/pop band program)

Look out for some of these groups who will be performing throughout the school and in the community soon.

If you are interested in being involved in the music program, or joining one of the bands or ensembles listed, please contact the Music Program Manager, Josh Cowley, for more information.

Josh Cowley
Music Program Manager

Ashton invited to join 2022 Junior Science Olympiad Academy

Earlier this year, students at Adelaide Botanic High School were among 3,000 across Australia who sat the Junior Science Olympiad exam. Ashton’s performance in the exam identified him as one of fifty students nationally to receive a place in an accelerated science program 2022 Junior Science Olympiad Academy. The Academy is an invitation-only online program for high-performing students under 16 held during Terms 1 and 2 of 2022.

The Academy consists of four courses run over two ten-week blocks, after school with approximately six hours of study per week. Biology and Chemistry in Term 1, and Earth Science and Physics in Term 2. The courses are taught by expert teachers in each field and cover advanced content.

The aim of the Academy is to provide student’s an opportunity to follow their interest in science, make new friends, and support them to perform well in future Australian Science Olympiads. In addition, we hope to see a positive impact on their performance in the classroom as well!

The school congratulates Ashton and encourages interested Year 9s to sit the Junior Science Olympiad in late July.

Bronte Nicholls
Assistant Principal – Curriculum Innovation and Community Partnerships

ABHS students win 2021 Brain Bee Challenge

A group of Year 10s who entered the 2021 Brain Bee competition were selected to progress to the State Individual and State Teams Championships where they formed a team to enter the Inaugural Video Team Challenge. Early in Term 4, they were announced the inaugural Video Team Challenge Winners. Yana, Elliot, Kosta, and Nathan took on the challenging ‘construct of consciousness’ as their topic.

Congratulations to these four students on an outstanding performance, and for being the winners of this event!

The Australian Brain Bee Challenge (ABBC) is a competition for high school students in Year 10 to learn about the brain and its functions and neuroscience research, to find out about careers in neuroscience and to dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses. The online competition is held later in Term 1 and it would be great to see current Year 10 ABHS students experience similar success. More information will be provided soon via Frog notices.

Bronte Nicholls
Assistant Principal – Curriculum Innovation and Community Partnerships

Survival Kits for Year 12 English Literature students

In their very first lesson, the Year 12 English Literary Studies class were delighted to be presented with ‘English Lit Survival Kits’.

Each survival kit contained some treats and stationery items, serving not only as symbolic gestures of well wishes for academic success this year, but also to cater for their wellbeing throughout. Let’s just say whenever a Freddo Frog meets the eye, the English Lit class will be sure to check the Frog page!

Tania Zebian
Global Perspectives Teacher

Futures Ready

Exciting Pathways

As 2022 began with different year cohorts studying in different ways it is also worth looking at the other flexible ways that studying the SACE can cater for. In 2022 ABHS has numbers of students completing their SACE while connecting with Industry through Flexible Industry Pathways (FIPS). A FIP can be undertaken in a few different ways, the first being through VET courses. Students at ABHS are undertaking nationally recognised Certificates II and III training in a range of industries including Hospitality, Media, IT, Electrotechnology, Construction, Plumbing, Automotive. These students undertake training via Nominated Training Organisations (NTOs) one day per week and manage their school timetable around this.

A number of students are also engaging with a FIP through an employer in a contract of training. These students are school-based apprentices and school-based trainees. School-based apprentices and trainees balance their school studies with VET training and paid employment.

Currently, ABHS has school-based apprentices in the construction field as well as school-based trainees in IT. The first of the school-based IT trainees, Liam P, Duncan C and Dylan B won positions in 2021 in the first round of a program connecting Department for Education schools as employers with students wanting to pursue the industry. These students are completing a Certificate III qualification in Information Technology while also working one day per week in a primary school. The second year of this traineeship program has just been announced with traineeships available in Education Support, Information Technology and Business.

Click here for more information.

Another example of a student incorporating external activities into their SACE is Year 12 Student Nik R. Nik is currently in Spain participating in a High Performance Football training camp taking in professional level training and intensive coaching along with other stars of the future in world football. While undertaking this program Nik has been able to continue his SACE studies with his experiences contributing to his work in multiple SACE subjects within the Futures Ready area including Workplace Practices and Community/Industry Connections. Everyone at ABHS wishes Nik great success in his endeavours.

VET Programs

Hospitality Training Centre

The hosted Vocational Training at ABHS and new relationship with the Adelaide Institute of Hospitality this year is an exciting venture for the school.

This year, students from ABHS and other schools are undertaking their Certificate II in Kitchen Operations under the direction of renowned chef, Emma McCaskill, in the ABHS Hospitality Training Centre. The Industry Standard kitchen and training restaurant, combined with the knowledge of the AIOH, will prepare these students for entry into the hospitality industry. The Certificate II in Hospitality, in connection with TAFE SA, will continue again this year in Semester 2.

ABHS students are also undertaking a broad range of FIPS courses at sites across Adelaide, starting this semester. These include pathways in IT, Digital Media, Automotive, Construction, Electrical, Plumbing and Hospitality. Having the students kickstart their industry connections with training providers including MTA, PEER, TAFE SA, CEG and more, is a highlight of the flexible options available to South Australian students.

Students and families can find out more information about how they can connect with industry and connect themselves with a job cluster.

Ben Dening
Senior Leader – Futures Ready Student Pathways

ABHS Uniform

The Adelaide Botanic High School uniform reflects the contemporary nature of the school and offers a range of proven selections for a variety of weather conditions and student needs.

The uniform plays an important role in creating a sense of identity among students and the community whilst also supporting the safety and wellbeing of our students. The uniform gives students flexibility of choice in terms of what they wear in varying weather conditions, with no specified summer or winter items.

All students are expected to uphold the school’s value of ‘Community’ by wearing the correct school uniform at all times as outlined in the Uniform Policy.

Read Uniform Policy

Uniform Items