March 22, 2024 | updates

Term 1: Update 2

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

March 22, 2024

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Belonging

Update from the Principal

Something that’s really important to us here at Adelaide Botanic High School is feeling like you belong. Every student deserves to feel a sense of belonging.

We believe that when students feel connected to their school community, it positively impacts their learning, engagement, and overall well-being.

Recently, during a staff professional learning day (student-free day), our school leadership team had the privilege of engaging with students to understand their experiences within our large school community. It was a fantastic time together as we explored what it means to belong and strategies to ensure that every student feels known, valued and truly belongs. Central to the discussions were the exploration of innovative ways to develop “schools within a school” micro- communities that ensure no one feels lost in the crowd.

It highlighted the many ways we already build this sense of belonging, through the relationships and communities formed in our classes, as well as Connect, Studio One, Studios, Clubs, DNA Action Days, Sports and Swimming Carnivals, Camps, Break Time Activities, The Formal, Excursions, and more.

A wonderful example of students leading initiatives building connection, is the Endeavour Synergy members who have started the year with their Kindness projects. They’ve brought an active photobooth to the Atrium space, making Wednesdays even more enjoyable for everyone. It’s been lovely seeing students get into the spirit and have a bit of fun together, joining with friends to dress up and use the props in the photobooth. Congratulations to the Synergy team for their efforts.

As parents, understanding the significance of belonging can help you support your child’s educational journey. It’s crucial not to dismiss activities and events related to belonging as less important than classroom learning.

It is easy at times to use Connect, Studio One or a Sports Day as a time to book in an appointment or allow a later start, however these experiences play a vital role in your child’s overall development.

You play a crucial role in nurturing your child’s sense of belonging.

Regularly communicate with your child about their school experiences, listen actively, and validate their feelings. Remember, how you talk about their school will strongly influence how they feel about the school and their level of connection and belonging. Encourage and support their participation in activities, sports, clubs, and events.

Your active involvement in Learning Conversation meetings, school events, and performances can make a significant difference.

Belonging matters and we were reminded on the student-free day to “Be happy where our feet are”.

Alistair on behalf of our whole team

WOMADelaide 2024

Being in Frome Park, ABHS has been immersed in the WOMADelaide experience. It started with the installation of the marquee for Taste the World on Botanic Terrace, which will stay in place to provide shade until the end of Week 8. The next conversion was the gym into a full Theatre, to host two productions, Le Chant and Beytna. Having these venues on site provided the unique opportunity for 40+ students to be involved in a range of volunteering roles including front-of-house for the two gym shows Le Chant and Beytna, food preparation with Taste the World, food preparation in the Level 2 commercial kitchen with Beytna and tech positions with the AV company Mosaic in the gym and Botanic Terrace. Outside of the school, students were also involved in front-of-house for Planet Talks on the Frome Park stage.

Seven students were selected to be trained as puppeteers for the Handspring Puppet Company from South Africa roving show, Celebration Parade. This involved workshops with the local theatre company, Slingsby, Handspring Puppet Company and the puppet maker who were all partners in the show. The students then performed in the evenings, bringing one of three endangered South Australian species to life each evening – the red tailed cockatoo, the bilby and the yellow-footed rock wallaby.

ABHS would like to congratulate all our students who volunteered their time and were wonderful ambassadors for the school over the entire festival and look forward to growing our involvement in WOMADelaide 2025.

Dr Bronte Nicholls
Assistant Principal – Curriculum Innovation and Community Partnerships

Stage 1 and Stage 2 (Yr11-12) Nutrition

Yr11-12 Nutrition students have had an engaging and educational time in their nutrition classes recently, with students conducting practical experiments to learn more about food and digestion.

Within the Stage 1 Nutrition class, students embarked on an investigation into the fat content of various brands of potato chips. The task required them to weigh 20g of chips, crush them using a rolling pin onto graph paper, and then count the number of squares that turned greasy. This hands-on approach allowed the students to visually understand the amount of grease in different chips. The results were eye-opening, with Smith’s chips and French Fries showing the highest grease content. The students thoroughly enjoyed the process of pulverising potato chips and counting squares.

In Stage 2 Nutrition, students conducted a fascinating practical experiment exploring the digestion process along the gastrointestinal tract. They had to strategically plan when to add certain liquids, such as gastric juices, to simulate the chemical digestion process. Additionally, they used their hands to mash food, mimicking the mechanical digestion that occurs along the gastrointestinal tract. The students found this experiment particularly engaging as they had the unique opportunity to simulate the creation of faeces. These practical experiments have provided our students with a fun and interactive way to learn about nutrition and digestion.

Sylvia Charalambous
STEM Teacher

Yr12 English Literary Studies

Lights. Camera. Action!

Year 12 English Literary students STEP UP and SHINE during Spoken Word Performances!

As part of the Stage 2 subject, students showcased their talent and passion through informative, yet emotionally engaging spoken-word performances. By utilising the human voice as a powerful tool for communication, each student brought forth compelling narratives on topics of personal interest and societal significance.

From thought-provoking discussions on the relationship between Art vs Artist to captivating explorations of neuroplasticity, the students left a lasting impression. Themes included emotional reflections on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Batman obsessions, a Eulogy for Dora the Explorer, issues in family law, skin health, the importance of nature vs nurture, as well as poetically challenging 18th-century gender roles inspired by our class novel, Frankenstein.

The students’ performances were not only impressive, but highlighted the sheer amount of talent, creativity, and passion within our classroom.

Character Role Play: Frankenstein

Four murders. Two suspects. Guilty or not guilty? That is the question that the English Literary studies students had to justify, in an ardent, yet wretched manner, whilst adhering to the characterisation proposed by Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein.

In effort to understand the multi-narrative perspective, students had to conduct a character roleplay where half the class took on the persona of either Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious yet conflicted scientist, or his creature, an intelligently misunderstood being. Each round, students presented their alibies, framing one another for the unjust murders of William, Justine, Henry, and Elizabeth. By relying on evidence from the text, rebuttal, and spontaneous teamwork, students were not only able to undermine the other’s perspective, but also had fun whilst doing so!

Stay tuned for more inspiring showcases from our literary students!

Tania Zebian
Global Perspectives Teacher

Meet the Connect Evening

The Adelaide Botanic High School community was proud to host the “Meet the Connect” evening recently. The evening is a time for parents and Connect teachers to get to know each other at the start of the year. The Connect teacher is the first point of contact around a student’s progress throughout high school and the relationships that are built in Connect are critical to supporting student success.

The Evening had a great feel with students able to show off their learning spaces and favourite things about the ABHS after the sessions with the Connect teacher.

The spotlight sessions around Daymap, SACE, University entry to Medicine, Math Pathways, AI in Education and

Learning Technologies were also embraced with enthusiasm. The different Spotlight Sessions were recorded and are available on Frog through the button below.

The night was an amazing experience of community and as a school we wanted to say thank you for everyone’s participation.

Justin Kentish
Assistant Principal – Innovation and Equity in Conditions for Learner Success and Agency

Spotlight Session Recordings

Yr9 STEM visits the Space Discovery Centre for 'Origami Odyssey' Unit

Year 9 STEM students embarked on an exciting journey to the Space Discovery Centre during the immersion week of their new unit, ‘Origami Odyssey’. This unique unit explores the innovative ways in which space engineers incorporate origami principles into their designs, demonstrating the intersection of science, mathematics, and technology. At the Space Discovery Centre, students were introduced to the current missions and future goals of space exploration through an interactive presentation. Students had time to explore the engaging displays at the Space Discovery Centre and ask their specialist team all their space related questions. By the end of this unit, students take the role of space engineers and will be designing their own origami inspired piece that will contribute to the future community of Mars in 2080.

Sylvia Charalambous
STEM Teacher

Yr11 Film - Bringing our DNA Beyond the School to life

At Adelaide Botanic High School, the school DNA of Community, Curiosity, and Excellence is woven into everything we do. This year, the Year 11 Film Class is bringing these values to life in a unique way. They are creating a series of short documentaries that showcase the diverse talents, passions, and personal accomplishments of our students outside the school environment. Each 3-5 minute film will shine a light on these achievements, reflecting our shared commitment to community engagement, fostering curiosity, and striving for excellence. To make this project a success, we need your help. We invite all parents (and students) to share their child’s achievements, big or small, outside of school. Whether it’s a triumph in a sporting event, a passion for the arts, a commitment to community service, or any other personal accomplishment, we want to hear about it. If you feel you have a story to tell, please take a few moments to complete the form below. The Year 11 students will consider the stories and choose those that resonate with them from a film-making perspective. Your participation will not only add depth to our project, but also inspire our entire school community.

Ryan Westell
Capabilities and Futures Design Leader

Submit here

Staff Professional Learning Day (Student Free Day)

The Staff Professional Learning Day (Student Free Day) #1 each year is always focused on the ABHS Commitment to Culture! This is at the core of Our Charter and is highly valued amongst staff as we believe how we build our approaches and practices directly impacts the positive climate of our workplace for staff and school for ABHS students. Sports Psychologist and all-round great teacher role model, Jenny Williams OAM, was a guest speaker to take ABHS staff on an exhilarating presentation about the importance of their work as educators of young people. All staff contributed to engaging with the evolving ABHS Strategy in a World Café Style Workshop – this has been an exciting evolution of ABHS priorities that align nicely with the new Department for Education strategy and global directions for education, including the OECD Compass for 2030.

In the afternoon, new-to-our-site staff participated in a workshop called Thinking about Thinking, that unpacked trauma aware practices that impact student learning. Our staff Kerrin, Matilde, Loren and Glen led a further two workshops on Literacy and Metacognition. ABHS long-term professional learning facilitator Tom Barrett, on-site with us from Melbourne, designed and led a workshop for leaders, called Student #1950. The leadership team are giving serious consideration to how ABHS will meet the needs of individual students as we scale up, and began conversations based on the following 5 Compelling whys:

Smaller communities connect us and give us a sense of belonging, purpose and fun.
Students who are empathetic connect and contribute.
The right conditions at the right time allow students to thrive.
Learning is transitional, it needs multiple entry and exit points.
In a future where humanity is valued, students lead positive change.

We are excited about the expansion of our school and will continue to work on this intentional design with staff and students. Thank you to our Legacy SYNERGY students who came in to work with the ABHS leadership team and provide their perspective in this workshop, Aivi, Tiffany, Jack, Bastien, Ella and Sharon.

Donna Mason
Assistant Principal – Conditions for Innovation, People & Culture

DNA Achievements beyond the school

Outstanding Achievement at Australian Track Championships

We’re thrilled to share the remarkable success of Yr11 Maddie W, who made an impressive mark at the Australian Track Championships in Brisbane.

Maddie, representing South Australia in the under 19 women’s category, played a pivotal role in securing gold in the team pursuit event. Their performance shattered the South Australian record by an impressive 9 seconds, falling just 3 seconds short of the championship record.

In addition to the team’s victory, Maddie showcased her individual talent with notable 5th place finishes in both the individual pursuit and the elimination race.

We extend our congratulations to Maddie for her outstanding achievements. Her dedication and skill have undoubtedly placed her among the top talents in the field.

DNA Achievements beyond the school

Mitchell performs at the Floods of Fire Music Festival

Congratulations to Mitchell M who performed in the Floods of Fire music festival recently. Floods of Fire connected different cultural stories of creation to our natural world and extreme weather events. It marks one of the largest collaborations in South Australia’s history between citizens, artists, scientists, communities, and partner organisations. Mitchell participated in the Open Music Academy ensemble, working with Dr Julien Ferraretto students co-composed the musical piece “And the oysters Came Home”. In collaboration with marine biologists this piece explores how audio is being used to help regenerate reefs off the coast of South Australia.

27 Club Performance

As part of the 2024 Adelaide Fringe Festival, a group of ABHS Yr11-12 music students were lucky enough to attend a performance of the 27 Club, which was produced by the ABHS Governing Council Chairperson, Craig Harrison. Students enjoyed the variety of amazing performers rocking out to the music of artists who’s lives were tragically cut short. Students gained an insight into the fact that when you’re on stage, you’re not just playing music, but performing music – the performers energy was infectious! This, combined with the audio mixing and stage lighting, also helped them to see new possibilities when it comes to their own performance.

James Almond
The Arts & Innovative Pedagogies Leader

Student Wellbeing Team

ABHS are thrilled to introduce the Team Leaders of our Student Wellbeing Team. Comprising 30 members spanning across year levels 7-11, the Student Wellbeing Team provides a platform for students to spearhead initiatives promoting overall school wellbeing. This program is an avenue for students to express their voices and contribute ideas on how our community can collectively offer support. To commence their journey as the Student Wellbeing Team, the Team Leaders engaged in an online Learner Agency workshop with a significant focus on wellbeing. Their key priorities will include fostering a supportive environment within the ABHS school community, marking important occasions related to wellbeing such as R U Ok Day, and actively participating in events such as Showcase Night.

Nina Tanner
Student Engagement & Wellbeing Leader

House Leaders

During the lead up to Sports Day, the 2024 House Leaders worked overtime to ensure a day full on House culture. House Leaders assisted staff with nominations for events across all year levels, while also running a successful House Culture Day where the ABHS community wore their House colours for the day, while also participating in various activities during Break 1. On Sports Day, House Leaders arrived early to SA Athletics Stadium to set up their area with various House colour decorations, while also providing support to entire school community with their leadership for event management. The entire ABHS staff are proud of the work from the House Leaders to start of 2024.

Peter Bouzalas
Lifestyle Choices Teacher

Hoops For Life

Every Wednesday after school, 20 students from ABHS participate in the “Hoops for Life” program. These sessions are vibrant and energetic, with each student dedicated to refining their basketball skills whilst enjoying each other’s company.

Here’s what the students have to say about the program.

“I enjoy Hoops, and I feel my basketball skills are improving.” – Jett

“I appreciate the variety of drills we do and that they cater to all skill levels. I believe that even those new to basketball would enjoy the program.” – William

“I like having the opportunity to participate in a sport I love and to be around others who also share my enthusiasm for basketball.”- Ethan

“I like being involved in an activity with my school friends, I also think my skills are improving” – Lucas

Andrea West
Assistant Principal – Conditions for Learning (Middle School)

Yr10-12 Statewide Baseball Minor Round

The baseball talent was on full display as x8 ABHS students proudly represented the school at the Yr10-12 Statewide Baseball Minor Round. Facing off against impressive opponents from Marryatville and Seaton High Schools, ABHS students showcased not only their skills but also their resilience in the scorching heat and participating in such a competitive environment provided invaluable learning opportunities for students.

Rubbing shoulders with some of the best in their age groups, students absorbed lessons that will undoubtedly contribute to their growth as athletes. While the competition was fierce, the ABHS team seized several key moments, showcasing their talent and dedication to the sport. Each inning presented a chance for improvement, and as the day progressed, players grew in confidence and skill. Congratulations to all the students who participated in this event.

Jack Ward
Lifestyle Choices Teacher

Yr7-8 Knock Out Basketball

A group of Yr7-8 students travelled to the St Clair Recreation Centre to compete in a Basketball Carnival against a range of

other schools in the area. The students were split across seven different teams that competed in different divisions.

There was a great range of basketball experience in each of the teams and there was a high level of improvement in ability from students’ first games to the end of the day. Each team had varying levels of success, with some teams finishing in the top 3 of their division. As always, the students represented the ABHS DNA exceptionally throughout the carnival.

Callan Hammond
Lifestyle Choices Teacher

Cycling Championships

The inter-school cycling championship held at Victoria Park, was an eventful day for the ABHS cycling team. The championship consisted of three stages: a 5.8km time trial, a points race, and a criterium. Riders were graded for Races 2 and 3 based on their time trial times. Despite the challenging nature of the competition, the ABHS team of x4 students showed exceptional resilience and determination. Two of the ABHS riders recovered from falls, demonstrating true grit by getting back on their bikes to finish their races. Their efforts resulted in the ABHS team securing the 16th position of 28 participating schools. A special note of appreciation goes to Lachie, who provided invaluable support in training and accompanying the students to the event. The resilience and sportsmanship displayed by our team were truly commendable, and we eagerly anticipate their future endeavours in the sport.

Sam Ball
Lifestyle Choices Teacher & Sports Manager

SA Interschool Swimming Championships

ABHS students participated in the SA Interschool Swimming Championships, with the girls team finishing 9th with 275 points and the boys team finishing 3rd with 664 points. The combined score of 939 points resulted in a finishing place of 4th! A big congratulations to Eugene K on achieving a standard of excellence for his Breaststroke, finishing in a time of 33.22.

Ash Whan & Sam Ball
Lifestyle Choices Teachers