28 February 2025

Coming events for Term 1 2025

From the Principal

Newsletter March 2025

Welcome to a new year. It is with great pride that I share our fantastic Senior School results from the class of 2024.

Our Year 12 results:

• 100% SACE completion for the 12th year in a row.
• 6 merits…perfect scores
• 89 A grades
• 285 A & B grades
• 83.59% students achieved A and B grades…an improvement from 87.93% the previous year
• 9 students achieved ATARS above 90
• Highest score was 99.95
• Ritisha Dahal received a Governors commendation
• 41.68% of our students achieved their SACE using VET.

Ritisha’s results were outstanding and we congratulate her on receiving A Governor’s commendation at Government House.

Salisbury High School ranked above the state for our combined A and B grades in the public school sector. We are so proud of their work and that of their teachers too. Well done to all.

Some of the destinations of our students through SATAC admission included:

B Pharmacy, B Health Sciences, B Med Science 9Med Imaging), Foundation Studies, B Nursing, B Social Work, B Design, B Arts, B Computer Science, B Teaching, B Software Engineering, B Occupational Therapy, B Science/Business Management, B Primary Education, B Psychological Science, B Science Animal Behaviour, B Marketing and Communication, B Midwifery, B Law.

2025 has experienced a positive and proactive start to the year. The positive behaviour for learning mini lessons in every double lesson are explicitly teaching staff and students what behaviours we expect and encourage at our school. A blitz on looking for the good and encouraging staff to acknowledge students using house points has also supported a positive learning focus, across all year levels.

The Year 7s have settled in quickly and the recent Year 7 welcome night was a great chance to connect with families. Thank you to the many parents who supported this night despite the changes necessary due to extreme heat. It also provided the opportunity for families to meet their child’s care teacher. We were impressed with the attendance of families.

Communication with care teachers and the school is critical in accessing support and solving problems. Your connection with your child’s care teacher is very important and one that we highly value. Most parents of Year 7 teachers will share the next 4 years of their child’s schooling communicating with the care teacher to support each other. It was lovely to hear from families of how positive their child felt about the start of their high school life.

I would like to welcome the following new staff.

Teachers
Abdulla Ahmet (ECT)                      English/HASS
Irek Belkner                                      SWD
Anna Nihill                                        English
Arpita Sharma                                  SWD
Stephanie Simunsen                       SWD
Curtis Wolridge                               HASS
Carrie Dickinson                              Food/HASS
Ian Kutschke                                     PE
Lee Van Der Hoek                           Sci/Eng
Timothy Cluff                                   English
Azar Hematzedah                            Science
Lewis Graham                                  English
Sabrina Maley                                  Sci/Hums/Math
Tessa Kohn                                       PE

Support staff
Nicola Mclaughlin                            Youth worker/Case Manager Tailored Learning
Nick Gerrie                                         Literacy support worker
Vikki  Fernandes                               Mental Health Practitioner

We welcome all new staff. They were handpicked and will add value to our school. This year we had additional staff employed to help cover the one extra hour NIT time for teachers as per the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement. We are very excited to have this new energy and expertise at our school.

The focus at present is on providing quality teaching and learning experiences. The work in our classroom underpins our 2 site learning goals.

Goal One: To foster self-efficacy through goal setting practises that promote ownership of their learning.

Goal Two: To foster student collaboration through “Learning Conversations”.

The focus on reading and literacy will continue to be committed and ongoing. Professional development and regular classroom observations will support the work we do.

This year we are transitioning to a new Phonics intervention program at SHS. This program has been developed by the Literacy Guarantee Unit (LGU) and whilst primarily based as a primary level program, we will be trialling and adapting this into our secondary setting. Our site will be one of, if not the only, secondary school undertaking this. The focus of this program will be on our Year 7/8 students and targeted at those needing remedial instruction, around the foundational phonics code. Once data has been analysed in further depth, students will be selected accordingly to partake, timetables finalised and caregivers notified.

Additionally, we will also look to provide additional support to our students. This may apply to students who are above the need for Phonics in particular, and may just need additional support with their understanding and completion of particular tasks or subjects. We are still currently identifying how this will look, it may be that some students have SSOs come withdraw them from class at times, to work one on one or in small groups with them and the tasks at hand. As we know, many students can have difficulties in task completion, we hope that this additional support will assist even further

Numeracy is also an ongoing focus. This year it will focus on three key initiatives.

Firstly, Numeracy support staff will provide in-class support and run the QuickSmart Program. QuickSmart is a research-based intervention designed to enhance students' information retrieval speeds, reducing cognitive load and allowing them to focus on complex problem-solving. By improving their recall of basic mathematical facts, students can allocate more time and mental resources to higher-order mathematical thinking.

Secondly, we aim to improve the consistency of Numeracy Blocks for Year 7 and 8 students, These blocks will integrate three essential components: daily fluency exercises, group work informed by data to target differentiated learning needs, and collaborative thinking strategies. Year 7 students will focus on Place Value, while Year 8 will develop Multiplicative Thinking skills.

Finally, the Cross-Curriculum Numeracy Team, led by Jamie Humphreys, will collaborate with different curriculum areas during PLT sessions to enhance staff understanding of numeracy requirements and support its integration across subjects.

We know these interventions make a difference. We want every student at SHS to be both literate and numerate.

We are looking forward to Sports Day to be held in week 6 on Friday March 7 2025. Parents and families are welcome.

The Musical for 2025 will be The Wizard of Oz. The musical provides a special opportunity for so many of our students and is always a hit. If any parents would like to be involved, please contact Sarah MacAskill at the school. Planning is underway and auditions will commence soon.

We also commend Eleni Galanos for her evolving role in enhancing student voice and engagement within our school community. It has undergone some significant changes to increase student voice and action at our school. It is an exciting time in this space as she is offering leadership on different levels. Nominations, elections and interviews will be taking place shortly. Check out our Facebook page to see the video explaining the process.

We would like to congratulate year 12 student Divyansha Rawat who has been selected to represent South Australian high school students on this year's South Australian Student Representative Council (SA SRC). This is an initiative of the Commissioner for Children and Young People, and supported by the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA), the SA SRC is a body of 150 students in Years 10, 11, and 12 from across the state, working together to create genuine, student-led change within their own communities. Their work in campaign teams will be completed as extracurricular activities.

We have had a number of hot weather days. Please read the attached inclement weather policy to ensure you are aware of the process we will follow.

This year, we have introduced a new Tailored Learning Program at our school, aligning with the recent Department for Education redesign. This program encompasses three distinct student groups: FLO on-site, FLO off-site, and THRIVE students. However, under the new structure, all students are collectively referred to as Tailored Learning students.

At the moment, we have approximately 130 students who are engaged in the Tailored Learning Program. To support the successful implementation of this initiative, we have employed two case managers on-site. These case managers play a crucial role in delivering case management services and facilitating on-site engagement programs.

The Tailored Learning students commenced school in Week 2. Week 1 was dedicated to individual meetings with students and their families, allowing us to develop personalised timetables that best support each student's learning journey. This approach ensures that students receive a flexible and customised education that meets their unique needs.

Students in the program have several options available to them, including:

• Participation in mainstream subjects, such as SACE English and Maths for Year 11 students.
• Engagement in elective courses for Years 8-10.
• Enrolment in THRIVE curriculum classes.
• Involvement in engagement programs.

Although we are still in the early stages of implementation and are in the process of finalising timetables and logistical arrangements, we are excited for the opportunities the program has to offer our students. The Tailored Learning Program provides our school with an opportunity to individualise learning pathways, ensuring that students remain engaged and receive the support they need to succeed.

We look forward to monitoring the progress of the program throughout the year and refining our approach to maximise student engagement and achievement.

We are seeking new parents to join our existing parents on our very proactive Governing Council. This group of parents play a significant role in supporting and guiding our work. We have the Annual General Meeting on Monday 17 March 2025 at 5pm and welcome all new parents to join our Governing Council for 2025. It is a great way to further understand the school and meet other parents. A text message will be sent home to all families as a reminder closer to the day. If you are interested, please contact Ann-Marie Hurley at school, she will make sure you have all the information you need.

A reminder to please check DayMap in week 6 for the snapshot results to monitor your child’s progress.

On Friday we had the pleasure of hosting the Education Minister Blair Boyer and Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison at Salisbury High School. Images were shared on the Ministers Facebook page.

We are looking to featuring more of our Old Scholars in our newsletter and on our Wall of Fame. If you're in touch with any Old Scholars, please encourage them to reach out and share their experiences with us. They can contact Ann-Marie Hurley at 8182 0200 for further information or to make a contribution.

We would like to acknowledge Gary Schulz OAM who was an Art & Design Technical Drawing Teacher at Salisbury High School from 1960 – 1964. This was his first teaching appointment. Gary lived in the Salisbury area, played football for the local team alongside the students he was teaching. He married a local Salisbury girl.

Gary is still working, covering and repairing text books for a number of different schools. He likes to keep busy and his mind active. He is not ready to retire. Gary is a regular visitor to Salisbury High School and his work is appreciated by the team.

Senior School News

Year 12 Update

It was another outstanding year last year in terms of SACE results.

For the 12 year on the run, 100% of SHS students who were able to complete SACE, completed SACE. Some 107 students achieved SACE, 7 students  achieved adjusted ATARs above 96, 4 students received 5 Merits in total and 83.59% of Stage 2 enrolments were at the A&B level.

This is a great achievement and is testament to the efforts of students, parents and the school community.

It has been a positive start to the year for many of the Year 11 and 12 students! 

At SHS, high expectations are clearly communicated and consistently maintained by our staff, and this is one of the keys to student success. Attendance and punctuality are a major focus as a school this year. Please ensure that your child understands the importance of both. I kindly ask that you contact the school or your child’s Care Teacher if they will be absent from school.

Great start from the following Yr 12 students, who from 29^th Jan to 17^th Feb have not missed a single subject lesson... 

Parbati Adhikari                                Mohamad Al Amary                      Aarav Arora 
Jordan Bermingham                         Maddison Brown                           Corbin Darby 
Divya Gautam                                   Olivia Heading                              Chloe Higginson 
Kayla Johnson                                  Wesley Kelly                                    Namita Magar
Alex McDowell                                 Imogen Mickel                               Adrien Mugisha
Zahra Nawrozi                                  Diyyansha Rawat                            Caleb Rayner 
Kaylan Rowe                                    Kaili Stones                                       Hurdus Stoop 
Zeth Tyrell                                       Monica Vung Sian Nem                   Tegan Williams 
Thomas Vast 

Please congratulate them on this achievement. Lots of other students are doing really well, in total there were 321 records of class attendance above 90%. 

For our Year 12 students, it is crucial to remember that taking holidays during term time should be avoided. There will be plenty of opportunities in Term 4, after SACE work is submitted, to go away and celebrate. 

I’d also like to remind all Year 12 parents to familiarise themselves with the Senior School Expectations Document (attached below), which nearly all parents/caregivers have now signed. This document outlines expectations regarding attendance, punctuality, SACE work verification, the use of Artificial Intelligence, mobile devices, study lines, and Care/Personal Development lessons.

Additionally, students are responsible for and held accountable for all searches on their school laptops. It is important that students maintain strict security on their laptop, not share passwords, and ensure it is locked when unattended. Inappropriate internet searches are monitored, flagged, and addressed accordingly.

The best outcomes for students are achieved when parents and carers work closely with the school. If you would like to discuss these expectations further, I am more than happy to clarify or have a conversation. However, it’s important to note that adherence to these expectations is non-negotiable. Students and parents/carers have made the commitment to complete Year 11 and 12 at SHS, and we all must uphold the same standards.

Year 11 students are settling in well and adjusting to the different expectations and demands of Senior School. Some students may find it challenging to manage the freedom of study lines and the flexibility of arrival/departure times. However, fulfilling expectations, maintaining consistent attendance, and being punctual will help students progress smoothly into Stage 2 in Year 12 in 2026. I encourage all Year 11 parents to review the Senior School Expectations and reach out to your child’s Care Teacher or myself if you would like to discuss anything further.

SnapShots for Term 1 Week 6 will be sent out soon, so I encourage all parents/carers to check in with their child about completing and submitting the required work. We hope that this year, the number of students on Academic Recovery is significantly reduced.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s Care Teacher or the Senior School Team if you’d like to discuss any matters further. 

2025 SACE Merit Ceremony

The annual SACE Merit Ceremony recognises the exceptional academic achievements of South Australia’s Year 12 students. Held at Government House in Adelaide, this prestigious event, hosted by the Governor of South Australia, has been a tradition since 1989.

Due to the predicted heatwave, the SACE Merit Ceremony sessions scheduled for Wednesday, 12 February were cancelled. However, the sessions on Thursday, 13 February proceeded as planned, ensuring that students still had the opportunity to be recognised for their outstanding achievements.

Among this year’s awardees, four outstanding students received Merit Awards in various subjects:

• Rithisa Dahal – Governors Award (Along another 33 students across the state), Research Project, Society and Culture, Nepali
• Bayan Al Nassar – Society and Culture
• Izabella Bekiri – Workplace Practices
• Breanna Tredrea – Society and Culture

Their dedication and academic excellence were celebrated alongside many other high-achieving students from across the state. The event was attended by teachers Jonathan Houghton and Eden Houghton, who proudly supported their students in this remarkable milestone.

The 2025 SACE Merit Ceremony was recorded, and videos will be available on the SACE website.

Congratulations to all Merit recipients on their well-earned success!

VET News

This year, we are excited to have an amazing number of students enrolled in our VET courses, exploring real-world skills and career pathways. Our VET Coordinator, Mrs. Briianka Daniels, is currently on maternity leave. Congratulations to her on the arrival of her gorgeous baby earlier this year! In her absence, I am excited to support our students and families through this rewarding program.

From IT to Plumbing, it’s fantastic to offer such a range of courses to our Year 10-12 students. These programs not only provide hands-on experience but also allow students to gain nationally recognized qualifications that can open doors to further study or careers in many industries. I encourage all parents to talk to their children about their career pathways, especially our Year 10s, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

As always, attendance is key to success. It’s essential that students attend their scheduled VET days, as missing these sessions can impact their progress. If your child is unable to attend, please notify both the Senior School and their trainer or Host School. As the VET learning environment is still new to many of our Year 11s, please encourage your child to speak to me if they are feeling overwhelmed or unsure. It can be a tricky transition, but its important that students stay on top of both their schoolwork and VET studies.

We’re looking forward to a great year and are excited to see our students thrive in their VET courses!

Junior and Middle School

Junior School News (Year 7 & 8)

Day 1 of 2025 saw our Year 7's arrive eager to learn and more importantly find out their timetables and compare with their friends. These fresh faces settled in beautifully and I have seen firsthand some of the amazing work they have been doing in classes. 

Highlights include being fed freshly baked scones and pasta made from scratch in Food Tech, being regaled with Sizzling Starts to their Narrative Stories in English and watching them shine in their Mini Olympics Athletics lessons in Health and Physical Education. It has been amazing to see our new cohort shine in various learning contexts thus far. 

Tuesday 18/2 saw our Year 7 Welcome BBQ go ahead after a week’s heat reprieve. With over 80 people in attendance, it was a great way to connect with new and existing families and put faces to the names on the other end of the line. Thanks to the Year 7 Care Teachers, SLT Crew, Ann-Marie and Miss Galanos for your extra sets of hands they were greatly appreciated. 

I am excited to see where this new crop takes us, over the coming 6 years of SHS life. 

Middle School News (Year 9 & 10)

Strong Beginnings was the focus for the start of 2025 and I would like to thank all students and families for supporting this. Students have smoothly transitioned back into their learning with real enthusiasm. Our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) journey continues this year with a comprehensive Personal Development (PD) program tailored around explicitly teaching our students our school expectations. For the first 6 weeks all students site wide will be taught mini PBL lessons throughout the week to further support a positive and successful school culture. The PBL focus for each week will be promoted through a digital signage and school communications. We appreciate your support to remind your child of these weekly foci to help them achieve even greater success.

We have already rewarded students with free Zooper Doopers for complying with our school dress code, and we'll keep acknowledging positive behaviour throughout the year. This year, we're thrilled to see an increase in school clubs again and encourage all students to join or even start one. Year 10 students will have the opportunity to participate in our Youth Opportunities program again this year and this is something we're really excited about. As snapshots approach, we kindly remind all students to complete and submit their tasks by the due dates. A big thank you to our families for their support as we start the school year, we're eager to collaborate with everyone in supporting our school community and nurturing our future leaders.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

At Salisbury High School, fostering a positive learning environment is at the core of everything we do. As we embark the 2025 school year, we're excited to reinforce our commitment to Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) throughout our school community.

PBL is an approach that emphasises proactive strategies to encourage and reinforce positive behaviours among students. Rather than focusing solely on discipline and consequences for misbehaviour, PBL seeks to create a culture where good behaviour is not only expected but also celebrated and rewarded.

We will continue to focus on recognising and rewarding positive behaviours from our students. We firmly believe that positive reinforcement is key to promoting a supportive and conducive learning environment. By acknowledging and incentivising good behaviour, we aim to inspire our students to consistently demonstrate respect, responsibility, and cooperation in all aspects of school life.

So far this year we have rewarded students with Zooper Doopers and a sausage sizzle for adhering to the school dress code. This is just the beginning! Throughout the year, we'll continue to provide incentives and rewards to encourage and motivate our students to maintain positive behaviour.

Our aim is to create a school community where students feel valued, respected, and empowered to make positive choices. By being proactive rather than reactive, we can work together to cultivate a culture of, respect, achievement and kindness at Salisbury High School. We will also be explicitly teaching PBL through our school’s PD program.

In 2025 we will teach mini PBL lessons site wide for the first 6 weeks and promote a weekly focus through digital signage and school communications. We are already seeing the benefits of these initiatives and the feedback from students and staff has been overwhelmingly positive. You should also be seeing an increase in your child receiving House Points in 2025 and this will continue to happen in 2025. We appreciate your support as we continue our PBL journey and bring on 2025.

House points currently sit at;

Mobile Phone Policy

In line with government legislation, we are a mobile free zone.

The policy requires all public schools to implement a ban on the use of mobile phones and smartwatches, for all students, from the time they arrive at school to the end of the school day.

This means phones must be out of sight during the school day, including recess and lunch. This mobile phone policy aims to promote a safe environment for both teachers and students and families are asked to work in partnership with the school to enforce the new rules. We understand there may be instances where you need to get an urgent message to your child, please do so by contacting student services on 8182 0200. Students have been very understanding of the mobile phone policy and it has been pleasing to see them engaging in conversations, rather than turning to their devices. We look forward to your support with this policy.

Uniform

A reminder that school uniform is compulsory at Salisbury High School. Our uniform provides an opportunity for students to express their pride in belonging to our school community. Wearing of the school uniform reinforces school pride, respect and positive relationships. The Uniform Policy is endorsed by the Salisbury High School Council and is formulated to comply with the regulations and guidelines set out by the Department for Education. The school believes that this is also the most effective way of deterring intruders and thus providing an additional standard of safety to students in the school yard. Students who attend school and are not in full school uniform will be asked to change into a spare, clean uniform at student services. Parents will be sent a text message when a child is out of uniform by their care class teacher.

Attendance – Does it really matter?

The importance of regular attendance and participation at school is essential for student success. Attendance every school day is an opportunity for students to learn and improve their knowledge, skills and understandings. We ask that parents/caregivers ensure their child attends school every day of the school year unless:

• the student presents with Covid symptoms or is a close contact
• the student is too sick to leave the house or has an infectious disease like chicken pox, mumps or measles
• the student has an injury preventing movement around school
• the student is going with his or her parents/caregivers on a family holiday, which cannot be arranged in school vacations. Notice prior to the absence by applying for a school exemption should be followed up with care teachers in the first instance.
• the principal is provided with any genuine and acceptable reason preventing the student’s attendance

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance to school, in the first instance, please contact your child’s care class teacher or the Junior/Middle school senior leaders to support.

Student Absences

A quick reminder to Parents/Caregivers to contact the school on the morning of your child’s absence or write a note if they are going to be signing in late or required to leave early. Phone 8182 0200 and press 1 for Student Services. Parents will be sent a text message at 9.30am each morning regarding student absences.

Community Service

Community Service occurs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for 20 minutes, for students with off task behaviours, lateness and other time-wasting issues in class. Students will be required to give back to the school community. Students will meet at the back of the Trade Centre at the start of lunch in Term 1 and must have their name marked off the roll. This has been introduced to support learning within classrooms. Students who do not attend community service, although present at school, will be placed on a full lunch detention (30 minutes) with leadership the next day. Community Service detentions will appear on DayMap and an email sent to care teachers informing them. Failure to attend again will result in the Senior Leader Middle School becoming involved and further consequences will follow.

Task Completion Time (TCT)

When a task is not completed, a student will be enrolled in a scheduled learning area TCT. TCT sessions will run either during lunchtime or after school. This process is for all students in Years 7 – 12. Students will be supervised by curriculum coordinators, subject teachers, leadership and TRT’s. Completion of tasks is not optional at Salisbury High School, it is essential.

Tailored Learning update

Tailored Learning:

This year, we have introduced a new Tailored Learning Program at our school, aligning with the recent Department for Education redesign. This program encompasses three distinct student groups: FLO on-site, FLO off-site, and THRIVE students. However, under the new structure, all students are collectively referred to as Tailored Learning students.

At the moment we have approximately 120 students who are engaged in the Tailored Learning Program. To support the successful implementation of this initiative, we have employed two case managers on-site, Nicola McLaughlin and Craig Wilson. The case managers play a crucial role in delivering case management services and facilitating on-site engagement programs. This area is overseen by our Tailored Learning Manager, Robbie Daly and our Tailored Learning Leader, Jude Dunn. 

The Tailored Learning students commenced school in Week 2. Week 1 was dedicated to individual meetings with students and their families, allowing us to develop personalised timetables that best support each student's learning journey. This approach ensures that students receive a flexible and customised education that meets their unique needs.

Students in the program have several options available to them, including:

• Participation in mainstream subjects, such as SACE English and Maths for Year 11 students.
• Engagement in elective courses for Years 8-10.
• Enrolment in THRIVE curriculum classes.
• Involvement in engagement programs.

Although we are still in the early stages of implementation, we are excited for the opportunities the program has to offer our students. The Tailored Learning Program provides our school with an opportunity to individualise learning pathways, ensuring that students remain engaged and receive the support they need to succeed.

We look forward to monitoring the progress of the program throughout the year and refining our approach to maximise student engagement and achievement.

Athletics Day Update

Salisbury High Schools annual Athletics Day is being held on Friday 7 March. This event is full of fun, excitement and of course the outstanding dress-ups by staff and students! Parents are welcome to attend. Various food options will be available on the day including; Hot dogs, coffee, hot chocolates as well as Iced Coffees and Iced Chocolates, BBQ goods, sno-cones, cupcakes, soft drinks and a lolly stall. These can be paid for with either cash or SHS dollars (purchased prior to Athletics Day or from the Coffee Caravan on the day).

The school canteen is closed on this day and is not available for lunch orders.

On a side note, we need to inform all families of the following directive we have received from the Education Department regarding student mobile phones on the day.

Important notice:

Students will not be able to freely use their mobile phones on Athletics Day. Normal school processes re; the removal of visible phones will apply on the day.

This process has been put in place to protect students. Please support us with this process on the day.

Salisbury High School is looking at providing a photo booth on the day where students will be able to have pictures taken and will receive a photo strip of their photos to commemorate the day.  Designated school photographers will also be roaming on the day to take photos of groups, races and activities.

Salisbury High School Leadership Team

Kytons Easter Fundraiser

Salisbury High School will be running our annual Kytons fundraiser during Term 1. Order forms will be coming home with students shortly. All orders and payments need to be submitted by Wednesday 2 April (Week 10). Product pick up will be available the following week on Wednesday 9 April (Week 11 – Student Led Conference afternoon/evening). A text message will be sent home to families to notify that their order is ready for collection.

Show the order form around to your family and friends, it’s always a popular one.

Order form below. Please contact the front office if you have any questions.

English Update

Salisbury High School’s Book and Creative Writing club have met twice this year. We want to share our latest creative writing piece titled ‘Cannibalistic Wilderness’. Our story is a ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’ of our imaginations, each of us contributing to the story with a paragraph, and selecting the winning paragraphs through popular vote. Enjoy…

Cannibalistic Wilderness

By Emma, Sophia, Lilly, Hayley, Jayden, Chase, and Mikayla.

The two figures stood, staring out into the darkness of the forest surrounding them. Their gaze unsettles you, sending shivers down your spine as you stand frozen in place. The dilapidated house behind them stands out from the dark forest around you, populated by who knows what.

I carefully watched them trying to predict their movements as they stood completely still.... a little too still. I started looking closer at them… it seems they weren't even blinking and breathing as well as if they weren't real.

Nothing felt quite right, my skin was crawling, and my eyes were burning. The weight of the world was weighing my shoulders down, and then suddenly it was black and I could no longer hear.

The wilderness started to distort in ways I never imagined, with the trees curling around me like tendrils only seen in the worst of nightmares. The ground became alive, eating away at what little security I once had...

I felt myself falling further into the void. I couldn't escape, I scream in pure agony, feeling the world just fall... falling, and falling further down the rabbit-hole. As if these are what dead people experience…

If you’d like to come along to discuss all things Books and Writing, join us on Thursdays in the library!

Literacy Update

Raise Youth Mentoring

"This year, Raise Foundation will be running our Raise Youth Mentoring Program Salisbury High School as well as other schools in our community. These schools will be selecting students who will benefit most from having an independent, caring adult who shows up just for them every week. If you’re looking for meaningful volunteer work, Raise is seeking youth mentors in our community. Raise provides full training, support, and a qualified program counsellor to equip volunteers with everything they need to empower a young person to believe in themselves and navigate life’s challenges. Applications are closing soon! For more information or to sign up, visit www.raise.org.au."

Sports News

Sport & Extra-Curricular Update – Term 1

Welcome back, Salisbury High! A brand-new year means new opportunities to get active, compete, and have fun with our incredible School Sport and Extra-Curricular programs. Term 1 is packed with exciting events, so get ready to represent your House, challenge yourself, and make unforgettable memories.

Athletics Day – Who Will Win the Trophy?

The countdown is on! Athletics Day is coming up fast on Friday, 7 March (Week 6)! Cairns, Mawson, Oliphant, and reigning champions Florey will go head-to-head in a thrilling battle for the Champion House title and the coveted Spirit Cup.

• Track & Field Events
• Tug-of-War & Novelty Games
• Best Dressed House Spirit – Get Creative!

Winners in each year level will earn the chance to represent Salisbury High at the North & North Eastern Zone Interschool Athletics Carnival at Bridgestone in Week 8. Bring your best effort, dress in your House colours, and show your school spirit!

School Sport Carnivals – Get Involved!

This term, students have the chance to compete against other schools in an exciting line-up of carnivals:

• Year 9-10 & 11-12 Girls Beach Volleyball
• Year 7-8 Basketball
• Year 10-12 Boys Super 8s Cricket
• Year 10-12 3x3 Basketball
• Bridgestone Athletics

Stay in the Loop

For the latest updates, achievements, and useful links, check out the "Extra-Curricular" tab on the school website. Students can also find the sport calendar in their Care classes and on school display boards.

How to Get Involved? Students are nominated through their HPE teacher and participation in School Clubs.

Get ready for an action-packed term—compete, have fun, and make Salisbury proud!

Clubs

The start of 2025 has been buzzing with excitement as Salisbury students and staff kick off an action-packed year of extra-curricular clubs! Whether you're looking to unleash your creativity, test your strategic skills, or get moving, there’s something for everyone!

Lunchtimes just got a whole lot more fun, with a Come & Try Week in Week 3—the perfect chance to dive into different activities and find your new favourite club. From Art, Board Games, and Chess to Basketball, Netball, and even Dungeons & Dragons, the line-up is stacked with awesome opportunities to connect, compete, and create.

The best part? It’s super easy to join! Just show up, have fun, and start racking up House Points—students who attend a club twice or more during the term will earn a point for positive behaviour.

Want to know when and where your favourite clubs are running? Check DayMap daily or keep an eye on the electronic boards around the school.

Don’t miss out—get involved, make new friends, and make your lunchtimes legendary!

Wellbeing Update

Introducing the 2025 Wellbeing Team

Studio Chilled update

Studio Chilled is a space for students to tune in to themselves and engage, experience and explore a variety of grounding techniques towards positive self-connection.

This year, Studio Chilled will provide a wide range of wellbeing activities for students to find what works best for them. This may encompass anything from meditation practises, mindfulness and positive affirmation activities to games, movement and art therapy.

Wellbeing Youth Worker Michelle Arbon has been running the program for the last year and is keen to see some more students who are seeking to take some time out from their busy school days to connect, reflect and recharge.

SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE

Hi, my name is Vikki and I am a School Mental Health Practitioner (SMHP) with the School Mental Health Service (SMHS). I am based here at Salisbury High School fulltime in the Wellbeing area.

School Mental Health Practitioners provide evidence-based, brief clinical interventions to young people who are experiencing mild, moderate and/or emerging mental health problems, within an education setting. They work collaboratively with students and families, school sites, other departmental staff, and external agencies to support young people to improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing. The service is designed to support young people within a specific criteria and intervene early in the development of more serious mental health concerns. The SMHS aims to bridge the gap between students with complex mental health difficulties and students requiring universal primary prevention strategies. The SMHS is a stepped-up service from wellbeing supports provided by student wellbeing leaders and the wellbeing team.

The core role of the SMHP is to provide clinical assessment and brief psychotherapeutic intervention of 6-8 sessions to young people who are experiencing mild, moderate and/or emerging mental health concerns.

The service delivery model provides services across three waves of intervention – proactive, targeted and intensive. Other services can include delivering evidence-based clinical groupwork, mental health education sessions to groups of staff, parents or students, and undertaking mental health promotion activities, as well as provide consultation regarding students with complex mental health needs. However individual work with students and their families are the bulk of the SMHP’s role.

BREAKFAST CLUB

Breakfast Club is back this year and in a new location.

We have moved to the L1 Kitchen and will be based there for the year.

Breakfast Club runs from 8:05-8:30am and is completely free. We offer toasted cheese sandwiches and Milo 5 days a week, Monday to Friday.

It’s been great to see a lot of new faces this year, particularly the Year 7’s. Come along, say hello and get a cheese toasty and milo to start of your day.

We want to say a massive thankyou to Kickstart for Kids and Cos We Care for supplying our breakfast club with milk, bread and fruit. Cos We Care also donated a bag full of lunchboxes for students who may need them. Thank you!

Upcoming – Wellbeing Day 2025

On Friday 4^th April, Week 10, Salisbury High School will be hosting its Annual Wellbeing Day event for 2025. Every year, this event is organised with an intention of increasing awareness, accessibility and connections to services that operate in our community. Multiple service providers as well some of our students and staff will be hosting their stall and engaging with our students on various topics.

Wellbeing focused presentations will also be delivered to year 8s, 9s and 10s. In addition, the students will get a chance to experience rock-climbing, pet baby animals, try out multicultural food, and purchase their own coffee/tea while enjoying dance and music performance.

This is a half day event starting from 8:30am and ending at lunch time. The students are expected to be in their school uniform.

Looking forward to this exciting day!

The Smith Family - Learning for Life

The Learning for Life program works in partnership with families to support their children’s education and increase their chances of success at school. The program supports children’s education from primary to post-school studies, like TAFE or University.

To be eligible for Learning for Life, you must:
✓ Have a Health Care or Pension Concession Card
✓ Have a child enrolled at Salisbury High School in Year 7 or Year 8
✓ Support your child to attend school regularly

To register your interest in Learning for Life or to find out more information please ask to speak to The Salisbury High School Student Wellbeing team

Further information about what the Smith Family has to offer is below.

Year 7 & 10 Immunisations

Parents/caregivers please be aware that year 7 & 10 immunisation dates have been locked in for this year.

Year 10 students will be receiving a dose of meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B on Thursday the 5^th June 2025 (Week 6, Term 2). A further dose of Meningococcal B will be given to year 10 students on Friday 29th of August 2025 (Week 6, Term 3).

Year 7 students will be receiving a single dose of HPV (human papillomavirus) and a single booster dose of dTpa (formulation of diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis) on Tuesday the 4th of November 2024 (Week 4, Term 4).

These immunisations are not related to COVID-19 vaccines. Please return consent forms as soon as possible to either your child’s care group teacher.

Free Home Internet Access for Students

Free home internet access

Families with school aged children who do not have reliable internet at home can apply for free internet to support learning.

There are 2 options available:

• NBN broadband internet access until June 2028 from the Australian Government through the School Student Broadband Initiative
• wireless internet access from the Department for Education through the student home internet program.

Find out more about what options are available and how parents and carers can apply by visiting the department’s website.

School Fees

Thank you to those families who have already paid school fees for 2025 or are paying them by instalment. However, some fees still remain unpaid and this can have an impact on curriculum delivery and the learning environment such as:

• Reducing the amount that we can spend on equipment or Food Technologies, Design Technology, Physical Education, ect.
• Limiting the purchasing of technology may be limited (ie computers, software etc).
• Reducing improvements to shelter, seating and other facilities.

If you have not paid school fees or organised part payment for this year, please contact our Finance office to make arrangements.

School fees are compulsory and represent costs for materials and services that are provided for your child(ren) to undertake the fundamental elements of educational courses.

Payment of M&S services is due by the end of Term 1, unless other payment arrangements have been made with the Finance Office.  

There are a number of ways to pay school fees;

Payment Options:

• BPOINT
• Cash/Cheque/Money Order/EFTPOS
• Centrelink: (direct debit from Centrelink Payments)
• Cheque
• Credit Card via telephone
• Direct Debit
• School Card; if as parents/caregivers you believe that you are eligible for School Card in 2025 you must apply as soon as possible. Please not you must apply for school card every year. Did you know that you can also apply online? Other forms are available from the school if your circumstances are different to those required for School Card eg: ‘Hardship’ or ‘Change of Circumstance’. If you are unsure, please speak to one of our Finance Staff via 8182 0200.

Finance Office Opening Hours

Monday to Friday for students to make payments:
Before school: 8:30am – 8:40am
During Recess: 10:40am – 11:00am and on Wednesdays 11am – 11:20am.
During Lunch: 12:30pm – 1:10pm and on Wednesdays 1pm – 1:40pm.
Parents/Caregivers are welcome anytime between 8:30am and 3:30pm.

Canteen

Please see below the most updated Canteen Menu that has been provided by Rory’s Catering. Information at the end of the attachment will show you how to order your child’s canteen order online.

Community Notices