Newsletter Term 3 2025 Issue 1
Principal’s Message
Term Three is flying by and has been a busy one for staff and students.
So far, we have celebrated Science Week, currently it is Book Week, SSO Week and we are hosting Hachioji School Japanese students as well! The Cultural Gala celebration is also on Friday 22nd August. Our staff have engaged in Professional Learning together with a focus on literacy, numeracy, our Effective Learners Program, Artificial Intelligence in education, and staff voice regarding the implementation of SA Curriculum. It is all of these educational ‘extras’ that make Parafield Gardens High School a unique and rich learning community for our students.
On the Pupil Free Day, as a fundraiser, students who are travelling to Japan later this term worked tirelessly all day to wash staff cars. They joined staff to share lunch. Later this term, there will be a second fundraiser – a Quiz Night in a few weeks time. There is information in another article below.
Many of these experiences could not happen without the commitment, passion and enthusiasm of our staff and students volunteering their time.
A reminder that the school will be closed for ‘Show Day’ on 1st September.
We look forward to seeing our parents and caregivers at upcoming Learning Conversations on the 3rd September. Rather than attend normal school hours, students attend this meeting with their parents or caregiver so that they are active participants in planning their next steps and subjects for 2026.
Jane Barnett
Principal
Term 3 Key Dates
✔️ 22nd August – Cultural Gala Night
✔️ 18th – 26th August – Japan Study Tour
✔️ 29th August – Wear it Purple Day
✔️ 1st September – Royal Adelaide Show Day – School Closure Day
✔️ 3rd September – Learning Conversations – School Closure Day
✔️ 11th September – Music Night
✔️ 15th September – R U OK Day
✔️ 26th September – Last Day Term 3 – Early Dismissal
Learning and Pathway Conversations
On Wednesday 3rd September, (Term 3 Week 7), all families are invited to come and meet Home Group teachers to discuss their child’s learning and subject choices for 2026. There will be no classes on this day as all students should come with their parents/carer to the appointment.
During the appointment, students in Year 7 – 11 will confirm their final subject selections. All Year 12 students will discuss their progress for the year and their post-school pathways.
We encourage all parents/carers to come along with their child (with their Chromebook charged), however if you cannot make this day, please book an interview for your child to attend with another support person (grandparent, adult sibling etc.).
You can book a 15-minute interview time using the Daymap Parent Portal – information on how to do this can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/25LC-Invite
For information in:
✔️ Arabic -> Click Here
✔️ Farsi / Dari -> Click Here
✔️ Hakha Chin -> Click Here
✔️ Vietnamese -> Click Here
✔️ Khmer -> Click Here
Appointments will occur in the Gym, please go directly there and sign in.
If students do not attend a Learning Conversation, then we cannot guarantee the subjects that they would like to be in for 2026.
We encourage you to look at the curriculum guide with your child and discuss their subject choices for 2026 so they can make informed decisions. Students will not have the opportunity to change subjects next year. The course guide is available on our school website at Course Guide
Michael Niedzwiecki, Finn Galindo and Lisa Stapleton
Assistant Principal – Middle School, Assistant Principal – Senior School and Assistant Principal – Timetable and Daily Operations
Mathematics Faculty
Australian Mathematics Competition
First run in 1978, the AMC is Australia’s longest running, largest and most well-known maths competition for school students.This year we had 23 student participate in the 3 high school divisions – Junior (year 7/8), Intermediate (Year 9/10) and Senior (Year 11/12) – with a particularly good turnout in year 7 and 8.
The students had 75 minutes to try and complete 30 questions of increasing difficulty (and therefore increasing point allocation) covering basic arithmetic, fractions and ratios, algebra, geometry, measurement, statistics and probability, and problem-solving. Students found the later questions very challenging!
Results will be announced later in the year, and students will find out if they have qualified for a special award, depending on their results compared to others in their region and age group.
Well done to all of the students who had the courage and determination to give this competition a go.
Daniel Lasscock
Mathematics Coordinator
The Arts Faculty
Sleeping Beauty Excursion
During Week 1 of this term, 23 PGHS students from Years 9-12 had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Australian Ballet’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ at the Festival Theatre.
This was part of a new initiative by the Australian Ballet called Boarding Pass which offers free tickets to secondary students and aims to ignite curiosity, creativity, and a love of the performing arts. For many of the students who attended this was their first time seeing a full-length classical ballet by a professional company.
It prompted a lot of questions about how dance can tell stories through movement and gesture but without using words. It was an inspiring and memorable experience that sparked a deeper appreciation for the art of ballet among the students.
Outdoor Education
This term, the Year 12 Outdoor Education class embarked on their final experience for the year; their Self-Reliant Camp.
The class had to effectively work together to plan every aspect of this 3-day bushwalking camp, including numerous planning tasks, arrange equipment and finalise logistics. This process began during term 2, so by the time their camp came around in week 3, they were more than ready.
The group spent 3-days in Mount Remarkable National Park with indirect teacher supervision, where they were responsible for getting themselves to each campsite, organising their own food and water, and carrying all their equipment for the trip. Not only this, but they also planned the entire route themselves, so it was a great sense of achievement when they made it to each checkpoint on time and safely! The students all agreed that this was the best experience of their time in Outdoor Education, and were grateful for all their learning experiences prior to this camp.
If it wasn’t for these experiences, they don’t think they would have enjoyed it as much or been as successful. They particularly enjoyed walking through Hidden Gorge on Day 1 and Alligator Gorge on the last day of camp. The tall, red cliffs were like nothing they have seen before.
I enjoyed watching them take it all in and seeing their sense of awe at the natural beauty. As their teacher, I am so proud of their success during this camp, they really joined together to ensure they were safe and had fun.
This group of students are leaving school with some newly developed skills, ready for what hurdles life may throw at them in the future.
Sam Beales
Outdoor Education Teacher/Year 11 & 12 LCM
ISEC Program
It has been a great start to the term welcoming new ISEC students to the school. The students quickly immersed themselves into the school community by participating in various school events. The term started off with an excursion to the city for some sightseeing and to investigate features of Adelaide’s history and cultural landscape.
There was a walk along The River Torrens and North Terrace as well as some exploring at the Botanic Gardens and Rundle Mall. Back at school, students created a painting of an Adelaide landscape and they all did so beautifully with their watercolours. Thank you to Ms Ong from the Art Faculty in helping the students achieve such great work.
The students also attended an International Welcome Event at St Clair, meeting other students from across South Australian government schools and learned important tips on how to stay safe during their time in Australia, with practical information about sun and beach awareness and bike safety.
Science Week was a hit with the students where they got involved in making enchanting terrariums. This week, students will be visiting Cleland Wildlife Park with students and teachers from Hachioji School, Japan, where they will see many Australian animals including kangaroos, koalas, emus and birds.
So far, the ISEC Program has been a wonderful opportunity for international students to get really involved with their learning, build confidence in making friendships and feel more connected in their new environment.
Bronwen McClelland
Assistant Principal – EALD and International Students
Science Faculty
Science Week 2025
National Science Week is an annual celebration of all things science and how it can have a positive impact on the world. This year, the theme is “Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language” which encourages exploration of the fundamental languages of nature, including mathematics and quantum science, and aligns with the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Last week we converted the C-floor into a hive of activity with different engaging workshops and competitions for our students to to take part in. These included making terrariums (Ecosystems in a jar!), balloon rocket racing, building and testing air-powered rockets, creating a cosmic cloud in a cup, a paper bridge building engineering challenge, a whack-a-mole reflex test, building marshmallow launchers, decoding (fictional) alien languages and the Ultimate STEM quiz! We also took part in an inter-school competition to design a science/STEM t-shirt where the students had to design their own t-shirt. We had more than 20 different designs entered and the whole school will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite at the end of this week. The winning design will then be submitted and go up against the designs from all the other state schools in the North.
Our year 12 Chemistry class also visited the desalination plant to learn how it all works and even had the chance to go into the control room! They followed this up with a visit to the Happy Valley reservoir to learn how the water stored in these large artificial lakes can be treated so that it is ready to head into pipes and out to our homes for daily use!
Overall, it was a great week with engagement from hundreds of students in the different activities. A huge thank you to all the science staff that were involved in making it happen and especially our legendary lab technician Ida who worked tirelessly to make all of our great plans a reality!
Science Olympiad
The Science Olympiad is an inter-school contest held between all of the state schools in the North in week 5 of term 1 and 3.
It is a really fun night where students can meet people from other schools and work together in teams to show their knowledge in all the different areas of science as well as take part in a design challenge! This year their design challenge was that they had 20 minutes to build and test a ramp that would be able to send a match box car the furthest distance. They had limited materials (1.5m of tape, some straws, some popsticks and one A3 piece of card) and their goal was to get their car to go the furthest.
This year we had four teams compete; 3 teams in the yr 7/8 division and one team in the yr 9/10 division. All of our teams did a wonderful job and represented the school admirably! Our year 9/10 team did especially well with one of the best ramp designs in their division (they tied for the furthest distance) and then came in third overall for their division. Not bad considering it was only a 3 person team and they were all year 9’s competing against 4 person teams of year 10’s!
Matt Carter
Science Coordinator
New Library System
This year the PGHS Library implemented a new Library Management System called AccessIT. The students can access the Web App of AccessIT from their homepage of their Chromebook. This App allows students to search the library collection, see the latest titles and do interactive activities. The Interface will change from time to time with new themes and activities. Check it out!
NDIS Access and information
📣 Book a Meeting with Feros Care Local Area Coordinator (LAC) for September 17th.
We are inviting parents and guardians to meet with our Feros Care Local Area Coordinator to discuss how the NDIS can support your child’s needs both now and into the future. Whether you’re just getting started or needing help navigating your current plan, this is a great opportunity to ask questions and get expert guidance.
📅 Appointments available and filling up fast – bookings essential
Limited spots available. Please contact Hayley on 8258 9855 to secure your spot.
What can the Local Area Coordinator help with?
✔️ Understanding the NDIS and checking eligibility
✔️ Guiding you through the NDIS application and access process
✔️ Preparing for your child’s first planning meeting
✔️ Explaining how to set meaningful NDIS goals for your child
✔️ Connecting you with community supports and mainstream services
✔️ Helping you review and get the most out of an existing plan
✔️ Supporting you to build your child’s independence and capacity
✔️ Troubleshooting any issues with your current plan or services
✔️ Assisting with plan reassessments or change of circumstances
Supporting a Strong Start to High School
This term, the Parafield Gardens High School Speech Pathologist and Literacy Coordinator are visiting our local primary schools to screen Year 6 students. This important work helps us identify students who may benefit from targeted literacy support through our RAP (Reading Acceleration Program) or LAP (Literacy Acceleration Program) when they begin Year 7 at PGHS next year.
By building strong connections with our feeder schools and intervening early, we aim to ensure a smooth and supported transition into high school for all students.
Stasha Demosthenous & Christine D’Arcy
Literacy Coordinator & Senior Speech Pathologist
Car Wash Fundraiser
During this year’s Pupil Free Day staff meeting on Friday 15th August, a handful of year 10 and 11 students volunteered to wash staff cars to raise money for the upcoming Japan trip. Despite the cool weather and the allure of the Pupil Free Day, these students came to school and cleaned over 35 cars between them.
PGHS staff were impressed by their efforts and enjoyed watching students take the initiative in working towards their own goals. A huge congratulations to Izabella Street for organising the event and thank you to those students who participated.
A huge thank you to the staff who supported our young travellers! For those looking to continue supporting our students or just looking for a bit of fun with friends, consider booking a table for our Japan trip quiz night. Tickets are $5 per person, available for purchase through the school. Quiz night to be held in the PGHS gymnasium from 7pm – 8:30pm, Week 7 Friday, 5th of September.
For more info, contact Matt Carter. See you there!
Quiz Night
On Friday of week 7 (5th of September), Parafield Gardens High School will be hosting a quiz night to raise money for the school’s Japan trip! It’s going to be a great night with mini-games, food, and prizes to be won.
Tickets are only $5 per person (5 people per table).
Use the QR code to book your spot today!
