Newsletter Term 3 2025 Issue 2
Principal’s Message
Term 3 has been a busy and rewarding time at Parafield Gardens High School, filled with events that highlight our students’ talents, interests, and dedication. These opportunities not only allow students to shine but also help build a strong sense of belonging and pride across our school community.
Here are just some of the highlights from the term:
✔️ Music Nights – Our Music Team hosted two incredible evenings where students showcased their learning, practise, and passion for performance. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they performed on stage.
✔️ Cultural Gala – A vibrant celebration of our culturally diverse community, with colourful costumes, music, dance, food, and information stands. The commitment of the students and staff teams who brought this event to life was evident in every detail.
✔️ Japan Trip Fundraiser – A group of students enthusiastically washed staff cars on our Pupil Free Day, raising funds towards their upcoming trip to Japan.
✔️ Quiz Night – A night of fun, friendly competition, and community spirit, well attended by staff, students, and families.
✔️ Learning Conversations – Over 900 families registered to discuss student goals and next steps in learning—thank you for your ongoing partnership in supporting our students’ success.
✔️ Debating and Futsal Teams – Both teams celebrated great success this term, a credit to the dedication and hard work behind the scenes.
✔️ Cultural Inclusivity Committee – Our staff committee was recognised as a Public Education Awards Finalist for their work in making PGHS a welcoming and inclusive environment.
While our core purpose remains teaching and learning, it is the positive culture and teamwork across our school that enrich the student experience. My thanks to every student, staff member, and family who has contributed to making Term 3 successful.
As our Year 12 students approach the final stage of their school journey, we wish them the very best. The reality of 13 years of schooling culminating in final submissions and exams is becoming real, but we encourage you to finish strongly – we can’t wait to celebrate your achievements at the Leavers Ceremony in Term 4.
A special thank you to our dedicated Year 12 teachers who continue to provide extra support during the holiday break. For the rest of our staff and students, I hope the upcoming holidays bring you a chance to rest, recharge, and spend time with family and friends.
Penny Chancellor
Acting Principal
Term 4 Key Dates
✔️ 13th October – First Day of Term 4
✔️ 29th-30th October – Learner Profile Interviews (Primary School Transition)
✔️ 30th October – Last Day Yr. 12 Compulsory Classes
✔️ 31st October – Yr. 12 Farewell Assembly
✔️ 5th November – Yr. 7 Vaccinations
✔️ 5th November – New Parent Night (Primary School Transition)
✔️ 11th November – Remembrance day
✔️ 16th October – 12th November – Year 12 Exams
✔️ 18th November – School Leavers Ceremony
✔️ 21st November – Last Day Year 11 Compulsory Classes
✔️ 28th November – Last Day Year 10 Compulsory Classes
✔️ 26th November – Presentation Night
✔️ 1st December – Pupil Free Day
✔️ 4th-5th December – Transition year 6’s
✔️ 12th December – Last Day Yrs. 7-9
Learning Conversations / Subject Selection
On the Wednesday of Week 7, our Learning Conversation interviews brought together students, families, and Home Group teachers in focused 15-minute sessions. These conversations were a chance to celebrate successes, reflect on progress, and finalise subject selections for 2026.
We were pleased to see such strong engagement, with 78% of families attending and now with over 83% of subject confirmations completed.
The sessions highlighted student achievements, strengthened partnerships between home and school, and supported students to take personal ownership of their learning pathways.
Students who were unable to attend will still need to meet with their Learning Community Manager to finalise subject choices for 2026.
Thank you to all families who contributed to these valuable conversations. We look forward to building on this momentum as students continue preparing for success in 2026 and beyond.
What’s on the horizon – Term 4 Activities
On Wednesday and Thursday of Week 9, Term 4, our Year 7, 8, and 9 students will have the opportunity to participate in a series of end-of-year excursions. Options will include Bounce, Adelaide Museum, Mawson Lakes Planetarium, Barossa Bowland, Inflatable World, Bouldering, Adelaide Oval, and the Adelaide Central Markets.
We are working to minimise costs as much as possible to ensure all activities remain accessible for every student. Each student will be asked to nominate up to three activities they would be happy to attend. Please note, this is a nomination process rather than a guarantee. Final allocations will be based on numbers and availability, with priority given to students who did not attend a particular activity last year.
Further details, including consent forms and payment information, will be shared across Term 4. Stay tuned!
Barrosa Bowland
Adelaide Oval
Bouldering Adelaide
Mawson Lakes Planetarium
Michael Niedzwiecki
Middle School Assistant Principal
Year 10 Outdoor Education Update
This semester, the Year 10 Outdoor Education classes have enjoyed two experiences in the outdoors; one excursion to St Kilda Adventure Playground and the other to Morialta Conservation Park. Both experiences were connected to current learning in the classroom and provided an opportunity for students to apply their learning in an outdoor context.
The St Kilda excursion occurred early term 3, and focused on students using their group work, leadership, problem solving and decision making skills to solve a number of challenges throughout the day. All students were successful in doing this, and were able to reflect on their learning and development of these skills in their assignments. A highlight of the day was being able to play on the playground… something you are never too old for!
The Morialta excursion occurred later this term, and provided students an opportunity to connect with nature and extend their learning about the benefits of being outdoors. Their class time prior to this had been spent learning about why nature is good for us, how it can help us at school, and engaging in various activities outdoors in the school grounds. Morialta Conservation Park is a beautiful park, and due to the rain we have experienced, the students were able to see the waterfalls flowing with water and beautiful flowers, and greenery throughout the day, which reinforced why nature is good for us! The day began with a short hike to see the waterfall, and finished with an exploration of the nature playground and participating in a number of activities planned by the students to encourage their peers to connect with nature. It was a great way for the students to apply their learning and help each other relax in a natural setting.
The students are now preparing for their upcoming outdoor experiences next term, where they will get to challenge themselves through rock climbing and aquatic activities. Stay tuned for updates!
Samantha Beales
Year 11 & 12 Yitpi/Yarta LCM
Year 11 Outdoor Education Update
In term 3, our Year 11 Outdoor Education students have undertaken many exciting experiences that built both their practical outdoor and teamwork skills.
Their first excursion took place at West Lakes Aquatic Centre, where they took part in a kayaking lesson in preparation for their 3 day kayaking camp. This provided an opportunity to refine paddling techniques, and practice water safety.
The highlight of the term was the kayaking camp at Renmark, along Ral Ral Creek. This tent-based camp challenged students to put their practical outdoor skills into practice in a real-world setting. Over several days, students paddled the creek while developing self-sufficiency and resilience. They were responsible for setting up their own tents, cooking meals on Trangias, and low-impact campsite practices.
Both the excursion and camp were valuable experiences that highlighted the importance of preparation, cooperation, and respect for the natural environment.
Mathew Foley
HPE, Outdoor Education & Humanities Teacher
Sports News
Please click on the link below to view the article
STEM Programs
STEM Mista
STEM Mista is a fantastic program designed for boys interested in pursuing careers in STEM. It not only builds knowledge but also boosts self-confidence and encourages participants to believe they can achieve anything they set their minds to.
The two-day course, held at Lot Fourteen and Stone & Chalk (part of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site now used as a business hub), covers a range of practical life skills including budgeting, time management, life after school, and problem-solving. The boys took part in timed team projects—like solving puzzles in just 15 minutes—learnt how to budget for living independently, and joined an Entrepreneurial Think-Tank at Stone & Chalk. Recently, Mohammad Khatri, Khalid Reman, Liam Bondoc, Andrie Canonigo, Nathan Kay and Seyha Khouv completed the program.
We’re proud to share that all the boys have successfully completed the program and will graduate in November at Stone & Chalk.
STEM Sista
STEM Sista runs alongside STEM Mista, but is specially tailored to empower girls. The program is designed to build self-confidence and inspire participants to believe they can achieve anything they set their minds to—while also highlighting the growing opportunities for women in STEM careers.
Recently, Visiony Som, Saheli Karunamuni, Emme Grantham, Abeera Malik, Adaline Andriessen, Souphea Samchea and Savannah Cullen also completed the course. As with the boys, the girls will all graduate in November at the Stone and Chalk.
Game Jam
A game jam is a game development competition. Participants create a game experience using a range of game development tools in line with the theme of the game jam and within a specified time frame. For this Game Jam, the focus was on exposing students to game development and helping them gain industry experience. This Game Jam is held by the City of Salisbury in collaboration with Northern Adelaide Senior College’s Academy of Gaming, Film and Animation.
On the 22nd August the Salisbury Game Jam hosted a celebration and exhibition day, where student teams were able to showcase their game project developed over the Game Jam period. The day included student presentations, exhibitor showcases, mentor feedback, and certificate presentations. They worked on their game at lunchtimes being supervised by Mr Nash.
Our team: Vihaan Salunke, Saggie Jammu, Marily Ung, Samreen Makkar, Andrie Canonigo, Sahar Ali, Hunter Blaess,and Jonathan Chicas produced their game using Game Maker.
Project X – Laser Printer
Project X is a 2-day industry intensive designed to ignite innovation and creativity!
Project X is a dynamic two-day industry intensive designed to spark innovation and creativity in our students. Partnering with local industry, the program challenges students to respond to a real business need by designing and producing a practical solution.
On Day 1, students explored Mindset, Design Thinking, and Creative Learning, gaining tools to collaborate effectively. They were introduced to their Industry Partner, the problem they needed to solve, and the Job Sheet outlining requirements.
Day 2 was all about action. Guided by industry experts, students worked in teams to design and create their solution. The program concluded with a group reflection, where students analysed their work and identified opportunities for improvement.
This intensive gave our students a chance to make a genuine impact for small businesses, while building skills, confidence, and experience that will serve them well into the future. Students have come back to school motivated to create more products for local businesses and to start a STEM Club to do more of what they learnt during Project X and the event organisers at Trotec and FastTrackSTEM said that our students were the best group they have had.
Stay tuned to hear about products our students will be making and putting up for sale (see sample of products attached to this article).
Students were also sponsored to do this program by Wealth Evolution (Financial Planning Group) and Elephant in the Boardroom (Digital Marketing Group).
Technologies News
English
Beth Pontifex
English Coordinator
Lot Fourteen STEM Tour
PGHS Students recently attended a tour of Lot Fourteen in the city to expand upon their knowledge regarding careers available within the STEM Industry. The Department for Education engaged with Charlotte & Henry, offering them a feature on the Dept Socials:
NALHN Tour
On Thursday 11/09, 30 PGHS year 9 students went for a tour of the Lyell McEwin Hospital & the University/Aged Care facility next door.
Students engaged with professionals in a variety of different fields within the Health Network, including Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Chefs/cooks, House Keeping, Allied Health, Carers and more. This gave them opportunities to ask questions and discover career options that they previously were not aware of. Many students left the day confident that they would one day like to work in the Health Industry.
Alex Harrison
VET Coordinator
Year 12, Term 3 Holiday Program
During the school holidays, Year 12 teachers are offering holiday sessions to their students. Please see the program in the link below:
These sessions are extremely valuable for students to attend, so they can receive extra learning support and time to work on assignments, however are not compulsory to attend.
Students are encouraged to discuss these sessions further with their subject teachers.
Please direct any questions to Finn Galindo, Senior School Assistant Principal
finn.galindo202@schools.sa.edu.au