Engineering Course

Students from The Heights year 8 Ignite class and co-class have had the opportunity to study sections of the Certificate 2 in Engineering (Electronics)

Each Tuesday in term 3 the Regency Institute of TAFE bus arrives at The Heights. Students who have elected to do this 18-week course do their theory and practical in this specially equipped bus.

Students, with their lecturer, Gerry Jordan, fom Regency Institute of TAFE work for 6 hours each Tuesday, and by the end of the course will qualify for a SACE (South Australian Cerificate of Education) unit.

World conference Parent Forum

On Monday 18th August The Heights School held an Open Night entitled "World Conference Parent Forum" to share information gained from the recent World Conference in Gifted Education which was held in Adelaide from August 1-5th.

Seven parents fromThe Heights School gave up their time and energy to atend, two of them attended all five days of the conference. The school subsidised part of the cost of attendance. One part of the criteria for being selected to attend the conference was to present information back to the Open Night at The Heights School.

Forty parents (with children ranging form our Child Parent Centre to Year 12), and six staff attended the Parent forum. The forum was an affirmation of the work The Heights School has been doing over the last decade to cater for gifted students. All of the parents shared their most interesting sessions, and responses ranged from excellent through to interesting.

The sharing of information provided the opportunity to discuss the latest updates and findings in gifted education. Many of the parent delegates organised written handouts, whilst others commented upon the most poignant information. Parents were able to relate theory to the practice of raising their own children, and were able to pass on practical advice to other parents

Parents shared glowing reports of the conference itself and its organisation. Some main speakers that were heralded included Katherine Hoekmann, Jan Elsner, Sandra Kaplan and Mirica Gross.

The Parent Forum shared the passion, enthusiasm and interest of The Heights School community in gifted education. It was a very positive expereience for all concerned and provides the school with a pathway for future support.

Canberra study tour

The Aberfoyle Park High School year 8 students have returned from Australian Science Week in the National Capital. All reported the study tour was a fantastic experience that will be beneficial for their personal and academic growth.

More details on the SUCCESSES.

The Optimistic Child

On 7th and 14th May, psychologist Rose Price, along with one of our Assistant Principals, Gloria Acton, presented a seminar entitled 'The Optimistic Child'. The material presented was partly from a book of the same title by Martin Seligman, which is available in libraries and bookshops.

The seminar was aimed at giving parents strategies to deal with children who have developed, or are at risk of developing, depression. The main points included recognising negative self-talk and learning how to counteract it, strategies for examining behaviour for realism, and methods for learning to think more optimistically.

The seminar was very useful, both for parents to use with children, and for adults in general.

Martin Seligman's websites can be accessed by using Google search engine and typing in Martin Seligman. Other resources are shown below:

Books

Seligman, Martin (1995)
The Optimistic Child
Random House, Australia

Fuller, Andrew (2000)
Raising Real People: A Guide for parents of teenagers
ACER Press

Carr-Gregg, Michael & Shale, Erin (2002)
Adolescence: A guide for parents
Finch Publishing, Sydney

Websites

www.YesToLife.com.au

www.MichaelCarr-Greg.com

www.Moodygm.anu.edu.au

www.depressioNet.com.au

www.beyondblue.org.au

Former Ignite Students talk at The World Conference in Adelaide

Former Ignite students of The Heights School will talk about their experiences at the first Ignite School.

These students were part of the first class in 1997. All of the students completed their secondary education in 4 years instead of the customary 5. Most are now studying at tertiary facilities in South Australia, but all have an interesting story to tell.

The students will form a panel, with their original homegroup and English teacher, Kris Nielsen. The students will talk about the program, successes, “warts and all”.

Good news for the Ignite program

The future of the successful programs at Aberfoyle Park High School, Glenunga International High School and The Heights secondary schools has been assured with a funding commitment of $1.03 million.

The program enables gifted and talented students to accelerate their learning and was named as one of Australia’s best educational programs by The Australian newspaper (2002) in its analysis of Australia’s Best Schools.

Many other South Australian schools are now able to offer gifted programs by accessing the resources and expertise of the three Ignite lighthouse schools. The continuation of the program will enable our gifted and talented students to pursue their special interests and provide many opportunities for their personal development.

Extract from “Message from The Minister”
Trish White, Minister for Education and Children’s Services

Ignite Teachers Present at The World Gifted Conference in Adelaide

Over 50 teachers from the 3 Ignite Schools will present workshops and seminars at the Adelaide conference. Teachers from Aberfoyle Park High School, Glenunga International High School and The Heights School will present over the 4 days of the conference.

These teachers and leaders come from a range of curriculum areas and are presenting on their experiences of teaching Ignite students.

A group of Ignite teachers from The Heights Junior school will also talk about their work. The teachers from the Child Parent Centre to year 7 will give practical ides about catering and differentiating for gifted students.

All of these teachers form a part of over 700 educators from around the world who are meeting to share world best practice.
Some of these Ignite teachers have attended 3 world conferences. Some also attended and presented at the last World conference, which was held in Barcelona in 2001.