Salisbury East High School eNewsletter

Sue's News

As we move into the final weeks of Term 3, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has already been an incredible term at Salisbury East High School, and to look ahead to the important work we still have to do together.Over the past seven weeks, our school has been alive with activity.

From Year 7 Camp to Book Week, from STEM visits with primary schools to a wide range of sporting competitions, our students have embraced opportunities that build connection, confidence, and pride. Events like these don’t happen by chance - they are the result of dedicated planning by staff and enthusiastic participation by students, and I thank everyone involved for the energy you bring.

Staff have also engaged deeply in professional learning. The Reconciliation SA training challenged us to reflect on how we continue to build a culture of respect, inclusion, and belonging. At the same time, our Pedagogy Showcases have highlighted the professional expertise across SEHS, giving staff a platform to share strategies that are making a difference in classrooms every day. Recruitment panels have been running steadily, strengthening our leadership and wellbeing teams for the future.

Our Youth Opportunities program has once again supported students to develop skills for school and life, while Course Confirmation has helped our Year 10 and 11 students plan their pathways into 2025 with confidence. These processes show the strength of collaboration between students, families, and staff in ensuring that every learner is well supported to achieve and flourish.

While we can be proud of all that has been achieved, we still have three important weeks ahead. Middle school course counselling, Cultural Day, and whole-school celebrations are still to come, and I thank staff, students, and families in advance for the commitment that will carry us through to the end of term. I encourage everyone to finish strongly so that we can head into Term 4 with momentum and confidence.

A reminder too about uniform expectations. Wearing our uniform with pride is not just about appearance - it represents who we are as a community, promotes a sense of belonging, and plays an important role in maintaining safety on our site. I ask for the support of all families in ensuring students are in correct uniform every day, helping us present a strong, unified school identity.

Looking ahead, Term 4 will bring its own highlights, including end-of-year celebrations, graduations, and new opportunities to showcase the talents and achievements of our young people. These milestones are important markers in the life of a school, and I look forward to celebrating them with our students, staff, and families.

Thank you once again for your ongoing commitment and support. It is the collective effort of staff, students, families, and our wider community that makes SEHS such a vibrant and connected school. Together, we can finish this term with pride and look forward to the future with optimism.

Warm regards,
Sue Shepherd
Principal

Parent Survey

Nothing is more important to us than your child’s education … and we want to hear from you!

The annual Parent Survey is now open and will close at midnight on Sunday, September 7^th

(end of Week 7, Term 3).

It takes less than 10 minutes to complete and gives you the chance to share your honest feedback on what we’re doing well, where we can improve, and what’s important to you as a parent/carer.

All parents/carers should have already received the survey link via email or SMS, but you can also access it here: Parent Survey Link for Salisbury East High School

Your responses are anonymous, and only collated results are shared with our school.

Every voice counts and we thank you for taking the time to help us make Salisbury East High School the best it can be.

Sports Update and House Points

It has been an unusually quiet period of sport at SEHS in Term 3, after a very hectic Term 2.

Currently we have teams competing in the Weekly Sport Futsal competition for students in Years 7-10. With two rounds already completed, our teams have performed solidly and seem destined to play finals in Week 9.

We have Year 7 Specialist Soccer Trials taking place on Wednesday of Week 6 & 8. Mr McCabe and Mr Peck will be putting students through their paces to find the next batch of superstars to lead us to those elusive state titles. We wish our students luck in their sporting endeavours.

House activities are ramping up as we draw closer to the end of the House Competition. During Science Week & Book Week students and teachers battled to gain points for their House Teams, with House Futsal and Badminton taking place over the next few weeks. It's a very exciting time for all involved! Can anyone catch Fenden?!

Science Trifecta

Science Trifecta: Science Alive, Science Week, and Science Olympics!

It’s been a busy and exciting few weeks for science at our school, with students taking part in three major events that celebrated learning, curiosity, and fun.

In Week 2, 80 of our Year 7–9 students attended the Science Alive! excursion at the Wayville Showgrounds. Students explored stalls featuring live animals, robots, interactive experiments, and competitions—opening their eyes to the many opportunities in STEM careers.

Week 4 saw our school come alive with Science Week, themed “Decoding the Universe.” Students competed in daily Morse code challenges, T-shirt design competitions, and puzzle house challenges. The week wrapped up with the Science Fair, where students launched rockets, cracked codes, and more. Even staff joined the fun with an escape-room style challenge—congratulations to Moss for taking the win!

Finally, in Week 5, four teams proudly represented us at the NASSSA Science Olympics, competing in rounds of chemistry, physics, biology, earth and space, and psychology, followed by a STEM challenge to design a ramp. While official results are still to come, the evening was full of science, snacks, and smiles.

Three incredible weeks, one science trifecta!

We wrapped up Book Week with a vibrant Costume Party in STEM, where students and staff celebrated their favourite book characters in style. The room was filled with creativity, from Hogwarts students and Peter Rabbit to Ash and Ditto, Coraline, and even a whole tribe of Mr and Miss Characters.

Food and fun added to the atmosphere, with iced tea, watermelon, and plenty of biscuits enjoyed by all. Awards were also handed out, including Best Make Up (The Joker), Best Connection to a Book (Coraline), Best Group (Gru, Victor and their Minions), and Best DIY (British Soldier).

It was a wonderful way to finish Book Week, showcasing imagination, community spirit, and a shared love of reading.

Schools Challenge

On the 12th of August, 25 amazing students absolutely wowed audiences at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for Schools Challenge 2025! Throughout the whole year this group has been rehearsing, choreographing and creating an eight minute piece retelling the story of The Wizard of Oz. These students really stepped up and 'owned it' like they had done it so many times before, showing pure professionalism and energy!

This year we were lucky enough to win the award for Kindness and Action. We believe that this embodies this group of awesome kids that have been so supportive and welcoming of one another throughout every rehearsal.

Don't forget that Year 12 Formal tickets are currently on sale for the event on Friday, November 14th. The final day to purchase tickets is Friday, September 26th

SATAC Applications

SATAC (the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre) is the central hub for processing applications to tertiary institutions across South Australia and the Northern Territory. This includes the University of Adelaide, UniSA, Flinders University, TAFE SA and others. SATAC also handles ATAR calculations.

Through SATAC, our Year 12 students can apply to multiple institutions with one application and be considered for offers in preference order.

The cost is $60 before the early deadline of September 30^th and $210 afterwards. TAFE SA is free.

The key dates for 2026 study are as follows (all students have already been informed of these dates):

Applications opened: August 4^th, 2025
Early deadline: September 30^th, 2025
Mid-December offers: December 11^th, 2025
Mid-January offer round: January 15^th, 2026
Second offer round: January 28^th, 2026
Further offers: From January 30^th, 2026

Course offers are made on merit, primarily using ATAR scores that are calculated from a student’s SACE Stage 2 results. If a student doesn’t receive their first preference, SATAC will automatically consider their next preference in order until they are eligible for an offer.

Students are advised to apply early to save on fees and seek advice from our SACE Coordinator if they require support with this process.

Tasmania Trip

Congratulations to Daniel in Year 11, who recently returned from the Maritime Immersion Camp held at the Australian Maritime College in Launceston, Tasmania. Over five action-packed days, students from across South Australia explored career and study pathways in engineering, logistics, and seafaring.

Highlights included driving boats on the Tamar River, taking on a survival-at-sea challenge, operating large ships and tugboats in bridge simulators, and designing floating structures in an engineering challenge. Students also met with industry experts, university researchers, and current students to gain first-hand insight into the exciting and highly paid career opportunities within the maritime sector.

This was a fantastic opportunity for Daniel to extend their learning beyond the classroom and explore future pathways in one of Australia’s most important industries.

Robotics Update

The SEHS Robotics program has had a fantastic start to the 2025 season, with both our senior and middle school teams showing outstanding skill, teamwork, and perseverance in their opening tournaments.

Senior Teams (VEX Robotics Competition – VRC)
Our senior teams, Blackout and Circuit Breakers, recently competed at the first VEX Robotics Competition of the season at St John’s Grammar School. Both teams performed exceptionally well in the qualifying rounds, with Blackout finishing 3rd and Circuit Breakers close behind in 5th place. Their strong performances secured them both a spot in the elimination finals.

Circuit Breakers fought hard but were unfortunately knocked out in their first final. Blackout, however, advanced through to the Grand Final in a nail-biting finish, narrowly missing out on the championship title by just two points. This incredible effort highlights the team’s dedication, strategy, and commitment.

Middle School Teams (VEX IQ Robotics Competition – VIQRC)
Our middle school teams, Electric Eagles and CTRL + ALT + ELITE, competed at Mount Barker High School, also starting the season on a high note. Both teams placed in the top five after the qualifying rounds, with Electric Eagles finishing in a strong joint 2nd place.

CTRL + ALT + ELITE overcame early mechanical issues in their first match and showed impressive resilience to climb their way back up the rankings. Their determination paid off, as they went on to win the finals and were crowned Tournament Champions, earning a well-deserved place in the upcoming State Championships.

Congratulations to all our robotics students for such an outstanding start to the year. Their achievements are a testament to their hard work, creativity, and teamwork.

NAIDOC Week

This year’s NAIDOC Week was a vibrant celebration of culture, connection, and community at Salisbury East High School.

The week began with a powerful Smoking Ceremony led by Kaurna man Robert Taylor, which provided a meaningful opening to the week’s events. Robert also ran traditional dance workshops, where students learned how movement and rhythm can be used to tell stories and preserve culture.

Adding to the celebrations, David Booth shared Dreaming stories and guided students through a hands-on art symbols workshop, allowing them to explore creativity while deepening their understanding of Aboriginal culture.

Students also collaborated on a large-scale chalk artwork, bringing together colour, symbolism, and teamwork to create a striking visual display for the school community.

The week concluded with one of our most anticipated traditions — the Staff vs Students Footy Game — which once again brought plenty of energy, laughter, and friendly competition to the oval.

NAIDOC Week 2025 was a wonderful opportunity for our students and staff to learn, connect, and celebrate together. We thank everyone who contributed to making it such a memorable week.

Balaklava Eisteddfod

Our music students shone at this year’s competition, showcasing their hard work, talent, and teamwork.

The Senior Rock Band (Lachlan, Luke, Tyson, Blake, Brendan, Jacob) wowed the crowd with Welcome to Paradise and Joker and the Thief, taking home the Gold Award for Senior Rock Band out of seven schools.

The Vocal Ensemble (Anthony, Mia, Lor, Rebecca, Scarlett, Mikayla C, Mikayla S) also impressed, placing 2nd overall and receiving an Encouragement Award.

A big thank you to Sarah and Tasso for their guidance, and to Josh for his support on the day. It was also fantastic to see our Year 10 and 11 students proudly assisting as stagehands and supporters.

Year 7 Camp

Our Year 7 students recently participated in an exciting and memorable school sleepover experience, filled with fun, friendship and plenty of walking! (Mr Argy clocked 18,600 steps on day 2)

Highlights included a behind-the-scenes tour of Adelaide Oval, where students explored the iconic stadium, and a trip to Rundle Mall, where they had the chance to shop, eat (far too many lollies!) and soak up the city atmosphere. Evenings were just as lively, with a school disco full of music and dancing, as well as night games that brought plenty of laughter and teamwork. A round of tenpin bowling was another camp favourite, giving everyone the chance to show off their competitive spirit.

A huge thank you goes to our parents for supporting camp preparations, and to our dedicated staff for giving up their time to ensure the camp was such a success.

Our Girls 9-a-side football team took out the Multicultural Power Cup Grand Final on Saturday, August 9th at Adelaide Oval! Facing Roma Mitchell before the Port Adelaide vs Fremantle AFL clash, the team played with skill and determination to secure a hard-fought win, finishing seven goals to five and lifting the coveted trophy.

It was inspiring to see the girls lead with student agency, supporting one another every step of the way and showcasing their talent on such a big stage. Meanwhile, our boys team cheered from the sidelines and proudly carried the banner during the lap of honour, representing SEHS with pride in their striking guernseys designed by our own Year 11 student, Caedyn.

This was an unforgettable experience for all involved, and we could not be prouder of our students’ achievements, teamwork, and spirit.

Flexi Library Opening

The Flexi Library has been a very busy place this term!

We have had many students coming into the Book Burrow and the Flexi Library to borrow a range of books, from Ancient Egypt to Manga to Attack of the Zittens! Our space is regularly used by a huge range of students on Wednesday at Recess and Lunch including the ever popular Uno and comfy chairs!

This term in Week 5, as part of Book Week, we had the Official Grand Opening of the Library! The event was held in the Flexi Library with a range of displays showing the planning, designing and development of the space by the amazing Library Crew and school staff.

The event was graced by many individuals, notably the support of the School Library Association of South Australia, Tony Zappia MO, Member for Makin, and our previous Principal who endorsed the project, Kristen Masters.

We are very excited for the Flexi Library space to continue and expand over time. The space is often used during class times for break out learning for those in the immediate classrooms, students working in small groups with SSOs, Raise Mentoring Program, Year 12 Mentoring and booked by Health and English classes consistently.

Lost Property and Finance Reminders

Lost Property

Lost Property is handed in to the front office and held for 2 Terms. Notices are sent out to students on a regular basis through Daymap to remind them to come and check if they have lost an item. Some of the items we currently have are glasses, keychains, jewelry, Airpod cases, drink bottles, school clothing etc.

Please see the attached photo of the drink bottles we currently have, If your child is missing a bottle please send them to the front office to collect.

We have a large amount of school Jackets, polo shirts and jumpers and we have no way of knowing who they belong to. Could you please place your child’s name on the clothes and this will ensure that their items are returned without delay.

Finance Reminders

M&S charges for 2025 are now overdue, please pay as soon as possible or speak to finance to arrange a payment plan.
Year 12 Formal invoices need to be finalised by Friday the 26^th of September, end of Term 3.
School Card closes Friday 21^st of November, please get your applications into the front office by Wednesday 19^th of November.

barring_notices_flyer_english.pdf

2025 Term 3 September