It has been an extraordinary term once again. We had many great opportunities to celebrate the success of all our students here at Underdale High School.
From our Principal,
The Arts Exhibition and performances were quite spectacular, showcasing the many skills of our students in Music, Dance, Drama and Visual Arts. The performances included bands and vocals, as well as our first Dance performance, with striking choreography. Our Year 10 Drama students presented a comic take of a Shakespearian tragedy.
In addition to drama and dance performances there was a visual art exhibition showcasing 3D and 2D pieces in a range of mediums, including clay. Huge thank you to all the Arts team, the students did a fantastic job, for some of them it was the first time they had performed in front of an audience. For others because of Covid restrictions they haven’t performed for years. The success is due to the commitment and hard work of the Performing Arts teachers Anna Nihill, Brad Tucker and Jenna English.
The Art Gallery displaying the Artwork from the classes of dedicated art staff, Alana Birrell, Amelia Castellucci, Lindy Neilson, and Mark McLeod. Well done. Achievement Assembly Our Year 7-11 Achievement Assembly was a great opportunity to acknowledge the academic achievement of our students Year 7 to 11 and welcome the families of award winners to the event. A parent I was chatting to afterwards commented, “you have so many talented students at this school”. Indeed, we do, publicly celebrating students’ perseverance and academic achievement is a powerful way to acknowledge that we value this work as a whole school. On this day we celebrated learning, and student success.
Here at Underdale, we value every young person’s journey and recognise the work families and staff do with us is the beginning of a lifetime of learning. At the assembly I spoke about expertise and the importance of knowledge in a world where fast paced social media dominates opinions, and why valuing experts who study and know something strengthen our future as they have done in our past. Only 1% of the world’s population holds a PHD, here at Underdale we have three staff members currently studying or have studied a PHD, Lynn Rowberry, David Baker and Guiseppe Laera. As educators we must value people that work hard, sacrifice their present for a future, study, and test that knowledge. Experts read and engage with diverse ideas; we know the students receiving awards on this day have studied hard for this.
So, let’s reward them. Let’s value and recognise their expertise. The achievement assembly aligned with our focus on White Ribbon Day, and our school culture and wellbeing team worked with students to create a pledge board. Josh Hilditch interviewed two of our students who spoke to the whole school about the importance of speaking up in our community. We look forward to developing this initiative to include more members of our community.
Year 12 Graduation The Year 12 Graduation set a new high benchmark for our school. We have had many members of our community congratulate staff and students on the success of the event. It was incredibly rewarding to see the graduating class of 2022 presented with their certificates and awards at the Elder Hall, Adelaide University. The graduation gowns and mortar boards helped to elevate the status of the event. As I spoke with some families who were watching the last of a large family graduate, I recognised the impact of transition for families along with young people at many phases of life.
With all the excitement of the next stage, comes the grieving of the last stage. We must shed something old to move into something new. Transition Transitioning to secondary school is more than a single event, and whilst we have started with our transition days and welcomed families for our transition evening, we know that this process takes time, and is a culmination of a range of experiences over 12 months.
Please contact the school should you wish to discuss any of your concerns, we encourage you to connect, ask for support or ask for clarification, as this will only strengthen our school. Automotive Achievement As South Australia celebrates the return of the Adelaide 500, it seems fitting to share that recently I watched the Year 10 Automotive class, with Mr Don Pappageorgio and the students as they raced a car built at Underdale High school taking less than two minutes to circle the oval. In conversation they shared the strategies they used to corner the oval and keep on track to make the time. We were lucky to have the sun that day, and the students made me reflect once again how fabulous our school is, how many opportunities we offer our students, and the future is right here, under our noses in beautiful Underdale!
End of year correspondence will be distributed throughout the holidays in preparation for the new 2023 year. Until then, if you wish to donate any non-perishable supplies for our fundraiser, please drop them into reception. We thank all families for your continued support and wish you all a safe and very happy holiday.
Yours sincerely,
Mary-Lou Michael
