Blackwood High School

This week, our Year 11s did something that takes real courage: they walked into their first formal SACE examinations and gave it everything they had.

Across four days, more than 170 students sat 14 exams spanning subjects right across the curriculum. They applied their knowledge, tested their critical thinking, and met the challenge with a maturity that was genuinely impressive to watch.
One of the best parts of the week happened outside the exam room. The Senior Learning Centre was buzzing as students chose to study on site, revising together, teaching one another tricky concepts, and covering whiteboards with diagrams. Young people supporting young people, exactly the way it should be.

A week like this only works because so many people pull together. Our supervising teachers and invigilators kept every exam running smoothly. Our SSO and administration staff handled the work most people never see: printing booklets and SACE ID stickers, preparing laptops, managing room changes, and coordinating reliefs. Our subject teachers and curriculum leaders designed quality exams and prepared students well. The Senior Years team planned and oversaw the logistics that held the whole week together, while staying a constant source of support.

And to our parents and caregivers: thank you. The encouragement and reassurance you offered at home helped your young people work through the nerves and pressure that exams can bring.

To our entire Year 11 cohort, your dedication and positive attitude this week were outstanding. You should be proud of everything you have achieved this semester.

Now it is onto report writing and Semester 2 planning, then a well-earned break.

Well done, Year 11.

There's a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from cracking a problem you thought was beyond you. That moment when the numbers click into place and you realise you knew more than you thought.

That's what the Australian Mathematics Competition is all about.

Students in Years 7-12 who love Mathematics, or who simply want to test themselves against some genuinely clever problems, are invited to register their interest now. The competition itself runs next term in Week 3, and we're gathering names while there's time to prepare.

The AMC is a chance to build confidence, experience exam-style conditions and wrestle with the kind of thought-provoking puzzles that stick with you long after you've put the pencil down.

Interested students can complete the survey on Daymap or email Mr Graham at [email protected]

A meeting for everyone keen to take part will be held next week with Mr Graham and Mr Plummer-Height (Mr PH).

The Year 10 work experience photos keep rolling in, and Mr Cav's inbox is filling up with them.

There's something special about seeing our young people in their workplaces this week: focused, hands-on, and finding their feet in the real world. Every photo tells a little story about a student stepping outside their comfort zone and discovering what they're capable of.

Keep them coming, Year 10s. We love seeing where this week is taking you.

A heartfelt thank you to the businesses opening their doors and sharing their expertise with our students this week:

Avanti Hair & Beauty
O'Halloran Hill Dental
Woodcroft & Aberfoyle Hub Libraries
Southern Joinery .joinery
The Salvation Army Australia Stores
Blackwood Primary School
Direct Automotive Repairs Lonsdale
Goodstart Early Learning Aberfoyle Park
Island Recording Studio
Happy Valley Community Childcare Centre

📢 Attention Year 12s! 📢

Graduation is well underway in the planning, and this year we're adding something a little special. We want to feature each student's Reception or primary school photo as part of the night. A small reminder of how far you've come, and the journey that brought you here.

We need your help to gather them. There are two easy ways to share yours:
📨Email it to [email protected] with your name included
🏫 Or bring it to front reception, where our team will scan it and hand it straight back to you.

We'd love to have these by Friday 25 September, the last day of Term 3. If you'd rather your photo wasn't included, just let us know and we'll make a note of it.

This week our Year 10s have swapped the classroom for the real world, and the places they have landed are something else.

Right now one of our students is inside the newsroom at SEN, getting a feel for life in sports media. Another has pulled on the gear at The Physio Studio, learning what hands-on healthcare actually looks like. Over at Thomsons a student is getting a window into the world of law, while others are finding their feet at MarionLIFE Community Services Inc, DasStudio, The Nature Education Centre, AdelaidePaediatrics and Super Gym Mile End.

These are just a few of the places our young people are spending their week, with plenty more stories still to come.

Work experience is one of those weeks that sticks. It's where a vague idea about the future starts to feel possible. Students come back walking a little taller, with stories about the people they met and the things they tried that they never expected to.

A huge thankyou to every business opening their doors and giving our young people a place to learn this week. You are shaping what comes next for them.

Students, if you have a photo from your work experience location, make sure you send it through to Mr Cav so we can share where you have been.

Have you heard from us lately? If your inbox has been quiet, your email address might be out of date in our system.

Staying connected means you never miss the moments that matter: learning updates, upcoming events, finance statements, and the news from your young person's school life.

Keeping your email current also means account statements and payment reminders reach you on time, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Updating your details takes just a moment. Email us at [email protected] or get in touch through the front office, and we will make sure you are back in the loop.

Six study strategies. One video. A group of Year 11 prefects who decided the best people to explain how to study for exams were students who've just done it themselves.

They walk through the approaches that actually move the needle: chunking work into manageable pieces, spacing practice out over time rather than cramming, testing yourself with retrieval, using concrete examples, dual coding, and interleaving different topics. The kind of habits that turn long study sessions into ones that stick.

If you'd like to explore the strategies further, you'll find our Learning Strategies resources on the school website: https://bhs.sa.edu.au/other-links/resources-and-publications.

Good luck to our Year 11 Students during their exam week!

Learning Strategies Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Bushwalking in Winter. Some say crazy, but the year 10 World Outdoors class were blessed with great weather on their three day camp at Mt Crawford last week.
With a host of international students undertaking the class, it was a real opportunity to experience camping and hiking along the Heysen trail.