A message for all families connected to the Pork and Poultry Industries

Unity College Agriculture identified in the Agriculture Strategic Plan the importance of housing livestock on-site and delivering curriculum that represented the student interest and farming industries in the Murraylands. Pork was identified as one of the livestock industries to be represented in the Unity College Agriculture program. Over the course of the last 12 months, we have worked with industry experts and the CommUnity Ag group for advice on best practice. We have taken on board the recommendation to erect an Eco-Shelter at the rear of our Agriculture block area and have recently been given council approval. Before work starts on our Eco-Shelter we would like to hear from families in our school community who keep pigs at home commercially or as a hobby farmer so that we can keep a database of contacts in the industry. Furthermore, we also invite your feedback and input in respect to any concerns or information about protecting your farm and the school farm from biosecurity risks. For this reason, we also would like to know if we have parents or students who work in the poultry industry outside of school. Feedback and contact information for families who work in the poultry or pork industry can be forwarded to ag@unitycollege.sa.edu.au, or please make contact with the school to make an appointment to visit our Business Manager, Mr Michael Obst and Head of Agriculture, Mrs Jaylene Phillips.

 

Kmart Gift Card Donations

Each week, the Areyonga students get rewarded for attending school in the form of Kmart Gift Cards. As a college, we would like to donate some gift cards to the Areyonga community to show our support for what they have been doing during remote learning. If you would like to donate, please make a monetary donation via EFT transfer to the account below by Friday 18 September. Any amounts will be gratefully accepted. We will then purchase a range of gift cards with the money donated which will be taken to Areyonga in Week 10 when Unity College staff next visit the community.

Account Name: Unity College Inc
BSB: 735 069
Account Number: 071 373
Reference: CASLAU with your surname

We thank you for your support of and care for our Areyonga students.

 

A village that connects Unity College with the residents of the Lutheran Homes.

Year 7 students have been working collaboratively and in consultation with residents to create a village that projects students’ vision for a sustainable, liveable community.

This project links various subject areas and allows students to apply their knowledge in a practical application.

Next Monday 14 September we welcome parents to come and see our students’ vision for a revamped retirement village. The village will be on display in the stadium and can be viewed during Parent/Teacher Interviews. This display will remain set up until Thursday morning. Please touch base with your teacher if you need a special viewing to be arranged.

On Wednesday, students will share their vision and uniquely created homes with the residents of the Lutheran Homes.

We would like to thank the Lutheran Homes for their support with this task and to Carol Kruschel and Delton Schiller who helped make this possible.

 

While online learning seems like a distant memory to most of us, spare a thought for the Areyonga students who have had to continue their education remotely to safeguard their community from the threat of COVID-19. This has proved to be difficult with limited and intermittent internet access.

Students have been rostered on to attend the Areyonga school to access some of the facilities. We are very grateful for the support of the Principal, Jonathon Fernando. At first students used a small office and were assisted by Mrs Fielke who helped them complete the work set by teachers in two hour blocks. Mrs Fielke is to be congratulated for her ingenuity in relaying and interpreting the expectations set by the teachers.

As the lockdown within the Areyonga community continued, we applied for some support through government agencies and were fortunate in gaining a secondary teacher towards the end of Term 2 to assist in teaching. As a result, students moved to a full classroom.

We have 10 to 12 students attending most days, with the addition of some of our past students who have chosen to return to learning while secondary school is happening in the community. This has been one of the positive spin-offs to occur during this difficult time.

Another positive is that we have had to tailor our education to meet the needs of the students while in community. The students have had the opportunity to learn from some of the important elders. They have done a bush hunting trip, a bush medicine trip and had the local elders come in to talk to us about Areyonga history. Each day we do some work with the younger classes where the older students have become role models for the younger ones.

The three Year 11 students are still tracking well and look like they will gain the necessary SACE requirements for this year. We have two in Year 10 and they will also gain some SACE credits this year.

There has also been a fantastic opportunity to build our relationship with Red Dust, a corporate organisation that supports the wellbeing of remote communities. Despite restrictions, because they are based in Victoria, having our students on the ground in the community has meant they can still run some programs with our older students and community members. Click here to watch a video created by Red Dust in the Areyonga community.

If things continue to improve we are hoping that the Areyonga students will return in Term 4. They were very disappointed when they found out they couldn’t return this term.

Kmart Gift Card Donations

Each week, the Areyonga students get rewarded for attending school in the form of Kmart Gift Cards. As a college, we would like to donate some gift cards to the Areyonga community to show our support for what they have been doing during remote learning. If you would like to donate, please make a monetary donation via EFT transfer to the account below by Friday 18 September. Any amounts will be gratefully accepted. We will then purchase a range of gift cards with the money donated which will be taken to Areyonga in Week 10 when Unity College staff next visit the community.

Account Name: Unity College Inc
BSB: 735 069
Account Number: 071 373
Reference: CASLAU with your surname

We thank you for your support of and care for our Areyonga students.

 

Rainer is married to Lorraine and they have two adult children, one of whom is a teacher while the other runs his own business. Rainer began his first year as a teacher at Immanuel Primary School in Novar Gardens in 1985, after a seven year career in hospitality. Less than four years later he was appointed Principal of Our Saviour Lutheran School in Happy Valley for seven years followed by a thirteen year stint at Golden Grove Lutheran Primary School as Principal. Circumstances were right for Rainer and Lorraine to leave Adelaide in 2008 and spend a year abroad, based in London. Since his return in 2009 Rainer has intentionally embarked on different pathways with the view of broadening his skill set in educational leadership. To this end he has held roles that included Head of Junior School at Walford Anglican School for Girls, Head of Middle School at Tatachilla Lutheran College (where he commenced his ‘mentoring’ role of Mr Neuman), a couple of stints as Acting Principal of primary schools, started a college for the Shia Muslim community in Adelaide’s north and recently held the position of Acting Principal at Geelong Lutheran College. Rainer comes to Unity with extensive leadership experience and is excited at the prospect of being a part of our community from Term 4.

 

This will be the third year that Unity College will be recongising and supporting R U OK? Day on the Middle and Senior Campus. This year, Unity College is adopting a theme of ‘We Care’

R U OK?

Is a national suicide prevention charity dedicated to encouraging and empowering everyone to ask, “Are you OK?” of anyone struggling with life. The vision for R U OK? is a world where we are all connected and protected from suicide, by working alongside other mental health and suicide prevention organisations to ensure those who are struggling find the care and support they need.

R U OK? Day is Thursday 10 September – it’s a national day of action to remind us to ask, “are you ok?” of those around us and to support anyone struggling with life.

Unity College will be supporting R U OK? Day through information being presented at the assembly, a shared BBQ lunch and activities, visit from Headspace Murray Bridge and WE CARE wristbands

Shared BBQ lunch (provided): This time is to promote the building of positive connections with each other, through a shared meal (sausage sizzle) and activities. Middle and Senior Students will have the opportunity to mingle with their peers, Unity staff and staff from Headspace Murray Bridge

We understand that many people have been impacted by the change and uncertainties of 2020, particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes and the continuing development of restrictions have been unsettling for many families and individuals. At Unity College, WE CARE and we want to continue to provide a caring environment where students feel safe and supported. We also understand the importance of educating and bringing awareness to mental health, and providing families and students with valuable resources.

R U OK? encourages everyone to start a conversation as early as possible, as the earlier you reach out, the more likely the outcome will be a positive one.

This year we will continue to build on the message of how to reach out to others and that R U OK is a question that we encourage people to ask EVERYDAY. We will step through the process of how you can ask someone the question, and importantly how to encourage someone to seek the professional support that they may need, because this is something we can not do alone, it takes a team to be able to support an individual who is really struggling.

We will also be highlighting that sometimes we are not the best person to be the one to ask the question, as there are times when conversations are too big for friends and family, and this is where professional support is needed. Mental Health and Suicide Prevention service providers can help, and it is important to know how to access these.

• Lifeline  13 11 14
  Call 24/7 for Crisis Support
• Kidshelp Line  1800 55 1800
  Counselling for young people 5-25 years
• Suicide Call Back Service   1300 659 467
  People at risk of suicide, carers and bereaved
• Headspace Murray Bridge  85312 122
  3-5 Railway Tce, Murray Bridge, SA, 5253
  https://headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/murray-bridge/
  Support young people 12-25 years, and their families

We also encourage you to visit the following websites, as they have a great deal of helpful information on a variety of topics relevant to young people and their families.

• Headspace – https://headspace.org.au/
• Reach Out – https://au.reachout.com/
• Beyond Blue – https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

For more information regarding R U Ok? Day, extra support, conversation tips or help in seeking information, go to www.ruok.org.au.

We understand that this can be a very confronting and sensitive topic, that has impacted many families in our community. With respect to this, we will endeavour to continue to bring awareness to our students in a supportive manner. If you would like more information, please email amcardle@unitycollege.sa.edu.au or  ayeager@unitycollege.sa.edu.au or contact via the school on 8532 0100.

Please note: Athalie McArdle will be away from Tuesday- Friday Week 8 on a school camp.

 

 

The Unity College Agricultural team would like to announce that we will be holding our own ‘Royal Unity College Agricultural’ Show Competition on Friday 14 August 2020 (Week 4, Term 3).

The event will include a presentation of prizes and ribbons to students who have been judged by industry professionals as the winners in their respective classes (Junior and Senior), a grand parade and opening of the new Agriculture Centre.

The Show team will be required to attend a meeting on Wednesday 13 May, 12:55pm-1:15pm in the Agriculture Classroom to find out further details of the event. Students who are studying from home will be sent a 3CX link for the meeting.

More information will be made available when finalised. Thank you for your support of the Unity College Agriculture Livestock Team program.

The Unity College Agriculture Department has the following items available for sale:

• John Shearer 10 Row Vineyard Seeder – $8000

• 17 Double Wine Racks – $60 each

Please contact Graham Hentschke on 0400 259 910 if you have any questions or would like to inspect.

 

INDONESIA PARTNERSHIP DONATIONS

To continue to support our Indonesia Partnership we will be collecting unused ‘Back to School’ equipment for the Patmos Railway Mission.

Useful items to donate include:

• Black School Shoes (in good condition) – Primary aged children
• Underwear and socks (must be new) – Primary aged children
• Exercise School books (lined)
• Colouring Books
• Pens
• Double-Sided Tape
• Glue Sticks

Donations can be left at the MS/SS SSO by Friday 20 March.

Thank you for your support of our Indonesian Partnership.

 

Certificate of Agriculture

Enrolments for the 2020 Certificate of Ag are now open for Year 4-12 students. Download the files below for more information or contact Debbie Zimmermann or Jessica Burpee at Unity College.

2020 Certificate of Agriculture Information

2020 Certificate of Agriculture Registration Form

2020 Livestock Team

Applications for the 2020 Livestock Teams for Year 6-12 students are open and due Monday 24 February (W5T1). Students do not have to be studying Agriculture as a subject to participate. Please download, complete and return the application if interested.

2020 Livestock Show Team Application Form