Graduation assembly

We are proud to congratulate all 172 students who completed their studies at ASSoE this term.

It has been a privilege to teach and support them in their learning and their transition to Australia.

We wish them all the best as they continue their educational journey and we look forward to hearing of their successes in the future.

Our guest speaker was a former student, Mohammad Al-Khafaji (CEO of the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia), pictured here with his first teacher from 21 years ago Ms Hilary Parsons.

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Palestinian Arts Exhibition

The war within Gaza created intense feelings of distress and grief amongst many of our students from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Several students from Gaza, Palestine, enrolled at Adelaide Secondary School of English (ASSoE) in March 2024. Their stories have moved the school community, and their strength, pride and resilience have been inspiring. Shortly after their arrival, a forum about Gaza was held for students supported by two Department for Education Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) and members of the school wellbeing team. The focus of the forum was to enable students to express their feelings of solidarity, despair and hope, and then plan on how to share their feelings and thoughts within the school community and beyond.

The students decided to create a display, and this evolved into the exhibition. The students worked with Bushra Rasheed and Fariba Ahmadi (CLOs), Palestinian facilitator Enaam Oudih from Relationships Australia (SA), photographer Razan Fakhouri and artist Alissar Aleid, to facilitate four student art workshops and create the exhibition elements. The following themes emerged for the display: The beautiful history and land of Gaza, Gaza during the war, our hopes for the future and supporting Gaza. The Exhibition has been set up at school in the South building and the launch event, attended by the artists, parents and community members, was held on Thursday 20^th June. The exhibition will also tour to the Department for Education foyer, 31 Flinders St Adelaide, from 1^st to 5^th of July and be open to the public.

Mr Paul Coats

From the principal

As the end of 2023 nears, we take the time to reflect on many things, including our achievements and challenges. This year, we reached a peak in enrolments never before seen at the school, with over 480 new students enrolling and having more than 220 students transition at the end of term 4. We currently have 48 different cultural groups represented in the school, with the majority of students coming from Afghanistan, China, Vietnam and South America. 
As a result of our increasing student numbers, many new teachers and support staff have joined the school, enabling us to continue on our improvement journey whilst maintaining a focus on increasing student achievement in reading and writing. Throughout the year we have celebrated student achievements and progress at assemblies and we have had former students share their successes. The important work we do to develop effective learners, by teaching the foundational skills, the knowledge, the competencies and capabilities they need to successfully navigate future challenges and further education, has been highlighted and is reflected in student success. 
Having positive role models share their experiences is also an important part of the learning journey for our students, and recently we had the pleasure of hosting the Children’s Peace Literature Awards. The celebration was organised by Psychologists for Peace and our students had the opportunity to shine, asking interesting and thoughtful questions of the award winning author, Maryam Master.

Students were able to relate to the author, a former refugee who now calls Australia home, and were extremely appreciative of the large collection of 101 new books donated by the psychologists. 
Some of our post transition students recently had the opportunity to work with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra as part of their music elective, creating an inspirational piece of music highlighting their migration journey. Many students also participated in a range of community service activities, targeted programs and excursions, as part of the school curriculum.
As a school community we take pride in making our school a place where everyone belongs and is able to be their best and achieve their best. Together with our families and various community organisations, we will continue to endeavour to meet the individual needs of all of our students as best we can by providing quality education as we move into 2024.
Although it’s time to farewell a large number of students as they make the move to their new mainstream schools, we need to acknowledge the determination, courage and strength they have shown as they have embraced new opportunities and worked hard to improve their English language and communication skills. We also remind them of the importance of our school values of respect, responsibility and resilience. 
Lastly, thank you all for your ongoing support and collaboration throughout 2023.
Wishing you all the best for the festive season.

Anti Macri

Student response to Q&A session with the winning author Maryam Master:
* While I was asking Ms Maryam questions, I felt a little nervous because it was my first time holding a microphone and standing in front of a crowd, but I remembered the character Aryan from the book ... who hid in the bin when he was supposed to be reciting the poem. I reflected and thought I must be braver than him. It was a special moment for me.  Sokim D

* When I met the author online, I was full of questions to ask her about her refugee experience and how she became a famous writer in Australia but time was limited. However, I was glad others asked similar questions and clarified my thoughts. I was pleased I could relate to her experiences in Australia.  Neda O
* ... I am so proud of her because, even though she faced a lot of problems as a refugee when she arrived, she worked hard and became a successful author in Australia. She has inspired me.  Zainab H