Scott-Kilvert Commemorative Assembly – Honouring 60 Years

On Tuesday, 13 May, Riverside High School proudly held the 60th Scott-Kilvert Commemorative Assembly in our gymnasium, followed by a luncheon for special guests and Prefects.

We were deeply honoured to welcome Professor Richard Scolyer, 2024 Australian of the Year, a 1982 Riverside graduate, former Student Leader, and recipient of the esteemed Scott-Kilvert Award. Professor Scolyer’s enduring support and connection to our school community mean a great deal, and we were sincerely grateful for his presence.

The assembly was more than a commemoration—it was a moment of reflection, learning, and connection, values that lie at the heart of Riverside High School. Each year, we proudly present the Scott-Kilvert Award, a tradition visible in our administration foyer, where the Honour Board tells a powerful story from 1965 to 2024. We were privileged to welcome many past recipients back to our school for the assembly.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the tragedy at Cradle Mountain, we produced a special video to commemorate the lives of Ewen Scott and David Kilvert. We encourage families to watch this moving tribute, accessible via the link below or on our Facebook page:

Scott-Kilvert Commemorative Video

The Scott-Kilvert Award, presented annually at Presentation Evening, celebrates timeless values: selflessness, courage, mateship, loyalty to a cause, and dedication to a task. These ideals were embodied by the two young men we continue to honour.

Over the weekend, students from Riverside High participated in an overnight walk at Cradle Mountain with the Launceston Walking Club and attended a memorial service on Sunday. Special thanks to Head Prefect William and Assistant Principal Mr Rohan Pooley for speaking on behalf of our school.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Scott and Kilvert families for their ongoing support and involvement in this meaningful event.

Acknowledgements

A sincere thank you to the many individuals and groups who made the 60th Commemorative Assembly possible:

• Head Prefects William W and Lucy W – for your exceptional leadership, organisation and commitment.
• Staff Members: Rohan Pooley, Cynthia Pearce, Caz Saunders, Michael den Hartog, Adam Child, Sam Parry, and Lill Alexander, your contributions behind the scenes were invaluable.
• Student Bonnie H – your stunning artwork capturing the Cradle Mountain landscape will be cherished by both our school and the Scott and Kilvert families.

• Student Maya R - for your hard work, motivation, and leadership in coordinating the 2025 Scott-Kilvert Memorial Wall for Riverside High School.

• Scott-Kilvert Working Group: Mark Whittle, Dale Lisson (Launceston Walking Club), Karina Brooks, Daphne Longman, Helene Andersen, Heather Murray, Fraser Murray, and Louise Peters – thank you for your unwavering support and resources.
• Video Production Team: Clint Leonard (Sociality), Helene Andersen, Bernard Hay, Rodney Howell, and Graeme Pennicott – thank you for telling this powerful story with such care and respect.
• Riverside Prefects – for your work on the Memorial Garden.
• Music Department: Mel de Jong, Sam Rainbird, and our talented student performers – your music added depth and meaning to the event.
• Foods Department: Thor Pedersen, Angela Fitzallen, and Claire Brown – thank you for catering the luncheon.

Finally, to the families, friends, and past award recipients who joined us we thank you for continuing to be a part of the Riverside High School community.

Year 10 Melbourne Cultural Experience – 23–26 May

From 23^rd to 26^th May, 30 Year 10 students and 4 staff will travel to Melbourne for the Melbourne Cultural Experience. Highlights include tours of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Museum, a Dreamtime AFL match, ArtVo, and a theatre performance.

Thank you to the families who supported this opportunity, we know the students will have an enriching and unforgettable experience.

Drama Competition Success

Congratulations to our Drama students who participated in the Launceston Competitions last week. Students from Years 7–10 showcased their talents with impressive performances in front of adjudicators.

A special thank you to Drama Coordinator Emily McMahon for her support and guidance.

Science & Engineering Challenge – State Final

Well done to our students who competed in the Science and Engineering Challenge State Final in Hobart on Monday. This event gave our students a chance to collaborate, innovate, and represent Riverside High against schools across Tasmania.

Thank you to Stephen Hindrum, Kylie Jago, and Annette McCarthy for supporting the students throughout the challenge.

Winter School Uniform Reminder

As the colder weather sets in, students should transition to their winter learning uniform. Please note students participating in the:

• Year 8 Sports Roster: sports uniform is allowed on Thursdays if playing.
• Year 9/10 NHSSSA Sports Roster: sports uniform is allowed on Wednesdays if playing.
• RHS beanies are an optional winter item.

Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews

Thank you to the families who attended our Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews for Term 2. Riverside High School had interviews scheduled over two nights and our teachers greatly appreciated the opportunity to discuss students’ learning progress with parents. Please be aware there will be another opportunity in Term 3 for families to discuss their child’s progress with teachers. This will be after the Mid-year Report is sent home.

Please find below a QR Code for participation in a survey so we can collect feedback on our Parent/Teacher/Student interviews process.

Importance of Home Group / Class Teacher 8:45-9:00am

Home Group starts at 8:45am each morning and it’s where Home Group Teachers record attendance and communicate important information to students about the day, school events, opportunities and extracurricular activities. 

Home Group Teachers provide pastoral care to students ensuring they feel connected to school and friends and have a significant adult at school to communicate with. 

Please support your child to be at school on time and organised.  The Breakfast Club is open each day and all students are welcome to have breakfast in our Café from 8:10am.

The Riverside Shopping Complex will not serve students after 8:40am.  The complex of a morning is not supervised by teachers, so we are asking parents/guardians to ensure their child is dropped at school rather than the shopping complex of a morning.  If your son/daughter needs to go to the Shopping Complex, please support them to be at school on time.

Attendance - Every school day matters

We love seeing your child at school every day – it’s the best place for them to learn and grow. It’s a chance to be around their friends, learn new things (including life skills), spark their curiosity and have fun.

For tips on creating positive attendance habits, visit the Anything can happen website.

Please talk to us if you’re having trouble getting your child to school. We’re here to help and support is available.

Jeanna Bolton
Principal

2025 levies are now due for payment. Invoices for 2025 levies were posted to families in March. If you did not receive your invoice or would like a copy, please contact our administration office on 6327 6333.

Payment for school levies can be made against this invoice; payment details can be found on the invoice.

Payments can be made via;

• bPay
• Internet payments
• Via our school QKR App
• Over the phone at our school office or in person
• CentrePay deductions (can be arranged through our administration office) 

If you would like to pay in instalments or complete a payment plan, we are happy to assist you in this process. Please contact Cynthia Pearce our School Business Manager on 6327 6333.

Applications for 2025 Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) are still open, please check your eligibility via this online link; Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) (education.tas.gov.au)

Please contact our School Business Manager to discuss your levies and payment options.

Our Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews were held on Monday 19^th May and Tuesday 20^th May. It was wonderful to see so many families attending the interviews to discuss how to best to support students’ ongoing learning.  It was also pleasing to see a number of our students taking an active interest in their learning by attending these interviews.

During these interviews, teachers were able to share a piece of student work or an evidence of learning with families and discuss students’ areas of strength and identify areas for future growth. The evidence of learning which were shared on the evenings included: pieces of writing, tests, photographs of work, pieces of artwork or recordings of a student’s performance.

If you were unable to attend our Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews, please be aware that our teachers are currently working on sharing an evidence of student learning with all our families. These samples of work may be shared through an online platform such as Canvas, via an email or may be printed and sent home. The evidence of learning will also include written feedback which provides an indication of how your child is progressing in a number of their key subject areas.

In line with the Department’s Reporting and Communication Requirements, all our teachers of full-year courses will be sharing one evidence of student learning with families in the first half of the year. Evidence of student learning will be shared with families by Friday, the 30^th May.

We would greatly appreciate your support in discussing this evidence of learning with your child. Please feel free to contact the relevant subject teacher if you have questions about the work sample and feedback which has been sent home. We look forward to working in partnership with all our families to support our students to reach their full potential, so we are always very keen to hear from you.

Giselle A represented Tasmania at the Australian Little Athletics Championships in Adelaide, Tuesday, 25^th – Thursday, 27 March in the 400m and 400m leg of the medley relay, she came 7^th in a timed final for the 400m and her relay team came 4^th. Well done Giselle!

In Week 2 Riverside High School Drama students took part in the Launceston Speech and Drama Competitions held at the Princess and Earl Arts Theatres.  Of course, all the students showed incredible courage, performing in front of an audience full of strangers and an adjudicator and as expected, they behaved impeccably and gave it their all! 

Students entered a range of sections including Group Scenes, Duo and Trios, Monologues, Recital, and Creative Individual.  The amount of placings achieved by these students stands as testament to the talent and dedication of Drama students at Riverside High School.

Results from the Launceston Speech & Drama Competitions Day One 

Grade 7 Duologue - Charlotte G & Isla S - Highly Commended

Grade 7/8 Creative Individual - Marlee S – 2^nd Place

Grade 8 Duologue (section one) - Isabelle S & Hope G – 3^rd Place

Grade 8 Duologue (section two) - Abbie McK & Isabelle G – 3^rd Place

Grade 8 Monologue - Millie V E – 1^st Place

Results from the Launceston Speech & Drama Competitions Day Two 

Grade 9/10 Scripted Scene – Ava G, Owen C, Bailey B, Evelyn H – Highly Commended

Grade 8 Scene – Millie V E, Marlee S, Bianca J, Madeline H – 1^st Place

Grade 8 Scene – Amelia W, Isabelle S, Sophia L, Hope G – 2^nd Place

Results from the Launceston Speech & Drama Competitions Day Three 

Grade 9 Monologue – Evelyn H - Highly Commended

Grade 9/10 Creative Individual – Ari L 1^st Place (for the second year in a row)

Grade 9/10 Creative Individual – Angus R – 2^nd Place

Grade 10 Monologue – Ari L – 1^st Place

Grade 10 Monologue – Angus R – equal 2^nd Place

Grade 10 Recital – Angus R – 1^st Place

Trophy Presentation 

Ari L and Angus R were also invited back to the evening award ceremony, where they received more accolades from the adjudicator.

Ari L was awarded:

Winner Creative Individual Programme - Secondary

Most Promising Competitor - Nuts and Bolts Tasmania Perpetual Trophy – Secondary

Most Outstanding Monologue - Danny Gibson Perpetual Trophy - Secondary

Angus R was awarded:

Arthur Ride Memorial Trophy

Emily McMahon
Drama Teacher

“You can’t be what you can’t see” is a well-known quote and on Friday, 9^th May, this was put into practice when fifteen Grade 7 and 8 girls spent the day at Symmons Plains participating in the Girls on Track program. The purpose of the day was to expose the girls to some of the many roles found within the [predominantly male dominated] motorsport industry.

With female race car driver, Imogen Radburn, as one of the hosts, the girls participated in a series of activities associated with the industry. First up was being able to develop and present a ‘live cross’ segment for the media. The girls got very creative with segments including interviews with drivers about upcoming races, crashes and even sabotage.

A second challenge involved a time limit to simulate the pressure of the track, and the girls were tasked with building and racing Lego race cars and then making quick adjustments to improve performance.

Next up was experiencing the fitness and reaction times required of the drivers. The squats and plank position left many exhausted.

Motorsport is all about the cars, and a highlight of the day was being taken on a tour of the garages to see the cars up close, talk to the mechanics and another successful female driver, Ellexandra Best, who was about to compete in the Superutes.

Finally, a day experiencing motorsport would not be complete without seeing any racing, and the girls, arguably, had the best view of the track from the Paddock Club and were able to see several classes of cars completing their qualifying laps.

Louise Szegota
Science Teacher

On Friday, 16^th May, Riverside High School held its annual House Challenge Day that includes the school cross-country events and challenge activities on the school campus.

Riverside High School sports carnivals continue to provide a valuable opportunity for students to have a go at something that puts them outside of their comfort zone and promotes a connectiveness with peers, teachers, and the school community. Once again, the main emphasis of our House Challenge Day was students participating in cross-country races and novelty activities whilst having lots of fun and building strong connections with their friends and teachers. The cross-country races play an important part of the day as many of our students are serious athletes who are striving to put their name into the RHS record books and represent the school at inter-high carnivals. Another aspect of the day is the House challenges that incorporate activities where students must work together to gain points for their House. These activities were very popular with all grades and ensured our students had a variety of opportunities to participate, regardless of their running ability or fitness levels.

House spirit was displayed proudly throughout the students, with many students dressed in their House colours, painted head-to-toe in their respective colour, and displaying positive support of their peers and teammates. This community spirit and support for others is an important aspect of our school carnivals as it aligns to our school value of Connection. We aim to continue to foster and encourage our students to display this type of behaviour.

There were many students who displayed outstanding effort while participating in their cross-country race. Not only did the placegetters try their best but many students displayed Courage and Growth in reaching their personal best across the course. It was inspiring to witness the aspirational qualities of many students, and some of our school staff, stepping outside their comfort zone to participate in their cross-country race.

A big congratulations goes to the following students who won their respective events and are now the Riverside High School Cross-Country Champions for 2025:

Cross-Country Champions 2025

Congratulations must also go to the following students who crossed the line in second-place in their respective events and are now the Riverside High School Cross-Country runners-up for 2025:

Cross-Country Runners-up 2025

As always, there was a friendly, but fierce, rivalry between the four Houses of Forrest, Kingsford-Smith, Lawson, and Monash. After finishing fourth at last year’s House Challenge, Monash, with the introduction of a strong Grade 7 group, were able to roar up the standings in 2025 to take the overall honour of winning House. After being the winning House in 2024, Lawson made a grand defence of their title, only narrowly being beaten into second place. Forrest and Kingsford-Smith were a very close third and fourth respectively.

Final scores for the 2025 House Challenge Day:

A big thank you to Mrs Elliott and Mr Beardwood for coordinating the event, and to all school staff for your continued support of our school carnivals.

Adam Sanders
AST
HPE Coordinator

On Monday, 19 May, 32 students braved an early frosty morning to travel to Hobart as one of the 8 finalist teams from across the State in the Science and Engineering Challenge for 2025.

The teams were randomly allocated a range of challenges that involved a variety of science and engineering tasks such as designing a house to withstand winds and flooding, communicating in code, developing an electrical network, designing a balsa wood glider to hit a target and create indigenous fish traps using fake stonewalls and marbles as model fish.

There was also the Bridge Building team – using masking tape, cardboard and balsa wood they had to construct a bridge that would be challenged by an increasing weight on a moving trolley.

Each team had 4 members, with teamwork and communication skills being as important to the outcome as construction and problem solving.

At lunch, less than 100 points separated all the teams with Riverside sitting fourth.

For the afternoon session 6 of the teams rotated to different challenges (the housing design and bridge teams stayed the same).

The last activity of the day was the Bridge Challenge where all the bridges are tested with increasing weights on the trolley.  This was indeed a nail-biting finish as Riverside High was the only team to make a bridge that survived the 8.5 Kg Bridge Buster intact.

Then came the final scores and winning team – any nails left, were chewed again as 6 teams were placed and still no Riverside High School. Did we take out the State Final?

Almost but not quite – Riverside was second, but only by 10 points.  Given this is a statewide event, to come second by only 10 points was no mean feat and is an incentive to find 11 extra points next year.

More important than the competition was the fact that the students enjoyed the opportunity to extend themselves in ways not available in the classroom. It was certainly a long day but a lot of fun for both staff and students. 

Stephen Hindrum
Science Teacher

On Friday, 9^th May, the Grade 7 students embarked on a wellbeing lesson to strengthen their bond, collaborate with new students in the grade and use their problem-solving skills whilst working as a team.

Period one was an ‘Amazing Race’ for our Grade 7’s where they divided into 10 random groups and given 5 different challenges to complete, human pyramid, sack in the circle, 3-legged race, egg and spoon race and rebus puzzles, all while collecting letters along the way to complete a wordle puzzle at the end.

Students were supported by a Prefect who was assigned to each group and the Peer Mentors who ran the activities our students completed, we would like to thank them for all their support and leadership of the Grade 7’s.

As a staff, we were overcome by the positive attitude the students took on while completing these challenges in a group setting that may have been new and out of their comfort zone. The sense of comradeship amongst the groups was outstanding and we look forward to our next wellbeing lesson.

Grade 7 Leadership Team

The Grade 10 Council has been very busy!

At the end of Term 1 we supported the School Community Day by selling iced donuts.  In conjunction with the Prefects, we ran a BBQ at the polling booth at Riverside High School.

We also ran a BBQ at the recent House Challenge Day. A new role this year was our Roving crew with orange Hi-Vis that took staff orders and provided drinks and food to staff unable to make it to the BBQ.  Staff appreciated having the hot (well warmish) food being brought to them on such a busy day.

The BBQ was also supported by several Grade 9 Council members.

Between the two BBQs the Prefects and council raised over $1000, some of which will be used to support our F1 in Schools teams.

Future efforts from the Council will support our chosen Charities this year – Tassie Mums and the Tasmanian Cancer Council.

Tassie Mums works with various agencies to support young mothers with packages of clothes and other items.   Tassie Mums founder Clair Harris visited the school last year as a winner of the Local Hero Award.

The Tasmanian Cancer Council is increasingly well known in its work of raising awareness of preventing cancer and supporting those affected by it.

   

On Saturday, 11^th May, Riverside High Student Yuxuan S (Year 8), participated in the annual Rostrum Voice of Youth public speaking competition held at Scotch Oakburn College.  Rostrum Voice of Youth is a national speaking competition that provides an excellent opportunity for secondary school students to gain experience and confidence in expressing their views and communicating a message. Yuxuan was one of 19 speakers in the junior category and completed 2 speeches and was awarded an Encouragement Award.

Speaking in a competition might have been a little nerve-wracking, however, I would say the experience was definitely worth it. Participating in the Rostrum speaking competition, I was given 5 different theme choices, and I chose the theme “from little things”. I wanted to inspire youth at the competition about how, from the smallest of actions, big things can be achieved, through some storytelling of my personal experiences.

When the competition day came, I was quite stressed and nervous. I had not spoken in a speaking competition before, and the thought of being judged loomed in my mind. There was a total of about 22 competitors at the competition from all different schools, and we were split into two different groups and put into a room for the speaking. I enjoyed hearing others’ speeches and having a view into their perspective and passions. When it was my turn, I was still very nervous, but I gave it my best shot, and while I thought the competitors and judges would be intimidating, they were quite supportive.  I may have messed up a few times, but they were all keen to listen.

The short notice speeches were next and we were put into a room and given three themes with 15 minutes to make up a 3 minute speech, I chose the theme “being in nature” to reflect the beauty of nature, and closing it of with how I wish future generations can continue to be inspired by nature and the importance of taking care of our environment. I was originally scared of the short-notice speech, but the topics are very adaptable.

At the end, I was excited to hear that I got the encouragement award, awarded to someone who demonstrated potential. While I  may not have been the best, I was glad of giving it a go, and I encourage anyone next year to take on the opportunity, it will inspire you to grow to be a better self and speaker, gaining confidence and courage, no matter how you do, giving it a go is what really matters.

Yuxuan

Riverside High was proud to welcome back Glenn Moorhouse, a former student who has carved out a remarkable 25-year career in the Australian music and theatre industry. Now a musical director, guitarist, composer, and producer, Glenn has worked with artists like Paul McDermott, iOTA, and Prinnie Stevens, and led major productions including American Idiot and Dubbo Championship Wrestling.

On Friday 16 May, Glenn visited Grade 9/10 Music students, sharing stories of his journey from Riverside to Sydney’s theatre scene. He spoke about his early inspiration, his leap into musical theatre, and his recent work composing for Li’l Elvis Jones and The Truckstoppers. Students then performed in small groups, receiving encouraging and insightful feedback.

His visit was a powerful reminder that big dreams can start in small places.

Sam Rainbird
Music Teacher

On Friday, 16^th May, Prefects had the opportunity to attend the Tasmanian Youth Forum run by The Youth Network of Tasmania – YNOT. The day was centred around what we need to be changed as young people and sharing that with officials from our local government and DECYP.

The Prefects arrived at Tailrace in the morning, heading inside and taking a seat to listen to the opening, welcome to country, and timetable. Then, we were split up to form our groups, sitting with new people where we got to work defining what being listened to looks like and what our opinions were on certain topics such as our say in our school environments and our connection to organisations. We discussed what good and bad things we saw around those topics and how we could change it.

After morning tea, we focused in on one specific issue and the ways that issue could best be fixed. We wrote a presentation to communicate these points and rehearsed it up until lunch. After lunch we watched each group’s presentations and presented our own. This gave us the opportunity to hear other problems and solutions.

In the end it was an extremely fun and educational day that we all thoroughly enjoyed. It was an amazing opportunity, and we’d like to thank YNOT for the day.

What should you do if your child needs to leave school early?

Students are required to sign out at the Student Admin Counter if they have to leave school early for any reason. Communication from parents/guardians can be via:

• Phoning the Administration Office which is open between 8:00am – 4:00pm (6327 6333)
• Using the Schoolzine App.
• Sending an email to either the Home Group teacher or our school email address Riverside.High.Admin.Staff@decyp.tas.gov.au
• When leaving our school for an appointment, students must have a GREEN LEAVE FORM which has been signed by Admin Staff and an Assistant Principal. 
• The Leave Pass is preferably completed before school and must be left with a member of our Admin Team at the time of leaving. 
• The student must also sign out at the time of departure.  
• Students who sign out for appointments should sign back in at the Student Admin Counter on their return.
• Following this process ensures that students meet their parents for collection promptly without interrupting classes.   

If a student is feeling unwell or is injured, they need to get a signed pass from their teacher to go to the Admin office and ask for First Aid assistance. 

The First Aid officer will then determine if the student is well enough to stay at school or needs to go home.  The First Aid officer will then contact parents/carers if the student needs to go home. 

Could parents/carers please discourage their child from messaging or calling home during class time instead of going to First Aid.

The City of Launceston will be upgrading the bus stop located outside 2 Granville Street, West Launceston. This upcoming project includes relocating the bus stop closer to Basin Road and constructing a ramp to improve accessibility. Passengers will be redirected to existing alternative bus stops on Brougham Street.

Safety Reminder: We ask all road users and pedestrians to take care when travelling through the area and to follow the directions of traffic management signage to ensure everyone’s safety.

The following image highlights the closure and work area in green: