Riverside High School is now participating in both the junior and senior NHSSSA sports roster on a Wednesday and Thursday.  Students in Years 8 to 10 are participating in football, netball, soccer and hockey.  The NHSSSA winter sports program provides students with the opportunity to develop their fitness, coordination, teamwork and sportsmanship in a sport of their choice.  Please be aware that the school is covering the costs for students to be involved including the fees and bus costs. We encourage parents/guardians to go along and watch the matches where possible.  The roster for each week is published on the school Facebook page. The Riverside High School sports uniform is available for families to purchase from our uniform shop. Both blue shorts and navy-blue track pants are available in addition to the rugby jumper and sports polo top. Participating students are permitted to wear their sports uniform on Wednesdays for Years 9 and 10 and Thursday for Year 8.

National Reconciliation Week

On Wednesday 31^st May students attended the National Reconciliation lunch forum held at the Tramsheds in Launceston. The lunch included students listening to a panel of local Aboriginal panellists speak about the topic of National Reconciliation Week with this year’s focus ‘Be a Voice for Generations’. The forum provided an opportunity for students to make community connections with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and be involved in sharing their thoughts and ideas in relation to National Reconciliation Week.

College Open Days

We are pleased to announce the dates of our Northern Tasmanian College Open Days. It is a requirement that all Riverside High School Grade 10 students participate in the Orientation Programs of Newstead and Launceston Colleges. The Open Days are an important part of our Grade 10 program which supports students in making informed choices for 2024 and beyond. This year, student visits to the Northern Colleges will occur on the following dates:

Newstead College on Monday 19^th June

• Students will bus from Riverside High School to Newstead College and back again.
• Students are to arrive for Home Group attendance at 8:35am in preparation for an 8:45am departure.

Launceston College on Tuesday 20^th June

• Students are required to make their own way to and from Launceston College.
• Students are asked to arrive at Launceston College by 8:45am. The Open Day concludes at 2:30pm.

Information on the college open days will be sent to parent/guardians of Year 10 students in coming days.

Teacher Professional Learning - Trauma Informed Practices

On Monday, 29^th May, all teachers were involved in professional learning on ‘Trauma Informed Practices’. The DECYP Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy puts the child at the centre of our work to improve wellbeing.

The strategy: 

• supports a universal approach to wellbeing. 
• recognises that students impacted by trauma may need extra support to engage in learning. 
• will help deliver better outcomes for all children and students.  

The Department has a Model for Supporting Students Impacted by Trauma 
This model identifies and addresses student need at a universal level (all schools, students, and children), targeted whole-of-school level and individual student level.  Teachers at Riverside High School revisited what trauma does to the developing brain, its positive and negative impacts on brain development along with what strategies at a school and classroom level can be used to support students impacted by trauma.  This professional learning will continue into Terms 3 and 4.

Student Behaviour Management Policy

Riverside High School, along with all other Tasmanian Government schools, is committed to providing students with a learning environment that supports them to be the best they can be. We work hard to provide safe, supportive and inclusive environments where your child can engage positively with their learning.

To strengthen the way that schools prevent and respond to bullying, from Term One 2023, all Tasmanian Government schools will have implemented the Student Behaviour Management Policy. This policy replaces the existing Respectful Student Behaviour Policy.

The important change between the old policy and the new policy is that now all schools will have the same minimum standards for preventing and responding to bullying. The new policy also has a clear definition of what bullying is and sets clear expectations for how we support students impacted by bullying.

These changes mean that the way Riverside High School prevents and responds to bullying will meet the same standards as all other Tasmanian Government Schools. Some schools may incorporate different programs or measures to respond to bullying, but all will have the same foundation.

For more information, please see the Staying Safe in Tasmanian Government Schools parent fact sheet at: https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/parents-carers/parent-fact-sheets/staying-safe/

Ms Jeanna Bolton
Principal

Drama at Riverside High School provides students with opportunities to develop their creative thinking skills through devising scenes, writing scripts and improvisation.  Students learn about different forms of Drama, performing Tableaux (freeze-frames) and Mime as well as scripted scenes.  Group work is also an essential component of the learning in Drama, so a big focus of class work, particularly in Grade 7, is in assisting students’ development of their cooperation and communication skills.

Grade 7 Drama provides an introduction to all the basic performance skills for acting on stage.  The learning culminates in a script that the students write themselves, which they perform on stage, with costume, props, lighting and sound.  So, they finish the semester of learning with a good appreciation for all these components of theatre.

Grade 8 Drama students build on this basic knowledge and further develop their characterisation skills by creating a range of performances throughout the year.  Grade 8 students are provided with the opportunity to perform in the Launceston Competitions, see live theatre and perform in a whole class play at the end of the year.

Grade 9/10 students continue to grow their knowledge and skills with most students in the class performing work at the Launceston Competitions.  Drama Night held at the school in the following weeks, provides family and friends with the opportunity to see the high standard of work these students produce.  Grade 9/10 students also view a range of live performances and learn some valuable critiquing skills to prepare them for college.  The whole class play that students work on, which is performed both at school and at the Deloraine Youth Drama Festival, is a major highlight of the year.  Riverside High School has been awarded Best Ensemble in this competition for five consecutive festivals which speaks volumes about the dedication and effort put in by the students and teachers of Drama at Riverside High School.

As students move through the course, their knowledge, skills and confidence grow.  It takes a lot of courage to get up on stage and perform in front of your peers.  Students may choose to play only a very small role, but they are still taking part in the performance, and it is very encouraging to see students in Drama step up to this challenge and find success. 

Please find attached to this article some photos from the recent Drama night at Riverside High School.

Emily McMahon

The firsts football team has made an excellent start to the season with two resounding wins over Queechy and then Prospect High Schools.

Both games have seen the team employ a “one in, all in” focus in defence where the team has been able to outnumber their opponents regularly in the defensive 50m arc. This has resulted in the team only conceding 8 goals in the first two games.  Joe and Lachlan have been the leaders in the defensive end of the ground so far this year.

Through the midfield, the team has been blessed with a plethora of players to run through the inside and outside midfield positions, led by State underage squad members Lucas and Finn.  Caleb has been outstanding in the ruck as the team has worked brilliantly moving the ball from defence to attack almost seamlessly.

The attack is starting to find the right structure to suit, as the boys find the right way to find space on the smaller school ovals compared with their usually larger NTJFA grounds.  Sam and Rudi are providing terrific targets for the boys to kick to, combining for 14 goals across the first two games.

I look forward to continuing to work with the boys as they strive to win the school’s first premiership since 2018.

Tim Elliott

Riverside High School’s annual House Challenge Day took place on Friday, 19^th May.

For the past three years, the Health and Physical Education team has planned the day to include a number of fun and exciting challenges, with students working together in their House teams, as they competed in an obstacle course that included eight separate challenges, ranging from making their way as quickly as possible under a cargo net to flipping tyres.

Whilst one grade was competing in the obstacle course, another was participating in a separate challenge that tested the students’ problem solving and communication skills, along with their drive and determination.

The traditional Cross-Country run remained a part of the House Challenge Day for two main reasons. Firstly, as another way of encouraging students to be lifelong participants in physical activity and secondly, to allow the school to select a team to represent Riverside High at the Inter-High Cross Country.

The House Challenge Day was designed to provide students of all abilities with the opportunity to participate in activities that are both fun and challenging, in the hope that they will see the physical and social benefits of being lifelong participants in physical activity.

The feedback from students and staff is that the day was a resounding success. Staff were very pleased to see students highly engaged in activities throughout the day, showing determination to achieve their best, while having fun with friends.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the House Challenge Day. It was fantastic to see the high level of engagement and support shown towards each other as you pushed yourselves in the cross-country run, took on the obstacle course and worked together in House teams during the tarp, skipping, balloon and three-legged challenges.

While you were participating in these events, you were earning valuable points for your House and after Lawson won the Athletics Carnival back in Term 1, the other three Houses were out for a taste of victory.

The final House placings were:

Fourth - Lawson with 656 points

Equal Third - Monash with 688 points

Equal Third - Forrest with 688 points

CONGRATULATIONS to Kingsford Smith House members on winning the 2023 House Challenge Day with 916 points.

Champion and Runner up results:

Toby Musovic

On Tuesday, 30May, 42 Riverside High School students attended Kings Meadows High School for the Inter-High Cross Country. Eleven Riverside High Students finished in the top 6 and are invited to represent Northern High Schools at All Schools Cross Country Carnival later in the Term. A further 8 Riverside High students finished in the top 10. The team came away with Pennants for the Grade 8, 9 and 10 girls and were the overall winners of the Inter-High Cross Country for the 34^th year in a row. A massive congratulations to all that were involved.

Jacinta Hall

The 4^th round of the debating competition took place on the Tuesday, 23^rd May, with both Riverside teams coming away with wins.

The junior team (consisting of Ethan, Chilli and Phoebe) had to argue in favour of ‘January 26^th should be mourned as Invasion Day’. Their arguments were very respectful and full of empathy, and their skills in rebutting the opposing team, from Launceston Church Grammar, securing them the win.

The senior team (consisting of Zoe, Rhys, Jack and Max) faced a team from St Pats and had to argue against ‘Co-curricular activities should be compulsory for all students at school’. One of their key arguments was how overworked teachers are currently and that adding compulsory extra activities would add to our stress levels. This played well with the audience.

Special recognition was given to Zoe for being speaker of the debate, a great achievement given it was only her third time debating. Congratulations Zoe.

Round 5 of the debating took place on Tuesday, 30^th May.

The junior team had a bye this week, but the senior team represented the school well by claiming a 2-point win over the team from Scotch Oakburn College.

The topic of the debate was that ‘The Australian Government has failed the indigenous people of this country’. Jack, Rhys and Max showed their knowledge of Australian history and politics by highlighting relevant events and policies from the past. The way they rebutted the opposition’s arguments also helped them secure the win. Max was third speaker in this debate and was given speaker of the debate. Well done Max.

Shaun Osborne

After an exceptionally early departure at 5:30am and a quick breakfast at Bridgewater, 31 students converged with 7 other schools at UTAS in Sandy Bay for the state final of the Science and Engineering Challenge.

The diversity of the students who participated was fantastic. To see them work so enthusiastically within their teams of 4, with students they have generally never had any real interactions with before, was exceptional throughout the day. At the conclusion of the competition, we finished with a range of outcomes within the different challenges. Despite only having a single category win, our overall consistency resulted in us finishing a comfortable second.

The highlight for the students was the outstanding bridge constructed by Connor, Chilli, Rhys and Eli, which was both light and structurally perfect. They were the only team which survived the transportation of the maximum 8.5kg weight across the bridge and reportedly one of only three teams nationally which have done this with the current resources. This success has the added advantage of Riverside High School being the inaugural winners of the perpetual bridge winner’s trophy.

Congratulations to all!

Richard Gregory

Pythagoras’ Theorem was investigated in Grade 9 Maths in Term 2. Students cut up squares to show that a² + b²= c². Dylan took this one step further, designing and making the model below, in his STEM class. This is a great example of cross-curricular work in action and a beautiful example of Pythagoras’ Theorem. Well done, Dylan.

Kylie Jago, Wil Neilson and Kate Huddleston

The Prefect Board would like to thank everyone for their generous donations towards the Make a Wish Foundation. House Challenge day proved to be a worthy event where the Prefects were able to sell white and blue donuts for the students and we raised a total of $350. Contributing to the total value, around $580 was donated online and $185 in cash. Meaning, our overarching goal of $1000 was successfully reached with $1115 overall! We are very pleased with the outcome of this fundraiser and the total amount raised. Thank you once again for your support and helping to grant many children around Australia their wish.

Isha