On Thursday 17^th August, we held a breakfast for Year 6 students enrolling at Riverside High School for 2024 from the independent and private sectors. Thank you to the Year 6 students and families who attended the breakfast and school tour and to the Prefects who assisted on the morning. Karen Dudley, AST, is the Riverside High School Transition Coordinator for 2023. Ms Dudley has been busy visiting our Associate Primary Schools, giving tours to our Year 6 students and families, and coordinating our Transition Program.

Families who would like an additional visit and tour of Riverside High School are most welcome to do so and are encouraged to make contact with the Enrolment Officer, Emily Ollington in Administration on 63276333. Families who are enrolling at Riverside High School for 2024 from the Independent and Private sector are also welcome to make enrolment appointments through Emily Ollington.

This Year we have 90 Year 9 students who have been selected to be Transition Mentors. These students completed training with Ms Dudley on Thursday, 10^th August. The Year 9 Transition Mentor role involves assisting the Year 6 students with their transition to High School and supporting their learning in the classroom. We are really excited with the Transition Mentors for 2023 and their positive and motivated attitude towards their role.

Science Week 2023

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. Riverside High School’s Learning Prefects coordinated a range of lunchtime activities for students to engage in. Activities ranged from paper aeroplane competitions to the construction of marshmallow towers. Riverside High School offers a range of Science and STEM subjects to extend and engage students. Subjects available include F1 In Schools, Environmental Science, Forensic Science, STEM, Sports Science and Science Extended.

SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY

SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY works to promote positive mental health and prevent suicide by normalising conversations about mental health and encouraging people to seek help when needed. The team works hard throughout Tasmania and Australia to raise awareness about mental health and suicide, and share that it’s OK to not be OK, where to find help, and how we can help each other in difficult times. Thank you to the SPEAK UP! Stay ChaTY teams who again this year presented to the Year 10 students and were assisted by our Support Team.

NAPLAN 2023 Riverside High School

NAPLAN reports for Year 7 and 9 students have been posted home. If you have any questions in relation to NAPLAN, please contact Kylie Jago or Ben Gadsby, Quality Teaching Coaches/AST’s. Congratulations to all students involved in the testing this year and your application and positive attitude towards the testing.  A summary of the school results is provided below.

Year 9 Numeracy - Above Similar School for participation, mean score and growth. Year 9 Reading - Above Similar School for participation, mean score and growth. Year 9 Writing - Above Similar School for participation, mean score and growth. Year 9 Grammar and Punctuation - Above Similar School for participation, mean score and growth. Year 9 Spelling - Above Similar School for participation, mean score and growth.

Year 7 Numeracy - Above Similar School for participation, mean score. Year 7 Reading - Above Similar School for participation, mean score. Year 7 Writing - Above Similar School for participation, mean score. Year 7 Grammar and Punctuation - Above Similar School for participation, mean score. Year 7 Spelling - Above Similar School for participation, mean score.

Year 9 Hospitality Trainees Riverside High School

Congratulations to Ryan Macpherson and Meadow Hunt who are currently working in our school canteen/café and completing their Certificate 2 in Hospitality.  Both students are doing a wonderful job with the qualification providing a pathway in various hospitality settings, such as restaurants, hotels, catering operations and coffee shops.

School Uniform

Thank you to the parents/guardians who continue to support and encourage their child to wear school uniform every day.  We ask families to make contact with a member of their child’s Grade Leadership Team if in need of uniform assistance, as we do have a supply of second-hand uniforms.  The uniform reflects our school culture of Courage, Aspiration, Respect and Endeavour and high expectations. In wearing full school uniform each and every day we are preparing our young people for the workforce and creating a sense of pride and belonging.  Students are permitted to wear their sports uniform on Wednesday if involved in senior sport and Thursday if involved in Year 8 sport. We strongly encourage families to support their young people in wearing the full school uniform including black shoes. Please be aware that we do have a school beanie for the colder days. Hoodies, coloured jumpers, and long sleeve tops are not part of our uniform.

Jeanna Bolton
Principal

On Tuesday, students were given a letter which explained the booking process for our Term 3 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews. These interviews allow families to meet with teachers and discuss the information contained within the Mid-year Reports. These reports provide a comprehensive picture of how students are progressing in each subject. Our Mid-year assessments are based on work covered in the first part of the year. They show your child’s current progress and what they are ‘on track’ to achieve by the end of the year. The ratings on your child’s Mid-year Report may change in December. The Mid-year Report also includes ratings on key attributes that are essential for learning in order to provide you with a clear indication of how your child is working in each learning area.

On Monday, 28 August, a Parent/Teacher/Student Interview Evening will be held from 3:30 – 5:00pm in Building 2 (our Grade 9/10 Area, located directly above the Administration Area).  Another Parent/Teacher/Student Interview Evening will be held on Tuesday, 29 August from 3:30 – 6:30pm in Building 2. These evenings will give both parents and teachers an opportunity to discuss how to best support students’ ongoing learning.  Students are strongly encouraged to attend with their parents/carers.  Interview appointments are for 10 minutes. 

Please be aware that some staff are part-time and their availability will be shown in the booking system. For these teachers and others who you may find are fully booked on the night, please make contact with them directly through our School Administration Team to make alternative arrangements.

Here are the steps involved in booking a Parent/Teacher interview:

• Go to schoolinterviews.com.au, select ‘Make a Booking’ and enter the code kn22p. Alternatively, you can scan the QR Code below.
• Enter your details and select your preferred meeting type.
• Select RHS from the subject drop-down menu.
• Select the teachers you wish to see from the drop-down menu.
• Select the appointment times that best suit your family.
• Click on Finish. Your selected bookings will be emailed to you immediately. If you do not receive your email, please check your junk-mail and/or enter the event code again and check the spelling of your email address. Update your details if the email address is incorrect. Please do not delete the email you receive.
• as you may need to refer to later. Please add your appointments to your calendar as we are, unfortunately, not in a position to send reminders home.
• Bookings must be finalised by Friday, 25 August at 3:00 pm.
• If you need to view, cancel, change or print your bookings, please click on the confirmation email you received after you made your bookings or return to schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the code and the email address you used when you made your bookings.
  

Congratulations to Olivia and Jenna on your selection in the State U/15 Netball Team. They both played in Perth, WA from Saturday, 29^th July to Friday 4^th August. Tasmania advanced to Friday’s playoff for fifth and sixth, but they were beaten by the host state.

Olivia plays C and WA and Jenna plays GK and GD.

This is a wonderful and well-deserved achievement!

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) includes the four learning areas of Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business, Geography and History. This year in Grades 7 and 8 these four subjects are being taught and reported against separately. So far this year, students have participated in a range of engaging activities and learning units aimed at developing their historical understandings and skills.

Year 7

In History, students investigated the discovery of the Otzi Iceman, a well-preserved natural mummy from the Copper Age (3300 BC). Students completed a report that demonstrated their understanding of how people lived in the Neolithic Period and also developed their skills in constructing a historical investigation.

The diverse nature of Australian society was the focus of the Civics and Citizenship study this year. Students explored what is the Australian identity and the importance of shared values in promoting a cohesive society. This work culminated with students designing bumper stickers and new flag designs that reflect their understanding.

In Geography, students explored the liveability factors. The students examined aspects of the environment, weather, housing, services, recreation and infrastructure to consider what makes a city liveable.

Year 8

The History unit focussed on an overview of the Middle Ages including: Medieval Europe and the Middles Ages – Knights, Feudal System, Japanese Samurai and day to day life during this time. Students then completed the Vikings Unit, writing an essay discussing whether stereotypes have clouded our view of who the Vikings really were, and how stereotyping still plays a large role in society today.

In Geography students studied mapping using B.O.L.T.S.S, and were tasked with creating maps of their own and linking in their knowledge and S.P.I.C.E.S.S. Landscapes and landforms both natural and human made were examined with students creating an itinerary exploring natural landscapes of Australia.

Civics and Citizenship involves the study of Australia’s democracy including local electorates and law making.  Students wrote a letter to their local electorate, advocating a change to a law they feel is unfair or needs updating.

Year 9

Students commenced their study of history with a refresher of historical concepts. Students acknowledged different perspectives in history with reference to the podcast titled Stuff the British Stole – Shots Fired. In Term 2, the focus shifted to the Industrial Revolution, examining how people lived and worked and the transformation of the world into what we know today.  Child labour was explored via the documentary series Children of the Revolution, with students exploring working conditions for young people and how it impacted their wellbeing.

The Australian Wars unit included a look at the impact of British Imperialism on colonisation; truth telling and what it means to First Nations people, with a specific focus on the Black War in Tasmania; and massacres and memorials. Currently, the students are learning about the development of Australia as a nation, exploring the life of immigrants and the living conditions in the early 1900’s Australia.

Year 10

The historical period focuses on the Interwar years, completing an essay on the Treaty of Versailles, a photograph analysis on the Great Depression and examining the political landscape of Europe leading to World War 2. 

In Term 2, the study of WW2 included an investigation of the rise of Hitler, a source analysis of the Appeasement and a film study (Schindler’s List) exploring the Holocaust.

This study culminated with students completing an exam in Term 3 that tested their understanding of historical events, concept definitions and the analysis of primary and secondary sources.

The year 10s will now complete a presentation to the class on the war in the Pacific, before moving into the Building Modern Australia Unit: with a focus on the human rights; and treatment of First Nations Peoples from the 1930s to today.

Ben Gadsby

This year AFLW has seen the highest numbers of participation since its introduction to Wednesday Afternoon Sport. Many girls opting into AFL have never played before and it is a great opportunity for girls to be exposed to the sport. We began with a Div 1 team and two Div 2 teams, but due to long term injuries and sickness, we have combined to make two strong teams.

Our Div 1 team has had a solid start to the season in Term 2 with some incredibly close finishes and impressive comebacks to win games! Sitting second on the ladder now, we are hoping to defeat Prospect High School to sit at the top of the table going into the final rounds.

As a team, we have progressed in many aspects of teamwork and skill. With mixed levels of experience, the team has continued to improve the way they play together, bringing out each other’s strengths across the field as the year has progressed. Consistent performances from our leadership players have given the team confidence and the ability to build individual skill and team play. Experience and leadership through our mid-field in Izzy and Ruby has seen some great football to set up some exciting scoring opportunities with many of our players having a chance to play up front. Other solid performances each week have come from Grace, Lara and Samantha.

We look forward to the rest of the season this term and are proud of the growth and improvement of the Div 1 girls.

Jacinta Hall

Resilience ‘is the ability to bounce back from adversity. It is a necessary skill for coping with life’s inevitable obstacles and one of the key ingredients to success.’

Grade 8 students participated in a Wellbeing Day on Wednesday 9^th August with a focus on Resilience. During the morning session, students worked in their Home Groups to explore resilience; what it means, how they may have used it in the past and why it is an asset to have in their life toolkit. Students finished the session with a tower building activity where they worked together to build the highest free-standing structure out of various pieces of sports equipment.

In Blocks 2 and 3, students rotated through mini lessons focusing on skills and attributes that underpin their ability to be resilient. Self-Regulation, Emotional Awareness, Impulse Control and Optimism were topics explored in a variety of ways including drama activities, meditation, discussion and the viewing of visual texts. During each activity, students had the opportunity to receive a ‘Caught C.A.R.E-ing Card’ for consistently demonstrating our Courage, Aspiration, Respect and Endeavour values. These cards were entered into a random prize draw, which was drawn at our Grade Assembly last Friday.

The afternoon session consisted of students creating a product, which demonstrated their understanding of resilience. Students worked in groups to create a podcast, video promotion, infographic, keynote presentation, visual display, or a piece of creative writing. While one session was not enough time for each group’s product to be completed, teachers commented on the focus and creativity of students during this task. We look forward to giving students more time to complete and share their product with others later this term.

Wellbeing days cannot be coordinated without a significant amount of additional work by our Grade 8 teachers. We would like to thank them for their planning, organisation, and facilitation of the activities with the purpose of further developing students’ resilience skills and wellbeing.

Grade 8 Leadership Team 

The role of a Transition Mentor at Riverside High School is highly valued leadership position for our Grade 9 students, to support our future Grade 7s in their transition to high school. Last Thursday, 10^th August, our 2023 Transition Mentors completed their training with Ms Dudley, our Grade 6-7 Transition Coordinator. Students worked through a variety of tasks including finding a meme, gif or photo that best represented what being a mentor means to them, group discussions on what qualities and attributes make for a successful mentor and the significant role they will have during the Grade 6-7 Transition Program. To finish off our training session, students completed a scripted tour of our school environment, role playing a Transition Mentor and a Grade 6 student.

The next stage is for our Transition Mentors to meet their Grade 6 buddies from our associate primary schools; Riverside Primary School, Trevallyn Primary School and West Launceston Primary School and take them on a tour of our classrooms and facilities, answering any questions they may have about starting high school. Later this term, some of our Mentors will have the opportunity to work with the Grade 6s whilst they experience one of our options for a lesson. In Term 4, our Mentors will support the Grade 6s during their Orientation Day to ensure they feel safe and comfortable, as they experience a typical day in Grade 7 at Riverside High School. We would like to congratulate our successful Transition Mentors on completing their training and are looking forward to working with them to further develop their communication, collaboration and leadership skills.

Karen Dudley 

We are Amelie and Connor, and we are part of the 2023 Prefect Board under the Health and Wellbeing Portfolio as Kingsford Smith House Prefects. We share this position alongside Mollie, Sophie, Mia, Lara, Logan and Kate. Together, we are striving to create opportunities to enhance and extend your wellness and prosperity. We host and organise events such as athletic carnivals and lunchtime activities, and work behind the scenes to ensure that all students have a fun and enjoyable time at school, with all their interests catered to.  

My name is Amelie, but most people call me Ami, and I am a part of the Wellbeing Portfolio as Kingsford Smith House Prefect. I’m very proud to be representing such a passionate and hardworking house group that continue to amaze me with their commitment. Outside of school I like to keep busy and fill my time with dancing at Dance Academy 34, working at Grain of the Silo’s and spending valuable time with friends and family. House Prefect became a goal of mine when I got into Grade 7 and was inspired by the confidence and generosity of the Prefects older than me. I have loved being a leader ever since speaking in primary school assemblies and I am looking forward to the future endeavours this year will present.

My name is Connor, and I am one of the Kingsford-Smith Wellbeing Prefects. Being a Prefect has been a goal of mine since being a Grade 6 leader in Primary school. My favourite highlight as a Prefect so far this year was when Kingsford-Smith won the cross country/house challenge day. Outside of school I enjoy riding and racing my road bike. This year seeing our ideas and events come to life has made this role enjoyable and rewarding, and I can't wait for everything else to come.

Amelie & Connor 

Riverside High School is excited to announce 2023’s Father’s Day Raffle! With Father’s Day just a couple of weeks away, it’s the perfect time to start the celebration. Raffle tickets will be sold from Monday, the 21^st of August until Thursday, the 31^st of August. The winner of the raffle will be announced on Thursday, the 31^st of August/Friday, the 1^st of September. Students may purchase their tickets during homeroom time where Prefects will be present to give out raffle tickets and collect purchase money. In addition, ticket sales will occur at break times in the canteen. If you are going to a parent teacher interview this term, watch out because raffle tickets will also be selling at the event. Tickets will sell for $2 for one or $5 for three tickets. The prizes will consist of a selection of quality goods donated from various local businesses. 100% of the proceeds made from ticket sales will go towards the 2023 Prefect Legacy.

Most of us have an amazing Dad, Uncle, Grandpa, or guardian in our lives. But how often do you get to tell them that you appreciate and love them? If you want to make this Father’s Day special, challenge yourself to build strong relationships with the fathers in your life. And if you want to make this Father’s Day extra-special be sure to purchase a ticket for Riverside High School’s Father’s Day Raffle.

Stay ChatTY is an organisation that works to promote positive mental health and help prevent suicide by normalising conversations about mental health and encouraging people to seek help when they need it. 

The Stay ChatTY logo has a special meaning. It acts as a tribute to Ty McPherson, the brother of the founder, Mitch McPherson. The program serves as a reminder of the importance of speaking up and seeking help when it comes to mental health.

Stay ChatTY works in collaboration with Relationship Australia Tasmania (RA Tas) to deliver suicide prevention and mental health promotion programs across Tasmania. SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY aims to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

Our Grade 10 students attended 1.5-hour sessions in Home Groups last week with support from their Home Group teacher and a member of our school Student Support Team. Important messages about talking, seeking help, looking out for others and self-care were shared, along with practical advice about the implementation of these messages.

We heard that it’s important for everyone to speak up and have open conversations about mental health. By doing so, we can create a supportive and inclusive community where everyone feels comfortable seeking help when they need it.

Feedback from our students, teachers and parents alike regarding these vital, engaging sessions has been exceedingly positive. 

At the beginning and end of a school day, we have a large amount of traffic in the school. A reminder to parents and guardians to abide by the traffic sign when turning out of Brownfields Lane. There is no right turn between 8:00am – 9:30am and 2:30pm – 4:00pm (Buses Excepted).