This year in Digital Technologies, students have embarked on an inspiring journey, delving into the captivating realm of digital technology. In the realm of programming games, students have demonstrated exceptional creativity, crafting immersive gaming experiences through the mastery of various programming languages. Their projects showcase not only technical proficiency but also the ability to think critically and design captivating storylines and characters. Web development has seen a surge in our students' capabilities, with students creating visually appealing and functional webpages. From basic HTML to advanced CSS, the work highlights the importance of user-friendly interfaces and modern design principles in today's digital landscape. Some have embraced Python as a programming language to extend their knowledge and expertise.

Furthermore, the understanding of algorithms and binary concepts has been a cornerstone in our students' digital education. The ability to solve complex problems through logical thinking and manipulate binary representations demonstrates a solid foundation for their future endeavours in computer science. In the dynamic field of game development, some students have explored the powerful Unreal Engine, showcasing their talents in creating visually stunning graphics and immersive environments. This hands-on experience with industry-standard tools prepares them for potential careers in the gaming and simulation industries.

The intersection of coding and gaming continues with Minecraft coding, where students leverage their programming skills to modify and enhance the Minecraft experience. This hands-on approach not only enhances their coding skills but also fosters creativity and innovation. Finally, the integration of physical computing through Arduino projects has allowed our students to bridge the gap between software and hardware. Their projects, ranging from home automation systems to robotics, demonstrate a practical understanding of applying digital technologies to the physical world.

Alan Mowbray & Richard Gregory

On Saturday, 25^th and Sunday, 26^th November, 12 teams from Riverside competed in the Northern Tasmania Basketball Competition. All games were played in fantastic spirit and with great sportsmanship shown by all. A finish in the top three of Division 1 qualified teams for the State Championships being held on Saturday, 9^th and Sunday, 10^th December. Congratulations to the Senior Girls Division 1 team who won their Grand Final against St Patrick’s College. Another special mention must go to the Senior Boys Division 1 team who narrowly lost their Grand Final to St Patrick’s College and to the Junior Boys Division 1 team who finished third in their pool. We would love to see you at Elphin Sports Centre cheering our teams on as they compete against the best teams from the North-West and South.

James Beardwood

Parents/guardians who are applying for STAS for the first time are encouraged to apply online at www.onlinesubmission.education.tas.gov.au, alternatively applicants can search STAS in Google and be taken directly to the online application site. Applications can be completed on any electronic device including mobile phones. Parents/guardians must hold a current Centrelink concession card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs concession card to be eligible.

STAS 2024 assessment letters have been posted to all families. If a parent/guardian wishes to add a newly enrolling or additional student to their existing STAS file they need to email their full name, the student’s full name, date of birth and school they are attending in 2024 to stas@decyp.tas.gov.au and the file will be updated. Financial Assistance Services will also accept details of newly enrolled children of families who are approved for STAS directly from schools via email to stas@decyp.tas.gov.au. For queries, please contact stas@decyp.tas.gov.au

We encourage families to pre-order uniforms if possible. Our Uniform Shop is open each Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30am until 11:00am during school terms. Uniform orders can be placed via the Qkr App with collection from the 18^th January 2024 onwards from our Admin Office. This will avoid queues and allow for physical distancing. Online bookings will open on the 12^th January 2024. https://www.trybooking.com/CMFQX

For uniform enquiries please contact Sue Purcell (0438 302 810)) (Uniform Shop Coordinator) or Email:   riversidehighuniforms@gmail.com

Please note our Admin Office will be closed on Friday, 26 January for the public holiday and will re-open on Monday, 29 January at 8:00am.

Students will receive their book packs during Home Group on their first day of school in February.

If you have any questions, please contact our Administration Office on 6327 6333.

On the 9th March 2024, 25 students along with Ms McCarthy, Mr Smith, and Mr Gregory are travelling to Adelaide for seven days to compete in the National Final for the F1 in Schools Competition.

The F1 in Schools students have organised a Christmas raffle with five prize packs to be won, ranging in value from $100 to $800. With over $1,300 worth of prizes to be won, we are seeking your support and generosity.

The price of one ticket is $2.

You are able to purchase a ticket to support our team, via the QKR app or speak to the Admin Office. If you or someone you know would like to help host the raffle at their business or personally please contact us at zenith.team.rhs@gmail.com.

For more information, please go to our Team Zenith’s Instagram: @zenithrhs.

On Wednesday, 22^nd November, Grade 7 went to Newstead College for a Wellbeing Day. Students explored the campus through a scavenger hunt and Grade 10 Peer Mentors ran a variety of games and activities supported by teachers. A highlight of the day included the e-sports facility where students participated in some competitive online gaming.

Grade 7 Leadership Team

Launceston College’s Dance Fever for 2023 saw eight students from Riverside High School perform in this year’s show Live Simply, Dream Big, Be Grateful. The Grade 8 Active Girls’ class was lucky enough to enjoy the year of hard work and this hopefully inspired many to become involved next year.

2023 has been another successful year for basketball at Riverside High School. The Thursday afternoon roster is always a very popular competition between the Northern High Schools. The focus is on fun, participation and learning rather than being super competitive. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to participate regardless of experience. There are students who have never played before, students who just want to play with friends and students who want to play Division 1 who sign up for Thursday Basketball. This year we had seven junior teams and four senior teams compete across the competition.

The season started in the last two weeks of Term 3 with the Grand Finals being held in Week 8. Congratulations to Junior Boys Fox, Junior Girls Greatbatch and Junior Girls Woodley for making it to the Grand Finals. Some incredibly entertaining finishes saw both our junior girls’ teams being defeated by only one point by PHS (Greatbatch) and SPC (Woodley). A convincing win by 30 points over SOC for Team Fox capped off their dominant season with them going undefeated.

Well done to all students who have participated this year. We hope to see you back next year. A huge thank you to all our parents and teachers who have given up their time to coach and mentor our teams. Without volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to play in these competitions. Thank you to our referees who also make these rosters possible, they do an amazing and challenging job.

Jacinta Hall

On Thursday, 23^rd November, 45 students from Grades 7-10 participated in the Schools’ Triathlon at Devonport Bluff Beach.

Unlike traditional competitive races, the event focuses not on who finishes first, but on fostering teamwork, encouraging physical activity, and a sense of accomplishment in all participants. Students of all fitness levels and abilities are encouraged to participate, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to experience the excitement and achievement of completing a triathlon.

Participants can enter in individual and/or team events. Riverside High School had ten students complete individual events as well as in a team. Another 17 teams participated across the four grades, pushing each other to do their best in each of the legs and crossing the finish line together.

It was an outstanding day weather wise for the Triathlon event. The enthusiastic support from parents, teachers, volunteers and the local community also added to the incredibly supportive and positive atmosphere.

With the focus being on personal growth, perseverance and teamwork, every participant was celebrated for crossing the finishing line.

Well done to all of our Riverside High School students for their participation and making it a fantastic day for all involved.

Jacinta Hall and Emma Groves

Last Thursday, 39 Grade 7 Girls participated in a unique program which we were fortunate enough to receive a grant to host. The program called Young Change Agents offers a range of programs to support young people in developing an entrepreneurial mindset, skillset, and toolset with a focus on creating change in their community through social enterprise, solving real-world problems and building real-world connections.

This program offered the girls an opportunity to experience solving real-world problems where they identified a problem and used design thinking processes to develop, validate and prototype solutions. This industry intrapreneurship experience allowed them to work collaboratively on a problem and develop a solution within a very limited timeframe, and then present their ideas to the whole group.

It was also a great chance for students to understand how to apply the entrepreneurial skills they developed in other programs to an intrapreneurial context and understand the value of their skillset, along with building resilience and presentation skills.

The following graphic is an overview of the day’s objectives.

Richard Gregory

On Friday, 24^th November, a number of former Riverside Primary School students and current members of the Riverside High School Prefect Board had the privilege of attending Jane Bovill’s farewell assembly as she entered her well-deserved years of retirement. 

Mrs Bovill’s 40 year career with the Department of Education concluded with the last 11 years as Principal of Riverside Primary School. The assembly was dedicated to celebrating Mrs Bovill’s wonderful years of commitment to educating multiple generations of students, but mainly, the thriving school she has created.

As a former student of Riverside Primary School, I was selected to speak at the farewell assembly and was able to demonstrate the profound impact that Mrs Bovill has had on all her students and staff. There are certainly two very big shoes to fill at Riverside Primary School. What a wonderful career Mrs Bovill has had!

Isha

We are Ned and Sophie and we are a part of the Community Portfolio on the Prefect Board and this is our final Prefect Report for the year.

SideFest was a huge hit! It was so great to see our school and wider community all come together having fun. The haunted house which is run by the Prefect Board is always extremely popular and this year was no different, everyone loved the haunted house, even Ms Bolton who had a bit of a fright. Overall, it was a very successful event raising over $4000. 

The Swimming Carnival this year was held at the Launceston Aquatic Centre. This was the first full school swimming carnival that we have had in four years. The Prefect Board held many novelty events that resulted in a lot of students getting involved and having loads of fun. The day was a success and we hope to see more people participating in future school carnivals.  

Last week, the Learning Portfolio Prefects held an Academic Week for students to come together and challenge themselves with a range of activities. There was a maths relay, science toothpick tower, a HASS kahoot and a spelling bee. It was great seeing how many people across all the grades got involved in these activities.   

Last Friday, the Prefect Board unveiled our legacy to the school during lunchtime which was new basketball hoops and backboards. It was great to see the school community come together showing off their favourite sports teams’ colours and sharing the result of the Prefect Board’s hard work throughout the year. We would also like to thank the Lions Club for donating the sausages for the barbeque which allowed us to make it free. We would also like to thank the teachers who participated in the game at lunch but unfortunately weren’t good enough to beat us. 

Finally, we would like to say how grateful the Prefect Board is for everyone getting involved in our activities throughout the year and hope you continue to do so next year for the 2024 Prefect Board. 

Ned and Sophie