Welcome to our third newsletter of Term 2. We are already halfway through what is turning out to be a very busy and productive term.

We will continue our series of unpacking the new DECYP values and connecting these to the important role each plays within our school context. This week’s value is Responsibility.

Responsibility – Stepping up and doing the right thing.

This value is essential in nurturing a culture where students are encouraged to step up and consistently do the right thing, thereby fostering personal growth and establishing a sense of community.

At Riverside High School, responsibility is woven into the fabric of daily life through our consistent expectations and academic rigour. This guides students to become accountable for their actions and decisions. Students are taught the importance of being a responsible member of our community and how their actions have a direct impact on themselves and others.

The school promotes Responsibility through a variety of programs and initiatives aimed at developing leadership and positive decision-making. For instance, student council and leadership groups are integral parts of the school structure, providing students with platforms to voice concerns, propose initiatives, and take active roles in school governance.

Additionally, Riverside High School places a strong emphasis on community service. Students participate in activities such as charity events, and sustainability projects, which instil a sense of duty towards their community and the environment.

Teachers and staff at Riverside High School play a crucial role in modelling responsible behaviour and mentoring students through our respectful behaviour and restorative practices. They encourage students to take ownership of their learning, set personal goals, and strive for continuous improvement. This supportive environment empowers students to make responsible choices, both academically and socially.

In summary, the value of Responsibility at Riverside High School is about promoting a culture where doing the right thing is expected and celebrated, ensuring that students not only succeed academically but also develop into responsible, conscientious members of society. This focus on responsibility helps to create a safe, respectful, and productive school environment, laying a strong foundation for students' future endeavours.

Riverside High has had many recent highlights we would like to share with our community.

Aboriginal Program Worker

We recently were able to secure an Aboriginal Program Worker for our school. Beck has started working with our Aboriginal students in the manina group, in the classroom with their literacy and numeracy goals, and will begin working on supporting our staff with cultural goals and learning. We are extremely fortunate and excited to have Beck working with us for the remainder of this year.

Science and Engineering Challenge

Thank you to Mr Gregory and Mrs McCarthy for supporting our engineering team to a heat win and a third-place finish in the state final of the Science and Engineering Challenge. Our students worked at a consistently high level and should be congratulated on these results.

Cross Country Team

Our thanks go to Mr Sanders and the HPE team for supporting our recent Inter-High Cross-Country team. Whilst we did not come away with the overall shield for the day, we still had some outstanding performances across the day and our team spirit and support of each other was a highlight at the event. Well done team!

Pride Week

Our Prefect Board, with the support of the Diversity Group and Tara, have actively promoted the important of equality this week. We have many positive messages and activities for our students to enjoy.

Palawakipli visit with manina Kanamaluka group

We were lucky enough to have the Palawakipli group visit our school this week to share their stories and provide our mania students a cultural food experience.

Fairbrother Visit

Our Grade 10 students had the opportunity to listen to a presentation about the apprenticeship process and the expectations and results that students should be aiming for in order to prepare for this. It was an eye opening and informative process for our students.

Transition Visits

We had a number of our Grade 4 students come over from Riverside Primary School this week to work in our science labs and experience practical science lesson. Thank you to Ms Jago and the science team for enabling this unique and enjoyable experience to occur.

College Transition

Our Grade 10 students are now heavily involved in their transition program and thinking about their futures. We have begun the transition process to future academic pathways with visits from our colleges in preparation for the open days.

Moderation Day

Today our staff have had the opportunity to collaborate with Exeter High School and moderate student work samples. Our options teachers have networked with Queechy High School. Staff have also had valuable opportunities to continue to plan rich learning tasks for students and support our curriculum planning school priority.

Thank You – Parent Teacher Student Interviews

On behalf of our school, we would like to thank the large number of families who shared in parent/student/teacher interviews this week. We had 210 parents/guardians either in person or online schedule over 800 appointments across the two nights. We are very grateful for the support shown and the conversations centred around supporting student learning. The staff now are entering the Term 2 reporting phase ready for mid-year reports to be release at the end of Term 2.

We wish the Riverside High School community a restful long weekend and the opportunity to recharge ready for the remaining half of the term.

Mr Adrian Smith
Acting Principal