Reporting
It is that time of the year when staff are working incredibly hard to provide you with an accurate picture of your child’s learning.  Midyear reporting provides this opportunity and it is one that teachers take extremely seriously. We have spent significant time ensuring that all teachers have common expectations of student achievement and that their predictions about your child’s achievement is as accurate as possible.

This report will reflect the feedback your child has already received in class and will be in line with the information on the numerous assessment rubrics teachers are using with students in class. 

Due to feedback in recent years, we are giving families a chance to view the report before coming in for 3-way conferences. This will give the parent and student a chance to reflect on the comments and assessments before talking with the teacher about the student’s learning. You will notice that the written aspect of the report is not as extensive as in recent years due to new reporting guidelines, therefore, we encourage all parents and students to be part of the 3-way conference process.

Reports will be sent home on Wednesday 16^th June; included with the report will be a letter that outlines how families can book in for 3-way conferences. They will take place in week 10 at the following times.

• Monday 21^st June - 3.00pm to 5.30pm (All Teachers)
• Tuesday 22^nd June - 3.00pm to 7.30pm (All Teachers) plus Don College Staff

We encourage grade 10 families to book in on the Tuesday night if they would like to talk to Don Staff about possible course options for their child.

Parents will have a 10-minute timeslot.

A coffee van will also be available for any parents who would like to purchase a drink on the Tuesday night.  

Best Effort Assembly
Each assembly we recognise those students in our school who are living our school values and school Motto of “Realising Potential”. Our focus value this term has been “Best Effort”. Within this value we teach our students to give their best effort even when it’s difficult or challenging.  On behalf of all staff we would like to congratulate the following students for being recognised in assembly for demonstrating respect or realising their potential in all subjects.

Physical Violence
There have been 2 incidents this term where friends have got into a physical altercation at school due to them teasing each other, then reacting in a physical manner. This has not been a culture within our school in the past and suspensions were put in place. Our school is a safe environment where this type of behaviour can’t be tolerated.

Previously we have been fortunate enough to have an International speaker, Jonny Shannon speak to us about Bullying, Resilience and Cyber Safety. Jonny explained that bullying can have a profound effect on one’s life, leading us on a road of self-destruction, however, there is still hope.
 
This was the case for Jonny Shannon who is now an international technology entrepreneur and travels the world to share how he worked through being bullied. Jonny grew up in South Auckland, New Zealand and found school extremely difficult, having undiagnosed dyslexia and other disabilities which led him to failing all his subjects and being bullied.

After over-reacting too many times, Jonny was finally expelled from two high schools for too many incidents of fighting at school. When moving to a new school, he was given support from a Social Worker that focused on his emotional wellbeing. She gave him clear strategies that supported him in making respectful choices and building positive relationships. She explained to him that it was his negative reactions to the any conflict that was having the greatest impact on him.

Jonny’s message was truly inspiring. I have included a flowchart below that outlines the strategies that supported him in turning his life around. He highlights that the person who is being teased has the most power. Please work through this flowchart with your children. It will help them to navigate through negative interactions and ensure they are assertive, but also respectful.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN has now finished, and I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate our Grade 7 and 9 students on their approach to the tests. Once we have received the NAPLAN Assessments back, we will send them home to individual families and share our school results in the newsletter. This data will provide our school with information about how education programs are working, and which areas need to be prioritised for improvement.  

3 Way Conferences will be held on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 June - these will be open to book online from 3pm Wednesday 16th June to 9am Monday 21st June.

Session Keeper via Schoolzine (SZapp) is aimed to make it easy and efficient for parents/carers to book a 3 way conference appointment.  This gives parents/carers greater capacity to choose a meeting time that suits their needs and manage/check their existing booking(s).

An email address is needed to complete bookings online.

Further information with the link will be available closer to the date and instructions on how to make appointments etc will be sent home with your child's report on Wednesday 16th June.

Please download the Schoolzine App - Password for Reece High School is 2020 - if you are unsure how to do this please contact the office.

The link below will be available from 3pm Wednesday 16th June until 9am Monday 21st June to make an appointment

In Grade 7, students have been learning about separating mixtures. This week the focus has been on seeing what mixtures can be successfully separated using the filter paper method. The mixtures used in the experiment were dirt, activated carbon, calcium carbonate, copper sulphate, copper carbonate and jelly crystals. 

In HASS, students have been learning about Vikings and how they lived.  Students were required to use Minecraft Education Program to create a Viking village to demonstrate their understanding of daily life and Viking Society.

Below are some photos of their work:

Grade 9's have been enlightened

How does the eye allow us to see? Why do people have problems seeing? What is the most gruesome thing you’ve seen in someone’s eye?

These were just a few questions that students in Grade 9 were able to answer after a guest visit from Shahmani Kentler, business owner and optometrist of SpecSavers Devonport.

In Science students have been studying light and vision, so Shahmani came to provide expert advice and insight into the field of optometry. She was warmly welcomed by our classes, where she explained what a visit to the optometrist entails, how technology helps to see vital structures within the eye, and how refractive eye disorders are treated. Shahmani explained that an optometrist is the GP of the eye world - the first point of contact for any concerns about eyes. She encouraged the students to seek a free eye-check at any time, as Medicare covers all costs.

Students asked some terrific questions, showing responsibility for their own learning. Some remarked how great it was to hear from local business people, especially in industries they hadn’t considered as career paths. Shahmani highlighted the biggest concern facing people’s eyes today as being the amount of time they spend on devices because it is gradually changing the shape of eyeballs, particularly in young, developing bodies. She encouraged all students to prevent eye strain by being more aware of their time using devices, using night vision modes, and applying the ‘room to punch your face’ rule which determines how far away a device should be. It was quite amusing to see them all raise their fists to their faces!

So, next time you’re in the mall, pop in to Shahmani and the team at SpecSavers. They would love to touch base with more young, curious, scientific minds, and help address any eye health concerns in the process.

In week 8, Grade 10 students will have the opportunity to sit exams for the subjects of English, Maths, Science and HASS. The purpose of these exams is to assess the learning of concepts and skills and to prepare students for further educational pathways.

In preparation for and sitting exams, it is expected that students will:

• Make the most of the support offered to them. This includes support outside of their normal classroom lessons – Advisory lessons, during lunch times and after school on Thursdays
• Engage in the preparation supports offered by their teachers
• Dedicate some time at home to study. It is expected that students study for at least 20 minutes a night. This encourages students to retain the information they are needing to remember over a period time instead of ‘cramming it in’ over a few short days.
• Sit the exams under proper exam conditions. This will be explained to students prior to the exams taking place.

Exams are a valuable experience for all and the Grade 10 teachers are committed to preparing each and every student to do their absolute best.

The schedule for exams is as follows:

If you have questions about the upcoming exams, please contact your child’s principal teacher.

Sarah Elliott
Grade 10 Team Leader

At lunchtime on Mondays students have been experimenting with crystal growing techniques to create colourful gemstones.    

Here are some of their creations!

So far this term prefects have been busy working on a number of activities across the school. Some upcoming events that we have planned are;

• Movie Character Theme School Social. Dress up as your favourite movie character. Thursday June 3^rd 6.30pm-9pm. $3 entry for those in costume,
  $5 entry for those in casual clothes. Lolly bags and cans of cordial $2, chocolates $1. Games and prizes up for grabs. Permission forms need to be returned to the school office and won’t be accepted at the door on the night. We hope to see you all there.
• Lunch time activities which started this Friday with a junior school game of flags on the oval. We have also planned a photo scavenger hunt for Week 8 and a girls footy match for Week 10.
• Started doing lunch time toasties on Monday which we will continue to do most Mondays this term. Next week we will have ham, cheese and pineapple toasties along with lamingtons available. The money raised from this will go towards a gift to the school towards the end of the year.
  
  The rest of our focus has been on developing small group projects that are designed to benefit the school community in some way. These projects vary from a lunchtime break out room, to a vegetable growing project, to art installations and plenty more. You will start to see a few of these popping up in the coming weeks.