Celebrating “Best Effort”

Research states that having a growth mindset and giving your “Best Effort” has a significant effect on your achievement. As a staff we have continually looked at ways we can support students if they are finding a concept or skill difficult to understand/achieve. We have a commitment to providing the time and support to make this happen.

I would also like to share our most recent PAT data. This graph demonstrates the growth in learning from our Grade 10 students from when they started with us in Grade 7 all the way through to this year in Grade 10. As a school we had a goal that by the end of Grade 10, students will be above the Australian Norm in PAT Testing. As you can see, due to the combined effort from staff and students we have been able to achieve this goal in maths and reading. Since starting in Grade 7, they have demonstrated considerable growth. I think our staff and Grade 10 students deserve a significant amount of praise for their efforts in achieving this goal. The graph on the left is RHS and the one on the right is Australia. It runs in chronological order in years from left to right.

Grade 10s
At this time of the year while contemplating their future, the Grade 10 students have been undergoing PAT testing and exams. I just wanted to highlight how proud of them we are as a group of staff. During such a stressful period, they have remained respectful and taken responsibility for their own learning. This has seen a number of them staying in at break times or accessing teachers after school to ensure they give themselves the best chance to achieve well in their testing. The majority of our students have indicated that they are heading to Don College next year, with the others either receiving apprenticeships or completing years 11 and 12 at Reece High School. We believe that we have given them the tools to succeed in post Grade 10 education or training and know that they are striving towards our school vision of “Inspire Today to Empower Tomorrow.”

Students Leaving School

Appointments
We understand some students may need to leave school during the day to attend appointments. If this is the case, it is essential they follow our school protocol.

Sickness or Injury
If students need to be collected from school as a result of illness or injury, the office staff will contact parents. Students SHOULD NOT be contacting parents through their own devices. Students still need to sign out when leaving.

Appointments
This system is in place to keep our records accurate and ensure the safety of all our students so please help us by following the process as outlined below.

  * A note of permission should be provided from the parents if it is a pre-arranged appointment.

  * Students need to sign out at the front office, and sign in if and when they return to school.

  * Students must be collected from the front office, not met in the car park or on the road.

  * The person who collects the student must also sign them out.

IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT YOUR CHILD DURING SCHOOL HOURS, CAN YOU PLEASE RING THE SCHOOL OFFICE ON 6420 8100 AND A MESSAGE WILL BE SENT TO YOUR CHILD

Students Arriving Late to School
If your child arrives late to school they must sign in at the office. You will then receive a text message asking you to explain your child’s lateness if you have not already done so. Students must sign in at the office if they are late no matter what time they arrive.

Remembrance Day
The 11th of November marked the 104^th anniversary of the Armistice which ended the First World War (1914–18). Each year on this day Australians observe one minute’s silence at 11 am, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.

Our youth play an important part in ensuring we remember those who fought for our independence. A big thank you to Paige for delivering our Remembrance Day Message and one minute’s silence.

2023 School Uniform
At the beginning of this year Mr Armitstead outlined the school and school association’s expectations in relation to our school uniform and especially the wearing of black shoes; however, some parents had already purchased other coloured shoes. In planning for next year can parents please ensure that your child has black shoes. The wearing of our school uniform highlights that our children belong to RHS and are proud of their school.

After being unable to hold our traditional Grade 7 camp in Term 1, on Thursday November 10 we finally headed off to Paton Park for a one night trip. With the theme of G.R.I.T. (Gratitude, Resilience, Independence, Teamwork), we banded together in tribes to complete activities planned and run by the Prefects. Thanks to all the Prefects, teachers, TAs and other staff who came to support us – here were some of the things we liked best:

Playing cricket as one of the activities – Kobi 

The best part about camp was the activities, in my opinion my favourite was the activities like the water balloon fight and sock wrestling. – Miranda 

The lip sync battle and Robbo’s story time – Mikayla 

The water fight – Blake 

Building huts – Mitchell 

The best part about camp was enjoying and doing activities with the Prefects – Anna 

Setting up the tent with my friends – Cooper 

The lip sync battle against the other tribes – Jada 

A final update on our Grade 8 Science Investigations. The judges from UTAS have published the results from the Science and Engineering Investigation Awards for this year and we are delighted to announce the winner of Best Project is Bryce C and his investigation - ‘How Sweet Is It?’. Bryce investigated the glucose content of different fruits compared to their juice counterpart. He found that most juices contained a lot more glucose than the fruit itself.

The judges also awarded Highly Commended prizes to Jackson D, Devlin B, Sam Z and Eric K-A for their investigation into the before and after effects of a range of cleaning products. Also receiving a Highly Commended award from the judges was Addison A, Amber K-C and Molly D for their investigation on whether music affects a person’s blood pressure. Each member received a special prize pack from UTAS. We thank the judges for their time and congratulate all of Grade 8 for participating in the competition!

During weeks 4 & 5, year 9 students completed their 2022 PAT testing. The Progressive Achievement Tests were developed as a measure of individual student growth across disciplines and are used to monitor student capabilities over time. It was fantastic to see outstanding growth in the area of reading across our year level, and students are to be commended for the great effort they put into the tests.

Dear Parent/Guardian

Grade 10 End of Year Information

The 2022 Grade 10 year has been one of new learning opportunities, good friends, exciting moments, new opportunities and fond memories.  The Grade 10 team and Reece High School would like to thank you for the support you have provided your child and the school within their education over the past few years.  As a culmination of our Grade 10s final year at High School we have planned a number of activities and opportunities for our students to see out their final high school days in a fun and safe manner.

Dates and information to remember:

Monday 19^th December

• Group excursion, Launceston (casual clothes) – please sign the permission slip attached.

Students will have the opportunity to explore the Launceston CBD. Students will leave school at 8.50am by bus and return at 2.45pm to enable students to catch normal buses at the end of the day. Buses will be provided by the school free of charge. Sensible and appropriate dress on the day. Students will have the opportunity to purchase lunch within the CBD.

Tuesday 20^th December

• Grade 10 Assembly 9.30am until approximately 10.30am, Grade 10’s leave straight after assembly.
• Grade 10 Celebration Dinner 6:30pm-9:00pm

The final assembly for Grade 10’s will be held on Tuesday 20^th December at 9:30am in the Reece High Performing Arts building. Students are required to wear full school uniform including black shoes.

The Grade 10 Celebration Dinner will be held on the same day, starting at 6:30pm and finishing at 9:00pm.  Arrival of cars will begin from 6pm. Please see the instruction below.

1. Only cars carrying Grade 10 students will be permitted to enter the turning circle car park.

2. We advise that cars travel via Forbes St and Middle Road then enter and park alongside the footpath so that students may be dropped off. This avoids traffic jams at the William St roundabout caused by cars attempting to turn right against the tratraffic.                                        

3. Drivers are then asked to leave the car park slowly and safely.

4. Students will proceed along the path to the steps and down to the entrance area to mingle, have photos etc.

5. Once students have had their professional photo taken under the arch, they can then step out of the roped area to have photos with friends and family. Friends and family are not permitted to enter the roped off area.

Thanking you in advance for your assistance in making sure that the 2022 Grade 10 Celebration Dinner is a safe and enjoyable night for all.

Wednesday 21^st December – Last day for students – Normal school day (uniform) pack up, clean up.

To assist in providing a positive and safe end to Grade 10, we would like to remind parents/guardians and students that normal school rules apply, unless stated otherwise.  Students who behave inappropriately whilst off campus will be sent back to school and may miss the opportunity to participate in future activities.  The school requests like other days that if your son/daughter is sick or will not be attending school for whatever reason that you ring the school to explain on 64208100.

If you would like to discuss any of the points above, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

On Friday the 18^th of November Year 9/10 Art Students went to visit Don College’s End of Year Art Exhibition. Students were excited to see the range of artworks on display. Thanks to the Don College Art Department for showing us around!

A busy kitchen with lots of learning.

We have been very busy up in the kitchen and have had lots of different learning experiences. Our Hospitality students have had a guest chef in Chef Adam who has worked as head chef in some very high-end restaurants. He taught our Grade 9 students how to make a white chocolate mousse and some plating techniques. This was a beneficial lesson as students tried and tested new skills, were able to problem solve and present some great desserts. From here students will learn to modify the recipe to change the flavours and will demonstrate their skills in presentation to present a high-quality dessert.

The Grade 10 Hospitability students have had a very busy week. Students have spent a day at Drysdale TAFE obtaining their Responsible Service of Alcohol Certificate (RSA). This certificate is a very in-depth certificate that goes through legislation, costumer care, liability, refusal of service, recognising the signs of intoxication, recognising prevention of erratic drinking patterns and skills in pouring drinks and knowledge of what is a standard drink. Students had lots of questions to answer, role playing tasks and hands on practical demonstrations. This certificate opens up many job opportunities for our students, and they have learnt many skills that can be used in the workforce.

Remember:

• Use simple sentences
• Speak and sign at the same time
• Sign the Key (important) words
• Use facial expression and gesture

School Nurse News – Sun Smart

With the warmer weather arriving (any day now!) it’s a good time to remind everyone of the importance of Sun Safety 

Australia is one of the skin cancer capitals of the world. Two in three Australians will develop skin cancer before the age of 70, and in 2013, 2,209 Australians died from melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. This is largely due to high UV levels experienced in Australia, home to a population with predominantly fair skin and a love of the great outdoors.

Always avoid sunburn and for best protection use a combination of these five steps when UV is 3 or above:

1. SLIPon some sun-protective clothing – that covers as much skin as possible
2. SLOPon broad spectrum, water resistant SPF30+ (or greater) sunscreen. Put it on 20 minutes before you go outdoors and every two hours afterwards. Sunscreen should never be used to extend the time you spend in the sun.
3. SLAPon a hat – broad brim or legionnaire style to protect your face, head, neck and ears
4. Seek shade
5. SLIDEon some sunglasses – make sure they meet Australian Standards
   For more information - http://www.cancertas.org.au/

Enjoy the sunshine          

Lisa Evans, School Nurse