Dear Parents and Guardians

What a busy fortnight it has been!  The Newsletter this week highlights the extensive programs and extracurricular activities our students can participate in. I also wanted to acknowledge the contribution of our teaching and non-teaching staff involved in extracurricular activities especially those held on a weekend.

Maths Relay 2024

On Saturday, 21^st September Riverside High School had both junior and senior teams enter in the Maths Relay.  Our students represented our school with pride. The teams collaborated to solve a number of challenging Maths problems competing against schools from both the Government and Independent sectors.  Congratulations to all Riverside High School teams!  Please find the results below. Thank you to Ms Jago, Miss Huddleston, Miss Males, Miss Halton and Mr Neilson for coordinating and supporting our teams on the day.

Riverside High School entered four teams into the Northern Maths Relay Heats on Sunday, 22^nd September. Congratulations to all who competed, we are proud our teams placed in both the junior and the senior sections.

Junior (7/8) - 3^rd Place

Senior (9/10) - 3^rd Place and 1^st Place

Parrots Cup

Today our Year 9 and 10 students participated in the Parrots Cup held at Windsor Park competing against Launceston Christian School and Exeter High School. Our students displayed outstanding sportsmanship and performed at their best. Thank you to all students who participated. 

Girls scores
19 - 15 to Launceston Christian School
65 - 5 to Exeter High School

Boys scores
15 - 17 to Launceston Christian School
25 - 22 to Riverside High School against Exeter High School

Both teams played their hearts out but unfortunately missed out on playing in the final. The teams represented the school with the utmost respect and stayed and supported the other teams in their finals.

Cameron Downie

Junction Arts Festival

On Saturday we also had Ruby, Ari, Clay and Holland participate in the Junction Arts Festival.  Supported by Miss de Jong and Mr Rainbird students were provided the opportunity to showcase their musical talents in front of an audience which ranged in ages.  The students’ performances were exceptional. Thank you to our parents for assisting on the day.

Grade 9 Mentors

Our Grade 9 Transition Mentors have been busy supporting transition visits.  The Transition Mentors have been able to build positive trusting relationships with our Year 7 students for 2025!  It has been fantastic to hear the positive feedback regarding the way the Mentors have interacted and supported the Year 6 students in learning about high school life and the teaching and learning programs that Riverside High School has to offer.  The Mentors have been wonderful role models for our school.

School Satisfaction Survey 2024 – Thank you.

The 2024 Families School Satisfaction Survey has closed.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Families School Satisfaction Survey 2024. Your feedback is very important to help the Department for Education, Children and Young People inform our school improvement planning and decision-making.

The survey is now closed, and our school will receive summaries of the results in Term 4. Responses from individuals or small groups will NOT be disclosed to anyone.

We hope everyone has a restful and enjoyable holiday.  A reminder that school resumes on Monday, 14^th October.  In Term 4 there is a Teacher Professional Learning Day – Student Free Day on Friday, 1^st November, which is followed by the Long Weekend on Monday, 4^th November.

Jeanna Bolton
Principal

This year Riverside High School has continued to provide opportunities for students to participate in MacqLit.  The program is coordinated by Ben Gadsby, the instructional Specialist AST.

MacqLit is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program for small groups of readers. It provides teachers with a comprehensive sequence of lessons that includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The intervention program is for high school students who in standardised reading tests or curriculum-based measures are having challenges with word recognition.

Jeanna Bolton
Principal

On Saturday, 14^th September, our Division 3 team took out the premiership against St Patrick’s College in a fantastic grand-final (27-13). Throughout the season, St Pat’s had only lost once, which was to our Riverside team, placing them on top of the ladder before the Grand Final. Nevertheless, our girls knew what they had to do. We started off strong with smooth transitions down the court between Charlotte and Ella then connecting beautifully with Ruby in the circle to finish off. Our strong defence put pressure on the oppositions attacking end, causing a few misfired passes and turnovers allowing our girls to break further ahead. Well done to Charlotte for taking out MVP for the game.

These girls have worked very hard to get to this point, with training sessions most Friday lunch times as well as arriving early before the game to work on their skills and get in some match practice, which clearly paid off.

Special mention to Ella and Emelia, your hard work, dedication and commitment to this team which has been crucial to their success and has not gone unnoticed.

Thank you to all the parents and siblings for your supervision, helping out with scoring and support. We are looking forward to seeing these girls continue to grow and develop in the netball realm in years to come!

Georgia Rolls

On Thursday, 19^th  September students in Grade 10 travelled to Symmons Plains to attend the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program.

RYDA is delivered to over 660 high schools throughout Australia and New Zealand, with an average of 40,000 students participating in the program every year. RYDA allows students to engage in a series of practical and powerful workshops that challenge them to change the way they think about road safety. RYDA helps lay the foundation for safe road use throughout their lives and provides young people with the tools and knowledge they need to stay safe on the road. 

Upon our arrival at Symmons Plains, we split into five groups to attend workshops which presented varying messages about road safety. The workshops covered topics including how personalities can have an impact upon risk on the road, how speed and car condition can affect stopping distance, a police perspective of safety issues, peripheral vision, how to speak up as a passenger and how road trauma can impact lives.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to our Rotary hosts and guest speakers including representatives from Tasmania Police who devote their time and energy to making our roads safer places. We were also extremely impressed by our Grade 10 students’ respectful and courteous conduct during our excursion and the mature and thoughtful manner in which they participated in all the workshops and group discussions.

Grade 10 Leadership

On Monday, 16^th September, Grade 9 students with aspirations to become Prefects and Peer Mentors participated in an inspiring and action-packed Leadership Day at Door of Hope. The event was filled with activities and workshops tailored to enhance leadership skills, build confidence, and foster collaboration among the next generation of student leaders.

The day began with an introduction to the values and responsibilities that come with being a leader in the school community. Aspiring Prefects and Peer Mentors engaged in a variety of interactive activities designed to develop core leadership qualities such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication. These exercises pushed students out of their comfort zones, challenging them to think critically and work effectively with their peers.

A highlight of the day was a special session with 2023 Head Prefect, Isha Dave, who shared her personal journey and experiences as a school leader. Isha’s speech captivated the audience as she recounted the challenges and rewards of her role. She emphasised the importance of leading with empathy, staying organised, and maintaining a strong sense of responsibility.

Following her talk, Isha and staff participated in a lively Q&A session where students had the opportunity to ask questions about the leadership selection process, the day-to-day duties of a Prefect, and tips for managing the pressures of the role. The candid answers provided valuable insight and encouragement to the students.

As the day wrapped up, students left feeling inspired and motivated, with a deeper understanding of what it means to be a leader within the school.

Sam Parry and Lillian Males

Over several days during Week 8 a number of enthusiastic and talented young writers participated in the "Write a Book in a Day" competition.  More than 40 participants from Grades 7 to 10 rose to the challenge of writing and illustrating a complete book within a single day. This unique event showcases not only the creativity and dedication of our young writers but also their ability to collaborate and innovate under time constraints.

Participants were given specific writing parameters revealed only on the day of the competition, adding an element of surprise and excitement to the task. Each team was then required to craft a narrative of a minimum of 3,500 words over a 12-hour period, pushing their imaginative boundaries and honing their storytelling skills in the process.

Titles emerging from this creative endeavour, included Freedom of the Mind (Grades 7/8), Prophecy of the Bees (Grade 9), and captivating works such as Ned Flames Fiesta, Legend of Turtis, and Lost and Found created by the talented Grade 10 authors. Each book reflects the diverse perspectives and unique voices of our students, exemplifying their hard work and commitment.

Beyond the literary achievements, this exciting competition was also geared toward raising funds for a worthy cause and fostering a strong sense of community and purpose among participants. We are incredibly proud of our young authors and their remarkable contributions to both the world of literature and their community. A big thanks to the support and supervision of Ms Phair and to Ms Pearce who organised the pizzas each night.

Ben Gadsby

On Tuesday 24th September 2024, our Year 9 and Year 10 students had the extraordinary opportunity to experience a live performance by Bell Shakespeare - The Players. The play, intriguingly titled Shakespeare is Dead! follows a group of teenagers who embark on a journey, asking the ultimate question – Shakespeare is long dead so why are we still performing his plays? It referred to a variety of Shakespeare's plays from romances to tragedies to histories and comedies. Students were introduced to a host of Shakespeare’s characters, explored some of his most iconic scenes, plot devices, language techniques, and iambic pentameter, and even learned about the life and times of Shakespeare. 

The entertaining production saw guest appearances from students and both Ms Pullen and Mr Downie unleashed their inner thespian, playing the role of Queen Gertrude in Hamlet. The performance complemented the students' studies, fostering a deeper connection to the texts of Shakespeare and enhancing their analytical skills of classical literature.

Ben Gadsby

Congratulations to our Grade 7 students who participated in the State Round of the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee held in Week 7.

Below are our school’s top performers in the State Round:

William M (7E) with a score of 21/30

Pragya T (7E) with a score of 19/30

Ben K (7E) with a score of 16/30

Louis H (7A) with a score of 16/30

Nina L (7F) with a score of 16/30

Karen Dudley

Sporting programs, events, and rosters continue to greatly contribute to a positive school culture at Riverside High School throughout 2024. The main emphasis of our school’s sporting teams, is for students to participate in a range of sports that enhance teamwork and resilience while having lots of fun with their friends. This is also the case within our PE lessons, where a range of activities and sports, aligned to the Australian Curriculum, are offered to students. An example of this in Term 3 was the whole-school dance unit where students showed enormous growth to be able to overcome some trepidation towards dancing in front of others. They were assessed by performing a sequence of dance steps that they choreographed within a group.

Our senior and junior sports teams, plus our Saturday junior netball teams all showed significant commitment and growth throughout their sports rosters. Regardless of the results from week to week, all teams were encouraged to display teamwork, resilience, and respect for their teammates, the opposition, and umpires/referees. Although not all our teams were able to win their respective competitions, the teams below were able to bring a pennant back to the school.

The Riverside High School champion teams in their respective rosters for 2024 are:

Although the team aspect was a major focus, Jesse W (Senior Firsts Soccer) and Charlotte S (Junior Mixed Thirds Netball) were named the MVP of their competition for their excellent play throughout their games.

We still have many events to come in Term 4. The Riverside High School and NHSSA Athletics Carnivals; all schools touch football tournaments; and the schools triathlon challenge are some events that our students will be involved in while representing Riverside High School.

Adam Sanders
HPE / Sports Coordinator

Congratulations to the following players:

What should you do if your child needs to leave school early?

For attendance register regulations students are required to sign out at the Student Admin Counter if they have to leave school early for any reason. Communication from parents/guardians can be via:

• Phoning the Administration Office which is open between 8:00am – 4:00pm (6327 6333)
• Using the Schoolzine App.
• Sending an email to either the Home Group teacher or our school email address Riverside.High.Admin.Staff@decyp.tas.gov.au
• Sending a text message to 0418 140 427 (MGM OutReach)
• When LEAVING our school for an appointment, students must have a green leave form which has been signed by Admin Staff and an Assistant Principal.  The Leave Pass is preferably completed before school and must be left with a member of our Admin Team at the time of leaving.  The student must also sign out at the time of departure.   Students who sign out for appointments should sign back in at the Student Admin Counter on their return.

Following this process ensures that students meet their parents for collection promptly without interrupting classes.   

If a student is feeling unwell or injured, the correct procedure is for them to get a signed pass from their teacher to go to the Admin office and ask for First Aid assistance.  The First Aid officer will then determine if the student is well enough to stay at school or needs to go home.  The First Aid officer will then contact parents/carers if the student needs to go home.  Could parents/carers please discourage their child from messaging or calling home during class time instead of going to First Aid.

Sunday, 20^th October – 1:00pm - 3:00pm.
Run 400 metres up Elizabeth and Arthur Street Hill.
New finish line precinct at St. Georges Square with food and drink options, family activities and give aways.
Raise funds for St. Giles through Just Giving or purchase a ticket through TryBooking.
Visit stgiles.org.au or facebook/stgilesburn for more information.

Ticket link (for e-newsletter) https://www.trybooking.com/CVAKP

Thank you for your time, and please don’t hesitate to contact me (Scott) if you have any questions.