As you are aware, this year we have been sharing samples of student work or evidences of learning with families. This evidence of learning may include: pieces of writing, tests, photographs of work, pieces of artwork or recordings of a student’s performance.

As mentioned in previous newsletters, teachers of Grade 7 half-year courses which are studied in the second part of the year will also be sharing an evidence of student learning in Term 4. This evidence of learning will be shared with you by the 22^nd November.

We would greatly appreciate your support in discussing this evidence of learning with your child. Please feel free to contact the relevant subject teacher if you have questions about the work sample and feedback which has been sent home. We are extremely keen to work in partnership with all our families to support our students to reach their full potential, so we are always keen to hear from you.

Adrian Smith and Susan Matkovich
RHS Reporting Co-ordinators

Grade 10 Transition Program

On Tuesday, 12 November, Launceston College spent the day at Riverside High School conducting enrolment interviews and supporting students to make wise choices regarding their future course selections. Similarly, on Thursday, 14 November, the Newstead College enrolment team visited us to meet with students and allow time for discussion and counselling in relation to subject choices for 2025. It was wonderful to see so many students and their families attend these events and the feedback from both colleges was outstanding with college staff commenting on our Grade 10 students’ maturity, courtesy and thoughtfulness.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude to the staff from both colleges and our families for supporting this process. As always, we greatly appreciate the chance to work in partnership with you to support our wonderful young people. We also wish to thank our Grade 10 Home Group teachers and Mr Adam Child for all their incredible support of the Grade 10 Transition Program.

We are also excited to announce that a significant number of our Grade 10 students have enrolled in Riverside High’s 2025 VET Certificate II in Resources and Infrastructure - Civil Constructions course. Our thanks go to Mr Rohan Pooley and Mr Adam Child for facilitating parent information sessions and meetings to support our Grade 10s with this important decision making and application process.

Grade 10 Assessment and Reporting

A reminder that we are currently in a critical phase of our Grade 10 year. Teachers are working hard to assess student work and finalise their results. We seek our families’ support in encouraging our Grade 10s to remain focused upon their studies, attend school every day unless they are unwell and present their best work for assessment during the next month before reports are issued on Thursday, 12 December. There is still plenty of time for students to improve their results, so we encourage all Grade 10s to give their best.

Graduands Dinner Invitations

As you would be aware, Grade 10 students’ Graduands Dinner Invitations have now been issued as we look forward to this wonderful opportunity to honour our Grade 10s and celebrate the time which we have spent together. We would be extremely grateful if you could please support your child to reply to this invitation and submit their requests regarding such matters as dietary requirements.

Graduands Assembly

Our Grade 10 Graduation Assembly will be held on Thursday, 19^th December, commencing at 10:30am in our school gymnasium. We are pleased to announce that each Grade 10 student may have guests attend this event. This assembly is expected to finish at approximately 12:30pm. A letter will be sent to all Grade 10 families in the near future which enables them to book their tickets to this event.

The Grade 10 Leadership Team

We are delighted to announce that the following students have been elected to our 2025 Prefect Board.

We thank them for their willingness to give service to our school and know that they will make a wonderful contribution to the Riverside High School community.

Our congratulations go to: Nandali, Benjamin, Tori, Willem, Ava, Flynn, James, Jaelyn, Chilli, Bonnie, James, Amy, Brodie, Mitchell, Isabel, Olive, Angus, Charlie, Gregor, Emerson, Lucy, James, Beatrix and William.

We are thrilled to announce the following students have been chosen as 2025 Peer Mentors.

We are extremely grateful to these young people for volunteering to assist our Grade 7 students next year and we are confident that they will provide outstanding leadership and support for our junior students.

Our congratulations go to: Harman, Gabriella, Himani, Tahla-May, Hailee, Ethan, Maddison, Isabella, Jontay, Tayah-Lee, Sienna, Satadev, Hudson, Ariana, Keelan, Holly, Gemma, Olivia, Maya, Sophie, Sarah, Phoebe, Harry, Aidan, Milly, Nayte and Cyelle.

On Wednesday 6^th and Thursday 7^th, November, the 2024 Riverside High School Athletics Carnival was again held on our school grounds following over a decade being held at the Windsor Park precinct. Leading up to the carnival, the school’s groundsmen, Darren and Rene, put in many hours of work to mark out the track lanes, prepare the long jump pits and ensured the school looked immaculate in readiness to host 700 students over the two-day carnival.

The over-arching focus of our school sports carnivals is participation, doing your best, and having fun with friends. Although most events at the athletics carnival are individual events, our students compete to gain points towards their house tally. There is a very strong historic healthy, friendly, rivalry between our four houses - Forrest, Kingsford Smith, Lawson, and Monash, to see who will be crowned the champion house each year.

The day before the carnival, house meetings were held to share information. The House Prefects had another chance, after our swimming and cross-country carnivals earlier in the year, to meet with their teams to share words of inspiration and encouragement. In some instances, an ode was shared in honour of the famed person their house is named after. The aim being to elicit a strong response to have the students in their house participate in as many events as possible to maximise their house points.

As the first day got underway, with weather we could have only dreamed about, there was an air of excitement, with the colours yellow, red, blue and green displayed all over the school. Students from all four houses answered the call of their House Prefects and were entering in as many events as they could. A highlight of this was every Grade 7 girl present participating in the 1500 metres. Competition was quite even, with the points between the four houses being equally shared by the halfway mark of Day 1. As the day progressed, Forrest forged ahead and held a reasonable lead over Lawson going into the last event of the day, the 100m Finals. The 100m Finals are always very exciting, with all the students lining the 100m track to cheer on their house team mates as they sprint with every morsel in their bodies towards the finish line. There were many great times achieved and some excitingly close finishes, with the Grade 10 Boys Final a standout, as Jack held on to beat the pre-race favourite, Finn, to claim a famous victory.

Day 2 commenced under glorious blue skies once again, with Forrest holding on to a slender lead over Lawson. As the day wore on, Lawson whose Grade 7 girls were dominating their year group, were doing everything possible to peg back the lead of Forrest. Monash and Kingsford-Smith, who both had strong performers across all year groups, were showing a determined attitude to stay in the race for the win. As the relays are worth double points, Forrest needed to continue to accumulate points. Many of the races were hotly contested and we again witnessed some very close races. In the end, Forrest was able to accumulate points consistently across the track and field events over the two days, reversing the results from last year by Lawson in the final tally.  

The final house placings were:

1^st Place – Forrest 5237 points

2^nd Place – Lawson 5048 points 

3^rd Place – Monash 4587 points

4^th Place – Kingsford Smith 3613 points

Congratulations Forrest House!!!!!

There were many standout performances over the two-days, resulting in two records being tied or broken.

Congratulations to the following students who tied or broke records:

Congratulations to the following students, who are the 2024 Riverside High Athletic Carnival Track and Field Champions.

Congratulations must also go to the following students who were the runners up in their age groups at the 2024 Riverside High Athletic Carnival.

We would like to thank the families and friends who came along to support over the two days. It was wonderful to see you all at the event, supporting the students, as they gave their very best efforts.

The HPE team at Riverside High School would also like to publicly thank all school staff for their commitment to their roles in ensuring the carnival was a great success.

Finally, congratulations to all students for your wonderful efforts over the two days of the carnival. Without your commitment to the event, it would not have been the success that it was.

Adam Sanders

The Career Awareness Program (CAP) commenced in Term 4 last year with a number of Grade 9s applying to be part of the program in 2024.

In conjunction with the Beacon Foundation, a class of 25 students participated in the Beacon Career Program facilitated by Tanya Booker. The eight-week work readiness program was held in Term 1 with fantastic support from industry as guest speakers came into our school to present their experiences and help with mock interviews. Students also experienced an excursion hosted by VOS at Legana Primary School and the Hawthorn Football Club at UTAS Stadium.

Students were also given the opportunity to source and complete work placements with support from the Beacon team.

During Term 4, the focus is on preparing for time post-high school. Some students are participating in work placements, exploring future opportunities and getting outstanding guidance from Elizabeth Ludbey from NEBHub, who has been a fantastic supporter of our school.

Due to the large number of students wishing to be involved in our CAP program, we have endeavoured to deliver a range of experiences for students. Tailoring learning to individual students’ needs, we have engaged with several external stakeholders to add to our Grade 10 transition program in and out of the classroom.

There have been countless opportunities for students outside of the CAP class with excursions throughout the year such as a career expo at Tailrace, hospitality showcase at the Tramsheds, civil construction simulators and a health pathway experience at the University of Tasmania.

Beacon has also supported our Grade 9 and 10 CAP students with two Polish Programs and Grade 8s will enjoy the Prepare Program for the first time at Riverside High.

Adam Child

First Aid is a Grade 9/10 Wednesday Short Courses option subject at Riverside High School. This engaging and practical subject provides students with critical skills for handling emergencies and supporting others in times of need. The focus is on preparing students to respond confidently and competently to various situations that require immediate attention, a skill set that can have life-saving implications both in and outside of school.

Throughout the term, students have explored fundamental First Aid topics such as CPR, managing shock, identifying and treating hypo- and hyperthermia, dealing with breaks and fractures, and using EpiPens. Each topic is delivered through a blend of instructional methods to keep students engaged and ensure thorough understanding. For example, when covering CPR, students first learn the steps theoretically, watching video demonstrations and practicing compressions on mannequins to master the correct technique. With shock, they learn how to recognise symptoms and provide the appropriate care to stabilise the person until professional help arrives.

We have found that hands-on simulations bring the First Aid curriculum to life, as students are able to apply their theoretical knowledge in realistic, controlled environments. In these scenarios, students act out potential emergency situations. They may play roles as first responders and victims, practicing skills like assessing safety, communicating effectively, and executing necessary first aid steps. These sessions provide invaluable experience, as students navigate the complexities of making quick decisions and managing stress—skills that are as important as the practical techniques they have learned.

Coleen Elliott & Tim Elliott

Remembrance Day is when all Australians to observe a one-minute silence to acknowledge, honour and remember those who have served our country in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

Our Head Prefects Harvey and Olivia represented our school by attending the Launceston Service on the day. Back at school, Community Prefects Lily and Finn hosted our service and as a school, we observed one minute’s silence.

Lest We Forget.

Caz Saunders

Dear Riverside High School, a message to say thank you!

Thank you to staff and students for making me feel so welcome! It has been amazing getting to know everyone and the school.

I have really enjoyed my first month, doing some awesome things in the manina kanamaluka group, getting to watch Riverside High School smash it at the athletics carnival, and joining in on classes. It has been amazing getting to know you all and I look forward to continuing to work with you all for the rest of the year and into next year.

If you have any questions for me, ideas of things you would like to see and do within the manina kanamaluka group etc, please feel free to let me know.

Legana Hughes

With the Regional Northern Touch Football Championships having been held two weeks prior, Riverside High School had four teams qualify for the State Finals after finishing in the top three teams from the regional event. Our senior boys, senior girls, junior boys and one of the junior girl teams qualified to compete against other schools from the south of the state.

A beautiful, sunny day greeted competitors to the event, where teams played 5 x 18-minute games to see who would qualify for the 1 v 2 grand final at the conclusion of the event. With a noticeable increase in tempo and intensity from the regional event, all of the RHS teams hit the ground running. Our junior girls, made up of all Grade 7 girls, showed they might be young, but had a mountain of competitiveness to compete hard in every game. Our senior boys had many exciting games throughout the day and ultimately finished a gallant third place. The senior girls were going to be hard to beat, which was the case. In a very fiercely contested final, St Pats came from a try down with five minutes to play to take the win 3-2. Our junior boys team also made it to the Grand Final coming up against a very strong team from St Virgils. Although giving away size, our boys showed that teamwork and skill would prevail, holding off a fast-finishing St Virgils to take the title 2-1.

A big thank you to Mr Elliott, Mr Sanders, Miss Groves, and Miss Balym for coaching the teams.

Adam Sanders

Patyn 8A entered the Design Redress Competition against youth up to 18 years of age and she won the competition. 

Her design was made from two pieces of recycled clothing.

She won the competition last year also.

Patyn will now be continuing to work on her designs and will launch her line of clothing in March 2025 with a fashion gala. Well done, Patyn.

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.