On Friday, 22^nd November, a team of approximately 80 selected Riverside High School students represented the school at the NHSSA Inter-high Athletics Carnival held at the St Leonards Athletics Centre.

Absolutely glorious sunny and warm conditions greeted the students, with a gentle northerly breeze making conditions ideal for great results on the track and in the field events. With track and field events running concurrently throughout the day, many of our students had a full schedule of a maximum of five events plus relays. This meant students needed to be organised and manage their time, with the assistance of Mr Elliott, Mrs Elliott, Mr Sanders, and Miss Balym. There were many outstanding individual performances across all four grades especially the Grade 10 girls. Sophie R won the high jump and triple jump; Aurora D B and Sophie B finished first and second in the 1500 metres and 800 metres; Sophie B claimed the Division 1 400 metres title; the girls won all five divisions of the 100 metres races, led by Matilda B who won the Division 1 race; and in a record-breaking performance, Sophie R, Sophie B, Matilda B and Olivia B broke the 4 x 100 metres relay NHSSA inter-high record in a time of 54.58 seconds, shaving .12 of a second off the previous record. Another outstanding performer on the day was our Grade 9 student, Lachlan P, who ran a superbly strategic race in the senior boys 1500 metres race to surge to the front with 50 metres to go to beat a trio of Grade 10 Queechy High School runners. Lachlan was able to back up this run with another excellent performance in the Grade 9 boys 800 metres race to take another victory. 

It was inspiring to witness many of our students giving their absolute best when representing themselves and the school. Our students are be commended for their efforts that aligned with our school values. Riverside High School was successful in winning the senior shield and finished a close third in the junior shield. Ultimately, in a very close and hotly contested day of athletics, Riverside High School finished in third position narrowly behind the eventual winner Prospect High School, and runner up, Queechy High School.

Listed below are the finals standings, team results, and RHS placings for the day.

NHSSA 2024 INTER-HIGH ATHLETICS – SHIELD RESULTS

RECORD BREAKERS

RIVERSIDE HIGH SCHOOL (Sophie R, Sophie B, Matilda B, Olivia B)

Girls 4x100 Metres Relay Grade 10 NT 54.58 (new record)

Previous Meet Record: 54.70 All Schools: 54.70

Adam Sanders

This year in Digital Technologies, students have embarked on an inspiring journey, delving into the captivating realm of Digital Technology. The classroom atmosphere has been designed as an immersive educational experience allowing students to explore areas such as game development, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and IT in business. This is all with the aim of preparing students for the challenges and opportunities present in the real world.

Year 7 students had the opportunity to explore a semester of Digital Technology. During the semester, students explored the business world by creating their own culinary business and gained valuable skills in word processing and spreadsheet analysis. Students also delved into the world of game development, creating games using block coding through the platforms Makecode and Scratch. Their designs showcased not only technical proficiency but also the ability to think critically and design captivating storylines and characters. Students also engaged in Sphero challenges, creating patterns and problem solving using these innovative devices.

In Year 8, students explored the insides of computers. Through exploration and research, students identified the main components required for a computer and why they are required. Students went from learning to code using blocks to using the script-based language Python, and even applied it to some of their own programs in the Minecraft Education software. Students then meshed the two worlds together, integrating physical hardware in the form of the Lego Spike kits as well as micro: bits; and using their programming skills to bridge the gap between software and hardware. Projects designed used a range of different components and sensors to solve real problems, demonstrating a practical understanding of applying Digital Technologies to the physical world.

In the senior area Years 9 and 10 students further developed their ability to code in the Python language, explored the importance and requirements of computer networks, created websites using html and cascading style sheets, discovered the importance of databases for analysing and manipulating data, and explored the fundamentals of ethical hacking, cybersecurity protocols, and the importance of data security.

Leo Curro

2024 has seen another successful year for basketball at Riverside High School. The Thursday afternoon roster is always a very popular competition between the Northern High Schools. The focus is on fun, participation and learning rather than being super competitive. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to participate regardless of experience. There are students who have never played before, students who just want to play with friends and students who want to play in Division 1. This year we had seven junior teams and six senior teams competing across all three divisions.

The season started in the last two weeks of Term 3 with the Grand Finals being held this week. Congratulations to our three senior teams – Div 3 Boys Wheatley, Div 2 Girls Woodley and Div 3 Girls Wheatley. They all played in finals on Thursday.

Well done to all the students who have participated. We hope to see you back next year and encourage anyone who would like to join! A huge thank you to all of our coaches who have given up their time to support and mentor our teams. Without volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to play in these competitions. Thank you to our referees who also make these rosters possible. They do an amazing and challenging job.

Jacinta Hall

Division 3 Boys (Nindarra Wheatley) won 30-29 – Toby B MVP

Division 2 Girls (Sam Woodley) won – 37-19 – Lucy W MVP

Division 3 Girls (Ava Wheatley) won 30-10 – Phoebe S MVP

Congratulations to all.

During the last week of November, several Riverside High School students in Grades 9 and 10 participated in Launceston College’s Dance Fever at the Door of Hope.

Dance Fever is an annual event which consists of a two hour dance show, featuring students from Launceston College as well as other high schools and primary schools. Rehearsals began in Term Two and ran every Monday night when students would learn the choreography for the dances. These ranged in styles from contemporary to jazz and allowed students to extend their dance skills, as well as making new friendships within the cast.

The students performed six shows over three days, allowing them to experience dancing in front of hundreds of people, as well as learning how to behave backstage at the Door of Hope.

The program was very enjoyable for all involved and allowed the participants to make new friendships, improve their confidence and take part in a new experience. Thank you to Tanya and Sophie, the co-ordinators of the program and to Launceston College, for making this experience possible.

Emily T

On Tuesday, the 2024 Prefect Board prepared a delicious morning tea for all staff. Elaria and Kacey took the opportunity to thank staff for their hard work this year and for their support of the Board.

We are now taking orders for the 2024 Panta Rei (School Yearbook) on our Qkr App.

It is not too late to purchase, the cost is $25.

Panta Rei will be given out to students in the last week of term.

“Due to roadworks currently underway at Legana, Manions Coaches have CHANGED ARRANGEMENTS for our PLATYPUS school bus route.

• AM: When travelling south (to school), the bus MAY BE REQUIRED to take the reverse trip – i.e. turn right at the Acropolis Drive roundabout, travel via Acropolis Drive and Kavala Street and then re-enter West Tamar Highway via Bridgenorth Road. We will travel the usual route whilst we are able to.
• PM: Effective immediately the bus will travel north towards Bridgenorth Road from the Acropolis roundabout (instead of turning into Acropolis Drive) and complete the section in the same direction as the AM service. The bus will then exit onto the West Tamar Highway via the Acropolis Drive roundabout.

The reversal in direction may see your bus stop on the opposite side of the road. As always, we encourage parents/guardians to wait on the same side of the road as the bus. During these temporary arrangements the service may run a few minutes later than scheduled. This change is likely to be in place until the end of the school year.”