Dear Parents and Guardians,

Athletics Carnival 2025

Thank you to everyone who supported and participated in our 2025 Athletics Carnival. This annual event thrives on the attendance, enthusiasm, and engagement of our students, and once again, they delivered in full spirit.

The carnival offered something for everyone from the novelty events that brought laughter and fun, to competitive track and field events that helped prepare our athletes for the upcoming Inter-High competition. It was wonderful to see students of all abilities giving their best and cheering each other on.

We also extend our gratitude to the many helping hands who made the day run smoothly:

• Our parent volunteers who assisted at events
• Families and friends who came to spectate and support
• Mr Sanders and the HPE team for their outstanding coordination and planning
• To all volunteers on the barbecue

Day one greeted us with sunshine, while day two was slightly overcast but the energy and excitement never dimmed.

Inter-High information has now been distributed. Please note that the Inter-High Carnival will take place on Friday, 14th November. We look forward to seeing our athletes represent Riverside High School with pride and determination.

Teacher Professional Learning Day

Last week, DECYP schools held a student-free day dedicated to teacher professional learning. Staff engaged in targeted sessions focused on literacy development, including reading strategies to enhance fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. These workshops are part of our ongoing commitment to improving student outcomes across all year levels. The day also included subject-specific moderation of student work samples in preparation for end of year reporting. This collaborative process ensures consistency and accuracy in assessing student achievement and growth.

Sidefest - School Fair

A huge thank you to everyone involved in our recent school fair, Sidefest! It was a fantastic community event, full of energy and support. We are thrilled to announce that a total of just over $8,000 was raised. These funds will go directly toward enhancing school resources and contributing to a lasting legacy project, being a small spectator stand for our school oval, giving families and students a comfortable place to cheer on future sporting events.

Year 6 Transition – 2025

Miss Dudley, our AST of Transition, is coordinating visits from our associate primary schools: Trevallyn, Riverside, and West Launceston. We’re also excited to welcome Legana Primary into the future. Families from non-associate schools are encouraged to contact our Administration Team to book enrolment appointments or school tours.

Bike Rack Availability

Riverside High School provides bike racks for students who ride bicycles to school. These racks are located outside the administration area for easy access and secure storage.

Scooter and E-Bike Policy

Please note that Riverside High School does not permit scooters, electric bikes, or electric scooters on school grounds. This policy is in place to ensure the safety of all students and staff. Parent notification; if your child brings a scooter or electric bike to school, we will make contact to ensure the item is kept at home moving forward. Thank you for your support, we appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and respectful school environment.

2026 School Term Dates

• Term 1: Thursday, 5^th February – Thursday, 16^th April
• Autumn Holidays: Saturday, 18^th April – Sunday, 3^rd May
• Term 2: Monday, 4^th May – Friday, 10^th July
• Winter Holidays: Saturday, 11^th July – Sunday, 26^th July
• Term 3: Monday, 27^th July – Friday, 2^nd October
• Spring Holidays: Saturday, 3^rd October – Sunday, 18^th October
• Term 4: Monday,19^th October – Friday, 18^th December 

School Starting Time and Attendance

Listed below are the Lesson Times for Riverside High School.

Home Group starts at 8:45am each morning and this is where Home Group Teachers record attendance and communicate important information to students about the day, school events, opportunities, and extracurricular activities.

Home Group Teachers also provide pastoral care to students ensuring they feel connected to school and friends and have a significant adult at school to communicate with.

Please know that the Riverside Shopping Complex will not serve students after 8:40am. The complex is not supervised by teachers, so we are encouraging parents/guardians to ensure their child is dropped at school rather than the shopping complex, we appreciate your support.

Jeanna Bolton
Principal

Giselle represented Riverside at All Schools Athletics on the weekend. She came second in the 400m and ran personal best times in her 100m and 200m events. Giselle will represent Tasmania at the Nationals in the 400m and relays held in Melbourne in December. 

Pre-Orders Now Open! Secure your copy of Panta Rei 2025, Riverside High School’s official yearbook!

This year’s edition includes: 

• Award recipients from our 2025 End of Year Presentation Evening.
• A vibrant photo collage from the Grade 10 Leavers Dinner.
• Over 100 pages of full colour memories, professionally printed.
• Cost $25.
• Order now via the Qkr App – quick, easy and secure. 

Don’t miss out on this keepsake of a memorable year.

Why Visual Art Matters in Schools

Visual Art is more than creativity, it’s a catalyst for growth. Research shows that arts education:

• Boosts Academic Performance – Students engaged in art often perform better in reading, writing, and STEM subjects.
• Develops Critical Thinking – Art encourages analysis, interpretation, and problem-solving skills.
• Enhances Social and Emotional Skills – Collaboration and self-expression build confidence and empathy.
• Improves Attendance and Engagement – For many students, art is the reason they look forward to school.
• Reduces Stress and Builds Resilience – Creative outlets help students manage pressure and develop coping strategies.

Riverside High School Visual Art 2025: Creativity in Full Bloom

Riverside High School Visual Art students push boundaries and embrace bold ideas, transforming inspiration into extraordinary works of art. From their Art journals to exhibition-ready pieces, their journey is marked by curiosity, experimentation and a passion for storytelling through visual media.

The creativity and determination of our students continue to inspire us every day. Their achievements reflect not only artistic skill but also resilience and passion for the arts.

Miss Saunders

The Riverside High School Athletics Carnival was held on Thursday, 30^th October and Tuesday, 4^th November. We again conducted the carnival on the school grounds, where we found the atmosphere of community spirit has been a highlight. Leading up to the carnival, the school’s groundsmen, Darren and Rene, put in many hours work to mark out the track lanes, ensure the long jump pits were well prepared, and ensure 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 that go towards their House tally. There is a very strong historical, healthy, and friendly, rivalry between our four Houses - Forrest, Kingsford Smith, Lawson, and Monash, to see who will be crowned the champion House each year.

Carnival and House information was shared with students at the assembies and through videos that House Prefects filmed to ensure words of inspiration and encouragement were imparted onto their Houses. The aim being to have the students in their House participate in as many events as possible to maximise points scored.

This year, the carnival days were split due to unforeseen circumstances, with the first day being Thursday before a Student Free Day on Friday. 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. Some highlights were the greatly improved participation from our Grade 9 cohort and the commitment of our Grade 10 students to lead the way with their efforts in their last ever school carnival. Competition was even, with points being shared between the four Houses, at the halfway mark of Day 1. As the day progressed, Lawson forged ahead ever so slightly and held a small lead over Forrest going into the last event of the day, the 100m Finals. The 100m Finals are always very exciting. This was enhanced by all students lining the 100m track to cheer on their House team mates as they sprinted 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 Girls and Boys Finals being standouts, as Maddie G and Lachie P claimed famous victories.

Day 2, was held on Tuesday after the long weekend, was able to get underway, despite heavy rain the night before. With students, and school staff, having 4 days to recover, competition was once again going to be fierce. As the day wore on, and with Lawson hanging on to a slender lead over Forrest, the Lawson Grade 8 girls were once again dominating their year group and making it hard for the other Houses. Monash and Kingsford-Smith, both had strong performers across all year groups, and were showing a never-say-die attitude to stay in the race for the House win. As the relays are worth double points, Lawson needed to continue to accumulate points to hold off Forrest and a fast-finishing Monash. Many of the races were hotly contested and we again witnessed some very close races. In the end, Lawson were able to accumulate points consistently across the track and field events over the two days, reversing the results from last year by bettering Forrest at the final tally. Once again, Monash finished in third place, followed by Kingsford-Smith. The final House placings and accrued points were:

Congratulations Lawson House!!!!!

There were many standout performances over the two-days. Each student can earn a maximum of 120 points in both track and field events by competing in and performing well in each event. The student with the highest number of points is crowned RHS Track Champion and/or Field Champion.

Congratulations to the following students, who are the 2025 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.

Mr Sanders

Congratulations to our Inter-High Golf representatives who competed on Thursday, 6^th November. Our senior team of Ethan, Declan, Camden and Thomas managed a superb 2^nd place.

Our sole junior representative Will also received 2^nd place in his mixed team. Lincoln and Zac also had a great day playing on a mixed team.

It was very windy, and conditions were tough with greens very quick. All team members performed well in the conditions and had a great day.

Mr Bolton