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Dear Parent and Families,
December is upon us and we know that these final two weeks leading up to the holidays is always very hectic. Without doubt the highlight of this time of the year though is the celebration events and end of year activities that allow us to recognise the efforts and achievements of our students. It is really important that during this busy and demanding time of year, we don’t lose sight of what is most important. We have a number of special events coming up on our calendar including the Presentation Evening, the Graduation Dinner and final assemblies. It is always very special to be able to join with parents and family members to celebrate the success of our students and acknowledge the culmination of student learning for the year.
Our Presentation Evening is next Wednesday, 11th December. The Presentation Evening is a whole school event, recognising the efforts, progress and achievement of students from Grades 7-10. All Grade 10 students are invited to this event and strongly encouraged to attend and share in this occasion with their peers. Along with the special awards and prizes that are specific to Grade 10 students, we will also be presenting Outstanding Academic Achievement Certificates to students from Grades 7-10, along with recognition of Outstanding Endeavour Grades 7-10 and the Dux Award in each Grade. The Presentation Evening will be held in the Gymnasium, starting at 7:30pm. Students who will be receiving prizes during the night have been given a written invite to bring home this week; students are encouraged to collect tickets from the office to assist with the planning of seating. It promises to be a special evening and we look forward to seeing family members attend to share in this occasion with us.
Additionally, Grades 7-9 will also be holding end of year assemblies on Tuesday, 17th December, to celebrate individual success, acknowledge effort and share Grade memories from throughout the year. This will include the presentation of Merit Certificates Recognising Outstanding Effort on the End of Year Report. Parents are warmly invited to these assemblies.
These assemblies will be held in the Hall and times are as follows:
- Grade 7: 9:00am – 10:00am
- Grade 8: 11:00am – 12:00pm
- Grade 9: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Assembly
Our whole school assembly last Friday was a full program and a great opportunity to share in the breadth of opportunities and activities that students have been involved in this term. The assembly program included numerous presentations and performances. It was fantastic to see the enormous contribution that our students have made in so many different areas and to celebrate not only their efforts, but the depth of skill and talent amongst our students. We enjoyed some high quality and entertaining music performances.
During the assembly, I spoke to students about the importance of reflecting on their progress and achievements for the year, celebrating their own highlights and personal successes. Reflecting on our own learning is an important part of the learning process. I hope in reflecting on their learning journey this year, there are lots of highlights for all of our students, moments where they can see how much progress they have made and things they can be truly proud of. I’d encourage parents to take some time to talk to their children about their reflections and highlights from this year. I’m sure it will be a great conversation!
Orientation Day
Last Wednesday our incoming Grade 7 students visited us for Orientation Day providing them with another opportunity to become familiar with the school and to experience a range of learning activities. There was a great sense of excitement and enthusiasm amongst our 200 new students! It was encouraging to hear so many students comment about how much they were looking forward to starting high school. We also had a very successful Parent Information Evening focused on supporting parents in the transition process. Working together to get our new students off to a positive start at Riverside High School is very important and the number of parents attending on the evening reflected how much you value this partnership between the school and families. It was also affirming to hear such positive feedback from parents about how students had responded to Orientation Day and to know that students are feeling well prepared and excited about starting Grade 7. I would also like to commend our Grade 9 students, in their various leadership roles, for the wonderful support and warm welcome that they gave to the newest members of our school community.
Peer Mentors 2020
This week I would like to share with you the names of students who have been successful in being selected as Peer Mentors for 2020. These students play a critical role in supporting the transition of our Grade 7 students to high school, forming positive relationships and acting as strong role models. Our Peer Mentors have already been active in their roles assisting with the Orientation Day last week and also getting underway with some planning to prepare for their roles next year. Congratulations to the following students, we wish you well in your new role and look forward to the contribution you will make.
Manu Bates |
Anya Lokai |
Caleb Beament |
Nicholas Lord |
Maisie Burns |
Kyle Love |
Ruby Campbell |
Alyssa Macintosh |
Joe Conway |
Roley McCausland |
Jesse Egan |
Ginger Morris |
Hannah Flanagan |
Joseph O’Sign |
Skye Furlonge |
Eli O’Sign |
Georgia Grima |
Yuvani Pal |
Jonathon Harback |
Sage Price |
Abby Jones |
Mikayla Schouten |
Floyd Jones |
Ryan Shipp |
Taylah Kahmann |
Tom Symes |
Jeremy Keddie Gray |
Montana Towns |
Ben Kidd |
Adam Walker |
Shari Kitto |
Larochelle Willemse |
Jacob Leslie |
Sam Winch |
Tahlia Leslie |
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Congratulations
Congratulations to Alex 10D and Lawson 10G who were recently recognised with formal awards at the Student Works Presentation Evening this week.
Dance Fever
A group of 15 of our students were part of Dance Fever last week. Dance Fever is a fantastic initiative of Launceston College and provides a great opportunity for students to collaborate, build resilience and foster creative skills and is inclusive of all students, regardless of previous dance experience. It was a pleasure to be part of the audience last Wednesday night. I could only describe this performance as high energy, fun and entertaining. The show was entitled “Grit” and explored the importance of Resilience and Courage as key themes. It was wonderful to see both our own students and many of our incoming Grade 6 students performing together on stage with college students. Well done to all involved – you should be very proud!
Thank you to our Volunteers
We are very fortunate to have a small but dedicated group of volunteers who regularly assist us by working in the Canteen. Next week our volunteers and canteen staff, will be sharing a thank you afternoon tea in appreciation of their contribution to our school throughout the year. A huge thank you to Verity Cook, Wendy Dusautoy, Davina Langham, Linda Oosterloo, Sue Purcell and Winifred van der Ploeg – your work is greatly valued. Thank you also to Tanya Evans, Sharon Gault and Tracey Morrison, who work in our Canteen; your friendly service and fantastic menu choices are appreciated by all. We also greatly appreciate your flexibility in managing our canteen throughout the redevelopment process and we look forward to a new facility being available early in Term 1.
I’d also like to thank Sue Purcell who manages our Uniform Shop and works in the school every Thursday morning. This is a wonderful support for our school and Sue’s friendly and efficient approach along with her knowledge of our uniform requirements are greatly valued. Despite the lack of an actual Uniform Shop, Sue has maintained a wonderful level of service for families and I know she will be greatly looking forward to our new facility opening up in the Administration Area early next year. Thank you Sue.
We would also like to sincerely thank community members who through Teen Challenge have supported our students in the Mentoring Program. We greatly value their generosity with their time, providing tremendous support, assistance and care for our students.
Time is precious and is in many ways the most generous gift we can give, so to all those who have supported our school as volunteers throughout the year, I would like to thank you for your support and your contribution to our school community.
End of Year Picnics
During the last week of term each of our Grades will have the opportunity to enjoy an end of year picnic. These are a great way to celebrate the end of the year and for Grades to share in some social time. Notices with specific details of each Grade Assembly are being sent home. Permission for the end of year picnic was given on our Excursion Consent Form at the beginning of the year. In instances where this consent has not been given, including permission for aquatic activities, letters requesting this are being sent home. Please ensure that this information is returned so that students are able to attend and participate in the activities.
In Closing
The end of the year is fast approaching and I appreciate that this is a busy time for everyone. As a school we are focused on both finishing this year in a highly successful way and also preparing for the start of the 2020 school year. To support us with our work, we would appreciate it if you could:
- Assist us with the payment of any monies that may be outstanding to the school. This includes ensuring that all Grade 10 Leavers costs are paid in advance.
- Take advantage of the opportunity to pre-order uniforms for next year. Information about this has been published and is available from the office or though the school APP. A reminder that orders need to be placed by the 12th
- Return any library books, sports uniforms or other school equipment that is no longer being used.
- Inform us of any changes to enrolments, such as families who may be moving over the summer break.
Students will be bringing home their end of year reports on Thursday, 12th December. Please be aware that while we don’t have a formal parent teacher evening scheduled at the end of term, if you would like to speak to a teacher about any areas of concern there will be opportunities to do this. Reports are coming home in enough time for you to make a parent teacher appointment or have a phone conversation during the final week of term. An attendance print out showing attendance up until Friday 6th December, will be included with the report. Please advise the Admin Office of any attendance details that need modifying so that we can ensure our records are accurate.
Our final newsletter for the year will be published on Thursday, 19th December.
Ms Natalie Odgers
The efforts from our recent Athletics Carnival was on display, with nearly 100 students representing Riverside High School at the Inter-High Athletics Carnival held at St Leonards. With a certain expectation from the previous teams who have represented the school and come away with shields, a lot of pressure is placed on the shoulders of the team competing in the current year. This year we were asked the question: Has there ever been a more successful sporting team in Australia? After 31, now 32 years of holding on to the shield after each Inter-High Athletics Carnival, it is an achievement so many great sporting teams dream of achieving and each team that represents Riverside High School wants to build on.
As always, the students representing Riverside High School did not disappoint, competing with pride, passion and determination; giving their absolute best effort. With outstanding individual and team results, Riverside High School were able to regain the Junior Shield back, after having it stolen by Kings Meadows High School last year and again winning the Senior Shield. This ultimately meant that we also won the Aggregate Shield for a 32nd year in a row.
I would like to congratulate all the students who represented Riverside greatly, displaying first-class sportsmanship with an attitude to push yourself and get the best result for your team. I would also like to thank all the teachers that came along, ensuring every student were at their event on time, for helping out at events and for being a great support to the team. So, to Mr Pooley, Miss Thurlow, Miss Groves, Miss Smith and Mr Fyfe, I thank you on behalf of the whole team. Once again congratulations, I know the whole of Riverside High School are proud of you all and your efforts.
Meg 10C
Senior Girls Div 3 Thursday Afternoon Basketball
This year a motivated group of Grade 10 girls joined forces to enter a team in the Senior Girls Division 3 Basketball competition. Our lack of basketball experience was overshadowed by our positive attitude, our enthusiasm for the game and our willingness to listen and learn new skills.
Much to our surprise we made it to the Grand Final and were excited to test our skills after being beaten by Cressy the last time we played them. Cressy came out strong in the first half managing to score a couple of baskets and restricting our attack to have a lead of 11 – 1 at half time. After a motivational half time speech we had nothing to lose and managed to break their defence and score some points. Not only were we finally putting scores on the board but our tight one on one defence proved successful and at the next break the score was 13 – 7.
Cressy crushed our hopes and dreams in the last quarter by scoring some 3 pointers to run away with the win 24 – 11.
We are proud of our efforts and our improvement over the season. A big thank you to Mr Walker for helping coach a game, to Miss Thurlow for her organisation and weekly Facebook posts, to Mrs Greatbatch for being an absolutely amazing coach and to our parents for taking us to games, scoring our matches and always being our #1 fans.
Alexandria 10E
On Monday, 25th October, Mrs Gibson’s Grade 8 Drama class performed their children’s theatre, “The Snow Wizard”, to a large audience of Grade 2 and Grade 6 students from Riverside Primary School. The Grade 2’s loved the story and the crazy characters and it was another transition opportunity for the Grade 6’s to see the sort of things they could end up doing in Drama at high school.
The 19 cast members did a wonderful job and put on a highly entertaining performance for the 200 plus students and the numerous parents who also came along to support.
Mrs Mandy Gibson
Short Film Making is a Wednesday afternoon short course. Students enrolled in the class are able to explore different film making styles to produce their own videos for others to view.
Students engage in a variety of learning opportunities such as producing advertisements, gaming videos, memes and creative storylines showcasing some fantastic acting. Many have enjoyed creating stop motion animations and using the ‘green screen’ for special effects.
A major focus of the class is to enter the MyState Film Festival. The brief is to create a film that is less than five minutes and includes the designated feature item. This year it was a ‘key’. Angus and Leo’s entry “The Key” is a finalist for the “Best Use of Feature Item” category.
Mr Adam Child
Our school was very lucky to have hosted actors and directors, Steve Bastoni and Frank Lotito, from The Peninsula Film Festival on Thursday, 22nd November. Steve and Frank are R U Ok ambassadors and spoke to the group about the importance of trusting the signs, trusting your gut and asking R U Ok? They ran a 4 hour workshop with students on how to make short films based on spreading this message. Riverside High School was their only Tassie stop off and we're so very grateful for their visit, their wisdom and their inspiration.
Mrs Carolyn Saunders
On Monday, 2nd December, 13 Grade 9 and 10 students had a fantastic opportunity to attend an APRA song writer’s workshop at Launceston College. The workshop is a collaboration between APRA and the Department of Education to give Music students’ the opportunity to build original song writing skills and promote original music in Tasmania.
It started with a discussion and talk from producer JP Fung (Birds of Tokyo, Cold Chisel, Last Dinosaurs, Daniel Johns and more) and producer Anna Laverty (Nick Cave, Meg Mac, Courtney Barnett and more) about song writing and taking the opportunities that can arise from taking risks.
After a performance from each group, students’ broke into rehearsal rooms where they changed and made better, with the assistance of JP and Anna, a song that each group had previously written. This is known as a pre-production day. The idea is that a producer works with a band or artist and makes changes to the structure and feel or hook of a song before entering the studio to record.
The day finished with a final performance of the produced songs and they sounded fantastic. A big thank you to APRA for the workshop and to Launceston College for hosting it. Well done to our students’ that attended. Riverside High School has some outstanding original music composers and performers.
Mr Vince Walker
State High School Basketball Championships
23rd – 24th November 2019
Junior Boys Division 1 - Coach Mandy Gibson
Caleb 8F, Aiden 8E, Will 8E, Daniel 8F, Campbell 7F, Lachlan 8G and Lachlan 7E (Arie 8B in Regional Tournament)
Junior Boys Division 1 (Winners)
After winning the Northern Regional final comfortably a few weekends ago our 7/8 boys were full of confidence entering the state championships last weekend.
They overcame a determined Queechy team on Saturday morning and followed that up with a very solid win over Hutchins and then Marist.
Sunday morning’s semi-final was played against a slick St Virgil’s team but Riverside‘s depth proved too much for them and we prevailed to go into the grand final against the North West’s number 1 team Burnie.
Riverside started better but Burnie pegged us back and ended up leading by as many as 8 points in the final term. On the back of some clutch shooting by Aiden in the final minute - the scores were all tied up on the final siren.
Burnie again started better in the overtime period but Riverside hit the lead with a Lachlan’s 3 pointer with less than a minute on the clock.
Burnie tied up the game with a foul shot with 19 seconds to go and a timeout to Riverside saw them execute their final play to perfection and give Lachlan his 25th point for the game. Burnie couldn’t manage a score in the final 3 seconds remaining on the clock and Riverside ran out State Champions for 2019.
Senior Boys Division 1 - Coach Cameron Downie
Lachlan 9F, Zeik 9E, Thomas 9F, Zavier 9D, Oliver 10G, Bailey 9E, Harry 10C, Sejr 10C and Thomas 10E
Senior Boys Division 1 (4th Position)
The senior boys’ basketball team competed in the Regional and State High School Championships over the past 3 weeks in Launceston.
The journey started with many lunchtime tryouts and the team was selected from there. The team trained and bonded very quickly making it an enjoyable experience for all involved.
At the Regional Championships, the team went undefeated through the group stage only to fall short against St Patrick's College in the Grand Final in front of a record crowd at Elphin Sports Stadium. Finishing second meant the boys qualified for the State tournament the following weekend, which saw them up for a hard battle.
With results falling their way the boys qualified for the semi-final and faced St Patrick's College again to make it through to the State Grand Final.
Unfortunately, the team suffered multiple injuries to key players which proved to be the difference and they lost in a hard-fought out four quarter encounter. This resulted in playing off for third and fourth positions.
With another injury during the playoff game, leaving them with 6 players the result did not go Riverside’s way but to the credit of the team, they fought it out to the final siren.
A big thank you to all the parents that assisted over the weekends with bench duty and to the team for their commitment leading up to both tournaments.
Miss Brooke Thurlow and Mrs Mandy Gibson
On Wednesday, 27th November, we had the Schools Triathlon Challenge in Devonport. 25 participants represented the school proudly by swimming, running and cycling their hearts out.
This Triathlon competition is not all about victory, glory and 1st place ribbons. It’s designed to incorporate athletes of all abilities and experiences. Some people are seasoned athletes who participate in triathlons regularly. Others are competing for their first time in a non-competitive and supportive environment.
We had 10 students elect to compete as individuals, which meant they complete a swim of at least 250m, a bike ride of at least 8kms and a 2km run. The older the competitor, the further the distance covered.
The great thing about this competition is that students are given the opportunity to compete as a team and we had 9 teams entered this year.
All students showed great sportsmanship and respect for all competitors and demonstrated all of our school values.
The experience gained from an event like this is unmeasurable, we would strongly recommend this to everyone.
And a huge thank you to Mr Pooley and Mrs Greatbatch, this event wouldn’t have been possible without all their guidance, support and patience.
From Wednesday, 27th to Friday, 29th November, a group of primary, high school and college students danced up a storm at the Door of Hope for Launceston College’s 2019 Dance Fever.
The theme this year was “Grit” and this was explored via an impressive number of dance routines with a fantastic soundtrack, intelligent choreography and clever costumes. As usual the technical aspects were also brilliant and added yet another impressive layer to the overall slickness of the show.
The group of students from Riverside High are as follows: Mahala 9D, Aprille 10F, Phoebe 10C, Chloe 9G, Chelsea 10C, Holly 10G, Erica 9A, Mikayla 9B, Taylah 9F, Sage 9B, Anya 9B, Georgia 9G, Montana 9B, Emma 9D and Holli 9D. They all did a wonderful job and it was an absolute delight to see them dancing with so much commitment and energy on stage. All their hard work and dedication definitely paid off. Congratulations to all the students involved, you should be very proud of yourselves!
Ms Kelly Howell
Dance Teacher
Hey everyone! Keiver and Madison here to help fill you in on the recent events the Prefect Board has been helping with around the school. We don’t have long until the end of the year and there’s a bit of excitement for summer.
Inter High
A few weeks ago Riverside High’s Annual Inter High Athletics Carnival was held at St Leonards. It was a day of fun, competition and outstanding achievements. Many students pushed each other to their limits to achieve some excellent PBs. The rivalry between Riverside High School and Kings Meadows High School was at an all-time high, as Kings Meadows High School were more determined than ever to break Riverside’s 31 year old streak. It was a huge day of close races, nerves and teamwork. It was going to come down to the famous double point relays. To Riverside’s horror Kings got a few early wins but to finish the day, both Grade 10 girls and boys relays won, it was going to be extremely close. Riverside High School held on in the end, coming away with both junior and senior shields. Riverside High School also held on to the Aggregate Shield for the 32nd consecutive year. Madison and I would like to say thank you to Mr Pooley, Miss Thurlow, Miss Groves, Miss Smith and Mr Fyfe for their excellent support, thank you to the parents that came and supported and our amazing House Captains that showed great leadership and most importantly, thank you to all the students that participated and helped achieve the result Riverside High School should be most proud of.
Triathlon
The Annual Tasmanian Schools Triathlon was held last Wednesday in Devonport at the Bluff. It was a very successful day where Riversides’ best swimmers, cyclists and runners showed off their amazing skills and competed against other competitive schools throughout the North/North West. We would like to congratulate our Triathletes you were amazing and did Riverside High School very proud.
Arts Week
A few weeks ago Arts Week was held at Riverside High School it was an action packed week full of fun for a range of students. Daniel and Eliza did an amazing job with creating a week with a wide range of activities from a Veranda Session to Drama activities in the hall. Everyone that participated did an amazing job and had lots of fun.
Basketball Roster
The last few weeks many students have enjoyed playing the weekly Basketball Roster held in the gym. The basketball has been popular from all Grades with 7/8s playing on Tuesday and Thursdays and 9/10s playing on Monday and Fridays. Finals were held last week in the Gym; they were extremely competitive and exciting. Congratulations to Lawson who won the 7/8 roster and Monash who won the 9/10. All points will be added to the end of year overall house cup. Good Luck!
Academic Carnival
Last week the Prefect Board held the 2nd annual Academic Carnival at Riverside and it was a great success. The Academic Carnival is a great way for all people with different abilities to get involved and earn some points for their house. The Carnival had a range of activities including a trivia Kahoot, a spelling bee and a 6 word story competition. The winners of the 6 word story competition and the overall Carnival are going to be decided later in the week.