Congratulations to all students who received certificates for academic excellence and application to studies in the mid-year reporting phase.  Certificates were presented in grade assemblies last week and students should be extremely pleased with their achievements. Included in this week’s newsletter is a list of all award recipients.

Thanks to the parents and guardians who were able to attend the parent-teacher interviews on Monday and Tuesday evening.  The interviews provided an opportunity for students and teachers to discuss student progress and set goals for academic and personal growth.  A letter will be sent home to families to collect feedback on the process used for Term 3 interviews as we want to ensure our model allows all families to access interviews whether it be by phone, online or face to face.

On Wednesday, 24^th August, all Grade 7 classes had the opportunity to listen to a very inspiring and motivational speech presented by Tasmanian Olympian, Scott Bowden. Scott represented Australia in Mountain Bike Riding at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The Olympics Unleashed Program aims to inspire and motivate students to be their personal best through goal setting. We thank the Olympic Committee for offering this opportunity to the students at Riverside High School.

Grade 10 Health classes last week had SPEAK UP Stay Chatty deliver their schools’ program which raises mental health awareness and builds student confidence to seek help for themselves and their peers. The program is funded and supported by the DoE and students are supported through the program with the School Health Nurse, Social Worker and Psychologist all attending.  Given the learnings and feedback we have received from students we hope to continue offering this program into the future.

Riverside High School – School Association

We have a supportive, motivated and wonderful School Association at Riverside High School.  The committee meet twice a term at the school on a Monday evening at 7:00pm.  We currently have a vacancy for a parent representative. If you are interested in being on the committee, please contact the school administration office for a nomination form or please contact one of the committee members if you have further questions. 

Online Safety

Teachers often get questions in relation to social media. If you have concerns in relation to a social media platform and its content, please ensure it is reported to the eSafety Commissioner.  The website also has a range of useful and important information for parents and online safety. Attached to this week’s newsletter is the 5 tips to keep your family safe online brochure for parents.

Years 11/12 – 2023

Riverside High School has been exploring Years 11/12 provisions for 2023. It is most important that the courses on offer focus on engagement, retention and achievement and connect to employment and future learning options. In consultation with DoE VLCE unit and Tas TAFE, a skills shortage was identified in ‘Civil Constructions’. In 2023 Riverside High School will partner with Tas TAFE to provide Civil Constructions VET Cert 2.  Please see attached documentation on Civil Constructions. Tas TAFE have already presented to the Grade 10 students and we are taking expressions of interest now.

School Beanies

The School Association and Prefect Board have supported the coordination and design of a school beanie.  The beanie can be worn by students to school, after school, in break times and at sporting events and excursions.  Unfortunately, the beanies have sold out, but we have ordered more and hopefully they will be available to families in 4-5 weeks’ time.

Ms Jeanna Bolton

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Help shape a new school attendance campaign

The Department of Education is doing a public awareness campaign to show why it's important to go to school every day. 

This will include a television commercial and advertising on buses, radio and social media. 

We want to get your feedback on a campaign idea. 

Please give us your honest thoughts by filling out this short survey.

If you need support translating or interpreting this information, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

Grade 8 STEM students have been busy solving complex problems and creating inventive projects to solve challenging tasks. This has involved: building and programming with Lego Spike to solve fun interactive puzzles, creating an electronic motor circuit in the development of their own personally made hovercraft, making electrically conductive playdough, competing in the catapult/trebuchet challenge, bringing their 3D digitally designed models to life with 3D printing and much more. It has been a busy time with much more to come.   

Within the Grade 9/10 STEM classes, students have been involved in some extended projects which have included extensive use of our laser cutting technology combined with 3D printing and then integrating these technologies through their design concepts.

The first major project was the design and production of wall mounted clocks. This was followed by students laser etching a floor plan for a house onto base boards and then cutting their walls and internal fittings in order to construct their house.

The students’ most recent project has been to design two vehicles which have one major difference in their design and to then evaluate what impact this difference has on the distance the vehicle travelled across our canteen floor when released down a ramp. The best result was a travel distance of 10.8 metres.

Alan Mowbray & Richard Gregory

Our 2nds Maroon Football team have enjoyed playing football on a Wednesday afternoon. Riverside High School has a large number of talented young footballers.

The team have been building a great comradery with one another and the coach. There have been a number of learnings from our season so far, but what is also great is how well students have played as a team.

The players have all been respectfully supportive of each other and have been going out onto the field to enjoy themselves.

We have been quite dominant with some of our wins and the students have often been asked to play in a number of different positions during the season. Their willingness to accept these positional changes has been a positive. Whilst Rudi and Charlie have been our main goal scorers, the student’s ability to play team orientated football resulted in a spread of goal kickers each week.

Our closest rival in St Marys, with them losing their first game against us was great, we hope to meet them in the finals.

Strong mentions and congratulations must go to the following players for showing grit, leadership, respect and sheer determination to perform every game: Logan, Archer, Ryleigh, Charlie and Tristan.  Jesse, Lachlan and Tyler, have also impressed and performed admirably when required to step up to the Firsts for a few games.

These attributes of courage, respect and collaboration will no doubt benefit the students with challenges they experience in school and beyond.

Thank you, team.

Harrison Hughes

On Friday, 19^th August, the Grade 8 Council made homemade scones and lemonade in the school kitchens to raise money to contribute to the school’s Gaga Pit. We also sold pink lemonade on Monday, 29^th August. Overall, the fundraising was successful and we raised almost $100. We look forward to our next fundraiser – watch this space.

Kacey 8D

On Friday, 26^th August, Grade 10 full year Art students had the opportunity to experience MONA. The museum was full of modern art ranging from a bright red abstract car, a room featured screens with people singing a variety of Madonna songs and a machine that had glass bottles on a shelf where every hour a glass bottle was pushed over the edge, smashing it, it was pretty terrifying experience as a student hearing glass break.

The environment was amazing, the staff were extremely friendly and assisted with any questions that we had. Overall, MONA was an amazing experience and I cannot wait for the future art classes to experience the excitement of MONA. Thanks to Ms Saunders, Mrs Barwick, Mrs van Ruiswyk, Mrs Uko, Athirah and Miss Britton.

Aaliyah 10E

Congratulations to Grade 8 student Ida who received the Commissioner for the Children and Young People Award along with a Highly Commended Award in the Years 7 & 8 Category at this year’s Young Archie Awards.

Ida travelled to Hobart for the opening on Saturday, 27^th August and had the opportunity to meet Leanne McClean, the Tasmanian Commissioner for Children and Young People.

Ida’s portrait is in watercolour painting and is inspired by her nanna. The title of Ida’s portrait is “Cuppa Earl Grey”.

We are so proud of Ida’s achievement! Well done.

RHS Art Department

Last Thursday, Grade 8 students enjoyed the opportunity to attend a performance by the Launceston Youth Theatre Ensemble called The Teacher.  There were a number of Grade 9 and 10 Riverside students in the cast, so it was great to be able to support them and their efforts on stage.

The Teacher was a story about a Mrs G, who was spending her final months reflecting on her long life and career.  The play was written by Mandy Gibson and it also included a range of scenes from well-known books and films, such as Matilda, Dead Poets Society and a skit called The Substitute Teacher.  There were lots of different characters and stories played out on stage by the very talented cast and each of the Grade 8 students was able to name a performance that stood out to them as one they especially enjoyed.

There was humour, drama and some very touching moments in The Teacher.  The students enjoyed seeing the range of acting performances but were also able to appreciate how technical elements like lighting, sound and costume worked to enhance the mood and atmosphere of the show.  It was a great experience for these students to see the quality of work that can be created by actors who are not much older than themselves.

Emily McMahon

My name is Charlotte and I am a member of the Learning Portfolio. Outside of school I enjoy travelling with my family and have been lucky enough to visit many beautiful parts of the world such as: Bali, Vietnam, London, Spain, Hawaii, New York and Japan. Due to COVID we have been unable to travel for the last couple of years but I'm excited about going to Thailand for the first time at the end of the term. Aside from travelling, I enjoy spending time with my friends, listening to music, baking sweet treats and spending time outdoors with my family.

The biggest challenge our board has faced this year has been the impacts of COVID. This has forced us to be creative in the way we run initiatives and come up with new ideas to bring the school together. I've learned a lot about myself since becoming a leader and it has given me many opportunities to work collaboratively with all different types of people.

My name is Mackenzie and I am both a Wellbeing and House Prefect. Dancing is my biggest passion and I have been lucky enough to have experienced so many great opportunities throughout my dancing career. My main goal is to grow my passion and love for this sport and to seek out greater opportunities on the mainland. I love to travel to many different places, but the beach is a favourite of mine. During my early years water skiing took up quite a bit of time. I was always trying to compete with my younger sister.

This year has definitely been a challenge. The Prefect Board was not prepared for what COVID would bring. But with these challenges and difficulties we have had to face, I have realised the importance of teamwork and friendship.  Without communication, things can quickly fall apart which makes me truly admire the leaders around us. This year has shown us some barriers, but these barriers help develop skills like problem solving and leadership. This year has been such a great learning and life experience for me and for others.

My name is Tristan and I am one of the five Community Prefects for 2022. Various action sports and exploration have been some of my biggest personal passions for this year. I am an individual who loves the outdoors and being physically active. My academic interests fall under history as a whole, with a special love of Ancient History and Greek Mythology. I also relish the sciences focusing on human physiology, chemistry and biology.

Although this year has been a challenging one, and many of the duties that would usually come with the role have been removed, this has become an added challenge, as we constantly have to find new ways to still provide entertainment and information to the school. The student body has been very kind and understanding of the situation and this has been the most positive feature of the role. 

My name is Neil, I am a part of the Wellbeing Team and Kingsford Smith House Captain. My passions include many sports such as football, basketball, swimming just to name a few.  I also enjoy spending time with friends and family. I have travelled a lot of places in Tasmania and up the east coast of Australia.

I enjoy being a leader at Riverside High as it gives me the opportunity to work with a great team.  It has allowed me to put my ideas forward and create many important events and activities. My leadership position has also allowed me to be a great role model for all my peers.

Please note applications for Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) will not be accepted after 7 September 2022. Applications will no longer be accepted, and reviews of eligibility will not be assessed after this date. Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) (education.tas.gov.au)

For further information on application details please see: Levies and Charges - The Department of Education Tasmania

If you require assistance or wish to discuss a payment plan, please phone our Administration Office on 6327 6333.