Dear Parents/Guardians

It has been a positive and very settled start to the 2023 school year. Thank you to the parents and guardians who attended the Year 7 Meet and Greet Barbecue last Tuesday afternoon.  The barbecue is a wonderful opportunity for Year 7 families to meet the teaching team and ask any questions students may have in relation to starting high school.

Grade Teams have sent a letter home to all families providing important information and dates which relate specifically to the grade teaching and learning program. Please feel free to contact your child’s Home Group teacher if you have questions or concerns in relation to school.

Congratulations to those students in Years 7 to 10 who have already received a ‘Riverside Ripper’. The award recognises students who have displayed the school values of Respect, Aspiration, Courage and Endeavour.  Our school values are taught in home group time and students are regularly recognised for displaying the values both inside and outside of the classroom. The Riverside Ripper awards are published fortnightly and promoted through Schoolzine and our Student Bulletin.

On Tuesday, we presented the Prefects and Peer Mentors for 2023 with their badges.  The guest speaker for this special assembly was former Riverside High School student, Jack Hanson, who is now thriving in his career and role. Jack Hanson graduated from Riverside High in 2012 and during that year, he was a Deputy Head Prefect, Dux and was awarded the coveted Protostatum Aristo Prize. Jack then went on to Launceston College, where he was also Dux with an ATAR of 99.9. Jack moved to Melbourne’s Monash University to study Finance and Actuarial Science and is now working at Credit Suisse, in the Investment Banking Division, advising companies on acquisitions and capital raising to list companies on the Australian Stock Exchange. In Jack’s inspiring speech to the students, he shared his journey of learning and leadership to pursue his passions and interests.

Prefects

Peer Mentors

The school newsletter is published at the end of every second week.  Please take the time to read the school newsletter as it contains important dates and messages and it’s where we celebrate the achievements of our students.

Students are required to get changed for their Physical Education lessons into the school sports uniform.  We ask students to please not wear their sports uniform to school if they have PE during Lesson 1 but to get changed in the allocated lesson time.  Parent/guardians please ensure your child has appropriate footwear for PE and the Riverside High School sports uniform.  At the school uniform shop, we have school polo tops, track pants and shorts available to purchase along with having a range of second-hand options for families. Pictured below is the sports uniform we have for parents/guardians to purchase.

Congratulations to Adam Child who has won an A/AST position at Riverside High School for 2023.  Mr Child will be coordinating Years 11/12 and the career and transition programs. 

He will be the contact for students on work experience and School Based Apprenticeships.

NAPLAN 2023

Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 15 and 27 March, 2023.

The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

This is the first year NAPLAN will be held in March, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

Why NAPLAN is Conducted Online

NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.

One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.

Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.

Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.

To have your questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child please go to the NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers.

Please contact the school if you have any further queries.

Restorative Practices – Riverside High School

In 2022, teachers at Riverside High School were involved in spaced learning on ‘Restorative Practices’.

On Friday, the Prefects and Peer Mentors had the opportunity to learn about restorative practices and the language, supportive questions which can be used and how to assist students when social conflict arises.

Restorative Practice is a way of viewing relationship-building and behaviour support in schools that works to strengthen community among students and between students, teachers, and parents through educative processes.

Restorative approaches focus on the problem, not the person, and look at the harm that has been done and the obligation on the part of those responsible to ‘right the wrong’ as much as possible.

Restorative practices in schools are not limited to formal processes but are a continuum ranging from informal (eg class circles, impromptu restorative conferences or teacher-student conversations) to formal conferences (eg restorative conferences or family group conferences).

Restorative practice is more than a series of questions. It is a non-punitive approach which accepts that we all make mistakes and have the ability to ‘fix’ the problem together and learn from our experiences. Restorative practice is inclusive and concerned with maintaining and building connectedness between students, parents, teachers and the community. It is an essential component of wellbeing.

Below are examples of the Restorative Practice questions teachers may use with students at Riverside High School.

What happened? (Value the student’s voice and perspective)

What were you thinking about at the time?  (Develop emotional literacy by linking thoughts, feelings and actions)

What have your thoughts been since? (Assess reflection following the incident when emotions have de-escalated)

Who has been affected by what happened?  The key question to trigger empathy and remorse.  Think beyond those directly involved to see the ‘ripple effect’ of actions and consider the personal impact)

In what way have they/you been affected? (Name or describe the impact and acknowledge the consequences)

What do you think needs to happen to make things right? (Include what you need to do. Devise agreed, realistic and meaningful resolutions to heal the harm)

If the same thing happened again, what would you do differently? (An opportunity for learning and verbalising alternative strategies)

Ms Jeanna Bolton

In 2023, Introduction to Sociology and Psychology is being run as a full-year course for the first time. We have over 50 students eager and curious to learn more about these two disciplines, as they are crucial to our understanding of humanity and how we operate in the world around us.

Psychology is the study of the human mind, how we learn, how we interact with others, and why we make the decisions we make. It is such a diverse discipline, with schools of thought extending from the development of humanity from birth to death to the more familiar concept of psychoanalysis, or counselling as we might know it.

Sociology deals with systems and societies. It looks at social trends, social issues and institutions to help shape society, often informing governments and other important organisations to make crucial decisions that influence society as a whole.

This year, students are discovering what these two disciplines are, and how they differ. They are also learning about research methods that psychologists and sociologists use to gather their data and learn from past experiments and observations to understand the concept of ethics and ethical responsibility.

Later in the year, students will be delving into the psychological development of a human being, from early life through adolescence and into adulthood and old age. They will also spend some time looking at the sociological footprint that teenagers have, the impacts of youth culture on Australia and the perceptions that society has placed on teenagers. In these studies, students will learn more about themselves and their place within society and understand why their voice matters.

Students will also have the opportunity to deep-dive into a topic of their choosing to discover more about whichever of these disciplines they are most drawn to.

As teachers, we are really excited to offer this course and hope it encourages students to explore the possibilities that these disciplines can offer in their future careers.

Sam Parry & Georgia Rolls
Subject Teachers

As communicated in our School Newsletter, the Athletics Carnival for Years 7-10 is being held on Wednesday 8^th and Thursday 9^th March on the Riverside High School grounds.

We are very excited to be hosting the carnival at school for the first time in over a decade. The program of events and times can be found on the reverse.

Families are invited to attend the carnival to watch all of the action. We would also like to involve our families at our sports carnivals. If you would like to offer your support at the Athletics Carnival, whether it be timing or recording times for a running event or measuring the distance of a jump or throw, please email Mr Timothy Elliott (timothy.elliott@decyp.tas.gov.au) or Mr Toby Musovic (toby.musovic@decyp.tas.gov.au) so we can discuss how we may be able to involve you.

House Meetings will be held on Tuesday 7^th March to give our House Prefects the opportunity to share important information with the students.

Important information for you to know:

• Students are required to attend both days of the carnival, with participation the focus.
• Students will have their attendance taken in their Home Group class at 8:45am sharp on both mornings and then again at the end of the day before students are dismissed at 3:10pm.
• Students may wear the Riverside High School sports uniform to school and can then get changed into appropriate House colours. Students are encouraged to wear their house colours.
• The school cafeteria and a BBQ is available for students to purchase food and drink. Students are encouraged to also bring food and water from home.
• Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their sun safety by wearing a hat, sunglasses and applying and re-applying sunscreen throughout the day.

We hope your child has an enjoyable two days participating in the many events on offer. We also hope to see you there supporting your child and watching them participate in the many events being held.

A parent/guardian spectator area under shade has been set up outside the Drama Hall (northern end of oval). Parking can be found in the car park on the first left turn after entering Brown Fields Lane.

Composite levy invoices have now been processed for 2023.  Invoices should arrive via post in the coming days.

Payment arrangements can be discussed by contacting our School Business Manager or Admin Team.

Payments may be made:

• Cash, cheque or credit card to our School Administration Team
• B Pay – Biller code included on bottom of invoice
• QKR App – New Payment option, QKR now available for payment of levies
• Service Tasmania – Codes included on invoice
• B Point – an online billing payment service which allows the payee to pay online without the need to have access to online banking.  B Point logo included on invoice
• By Centrepay – a free direct bill paying service offered to customers who are receiving payments from Centrelink – forms available from Riverside High School Admin Team 

Please do not hesitate to contact the School Admin Team should you have any queries.

On Friday, 24 February, Riverside High had 21 girls from Grades 7 to 10 participating in a customised experience organised by Motorsport Australia with the goals of engaging females in STEM and the motorsport industry.

Over the course of the day the students participated in a range of workshops designed to highlight the diversity of career pathways. Sessions included coding with Lego robotics, working within media and delivering a verbal interview, seeing how race cars are setup for racing and competing in physical challenges.

The students had the opportunity to work with a range of females who race cars, work within the media and design electric race cars within a university degree. Students were also able to spend time talking to these excellent presenters and gain extra knowledge regarding their career pathways and future aspirations.

Richard Gregory

On Friday, 17 February, the Prefect Board attended the GRIP Leadership Conference at the Tailrace along with other high schools from northern Tasmania. Throughout the day, our host, Andy discussed multiple points around how to lead for the school, rather than leading for ourselves. He also introduced the valuable lessons we were to learn that day, such as ‘How to Make Your School a Great Place for Everybody’ and ‘The People a Leader Can Impact Most’. Andy also established a game called ‘Loud Noises’ which we played consistently throughout the day. Eli, Logan and Ned represented Riverside High proudly, with Logan and Eli even winning their respective games!

After morning tea, the cohort then split into two groups. Taken by Nadé and Levi, the main room housed ‘How to Get Everyone on Board with Your Idea’, while the secondary room held ‘How to Get Everyone Participating in Events’. Both discussions provided interesting conversations between schools and students, before we broke for lunch.

The final third of our day recapped our learning before we played in a final game of ‘Loud Noises’ and participated in a Q&A which supplied even more amazing discussions.

On behalf of Riverside’s Prefect Board, we would like to thank Ms Saunders, Ms Bolton and RHS Staff who made our attendance to the GRIP Leadership Conference possible.

We would also like to thank Andy, Nadé and Levi, as well as the entire GRIP company for giving us such an incredibly informative and enjoyable day. As a board, we are feeling prepared with inspired ideas and are ready to tackle everything coming our way in 2023.

Sophie W and Erin D
(Community and Fundraising Prefects)

We are Ned N and Cassidy B and we are a part of the Prefect Board. Along with Erin D, Sophie W, Sungchae P, Sophie W and Zoe U, we make up the Community/Student Voice Portfolio which falls under the school value ‘Respect’. As Community/Student Voice Prefects we are responsible for fundraisings like Bunnings BBQs and Free Dress Days as well as going to council meetings and making sure the younger members of our school have a voice in what happens.  

I’m Ned and in my free time I like to hang out with my friends and have as much fun as possible. Recently I have started flight lessons at the Tasmania Aero Club which will help me reach my life goal of becoming a pilot. My leadership journey started in primary school when I was appointed a student council position. Since then I have strived to become the best leader possible. I am so grateful for my position on the board, and I look forward to working with different people and teachers as well as seeing what this year brings.  

I’m Cassidy, and outside of school I do dancing at Dance Pointe. I started dance school in late 2018 and have loved it ever since. I went for the role of Prefect to become a leader and help steer Riverside into a positive and fun environment.  

We, alongside our fellow board members, wish you all the best for 2023 and we all look forward to the year. 

Once again, Newstead College is excited to offer extension music opportunities with its after school band program to students of the Department for Education, Children and Young People.  These ensembles allow students from our DECYP High Schools and Colleges to collaborate with their peers to engage in bands that extend their musical journey. In 2022, we were excited to see the gains made by our Grade 6 students as well as the strong performance standards demonstrated in our Celebration Performance in City Park. I would like to strongly encourage all of our students moving into high school in 2023 to continue their music learning journey as part of our Monday Night Concert Band.

Monday 4:30pm – 6:00pm Newstead College Concert Band

This ensemble is aimed at our high school and college students.  To join this ensemble students should have already developed the skills required to engage with the second (blue) Tradition of Excellence book for their instrument.

The Newstead College Concert Band provides an ensemble experience that brings its players closer to the great repertoire of symphonic wind band literature. The participants’ ensemble skills are further developed and there is an increased demand on their musicianship. Please speak with Mr. Beasley if you would like to join this ensemble.

This year there will be a program fee of $50 per student.

Rehearsals will start on Monday, 20^th March, for the Concert Band.  Please register your interest and intent to join by responding to Luke Beasley luke.beasley@decyp.tas.gov.au