Dear Parents/Guardians

Term 1 has been extremely busy for both students and teachers. Term 1 has focused on students developing relationships with their peers and teachers, establishing learning routines and developing an understanding of what teaching and learning looks like at Riverside High School. 

NAPLAN for Years 7 and 9 has now ended.  Thank you to Kylie Jago and Ben Gadsby for coordinating the process again at Riverside High School and for the positive attitude and effort given by all students.  Participation was excellent from all students. The administration of our tests ran smoothly, one reason being the one-to-one devices which we have for all year groups.  In 2024, all students at Riverside High School have an iPad. Miss Lillian Males, AST, coordinates the ongoing professional learning for teachers in the use of the iPads for differentiation and supporting and extending students.

Staffing Term 2

I will be taking Long Service Leave in Term 2.  I’m pleased to announce that Adrian Smith will be the Acting Principal whilst I’m away and Ben Gadsby will be the Acting Assistant Principal of Year 8.  We have a wonderful Leadership Team who will continue to support each of the grades and lead our School Improvement Plan in Term 2.

Helmet Safety and Bikes

In Australia, wearing a bicycle helmet is mandatory for all cyclists, regardless of their age or level of experience. This law is in place to protect cyclists from head injuries in the event of a fall or collision. Helmets are essential for all students who choose to ride their bikes to school. Even if students are riding on the footpaths to school, they must be wearing a helmet. Riverside High School provides bike racks for the safe storage of bikes during the school day.  If a student rides their bike to school and does not wear a helmet, we will be contacting parents/guardians. Please be aware that scooters and skateboards are not permitted at Riverside High School.

F1 In Schools 2024 National Finals

Our students have returned and achieved amazing results at the 2024 F1 In Schools National Finals.  The students are being recognised in our whole school assembly on Tuesday, 9^th April.  Attached to this week’s newsletter is the report from the finals.  Thank you to the parents/guardians who supported our students to participate.  Our school community is very proud of our students’ achievements!

Tier 2 Intervention Programs

Now that NAPLAN is complete, Riverside High School will be starting our Tier 2 provisions of extension and support.  The programs that our school resources are detailed below.  All programs are based on evidence-based frameworks and are coordinated by our teachers.

MacqLit

MacqLit is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program for small groups of students and includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In 2024, Riverside High School will again be resourcing MacqLit for both Year 7 and 8 students. The program is coordinated by Ben Gadsby, our Quality Teaching and Learning Coach, and is supported by a number of our Teacher Assistants.  Parents/guardians of students selected for this program will be provided with further information.

Rock and Water Program

The Rock and Water Program aims to apply a physical/social approach to assist students in their development by increasing their self-control, confidence, self-respect, boundary awareness, self-awareness, and social skills.  A specific goal for the course is teaching students life-long skills to positively deal with a variety of social situations.

Rock and Water offers a framework of exercises, concepts, and ideas to assist students in becoming the best person they can be. Topics include teamwork, leadership, body language, bullying, mental strength, empathetic feelings, positive decision making, emotional control, and positive self-image.

Mr James Beardwood, a HPE Teacher at Riverside High School, has recently completed his training in this evidence-based program and we are pleased to be offering this in Term 2 onwards.

Amity Program

The foundational concepts of the Amity program are self-worth, healthy relationships, and future-self. The aim is: 'for each girl to develop an understanding of her own personal worth, to gain tools for enjoying healthy relationships and to be equipped in life skills that will build towards a better future.'  The Amity program has commenced in Term 1 and is coordinated by Darren Hanson, our Student Support Leader.

Numeracy Intervention Program

This intervention program consists of a weekly lesson of targeted teaching and learning in a small group, to extend and support students’ numeracy understandings. There will be a focus on the content strands being delivered in students’ normal Maths classes with students having access to Smart Lab and individual teacher support during this time.

The Numeracy Intervention Program will commence at the beginning of Term 2 and is coordinated by Kylie Jago, our Quality Teaching and Learning Coach.

Elective/Option Subjects

As you are aware Interim Reports are currently being completed by teachers. 

Students in Years 8 to 10 who have requested a change to their full year elective subject choices have been provided the opportunity to do so by competing the ‘change of elective subject form’ and submitting this to the Assistant Principal. 

From Week 8, the week beginning 25^th of March, any changes to full year course options which are assessed under the Australian Curriculum Achievements Standards prove more challenging, with students missing major assessment tasks and course content due to the late change.

From Monday, 25^th March, all requests to change optional subjects MUST be directed to Grade Leadership Teams due to the impact the potential change has on student results.

Ms Jeanna Bolton
Principal

We wish to advise that all our students will receive Interim Reports at the end of this term. This is a progress report that presents a snapshot of how the year has started in each subject area. The report provides a rating on key attributes that are important for successful learning. While it is too early in the year to include an academic achievement rating, this report will give a clear indication of how your child is working in each subject.

Please be aware that our Term 2 Parent/Teacher/Student Interview Evenings will be held on Monday, 27th May from 3:30 to 5:00pm and Tuesday, 28th May from 3:30 to 6:30pm in Building 2 (our Grade 9/10 area, located directly above the Administration area).  This will give both families and teachers an opportunity to discuss how to best support students’ ongoing learning and allow evidence of learning or student work samples to be shared.  Students are strongly encouraged to attend with their parents/carers.  Interview appointments are for 10 minutes.  Details on how to book a Parent/Teacher/Student interview will be sent home at the beginning of Term 2. Please be aware that some staff are part-time and their availability will be shown in the booking system.   For these teachers and others who you may find are fully booked on the night, please make contact with them directly through the School Admin to make alternative arrangements.

We are continuing the phased implementation of our Communicating Learning Progress with Families Policy. This year, we will again share evidence of learning or student work samples with families throughout the year. We know that sharing learning progress more regularly will support the development of strong partnerships and help families feel connected to their child’s learning. Opportunities to meet with your child’s teacher/s about their learning progress will also be provided. The below table is an outline of the Communicating Learning Progress with Families schedule across the year.

Jeanna Bolton
Principal

All School F1 teams experienced a hectic period between the State Championships and the National Finals.

Over the last few weeks of 2023 and start of 2024, there were many hours put into meeting all of the requirements needed to be competitive at the highest level, and this was the goal of all teams.

The work included producing more complex portfolios, seeking industry collaboration and financial support and significantly, designing a car which would be technically perfect and fast. A late rule change requiring the integration of a halo into their design was an additional complexity in the work completed.

Over the last few weeks of 2023 and the start of 2024, there were many hours put into meeting all of the requirements needed to be competitive at the highest level, and this was the goal of all teams.

On Saturday, 9^th March, the students travelled to Adelaide in preparation for the competition. Sunday was spent checking all aspects of each team’s competition elements to ensure they had everything needed. On the Monday, we travelled to St Peters College to commence the week of competition. On Day One, teams submitted their portfolios and cars, and sat through the process of having their cars scrutinised to ensure they complied with all stated rules and hoping for minimal penalties. Tuesday involved the team’s setting up their trade displays where they had two hours to complete, from the unpacking of boxes through to having digital displays running. During Wednesday and Thursday students participated in four interviews and raced their cars. From the first day of racing, the biggest achievement for our school was Nandali’s car recording the fastest lap of all teams there, and this time remained the fastest for the whole competition and was one of the faster cars from the last ten years at a national final. Being the first year of competing with cars which have the halo as part of their design, Nandali currently has the fastest car with a halo, and hopefully this is a benchmark that lasts for many years.

Friday morning was our final day at St Peters College with the award ceremony beginning at 10:00am. The results below were extremely pleasing with three of our teams receiving category awards within a field of extremely talented, and experienced students, many of whom were several years older than ours and had more experience within the competition.

Over the week of competition, which in several 40+ degree days with no air-conditioning was hard work, all students were outstanding in the way they interacted with other teams and how they competed in the racing and performed in their interviews. For the students listed below, this was an amazing opportunity which they will never forget.

Our school would like to acknowledge the amazing support we have received from the following as this has been invaluable in our students’ ability to attend such an event, and to be competitive at a national competition.

2024 Results

Zenith - 3^rd place overall in the Development Category
Zenith - Best Team Portfolio
Zenith - Best Managed Enterprise

Titanium – 10^th overall in the Development Category
Titanium - Fastest Reaction Time
Titanium - Industry Collaboration

Convergence – 6^th overall in the Senior Category
Convergence - Fastest Lap – 1.047 seconds

Crescent – 22^nd overall in the Senior Category

Team Name: Titanium

Lucas, Satadev, Archer, Nina and Mia

Team Name: Crescent

Isabella, Sophia, Millie, Asya and Addison

Team Name: Convergence

Lucy, Nandali, Dan, William and Maya

Team Name: Zenith

Bea, Charlie, Chilli, Ethan and Minh

Richard Gregory, Adrian Smith and Annette McCarthy

On Saturday, 16 March, twenty five students took to the big stage of the Silverdome participating in this year’s Relay for Life.

The event ran through a long ten hours and, for that entire time, the students had to keep the baton going all day walking or running the 500m lap. Most importantly, keeping us energized throughout the day, there was a huge range of food options from nice hot pizzas to yummy ice creams from The Devils Own Ice Creamery and the smoothie roulette on a bike.

The Prefect Board and the Grade 10 students would like to thank the teachers for giving up their Saturday and coming down to support Team Riverside. Overall, the day proved to be a huge success as we have raised just under $3,500, exceeding our goal of $3,000 on the day. Importantly, all the money we have raised stays in Tasmania for the Cancer Council.

Finn

Mr Sanders and Nurse Nige had the pleasure of supervising fifteen Grade 7 girls during the Girls on Track - Inspire Excursion to Symmons Plains Racetrack on Friday, 15^th March.

Our students, along with girls from Kings Meadows High School, Prospect High School, Summerdale Primary School and Penguin District School enthusiastically participated in activities, such as:

• Engineering based (STEM) activity
• Reaction & Fitness Challenge
• Pit Stop Challenge
• Testing their driving skills in a Formula 1 race simulator
• Engaging with (female) role models who currently work in motorsport

The girls’ were exemplary and they all showed Courage, Responsibility and Respect whilst representing themselves and the school with pride.

The Grade 10 Council is comprised of sixteen members this year. All council members are extremely excited about the opportunities for the year ahead.  Our proud and committed Grade 10 Council members for 2024 are:

One of the important roles of the council is working on the Grade 10 Hoodies for 2024 and this process has already started. A hoodie sub-committee within the council is working with Mr Downie and developing some preliminary designs.

Another role of the council is raising funds for the Grade 10 end of year activities and charities.  We have already raised $700 toward these initiatives from working on the BBQ at the Riverside High Swimming Carnival. 

Our chosen charities this year are the Launceston Renal Unit Charity Fund and the Smith Foundation.  The Renal Unit Charity supports patients undergoing the 6-to-8-hour gruelling process of dialysis by purchasing items such as blankets and cushions which make the process more comfortable. The Smith Foundation is an independent charity supporting young people who are in difficult circumstances to achieve successful educational outcomes.  These efforts will also raise awareness of these important but often overlooked organisations.

Mr Stephen Hindrum
Grade 10 Council Co-ordinator

Thomas recently competed in the national track cycling championships and gained outstanding success. He came fifth in the Keirin after making his way through the rounds and semi-finals to qualify for the final. Thomas also achieved strong results in all the bunch races. This is a remarkable achievement as Thomas has only just recovered from his second broken collarbone. Congratulations on your hard work, persistence and success Thomas!

Ella has worked with St John Ambulance as a First Aid Cadet for approximately nine years and has won numerous first aid competitions. She has recently been selected to represent Tasmania in the National First Aid Competitions in Alice Springs in July this year. We wish to congratulate Ella on this tremendous achievement!