Our Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews were held on Monday, 27^th May and Tuesday, 28^th May. It was wonderful to see so many families attending the interviews to discuss how to best to support students’ ongoing learning.  It was also pleasing to see a number of our students taking an active interest in their learning by attending these interviews.

During these interviews, teachers were able to share a piece of student work or an evidence of learning with families and discuss students’ areas of strength and identify areas for future growth. The evidence of learning which were shared on the evenings included: pieces of writing, tests, photographs of work, pieces of artwork or recordings of a student’s performance.

If you were unable to attend our Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews, please be aware that our teachers are currently working to share an evidence of student learning with all our families. These samples of work may be shared through an online platform such as Canvas, via an email or may be printed and sent home. The evidence of learning will also include written feedback which provides an indication of how your child is progressing in a number of their key subject areas.

In line with the Department’s Reporting and Communication Requirements, all our teachers of full-year courses will be sharing one evidence of student learning with families in 2024. Teachers of Grade 7 half-year courses which are studied in the first part of the year will also be sharing one piece of student learning. All this evidence of student learning will be shared with families by Friday, 21^st June.

Teachers of Grade 7 half-year courses which are studied in the second part of the year will also be sharing an evidence of student learning early in Term 4. Further information about this additional sharing of Grade 7 work and feedback will be outlined in Newsletter articles at the beginning of Term 4.

We would greatly appreciate your support in discussing this evidence of learning with your child. Please feel free to contact the relevant subject teacher if you have questions about the work sample and feedback which has been sent home. We are extremely keen to work in partnership with all our families to support our students to reach their full potential, so we are always very keen to hear from you.

Adrian Smith and Susan Matkovich
RHS Reporting Co-ordinators

This year, two Legal Studies classes have delved into the Australian judicial system, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of how laws are formulated and enforced within our legal framework.

We began by examining the historical evolution of the rule of law, tracing its roots and significance in shaping the Australian legal system as we know it today. Emphasis was placed on the fundamental principles of the rule of law, particularly the concepts of equal access to justice and the protection of the rights of the accused.

Students were actively engaged in assessments exploring the notion of equality and participated in group tasks to investigate cases of miscarriages of justice, fostering critical thinking, analytical, and presentation skills.

The focus then shifted to a study of criminal court procedures, with a specific emphasis on the role of juries in the justice system. Students engaged in thought-provoking discussions on the pros and cons of the jury system and participated in a simulation game of impaneling a jury based on different complex case scenarios.

In the next semester, students will collaborate in investigative groups to ‘solve’ unsolved cases and prepare comprehensive reports with the aim of progressing their cases to trial. This hands-on approach will further enhance their understanding of the legal process, including evaluating evidence and considerations in sentencing.

The journey through Legal Studies this year promises to be an exciting and enlightening one, equipping students with not just theoretical knowledge but also practical skills essential for navigating the complexities of the legal system.

Ben Gadsby

On Friday, 24^th May, a team of 38 students represented Riverside High School at the NHSSA Inter-High Cross Country Carnival held at Kings Meadows High School.

Tough conditions greeted the students, with a cold southerly breeze and overnight rain making the course challenging. With four runners in each race and points for the first three across the line, the carnival is a team event where striving to finish as high as possible in each event has an effect on the overall shield results. There were many outstanding individual performances across all four grades, with our girls winning 3 of the 4 races. It was inspiring to witness all our students giving their absolute best when representing themselves and the school. Our students’ efforts were aligned with our school values, in particular the courage they showed to push through when hurting and challenged by their competitors and the conditions.

Although Riverside High School were unable to maintain our longstanding record of winning the shield, the efforts of all our students who attended could not be faulted and we should all be proud of how they represented the school.

Listed below are the finals standings, team results, and Riverside High School placings for the day.

NHSSA 2024 INTER-HIGH CROSS COUNTRY – SHIELD RESULTS

Division 1

TEAMS RESULTS

Division 1 (overall placings tallied)

Riverside High School Placegetters

Year 7 Girls

Year 7 Boys

Year 9 Girls

Year 9 Boys

Year 10 Girls

Mr Adam Sanders

On Friday, 24^th May, thirty enthusiastic students travelled to UTAS Inveresk to compete in the second heat of the Northen Science and Engineering Challenge along with seven other schools. The day consisted of the perpetual all day Bridge construction, along with 7 half day challenges. This year had three new challenges:

• Flight – design and construct a balsa wood glider.
• Wind Turbine – construct a wind turbine from cardboard and kebab sticks which rotated at the fastest possible speed. At the state final, the windmill also had to be able to lift weights within a 30 second limit.
• Fish trap – students were required to design a range of “barriers” to capture marbles of different sizes.

These tasks proved very challenging, however, all students persevered and worked efficiently in their teams of four. At the end of the day the school was successful, finishing with a score of 1419 points. This gave us a 71-point margin to a combined team of John Calvin/ Newstead Christian Schools who finished in second place.

As our school finished first on the Friday, we were invited back to the same location to compete in the State Final on the following Monday. For the state final, the challenges remained the same, however, each challenge had some changes – either altered resources or more complex scenarios to make them worthy of a final competition.

Despite many teams finding these challenges difficult with no individual category wins, consistency across all challenges was definitely a standout which resulted in our school finishing third in the state, only 6 points away from second.

All students are to be commended on their amazing maturity over the two days, especially with some very late call-ups due to students who were sick on the days. The experiences gained from working in challenging situations and with people they may have not even known prior to the day all help build important skills.

Richard Gregory

On Wednesday, 29^th May, our Grade 10 students were extremely fortunate to be able to attend a presentation delivered by Matt from Fairbrother and Damien from Degree C.  The presenters urged our Grade 10s to set themselves up for success in a highly competitive employment market by giving their best during their Grade 10 year.

In particular, the presenters stressed the importance of maintaining a strong attendance record, demonstrating a positive attitude at school, and showing a strong work ethic and a willingness to follow instructions and complete all set tasks. They explained that it is critical for our Grade 10s to gain the best possible assessments, particularly in Maths and English, and to focus on the development of strong work habits so that they improve their ability to tackle challenges, overcome obstacles and adversity, arrive on time and prepared for learning/work each day and work effectively and co-operatively in a team environment.

The Grade 10s also heard the importance of availing themselves of the opportunity to participate in Work Placements if they have a future career pathway in mind so that they gain practical experience and make some connections in their chosen area of interest.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Matt and Damien for giving up their time to come to Riverside High and provide our Grade 10s with an extremely informative and thought-provoking presentation. We are also extremely grateful to Mr Adam Child for organising this exceptional presentation and for all the incredible work which he does to provide our Grade 10 students with many and varied opportunities including Work Placements, presentations, and excursions.

The Grade 10 Team

On Tuesday, 28^th and Thursday, 30^th May, 35 Riverside High students from Grades 7 to 10 showcased their musical talents at the Launceston Music Competition held at the Launceston Conference Centre.

Our students delivered outstanding performances across various musical categories. The dedication and hard work of our students, supported by parents and teachers, truly shone through. Congratulations to all participants for making Riverside High School proud and embodying our value of Courage.

Results:

Original Solo. Grade 7-10

2nd - Ruby

Contemporary Duo or Trio

1st -  Ari & Gemma 

2nd - Edie & Amy

Original Band Composition. Grades 7-10

2nd - Ruby, Ari, Clay & Holland

Contemporary Group. 16 Years and Under

1st – Ruby, Alec, Oryn & Harvey

2nd – Kennedy, George, Harry, Ezra & Jude

2nd - Edie, Amy, Archer, Maya & Cross

Sam Rainbird
Subject Leader

Congratulations to Year 9 student Greyson, who was awarded first place in the 2024 Launceston Competitions: Creative Writing section. Greyson entered their narrative story titled ‘Blue Flame’ in the Year 9/10 short story division. The story was written as part of the Gothic Narrative unit in their English class and received high praise from the adjudicator.

Ben Gadsby