We have had a very busy few weeks as the term has drawn to a close with a number of guest speakers for My Career Day, excursions including the 9/10 Wellbeing Day last Friday and finalising our Mid-Year Reports.  This week we have been celebrating NAIDOC Week.  The 2024 theme is "Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud". The National NAIDOC Committee selected this theme to celebrate not only the survival but also the relentless spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The theme also celebrates the enduring strength of First Nations culture and offers teachers a chance to explore various topics, perspectives and experiences with students. We are grateful to staff supporting the activities over the week and to Miss Rainbow for co-ordinating the activities to help build our students’ understanding and knowledge. Well done to our students involved in the Flag Raising Ceremony Monday morning especially Sam and Maddie who spoke and Lachlan and Billy for raising the flags.

Farewell – Ms Emma Mou

This week we farewelled Ms Emma Mou our school psychologist who is heading off on maternity leave.  Emma has been working at Scottdale High this year and we are grateful for the support and guidance she has offered to our students. We wish Emma all the best as she welcomes her first baby.  We are waiting to hear who Emma’s replacement will be.

Term 3 Weeks 1 and 2 Staffing Change

Mrs Fletcher will be taking two weeks of Long Service Leave for Week 1 and 2 of Term 3.  We wish her an enjoyable extended break.  Ms Sherri Rainbow will be acting AP and Ms Tiah Simmons will be acting AST for the first two weeks of Term 3.

Minister for Education, Jo Palmer MLC

On Tuesday 2 July we were fortunate enough to have a visit from the Minister for Education, the Honourable  Jo Palmer and the Honourable Tanya Rattray, MLC. They started by visiting our school farm, talking with our students and learning about the range of agriculture programs we offer from Year 7 – 12 and our need for a multipurpose classroom on the school farm, well done to Henry, Wes, Millie, A'jana, Adara and Jordan for sharing their knowledge of the school farm. The Minister and the Hon, Tanya Rattray then toured our school accompanied by Tara and Maverick, our school leaders. During the visit we discussed educational principles and practices and some of the challenges, not only facing our school, but across our state.  We also discussed the urgent need for a school upgrade as our facilities are extremely dated and not conducive to twenty first century learning. As a community, we would like to thank Minister Palmer and Ms Tanya Rattray MLC greatly for their visit and the time they spent talking with students and staff.

Scottsdale Football Club – Donation of footballs

We are very grateful to the Scottsdale Football Club who have donated a number of footballs to the school.  Many thanks to members of our School Association, Sherri Rainbow and Candice Walker for approaching the Club for this donation.  We know many of our students enjoy playing football in the break times, burning up some energy and working on their football skills.

Grade 10 Orientation Days

Our Grade 10 students are currently working through their Transition Plans for 2024. A part of this process is experiencing an authentic day in the life of a college student. We thank the Newstead College and Launceston College communities for supporting our Grade 10 students to make informed decisions about their futures.  It was great to hear our students talking about their day exploring the colleges and beginning to map out their pathways for 2025. 

Mid-Year Reports

Students in Years 7-10 will receive their Mid-Year Reports Home Group session on Friday 5 July at the end of the day. Our Mid-year assessments are based on work covered in the first part of the year. They show your child’s current progress and what they are ‘on track’ to achieve by the end of the year. The ratings on your child’s Mid-year Report may change in December.

Students signing out of school -process to be followed

If your child needs to sign out of school to attend an appointment, they will require a signed note written and dated by the parent/carer.  This note needs to be given to the Administration staff in the office before school or during Home Group and signed off by an Assistant Principal.

Alternatively, the parent/carer can come to the school office to collect and sign their child out of school.

Students should have a valid reason for signing out of school such as needing to attend a medical or dentist appointment.  We have a very good canteen and K1 Café so students should not be signing out to go to the local shops during break times.

Students will not be permitted to ask the Office Administration staff to call home for permission to sign out unless a student is unwell and parent/carer needs to be notified.

Out of Bounds/Off Site

Students have been reminded of the need to stay in bounds during recess and lunch times. This is for safety and duty of care reasons.  Students are not to be at the front of the school or up the side of D Block/ Kitchen.  If your child is seen out of bounds, you will receive notification of this through an email.

Uniform – Reminder for Term 3

Thank you to families who have been supporting their child to wear the correct uniform.  Students should not be wearing non-school hoodies at school.  Students are permitted to wear plain black long sleeve hoodless shirts under the school polo in the colder months. 

Reciprocal Reading: Years 7 and 8

Aligning with the DECYP, Reading is a priority on our School Improvement Plan with a focus on developing students’ comprehension skills.

The foundational elements of reading can be broken down into six skills – often referred to as:

The Big Six

1. Oral language– Talking and listening provides a foundation for learning to read
2. Phonological awareness– Being able to recognise the individual sounds in speech
3. Phonics– Being able to recognise the relationship between letters and sounds
4. Vocabulary – Knowing the meaning of a word makes you more likely to be able to read it.
5. Fluency– This is not just about being able to read quickly, it’s about reading in a way that shows you understand the meaning.
6. Comprehension – understanding what you read.

From Prep to Year 2, this approach to teaching reading starts with phonics. In upper primary school and secondary school there is a greater focus on vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. 

Mrs Butler, our Quality Teaching Coach ( QTC) has been working with our Year 7/8 English teachers and students in building students’ comprehension skills.  One strategy that is being used in classes is that of Reciprocal Reaching. This is a practice based on the foundational skills introduced through guided reading in addition to the use of scaffolded talk between a teacher and group members or group members with each other to develop and support comprehension. Students who participate in this practice are encouraged to read, talk and think their way through the text.

Scaffolded talk about a text is guided by four comprehension strategies: predicting, clarifying, questioning and summarising.  Meaning of the text is jointly constructed through discussion between all group members. An appointed group leader prompts discussion for each of the strategies, so that all students are given the opportunity to apply and refine their skills when predicting, clarifying, questioning and summarising.

Reciprocal teaching is a supportive teaching practice because it:

• supports students to develop comprehension strategies in a supportive context
• makes explicit what readers do – predict, clarify, question and summarise
• develops students’ content knowledge and topic vocabulary
• fosters meaningful dialogue among students including extended talk about texts
• helps students to develop skills in locating, recording, and organising information in preparation for writing.

These strategies are valuable tools for lifelong reading.

Online Information Hub for Families 

The Department for Education, Children and Young People has an online information hub for families with school-aged children in Tasmania. This website has information to help you navigate your child's education, from birth all the way up to 18 years of age.  

Some of the information you will find includes: 

• tips on how to support your child’s learning at home 
• information to help you keep your child safe and well 
• a guide to explore courses for the career they want 
• school holiday and term dates. 

Visit the webpage at Information for families - Department for Education, Children and Young People (decyp.tas.gov.au)  

Scholarships that are now open for Public School Students Years 8 - 12

The following scholarships for Tasmanian public school students, to support their education from 2025, are now open. 

Secondary scholarships:

• Harding Miller Education Foundation Scholarship - open to eligible female students currently in Year 8 (open 15 July - offered by the Harding Miller Education Foundation)
• PEF National Secondary Scholarships - offering three different scholarships to eligible Year 9 students:
• Financial Hardship
• Indigenous
• Refugee
• Rural & Remote Indigenous Secondary scholarship - open to current Year 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in rural or remote areas.
• VET in Schools Scholarship - open to students currently in Years 9 - 11 enrolled\enrolling in vocational studies through their schools.

We wish all our students and families a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday.  We look forward to welcoming our students back for Term 3 on Monday 22 July.

Best wishes

Elizabeth Williams

Principal

Our students have celebrated NAIDOC Week through various learning experiences. As part of NAIDOC celebrations Year 9 students have visited the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery to explore the history and culture of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people as part of the ‘The First Tasmanians: Our Story’ exhibition.

Our Year 10s had a very educational day visiting Musselroe Bay Windfarm.

Many thanks to Chris for teaching us fascinating facts about the wind farm and the role of sustainable energy in Tasmania. (Thank you also for the great BBQ lunch provided for students and staff.)

A very big thank you to MTWAC Ranger Program for sharing stories and taking us on country. Our students loved trying different Aboriginal food found in nature and learning about how to care for country.

Year 8’s yesterday  tried a range of different dishes, including:

Damper

Kangaroo meatballs

Kangaroo skewers

Lemon Myrtle sorbet

Lemon Myrtle cheesecake

Wallaby curry

They were all kindly cooked and prepared by the Hospitality Academy and Mrs Butler.

Year 7 students  have experienced the ‘Gumnuts to Buttons’ program. This is a hands on activity to gain an understanding of the history of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.

On the 11^th June we had a visit from Launceston RSL where we had members Pete Williams, Derek Bruce and Kevin Best share and teach the Year 9s more about WW1 and trench life.  The Year 10s more about WW2 and Kokoda.

In the Year 9 cohort, we learnt the significance of WW1, trenches, and trench warfare. Our guest speakers were able to share the passion and experience about WW1 with us and we got a glimpse into the challenging conditions faced by soldiers in the trenches. We built on our knowledge of trenches and trench warfare. Throughout their visit we had an interactive and engaging re-enactment of the gas exposure drill, and what it was like when the whistle sounded allowing the soldiers to get prepared for what was to come. This was particularly useful for us as our current topic in History is WWI and trench warfare.

In the Year 10 sector we became educated in Australia’s involvement in the Pacific during WW2. The significance of Kokoda was highlighted, and they talked about the soldiers facing extreme and torturous conditions. It was an important moment in Australia's military history during WW2 as it was such terrible conditions faced by some of the most inexperienced Australian soldiers against the Japanese. We also discovered more about the events of Kokoda. The Year 10’s were moved by the retelling of Kevin Best’s completion of the Kokoda Trail at age 73 after having recent knee surgery. The Kokoda trail is a 96km trail, in Papua New Guinea. It is a very treacherous and rough track, taking a lot of dedication and hard work to complete.

Many good lessons were learnt and Miss Simmons, alongside some Year 9 and 10 students got to try "bully beef" just as the diggers and soldiers would have eaten in the trenches, with many describing it as tasting similar to  cat food. We said thank you to Pete Williams, Derek Bruce and Kevin Best for their time and contribution to teaching us more about WW1 and the Battle of Kokoda as well as sharing stories that have helped build our knowledge and understanding. 

By Rhylan.W, Lily.W & Savannah.B

Thank you to everyone involved in My Career Day on Wednesday 19th June.

Year 9 and 10 students are very grateful to the following guest speakers who talked about their career pathways, providing students with insightful, wise advice and highlighting what employers are looking for:

Alex Hall

Jerrod Nichols

Kane Sanders

Nathan Saunders

Thank you also to Hope from Mas National who ran resume and cover letter workshops and has offered to continue working with students if they contact her via email.

SHS staff ran work skill and transition planning sessions to assist in building skills and thinking about future careers.

Year 9 and 10 students who have upheld ‘agreed expectations’ in regards to uniforms, attendance, phone use, engaging in learning and building positive relationships were invited to attend a positive wellbeing activity on Friday 28th of June. Students enjoyed their day at either Launceston Lanes Ten Pin Bowling or at Beta Park Bouldering. Thank you to School Association for supporting this school wide initiative. It was a highly successful day for students and staff. 

A group of Year 10 students took the opportunity to head to UTAS on Wednesday 12th June to participate in a Heath Taster Day. They engaged in sessions on nursing, psychology, pharmacy and allied health to broaden their understanding of these areas.

Students from Years 9/10 had the opportunity to participate in a Beacon Foundation facilitated industry visit at Barnbougle on Tuesday 25th June. Students heard from a range of occupations and explored local employment opportunities.

Thank you to all involved in this valuable opportunity.

Year 9/10 Agriculture students had the opportunity to participate in an excursion to the Powranna Saleyards earlier in June, to observe a cattle sale, steers and heifers from the Stronach View Farm being sold. There was a very large yarding of well over 2000 cattle on the day. Students were able to watch the cattle being auctioned, along with a very large range of different breeds and cattle types. Our Angus steers and heifers sold well on the day. It was an excellent opportunity for our students to further their understanding of commercial beef operations and supply chains that exists in Tasmania. Students came away with a real appreciation for the tough climate and economic times that farmers are experiencing at the moment.

Congratulations and well done to those students in Year's 10-12 for recently completing a First Aid qualification. Students were able to participate in this accredited training due to funding received from an external provider.

ProMED Tasmania provided online theory and a short practical session for students to demonstrate their skills. Students can count these points towards their TCE.

Chalkies “Battle of the Bands” is a celebration of comradery, talent and the vibrant spirit of the education community. It is a night where teachers and staff come together to showcase their creativity and passion beyond the classroom. This is the second year of this competition and the first time Scottsdale High School has been represented. Congratulations to Mr Matt Wootton, Mr Elliot Tyson, Mr Sid Scott and Exeter High School music teacher Mr Ben Murfet who rocked the stage together in front of a sold out crowd.

Thank you to our wonderful adults who run breakfast club and to Variety for sponsoring breakfast. Wednesday morning it was pancakes on offer - over 80 serves were dished up. So many smiles and ‘thank you’s from our students. Such a wonderful way to start out learning on a Wednesday!

The Digital Skills for families team are delivering a program to help Tasmanian families support online learning at home. Spending time online at home gives children an opportunity to practise what they are learning at school. Positive home environments help children develop the skills and independence they need to succeed in a digital future.

Learn about communcating online with schools, digital education at school and how to support online learning at home. 

Digital Skills for families is offering free:

• Information session
• workshops
• one-to-one help

In libraries, schools and community locations statewide.

Email the team at digitalskillsforfamilies@libraries.tas.gov.au to find out more and book a free session. 

Student Residences for Years 11/12 students survey 

At the Department for Education, Children and Young (DECYP), we are committed to making sure that our student residences are a quality supported accommodation option for students attending years 11 and 12 at college in Burnie, Launceston or Hobart.

We are currently seeking stakeholder feedback about the DECYP student residences. We have contacted all students (and their parents/carers) who are currently living in a residence.

We are reaching out to prospective families who may be considering a residence for their child in future. We want to hear what they are expecting and hoping for when they consider the move to a residence.

The survey is anonymous and should take 5-10 minutes to complete.

Any community members who have feedback about the student residences can also speak with someone from our team (please phone 6165 6466 to arrange), or in writing by emailing studentresidences@decyp.tas.gov.au