It is hard to believe we are at the end of Term 3. Students have been very busy taking advantage of the many opportunities offered to them and we have a lot to celebrate.

A huge and sincere thank you to the team at Dorset Employment Connect for their organisation of the Careers Expo. This engaging event enabled students to further build their understandings and experiences in training and career pathways. Our local businesses contributed extensively to this event and their ongoing support of work experience and Australian School Based Apprenticeships is greatly appreciated.

You may have noticed Tori and Rhylan on the front page of this week’s North East Advertiser. Well done to Rhyland in Year 9 promoting the Remote OpShop Project by writing the first Youth Matters article sponsored by Dorset Suicide Prevention Network.

Many thanks to Rachel Williams, editor, for making this possible and for her mentoring of students for these monthly articles which give our young people a chance to share their ideas and thoughts with us.

Year 9 Mock Interviews

Well done to all Year 9 students who took advantage of the Mock Interviews to build their confidence and skills in meeting with adults. Students received very positive and valuable feedback and advice from the employers and community members who gave very generously of their time to interview the students. Our interviewers were impressed by our students, their preparation, ability to respond well to interview questions, and willingness to move out of their comfort zone. Despite feeling nervous, our students demonstrated courage and growth. Thank you to the following people who assisted with the interviews, taking time away from their busy schedules to support the learning of our students:

Bridget Archer, Member of Parliament – Member of Bass

Fiona Auton – The House Paddock

Maria Branch –North East Tasmania Chamber of Commerce

John Botha and Sallie Brown – Barnbougle Tasmania

David Galloway – Mitre 10

Cath Kilner – Libraries Tasmania

Mandy McKay – May Shaw Health Centre

Nathan Saunders – Elders

Lauren Summers – Dorset Employment Connect

Gaynor Whitmore – representing the Hon Tanya Rattray, MLC

Transition Visits

We have loved welcoming the Year 5/6 students from Bridport, Ringarooma and Scottsdale Primary Schools for the start of the transition visits. Students have been able to meet some of our teachers and experience Science, Music, English and HPE lessons. Thanks to staff who have supported these visits and to Miss Walker and Ms Hall for all their organisation. Our students in Years 7-9 who assisted with the visits were terrific ambassadors for our school. We look forward to welcoming Year 6 students again in Term 4 for their Orientation Day.

Congratulations to A’jana

Well done to A’jana in Year 12 who has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Plan Your Own Enterprise Competition. A’jana is studying Business Studies Level 3 at Launceston College whilst undertaking several subjects and VET Certificate II in Agriculture at Scottsdale High. A’jana submitted a detailed creative business idea and plan for the establishment of a business including finance projections and costings. It is so rewarding to see our students experiencing success in a range of ways.

Tasmanian Merino Wether Challenge

A number of our students attended the Tasmanian Merino Wether Challenge held at Campbell Town on Wednesday. Well done to Bianca, Shakira, Maigen, Molly, Lucy, Millie, Jack, Darcy, Tayla and Alabama who represented Scottsdale High with pride and confidence. The Challenge provides the students with a memorable ‘hands on’ experience covering a broad range of sheep and wool production skills. Our A team placed third in the Fleece category. Thank you to Ms Rattray and Mr Cassidy for their work in supporting our students to participate in this year’s challenge.

We would also like to thank Ben and Amy Grubb from Strathroy, at Breadalbane for supplying our beautiful sheep. 

Year 10 Exams

Over the last few weeks our Year 10s have had exams in English, Mathematics and Science. Well done to all students who took advantage of the opportunity to gain experience in sitting an exam. These exams offer students a valuable chance to showcase their knowledge gained over the year. They also provide a real-world experience of the examination process, including managing a study schedule, which is useful for future exams in Years 11 and 12 or at university. It has been wonderful to see most students taking this process seriously and responsibly. A big thank you to the Year 10 teachers for their efforts in preparing the exams, providing feedback to students, and supporting the students through this process.

Camps – Year 8 and Duke of Edinburgh

Despite the inclement weather we have been experiencing, we have managed to hold one of the Year 8 Camps in Week 8 and our Year 9 and 10 Duke of Edinburgh students participated in their Adventurous Journey hiking and camping in Narawntapu National Park. It has been a joy to listen to our students talk about their time on camp, how much they embrace the challenges such as the cold weather and cooking on a Trangia, relishing their time in nature, having the wildlife visit them at dusk and watching the moon rise in the clear evening sky. Thanks to Mr Le Fevre, Mrs Tuffin and Mrs Taylor for making these camps possible. The second Year 8 Camp will be held in Week 9 in Term 4.

Breakfast Club

It has been terrific to see so many students attending our Breakfast Club in K1 Café before school each morning. Thanks to our wonderful adults who run this and help get our students off to the best start each morning.

Research shows that students who have a nutritious breakfast are better able to concentrate, have improved social skills and are more punctual to school. It is great to see our students connecting with one another across year groups as part of our breakfast club.

On Wednesday we saw a large number of students and staff come together to celebrate the end of the term with a Breakfast of Champions. Sausages, eggs, bacon and hash browns were on the menu and the atmosphere was wonderful!

PAT Testing Term 4 Weeks 2- 4

At the beginning of Term 4 all students will complete PAT testing in Reading and Mathematics. We encourage our students to give this testing their best effort, so the results are a true reflection of their skills and understandings. PAT testing results assist teachers in measuring students’ knowledge, skills and understanding. Teachers use this data to plan for and determine what they need to do to assist your child in their progress and challenge them at the appropriate level to ensure effective understanding at each step of their learning journey.

Staffing Term 4

Mrs Smalldon will be on long service leave week 1 in Term 4.  Miss Walker will be acting Assistant Principal whilst Mrs Smalldon is enjoying some well-deserved leave. Ms Stanfield will be on long service leave all of Term 4. Mr Jordan Harper will be joining us in week 3 for 4 days a week to assist while Ms Stanfield is on leave.  Due to teacher shortages across the state, we will be covering absences as best we can. We wish Ms Stanfield a very relaxing and enjoyable LSL.

Many thanks to families for completing the Department of Education School Satisfaction Survey for our school. Your feedback is important to us and will assist us in finding out what our school does well and where it may improve. This information will be used to inform our 2024 Annual Review and 2025 School Improvement Plan.

Have a safe, relaxing and enjoyable holiday.  We look forward to welcoming students back for a busy Term 4 starting on Monday 14th October.

Elizabeth Williams

Principal

In recent weeks the Metal elective classes have received donations from both Dorset Council and Eastside Motors. These donations are so important in offering a variety of project based practical learning opportunities to students and we are very grateful for this community support.

On Wednesday the 11^th of September, a group of Year 8 students travelled to the school’s field study centre at Mount Cameron. When we arrived, the teachers guided us to our cabins, and we prepared for our long 3.5 hour bush walk. Along the bush walk we explored the maze of boulders and took on the view of the coastal north.

Once we arrived back to the cabins everyone took a shower and set up our beds while the adults cooked us tacos for dinner. Many students were hungry scoffing down a delicious meal followed by cake for Mrs Taylor's birthday.

After dinner we watched a short documentary based on two people climbing the Lorax Mountain in the south of Tasmania.

Finally, we went to bed and slept until the morning. Day 2 (Thursday) we were educated by Mr Lefevre at the Tepricarna Cultural Centre, and then we set up camp at Petal Point.

The afternoon consisted of beach games, exploring the area and fishing.

For dinner, we cooked on the Trangia, we made Shepards Pie. The evening was finished off with trivia on all our adventures and stories around the campfire. Day 3 (Friday) we had a sleep in and then had a scavenger hunt on the beach. Before heading back to school, along the way we explored Little Musselroe Beach and saw some dolphins and other sea creatures.

Camp was very informative, fun and packed full of adventures. We are extremely grateful to experience this alongside our friends and are very thankful to the teachers who came along with us.

The HASS Extension group have spent the last part of the term developing their knowledge of Ancient Rome and its entertainments.

They finished the topic by using their knowledge and skills to create a chariot, in some cases horses and chariot drivers as well, reflective of the Romans’ favourite sport, Chariot Racing.

The team used their creative skills, glue guns and a range of materials, [a few even included breakdancing for inspiration] to achieve the task in 60 minutes. 

Week 9 saw the courageous Duke of Edinburgh crew heading out on their Qualifying Adventurous Journey, despite the wind and rain. They travelled to Narawntapu National Park, to complete the almost 8km Archers Knob walk. In high spirits, students successfully set up tents in the rain and then practised their camp cooking skills in the Trangia Chef competition, crafting delicious dishes to serve.

Day two, saw a change of plans, with snow forecast close to their second destination. The decision was made to stay a second night at Narawntapu NP, completing a scenic walk around the Devonport Bluff instead. Another Trangia cook-up for lunch and beach walks filled in a windy afternoon. A calm weather evening was enjoyed by the fire that night.

All students demonstrated a great deal of resilience and positivity during the three-day camp, despite the challenging weather conditions. A big well-done, and we look forward to our next Duke of Ed challenge.

Lotti competed in the 2024 Tasmanian State Final of the Legacy Junior Public Speaking Competition on Sunday 22^nd September. Lotti was required to deliver a 5 minute prepared speech. She was also required to present a 2 minute impromptu speech on how AI will impact education in the future. Lotti did an amazing job and represented the school with great pride. We are very proud of Lotti and her efforts!

Not the best weather for calving …. We have welcomed five new calves this week at Stronach View Campus.

Beautiful little calves sired by Woodhill Patent and Millah Murrah Paratrooper.

On Monday 2^nd – Wednesday 4^th September the educators from The Drug Education Network held information sessions for all our Year 7 – 9 students. The DEN’s work in schools is guided by the Australian Government’s Principles for School Drug Education which is informed by theory and research into what works within the school context. In particular, the DEN’s education approach:

• prioritises positive health messages and harm reduction strategies
• is age appropriate
• is delivered to all students, regardless of their level of risk
• supports the embedding of drug Education into the curriculum
• focuses on substances most likely to be used by the student group and those most likely to cause harm
• encourages a whole school response to drug education

It was positive to see our students actively engage in the many discussions and interactive learning activities which functioned to provide students with the opportunity to exchange ideas, receive feedback and develop their decision making and help-seeking skills.

We would like to thank Rob and Anna from the Drug Education Network for providing our students with such a valuable and engaging learning experience. We feel confident that they came away with increased understanding and awareness of drug related knowledge, attitudes and values. Most importantly it is hoped that students take this knowledge and continue to ask questions and build their capacity to understand the factors that reduce drug related harms enabling them to respond safely to drug issues in their futures.

On a further note, it was very heartening to receive some excellent feedback from the DEN presenters in relation to Scottsdale High School students being such an attentive and responsive audience. Well done to you all!

Our nominations for 2025 Student Leadership Board (SLB) will start in Week 1 of Term 4. Students have attended an information session this week in their sector assemblies which outlined the duties, expectations and opportunities for SLB members as well as the timeline of the nomination process.

Students who are interested will have from Monday 14^th October until Friday 23^rd October to complete a nomination form from Miss J. The nomination form is attached below and requires students to outline why they would like to be a leader as well as what leadership means to them. Once they have completed their forms, they will have to prepare a speech that they will deliver to their grade on Monday 28^th October. Voting will occur on the same day and all nominees will receive a letter on Tuesday with the outcome of the election.

Current Year 9s must indicate if they are nominating for a Committee position or a House Captain position on their nomination forms. House Captain elections will be held on 31^st October and nominees will speak to their house groups.

Nominations will strictly close on Friday 23^rd October and no late nominations will be accepted. Students can see Miss J if they have any further questions about the nomination process or the roles and responsibilities of a SLB member.

Have your say on the future of Tasmania’s education system

The Tasmanian Government has established an Independent Review of Tasmania’s education system to improve the education system over the next 10 years. And they want to hear from families, children and young people of all ages, and members of the community.

There are multiple ways you can get involved:

1. Respond to the public Consultation Paper
2. Complete the survey for educators, families and the community
3. Complete the short survey for students
4. Submit a creative response to the question (for children and young people only): Imagine yourself at the end of school, what have you learned, what have you achieved and who do you want to be?

Submissions responding to the Consultation Paper must be submitted by Sunday 13 October 2024, and all other consultation opportunities will close on Sunday 27 October 2024.

Visit the Independent Education Review website to learn more or email contact@ier.tas.gov.au.