Term 2 is a busy term with a number of opportunities for students, including; Cross Country, the Big Freeze, RYDA (Year 10), Work Experience (Year 10), STEM Challenge, and the Devonport Council Forum, to name a few.

Reporting to families on student learning will be a big focus for our teaching staff this term, and we have an opportunity to moderate our learning tasks with other high  schools on the 6th of June. This will be a student-free day on the Friday before the King’s Birthday long weekend on the Monday. Last term, we talked to students about realising their potential and making the most of their opportunities. We will continue to encourage this “growth mindset” amongst students for Term 2.

Our focus value for Term 2 is “Responsibility”

I strongly believe that our relentless focus on our school values has helped to shape our positive school culture. Not only do they hold us accountable, but they also support us in developing great personal qualities. Our student leadership teams will focus on this value throughout the term and our end-of-term awards will also be tailored to this value. 

Attendance

I would like to emphasise the importance of school attendance. As with all learning that takes place at RHS, we expect students to give their Best Effort. This is especially important when we find things difficult or challenging. Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn and grow, and connect with their mates and teachers. It’s where bright futures start and where they’ll benefit the most.

When your child goes to school every day, it helps them to:

• learn better
• find interests
• make friends
• connect with teachers
• be happier
• have a brighter future

If you’re struggling to get your child to school, help is available. Please talk to us at school about your situation. We’ll support you in whatever way we can.

To find out more, visit the Anything can happen website.

ANZAC Day 

Anzac Day is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. Australians recognise the 25th of April as a day of national remembrance, attending services all around the country. Anzac Day is a special time when we reflect on the many different meanings of war. I would like to thank our prefects for representing RHS at the Devonport service. They were all fantastic role models, and we appreciate them giving up this day to lay a wreath on behalf of the school.

Supercars Opportunity

Boyd, in Year 9, was lucky enough to be invited to work with the crew of Team 18 at the recent Tasmania Super 440. Boyd absolutely enjoyed every minute of it, he worked from the tire tent to under the car after Saturday's bump on track to help get the car ready for Sunday's race.

Feedback from the team was extremely positive; everyone on the team was happy with his work ethic, how he applied himself to each job they gave him, and completed each task to a high standard. Well done, Boyd!

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After a busy term one with a large focus on supporting Year 7s and broader connections, we have used the early part of this term to develop and refine our mission statement. This statement will continue to help guide our decision-making process and focus for the remainder of the term. Our statement-

“As Prefects, we will lead by example in an impactful and effective way — by stepping out of our comfort zone and using initiative to create a supportive and inclusive environment where positive connections and values thrive.”

A major focus for us right now is the Big Freeze, our annual fundraiser for Motor Neurone Disease (MND). This is always a highlight on the school calendar, with students and staff sliding down the hill in support of the cause. While the event is full of energy and fun, it also carries real significance, raising money and awareness for a meaningful charity. This year, we've been working hard to find new ways to boost both fundraising efforts and awareness across the school community.

We will also begin the process of our personal projects for the year. These projects are fully devised by individual prefects around something they want to have an impact on within our school community. These projects are always a great opportunity for our prefects to make a positive impact in an area that they are passionate about- we are really excited to see where this leads.

Our Junior Leadership Team were recognised during an assembly at the end of Term One and have certainly hit the ground running with their work in Term Two! The team's main priorities this year are around creating opportunities for students to be involved in positive activities during break times and fundraising, and building awareness for charities and initiatives we are passionate about. We are looking forward to seeing what this group can achieve!

Term 1 and 2 have been very productive in the Music room! Year 7s have been working on their fluency and playing a wide variety of songs, the most popular being Happy Birthday. Year 8s have been writing fictional character songs with topics such as frogs, dogs, coffee, and magic books being explored. Years 9 and 10 have been writing original songs with a focus on rap, pop, and grunge styles. Years 9 and 10 are busily preparing for a concert at the Leven Theatre next month, more details to follow soon!

Ryder with his pop Anzac Day 2025

In Year 7, we have been busy starting some new units in Science and HASS.  In Science, we have started our “Separating Mixtures” unit.  This involves spending a lot of time in the laboratory completing experiments.  The students have enjoyed the opportunity to complete their Science in a different environment and learning about all the different equipment.  In their first lesson, “Evaporation”, students used heat as a separation technique to remove salt from water.

During HASS, students have started a new unit for this term. Our history unit focuses on the rise and fall of Ancient Rome, and historical figures such as Julius Caesar, who ruled over the once-famous empire.

In Mathematics, students are finishing a fraction unit where they have been ordering and comparing fractions and using fractions with all four operations. If students are feeling like they would like to complete some extra practice, they are able to access a platform called 'Mathspace' at home, where additional tasks and activities are provided. Mathspace can be accessed at www.mathspace.co, students are able to use their logins from class.

In English, students have been delving into their novel A Long Walk to Water. They have been developing their reading comprehension skills of scanning and predicting. Students have been participating in Literature Circles where they have the ability to take on a role within the circle and actively participate in the discussion around the novel, developing their confidence in speaking within the group and showing their knowledge of the novel. To finish last term, students handed in their final assessments within our Poetry unit, where staff saw some amazing examples. Here are a few we would like to share: 

The beginning of Term 2 has seen Year 8 students tackle some new and challenging ideas in both English and HASS. Amidst a chorus of groans and complaints, students began to look at some examples of free verse poetry in the novel The Simple Gift, thinking that we were enacting some form of cruel and unusual punishment on them. However, many of them quickly became invested in the relatable story, simple writing style, and powerful messages within the text. We think some of them are even secretly enjoying it! HASS has students looking at how our natural spaces are formed, looking at the varied landscapes that exist within our world, and how we interact with and value these spaces. 

In Year 8 Maths, students have been using the four operations to solve integer problems. This has seen them blend classes and move into groups based on what each student has demonstrated they need! In Science, they have recently moved on from our body systems unit, in which they completed a number of practicals, including an exploration of the effects of exercise intensity on heart rate (respiratory), a heart dissection (circulatory system) and even a practical where they made 'poo' with banana, water, vinegar and biscuits! Students have now moved on to energy, and have been learning about the types of energy and how they are transferred and transformed. This week, they have been making rotocopters and exploring how changing the independent variable impacts on how long it takes for the rotocopters to reach the ground after being dropped. 

Year 9 Learning Snapshot – Week 3 Update

Our Year 9 students have been diving into a range of exciting and thought-provoking topics across their subjects this term. Here’s a look at what’s been happening in the classroom:

Mathematics

In Maths, students are exploring the fascinating world of Index Laws. So far, they’ve tackled the first seven laws, building a strong foundation in simplifying expressions involving powers. This unit is helping students develop their algebraic thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for higher-level mathematics.

Science

Year 9 Science classes have embarked on an Earth Science unit, focusing on the four interconnected spheres: the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. To bring this learning to life, each class has participated in a nature walk around the school, identifying real-world examples of each sphere and discussing how they interact with one another in natural systems.

English

In English, students are immersed in the poetic novel By the River by Steven Herrick. This text belongs to the bildungsroman genre, which explores the psychological and moral growth of a young protagonist. Written in a series of vignettes, the novel offers a unique narrative style that students are analysing through themes, setting, and character development. As part of their formative assessment, students are now crafting their own short series of vignettes, drawing inspiration from the text and their own experiences.

HaSS (Humanities and Social Sciences)

In HaSS, students are delving into an in-depth study of the Industrial Revolution. They are examining the major technological, social, and economic changes that shaped the modern world, and considering the impacts—both positive and negative—of industrialisation on societies past and present.

Hearken to me, dear parents and guardians, for winter is coming.  For teachers and students alike, it means the return of the unpleasant but persistent smell of wet sandshoes and darker days on the horizon.  But fear not, dear readers, as your chilly student will be warmed up by the rigorous learning presented this term.  In Science, we will be continuing the studies of genetics and how students grow and populations increase.  Like Jon Snow at the wall, students will be considering surface area problems and the wonderful world of trigonometric studies.  Much like the trials of penguins on the Antarctic ice sheets, students are ducking and diving through a variety of different texts and novels.  In HASS, students are studying the horrors of HASS studies (sorry, I meant World War 2). A collection of intrepid engineers braved the harsh winter weather and travelled west to Burnie to engage in the Science and Engineering challenge.  Building bridges and designing ecological housing are just some of the exciting challenges students competed in.  Congratulations to all the students who competed on the day.  We hope that you all are safe throughout the winter months and will update you again around the middle of the term.