Impressive Start
We have had such an impressive start to the school year, with students demonstrating a great commitment to their learning.
Our focus value for this term has been “Best Effort” and the students have been demonstrating this value through their actions and making the most of opportunities. This has been highlighted by students application to work, participation in school based activities and by taking positive ownership of their actions. A calm working environment, where students are focused on continual growth in their learning has definitely had a positive impact. Keep up the great work.   

Meet and Greet BBQ

On Tuesday evening, we opened up our school for students to be able to bring their families in. This provided an informal opportunity for students to be able to showcase their learning environments and to introduce their families to their teachers. We had a free BBQ and plenty of sausages were consumed. It is great to be able to provide these kinds of opportunities again and welcome our community back into our school. I am passionate about schools, families and community members working together to build a culture of collaboration in relation to students educational outcomes and behaviours. We look forward to continuing to work with you in supporting your child at Reece High School.  

Making the most of our opportunities

Recently students have had the opportunity to engage in Outdoor Education Camps, resilience days, first aid certification, Surf Carnival, Bluff 2 Boat Ramp Fun Run and a significant number of break-time activities. Next week, we have two camps heading out including Gr 9 Outdoor Ed and our annual Gr 7 camp to Paton Park. Please encourage your child to take part in all the activities on offer as we understand the importance of feeling connected and the impact that has on a person’s wellbeing.

School Improvement
Each year our staff work tirelessly to make sure we are doing everything possible to ensure we are making the greatest possible growth in student learning. If a student doesn’t understand a concept, then we put in place the appropriate support to give the student the best possible chance of educational success. We have put an extensive amount of resources into staffing two intervention blocks per week, where students are placed in focused groups, based on their learning needs.

The staffing for intervention is outlined below:

Grade 7 - 6 classes - 10 Teachers, 6 Teacher Assistants

Grade 8 - 5 classes - 8 Teachers, 4 Teacher Assistants

Grade 9 - 5 classes - 8 Teachers, 4 Teacher Assistants

Grade 10 - 6 classes - 10 Teachers, 3 Teacher Assistants

The support students receive in intervention blocks is purposeful, timely and targeted, with students having specific targets they need to meet. Please start having conversations with your child about their intervention blocks and the work they have been doing.

Progress Report
A Progress Report will arrive home towards the end of term. The purpose of the report is to inform parents about how their child is settling into school and to advise them of any early areas of concern.  We are dictated to by the reporting template in how much information we can provide. If you would like to discuss information from the report, please contact the office and organise an appointment with your child’s teacher.

NAPLAN

Well done to all students in Gr 7 and 9 who have completed NAPLAN testing over the past two weeks. Seeing students put in their best effort and having a growth mindset about what they can do has been inspiring. We look forward to celebrating their results and growth later in the year.

Prefect Induction Assembly
We held our Prefect Induction Assembly last Friday, with a number of families present to support their child in this important phase of their leadership. Their journey has been simply amazing since beginning high school in 2020. I have worked closely with many of these students over their high school journey and know the wonderful leadership qualities they possess. I am looking forward to working with this team throughout 2023.

Kelsey Lewis was our guest speaker at our Prefect Induction Assembly and she delivered an inspiring speech to this group of young leaders. Kelsey is a former RHS student and has gone on to do a double degree in Arts and Law. We would like to thank Kelsey for her inspiring and thought provoking words. I’m sure many students and staff resonated with Kelsey’s key points. I have included them below as points to reflect upon.

Imperfect Pathways to success 

• Success as a destination does not equal perfect
• Success looks different for everyone
• An imperfect pathway involves unexpected outcomes, ‘failures’, getting uncomfortable, experiencing outcomes outside your control, change in direction and adaption

Valuable learning experiences 

• Experiences in your control - volunteering, going overseas, work experiences, school etc
• Experiences out of your control  - failures, setbacks and loss
• Lean into each experience, there is always something to learn

Mentors

• Mentors are evidence that success is imperfect 
• Mentors encourage or expose you to valuable learning experiences 
• Mentors help grow skills, set goals, encourage a new perspective on life and learning
• Find a motivated mentor, willing to commit their time to developing others.

 Realising Potential - Little Athletics

I would like to highlight Eva and Sianna's achievements recently. Both Eva and Sienna competed in The Little Athletics Tasmania State Individual Championships. Both girls received awards in the U13 Girls Sportsmanship Award with Eva Parker winning and Sienna being the runner up. The criteria is based on Enthusiasm, Determination, Improvement, Concern and Respect. Eva and Sianna were also selected to represent Tasmania at the 2023 Australian Little Athletics Championships in Melbourne in April. We are so proud of their achievements and look forward to seeing what the future holds for them in Athletics. Well done girls.

Grade 7 have been working hard in all areas of learning. Additional flexibility has been demonstrated during NAPLAN testing.

In English, we have been continuing with our persuasive writing techniques and how to write a P.E.E paragraph on the topic ‘Paper is better than plastic’. Students have been working to improve the persuasiveness of their paragraph to include literary devices of facts and statistics, emotive language, rhetorical questions and modality.

In Maths we are finishing our unit on number, ending with BIDMAS problems and an assessment covering factors, multiples, positive and negative numbers.  We are commencing our measurement unit focusing on perimeter and area of 2D shapes.

Science have been further exploring food webs. As pictured, students have been analysing an owl’s pellet. They will be looking at human impacts such as deforestation, lab grown meat and oil spills.

In HASS, students are looking at hominids (early human species) and marking when each species existed on a timeline. They are also practising their note taking and summarising skills to compare how each species was similar and different. 

Here are some photos of 7B and 7F in scientific roles, dissecting owl pellets. Students identified different organisms eaten by an owl to construct a food web.

Our focus for this term in Grade 8 English has been Aim Higher, Aim Wider. Throughout this unit we have been finding out what makes individuals inspirational. Earlier in the term, students completed some research into the story of Malala and her journey as a young Pakistani girl who received a Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 due to her extraordinary efforts as an education activist. More recently, students have been completing research into a recent recipient of an Australian of the Year award.  

Through the students’ research and discovery regarding what makes individuals inspirational, they have been able to refine their persuasive writing skills to make an argument for “which recipient is the most worthy of Australian of the Decade?” 

Grade 8 HaSS 

Blood in mucus; chills and fever; black buboes on the skin; believing that rubbing a freshly cut eel on your wound will heal you...  

These are some of the gruesome and quite amazing details we have been discussing as we have learnt about the Black Death. Despite having so many high-quality teaching moments throughout this unit, unfortunately, one of the most memorable lessons has been singing a Black Death song to the tune of ‘Hollaback Girl.’ 

Black Death - HD VERSION ("Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Sefani) 

This week, we will be finishing off the Black Death Unit with an Historical Report assessment task before moving into our new unit: Civics and Citizenship. 

Our Grade 9 students have been busy over the last 2 weeks sitting The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing.  It has been a gratifying experience for the Grade 9 team to be able to observe students putting in their ‘Best Effort’ and having a growth mindset about what they can do. In a sometimes stressful and challenging situation, our students have shown resilience and maturity in the way they have conducted themselves. Well done to all involved!

The attendance wall on display in the Grade 9 area has recently been updated, reflecting an increase in attendance across the grade. After a significant drop in our percentage in week 3, it is pleasing to see our attendance is on the rise.  In Grade 9 we can’t emphasise enough that regular attendance is key to academic success as it allows students to stay on top of assignments and gain a thorough understanding of class material. A special mention to 9B who are leading the way! It would be great to see every class aiming for 90% or higher.

It was a pleasure to welcome our Reece families to our school on Tuesday evening for our ‘Meet and Greet’ opportunity. Being able to share our space with the significant adults in our students’ lives was a productive and rewarding experience.

Last week in classes, students went through the process of nominating and voting for three class members to represent their classes as this years SRC members. Our Senior School Representatives will participate in meetings through a 3-week rotation system. Congratulations to those who were successful in their position, and we look forward to hearing what wonderful ideas you have to share with us.

As the term draws to an end, students are busy working on a variety of tasks.  In English, students are well on their way completing their persuasive essays which address the question ‘Should we be able to keep wild animals captive?’. This will form their first English assessment task. For their final assessment in HASS, students are about to embark on an assignment that will assess their knowledge of the key concepts of historical inquiry, and significant events from the 1750 – 1918 time period. In Maths, students are completing a unit on surface area and volume, as well as representing large and small numbers using scientific notation. This links beautifully to the Science unit we have just completed on particles inside the Atom. We end our term with a focus on balancing our Human Body Systems with Homeostasis.

It has been another busy couple of weeks for Grade 10 students. As mentioned in an earlier report, students travelled to Burnie for two days of Resilience training. Phase one was held at the Burnie PCYC. Students completed a range of obstacles that required them to work as a team and communicate effectively. Phase two was an entirely different kettle of fish. To say it was a tough day would be an understatement. Students travelled to View Road Park in Burnie to participate in a variety of challenges, all while carrying quite heavy loads. Those who attended did a fantastic job of working together to combat the different obstacles. Well done team!!

We strongly encourage students to make the most of the opportunities offered throughout Grade 10. One of these opportunities is First Aid training. This has been an excellent opportunity for students to gain this accreditation as potential employers find this a desirable qualification.

As we come to the end of term, students are reminded about the expectations highlighted at the beginning of the year: attending school at 90% or greater; completing all set assessment tasks and consistently showing our four school values. If you feel that your child needs support in any of these areas, please get in contact with their principal teacher. I have attached email addresses below.

Sarah Elliott (Grade Leader/10A and F English) sarah.j.elliott@decyp.tas.gov.au

Abbey Howard (10A and F HASS) abbey.howard@decyp.tas.gov.au

Jack Pears-Cavanagh (10A and F Maths/Science) jack.pears-cavanagh@decyp.tas.gov.au

Richard Robinson (10B and D Maths/Science) richard.robinson@decyp.tas.gov.au

Stuart Crabtree (10B and D English/HASS) stuart.crabtree@decyp.tas.gov.au

Jesse Connors (10C and E English/HASS) jesse.connors@decyp.tas.gov.au

Courtney Hizartzidis (10C and E Maths/Science) courtney.hizartzidis@decyp.tas.gov.au

Tegan Wiseman (10C and E Maths/Science) tegan.sims@decyp.tas.gov.au

Students are having a great term in Music. The focus for Term 1 has been on improving technical skills and playing with correct technique. Students have learnt a variety of songs ranging from 'Freak' by Silverchair, 'Lovely' by Billie Eilish, 'Happy Birthday' and 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath. Grade 8s have been learning the 12 Bar Blues which will see them work in groups to learn songs by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Bill Haley and the Comets. We’re looking forward to seeing and hearing completed songs as they near the end of the term and perform in their class concerts.

NAIDOC Week is just around the corner!!

The 2023 National NAIDOC Week theme is For Our Elders. 
 
Across every generation, our Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and hold a prominent place in our communities and families. 
 
They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones. 
 
Our loved ones who pick us up in our low moments and celebrate us in our high ones. Who cook us a feed to comfort us and pull us into line, when we need them too.  
 
They guide our generations and pave the way for us to take the paths we can take today. Guidance, not only through generations of advocacy and activism, but in everyday life and how to place ourselves in the world.  

We draw strength from their knowledge and experience, in everything from land management, cultural knowledge to justice and human rights. Across multiple sectors like health, education, the arts, politics and everything in between, they have set the many courses we follow. 
 
The struggles of our Elders help to move us forward today. The equality we continue to fight for is found in their fight. Their tenacity and strength has carried the survival of our people. 

It is their influence and through their learnings that we must ensure that when it comes to future decision making for our people, there is nothing about us - without us. 

We pay our respects to the Elders we’ve lost and to those who continue fighting for us across all our Nations and we pay homage to them. 
 
In 2023, how will we celebrate For Our Elders? 

If you have any ideas, can you please contact Gill Brazendale – Aboriginal Education Officer at gillian.brazendale@decyp.tas.gov.au

We are going to trial pre ordering lunch orders for Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to pre order, come to the kitchen between 8.15 and the music starting on Monday and Thursday morning; you can order and pay for your lunch, and you will get a receipt that you will have to present when collecting. Come to the side door in the canteen at lunch to collect your order.