Reporting

It is that time of the year when staff are working incredibly hard to provide you with an accurate picture of your child’s learning. Mid-year reporting provides this opportunity, and it is one that teachers take extremely seriously. We have spent significant time ensuring that all teachers have common expectations of student achievement and that their predictions about your child’s achievement is as accurate as possible.

This report will reflect the feedback your child has already received in class and will be in line with the information on the numerous assessment rubrics, teachers are using with students in class. 

Due to feedback in recent years, we are giving families a chance to view the report before coming in for 3-way conferences. This will give the parent and student a chance to reflect on assessments before talking with the teacher about the student’s learning. You will notice that there is now no written aspect of the report due to the new DECYP reporting guidelines, therefore, we encourage all parents and students to be part of the 3-way conference process.

Reports will be sent home on Friday 23 June. Included with the report will be a letter that outlines how families can book in for 3-way conferences. They will take place in week 10 at the following times.

• Tuesday 27 June - 3.00pm to 7.30pm (All Teachers)
• Wednesday 28 June - 3.00pm to 5.30pm (All Teachers)

Vaping and young people 

The rising number of children and young people vaping is a growing issue of concern in our community.  

Electronic cigarettes (vapes) can be appealing to young people due to bright colours and flavours. But no vapes are safe as they are often full of harmful chemicals and nicotine.  For this reason, vapes can be addictive and harmful for lungs, brain development and general health.  

It is important to talk to your children about vaping. If this is a concern, try to be understanding, compassionate and non-judgemental as you support them to learn more about the dangers of vaping or in seeking support to quit. 

Information on what vaping is, the impacts and how to support your child is available on the new Department for Education, Children and Young People webpage on vaping, which can be accessed here: 

https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/about-us/projects/child-student-wellbeing/vaping/  

YEP! Program Launch

The Commissioner for Children and Young People is excited to announce that our YEP! program is officially launching on 9 May, 2023. Your Engagement Place (YEP!) is a place where children and young people under the age of 18 can find ways to engage with CCYP and other organisations around Tasmania to have a voice on things that matter to them. Any child and young person aged under 18 who registers before 9 June enters the membership draw for a chance to win an iPad. Children and young people can register here.

You can check out our YEP! hub now by visiting our new CCYP website. If you are an adult and would like to keep up to date with current engagement opportunities available to children and young people in Tasmania, fill out our adult subscription form.

Should you have any questions at all about the new program or wish to promote an ethical engagement opportunity open to young Tasmanians, please do not hesitate to email us at childcomm@childcomm.tas.gov.au or call us on (03) 6166 1366 

Grade 10/11 Elements of Shipboard Safety Training

This week, Miss Loone and I have been in Hobart working with  a group of Grade 10 and 11 students who participated in two courses (Shipboard Safety and Fire Safety) as part of our VET Course in Seafood and Maritime Operations. The experience definitely took us outside our comfort zone, having to jump from a height into water, turn over a capsized life raft and support each other to survive in extremely cold conditions. We even got the chance to use fire extinguishers on different types of fires. I would personally like to thank Miss Loone for organising this valuable learning experience. A highlight was watching students skipper two different sized boats around the Derwent River. Their confidence grew immensely throughout the week and it has certainly opened their eyes to future career opportunities. All students can now legally operate a vessel up to 12 metres long! What an achievement!

Student Achievement
At school we are constantly recognising student achievement through assemblies, the newsletter, Facebook and post cards. We would also like to highlight some of the fantastic work people are doing outside of school. These could range from making a North West sporting team to gaining a place in an eisteddfod. The only way we hear about these events is if students let us know. Please feel free to email me (thomas.murray@decyp.tas.gov.au) a photo and a description of the achievement so we can recognise this in the school newsletter.

Levies – NOW OVERDUE  
Levies were due in full by Friday 7^th April.  If you haven’t paid these by now and need more time, please contact the School Business Manager on 64208100 to discuss a Time Payment Agreement by Friday 26/05/202, or otherwise make payment in full as a matter of urgency by Bpay, Service Tasmania or call into the school office to make payment.  Please be aware that debts which remain outstanding, will be referred to the Department of Education for follow up action.             

In Grade 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.

HASS has started two new units for this term. Our history unit is focusing on the rise and fall of Ancient Rome, and historical figures such as Julius Caesar. In our Economics unit we will look at how the economy works and what impacts it.

This term in Science in Grade 8 we have been wrapping up our Biology unit with a culminating performance of investigating bionic organs. Students were able to choose from the following scientific advancements:

• Bionic Eye
• Artificial heart/ heart valve
• 3D Printed skin tissues
• Artificial womb

Students were required to investigate and analyse how different factors influence and lead to developments and change in scientific knowledge. The students found out who discovered their scientific development and how it has impacted science, society and history and why its creation was needed. They presented their findings on a poster.

Term 2 is now well underway, and our Grade 9 cohort have made a strong and positive start to their learning. Currently in English, we are learning to create our own micro-fiction story following the theme of either war, eco-fiction, or relationships. In HASS, we are learning about the Industrial Revolution, whilst focusing on analysing sources. For Maths, we have been investigating linear relationships and the connections between graphs, tables, and equations. In Science we have been modelling the Law of Conservation of Energy. Students completed the Water Bucket Challenge, making connections between the transfer of water and energy, connecting the fact that both water and energy cannot be created or destroyed, but changed in place or form. 

Our Grade 9 students have also been hard at work in their Realising Potential subjects making wonderful creations in the kitchen.

Grow for Good students visit

Costa Strawberry Farm

Claire Broadfield, 4/5/23

A group of eight Grade 9 science students recently visited the Costa strawberry farm as part of the Devonport Community House’s (DCH) ‘Grow for Good’ program funded in partnership by the Tasmanian Community Fund, DCH and Reece High. We left the school around 11am and travelled to Costa’s strawberry farm located in East Devonport. We talked about Costa as a fresh produce supplier nationally and internationally, and the general production cycle of strawberries in Tasmania. Next, we had a short walk in the rare sunny Tasmanian autumn weather to the research block at the strawberry farm and compared some of the new varieties being trialled this season. We discussed the variables that could impact a research trial of such a large scale as well as why research is important to a large business such as Costa. The students were very engaged and their feedback on the visit was very positive. The students thoroughly enjoyed a taste comparison between the varieties and were encouraged to think about how they would conduct a similar trial as if it was part of their profession when they leave school.

Overall, the visit was a huge success with all of the students appearing fully engaged and showing lots of enthusiasm for the visit. Some students are now considering a career in agriculture science or looking at doing work experience with Costa in the future.

Corresponding well with the commemoration of ANZAC Day last month, it has been fantastic to see the Grade 10 students engaging with World War II content in English and Humanities. World War II involved over 100 million soldiers from more than fifty countries across the globe.

In Humanities, students are critically analysing and examining these past events to understand better the political, environmental, social and health outcomes of World War II.

The humanities history topic coincides with English, where students are reading and responding to the following texts; 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', 'Animal Farm' or 'Then'. Students have shown great interest in these texts, and we encourage them to keep up their enthusiasm and engagement.

A few timely reminders:

As the last newsletter update mentioned, RYDA (driver safety) day is coming up. It is important that all Year 10 students participate, to enhance their skills as our future road users.

Secondly, as leaders within the school, Grade 10 students are asked to set an example for younger students and display their 'Best Effort' at our upcoming Cross Country.

Congratulations to 10C, who had the highest percentage of assignments completed and handed in during Term One! Keep up the excellent work, 10C, but look out, as 10A, 10B and 10D are already off to a great start for Term Two! The Grade 10 Team

We have started off the term busy and enthusiastic in Grade 7 & 8 Art. 2 Block Grade 8 Art students have completed an artist research task and are now creating clay shoes sculptures inspired by Pop Art. Grade 8 Wearable Art students have been experimenting with tie-dying and stencilling on fabric and fabric bags and 1 Block Grade 8 Art students are working on developing their painting skills through silhouette paintings. Lastly Grade 7 Art students have been experimenting with clay making processes to make pinch pot sculptures. They can’t wait to paint their sculptures at the end of the term once they have been fired in the kiln.

Just a  reminder  to all students and staff that they can now come to  the kitchen before the music on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings to pre-order their lunch from the canteen.

That way there's no chance of missing out