Thank you
Next week is our final week of Term 2 and what a busy term it has been. We have managed to pack in a whole range of opportunities for students including Cross Country, School Social, camps, and class excursions. All this whilst trying to dodge winter sickness and maintaining high levels of learning for all.
I have been impressed with the resilience of staff and students to make the most of all of these opportunities during these colder months. I wish all students a happy and safe break at the end of next week and look forward to the opportunities that are available in Term 3.
A reminder that the first Monday of Term 3 - 24^th July is a Professional Learning Day for staff and a Student Free Day for students. We will welcome students back to school on Tuesday 25^th July. 

Reporting
The past few weeks have been busy for teachers with assessments and report collation dominating their evenings and weekends. This week we had the opportunity to meet with families to discuss progress across all learning areas. We were impressed by the number of families that took advantage of our 3-way conference sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was also great to have Don Staff on hand to support Grade 10 families with any questions relating to their Year 11 and 12 programs.

Attendance
As a school we make a commitment to your family that your child will receive more than one year’s growth within a school year. Our teaching and learning program support students to understand concepts that are essential to being successful in the next grade or across curriculum areas. If your child is regularly absent from school, then this commitment is difficult to achieve. They will miss essential instruction and find it difficult to understand more difficult concepts in the future. The table below demonstrates the importance of attending school each day, but also highlights the importance of being on time. Again, if your child is late to school, they miss out on the essential instruction at the beginning of the day and while teachers re – explain this, other students must wait for their support.

Colours Assembly
On Thursday next week, we will hold our Colours Assembly. This is a celebration assembly to recognise those students who have performed extremely well inside and outside the classroom. All the students receiving colours have their own individual story that would involve setbacks, but with perseverance and focusing on our school value of “Best Effort” have excelled in their chosen field.

The Colours Assembly concept was engineered by a past HPE teacher in Derek Marsh. The idea for his concept came from a teacher exchange in 1987. Mr Marsh’s idea was taken from a High School in England which focused on recognising those students who excelled in different areas in the school and within the wider community. It recognises those students who have excelled in their area of expertise. It is great to see that Mr Marsh’s legacy lives on today. 

Realising Potential Celebration Night
Last Thursday, we held our Realising Potential Celebration Night. This showcased a range of talent from our Realising Potential subjects, including: music performances, artworks, MDT projects, photos of cooking and language monologues. Well done to all students involved in the amazing showcase of talent. These opportunities allow students to shine and share their pride in their work with families and our community.

Grade 7 students are almost halfway through their first year of high school, and time is flying!

Realising Potential subjects for the first half of the year are winding up, and students have completed a sensational portfolio of work. While some have found the subjects challenging, others have discovered new talents and interests that they may like to pursue in future grades.

In Grade 7, Realising Potential Subjects are Music, Drama, Art, MDT, Cooking and Digital Technology.

7A, 7C and 7D have been presenting their Melodrama assessments this week – here are some photos from activities earlier in the year.

Vignettes

In English this term, students in Grade 9 have been studying the novel ‘By the River’ by Steven Herrick. As part of the unit, they have explored the free verse writing style he uses, in particular vignettes. Students used this structure to create their own vignettes, which captures a significant moment of their lives. The displays below show some of their work.

Rewards Day

On Monday 26^th June, a group of around 60 Grade 9 students were invited to attend our rewards day. This day celebrated those students who have consistently demonstrated the school values and kept their attendance above 90%. We walked to the Reading Cinema to watch the newest Transformers movie, ‘Rise of the Beasts’, then spent lunchtime enjoying the sunshine before walking back to school. Students who did not receive an invite this time will have another opportunity in the second half of the year to attend our next rewards day.

 

Excel Spreadsheets

The Data and Statistics unit being studied in Maths this term has given students the opportunity to practise using Excel Spreadsheets to import and analyse data. The Grade 9 teachers believe this is an important skill for students to use in a real-world context.    

To our esteemed Reece High Community,

WOW!

What a week it has been in Grade 10. I have so much to write about that I may need to start a podcast (hint, hint, Mr Crabtree….)

Firstly, we have had Adam Haywood in from Master Builders Australia to speak with students about apprenticeships in the building industry. This was a fantastic opportunity for students to begin planning for their future careers. Thankyou Tash Armitstead for organising this and all the hard work she does in providing our students with great career opportunities.

We then had a group of students venture to the state’s capital, Hobart. Fun Fact, Hobart is the second oldest city in Australia after Sydney. Speaking of old, poor old Robbo had to make the journey down with students, braving the elements. A special mention to Annabel who forgot her raincoat and borrowed Robbo’s, who then had to stand in the rain all Thursday and Friday.

These students, aka the ‘Fish People” had the opportunity to attain their coxswain certificate 1 as part of this trip. 

A special thankyou to Miss Loone and Robbo for giving up their time for our students to have experiences such as these.

Lastly, we have all of Year 10 undergoing exams this week. On Tuesday, students completed their English exam and on Wednesday, their Maths exam. Mr Connors was very impressed with how well behaved and dedicated the students have been during this process. Students have been abiding to very strict rules and giving their best effort thus far.

Good luck Grade 10s with the rest of your exams!

Recently, we (the RHS Prefect Board) hosted a neon/glow-in-the-dark themed social for all of our peers to let loose and enjoy being social and becoming half deaf. We were very pleased with the attendance and all the smiles we saw throughout, especially during the activities we ran such as Limbo and our best dressed competition, Down the Catwalk. A special mention to Indy in Grade 7 for taking home best dressed with her fluorescent costume featuring a fairy light tutu. It was great seeing everyone laughing and dancing together. We are looking at what other large whole school event we may be able to hold this year, maybe another social, please let us know if you have any ideas.

Realising Potential Celebration Evening

Thank you to everyone who supported our Realising Potential Celebration Evening on Thursday the 22^nd of June. We had a range of M.D.T projects and artworks on display and some fantastic music performances and French readings. It was great to celebrate the amazing talent of our students at Reece High School.