Filter Content
Dear Parents and Families,
Welcome to Spring; I think we are all enjoying the opportunity to get out and about in the warmer weather. What a busy fortnight it has been! The highlights have been numerous and include:
- Last Friday Grade 9 students’ completed Leadership and Personal Development Training held in the facilities at Newstead College. There have been many positive reports of how valuable students found this experience. The emphasis is on personal development and continuing to build leadership skills and qualities which are used in many aspects of life. The program also plays an important part in assisting Grade 9 students who aspire to leadership positions in our school next year, with processes for this getting underway. Well done to Grade 9 for the way they represented our school whilst out in the community.
- Our Grade 9 Mentors have been very busy visiting the primary schools to support our Transition Program and have been invaluable in building relationships with Grade 6 students and supporting younger students to get to know our school. It has been fantastic to hear so much positive feedback about the mature way in which Grade 9 students are conducting themselves as positive young role models and great ambassadors for our school. Well done!
- During the last two weeks Grade 10 students have completed their exams. It was great to receive such positive feedback about the mature and responsible way in which students approached the exams. The exams do provide an important opportunity for students to experience the exam process and learn how to manage this situation. I know our students will benefit greatly from this. The exams are also an important part of our assessment. The feedback and further learning that takes place following exams is an important reason why the exam period is held in Term Three.
- Our teams have enjoyed the competition provide through the NHSSA Sports roster, with a number of teams competing in Finals this week. This includes the Hockey team, both Netball 1sts teams, the 1sts Football team and the 2nds Soccer team. Well done to all students who have represented Riverside High in Wednesday Afternoon Sport, along with Saturday Netball. It is great to hear regular feedback about the sportsmanship and teamwork displayed by our students. A huge thank you to all of our staff who have supported sports teams, including some very early and cold Saturday mornings at netball!
- Our Music Department has been buzzing in recent weeks as students have busily rehearsed and performed in the Battle of the Bands and the Northern heat of the Rock Challenge. It has been fantastic to see such improvement in their performances and level of confidence. Tonight one of our bands will represent the school in the State Final of the Rock Challenge at the Door of Hope. Good luck to Tastefully Lame! A huge thank you to our Music staff for their ongoing work to support our students. Thank you to everyone who has come along to watch our bands; it has been great to see such high levels of support.
In school ‘Property Damage’
Riverside High School community has a whole school expectation for respecting and caring for school environment including facilities and resources. Our whole school approach involves staff and students regularly discussing and acknowledging the positive and responsible decision making and behaviours in relation to caring for and respecting our school environment and facilities. We are very fortunate that on the whole, our students care about our school environment and are generally very responsible in looking after our facilities and equipment.
However, unfortunately there are times when damage occurs and sometimes this is due to either deliberate or reckless behaviour. We have a school policy, developed in collaboration with the School Association, which outlines a process whereby students would be expected to take responsibility for deliberate damage or damage that is caused when students are behaving in a reckless or irresponsible manner. This includes a minimum fee of 50% or the full cost of any damage under $50.00. Any incident would always be investigated thoroughly and communicated to parents, but it is important that you are aware of this policy and the responsibility that students have. Damage that is deemed accidental would not incur a cost.
2022 Dates
To assist with planning for next year please be aware of the following term dates:
- Term 1: 9th February -14th April
- Term 2: 2nd May - 8th July
- Term 3: 25th July – 30th September
- Term 4: 17th October – 21st December
Please note that Professional Learning Days and Moderation Day (student free days) are yet to be finalised.
In Closing
We still have much to look forward to on our calendar in the next couple of weeks including our Drama students who are rehearsing intensely for the upcoming Drama Evening and Deloraine Drama Festival; we look forward to the opportunity for students to showcase their work.
We also have a number of other events coming up including a number of teams competing in Write a Book in a Day, the Girls and Boys Netball Carnival, the Girls Football Gala Day and a whole school assembly to celebrate the end of term.
As we move into the last two weeks of Term 3, I would like to commend students on the way they are working and encourage them to maintain their efforts and focus so that they get the very best from this valuable learning time. We look forward to a positive and productive end to the term.
Natalie Odgers
Lawson Health and Wellbeing Prefects
Hello everyone, we are Emily and Brodie and this year we are your Lawson Health and Well Being Prefects for 2021.
Being Health and Wellbeing Prefects, we strive to support a healthy society within our school as well as sustaining and improving the mental and physical wellbeing of our students, staff and wider community. We also aim to unite our house in sporting meets like the Swimming Carnival, Cross Country and the Athletics Carnival.
Together, we are both passionate about the sports we play. Brodie enjoys swimming, where he has been a competitive swimmer for the past 5 years and enjoyed the opportunity of travelling all over Asia. He is also passionate about footy and basketball. Emily has a strong passion for touch football, with her team placing 2nd in the Adelaide Championships. As well as touch football, Emily also enjoys netball. Together we both revel in a team atmosphere and working with or around new and familiar people.
The Grade 8 House Assistant is a role for two students to help with carnivals, at house meetings and other events or activities throughout the year. We would like to congratulate our two House Assistants Gloreah 8G and Charley 8C for stepping up and helping us out this year.
In 2021, we are eager to bring new ideas to the Board but also continue to improve recent ones. We are approachable and are open to any questions and suggestions you have. We are both very excited to lead Lawson through 2021!
Riverside High School’s Music program has two key features: Gradual Release and Inquiry based learning. This is achieved through assisting students in identifying their music interests and looking at ways in which they can interact with this interest, whether it is through practical, analytical or compositional learning. By taking this approach students’ engagement is sustained through their time in the course. The Music program also offers many opportunities for students to develop performance skills outside of the classroom. Below are few of our most recent events:
Esk Band Workshop
On Thursday 18th August a group of Riverside Music students accompanied by Mr Potter, travelled to Newstead College and participated in a workshop with other students from across Launceston schools. The day was all about building strengths, teamwork and developing ensemble skills. The students worked on several pieces of music reaching a very high standard by the end of the day.
The Battle of the Bands
The Music program's biggest event of the year was held at Door of Hope on Thursday 5th August. The night saw 10 acts and a total of 21 songs performed brilliantly under 1.5 hours. The event itself is wonderful for a number of reasons:
- It demonstrates the talent of RHS students
- It creates a team like and supportive atmosphere
- Students are given the opportunity to perform in front of an audience
- Each grade is represented by students doing either performance or tech roles.
Battle of the Band Winners:
Off the Rock: SassC (Chloe 9D and Robbie 9G)
Band Section: Tastefully Lame (Bailey 9B, Elliot 10E, Noah 9D and Riley 10E)
Rock Challenge
On Friday 3rd September Riverside High School was represented by 4 groups at the Northern Heat of the Tasmanian Rock Challenge. The groups involved were the two winners from the RHS Battle of the Bands as well as Little Things (Ruby 9D and Taj 9G) and Delay Time (Harry 10F, Jasper 10A and Oliver 9D). All groups performed well and were great ambassadors for the school. Tastefully Lame were successful in the quest to perform at the State Final which occurs tonight 10th September at Door of Hope. Good luck and congratulations to all involved.
Mr Sam Rainbird
Subject Leader: Music
Girls Football has been a new addition to the NHSSA winter sport roster this year, with Riverside placing one team into the competition. This has been an exciting opportunity for girls to experience one of Australia’s favourite sports. With many girls not having much experience it was great to see those who have played before stepping up to support their team mates – especially our captain Taylor.
A rocky start to the season with the girls struggling to gain momentum with two byes in the first three weeks we went into the second half with a lot to prove. Once the girls had the chance to play a few games they were feeling more confident with their range of skills and abilities. They have seen some very close losses and wins throughout their season. Our backline – Tori, Emma-Leigh, Maddi, Millie, Isabelle L, Nelly & Maggie - deserve an honourable mention with their steady ability to perform consistently throughout the entire season. Our midfield and forward key players consisted of – Marlea, Rori Chelsea, Loganne, Bella & Isabelle F who along with the rest of our team worked together to use each other’s strengths to move the ball up the field.
The most memorable game played would be our last. We saw lots of girls step up and play their best game with over 10 goals being scored by multiple members of the team. Each player on the field contributed to this massive 67-point win!
Hopefully this season is just the start of RHS’s successful girls football career and the start of many students’ passion for AFL.
Miss Emma Groves
RHS celebrated Science Week in a number of different ways. Students were encouraged to solve science riddles with a different riddle being published each day in the daily bulletin. During the week, Science classes across the grades were presented with STEM activities related to food production and transport. The students committed to the activities with enthusiasm, producing many creative and functional designs and having fun along the way.
Grade 7
Grade 7 Science classes were presented with the following challenge: Bean challenge
“In front of you is a jar of the last beans a farmer has and without them separated they cannot plant them as each require a different soil to grow. They also cannot throw them away as this year’s crop hasn’t been successful.
They have collected up all the materials they have at the farm and sat them in a pile. They aren’t creative so they have asked you to come up with a way of separating the beans so they can plant them and have an income. Due to their crop not being successful, you can only use the materials they have piled up as they don’t have any money to buy anything else. They have also asked that whatever you use can be recycled and used again after you have separated the beans.”
Grade 8
Grade 8 classes were presented with the following challenge: Pack a Snack (better than Australia Post …)
“You are home alone, and your parents call to ask you to send a singular biscuit to them on their holiday as there are people there who have never seen the biscuit they are talking about. They have asked you to make sure the biscuit gets to them intact. You have found the following items in your house to make up the package:
- 1 sheet of baking paper
- 1 sheet of Aluminium foil
- 1 sheet of glad wrap
- 1 cotton ball
- 1 paper straw
- 1 piece of cardboard
- 1 piece of string
On the journey, the packaging and biscuit must survive the following obstacles:
- Left in the sun for 2 minutes,
- Caught in a rain shower for 30 seconds
- They must also survive driving along a bumpy road with a weight put on them, as anything that goes in the post will eventually be stacked under other packages.
The package will need to be the correct size to fit on the truck and when the package arrives at its destination, your parents will need to be able to get the biscuit out easily.
Your package will be scored on durability (is it still intact) and creativity (how you use the materials). You will also get points for how much of your package is able to be dismantled and sorted into piles for recycling. “
The students took up the challenge with enthusiasm and nearly every biscuit made the journey intact!
Grade 9
Grade 9 students were presented with a water transport challenge: Trash sliders
“The transport of water from one place to another is often quite challenging. You are part of a community in a third world country which relies on a well for water. The well itself is up on a hill so you and the other community members have to transfer water down the hill into the community every day.
One of the farms in the community is on fire and you need to get the water down into the community from the well to put the fire out as fast as possible to save the farm.
On top of the hill next to the well you find a bunch of trash laying in a pile. Your task is to create a slider out of the trash which will transfer a container of water as quickly as possible down the slope whilst not spilling any of the water.
The design of the slider must meet the following two conditions:
- You must use the long-life milk container to hold the plastic cup and attach the sliding mechanism you design to the container. The milk container must be returned intact at the end of the activity.
- The plastic cup must be used to contain the water and is not allowed to have a lid.
- The slider mechanism must hold the bottom of the milk container at least 5cm above the slope.
You will be given 130ml of water to carry down the slope. You will be scored on the success of reaching the bottom of the slope, the creativity of the design and the amount of water successfully carried.”
Due to the potential for water spillage, testing was carried out in the courtyard. Fortunately, the weather was mostly fine, and students had a great time testing their “Trash sliders”.
Grade 10
Pack a Snack (better than Australia Post …)
Grade 10 students were presented with the same challenge as the Grade 8 students with the addition of a marshmallow to pack along with their biscuit. They were also given a budget of $10 to purchase materials to make their package. The biscuit and marshmallow not only had to survive the trip, but the package had to be easy to open at the end.
The materials they were provided with were as follows:
- 50c per paper straw
- 50c per cotton ball
- $1 per sheet of paper
- $1 per piece of string
- $2 per sheet of baking paper
- $3 per sheet of Aluminium foil
- $3 per sheet of cardboard
- $5 per sheet of cling wrap
Students were scored on the effectiveness of the packaging (condition of biscuit and marshmallow on return) minus the costs of their materials.
There were some great designs with most biscuits and marshmallows surviving intact!
Jane Farrell
Lab Tech
Leadership, Personal and Social Development Program
On Friday 3rd September all Grade 9 students participated in a Leadership, Personal and Social Development Program. Students worked in mixed groups with a facilitating teacher, where they undertook activities designed to to prepare them for their role as senior students in our school. The purpose of the program was to develop the four interrelated elements from the Australian Curriculum Personal and Social Capability Learning Continuum, as listed below. This day held some valuable information and learning for all students, regardless of their future leadership aspirations – well done Grade 9 students on your conduct, application and commitment to this program – it was a very enjoyable day for both students and staff.
At the conclusion of this program, students were given further information regarding the process for nominating for leadership roles next year, should they wish to do so. Applications for the role of Prefect and Peer Mentor are currently in progress with applications for both positions due 9am Friday 10th September. We wish our students all the best in their leadership application process.
Self-awareness o recognise emotions o recognise personal qualities and achievements o understand themselves as learners o develop reflective practice. |
Social awareness o appreciate diverse perspectives o contribute to civil society o understand relationships.
|
Self-management o express emotions appropriately o develop self-discipline and set goals o work independently and show initiative o become confident, resilient and adaptable.
|
Social management o communicate effectively o work collaboratively o make decisions o negotiate and resolve conflict o develop leadership skills. |
Toby Musovic
Grade 9 Leader
Hockey
Riverside High School’s Hockey Team went into the finals yesterday as the favourites, having secured mostly wins all season with only one draw. However, as we all know, anything can happen in a sporting final and the team was unusually quiet on their bus trip to the big game. With the whole team present and Chad back in goals we were ready to take on Cressy for the title. And boy did we come out firing!
It wasn’t long into the first half before a beautiful run on the wing by Lacey managed to draw the defence out and with a cracking couple of passes across the field, Franki was in the perfect position to slot one in and put us on the board. Isabel who played a brilliant game in defence, always calm and cool under pressure and expertly feeding the ball to our forward players found herself in a position to slot our second. Jack made some excellent second efforts and was able to draw out defensive players allowing Franki again to score before half time putting us up 3 – 0 at the break.
Thomas and Jordan played spectacularly as our half backs where they found themselves again and again in great positions to feed the ball forward creating opportunity after opportunity. Blair was so close on so many occasions and almost found the back of the net and Ripley made some excellent interceptions, stopping the ball from entering our defensive circle many times. Jayden, Kaden and F’Romsa seemed to just know where each other was going to be and combined beautifully to constantly put Cressy’s defence under pressure. The goals continued to come in the second half with F’Romsa, Kaden, Jayden and Lacey all finding the back of the net and in the dying minutes of the game Max slotted one in from the right hand post to secure the win with a final score of 8 – 1. F’romsa was awarded Player of the Final, much to the delight of his teammates.
Yesterday’s match was an outstanding display of teamwork and sportsmanship. Our passing and vision was exceptional and the game was an absolute joy to watch. This team has understood the importance of feeding the ball to players who are in a better position than themselves and play unselfish and tactical hockey. The game was an absolute pleasure to watch and I am immensely proud of the hard work and dedication they have displayed over the course of the season. A well-deserved win!
Football
Riverside High School played Queechy High School in the Senior Firsts Football Grand Final at Prospect Park on Wednesday evening.
A cold and blustery evening greeted the players and a playing surface that was in immaculate conditions considering the winter we have had this year. Riverside won the toss and kicked with the breeze in the first quarter. Unfortunately they couldn’t make the most of this assistance and were 10 points down at quarter time.
Riverside kicked the first goal of the second term but were then under constant onslaught for the remainder of the quarter. Queechy were playing some free flowing and fast style of play and were able to score freely in the second half of the quarter, taking a 24 point lead into the half time break.
In the third quarter Riverside were able to play a far more accountable style of play and as a result, create a more contested game. This suited Riverside as players like Schoenmaker, Bedford and May were able to use there size to impact more contests. Riverside kicked 2 goals in the last 4 minutes to only be behind by 10 points at ¾ time and having all the momentum.
Try as they might, Riverside couldn’t break the shackles of a very strong Queechy midfield and with Queechy kicking the last three goals of the game were able to run out 25 point winners.
Queechy 9-9-63
Riverside 5-8-38
Goals
C.McCormack 2, , C.Atkins 2, and A.Schoenmaker
Best Players
C.Atkins, A. Schoenmaker, T.Odgers, C. Bedford, L.May, R.Shields
Netball
Senior 1sts Netball:
What’s better than a Riverside team in the grand final? Two Riverside teams in the same grand final.
That was the position for our Div 1 Blue and Gold netball teams yesterday.
In front of an awesome crowd of their peers, the girls put on a great display of high quality netball with only 1 goal the difference at half time, due to some excellent defensive work from Gold’s Alice E.
A number of positional changes at half time saw the Blue team start to edge ahead with eventual player of the final Emily B getting some crucial intercepts once moving to Centre and Ava G dominating in the goal circle.
The final quarter was again a tight affair with Gold’s Callie G and Poppy J battling hard but with some excellent team defence from Eva H, the Blue team rallied to take out the game 28-18.
Coaches Mrs Gibson and Miss Ferrall were very proud of all the girls who played the game in excellent spirit and should be very proud of an excellent season.
Mandy Gibson
Soccer
After a long and hard fought season, the Senior 2nds Soccer Final came down to a top of the table clash between Star of the Sea and Riverside High. Star of the Sea were coming in favourites, finishing in first position and winning the only encounter between the two teams earlier in the season. This didn’t bother Riverside one bit and they were up for the challenge from the start. Working as a team and playing some of the best soccer they had played this year, Sungjoo slotted home his first goal of the game giving Riverside the lead heading into half-time. In the second half, Riverside had a strong wind behind them which they used to their advantage to put the Star of the Sea defence under immense pressure. Sungjoo managed to slot home his second goal with Joel sealing the game with one of his own. Credit must go to the whole team for a fantastic game and to Keini who was awarded best on ground in the 3-0 win.
Grade 10 - Class of 21 - Hoodies
Ordering for Grade 10 Hoodies is now available. Here are the key points:
- Grade 10 students are given a letter as well as emailed a link to an order page
- Students can try on the different sized hoodies at school
- Students can place either their first name or surname on the hoodie under the cohort list (no nicknames)
- Cost of hoodie is $74
- Payment goes direct to merchant (school doesn’t handle any payments)
- Closing date is September 23rd
- Students receive hoodies in December
- Hoodies are not compulsory