issue no. 2: monday 29 february 2016 - taroona high school... · issue no. 2: monday 29 february...
TRANSCRIPT
Taroona High School
Department of Education
Key Dates for 2016
Tue 1 March
Swimming Carnival
Wed 2 & Thu 3 March
School Photos
Tue 8 March - 8.40am
Investiture Assembly
Mon 14 March
8 Hour Day Holiday
Mon 21 March - 7.30pm
THSA Annual General Meeting
Tue 22 March - 8.30—1.00pm
Grade 7 Immunisations
Fri 25 - Tue 29 March
Easter Break
Fri 1 April
Reports Go Home
Wed 6 April
Inter-high Swimming Carnival
Thu 7 April
Anzac Assembly
Fri 8 April
Moderation Day—Students
do not attend—End Term 1
Tue 26 April
Term 2 Begins
Sun 1 - Tue 3 May
Senior Band Camp (Orana
Guide Camp, Roches Beach)
Tue 10 - Thu 12 May
NAPLAN Testing, Gr 7 & 9
Fri 13 May
NAPLAN Catch-up Testing
Mon 16 - Fri 20 May
Open Week 9-12.00noon
Sun 22 - Tue 24 May
Intermediate Band Camp
(Orana Guide Camp, Roches
Beach)
Issue No. 2: Monday 29 February 2016
Great Start
It is hard to believe that we are commencing the fourth week of Term 1 already.
We have been extremely happy with the start that we have made to the school year. Students
have settled very well into new routines, and as I walk through classrooms, I can see some serious
learning taking place. Our Grade 7s have had a particularly brilliant and settled start to the year,
especially during Activities Week, which has just concluded. The week was full of all sorts of fun
challenges designed to give the students a sense of belonging and a taste of what high school is
going to be like. Our Peer Supporters from Grade 10 were absolutely impressive, stepping up to
support, guide, help and be role models to the younger students. They are congratulated on their
conduct and leadership.
Bus Travel After School
The school community needs to be reassured that we are working closely with the Department
of Education and Metro to come up with solutions and advice to help students with difficulties
around bus travel after school. In recent days we have had several officers from both
departments here after school observing and assisting.
Parents need to be reassured that drivers will not allow the number of passengers to exceed the
legal limit. In general, buses are permitted to carry as many passengers as they have seats, plus
half as many again standing. Therefore, there will almost always be students standing on buses for
the first part of the journey until some begin to alight at their stops.
For the next few weeks, we will continue to allow Grade 7 students to board the buses first at
the end of the day in order to ensure that they definitely catch their preferred bus. For older
students, we require some co-operation.
The following is advice from the Department of Education:
Metro Tas, in conjunction with the Department of Education, works to ensure students have the option of
accessing their school by public transport. This can be through general access buses (ie, public buses using
the Channel Highway) or school buses that use the bus turning circle and have specific bus routes to
follow. The combination of general access buses and the designated student buses provides sufficient
capacity for all the students to be transported to and from the school.
Our students lead busy lives going to different sports, part-time jobs and musical groups after school. The
variability of destinations from the regular home address and also the variability of the demand each night
is very challenging to monitor in terms of bus capacity needed.
Our priority when school is finished is to ensure that our Grade 7s are able to access the appropriate bus
in the first instance, be it general access or a designated student bus in the school grounds. We would ask
our older students who are accessing the city for an after school activity and those students who are
confident in using buses, to use the general access buses that pass on Channel Highway. All of these
buses travel to the city, where connections to South and West Hobart are available. Please study the bus
timetables available on the Metro website to ascertain the best connections, as there are many options.
This will ensure that all students are able to access transport in a timely and efficient manner.
Schools provide duty of care to our students at the Channel Highway bus stop and within the school
grounds till around 3.15pm.
Cont...
School Uniform
On Monday last week we had our first cold snap of the year.
Some would have noted that snow even fell on Mount
Wellington. It was obvious that many students were unprepared
for the weather and came to school in an assortment of clothing
items that were not part of the school uniform. While we
understand that travelling to and from school, students may need
an extra layer, once they are at school they must wear school
uniform items only. We ask parents to please support our
efforts to help students to feel part of our school, by checking
that they have enough uniform to keep warm during the colder
months.
John O’Rourke
Principal
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Communication and Information - Taroona High School
School Website
Our school public website can be found at:
http://taroonahigh.education.tas.edu.au click this link to access the
latest newsletter.
Taroona High School Intranet https://education.tas.edu.au/taroonahigh/. Sign in required. If you
are using Internet Explorer you may need to select ‘Use Other
Account’ before entering the details in the signup window.
Photos and News: Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Taroonahigh
Taroona High School App: go to iTunes and search
“Taroona High” (not currently available for Android).
Student Absence Hotline: 6227 7777
Newsletters: Due to increased mailing costs and delivery
delays Taroona Views and Taroona News will only be distributed
electronically. It is also uploaded to the school’s website, to be
accessed via the link above. Alternatively, a paper copy can be
collected from the school office.
Do we have your updated email address?
In the last Taroona Views (Issue 1 2016) you were asked to send
your email request to the school email address. The email
address we have on record has been provided by families via the
Student Information Validation Form.
For email signup:
https://edu.formstack.com/forms/ths_email_signup.
Have you returned your Student Information Validation
Form and Water-based Activities permission form ( and
ICT Agreement Form if new to the school) to the office yet?
We need these as soon as possible in order to keep your student
information up to date. Thank you.
________________________________________________
Levies
Thank you to our families who have paid their 2016 student
levies. Thank you also to our families who have put in place
payment arrangements (Agreement to Pay Levies by Instalment
form completed and returned to school). Please continue to
meet these financial arrangements. If your circumstances change,
please contact the school office on 6227 7700.
Congratulations to Philip Holliday – winner $150 Lowes Voucher.
Congratulations to Cindy Hull – winner $50 Lowes Voucher.
Have you paid your 2016 Student Levy?
A friendly reminder: 2016 levies are now overdue. We
understand that life gets busy and urge you to check if your
school fees have been paid? If you have lost your invoice, no
problem, please contact the school office and we can give you the
required information. If you are experiencing any difficulties with
payment please contact Belinda Johnson, School Business
Manager on (03) 6227 7700.
Please contact the school office if you did not receive an invoice
in the mail from the Department of Education for 2016 Taroona
High School levies.
________________________________________________
Competitions, Challenges and Events
For more information on the following, check out the websites,
see your teacher or contact Robert Gawlik at
Australian History Competition (Grades 7-10)
Students will be given 45 minutes to complete 50 multiple-choice
questions. Questions will be from easy to challenging, catering
for a range of abilities. There will be a variety of questions,
addressing knowledge, skills and understandings.
Entry fee is $6 per student.
Go to the following link and try out some sample questions
http://www.australianhistorycompetition.com.au/.
Entries (name, grade and money) due to Student
Services by Friday 11 March
Date of test: Wednesday 25 May
Australian Geography Competition (Grades 7-10) Students will be given 35 minutes to complete a series of multiple
choice questions. Questions will be from easy to challenging,
catering for a range of abilities. There will be a variety of
questions, addressing knowledge, skills and understandings.
Entry fee is $4 per student.
Go to the following link and try out some ‘Practice Questions’
http://www.geographycompetition.org.au/
Entries (name, grade and money) due to Student
Services by March Friday 11
Date of test: sometime in last two weeks of May
National History Challenge (Grades 7-10)
This is a research-based competition that encourages students to
develop and apply their research and inquiry skills by studying
world history, examining Australia’s past, investigating their
community and exploring their own roots. It encourages inquiry-
based learning, the use of primary and secondary sources and
offers a variety of presentation styles that can cater to individual
learning styles. It rewards students with generous cash prizes and
travel opportunities.
Taroona High School students do pretty well in this competition
(just ask Honni Chilcott).
The theme for 2016 is Triumph or Tragedy?
A range of formats is possible (multimedia, performance, website,
ANY other form of creative representation), but the Individual
Research Essay is the most common entry format.
Years 7 & 8 - 800—1000 words (not including the bibliography).
Years 9 & 10 - 1000— 2000 words (not including the
bibliography).
As the competition allows for much flexibility and choice, it
makes a good assessment piece for all students. It also provides
an excellent extension opportunity for the hungry high-flyers.
Entries Due: Friday 26 August
For more information check out http://historychallenge.org.au/
Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize (Grade 9 only)
This is a research based competition focusing on our involvement
in World War 1. It is open to all Grade 9s in Tasmania, but only
seriously interested students should be encouraged, in particular
those with some family connection to a soldier in WW1.
The prize is a trip to France/Belgium over the 2017 Anzac Day
period.
As winner last year, Sophie Young in Grade 10 is currently
preparing for her trip to the Western Front.
An information pack will soon be available. Entries are usually due
sometime in August.
The Simpson Prize (Grades 9 &10)
http://www.simpsonprize.org/
This is a national competition for Year 9 and 10 students and is
also WW1-based. The competition encourages participants to
focus on the significance of Anzac Day and to consider what it
means to them and to Australia.
2017 Simpson Prize Question: “The experience of Australian
soldiers on the Western Front in 1916 has been largely
overlooked in accounts of World War One.”
To what extent would you argue that battles such as Fromelles
and Pozières should feature more prominently in accounts of
World War One?
Instructions: The Simpson Prize requires students to respond to
the question using both the Simpson Prize Australian War
Memorial Source Selection (please click the link) and their own
research. It is expected that students will make effective use of a
minimum of three of the sources. It is also expected that up to
half of their response will make use of information drawn from
their own knowledge and research.
Essay word limit: 1200-1500 words, not including bibliography and
appendices.
Audio visual presentation word and time limit: No more than 10
minutes accompanied by a written explanation of up to 400
words.
The competition is funded by the Australian Government
Department of Education and run by the History Teachers’
Association of Australia.
MUNA (Grade10 only)
The Model United Nations Assembly is a hands-on
experience of a UN-style conference to increase international
understanding and goodwill, which is one of the objects of the
program.
How does it work? Each nominated school is given a country to
represent and a set of resolutions to investigate and discuss from
the point of view of the country they are representing.
Each school and its delegates research the positions of the
country they represent on the issues to be debated. In this way,
the students gain informed knowledge and understanding of that
country and many regions of the world.
This is a fun event that will appeal to Grade 10 students who
are keen to debate issues and take a stand as viewed through the
eyes of another culture. They will make some new friends and
gain some insight into how global democracy works. Maximum
of six students from each school.
MUNA will be held on the weekend of 14 and 15 May in
Deloraine.
UN Youth Tasmania's State Conference (Grade 10 only)
This is a four day event, from 18 - 21 March, usually held in
Kingston at The Lea and perhaps at UTAS, featuring educational
workshops, inspiring guest speakers and a stimulating model UN
debate, for students from Years 10 to 12. The conference is also
an exciting chance to spend time with over 50 young people from
right around Tasmania who share similar interests.
Each year there is a theme and students are given guidance on
how youth can take the lead in their own communities to make a
real difference. Although students attend individually (not in
teams), throughout the week they may be split up into different
interest groups for discussion. These groups are: financial; racial;
sexual orientation; gender; cultural/religious.
There is a registration fee of $180, which includes
accommodation, meals and transport to and from the various
activities. However, upon registering, each student will receive
an electronic package of materials that will help them
independently seek sponsorship should they need to.
Taroona High School has some funding to help offset much of the
cost for each student.
More information is to come. ________________________________________________
Grade 7 Activities Week
Grade 7 students participated in a week of activities between the
15 and 19 February. Each day the Home Groups did different
activities at school and around the community to meet some new
students and forge lifelong friendships. The weather was not
always in our favour, but we smiled, persevered and ended up
having a terrific time. The groups walked from Neika to the
Waterworks and had a barbeque each day, played sports at the
Kingborough Sports Centre, went to Taroona Beach and did
some CPR lessons, participated in orienteering and worked at
school with the peer support leaders. It was certainly a very busy
and very tiring week. We completed the week by voting for our
Grade Council representatives and had a celebratory final
barbeque.
I would like to thank students for participating and making the
week very enjoyable. The Grade 7 team did an awesome job
each day, looking after and motivating students to do their best
and have a go. Thank you also to the volunteers, teachers,
students and parents, who gave up their
time to come on the activities and to
support us. Your help was certainly
appreciated.
Michelle Andrews
Grade 7 Coordinator
Music Scholarships
Congratulations to the following students who have been award-
ed Music Scholarships for 2016.
Students will receive $500 to go towards private music lessons.
Sarah Ford—Bassoon
Kara Devlin—Alto Sax
Helena Robin—Voice
Niamh Watson—Trumpet
Erin Sherlock—Trumpet
Aaron Johns—Euphonuim
Imogen Cooper—Percussion
Annwen Roberts—Percussion
Music Scholarship Fund: Anyone wishing to donate, please
contact Glenn Schultz: [email protected]
________________________________________________
Sailing with Students with disABILITIES
Sailors with disABILITIES launched its first
Winds of Joy program in Hobart on Mon-
day 15 February, expanding its national
outreach program to Tasmania. Nine
students from Taroona High School were
privileged enough to be part of this pro-
gram. It proved to be a windy day with
40 knot winds reached, but we were in
the safe hands of the very experienced
crew and had a fabulous day.
________________________________________________
World Challenge 2017 - Borneo
On 16 March all Year 9 students will
attend a short presentation given by
World Challenge, inviting them to take
part in the 2017 Taroona High School
expedition to Borneo. This month-long trip offers a unique op-
portunity for students to plan and lead their own overseas adven-
ture. Students will be given approximately 18 months prior to
departure to save up and prepare for the trip, which is expertly
supported to promote personal development and global perspec-
tives. Please consider having a discussion with your child about
whether this is an opportunity they are interested in.
A parent information evening will be held at school on Wednes-
day 23 March at 7.30pm; formal expressions of interest in the trip
will be taken after this date. Please contact Kate McWhirter if
you have any preliminary questions:
________________________________________________
School Association News
On Monday 21 March at 7.30pm we will be holding the Annual
General Meeting, followed by our regular monthly General Meet-
ing.
Anyone interested in nominating for a position on the committee
should please attend the evening. The executive positions of
Chair, Deputy Chair, Treasurer and Secretary are all open for
nomination, as well as general committee member positions. If
you would like more information about what's involved in being a
committee member, feel free to email:
[email protected] with any questions.
To date, we have received donations from 45 families. Thank you
to those parents who have made their contribution directly into
the Taroona High School Association account; your support is
really appreciated.
If you make a contribution of an amount of your choice to
the THSA before the end of Term 1, your name will go into a
draw to win a $100 gift voucher from Lowes, Taroona High
School’s official uniform supplier.
Our account details are:
Taroona High School Association Inc.
BSB 067 000, Account no. 00903412
The winner will be drawn at the THSA General Meeting on Monday 16
May, and will be contacted.
________________________________________________
Kingborough Tigers Football Club
“Have a Go” Session and Information Night
Junior (Under 8 to Under 12) and Youth (Under 13 to Under 16)
Friday 26 February 2016 at Kingston Beach Oval
“Have a Go” Skills and Activities session 4.30 – 5.30 pm – Run-
ning shoes only (no boots)
Perfect for new players to come and try AFL
Information Session Junior (U8 to U12) - 5.30 to 6.15 pm
Information Session Youth (U13 to U16) - 6.15 – 7.00 pm
Registrations can be accepted for new members and also for ex-
isting members who have been unable to register online prior.
EXISTING MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER
ONLINE at www.ktjfc.sportingpulse.net.au
before 28 February to take advantage of the Early Bird Registra-
tion fees.
Come to the information night to
Meet the coaches
Place merchandise orders for hoodies/
jackets/shirts/bags etc.
Join in the second hand boot “swap”
For more information please contact:
Registrar Sally Donnelly
0418516032
Youth Football Coordinator Bob Burgess 0417783592
Junior Football Coordinator Brent Conway 0409436940
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CONTACT DETAILS Meath Ave, TAROONA, TAS 7053 Phone: 03 6227 7700 Fax: 03 6227 7799 Email: [email protected] Web: http://education.tas.edu.au/taroonahigh
For Sale
Four pairs of boys soccer boots ranging in size from 8 -11, $20
each. Each pair worn only one season and in good condition.
Please phone Jo Nash, 0439 834 754.
Rotary Youth Programs
For information visit http://www.rotary9830.org.au/documents/
YouthProgramsNationalApril2014.pdf or
http://www.rotary9830.org.au/district-info/youth/.