Dear Parents/Carers

I hope that everyone is managing to stay healthy and well over the winter. It is certainly nice to experience a few more days that are slightly warmer and have more daylight hours.

Our school is always characterised by a lot of energy and activity. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had students involved in Science Week, Write A Book In A Day, the Beacon Polish Program for Tourism and Hospitality, Newstead College Career Expo and the Year 7 excursion to Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and the Town Hall. I would particularly like to thank staff from Country Club Tasmania for supporting the Beacon event and the Mayor of Launceston, Matthew Garwood and Councillor, Alan Harris for hosting our students at the Town Hall. These experiences complement and enrich the learning that students undertake in their day-to-day classes. On Tuesday of last week, we also held a midterm, whole school assembly to celebrate student success and to hear reports about a number of events and activities within the school.

The annual School Satisfaction Surveys are now open until Friday 19 September 2025.  Last year, we had our highest ever return rate from families which was 95. This year our target is at least 112 completed surveys. We want to hear from you, as input from families is very important to help us inform our school planning and decision-making. Every year the Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) conducts a School Satisfaction Survey to find out what your child(ren)'s school does well and where it may improve. We would be grateful if you took part in our online survey about Kings Meadows High School. Each family should nominate one person to fill in this survey for their child(ren). Take the online survey by clicking this Link, or pasting it in your browser: https://nam.dcv.ms/ikuA63t9sJ

A key part of our Year 6 to 7 Transition Program are our mini expos. Our Year 7 Transition Leaders have been busy working with Mr Poke to develop these expos and the team will be visiting primary schools over the next fortnight to showcase these expos. These provide a great leadership opportunity to an enthusiastic bunch of committed Year 7 students but also provide another avenue of support to ensure our future students are well prepared for the journey into secondary school. Thank you to Brendan Poke and the Year 7 students. In addition, some people may be aware of updates to the Department for Education, Children and Young People’s (DECYP) Out of Area Enrolment Procedure this year. Please understand that under this updated procedure, I am required to wait until Week 8 of this term to assess out of area applications for new enrolments in 2026. I understand some families may be frustrated or impatient with this but it is a requirement of the Procedure. It is anticipated that a review of enrolment areas and associated procedures will be conducted by DECYP this year and that will certainly provide an opportunity to provide some well-considered feedback regarding how the current arrangements impact our school and most importantly, local families wanting to attend our great school.  Thank you for your understanding and patience if this relates to your family.

Many parents and carers may recall that 2025 is a transition year for student uniform. I thought it timely to take this opportunity to remind families well in advance of 2026. Next year, the white polo top and sports shorts that have been permitted over the last couple of years will no longer be allowed as day-to-day wear. These will be for Health and Physical Education/Sport only. Families electing to choose this type of uniform will only be permitted to wear the blue polo top and the new navy capri style short in 2026. In addition, our traditional uniform options remain. If you have any questions, please ask. Thank you to the majority of families who have already supported this change. Uniform is certainly looking good and we might consider further refinements into the future. As always, all students are expected to wear full school uniform every day.

The week of 11th August was designated as Bullying No Way – National Week Of Action. I think any reasonable and sensible person would agree that bullying is unacceptable in any environment, including schools and that it must be both prevented and addressed when it occurs. While ‘weeks of action’ highlight the issue, it is important that it is something that is considered every single day. Ensuring that students are safe and free from discrimination, harassment and bullying is a shared responsibility between school staff, parents and carers, students and the community. Schools work hard to create and maintain safe, supportive, positive and inclusive environments where all students can engage in their learning with confidence and optimism. This is done by using a range of ways to promote respectful relationships and positive behaviour as well as preventing and responding to unacceptable behaviour, which includes discrimination, harassment and bullying. If you would like to know more about this topic,  including a definition of bullying, what bullying is not, the policies that we adhere to and other important information, then you may wish to visit this link:Keeping children safe against discrimination, bullying and harassment - Department for Education, Children and Young People

I encourage students to stay focussed on our R.O.C.K.S. expectations and for us all to consider how we can contribute to keep young people safe and free from bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Regards

Cary Stocks
Principal

As part of our Positive Behaviour Support Program at Kings Meadows we will be acknowledging students who have been contributing positively to our learning environment.  This means that they have been supporting our school-wide expectations.

Respect for others, self and environment

Organisation

Commitment to learning

Keeping safe

Sensible behaviour

We would like to acknowledge the following students:

Year 7:

Chloe (7E): For always being polite and greeting her peers and teachers in a friendly manner.

Lachlan (7E): For always completing what is asked of him to a high standard, regardless of the task. 

Year 8:

Edith (8B):  For her outstanding work ethic, diligence and commitment to her learning.

Year 9:

Halle and Anabel 9A:  For being supportive peers within the Year 9 community. 

Ari and Bronx 9A:  For their contributions to the arts during our Celebration Assembly last week.

Museum/Town Hall Excursion:
What an amazing day we had on our Year 7 excursion on Wednesday 20th August! Students were able to visit the beautiful Town Hall with a tour.  The highlight was being able to sit in the Council Chambers and meet Mayor Matthew Garwood. They also spent time touring the QV Museum Inveresk including a Planetarium show and a Science-based activity. We would like to thank the QVMAG and the City Council staff for making these opportunities available for our students.

Write a Book in a Day
On Monday 11th August the Junior Write a Book in a Day was held.  All books have now been bound and we can reveal the names and covers of the books worked on by our Year 7’s. 

‘The Banker, The Driver and The Bird’ – Aiden, Brodie, Isaac, Jayden, Luca, Mitchell, Phoenix, Zane, Zoltan.

‘The Empty Snapshot’ – Olivia Simons, Penny Costa, Molly Wise, Phoenix Longmore, Beatrix Walker, Mackenzie Jennis, Linc Martin

‘The Great Aussie Adventure’ – Shianna, Tilly, Briah, Macy, Kadence, Elaina, Josie, Ellie.

‘The One That Bites Back’ – Ava, Penelope, Kelsy, Amir, Joseph.

New Class Leaders:
As we are now part way through the second half of the year we have a new set of Class Leaders who will be working with Miss Graham until the end of the year. Congratulations to our new set of Class Leaders:  Heidi, Kadence, Carter, Hanya, Ava and Molly.

Attendance Reward:
This term we are encouraging students to increase their attendance rates and rewarding any increase with a movie and popcorn afternoon at the end of term. We are encouraging students to look at their current attendance percentage and set themselves a goal to try and raise it by between 5-10%.  Every day matters and a late start is not a great start!

Grade Focus – Organisation:
At the moment our Grade focus is organisation – ensuring all students are arriving at classes fully prepared with everything they need for that lesson – that includes ensuring their laptops are charged, they have pens/pencils and correct books.

Term 3 Learning Topics:
Maths:  Algebra
English: Novel Study - Holes
Science: Forces – Simple Machines (Physics)
HaSS: Ancient Civilisations
HPE: Risk Taking + Inclusivity

During Trivia Night, three of our Year 9 students supported the running of the event as part of their role as Beacon Ambassadors.  Halle, playing dual roles, both as a Beacon Ambassador and senior catering student.  She assisted in making the food that was served during Trivia Night and then was responsible for delivering the platters of food to the tables.  Anabel and Sarah were involved in running  the Trivia Night and presented the geography questions that that they researched with help from Amani, who was away on the night.  I would like to thank the girls for their time and efforts, remaining after the event until late into the night to assist with packing up after the event.  I would also like to thank and congratulate Mr Nankervis - our resident Year 9 chef and Tom, Reigan, Halle, Isla, Molly, Bronx, Jazzuri, Erin and Holly who not only assisted in making food to support catering at Trivia Night on Friday 15 August, but also for their giving up their own time to deliver platters to tables during the event. They started preparing at 3pm and didn’t finish until about 8pm. What a commitment!

Well done also to our Year 9 staff team on the night who managed to walk away with the win in a tightly contested competition.  Thank you to Mr Murray, Mr Lynch, Miss Attard, Mrs Howard, Mr Stokes and Mr Carswell for their teamwork and collaboration on the night and a special thanks to Miss Attard for her coordination and support of the team.

On Tuesday last week, King Meadows High School held their Celebration Assembly and I couldn’t help but reflect on the number of students in Year 9 who were supporting.  Charles and Ari did a wonderful job changing the slides, supporting with the microphone and with technology support during assembly.  These students also needed to give up some of their own time to support with rehearsals.  Thank you for your contribution boys.

Congratulations also to Ari and Oscar who were selected by Mr Meurant to play Metallica “Fade to Black’ during our assembly.  Ari performed like a professional on the electric drum kit, dealing with some technical difficulties with the sound being produced, but like all rock stars overcame these challenges.  It was great to see our students having the courage to perform.  Well done also to Alix who helped with audio during the musical performances at assembly and to Bronx who played a guitar solo at the start of assembly, helping to create a welcoming atmosphere while students entered and prepared themselves for the start of the assembly.

Congratulations to Eamon, Aden, Brock and Daniel for building the winning tower during Science Week.  These students needed to build a tower that could hold the most weight and the taller the tower, the more points they got.  These students built a tower just over 1 metre high that held approximately 100g. Evidently, this is the tallest tower ever designed at Kings Meadows High School for Year 9s.  Sarah and Lexi placed a close second in the Science Week challenge, producing their tower of approximately 73cm that held 250g.  Although their tower held more weight the boys won due to their combined points.  It was an interesting task and congratulations to both groups who placed 1st and 2nd for their wonderful designs.

I would also like to take the time to acknowledge students for their contributions in becoming authors during Write a Book in a Day. Well done to Ruby, Holly, Erin, Reigan and Mathew for producing ‘Out of Frame’.  Lucy, Brianna, Emily, Cassie, Ebony and Lisa worked well as a team, supporting one another with creativity to write their book ‘Baited’.  Imani was recognised by Mrs Lovegrove as a real leader within her team to produce ‘Caramello and the Cyclone’ in collaboration with Year 10 students. Savvy, Jess, James and Nathan worked quietly, focussed and with a real sense of equity to produce ‘Fangs’.  Addi, Alice, Evie, Havana and Ruby showed excellent teamwork and learner agency to produce ‘Feather and Felonies’.  Well done to Charles, Jarvis, Isabella, Alex, Callum and Jake for their late submission with Charles being recognised for his leadership and contributions on the day.

Finally, I received a surprise email about the Winterfest Poetry Competition last week and would like to acknowledge and congratulate Sophie for receiving a Highly Commended placing for her poem “Winter Chocolate” in the High School Category.  This was a statewide competition and I would like to also thank her for submitting her poem as a student from Kings Meadows High School.

Winter Chocolate

By Sophie

Winter is cold,
The wind is loud.
I wear my gloves and beanie,
And pretend to sit on a cloud. 

I drink hot choc,
It's warm and sweet.
It makes me smile,
From head to feet!

YEAR 9 CONTACT DETAILS:

Many people in the KMHS community may not be aware that we’ve had a senior-secondary program for the best part of a decade. From beginning with one single student undertaking Agricultural Enterprise 2 (Viticulture), to now, where we have a variety of both VET and TASC courses, and students enrolled from KMHS and from different high schools around the North. Some of our students are enrolled full-time and others dual-enrolled with Launceston or Newstead College or even St Helens District High!

In 2026, we are looking to expand our scope even further, dipping our toes into the advanced manufacturing space with students given the opportunity to work with 3D Printers, Laser Cutters and even flying drones if they choose. We will also offer subjects focussing on Sport and Recreation, Literacy/Numeracy and Work Preparation.

KMHS is a legitimate option for any prospective Year 11 or 12 (or 13) student looking to undertake their study in a familiar, more personalised environment with the support of teachers and support staff they already know, and/or with a specific focus on vocational training and employment pathways.

If you’d like to hear more about how KMHS may be the right fit for you or your child in 2026, please contact Mr James Guy (james.guy@decyp.tas.gov.au) or Mr Brendan Poke (brendan.poke@decyp.tas.gov.au) via email or the school office on 6343 1000. 

Beyond the Crown
Year 10 students are starting to have some big discussions and thinking around the next steps in their journey. The Education Act requires them to be engaged in education or further training until they either finish Year 12, complete a Certificate 3 qualification or turn 18. All students, even those intending to undertake an apprenticeship/traineeship or gain full-time employment, need to be enrolled at a school. This can be KMHS or another local high school, but for the majority of our current Year 10s, it will be Launceston or Newstead College. The college enrolment days will happen in Week 5 of Term 4 and as a part of this process, Year 10 students need to have completed a Transition Plan. These Plans are already underway and reflect the work-related learning students have been exposed to throughout the year, as well as outlining some potential career pathways and subject selection. More information on Transition Plans can be found by clicking here.

With all of these discussions, decisions, plans and options, there are resources and information available to our students. Click here to see some key resources in navigating these sometimes difficult conversations. The Beyond the Crown page contains current employment/work experience opportunities, people who can help and links to help yourself. Please contact Mr James Guy (james.guy@decyp.tas.gov.au)  if you would like more information.

Yesterday a group of Year 9 and 10 students interested in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry took part in a Beacon Polish event at the school. They learnt valuable skills and heard from mentors from the Country Club Casino. This included a networking lunch and mock interviews. The group really enjoyed the day and can’t wait for Part 2 - an excursion to the Country Club early next term. Thank you to the Beacon Foundation for hosting this event and thank you to the KMHS catering team for our delicious lunch!

Student name:  Claire

Grade: Year 8

What can you tell us about this piece of work?
In English, we were doing a unit on short stories. We read ‘The Landlady’ which is a mysterious short story by Roald Dhal. After this, we answered questions about it and went on to create an alternate ending. I kind of had the plan in my head and I just went with it. I enjoy creative writing.

What is your favourite thing about English?
I really enjoy silent reading at the start of the lesson! I like reading my favourite books and getting into the world of the book I am reading. I have Mrs Hart for English and she is very kind and understanding towards all her students and a nice person in general.

What are you working on at the moment in English?
We are reading a short story called ‘The Wheel’ and answering questions about it to identify parts of the short story and all the details.

What are you reading at the moment?
At the moment, I am reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I am currently on ‘The Titan’s Curse’. It’s a book about Greek Gods and it’s also fantasy.

What is your favourite book and why?
My favourite book is in a different series (The Powerless Series by Lauren Roberts). I love the third book.  The genre is fantasy/romance. It’s the third book and it’s got the build up of tension from the last two books. There are lots of plot twists.

What are some books that you would really like to read?
I’m looking forward to one day reading the ACOTAR series, and also Fourth Wing. But for now, the Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan may be next.

The LandLady

“No, my dear,” she said. "Only you.”

“Only me? Wow, people must look at this place and think that something is terribly wrong… and they’re right. You’re a psycho.” Billy scoffed.

He looked around the room and noticed there were many more animals other than the cat and parrot that he hadn’t seen before. They all look perfectly normal, except the cat sitting in the corner, with big glassy eyes. It was staring right at him, but now he knew it wasn’t actually. It was dead. It was stuffed by this crazy woman. He turned back around to face the lady still smiling sweetly at him.

“Why don’t you drink your tea dear, before it goes cold?” She spoke gently as if all this was normal and not completely hysterical.

“Uh, I’m good thanks, I’ve lost my appetite, sorry.” Billy muttered.

“Drink the tea. It won’t hurt.” She demanded as a wicked smile crept across her face.

“No thank you ma’am, you can have it.”

“I said drink it.” Her words were getting harsher by the minute, louder, echoing around Billy’s mind. It was like he was trapped in a cage with no key to escape. The voices were getting unbearable.

Billy woke with a start, sweat on his brow. It had all been a nightmare, the lady, the voices. He wondered if the stuffed animals were fake too. The bed he was placed in looked normal, blue and white checkered quilt, plump pillows, and a hot water bottle near his side. The room was small, only fitting a small desk and a wardrobe cramped in the corner. He got up and started walking to the closet when he heard noises from downstairs, it sounded like someone was clattering dishes in the sink. Perhaps that was the landlady he met the day before. Billy quickly got dressed and crept down the small stairs to the ground floor. There she was, standing in the kitchen, her back to him, she was preparing breakfast it seemed like. She was whistling sweetly to herself, a quiet song that sounded like it might belong in a nursery rhyme. Billy was still watching her as she turned around to face him in the dim kitchen light.

“Oh, hello dear, I see you’re awake. How was you first night here?” She asked in her sweet voice.

“Oh, it was… okay.”

“Are you alright?” She asked, slightly concerned. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m fine. What have you made for breakfast?”

“Ah, I’m glad you asked! I made that tea you loved last night, you drank the whole thing and said it was the best you’d ever had. So I thought I’d make you some more.”

He had drunk it? Billy didn’t remember drinking any tea, was that how he ended up in a bed? Was the tea poisoned?

“Oh uh… that’s great!” He said hesitantly.

“Good, why don’t you go sit down while you wait? There’s some nice chairs in the lounge.” She pointed to the room behind Billy, gesturing him to go and sit. Reluctantly, he followed her directions and began walking towards the room. It was only until he entered, that he noticed the small dachshund sitting on the sofa, not moving an inch. It was completely still, and when he moved around to get a closer look, he noticed the big glassy eyes, identical to the ones he had seen before. It wasn’t a dream. It was all real. This woman was still crazy, it didn’t matter how kind she acted, she was a psycho. And she was planning to kill Billy next. He knew he had to get out of here as soon as possible, but as he was thinking, the lady came into the room with a tray of tea and baked goods.

“I’ve made some cakes and biscuits to go with your tea, dear.” She smiled sweetly. “Take a seat and eat up. Or else you’ll be next.” A wicked grin spread across her face as she spoke. It sent chills up Billy’s spine. Even more reason to get out of this twisted place.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Obey me or I’ll turn you into a stuffed animal. Just like the two men living upstairs.” She started laughing hysterically as she mentioned the other people she had stuffed. Billy started backing away, but there was no exit, the woman was blocking the doorway. He was trapped. He tried thinking of ways he could confuse her and sneak out, but that probably wouldn’t do any good. As he was lost in thought, the woman’s gritty voice snapped him back.

“Don’t you think about escaping, young man.” She then reached behind her back and pulled something sharp out of her pocket. A knife. “Why don’t we play a game?”

Billy took a step back, but he was against the wall, she had him cornered. There was no place to run, no place to escape. Just then, he thought he saw the woman’s eyes turn red and fiery, then he realised he wasn’t imagining it, they really were bloodshot red. She looked like a monster; spikes started growing on her arms and legs. They looked sharp enough to cut metal. She kept coming closer to him, blocking him against the wall. Then he made a risky move, he had trained to fight people when he was younger, for self defence. He grabbed the woman’s wrist and twisted it in a circle, making her cry out and drop the knife. Jackpot. He grabbed the knife from the ground and stabbed her in the chest, she fell back and landed with a ‘bang!’ on the floor. He took a run for it then, bolting out the doorway, through the hallway and out the door he had first entered two days before. Billy ran out into the British streets, it smelt of old smoke and plants. But he didn’t care. He was free.

National Science Week ran from 9^th to 17^th August and is an annual celebration of science and technology. It is a fantastic opportunity to encourage curiosity, foster innovative thinking, and explore different possibilities. 

Our celebration of Science Week saw students from Years 7, 8 and 9 engage in various hands-on STEM challenges, modelling real world problems. These challenges required students to apply their knowledge, think like an engineer, problem solve and design a solution to their challenge using limited resources. 

Year 7 students designed bottle rockets with the goal of achieving the longest time in the air. They had to consider how much water to use as fuel, as well as the aerodynamics of their rocket to minimise drag.

Year 8 classes worked on a brand-new challenge to Kings – designing wings for balsa wood gliders, with the team whose glider covers the greatest distance taking the crown.

In Year 9, students constructed towers from cardboard straws and paper that had to not only reach for the sky but also hold weight in a simulated earthquake. In this challenge a combination of height and mass were required to score highly.

In addition to our usual STEM challenges, on Tuesday lunchtime our lab technicians Mr Howard and Mrs Shimmari, along with myself, were able to put on a bit of a show with liquid nitrogen! At 196 degrees below zero, it boils and quickly evaporates into a gas at room temperature. Between shattering frozen marshmallows, crushing flowers, condensing my own breath into a liquid and generating a huge fog by mixing it with water, it’s safe to say it was an entertaining and educational experience.

Well done to all students for their efforts and engagement in Science Week in 2025!

Robert Johns

On Monday 11^th and Monday 18^th August, approximately 80 enthusiastic students across Years 7–10, dedicated their time and energy to The Cancer Council’s charity writing challenge, Write a Book in a Day. From an early 8:00am start, they immersed themselves in twelve hours of planning, drafting and editing, producing an impressive 3,500 word novel for each grouping. The day was brimming with creativity, as imaginative ideas leapt off the page and were brought to life with vibrant illustrations. We are incredibly proud of the students’ dedication, teamwork and perseverance.

Leadership Staff

Support Staff