Dear Parents/Carers

There is always so much happening in our school, with many opportunities and experiences for our students to engage with. It is always such a busy and vibrant place.  On Wednesday 26 March, we had many of our Year 8 students participate in the Beacon Prepare Program as part of our efforts to prepare students for the world of work. Last week, our student leaders ran a hugely successful World’s Greatest Shave event. Thank you to everyone who supported this worthy charity either by donating, having their hair shaved or coloured or simply by being an encouraging and interested spectator. Last Thursday, our swimmers represented our school at the Interhigh Swimming Carnival. There were some outstanding performances and congratulations to everyone involved.  Perhaps, most importantly, our students ensured we had representation in every event.  That level of participation and commitment is fantastic. Well done!

On the evening of Tuesday, 1 April we hosted school tours for prospective and interested families. Thankfully people recognised it was a ‘real’ event and not an April Fool’s Day joke, as we had over one hundred people visit and tour our excellent, modern facilities.  Thank you to Assistant Principal, Brendan Poke for co-ordinating this event and also to the eight other teachers who gave up their time to conduct these valuable tours.  Thank you to everyone who came along and showed an interest in our school. I hope you found it useful. We were certainly happy to show you around. Should any prospective family require a more personalised approach or if you could not attend on the night, please let us know as we would still like to support your inclusion into our school. Supporting student transition to a new school is crucial work but it is also important that families feel engaged and are also transitioned successfully into our school community.

To ensure we are clear and transparent about our expectations and to seek the support of parents and carers in helping to uphold some for our student behavioural expectations, I have listed a few rule reminders below:

• Mobile phones should be off and away in lockers from 8.35am to 2.50pm. Students should not have phones on their person. Parents and carers can also support us in managing mobile phones by not contacting their child directly during the school day. Communication can be done via the school office.
• Students are not permitted to enter toilet cubicles together. One person only per cubicle.
• If students need to leave class for any reason (e.g. to go to the toilet) they need a signed pass from their teacher.
• If a student is late to school, they must sign in at the front office upon arrival, not later on.

Thankyou in anticipation of your support.

Today we have students involved in an umpiring and refereeing clinic co-ordinated by the Northern High Schools Sports Association (NHSSA) and tomorrow we are hosting the AFLW and boys Netball Gala Day on behalf of the NHSSA. This Friday, we will finish the term with a whole school assembly to recognise ANZAC Day, which occurs during the school holidays. Some of our student leaders and staff will also be representing our school at a number of the local ANZAC Day services in Launceston and surrounding towns and will be laying wreaths on behalf of our school community.

Last Thursday evening we held a meeting in an attempt to re-establish the School Association Committee which has been in recess the last couple of years.  I am very pleased to announce that we were able to form a School Association Committee consisting of Jaclyn Kosta (parent and Chairperson), Brendan Poke (staff member and Deputy Chairperson), Denis Kosta (parent member and Treasurer), Kate Hume (staff member and Secretary) and Callan Hume (parent and committee member).  My sincere thanks to these wonderful people for their commitment to our school community.  Nevertheless, there are still spaces on the Committee for others who may wish to be involved or you can simply attend meetings as an observer. An observer must be a member of the School Association (i.e. staff member or parent member) and can participate in discussions at the discretion of the Chairperson but is not officially a member of the Committee and therefore doesn’t have voting rights.  Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 15 May at 6.30pm. Thanks again to the above-mentioned people and I look forward to having others involved in the future.

I find it hard to believe that Term 1 is nearly over as it has been so busy.  I hope that students and staff have an enjoyable and restful holiday break. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday, 28 April for Term 2.

Regards

Cary Stocks
Principal

Year 7’s have almost completed their first term of Year 7 – congratulations!  A few weeks ago we were able to give out Class Leader badges to successful candidates for each class.  Ms Graham has been working with these students on some initiatives and we look forward to hearing from them at the end of term assembly.

Last week we also announced our successful Transition Leaders who will start visiting schools next term to speak with Year 6’s about what life at Kings Meadows High School looks like.  They will also assist on Challenge day and Orientation Day later this year.  We were really impressed with the amount of students embracing the opportunity to represent the school in this capacity.

A big congratulations to Joe Hill from 7B for raising over $500 for the World’s Greatest Shave last week.  This was a great event with students being able to colour their hair and purchase BBQ items that went towards raising the schools total.

Please feel free to contact your child’s teachers for more information. 

It has been a busy first term for our students in Year 8 and it is hard to believe we are already a quarter of the way through the year! As always, our cohort have impressed us with the way they display our R.O.C.K.S. expectations across the school.

Learning in classes has shown students step up to the plate as workload and the complexity of new ideas takes a step up from Year 7. Some learning experiences have included investigating different signs of chemical change through reactions in the Science lab, exploring and applying index laws in Maths and researching the life of a Viking in HaSS.

Other opportunities have presented for students this term. In the middle of the term we held our KMHS Swimming Carnival. It was great to see the level of participation from our students, as well as the manner in which they supported and encouraged their peers. A big congratulations to Ruby (8A), Ignatia (8C) and Nella (8C) who all broke records on the day!

We have also had students achieve sporting success outside of school. Seth D (8B) competed at the Australian Taekwondo Cadet Selection event for Cadet World Championships, coming away with a hard earned silver medal and invitation for the National Cadet Training Camp – an amazing opportunity! Phoenix (8C) has also recently competed at the state level in golf in the Tasmanian Open’s ProAm Event, with his team coming in 2nd out of the 22 teams competing! Well done to both Seth and Phoenix for your achievements!

Some of our students have also applied for leadership opportunities this year, with the positions of Class Leaders and Junior House Captains open. Earlier this week, students applying for Junior House Captain were interviewed for the role. All students should know the outcome of their applications at the end of the week, ready to begin their roles next term. Well done to all students who have stepped up to apply for these leadership roles!

The Year 8 team wish our students a safe and restful break and we look forward to seeing you again in Term 2!

YEAR 8 CONTACT DETAILS:

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:

Macy Bennett – For her willingness to help support other students with their learning.  

Olivia Simmons – For her organisation, effort and positive attitude towards learning.

Year 8:

Jacki McLaren – For drastically improving her attendance so far in 2025.

Hunter Anstey – For commitment to his studies in Maths and Science. 

It’s been a buzzing term in our Workshop subjects, with students diving hands-first into real-world learning that's as practical as it is rewarding.

Our Year 7 legends have proudly completed their cheese boards and toasting forks, learning not just how to shape timber and metal with precision, but how to work safely and respectfully in a busy workshop environment. There’s something truly special about seeing students handle traditional hand tools for the first time and watching their confidence grow with every measured cut and filed edge. Year 8 MDT students explored Metalwork using Matel lathes and various hand tools to create paint stirrers. 

Meanwhile, our Year 9 and 10 students are putting the finishing touches on their bedside table builds. These projects have pushed them to refine their skills, problem solve independently and learn the importance of patience and persistence in longer term projects. Each piece is shaping up to be not only functional but a reflection of their developing craftsmanship.

Over in Metalwork, our students are well into their Learning Centre rotations, exploring everything from sheet metal shaping to welding fundamentals. These rich, hands-on experiences are laying the groundwork for the personal projects they’ll undertake later this year, projects that showcase their creativity, skill and growing independence as makers. 

Our Senior Building & Construction students have stepped into the boots of future tradies, working collaboratively on scaled house site profiles. Tasked with constructing framed stud walls complete with window and door openings, these students are learning how to interpret building plans, measure accurately and work through design challenges as a team. It’s not just about timber and nails, it’s about building confidence, communication and on-site problem-solving skills that will serve them well in any career path.

There’s a real sense of purpose in the workshop spaces this term. Whether it’s a perfectly joined timber edge or the confident flick of a file, our students are gaining more than technical skills, they’re building pride, resilience and a toolkit of life-ready capabilities.

Keep an eye out in future newsletters as we spotlight individual projects and the amazing journeys behind them. 

~ Mr Jake Chamberlain

Earlier this week KMHS hosted its first Beacon Foundation event at the school. This High Impact ‘Prepare’ program is aimed at Year 8’s and is their first ‘careers exposure’ event where they learn from industry mentors. In the sessions they learnt about first impressions, stereotypes and transferable skills. Thank you very much to the business mentors who gave up their time to work with and inspire our students.

Senior Art enrichment students have been working on mini infinity rooms based on Kusama’s art installations. Check out their great work! 

On Wednesday 2 April, the Prefects hosted the World’s Greatest Shave at school. The brave participants this year included: 

• Joseph Hill (Year 7)
• Billi Alexander (Year 8)
• Callum Monk-Morcom (Year 9)
• Jake Turner (Year 9)
• Jarvis Hjort (Year 9)
• Lochlan Green (Year 9)
• Cooper Hume (Year 10)
• Cooper Watson (Year 10)
• Jen Creswell (Teacher Assistant)
• Scott Brewer (Grade Leader of Year 8) 

Despite one of our hairdressers being unable to make it, we were so incredibly fortunate that our volunteer hairdressers Ally Lovegrove and Monique Catterall were still able to join us and shave the heads of our willing students and staff. Without them, the day would not have been possible. They shaved ten heads within the space of 40 minutes – an amazing effort. 

Additionally, the sausage sizzle would not have been possible without the generous support and sponsorship of Woolworths (Kings Meadows), Cripps, Banjos (Meadow Mews) and Coles (Meadow Mews). The Prefects would like to send a shout-out to the House Captains and Mr Stevenson for running the BBQ. 

This year, Kings Meadows High School raised a total of $4,151. Lochlan Green raised over $1,000 with Jen Creswell and Joseph Hill raising over $500 each. Jarvis Hjort raised nearly $500 and Cooper Hume raised just over $400. The efforts of Jake, Callum, Billi, Cooper Watson and Mr Brewer should also be mentioned because raising any amount of money for a worthy cause takes effort, time and dedication and we appreciate everything they have all done to raise money for such an incredibly worthy cause. 

A day like the World’s Greatest Shave is not possible without the support of all the staff, students and families of Kings Meadows High School. Thank you to the students for having their heads shaved and coloured on the days, as well as for buying snags and coming out to support and cheer on the participants. Thank you to the families who came to support their children, and the families who so generously donated to the blood cancer cause. Lastly, to all the staff at school, thank you for supporting the Prefects and House Captains in the preparation and organisation of this day. We appreciate all of you.

On Friday 4April, our Prefect team worked diligently to bake ANZAC biscuits, which were sold in commemoration of ANZAC Day, alongside poppies. The event not only honoured the sacrifices made by those who served but also brought our school community together in remembrance and support. Thank you to everyone who came along and bought a biscuit or a poppy, we hope to do this again soon.

On Thursday 3 April, King Meadows High School was represented by 35 of our best swimmers at the NHSSA Division 1 Interhigh Swimming Carnival.  Queechy High School took the overall honours for the day, claiming their first ever title. 

For the first time in many years, our school filled all the races which was a credit to all students who stepped up to race in events, even though they may not have initially been listed.

Bryce Austin, Zack Perkins, Ivy Osborne, Penelope Kosta and Alice Patten worked tirelessly all day, always giving their best in each and every race. 

We saw some standout performances from our students who placed in Division 1 races. 

Year 9/10 Boys – 3rd 50m Medley Relay

Year 7 Boys – 3rd 50m Freestyle Relay

Year 8 Girls – 3rd 50m Freestyle Relay

Ruby Harris - 1st 50m Breaststroke, 2nd 100m Breaststroke, 2nd 50m Freestyle, 3rd 50m Butterfly

Lincon Talbot – 3rd 100m Breaststroke, 2nd 50m Breaststroke, 3rd 50m Backstroke

Zack Perkins – 2nd 50m Backstroke

Kadence Ambrose – 3rd 50m Backstroke 

Congratulations to each and every student for their attitude and effort.

Students were able to visit Kinetic and learn about the many career opportunities, from mechanical, sales, parts, driving, painting, safety, upholstering and logistics, the opportunities are endless. A big thank you to Liana and John for supporting KMHS.