Dear Parents/Carers

Welcome to Term 4 at Kings Meadows High School! I hope those of you who had a holiday break enjoyed doing some things that you love. I am sure many staff and students feel refreshed and are looking forward to the term ahead. As we start another term it is timely to be reminded of a few important things.

• Regular attendance at school is vital, including being punctual to classes and arriving to school on time.
• All students are expected to wear full school uniform every day. Support is available if needed.
• From 8.35am until 2.50pm mobile phones should be off and away. In fact, they don’t need to be at school at all.
• All students should be upholding our values of respect, growth, courage, responsibility and connection, while also following our R.O.C.K.S. behavioural expectations.

Every person at our school has their part to play in contributing to, developing and maintaining a positive school culture which is supportive, safe, inclusive and focussed on learning and continuous improvement.

Thank you to students, staff and families who voted regarding the updated student polo top as part of our staged uniform work. Voting has now closed. Further information will be forthcoming regarding uniform requirements, availability and timelines in due course.

Progressive Achievement Testing (PAT) has commenced in reading and mathematics for all students across the school. This testing occurs twice a year and is a requirement in all schools. It is also one of the important data sets that we use to monitor student achievement and growth, while also allowing us to review our targets in our School Improvement Plan. As with any learning task or test, students should take it seriously and give their best. Thank you to Nicole Lynch for her overall co-ordination of PAT.

Thank to students Lewis, Lane and Roly for assisting our groundsman, Luke Brooks in upgrading some of our boundary fencing.  The boys approached this task with energy, enthusiasm and skills.  Thanks boys, for your hard work and contribution to our school. Well done! Some photos have been included.

Thank you to the many families, students and staff who completed the annual satisfaction surveys. While we would always value a higher response rate, this year we had our highest ever number of responses from families and staff. Thank you for contributing to our school and for providing this valuable feedback.

To celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Tasmania we recently installed a Peace Pole near the main entrance to our school.  The title of the Peace Pole is ‘May Peace Prevail Upon Earth’ and the poles are designed to reaffirm our commitment to peace locally and globally in our relationship with each other and in our community. We conducted an opening ceremony last Wednesday afternoon. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Youngtown, in particular Mr Ted Burton, for working with us on this project.  Thank you to our groundsman, Luke Brooks and Lewis for erecting the pole. I think we could all agree that a peaceful school community is certainly something we value.

We welcome Lill Alexander to our office administration team. Lill brings a range or relevant experience to the role and I am sure everyone will make sure she feels welcome and supported.

Over the holiday break we had some minor works done to the staffroom, some trees pruned and perhaps most significantly, our gym floor sanded, recoated and lines repainted.  I have included a photo further on and we are very pleased with the results. Following on from the major works we had done to our gymnasium earlier this year, the new basketball hoops/backboards and now the floor upgrade, our gymnasium is not only looking great but is a facility for us to be proud of and use effectively with our broader school community. As with any school facility, it is important that we all respect our environment and endeavour to care for what we have.

Next week we have our two-day Athletics Carnival followed by a Professional Learning Day on Friday 1 November and then the Monday long weekend (Recreation Day) on 4 November. The following week is also our Arts Night at the Princess Theatre and the four day External School Review of our school.

This term will seem to ‘race by’, so I encourage all our students to stay focussed on their learning, uphold our values and expectations and embrace the many opportunities available to them.

Regards

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:

Jemima Selby - Jemima is to be commended on her continued commitment to learning and also for being a responsible student.  She always goes above and beyond.  Well done Jemima!

Lailah Robins - Laila is recognised for her commitment to her learning and the respect that she has for staff and her fellow students.  Well done Lailah, keep up the great work!

Year 8:

8A – Mathew Waters - For his participation and efforts in after school basketball on a Thursday. 

8B – Khoshi Sharafi - For her improved attendance and engagement in learning. 

8C – Ella Brown - For her improved attendance and engagement in learning. 

8D – Sadie Fullard - For her improved attendance and engagement in learning. 

8E – Ben Barker - For his improved attendance an engagement with learning. 

8F – Parker Robertson - For his improved attendance and engagement with learning.

Congratulations to Bella Hammond who was recognised as Best and Fairest and to her sister Charlotte who received a Coaches Award over the holidays.  Both girls play in Division 4 for the Gee Tees Netball Club.   A further congratulations to Halle Ralston who received a Coaches Award in Division 2 Under 15s.   Bella and Charlotte have been playing for two years and Halle for seven.  It’s certainly wonderful to hear that our Year 8 students are receiving recognition for their efforts and achievement beyond our classroom and are actively involved in club sport outside of school. 

After school basketball has started with great momentum with many of our teams achieving great success in their games.  Thank you to Miss Attard and Mr Warren for giving up their time after school each Thursday to coach and support teams allowing them to participate in the roster against other schools within Launceston.  It certainly has been wonderful that we have so many students wanting to further develop their skills, competitive spirit and teamwork beyond the classroom as this further strengthens the bonds between peers and helps to foster a sense of community.

We are continuing our focus on further developing the DECYP Values and our KMHS R.O.C.K.S. this term with the focus for Week 1 being Growth and Respect.  As we prepare to report student achievement to parents and to participate in PAT testing during Week 2 we hope that these two focuses continue to support our classroom environments to foster a sense of academic achievement and support for teaching and learning programs while continuing to develop key attributes and character traits that help them to develop success as learners while understanding the importance of their contributions to creating an environment that is supportive of the learning of others.  On that note, this Friday we are celebrating the efforts of students from last term with students who have consistently displayed our Values and R.O.C.K.S.  participating in bowling at Launceston Lanes or a popcorn and movie afternoon this Friday based on data from teachers.

Week 2 sees the commencement of PAT testing in Maths and Reading and our team wish them every success over the coming week as they participate in the testing during lessons.  While improvement is important it’s important to recognise that this cannot happen unless students attend school consistently and continue to put effort into their learning on a daily basis. PAT testing also allows us to better understand each students’ areas of strength and areas for growth in future lessons so the benefits of testing are not just about the results but about better understanding each and every learner and how we can help the to make further improvement as they progress between year levels.

Attendance will continue to be a major focus for us during Term 4 and we hope parents can continue to support us in our endeavours in supporting our students to attend each and every day during the term. I would like to congratulate 8C who as a class, had an attendance average of 96% last week followed closely behind 8E with an attendance rate of 89%.  Our cohort had an average attendance rate of 87% and this certainly is a very encouraging way to start Term 4. 

We hope this positive momentum continues for the remainder of the term.

Our annual school Athletics Carnival is being held next week.  Like in previous years, our carnival is being held over two days – Wednesday 30 October at Kings Meadows High School and Thursday 31 October at the Northern Athletics Centre at St Leonards. Our carnival is run as a tabloid event which involves our students moving around the various events and working with their year groups to participate. Please ensure that your child has adequate sun protection for both days as the entire event is outdoors.

The program for the two days is below. 

Parents, carers and extended family are most welcome to spectate at this event. We ask that if you are going to attend that you adhere to the following procedures:  

• If possible, please park and spectate from the carpark at the Hobart Road entrance to the school.  

• Please sit/stand only in designated spectator areas.  

• Do not attend or enter the school if you are feeling unwell or if you have cold and flu-like symptoms.  

Last year the winning house for the carnival was NEVIS. Can Nevis continue with this strong performance again in 2024, or will Esk, Tamar or Lomond take out the title? 

Welcome back to Term 4 – we hope you had a great break!

This term we have lots of exciting things happening.

School is the best place for our kids, it’s a chance to be around friends, learn new things, grow and have fun. 

Sometimes the final stretch of the year can be challenging for regular school attendance. Here are some tips to make every day count:

• Create a routine.
• Allow enough time in the morning.
• Be on time, every day.
• Plan appointments and trips outside school hours.
• Get a good night’s sleep.
• Set some technology boundaries. 

For more information, visit the Anything can happen website.

If you’re having trouble getting your child to school, please talk to us. We’re here to help.

Leadership Staff

Support Staff