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Dear Families
Leadership Induction Assembly
Last Thursday we held our Leadership Induction Assembly to induct our 40 senior student leaders into their roles. Guest speakers and KMHS alumni, Mr Nick Bennett and Mrs Manika Champ certainly delivered poignant messages about leadership, the skills and attributes needed and developed through being in a leadership role. They both spoke very sincerely about their loyalty and pride in being a leader at KMHS and I know that this year’s leaders, who are an outstanding group of young students, will lead with the same pride, enthusiasm and determination that they mentioned. Congratulations to all our student leaders (please see list below).
PREFECTS | POSITION |
Jasmine Jones | Head Prefect |
Thomas Hawkins | Head Prefect |
Erika Kirk | Deputy Head Prefect |
Lincoln Newman-Beams | Deputy Head Prefect |
Ella Fullbrook | Secretary |
Jayden Eldershaw | Treasurer |
Millie Smith | Grade 7 Prefect |
Tyreece Williams | Grade 8 Prefect |
Deagan Madden | Grade 9 Prefect |
Ethan Stebbings | Public Relations |
Chaise Jordan | Fundraising & Charity |
Lachlan Kingshott | Assembly Prefect |
PEER SUPPORT LEADERS | |
Bree Lavelle | Co-Captain |
Frances Day | Co-Captain |
Tahlia Vanderheide | |
Olivia Chamberlain | |
Ethan Clarke | |
Brooke Cunningham | |
Grace Richardson | |
Jayda Laskey-Roles | |
Bella Roberts | |
BEACON STUDENT AMBASSADORS | |
Ashtyn Peters | Co-Captain |
April Stebbings | Co-Captain |
Ebony Wegman | |
Campbell Stebbings | |
Courtney Burnie | |
Liana Connie | |
Paige Smith | |
Mirren Taylor | |
Marcus Kelly | Grade 9 |
Sarah Henshall | Grade 9 |
Amelia Lethborg | Grade 9 |
Maggie Robins | Grade 9 |
HOUSE CAPTAINS | |
Bryce Stone | Esk |
Jacob Maher-Maynard | Esk |
Jessica Homan | Nevis |
Anthony Dennis | Nevis |
Micah Boxhall | Lomond |
Alexander Lyons | Lomond |
Marcelline Bula | Tamar |
Erin Quillerat | Tamar |
External School Review
All DoE schools are required to have an External School Review every 4 years. We have our review being conducted on Monday 22nd to Wednesday 24th March. This involves a panel of 3 leaders from the Department spending time immersed in our school, interviewing and observing our learning environment. Their focus will be around specific lines of inquiry that are decided collaboratively with the panel and school staff. We have Mr Jason Szczerbanik (Panel Chair), Mr Grant Armitstead (Principal - Reece High School) and Mrs Alana Green (Principal - Clarence High School) as our panel. I have included some more information about school reviews in this newsletter along with an “opt out” request if you do not want your child to be involved in this process.
Excursions
Art students have had opportunity to visit The Glover Prize Exhibition and the QVMAG exhibitions including Art Rage.
ASCENT Program - We have a group of Grade 9 girls participating in a program at PCYC (Achieve, Strength, Courage, Empowerment & Nurture Together).
Architecture and Construction to Mitre 10 Truss centre Wed March 17th to learn more about the engineering and manufacturing of roof and floor trusses.
Senior students have been assisting at Connect 6 Primary School Carnivals. This is a great way to support our feeder schools and our students enjoy returning to their old schools. Thanks to Mr Bent for co-ordinating this.
Outdoor Education excursions - Students undertaking the Outdoor Education enrichment class are able to go off campus again to participate in activities. Over the coming weeks they will be undertaking some abseiling, mountain biking, hiking and visiting Hollybank Reserve.
Guest speakers - Tasmania Police have presented to our junior grades on the topic of “Cybersafe “and “Sexting”. The presentation by Constable Annabel Shegog on cybersafety/sexting was very informative and highlighted the laws around this serious issue and enabled our students to build a better understanding of their responsibilities and requirements even if they receive a message or image. Thank you to the junior grade teams for arranging such an informative presentation.
Swimming Carnival this Friday - A reminder to all students and families about our annual Swimming Carnival which is coming up this Friday.
Due to COVID restrictions still being in place, the usual venue of the Launceston Aquatic Centre did not cater for our needs. The carnival this year will be held at the Riverside Aquatic Centre so we can have all students attend. Unfortunately, we will not be able to have any family or adult spectators due to the venue density rules. We are looking forward to a fabulous fun day and a reminder to all students to bring hats and sunscreen as the weather forecast is for a warm day.
School Association Meeting - School Associations are an important part of a school community and every parent and staff member are actually members of our School Association (as per the DoE School Association Guidelines). The School Association Committee are an elected group of representatives that act on behalf of all members and meet regularly to discuss matters relating to the school. For example, the Annual Improvement Plan and School Budget have to be passed through the School Association, decisions about uniform are made at School Association level, small fundraising opportunities managed, and this is where celebrations and vision for improvement can be tabled and discussed. Our School Association meet once a month on a Wednesday evening and the meetings generally last between an hour to an hour and a half. We have current positions vacant that will be decided at the AGM to be held prior to the April/May General Meeting. Please see the flyer later in the newsletter for more details and I encourage people to think about coming along and being part of this very supportive and enthusiastic group. We are once again offering the opportunity to participate through the Microsoft Teams link if people cannot make it in person. If you have Microsoft Team on your devices you just need to join via the link below:
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Or call in (audio only)
+61 3 6169 5130,,878359015# Australia, Hobart
Phone Conference ID: 878 359 015#
Find a local number | Reset PIN
11-12 Enrolments Update
Attendance
I would like to take this opportunity to remind families about the importance of regular attendance at school. I have mentioned previously many times that it is imperative for good learning outcomes to be achieved that students attend school every day. A goal for students to aim for is an attendance rate at or above 90% and that is what we aim for as a school. Currently we are sitting on 90% as a school and we work hard to ensure we know where our students are and why they are not at school. What may seem harmless can have a cumulative effect that significantly hampers learning. We acknowledge that students are not always well and able to attend school and thank families for communicating this to our administration team as soon as possible. This can be done via a phone call, message or through the Schoolzine App. Attendance at school is a legal requirement and we must follow this up accordingly following process and protocols as outlined in the Education Act.
The Education Act limits the reasons for a child to be authorised to be absent from school.
Reasons your child can be authorised to be absent from school include:
- sickness/incapacity
- medical/legal or related appointments
- natural disaster or extreme weather preventing your child from safely attending school
- terminal illness of an immediate family member
- bereavement of a person that your child had a close, significant, or family relationship with
- having witnessed or been subjected to family violence
- participating in a recognised learning experience
- being participant or official at a recognised State, National or International event
- an application for home education being received by the Education Registrar and provisional registration being granted.
An absence from school that is not for a reason in the list will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. Mrs Debbie Rigby in the Administration team has the responsibility of following up on non- attendance and will make calls home to ascertain why students are away. We thank families in advance for your polite co-operation.
We understand that adolescence is a challenging stage and that there are times when teenagers seek independence and push the boundaries. No matter how hard parents try, some students experience times when they can be reluctant or refuse to go to school. We know that attendance patterns are established very early in the year and that is why we have a strong emphasis on working with you to address any attendance concerns at the start of the year.
What You Can Do:
- Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day, make that the expectation. Regular attendance sets up good behaviours for regular attendance at work.
- Help your teenager maintain daily routines such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep. On average, teenagers need 8-9 hours’ sleep to be healthy and alert. You may also need to monitor their use of the Internet, mobile phone and TV at night to ensure they are not staying up too late or being disturbed while sleeping.
- Avoid making hair, dental or medical appointments during school hours.
- Schedule family trips for school holidays, rather than during term time.
- Don’t let your teenager stay home unless genuinely sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.
- Monitor your teenager’s attendance and school performance. A regular check in by phone or email is a good idea. If you have concerns about your child’s attendance, please contact us through the Home Group Teacher, Grade Leader, Assistant
- Principal, the Social Worker or myself.
Communication
KMHS has several ways for parents/carers to keep informed of what is happening around the school during the year. Please take a moment to read and subscribe to the following options.
Kings Meadows High School Website
By visiting our website, you can access Kings Meadows High School information and subscribe to the newsletter, download the app and ‘Like’ our Facebook page.
Click here to view our Website - https://kingsmeadowshs.schoolzineplus.com/
Go to the link below and “Like” us and you will start getting all the important Kings Meadows High School information in your Facebook newsfeed.
Click here to view our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/kingsmeadowshighschool
Newsletter
You can also subscribe to receive Kings Meadows High School’s Newsletter here:
Click here to subscribe to our Newsletter - https://kingsmeadowshs.schoolzineplus.com/form/1
SZapp - Schoolzine App
The app provides a convenient way to receive up-to-date information on the go:
Click here to download SZapp informationhttps://www.schoolzine.com/szapp-installation
An update for SZapp has been released to accommodate iPhones which have recently updated their software to iOS 13 and above.
Qkr! App
Using the Qkr! App instructions (click on the link below), download it to your phone to order and pay for lunches at the Canteen or make other payments.
Click here to download the Qkr! App Installation Guide324 KB - PDF
Regards
Maree Pinnington
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:
Grade 7:
Zoe Katsabiris - For always rollowing the ROCKS in class.
Lane Bingham - For a diligent effort towards his Maths.
Grade 8:
Evan Bunton - For consistent effort, organisation and always being respectful.
Jawed Abdul Hakeem - For always working hard, showing respect and being a good team member.
Grade 9:
Georgia Gillow & Fatemeh Rezaei - For taking on challenging tasks in Maths and seeking feedback and applying this to improve their overall understanding.
Grade 10:
Marcelline Bula & Zaide Simmons - For their courage to perform at the Induction Assembly.
Alex Lyons - For being a supportive and caring classmate.
Celebrations
We would like to commend the way in which our Grade 7 students have transitioned into their blended learning with their iPads. It is fantastic to see students exploring the ways in which technology can support their learning. Our blended learning approach effectively enhances student learning at school by using our online learning management system, CANVAS and this supplements our explicit teaching.
A reminder to parents/carers/guardians that the parent CANVAS app can be used to access student progress online. Using the CANVAS parent app will assist in supporting students' progress, organisation, and engagement. If you need more information regarding the parent CANVAS app, please contact your student's Class Teacher.
Grade Focus
In our upcoming My Education Day (16th March), students will be continuing to build their understanding of our school wide expectations and participating in a range of activities that will aim to build our positive grade culture. All Grade 7 students will be required to wear their full HPE uniform on this day, as well will be walking to the Punchbowl Reserve for a portion of the day. Students will engage in activities facilitated by our Peer Support Leaders and enjoy a supplied barbeque lunch. Students will be required to supply their own recess.
Important Contacts
The Grade 7 teaching team this year consists of Mrs Katie Wightman (Junior School AP), Mr Tom Hartley (Grade 7 AST), Miss Nicole Williams (Grade Leader), Mr Stuart Withington (Grade Leader) and Class Teachers:
7A - Mr Leigh Richardson
7B - Mr Taylor Neilson
7C - Mrs Storm Pooley
7D - Mrs Bronwyn Platz
7E - Mr Sam Maddern
7F - Mr Sean Stevenson
7G - Mr Nicolas Parker
A reminder about the important contacts for Grade 8 in 2021.
Assistant Principal - Mrs Wightman katie.wightman@education.tas.gov.au
Grade 8 AST - Mrs Hume kate.hume@education.tas.gov.au
Grade Leaders - Mr Battle & Miss Males mathew.battle@education.tas.gov.au lillian.males@education.tas.gov.au
8A - Mr Chris Murray chris.murray1@education.tas.gov.au
8B - Mr Matthew Chatwin matthew.chatwin@education.tas.gov.au
8C - Mrs Kathleen Hodges kathleen.hodges@education.tas.gov.au
8D - Miss Grace Bannon grace.bannon@education.tas.gov.au
8E - Mrs Amy Jansen amy.jansen@education.tas.gov.au
8F - Mrs Jessica Crawford jessica.crawford@education.tas.gov.au
8G - Mrs Tracey MacFarlane tracey.macfarlane@education.tas.gov.au
Grade Support - Mr Pedersen thor.porsbro-pederse@education.tas.gov.au
Celebrations
Congratulations to all of our Grade 8 students who have made a conscious effort to be focused on learning and following our ROCKS expectations. We have seen a large amount of growth in maturity, accountability and responsibility from our students. With interim reports approaching, our students have made an exceptional effort to display that they are growing into mature young adults. Each week students are reminded of the ROCKS as well as other high expectations that we have at Kings Meadows High School in particular the way we move around the school, interactions with staff and peers, being resilient and accountable. Well done to our students on the way they are contacting themselves at present.
Grade Focus
As we move further towards the middle of Term 1, our Grade flows from acceptance to self-awareness. This will be echoed as we approach our first My Education Day on Tuesday 16th March.
Our second Grade Focus is again revisiting messages from Will Smith, our guest speaker during the first week of school. Students should know by now who their ‘top 5’ are and be actively seeking out these people on a regular basis. This week during our Grade Assembly we watched a video which highlighted a concept called 'The Blame Game.’ This week's message is all about accountability and the responsibility we have in holding ourselves and others accountable for our actions, words and learning. The easiest thing to do in life is to blame someone else. It is time to take full responsibility for your decisions and your actions. If you have the courage to be involved in something, you also have the courage to step back and not be part of it.
Celebrations
Grade 9 students should be incredibly proud of the way they have started the school year! There has been wonderful feedback from the Grade 9 teaching team about how much effort students are putting into their learning and how much maturity and initiative they have shown. It has been particularly pleasing to see students embracing opportunities and making the most of all that Grade 9 has to offer. Recently, our 2021 Literacy Leaders were announced and we are very proud that 8 out of the 10 Literacy Leaders are from our Grade 9 cohort. The applications were outstanding and certainly made the selection process very difficult! It was wonderful to see how many students described moments in their every day lives where they have shown leadership. Donald McGannon’s quote came to mind: “Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example”.
Over the coming weeks, students in Grade 9 will have the opportunity to apply for the role of Class Leader. This role provides students with the chance to improve their public speaking skills, collaborate with their peers and represent their grade, demonstrate organisation and initiative, and help with the planning of grade assemblies and other events. We couldn’t think of a better opportunity to prepare students for the 2022 leadership application process and we encourage students to apply!
Grade Focus
Over the past few weeks, we have noticed a few Grade 9 students becoming quite forgetful with bringing their charged iPads to school! Our teachers work very hard to ensure that class work is available on Canvas, and iPads allow students to connect, collaborate, enrich and extend their learning. We would like to encourage all students to remember that their iPad is an important learning tool and it needs to be charged and ready each day. Your support with this is greatly appreciated.
Celebrations
This week our student leadership group were officially inducted during our Induction Assembly on Thursday. It was fantastic to have all leaders recognised in front of our whole school. Thank you to Nick Bennett, Manika Champ and Ebony Bridle who were part of our assembly and all staff that assisted with this event. The student leadership group were treated afterwards to an amazing afternoon tea which was catered for by our school catering group and Mr Pedersen.
During the next two weeks we have many Grade 10 students heading to Longford, Evandale and Youngtown Primary Schools to help and support at their athletics carnivals. This is a great way for students to make connections with our community and provide support for younger students. Some students were helping out at the primary they attended and are very excited to be heading back.
Grade Focus
This week’s focus for Grade 10 was to ‘be humble’ – think of yourself less and do more. Whether this be something small, it can make a huge difference to someone’s day.
We look forward to seeing our Grade 10 students being leaders at the swimming carnival this Friday.
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY:
The Department of Education regularly reviews all Tasmanian Government Schools. The Reviews are an important part of how the Department supports each school.
The Reviews are about providing schools with quality and independent feedback to help them continue to improve the learning outcomes for students and achieve the department’s commitment to inspire and support all learners to succeed as connected, resilient, creative and curious thinkers. Reviews are not used to compare schools or to rate the performance of school staff. They are about supporting schools in a differentiated way, with reviews tailored to each school’s context and need.
Each school is reviewed approximately every four years – providing valuable opportunities for self-reflection and improvement. The External Review Team conducts the Reviews.
The Review Process
Experienced educators undertake Reviews. Each Review Team consists of two to four reviewers, however, the number of reviewers and the length of the Review depends on a range of factors, including the size and context of the school.
The Review Team looks closely at each school’s performance data and will speak with staff, students, parents and the community to get an accurate picture of the school. Reviews are structured around a small number of lines of inquiry, which have been agreed upon by the Review Chair, the principal and relevant Learning Services and School Improvement Team staff.
The Review Team will provide the school with a report summarising their findings and recommended improvement strategies to maximise student outcomes. Principals are encouraged to share this information with staff and the community to guide the school’s future improvement focus.
Participation in School Reviews
Feedback from parents and the community is an important part of school Reviews, and parents and community members are encouraged to participate in the review.
More Information
Parents and community members interested in further information relating to school Reviews are encouraged to make contact with their principal.Dear Parents
As part of our continuous school improvement, we will be involved in an External School Review with a Review Team. The purpose of External School Reviews is to support schools to raise achievement, sustain high performance and provide quality assurance to build public confidence in government schools.
All Tasmanian Government Schools will be externally reviewed every four years. The focus of the Review is to evaluate school performance. The Review Team consists of a Review Chair and trained Review Principals. The review will occur on Monday 22nd March -Wednesday 24th March 2021.
We will find out the aspects of the school’s improvement that have been verified through the Review processes as well as the improvements that we need to make in the future.
During the External School Review, some students, parents, School Association members and staff will be asked to provide information to the Review Team in a number of ways. These include:
- individual interviews
- group discussions (with students or staff or parents)
- meetings (usually School Association, staff meeting)
- visits into classrooms.
We appreciate your support and time in helping us with this External School Review process.
Please complete the reply slip below and return to the front office if you do not want your child to participate. If you would like more information, please contact the school on 63431000 or through the normal email communications
EXTERNAL SCHOOL REVIEW PROCESS – return by: Monday 15th March 2021 or alternatively email the school.
NAME: ____________________________
I do not want my child in class ................ to be involved in the External School Review discussions.
Signed: ______________________
(Parent/Guardian)
SWIMMING CARNIVAL INFORMATION:
Friday 12th March is the annual KMHS Swimming Carnival. Due to COVID restrictions and venue density we have made some changes to the carnival from last year. This year we will be conducting our carnival at the Riverside Pool which will allow us to fit the whole school into one venue, with venue density limits. The carnival will include the usual swimming competitive races in addition to some fun novelty and activities for everyone. Attendance on the day is compulsory. Students should come prepared with their gear for swimming and remember to bring plenty of warm clothing and towels for changing after their events. Unfortunately, there will be no canteen available at the venue, so students are to bring a packed lunch with plenty to eat and drink for the day. Due to the change in venue and the length of Riverside Pool being 33m, our school records will be unable to be broken for this carnival. Those students wishing to break records will get opportunity to use their times from the Inter-high swimming carnival to do this if they wish. Regrettably, this cannot be helped, and we are hoping families will be understanding of this.
Like all carnivals, students are asked to come dressed in their house colours to generate house spirit. Last year's winning house was Tamar. Will they be able to get back to back victories or will Esk, Nevis or Lomond come out on top this year. Good luck to all swimmers, compete to the best of your ability and do your bit to get your house points.
Grade 7 scientists are investigating scientific variables, and learning to use bunsen burners. Several classes have graphed the heating of water, working in small groups to record their temperature results.
Friday 12 March | KMHS Swimming Carnival |
Monday 15 March | Grade 7 and 10 Immunisations |
Tuesday 16 March | My Education Day |
Tuesday 16 March | Grade 7 Picnic - Punchbowl |
Wednesday 24 March | School Association Meeting |
Wednesday 31 March | NHSSA Swimming Carnival |
Wednesday 31 March | Last Day Term 1 |
Wednesday 21 April | First Day Term 2 |