Dear Parents/Carers

You may have noticed on our Facebook feed recently that we had a group of Year 8 girls attend the Girls On Track excursion at Symmons Plains Raceway on Friday, 15 March. This event was run by Motorsport Australia in order to promote engagement with STEM through a motorsport focus.  I understand that the day was really enjoyable and beneficial to our students.  Thank you to Emma Attard for supporting our students at this great activity.

Recently, our Year 10 House Captains and other student leaders have been assisting at some of our local primary school athletics carnivals (e.g. Norwood, Evandale, Glen Dhu). Thank you to the students involved and to Ben Killalea and Brendan Poke for supporting this opportunity for our students. Not only are these students providing valuable assistance but they are representing our school in a positive manner. I am sure there was also some valuable learning occurring in running such events and developing interpersonal and social skills through interacting with younger students and other adults. I am sure some of the primary school students also loved seeing older siblings and/or past students return to their school to help out. Well done to all students who assisted.

Reports went home last Friday afternoon, 22 March. If your child did not bring their report home, then please let us know. It is also important that students reflect upon their report and consider what the next steps might be moving forward with their learning. NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) has concluded for another year. Individual student reports will be sent home later in the year.

On Tuesday 19 March, we celebrated World Social Work Day and this year we recognise 50 years of social work in Tasmanian schools. Social Workers and other professional support staff play critical roles in working with students through a range of matters. Thank you to our wonderful social worker, Jasmine Poslon for all that she does for students and families in our school community.

From time to time students need to arrive late or leave early. We are required to maintain an accurate and current attendance register and, as such, students must sign in and out when leaving school through the electronic kiosk. In order to ensure our duty of care and to ensure students leaving is legitimate, it is important that we have direct contact with parents either by coming into the office, through a written and signed note, or through a direct phone call.  It would be greatly appreciated if parents did not make direct contact with their child through text or phone call.  Not only does this potentially cause students to breach the Mobile Phone Policy but we cannot accept that level of communication as authorisation. The communication must come directly to staff from parents/carers. Please also note that we are required to record student absences and there is a list of reasons that are regarded as acceptable. Please do not be offended if staff ask you to elaborate on the reason for a student absence (‘personal reasons’ is not enough) as they are only doing their jobs as required. Thank you to parents/carers for your anticipated co-operation in this regard. It is appreciated. I have included a link if you require more information about school attendance and absence, including a list of authorised reasons for students being away from school. Every school day matters!

Attendance in Tasmanian Government Schools (decyp.tas.gov.au)

The Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP), as a representative of the Crown, acts ‘in loco parentis’ – or ‘in the place of a parent’ – in relation to students in its care. Therefore, staff have a duty of care for all students located on department educational sites or participating in a school/educational activity. This duty is to prevent a reasonably foreseeable risk of harm to students and may extend beyond the educational site, activity or usual open hours, depending on the circumstances. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously. Please note that we have staff on duty (before and after school) from 8.20am up until 3.20pm. Unless there is a specific school event or activity outside of these hours then there is no direct supervision of students. Although we understand it can be challenging for families managing school drop off and pick up and we don’t wish to make this any more difficult, ideally students should not be on the school site outside of these times.

All school bus services are managed by the Department of State Growth. Nevertheless, we work closely with our bus service providers to support safe travel and to support students behaving in an appropriate manner on the bus. It is important for our students to remember that they are not only representing themselves when travelling on the bus but also their families and our school. Inappropriate student behaviour on the bus can also impact on safe travel. I have included the Passenger Conduct Code for School Bus Services so students and families are aware of their various responsibilities in relation to bus travel and so you are aware of how incidents are managed in the area of student bus travel to and from school.  If your child catches a bus, it may be timely to ensure they are aware of this information and their responsibilities.

Passenger Conduct Code for School Bus Services – Transport Services

Today our Prefect Board is running the World’s Greatest Shave in support of the Leukemia Foundation. In advance, congratulations to all students who are participating and raising funds for this valuable cause. Well done to our Prefect Board for all the work that has gone into running this activity. I look forward to seeing some of the new looks once the hair is removed or coloured!

Our school uniform group has been busy in the background working on potential updates to the student uniform. In addition to maintaining the traditional uniform, we hope to have some sample designs ready to test with our school community in the near future.  The primary aim is to provide a contemporary option that allows greater choice for students and families while also providing a comfortable, hard wearing and cost effective option.  As you may recall, we made some interim adjustments last year while this work was being undertaken, with students being allowed to wear the sports uniform as day-to-day wear. There has been strong take up of these options. A particular thank you to parents, Hayley Steel and Deb Jackson, for their contribution in this area.

We still have vacancies on our School Association Committee. It would be great to have more people involved in this important group. If you are interested, please let us know. Thanks in anticipation.

At the end of this week, we have the Easter break from Friday 29 March to Tuesday 2 April inclusive, with students and staff returning on Wednesday 3 April. I hope everyone has a pleasant break and returns feeling reinvigorated and ready for a strong finish for the last week and a half of Term 1.

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:

Alice Rymer – For consistently demonstrating a mature approach to her learning in all lessons. 

Zoltan Molenaar – For always coming to class excited about his learning and being an active participant in each lesson. 

Year 8:

Lucy Boarder - For going above and beyond in class and showing dedicated commitment in Science.

Rylan Blyth - For his improved attitude and positivity towards learning.

Amelia Hill - For her consistent effort and commitment towards her learning.

Caleb Roberts - For his mature and dedicated efforts with learning.

Year 9:

Abbey Brook – For making some wonderful progress in her drama class.

Francis Azarian – For making a wonderful start at Kings Meadows High School and being an important part of the cricket team.

Year 10:

Cameron Gurteen – For his persistence and continually striving for improvement in class.

Amir Rahmi – For his outstanding leadership and support of others.

It has been another busy few weeks in Year 7 as we approach Easter. On Friday the 8 March, students participated in the KMHS Swimming Carnival. It was fantastic to see our Year 7 students enthusiastic, having a go and supporting each other. A particular highlight was seeing how they rallied to cheer on their peers who, despite not being the strongest swimmers, were doing their best. Classes were promised a prize to the group with the strongest participation. Congratulations to 7C, who had the most students in the pool across the day!

After a long weekend, Year 7 came back to school ready for NAPLAN testing of vital literacy and numeracy skills. It was great to see students tackling each test to their best of their ability.

At the conclusion of their final NAPLAN, Year 7 students were informed that they are now able to take responsibility for their iPads and can choose to take them home to complete schoolwork. Students are welcome to leave their iPads in their classroom to charge overnight, or can take responsibility for plugging their iPad in at home, so that it is ready for learning the next day.

In our Year 7 assembly last week, Mr Johns spoke about the role of Year 7 Transition Leaders at KMHS. These students support Year 6 students as they transition into high school, help out with Challenge and Orientation Days and act as ambassadors for KMHS to primary schools. Students are able to apply for this role, by scanning a QR code with their iPad and completing an online questionnaire. Mr Johns and Mr Brewer are excited to read students’ applications and are impressed with the number of students who have already applied. Applications close at the end of this week.

We wish all of our Year 7 students a happy Easter break and look forward to seeing them when we return next Wednesday.

Year 7 Contact Details

7A Class Teacher – Mrs Anu Grewal - anu.grewal@decyp.tas.gov.au

7B Class Teacher – Miss Isabella Darsaklis - isabella.darsakli@decyp.tas.gov.au

7C Class Teacher – Miss Eloise Hart - eloise.hart@decyp.tas.gov.au

7D Class Teacher – Mr Matt Battle - mathew.battle@decyp.tas.gov.au

7E Class Teacher – Mr Matt Chatwin - matthew.chatwin@decyp.tas.gov.au

Additional teachers working with Year 7:

Mrs Renee Lunson - renee.lunson@decyp.tas.gov.au

Mr George Edmondson - george.edmondson@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade 7 Leader – Mr Scott Brewer - scott.brewer@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade 7 AST – Mr Robert Johns - robert.p.johns@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade 7 Assistant Principal - Mrs Kate Hume - kate.hume@decyp.tas.gov.au

We invite parents to contact us either by email or by phoning the school 6343 1000.

I am thrilled with the successes of our Year 8 students who recently participated in the KMHS swimming carnival last Friday. The carnival provided a platform for students to showcase their swimming skills, but more importantly, it offered valuable lessons in teamwork, sportsmanship and perseverance. Regardless of individual results, every student who participated gained something invaluable from the experience. Whether it was conquering personal fears, setting and achieving goals, or simply enjoying the camaraderie of their peers, the benefits of participation extend far beyond the pool. I applaud all students for their efforts and commend them for embodying the spirit of healthy competition and participation.

As we witness our students navigate the challenges and opportunities of adolescence, it's crucial to emphasize the importance of staying physically active. Engaging in regular exercise not only promotes physical health but also fosters mental well-being, enhances academic performance and cultivates essential life skills such as discipline and time management. By encouraging students to participate in various physical activities, whether through school sports, recreational hobbies, or simply outdoor play, we are not only investing in their physical health but also nurturing their holistic development. Thank you to all parents who encourage the pursuit of physical activity with their child.

Throughout this year, our staff will continue to navigate the exciting journey of high school as our students grow into responsible young adults within our school community. We endeavour to not only impart academic knowledge but also to instil invaluable life skills that lay the foundation for responsible adulthood, positive futures and bright lives.  This stage of growth isn’t always easy and our staff continue working hard to mentor, guide and set high expectations for students while empowering them to take ownership of their learning, make informed decisions and navigate challenges with resilience and responsibility as they help to co-create a positive and friendly culture amongst their peers. 

Our students have immense power to cultivate kindness and care for others through their actions and conversations. Parents and staff all play a role in helping students to develop a sense of care and kindness towards each other.  We encourage our students to lead by example, demonstrating kindness in daily interactions with peers and teachers. Whether it's offering a smile, lending a helping hand, or expressing genuine concern for others, these small acts of kindness create ripple effects of positivity throughout the school community. Moreover, students can actively listen to their classmates, showing empathy and understanding during conversations. By practicing inclusivity, standing up against bullying and advocating for those in need, students can foster a culture of compassion and support, creating a school environment where everyone feels valued and respected.

I hope as parents you can help us to prioritise kindness as an essential life skill as we work together in helping our students to grow into fit, healthy, resilient and responsible young adults who learn more every day. 

Parents continue to play an important role in helping our students to become further committed to learning, which includes encouraging good study habits, prioritising academic responsibilities, and fostering a love for learning.  If you haven’t already done so, we certainly encourage you to have a conversation with your child about how they are going with their commitment to learning and new class this year.  We also ask that you talk with their Class Teacher, Grade Leader or Grade AST if there are areas that might need extra support or assistance.  

Year 8 contact details:

8A Class Teacher – Mr Todd Nankervis - todd.nankervis@decyp.tas.gov.au

8B Class Teacher – Mr Leigh Richardson - leigh.richardson@decyp.tas.gov.au

8C Class Teacher – Ms Sherron Casey - sherron.casey@decyp.tas.gov.au

8D Class Teacher – Mrs Emma Dobson - emma.l.dobson@decyp.tas.gov.au

8E Class Teacher – Mr Dylan Warren - dylan.warren@decyp.tas.gov.au

8F Class Teacher – Mr Nick Stokes - nick.stokes@decyp.tas.gov.au

Additional teachers working with Year 8:

Mrs Jade Howard - jade.howard@decyp.tas.gov.au

Mrs Jo Bent - joanna.bent@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade 8 Leader – Miss Emma Attard - emma.attard@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade 8 Leader – Mr Daniel Richardson - daniel.richardson@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade 8 AST – Mr Nathan Karas - nathan.karas@decyp.tas.gov.au

Year 8 Assistant Principal – Mrs Kate Hume  kate.hume@decyp.tas.gov.au

As the term progresses and NAPLAN testing comes to a close, Year 9 students have settled into the classroom setting and are ready to continue learning.

English
In English, students have been looking into dark and gothic literature, examining and demonstrating common tropes and literary devices in dark and gothic fiction. Students are now beginning to find short children’s stories and adapting them into their own twisted tales whilst sticking to a recognisable plot line.

History
Our focus in History for Term 1 is on the Industrial Revolution and it's impact on modern society. Students completed an assignment researching the invention and development of an important technological advance during the Industrial Revolution. Many focused on innovations such as lightbulbs, telephones and steam engines, exploring their origins and the influence on modern innovations of today.

Health and Physical Education
In the area of Health and Physical Education we are exploring mental health. This means we are looking into symptoms and variations of different mental illnesses and conditions, demonstrating empathetic skills in supporting those struggling with their mental health and learning to take care of our own mental  health.

Science
We are investigating waves in the form of both sound and light in Science lessons, and in Maths, Year 9s are looking at measuring three dimensional shapes in the form of surface area and volume, while consolidating skills in finding unknown quantities.

There is much excitement in what this year brings for us in our education and we can’t wait to share with you what’s to come.

Written by Olive Baker – Year 9

Year 9 contact details:

9A Class Teacher – Mrs Jessica Crawford - jessica.crawford@decyp.tas.gov.au 

9B Class Teacher – Mr Solomon Walker-Bowd – solomon.walker-bowd@decyp.tas.gov.au

9C Class Teacher – Mrs Joh Breen - joh.breen@decyp.tas.gov.au

9D Class Teacher – Mr Nathan Meurant – nathan.meurant@decyp.tas.gov.au

9E Class Teacher – Mr Lachlan Bryan – lachlan.bryan@decyp.tas.gov.au

9EL Class Teacher - Miss Emily Lovegrove - emily.lovegrove@decyp.tas.gov.au

9F Class Teacher – Mr Mick Bent -  mick.bent@decyp.tas.gov.au

Additional teachers working with Year 9:

AST - Mr Jake Chamberlain - jake.chamberlain@decyp.tas.gov.au

Mr Isaac Pinnington – isaac.pinnington@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade Leader - Mr Sean Stevenson – sean.stevenson@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade Leader - Mr Sam Maddern – sam.maddern@decyp.tas.gov.au 

Grade AST - Mr Brendan Poke – brendan.poke@decyp.tas.gov.au

Year 9 Assistant Principal - Ms Kate Blaubaum - kate.blaubaum@decyp.tas.gov.au

Celebrations

Role Models   
Congratulations to all our Year 10s who continually uphold and promote our school R.O.C.K.S. expectations. You are seen and it is noticed by many members of staff just how fantastic your behaviour, attitude and commitment have been.

World’s Greatest Shave

Today is the day, so far with over $4000 raised. It has been fantastic to see our student leaders passion and drive to organise a great event and to also see so many of our students and members of school community supporting this very worthy cause. Please scan or click the link if you’d like to donate.

Potential Melbourne Trip
Some initial planning is underway for the possibility of offering a Melbourne Trip to Year 10 students later this year. Students have been made aware of attendance, behaviour and work output expectations required to be invited if the trip is able to proceed. Please contact James Guy if you would like more information.

Grade Focus

Being organised, committed to everything we do, being accountable for our actions and remembering that we are the role models of the school remains our focus for Year 10. We will continue to encourage students to be proactive in making the most of opportunities that may arise.

Year 10 Contact Details:

10A Class Teacher – Mr Chris Murray - chris.murray1@decyp.tas.gov.au

10B Class Teacher – Mrs Rebecca Glasby - rebecca.glasby@decyp.tas.gov.au

10C Class Teacher – Miss Mikhala Graham - mikhala.graham@decyp.tas.gov.au

10D Class Teacher – Mrs Belinda Selby - belinda.selby@decyp.tas.gov.au

10E Class Teacher – Mr Ben Killalea - ben.killalea@decyp.tas.gov.au

10EL Class Teacher - Miss Emily Lovegrove - emily.lovegrove@decyp.tas.gov.au

10F Class Teacher – Miss Steph Sheedy - steph.sheedy@decyp.tas.gov.au

Additional Teachers working with Year 10:

Mr Richard Goss - richard.goss@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade 10 Leader – Mrs Nicole Lynch - nicole.lynch1@decyp.tas.gov.au

Grade 10 Leader – Mr Stuart Withington (stuart.withington@decyp.tas.gov.au)

Grade 10 AST – Mr James Guy (james.guy@decyp.tas.gov.au)

Year 10 Assistant Principal - Ms Kate Blaubaum - kate.blaubaum@decyp.tas.gov.au

The 2024 Kings Meadows High School swimming carnival was held on Friday 8 March. Catering for all abilities, the carnival is designed to engage our competitive, highly skilled swimmers, through to students who enjoy the fun aspect of the water environment in various novelty events.

With the carnival changing to its traditional Term 1 slot (due to NHSSA switching swimming and athletics), the carnival provided the perfect day to be in water, especially outside as the temperature were up in the high 20’s.

Highlights for the carnival witnessed the newly appointed House Captains embrace and promote the house spirit, the many willing students participating in the championship events, while also seeing the competition at a premium in the waterslide timed races.

Some standout individual performances involved Ignatia Van Der Pols, James Harris and Lincon Talbot all breaking respective age division records.

New Records

Female Yr07 25m Breaststroke
VAN DER POLS, Ignatia NEV 24.73 Old Record: 25.52 NICOLSON, Sarah (Esk 2023)

Male Yr10 25m BreaststrokeHARRIS, James ESK 17.39 Old Record: 22.87 WALKER, Oliver (Nevis 2023)

Male Yr09 25m Butterfly
TALBOT, Lincon TAM 14.82 Old Record: 14.87 HARRIS, James (Esk 2023)

Tamar (1147) was the overall winning team, edging out Esk (930). Lomond (868) placed 3rd with Nevis (693) ending the carnival in 4th position. Students selected to represent the school will now prepare for the interhigh carnival, taking place on Thursday 11 April.

Overall 

On Friday 15 March, a group of twelve Year 8 students travelled to Symmons Plains Raceway to participate in the Girls on Track program run by Motorsport Australia. The program aims to engage girls in a range of STEM based activities with a motorsport focus. The activities included: designing a race car made of Lego and making modifications before racing to improve weight distribution and aerodynamics;  writing a script as a TV presenter to present as if they were live on air and delivering this to the group; participating in some fitness and reaction time challenges including a pit crew race for time; engaging in a tour of the raceway while practice and qualifying laps were underway; meeting drivers and their personnel and watching the inner workings of a motorsport team.

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable day out for our year 8s and one that we were very grateful to be a part of.

Term 1 has been an interesting space for the HPE environment, especially the practical area, where we continue to watch with excitement the refurbishment (external panelling) of the gymnasium. This has provided a great challenge for the learning area where staff and students have had to be adaptable, flexible and accommodating in preparation and the structure of lessons. Fortunately, the Tasmanian late summer has been kind (thus far) with students embracing what the curriculum offers.

In the practical area, students in Year 7 and 8 have focussed their learning on invasion games, where goals have focussed on teamwork, strategies and communication skills. Year 9 and 10’s curriculum has revolved around the theme of summer sports, with students participating in touch football, ultimate frisbee and tee-ball.

The Health curriculum has seen positive engagement through many topical discussions, peer-peer questioning and research-based tasks. Year 7’s have been studying positive relationships and bullying, with Year 8’s analysing the aspects of healthy eating. Year 9 students are building a great understanding of the work around mental health, with a focus on strategies and support. Lastly, our year 10 students have been analysing the risk tasking which occurs in the mid to late teenage years, with much of the work revolving around relevant scenarios (age equivalent), consequences, brain functioning and resilience-based strategies.

In addition to our core HPE curriculum, Kings Meadows High School is very fortunate to also offer a large range of options subjects for our students and the feedback has been impressive around engagement, commitment to learning and the challenging each other in various environments.

Congratulations to students who have been selected to represent the school in the up and coming NHSSA swimming championships. Competing in our own carnival, then to be selected is an achievement to be celebrated, therefore we wish you all the best.

Go Devils and Jack Jumpers

Brendan Poke – HPE Co-ordinator

Another day, another carnival. Some of our past Norwood Primary students, helping with the annual carnival at St Leonards.

The Year 10 students undertaking the Beacon Work Readiness Program had their site visit excursion to Bunnings and UTAS Stadium. They had tours of both sites and heard from staff in a wide variety or roles - horticulture, kitchen design, trades, customer service, forklift drivers, cleaners, groundsmen, activity officers, event co-ordinators and many more. The highlight was a game of giant volleyball on the UTAS pitch where they put into place the teamwork skills they had discussed in the corporate suite! Thank you to these businesses and Beacon Foundation for the support.

Leadership Staff

Support Staff