PRINCIPAL'S REPORT:
Dear Parents/Guardians
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. Mrs Debbie Rigby in the admin 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. The chart below is a reminder of the impact time off from school can potentially have.
| If your child misses ..... | That equals ..... | Which is ..... | & over 13 years of schooling that's ..... | Which means the best your child might perform is ..... |
| 1 day per fortnight | 20 days per year | 4 weeks per year | Nearly 1.5 years | Equal to finishing in Grade 11 |
| 1 day per week | 40 days per year | 8 weeks per year | Over 2.5 years | Equal to finishing in Grade 10 |
| 2 days per week | 80 days per year | 16 weeks per year | Over 5 years | Equal to finishing in Grade 7 |
| 3 days per week | 120 days per year | 24 weeks per year | Nearly 8 years | Equals to finishing at Grade 7 |
Red Sprites F1 Team
Currently our Red Sprites team are in Melbourne competing at the F1 in Schools National event. We are all watching the regular Facebook posts about their progress and how they have been going and we look forward to the remainder of the week and what it may bring for the team. We are incredibly proud of the team and their achievements and thank all their families, businesses and industries who have been in support of the team to enable them to be able to compete at a National level.
iPad Roll Out
As a school we continue to embrace 21st Century learning design and incorporate blended learning approaches into our pedagogy and we have recently had the successful roll out of the 1:1 iPad program to all our Grade 7 and 8 students. As you can imagine this is a big task to ensure that 300 students are hooked up, engaged and ready to go with their device. It has meant many hours of preparation and planning from the Grade Teams and the ICT staff and I thank them all for ensuring that our students are now utilising their devices for learning. Blended learning is where our teachers and students use ICT in conjunction with normal classroom instruction, usually utilising the Canvas platform as a tool to access units of work and learning. Using ICT does not replace the teacher or direct instruction, rather it is a way of enhancing student engagement and learning. By using these platforms students can access their learning anytime and anywhere and as they have permission to take their device home, they can share their units regularly with families. I encourage you to sit and have a look at what your child can show you on their device. The grade 7 & 8 students have been having some direct instruction around the tools and apps on their device in a “toolbox” lesson over the last few weeks. This has ensured that all students are developing their knowledge and skills in using their iPad. Thank you to Mrs Wightman and Mr Withington and the Grade Teams for constructing these learning sequences.
Year 11 and 12 at KMHS
I have previously shared KMHS is classed as an Extension School in the Year 11/12 space. As a school we can provide a program of work for students who may not wish to transition on to either of the city colleges. This program of work would be mainly through VLT (Virtual Learning – on-line learning). In 2020 we are still offering Agricultural Enterprise focussing specifically on Viticulture on our campus for any year 11/12 students from any of the colleges to undertake with us. Mr Tom Hartley is delivering this course again this year on a Monday. There are still vacancies if any families know of students who may be interested.
The Launceston area high schools have been working over the past 12 months to look at how best we can offer a variety of programs to cater for our young people, particularly those who struggle to stay engaged and retained. This year will see us collaboratively progress this work and I will share more as the year progresses.
Congratulations
- Phoebe Atkins for representing Tasmania in the State Girls Cricket Team.
- Our House Captains for supporting our local schools (Longford and Youngtown Primary) at their Athletics Carnivals recently.
- Nykahlia Down and Paige Gibson for making the NTJFA representative team.
Swimming Carnival this Friday
A reminder to all students and families about our annual Swimming Carnival which is coming up this Friday held at the Launceston Aquatic Centre. It is always a fabulous day and we welcome families to come and spectate if possible.