Taroona High School eNewsletter

Principal’s Report

Hello Parents/Carers

Term 3 is nearly over and it has been an incredibly busy and exciting time for all of us at Taroona High School. We have had so many events of note that I can not do the breadth of the learning opportunities and learning achievements justice in my small newsletter space! To ensure I cover as much as I can I want to list some of the events that we have participated in this term:

Ember – an amazing musical event for our contemporary musicians, students and community members. This culminated with 3 bands playing in the State Finals of the Rock Challenge at the end of this term.
Spring Arts Festival – showcasing the Arts, our artists and the amazing creative energy and imagination that thrives at THS.
SRC Scholarship Assembly – Acknowledging a range of student achievements from National, State, local and school based skills and expertise.
10/11/12 Transition – Collaborative work with Hobart College, Elizabeth College and THS@UTAS staff to ensure our year 10s are supported and counselled into the most appropriate courses and subjects for 2024.
Titration Competition – We once again had a number of teams competing, with 5 out of the top 7 from THS! We won the High School/ College competition with one of our High School Teams!
Sustainability Week – Another student led initiative, where a range of activities were held, including my favourite, the recycled fashion show!
Student Wellbeing Survey and Staff Wellbeing Survey – Statewide surveys that support us to understand what we are doing to support the wellbeing and health of our students, staff and school community.
Young Archies – Again THS students were well represented with 5 students named up as winning, being mentioned or selected for their portraits.
National History Competition and National History Challenge – multiple state winners in different categories and year groups.
Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize A student has been shortlisted for the finals and could possibly win a trip to Europe next year!
Year 11/12 Mid-Year Exams
Year 10 English and Maths Exams
Language Competitions
Outdoor Education/Humans and the Environment camps
School Association completing the THS orchard.

In looking back at these events it has been incredibly humbling to see so many people come together to ensure that our students get the very best support and opportunities every single day. Thank you to all the staff, students and our fantastic school community for being active participants in ensuring that we are living our vision of “enriching lives through learning”!

There is also a huge thank you to our motivated and hard-working School Association. They have been predominantly new this year and have navigated the range of THS events with enthusiasm and passion for our school. The School Association provide us with an ongoing avenue and dynamism that makes our school better! Thank you to all those on the committee and who help out.

Our Staff have worked incredibly hard this term implementing our Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approaches of Worked Exemplars, Checklists, Learning Supports and Formative Assessment. It has been a true collaborative effort to differentiate the learning, create, test and reflect on the practice and celebrate the achievements of these wonderful teachers and staff. The change in many of our classes has been amazing, with learning evident, preparation and planning at the forefront and students able to articulate and explain how the new approaches have supported them in each classroom. This is ongoing work that is vital to our ongoing success and engagement with learning.

This term we have also continued our approach to know, understand and implement our values both as a staff and then as a student group. We have had a range of activities occurring with Home Group Challenges, Fun Fridays, Learning Goals and activities to elevate our Sense of Belonging happening over the term. Our students are of course integral to this, with a range of fund raising events occurring and students supporting the variety of events as volunteers and ambassadors!

By the end of this term, you will have received a number of emails that detail the DECYP “Evidence of Learning” (EoL) in each subject. This is a new reporting obligation that all schools have to address each year. We decided that every subject area would be represented, with most completing their sharing in Term 3. Please contact our office if you wish to discuss any of these EoLs or your young person’s specific teacher.

All the best for a safe, relaxing end of term.

CoLab -Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG)

What Is CoLab?

CoLab is an experiment that aims to find out what happens when you pair research scientists with Year 9-12 school art students, with the goal of inspiring new artworks that communicate scientific concepts and ideas. The students work directly with the scientists, including visiting their labs or field sites, and then create an artwork inspired by the scientific research. The artworks are then exhibited at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery during the Beaker Street Festival.

Death on Life - Miley and Isobel (10Y)

Miley and Isobel worked in collaboration with Dr Beth Strain from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Utas. The art created on a sheet of Perspex depicts a scene of a dead and dying ecosystem with giant kelp bleached, seagrass brown and flat oysters overgrown with invasive species. Whilst the healthy scene is created with paint pens to symbolise unity, the dying scene is created with acrylic using our hands to symbolise that humans are the ones taking from nature.

Through the human pressure of overfishing, sea temperature warming and urbanisation, many of the marine ecosystems have become degraded. This is no exception for most of the work Dr Beth Stairn conducts, with our group's focus being on the Tasmanian Flat Oysters, Giant Kelp Seagrass and the live-bearing sea star. We also explored the relationship between the dead and the thriving and how one cannot live without the other. The effect that humans have on this defenceless species also informed our work.

Artist’s Statement

Through the human pressures of overfishing, sea temperature warming, and urbanisation, many of the marine ecosystems have become degraded. This is no exception for most of the work that Dr Beth Strain conducts, with our group’s focus being on the Tasmanian Flat Oyster, Giant Kelp, Seagrass, and the Live-bearing Seastars. These species are what make Tasmania’s sea country thrive and become part of Tasmanian’s big picture beauty. We also explored the relationship between the dead and the thriving and how one cannot live without the other. The effect that humans have on these defenceless species also informed our work.

Clay Flat Oyster in water – stop motion. This series of photographs was captured over 20 minutes using a camera that took a photo every minute. This art was created to symbolise the slow depletion of these stunning oysters.

The students also worked with local artist and their mentor Lucy Bleach

Castles Crumbling

This 45cm cubed box has reflective mirror panels on the inside, as well as a green slime coating the bottom and orange sea-stars stuck to the sides. This represents the habitat loss of these wonderful creatures. The slime represents the algae that forms because bacteria in our drains coats their habitat, making it an unliveable environment.

Sea Star Perspex Box by Miley

Book Week – Year 7 Team

Thank you to all the students and staff who joined in on the Book Week celebrations and dressed up. I think the staff had more fun than the kids!

Book Week fun continued into the week with the hunt for the Golden Snitch, movies in the gym and a Lolly Stall raising funds for our sister school in Cambodia, The Chumkriel Language School.

School Association News

The School Association has been busy supporting a number of school events, including Ember, showcasing contemporary music, the Quiz Night organised by the Student Representative Council (SRC) and the Spring Arts Festival which celebrates music, drama, graphic design, MDT and art in all its forms. It was fantastic to see so many students, parents, carers and community members at these events and a huge thanks go to everyone involved in organising each of them. Funds raised at these events by the School Association benefit the school and students via our teacher and student grants.

The Grounds Subcommittee has also been busy, mainly with establishing the Orchard, with a recent working bee seeing completion of the structure and planting of 15 trees including apples, pears, plums and citrus. The orchard was made possible with a grant from the Queen’s Jubilee fund.

The Committee has also reviewed and endorsed several policies, including Student Behaviour Management and an addition to the School Uniform Policy requested by the SRC.

All parents and carers are welcome at our meetings – you don’t need to be a Committee Member to attend. We meet once a month at the school, on Mondays from 7:00pm-9:00pm -please see the school calendar for future meeting dates. We also welcome help at school events.

The association acknowledges that not everyone can make it to meetings so we will be discussing making on-line attendance an option in the near future.

Don’t forget to follow the Association on FaceBook or contact us directly: taroonahigh.assoc@gmail.com

Languages News

Alliance Française Competition 2023

The annual schools competition for French run by the Alliance Française de Hobart took place on Friday 30^th June at Hobart College. Students from Year 7 through to Year 10 were represented.

In Year 7 Lucy N (7O) and Tane M (7T) were given honourable mentions presenting the poem ‘L’Île des crocodiles’ (The Island of Crocodiles)

In Year 8 Yolande C (8B) received an equal 3^rd prize for the poem ‘Les enfants de demain’ (The Children of Tomorrow). Sam P (8O) received an honourable mention.

In Year 9 Alice F (9A) received 1^st prize for the Year 9 Reading Comprehension and Tom C (9R) received an honourable mention. Alice also received an honourable mention for the poem ‘Le brouillard’ (The Fog) by Maurice Carême.

In Year 10 Esmé B (10T) was given an honourable mention for the very well-known poem ‘Le ciel est pardessus le toit’ (The Sky is Above the Roof) by Paul Verlaine. Esmé also received an honourable mention for Year 10 Conversation.

Thank you to Genevieve R (7O), Jove T (7T) and Clementine D (8W) who also participated in the competition, represented their school, and worked hard to memorise the poem for their year group.

Pictures: Alliance Française Competitors with teacher Mme Lynch at Hobart College

Alice and Yolande receiving their book prizes at the Alliance Française Presentation Evening at Bellerive Primary

End of Semester Celebrations

Year 7 students celebrated the end of their language learning semester with food and festivals. French students learnt about la Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) and sampled some delicious pains au chocolat. Chinese students celebrated with spicy noodles and Jasmine tea and rice dumplings to also celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

**7 White students are enjoying noodles, jasmine tea, and rice dumplings using chopsticks. They loved the food as well as the basic Chinese dining etiquette.**

**Some French students in 7 Indigo celebrating the end of the semester with pain au chocolat. Bon appétit!**

2023 Tasmanian Chinese Speaking Competition

Thirteen students from Year 7 to Year 10 participated the statewide competition with a focus on conversational skills. Thanks for all the effort that our students put in for this competition, Congratulations to Year 8 student Isabella T (8Y) achieved highly commended, 3 Year 9 students, Alisa I (9O) won Second place, Fletcher L (9G) won third place, Jack B (9J) achieved Highly commended. Year 10 student, Finn W (10J) won Highly commended.

**Our students after the competition at The Friends’ School**

**Students who won from the 9/10 Chinese class waiting to get photos from the ceremony night.**

Japanese Calligraphy Competition

Congratulations to Mia K (10G) in gaining 1^st Prize in the Senior Brush Section of the JATNET Calligraphy Competition.

Education Perfect Languages Regional Championships

Congratulations to Bridget N (9G) who scored the most points in this competition held on the 7^th-11^th of August. Runner up was Fletcher L (9G).

The class with the most points was the 9/10 Chinese class who will have a Pizza+ Karaoke class party to celebrate. 7 Red was the top scoring Year 7 class in the competition. They will be celebrating with some French patisseries.

Primary School Chinese

Hingor Chung has shared teaching resources with Princes Street Primary school Years 3-4 and 5-6 classes and demonstrated engaging teaching approaches based on games, and teamwork. The teaching content covered Chinese characters, vocabulary of animals and name identification. Students practised basic steps for the Lion Dance.

**Lion Dance practice at Princes St Primary School**

Hobart College Language Pathways for Year 10

Week 4 of this term saw all Year 10 Home Groups have information sessions about the languages offered at Hobart College for year 11 and 12. Thanks to teachers Shane and Tricia for their enthusiastic presentation. It is good to know that it is not too late to start a language or pick up from what students may have already learnt in primary or high school. The French macarons went down very well too.

Farewell to Hingor Chung

We say goodbye to Hingor Chung who has worked for over 2 decades here at Taroona High as a passionate teacher of languages. Hingor’s versatility to teach Chinese, Japanese, and at one stage, Indonesian, over the years has meant that Taroona High has had the benefit of offering a range of languages and connections with Asia. She has run excursions such as the Trail of the Tin Dragon in north-eastern Tasmania over several years, showing the history of Chinese people pioneering in Tasmania. Hingor has also offered trips to China and Japan, worked in transition with primary schools and colleges, and she presents regularly at teachers’ conferences. We wish her all the best in the next phase of her life, and it is without a doubt ‘au revoir’ rather than ‘adieu’.

Welcome

It has been a great joy to welcome Dandan Tao who is teaching Chinese starting from Term 2 this year. Dandan is a Mandarin speaker with a master’s degree in Chinese Languages. She has taught Chinese as a foreign language previously for 6 years. She has also been a pre-service teacher and a teacher aide at Taroona High.

We welcome Meophy (Myff) Smith-Williams who is teaching the Year 9/10 Japanese class for the rest of the year. Myff has been busy organising students for the Japanese Speech Competition.

We also welcomed Loïc Feral who just completed his work as a pre-service teacher with the French classes. It was great for the students to learn French from a native speaker, and we all enjoyed his enthusiasm.

Student Representative Council (SRC) News

Scholarships

On the 15^th of August, the entire school came together in a whole school assembly to recognise the recipients of this year’s Taroona High Scholarship Program. The program was highly successful this year with over 90 applications and about 40 successful recipients across a range of areas from Visual Art to Health and Physical Education. We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the generous businesses, politicians and alumni who donated towards the program a total of over $6500, without them, the scholarship program would not be possible. We would also like to thank the teachers, office staff and principal who helped with the running and organising of the program as without their help, it would not happen.

A massive congratulations to all recipients and good luck with all your future endeavours in your chosen areas.

Quiz Night

On Friday, 1^st of September, we had our quiz night. The night was a success and was a lot of fun. We enjoyed seeing many of our school community there, ranging from past students, teachers, parents, and current students, as well as others. It was great to see all the creativity that each team put into their outfits. It was also great to see so many people there, we had eleven teams competing to win. We would like to thank all the businesses, and others, who donated to us, this supported us in making sure the night went well. A portion of the money raised from the quiz night will be going to our sister school in Cambodia, the Chumkriel Language School. Thank you to everyone who came to the night, it was so much fun to have you there.

During week 6 of this term the Sustainability Club ran a sustainable fashion week, this was a part of the youth climate leaders conference we attended in term 2. As part of this week we had a room open at lunchtime where students came in and learnt how to repurpose clothes, that were kindly donated by the tip-shop and reFind. A big thank you to all the teachers who attended and helped in the sewing room, and taught students, and some bonus teachers, how to make rope out of twine, and those that allowed us to use the sewing machines. We also had Helen Pryer from reFind come and talk to the year eights about the issues with the fast fashion industry which was very educational and linked in perfectly with their core work around sustainable living. Beyond the Sustainable Fashion Week the Sustainability Club has also worked with the Taroona Environment Network to plant native shrubs on the foreshore embankment, which is eroding, and educating ourselves on the landslip of Taroona so we can learn more about our natural environment and how we can help it. Currently we are working out our plans for the rest of the year and have many great ideas floating around!

Borneo Rainforest Fundraiser

On Tuesday the 29^th of August, the year 10 SRC ran a school fundraiser to support the Borneo Rainforest. By selling spiders (ice-cream in soda) to students during lunch, we managed to raise just over $300 for the Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF), an organisation devoted to restoring and maintaining the endangered rainforest. BNF is based in the Indonesian side of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. The organisation helps to educate local communities about the importance of the rainforest, and the devastating effects of deforestation. They are also responsible for creating many protected areas in the forest and building dams to preserve peatlands.

The situation in Borneo is becoming increasingly more precarious. Between the years 2000 and 2017, 6.04 million hectares of Bornean Forest was cut down (mostly to make way for palm oil plantations), that’s nearly the entire land mass of Tasmania destroyed in just 17 years, and that’s only a decline of about 14%. We hope our donation to BNF will help their efforts to preserve what is left of the Borneo Rainforest.

Young Archies

During Term 3 students had the opportunity to create a portrait for the Young Archies. The Young Archies is based on the famous Archibald Prize and is an annual portrait competition open to Department for Children, Education and Young People (DECYP) schools and colleges.

We had many entries from students, and it was a hard decision to choose the finalists for each of the categories. The portraits that were chosen for the Year 7/8 category were created by Imogen P (7J), Zoe T (7B), Melody Z (7W) and Francis D (8T). For the Year 9/10 category Abigale Y (9G), Amy L (10S), Mia K (10G) and Daisy B (9G) portraits were chosen.

Zoe, Daisy and Melody all received awards at the Young Archies presentation a few weeks ago. Zoe received a Highly Commended in the 7/8 Category and Daisy was the 9/10 Category Winner. Melody in Year 7 received the DECYP Secretary’s Award. These works are currently on display at the UTAS School of Creative Arts & Media and then the works by the award winners will travel to the north and northwest during October.

Congratulations to our award winners! You can see their work and the works of all the other entries on the online gallery – 2023 Young Archies Awards – Years 7 to Year 8, 2023 Young Archies Awards – Years 9 to Year 10.

My New Gallery

Music News

Senior Band Tour 2023

As part of the annual Senior Band Tour, the Year 10 concert band embarked on an exciting journey to Brisbane for a week in late August. This trip held special significance as it marked the interstate tour since 2019, due to the constraints imposed by COVID-19.

During our stay in Brisbane, we had the privilege of performing in front of over 3000 students at six primary schools. Everyone quickly found their way, using unfamiliar gear and setting up in different venues, adapting and solving problems as they came up. Our hire gear was delivered two hours late to our first school, but we still managed to setup in record time and make it happen. At each school, our concert band showcased their musical talents by performing four pieces: "Celebration Fanfare," "Star Wars," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and "The River Seneca." Additionally, our stage band dazzled the audience with a repertoire of five pieces. The grand finale, "Welcome to the Jungle," never failed to captivate the audience, leaving them dancing and cheering at the top of their lungs. This remarkable achievement was the result of six months of dedicated rehearsals, and every moment invested was undeniably worthwhile.

After three days of exhilarating performances, we had a couple of days to explore and enjoy the vibrant city of Brisbane. On the first day, we embarked on the traditional trip to Westfield Garden City, where everyone relished the experience of navigating the maze-mall. For dinner, we had a delightful yum cha meal, followed by an awesome night of bowling.

The highlight of our trip was undoubtedly the performances, but a very close 2^nd were our visits to QPAC to see Mamma Mia the musical and Movie World on the Gold Coast. We made our way down the coast to the epicentre of theme parks, where we spent an entire day exploring the park's attractions and daring each other, even our music teachers, on the extreme rides.

After our action packed week- long tour to Brisbane, the idea of returning to school left us all reluctant to bid farewell to this unforgettable experience. Every member of the band thoroughly enjoyed the tour, forging precious memories with their friends and teachers. We sincerely hope that future students will have the opportunity to embark on similar tours, as it is an experience that you’ll never forget.

Amy & Liam
Year 10

The annual Spring Arts Festival took place on September 13. This event is a celebration of the Arts, showcasing student work in Visual Arts, Design in Wood & Metal, Design and Technology, Photography, Theatre, Film, and a diverse range of bands, ensembles and soloists. This year's theme was "Beneath the Surface." The theme serves as inspiration for artists to go beyond the obvious and superficial aspects of their subject matter. It encourages them to explore deeper emotions, hidden meanings, or the unseen layers within their chosen themes. This theme allows for diverse interpretations, leading to a wide range of artistic expressions aimed at uncovering or revealing something beneath the surface of the subject matter.

The festival kicked off with a Contemporary Music Concert featuring our Rock Challenge finalists. This was followed closely by the String Ensemble, Woodwind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble performing in our magnificent band room. Students from the Event Production class provided technical support for multiple sites across the night.

The Art Exhibition was officially open and attendees had the opportunity to explore the halls filled with creative pieces and enjoy a variety of delicious food options from food trucks, catering stall, School Association and Student Representative Council (SRC) stalls located outside the gym, where live music was also being performed. The Design in Wood and Metal display offered up student works for purchase. Films were projected onto the link block wall. The audience enjoyed sitting on the grass watching while being immersed in the art installation.

The Performing Arts Concert followed to a packed house in the gym. Featuring hundreds of years 7-10 students in 4 concert bands, 3 stage bands and school production. During the concert there were 2 showstopping numbers from the school production, "Someone to Watch Over Me” and “I’ve Got Rhythm". It’s exciting to see these challenging numbers come to life! The night finished with the senior stage band who lifted the roof with their encore performance of Welcome to the Jungle. Overall, the night was a huge success, big thank you to all involved.

Amy - Year 10

We are seeking community feedback on our Spring Arts Festival, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you completing our online form, please click the following link:

Click here for more information

Taroona High School's annual mid-winter festival, 'Ember,' is hosted for one night during the first week of August and is a lively celebration of the school's contemporary music talents. A main and side stage are set up with lights and this year featured twenty of our contemporary acts. The event serves as an inclusive platform for students to showcase their ability, as well as perform original songs if they choose to do so. The night offers a mix of different genres and a diverse range of musical talents from the school, which always makes Ember engaging and energetic.

Rock Challenge

Many of the Ember performers go on to participate in the annual Tasmanian Rock Challenge, an off-campus event where high school and college acts from various regions of the state compete head-to-head. The challenge begins with an initial heat in each respective area of Tasmania, with successful acts heading to the finals in Launceston, aiming to come out on top. There are four categories in which students can compete: High School Acoustic Acts, College Acoustic Acts, High School Bands, and College Bands. This year, Taroona High School proudly saw several of our music talents enter the competition, with finalists winning in both the High School Acoustic and High School Band categories, listed below in alphabetical order.

High School - Acoustic
Ella B (10T)| Finalist
Ema Nina (10Y) | Performance Involvement
Fergus P (9R) | Winner Overall

High School - Bands
Conversationalists | Finalist
Mr Miko | Performance Involvement
Red Nails | Finalist
The Pedestrians | Winner Overall

Report by Iggy- Year 10

After School Art Enrichment

Over the last five weeks a group of students from Year 7- 10 have been participating in an art enrichment program on a Monday afternoon. Students have worked with several mediums, which have included oil pastel, clay, and watercolour. Some students also use the time to work on class tasks. If there are any students who are interested in attending the after-school art enrichment program for Term 4, please see Aaron Hutchins or Deborah Gataric for an information letter before the end of term.

Year 11 and 12 News

Exploring Innovation: Engineering Design Students Unveil an Array of Projects in Year 11 and 12

In the realm of innovation and problem-solving and setting goals, the Engineering Design students at Taroona High @ UTAS, in collaboration with the University of Tasmania (UTAS), have embarked on an inspiring journey of creativity and ingenuity. These students have taken on a diverse array of individual design projects, utilising their skills to tackle real-world challenges head-on.

At the heart of each project lies the consultation process with clients to understand their unique needs and preferences. Through this interaction, students are learning to apply the principles of design thinking, a structured approach to problem-solving that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and iterative design. This crucial step ensures that the final solutions are tailored to meet the specific requirements of the clients.

Working hand in hand with the students is UTAS academic Jack, who brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Jack's insights and guidance are proving instrumental in refining the students' ideas, challenging them to think critically, and pushing the boundaries of their creativity. This collaboration demonstrates the valuable link between academic knowledge and practical application, enriching the students' learning experience.

The diversity of projects the Engineering Design students are undertaking is truly impressive, showcasing their versatility and ambition. Here's a sneak peek at some of the projects:

Garden Watering System: Aiming to revolutionize gardening practices, this project seeks to develop an efficient and automated watering system for gardens, ensuring plants receive the right amount of water.
Indoor Plant Watering System: Focusing on interior landscapes, this project aims to create an automated solution to keep indoor plants healthy and vibrant.
Smart Home Energy Efficiency: With sustainability in mind, this project is centered on designing a system that optimizes energy consumption in smart homes, reducing environmental impact.
Sustainable and Cheaper Furniture: This project addresses the need for affordable and eco-friendly bed design that provide comfort without compromising sustainability.
Hobby Paints and Brushes Storage System: Catering to artistic souls, this project aims to create an organized storage solution for hobbyists' paints and brushes.
Table Tennis Equipment Storage: Acknowledging the needs of students, this project focuses on designing a storage system for Year 11/12 table tennis equipment.
Wood-Fired Outdoor Shower: Combining warmth and sustainability, this project aims to heat water for an outdoor shower using a wood-fired heater, perfect for remote shacks.
Quieter Bike Design: Tackling noise pollution, this project seeks to develop strategies to make bicycles quieter without compromising performance.
Solar Air-Conditioner: This project explores harnessing solar energy for air-conditioning, promoting energy efficiency and sustainable cooling.

As these projects unfold, we await the unveiling of their solutions. The collaboration between Taroona High School, UTAS, and the students themselves serves as a reminder that innovation knows no bounds, and the possibilities are limitless.

Unearthing Perspectives in Year 11 and 12 English Studies

Our English students are delving into the intricacies of the play "Jasper Jones," unearthing perspectives and themes that breathe life into its narrative. Through a variety of analytical tools, they are deciphering the characters' emotions, cultural nuances, and social values embedded within the text. Three students have shared their learning so far and it is impressive to see the depth of their thinking.

Ben:
Ben's journey through the play "Jasper Jones" is akin to unravelling a tapestry woven with emotions and themes. With the help of a character matrix, Ben is peeling back layers to unearth what the author intends us to feel. Exploring the characters' emotions regarding various themes, Ben dives into the complex realm of feminist and Marxist perspectives. This insightful approach offers a multifaceted understanding of the narrative, rendering it both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.

Callan:
The world of "Jasper Jones" isn't confined to a single cultural perspective; it's a confluence of diverse voices and values. Callan, is skillfully navigating the representation of different cultural groups in the play. Callan is establishing his interpretation and reading position in relation to the portrayal of cultural and social values in the play.

Lloyd and Henry:
Lloyd and Henry have embarked on a journey of close reading. Armed with the themes of innocence and guilt, they have been dissecting three passages to uncover new layers of meaning. Their collaborative efforts improve their understanding, as they bounce ideas off each other, refining and reshaping their ideas in the process

Taroona High School Senior Students Excel in RACI Titration Competition

We are happy to share the exciting news of Taroona High @ UTAS Physical Sciences students’ achievements in the recent RACI (Royal Australian Chemical Institute) titration competition. This competition saw a group of dedicated students from Taroona High @UTAS showcasing their chemistry skills and competing at a state level.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, titration is a fundamental technique in chemistry used to determine the concentration of an unknown substance in a solution. It involves gradually adding a solution of known concentration (the titrant) to a solution of the substance being analysed until a chemical reaction between the two solutions is complete.

During the Term 2 holidays, a group of determined Taroona High School students invested two days to practice and compete in the RACI titration competition. This commitment showcased their enthusiasm for the subject and their eagerness to challenge themselves beyond the regular classroom environment. According to the students who participated, the competition proved to be both enjoyable and incredibly rewarding.

Their dedication was indeed well worth the time and effort they invested. All students showed great growth and five students have been selected to receive the prestigious 'Awards of Excellence' in recognition of their exceptional performances, with one of our teams moving onto the National Finals in the coming weeks. This event will undoubtedly provide an excellent opportunity for these budding chemists to showcase their skills on a broader stage and further solidify their passion for the subject.

Taroona Pump Track

The pump track maintenance has recently been completed and the track is now open again for riding. A huge thank you to Sam and Ben from Next Level Mountain biking or their awesome work. Happy/safe riding!

2023 Major Award Nominations

One of the most important events in the Taroona High School calendar is the annual Presentation Evening. This event is a celebration of the achievements of Taroona High School students across all areas of the curriculum and school life. Award winners are chosen through a combination of academic, arts or sporting results and nomination by students, teachers, and member of the community. Students and community members can nominate students for the following awards:

Award for Community Contribution and Citizenship
School Spirit Award
Citizenship Award
School and Community Engagement Award
International Goodwill Award
Social Justice Award
Respectful Student Award
The Award for Commitment to Environment and Sustainability

The nomination form for these awards, as well as an information booklet describing the awards can be found on the Taroona High School Website under the ‘Information’ tab, then scroll down to ‘Presentation Evening Awards’. Or following the below link: Taroona High School (education.tas.edu.au)

When making your nomination, please remember to include your name and contact details, and a summary of why you feel your nominee is deserving of the award.

James Trainer
Assistant Principal: Year 10

The ‘Canvas Parent Portal’ available to THS Parents

So far this year, over 300 parents have successfully logged in to the Canvas Parent Portal. If you have not done so, then you can still log in to the Parent Portal by going to : https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/log-in-to-canvas/ and choose ‘Canvas Parent Login’. Then you just need to enter the email address (Microsoft or Google) that you have previously given to the school for correspondence.

You will then be able to see the school work that your child has submitted to their teacher this year and you can also view the work that has been set for your child to complete in the year. Teacher feedback and rubrics assessed for your child’s assignments can also be viewed in the Parent Portal. You can also set your Parent Portal notifications to receive an email (or App notification) when a teacher creates a new assignment or gives feedback to your child. https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/log-in-to-canvas/ can be access using a computer and there is a Canvas Parent App that can be downloaded to your phone. If you get stuck logging in to the Parent Portal, then please contact the school for assistance.

Levies Reminder

Just a friendly reminder school levies are now due.

It would be appreciated if you could please arrange payment of outstanding levies, we are happy for you to pay by instalments, regular payments can be established through your financial institution.

Payments may be made as follows: ·
At the school - we accept cash, cheque or EFTPOS- details can be taken over the phone
By BPAY - contact your bank or financial institution to make the payment from your account (using the Biller Code and Reference detailed on your invoice/statement)

At a Service Tasmania shop.

You can find the payment options on the back of your monthly statement and your original invoice.

Please note that Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) applications closed on Thursday 7 September 2023. If you have any queries regarding STAS please call 1800 827 055 Email: stas@decyp.tas.gov.au or visit: www.decyp.tas.gov.au

If you have any questions relating to levies please don’t hesitate to contact the school office on 6227 7700.

Metro Tasmania – Temporary Service Adjustment

Please refer to the below correspondence we have received from Metro Tasmania.

Metro would like to assure families that school services will remain unaffected and will continue to operate as usual. In addition, Metro will continue to protect and prioritise other high priority general access services.

Click here to download the Termporary Service Adjustment flyer

Communication for Parents/Carers

Thank you for your support during Term 1 and Term 2, we would like to take this opportunity to advise you on how to keep in touch with us as the school year progresses.

Taroona High School has several ways for you to contact the school regarding your child’s needs. To keep up to date with what’s happening within the school community please follow our Facebook and Instagram pages, you can find the links below.

Did you know that our school does not have a PA system meaning that there is not an end of recess and lunch bell, and the students still manage to arrive successfully to their lessons on time!

As we do not have a PA system, please ensure that your child is aware each morning of after school arrangements and ask them to check their mobile phones after school for any changes.

Staff are on site if your child needs assistance at the conclusion of the school day, please let your child know they can come to Student Services if help is needed.

If you need your child to receive an urgent message during the day, please contact the school office prior to Recess (11:20am) or prior to Lunch (12:50pm). If your child has a message to collect their name will be displayed on the TV screens placed around the school for them to collect the message from Student Services. Unfortunately, staff are unable to run individual messages to students’ classes.

If your child is absent, arriving late or leaving early please let the office staff know as soon as possible.

MGM Text Message 0418 190 013 (Text Only)
Email: high@decyp.tas.gov.au
SZapp: Taroona High School eNewsletter (education.tas.edu.au)
THS Website: Taroona High School eNewsletter (education.tas.edu.au)

SZapp – Taroona High School App

The school app, SZapp, provides a convenient way to access the daily school bulletin and to advise us of your child’s absence, late arrival or early departure.

Qkr! App

Download the Qkr! App for purchasing canteen lunches (prior to 8:00am) and to make other additional payments such as sporting activities, events, competitions and Year 10 hoodies/end of year formal.

Click here to download the QKR! Getting Started flyer

Taroona High School Website

By visiting our website, you can access all Taroona High School information and subscribe to our newsletter, find instructions on how to download the app, and access the school calendar for all upcoming events. You can email teachers directly during term time, staff email addresses can be found under the contact us tab.

Click here to visit the Contact Us webpage

Facebook and Instagram

Go to the link below:

Click here to visit our school's Facebook page

and Instagram search for taroonahigh_school “Like” us to keep updated.

Newsletter

You can subscribe to receive the Taroona High School’s Newsletter on our website, newsletters are issued twice in Term 1 and Term 4, and once in Term 2 and Term 3.

Validation Forms

Validation forms are posted to parents/carers each year for your completion. Returning this form ensures all contact details are current and student permissions are up to date; ensuring your child is able to attend minor excursions and have their photo taken among other things. The annual completion of these forms is a Department for Education, Children and Young People requirement.

Uniform

Taroona High School (THS) NAVY jumper, fleece, puffer or softshell
Long-sleeved tops worn under polo tops must be the same colour
THS REDor WHITE polo top
NAVY cotton drill trousers (not denim)/ trackpants, leggings, shorts or skirt
Hoodies are not uniform (Except the year 10 Leaver’s Hoodies for year 10 students only)
Hats are for outside only
Health and Physical Education (HPE) tops are only to be worn during HPE Class (Can be worn in Home Group if they have HPE Period 1)

Your child’s Year Team Leader and Assistant Principal can support your child with uniform.

Why do we wear uniform?

An expectation of Taroona High School enrolments are that families have agreed for their child to wear school uniform, as this provides students with a sense of belonging and community. We know that when a student comes to school in uniform, they are in a mindset ready to learn. At Taroona High School we understand that teenagers want to express their individuality, however, we need to uphold our standards for safety of all of our School Community.