29 March 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Families

I would like to share with you the speech I made at our recent Investiture Assembly, which recognises the school leaders for 2017. This was a fantastic occasion and one which supports our school values, fostering a sense of belonging and growth for our learners.

Ladies and gentlemen, proud families and students, I am honored to be here as Principal of Taroona High School for such an important occasion. Can I also take the opportunity to acknowledge the Tasmanian Aboriginal people and pay my respect to their elders past, present and future.

Today we invest our student leaders with their badges and ask them to commit to their leadership at Taroona High, in writing. It is a significant step to sign a contract and commit to undertaking a course of action.

I want to congratulate the students who have been selected, and elected into their positions, many of them through a demanding and rigorous process.

The students acknowledged today have been chosen by their peers, or nominated by staff. They have each been recognised as a person who upholds our school values and whose example their fellow students are prepared to follow.

Leaders, each of you should be proud: proud to be a part of this 2017 leadership group, proud of your cumulative accomplishments over your previous years at school and proud of being held in such high esteem by our school community.

You are all emerging as leaders, as we are entering a time when our community, our state and our nation are in dire need of your leadership. Consider the big picture: you will become adults in a time of leadership shortages the like of which we have never seen. Over the next decade, the largest generation in Australia, the Baby Boomers, will be retiring in unprecedented numbers, with a fraction of Generation Xers (my generation) to fill their shoes.

It will be a time in leadership that is difficult to navigate as we confuse celebrity with leadership and popularity with worth. At the same time, our state and our nation will face some of the most significant challenges and opportunities in history.

Perhaps this big picture is good, as a new Australia is emerging, requiring new ways, innovation and divergent thinking. This new Australia will require that we learn more from our youth, than they from us. In short, these considerations have the world looking to you and your generation for tomorrow’s leadership. What a responsibility and opportunity you have!

In my estimation, and that of people more wise than I, there are certain traits and abilities great leaders exemplify. Collectively, I believe they make up the leadership potential that can be cultivated within each of us.

To be specific, great leaders are:

• Self-effacing – they lead because it is right, not for self-serving reasons
• Visionary – provide a vision others can see and support
• Results oriented – great leaders produce positive results, not merely intentions
• Impeccable in their integrity – they do what is right and show moral courage in all instances
• Resolute and resilient – do their homework, make decisions, many times tough ones, and stand by them
• Driven – great leaders are not willing to sit on the sidelines and they walk towards the tensions they face

These traits exist within each and every one of you, and it will be our school’s responsibility to foster and grow this potential. We truly believe that you have the makings of great leaders.

While these are big ideals, and possibilities from a future not yet realised, what do great leaders in the making look like as a student at Taroona High in 2017? They look like:

• Encouraging resilience in our Grade 7 students when they are tackling new challenges
• Risking stepping apart from your peers to uphold a school ideal
• Participating, even when you know that it is not an area of strength and you may fail
• Being the model of respectful language and behaviour and encouraging others to be the same
• Providing teachers with respectful and considered feedback to support their continued improvement
• Providing others the opportunity to lead alongside you and celebrating their success as much as yours

Before I conclude, I would like to leave you with one leadership rule to consider. It’s simple and easy to remember. Each day, commit to and do one thing above and beyond what others expect of you. This can be:

• At school
• At home
• In your part-time job
• In your community
• For yourself, or for others

Do this, and you will find you are always busy, making positive contributions to your communities and looking for opportunities to improve the experiences of others.

You may well take up the leadership opportunities of our state or country in the future and be remembered as the generation that tackled some of the biggest challenges. But for now, step forward and accept the challenge to be an outstanding leader for Taroona High School in 2017.

A Crowded Gym for the Investiture Assembly

School Association

The School Association’s Annual General Meeting was held on Monday 20 March. There was excellent attendance and it was so pleasing to see many new faces supporting those who have contributed over a number of years. I would like to particularly acknowledge and thank Gina Hurn and Gabby Whitworth, who will no longer be on our committee. They have done an outstanding job in their respective roles as Chairperson and Secretary and we wish them well for their future. Other retiring committee members we thank for their tireless work are Teresa O’Leary and Kathy Osborn, as well as staff representative, Gillian Wallace.

New office bearers are:

Chairperson - Bev Patterson
Secretary - Meg Denham
Treasurer – Annemiek Commandeur
Vice Chair - John Gibson
General Committee Members – Akindeji Falaki, Katree Wilson, Ross Marshall, Danielle Fontane
Returning Officer - Matthew Bennell
Community Member - Nicky Price
Staff Committee Members - David Genford, Cameron Paynter

Staffing Changes

I would like to welcome back Mrs Claire Taylor, who returned from leave at the beginning of this school year. She has already commented on how wonderful her classes are and how settled they are. Last week we farewelled Miss Bree Everett who has been working at Taroona over the past three years. She has been a very popular teacher and staff member, and students presented a moving farewell to staff about her outstanding support for students during her time here.

Kind regards

Matt Bennell
Principal

Information from Metro Tasmania:

Alternative Travel Option from Mt Stuart / West Hobart / Forest Rd to Taroona High School in the morning

ROUTE 540: Mt Stuart and West Hobart to City

Bus departs Salier Crescent at 7.15am, Mellifont St 7.30am approx., arrives City 7.44am. This bus is carrying 7-10 passengers on average, so plenty of room.

TRANSFER TO

Route 205AM: City to Tarremah, Huntingfield (travels via Taroona High on Channel Highway)

Bus departs Franklin Square Stop N at 7.56am, arrives at Channel Highway outside Taroona High at 8.18am approx. This bus is leaving the City with less than 10 students on board.

My Education

My Education is a Kindergarten to Year 12 approach to career and life planning in schools that will support students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to successfully plan and make informed choices for their future. All state schools from K-12 are working with students on My Education.

Taroona High School Grade 7-10 students are all participating in this program. Students will be able to involve parents in this work by sharing the class-work that is in a Fronter program (THS My Education). Grade 9 and 10 students will be able to discuss with parents future ideas for careers, educational programs, institutions and opportunities by accessing My Education Online. Students will be able to operate on both of these programs at school and at home.

My Education is a coordinated, whole-school curriculum approach to preparing all of our students for their future. Taroona is using a 60 minute lesson once a week to deliver the My Education program. Grade 7 and 8 will have My Education reports included in the Home Group section and Grade 9 and 10 will have comments in the Work Studies section.

Ensuring that students have the skills, knowledge and understanding to make well informed learning, work and life decisions is essential to an individual’s social and economic wellbeing and that of the broader community. These procedures aim to provide opportunities for our students to see the significance of education in their future and allow them to develop personal attributes to successfully manage the multiple transitions they will experience throughout their life.

Julianne Blackaby
My Education/Transition AST

National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) 2017

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) commenced in Australian schools in 2008. Each year, all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in common national tests which assess:

• Reading
• Writing
• Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
• Numeracy

The benefits of participating in NAPLAN testing:

• NAPLAN tests the skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy.
• NAPLAN results provide valuable information on how your child is progressing against national minimum standards of literacy and numeracy skills expected for each year level.
• The NAPLAN tests provide you as parents with an individual report that shows your child’s results and a comparison of your child’s performance against all other Australian students in their year level.
• Teachers use the NAPLAN results to determine your child’s areas of strength and where future focus is required and how best to provide support or extension activities.
• School teachers use the online NAPLAN Toolkit to analyse your child’s results. The Toolkit provides detailed information right down to the individual question with links to teaching strategies.
• Principals, senior staff and others use NAPLAN results to inform school planning and to allocate resources and support including informing decisions around targeted programs and initiatives for individuals and groups.

The best way you can assist your child is by helping them to feel comfortable about the nature and purpose of the tests, and assure them that the tests will give them an opportunity to show what they have learned in class.

For more information about the national tests, please visit the national NAPLAN website at the link below or contact your child’s Grade Co-ordinator: Grade 7 - Scott MacCrum scott.maccrum@education.tas.gov.au; Grade 9 - Chris Edie chris.edie@education.tas.gov.au; or the NAPLAN Co-ordinator for Taroona High School, Susan Flinn susan.flinn@education.tas.gov.au.

Taroona High School Student Leaders

SRC 2017

Arya Aaditya
Paul Bobenhausen
Lilith Cole
Lana Eastaugh
William Grant
Nathan Green
Isabella McGinn
Bryher McKeown
Emma Stalker
Beatrice Thurston-Regan
Mia Woodfall
Jim Wooley
Abigail Woods

House Captains

Cartwright – Hannah Navickas, Christos Klonaris
Droughty – Talia Hawkes, Pi Shon Choi
Gellibrand – Isaac Semmler, Sidney Hayes, Raph Corney
Crayfish – Tas Chilcott, Lutfi Baddiley, Luka Flores

Grade 10 Council

10 Aqua – Layne Kullrich
10 Blue – Claire Green/Lucy Tice
10 Green – Sophie Stack/Jes Lewincamp
10 Indigo- Ethan Stubbs/ Rebecca Roberts
10 Jade – Maggie Barratt
10 Orange – Aaron Johns
10 Red – Matilda Manson
10 Teal – Henry Marshall
10 Yellow – Ned Reardon/Taylor Thorne

Grade 7 Activities Week

In the third week of Term 1, all Year Seven students participated in Activities Week. We believe that Activities Week was an amazing opportunity to make new friends from our Houses and Home Groups.

“Activities Week was a great opportunity to build relationships with your friends.” (Naomi Jayatunge, 7 Red)

Swimming at Taroona Beach and Orienteering

One of the four days of Activities Week involved our Year Seven class going to Taroona Beach for half the day and then participating in Orienteering for the second half of the day.

On the beach we met Claire and Clare from Surf Lifesaving Tasmania. They taught us about Surf Lifesaving and how to perform First Aid. Then most of us decided to go for a swim. For some of the classes, the ocean was lovely, warm and refreshing, for others it was cold and rainy. It depended upon which day the class went to the beach. A big thank you to Surf Lifesaving Tasmania for making all this possible and for their valuable instruction.

After playing some games on the beach, our class headed up towards the Community Hall for some orienteering. We played some games and learnt about the symbols commonly found on maps. We were given a map and a card and we had to find our way around a grid of cones, in the correct order. Then for the biggest challenge yet. We were set a real orienteering course. For most of us this was a big challenge but we got there in the end and completed the course.

“Beach day was really fun and learning about CPR was great.” (Ava Morrison, 7 Red)

Peer Support Leader Activities

On this day, our lovely Peer Support Leaders ran team building activities to help us get to know each other. One of these activities was Helium Pole. All class members had to place one finger beneath the “Helium Pole” and together, all at the same time, lift the pole. We soon discovered it was much harder than it looked. In order to lift the pole we had to make sure we were all in time, moving at the same speed. Another fun activity the Peer Support Leaders set up was a scavenger hunt. In the scavenger hunt we went all around the school.

“Activities Week helped me to get to know Grade Sevens, and Peer Support leaders from other classes.” (Adelle Massom, 7 Aqua)

Mt Wellington Walk

During Activities Week, we walked along the Pipeline Track. Throughout this walk, we got to know and talk to different people from our Home Group. When we stopped for lunch, we played some games like soccer and Mrs Chapman showed 7 Aqua and 7 Blue how to juggle. We really enjoyed being active and going on a walk with each other.

Kingborough Sports Centre

One of our favourite activities was going to the Kingborough Sports Centre. First we played games; Whack IT, a game similar to hockey, futsal, volleyball and basketball. After lunch we went to gymnastics and we did a few relays to warm up. Then we got to run and jump on the mini trampolines. We tried jumping on the trampoline and doing a 360 onto the mat.

We got into groups and rotated around different activities within the gymnastics part of the Sports Centre. One of these activities was hanging from a pole that went across the foam pit, then swinging and jumping off the pole into the foam pit. Our next activity was bouncing on a big trampoline. We had to bounce on our bottom and then into the air and land back on our bottoms. Our final activity was jumping off a block into the foam pit; those of us who were more confident tried free falling backwards into the foam pit. This was a great sporty day of fun activities and trying new things.

“I enjoyed going to Kingborough Sports Centre.” (Bronte Wallis, 7 Blue)

In conclusion, we believe that Activities Week was a success. We are all very grateful for this amazing opportunity to meet and make many new friends. On behalf of Year 7, I would like to thank all the parents, community members and teachers for making this such an awesome week.

Written by Mackenna Minstrell (7 Aqua)

What Matters? Tasmania 2017

This competition gives students a chance to speak out about what matters to them in society today.

• What actions do you think should be taken to build a better society?
• What would you change if you could?
• What do you want other people to care about?

Write a 400-600 word opinion piece on what matters to you and why.

Download entry forms from website.

For more info, see Mr Gawlik or better still, check out the website What Matters - Tasmania 2017

Due 10 May 2017.
Prizes for 2 categories: Years 7/8 and 9/10
$350 to the winners and $200 to the runners-up.
Winners also win a trip to visit Sydney University.

Educator at Sea Program Takes Science from Ocean to Classroom

Student Achievement

Kate Poynter (8A) has been selected to represent Tasmania in the 14 & Under National Club Water Polo Championships to be held on the Gold Coast from Wednesday 12 April to Monday 17 April 2017. Kate has shown great commitment to training for this event and has embraced being part of a team. She has an excellent attitude and we congratulate her on her selection.

Nina Galligan (7B) has been selected in the Tasmanian Little Athletics Team. She won the 200m Hurdles, 100m Hurdles, Long Jump, came second in the High Jump and Triple Jump and third in the 100m and 200m. Congratulations Nina!

Homestay Needed for Chinese Assistant

Please consider hosting our Chinese assistant, Yan Jinling, if you live close to the school or near a bus route to the school (30 minutes maximum). A small amount of money is allocated per week to offset expenses. If your family is able to host Jinling on a short or long-term basis, please contact a member of the Languages Department. Our Chinese teachers are Hingor Chung and Betty Van Es. Telephone (03) 6227 7700.

EpiPen Recall Australia March 2017

We are advised by the distributor of EpiPen in Australia (Alphapharm) that the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) has initiated a recall of certain EpiPens.

These are Batch numbers 5FA665, 5FA6651, 5FA6652 and 5FA6653 with expiry April 2017. All are 300mcg dose.

Other batches of the 300mcg and all 150mcg doses are not currently affected by this recall.

There is “the potential that these devices may contain a defective part that may result in the device failing to activate or the device requiring increased force to activate”.

Please return any EpiPens with the above listed batch numbers and expiry date to your pharmacy. All affected stock will be replaced free of charge.

The batch number and expiry is found on the label of the pen or on the end of the carton.

Contacts: If you have any queries please contact Anthony Millward, Director School Health Nurse Program on 6165 5459 or Anthony.Millward@education.tas.gov.au

Staying Connected

Newsletter

Our newsletter is published 10 times through a school year, approximately once per month during school terms. A student bulletin comes out daily with information about what is happening around the school during term time. This is available for students in home group each morning. Our Facebook page, intranet and internet also contain useful information for students and parents. We are looking forward to the new Taroona High School App which will keep you well informed of school happenings…. stay tuned! More information will be provided very soon.

Facebook

Go to the link below and “Like” us and you will start getting all the important Taroona High School information in your Facebook news feed.

Website

Email

Dedicated Phone Line for Student Absence

It is important for your child to attend school every day. If your child has to be away from school, it is important to tell the school and provide the reason for your child’s absence. Please give your child’s name, your relationship to the child and the reason for absence (e.g. sickness, holiday, family matter etc.).

Public Speaking Competition: Rostrum Voice of Youth, April 29

Rostrum Voice of Youth is a National Public Speaking competition which provides students with an excellent opportunity to gain experience and confidence in expressing their views and communicating a message. The competition will be held on 29 April for heats and 6 May for the Southern Final. The State final is on 3 June.

The Junior section is open to students in Grades 7, 8 and 9, where students will speak for six minutes on a given topic, while the Senior Section is for Grades 10, 11 and 12, when students will speak for eight minutes. Both sections will have a ‘short notice speech’ where they will be given 15 minutes to prepare a three minute speech. Entries close on 5 April. Students can enter online at the link below. Please enter Mrs Chilcott as the contact teacher.

Sport

Swimming Carnival

Photos courtesy of Karen Brown

Harmony Day

On 21 March, the Taroona High Student Representative Council (SRC) recognised Harmony Day. Harmony Day is about accepting multiculturalism, equality and finding your true identity. We celebrated with a choice of wearing free dress to school with a theme of 'wear your personality'; orange ribbons to tie in your hair or around your wrist were sold at recess; as well as orange cupcakes at lunch. The cupcakes were a huge success for they all sold out in under ten minutes. To finish off the day, the school participated in creating a banner, where students of all grades traced their hands and filled in the space with a message or quote about harmony in our school. Overall, the SRC enjoyed Harmony Day as their first official, whole school event and felt that the message of accepting equality was passed on to everyone.

Abigail Woods (SRC)

Holding the Harmony Day banner are from 7A
Adelle Massom, Lucy Munt, Imogen Lanzone, Yvette Cross, Anita Eberstein, Tolu Falaki and Sadbh Irwin-McBrien

Making cupcakes are Nathan Green, Abigail Woods, Raf Corney and Bryher McKeown

Selling orange ribbons are Aaditya Arya, Will Grant and Paul Bobenhausen

Coming Events