Montrose Bay High School Newsletter - Term 4 Week 10

Principal's Report

Dear Families,

It’s hard to believe that we find ourselves in week ten of term four. With another passing year December is typically a month that we reflect on the achievements of the last twelve months and start planning for growth and future improvements for the coming year.

In 2022 we saw our planned changes around course selections and timetable adaptions come into effect and students and staff settled into our new four period day structure which saw the school return to its full range of core and specialist subjects.

Our student, staff and family survey data saw improvements in wellbeing across all three groups and gave us a clear direction for our wellbeing for learning priority to continue into 2023 but narrow in our focus to just school belonging and school climate priorities. We will continue in 2023 with the same priorities in our school improvement plan around wellbeing for learning, reading and numeracy.

Our behavioural data in terms of suspensions have dropped again this year with a further 8.8% drop compared to the State Secondary rate which has increased by 7%. Through our restructure and our Positive Behaviour Support approaches these data sets will continue to improve in 2023 and in the years to come.

The school’s growth in all areas is a reflection of the dedication and professionalism of the staff here. All staff at Montrose Bay put the student at the centre of everything that they do. 

This year we farewell some much-loved staff members from our school and staff will be farewelling them officially this Thursday. They are, Jean Bayles, Graham Quinn, Ryan Pugh, Zach Griggs, Hamish Bruce, Jamie Kieliszek, Josh Taylor, Jarrod Brown, and Jen Sweeney who are moving on to new schools.

We wish them all the very best for the future and look forward to them continuing a relationship with our school in some way. Next year we welcome new members of staff, and we look forward to introducing them to our school community.

To those students and families who are leaving our school I hope you feel you have been guided through Montrose Bay High School - that you have attained the qualifications you were capable of and that you needed, and that you developed the personal qualities and confidence to choose the right pathways in life.

To those returning next year we hope that you return feeling refreshed and ready to tackle another year of opportunities and challenges and a year of growth.

To all who are committed to the Montrose Bay High School community, and who have made 2022 such a successful year, thank you.

With warmth,

Duncan Groves

Principal

School Association-Montrose Bay High

The School Association is always looking for new people, and now is no exception. We have about six or seven meetings for the year and are typically held on the second Tuesday of every month at 5 o’clock.   Looking forward to seeing some new faces in 2023.

Earle Patman on behalf of the School Association

Grade 7

The transition from primary school into high school is a daunting experience for all. It has been fantastic to see the way the 2022 Grade 7 students have experienced highs and lows and everything in between with a great deal of resilience and a sense of fun. They have developed into strong and confident high school students ready to tackle an exciting time of their lives.

Throughout the year, our students have engaged in their learning to the best of their ability, made new friends and developed positive relationships with staff. Students have enjoyed participating in garden programs, connect cup, sports carnivals and excursions all while navigating the constant threat of COVID. Students have had a taste of new subjects and developed new skills which we hope to see them utilise when they are able to choose more subjects later in their high school careers.

Throughout the year, our Grade 7 students have continually shone in all aspects of high school life and we are proud to be able to share the journey with them and play a part in their first year of high school. We wish the Grade 7 students and their family a wonderful summer break and look forward to seeing them in 2023.

Frances Hey - AP

Grade 8

As the 2022 school year winds down, students in Year 8 have been participating in a wide range of activities and continuing to work hard in class. Students have been learning about different types of poetry and examining how poetry and poetic devices are used in popular culture. Many students have particularly enjoyed links between poetry and rap music. In Mathematics, students have been building their understandings of data, statistics and probability and have been designing games to show their understanding of probability. In Science, students have been learning about biology and how systems function in the human body. In particular, students have been learning about the digestive system and have had the opportunity to dissect cane toads to examine the digestive system of a cane toad.

To celebrate the hard work of the students we will be heading to the Glenorchy Pool and also having a silent disco at school on the last day (Wednesday 21^st of December).

In preparing for 2023, we have been completing the process to elect our Year 9 Student Leaders and have been making subject selections for our elective courses. On behalf of all the staff in Year 8, we wish our students and families a happy, safe, and restful summer holiday period and we look forward to seeing everyone back and refreshed ready for Year 9 in 2023.

Liam Rice - AST

Grade 9

Grade 9’s have shown significant growth during Term 4 in their application and attitude towards school.  They have been preparing themselves to become the leaders of the school in 2023. We have run our Student Leadership process and would like to congratulate Lucy Taylor, Ruby Blizzard, Matilda Smith, Lily Coombe, Joel Cooper and Theo Pattman who were the successful applicants. We are really looking forward to seeing the positive influence they can have on our school and community.

In Science students have been learning about energy. They have discovered that everything that does work is energy, whether you can see it or not. Students have compared and contrasted how light, sound and heat travel through space. They’ve created pinhole theatres, analysed insulation methods and put electrical circuits together. In Math, grade 9 students have been studying statistics and probability. They have learnt how to pose a question, collect, analyse and display data using Excel.

Eli Lutmer - AP

Grade 10

Where has the final term of Montrose Bay High gone for our Grade 10s? The final month of Term 4 has evaporated before our eyes. In this time students were busy preparing for and completing their exams, finalising transitions plans, attending College Orientation days and all the while the end of year Celebration Week has loomed large.

The Grade 10 teaching team were immensely proud of all the students that participated in Exam week. During this week students completed 4 x 70 minute exams (English, History, Maths and Science). Prior to this they studied and revised content from across the year diligently to give themselves the best chance of boosting their assessments on their final report. Primarily this experience was about preparing them for assessment practices that they will face in the years of education ahead of them. By the end of the week, students should feel more confident about any future examination periods ahead of them and take great pride in the way they performed under such circumstances.

Throughout 2022, Grade 10s have had transition plans ticking along in the background of their studies. These plans are not set in stone, but help give students and their future teachers an indication of the education and career pathway they are on. Part of this planning involves selecting the types of subjects they would like to study in Year 11 and where they would like to study. This information has been used to enrol students in Colleges for 2023, culminating in their College Orientation Day(s) which were held at the end of November. These days were a huge success and enabled students the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their new school setting, meet teachers, get a taste of their subjects and mingle with their new peers.

Next week, starting Monday December 19, marks the final week of High School for our Grade 10 students at Montrose Bay High. During that week, there are a number of activities planned to celebrate and mark the time students have had at Montrose. Over the course of the week Grade 10s will partake in the following activities;

Monday Dec 19^th – Full Day Picnic @ Tolosa Park

Tuesday Dec 20^th – Grade 10 Celebration Assembly (period 1) & Celebration Dinner

Wednesday Dec 21^st – Grade 10 Brunch and Cinema.

We would like to acknowledge the great contribution our grade 10s have made to our school over their time here. We’ve taken great joy in watching them all grow into the young adults they are today and seeing them achieve success in their personal learning journey. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

Jack Young - AP

DragonFly - 2022

Our Dragonfly Arts festival returned for the first time since 2019 and what an amazing celebration of the Arts and Technology it was. Art, creative writing, rock bands, poetry readings, robotics, design in wood and metal, fashion, hair and beauty, photography, ceramics, sculpture, dance, audio design and lighting and catering and food design. A showcase of our amazing students and creative Arts and Tech teachers.

24 Carrot Garden

We have been very busy in the garden this term harvesting winter crops, planting summer crops and getting the garden ready for the summer holidays. We have harvested all of the garlic (approx. 110 cloves!) and hung it up to dry, planted corn, lots of tomatoes and pumpkins, and have mulched large sections of the garden to keep the moisture in during the summer holidays. We would like to thank local arborists, Hobart Arbor Co, for donating a beautiful load of mulch to our garden.

On 16 Nov, a group of Montrose Year 7s and 8s attended the 24 Carrot Gardens Spring Carnival, along with students from all the other 24 Carrot Gardens schools. It was a super fun day at the Goods Shed, Hobart. The students were involved in activities relating to the concept of radical hope amongst all the challenges we face in the world today. The food was so good and all the activities were really fun.

Evie - 24 Carrot Garden

SHSSA State Athletics Team

On Friday 2^nd November Millie and Sofie represented Montrose as part of the Southern High Schools Athletics team to compete against the North and Northwest of the state in Launceston. They were chosen for the team based on their results at the Southern Inter-high Athletics. Both girls gained valuable experience in a competitive environment and have the opportunity to further their skills with local coaches. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are already setting their goals to compete again next year. Well done Millie and Sofie.

Dates to Remember

School Notices

2023 School Levy & Uniform sales arrangements

The 2023 school levy has been maintained at $450. Families with two or more children attending this school will be eligible for a discount of 10% which will be applied on the levies for the second and subsequent child(ren) in the family. 

PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS

Uniform sales and levy payment days 2023

The School Office and Uniform Shop reopen on 31^st January 2023.

Levy invoices will be issued in January and payments can be made once your invoice is received using the payment options shown thereon.

Thursday 2^nd February, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm                  Grade 7 only

Friday 3^rd February, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm                        All grades

ALL student stationery packs will be issued by Grade Leaders on the first day of Term

If you do not need to purchase uniform, we strongly encourage you to avoid queues by using

BPay or Service Tasmania payment options as shown on your invoice/statement. 

STUDENT ASSISTANCE SCHEME (STAS)

Some parents may be eligible for assistance under the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS).  Those that were approved in 2022 should receive information via a letter mid-November.  If you are unsure of your eligibility, please enquire with the school office.  STAS application forms will be made available, but it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure that these are completed and forwarded when due. Levies will be payable if STAS approval has not been confirmed.

All parents or guardians, other than those approved under the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS), are expected to contribute towards the cost of their child’s education through levies. 

For parents and guardians who have financial difficulties we are able to arrange a payment plan.  We ask that you pay a minimum deposit of $50 at establishment of the plan and that regular payments are made to ensure the balance is paid as soon as possible.

OTHER CHARGES

The school may make ‘other charges’ for all students, including students eligible for student assistance.  These cover such items as the tours and camps, school magazine, celebration week events and other items outside of the standard educational program.  These charges are only made for activities that are optional.

There are no charges for excursions that form part of the regular curriculum.  An example of an optional activity is the Music Tour, which students may wish to attend, and for which they will be invoiced separately, whether eligible for Student Assistance or not.

REIMBURSEMENT OF LEVIES

As levies form part of the budgeted revenue of the school, and their allocation and expenditure are committed early in the school year, it is the policy of this school that Levies will not be refunded. 

Canteen Payments

If your child is ordering food from the canteen, the payment MUST be made via either cash or card. We are unable to accept payment using a phone. 

School App

Please sign up for our new school app. Below is a step by step instruction on how to download