Montrose Bay High School Newsletter - Term 2 Week 10

Principal's Report

As we draw closer to the end of Term 2 there is lots to celebrate and acknowledge in regard to student achievement and staff support. Many students have worked towards learning goals in the first half of the year and ACF results at midyear reporting have indicated success and improvement for many students across all grades. Teachers and support staff continue to liaise with students and set up learning opportunities for all students at individualised levels to ensure challenging outcomes for all.

As a school we continue to work with DECYP closely around staffing and are confident we will head into the second half of the year with all learning areas of our school fully staffed, this will be supported by a slight shift in our timetable which will see lessons across the day change in structure to support optimal learning from both students and staff. We will share an update and details regarding this re structure in week 11 via a letter home to all parents and carers.

Reporting

Over the past few weeks, our teachers have been working behind the scenes on moderating student work and inputting data ready for mid-year reporting. Our aim is for student reports to be posted home this week ready for parents/carers to read and digest prior to parent/teacher conversations occurring the following week. If you haven’t already booked in for parent/teacher conversations, please refer to this newsletter for links or on our social media platforms.

Orderly learning environment

Our school continues to focus on an orderly learning environment and positive behaviour support. This year has seen a significant increase in students remaining in classrooms and focussed on the work at hand. We would like to thank parents and carers for their support in this space, we really appreciate the open communication and follow-up when contacting home to support our Montrose Mindset and ensure all students are following our behaviour expectations.  The improvement in these areas supports teachers to focus on teaching and learning and allows students to receive the best support possible.

Speak up stay chatty – Sports afternoon

Last week our student leadership team was supported by Mr Rogers to organise a fundraiser for mental health awareness. We would like to acknowledge their fantastic work and culminating event where all of our students were encouraged to wear shorts on the shortest day of the year which also turned out to be one of the coldest days also. Those students who selected the foreshore walk as their activity can attest to this as they walked along the foreshore in bitter cold and windy conditions.

Staffing

At the moment we are currently recruiting for some senior staff positions and various roles across the school. In week 11 we hope to update our community on some new staff joining our school and also a couple of staff who will depart our school for travel and professional opportunities. Please look out for an update via schoolzine in your emails for this in a couple of weeks.

Mr Tim Nicholas - Principal

School Association-Montrose Bay High

We are now getting towards the tail end of term 2 and 2023 is rushing by. It’s great to see students from all grades participating in various sporting and other activities during what has been a very busy term.

Grade 10s are experiencing taster days at various colleges and while many students may not yet know what path they wish to follow beyond this year, it is important to take advantage of all opportunities to explore the options available. While it can be daunting to make plans for the future, it’s also an exciting time for senior students as they branch out into new subject areas and all the varied experiences that college life provides.

Parents and carers interested in getting more information, whether it be about activities at school or options for ongoing education beyond Year 10, are warmly invited to attend the next School Association meeting on Tuesday 22^nd August 2023 at 5.15pm.

Meetings are relaxed and informal. Everyone is very welcome. 

Hope to see you there.

Earle Patman on behalf of the School Association.

Grade 9

It has been an everchanging but productive term 2 for the grade 9 students. It has been fantastic to see classrooms settled with students engaging with their learning and working alongside their teachers to ensure the classroom provides the students with the best chance to succeed. The new school policies have had a strong positive impact and the students have responded well, understanding it’s in their best interest. This term we have focused on the value of respect and encourage the students to demonstrate the Montrose Mindset across all subject areas whilst in the school environment.

In Humanities, students have been exploring source analysis on the women’s suffrage movement in the late 1800’s. All of the students learning will culminate to a common assessment task where students will create an infographic using their knowledge on various sources.

In English, students are continuing to read and analyse the novel ‘Lion’ whilst developing their reading comprehension skills. Furthermore, the students are covering topics such as representation of people, places  and concepts such as adoption and family.

In Maths, the students have been working on linear relationships where they determine the equation of linear lines, the midpoint between two points, the distance between two points, the effects of variations on parameters. From week 7 onwards we have been learning about ratio, scale, congruency, similarity, and enlargements. Which covers, what makes shapes the same or similar, how do we use ratios and scales to enlarge or shrink shapes while keeping their shape, area, and volume consistent.

In Science, the students spent the first 6 weeks looking at the carbon cycle, we learned about the Earth’s Spheres/Systems, how Carbon interacts with these spheres, and the greenhouse effect and global warming. From week 7 onwards we have been continuing with chemical reactions from term 1 we have learned about conservation of mass and worded chemical reactions, combustion and corrosion reactions, and reactions of acids. This learning has also taken place in the lab where we have had an opportunity to test the effectiveness of antacids, make our own universal pH indicator from red cabbage and we will soon be investigating how to test for carbonates.

In Geography this term, students are completing an inquiry about the air pollution in Hong Kong where they will present a feature article on an A3 poster in small groups. They will learn what elements are included in a feature article that includes subheadings, images, a hook to draw readers in, and how to complete a bibliography as well. This leads to our Common Assessment Task, which asks students to create their own feature article explaining how the flooding in Northern Rivers, NSW has affected the lives and livelihoods of its population and the environment.

Liam Rice - AST

Grade 10

As term 2 comes to a close, Grade 10 students are eagerly anticipating the Taster Day at Claremont College. This day will provide students with an insight into college life, participating in five subjects throughout the day. This day will be held on Wednesday 28^th June and students will be transported by bus to and from the College.

In Grade 10 English, we have been experimenting with different text types in response to our unit study of Maus; a graphic novel written by Art Spiegelman. This novel has educated us about the impacts of the Holocaust on the survivors and their families. Our History studies have enabled us to understand the context of the novel – the causes for this significant catastrophic event and the effect on future generations. By recognising the past, we have developed skills in critical thinking and preventing problems.

This term in Maths grade 10 students have been learning about data and statistics. Students used their skills to answer the question "What made some candy more desirable than others". 

In Science, the focus has been on investigating scientific theories, including the theory of evolution and the Big Bang Theory. Students enjoyed exploring and learning more about space!

In HPE, students have been looking at cultural connections and how sports in Australia are inclusive to all. As part of this Grade 10  students were visited by Richard from Paraquad Tasmania, who provided students with the opportunity to try wheelchair basketball. This activity was  enthusiastically taken on by all students.

Grade 10 Teaching Team

Grade 11 - 12

New online information hub for families

Some exciting news! The Department for Education, Children and Young People has recently launched a new online information hub for families with school-aged children in Tasmania. Our new website has information to help you navigate your child's education, from birth all the way up to 18 years of age.

Visit our new webpage at Welcome to your child's Tasmanian education - The Department for Education, Children and Young People Tasmania (decyp.tas.gov.au) (https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/information-for-families-and-students)

Some of the things you’ll find include

• tips on how to support your child’s learning at home
• information to help you keep your child safe and well
• a guide to explore courses for the career they want
• school holiday and term dates.

We hope this website will be a valuable tool for you as you help your child navigate their education journey. We would love to know what you think of our new information hub for families. You can tell us by completing a quick survey on the webpage.

Student Health

24 Carrot Program

On our Speakup stay Chatty shorts free dress day, some students were lucky enough to work with the 24 Carrot team in the garden. Some students worked with a chef, others with a DJ and others with a ceramist. It was a great opportunity for some students to do some hands on learning. Well done to all the students involved.

NAIDOC Week

Dates to Remember

School Notices

VALIDATION FORMS

This document provides important information and permissions regarding your child. If you have not completed this form or you are unsure if you have completed the form, please contact the school on 6208 2699

STUDENTS ARRIVING LATE
If a student arrives late to school for any reason, they must sign in at Student Admin. 

If a student misses Connect, a parent/guardian will receive an SMS for this absence.

If you know your child has arrived late, please allow 15-20min for the second SMS to be generated.  You will not receive a second SMS if your child does not sign in a Student Admin.

If you have advised a reason for your child’s late arrival, you will still receive this message as it is an automated response.

Here are examples of the SMS messages you will receive if:

YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT FROM SCHOOL – CURRENT DAY

MontroseBayHS records show STUDENT NAME is absent Tue, 20/09/22. Please reply student name/reason/date or call 6208 2699

YOUR CHILD WAS ABSENT FROM SCHOOL – PREVIOUS ATTENDANCE

MontroseBayHS records show NO REASON GIVEN for the absence of STUDENT NAME on Wed, 07/09/22.please respond immediately with reason.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION IN RELATION TO YOUR CHILD'S ATTENDANCE PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT OUR ADMINISTRATION TEAM.

School App

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

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