Montrose Bay High School Newsletter - Term 2 Week 5

Message from the Principal

Term 2 has continued in a similar fashion to Term 1, students are engaged in learning and teachers have begun the reporting phase for end of Term 2 where students will receive a slider rating linked with learning areas. There have been a number of outside of school opportunities set up for students which I have highlighted later in the report.

As most of you would be aware I am taking LSL beginning this week. DECYP have now concluded the recruitment process to fill my role and I would like to share that Jared Richardson will be Acting Principal for this time. Jared comes to us with a wealth of experience as an AP at Rose Bay High and more recently as a Principal at Taroona Primary and Clarendon Vale Primary. Over the past 2 weeks we have worked through a transition process to ensure Jared is ready to begin the role. 

Mission Statement
During 2024 we have began a process to co-construct a mission statement. This is part of our work around establishing the 4 pillars of a Professional Learning Community: Mission, Vision, Values and Goals.  Our mission is:
We empower our students to embrace life-long learning and work with our community to support academic, social, and emotional growth by providing best-practice teaching and learning programs.
     
 Year 7 Camp
Is currently underway, we farewelled students on Wednesday full of anticipation and excitement hoping the weather will continue to be kind. There has been an extensive amount of planning go into the trip and I would like to acknowledge the Year 7 leadership team for their work plus the teachers and TAs who have volunteered to attend and spend time away from their families.
     
Moderation
Statewide 7-10 Moderation is happening on Friday 7 June. We are hosting the day, and co-ordinating a part of it along with New Norfolk High School. We will have over 160 teachers on our site working through protocols to ensure assessment is consistent across high schools.  The event is a fantastic professional learning opportunity for our staff and we look forward to engaging in the conversations.

Montrose Mindset
We have consulted with all stakeholders and our final version is below. 

Staffing
New Staff – Bree Pensalfini-Taylor (Foods/Support), Rebecca Jeffrey (English)
Farewells – Erin Leder 

Prioritised Australian Curriculum
This year, we are continuing our work on the MBHS Prioritised Australian Curriculum. So far, we have unpacked the skills (Achievement Standards) and are the process of unpacking the knowledge (Content Descriptors). Soon, we will experiment with some MBHS templates to document what we have been working on. Teachers are highly engaged and the resulting document will be shared with students and families later on. 

Other school events
   Inter High Cross Country – Friday 31st May
   Drama Evening (Speak Up!) – Wednesday 5th June
 Extension & Enrichment opportunities (Science & Engineering Challenge, Premier’s Reading Challenge, Debating Club on Thursdays at lunch) 

Tim Nicholas
Principal

School Association-Montrose Bay High

Are you wondering why things happen the way they do at MBHS? Do you wish you could make a suggestion or find out more about the big picture planning for the school? 

If so, you are most welcome to attend the School Association meetings. We have five parents currently as Association members, but welcome parents who wish to drop in on a meeting – we will meet again at 5:00pm on Tuesday August 20th. Alternatively, if you wish an issue to be raised, you can contact the school office and ask for your message to be forwarded to the School Association for our consideration at the next meeting.

At our recent Term 2 School Association meeting, we met (via Teams on the TV) the incoming Acting Principal, Jared Richardson, who generously took time out from a family birthday party to sit in on the meeting. I have full confidence in Jared’s commitment to the work that Tim Nicholas and the staff are doing to support our students’ school engagement and success, and to keeping things running smoothly in Tim’s absence. We look forward to hearing about Tim’s epic family trip upon his return!

Zoe Smith
Association Chairperson

Year 7 Camp

It is with great excitement that we share the highlights of our recent Year 7 camp to Blue Lagoon Dodge Ferry. 
Day 1: 
After a quick debrief at school we eagerly boarded the bus ready for a full 3 days of adventure. 
Upon arrival at Blue Lagoon, we were greeted by the wonderful staff and had a quick tour of the camp before settling into our cabins. With not a second to lose we came together as a group to play Team Games to build our knowledge of names, work together and develop problem solving skills. After lunch we headed into our first activities rotation of camp. Archery was first up for Mr McLean and Mr Phillips. The groups put on their protective gear and were ready for fun. They had three archery activities including run the gauntlet, dodgeball and target practice. 
Rotation 2 was planned for the afternoon and included Crate Climb. The challenge was to stack milk crates on top of each other to reach the highest point in the gym. We worked as a team and reached 14 crates high. Jordan nearly touched the roof. After a massive start to camp we were ready for some down time in our cabins and checking in with home. After a yummy dinner prepared by Mr Watkins, we headed outside around the fire before lights out.

Day 2: 
Up nice and early and ready to explore the natural surroundings we headed for the beach. Park Beach was beautiful this time in the morning. We saw Soldier Crabs, surfers and a few puppies. Once back up at camp we had two more rotations to complete including games room and abseiling. The pool tables, air hockey, foosball and ping pong tables were a great way to relax, talk with friends and show off a few tricks. Abseiling was fun, scary and thrilling. With platforms at 6m and 9m everyone had to get out of their comfort zone for this one. After a jam packed day, we had a movie night. Some people didn’t quite make the whole movie, falling asleep from exhaustion. 

Day 3: 
Today we were up early and packing up our cabins ready to head home. We completed our last rotation of Initiative games that included teamwork, problem solving skills and group bonding. 

I think we can say Year 7 camp was a big success that provided students with opportunities of personal growth, teamwork and connections. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the staff on camp and at school who made this unforgettable experience possible and look forward to many more adventures in the years to come.

Frankie Hey
Year 7 Assistant Principal

Year 8

Our dedicated teachers have been working hard to inspire and engage our students in Year 8. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s been happening in our learning areas:
In Music, we have been learning fundamental skills on guitar, keyboard, and drums. We have formed ensembles and have learnt songs to perform in class. This week, we have performed our songs in front of our class and demonstrated our learning so far.

In Science, students have been learning all about energy. Specifically, students have been investigating the different types of energy (kinetic and potential), the differences between them, and how energy can transform. Students have enjoyed practicals in the lab observing energy transformations, such as a setting up a swinging pendulum (gravitational energy), and wind-up wheels (elastic potential energy). 

In English, we are reading the novel 'A Monster Calls'. Students are using their reading comprehension skills to deep dive into the novel and gain a sound understanding of the plot and characters. Students are analysing the film version of 'A Monster Calls' to make connections between the words written by the author and the interpretation of this on the big screen.

In Maths, we have been learning about measurement. We have revisited converting units of measurement and the relationship between the radius, diameter and π to find the circumference of a circle and soon the area of a circle. This week we are learning about finding the area of quadrilaterals, including parallelograms, rhombus, kites and trapeziums. This is leading to us learning about Pythagoras theorem at the end of the term.

In HASS we have been exploring what Medieval life was like, from the roles of the humble peasant to that of mighty kings. Major events changed how the world was at the time, making us investigate the Black Death, Crusades and Magna Carta to see how they impacted the world we live in.  

Changes to End of Year Assemblies

Student Health

Claremont College - Information Evening

Digital Skills for Families

Support your child’s online learning at home   
Digital skills are critical to every child’s success, but supporting online learning can be overwhelming. 
The Digital skills for families team are delivering a program to help Tasmanian families support online learning at home. Spending time online at home gives children an opportunity to practice what they are learning at school. Positive home environments help children develop the skills and independence they need to succeed in a digital future.  
Learn about communicating online with schools, digital education at school and how to support online learning at home. 
Digital skills for families is offering free: 
•    information sessions
•    workshops
•    one-to-one help 
In libraries, schools and community locations statewide. 
Email the team at digitalskillsforfamilies@libraries.tas.gov.au to find out more and book a free session. 

Validation Forms

We are still waiting on the return of validation forms for many students.  It is important to complete and return the form each year so we have accurate details for your child's emergency contacts and up to date permissions. Please return any outstanding forms as soon as possible. If you require a new form, please contact Student Admin on 6208 2699. 

Dates to Remember