Montrose Bay High School Newsletter - Term 2 Week 10

Message from the Principal

Dear parents and carers,

Firstly, thank you for all you do to support your children to arrive at school ready to engage in their learning. In 5 short weeks, I have noticed countless examples of students displaying elements of the Montrose Mindset (below). Many have welcomed me personally, asking me all sorts of interesting questions (!), shown respect and good manners, and engaged positively in the culture of the school. This is a fantastic school, with wonderful staff, amazing facilities and a place that provides numerous opportunities to students to be better than their best.

You may want to know a little about me, so a few details are below. Please always feel free to email me or call to chat about any issues of concern or support that you would like to provide.
-    I am in my 22nd year of teaching – all in public education (Tas & Qld) – spending the last seven and a bit years as Assistant Principal of Rose Bay High School.
-    I have a family of 5, including a 7 year old girl and 5 year old twin boys
-    Soccer and music were my obsessions as a youth, and now any sport and cultural event takes my interest
-    I believe whole-heartedly that every child can learn to high levels and every child, no matter their context deserves the highest quality educational opportunities in the safest, most engaging environment possible
I am really looking forward to the work we are doing together over the coming months which will continue to improve outcomes for our students and build a happy and healthy school culture.

Camp
This year, Montrose Bay High brought back an overnight camp for Year 7 students. Held at Blue Lagoon, Dodges Ferry, the camp was attended by over 70 students, enjoying a range of great outdoor and indoor activities. These big events don’t run without a huge amount of organisation and effort from our dedicated staff. A special thanks must go to Mr Watkins who catered all three days!

Moderation
Statewide K-12 Moderation Day was held on Friday 7 June. These days, each year, are a vital opportunity for teachers to share knowledge across schools in the region and ensure that assessment practices, including task design, rating and feedback, are developed to a high standard and consistently applied. We sincerely thank all parents and carers for making alternative arrangements on the day to allow this vital event to occur.

Speak Up! And Pride Day
Recently, the MBHS Student Leaders have run two highly positive, inclusive events to raise funds, recognise difference and respect others. Speak Up! Stay Chatty Shorts Day asked students and staff to “brave the cold” and wear shorts for the day, while Pride Day encouraged us to express ourselves and recognise all that is different, interesting and beautiful about ourselves and others. Both were attended and participated in with great spirit.

Chess Tournament
On Wednesday 14 June students attended a Chess Tournament at Austin’s Ferry Primary. During the day all students played 7 games with great success. Our Top 4 students received medals: Vahla, Lena, Javian and Shaun. Thanks to Mr McLean for organising and running the event.

Attendance

Currently, the Department for Education, Children and Young People are holding a community consultation on the reasons for Tasmania’s attendance rates, which are low in comparison to all other Australian states. They are keen to hear from as many stakeholders and community members as possible and there are a range of ways that you can contribute your voice. For example, you can complete a short survey, make a creative contribution of some kind or write (virtually) on a discussion and suggestion wall. To do so, visit the 3P Advisory website and have your say here:

Regards

Jared Richardson
Acting Principal

School Association-Montrose Bay High

The MBHS Association met in May, and there was lots to discuss, including a prioritised curriculum being developed (drawn from the Australian Curriculum), the MBHS School Improvement goals of ‘Reading Enquiry’ and ‘Engagement’, and broader communication with families (additional to Facebook, for those of us who are social media abstainers!). Events, such as the Speak Up, Stay Chatty day, next year’s Harmony Day, Pride Day, and the Year 7 camp (and how camps might work in the future) were also discussed. 

Parent input is valued and essential to equitable and informed school decision-making. There is a lot going on at MBHS, so if you want to know more about how and why decisions get made or voice your thoughts on anything impacting your child’s experience at MBHS, please come along to the next meeting on Tuesday 20 August at 5:00pm. Plus, there are usually baked goods!

Zoe Smith
Association Chairperson

Year 9/10

It has been a productive and busy term 2 in the Grade 9/10 space. Throughout the term, students have celebrated success in the classroom and have been challenged to continuously demonstrate the Montrose Mindset, more specifically, the value of responsibility. I would like to congratulate the students on their hard work to ensure the term has been successful. As we prepare for the back half of the year it is important that students have up to date validation forms so they can participate and engage in out of school experiences. Have a restful and safe holiday!

Maths
In Maths this term the Grade 10 students have been learning about measurement and statistics. They learnt to calculate the surface area and volume of a glass ‘fish’ tank and consider the impact that making errors has on their answers. In statistics, students have been learning how to compare data sets using scatter plots, box plots and two-way tables. They have been investigating their reaction times and using statistical techniques to analyse the data.

Grade 9 students have been learning about Linear equations, Pythagoras’ Theorem and Trigonometry. They applied their knowledge on linear equation and investigative modelling to consider the costs and profits involved in running a donut stall, manipulating variables to maximise profit and make business decisions. Student have discovered how to use the properties of triangles to find unknown sides or angles in real world scenarios. 

English
Grade 9 English students have been consolidating their learning in the creation of an essay about the book Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden. Over the term, students have learnt how to identify the major themes of the book – friendship, change, and resilience – and find evidence from the text to support these themes. They have then been learning how to write in an essay text structure and are utilising this skill in the creation of their own essays about these themes.

Grade 10 English students have been learning about the Graphic Novel ‘Maus’ by Art Spiegelman. Students have been working hard to understand this text type and learn more about the Holocaust through this text. These students are then using this knowledge to create essays about the book’s themes and text type.

Science
Year 9s have been learning about chemistry this term; for 5 weeks we learned about the history of atoms, what they are made of and how their structure effects the chemical properties of all the elements around us, we learnt what radiation is and what effects both positive and negative radiation has had on society. For the last 5 weeks we have been learning about the law of conservation of mass which states that nothing is created or destroyed in a chemical reaction so when you burn a log of wood, for example, all of that mass/weight of wood still exists but has been converted into carbon dioxide and water gases. Recently the students have been learning about corrosion reactions and will be designing and setting up their own scientific experiments to see how to best prevent iron from rusting. The students will be leaving their samples over the holidays and analysing their results when they return next term.
Below is a photo of Mr Franks’ and Mrs Buchhorn’s rust experiment, where we investigated how different amounts of salt effected how quickly iron nails would corrode/rust -

Year 10s have been learning about genetics this term, they have learned how the random combination of genetics that we inherit from our parents is what determines our observable physical traits like eye colour, having a widow’s peak, being able to curl your tongue, etc. They have learned about the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and how it is packed tightly into chromosomes, if you stretched out all the DNA in just one of the cells of your body it would be as tall as Mr Franks (1.8m). The students have learned how we can use tables called punnet squares to predict the expected ratios of offspring (babies) from two parents based on their genetics or even determine the genetics of the parents based on the observable traits that their offspring show by using tools such as pedigree charts/family trees. The students have recently learned about how cells divide and replicate to produce new cells by mitosis to repair the body cells and grow new cells as well as by meiosis to produce sex cells i.e., eggs and sperms. In the lab the students have used chemical methods to extract DNA from strawberries as well as determine blood types of blood samples using antigens.

Below are photos of strawberry DNA extractions completed by students –

Shorts Day for Speak Up, Stay ChatTy

On Friday the 21 June, the shortest day of the year, Student Leaders, SRC and House Captains ran a Shorts Day event to raise money for Speak Up, Stay ChatTy. Students braved the cold by wearing shorts and participated in an afternoon of social sports. It was excellent to see the sportsmanship and can-do attitude that students brought to this event!

Student Health

Winter Wellness Campaign 2024

The cooler months bring colds, flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. 
Flu can be serious for young children. Children are more likely to catch and spread the flu, and young children may become very sick.
The Department of Health has launched its 2024 Winter Wellness campaign and is encouraging school communities to take care of their health by preparing, planning and protecting themselves.  The below information sheet has more details. You can also visit www.health.tas.gov.au/campaigns/winter-wellness or call the Public Health Hotline for advice on 1800 671 738.

DECYP Attendance Consultation

The Department for Education, Children and Young People is currently holding a community consultation on the reasons for Tasmania’s lower attendance rates compared to other Australian states.

To contribute your voice and help the Department address the challenges and supports required for Tasmania's young people, please go to the 3P Advisory website -

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. 

Dates to Remember