20 December 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

It was absolutely wonderful to see so many people on Friday as we celebrated and recognised the outstanding achievements of our students. Friday’s assembly was our opportunity to reflect on the positive contributions we have all made to our school this year, celebrate many of our successes and honour our grade 10’s. Schools are busy places and 2018 certainly has been an incredibly busy year, but I can proudly say, we have had an exceptional year in so many different areas, including academic, sporting and artistic achievements as we continue to strive to be the absolute best we can be.

On Friday I chose a theme around "Opportunity" as I believe that this word reflects what we have offered our students at Exeter High School throughout 2018 and it is a term that I used throughout my speech. The term Opportunity is defined as “a time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to achieve something” and here at Exeter High School, we provide the time and also a rich learning environment that allows us to offer our students so many wonderful opportunities. It is not only the vast array of opportunities that have been offered to students this year that deserve to be celebrated, but also the way students have both embraced these and flourished as a result of them. These will allow our students to create positive pathways and opportunities into the future and I was so excited to use Friday’s assembly to share some of these with our school community. We as a school have a reputation as a place that produces not only students with outstanding academic results, but also young people who value and live by our 4 core values of Respect, Maturity, Acceptance and Learning.

We are steadfast in upholding these values on a day to day basis and theses values are reflected in the calm and orderly learning environments our staff and students work in every day. These calm and orderly learning environments were the first opportunity I reflected on as it is due to our classrooms being so settled and the outstanding behaviour of our students, that the learning opportunities for our students has been maximised during the year. Another focus for 2018 has been ensuring students understand not only what it is they are learning but also why. I can now visit classrooms and have students articulate to me what it is their teachers are wanting them to learn, what their teachers are looking for in their work and the reasons behind the learning activity.

This has allowed me to guarantee to every parent who I talk to that their child will have the best possible opportunity of success in their learning environments, whether it be in a Mathematics class, on our school farm, in one of our amazing Arts classes or in the school gym.

Everything we do here at Exeter High School is also closely aligned to The Education Department’s four key values of Aspiration, Respect, Courage and Growth. This alignment has provided us as a staff and community with blueprint to strive to be the best we can be in order to provide the best for our students. Striving to be the best you possibly can be as an individual is also a message that I want our students to reflect on into the future. Aspire to be the best you can, Respect others but most importantly, respect yourself, have the courage to back yourself and also try new things and finally, continue to grow both on a personal level and in relation to whatever vocational avenue you choose to pursue.

Our incredibly dedicated, professional and skilled staff have continued to work as a highly effective team to provide the best possible learning opportunities and experiences for our students in all of our learning programs. One of the Education Department’s four goals for students is that they learn in safe environments where they feel supported, engage in their learning and are able to flourish. Another key goal is that learners have the skills and confidence in Literacy and Numeracy to successfully participate in learning, life and work. Here at Exeter High School, we provide an environment that not only supports these goals but provides every student with the opportunity to reach these goals at their individual levels. It is a credit to my staff that students here are learning in such an academically rich, yet at the same time, supportive environment.

Additional to classroom work, students have been given the opportunity to be involved in the Science and Engineering Challenge, academic competitions, Sporting events such as Basketball competitions, Arts Night, Inter-high carnivals and numerous other events and programs that continue to put EHS on the map. I have been consistently amazed at the talent of the students here at Exeter which fill me with great hope for the future of this school, this community and Tasmania in general. This year, a highlight for me was the vast array of academic certificates I presented in a recent assembly to so many of our students for both their participation in and also their outstanding results in maths, English and science competitions.

Another measure of our success as a school was at this year’s Division One Inter-High Swimming carnival where we came in second place against all other Launceston based High Schools. For a school with a student population size of just under 300 to achieve this was both a remarkable feat and also a testament to the commitment and dedication our students have when representing our school with pride.

The Work Experience Program, sees a large number of our grade 8, 9 and 10 students working with a myriad of businesses and support people to increase their skills and abilities. What a wonderful authentic and engaging learning opportunity, as well forging strong working partnerships with all these businesses, we have also seen students gain apprenticeships for 2019 through their time spent on work placements during their Grade 10 year. We have partnerships with local businesses who support our Agricultural Science program, automotive and a variety of other programs. We are very grateful for all the support we receive from businesses but also from the amazing support staff who work tirelessly ensuring that all program remain viable and sustainable. Coming back to the theme of today’s assembly – “Opportunity”, without these strong community partnerships, we would not be able to offer such a vast array of opportunities to our students.

The most important partnership we have though, is most certainly with our families. As a school underpinned by strong relationships, it is at our core to work alongside families to support the learning and development of every student and I thank all families for their support. Our School Association are a direct reflection of these family partnerships and we sincerely appreciate all they have done and continue to do in the way they represent and continually support our school.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff-including the teaching and support staff, ancillary team and the wonderful administration staff, all who have once again been so diligent, professional and committed to our wonderful school ensuring that it hums along beautifully, providing the opportunity for all to work in a safe, friendly and calm environment.

I would especially like to thank Ms Macpherson, Mrs Pratap, Mrs Howie, Mr Atkinson, Mrs Finnigan and Mr Landeg for their ongoing guidance of our current Grade 10 cohort. I would also like to acknowledge the work of all of the other teachers and staff who have supported and guided our Grade 10’s over the past 4 years. I’m sure that each and every one of the Year 10 students sitting in front of me today would be able to identify at least one of our staff members who has been a significant adult in their lives. Their High School years and strong relationships between adults and students that are essential in maximising student outcomes, is a strength of Exeter High School that I am very proud of.

We also farewell one of our outstanding teachers this year in Mrs Finnigan who has taught here for over 15 years. Mrs Finnigan is a much loved and respected teacher and I am sure all of the students who have had the privilege of being in her English and History classes would like me to thank her for her contributions to our school community and on behalf of the Exeter High School community, I wish you well for the future Mrs Finnigan. Mr Peter Page and Mr David Hollingsworth are both taking Long Service Leave in Term One of 2019 and I hope both are very relaxed during this time.

To our Grade 10's. Success comes from not what is on offer but how you embrace these opportunities and you all have most certainly embraced every opportunity over your 4 years with us, hence your successes! Well done and congratulations on this. You have grown into wonderful young men and women whom we are extremely proud of. Keep stepping up as you have done, have a positive attitude, be optimistic, accept challenges and embrace every opportunity that comes your way and possibly most importantly, when you do make the occasional mistake – learn from them too.

I believe that the following quotes about Opportunity are perfect messages to our 2018 Grade 10 students who sit in front of me today. Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently AND Success is where opportunity and preparation meet. Put simply, Learn from your mistakes and if you wish to be successful in life, work hard.

Each one of you will forever be a part of Exeter High School. Keep in touch and dare to be the best you can be as you move forward with your lives “Towards the Future.” Good luck with everything you choose to do in the future – aim high, accept that there will be challenges and always reflect on your time here at Exeter High School with fond memories.

I wish all of our students and their families a very Merry Christmas and a safe and restful New Year, and look forward to creating many more opportunities for success in 2019.

Mr Benjamin Frerk
PRINCIPAL

2018 Grade 10 Presentation Awards

Academic Excellence in:

2018 Student Leaders

Excellence in Manner, Conduct & Courtesy

Service to the School

Outstanding Attendance Award

Sporting Awards

Outstanding Citizenship Awards

Outstanding Academic Achievement

Major Awards

Sponsors of our 2018 Award recipients

We wish to acknowledge the sponsorship of the following organisations, representatives and individuals in supporting the achievements of Exeter High students in 2018.

Principal’s message

Over the last month or so you will have seen our messages about adult literacy and numeracy. In Tasmania we have 26TEN. This name represents the 26 letters of the alphabet and 10 digits we use for counting – the tools for life.

We encourage anyone in our school community who would like help to come and talk to us about this.

26TEN helps adult Tasmanians to read, write and do maths

26TEN supports parents and carers to get help with reading, writing, spelling and maths. This gives them the confidence to support their children to learn and everybody benefits.

In Tasmania we have 26TEN. This name represents the 26 letters of the alphabet and 10 digits we use for counting – the tools for life.

If you or someone you know needs help, please speak to the school, your local library or call 26TEN on 1300 002 610.

Inter-high Athletics Carnival Report 2018

On Monday 10th December Exeter High School headed to the annual Inter-high Athletics Carnival following a postponement a few weeks earlier.

The weather was hot and the conditions tested a number of our team members who had multiple events over the course of the day. The action was fiercely contested in the Grade 9 and 10 events with Exeter finishing 2nd in the senior shield. Our juniors found this next level of competition quite challenging, but persevered to collect 400 points in the junior shield.

Final placings for the day were:

For the second year in a row, Exeter High won the perpetual Equity Shield which is awarded to the best performing school, based on enrolment numbers. Yet again, Exeter proved that we “punch above our weight” at Inter-high competitions.

There were a number of outstanding performances on the day – too many to mention, as well as many fine displays of sportsmanship and support for fellow athletes. Mr Stewart, Miss Stevens and myself would like to thank those students who “stepped up” to take on additional events for those students who were absent, unwell or over-loaded and were unable to participate in their scheduled track or field events. These team-focussed decisions and actions are what truly contribute to our excellent overall results.

Mrs Robinson

New Farm Arrival

On Sunday 16 December we welcomed our first Murray Grey bull calf of the season. Yet to be named he was born of Miss Maree.

Solar ovens

Over the past few weeks the Grade 9 students have been looking into heat transfer and light energy for their Physics unit. To test this, we made solar ovens. We made solar ovens to investigate which design was more effective and held the most heat. Most groups made their solar ovens by using a box and by changing one variable. We then covered it with a material to keep the heat in, whilst some groups used different insulating materials and black surfaces. Some classes made 2 boxes and investigated which design was more effective in keeping the heat in and other classes made 1 box and investigated which design would attract the most heat. Most of us found that the aluminium was more effective because it reflects the heat throughout the box.

Georgina Murdoch and Kasey Walters

2018 Leavers Dinner Highlights

Photos supplied by Linda Pasfield Photography, Beauty Point

Getting Started 2019

Book Sale Days

Wednesday 30 January 2019 – 9:30am-12:30pm & 5:00pm-6:30pm
Thursday 31 January 2019 - 9:30am-12:30pm & 5:00pm-6:30pm

Please remember to bring your invoice with you on the day and to also allow time to fill in student documentation.

Important Dates 2019

Term Dates

Student Free Days

Calendar Dates Term 1, 2019

January 2019

February

March

* Calendar will be updated on a fortnightly basis.

COMMUNITY CORNER

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