26 February 2021

Newsletter Articles

Assistant Principals

Paul Stevenson
Andrea Saville

Grade Leaders

Grade 7: Naomi Cartledge
Grade 8: Elle Fox
Grade 9: Skye Champion
Grade 10: Allison Stone

Support Services

School Psychologist: David McCormack: Wednesday & Friday
Social Worker: Lauren Brown: Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday
School Chaplain: Paul Burton: Wednesday/Friday
School Health Nurse: Dave Mackay: Thursday

Principal’s Report

On Monday, we had the Minister for Education, Mr Jeremy Rockliff visit our new Grade 11 classroom to find out more about the programs we are offering in 2021. What he saw was our Year 11 students settled into their Rural Operations course that is led by Mr Fox, along with the other rigorous academic courses such as Physical Sciences and Pre-Tertiary Mathematics being taught by Mrs Hall-Dadson. We also have two Year 11 students participating in a Learning Through Internship pathway, where they participate in a work placement every Thursday in an area they might seek to gain employment in at the conclusion of Year 12.

Teachers here at Exeter High School are having their classes observed each week in the form of walk throughs of classrooms by senior staff. We then provide feedback to teachers in relation to how their classes were operating with a focus for each observation. The creation of calm and orderly learning environments and high levels of student engagement have been focussed on over the past two weeks. I have been very impressed with the high levels of achievement in both of these important areas across all classrooms.

Mobile phones are not to be used in class at all and I have been very impressed by the high levels of maturity and acceptance shown by our students in relation to this rule. Can I please remind parents that if they need to contact their child during the school day, phone the office and messages will be passed on.

Attendance every day at school is vital for students to be given every opportunity to succeed both at school and post school in the workforce. I cannot stress the importance of this enough, so it is imperative every parent ensures their child is present at school each day of the school year, unless of course there is an acceptable reason. If your child is absent for any reason such as illness or medical appointment, please notify the school office so that attendance records can be adjusted to reflect this.

Benjamin Frerk
Principal

Grade 10 HPE classes

In Week 5, Grade 10 students will be participating in a Lawn Bowls activity during their scheduled PE lesson. Students are required to wear their school sports uniform or have their polo top, school jacket or rugby top on as part of their change of gear. Students will walk to and from the RSL Bowls Club via Exeter Primary School under staff supervision for these sessions.

• Monday 1st March: 10A and 10C
• Tuesday 2nd March: 10B

Validation & Policy Agreement Forms

Thank you to all parent/carers who have already completed and returned these important forms. Validation forms give the school updated emergency contact details as well as medical details; 2021 permission for photo use and samples of work on media platforms such as our school newsletter, DoE websites and Facebook; and permission to attend minor excursions.

It is essential that your child’s Validation and Policy forms are returned as quickly as possible.

School Chaplain

Hi all,

For those of you who are new to the school let me introduce myself and give you an idea of what my role is and what I’m involved in here at Exeter High.

My name is Paul Burton and I’m married with four daughters, 3 are teens and one ‘wanna’ be teen.

I have a background of 30 years in the building industry and 20 years pastoral ministry experience, both voluntary and paid.

I have been at Exeter for 2 years in the role of Chaplain which I have found very rewarding.

If you are unfamiliar with what a school Chaplain does you can find a fact sheet on the education website by following the link attached. Take the time to check it out.

In a nutshell, one thing you can be certain of is that a Chaplain’s role is not to convert people to a religion but, rather to offer pastoral care, help and support within the school community, and a listening ear in times of stress or difficulty. Our role is to ensure that you are not going through difficult times alone and to celebrate any ‘life’ victories with you, offering emotional, minor psychological and spiritual care (regardless of spiritual persuasion).

I provide this in conjunction with the support team at the school which includes the school psychologist, social worker and nurse.

My days at Exeter are Wednesday and Friday.

I oversee the Breakfast Club on Wednesday’s and Friday’s, with bread provided by The Caring Network, along with help of some wonderful students. We see a number of regulars turning out for toast and Milo to get them off to a good start.

Breakfast Club is not just for students who may miss breakfast, a regular occurrence in my household due to late rising children, but also for students who may enjoy a bit of comradery before school, and the room is always warm in winter.

Lunchtimes tend to be a bit more free-range in that I just wait to see what happens and interact with that. This can lead to games in the office or hanging out in the undercover area chatting to students.

Occasionally, along with the well-being team, we have a special Breakfast or run lunchtime programs and BBQ’s.

The staff at Exeter High are fantastic and really supportive, allowing me to join in on lessons and assist with students who might need a little bit of extra help.

This has given me an opportunity to see just how hard the teachers and staff at the school work, and offer encouragement and support where it’s needed.

If you have any further questions or would just like to touch base for a chat so you can get to know me, please contact me at the school during school hours on Wednesday or Friday, I would love to meet you and I really enjoy a good coffee.

Paul Burton
Chaplain

School photos – Monday, 15 March

Leading Image will be taking class and individual student photos on Monday, 15 March. Order envelopes will be distributed to students next Tuesday.

Orders can be placed online or by cash placed in the envelope. All order envelopes (online orders and cash) must be returned to the Administration Office by Photo Day.

Reporting Student Absences via SMS Messages

You can now respond to the SMS messages you receive in relation to your child’s absence from school. Please remember to include your child’s name, date and reason in your response.

Uniform Shop – OPEN – 8:30am to 3:30pm daily

Organising your child’s uniform requirements just became easier with the School Uniform Shop available Monday to Friday between 8:30 to 3:30pm. Please call in at your convenience during these times.

Term Dates 2021

Term 1, 2021

February

March

April

Community Corner

Library Book Sale

Friends of the Library, Launceston’s Annual Library Book Sale will be held on Saturday, 13 March 2021, 9.00am – 1.00pm at St Ailbe’s Hall, 46 Margaret Street, Launceston

This is Launceston’s best book sale with a wide range of good quality donated second-hand books – crime, thrillers, science fiction, romance, children’s, cooking, health, travel, crafts, gardening, sports, war, DVDs, collectables and Tasmaniana – all at rock bottom prices.

Tasmania Skate Park League competition

Riverside Olympic Football Club – come & try days

Junior Badminton at Elphin Sports Centre

Northern Tasmanian Junior Soccer Association

Tamar Valley Vixens Rugby Club

Tamar Valley Vixens are Tasmania’s first sole female rugby union club made up of local students and professionals.

We aim to benefit the sporting community by creating a safe environment where women could play, support & enjoy rugby without fear of discrimination, or intimidation.

Tamar Valley Vixens Rugby Club is not just a sporting club but an entirely new way of looking at rugby. We believe that our game is a great way to empower the women in our community and foster the development of skills along the way

We have a really exciting few months ahead of us including scouts from Rugby Australia coming to Tasmania for the first time! Running alongside this, Vixens will run a dedicated Junior Girls Rugby Academy during 2021. We are looking for girls aged 12-16 to participate in this program which will include mentorship from one of our current senior women.

Tamar Valley Junior Football Club