2 September 2022

Newsletter Articles

Assistant Principals

Paul Stevenson
Andrea Saville

Grade Leaders

Grade 7: Elle Fox
Grade 8: Lenny Towns
Grade 9: Allison Stone
Grade 10: AST: Sharon Parish

Support Services

School Psychologist: Caitlyn Osborne: Wednesday (fortnightly), Thursday and every second Friday
Social Worker: Isabel Casey: Tuesday, Thursday and every second Friday
School Chaplain: Bec Cameron: Wednesday & Friday
School Health Nurse: Dave Mackay: Monday

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my role as Principal is to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students. The following students have been recognised in recent weeks for their achievements:

• Chloe White represented Tasmania at the recent Hockey Schools Sport Championships and will also be representing Tasmania at the upcoming Cross Country Championships.
• Aidan Woods has recently represented Tasmania at the Schools Swimming Games in Brisbane.
• Arin Lyall-Elms was selected in the State Volleyball team.
• Oscar Davey was co-captain of the State Rugby team.
• Brady Hudson gained fourth place in Australia in his weight division for Judo.
• Takoda Richards has been selected in the Australian Youth Volleyball Championships team. He will be heading to Bendigo shortly to participate.

Our grades also continue to celebrate their students through the fortnightly Excellence at Exeter awards, and these are published in each newsletter.

Our Year 10 students have recently attended open days at both Newstead College and Launceston College. Mrs Parish reported that our students’ attitudes and behaviour on these days were exceptional. Both colleges will visit our school next term to complete enrolments for 2023 and parents/carers are welcome to attend these to help their child select courses for Year 11.

I have also held grade assemblies across the school in recent weeks about the mobile phone policy. A couple of the aspects I have reminded students about are:

• Phones are to be switched off and away throughout the school day. I have been impressed with the way students have followed this state-wide rule. However, just a reminder: if a student does get their mobile phone out during the day, it will be confiscated for the remainder of the day and returned at the end of the day. If a student continues to disregard this rule, other consequences will need to be put in place.
• Any bullying via mobile phones and social media will not be tolerated. As I have told students, everyone, whether it be an adult or student, has the right to walk through the front gates of Exeter High School each morning knowing that they will not be bullied in any way.

We’re more than halfway through Term 3, now, and the worst of the winter weather is, I hope, behind us. As we move into the longer and warmer days of spring, it’s much easier to bring a more optimistic and enthusiastic attitude to life and work. I challenge all of our students, Year 7-10, to finish Term 3 strongly, aspiring to achieve to the best of their abilities across all their subjects.

Benjamin Frerk
Principal

GRADE 10 LAUNCESTON COLLEGE OPEN DAY

A whole new world by Jennifer Johnstone

On Thursday 25th of August, Year 10 students embarked on a new journey, experiencing a day at Launceston College. Students had to find their own way to the college to replicate real life, with the first session commencing at 9am. Students were supplied with a personalised timetable and a map and left to navigate their way around the school. The day consisted of eight sessions that were tailored to each student’s preferences, picked prior to Thursday. Each session was an overview of what students can expect in the upcoming years, to give them a taste of their future if they were to choose the college path.

The day was packed with helpful information and filled with hundreds of students as all schools combined, creating a good chance for people to branch out and venture outside of their comfort zone. Some students found this day very beneficial and a positive challenge.

• “I thought being able to be in the college environment really helped me to cope for next year with what to expect,” said student Maddison Blizzard.
• “I found the Ask Me Student Helpers very useful as all of the blocks and class numbers could get confusing in such a large space,” observed Macy Van Den Berg.

We thank Launceston College’s teachers and students for being so welcoming and helpful to all newcomers, guiding us all with our transition out of high school into this new chapter.

To conclude the day our school met up again to dismiss and make sure everyone had a good experience, going off with newly formed opinions of Launceston College and hopefully a step closer to picking a college preference for next year.

EXCELLENCE AT EXETER

These certificates are awarded to two students in each grade in recognition of their efforts in upholding the school values and helping to make our school an excellent learning environment.

Congratulations to this fortnight’s students:

Gabriella from 7A: Gabriella is an outstanding student who has impressed her teachers with her mature conduct. She applies herself across all subject areas and is regarded by her peers as a supportive class member. Gabriella is an excellent role model who consistently upholds our school values. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance.

Riley from 7D: Riley is a polite and friendly student who consistently applies herself across all subject areas and always endeavours to produce work to the best of her ability. She upholds our school values and is an excellent role model for her peers. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance.

Lucy from 8C: Lucy is a polite, respectful and engaged learner who consistently uses her class time productively. She willingly co-operates with others to achieve successful outcomes and takes pride in her work and presentation. Lucy is encouraged to continue to seek and accept extra-curricular opportunities to ensure that she meets her full potential. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance.

Zara from 8C: Zara is a quiet achiever who always displays maturity, tolerance and respect. She can be relied upon to work co-operatively in groups and is equally confident and capable as an independent learner. Zara willingly acts upon feedback, always strives to do her best and takes pride in the presentation of her work. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance.

Lily from 9A: Lily is dedicated to her studies, always striving to achieve her best. She helps others in cooking to ensure they are successful. Always polite and well-mannered. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance.

Makayla from 9C: Makayla has been working really hard across all subject areas. She follows instructions and is respectful in class. She is making excellent progress. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance.

Alana from 10C: Alana is a friendly, well-respected student who conscientiously applies herself in all subject area and goes above and beyond in helping others. She is to be commended for her consistency, maturity, and positive approach to her work in class. Alana upholds all our school values of Respect, Learning, Maturity and Acceptance.

Adam from 10B: It has been great to see Adam’s confidence growing throughout the school year, with his involvement in classroom discussions highlighting his capacity to be a critical thinker. He is friendly and approachable, and consistently demonstrates respectful behaviour towards peers and staff alike. Adam enjoys practical learning activities and is working towards a career in a trade through his involvement in work placement. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN YEAR 7 ENGLISH?

Since receiving their invitations to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Exeter Campus) during the July holidays, the Year 7 students have, we are pleased to report, eagerly commenced their magical studies. Moreover, they have all been sorted into their school houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin – via the quiz at www.wizardingworld.com. Here, they also discovered the characteristics of their wands, and their patronuses. Levi Cardow in 7B was thrilled to discover that he shares the same house and patronus as Professor Lendvay – Hufflepuff and dolphin. As Levi said to Professor Lendvay, “We’re basically the same person.” Geminio! The students have learnt about witches, wizards and supernatural magic. They’ve also learnt about the characteristics and powers of the Philosopher’s Stone, including German alchemist Hennig Brand’s attempt to create this fabled object using human urine! See the link to the YouTube clip below. As the students read Harry Potter the Philosopher’s Stone, they engage in a range of vocabulary-building and comprehension activities; also, they collate important quotes from the story in readiness for writing an essay. We look forward to sharing their essays with you at the end of term. Expecto Patronum!

Professor Fox, Professor Lendvay and Professor Shorter

BUSY TIME IN THE LIBRARY TERM 3

This term, students have not only had the opportunity to select books, including many new titles from the library, but have also participated in a couple of competitions.

The first competition concerned the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where students were asked a few questions regarding the games’ history and how many gold medals they thought Australia would win.

More recently has been Book Week. The students were asked to predict which books would win the different categories. It has been extremely interesting observing the strategies some students explored to obtain their answers. The second part of Book Week was to enter a Statewide Bookmark design competition based on the theme “Dreaming with Eyes Open …”. Winning designs will be professionally printed and made available at all branches of Libraries Tasmania.

This amazing opportunity was taken up by five students whose designs are all very different but beautiful. A big thank you to Miss Bell for encouraging her art students to participate and good luck to you all.

To learn more about Book Week, including this year’s winning titles and other great books for adolescent readers, see:

Connor from 7C has again designed and constructed a new creation which is on display in the Library. “Bell the Goat” has come to town from her Pizzeria. She is the lead singer of a three-piece band called The Farmyard Gang. Bell has a big ego! Thank you, Connor, for sharing “Bell the Goat” with our school community.

New books to look out for in September:

A Little Spark by Barry Jondberg: Cate finds herself having to choose between her parents, when her mum decides they are moving to London with her mum’s new partner. But Cate is also really close to her dad, and what if she doesn’t want to leave her life behind? This is a fabulous story of family and friendship. A great read for all students.

Scorpion Falls by Martin Chatterto: Set in an outback mining town in Queensland, supernatural things start to happen, and young Theo thinks he is losing his mind. As he tries to uncover the truth, you will be taken on a thrilling ride that you won’t be able to put down! Recommended for all students.

Against All Odds Young Readers’ Edition by Richard Harris and Craig Challen: This is the remarkable true story of the young Thai soccer team and their coach who were trapped in an underwater cave in 2018. Told by two Australian heroes who played integral roles in the rescue. This is a story of courage and bravery and recommended for all students.

This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke: Set amid the Hungarian revolution of 1956, this is a fantastic historical fiction story with a touch of magic that shows the bravery and courage of our main character, Csilla, as she must figure out what she really stands for. This story is recommended for senior readers.

The Hidden Girl by Louise Bassett: Mel is trying to start fresh at her new school, but trouble has a way of finding her. Will her obsession with locating the girl in the mysterious diary cause her more trouble than she knows what to do with? A compelling mystery that delves into the world of teenage sex trafficking, so will be suited to our senior readers.

SLC WHOLE SCHOOL SOCIAL

Reminder that there are no door sales on the evening, so please ensure that you purchase your tickets before next Thursday.

Calendar – 2022

September

Oct

November

December

COMMUNITY CORNER

NEWSTEAD COLLEGE PARENT INFORMATION EVENING – MONDAY 5 SEPTEMBER

LITTLE ATHLETICS – APPROACHING SEASON

End of Term 3 starting date of Saturday, 8 October for Little Athletics: - Tiny-tots and Kinder-Grade 8 groups

2023 YOUTH MAYOR APPLICATIONS – NOW OPEN

Students in years 6-8 may want to consider applying for the 2023 West Tamar Youth Mayor position.

This 12-month term is a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience in local government, represent young people in the West Tamar, and receive fantastic media/public speaking training.

The online application process can be found at the below link. (Applications must also be supported with a video of the applicant sharing how you can make a difference in the West Tamar.)

For further information, contact Youth Development Officer Andrew Beeston at andrew.beeston@wtc.tas.gov.au

ROTARY YOUTH PROGRAM OF ENRICHMENT

RYPEN is an Australian-designed weekend camp of leadership, fun, and fellowship for year 9 to 10 students. The program will run from Friday evening, 16 September 2022, to Sunday afternoon, 18 September 2022, at Camp Clayton, Ulverstone. The weekend aims at developing teamwork, leadership, communication, and social skills in a supportive and safe environment. Local Rotary Clubs will sponsor the successful participants, hence no cost to students. Transportation will also be provided.

We are seeking young students with an open mind who demonstrate personal qualities such as persistence, sincerity, application, dependability, and honesty and who are prepared to participate fully and benefit from the organised activities.

The camp involves adventure-based learning activities, reflection, and discussion.

Application deadline is 3rd September so don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity.

THE IRENE PHELPS YOUTH ART COMPETITION, EXPLORING GRAVITY, AND EXHIBITION

Reminder that this competition is open to all Exeter High School students and there is an Open category for 16–25-year-olds. If you have a flare for art, and are interested in winning a cash prize, then please check out the details via the link below.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED JOINING YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY? ITS EASY AND FREE!!

EXETER CRICKET CLUB – COME AND TRY NIGHT