3 March 2023

Newsletter Articles

Assistant Principals

Paul Stevenson
Andrea Saville

Grade Leaders

Grade 7: Elle Fox
Grade 8: Lenny Towns
Grade 9: Allison Stone
Grade 10: Sharon Parish and Dave Shorter

Support Services

School Psychologist: Caitlyn Osborne: Thursday and Friday
Social Worker: Trent Williams: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
School Chaplain: Bec Cameron: Tuesday and Friday
School Health Nurse: Julie Edrich: Monday

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

I continue to be impressed with the outstanding start we have had to the year here at Exeter High School. Classrooms are settled and learning opportunities are being maximised due to the calm nature of our school. Can I please remind parents that if you have a concern or question about your child’s education, the Grade Leaders are your first point of call as they are with the students on a regular basis. When you call the office to make an appointment, the more information you can give about the issue the better so that the Grade Leaders can find out as much relevant information as possible before contacting you.

I would also like to remind parents of the pantry of food staples that we have here in the administration area. These are provided for families to help with the ever-demanding day to day costs that we are faced with. Please feel free to come in and help yourself to these food items. We also have fruit, muesli bars and other fresh food items that have kindly been donated by Coles and these will be made available in grade areas for students to access.

We will be holding a Welcome Back to School BBQ on Friday the 17th March for families of students across all grades from 5.30pm to 6.15pm. There will also be a cinema night after the BBQ, where we will be showing Red Dog True Blue in the school gymnasium. We will be sending out flyers and information will also be on Facebook soon. We would love to see as many families as possible here on the night.

Students in Years 9 and 10 are starting to commence work placement in various businesses and organisations and this continues to be a fantastic opportunity within our school. If your child has a passion for a particular vocational area, I encourage them to talk to their teachers about getting a work placement organised during the school year so that they can have a real-world experience in that field of employment.

Students are bringing home information sheets about an upcoming session that is being provided to our school, titled “Consent is a Conversation”. The aim of the program is to educate students on consent, healthy relationships, and protective behaviours. There will also be a parent session offered on Monday March 27th from 5.00pm to 6.30pm in the school library and the details are included in the forms that were handed to students earlier this week.

Benjamin Frerk
Principal

NAPLAN 2023

At Exeter High School, Year 7 and Year 9 students will be sitting NAPLAN between 20 and 23 March 2023.

The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

This is the first year NAPLAN will be held in March, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

Why NAPLAN is conducted online

NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.

One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.

Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.

Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.

Parent information brochures and other resources

Your questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child:

The link will take you to the official National Assessment Program (NAP) website.

Please contact the school if you have any further queries.

EXETER SHOW SUCCESS

Congratulations to students Ryan Gethin, Erykah Pridmore, Isabella Topperwien and Cleveland Davey for their success in the annual Exeter Show Home Industries competition. Erykah and Isabella achieved first place for their entries in the photography and handicraft sections respectively. Ryan took home the Judges’ Choice award in photography and Cleveland won three first prizes in the cooking section. Congratulations!

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:

Lily-Rose from 7D: Lily-Rose has commenced Year 7 very positively. She sets an excellent example for her peers with her exceptional behaviour and conduct and has impressed her teachers with her engagement in class and application to her learning. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance

Jack from 7A: Jack has begun high school very positively. He consistently displays an excellent work ethic and respectful behaviour. Jack is an extremely helpful and courteous student who always gives 100 percent effort. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance

Curtis from 8A: Curtis has approached Year 8 in a very positive manner, and he has consistently displayed an excellent work ethic and respectful behaviour. He has demonstrated maturity in core classes to avoid engaging in behaviours that may distract him from his learning. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance

Taylor from 8B: Taylor is being recognised for the seamless transition she has made to Exeter High School and the settled start that she has demonstrated. Taylor is punctual and prepared for all lessons and she is a kind, reliable and respectful student who has made an excellent start to the year. . Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance

PrincezzF from 9C: Princezz has had an excellent start to year 9. She has approached all areas of her learning with enthusiasm and maturity. Princezz always speaks and behaves respectfully and is a role model to others in her class. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity & Acceptance

Jack from 9B: Jack has demonstrated a conscientious approach to all learning areas. He strives to always achieve his best with his inquisitive nature. Jack is a respectful student who engages in a positive manner with teachers and peers. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning & Maturity.

Cameron from 10A: Cameron has commenced Year 10 in a positive manner, consistently displaying an excellent work ethic and respectful behaviour. He has displayed maturity by approaching all activities with a positive mindset in all learning areas. Cameron is punctual and prepared for all lessons, ready to put in his best effort, and displays maturity through his willingness to work with others. Values demonstrated: Respect, Learning, Maturity and Acceptance.

YEAR 11 EXCURSION

On Friday 24th February, Year 11 students Mia and Maddi, along with Mr Finnigan, were invited to two Midlands farms. The first farm was a breeder of Australian White sheep, of which we are getting ten ewes. These ewes will form the breeding flock to support the learning of our VET and TASC courses, Certificate II in Agriculture and Agricultural Enterprise. The second farm visit was an open day by the Tasmanian Hemp Association where the qualities and characteristics of hemp were explained plus the many hundreds of traditional uses and some modern innovative use demonstrated. One new use of hemp was to mix the crunched-up hemp with lime and water to form a tough exterior walling used in building. Even after the plant has grown and is used in the wall it continues to sequester carbon, which is a small step forward in combating climate change caused by too much carbon in the atmosphere.

STUDENT VALIDATION AND POLICY AGREEMENT FORMS

Validation and 2023 Policy Agreement (School Expectations, ICT and Bus Expectations) forms were posted out recently. We ask that these forms be returned to the administration team as soon as possible. It is very important that you carefully check the information and make changes where required on the Validation form. Please add any other contacts you would like recorded as emergency contacts. The Expectations form has areas for both parents and students to sign. If you have any concerns, please contact our administration team on 6394 4366.

BREAKFAST CLUB

Students are welcome to participate in Breakfast Club every Friday morning. Toast and milo will be on offer from 8.35am in the Home Economics area. See you there!

YEAR 10 FUNDRAISING – EASTER RAFFLE

Raffle books of 10 tickets are being sold by Year 10 students. Tickets are $1 each, $10 per book. Raffle books and money will need to be returned to school by Friday 31st March, with the draw taking place on Tuesday 4th April.

CALENDAR

Calendar – Term 1, 2023

March

April

Term 2 - 4 Term Dates

Calendar will be updated fortnightly

COMMUNITY CORNER

LIBRARY BOOK SALE – this Saturday 4 March 2023

Friends of the Library Launceston’s Annual Library Book Sale will be held on Saturday 4 March 2023, 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 secondhand books – crime, thrillers, science fiction, romance, children’s, cooking, health, travel, crafts, gardening, sports, war, DVDs, collectables and Tasmaniana – all at rock bottom prices.

JUNIOR BADMINTON – COME & TRY

SAFETY WEBINAR

LYTE

The Launceston Youth Theatre Ensemble (LYTE) is now taking enrolments for 2023 for all companies.

LEGANA YOUTH CENTRE – TERM 1 ACTIVITIES

BEACONSFIELD YOUTH CENTRE – TERM 1 ACTIVITIES

SAVE THE DATE – Friday 17 March 2023

Exeter High School Cinema Night presented by Exeter High School Association

TASMANIAN YOUTH FORUM