11 June 2021

Newsletter Articles

A Word from the Principal…

Every Day Counts

Our school’s average attendance is 84% now and we would like it to be at 90% or above. This target is achievable and provides the best opportunities for your child or children to be reaching their full potential whilst at school. School absenteeism and student attendance is a complex issue which includes a range of student behaviours including school refusal and truancy. Every Day Counts means:

• all children should be enrolled at school and attend on every school day
• schools should monitor, communicate, and implement strategies to improve regular school attendance
• truanting can place a student in unsafe situations and impact on their future employability and life choices
• attendance at school is the responsibility of everyone in the community.

If for some reason your child can’t be at school, please contact us to explain their absence via the school email, SchoolZine app, text or phone.

Attending every day - YouTube

In this video parents discuss why it's important for students to attend school all day, every day even on occasions like their birthday. Regular school attendance has a positive impact on students' academic results and their social and emotional wellbeing.

Every Day Counts
“1 or 2 days doesn’t seem much, however….”

Students Shine at Circular Head Council Workshop

I had the pleasure of taking a group of students to speak at a Circular Head Council Workshop. The students spoke with humility and conviction. They talked about the different programs they are involved in at school which include student engagement, leadership, gender diversity, Project O and the Aboriginal cultural group. It was terrific to hear the students speak and share their learning with the councillors. They answered questions competently and asked thought-provoking questions as well. Student voice is crucial at school and within our local community. I couldn’t be prouder of how they represented our school. Well done Kelsie, Keira, Arliah, Jade, Georgia, William and Lara! Thanks Miss Newbury, for coming along to support our students.

Student acknowledgement

Below is outstanding feedback from Dr Emma Lee about two of our students, Kelsie and Ashton. Feedback is important on several levels – this highlights the great work our students and staff are leading which is supported by CHAC.

My name is Dr Emma Lee and I’m on the National Co-Design Group for Indigenous Voice. Last month Ms Camilla Woolley brought Kelsie and Ashton to our consultation session in Devonport.

I write to state how deeply impressed both I and many of the attendees were in the opinions, views, feedback and thoughts from these two sterling young people. One of the comments from a fellow audience member was ‘I think these young people have got this, I have nothing more to add’, which set off a chorus in support of what your young people gave us. Their views were important for our Youth Committee proposal for Indigenous Voice and will contribute to the overall final report.

Your students possessed a respect and dignity to the topic, were listening closely and deeply engaged, and, more so, were providing thoughtful, experiential and impressive concerns and considerations about the co-design process.

I wish Kelsie and Ashton the best of life and look forward to seeing them in leadership positions beyond school.

Dr Emma Lee
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Fellow
RegionxLink programs, Centre for Social Impact
Swinburne University of Technology

Nikki Clark
Principal

Cross Country

This year the Cross Country Carnival was held in the students regular PE lessons, with the aim of improving overall participation. It was really good to see so many students have a crack throughout the five week Cross Country unit and on the competition day. Well done to those students who received a placing and to those who represented our school at the Inter-High Cross Country Carnival in Penguin. A huge congratulations goes to Perkins House for winning the event this year. The final scores were:

Year 11/12 Report

It is hard to believe that we are half-way through the year for 11/12 students already!

It has been a busy year so far at Southside and the Circular Head Trade Training Centre, with many positive things happening for our students and staff.

At the beginning of Term 1, students were invited to apply for the Years 11/12 Student Representative Council (SRC). From the students who applied five were successful: Lucy, Stella, Paige, Paris and Mia. The Years 11/12 SRC have been hard at work organising an Easter egg jar guess, a table tennis table and breakfast facilities for Southside, and a FightMND beanie and hat fundraiser.

The Rustic Duck Café is now open to the public, Thursdays from 10am to 2pm. The café is staffed by our Certificate II Hospitality students, who have been doing an excellent job serving an array of delicious food and beverages to customers. This year we have welcomed Year 10 students into our Hospitality program, as well as our Certificate II Construction program. This has been a great opportunity for some of our Year 10 students to pursue personal learning pathways and start the transition into Years 11 and 12.

On Thursday 20th May, the Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing and Energy Council (TMEC) visited Southside to run their career awareness program in Advanced Manufacturing. This consisted of an information session and a chance for interested Years 9-12 students to try their hand on welding simulators.

There are a number of upcoming events in Years 11/12 at Southside, including mid-year exams for our students studying pre-tertiary courses, a Hospitality trip on the 18th and 19th of August, and an information night for current and future students on Wednesday 25th August.

Students and staff are looking forward to making the second half of the year as good as the first half has been.

McCain Foods Bursary

Since 2018, McCain Foods has supported Smithton High School through the McCain Foods Support for Further Education Bursary. This bursary offers $5,000 to a student, or students, in order to support their further education beyond Year 12.

In 2020, the recipient of this award was Liana Ambrey-Attard. Liana has now enrolled in Certificate II in Rural Operations – Horse Husbandry Assistant and is looking to do further courses in this area in the future. McCain Foods Plant Manager, Gordon Gillies, met with Liana at Southside last week to congratulate her on enrolling in the course.

Gordan & Liana

Tobi Allan
Years 11/12 Co-ordinator

Community News

Dates to Remember…

Term Dates & Student Free Days for 2021

Terms

Student Free Days

Year 7-10

Tuesday 2nd February
Thursday 1st April
Monday 19th July
Friday 29th October

Year 11/12

TBA

Office Hours

8.30am – 3.30pm daily
School Starts: 8.50am
School Finishes: 3.00pm

School Office Ph: 6452 9222
Trade Training Centre Ph: 6452 9288

SMS: 0418 220 201
Email: smithton.high@education.tas.gov.au
Web: http://education.tas.edu.au/smithtonhigh/Pages/Home.aspx
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smithton-High-School/219062138251149