23 August 2024

A Word from the Principal…

It was a very successful Science Gig and was well support by the community and our senior students excelled. Congratulations to the following students in the Years 9 and 10 Science Inquiry section: William Hampson – 1^st place, Chloe Grey and Sophie Perry – 2^nd and a highly commended to Lily Oakley and Jorja Fisher.  Thank you to Mr David Wyatt for supporting our students to enter their inquiries into the Science Gig.  A big thank you also to Mrs Louise Owens and Ms Ellyce Anderson who hosted a science stall, representing Smithton High School.  The stall was very engaging and well attended with lots of young keen scientists taking part in the activities.   

Last week we have had our school Olympic celebration where our students in class groups were given a country, and they decorated their class in the country colours.  Students were able to select from a range of different activities to go for gold.  Again, thanks Mrs Owens and the House Captains for their organisation for this event.

Our House Captains and Peers Support Leaders have been involved in supporting the 5/6 Winter Sport program.  Their role is to support students and staff in a chosen sport.  This could involve umpiring, scoring or mentoring 5/6 students as they take part in their sports. 

The Years 7 – 10 Aquatics program have been trialling a different approach this year where students opt into swimming.  The early signs show that the engagement and participation has improved.  The HPE team have been listening to student feedback and looking at ways to increase engagement in Physical Education.

Thanks to Mrs Louise Owen in the transition program.  She has been very proactive in working with our local primary schools and has commenced visits to each primary school with our Peer Support Leaders.  Mrs Owen has organised for extra transition visits for those students who require it.  We have seen several students from all the primary schools come in before their orientation day, which has been great to see.

Playground update: Work has started on the soft fall and we are hopeful that in the coming weeks that work will be completed and that the equipment will be ready to use later in the term.

Girl’s school football has started this term.  So far, we have had one loss and one win, with two more games to go as part of the roster.  Mrs Lydia Thompson, Sophie Furphy and parent support, Alana Haywood have been working with the team. Thanks for providing this opportunity.

The Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey is a statewide survey conducted each year.  Our school is participating in the survey - Weeks 6 and 7.  For further information please check the notice below in the newsletter.

Work Placement students have been continuing their workplace tours and have just recently visited Dutch Mill at Edith Creek.  The program continues to give our students an insight into potential career pathways.  Thanks to Mrs Lisa Bryan and Mrs Sharalyn Walters for your work in this space.

Nikki Clark
Principal

Every School Day Counts

It’s Term 3 – let’s make every day count! We hope you had a great break. As we move into the second half of the school year, sometimes regular school attendance can be challenging. There are so many reasons to go to school. It’s a chance to be around friends, learn new things, grow and have fun.

This term is packed with exciting things:

• Girls Football Roster
• SHS Olympics
• Ninja Course Equipment being installed
• Transition Days
• Winter Sports for House Captains & Peer Support Leaders

Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey

Attention: Parents and Carers of students in Year 7-12

Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey

The wellbeing of our students is important to us - we want to hear how students feel, and think, about different things going on in their lives.

Those in Years 7–12 at Smithton High School will be taking part in the Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey. The results from this survey will help us get a picture of the current wellbeing of our students, and what we can do to improve future wellbeing for learning. The more students who take part, the clearer our picture will be. 

The Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey is part of the Department’s Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy .

The details for the survey are:

When:
Term 3, 2024
Years 7 and 8: Week 6 (Monday 26^th August, Thursday 29^th August and Friday 30^th August)
Years 9 – 12:   Week 7 (Monday 2^nd September, Wednesday 4^th September and Thursday 5^th September).
Who:  Years 7 - 12
What do I need to do:  You and your child don’t need to do anything. The survey will be done in class time and will not require your child to prepare in any way.

A letter with more information has been sent home with all Years 7-12 students, including Frequently Asked Questions and a form to sign and return to the school if you do not want your child to participate in the survey.   

If you would like further information, please contact Lindsey Blake on 64529222.

Thank you for supporting us to ensure that all our learners are safe, feel supported and are able to flourish, so they can engage in learning.

Smithton High School Olympics

The Smithton High School Olympics was a major success on last Thursday! Thanks to our House Captains and Mrs Owen for putting together a fabulous event and well done to all staff and students for their participation.

Congratulations to our overall medal winners:

• Gold - Japan (7.2)
• Silver - Jamaica (8.1)
• Bronze - Italy (7.1)

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Year 7 News

Celebrating Student Success – Week One

Celebrating Student Success – Week Two

Celebrating Student Success – Week Three

Science Gig Scavenger Hunt

During Pastoral Care, the Year 7 cohort participated in the Science Gig Scavenger Hunt around town. We collected clues along our way. 

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Emmerton Park Visit

A small group of Year 7 students and Mrs Bishop visited Emmerton Park. They were shown around and met some of the people who live there. They were also shown the radio station where they will be producing weekly announcements once they have lessons around using the equipment. Students then gave the residents a magazine which was created about our school community events and some puzzles.

Art

7.1 have been busy creating their silhouettes. They have since created Indigenous Symbol 'stories' and Polystyrene printing in time for NAIDOC week.

They have also created blind contour portrait drawings, which have then been re-created in wire. Blind contour is a process where the pen must remain on the paper without removing it while the subject is viewed, but not the drawing itself.

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MDT

The Year 7s are once again impressing Mr Neasey with their skills in MDT. We can’t wait to see their finished garden trowels.

Year 8 News

Well done to the students who have received awards in our grade assemblies so far. Also a big thank you to Jodie from Circular Head Council and Hannah from the CHArts committee for coming to speak with our students about the upcoming CHArts events.

Year 8 Assembly - Week One

Year 8 Assembly – Weeks Two and Three

Art

Last term, 8.2 students were busy working on portraiture. They have learned how to draw a human eye and also learned toning skills. Students each created a toned portrait and a coloured portrait. They then moved into creating a Polynesian mask design before creating Mexican 'Sugar Skulls' from paper mâché and decorating them with paint pens.

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Year 9 News

Congratulations to the following students who received LARF awards in the Year 9 assembly during week one and week three.

Careers Day

Some of our Year 9 students participated in the Health Careers Day offered at the Rural Clinical School where they were able to gain an insight into careers areas such as Allied Health disciplines, Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, Pharmacy, and many more.

Year 10 News

Short Stories in English

Hellyer College Taster Day

A group of Year 10 students have spent the day at Hellyer College recently. They had the opportunity to participate in taster classes with students from other high schools in the Hellyer College Collective gaining a valuable insight into the requirements for each course. There was even a tour of the residence for those who might be considering this option next year. Thanks to the HC staff and student leaders for organising and hosting us.

Work Placement

Woolnorth Windfarm

The Year 9/10 Work Placement class has started the term with a visit to Woolnorth Windfarm. Student were taken to both the Bluff Hill & Studland Bay sites to look at the V66 and V90 turbines and learn about how they make power and how it's transported into the grid. Adam kept us all entertained with his knowledge and fascinating facts about the windfarm and the employment prospects available there. We appreciate and thank Adam and the Woolworth Windfarm team for giving us this opportunity.

Tas Water

Work Placement has had two excursions to understand the process of where the town water supply comes from and the treatment process to make it safe for consumption and use. We also got to see the other side of where our waste is treated at Pelican Point and how it's safely discarded. We would like to thank Guy Kearnes from TAS Water for his time and knowledge.

Dutch Mill

Last week the Year 9/10 Work Placement students travelled to Edith Creek to learn about what happens at the Dutch Mill Tasmanian Dairy factory. Simon Lovell showed the students both the wet and dry side of the factory and explained how each product is made and then packaged and wrapped to be taken to its final destination. We would like to thank Simon for his time and for teaching us all about UHT products. 

Outdoor Education

The Outdoor Ed students have been using different techniques to build a fire. They have been learning about fire safety and the environment and how to safely use a fire extinguisher. 

Circular Head Science Gig

Smithton High School had some winners at this year’s Circular Head Science Gig. William Hampson took out first place for his project on “The Big Squeeze” where he compared the vitamin C content of freshly squeezed apple and orange juice, to a commercially purchased product. Sophie Perry and Chloe Grey received runner up for their project on “Is it safe”. Here the girls investigated the “five second rule”. They experimented on how fast food dropped on the ground was infected by bacteria and fungi. We also had Lily Oakley and Jorja Fisher receive a highly commendable award for their work on how the framework shape of buildings affected their ability to withstand simulated earthquakes. Mrs Anderson and Mrs Owen were there on the night to represent the school. They ran a stall offering students the opportunity to test out different bird beaks and their ability to hunt for food. They also offered the opportunity for people to dissect an owl pellet to see what the bird had eaten, finding some rodent skeletons inside. It was a great evening with many in attendance. Well done to all those that entered the competition

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School Football

We would like to acknowledge the Year 9/10 boys football team who entered a 7 round competition in the NWJFU Western Conference. They had a successful season finishing 2nd on the ladder. This progressed the team into a semi-final against the winner of the eastern conference Reece High School. Although the team didn’t get the win, they did themselves and the school proud and gave their all to the very end. We would also like to acknowledge Jordan Williams and Keith Billing for supporting the team and also a big thankyou to Xavier Heald, Lewis Sheehan and Duke Marcello for umpiring the games. Well done to the entire team on a great season.

Girls Football

Our Smithton High School girls football team ventured to Wynyard High School for our first game. It was a combined effort from Years 7-10 and various skill levels. We didn’t come away with the win on the board, but so many individual and team wins. Our defence held together by Mia and Madeline were supported by their team all day. Sophie and Laicey saw plenty of the ball through the centre. Moving the ball forward saw Taya, Kyah and Amiee combining through the middle. Grace was our major goal scorer with two goals! A fabulous effort by our team, equal to the singing on the bus home. Well done girls!

Our second game against Parklands High School saw us take to the road. Our girls came home with the win 74-13. Our goal kickers were Laicey, Kyah, Madeline, Sophie, Mia and Grace. Great ball movement from Laciey, Sophie, and Emma saw our fowards get plenty of the ball. Tackling pressure from Aleyna and Alexis was fabulous. Well done to the team!

Youth Mentors Update

Garden Make-Over

A huge thankyou to one of our Youth Mentors Kylie on all the work she has put into giving some of our gardens a make over. The front of the school, gym & the Bee Garden area look great with some new plants & fresh bark. Well done to the students who helped during their mentor sessions & a special mention to Bella & Jayde in Year 9 who put in extra time with Kylie to get these results.

Saputo Donation

The students at Smithton High School are incredibly grateful for the recent donation of milk, butter and a massive cheese wheel from our local Saputo. These donations ensure the continuation of mentor based cooking sessions, where the students learn essential life skills whilst also expanding on their social interactive skills and emotional wellbeing. Thank you Saputo!

Charts Festival 2024

Entries are now open for the CHArts Festival with the theme of ‘family’ this year for art and photography.

This year we have added a TikTok category thanks to McCain and Tik_Tassie_Tok there is a $300 cash prize!

For more information or to enter please visit our website here: 

Support your child’s online learning at home

Digital skills are critical to every child’s success, but supporting online learning can be overwhelming.

The Digital skills for families team are delivering a program to help Tasmanian families support online learning at home. Spending time online at home gives children an opportunity to practice what they are learning at school. Positive home environments help children develop the skills and independence they need to succeed in a digital future. 

Learn about communicating online with schools, digital education at school and how to support online learning at home.

Digital skills for families is offering free:

• information sessions
• workshops
• one-to-one help

In libraries, schools and community locations statewide.

Email the team at digitalskillsforfamilies@libraries.tas.gov.au to find out more and book a free session.

How do I stop “getting stuck” in my phone?

Community News

Dates to Remember…

Term Dates 2024

Student Free Days 2024

Year 7-10
Friday 7th June
Friday 1st November

Years 11/12
Thursday 28th March
Friday 6th September

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@decyp.tas.gov.au
Web: http://education.tas.edu.au/smithtonhigh/Pages/Home.aspx
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smithton-High-School/219062138251149