Term 3 has been extremely busy with excursions, Year 7 camps, sporting events and orientation days.  Plus we have welcomed some new arrivals on the school farm.  We continue to receive positive feedback regarding students’ engagement in extra-curricular activities and their positive and respectful behaviour when representing the school. 

During Term 4 we will continue to focus on our Expectations and it has been pleasing to see students taking greater ownership for their behaviour, making good choices and engaging positively in their learning.

As we welcome the warmer days of Term 4, we look forward to the continued learning of our students and in particular, supporting the important transitions for our students which will commence after the holidays.  We will complete planning with our Year 10s for 2023 and also support our Year 12s as they complete their compulsory education. We will also be working with our primary school Year 6 students so they can transition ready for high school together.  

Staffing Change for  Term 4

We wish Mr Buechner a wonderful long service leave during Term 4.  We look forward to welcoming Mrs Christine Taylor who will be taking Mr Buechner’s Year 8 classes for the rest of the year.

NAPLAN Student Reports

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) reports for students in Years 7 and 9 who sat the national tests earlier this year are being sent home. Please watch out for this in the mail. Your child’s report will show national information including how your child performed in relation to other students in their particular year group and in comparison to the national average score for each of the Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy tests. Over the coming weeks we will be looking closely at our NAPLAN data and using this to inform and guide our teaching and learning. Please contact us if you would like to discuss any aspect of the report.

Change from the Department of Education To Department for Education, Children and Young People

Please see the letter from the Secretary for Education Tim Bullard about the Department of Education moving to become the new Department for Education, Children and Young People on 1 October 2022. Our focus is on service continuity, and families’ relationship with their school will continue as normal. 

Elizabeth Williams

Principal

7/8 Girls

Our Year 7 and 8 girls travelled into Launceston for the Northern High School Netball Championships. The team demonstrated great effort and sportsmanship throughout all their games. They consistently encouraged each other and helped each other out, showing great teamwork as well. The team represented the school well and enjoyed the experience, ending the day with big smiles. 

• Miss Juraimi

7/8 Boys

The boys left SHS at 8.00am for a big day of netball. The boys weren’t too sure what to expect coming into the carnival but were excited to have a go and pumped the tunes on the trip in to get in the zone. Their first game was a convincing win over WDHS who also had some Scottsdale students playing to help them field a team. Their second game was against Riverside who had some athletic and skillful players. The boys had a great game but went down by 3 points in the end. The boys had 5–10-minute breaks between games and played a total of 6 games with not much rest for the day. They went on to play some really good netball only losing one more game for the day by a point against St Pats, which qualified them into a final at the end of the day. Riverside was the opponent, the toughest opponent we had played all day. Riverside looked very good early and jumped into the lead for majority of the match. To the boys credit they stayed in reach, thanks to some brilliant defensive efforts. With about a minute to go the boys took the lead for the first time in the match and managed to hold on. The boys all showed great sportsmanship, honesty and mateship. The boys had some celebratory McDonalds before heading back to Scottsdale and letting half the community know how well they had gone. The boys now head to Hobart for the state-wide carnival on the 27th October.

• Mr Petterwood

9/10 Boys

A bit of a hiccup to start the morning, as we had to wait to see who showed up prior to leaving. We decided to go ahead with a strong team of 6, this didn't let anyone down and everyone was keen to have a go. The first game was a learning curve - as this was the first game of Netball the majority had played. The second game showed a huge improvement in their understanding of the game, and it carried over throughout the day. We played a total of 3 games in which we did not win, however, this didn't let anyone down as they got out there and held their heads up high, showed great sportsmanship and respect and most importantly, enjoyed the day.

• Mr Sauerwald

9/10 Girls

With a new date, our 9/10 Girls Netball team competed fiercely at the Netball Championships. Across the day, they won 3 of 4 games in their pool which took them to the final. Playing off against the Riverside team, the girls played their strongest and best combination of players, and despite a huge effort at the end of the day, went down by 15 points.

As a team, the 9/10 girls set the bar high in the way they shared the court time, worked together in their positions and created a fair day that all the girls could enjoy. A super effort was put in by all and we look forward to next year’s competition.

• Miss Brown

Congratulations to Jacob D (Year 12) who was nominated by his Teachers for the Training Tasmania - VET in Schools Student of the Year. Jacob was awarded as a finalist in Hobart recently.

During Year 11 and 12, Jacob has completed three Certificate II VET programs in; Automotive, Engineering and Agriculture, as well as being on track to receive his TCE at the end of Year 12.

We are very proud of your achievements at Scottsdale High School.

Last Friday Year 10 students met with Beacon’s Matt Phyland for a Career panel session. The Panel consisted of:  

Kim Weston, National Tourism and Sales Manager for Bridestowe Lavender Estate (Tourism and Retail)

Fiona Onslow-Agnew, CEO for May Shaw Health Centres in Scottsdale and Swansea (Community and Health Services)

Teresa Scott, Owner/Operator at Ellesmere Patisserie and Providore (Hospitality)

Kristy Harrison, Community Relations Advisor at Huon Aquaculture (Aquaculture)

Students heard from each spokesperson about how they arrived in their current role as well as what employment opportunities they have within their current industries. After they shared their knowledge and experience, the panellists’ then shared what they like to see from future applicants.

Scottsdale High School would like to thank Matt and the Beacon team for another valuable experience in supporting students with their career development.  

This year Lochie, one of our Teacher Aides, and some very capable Year 9/10 students (Ben, Tyler, Rowan & Alex) renovated the hot house frame at our school farm. They made a robust wooden frame fitted alongside the existing metal frame to attach and secure the shade cloth. They also measured up and made a sliding door. Mathew fitted the door and enclosed the front to finish the job. 

The shade house is already in use, housing some trees for planting in our arboretum and some seedlings. 

This is a great addition to our wonderful school farm.

Year 10 and 11 transition:

Year 11 and 12 enrolments for 2023 are scheduled early next term. A letter has been sent home with all Year 10 and 11 students with information regarding this process earlier this week.

Please note, all students currently in Year 10, are required to complete an enrolment for Year 11 even if they intend to get an apprenticeship/job in 2023. This is part of their ‘back up plan’ and the enrolment can be cancelled if they are successful in securing an apprenticeship (by providing a copy of the training contract) or full time work (by applying for an exemption).

Enrolment dates and contacts for each school are listed below. Parents are encouraged to attend the enrolment appointments with their child.

If students miss the enrolment session due to Survival Camp, a catch up enrolment time will be organised for them.

Scottsdale High School enrolment days: 

• Thursday 27^th October 9am-6pm
• Friday 28^th October 9am-3pm

Launceston and Newstead College enrolment day: 

• Friday 28^th October 12pm-3pm

Appointments can be made by visiting the Schools Interviews page and using the code: ydgz7 or clicking on the link https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/ydgz7 or by contacting the General Office on 6352 6333. 

Cara Howlett

9/10 AST/ Support Teacher

Grit Fit Schools Program

Last week our year 10 students participated in the new SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY “Grit Fit” Schools Program. The program focussed on expanding current mental health knowledge while learning about how to check in with themselves and their mates, resilience, grit strength and self-care strategies. They also worked on how to build a team around them to support their mental well-being that include family, friends, and external support services. Students engaged well with presenters Kylea and Callan by participating in all activities including taking on challenges to keep it kind which is so important for positive school culture.