Newsletter No. 12, Wednesday 20 December 2023
Message From The Principals
Dear Hobart City High School Community
As we conclude the academic year, it is a privilege to reflect upon the significant events that have shaped the journey of Hobart City High School throughout 2023.
Term One marked a historic moment for our school as we proudly transitioned into fully co-educational. This has been exciting for our whole community, and the warmth of our ‘Welcome Families’ events across both campuses allowed families and school staff to build connections to set us up for the 2023 school year. We completed building work and opened the new “social stairs” space at the New Town Campus, providing a common room for students to relax, eat together and form friendships. We held some fantastic whole school events such as our Athletics Carnival, Swimming Carnival, Cross Country, Colour Run, House Reading, House Writing, Book Week and House Chaos.
Throughout 2023 we have focused on making sure every student is known, safe, well and learning; fostering a sense of belonging that laid the foundation for a successful academic year. We are proud to say we have met our school targets in our Student Engagement and Wellbeing Survey and increased positive school culture and sense of belonging across our school.
Our Discussions of Learning evenings provided valuable opportunities for parents to connect with our dedicated teaching staff. Progress reports have been issued throughout the year, focusing not only on academic progress but also on the development of positive work habits. We have also provided families opportunities to view evidence of learning in English and Maths on the Canvas platform. We worked hard to improve our Reading and Maths results and our recent Progressive Achievement Test (PAT) results show great improvement across all year levels. We are incredibly proud of our Year 12 and 13 students in Big Picture who have achieved their International Big Picture Learning Credential and their Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) or Tasmanian Certificate of Educational Achievement (TCEA).
We wish to congratulate and celebrate the amazing results of our Mathematics Methods-Foundation students who have completed this TASC accredited course at HCHS this year. Exam results are in and they have done an outstanding job! A special thank you to Mr Hedges who has been there every step of the way this year and to all of their former teachers.
Throughout the year students had the opportunity to participate in a range of extra curricula activities with many notable achievements, including victory in the Inter-School Chess Championship. Our Middle School Band participated in a highly successful Melbourne tour, where they took out a gold medal. The 'Wall of Achievement,' was introduced on both campuses, celebrating students' sporting, cultural and social accomplishments inside and outside of school. The Tournament of Minds program provided students with opportunities to showcase their problem-solving skills, as did the Model Solar Car and Boat Challenge. Our Outdoor Education and Duke of Edinburgh students went on eight camps throughout the year. We also had two camps run through our Big Picture Learning Design. We had many sporting teams represent our school in various competitions throughout the year. Our excursion and incursion opportunities are far too many to list here. We cannot forget the fantastic performances of We Will Rock You and our Annual Arts Evening allowing us to admire the hard work of our talented students and staff.
Year 9 and 10 students had many opportunities to focus on their future pathways planning with a highly successful careers expo being held at New Town Campus, many opportunities to work with the Beacon Foundation and other organisations and work readiness opportunities. We have sent over 125 students on work placements throughout the year with many students taking up work placement opportunities and school-based apprenticeships. Year 10 students have worked hard on their transition plans and have been offered various opportunities to get a taste of Year 11 life, with taster days and a five day ‘connECt’ program at Elizabeth College.
We also welcomed our incoming Year 7 students to our Ogilvie Campus for Orientation Day. Our student leaders and peer support leaders showed exceptional leadership skills on this day, as they have throughout the year, supporting at many primary school events and leading and organising all assemblies and many whole school events such as Mental Health Awareness Week.
As we reflect on the overall journey of Hobart City High School in 2023, we are incredibly proud of the growth, aspiration, courage and respect demonstrated by our students and staff. Congratulations to all our award recipients at our Awards Evening, final assemblies and our newly elected prefects for 2024.
We bid farewell and good luck to some of our teaching staff, we want to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible impact they've had on our students and school community. To our esteemed teachers who are embarking on a new journey, thank you for your unwavering dedication, passion, and the countless hours you've invested in shaping the minds of our students.
Your commitment to education has left an indelible mark on Hobart City High School, and while we'll miss your presence, we are excited for the opportunities that await you at your new school or new adventure. Your expertise, enthusiasm, and caring nature have touched the lives of so many, and we are confident that you will continue to inspire and uplift those around you.
We wish the following staff all the best in their future endeavors. May your new chapter be filled with continued success, fulfillment, and joy.
Thank you and farewell to:
Andrew Sweeney, Kathryn Jones, Todd Appleton, Janelle Stowe, Sophie Gibson, Pete Young, Ashleigh Snigg, Sarah Brown, Nat Nichols, David Motamed, Geoff Howells, Karen Groves, Alan Poole, Amy Prokopiec, Rosanne McDade, Teresa Blizzard, Sarah Stockwin, Ros Lord and Narelle Traill.
Thank you once again for your invaluable contributions to our school. We look forward to hearing about your future accomplishments and celebrating the continued impact you will undoubtedly make.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our staff, supportive parents, our hard working and dedicated School Association, and, most importantly, the exceptional students. We look forward to the continued growth of Hobart City High as the school of choice for Hobart families. We thank all our students, staff and members of our community for your ongoing support. It is your strength and unity that defines Hobart City High School.
Have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a safe holiday.
Britany Roestenburg - Lead Principal
Holly Stewart - Principal - Senior School
Andrew Hughes - Principal - Middle School
Chess Championships
In Term 4 2023, our success in various chess tournaments secured qualification for eight Hobart City High School players to participate in the Tasmanian Chess Interschools State Finals. Our team travelled to Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston and competed against the state’s top senior schools. Congratulations to Khanh and Daniel who achieved 3rd and 4th place respectively as individuals. An excellent team performance resulted in us returning home victorious and being selected to represent Tasmania at the 2023 Australian Schools Team Chess Championships in Adelaide on 1– 3December. The team for the national tournament consisted of: Khanh, Daniel, Jackson, Samuel, Nicholas and Eric.
The national championships in Adelaide provided a great opportunity for our students to test themselves against the very best high school teams in the country. It was a steep learning curve and we finished eighth out of eight teams. This was the first time that Tasmania attended an in person Australian Schools Team Championship and the organisers were delighted with our attendance, making this a truly national event. Each member of the team played with skill, grit, courage and excellent sportsmanship with many of the games lasting the full two and a quarter hours. Each player more than fulfilled their role as ambassador for our school and state.
Thank you to our families, our coaches Ben Price and James Briant from Black Square Chess, our school Principals, and the School Association for believing in the value of this opportunity and for enabling our participation in the event. Special thanks to James for joining us on the trip and for providing each player with invaluable post-game analysis. Thanks to Carl Gorka, 2023 Tasmanian Open Chess Champion, for generously offering his time and expertise as team trainer for this event.
We hope to continue to grow chess at Hobart City High School and warmly invite students to join in the fun at our weekly lunch time chess club in the library on both campuses. All skill levels are welcome.
Year 9/10 Catering
Merry Christmas from the 9/10 Catering students.
Create your own breakfast pancake platter to share with family and friends and serve a Christmas mocktail!
American pancakes recipe (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 cups self raising flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch salt, 1 cup of milk, 2 tbsp melted butter or veg oil and one egg.
Method:
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a jug. Whisk dry and wet together. Use a ¼ cup to ensure pancakes are all the same size. Serve with your favourite fruits and toppings.
Levies
A friendly reminder to please finalise your 2023 levies payment as soon as possible. Please contact our office 6228 8800 to arrange payment plans if necessary.
End Of Year Celebrations
A huge congratulations to our Mathematics Methods-Foundation students who have completed this TASC accredited course. Exam results are in and they have done an outstanding job! 5 students achieving an EA with a further 2 students earning all ‘As’ on their final exam. A special thank you to Mr Hedges who has been there every step of the way this year and to all of their former teachers.
Congratulations to all our prize winners recognised at our Awards Evening. A wonderful celebration of our outstanding students and their achievements.
Year 10's enjoyed a day at Seven Mile Beach for their last Beach Day as high school students.
Holiday Library Competitions
Competition time! Create a library card with the theme 'Dreaming of Summer'.
The competition entry forms are in your campus library. The winners get their library cards professionally printed and made available in public libraries!
Read, Relax, Repeat This Summer
Complete any 5 challenges listed in the entry form and go in the draw to win one of three vouchers. Open to all ages and residents of Tasmania.
Fill out the entry form (PDF, 154 kB) and submit to your local public library by 5:00 pm (ADST) Wednesday 31 January 2024.
Terms and Conditions
- Entries must be received by 5:00 pm (ADST) Wednesday 31 January 2024.
- Submit your entry form at your local library.
- Winners will be drawn for each age category randomly on Tuesday 14 February 2024.
- Winners (first name only) will be listed on Libraries Tasmania social media platforms and website. Winners will be notified by email or phone.
- Prizes are book vouchers, valued at $40 each. There are 3 vouchers in total to be allocated to winners.
- Libraries Tasmania will not accept liability for lost entries.
- Hard copies will not be returned to the entrant.
- Competition is open to Tasmanian residents.
- Libraries Tasmania staff and their families are permitted to enter but are not eligible to win prizes.
To submit online find your local library email address at https://libraries.tas.gov.au/locations/
Important Dates
21 December - Year 10 BBQ Breakfast -NTC - 9:00 - 10:25 am
21 December - Year 10 Final Assembly - NTC - 10:55 - 12:30 pm
21 December - Big Picture End of Year Certificates and other activities-BP Town Hall-10:00 am - 2:00 pm
21 December - Last Day for Students
22 December - Last Day for Staff
8 February 2024 - Term One commences