Newsletter No. 2, Friday 25 March 2022

Message from the Principals

A very big thankyou to all of our community members including staff, students and families in working with us through this period of starting our new school in the middle of a pandemic.  The resilience and courage shown is simply humbling and we are proud to be working with you as members of our Hobart City High School family.

We would like to take the opportunity in this newsletter to share with you our 2022-2023 school improvement priorities.  It is important for our community to work with us in partnership as we undergo our improvement journey to make Hobart City High School the school of choice for our Hobart families.  Underpinning our three main improvement goals for the next two years is our commitment, ‘Working together to inspire and engage ALL learners to learn more every day’.  This means we value working in partnership with our families in order to support our learners.  For the next two years we will have three main improvement priorities.

Priority 1:  Wellbeing for learning with a specific focus on creating a positive school climate. 

In this priority we will be working on establishing and embedding a school wide positive behaviour support framework that brings together school communities to develop positive, safe, supportive learning cultures.  It is a proven evidenced based framework that encompasses the Departments Respectful Relationships campaign and will assist us in improving the social, emotional behavioural and academic outcomes for our students.  An important piece of this work is to involve students and our families in unpacking what each of our values means for ourselves, others and our environment.  For the remainder of this term, students will be looking at the value of respect and this will be followed by looking at our other values of growth, aspiration and courage throughout the rest of the year.  The curriculum for this work will be covered in our weekly Link In classes and it will be very helpful for you to have ongoing conversations with your students at home about this work.  Another very important part of this is developing a school wide system for positive recognition.  This is underway already and will be launched formerly in Term 2.  In addition to the above, two other key actions relating to this priority are the enactment of a school wide curriculum plan that will be transparent and accessible by both students and families.  This work will be complimented by the development of a 7-12 Hobart City High School teaching and learning framework that is based on research and will make explicit for staff and students the best learning practices to take place in every classroom, every day.  We will share with you the ongoing work and artifacts that are produced throughout the year. We will measure our progress in this area via our annual Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey and monitor our impact through a variety or measures including our Parent Satisfaction Survey, ongoing student voice, and of course learning outcomes.

Our remaining two improvement priorities are below and we will feature them in the next edition of the newsletter and explain how you can also assist at home.

Priority 2: Literacy with a specific focus on reading for meaning.

Priority 3: Numeracy with a specific focus on multiplicative thinking and metacognition.

Deb Day  - Lead Principal - Hobart City High School

Shane Fuller - New Town Campus Principal 

Andrew Hughes - Ogilvie Campus Principal

Hobart City High School Master Plan

A long-term master plan has been developed to deliver modern facilities for future generations of learners at Hobart City High School.

As you may have heard, the Tasmanian Government has committed $21.6 million for works across the Ogilvie and New Town campuses.

The Master Plan is still a draft and right now, we all have an opportunity to help shape the future of our school. The Department of Education is running a community consultation process from 28 March to 20 May seeking ideas from our students, staff, and broader school community to inform the master plan and prioritise the scope of works.

Please take the time to fill in this short online survey and register to attend the community workshop to be held at the Ogilvie campus hall on Thursday 19 May from 6pm-7.30pm.

Opportunities to play a role in helping to shape a school don’t come around every day, so make sure you get involved and share your ideas with us.

For more information, visit www.education.tas.gov.au/hobarthigh

New School Association

As parents and carers of students at Hobart City High School, you are all members of the Hobart City High School Association.  The School Association is the bridge between the priorities and needs of our school with the needs of our community.  The School Association also includes all Hobart City High School staff and some (by application) community members.

Following recent elections, the first ever Hobart City High School Association Committee has now been established to represent the School Association and work closely with our Lead Principal.  This includes participating in the development of policies, priorities, and strategic direction for Hobart City High School.

We look forward to working together on behalf of our students for the benefit of the whole school community.

Everyone is welcome to come to our monthly meetings. The next one will be from 5.30 pm, Tuesday, 12 April in the Ogilvie Campus Boardroom.

Association Committee members are: Melinda Maddock - Chair, Kathryn Deeley - Deputy Chair, Diana Godwin - Treasurer, Claire Bryan - Secretary, Kate Gross, Bron Ristow, Sara Mulholland (staff), Therese Smith (staff), and Lead Principal, Deb Day.

Melinda Maddock - Chair - School Association

Uniform base colour survey - What we discovered

On Friday, 11 March the student-led Uniform Committee met and shortlisted a series of base colour options for the new uniform.

On Wednesday, 17 March, a survey was launched inviting students, staff and parents/carers of Hobart City High School to vote on which colour options they prefer as base colours for the new uniform and their preferences on the inclusion of House-coloured polo tops as part of the uniform in future.

The survey was open until 11.59 pm on Sunday, 27 March. 

The Survey

Survey was promoted to parents via Schoolzine email; to staff via bulletin and all-staff email; and to students via all-students email, verbal reminders from staff, and (lesson-permitting) time provided in some classes to allow students to complete. 

The Survey was weighted at staff and students at 60%; parents/carers at 20%; and School Executive 20%.

Respondents were asked to read a background document, which provided the colour options and combinations as well as some indicative concept drawings.

Students, staff and family were asked:

• [From Mountain Blue or River Blue] For the Shorts, Skirts, Track Pants and Trousers, Hoodie and Soft-Shell Jacket – the ONE base colour I like is
• [Preference rank White, Mountain Blue, River Blue, Sky Blue] Rank the following base colour options in order of preference (1 being favourite, 4 being least favourite)
• [yes, no] In addition to an everyday polo top, would you prefer the uniform also included polo tops in House Colours?

Survey respondents

• The survey received 457 responses; breakdown as follows:

Results

1. Mountain blue was the overwhelming preference of staff, students and parents. Results below (not weighted).

Figure 1. Staff, students, parents/carers data:

2. River Blue was determined as the second base colour for polos, shirts, and long sleeve t-shirt.

Figure 2. Staff, student, parent/carer preference data:

The key noticing from results was:

• Students ranked Mountain Blue first, followed by Sky Blue.
• Parents ranked Mountain Blue first, followed by River Blue
• Staff ranked Mountain Blue first, followed by River Blue.

As Mountain Blue was already confirmed as the base colour for bottoms and the hoodie and jacket, the School Executive were asked to vote on River Blue or Sky Blue, noting that their 20% weighting would be decisive given the margin between preferences across staff, students, and parents/carers.

On Tuesday 22 March, the School Executive met and chose River Blue.  This decision acknowledged that Sky Blue was a House Colour and would be included prominently in design of House-colours polos (see question 3).

3. Staff, students and parents voted for House-coloured polos to be included in the Uniform.

Figure 3. Staff, student, parent/carer data:

Subsequent and future steps

The Uniform Committee met on 22 March and on 25 March with The School Locker (the uniform designer and supplier determined via open tender in February) to continue refining the design elements of the Uniform. 

• On 22 March, the Committee further refined parameters such as cut and sew vs sublimated design, fabric considerations, and some colour combinations.
• On 25 March, based on survey results, and decisions taken on 22 March, The School Locker presented the Committee with concept design options for further discussion and feedback.

In mid/late April, the Committee will have finalised a set of agreed design options based on work to date and will commission production of samples.

It is envisioned that samples (including options) will be taken back to the student and parent community for decision in Term 2.

School Levies

The school levies were processed on the 10 March 2022.  Invoices will be posted to parents and guardians shortly.  Please note you have until the end of the school year to clear your levy in full and we are happy to provide flexible repayment options.  If you would like to discuss, please contact our School Business Managers, Gail Reeves – Ogilvie Campus and Cindy McDonald – New Town campus.

Cindy McDonald - School Business Manager - New Town Campus

Teaching and Learning Update

Assessment and Reporting

Changes to reporting in 2022

This year, you will notice some changes to reporting in Tasmanian Government Schools.

Firstly, you won’t see A-E reporting any more for Prep to Year 10 students.

Most families in Tasmanian Government Schools have told us that A-E reporting isn’t meaningful enough for them.  So, the Department is introducing a new 9-point visual scale.

Along with the visual scale a worded description will be included to help you understand how your child is going against the expected standard for their year level. The 9-point scale will show more specifically where your child is at with their learning. This change won’t apply to students in Years 11 and 12.

The 9 Point Scale:

Alignment of A-E rating, worded descriptor and ‘9point’ visual scale:

The second main change you’ll see is that teachers will be communicating with you more regularly throughout the year, instead of providing written comments on reports.  This more regular communication might be through online communication, telephone calls, or face-to-face conversations.

By having more regular information about your child’s learning progress you’ll get a better understanding of how your child is going across the entire school year (not just twice a year).

What you should expect see from Hobart City High School this year:

Term 1

In Week 8: Students will bring home a checklist reporting against their application to learning. Where there are any concerns around aptitude towards work, teachers will be communicating this with students and via messages with home.

Term 2

Communications between school and home focusing on learning progress, application to learning and wellbeing and/or learning plan goals.

Week 10: A Mid-year report of learning achievement (using 9 point scale for Australian Curriculum subjects) will be distributed to families.

Term 3

Communications between school and home focusing on learning progress, application to learning and wellbeing and/or learning plan goals.   More details will come for families closer to Term 3.

Term 4

Week 9-10 End of year report of learning achievement (using the 9 point scale for Australian curriculum subjects).

Conversations around learning with families will centre on:

Where is the student currently is in their learning?  and How can students improve upon their learning?

Families will be supported to understand the new reporting requirements and the changes to mid and end of year report as they are implemented.

For more information, please watch the video below introducing the changes: 

If you’d like to know more about why these changes are occurring, please visit Review into Reporting to Families - The Department of Education Tasmania

NAPLAN 2022

TEST WINDOW: Weeks 2 and 3 of Term 2

Online Test Window 10 May - 20 May

During the testing window, students will sit a series of online tests over these 10 days:
Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy.

As children progress through their school years, it is very important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults.

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents and carers to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia.  At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress.

For more information, please click and read the brochures below:

To see the types of questions and functionalities in the online tests, click ont he link below:

If you have any questions or concerns around your child sitting the NAPLAN tests, please contact hobart.city.high@education.tas.gov.au

Sarah Geale and Erika Boas - Assistant Principals - Teaching and Learning

Spotlight on Enrichment Classes

In 2022, we have introduced a program of Enrichment at Hobart City High School.  All students are tapping into this program in different but exciting ways.

Our Year 7 students all experience a rotation of four 10 week courses: Movement and Fitness, Future Problem Solving, Online Extension (following Genius Hour resources) and Future Problem Solving.

Our Year 8s are following inquiry-based teaching and learning principles as they tap into a number of different enrichments that run as rotations across the two campuses.

For Years 9 and 10, students have selected their enrichment courses from a range of offerings to tap into their areas of interest.  We have a number of offerings across both campuses from a Café/ Barista course, to learning about philosophy or how to make their own tiled mosaics creations.

Students will receive certificates in recognition of course completion for their Enrichment courses. At the end of each course, students will complete a course evaluation to give teachers valuable information and to help us with planning future courses.

Sarah Geale and Erika Boas - Assistant Principals - Teaching and Learning

Teaching and Learning

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 11

Next

Showcase of the Creative, Visual, Innovative and Performing Arts

Hobart City High School will be holding its inaugural Showcase in the second half of this year.  This will consist of student performances as well as exhibitions of student work.  These will occur in a range of locations.  This format will provide the audience with the opportunity to experience and interact with a broad range of arts events. 

The program will include a large range of students from a range of areas.

Students and teachers have already begun planning for Showcase to ensure that it is a celebration of excellence.  We look forward to highlighting the great work undertaken in 2022 and student achievements.

Theatre Production students be vital members of Showcase. Additionally, they will hold performances at other stages of the year, as their course requires.

We look forward keeping you abreast of Showcase as our planning progresses.

Andrew Sweeney - AST - The Arts and Cass Wilson - Performances and Exhibitions Team Leader

Music Notes

Each year, we have many new Year 7 students that have previously played an instrument in the Combined Primary School Instrumental Program.  Mr Brown and Ms Mason conduct the Hobart City High School Middle School Concert Band.  Year 7 students who were previously involved in the primary schools instrumental program are invited to attend Monday after school rehearsals.  Other Year 7 students who have private instrument tuition is welcome to attend the after school rehearsals.  All Year 7 students who were part of the primary schools instrumental program are encouraged to attend Monday after school rehearsals 3.30 to 4.30pm in the Ogilvie Campus music room.  It is important that these students continue to play their instrument in our Middle School Concert Band and parent support is appreciated.

Our Co-curricular Band and Ensemble are rehearsing and new students are welcome to attend.

Monday

Grade 9/10 Vocal Group, 8:10am – 8:55am, Ogilvie Campus Hall (Mrs Stowe)

Middle School Concert Band (7/8 band), 3:15pm – 4:15pm, H25, Music Department, Ogilvie Campus (Mr Brown and Ms Mason)

Tuesday

Grade 7/8 Vocal Group, 8:10am – 8:55am, Ogilvie Campus Hall (Mrs Stowe)

Saxophone Ensemble, 8:15am – 8:55am, New Town Campus (Ms Mason)

Grade 7/8 Percussion lessons (for experienced players), Lunchtime, H25, Music Department, Ogilvie Campus (Ms Patten)

Combined Campus Concert Band (senior band), 3:15pm – 4:30pm, H25, Music Department, Ogilvie Campus (Mr Reade)

Wednesday

Early music group , H25, Music Department, Ogilvie Campus (Ms Mason)

Thursday

Brass Ensemble, 3:15pm – 4:15pm, H25, Music Department, Ogilvie Campus (Mr Brown)

Friday

Stage Band 8:15am – 8:55am, New Town Campus (Mr Sweeney)

In previous years we have had a large number of students attending all groups and as students improve on their instrument, they are welcome to be part of these programs when they feel that they are confident with reading music and playing their instrument.

Students are learning to play their instrument and improving their music literacy skills in reading and writing music.  Our curriculum has a strong focus on skills and knowledge.  As part of the learning  scope and sequence, all grades and classes are continuously taught how to read, write and count music.  Instruments are available for long term individual borrowing and homework practice is an expected part of our curriculum.

Andrew Sweeney - AST - The Arts

Big Picture Student Starts Small Business

My name is Destiny and this Term I have been lucky enough to have an internship with Holly Oakden (Owner/Operator), of Raw Dealer.  The Raw Dealer is a supplier of delicious, refined sugar free, gluten free, vegan desserts.  After working and talking to Holly, I decided to finally follow an idea I had been tossing about for a little while.  I decided to start my own small business, Ruff Treats, making and selling pet treats.  So far I have launched a line of dog biscuits – check me out, you can find me on Instagram & Facebook @Ruff_Treats_Tas.

Liz McDermott - Grade 10 Advisor - Big Picture

Humanities News

Across both campuses Term 1 has been a productive beginning to what is shaping up to be an excellent year of learning.

Teachers from English, HaSS and Languages have been working hard to ensure planning and delivery is consistent across both campuses, giving our students every opportunity to be their best.

The Humanities Team would like to provide you with a brief snap shot of what our students are currently focussed on.

In Year 10 students across campuses are currently studying a classic text in English, which carries through to the work they are doing in HaSS.  For example, students are reading and immersing themselves in a text such as Of Mice and Men, set during the Great Depression, which leads into the amazing work they are doing on the Inter-War Years in HaSS.

Year 9 English students have been studying narrative in either a short story study or a crime fiction study.  They have dipped their toe into multiple texts such as the short story "The Lottery" and the crime film "Knives Out" to explore the devices used to create a compelling narrative.  Students are trying their hand at analysis and creating their own genre texts.  Students in Year 9 History are looking at the Industrial Revolution and the impact different technological advances had on society – both positive and negative.

Year 8 English students are analysing short story structure and learning how to identify elements that authors use in constructing their narratives.  They are currently exploring creative ways to share their reflections of a story as a ‘one pager’ with visual images and written details about their chosen text.  In Year 8 HaSS, students are exploring the Middle Ages, the period of history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the modern world.  Students are examining how the collapse of central government led to feudalism and how people lived in the feudal hierarchy.

Year 7 English students are learning the craft of personal writing culminating in an engaging autobiography.   In HaSS students are exploring the diverse nature of Australia as part of our Civics and Citizenship Unit aimed at developing their understanding of the importance of shared values which contribute to a more cohesive Australian society.

Feedback from students has been positive, highlighting they are enjoying making connections between subject areas, as well as having conversations with their friends in other classes about their shared learning.  Hearing students discuss their work with other students outside of class is so incredibly heart-warming, it really highlights the excitement for learning which we try to encourage in our students.

Sara Mulholland and Mandy Maree - Curriculum Leaders - English, HASS, LOTE

English, History and Geography Competitions

There are many competitons during the year.  Please keep an eye out on the newsletter for updates and details.  Should you have any queries about any of the competitions outlined below, please contact Mandy Maree (Ogilvie Campus) mandy.maree@education.tas.gov.au.

Australian Geography Competition 2022

https://geographycompetition.org.au/

The Australian Geography Competition is a contest for Australian secondary school students, assessing their geographical knowledge and skills.  The Competition aims to encourage student interest in Geography and to reward student excellence.

We have 33 Hobart City High School (HCHS) students registered for this competition which will take place at both Ogilvie Campus and New Town Campus on a date to be confirmed before the end of this term.

This is an online 35-minute multiple choice format.  HCHS will cover any entry fees if applicable.

Australian History Competition 2022

www.australianhistorycompetition.org.au

This competition aims to develop skills in seeing different points of view with a focus on testing interpretation and analysis rather than prior historical knowledge.

Key Points:

• Year 7 – 10 students
• Please give your name to your HASS or History teacher no later than Tuesday 29 March
• Mrs Maree will register all students online
• Hard copy format
• Occurs between Monday 30 May – Friday 3 June.  Date on which competition will be conducted at HCHS to be confirmed.
• School will pay your entry fee
• Chat to your HASS or History teacher if you require more information.

What Matters? National Writing Competition 2022

What matters to you?  Enter the What Matters National Writing Competition 2022 and express what matters to you.

https://www.whitlam.org/what-matters

What Matters? is a 'catalyst for young thinkers and young writers to develop a perspective, a point of view, on where we're heading as a society'.

Key Points:

• Years 7 - 12
• Closes Friday 6 May (end of Week 1 Term 2)
• Submit your own entry online (with your parent/carer’s consent)
• 600 words prose or poetry, fiction, or non-fiction
• No entry fees
• Chat to your English teacher if you require more information.

Rostrum Voice of Youth

www.rostrum.com.au/tas-rostrum-voice-of-youth

Rostrum Voice of Youth is a national speaking competition which provides an excellent opportunity for secondary school students to gain experience and confidence in expressing their views and communicating a message.

Students first participate at a regional level.  Regional winners go on to participate in the State Final.  State winners will compete at the National Final in Sydney.

Key Points:

• Jnr Years 7 – 9
• Snr Years 10 - 12
• Contestants are required to present:
  • A prepared speech - Juniors 6 minutes; Seniors 8 minutes
  • A short notice speech 3 minutes with a preparation time of 15 minutes
• Entries close Friday 8 April
• Register yourself online (with your parent/carer’s consent)
  • Select “My school will pay Rostrum” (HCHS will pay $10 entry fee per student)
  • School Principal: Ogilvie Campus – Andrew Hughes, New Town Campus – Shane Fuller
  • Name of contact person at your school (Ogilvie Campus and New Town Campus): Mandy Maree
  • Email of school contact person: maree@education.tas.gov.au
  • Telephone of school contact person:  6228 8800
  • You will receive a consent form in an email when you register online.

• Southern Regional Finals to be held at The Friends School on Saturday 7 May
  • Juniors 9:30am
  • Seniors 1:30pm
• Chat to your English teacher if you would like to know more.

Food Studies

Technique, Time and Temperature

This term catering students have been working on consistency and quality in all food products produced. 

We started with making a triple decker Club sandwich.  They then met the challenge of making a twirl of Assassin’s pasta onto a dinner plate, followed by the technique of separating eggs, making a zabaglione custard in a bain marie and folding in a whipped mascarpone cream to make individual tiramisu.

Amanda Sutton - Food Studies Teacher

Year 7 Maths and Science

A new high school and a new school year… 2022 is about shaping our own future, and the maths and science programs at Hobart City High School form part of this exciting journey.  Year 7 Maths students are using Maths Pathway to support their individual progress, along with classroom energisers and rich learning tasks to really engage students with the wonder of maths and to extend their mathematical reasoning skills.  Maths Pathway is an online platform, and the introduction of laptops in Year 7 has enabled us to take advantage of this excellent resource.  In Science the Year 7s have started their exploration of Biology, and have been using and making dichotomous keys to identify organisms, along with preparing PowerPoint presentations about the effects of introduced species on native ecosystems.  Thanks to all of the teaching and support staff in Maths and Science – your dedication to our students shines through, day after day.  Thanks also to the wonderful, energetic, polite and friendly students who make our daily classroom experience a joyous one.

Dr Jason Hoare - Acting AST - Maths/Science

Rowing

Our rowing students have recently returned home from the Tasmanian All Schools State Championship.  Conditions were perfect and Lake Barrington provided the perfect back drop for the final event of the 2021/2022 school rowing season.  We cannot list every results for every event – but here are some highlights from the weekend:

U14 boys Quad – Hobart City High (Jackson, Gawain, Dillan, Harvey) 6th fastest out of 21 crews

U14 boys Double – Harvey and Gawain 2nd fastest out of 44 crews

U14 girls Quad – Hobart City High (Ana, Kelsea, Daysi, Charlotte) 7th fastest out of 19 crews

U14 girls Double – Daysi and Charlotte 7th fastest out of 39 crews

U15 boys Quad – B FINAL - 3rd place Hobart City High (cox: Amelia, Oliver, Seb, James - with Jonty from Taroona)

U15 boys Singles – Oliver 6th out of 77 boatsU15 girls Quad - A FINAL – 5th place Hobart City High (Sarah, Ava, Melinda, Chloe, cox: Hannah)

U15 girls Singles – A FINAL – 2nd place Sarah, B FINAL – 1st Chloe (Sarah and Chloe were the 2nd and 4th fastest out of 72 boats)

U16 boys Doubles – B FINAL – 1st place Abijah (HCHS) and Mulholland (St Virgils)

U16 boys Eight – 4th place – St Patricks composite (with Abijah from HCHS)U16 girls Singles – B FINAL – 5th place Lauren

U16 girls Quad – B FINAL 2nd place Marist College composite (with Ella from HCHS)

U16 girls Eight – A FINAL 8th place St Marys composite (with Ella from HCHS)

School boys (OPENS) Quad – B FINAL – 3rd place Elizabeth College composite (with Edward from HCHS)

School boys (OPENS) Doubles – 5th place – Edward (HCHS) and Nick (EC)

School girls (OPENS) Quad – A FINAL 6th place Elizabeth College composite (with Melinda from HCHS)

Special shout out to Belle (injured) who could not compete with her U14 crew. We’re looking forward to seeing her back in action next season!

Jane Brooks - Sports Co-ordinator 

Harmony Day Celebrations

Harmony Day celebrates diversity, aiming to foster inclusiveness, respect and the idea that people of all different cultures can and do make valuable contributions to society.  We all have something interesting and authentic to bring to the table.  As a community, Hobart City High School is celebrating Harmony Day on Friday 1 April.  We will do this in several ways:

• Harmony Day/Anti Bullying Poster Competition
• messages of kindness around the campuses
• world games during lunchtime
• activities in Link In
• wear orange in support of Harmony Day

Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Day.  Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations.  It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.  Encourage your student to show their support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Hobart City High School community by wearing orange.

Please note that Friday 1 April is not a regular casual clothes day nor a charity fundraiser.  Students are asked to predominantly wear orange in support of Harmony Day or be in regular school uniform.

The ideals that underpin Harmony Day very much align with our values of respect, aspiration, courage, and growth.  We look forward to celebrating diversity and inclusion.

SPECIAL REPORT: Respectful Language

In today’s world, it is becoming apparent that some young people are being influenced by the language around them.  It is becoming more common for them to hear derogatory terms or offensive language on the streets, on social media channels, streaming services and in some forms of modern music.  Proliferating the use of such language can sometimes normalise, glamorise and sanitise their impact, taking their meaning out of context.  Words can be misconstrued to be hurtful, racist, homophobic, mysogynistic or even discriminatory.  Using disrespectful language is considered socially unacceptable, and if not addressed early, can become a serious problem.

The use of derogatory language or the act of swearing at someone, or about someone, is actually a form of verbal violence.  It transgresses the usual rules of social interaction by impinging on an individual’s self-image and sense of dignity.  Therefore, many schools enforce a zero tolerance policy when it comes to such language.  Parents and carers also need to play an important role in enforcing this approach by proactively monitoring what their children are viewing or being exposed to and discussing the use of words or their origin.  This can help prevent inappropriate or disrespectful language being used in the classroom, school yard or other situations.

Whilst some students may use swearing or derogatory terms for attention seeking purposes, others may use it simply because they are still learning how to moderate their language.  As young people develop their language skills, it is important for them to have a clear understanding of the impact of their choice of words on others and how their words can impact other people’s perspective of them - an important and essential skill to learn as they progress in their personal and professional development.

Ben Wilson - Assistant Principal - Y8-Y12

World Sleep Day

Friday 18 March was World Sleep Day - Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World

Sleep Well to Learn Well

Did you know that most of us spend 30% of our lifetime sleeping!

Just like your phone, your body and mind need to be recharged each day – for us it’s through a good nights sleep!

When we sleep our bodies have time to repair and grow.  This helps us manage our mental health, helps us learn better, boosts our immune system, and improves our memory.

How much sleep do our learners need?

Primary school aged: 9-11 hours

High School and College age: 8-10 hours

What happens if I don't get enough sleep?

Without enough sleep we can be more irritable, moody, aggressive, restless, impulsive, be more likely to have accidents, and longer term are at higher risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

School children may struggle with their learning, have poor concentration and memory, and have trouble staying mentally well.

For some great sleep tips and further information…visit these sites:

https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/ (they have many great factsheets)

https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/sleep/sleep-problems/sleep-problems-solutions

https://headspace.org.au/assets/Factsheets/HSP225-Sleep-Fact-Sheet-DP3.pdf

If you are concerned about your child's sleep habits and would like some support, contact your School Health Nurse through the school office or email Maggie or Lydia on,

maggie.stary@education.tas.gov.au or lydia.newton@education.tas.gov.au

Maggie Stary and Lydia Newton - School Health Nurses - Hobart City High School

Mask Wearing at School and on Public Transport

A reminder that wearing a face mask is mandatory for people aged 12 years and older (unless exempt) in these high-risk and vulnerable settings:

• Secondary schools (including students/ teachers/ staff/ visitors)
• Public transport eg. buses, taxis

Masks help reduce the possibility of being infected when coming into contact with infectious airborne respiratory droplets when an infected person speaks, laughs, sings, shouts, coughs or sneezes.

Shane Fuller - Principal New Town Campus

Andrew Hughes - Principal Ogilvie Campus

New Changes to Hay Fever Advice

Public Health has reviewed their advice about hay fever in the current COVID-19 environment.

Hay fever symptoms are similar to COVID-19 symptoms, so it’s important families know what they need to do if their child experiences hay fever symptoms.  If your child has hay fever symptoms, please keep them at home and test for COVID-19 using a rapid antigen test (RAT).

If your child tests negative on a RAT and symptoms continue, Public Health advises that you must do a second RAT 24 hours later, or seek a PCR test.  If the second RAT or PCR remains negative, this is sufficient evidence for your child to return to school if they feel well.

If symptoms change or increase in severity, please see your treating medical practitioner for review.  Please know that Public Health advice can change at short notice, and we appreciate your patience as we respond to these changes as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact the school office.  For more information, please visit the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website or contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID Support Hotline at:

COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057.

Maggie Stary and Lydia Newton - School Health Nurses - Hobart City High School