Newsletter No. 3, Friday 6 May

Message from the Principals

This is a short newsletter to welcome all students and families back for Term 2 and to advise of some organisational leadership changes and upcoming events.  We would like to take this opportunity to formally thank Stephanie Johnson (Assistant Principal - Ogilvie Campus) for all of her work to date and wish her and her family all the best with the arrival of their baby.  We would also like to thank Tim Hortle who has so ably stepped up to assist us in the Assistant Principal position.  Tim will resume his role leading Technology on the Ogilvie Campus.

Ogilvie Campus changes

Charlie Williams (who was previously working on a cross campus role) will be reallocated to become the Year 7 Assistant Principal.  His role will involve supporting the Year 7 Grade Team Leaders and working with feeder schools on transition and getting ready for 2023.

Daniel Pickett will be a dedicated Assistant Principal for Years 8 and 9 on the Ogilvie Campus. Daniel is an experienced leader who comes to us from Rose Bay High School and will be assisting the Year 8 and 9 Grade Team Leaders. He will be working closely with them and their New Town Campus counterparts to ensure that our Ogilvie Campus students are well supported to transition to the New Town Campus next year.

Erika Boas will assist in supporting the Year 10 Grade Team Leaders on the Ogilvie Campus in addition to working with Andrew Hughes on developing our HCHS middle school philosophy.  This work will ensure that our Year 7 and 8 students have the right structures around teaching and learning to support highly successful outcomes in 2023 and beyond.

New Town Campus changes

To support the Grade Team Leaders on the New Town Campus, an extra AST will be appointed next week.  Their work will focus on students and culture.

Shane Fuller will be leaving us shortly for some paternity leave and we are pleased to let you know that Ben Wilson (currently Assistant Principal New Town Campus) will be Acting Principal. Amanda Woods (AST Inclusive Practice New Town Campus) will be Assistant Principal for this period.

As always if you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you to touch base with us sooner rather than later so we can assist in a timely manner.  Thank you for your ongoing support.

Deb Day  - Lead Principal - Hobart City High School

Shane Fuller - New Town Campus Principal 

Andrew Hughes - Ogilvie Campus Principal

Our Values in Action – Positive Rewards Program – Term 2 Launch

At Hobart City High School, we are excited to share our next steps in building a positive school culture – the launch of our Positive Rewards Program, VIPs (Values Incorporated Points). Evidence shows that Positive Rewards Programs are highly effective in building positive school cultures and encouraging and supporting young people to develop and display positive behaviours.

During Term 1, we worked with staff and student focus groups to develop a Positive Rewards Program which will grow and expand throughout the year.

Our aim is to acknowledge and reward positive behaviour connected to our focus value of Respect. In their weekly Link In classes students have been unpacking how we show respect to ourselves, others and our environment and contributing their thinking to artefacts we will use within our school.

Students suggested we tap into the familiarity of Class Dojo and use it to monitor and make points visible.

We trust that we can continue to count on your support as we continue our work on building our culture of high expectations.

Cath Apanah - Assistant Principal - Wellbeing and Community Engagement

Let’s make every school day count

The Department of Education’s new communication resources on school attendance highlight the importance of regular school attendance – watch the television commercial here.

Going to school not only promotes academic success, but also helps build important social skills, relationships and confidence. Every COVID-safe measure is being taken, so that every student can learn in class safely.

What we do know is that every school day counts. Bright futures begin at school, so if your child is well enough to attend school, being in the physical school environment is the best place for them.

For more information, please visit the Department of Education website.

If you need support translating or interpreting this information, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

Deb Day - Lead Principal

NAPLAN 2022 starts next week

Students in Year 7 and Year 9 will be starting their NAPLAN next week.

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.

All students will be participating unless they have already received an exemption.

Students will participate in four assessments: Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy.

On NAPLAN days it is expected that students are prepared for the day.  Some ways to do this are:

• Ensuring a good night’s sleep
• Eating a nutritious and filling breakfast
• Being on time and ready for the session
• Most importantly please reiterate to students that their best effort is all that is required
• Year 7 students will need to ensure their laptops are fully charged

Students are expected to attend all sessions of the NAPLAN and will be given catch-up sessions if they do happen to miss a session.  You can also help us by communicating with the school if your child is unable to attend due to illness.

Schedule:

New Town Campus

Reading - 10 May

Writing  - 11 May

Language Conventions - 16 May

Numeracy - 17 May

Ogilvie Campus

Reading - 10 May

Writing - 11 May

Language Conventions - 12 May

Numeracy - 16 May

If you have any questions regarding the NAPLAN testing, please contact hobart.city.high@education.tas.gov.au

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

Uniform Update

Thanks to all the students, parents/carers, staff and community members who engaged in the Uniform Survey at the end of last term to lock in our new Hobart City High School designs.  Click on the link below to view the report with the final designs and the rationale behind each item.  You will see that the legging designs are not included in this document as we are awaiting additional samples which will arrive soon.  The uniform will be available to purchase from School Locker part way through Term 4 and Year 7 2023 will be the first year group required to wear the new uniform from next year.  More detail to come in regards to the accompanying Uniform Policy, timeline for implementation, cost and purchasing.

Shane Fuller on behalf of the Uniform Committee

News from the School Nurse

It was World Hearing Day on Thursday 3 March 2022.  World Hearing Day is to raise awareness on how to prevent hearing loss and remind everyone to look after their ears and hearing.  The World Health Organisation focuses for 2022 is the ‘the importance of safe listening as a means of maintaining good hearing across the life course’.  In 2021 the World Health Organisation published the first ever report of World Hearing.  The report highlighted the flow on effect loss of hearing has on an individual if left untreated such as, impaired learning, social isolation, poor mental health, accidents, dementia, and other health problems.  The intention of the report is to drive national public health policy to implement H.E.A.R.I.N.G. interventions by 2030.

The H.E.A.R.I.N.G acronym stands for the key interventions across the lifespan:

• Hearing screening;
• Ear disease management;
• Access to technologies;
• Rehabilitation services;
• Improved communication;
• Noise reduction; and
• Greater community engagement.

The long-term benefit of the report is for people with ear problems or hearing loss to be detected early and to gain access to the appropriate treatment earlier.  Early detection leads to better health outcomes for the individual and removes barriers to for individual reaching their full potential.

Disability access will improve with ‘enhanced listening technologies at schools and public venues, closed captioning availability, and sign language services where needed’ (WHO 2021).

Interventions including safer listening education programs that will help prevent noise-induced hearing loss from personal listening, entertainment venues like music and sports events.

As school health nurses we can conduct hearing screening at school and if hearing loss is detected refer your child onto RHH Audiology clinic.  If you would like your child to have a hearing check please talk to your child’s teacher about filling out a school nurse referral form or email lydia.newton@education.tas.gov.au or maggie.stary@education.tas.gov.au.

Maggie Stary and Lydia Newton - School Health Nurses 

World report on hearing. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021, accessed 25 February 2022, <World report on hearing (who.int)>.

In this edition of SchoolTV - Happiness and Gratitude

This edition of SchoolTV continues our focus on positives such as our new student rewards program.  Happiness is a term that captures a huge variety of positive emotions such as humour, serenity, optimism, joy, pride, inspiration, love and hope.  Happiness means different things, to different people and is essential to your understanding of emotional literacy.  Throughout history, philosophers, religious writers and poets have pondered on the meaning of happiness and how it might be achieved.  In the last few decades, scientists and psychologists have researched this further by studying a field of science called positive psychology.

The result of this research suggests there is a strong correlation between gratitude and greater happiness.  Practising gratitude helps you shift your focus to positive memories or experiences, noticing the good in your life.  Over time, this will re-wire your brain to create new neural pathways, increase your state of happiness and overall wellbeing.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents and care-givers will learn how to achieve happiness and the benefits of practising gratitude.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback.  If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Ben Wilson - Assistant Principal - Y8 - Y12 - New Town Campus

Canteen Menu Term 2 -New Town Campus

Canteen Menu Term 2 - Ogilvie Campus

Upcoming Events

10 May - 20 May  - NAPLAN Testing

10 May  - School Association Meeting (OC Boardroom) 5.30pm - 7.00pm

17 May - Cross Country Carnival (New Town Campus)

19 May - HCHS Master Plan Community Workshop (OC Hall) 6.00pm - 7.30pm

20 May - Cross Country Carnival (Ogilvie Campus)

25 May - Inter-High Athletics Carnival - all day

1 June - Inter-High Cross Country - all day