We trust that all students and staff are looking forward to a busy and productive Term 4, and we would like to welcome back Mr Brewer and welcome Mrs Platz to the grade 10 team.

We would also like to recognise Mrs Milena Del Pio, a member of our administration team, who from this term will take long service leave followed by retirement.  Milena has worked at Prospect High School for 30 years; what a milestone this is!  On behalf of the school, we thank Milena for her contribution to the school and her ongoing support to students, staff and the school community.  Best of luck Milena and best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement.

Term 4 is very important in finalising student achievement and work habits ratings for end of year reports. Consequently, we would encourage all students to identify any improvements that need to be made this term. For example, do you need to get better at meeting deadlines for submitting work? Do you need to enhance your willingness to try your best on all tasks rather than just some tasks? Do you need to make sure that all your conversation in the classroom is focused on your work?  Do you need to “bounce back” when things go wrong and get better at learning from mistakes? Have a think about one or two improvements that you can make right now so that your end of year report is as good as it can be.

Recently we have recognised students with 100%, 99% and 98% attendance. We will present more attendance certificates near the end of Term 4, so it would be great if all students could aim to come to school every day. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the attendance of each student was so good that we had to present a certificate to everyone! High, regular attendance at school is one of the factors that has the greatest impact on student achievement, so let’s all aim for the highest attendance possible.

Our school gym is being utilised every lunchtime to provide additional sport and recreation opportunities for our students.  Basketball, athletics, volleyball, dodgeball are examples of some of the lunchtime sports that are being offered.  It’s a great way for students to be active, display leadership opportunities, but more importantly, have some fun with their friends! 

Congratulations to all students who have represented Prospect High School in a number of sporting opportunities this year.  This week, we have students from grade 7-10 participating in a Cricket Gala day at Kings Meadows High Schoo,l and the following week, grade 7 girls are playing a friendly after school AFLW match against St Patricks College.  After school basketball competitions have started again with Prospect High always fielding a number of enthusiastic teams.   

In week 4 our Athletics carnival will occur.  During HPE lessons, all students are being taught the skills and techniques to participate in all events.  It is a day of fun, great competition,, and most importantly highlights the disposition of effort and perseverance. Parents and families we will provide you with the updated COVID information for viewing prior to this major school event.

Each Thursday morning before school Chaplain Sam, and a group of adult and student volunteers offer a Breakfast Program for all.  Students receive toast and a warm drink and spend time engaged in positive interaction.  We are extremely grateful to all the members of our parent community who have donated items (cups) and our business partners TasFresh, Prospect IGA, Prospect Banjos and Prospect Woolworths who supply produce.  This is a wonderful service that quietly, but efficiently and consistently, provides a much-appreciated service to our community.

At Prospect High School we have great teachers. World Teachers' Day (30 October) is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and thank our teachers for the important role they play across our state—inside our classrooms and out in the community.

Thank you to Prospect High School teachers and our ancillary staff, who despite major challenges this year, have made sure education continues for our students!

Mario Bergamin and Greg James (Assistant Principals)

Last week, Grade 10 students attended RYDA at Symmons Plains. RYDA – Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program delivers practical road safety information through engaging activities. The program targets young drivers and their passengers and focuses on how their attitudes and the environment can influence the way they drive.  There were a wide variety of activities. One showed students the reality of how stopping distance and speed are related through the use of the crash test dummy – Fred. Other activities involved peripheral vision testing, a self-assessment of risk-taking, learning rules and regulations on the road, discussing car safety features, speeding, how car accidents affect people, and what it takes to recover. All the students agreed that the program was interesting and gave them many things to think about. The aim of RYDA is to inform students so that they can be better drivers on the road. RYDA is run Australia-wide. Thank you to the Rotary and their many sponsors for running the event.

The grade 7/8 cricket girls had an absolutely wonderful day on Wednesday! We took three teams along to the blast and each team played five games. All teams won at least two games which was great! Students displayed exceptional behaviour, sportsmanship and were in correct uniform. I was very proud of their efforts. Thank you to Holly for coming along with us as well.

The 9/10 girls had another wonderful day at the cricket yesterday! Well done to the girls for making some cracker catches and big swings. They won three out of five games and represented PHS well.

22 Grade 9 students participated in a POLISH program run by Beacon to work on job-ready skills. Students learnt a variety of skills focusing on first impressions, marketing and selling themselves, creating an elevator pitch, business networking, and MOCK interviews. A huge thank you to all business representatives who came to assist with the valuable program: Steve from Haywards, Alec from Country Club Casino, Courtney from CVGT, Dave from Tassie Hawks, Dave from DK Chartered Accounting, and Lana from the Royal Flying Doctors Service.

On Tuesday, some students from years 9 and 10 had the privilege to hear from two naval officers from the Australian Defence Force. The students heard about the various career opportunities that are available, from being an army soldier to a chef on a ship. The officers explained the requirements for entering the Defence Force, from physical fitness to aptitude tests, and the benefits that are granted when someone joins the defence force.

The students showed a lot of interest by asking a wide variety of questions from what it is like to live on a ship for an extended period of time to how difficult it is for the families of the soldiers who are away for a long time. The students came away from the session well-informed about the Australian Defence Force and with a broader knowledge on what it has to offer.

During our career and life planning lesson the grade 9 students participated in mock interviews. In English lessons the students had chosen a job to apply for, written a cover letter and discussed interview techniques. During the mock interviews students interviewed each other and provided feedback. We were lucky enough to have 5 business mentors come in to interview 20 of the students individually - Mark Deverell, Rod Patterson, Donna Mclellan, Scott Oram and Hamish Donaldson. The mentors were impressed with how well our students interviewed. This was an excellent opportunity for the students to experience and observe job interviews!

ESports – The Ultimate Guide

794.8 ESP

From ESPN to the biggest sporting arenas in the world, Esports has arrived as the hottest new form of athletic competition. This ultimate insider’s guide will introduce gamers to the world of Esports from little league to stadium-filling championships, including a deep dive into all the top games, leagues, players, and more.

More than a Kick by Tayla Harris and Jennifer Castles

920 HAR

AFLW player Tayla Harris was at work on the footy field when she kicked a goal. A photo of the kick - taken by Michael Willson - showcased her incredible athletic ability and was posted online. What happened next was an extraordinary turning point in Tayla's life. The photo quickly became iconic as Tayla stood strong against the online trolls. This is the inspiring story of Tayla's stellar sporting career so far, and her hard-earned advice to young people navigating the ups and downs of social media.

The Giant and the Sea by Trent Jamieson and Rovina Cai

Picture Book

A giant stands on the shore watching the sea. She never moves, never speaks, until the day she turns to a little girl and says, 'The sea is rising.'

The brave girl takes the message to the town, but the people ignore her desperate pleas and banish the giant from their shores. But when the sea rises, threatening to wipe out the city, the giant returns to rescue as many people as she can and take them to make a new home on higher ground. And there, on a new shore, she stands watching once again.

A great time was had in the library this week with our Reading Expo.  Students had the opportunity to browse a wide variety of new books for the library, as well as purchase some for themselves. There was a fantastic turn out for the Grade Trivia during lunchtimes including a double tie-breaker with the Grade 7 teams. The judges decided to award both teams 1^st place. Congratulations to all winning teams who will receive a pizza lunch in the coming weeks. There was a lot of discussion about what the ‘book in the jar’ was, and which book is the ‘YA Book of the Year’. The winners of these competitions will be announced next week.  I would also like to thank Petrarch’s Bookshop for their ongoing support of our celebration of books and reading, and for providing us with a great range of books for the students to look at.

Congratulations to Kiara for her enthusiasm, persistence and the work ethic so far this term. Kiara has shown that she can adapt well to new situations with optimism and the utmost respect. Kiara has recently joined us at Prospect High School, and it is a pleasure to have her in Grade 10.

Beth continues to present work to a very high standard and is willing to take part in a variety of activities throughout the school. Beth has shown that she works well with many different students and is optimistic and committed to being fair and respectful to those around her. Her dedication to her studies is outstanding. Well done Beth.

Spencer always presents with respect, optimism and integrity in all classes. He is a wonderful student to have and is always willing to help out around the school. Spencer completes his work to a high standard and can be congratulated on his ability to seek feedback and advice on his work.

The School Association meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, 27^th October 2020 at 5pm in the school meeting room.  This is a forum to gain a better understanding and to contribute to what happens at Prospect High School.  The Association involves understanding and ratifying school policy, budgets and levies, etc.  At this coming meeting agenda items including;  2021 levies, proposed school cap/hat, Review into reporting to families survey.  Please come along and meet current members and be get involved

The Department of Education is undertaking a review into Reporting to Families. This review will provide recommendations for our reporting system so that it continues to meet the needs of learners, families and schools in the most meaningful ways.

Parents and carers can have their say by completing the Families Survey before 13 November.

We encourage you to get involved and have your say.

For more information about the review visit: https://www.education.tas.gov.au/community-and-engagement/review-into-reporting-to-families/

School Executive

Principal
Mrs Lee Barker

Assistant Principals
Mr Mario Bergamin and Mr Greg James

School Business Manager
Mrs Debbie Chancellor

Grade Teams

Senior Grade Leaders
Grade 7 Mr Brendan Poke
Grade 8 Mrs Anna Musovic
Grade 9 Mrs Carmen Slore
Grade 10 Mr Scott Brewer
Years 11/12 Ms Jennifer Pollard

Grade Leaders
Grade 7 Mrs Katrina Dawkins and Mrs Hannah Derbyshire
Grade 8 Mr Will Reynolds and Mrs Leonie Smith
Grade 9 Mr Steve Andrews
Grade 10 Mrs Sonya Matthews  
Years 11/12 Mrs Jan Phillips

Support Staff

School Psychologist
Mr Gene Colgrave
(Mondays, every fourth Tuesday and Fridays)

School Social Worker
Mr Brendan Dixon
(Wednesdays, alternate Thursdays and Fridays)

School Health Nurse
Mrs Dani Seadon
(Mondays and alternate Thursdays)

Chaplain
Mr Sam Cogger
(Tuesdays and Thursdays)

Aboriginal Education Officer
Gareth Holt
(Wednesdays and Thursdays)