Dear Parents/Carers, Students and Friends of Prospect High School,

Welcome to new staff members, teacher assistant, Matt Walton, and English / HASS teacher, Alyssa Curtayne, and welcome back from leave to our chaplain, Lachie Unwin.

It was a pleasure, on Monday, to acknowledge and celebrate student achievement and success from mid-year reports. Once again, congratulations to students who attained high standards on their mid-year reports in the areas of outstanding academic achievement, commendable academic achievement, and students who have displayed an outstanding attitude to study. Well done to Meika, Grade 8, and Gabrielle, Grade 7, for sharing their musical talent. Thank you also to parents/carers and family members who attended the assembly and were able to stay for light refreshments. Many thanks to teaching and non-teaching staff who assisted with organising the assembly and to catering staff and students for the delicious eats.

It’s been a busy week with excursions for students to the Launceston College production, Grease and Newstead College production, Legally Blonde, and running of the Australian Mathematics Competition. Prospect High School prides itself on offering learning opportunities in other contexts as well as in the classroom. I am extremely pleased that students represented the school very well at all events.

Attendance At School Matters- Making Every Minute Count!

Under Tasmanian law, you must make sure your child of school age is enrolled and attends school all day, every school day, unless they have an acceptable reason. Illness, doing work experience, or competing in a school sporting event are acceptable reasons for being absent from school.

The DoE Attendance Policy states;

“Consistent attendance at school is critical to achieving positive educational outcomes and keeping students engaged in their learning. Parents/guardians have a legal obligation to ensure a child is enrolled in and attending school or is registered for home education. “

Higher student attendance at school is associated, on average, with higher student achievement. Hence, regular school attendance will mean that your child has a better chance in life. They learn better, make friends, are happier, and have a brighter future.

Please avoid keeping your child away from school for: birthdays, shopping, visiting family and friends, if they sleep in, looking after other children, haircuts, etc. Routine medical or other health appointments should be made either before or after school or during the school holidays.

Parents/carers must let the school know the reason why your child has been absent.

The following chart highlights the impact of non-attendance over time. The chart shows the cumulative effect of persistent non-attendance over a child’s years of schooling.

Days absent Total Days Number of Terms Number of years missed

1 day per week 451 9 2 years 1 term

1.5 days per week 676.5 13.5 3 years 1.5 terms

2 days per week 902 18 4 years 2 terms

3 days per week 1353 27 6 years 3 terms

5 weeks per term 1127.5 22 5 years 2 terms

Average 5 days per term 220 5.5 1 year 1.5 terms

Average 10 days per term 440 11 2 years 3 terms

Please make every effort to assist your child to be on time to school and not late. Lateness can cause students to feel embarrassed, disorganised and anxious. They miss important notices and reminders at the start of the day from the daily notes. They also miss important interactions with friends and teachers. This is often the most productive time of the day. However, it can be hard for students to become engaged in learning and settled when they arrive late and cannot take advantage of this valuable learning time.

One of the most important things you can do to ensure your child has a bright future is to make sure he or she is not late and makes the whole day count, every day. If you are having problems getting your child to school for some of these reasons, please contact the Care teacher, Grade Leader or Senior Grade Leader as soon as possible for advice and support.

Grade 11/12 Open Day

The Northern Urban Collective Senior Secondary schools include Brooks, Exeter, Kings Meadows, Launceston Big Picture School, Lilydale, Prospect, Queechy, and Riverside. These schools will be holding open days in Week 6. Each of these secondary schools offers specialised VET and/or TASC programmes. The Open Days are designed to give interested students in grades 10 and 11 an opportunity to learn more about the programmes, participate in activities, meet the teachers, and explore the Senior Secondary space at the respective school. To attend the Open Day, students will be transported to and from the school and their grade teacher will accompany them. Prospect High School will be showcasing our offerings: Hands-on Hospitality and Tourism, Personal Health and Wellbeing - Complementary and Alternative Therapies, and Japanese Language Programme on Monday 23rd August from 9.30-12.00pm. Information can be obtained from Gr 10 Care teachers and Ms Pollard.

School Uniform

It is really pleasing to see that most students are wearing school uniform. All students need to remember that when leaving our school, correct uniform is compulsory. School uniform items can be purchased from our uniform shop. Please note hoodies, coloured or embroidered socks, caps, and skins/tights are not items of the Prospect High School uniform, and students will be asked not to wear them and for parents to purchase correct items. It is important for students to be dressed correctly at all times.

Finally, congratulations to Ruby Geach who was selected for the state football team, and to Riley Kerr who was selected for the state orienteering team.

Mrs Lee Barker
Principal

Open Day! Open Day! Open Day!

In Week 6, 23^rd to 27^th August, Prospect is very excited to be part of the Northern Urban Collective (NUC) “Open Day Week”. During this week, some of the NUC senior secondary schools (Exeter, Kings Meadows, Lilydale, Prospect, Queechy, and Riverside) will host an Open Day and interested students are invited to attend to learn more about the programmes offered, meet the teachers, explore the 11/12 spaces, and participate in some fun activities. At Senior Secondary @ Prospect, we are very excited to be offering three specialised programmes in 2022: Hand-On Hospitality, Japanese Language Programme, and Personal Health and Wellbeing – Complementary and Alternative Therapies. Our Open Day will be on 23^rd August and will run from 9.30 to 12.00. Each of the Prospect specialised programmes will run two sessions and students can opt-in for sessions they’d like to attend. We’ve got some fun activities for the students to participate in and learn more about the parameters of the courses and to meet students from other schools. Interested students should see Ms Pollard or the Grade 10 grade leaders. If parents/guardians require more information, please contact Jennifer Pollard on 6345 7405.

On a wet and wild Wednesday afternoon, 14 students from grades 9-12 massaged their way through the miserable weather under the guidance of local practitioner, Ms Margarete Lehman.  The session was organised as part of the course - Personal Health and Wellbeing – Alternative and Complementary Therapies, being undertaken in Yr11/12 and offered at Senior Secondary @ Prospect as a specialised programme.  Students were given basic instruction on massage techniques for the face, head and neck and also hands and forearm and were able to practice these on each other in a safe and trusting environment.  Margie discussed the basic anatomy – muscles, skeleton and nerves – involved and how to massage without causing pain and discomfort.  Students also learned about how massage complements more conventional forms of medical treatment. The underlying theme of the session was that massage is about nurturing and giving to each other, as both the giver of the massage and the receiver enjoy benefits, both physically and mentally.  At the conclusion of the session, students received a little goodie bag with a face washer, instructions for face massage, a small container of oil, and a lollypop (which is also apparently good for relaxation and mental health!)

On Monday the 2^nd of August, Mrs Phillips began her Aromatherapy Workshop, with the assistance of Ms Pollard. For the year 11/12s, this lesson is a part of their Personal Health and Wellbeing course taught at the Senior Secondary Centre at Prospect. For the High School students, this was an amazing opportunity to learn the history of essential oils and about natural medicine and the role they both play in our everyday lives. Each student took away an aromatherapy blend that they created themselves.

In this session, all students involved were full of questions and smiles; Mrs Phillips received a large amount of positive feedback.

• “I enjoyed all parts of the session and found it incredibly interesting.”
• “I liked how the history of essential oils still has such an impact in our lives.”
• “I enjoyed learning about what the specific oils help with.”
• “Everything was super fun. Thanks for the experience. ?”

These sessions are available for any 9/10 student who is interested in Aromatherapy and alternative therapies. The PHS Senior Secondary team will run other workshops including massage and herbal therapies during the term.

Jaide Parker.

In Grade 9/10 Catering, we are grateful to be able to utilise the Eagle’s Nest Café to practice our coffee-making skills. There is absolutely no reason to go hungry at Prospect High School with students providing Terrific Toasties on a Tuesday and Winter Warmers on a Wednesday, where teachers take advantage of being served in a warm café space and various morning and afternoon teas delivered to staff rooms.

In addition to this, our two classes have been providing an array of different foods for various school functions. These opportunities are a great way for students to be able to utilise their known and new kitchen and organisation skills. Recently, we have done private functions for community members in addition to school-based events.

This real-world experience is invaluable for training, and if you would like to discuss how we can cater for you from our council registered kitchenm please email adrienne.mcmahon@education.tas.gov.au or call 6344 4744.

Adrienne McMahon

Catering and Hospitality Teacher.

16 students participate in the Big Chair Challenge run by the SLB. Emma Butler shared the challenges and barriers experienced when wheelchair bound, and the students spent the day completing scavenger hunts and wheelchair relays. In support of the event, a BBQ with live music was held at lunch time. Well done to all involved!

Grade 7

7-5 Alice consistently applies herself in all subjects. She is always looking for ways to extend her learning and help others where possible. She is a friendly and caring member of 7.5. Keep up the great work, Alice.

7-5 Lelanni is a friendly and hard-working student who demonstrates an eagerness to learn in all subjects. She often requests extra tasks to complete at home to extend her skills. Well done, Lelanni.

Grade 8

8-3 Campbell's commitment to his learning this term is to be commended. He comes to class prepared, is focused on his work and is a pleasure to share a classroom with. 

8-3 Travis is articulate in his communication and displaying qualities of leadership

8-4 Ava is always on task, committed to her learning and displaying leadership qualities

Grade 10

10-2 Tristian - for his enthusiasm and efforts with the Barista course. Congratulations, Tristian, on showing optimism and trying something new.

Matilda, Maddy and Josie - for stepping in to assist with Friday Eats at short notice. We appreciate your commitment and enthusiasm.

 Are you experiencing financial hardship?

FOOD RELIEF

Prospect High School and the Launceston Benevolent Society are partnering to provide support to families experiencing financial hardship. If you, or someone you know are suffering financial hardship due to job loss, a reduction in working hours, or escalating bills, please talk to the school office. The Launceston Benevolent Society can deliver a food hamper to the school for families in need. We know there is a hidden cohort of people doing it very hard through these times that may be reluctant to reach out directly to a food relief agency. So we have made it easy, just contact the school and we can organise a food hamper to be delivered to the school for you to collect. Please contact the office on 6344 5333 for further assistance.

School Executive

Principal
Mrs Lee Barker

Assistant Principals
Mr Mario Bergamin and Ms Bonnie Hall

School Business Manager
Mrs Debbie Chancellor

Grade Teams

Senior Grade Leaders
Grade 7 Mrs Hannah Derbyshire
Grade 8 Mr Brendan Poke
Grade 9 Ms Sandra De Paoli
Grade 10 Mrs Carmen Slore
Years 11/12 Ms Jennifer Pollard

Grade Leaders
Grade 7 Mrs Katrina Dawkins and Mr Scott Brewer
Grade 8 Miss Kirsty Wilson and Mr Brad Colson
Grade 9 Mr Will Reynolds and Mrs Leonie Smith
Grade 10 Mrs Sonya Matthews and Mr Steven Andrews
Years 11/12 Mrs Jan Phillips

Support Staff

School Psychologist
Mr Gene Colgrave
(Mondays and Fridays)

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

School Health Nurse
Mrs Mia Blair
(Tuesdays and alternate Fridays)

Chaplain
Mr Lachie Unwin
(Tuesdays and Thursdays)

Aboriginal Education Officer
Miss Taylor Wigg
(Mondays and Fridays)