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Our vision for New Norfolk High is a respectful learning community with high expectations for ourselves, for others and for the way in which we learn together. One of the ways we are working together to achieve that vision is by increasing contact between teachers and parents.
This year, we have allocated extra time for teachers to make phone calls home. Already, over 170 calls have been made by Home Group teachers, reaching out to introduce themselves and give parents some feedback on how their child is settling into the school year.
To further support this, we brought forward our Meet & Greet, which took place after school on Monday. It was a beautiful afternoon and a wonderful opportunity for parents connect informally with their children’s teachers. There was some very positive feedback about the start our students have made, the vibrant connections many have already built with their teachers.
With a beautiful BBQ, espresso coffee for parents & one of the first opportunities our prefects to taking a leading role at a school event, it was great to see so many take up this chance to meet their children’s teachers and other staff in person.
This year, our Values have been rejigged with Connection now being explicitly named. We look forward to building on the positive start we have had and working together to find more ways to connect our school community.
Stuart Lord
Coming Events
1st March
- Swimming Trials: P3&4
- Sport Fun Afternoon: P5&6
6th March
- School Photo Day - postponed.
7th March
- P4 Assembly
11th March
- Eight Hour Day Public Holiday
13th-26th March
- NAPLAN
10th April
- School Photo Day (NEW DATE)
Term Dates
Term 1: Thursday 8th February - Friday 12th April
Easter: Friday 29th March - Tuesday 2nd April
Term 2: Monday 29th April - Friday 5th July
Term 3: Monday 22nd July - Friday 27th September
Term 4: Monday 14th October - Thursday 19th December
Meet and Greet
On Monday 26th February, we had our meet and greet BBQ. It was great to see many of our families come and enjoy some BBQ food, hot and cold drinks and Zooper Doopers. Thank you to the parents and families for joining us at this event and Mrs McCarthy, Ms Coates, Mrs Walker and the prefects for organising and cooking the BBQ.
If anyone was unable to make it to our Meet and Greet BBQ and would like to discuss the start of the year with one of your child’s teachers, please contact the school office.
NAPLAN
From Wednesday March 13 during Week 6 and 7, our Year 7 and 9 students will be taking part in NAPLAN Testing. During this time students will participate in 4 assessments Writing, Reading, Language Conventions (spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your child’s participation in NAPLAN please contact the school.
Collaborative Inquiry
We have begun our Collaborative Inquiry work with Glenora District School for 2024. It was great to gather and look forward to 2024 and focus our work on the upcoming year. Our Professional Learning Teams are all getting to know our students through data and focusing on developing student vocabulary, our school improvement plan priority, as one part of the Big Six essential skills for reading.
The Big Six of Reading
- Oral language – Talking and listening provides a foundation for learning to read
- Phonological awareness – Being able to recognise the individual sounds in speech
- Phonics – Being able to recognise the relationship between letters and sounds
- Vocabulary – Knowing the meaning of a word makes you more likely to be able to read it.
- Fluency– This is not just about being able to read quickly, it’s about reading in a way that shows you understand the meaning.
- Comprehension – understanding what you read.
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
As part of our MTSS for students we are currently gathering data to understand student need in both Literacy and Numeracy. Over the coming weeks we will begin our MacqLit reading program and our Numeracy skills sessions to assist learners to learn more every day.
If you wish to discuss your child’s Literacy or Numeracy learning then please contact the school office.
If you are interested in learning more about the Reading in Tasmanian Schools or our MTSS, information can be found at the following link.
Literacy - Department for Education, Children and Young People (decyp.tas.gov.au)
Reading volunteers
As part of our MTSS response to reading, we are seeking volunteers to assist with tutoring our young readers. No matter how little, or how much, time you have available, it would be great to hear from you if you are interested in assisting our students with their reading.
If you are interested in finding out more about this initiative then please contact the school office.
Jason Shelton, Assistant Principal
As the new Year 11/12 AST, I have been warmly welcomed into the school and can’t wait to get to know the new school community. The Year 11/12 students have made a tremendous start to the year, getting stuck into their range of subjects, including Road and Safety, Career and Life Planning, and their Duke of Edinburgh program. They have also been looking after our class mascots, 3 goldfish: Frank, Googles, and Bubbles.
I am passionate about education and training, and it is very important to understand your options after Grade 10. I encourage all families to start and continue talking to their students about all their available options. Please contact the school if you have any questions.
Jess Cepeniuk
11/12 AST
HASS
This term in Year 8 HASS, students have been exploring life in Medieval Europe. This is used as an opportunity to teach us lessons from the past, as well as to recognise how far humanity has advanced with its technology.
English
Our Year 8s have been learning all things poetry within our English unit of study this term. This can develop students’ knowledge of persuasive language, imaginative language, and cultural understandings as they engage with poetry and song across the ages. Classroom word walls and visual poems help us to better understand poetry forms, techniques, rhyming patterns and emotions.
Ms Manenti
Music has taken on a fresh attitude this year and classes are already enjoying solo performances by a number of our students who have been taking lessons on their chosen instrument.
In keeping with the Year 8 focus this fortnight, Year 8 elective music enjoyed hearing from Noah Strong as he performed two of the pieces he is working on for his 2nd grade violin exam in about a months time.
Not only were we all impressed and entertained by Noah’s playing, as class teacher I was also impressed by the way the class listened and respected the performance, giving encouraging feedback and support. Looking forward to good things with this group and each of the music classes in NNHS this year – so watch this space!
Mrs McKittrick
A snapshot of learning in Year 7 HPE
In PE this term students have been learning about ‘Mainstream Sports’ such as Futsal and Basketball. They are exploring how to use a variety of movement skills and concepts and apply these across a range of different sports and situations.
In Health this term students have been learning about the different dimensions of Health. Students are beginning to understand that wellness encompasses lifestyle, mental, spiritual wellbeing, and the environment. Students are learning to identify strategies to function optimally within their current environment.
Upcoming events
- For those students interested in representing New Norfolk High School throughout the year, swimming trials will be held on Friday the 1st of March.
- The next ‘Staff versus Students’ game will be held on Friday the 8th of March. Next up we have Football. Prefects will be selling icy poles for $1 outside the year 7 block.
Ms Coates
Is your child interested in playing soccer this season? We are seeking more players up to 11/12 year old's
First game is April 6th and the last game is on August 24th, followed by the trophy presentation usually a week or two later. Fees remain at $120 again this year and we accept Ticket to Play vouchers.
The official registration platform is receiving an upgrade, we will advise when it is ready to go but in the meantime please complete the attached form so that we are able to organise teams, as training will begin within the next two weeks - https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSepv3MjSt9.../viewform...
Numbers are looking fantastic already and we are excited to meet each and every one of you If you have any questions you are most welcome to message us through our facebook page, or email us at newnorfolkpantherssc@gmail.com.
