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Welcome back to all families and students to Term Two. We have had a very settled start to the term and already many reasons to celebrate.
A big shout out to the Science and Engineering Challenge Team that competed at UTAS on Wednesday. This day is a fantastic opportunity for our students to demonstrate their creative problem solving skills against some very challenging activities. The day culminated with a bridge building challenge, with our team designing and building an “unbreakable” bridge. Our Queechy team finished second on the day, our highest placing for many years! Thank you to Kaleb Clark and Colin Pearson for your support of the team on the day.
Our opportunities for students to explore their future pathways continues this term with recent excursions to explore the Australian Defence Forces and attend Agfest with a focus on careers occurring last week. Our students are in a strong position to make informed choices about the next stage in their learning journeys. Our number of students attending work placements has also ramped up with students from
Grade 9-12 making the most of these opportunities.
Attendance update.
We have lots of reasons to celebrate an improved attendance across the school in Term One this year. The percentage of students attending more than 90% has increased by more than 6% compared to the same time last year. Our overall attendance is up with a significant improvement in our
Grade 11/12 space. Well done to all students and families as we aim to keep this improvement growing during the remainder of the year.
A reminder to all families to reach out to us if you have any concerns about your young person’s ability to engage with us here at Queechy.
A heads up to families that we will be holding our
House Challenge Day and Cross Country on Friday 16th of May. Our expectation is that all students will attend on this day as normal. Your support in ensuring this happens is greatly appreciated.
This term in Grade 8 English, students are engaged in a focused study of the Robin Hood legend, specifically through Michael Morpurgo's novel, Outlaw.
Students have begun the process of reading the text to identify specific character traits exhibited by key figures within the narrative. This involves careful consideration of their actions, dialogue, and interactions with other characters.
The culmination of this unit will be a formal essay requiring students to articulate a comprehensive understanding of the identified character traits and their significance within the context of the novel. The objective is to develop students analytical and writing skills through a rigorous exploration of literary characterisation.
Our Grade 7 HaSS students are currently learning
Deep Time History, exploring the rich past of Australia. The curriculum has taken them back tens of thousands of years, exploring the origins, early human migration across the continent, cultural practices, and land management. A highlight of the course is the study of Mungo Man and Mungo Lady, two of the oldest human remains found in Australia.
In Grade 10, students have started their drugs and alcohol unit. In this unit they will further their knowledge with illicit drugs and the impacts they can have on individuals, families and communities.
They will also delve deep into performance enhancing drugs to discover why they are used, why specific drugs are banned and what is involved when drug testing an athlete.
In Physical Education they are currently preparing for their final cross country. They will then continue into their fitness unit, learning about different ways they can create a workout. The final five weeks, students will learn some First Nation games and Inclusion games.
In Grade 10 Science we have started the term building on our knowledge of the periodic table, with a focus on ionic and covalent bonding of atoms.
Students have started learning about how to balance chemical equations to reflect the conservation of mass during a chemical reaction. Students have also been focusing on developing the ability to write both word and formula equations to represent chemical reactions, including the relevant states of matter.
We will then focus on types of chemical reactions and the various factors which can affect the rate of a chemical reaction.
Hey everyone! Just a little heads-up from the Maths department about what our amazing Grade 9 students are diving into right now. Think of these as building blocks for all sorts of cool stuff they'll do later!
Linear Equations: We're getting stuck into solving linear equations. Basically, it's like being a detective and figuring out a missing number in a puzzle. This skill is HUGE for solving problems, even simple ones like figuring out how much paint you need for a room or budgeting for a party. You can help by maybe pointing out where you use these kinds of "balancing" ideas in everyday life.
Scientific Notation: Ever see those massive numbers about space or super tiny numbers about, well, tiny things? Scientific notation is the neat trick scientists (and our kids) use to write those numbers without filling pages with zeros. It's like a mathematical shorthand! If you see numbers like this in the news or articles, maybe ask your child about them.
Power Laws: This sounds fancy, but it's all about the rules for working with those little numbers written above others (exponents, remember 2^3?). These rules make multiplying and dividing numbers with powers much, much easier. It's a real power-up for their algebra skills.
None of us need to be maths wizards to support our kids! Just showing interest, encouraging them to try their best, and celebrating their effort goes a long way.
This year the Grade 9/10 Biology option students have been involved in a state-wide science experiment called the Soil Your Undies Challenge. We were provided with undies that were buried at a depth of 5cm, and left in the ground for eight weeks.
On Friday the 2nd of May our class had the opportunity to travel to Agfest to check the results of an undies weigh in ceremony conducted at the UTAS pavilion. The experiment and trip to Agfest was a fantastic opportunity to participate in a citizen science project and meet and work with scientists in our local community.
Grade 10-12 students from Queechy recently had the unique opportunity to visit the Youngtown Army Barracks, where they gained valuable insights into the diverse roles and careers available within the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The excursion, held on Monday 5th of May, allowed students to explore the many roles involved in the army, navy and air force. Students learned about various job roles, from logistics and engineering to medical and communications. The students were particularly interested in the opportunities to join the
Army Reserve, which offers flexible service options alongside civilian careers.
In addition to career exploration, the students discovered the benefits of being part of the ADF, including the ability to play sports at a competitive level and access to educational programs. Many were excited to learn that they could pursue university studies while serving in the army. Thanks to the ADF's support for further education of our students.
Missing a day here and there from school at first, might not seem like a problem - but these days can quickly add up and they have a significant impact on a student's education.
Each day missed means lost opportunities to learn new concepts, participate in discussions, engage in hands-on activities and build positive relationships with others.
Over time, frequent absences from school can disrupt the continuity of learning, making it harder for students to keep up with their peers.
High rates (95+%) of school attendance are crucial for young people to develop the academic, social and personal skills to ensure long-term success in learning and life.
If your child has a medical condition, it is important that we have all the relevant information before the start of the school year. This includes:
- 2025 Authorisation for Administration of Student Medication forms
- Medical Action Plans
- Student Medical Condition Plans
Authorisation for Administration of Student Medications forms needs to be filled out for both prescription and non-prescription medications. Form A is for non-prescription medicine and can be filled in by a parent. Form B is for prescription medicine and needs a GP or pharmacist input. Students needing short-term medication like antibiotics or Panadol must submit these forms before staff can administer them.
A Medical Action Plan must be completed if the student is known to be at risk of a medical incident due to a diagnosed medical condition. Medical Action Plans for common medical conditions can be found by accessing the peak body website for that condition.
A Student Medical Condition Plan sets out the adjustments that are needed in the school that assist with the day-to-day health and learning needs of the student as it relates to their medical condition. This plan does not need to be completed if the student has a Medical Action Plan for a specific diagnosis (e.g. asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes, or epilepsy).
All medical forms must be updatesd yearly (or in-line with peak body recommendations) and signed by the child's healthcare provider. If the current forms are less than two years old, a letter from your GP can confirm their validity.
All forms can be found on the Department of Education website under Managment of Student Medical Conditions.
If staff have any concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a student they must follow standard emergency response processes, which may include calling 000. Staff are required to follow the directions of Ambulance Tasmania.
For more information please contact the school on 6341 4455.
