Matilda Production

A huge congratulations to Launceston College and the talented ensemble that presented Matilda last week. We had the pleasure of sending over 250 staff and students to the show on Thursday and they all came back in awe of the talent on display, not just from those on stage but everyone involved in the production. It is so important for our students to see shows like this as we try and build the most aspirational culture we can here at Queechy. Well done to all past Queechy students who performed in, or supported Matilda this year. This is another great example of the quality of young people in public education here in Launceston, well done to Liz Bennett and the crew at LC!

Speed Careers

Our partnership with the Beacon Foundation is still reaping rewards for our students at Queechy. The last fortnight has seen many students benefit from the close ties we have formed with Beacon and we value their input into our school highly. We sent a group of 27 students off to Peppers Seaport Hotel to experience first-hand the opportunities available in the tourism and hospitality sector with insights provided throughout the day from experienced staff from these industry areas.
Last Friday saw our Beacon Ambassadors organise and run a “Speed Career” session with 15 staff from industry donating their valuable time to work alongside our year 10 students and provide important information about their own industries. Thank you to all of the businesses for your ongoing support.

Book Week

We celebrated book week with a “come dressed as your favourite character” event last week. Thank you to Mr Jeffrey for organising this fun way to celebrate reading. Reading is one of the key skills our students need to develop in their time at school. The whole Queechy Alliance has a specific focus on reading in all our schools, with staff already attending professional learning sessions aimed at improving our understanding of how children learn to read. We are working collaboratively across the Alliance to ensure support is provided so all our students have the opportunity to become competent readers. Reading is the one key skill needed to enable students to access learning across all subjects and settings. You will see more information about our reading developments over coming weeks.

Qkr! is now available at Queechy High School, Monday to Friday for Lunch and Recess! 
All orders need to be placed before 8a.m. on the day of your order.

The 9/10 Science Extended class kicked off National Science Week a little early this year with the Titration Competition. The Titration competition focused on neutralising an acid and an alkali solution by using precise and accurate scientific procedures. Congratulations to all students who participated. It is amazing to see the dedication our students have towards their Science studies and we are excited to see 3 of our students compete nationally in the coming weeks, against other schools across Australia.

The Science Extended class is currently studying Microbiology, a field of science that looks at microbes, bacteria and viruses and how they spread across the world. Students have appreciated learning about the spread of Ebola across Africa by watching the National Geography miniseries “The Hot Zone”. Students will understand how the body reacts to infection (immune responses) and how the spread of disease can be prevented.

Kim Anderson 
Science Extended Teacher 

On Friday 16th August, the Write a Book in a Day competition was held at the Launceston Library. This event fundraises money for The Kids’ Cancer Project and not only provides students with an amazing opportunity to work in a collaborative team environment, but also distributes the published books to hospitals throughout Australia for sick children to read.

In this competition, books are written and illustrated by teams of up to 10 writers in a consecutive 12-hour period on a single day. Each team is provided with a unique set of parameters from which to write their story: two human characters, one non-human character, an issue, a setting and five random words.

The Queechy High School team consisted of nine students from Grades 9 and 10:

Hayley, Ellie, Zarah, Bridget, Maddison, Lilliana, Jordyn, Crystal and Imogen

The day was awesome and VERY tiring! Each student did our school proud, showing commitment, team work and amazing writing and illustrating skills.

The end result was a story titled The Serpent’s Serenade and is available in our school library for students to read.

We encourage all students from all grades to participate next year…it truly was an amazing experience.

Ann-Marie McKendrick 
Teacher

Grade 10 Science students this term have investigated what factors affect the rate of chemical reactions and completed their own scientific investigation to study this. Students have looked at the way surface area of solids change the speed chemical reactions and also how the strength of chemicals can change this too. The next unit is on Biology and students will gain insight into DNA and how genetic information is passed onto different generations.

Kim Anderson 
Science Teacher

In Health, Grade 7 students have been continuing to study a mental health unit. Students have been focusing on respectful relationships, which has required the students to look at friendships, and what make a successful communicator. Students completed a fun activity of human knots where they had to communicate with each other to successfully untangle their group.

In PE, Grade 7’s have started a gymnastics unit. Students have been looking at different types of balances, comparing symmetrical and non-symmetrical, inverted and upright and counter-balance versus counter-tension balances. Students have also focused on how a person’s centre of gravity can affect their balance.

This term year 7’s have been studying a unit about Ancient China. We have been investigating imperialism, the first emperor, the geography of Ancient China, as well as the social hierarchy and religion that has shaped Chinese culture. As a part of their assessment, students researched a chosen Chinese invention and presented their findings to the class. During this task, students also focused on developing their public speaking skills, in order to enhance their presentations and confidence.

In Mathematics, Grade 7 students have been studying a unit on measurement. They have been focusing on perimeter, area and volume. To do this they have used various formulas to not only reach an answer, but explain it by showing their understanding through a step by step process. Students were presented with various questions that allowed them to use reasoning and problem solving. Some shapes they have been measuring are squares, rectangles, triangles, composite shapes, parallelograms and trapezoids. On completion of this unit students were given the opportunity to apply it to the real world and create a floor plan. 

Students in 7F are hard at work rehearsing their performances for Drama. In this picture they are showing how well they can co-operate, communicate effectively and be mentally creative, something that Drama students focus on each and every lesson. They then show how confident they are becoming by performing in front of their peers. The performances here included some interesting, yet dangerous, fortune cookies and some students working well and receiving awards.

Antony Butchart 
Drama Coordinator 

We are currently confirming the availability of Maths Methods Level 3 for Year 10 students at Queechy for next year. If this course is viable, high achieving students who have selected 10A Mathematics will be offered the opportunity to enrol in this course.

Students who wish to be considered for Maths Methods 3, if it is available for next year, must choose 10A Mathematics.

Please contact me on 6341 4455 or sam.ayre@education.tas.gov.au if you have any questions.

Sam Ayre
AST Curriculum

This term Grade 9 and 10 EAL students at Queechy High have been involved in a mentoring program for refugee and migrant students after school each Wednesday with Utas. The program has been developing the students’ understanding of post-high school educational pathways, and helping them to make more informed decisions about their future.

On a sunny afternoon a couple of weeks ago, 7E went outside and did some observational drawings within our school grounds. We developed these drawings into large scale pieces of work using chalk pastels. It was such a great experience for the students and they are proud of their results.

Ticket to Play is a Tasmanian Government initiative designed to reduce the cost of participating in club sporting activities for Tasmanian children.

Tasmanian children aged 5 to 17 who are listed on a Centrelink Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card, or who are in Out of Home Care, are eligible for a voucher of up to $100 in value to be used towards the cost of club membership at an approved activity provider. A list of approved activity providers can be found on the Ticket to Play website.

To apply for a voucher or for more information, visit our website at https://www.communities.tas.gov.au/ticket-to-play.  Vouchers can be applied for and used at an approved activity provider until 30 November 2019.

For more information or assistance with voucher application please contact Communities, Sport and Recreation on 1800 252 476 or tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au.

 You can help promote Ticket to Play to eligible children and families by:

• Display and distribute the attached Ticket to Play poster
• Share information about Ticket to Play with your community partners and networks
• Include information about Ticket to Play in your newsletters/publications/social media posts

Ticket to Play will continue in 2020, with further information available in coming months.

Thank you for your assistance in sharing this program. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Communities, Sport and Recreation on 1800 252 476 or tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au.

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