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The partnerships we have formed with our feeder primary schools has been a significant component of our school improvement journey. Together as the Queechy Alliance, (Waverley, St Leonards, Ravenswood Heights, Norwood, Punchbowl and East Launceston Primary Schools), we meet and plan together to ensure the very best learning outcomes for all our students.
The Board of Principals meet regularly to help map out the school improvement journey for all our schools looking through the lens that all students in the alliance are “our students” and we all have a responsibility to ensure the highest quality teaching and learning occurs in every classroom across the alliance.
Our most significant work to date has been the development of the Queechy Alliance Instructional Model. This model helps guide the teachers in all our schools deliver well-structured, high quality lessons. It is also consistent across all our schools so students arriving at Queechy next year will see significant similarities in the way we frame up the learning in each classroom. We strive to make the transition of learning as well-planned as the actual transition of your children from primary to high school.
Our work in the Queechy Alliance is supported by a coordinator, Belinda Simpson and an In-School-Leader from each of our QA schools. The ISL’s meet regularly to help enact the strategic plan of our alliance. The ISL’s plan professional learning for staff and help deliver this professional learning consistently across the alliance. Our entire staff, over 250 teachers, regularly meet together to undertake shared professional learning aimed at creating a strong alignment across all our schools.
The work that has already been undertaken by the
Queechy Alliance is significant at an Australian level and our journey is being watched with interest by schools across Tasmania.
I look forward to working closely with our alliance schools into the future as we strive to put our “Learners First: Every Learner, Every Day”.
Rob Fleming
Principal
Students in Year 10 Maths have been working on measurement! 10D have worked together to create this awesome display called a “Sierpinski Tetrahedron”. We plan on adding to it to make it even bigger!
Grade 7 Art have been focusing on learning the basics of colours by creating their own Colour Wheels.
Grade 8 students have been studying Information Texts through the topic of sustainability and through this lens, they recently attended a talk by Dr Kim Beasy from the University of Tasmania. Kim spoke of the importance of sustainability in all our lives and what we can do on an individual, local and global level. Students will be encouraged to use our guest’s expertise and their own research to write feature articles of their own on an issue related to sustainability, for instance recycling, water management, consumerism or landfill. We would like to thank Kim for her time and generosity in speaking to our students.
Lisa Mitchell
English and HASS
The next Committee meeting is on Wednesday 29 May 2019 in the admin block at 7pm. One committee position and all office bearer positions remain vacant. Please contact Rob Fleming if you are interested in nominating. We all want the best education for our youth and if you can spare one hour a term or four hours a year you to can help shape the Queechy students future. Matters that will be discussed at the meeting includes the following
- Community empowered workshop grant
- Cybersafety Solutions, Parent and students sessions
- Capital and Minor works
- Canteen Review
- School Uniform
- School Magazine
- Entertainment Book
Students in grade 9 have been focussing on physics and chemistry studying with Mr Harrington and Mrs Heynes. The class have applied what they have learnt in class to construct and test solar ovens. Students were set a task to pasturise water from Queechy Lake using heat energy generated by the sun and harnessed by their solar oven. Mount Pleasant Laboratiores worked with QHS to provide students with agar plates to determine if their water was free from pathogens.
Students studying chemistry with Mr Djakic have been looking at reactions. They have prepared and tested smoke bombs.
Mark Greenwood is an author with a passion for history, His award winning ‘History Mysteries’ books have been honoured internationally. Mark visited our school recently and spoke to the Grade 8 students about the research involved in the process of writing books, from the initial idea and development of story line, through to the stages involved for publication. Students were thoroughly engaged with his stories and very excited to hear he was donating three of his books to our school library.
Across all grades, students have been partaking in a fitness unit in preparation for the upcoming school cross country. Students have been participating in numerous activities that have been focusing on increasing their cardiovascular capacity as well as looking at strength related exercises.
Grade 7’s have been working through a “two by two” fitness worksheet. Students have to complete the physical activities with a number of their peers, who sign off on their exercises once they have been completed as a pair. A major emphasis has been on cooperation and teamwork with others.
Grade 9’s have recently completed a FITT challenge, which incorporated their learnings from the classroom into the practical environment. Students had to complete the FITT challenge table by collecting the labels from the other side of the gym whilst their remaining team members completed different exercise challenges. If a card was incorrect a different team member had to return the card and bring back another one until all parts of the table where completed. Once the team believed they had the correct answers the teacher checked their responses.
Or come into the Queechy Office to grab a copy of the application form for yourself!
Parents and families are invited to attend a forum to provide information about and discuss Educational Adjustments.
From 2020, there will be a new approach in
Department of Education schools to assisting students with disability to access, participate and engage in quality educational programs.
Forums are scheduled for Term 2. Light refreshments will be provided.