Harmony Quality Success

27th May 2016
3
The focus for Queechy students this year is exceeding potential. This term has seen many students
achieving just that! Last week, Dylan Welsford-Brink, Claire Cameron and Ethan Haywood received
awards recognising them as students in the top one percent of Naplan results in 2015. What a fabulous
achievement! Following on from that, many thanks for parent support during Naplan week; it was great
to see the high level of student co-operation in undertaking the tests. Recently, students participated in a
mountain biking competition at the Kate Reed Reserve. Mr Harrington, along with students from all
grades, overcame equipment problems and a number of ‘spills ‘to have a fantastic time and perform
extremely well.
This week, a Queechy team of budding scientists and engineers participated in the Science and Engineering
Challenge.
The team represented Queechy admirably and achieved second place.
Launceston Competitions, the Model United Nations event and the Bulldogs Cup have all seen Queechy
students presenting themselves and the school in a manner that is to be congratulated.
Alongside these achievements, we must also recognise all students who come to school every day
demonstrating commitment to learning, a positive attitude, and an inclusive approach to others. In doing
so, they make an outstanding contribution to our Queechy community.
Our school Facebook page has many examples of the excellent work produced by our students. Over
the coming weeks, examples from a range of subjects will be posted. This is a great way to celebrate the
achievements of our students and to showcase their work.
A focus on the school’s values and on respectful behaviour and attitude has been evident over the past
two weeks at grade and school assemblies. As part of our pastoral care program, we have discussed with
students the importance of our broader Queechy community and the need to treat everyone with
tolerance and respect. Our students, being at their best both in and out of school, are then able to build
positive relationships and reputations. We have also stressed the importance of speaking up on those
occasions where individuals are treating others in a manner that is unacceptable. Working together as a
community enables us to be a successful and strong community.
Congratulations also to Mrs Davis who, for a month, is acting in the role of Principal Network Leader and
is attached to Learning Services North.
Harmony Quality Success
Louise Meyer
Acting Principal
Congratulations the Queechy High School Teaching Team who are Joint winners of
the High School ‘team award’ in the Inaugural AEU Public Education Day Awards
along with Montrose Bay High.
Murat Djakic, Jane Caro, Michelle O’Byrne and Adrian Smith
The team of Murat Djakic, Adrian Smith, Donna Francombe, Roger Barns, and
Neil Harris had their award presented at the Inaugural AEU Public Education Day
Awards dinner in Hobart on Wednesday the 25th of May.
The Queechy High Engineering team provides a challenging learning environment
encompassing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), maximising
student potential and ensures individuals are well-equipped to meet the challenges of
21st century industries.
Mentoring of students through rigorous and relevant content enables them to be
productive and successful through the development of high-level thinking strategies and
strong work ethic, to solve problems in the real world.
Mountain Biking
Amy Wright, Sam McEwen and
Eliah Cameron (pictured)
all competed in the
National Mountain Bike Championships.
Congratulations to all the students who have participated in the growing sport of mountain bike
racing. Regular training and racing has seen a big improvement in speed and endurance and for
beginners, the opportunity to try racing for the first time.
Tasmanian All Schools Mountain Bike Championships. 6th May
Held for the second year at Kate Reed reserve, Queechy entered a strong team of experienced
and beginner riders to be one of 16 schools and approximately 270 entrants. Riders at the
pointy end of the field complete approximately 12km of riding. The day was thoroughly
enjoyable with the highlight being the approach that our students took. They were pleased with
individual results, many surprising themselves, others surpassing goals whilst always supporting
teammates. Queechy finished in eighth position. Individual highlights included a second for
Amy Wright and Sam McEwen third in their respective under 15 races.
Australian Marathon Championships - Derby Tasmania. 9th April
Congratulations to Amy and Sam who also medalled at the National Championships. They both
earned silver and bronze respectively. Many of the students have expressed an interest racing in
the Launceston Mountain Bike Club Summer roster. It is usually held on a Wednesday evening
at 6pm. If you would like to be part of a great sport then please contact Mr Harrington.
School Cross Country—Friday 10th June 2016
Grades 9 & 10 running in Block 2. (10.30-11.40am)
Grades 7 & 8 running in Block 3. (12:00—1:10pm)
Mountain Biking –Block 4. (1:50—3:00pm)
Interested in participating in the Mountain Bike event at this years Cross Country?? The course
will be most of the current cross country course with a few sections taken out.
Grab yourself an information/permission form from the Gym have it signed and returned.

What do you need to participate?

Own bike with working brakes
 Own Approved Australian Standard helmet
Grade 8 English Report
Featuring 8D English
In 8D English this year we have been looking at the
book The Lost Diamonds of Killiecrankie.
Mrs Peterson read the book to us as a class and gave
us a few tasks to do about the book. First, we had to
predict what we thought the book was about by
looking at the front cover. Throughout the book we
talked about some of the main characters and did a
character description of our favourite one as well as
doing other creative activities like a post card from the
perspective of one of the characters. Lastly, we had a
three page booklet of different tasks we had to choose
from to show our understanding of the book. We have
had the opportunities to show our unique abilities and to challenge ourselves. We are currently
investigating Titanic. Report by Libby Kay;
Postcards by Eleanor Renton and Miranda Kroczewski – 8D
Rostrum Voice of Youth Public Speaking Competition
On Saturday May 7th, 2 talented Queechy High students
represent the school in the Northern Rostrum Public
Speaking Competition which was held at
Scotch Oakburn College. Both girls participated in the
Junior Section and chose the topic The Time Has Come.
Isabella Hayes spoke about the severe effects of
deforestation and Maryam Ali spoke about the need for
Australia to become a truly multicultural country. A
three minute impromptu speech was the second
component of the competition. The standard was very
high and both students were extremely well organised
and delivered very polished speeches. We were
delighted to see Maryam receive an Encouragement
Award. Sheridan Collision Oates, who competed in this
competition in 2015, mentored the students and also
assisted on the day as a time keeper.
AFL – Athlete Development Program Melbourne Trip
Earlier this month the Queechy High School and
Newstead College AFL Athlete Development programs
worked in partnership to offer students the opportunity to
travel to Melbourne to experience elite sports facilities and
programs. Students built their understanding of what it
means to be a professional athlete as well as being exposed
to numerous industries in the professional sports world. The
itinerary was packed with a variety of activities including
tours/sessions with the Richmond FC, Carlton FC, VIS, MCG
and Friday night footy (Richmond vs Hawthorn). Students
also had the opportunity to spend half a day at the
Maribyrnong Sports Academy with the highlights being the
strength and conditioning coaching and the session with
Olympic bronze medallist Andrew Smith.
CAT Competition
In Term 1, 24 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Trust’s CAT (Computational and
Algorithmic Thinking) competition online. This was a new competition and format (online) for
students but they took it in their stride. Parts of the competition were very challenging and
required students to carefully consider the problems and possible steps to take to solve them. The
competition aims to identify computer programming potential. Congratulations to all of the
participants; your excellent attitude on
the day and the effort you put into
solving the problems is appreciated.
Particular
congratulations go to
William Pearsall, Jack McShane,
Rachelle Walker, Matthew Fleming,
Nash Beames and Nicholas Pidgeon
(featured in the photograph left) who all
achieved a score in the top 40% of
competition entrants in their divisions.
NAPLAN Award Ceremony
Congratulations to Grade 8 students Claire Cameron, Ethan Hayward and Dylan Welsford-Brink, who on
Tuesday 17th May attended an award ceremony to recognise those students in Tasmania who achieved in
the top 1% in the 2015 NAPLAN testing. What an impressive effort!
Div 1 NHSSA Basketball Champions
During term 1, several Grade 10
students participated in the NHSSA
Grade 10 basketball roster. The Grade
10 boys team was lucky enough to
make the grand final which was held
on the last day of term 1. After trailing
during the first half the boys played
some a ma zing ba sketba ll a nd
eventually ran out winners by a
comfortable margin. This is the first
time that Queechy has won the
Adam Gibson Cup, an amazing
achievement.
ANZAC Day 2016
The Student Leadership Board,
Teachers and a number
students from all four grades
represented Queechy at the
ANZAC Day march.
2016 Bulldogs Cup
The 2016 NHSSA sport roster kicked
off last week with the third annual
Bulldogs Cup. Nearly 100 students
participated in four AFL matches against
Kings Meadows High who won three
games and retained the Bulldogs Cup. All
four games were a little lopsided but
played in great spirit. Congratulations to
Lachie Blackberr y, Tristan Nast,
Jesse Rhodes and Brodie Vocke who
were all recipients of Bulldog Medals for
best on ground in their games.
A massive thankyou goes out to the
South Launceston Football Club for
their support. Thanks also to all the
parents, friends and ex-students who
came to cheer the boys on in wet and
freezing conditions.
Senior 1sts
KMHS 9 . 10 . 64 def QHS 5 . 8 . 38
Goal kickers: Josh Harris 2, Jack Cross 1, Lachie Cocker 1, Tom Watson 1
Best players: Lachie Blackberry, Jonty Lanham, Lachie Cocker, Bailey Pearce,
Kurt Hibbs, Mitchem Everett.
Senior 3rds
QHS 10 . 16 . 76 def KMHS 3 . 6 . 24
Best players: Tristan Nast, Will Crooks, Kye Kennedy, Declan Bowditch,
Deke Donohue.
Junior 2nds
KMHS 21 . 17 . 143 def QHS 4 . 2 . 26
Goal kickers: Liam Porter, Blake Coppleman, Brodie Vocke, Mathew Wright
Best players: Brodie Vocke, Will Dyer, Tyson Castles, Ashley Hingston,
Jaiden Breward, Dylan Page.
Junior 1sts
KMHS 19 . 14 . 128 def QHS 5 . 2 . 32
Goal kickers: Tarkyn Coppleman 2, Jesse Rhodes 1, Tobi Henri 1, Dylan Keane 1
Best Players: Jesse Rhodes, Tarkyn Coppleman, Kane Purvis, Jacob Miller,
Harry Charlesworth.
REIT Schools Auction Competition 2016
A number of Queechy High students have been giving up a lunch hour a week this term to learn
and practice this unusual pastime called Auctioneering.
Now in its fourth year this schools based program gives students an insight into selling property
by public auction, understanding legal terms and contracts, thinking under pressure and
expanding their public speaking skills. Beyond that we know the program value-adds to their
developing armoury of life skills in, for example, job interviews and general decision making
processes.
This year St Pats are hosting the Schools Auction Final at
Croagh Patrick Campus
251 Peel Street Summerhill
Wednesday 8th June commencing at 5.45 pm
Entry is free
Schools competing are St Pats, Queechy High, Scotch Oakburn and Grammar. One student from
each school will be chosen to compete in a fully scripted property auction, with random
questions and bidding in front of a panel of judges all of whom are practicing auctioneers. It is
really impressive to watch how well the students handle the entire process.
Queechy’s
finalist auctioneer will be chosen from Sarah Davey, Nandi Yakubu,
Renee Cawthorn, Rick King, Jaymi Lawrie, Sheridan Collis Oates and
Harrison Collis Oates, all very accomplished auctioneers already!
The winner secures the Jeff “Bomber” Heathcote Memorial Trophy, $300 and an all expenses
paid invitation to compete in the first ever National Schools Auction Competition held in Alice
Springs early September.
We expect this very entertaining evening to run for an hour and a half so please bring yourself,
family and friends to support your school’s representative.
Breakfast Club
Our breakfast club starts @ 8:15 and finishes @ 8:45 sharp on Thursday and
Fridays in D Block.
We have just a few rules for breakfast club, which will make it a great place to
hang, chat and eat:
     Share and be considerate of others
 Wash your dish and leave to drain
     Remember to say thank you
 Put all rubbish in the bin
 No swearing or putdowns
All are welcome and I hope it will be a fun and tummy warming start to your day.
Tracey Golledge—School Chaplin
Grade 7 Visual Art
Grade 7 have been inspired by masks or face
coverings from other cultures. The designs were used as a
base for prints done using foam blocks. The designs are
indented into the foam using pencils and sticks before
printing on paper covered in chalk. Impressive results for
sure.
Grade 8 Food
Technology
The SLB coordinated and ran an excellent World’s Greatest Shave event on
Friday 20th May. Providing live music, a BBQ and drinks all while raising money for an amazing
charity, The
Leukaemia Foundation.
Well done to those who were brave and went the shave! With many also getting in the spirit and brightly colouring their hair.
$483.55
raised!!
Going, going … gone!
Autumn at QHS
16 March—17 May 2016
Whilst this stunning tree just outside of D block is gradually shutting down for winter, the
Science department is hitting its straps.
This week, 25 students competed in the Science and Engineering Challenge at UTAS. Students
were given the opportunity to experience the diverse nature of the engineering profession first
hand, whilst competing against 7 other schools. The Queechy team came an overall second Congratulations! Next week, 50 students from across the grades will be sitting the ICAS Science
Competition.
Thanks to Mrs Simpson for her dedicated work in combining photography with science to
produce a visual record of the Queechy environment.
REMINDER!
Should you need to collect your child from school outside of the
scheduled break times (see back cover) please send a note with them to
confirm your authorisation to sign out and the time they are being
collected. This will ensure their teacher lets them leave class on time and
helps avoid the disruption of the whole school.
Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards 2016
Write a poem on any topic (optional theme: Waiting). You
can write an individual, group or class poem. Each student
can submit up to three poems; each poem must be no longer
than 80 lines (don’t include any illustrations or decorations
please!) For more details, go to http://www.dorothea.com.au/
Entries must be emailed to Mrs. Peterson by June 15th 2016
to be included as a Queechy High School entry (late entrants will have to pay for
their own entries). Email entries to: [email protected]
Did your child borrow money from the office?
A REMINDER that all bus money, lunch passes and phone calls need to
be paid ASAP. If you need to check how much you owe please call/visit
the office on 6341 4455 Between 8-4 Mon-Fri.
2016 School
Immunisations
The Launceston City Council’s
immunisation team will be providing vaccinations to Grade 7 students this year.
The following vaccines will be provided:
Varicella (chickenpox) - one dose
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) - three
doses given a few months a part
Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis
(whopping cough) dTpa - one dose
If you have any questions please contact
the Launceston City Council on 6323 3208
or your family doctor.
Second Vaccination Date:
Monday 27th June, 2016
Know your 3 A’s
AWARENESS -
know what your classmates are allergic to
AVOIDANCE -
never share food and wash hands before you eat food
ACTION -
tell a teacher straight away if someone with allergies looks sick!
Last week was national Food Allergy Awareness Week. To show we care and are aware of food allergies, we
painted one fingernail on Friday to celebrate Food Allergy Week. The painted fingernail represented the one in
ten infants born each year with a food allergy.
What is food allergy?
A food allergy is an immune system response to a food protein that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. Signs
and symptoms of food allergy can be mild, moderate or severe. An allergic reaction can include; hives, swelling of
the lips, face and eyes, abdominal pain, vomiting, swelling of the tongue, swelling of the throat, breathing difficulty,
persistent dizziness and/collapse.
What is anaphylaxis?
Food allergies can be severe, causing potentially life-threatening reactions known as anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis must
be treated as a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment and urgent medical attention. An allergic reaction usually occurs within 20 minutes to two hours of eating even a small amount of the food, and can rapidly become life threatening.
Incidence
Food allergy now affects one in 10 infants and about two in 100 adults in Australia. Someone who is allergic to a
food but has not been prescribed an adrenaline (epinephrine) EpiPen® still needs to do their best to avoid the food
as reactions do sometimes become more severe.
There are more than 170 foods known to have triggered severe allergic reactions. The most common triggers are
eggs, cow’s milk, peanuts, tree nuts (such as cashew and almond), sesame, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. Some lesser known triggers also include kiwi fruit, banana, chicken, mustard and celery.
It is important to understand that in some people even very small amounts of food can cause a life-threatening allergic reaction/anaphylaxis. Some extremely sensitive individuals can react to just the smell of particular foods being cooked (e.g. fish) or even kissing someone who has eaten the food they’re allergic to.
Currently, there is no cure for food allergy. Avoidance of the food is the only way to prevent a reaction. When a
severe reaction does occur, adrenaline (epinephrine) is the first line treatment for severe allergic reactions and can
be administered via an adrenaline (epinephrine) called the EpiPen®.
(Information taken from
www.foodallergyaware.com.au)
For more information relating to food allergies, go to ASCIA www.allergy.org.au or www.allergyfacts.org.au
Student Absence SMS
The main contact of the student will receive an SMS message if they are an
unexplained absence during Tutor Group.
If the student arrives after 9.00am and signs in you will still receive the message as
they are absent from Tutor Group.
Please reply to the message with the child’s name, date, and details of your child’s
absence.
Parents have the option of messaging the school to advise of explained absences.
To avoid receiving an SMS please phone the school on 6341 4455 to
advise of your child’s absence before 8:45am or leave a message on
the Absent Student Message Bank 6341 4444.
MAILING OF
INVOICES/STATEMENTS
All statements/invoices are
emailed out from our central
office. This also applies to
families who have set up an
instalment plan with the
school earlier in the year.
Receipts will be posted to
those families who have
opted to have payments made
by credit card.
Credit card payments are
deducted from your account
on the 20th of each month or
the first business day after the
20th.
PARKING IN SCHOOL
GROUNDS
When parking in the school grounds, please use
the visitor carpark, the parking bays near the
visitor carpark or the area next to the tennis
courts. Please do not park in the bus
parking areas as this space is reserved for buses only and this creates further congestion. Also,
a reminder that the disabled park spots are
only to be used by permit holders and that
permits must be displayed.
CLOTHING POOL
Opening Times
Recess 1, daily
Tuesday– 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Parents that are unable to visit the clothing pool within the above times are requested to
contact the school office on 6341 4455 to arrange an alternative time.
Uniform Items On Order
Polo tops have arrived!
Class Times
First bell 8:45am
Term Dates 2016
Term 1
Wednesday 3 February - Friday 8 April
Easter Break
Friday 25 March—Tuesday 29 March
Term 2
Tuesday 26 April—Friday 1 July
Term 3
Monday 18 July—Friday 23 September
Term 4
Monday 10 October—Wednesday 21 December
Tutor Group: 8:45am - 9:00am
Block 1:
9:00am - 10:10am
Recess 1:
10:10am - 10:30am
Block 2:
10:30am - 11:40am
Recess 2:
11:40am - 12:00pm
Block 3:
12:00pm - 1:10pm
Lunch:
1:10pm - 1:50pm
Block 4:
1:50 pm - 3:00pm
Friday 10 June
Cross Country Carnival
Monday 13 June
Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend
Tuesday 21 June
Inter-High Cross Country
Monday 27 June
Grade 7 Immunisations
Friday 1 July
Last Day of Term 2
Monday 18 July
Student Free Day
Tuesday 19 July
First Day of Term 3
Queechy High School
Penquite Road, Launceston Tas 7250
PO Box 678, Kings Meadows Tas 7249
Ph: (03) 6341 4455 Fax: (03) 6344 9892
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.queechy.tased.edu.au