The 11/12 Certificate II in Community Services class have enjoyed lots of industry experience this year.  We have practiced our food safety skills in the kitchen, connected with older people in our visits to Regis Aged Care, and made lots of new friends at Stewart Child Care Services and Thrive Group Playgroup.

We planned and ran our own community playgroup, and visited Tafe and Utas to find out about further education. 

We also had opportunities to learn about careers and equipment from Oral Health Tasmania, Alpha LifeCare, The Cafe Next Door, and our guest speaker Clint from OneCare.

We ended our year well with students gaining employment, and being accepted into Certificate III and nursing courses.

Congratulations to the following students who successfully completed their full Certificate II in Community Services:

Makedde, Brydi, Jasmine and Ella 

In both Mrs Oliver & Mr Jeffrey's Art classes students have worked on using many different mediums. Students have made terrific gains in their planning and presenting major work. I am continually blown away by Queechy students' creativity, persistence, and hard work in their art option! 

I hope that students continue developing their skills in and out of school. Terrific work to these students!

Mr Jeffrey

Live performances, Book Week, Australian History and Geography competitions, Readers Cup, Legacy Speech Competition and excursions have made for a fantastic year in English and HaSS across all the grades.

WINN (What I Need Next) has continued to be a great success in Year 7 and 8. Student data demonstrates strong growth in reading comprehension amongst the majority of students.

A major focus this year has been to plan and implement Version 9 of the Australian curriculum. For some grades, this has meant significant changes to units of work and assessment rubrics. A massive thank you to the teaching team for their dedication and hard work in this space.

“I enjoyed the Dystopian unit that we studied in English. We  learnt about the characteristics and features of dystopian texts and how they challenge our thinking.” 

Lucy (Grade 10)

“We read the novel Hatchet in English. We wrote an essay about the themes in the book which were bravery, resilience and intelligence.”

Allira and Matilda (Grade 7)

“In English we learnt about infographics and SCD (structure, content and design). In HaSS we learnt about landscapes and landforms. I liked doing a research task on  tsunamis.”

Ella (Grade 8)

“In HaSS I enjoyed the freedom and creativity we had on the tasks about WW1 and the Industrial Revolution.”

Archie (Grade 9)

The 9/10 Child Studies classes have spent the semester learning about development and play. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Goodstart Early Learning Prospect Vale. We enjoyed interacting with the children in free play and activities. The educators were so welcoming and inspired lots of thinking about careers in early chilhood. 

Our grade 10 students also got to tour The Launceston Birth Centre. It was such a  great learning experience, and we thank midwife Jaimee for hosting us. 

We also ran our own playgroup. The students planned their own activities with the theme of sustainability. Everyone had a wonderful time doing art and craft, sensory play, and Christmas activities.

Thank you to the catering team for supplying us with some delicious goodies on the day, and to all the QHS Community memebers who came along to support us. 

After such a wonderful year, we are excited to be adding Child Studies Extended as a Personal Pursuit in 2024.

Child Studies Teachers

Maths Methods

This year 14 students completed the challenging TASC course “Mathematics Methods – Foundation”. Students completed this course in addition to their core Mathematics course and have got a head start on their college Mathematics as a result. These students are very fortunate to have this opportunity, as it is not offered to many Year 10 students in Tasmania.

Congratulations go to Daniel, Antony, Mark, and Mikaela who worked hard to receive a “Commendable Achievement”. We are particularly proud of Celeste whose tireless efforts allowed her to receive an “Exceptional Achievement”, the highest possible award for completing the course.

Maths and Science

Hey there, amazing minds! As we wave goodbye to the awesome adventures of 2023 in the worlds of maths and science, let's take a quick look at all the cool stuff we've discovered together.

In maths, we tackled tricky equations and dived into puzzles that made our brains do somersaults. Numbers turned into our pals, and we learned how they shape the world around us. From mind-bending pi to the secret language of prime numbers, it's been a year of math magic.

On the science side, we zoomed in on tiny cells and zoomed out to the vast wonders of the universe. Experiments were like mini adventures, and we unlocked the secrets of biology, chemistry, and physics. It's been a blast exploring the mysteries of the natural world.

But guess what? The adventure doesn't stop here! Brace yourselves for more excitement in 2024. New challenges, experiments that might just explode with awesomeness, and puzzles that'll make us scratch our heads await. Let's celebrate our wins from 2023 and get pumped for another year of discovering, learning, and having a blast together. Here's to the high-fives we've earned and the high-fives yet to come in 2024! 

Mathspace Reminder

As we approach the holidays, we'd like to remind you about an excellent tool that can help your child sharpen their math skills during the break – Mathspace.

Mathspace is designed to make learning enjoyable and tailored to your child's needs that they can access using their school email. Here's a quick reminder of why it's a great companion for the holidays:

1. Smart Learning: Mathspace delivers personalised exercises, adapting to your child's unique learning journey.
2. Track Your Progress: Students can see their progress against key skills under the “Skills” tab in Mathspace. They can also access recommended practise here.
3. Quick Tips: Mathspace provides hints and encouragement, ensuring a supportive learning environment for your child.

As we gear up for 2024, a bit of consistent Mathspace use over the holidays can make a significant difference in your child's confidence and success in math.

Grade 10 Leavers assembly

This moment is a significant milestone!

It is not just about completing grade 10 it is also about the growth, resilience and friendships that have defined your high school experience.

I have been reflecting on the incredible journey you’ve undertaken together. From those nervous and shaky first few weeks in grade 7, to moving into learning from home due to the covid pandemic, to then all that has occurred through to this moment where you are about to graduate from high school.

Within all this change there is one thing that has remained constant during this whole time, Mrs House! In every school, there exists a special breed of teacher who go above and beyond, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of their students. You, Mrs Linda House, are undeniably one of these extraordinary individuals.

Your unwavering dedication as AST to these students and your passion for teaching have not only made a significant impact on this cohort’s academic outcomes but has also created a really strong sense of belonging.

Sadly, we say farewell to Mrs House as she is moving across to Prospect High School in 2024. On behalf of the entire school community, I want to thank you and we wish you all the best.

If the gap that Mrs House will leave isn’t big enough we are also farewelling Mrs Jackson!

After a stellar teaching career and 20 years as a school leader and innovator at QHS she will be greatly missed. Mrs Jackson has been an exemplar in holding high expectations for all students. She has shown strength, vision and unwavering commitment to our school and it is now time for her to kick back and enjoy her retirement!

We also farewell the following staff of QHS:

Teachers: Emma Watson, Travis Gray, Sara James (3rd or 4th retirement), Russell Steyne and Andrew Sawyer.

Chaplain: Hannah van der Velde

Admin staff: Melissa Stefanescu and Amber Adams

We thank them for all their hard work they've done and wish them all the best in their new endeavours.

I would like to also thank to our Business Manager Tanya Smart. Her guidance, clarity and support while Mr Fleming has been on LSL has been greatly appreciated.

I want acknowledge the QHS Leadership Team who are with out a doubt the most dedicated and hard working team, driving school improvement across our key priority areas of:

• Cognitive engagement with learning
• Wellbeing
• Literacy and Numeracy

We have established strong collaborative teaching and learning practices. This was a highlighted standout in our School External Review. In the SWES 92% of students showed a high engagement with teachers.

Our unwavering priority is to build strong and positive relationships. 80% of students showed high self belief in themselves as learners and felt certain that they could learn the skills taught and showed high expectations for success.

Success does not happen by chance. It is our amazing staff, both teaching and non teaching, who exhibit genuine commitment and compassion ensuring that every student is known, safe, well and learning. The opportunities being afforded to our learners are of the highest quality and meet a diverse range of learning needs. 

To our Grade 10’s

You will be forever connected together by the common bond of being students of Queechy High School. It will be a positive memory that you carry with you through the rest of your lives. Congratulations you have graduated from High School

We wish you all the very best for your futures as you move off to be leaders, innovators and positive forces for change!

To all the familes of Queechy, have a safe and happy holidays and we look forward to seeing you again in 2024!

Fran Smyth
Acting Principal