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PRINCIPAL'S REPORT - TRUDY DURKIN
Welcome to 2020
At our first whole school assembly last week it was my great pleasure to welcome both new and returning students to the 2020 school year. As well as our commencing Grade 7 students we have had a significant number of new enrolments from across our other grades, so we particularly welcome these students to the Burnie High School family. New staff members Mr Douglas, Mr Birkin, Mr Bragg, Mr Gleeson, Miss Beecham, Mrs Mason, Mrs Poke and Mr Warsing were also enthusiastically welcomed to the school.
Mobile Phone Policy
I would like to thank parents/guardians for their support with the implementation of the BHS Phones Off and Away All Day policy. Staff have reported a marked increase in students engaging socially during break times, being more active and having less interruptions to their learning.
Term 1 Progress Reports
Progress reports will be posted to parents commencing on Monday 16 March. These reports provide parents with a snapshot of their child’s progress against four work habits; progress, behaviour, organisation and homework.
Parent Teacher Meetings
I strongly encourage parents to take the opportunity to meet teachers and have a conversation about how their child has settled into the new school year. By engaging with teachers, parents are able to better support their child in meeting grade expectations and setting goals for progress with their learning. Appointments will be available on Tuesday 24 March 3.30pm -7:00pm and Wednesday 25 March 3.30pm-6:00pm.
Lock Down Practice Drill
Some time from Monday 3 March to Friday 13 March Burnie High School will be holding a Lock Down Practice. Students will be briefed prior to the drill on how to recognise the Lock Down Alert, and what actions they need to take when they hear the Lock Down Alert.
Senior staff will evaluate the practice drill. It is very important that parents reinforce with their children that this is a Drill, and they do not need to become anxious.
In general terms a lockdown procedure applies when students and staff need to be locked within our buildings for their own safety. This will usually occur if there is a dangerous intruder on school grounds. Lockdown may also occur in the event of a hazardous situation such as a chemical spill or fire, which makes it dangerous for students, staff and visitors to be outside.
Lockdown would only be used when there is a major incident or threat, as the over use of lockdowns can result in students and staff becoming desensitised and not taking lockdowns seriously.
If parents have any specific concerns related to their child being at school during the Lock Down Practice Drill they should contact Mr Thompson or Mrs Gaby to discuss this.
Kinmen Island Student Study Tour
It is with great regret that I inform our school community that there will be neither an inbound or outbound Kinmen Island Study Tour in 2020. This decision was made by Kinmen County. As a school we are committed to pursuing new opportunities that will link our students to new experience, expose them to cultures beyond our own borders and broaden their horizons. We are actively working with Education and Training International (GETI) and hope to be establishing new links with overseas education providers.
School Uniform
I would like to thank parents for their support in ensuring that our students are well presented in school uniform. This high standard of dress and personal presentation is something that is valued by our student and parent body and is frequently commented on by visitors to our school and the public in general. Whilst there is not direct mention of hair colouring in our Uniform Policy, it would be our preference that students did not come to school with brightly dyed coloured hair.
Student Leadership
This week’s whole school assembly allowed us to formally induct the 2020 Student Representative Council and House Captains. It was wonderful to share this occasion with those parents and relatives who were able to join us for the assembly. One of our school’s strengths is the quality of our student leaders and I am confident that this year’s SRC and House Captains will continue to build and contribute to our school’s positive culture. They will be joined by Class Captains, Interact members, Canteen leaders and sports leaders in providing positive role models and experiences for our students.
Swimming Carnival
Unfortunately our School Swimming Carnival which was to be held on Wednesday 27 February had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. Thank you to Mr Munday for organising a scaled back event for those students who had nominated to compete in championship events. This will take place on Tuesday 3 March.
Defence Force Experience
Students in Grade 10 were recently offered the opportunity to submit an expression of interest to participate in the Australian Defence Force National Technical and Trades Experience. We are very excited to announce that this week Tyler Innes, Olivia Cumming and Alea Green all received the fantastic news that they were successful applicants and will be on an all-expenses paid trip to Sydney on May 13-14. We wish them all the best with the experience and hope they learn some valuable information about pathways within the Defence Force. Our thanks go to Mr Thompson for supporting these students in achieving this opportunity.
Trudy Durkin
Principal
We will be having Parent-Teacher Interviews on Tuesday 24 March 3:30pm - 7:00pm & Wednesday 25 March 3:30pm - 6:00pm.
Parents can book Parent-Teacher Discussions with their child's teacher/s by clicking the link below and selecting a timeslot that suits. Please note the timeslots will not be live until 8:00am Monday 2 March.
The wellbeing of our students is important to us.
To get an understanding of how students across Tasmania feel about their own wellbeing, all students at Burnie High School will be taking part in a wellbeing survey.
The Student Wellbeing Survey is part of the Department of Education’s Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy.
The details for the survey are:
When: Term 1, 2020
Who: All BHS students
What do I need to do: You and your child don’t need to do anything. The survey will be done in class time and will not require your child to prepare in any way.
A letter with more information has been sent home with all students, including Frequently Asked Questions and a form to sign and return to the school if you do not want your child to participate in the survey.
If you would like further information, please contact the school.
Thank you for supporting us to ensure that all our learners are safe, feel supported and are able to flourish, so they can engage in learning.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday 6 March | PUBLIC HOLIDAY - 8 Hour Day |
Wednesday 11 March | Interhigh Swimming Carnival |
Tuesday 17 March | Surf League |
Tuesday 24 - Wednesday 25 March | Parent-Teacher Discussions |
Wednesday 25 March | Grade 9 Youth Forum |
Monday 6 April - Wednesday 8 April | Grade 7 Camp |
Thursday 9 April | Student Free Day |
Friday 10 April | PUBLIC HOLIDAY - Good Friday |
TERM DATES
Term 1 | 5 February - 9 April |
Term 2 | 27 April - 3 July |
Term 3 | 20 July - 25 September |
Term 4 | 12 October - 17 December |
The Concert Band have had 2 rehearsals so far and are absolutely smashing it! This week we played through the song “25 or 6 to 4” from start to finish and made a great sound for only 2 rehearsals!
Bronwyn Darvell
Music Teacher
Last Thursday, 18th February seven of our students attended the Student Voice Forum with Miss Smith. The purpose of the forum is hear from students what they consider to be the most important things to learn at school. The session involved a powerpoint presentation, card sorting activities and discussion.
The Student Voice Forum seeks to improve student attendance, retention and attainment in Tasmanian schools for all students. You can find more information on the website below:
The Student Representative Council are trying to get as many people involved in this year’s World’s Greatest Shave. We are seeking students to participate in this worthy cause and to contribute to our overall target of $1500.
The SRC will continue to advertise over the next couple of weeks with more information on how to get involved below.
Students who would like to join the Burnie High School team can visit the website https://worldsgreatestshave.com/ and search for the Burnie High School as the team name. Or alternatively students / people can donate through this link or in person at the school office.
The shaving will be done at school on Friday March 13 during the lunch hour.
Mr Kade Munday
SRC Coordinator
Grade 8 students have started the year well transitioning from Grade 7. With a wider variety of optional subjects on offer this year, students are enjoying experiencing new challenges. The newly elected Class Captains are ready to lead by example again this year. The following students were elected and will be representing Grade 8 in Term 1:
8A - Lexie Mott & Kirri Duncan
8B - Maya Papas & Liam O’Halloran
8C - Millie Allen & Scarlett Neil
8D – Piper Humphries & Lilly Townsend
8E – Jasmine Hurst & Baden Critchley
8F – Millie Ferguson & Jotham Poke
Grade 7 and 8 Italian students have started off well in this new option subject. Students have learnt to say "hello", "how are you", "my name is", "what is your name", "how old are you" and "I am (this many) years old". As well as further language lessons, students are also immersing themselves into the Italian culture.
Grade 9 and 10 students have commenced their journey into studying the Chinese language. This journey is aided by the My Chinese Teacher program and their tutor, Mable, who is located in Beijing. Students complete two 25 minute interactive video sessions with Mable a week and follow on their language learning through Canvas, Duolingo and Quizlet. So far students have learnt how to say "hello", "goodbye", "I am good, not too good", "so so", "how are you", "what is your name" and "this is".
CANTEEN & UNIFORM PRICES/ORDERING
Below are updated 2020 pricelists for our BHS Canteen and BHS Uniforms.
Have you downloaded Qkr? Save time each day by ordering your food using the Qkr app! Place your order before school in the morning or the night before on the app and your recess/lunch will be ready for collection from the canteen.
You can also order uniform items using the Qkr app and they will be ready for collection from the school office the next afternoon.