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- Principal's Report
- Can you help??
- Easter Raffle
- Art - Term 1
- Assembly
- Student Leadership Group - PCYC Challenge
- What Matters 2021 - National Competition
- Robot Man
- Health Services Assistance
- Anti Bullying Day
- Kitchen Photos
- Year 8
- Chaplain Report
- The Smith Family’s ‘Learning for Life’ Program
- Laptop & Levy Payments
- 2021 Term Dates
- Community Notice Board
As we get close to the end of the term, it is timely to reflect on the events, challenges and celebrations over the past 8 weeks. At our School Association meeting earlier this week, I reported on the term listing all the events, opportunities and activities that occurred across the school from off site excursions such as beach volleyball, swim carnivals, student leadership and team building sessions through to International Women’s Day luncheon where we had seven of our Year 9 and 10 student attended. Students have also had opportunities to participate in maths competitions, mapali – Ten Days on the Island, schoolwide fundraiser and activities days, and the list goes on with well over 25 events which have provided all students with the opportunity to engage, learn and build their connectedness with not only our school community but also our broader community. Our Police in Schools Program is also up and running providing an additional resource and opportunity to build connections within our community. It is always great to hear of the achievements of our students.
We have much to celebrate and acknowledge; two of our student leaders attended the Burnie City Council Youth Council to elect the Youth Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Danielle Jones put forward her nomination and in her speech spoke of her passion, commitment and what she will bring to the role of Youth Mayor to support the growth of our community. We pass on our congratulations to Danielle on her successful nomination as the 2021 Burnie City Council Youth Mayor. Well done Danielle!
Also congratulations is extended to James Frankcombe for his selection in the Under 17 Tasmanian Athletics team. James will be heading to Sydney over the holidays to compete in the national championships. James will represent Tasmania in the 3000m race and 2000 steeple chase. We wish James the very best and look forward to hearing how he goes.
We have many students involved in a broad range of events and organisations outside of school that contribute positively to our community. It is always fantastic that the achievements and hard work of our students is recognised. We encourage parent, students and organisations to let us know of the achievements and contributions our students make outside of school as we are keen to acknowledge these and celebrate with them.
Parklands High would like to also congratulate Montello Primary for winning the Schools Plus, Google grant to further develop their Makerspace STEM program. Montello is the first Tasmanian school to receive the Google grant and only the fourth in Australia. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Mrs Denise Wotherspoon, Principal of Montello who yesterday announced her retirement, which will be effective from the end of Term 2. Denise has influenced the lives of many past and present students throughout her 40 plus years in education and we recognise the contribution she has made, not only within the schools she has taught and led, but also the broader community. We know she will enjoy next term as she concludes her career at Montello and wish her all the very best in retirement.
As our school term comes to an end for students next Wednesday, can I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for Easter and the holidays. We look forward to seeing everyone back for Term 2 on Wednesday 21 April.
We have a number of families looking for rental properties within the Burnie region.
If you have a place to rent or know of any available, please make contact with the school as soon as possible.
Our Student Leadership Group is holding an Easter raffle, with 5 prizes to be won.
Tickets are available at the school office and during break times in the Cafeteria. Tickets are $1 each or 3 for $2.
This will be drawn on the last day of term, Wednesday, 31 March and the winners will be contacted via phone and announced on Facebook.
Our final Assembly for the term will be held next Wednesday, 31 March starting from 10:40am.
This can be viewed via the Live Stream link - https://youtu.be/I8MaTjKyVnQ
Student Leadership Group - PCYC Challenge
It was a warm sunny day at the dog park near Hellyer College, where the Student Leadership Group tackled ‘Operation Resilience Phase 2’ with the help of our PCYC Personal Trainer, Geoff. When our leadership team arrived, Geoff sat us down on a grass patch to brief us on safety precautions. With our leadership team already showing great listening skills, Mr Hughes picked Caleb and Ebony to be our leaders for the day.
We travelled through different terrains including swamps, grasslands and hills. We dominated the course with excellent problem-solving skills, encouragement and also good communication. After we completed the course, our leaders shared their wisdom, commenting on how we could improve on our leadership skills and work together more effectively. From this experience, we learnt that anything is possible if we all stick together and work together as a collective group. The greatest thing we took away from the day was resilience. We were resilient when it got cold, wet and heavy. It was mentally challenging as well as physically challenging, but in the end, we prevailed and finished the course together. Big thanks to Geoff, Mr Hughes and Elloisz for being there guiding us through this experience.
Mitchell Burley
What Matters 2021 - National Competition
Year 9 students Abby Sharman and Abbey Granger recently entered a national competition for young people. They both wrote an essay about an issue they think is important to make our communities better places – What Matters 2021.
Abby Sharman - Year 9
Bullying
Bullying is a behaviour of a person who hurts someone with less power often forcing that person to do something they do not want to do.
A word with a lot of pain.
A word that consists of being scared to travel
Bullying.
We should all have a good time
to lead ourselves into the future.
Innocents being targeted
Bystanders frightened
To become a target for an arrow.
They lost their life!
Bullying! A word with pain.
A fight broke out
and bruises and scars were made
the poor victim lay,
tears streaming
petrified
trapped
Weeks went past.
Bullying, a word with pain.
They never came to school
barely eating
barely sleeping.
The bully attacked another.
Came to school once again
sad and depressed.
Mysterious cuts
covered up,
Anxiety built up,
Participation was not a key,
head down onto their arms.
Bagged ripped and clothes torn.
Shouting in an office
Was the only option
To gain peace for those in pain
attacked and bashed
on a regular-daily-basis.
The message does not get through.
Repeated cycle
Soon they passed
Into the sky
The pain got to them
So, they chose to fly.
Therefore
Bullying should be stopped
No matter the cost
No one wants to be in pain
Everyone needs a life
So why make them struggle
Make them choose to fly
They are only children
That want to survive this life
What matters Australia – links
Bullying definition - https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bullying
Abbey Granger - Year 9
Sexism
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to be powerful, but assertive. Kind and compassionate, but not weak. A woman loves hard but works harder.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means sharing a special bond and connection with those around her, something that’s full of care. A woman looks beyond someone’s sexuality, race, age, and physicality.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to always put the wellbeing of those around her first. A woman cares for others sometimes more than she does for herself.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to always provide for others. A woman should always ensure that those around her are taken care of, she is selfless.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to be pure. A woman should save herself until marriage, nobody wants to marry a slut.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to love. A woman should get married early and love a man endlessly, even if it means she gets nothing in return.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to be submissive. A woman should always do what her husband says and obey politely.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to be pretty. A woman should always have her hair and makeup done, but not too much, because nobody likes a girl who’s fake.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to be quiet. A woman should always keep her opinions to her herself, nobody likes a girl who’s extroverted and loud.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to be modest. A woman should always leave something to the imagination.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to not fight back. A woman should accept that boys will be boys, and men cannot control themselves.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to take responsibility. A woman should never choose to have an abortion, because the baby inside of her will always be more important than her mental, physical, and financial stability. Besides, it’s her fault for wearing what she did that night.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to love herself. A woman must always remember that despite the world being against her, she is beautiful and inviolable.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to be strong. A woman should never let herself succumb to the negativities of life.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to choose. A woman can and will say no when she is uncomfortable.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to teach. A woman will hold men responsible for the suffering that she and her ancestors have endured throughout the years. She will guide those who are significantly younger than her but of her sex through the difficulties and injustices that women face.
What does it mean to be a woman?
It means to fight. A woman will protest the gender roles and stereotypes that our society has bound her to. And she will not stop until she and her sisters receive justice.
On the 16th of March, the Advanced Manufacturing and the Year 8 STEM class experienced an incursion in the school cafeteria, where we learned the art of coding robots.
'Robot Man' and his son ‘Young Robot Man' took us through how to code the robots with directions and build battle weapons on to them.
We built our robots in groups to battle against other groups. There were multiple battles with many won and lost.
Everyone showed good sportsmanship and respect for each other. Overall, it was a lot of fun and creative learning.
Lakota Upton and Carole Self
On Friday, March 3, the Student Leadership Group hosted Anti Bullying Day. Students and staff were invited to wear their blue and orange to help raise awareness. The day began with an extended homeroom in which students watched two videos about bullying and made a pledge to stop bullying. At lunch, a few leaders were out the front of the cafeteria giving out cupcakes to everyone who was able to answer a few questions about bullying and then the leaders gave them tips on what to do when they see or are a part of bullying. The cupcakes where a big hit and they ran out with 15 minutes of lunch left to go. The day was a big success and raised awareness about the impacts of bullying.
Caleb Ling
The last few weeks have been interesting and very productive among the five classes with lots of events and learning opportunities.
- Purple and Yellow Day (cancer awareness) was on Wednesday, 24 March and organised by the SRC team. Students brought a gold coin to raise funds for cancer research. At recess there was a dodgeball game in the gym, which was very competetive and a basketball game at lunch, which many participating or cheering everyone on.
- Blue and Orange Day (anti-bullying) was organised by the SRC team and was on Friday 19 March. We made paper hands with quotes on them about bullying, such as 'speak up even if your voice shakes'. These quotes were displayed on gym walls forming the quote “BULLYING NO WAY!” Many of our Year 8 students participated in the day by bringing a gold coin and dressing up in orange and blue.
- We have been introduced to a PCYC Bootcamp course that is run by Geoff Taylor (the manager at PCYC). Bootcamp is a course designed to build friendships and teamwork skills. It is full of mud, hills and rivers in the bush. It runs through creeks and water, where we will be challenged to work together as a team. We can expect to carry ropes and giant tyres with us along the course. Each class will experience the bootcamp course between now and month of May. We are very excited about this excursion.
Class Captains have also been very busy organising newsletter articles, grade assemblies and sharing lots of fun and exciting ideas. Our recent focus has been on equity and equality and creating awareness of ways to help people and better understand different learning styles. Congratulations to Arliya Potts for receiving this week’s “Positive Parklands Award” for upholding our core values and supporting peers in Year 8. Well done to all Year 8 students who were nominated this week.
Thanks for a great term Year 8, see you in Term 2 for a fresh and bright start.
By Arliya Potts and Jack Gilliam
8C Class Captains
Hi everyone, being a part of the Parklands team is a good thing for me. I really love my role as Chaplain. I love building positive relationships with students and staff and supporting people in general on a day to day basis. We have a great support team at Parklands, and we work hard to support everyone who needs it. There are many things that we as individuals can do to help ourselves as well. Things like getting enough sleep, having a well-balanced diet, and exercising daily. Let’s look after our bodies. We need to have people in our lives who we trust, people who we can talk to, who help us when we get down, looking after our mental state. Also, we need to be connected to something bigger than ourselves, connected to the land, connected to a faith, connected to a group, connected to something which will meet the spiritual need that we all have. Life is more than work or school, to be really healthy we need to have a good balance in it. Here is an example of what I do outside of work.
I try to stay physical fit by walking my dog, many of you have met Jaspa. I still play competitive volleyball. I also compete at Masters Athletics. On Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st I competed at the State Athletics and State Masters Athletics Championships in Launceston. Athletes from under 18 right up to over 70 met at the track in Launceston to compete for the State 2021 Athletic titles. The Masters part of the event is for men over the age of 35 and women over the age of 30 to compete against each other and hopefully take away a medal. I compete in the throws, shot put, discus, and javelin, against all the men aged from 35 up to 75 plus. In each event everyone is eventually placed from first right through to last then the medals are awarded according to the individual age bracket that you fall in. So, in any one event there can be multiple gold medals awarded. I had a good weekend. I placed second overall in the shot put and third overall in the discus and came away with a gold medal for each of my events, shot put, discus and javelin. I also threw a PB in the discus. My age bracket is the 60-64 group, so I am older than most of the other athletes, (its nice to beat the younger ones). Everyone wants to win and throw a PB, but at the end of the day we all encourage and congratulate each other and have great time competing.
We all need to be involved and do things outside the things that we have to do, like work and school. Age should never be a barrier to having a go. You are never too old or young to have a go. In past years we have had 80- and 90-year old’s competing. So, in everything that you do, give it your best and take every opportunity that is presented to you. You will feel better because you are exercising. Mentally you are in a better place and there is a sense of being connected to a greater purpose. So much of life is determined by you, so put yourself in the best position possible, and have a balanced healthy life. And perhaps win a few medals along the way.
Chris Swain
School Chaplain
The Smith Family’s ‘Learning for Life’ Program
Dear Parent/ guardian,
The Smith Family’s “Learning for Life” Educational support program is continuing to work in partnership with schools in Burnie/Wynyard for 2021.
We are reaching out to local families with students at Parklands High from year 7 upwards who have aspiration for growth in their education pathway.
Each student receives a modest financial support ($450. per child/per year) to assist with school uniforms, shoes, bags, lunch boxes etc. and extracurricular activities right through to year 12 and beyond, plus educational programs throughout the year.
To be eligible for the scholarship, you must hold a current concession, healthcare/ pension card and your child/children attending Parklands High.
Warmest Regards,
Karina 0466 850 989
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Please call / Text or Email:
Karina on 0466 850 989, Email: karina.anderson@thesmithfamily.com.au to discuss this wonderful opportunity for you and your family.
Laptop Payments
Laptops are in the process of being issued to participating students.
If your child will not be participating, please notify the school office.
Levies
Invoices have been processed for 2021 levies.
Please contact the school office if you are unable to pay by the due date.
2020 TERM DATES
TERM |
YEAR |
STUDENTS COMMENCE |
STUDENTS FINISH |
TERM 1 |
Year 7 – 10 Year 11 - 12 |
Wednesday, 3 February Wednesday, 3 February |
Wednesday, 31 March Thursday, 1 April |
TERM 2 |
Year 7 – 10 |
Wednesday, 21 April |
Friday, July 2 |
TERM 3 |
Year 7 – 10 |
Tuesday, 20 July |
Friday, 24 September |
TERM 4 |
Year 7 – 10 |
Monday, 11 October |
Thursday, 16 December |
EASTER BREAK
Friday, 2 April |
Tuesday, 6 April |
STUDENT FREE DAYS
YEAR |
DATE |
REASON |
Year 7 - 10 |
Tuesday, 2 February |
Professional Learning Day |
Year 7 - 10 |
Thursday, April 1 |
Moderation Day |
Year 7 – 10 |
Monday, 19 July |
Professional Learning Day |
Year 7 - 10 |
Friday, 29 October |
Professional Learning Day |