Filter Content
- Assistant Principal's Reflection
- School Photos - Back-Up Day
- Core Value Winners and Class Captains
- 2022 Levies
- Digital Thumbprint
- Year 7 Update
- Genius Junk Art 2021
- Relay for Life 2022
- Animal Adventures
- 2022 House Championships
- Burnie Youth Council 2022
- Rugby Tasmania
- Changes to reporting in 2022
- Burnie Rugby Union Club
- Communites Tasmania - Ticket to Play
- Parklands Pop-Up Pantry
- Come and Play Hockey
- Stringalong 2022
- Oral Health - FSFVP
- 2022 Tasmania Term Dates
- Do's and Don'ts of Mask Wearing
- Your Go-To Guide to Rapid Antigen Tests
- How to do a NASAL RAT
Assistant Principal's Reflection
Assistant Principal Reflection
I was recently asked to reflect on and share my earliest childhood memory that brought me happiness. My initial response to this question was – why? Why does this person want me to think about my happiest moments when there is so much to do? What will they do with this information and why do they want to know about me and what makes me happy? The reality of ‘why’ this question was asked prompted me to reflect on the purpose of our educational journey – as students, teachers, or as members of our Parklands High School community.
Ashleigh Barty currently holds the prestigious title of Number 1 women’s tennis player in the world. She attributes high levels of intrinsic motivation as critical to her journey to World Number 1. She purposefully focuses on being present, enjoying relationships, creating memories, and learning from experiences, as opposed to focussing on the things in her life she can’t control, she hasn’t yet achieved or doesn’t have – she turns adversity into possibility.
When immersed in our day-to-day lives and when we are striving for academic or professional achievement, it is easy to get caught up in the challenging moments, the moments that haven’t gone the way we had planned, or simply reaching the end result as quickly as possible - rather than reflecting on and enjoying the process of achieving our goals. Education is about learning. Learning when succeeding and learning from and during those challenging moments – turning our own adversities into possibilities.
Over the remaining four weeks of Term 1, ask yourself, and the people around you, what would happen if we all took the time to reflect on and share our happiest moments, the positive relationships we share, celebrating our learning successes or aspiring to achieve new goals. I hope your answer is similar to mine – anything is possible!
Whole School Assembly
On Wednesday, March 16, our students and staff held their first whole school assembly for the year. Although the assembly was delivered in an online format, it allowed us to share and celebrate each other’s successes over our first six weeks of school. During the assembly, Year 7 and 8 students were presented with their class captaincy badges for their respective Home Groups. These students are now provided with a unique opportunity to demonstrate and encourage leadership from their peers, engage in and encourage respectful and positive relationships, and suggest ways in which we can improve the overall learning culture at Parklands High School. It is our hope that other students demonstrate the courage to be brave and lead alongside their elected captains this semester. I would like to acknowledge the efforts and organisation of the Student Leadership Group (SLG) led by Mr Jamie Hughes. Our students, particularly our SLG, have consistently demonstrated how to lead with possibility – in light of adversity.
Mrs Rachel Steele and Ms Carol Boyd
I believe it is important to acknowledge all staff for their ongoing commitment to student wellbeing and for providing our students with engaging learning opportunities each day. However, I would like to specifically mention the recent work of Ms Carol Boyd in driving our whole school Literacy program, and Mrs Rachel Steele in curriculum planning, leading and programming – they have both put a phenomenal number of hours into ensuring that our students have access to high quality, evidence-based learning opportunities, along with supporting, mentoring, and coaching our staff along the way. Thank you.
Bike Track
Parklands High School staff and students are excited to be in the preliminary stages of planning a proposed community bike track that will provide our students, and extended community, with a local space to exercise and connect with one another. We invite you to provide feedback on this proposal using the following link: https://forms.gle/46NgKMRXiFSdcWHN8
Wellbeing Check in Tool
Our Year 7 students will soon be using the Department of Education (DoE) Wellbeing Check in Tool. The tool is designed to provide your child’s teachers with additional information to support their academic and social and emotional growth at school – it is important to note that this tool is not a diagnostic mental health tool and is not intended to replace face-to-face connection with staff. Further information about this tool can be read in the attached flyer. If you would like to speak to staff about this, please contact our school office.
We are looking forward to sharing more with our school community over the final four weeks of Term 1, but for now we remind you of the power in reflecting on the happy moments, to let go of the uncontrollable, and to turn those challenging learning moments into possibilities
Bianca Munday
Assistant Principal
Back Up Photo Day Announced
Thursday 7th April 2022
For any students that were absent for our photo day on Tuesday 15th March.
Core Value Winners and Class Captains
Core Value Recipiants
7A - Jake Malley
7B – Adelaide king
7C – Oliver Ebdon
7D – Destiny Brazendale
8A – Isabella Wilson
8B – Bonn Jager
8C – Fidel Aragon-Rodriduez
8D – Luke Church
9A – Mitchell Young
9B – Teleeka Campbell
9C – Caleb Dewhurst
10A – Kaleb Birchall
10B – Heratio Clarke-Maxwell
10C – Abbey Granger
POL – Danika Johnston
ACE – Emma Fraser
HUB – Kaleb Wyllie
Semester One Class Captains
7A - Charli Schumann – Zoe Anderson
7B – Jordi Campbell – Calais Emery (Kalay)
7C - Ryan Lockhart – Erin Tivan-Charles
7D – Bree Rooks – Lincoln Woullumen
8A – Sebastian Jongschaap – Ella Dummett
8B – Raikkonen Busscher – Ryan Reider
8C – Russi Sturzaker – Kirra Birchall
8D – Bradley Smith – Alyra Triffitt
Levies
Levy payments are now due.
If your circumstances have changed, or if you are experiencing financial difficulty or financial hardship, or if you are receiving an invoice for levies and you shouldn’t be, please contact the school’s Business Manager, Angela Townsend or angela.townsend@education.tas.gov.au
You may be eligible for the Student Assistance Scheme. If you are eligible and your application is approved, you will not need to pay any levies. An application form is available from the School Office or you can apply online.
On Thursday 17th March, Year 7 and 8 students attended sessions presented by Jake from Optus Digital Thumbprint. For the Year 7 students, these sessions focused on creating strong passwords, online safety and understanding just how easily and far things can spread when shared on the internet. Students were keen to check how secure their passwords were and were quite surprised to discover that some passwords were not as strong as they thought they were.
Year 8 students explored the importance of respectful relationships through different scenarios and to consider their impact when interacting online. They also focused on consent online, image-based abuse, and the tools they have to positively support themselves and their peers. Students were surprised at how easy it was for the information they post online, such as their interests, locations and habits, to be tracked. With the insight provided by Jake, students will reassess their online habits to stay safe digitally.
“We got this” – Bree Rooks
A quote that sums up our first six weeks of high school in Year 7. High school - it's not like primary school at all. Completely different. There is lots to know, to find, and to learn. It seemed frightening at first but we got there! There are a lot more people to meet, you will make so many more friends than you would think.
Some highlights form the term so far:
Congratulations to our elected Year 7 class captains of Semester 1:
- Charli Schumann and Zoe Anderson
- Ryan Lockhart and Erit Tivan-Charles
- Bree Rooks and Lincon Woullumen
- Jordi Campbell and Calais Emery
Our first virtual assembly went really well – it was exciting as we had to go up to Top C as class captains to collect our badges and the leadership team were given their fancy new blazers. Many students also received core value awards – congratulations.
In History, we are studying ‘Out of Africa and Out of Australia’ looking at our Ancient Histories. We have learnt some cool terminology. We’ve also looked at documentaries and research around our histories and learnt more about the human race and its origins. We are now doing some posters as part of our assignment, looking at different points on a timeline and researching key parts in time. This has been really fun (Bree is particularly excited)!
In Art we are doing our Silhouette art projects – including things that are meaningful to us. This project is concept driven, focusing on us and our story. We’re learning tone, shading and values in art also. The fancy names of different shadows and perceptions have been interesting to learn.
MDT has been fun! We made wind spinners. We had to cut up really long pieces of timber and then had to put them on a metal rod. They kind of looked like a spiral staircase. When you hang them up they look really cool when they spin. We are also learning how to do project reports properly on them and will be starting our next project soon.
Music- YAY. In music we are doing a song “Zombie’ by the Cranberries. The drum bit is hard, but we got this. We’ve been doing plenty of music theory including the elements of music and are also looking at beats, notes and other note names which has been educational. Some instruments people are playing are piano, drums, guitar, electric guitar, electric drums and violin.
In Drama we have been doing lots of theory. We have been looking at breaking the fourth wall which is when the actors interact with the audience. Props and background sets, voice and movement have also been a focus. A highlight has been being able to perform to some students from other classes. A funny moment was also when we were asked to act as birds and someone laid down and said “don’t mind me, I’m a dead bird”… we love the creativity in this class!
In PE we have FINALLY finished fitness testing which included jump tests, sprints, height measurements and also the dreaded beep test. We are now moving on to team sports which should be fun… (don’t hunt us down Mr Costelloe, we ‘loved’ it… – Erit)
Maths competition: Today a number of Year 7’s were brave enough to compete in a national maths competition. It was kind of like a test, (in a good way). It was very challenging but worthwhile, a little brain power goes a long way! Well done to all participants.
In science we’ve started our first investigation looking at mould growth on wet bread versus dry bread. There have been many variants including hot and cold water. It will be interesting to see how well the mould grows, if it does at all. The majority of the assignment is about learning to do a proper science report.
Overall, Year 7 has been a great experience and I hope the rest of the year goes as smoothly as this.
Year 7 update, proudly brought to you by Erit Tivan-Charles and Bree Rooks.
Last year, The Burnie Arts Council teamed up with members of the Burnie community, including Parklands High School, to pull of a fantastic event known as Genius Junk. This program allowed Artists such as Dave Turner to work with students from schools across Burnie to make music on non-traditional instruments such as drums. Over the course of many weeks students learnt about rhythm, beat and working as a team to create a beautiful piece of work that was then shared and presented at the Barker Street Reserve where a fantastic family fun day was had.
A bit about Genius Junk: an intergenerational, cross-genre arts-based community project with an environmental theme!
Burnie Arts Council’s Genius Junk program has engaged the Burnie community in a broad range of creative activities whilst doing the right thing by our planet. The program culminated in a public event at the Barker St Reserve, Havenview.
To capture the audience and promote our learnings in sustainable art practices, some of our students last year designed and created a promotional sign which was displayed proudly on the day of the event and even featured in the documentary video that followed (video below) – well done to students involved!
Further to this, our school was fortunate to be able to work again with Lyndal Thorne and the Burnie Arts Council on a digital media project that promoted cyber safety and security as well as careers in the media arts and film industry. Students were fortunate to work alongside Artist Nic Higgins and collaborate with local Tasmanian companies in advertising to plan, create and promote their own content. You can see the fantastic work below. Thank you to Guy Chalky Grey for all of your work with this program and our culture hub, to Lyndal Thorne and the Burnie Arts Council for your support and the wonderful opportunity that was provided through this program, to Giovanna Simpson for your support and involvement in this fantastic work, to Dave Turner and Scott Campbell for your time and effort in visiting our school and opening up further opportunities for our students in the Arts and to all members of our school and community who were participants in this fantastic project.
Coastal students step into the world of documentaries with Genius Junk | The Advocate | Burnie, TAS (newspaper article)
This year, the Student Leadership Group will be representing Parklands at Relay for Life on March 26-27. Relay for Life is an annual event organised by the Cancer Council to raise money for Cancer Research.
If you would like to donate, you can do so here: Penguin 2022: Parklands 2022 - Cancer Council
To raise funds, we are hosting a Yellow and Purple Day on March 25. Students will have a range of activities to take part in on the day and have BBQ access for lunch. Prices can be seen on the poster below.
Heidi
Why I Relay
The reasons people participate in Relay for Life are fairly similar - either you have experienced cancer yourself or you know someone who has experienced it. Prior to 2017, my reasons to relay were much the same as a lot of other people's. I had family members affected by cancer. I lost six family members in a six month period to the disease. I relayed to remember them, to show my support to those battling and to the people who, like myself, had lost loved ones. I relayed to raise funds to hopefully find a cure for a disease that has touched the lives of so many people. I relayed to bring awareness.
2017 is when my reasons for relaying changed. It is the year that it became a lot more personal. It was the year when, at the age of thirty-four, I was diagnosed with a triple negative ductal carcinoma. Breast cancer. My life after this became a blur and my only focus was on my treatments and beating cancer. Two surgeries, six rounds of chemotherapy, one hospital stay because I got an infection while having chemo, a diagnosis of lymphoedema (swelling) in my right arm, and thrity-three rounds of radiation later my doctors told me prognosis looked good. At the end of this year, I can officially say I am cured.
I have the permanent reminders of my experience with cancer. There are the things you can see - the scars, the compression garments I wear to help with my lymphoedema, my much thinner hair (a bit of a sore point for me). Then there are those you can’t see - like the emotional toll it took on my husband, siblings, grandparents, my mum and myself, and the constant thought that it will come back.
I am not the same person I was prior to cancer. My reasons for relaying are not the same as they were. Today, while I still relay to remember those that I have lost and to support those that are still fighting, I also relay as a survivor. A cancer warrior.
Today I relay for me.
Last week our Police in schools Animal Adventures class hit the floor running! Constable Kellie Little brought in three dogs for our students to walk and of course we had Mr Well’s puppy dog, Franklin! The other dogs were called Ruby, Doug and Ranger.
The dogs were very excited about meeting each other and even more excited to go for a walk! We left the school grounds and took them (and ourselves) for a walk through Romaine Reserve. Some of the students had never been through the Reserve, so it was nice for them to see what a beautiful spot we have, so close to school.
The girls all enjoyed the time we had together, as they got to know each other better, as well as myself and Constable Little. We talked about so many things and everyone was able to swap and share the dogs that they walked. It was a wonderful way to learn about sharing and being respectful to each other. Franklin was very excited and wanted to play in the mud a lot, but we didn’t let him! We walked about five kilometres through the reserve and back and the dogs were all happy to have a drink of water upon our return! So were we!
House Championships 2022
This year, the house championship is well and truly up for grabs. With Breone dominating for years, we figure it is finally time for someone else to knock them off their perch. In the past, the house championship has been awarded to the best sporting house. As a student leadership team, we recognise that many different students have many different strengths here at Parklands. We are excited to announce that there will be some different ways throughout the year to contribute to your house. This of course will still include our sports carnivals, but also acknowledge award winners, those who participate in extracurricular activities – academics, arts, sports etc. and other competitions along the way. Watch this space!
HPE Department
On Wednesday March 16, we were lucky enough to have Nick Robinson from Rugby Tasmania come put us through our paces. There was some conjecture as to whether we would proceed given the heavy rain but all eighteen boys were keen to give it a go. The boys learnt a number of key rugby skills - passing, progressing upfield and clearing. The boys all did an excellent job with Nick who said it was the best session he had seen at a school in thirty years!
Changes to reporting in 2022
This year, you will notice some changes to reporting in Tasmanian Government Schools.
Firstly, you won’t see A-E reporting any more for Prep to Year 10 students.
Most families in Tasmanian Government Schools have told us that A-E reporting isn’t meaningful enough for them. So, the Department is introducing a new 9-point visual scale.
Along with the visual scale a worded description will be included to help you understand how your child is going against the expected standard for their year level. The 9-point scale will show more specifically where your child is at with their learning. This change won’t apply to students in Years 11 and 12.
The second main change you’ll see is that teachers will be communicating with you more regularly throughout the year, instead of providing written comments on reports.
This more regular communication might be through online communication, telephone calls, or face-to-face conversations.
By having more regular information about your child’s learning progress you’ll get a better understanding of how your child is going across the entire school year (not just twice a year).
What you should expect across the school year:
Term 1 |
Week 5-8 |
Communication focussing on application to learning Or conversation about learning plan goals with families and students |
Term 2 |
Week 6-9 |
Opportunity for a two or three-way conversation focussing on learning progress, application to learning and wellbeing and/or learning plan goals. |
Term 2 |
Week 10 |
Mid-year report of learning achievement |
Term 3 |
Weeks 6-9 |
Opportunity for a two or three-way conversation focussing on learning progress, application to learning and wellbeing and/or learning plan goals. |
Term 4 |
Week 9-10 |
End of year report of learning achievement |
Families will be supported to understand the new reporting requirements and the changes to mid and end of year report as they are implemented.
Watch the video introducing the changes: Changes to reporting in 2022
If you’d like to know more about why these changes are occurring, visit Review into Reporting to Families - The Department of Education Tasmania
Communites Tasmania - Ticket to Play
Ticket To Play Vouchers
Communities Tasmania - Ticket to Play
Information for parents/guardians/carers
To be eligible for a voucher, children must be:
- living in Tasmania;
- aged between 5 and 18 at the time of application; and
- listed on a valid Centrelink Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card (either their own or their parent, guardian or carer’s) or be in Out of Home Care.
Eligible participants receive two vouchers worth up to $100 each. Vouchers can be used at two different activity providers, or both at one activity provider.
Important dates
Ticket to Play runs on a financial year.
Applications are open from 1 July 2021 to 5 pm on 30 May 2022.
Vouchers must be given to an Approved Activity Provider by Monday 6 June 2022.
How to apply for a Ticket to Play voucher
Voucher applications are online. To apply for a voucher click here.
For each application you will need:
Parent/carer details (name, address, contact details and Centrelink Customer Reference Number)
Participant details (name, date of birth, Centrelink Customer Reference Number)
After submitting your application, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your email address by clicking on a validation link. Once your email address is confirmed, you will receive your Ticket to Play voucher codes by email.
What are the vouchers?
Each Ticket to Play voucher is a unique code (eg 22- ABC-ABC1-ABC).
Find an Approved Activity Provider
Vouchers can only be used at Approved Activity Providers (organisations/clubs) who meet certain eligibility criteria.
To find a list of Approved Activity Providers click here.
How to use Ticket to Play vouchers
Give your voucher code(s) to an Approved Activity Provider when you register your child for membership. You will need to show your voucher code(s) and Health Care or Pension Concession Card. The Approved Activity Provider will reduce membership fees by up to $100 per voucher.
If the full membership fee is less than $100, vouchers can only be used for this amount. For example, if membership costs $80, one voucher will cover the whole amount. The remaining amount of $20 cannot be used at another provider.
If the membership fee is more than $100, you can choose to pay the rest out of pocket or use your second voucher. For example, if full membership costs $150, the voucher will cover $100 and you will pay $50 out of pocket or use the second voucher for $50.
If you are using two vouchers at one activity provider, the vouchers will cover membership fees up to $200. For example, if full membership costs $150, the vouchers will cover $150. If full membership costs $250, the vouchers will cover $200 and you will pay $50.
Contact us
Contact us at tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au or on 1800 252 476.
Frequently Asked Questions for parents/carers/guardians
What if my child turns 5 or 19 during the season?
Children must be aged between 5 and 18 at the time of application. A child is eligible to apply on the day they turn 5 and until the day before they turn 19.
If I am 18, do I need to enter parent/guardian/carer details?
No. If you are 18 at the time of application, you can enter your own details on both pages of the application form.
What if my child is not listed on an eligible Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card?
Your child must be listed on a Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card to be eligible to apply.
Applicants who are in Out of Home Care and are not listed on an eligible card can apply for a voucher by contacting tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au or 1800 252 476.
Can I apply for vouchers for more than one child?
Yes. You can apply for vouchers for more than one child in one application form. Each child must be listed on a Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card and their own unique Customer Reference Number (CRN) must be used in the application.
How much funding is available?
Two vouchers worth up to $100 each are available for each participant in the 2021-22 financial year.
How do I apply if I don’t have internet access?
You can access the internet for free at your local library and even book a time for a library volunteer to help you.
Your chosen activity provider may be able to help you to apply online.
Some community organisations such as the Salvation Army may be able to help you access the internet.
If you still can’t access the internet, please contact us on 1800 252 476.
What if I don’t have an email address?
You can sign up for an email account through free providers including Gmail, Yahoo Mail or Mail.com.
What if I have made a mistake in the application?
Contact us at tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au or on 1800 252 476.
What if I receive an error message when I try to apply?
Check that you have correctly completed all sections of the application form.
If you are still unable to complete the form, contact us at tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au or on 1800 252 476.
What if I don’t receive my vouchers?
If you do not receive an email asking you to confirm your email address after submitting the online application form, please check your junk and spam folders.
If you do not receive anything within 24 hours, please do not try applying again. Contact us at tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au or 1800 252 476.
What if I lose my voucher codes?
Contact us at tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au or on 1800 252 476.
What can the voucher be used for?
The vouchers can be used for membership fees with Approved Activity Providers including Sporting clubs, Learn to Swim centres, Scouts, Girl Guide and Cadet organisations.
To find a list of activity providers click here.
Vouchers cannot be used for:
- individual equipment items or uniforms
- court fees or match day fees
- gym membership or classes run by a private gym
- travel to and from activities
- programs that run for less than six weeks
- activities that are part of the school curriculum or school-run competitions, including weekend inter-school sport competitions or activities
Can I use the voucher for dance classes?
No. Dance is not recognised as a sport by Sport Australia. DanceSport is a recognised sport and the voucher may be used if the club is affiliated with DanceSport Australia and meets the Approved Activity Provider eligibility criteria.
What if my local club isn’t an Approved Activity Provider?
Clubs must be registered as Approved Activity Providers to redeem vouchers. Contact the club to see if they have considered registering as an activity provider.
What happens if my child changes their mind about joining a club?
Activity providers cannot refund vouchers that have already been redeemed.
You will need to contact the club your child has joined to notify them. If the voucher has not been redeemed, you may use it at another Approved Activity Provider.
Can I use a voucher more than once if the activity costs less than $100?
No. Vouchers are single use only. Any remaining amount is not redeemable for cash and cannot be used towards membership at another activity provider.
Can I use my vouchers towards club fees I have already paid?
No. You must use vouchers at the time of registration.
Who can I contact for help?
Contact us at tickettoplay@communities.tas.gov.au or 1800 252 476 for help.
Stringalong at Parklands High School 2022
Stringalong is on again at Parklands in 2022! We are very excited to welcome a new teacher to the program, Helen Hurst, who is a cellist and has taught for many years in string music programs in Queensland.
Would you like to learn to play violin, viola, cello or double bass? We welcome anyone who has been a part of Stringalong in the past to return, and invite any newcomers to join this year. Lessons will be on Thursday afternoons during Blocks 5 or 6. We will be recruiting members in the weeks ahead and more information will be made available soon, so keep your eyes and ears open for further announcements. We look forward to making music with you...
Josie Riches
Stringalong Instructor