Filter Content
- From the Principal
- Physical Distancing in Schools During COVID-19
- Supporting Your School Community - Stay COVID-safe
- Why our schools are safe
- Cyberbullying
- What is a Zine?
- Grade 8 Maths
- "Snail Trail" - A Short Story
- Getting creative at home
- Application for Short Term Crisis Funding
- 2020 Policy Impact Program Fellows
- Huon Valley Council Volunteer Awards 2020
- Scamwatch Radar Alert
- Maxima Specialised Employment Service
This term in schools has continued to be as no other in our experience with this likely to continue as we transition from predominantly learning at home back to face-to-face teaching and learning.
Over the past few months I have continued to be impressed by the Huon community’s focus on ensuring everyone’s safety in these challenging and daunting times, however now it is time to rethink our strategies and respond to Government and Public Health advice so that students can return to classrooms and be supported in their learning.
In my newsletter communication to the school community at the end of last term, I outlined the vision for learning during Term 2, with an emphasis that we would ensure that every child be offered work so that when normal schooling resumed no one was left behind in their learning. As such, as a staff and as best we can, we have been working with an absolute focus on seeing students engaging in meaningful, regular, concerted and planned learning supported by our teachers and support staff.
Students have engaged in learning through:
- Online learning at home where students and families have reliable internet access and a computer, tablet or mobile phone that can access the internet
- Offline learning at home where internet and devices have not been possible
- Online learning at school whilst the advice was that families should keep their children home if possible, where children could not be cared for at home, they could attend school where teachers could supervise them while they complete the same content as students at home
Over the past weeks we have also attempted, with regular communication with families, to understand and respond to the many different circumstances confronted through learning at home. We know that some learners have experienced difficulties with the learning at home process, so planning is happening as we prepare for face-to-face classes where we can identify any reduced learning and uphold our commitment to ensure no one has been disadvantaged through this period of disruption.
We are excited and looking forward to resuming face-to-face classes with students, beginning with the Year 11/12s on May 25th, then the rest of the school on June 9th.
Until then, it is important that we support the emphasis on learning at home as until these dates we are not in a position to effectively provide a dual delivery mode. Until the respective return to school dates, students will continue to be taught through the online platform (Canvas) or provided with hardcopy packages of learning. As a school we appreciate your support in this.
Returning to school will still be quite different for us all. Until Public Health advice changes, we will have reduced capacity in practical subjects and gatherings such as assemblies will not be possible. Off-campus experiences are only possible if they are an essential requirement of a course, and then with strict processes that must be followed.
In all of this, our core values will underpin the successful resumption of learning, with Safety, Responsibility, Growth and Respect all fundamental to creating a vibrant, exciting and engaging learning environment.
With physical distancing being a requirement for adults in particular, please note the articles, "Physical Distancing in Schools During COVID-19" and "Supporting Your School Community - Stay COVID-safe", with clearly defined expectations for parents/carers and other adults. Again with this, we appreciate your support in ensuring the safety of our whole community.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the super human efforts of the whole HHS staff team for the professional and caring manner in which they have approached this new way of working. Everyone, teaching and non-teaching, has been absolutely committed to the learning and well-being of our families and for this, I thank you.
Geoff Williamson
Physical Distancing in Schools During COVID-19
Public Health advice is clear – it is safe for schools to be open. This is because we have a low rate of Coronavirus (COVID-19) community spread in Tasmania and there has been increased and expanded testing. To reduce the risk even further, schools have hygiene and physical distancing measures in place.
While it is safe to send your child/ren to school, we still need adults to maintain a distance from other adults, whilst on site.
To help us with adult physical distancing, we are asking all parents/carers to:
- Use ‘Stop, Drop and Go’ for all drop offs and pickups. This means you don’t get out of your car. Your child walks into the school building on their own.
- If you need to contact the school or one of your child’s teachers, please call the school office on 6264 0800 or email the teacher.
- If you need to collect your child before the end of the school day, please send a note with your child stating the time and reason they are leaving early. They will give it to their teacher who will let them leave the classroom to wait in the foyer until you arrive – please call the school office and let us know you are here (6264 0800) and we will send them out to you.
We want to make school as safe as possible for everyone. Feel free to ask questions if you require any further information. These things won’t be forever, but we all have a shared responsibility to act in a way that supports everyone being safe.
More information is available on the Department of Education website: www.education.tas.gov.au
Children who are bored by long periods at home can pick at each other, and that happens online too. So it is important to keep an eye out for cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying behaviour can include mean posts, comments and messages about a child, or deliberately leaving them out of online group activities. Cyberbullying can make social isolation worse and the longer it continues, the more stressed the child can become, impacting on their emotional and physical wellbeing.
Here are some helpful tips:
- Remember, when they are away from school, children have less access to their usual support systems including friends, teachers and counsellors.
- Talk to your child about cyberbullying before it happens. Together you can work out strategies to address potential issues and reassure them you will be there to offer support.
- Watch out for signs such as your child or teen appearing upset or anxious after using their mobile, tablet or computer, being unusually secretive about their online activities or becoming withdrawn.
What can I do if my child is being cyberbullied?
As a parent, your first instinct may be to ban your child from social media, disable the wifi or turn off the data access, but this could make the problem worse by making your child feel as if they are being punished and heightening their sense of social exclusion.
There are five simple steps that can help minimise harm:
- Listen, think, stay calm - talk about what happened, try to remain open and non-judgemental, ask your child how they feel and ensure they feel heard.
- Collect evidence of the cyberbullying material - it is a good idea to collect evidence, such as screenshots, of the bullying behaviour, in case you need to report it later on.
- Report the cyberbullying to the social media service where it is occurring - many social media services, games, apps and websites allow you to report abusive content and request that it is removed.
- Block the offending user - advise your child and others not to respond to bullying messages as this can inflame the situation. Help your child block or unfriend the person sending the messages.
- Report to eSafety - if serious cyberbullying is affecting your child and you need help to have the material removed from a social media service or other platform, you can make a cyberbullying report to us.
- Get help and support from a free parent helpline or one of the other many great online counselling and support services. Kids, teens and young adults can contact Kids Helpline online or by phone on 1800 551 800 and the service also provides guidance for parents.
Grade 8 students have been learning about geometry at the start of Term 2. This has included learning about congruency and similar shapes, angle investigations and transforming shapes through rotation, translation and reflection.
Using this knowledge, students have been assigned the task of designing a feature wall for either rooms S03 or S04 using tessellated geometric shapes. We have had some amazing submissions so far. Miss Hughes is looking forward to seeing the rest of your submissions.
WARNING: The descriptions in this story may be distressing for some readers.
The crow eagerly watched the pavement below, completely oblivious to the racing traffic below her perch. In a matter of seconds, she caught the gaze of a foraging beetle, rummaging through the dried leaves in a hunt for his own sustenance. The bird was airborne almost as quickly as the beetle’s back was crushed in her clamped beak.
The snail had watched the malicious act unfold before him, yet he wasn’t fazed in the slightest. He was faced with his own dilemmas also; his eyes switched back to the speeding traffic. He watched as the hot tarmac would try and peel away the grip from the tires, leaving a trail of heat waves instead. Slowly the snail began his journey and slid his slick body down the curb.
The residue of her meal lingered in her sharp jaws. She sat contently once again and let her senses wander. Once again something caught her eye, a pearlescent snail shell glistening with moisture in the sun. She watched as he ventured onto the road.
He inched closer and closer to the opposite side of the road. He needed shade, the sun had beamed through his leaf canopy and dried his home out completely. He watched from afar at the moist grass, the shaded dirt and the cool rocks. He kept them in sight and inched forward.
In her eyes, he was helpless. This helplessness fuelled his stupidity. Faster than he could move, his wonky line of trailing slime was drying up. She pitied his attempt to outrun his fate. She watched the sun beam off the car windows as she stretched her wings.
The vehicles that engulfed the road were far from his main problem. It felt as though the ground below had seared his flesh and melted his body. He wasn’t even halfway to his destination and yet he felt as though he’d tracked it a thousand times.
Her agile legs sprung up from her perch, leaving it behind to wobble in the distance. She dipped and flew towards the impending ground, only to lift herself up at the last second, the ecstasy-like rush flowing through her muscular frame. Soaring in the summer sky.
His skin was discoloured. Despite the glare, he saw the swampy green flesh transmorph into a blotchy disfigurement of his natural form. Froth seemed to seep out from underneath his shell and pool alongside him. A shadow seemed to loom above.
In an instant, hallucinogenic daydreaming seemed to dissipate and to be overtaken by the mindset of a malevolent assassin. The crow’s eyes narrowed in on the decrepit snail. Her hunter instincts took over. She started her pin-drop dive.
His daze was broken by a jolting crunch. He felt the broken shards pierce through his skin and expose his crumped body to the world. His vision melted into white as he rose through the sky. He peered into her obsidian eyes, as the world faded into a blissful memory.
Isabella Craig
Year 10
Application for Short Term Crisis Funding
Funding Application for Huonville High School
Brief description of immediate needs (e.g. technology and professional learning) and why they are needed:
I’d like to purchase an industry-standard remote monitoring and controlling system for my aquaculture system. Currently with the move to online learning for Term 2 there is no way for my students to undertake any practical activities and there is a real risk of them being unable to complete their qualification.
Industry currently use a range of remote monitoring and control systems (see this video for example with one of my former students appearing at the 3:17 mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhAMXC8rMSo&t=198s) and a similar system (much smaller scale!!) would enable my students to monitor and control water quality and feed fish from the comfort of their bedrooms.
From my own resources I have purchased a camera system to allow students to observe the fish through live-stream video, but the proposed OxyGuard Pacific system would allow for direct monitoring and control via cloud-based web technology linked to a range of sensors and controllers. OxyGuard is also industry-standard and currently used by Tasmanian salmon companies in hatcheries and sea farms. Experience with this equipment would also value-add the learning for the students and prepare them for the work-place.
If needs fall outside of technology and professional learning, please list them here:
Impact
How many students will be directly impacted by this project? 30 students
How many teachers will be directly impacted by project? 1
Budget
Please list the items required (Note: Schools Plus cannot provide funding for items already purchased):
Total funds requested of Schools Plus (up to $10,000): $10,000
Stage 1 of the system (Grow Out System) costs $11,620. If successful with this grant I would be able to provide the excess $1,620 from Huonville High School funds.
Stage 2 of the system (Holding Tank 2) costs $5,140. Salmon aquaculture companies Tassal and Huon Aquaculture have indicated that they are prepared to provide funding for this project.
If this application is successful:
- Do you consent to a Schools Plus staff member adding this project to your school account on behalf of your school? YES
- Do you agree to complete a brief acquittal of how funds were spent in 6 months’ time? YES
Steve Harrison
Year 11/12 Educational Programs Leader
2020 Policy Impact Program Fellows
The Winston Churchill Trust and the Centre for Policy Futures at the University of Queensland are very pleased to announce the inaugural Policy Impact Program Fellows for 2020.
Interest in the program has been significant with a total of 55 applications received, and given the very high standard and strong policy relevance of the submissions, the selection process was particularly challenging. Thank you to all those Churchill Fellows who took the time to apply.
We would like to congratulate the following Fellows selected to further develop their policy ideas with the Program in 2020.
- Jennifer Bowles (VIC 2014) What can be done: Mandated residential therapeutic treatment for young people suggesting substance abuse/mental illness.
- Owen Churches (SA 2018)Fairness and accountability in the use of government decision making algorithms.
- Jessica Cocks (NSW 2016) Families and communities matter - building a more inclusive and responsive child protection system.
- Scott Falconer (VIC 2017) Ethical collaboration and partnership – returning cultural fire to country in Victoria.
- Megan Gilmour (ACT 2016) Systemising school connection for seriously sick kids
- Steven Harrison (TAS 2015) Changing senior secondary school culture to facilitate enhanced vocational education and training outcomes and pathways with industry.
- Natalia Krysiak (NSW 2018) Design and policy for child-friendly high-density living.
- Taryn Lane (VIC 2017) Models for community-led transitions to zero-net emissions.
- Katrina Marson (ACT 2018) Ignorance is not innocence: safeguarding sexual wellbeing through relationships and sex education.
- Claire Seppings (VIC 2015) An innovative approach to the recidivism dilemma through the expertise of ex-offenders.
- Katherine Webber (QLD 2018) Prioritising public toilet policy and planning to improve access and inclusion in public places.
Below is the letter from Adam Davey, CEO of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust in response to the submission from Huonville High School by Steve Harrison:
For more information on The Churchill Trust, go to:
Huon Valley Council Volunteer Awards 2020
Congratulations to Glynn Shevels, a retired teacher, who has supported our Maritime Operations course for the last four years, volunteering to assist with the practical vessel operations components, and also stepping up to do some classroom teaching.
Glynn also previously led the Kingborough Volunteer Marine Rescue.
Don't get scammed looking for a lockdown puppy
Australians have lost nearly $300,000 to puppy scams this year, and scammers
have been particularly targeting those seeking a furry companion during social
isolation.
Scamwatch has seen a recent spike in puppy scams and in April reports were
almost five times higher than the average, with losses on track to exceed the 2019
total of $360,000.
“A lot of people are stuck at home and going online to buy a pet to help them get
through the loneliness of social isolation,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
“Unfortunately the rush to get a new pet and the unusual circumstances of COVID-
19 makes it harder to work out what’s real or a scam.”
Scammers set up fake websites or ads on online classifieds and social media
pretending to sell sought-after dog breeds and will take advantage of the fact that
you can’t travel to meet the puppy in person.
The scammer will usually ask for up-front payments via money transfer to pay for
the pet and transport it to you.
“Once you have paid the initial deposit, the scammer will find new ways to ask for
more money, and scammers are now using the COVID-19 pandemic to claim
higher transportation costs to get across closed interstate borders or additional
fees for ‘coronavirus treatments’,” Ms Rickard said.
“Unfortunately once you make the payments, the seller will cease all contact.”
The most common breeds reported were Cavoodles and French Bulldogs and
most people contacted the scammers via an email address they found online.
“The safest option is to only buy or adopt a pet you can meet in person and if you
cannot do that during the current lockdown restrictions, consider putting the search
on hold,” Ms Rickard said.
“Scam websites can look quite convincing, so try not to fall for the adorable puppy
pictures they post, and remember, if the price looks too good to be true, it probably
is.”
“Research the seller by running an internet search using the exact wording in the
ad and do a reverse image search for pictures of the specific puppy, as you’re
likely to be dealing with a scammer if you find matching images or text on multiple
websites,” Ms Rickard said.
“If you are in doubt, seek advice from a reputable breeders association, vet or local
pet shop.”
So far this year Scamwatch has received over 2,000 reports about COVID-19
scams and reported losses are now more than $700,000.
“If you think you have been scammed, contact your bank or financial institution as
soon as possible,” Ms Rickard said.
More information on coronavirus scams, including how to make a report and where to get help, is available on Scamwatch:
You can also follow @scamwatch_gov on Twitter:
As well as subscribe to Scamwatch radar alerts:
Maxima Specialised Employment Service
Maxima is a not-for-profit Specialised Employment Services provider helping people with a disability, injury or health condition to find and maintain meaningful employment.
As a free service, Maxima can provide:
- Help with navigating the Centrelink system
- Help with preparing for a new job, including training and re-skilling
- Help with finding a new job and, once employed
- Ongoing assistance and support
As well as providing a full range of Specialised Employment Services, Maxima can also assist with other employment requirements including:
- NDIS Finding and Keeping a Job Employment Support
- Delivering School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES)