Montrose Bay High School Newsletter - Term 4 Week 9

Message from the Principal

Dear parents and carers

As I reflect on 2024, I am filled with an array of emotions, as most of you would be aware I had an extended period of long service leave where I travelled Australia in a caravan with my family. This experience really opened my eyes to the opportunities within Australia and the exciting times ahead for our young people, particularly our Year 10 students.  There is so much to experience in our lives, and I encourage our students to take on opportunities and strive to lead fulfilling lives no matter their aspirations. I would like to thank Jared Richardson who stepped into the Principal role while I was on leave and acknowledge his work continuing our school improvement journey. He was very well supported by our senior staff, and I have been excited to return and continue the great work.

At MBHS we believe that education is the key to unlocking a world of opportunities, and we are committed to providing our students with the tools and knowledge they need to make informed choices about their futures. In 2024, we revised our Mission Statement as part of our continued school improvement focus. I believe this statement highlights our development this year and our continued commitment to inspire and support our young people.
  
We empower our students to embrace life-long learning and work with our community to support academic, social, and emotional growth by providing best-practice teaching and learning programs.

I am very proud to share our schools’ achievements in 2024 which have had significant positive impact in many areas of our school. There are many highlights of the year which reflect our school values.

Growth – 2024 testing in MacqLit and PAT-Reading both indicate strong student growth.
Courage – Our Year 7 students demonstrated courage at their camp in Term 2 alongside staff who planned the event for the first time in a number of years. 
Respect – The introduction of our 5 from 5 attendance initiative supporting our students to attend every day. 
Responsibility – Students attending small group intervention, extension/enrichment programs which often put them out of their comfort zones.
Connection - We held our Dragonfly Arts festival which reflects our value of connection with our wider school community.

I would like to thank our school community, including our growing School Association, for supporting us on this journey. We have engaged in events and learning activities designed to support both students and staff. This has enabled us to build strong, respectful and enduring relationships. We have an amazing staff who are committed to supporting students and meeting them at their required levels while setting high standards for all to achieve.

Most of our Year 10 students have been at our school since Year 7, and as a result have been part of many changes and positive initiatives. They have helped shape what Montrose Bay High School currently is today and have contributed to building a strong foundation for future students to join and grow into. This time of the year is a time for farewells and change. A number of families of our Year 10 students are leaving our school. I would like to extend our thanks for the support and contribution made to our school. You have reminded us that schools work in partnership with families to enable students to succeed. For those who will return or begin at MBHS in 2025, we are excited for the opportunities ahead and look forward to another year of learning, building positive relationships and celebrating success. 

We have ambitious plans for the coming year, including expanding our intervention and extension programs, enhancing a culture of teacher feedback, and continuing to prioritise student wellbeing and academic excellence. Together, we will strive to create an environment where every student feels valued, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential.

I want to thank each and every one of you for your hard work, dedication, and support. Our successes this year would not have been possible without the collective efforts of our students, staff, and families. As we move into 2025, let us continue our theme of collaboration and consistency that has defined our school community.

Tim Nicholas
Principal

Years 9 & 10

English

Year 9 students have been engaged in a unit titled "The Hate U Give – The Power of Language and Communication." This unit looks at the film adaptation of Angie Thomas's acclaimed young adult novel. Students have developed their understanding of this to discuss and compare it with another film, "Hidden Figures," based on Margot Lee Shetterly's non-fiction book. Throughout this unit, Year 9 students have been learning to select and experiment with various language and multimodal features. They have been learning to identify these features, discuss their effects on the audience, analyse themes, and effectively communicate their opinions in different ways. Some students have taken this opportunity to create interviews of the film characters and acted these out.

 Year 10 students have been studying a unit titled "Moonrise – Connection and Communication." In this unit, they have read "Moonrise" by Sarah Crossan, a novel that uses a poetic structure to explore themes of life, sibling bonds, and forgiveness. Students have deepened their understanding of this story and made meaningful connections with the text. Additionally, they viewed the 1994 film "The Shawshank Redemption" and have drawn parallels between the two texts. This has enabled them to discuss and develop their own ideas and provide evidence to support their responses.

Science

In Science, the grade 9s have been learning about the carbon cycle this term which, similar to the water cycle or rock cycle, is about how the finite amount of the element carbon on Earth is continuously cycled through different forms (or stores) by different natural processes. The carbon cycle processes that we focused on were the processes of combustion, photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and ocean gas exchange. Our main assessment was to make an informative carbon cycle poster that showed and explained these 5 processes (photo below). We focused on the carbon cycle because it helps us to understand and explain human induced climate change, which we learnt about for the last few weeks from several guest speakers, some practicals, and some lessons from UTAS.

The 10s have also been studying Earth science. Students did a term on climate change which built on the carbon cycle content that they learned last year. We learned that certain gases due to their asymmetric chemical structure can absorb and reemit infrared (heat) energy. We call these gases “greenhouse gases” because the heat they help the Earth retain keeps the Earth warm similar to the glass walls of a greenhouse - high energy heat gets in, but low energy reflected heat gets trapped, warming the enclosure. We learned that the greenhouse effect is what keeps the Earth from freezing over during the night, but this effect has been exacerbated by humans emitting too many greenhouse gases by burning fossil fuels. We learned what effects climate change is having and will have on the Earth’s atmosphere, its oceans, and its inhabitants. In the effort of sustainability, we ended the unit by recycling some of the teachers’ wastepaper by blending it up and adding seeds to turn it into “seed bombs” (photo below). These seed bombs do not need to be buried in dirt; the students can just sit them outside and the seedlings will grow when it rains. The paper structure will protect the seeds from harsh rays from the sun as well as birds and other seed eaters, and as the plants grow, they will naturally break down the paper to recycle the nutrients from its organic material.

Drama

Year 9 and 10 Drama students participated in various classroom activities in term three and four such as children’s theatre, Shakespearean productions and learning how a play is produced. Some students performed in the Dragonfly presentation evening in over twenty different scenes, including a very funny version of Macbeth by the year 10 students using bad Scottish accents and over-the-top acting, and there were even dinosaurs performing! 

In year 9, the students have rehearsed and created a children’s theatre production about the fables of Aesop using techniques such as puppetry, narration and miming, and finished off the year by learning about production elements such as costumes and set design for the play Year 9 Are Animals by Richard Tulloch.

Maths

This term in Maths Year 9 students have been learning about Probability and Statistics. Calculating the probability of different outcomes for change experiments and making displays like Venn Diagrams and Two-way Tables. Year 10 students have been learning about Networks, Trigonometry and Probability. In Networks they learnt about how to use maths to show connections in the real world, including social media connections and flight routes for planning a trip. 

History

Year 10 History students have been hard at work honing their inquiry skills exploring the dynamic history of Australia from 1945 to the present day. Through their photo essays, they delved into topics like post-World War 2 migration and Indigenous Rights and Freedoms, showcasing their findings with powerful images and insightful annotations. The essays highlighted cause and effect, and patterns of change over time. Their dedication and creativity have brought to life the stories that shaped our nation, making history both engaging and enlightening.

Year 9 History students took an in-depth look at the changes and continuities related to key aspects of World War 1. They explored topics such as the evolving role of women during the war, the debates surrounding conscription, technological advancements in weapons and medicine, and the experiences of First Nations soldiers. By developing and refining their own inquiry questions, students applied their historical knowledge to craft well-supported arguments, using a mix of primary and secondary sources as evidence. This task allowed them to examine causes, effects, and patterns of change, demonstrating their understanding of the complexity of this critical historical period.

As an enrichment opportunity, some Year 9 and 10 students also engaged in Kelp Basket making. Kelp baskets were used to transport fresh water from one place to another (mainly whilst traveling) and for trading purposes; they were made by Aboriginal women in tribes in many sizes, varying on their specific use. Traditionally, kelp baskets were made from bull kelp and river reed or a stick which has been whittled to a point. Bull kelp is a cool water species found in Tasmania and Victoria. Most kelp have many minerals that seep into water and by drinking the water from their kelp baskets, Aboriginal people would consume these minerals, benefiting their health greatly.

Farewell 2024 ....

As we come to the close of another remarkable year, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to both our students and staff for their unwavering dedication and hard work this year.

The students have demonstrated remarkable resilience, creativity, and commitment throughout the year. Their determination to grow, learn, and rise to new challenges has been inspiring. The hard work they have put in, whether in the classroom, during activities, or as part of our school community, has made this year a truly special one. 

To the Grade 10 students, we wish you all the best with your future endeavours and thank you for your contribution to our school. You will be missed!

To the Grade 9s, we hope you have a refreshing holiday and come back in 2025 ready to lead the school and make the most of every opportunity presented to you in your last year at Montrose Bay High School.

Have a great Christmas and holiday period. 

Liam and Matt Rice (Grade ASTs)

Photos from our Celebration Assemblies

Student Health

Dates to Remember