Montrose Bay High School Newsletter - Term 3, Week 9

Message from the Principal

Term 3 was a busy and engaging period for our students, filled with a wide range of excursions and learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom. These experiences are not only engaging but also vital in helping our students connect their learning to the world around them. Events and excursions completed in Term 3 were Science Week, Reclink Footy and Netball, STEM Extension (Year 6), Catering and work experience opportunities, Outdoor Ed excursions, Book Week, Concert Band, Maths competition and much more!

A highlight of the term was our Parent-Teacher Interviews in Week 2, which were a great success. We had strong attendance from families, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, which included our new booking system. These conversations are crucial in strengthening the partnership between home and school, and we’re grateful to our staff and families for their commitment to student growth.

We continue to see positive trends in reading and engagement across the school evidenced by recent data reflecting steady improvement. Our targeted strategies and whole-school focus on reading are making a real impact, and it’s encouraging to see students developing confidence and enthusiasm in their learning.

Over the past 2 weeks MBHS has also been identified as leading some great initiatives linked with attendance and Racial Inclusion. The launch of “Every School Day Matters” DECYP campaign was held at our school with some of our students meeting and interacting with Jack Riewoldt (AFL star). Our school is also presenting to Ginna Webster – Secretary DECYP around our findings of Racial Inclusion program our students have been involved with in 2025.
Thank you to our community for your ongoing support and involvement in our school. We look forward to sharing more successes in Term 4 at our celebration events.

Staffing – I would like to congratulate Kumudu Stewart who has been successful in her application for Principal at Margate Primary beginning Term 4. This is a true reflection of her outstanding work over a number of years and demonstrates the Department’s confidence in what we are doing at MBHS.  

To support a smooth transition for our students we have recruited Matt Tighe from Clarence High School who has joined MBHS as Assistant Principal. Matt started in week 7 of this term and has been working alongside Kumudu and other staff prior to Kumudu departing at the start of Term 4.

We will also farewell Rhiannon Lloyd (HPE) at the end of this term, she has accepted a permanent full-time role at another school, and we wish her all the best.

Jackson Chugg will also join MBHS in Term 4 as our new Garden Specialist working in our 24CG Program.

Evidence of Learning – This term your child’s class will be using the Seesaw application to enhance communication between teachers, students, and families. Seesaw will allow you to see examples of your child’s learning progress (evidence of learning). In the coming days, family members who receive school communications will receive instructions on how to sign up and connect to your child’s Seesaw journal. We encourage families to join. 

Parent/Teacher/Student Learning Conversations – These were a big success this year with increased engagement and participation from families across all year levels. We had close to 300 bookings which was a marked improvement on 2024. Teachers were well prepared for these conversations, and feedback was fantastic from families. The new booking system was also a positive and more user friendly for everyone involved.

2026 Enrolments – As we look ahead to 2026 we are actively supporting recruitment across all year levels. We have made a conscious effort to engage with our feeder schools and have continued to strengthen our support of Year 6 students entering MBHS in 2026. 

Teacher Inquiry – Our teachers recently undertook inquiry presentations linked with our recent focus – How effective are explicit instruction and universal engagement strategies in the teaching of reading. Each Year level presented to all staff their inquiry and outcomes linked with data. The presentations certainly highlighted the great work which is happening across all year levels.

School Association – Thank you to Zoe Smith for her contribution to our School Association over the past few years! Zoe is stepping away from the Chairperson role due to family commitments, so we are looking to recruit more members to our team and fill the role which is now vacant.

Thank you to our community for your ongoing support and involvement in our school. We look forward to sharing more successes across Term 4.

Tim Nicholas
Principal

School Association

If you are interested in hearing about the teaching and learning at MBHS or having a say on school matters and would like to be involved in the School Association, please contact the school on 6208 2666.

Year 9

HPE

This term, Year 9 students began HPE by exploring what makes a relationship respectful and safe. We learned about key traits like trust, honesty, support, and communication. These are the building blocks of healthy relationships and help us feel valued and secure.

In Lesson 2, we focused on recognising signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships. Green flags include things like respecting boundaries and open communication. Red flags are warning signs—like jealousy, pressure, or controlling behaviour—that can harm our wellbeing. We used real-life scenarios to practise identifying these.

We then explored how relationships have changed over time. Students worked with the “intimacy continuum” and compared traditional and modern relationships. We discussed how social media can influence how people connect and the importance of making thoughtful, respectful choices.

By Jack L & Laeth B

History

This term, we have been learning how historians decide if a source (not sauce) is reliable, accurate, and useful. 

We have been learning these skills through study of the Stolen Generation, which is where for 60 years the government stole indigenous kids from their families.

By using the sources, we have learnt about why the Stolen Generation happened and its effects on indigenous communities.

By Trey W & Toby S

Science

This term, we have been learning about how Carbon moves through earth.

This is important to learn as it is the first step in understanding how climate change works, which is something that will have a big impact on our futures.

We represented our understanding of the carbon cycle by drawing scientific diagrams. Our diagrams showed where carbon is stored on earth, and the different processes that move it from one place to the other.

We are now moving onto looking at how humans impact the carbon cycle and climate change. 

While looking at this we will look at what peer review is, the relationship between science and technology, and the different ways in which science and society are connected. 

By Briley C & Ariella J

Maths

This term in Maths we have been learning about linear relations.

Linear relations appear in many real-world situations such as finance, travel and motion, and construction and design.

We are learning how to draw the graph of a linear relation, which is a straight line, and find the gradient of the straight line.  This is useful because it helps us visualise, understand and predict how two variables (x and y) are connected.

Next we will be connecting algebra with geometry, learning to find the midpoint of a line segment and the distance between two points on a Cartesian Plane.

By Kayden D & Trey W

Engagement

In Engagement this term, we have been learning about developing a Growth Mindset.

All of our learning has been linked to our school value of Growth.  At MBHS, Growth means:

Aspiring to learn and improving even when it is tough.

What We Learnt:

Embracing Challenges: Trying new things, even when tricky.

Learning from Mistakes: Mistakes show we’re learning.

Effort Over Outcomes: Effort matters more than results.

Persistence: Keep going, don’t give up.

Listening Skills: Listening builds respect and helps us learn.

Celebrating Growth: Recognising how far we’ve come.

How we celebrate Growth together:

Teachers, leaders, office staff, EFAs, and friends all support our growth.

We celebrate through Positive Postcards, assemblies, recognition, and class reflections.

Growth is something we carry into every subject, every friendship, every challenge.

This term, we’ve shown:
More confidence.
Stronger persistence.
Greater respect for ourselves and others.

By Trey W & Ella D

Year 10

Year 10 students at Montrose Bay High School have been working with focus and determination in preparation for their exams in Week 10. These exams provide students with the opportunity to bump up their current marks. Teachers have been impressed by the effort and maturity shown across the cohort, with many students taking advantage of revision sessions and study support. 

Our student leaders have continued to lead by example, representing Montrose Bay with pride both within the school and in the wider community. A standout moment this term was their involvement in Daffodil Day, where they helped raise awareness and funds for cancer research. Their leadership, compassion, and teamwork have set a powerful example for their peers.

Transition pathways have remained a key focus, with most students now having selected their college subjects for 2026. This marks an exciting step toward their future, and we look forward to supporting them further through college visits and transition activities in Term 4. These experiences are designed to help students feel confident and informed about the next stage of their education journey.

As we head into the final term of the year, we want to remind students and families of the importance of daily attendance. With only 11 weeks remaining, everyday counts. To provide themselves with the best opportunity to participate in Celebration Week events, students must strive to meet personal attendance targets. Being present not only supports academic success but also ensures students can fully participate in the memorable experiences that mark the end of their high school journey.

Kieren Rogers
Year 10 Assistant Principal

Year 10 Exams

Year 10 Exams
Year 10 Exams will occur in Term 3, week 10 (Wednesday 24th September – Friday 26th September) and will take place during lessons 1-2.

All Year 10 students will undertake three exams. All students will sit exams for English and Maths. Students will also choose which third exam they will sit - either History, HPE or Science. The purpose of the exams is to provide students with an opportunity to ‘bump up’ to improve their marks and to provide students with the opportunity to experience exam conditions. As the exams will take place in the morning, it is important that students arrive at school on time. We encourage students to have breakfast on the morning of each exam or enjoy a free breakfast at the school’s Breakfast Club, which is open daily from 8:00am to 8.30am.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s subject teacher in the first instance, or Assistant Principals: Kumudu Stewart or Ella Hansson. 

Racial Inclusion Group

Thank you to our Racial Inclusion Group (R.I.G.) for giving up their time to help make every single student at Montrose Bay High feel like they belong, have security, and are celebrated for their individuality.

Students from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 have banded together to drive an initiative at our school : giving up their spare time. The team’s goal is to ensure every student feels valued and supported, and to provide visible action against racism through awareness, events, and peer support.

This term, students are introducing themselves to the school and becoming more visible through displays and a recommendation box. In Term 4, they will launch their first campaign by hosting cultural activities, including shared food experiences and collaborative art making.

We are proud of their leadership and invite all students to contribute ideas, take part in upcoming events, and support their peers. If you have any questions, please contact the student representatives from each year level: Year 7; Masyn R, Year 8; Dayne D, Year 9; Sangkalpa, and Year 10; Hallie M.

Seesaw for Evidence of Learning progress

This term your child’s class will be using the Seesaw application to enhance communication between teachers, students, and families. Seesaw will allow you to see examples of your child’s learning progress (evidence of learning). In the coming days, family members who receive school communications will receive instructions on how to sign up and connect to their child’s Seesaw journal. We encourage families to join.

Stay tuned for more information!

Statewide Reading Priority in Schools

Changing our approach to teaching reading
You may have noticed some changes in the way we’re teaching reading in our school. These changes are part of a statewide commitment to ensure every student develops strong reading skills that will support them throughout school and beyond.

Learning to read is a skill that must be taught—it's not something we’re born knowing how to do. That’s why our teachers are using high-quality, evidence-based strategies to help every child become a confident reader.

Our students are learning to read through structured and explicit literacy teaching. This means they are building foundational literacy skills step by step, with each new skill reinforcing the last. This approach helps students grow into capable, independent readers.

We’re proud to be part of this statewide effort to provide structured literacy lessons that are proven to work. Thank you for your ongoing support as we help every student succeed.

Fight MND

On Friday 19 September our student leaders organised the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for Fight MND.  The event raised over $530! Thanks to all teachers and TAs who put their hand up to suffer the ice treatment.

Every School Day Matters at MBHS

This year, we have made student attendance a key priority—and we’re already seeing positive results! Currently, our overall attendance rate is 2.2% higher than at the same time last year. This is a fantastic achievement, and we’re encouraging all students and families to help us maintain this momentum through the remainder of Term 3 and into Term 4.

Each week, we celebrate students who attend every day with our ‘5 from 5’ recognition process. At the end of Term 3, we’ll be acknowledging our Attendance Champions—students who have attended 90% or more throughout the term. Some students are even on track to achieve this milestone across all three terms this year!

Regular attendance supports learning, friendships, and future success. We understand that barriers to attendance can arise, and we’re here to help. If your child is experiencing challenges, please reach out to their Home Group teacher or Year Level AST or AP to arrange a time to talk.

If your child will be absent, please remember to notify us using the form on our website: montrosebayhigh.tas.edu.au/absentee or call the office on 6208 2666. Together, we can keep attendance strong and support every student’s success.

Changes to EdSmart Messaging

You may have noticed some recent changes to our absentee notifications and other school messages. The EdSmart platform used by the Department to send these messages has recently introduced two updates –

• Additional contacts for students - all messages (including absentee notices, excursion information and other general messages) will now be sent to all contacts that are recorded for the student as a parent/guardian and confirmed to be eligible for communications. Please note that only one response may be submitted for absentee notices. 

• Online permissions for major excursions – we now have the capability to send digital consent forms for major excursions to you online, which avoids the chance of paperwork being lost between school and home. If you receive an online excursion form, please assist us by completing it at your earliest convenience. Like other messages, the form will be sent to all eligible contacts but only one response may be submitted.

If you have an email address but have not advised it to the school, please contact us on 6208 2699 or email to montrose.bay.high@decyp.tas.gov.au so we can update our records. Email is used for distribution of our newsletter, EdSmart messages and other occasional school communications.

Student Early Departures

If your child ever needs to leave school early, please send a note with your child, email us at montrose.bay.high@decyp.tas.gov.au or call the school on 6208 2666 in the morning to advise time of pickup/departure and reason. We will then provide a school leave pass to your child so they can easily leave class at the required time.

School Nurse News

Community Notices

Dates to Remember