INFORMATION BULLETIN NO 5

20 March, 2009
P O Box 1261, Devonport 7310. PH: 6420 8100

The Premier David Bartlett has stated on many occasions that he has three goals.
They are:
1. Improving students’ readiness for school (early learning)
2. Improving literacy and numeracy
3. Improving retention and participation in further education and training.
All schools are required to address the goals that are relevant to their sector. Goals 2 and 3 are relevant to Reece.

Literacy and Numeracy

Every student at Reece who is at or below the benchmark, which is now known as National Minimum Standard
(NMS) is placed in a tutorial group so that they can receive additional support in addressing this issue. This
placement is determined by your child’s achievement in the following – mid year and end of year reports, National
Testing and in school testing using iAchieve. So what do we mean when we say that your child is on the 10th
percentile or the 90th percentile? If you are on the 10th percentile then 90% of all students in your grade Australia
wide have scored a higher result or have better literacy skills than your child. Conversely if your child is on the 90th
percentile then there are only 10% of students who have scored higher. Why is this important? It influences the level
of study or training you can undertake in the future and has a long term impact on your life chances. We have
invested a lot of time and money into training teachers and teacher aides to support students so that they can realize
their potential. No one will improve their skills without practice. It is of great concern when students suggest that
they don’t need this support and that they will not participate. Perhaps they are too young to really understand how
this will impact on their lives but I am sure that parents and families understand what it means when you are
unskilled and unable to get the job or the profession that you want. In tough economic times education becomes all
the more important. Help us to make a difference to your child’s life chances.

Retention
In the area of retention we have introduced programs like TAPPs, Career Education Project, Startup at the
polytechnic, work placements and personalized learning to keep students engaged but we need you to help us get
students to school and ensure that all absences are dealt with promptly. The only real excuse for absence is illness
and too often I hear people say ‘I didn’t feel like going’ and to me that is not a reason nor is it an excuse. We are
hoping that our SMS program will help us deal with unexplained absences.

Announcement!
Notification of Student Absences using Mobile Phone Text Messages
From 20 April 2009, parents/guardians or caregivers will be informed by mobile phone message – Short Message
Service (SMS) each time their child is away from school and school has no explanation for the absence. An SMS text
message will be automatically sent to the mobile phones of parents explaining that our records show that your child
is absent from school.

At Reece High School student attendance and student safety is a high priority.

We know that students who attend regularly are more likely to be successful and safe at school.
To improve our attendance and safety procedures, we will be informing parents/caregivers about any unexcused
absences for their child.

The school expects parents/caregivers to contact the school in advance if they know their child is to be absent
or late.

Department of Education
Reece High Surf Carnival - Report 2009.
Once again, due to the committed efforts of both staff and students and
the wonderful warm weather, the Reece High Surf Carnival was highly
successful. Encouragingly, this year saw an increase in both the number
of students participating and the level of house spirit shown throughout
the day, of which all must be congratulated!

The 2009 carnival saw the inclusion of a new event which involved
paddling a ‘sit-on-top’ kayak in a relay fashion around the given course.
This proved both exciting and challenging for the students, especially in
the afternoon when the north-westerly conditions pushed small waves onto Freers Beach.

Special recognition is made each year to a male and female student

from each grade for showing excellent sportsmanship throughout the
carnival. Qualities such as fair play, willingness to compete,
encouragement for others and support for team mates were
highlighted this year by supervising teachers. It was encouraging to see
a long list of student names, from all grades and awards will be
presented in an assembly in the near future.
The Health and Wellbeing committee members must be applauded for
their early morning efforts to set up each of the events on Freers
Beach with the teaching staff. Thank you to Mr. Brendan Sullivan and
the Port Sorell Surf Club for their continued support of this annual event. Together with the Devonport
Surf Club, we appreciate the access to specialised equipment and their expertise.

Congratulations to all participants, both students and teachers, on making this years carnival such a
memorable event!

Car Boot Sale – Saturday 28 March 9:00 – 12:00

Do you have any unused items to get rid of?
For just $10.00 you can bring your car boot or a table full of items to sell in the Reece High car park.
Please call the school office to reserve your space.
The funds raised will support 9E’s educational trip to Sovereign Hill. This is an opportunity to learn about
Australian History first hand.

21st March Relay for Life - Penguin

23rd -25th March Grade 8C & D camp

25th – 27th March Grade 8B, F & G camp

24th March Grade 7 Immunisation

1st – 3rd April Grade 8A & 8E camp

7th -9th April Grade 9C & 9D camp

REECE HIGH SCHOOL

Middle Road, Devonport, Tasmania 7310

Ph (03) 6420 8100 Fax (03) 6420 8199

Email reece.high@education.tas.gov.au

Web http://www.reece.tased.edu.au/