Launceston College eNewsletter

School Association Principal Report - Term 3

Term 3 is always an incredibly busy and particularly engaging one for our students, staff, and parents.

Production always brings the whole of our LC and Launceston Community together and this year was no exception. ‘Be More Chill’ was so very well received by everyone. A great response and huge commendations from the schools who attended, from our own staff and students, and of course from parents. My thanks, as always, to the hard-working staff and students who make this show the success that it is, showcasing the talents and skills of our teachers and of our students.

Our major report period occurs in term 3 with detailed reports provided to students and their families. These reports form the basis of conversations and discussions that lead to supporting the continued success of our learners. Parent teacher interviews were well attended, but we would always hope for more engagement with all families.

We are now in the process of both enrolling students into year 12 and supporting our year 12 students to ensure that they are on track for their learning goals and TCE attainment.

The culmination of a very busy and hard-working year will be acknowledged in the fun, glitz and glamour of the LC Ball in the last week of term.

Our newly refurbished library space is certainly coming together with a focus on a space for all students to continue to develop a love of reading and literature. Although study spaces will still be a focus, we have also developed spaces for students to connect with books, games and information in a more casual and connected way. There has been a delay in our receipt of some furniture which will now happen in December, but we have already noticed an increase in circulation and student social connection. We plan to have a grand opening early in term 1 next year.

In 2024 our metals classes will move from the Big Picture School to a newly developed site here at LC. Work on this area will commence in the holidays.

New casual seating in our A block main hall focus has certainly been popular this term. Our fabulous main hall is now utilised by students during break time and free study lines throughout the day. It is great to see students connecting with each other in a physical rather than virtual sense each day.

To increase student attendance and engagement, student and staff voice on the proposal for a 5 Line timetable over 4 days has been considered over the last couple of terms. At this stage we will not be making a change in 2024, as there is still some thinking to be done around the benefits of such a proposal, as well as some concerns around accommodating a large cohort of students. We plan to continue to work through concerns and barriers with staff and students next year with a view to a possible adjustment in 2025. We do however, plan to consider some opportunities for a flexible timetable model and will be communicating information about this to students and parents next term.

This term we farewelled Mark Gleeson who was successful in winning a Principal position at Cressy District High School. Mark’s work as an AP here at LC over recent years was greatly appreciated by staff, students and parents. We wish Mark all the best in his new role.

Vicki Mackrill,
Principal

Student Voice

As we get to the pointy end of the year the Student Voice (SV) has been a little quieter, but still ensuring that learners opinions are heard throughout the school. One of our big ticket items was the Tasmanian Association of College Students, held on the 24^th of August. This meeting brought together student representatives from each public College in the State and senior staff in the Department to discuss issues facing youth and senior secondary students in Tasmania. It was a great success, with feedback relating to careers, vaping, exams, and sustainability being brought back to schools.

On the 19^th of September, seven schools and many community members gathered in Royal Park for the Schools Peace Walk for Justice. Run by the LC Amnesty International Group with support from the SV, it was a huge success, with over 300 people marching in support of a federal Human Rights Act as a part of the Tamar Valley Peace Festival.

In the middle of the Term, the SV ran Book Week activities. To celebrate Book Week, we held a costume competition and a book swap on Wednesday. Congratulations to the Very Hungry Caterpillar for the best costume!

On Friday, we ran a quiz based on literary works from Shakespeare to Austin to John Green. Students weren’t allowed to use the internet, but could hunt through the library for answers.

We have continued engaging student opinions on motto changes and the four day on campus week, which provided crucial feedback that will be worked through next year. The SV has continued to meet with Launceston City Council about the parking situation without any resolutions yet! We also partnered up with the Amnesty International Group and used AEC resources to create a short video explaining the upcoming Voice referendum.

Next term the SV is running a blood drive – anyone from the LC community is welcome to sign-up at lifeblood.com.au and join the Launceston College team. Inspired by Hobart College, we are helping with the last day celebration to offer a wide range of activities that students can participate in. We are also making some minor tweaks to the SV structure for next year and will be advertising student leadership and public speaking opportunities in Northern high schools. Finally, we are very excited to announce that Erin Coull will be the Student Voice Chair in 2024, and we cannot wait to see her leadership next year!

Kuba Meikle and Thomas Howell

SV Secretary and Chair

Biology 2 and Environmental Science

Term 3 is a very busy term in Biology 2 and in Environmental Science. Level 2 students began with dissecting a sheep’s pluck to finish up their Body Systems unit. This proved very interesting especially when lungs were inflated using an electric pump! Students then developed and ran their Individual Investigations, sampling laptops, door handles and computers for bacteria, seeing if colours effect how you taste flavours, and measuring the effect of caffeine on heart rate, concentration and memory.

Level 3 Enviro students completed the course with their units on Human Impacts on the Environment and Environmental Law. A field trip to the Tamar Wetlands helped put into perspective the importance of wetlands and how one tiny, introduced fish species can have devasting impacts on the whole ecosystem.

Another busy year is about to come to a close. Good luck everyone for the remainder of the year and with your exams!

This term our Legal 3 student had the amazing opportunity to attend Parliament House and LawFest in Hobart. We headed off to Hobart bright and early on Wednesday August 30, filled with snacks, music and lots of excitement. Our first stop was Parliament House where we learnt about the history of some of our old parliamentarians who graced the halls, along with some key features of our Westminster system of government. The students were then able to participate in a role play on passing a law that would enable free public transport in Tasmania. Our sergeant-at-arms Sam Phillips, madam speaker Jorjiana West and parliamentary clerk Edward Maroney all took their roles very seriously; government members, the Opposition and the crossbench kept us entertained with their voracious speeches.

That night we took part in the Hobart Penitentiary ghost tour where amongst the dark and gloom, we found out about the unfortunate lives of some of our earliest criminals. We must admit there were a few screams when we were plunged into darkness in the narrow corridor beneath the courtroom. However, we all emerged laughing and relieved that we had survived unscathed by the presence of any lurking ghosts.

The next day we spent the day at LawFest at the University of Tasmania. The event was hosted by the law school and saw students attend a number of sessions hosted by keynote speakers such as His Honourable Mr Justice Estcourt and Professor Marcia Langton AO. Students came away from the day with a renewed insight into the political and legal dimension of topical legal issues they have studied this year such as Australia’s Voice to Parliament and disputes in the South China Sea. During the day, we also had the opportunity to talk to university law students, law lecturers, and have a tour of the law school and surrounds. The bus trip home was still music and snacks, but less chatter as we reflected on all the educational instructions and fun activities that we fitted into just two short days.

Business - Plan Your Own Enterprise

Congratulations Kalani on being announced a state finalist in the 2023 Plan Your Own Enterprise competition.

The state finalist will be announced on Thursday, before their Business Plan is judged nationally.

Well done Kalani!

Early Childhood Education and Care

Our Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care Term 3 focus has been on childcare work placements and developing practical skills working with children and educators in the centres. Students have enjoyed too many cuddles to count and have been entertained by the wonderful wisdom of our little early childhood friends. There were many broken hearts on the completion of work placement, but I think our students will be okay in the long term.

Our curriculum has covered many interesting and important components of working in early childhood, such as protecting children at risk, supporting children to build connections to the natural world, and encouraging understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culture. Additionally, Grade 12 students have been delving more deeply into guiding children's behaviour, developing and maintaining respectful relationships with children and work colleagues, and learning about children's holistic development and learning needs.

With the end of the year approaching quickly, we are enthusiastically progressing through our learning journey.

English: Write-A-Book-In-A-Day!

Recently at Launceston College, a brave team of students from the Writers’ Club defied the morning’s rain and worked in the library from 8am to 8pm collaborating to create a complete children’s book!

First thing in the morning students were given a list of characters, a setting, and several random words, and the manuscript was completed over a single day.

Their book, ‘Just The Way You Are,’ is the story of Gerry and Zort, aliens who crash land on Earth and soon become embroiled in a tangle of lies, love, cat cafés and stolen snags.

Write-A-Book-In-A-Day is run by The Kids' Cancer Project and the team is also raising money to support this foundation. A copy of Just The Way You Are will be donated to the Kids Cancer Project Library.

Lyndon Riggall and Georgie Todman – English Department

English: Level 3 Creative Responses

Students in English level 3 have been looking at current events and issues and how they are presented in the media in their recent Negotiated Studies. Issues ranged from Climate Change, the housing crisis, Harry Styles, true crime, water pollution, domestic abuse reporting and sporting pay gaps and much more.

Students were invited to respond creatively to their chosen topic, and many chose to author persuasive articles, speeches, short stories or to create memes. It was also wonderful to see creativity and craft in the English department with some students choosing to represent their understanding through art, paper mâché, sculpture, cartoon, and three-dimensional dioramas. Some powerful work and congratulations to all students on completing this significant English project.

Georgie Todman – English Teacher

English: Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards

The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards is ‘an annual competition that seeks to inspire Australian school students to express their thoughts and feelings through poetry’ and receives upwards of 6000 entries each year. The Launceston College English department and Writers’ Club were thrilled to have so many entries in this year’s awards. Congratulations to all students who participated and congratulations to the following students for who achieved awards as highly commended, commended, or were shortlisted.

Keegan – Highly Commended for the poem ‘Then and Now’

Orion – Commended for the poem ‘Labours of Love’

Jeremy – Commended for the poem ‘They all Die Heroes’

Erin – Shortlisted for the poem ‘I Run, Through Words, Away from Love’

English: Book, Film and Writers Clubs

What a year it has been for the Launceston College Book, Film and Writers Clubs! Lyndon and Georgie have been joined each week by students who have shared their passions for all forms of storytelling, with screenings of films after school, Book Week celebrations, Write-A-Book-In-A-Day and plenty of competitions all part of our schedule. As a thank you for their commitment this year, members of the clubs have been given these badges designed by Zina’s sister, Aria. We are so excited for opportunities to continue next year and are already making plans for 2024!

Food and Cooking Essentials

This year a small class of enthusiastic students have engaged in an authentic life skills program. The students have participated in focus areas: Food safety and personal hygiene where food storage, best before dates and use by dates were investigated. Following recipes and preparing a variety of foods: where reading a recipe, measuring accurately, preparing ingredients, presentation of food and socialising with others was stressed. Food choices and being a wise consumer was also incorporated into each unit to gain an understanding of which foods are best for healthy bodies and why highly processed foods can lead to health concerns. Cost of food was also an important aspect of the program.

To investigate career opportunities, the students have had experience in learning to operate a commercial coffee machine and other café equipment. The class had fun texturing milk and using food colours to create some fancy milk designs.

This course has provided the students with valuable life skills that they can transfer into living independently.

International Students Head West

This term we welcomed Francisco, Anita, Karolina, Matilde, Tomasso, Viola, Ken, Bente, Alessandro and Juliette to our International Student program, as we farewelled Pablo. It has been so good to have such a variety of nationalities join our college. We now have a mix of students from Italy, Germany, Japan, Argentina, China, Vietnam, Netherlands and Hong Kong. Each of them choosing to experience different areas of study.

Highlights of our trip to the West Coast included:

A quick stop in Sheffield to grab a coffee and have a look at the murals
A short walk to the Stitt Falls in Tullah
A 100m stroll through the Spray Tunnel at Zeehan
“The Shop That Was” performance in Strahan. Even though the weather was wild outside, we found comfort in the blankets provided inside. The performance was based on a story of the plot convicts schemed to escape life on Sarah Island. Our students featured in the performance throughout the night which was very entertaining.
The Gordan River Cruise was special as we cruised around Macquarie Harbour and the Gordan River for six hours. A highlight of the cruise was a visit to Sarah Island where we learnt of the brutal life of convicts on the island before the great escape.
A drive up the Gormanston Hill – the famous “99 Bends” – to the Horsetail Falls and Iron Blow Lookout.
Not tempting fate, we made an unexpected turn into Cradle Mountain on the way home to fuel up. Here we had the opportunity to see a wombat up close for the first time.

At the end of Term 4, we will farewell Godfrey who has studied with us for the past two years. He has been a great mentor for the many international students who have come and gone over that time. We would also like to farewell Tommaso, Francisco and Matilde wish you well for your return home.

Our Careers Team have had an exciting and busy Term 3 providing students with much needed careers information and advice for future pathways. This term student had the opportunity to gather info about the following:

Year 12 Holiday Programs in the Police Force
A vist from the the Defence Force and info about the Defence Force Gap Year program
Rural Business Tasmania came to talk about Agribusiness Cadetships.
pathways into UTAS and the Schools Recommendation Program (SRP)
student ambassadors and UTAS reps showcased the many opportunities at our annual UTAS EXPO
help with applications to mainland universities for study, accommodation and scholarships,
Tertiary Information Service came to visit and represent universities around Australia.
Monash and Uni of Melbourne made a special extra trip to Launceston to deliver information and advice about their many courses.
our wonderful staff at LC put on our own Subject Expo to showcase the numerous choices Year 11’s have for study in Year 12.
Nursing and Sport Science- we had a fantastic excursion to check out the facilities for both areas at the Newnham Campus.

Save the Date for our Employment/Recruitment EXPO in Term 4 Week 2 in Home Group time. LC will be hosting this event and have invited many employment agencies, businesses, organisations, and suport services to provide information for our Year 11’s and 12’s to help find employment and suport forwhen they leave LC.

Louise Searson and Mark Nutting

If there is one thing Maths teachers like more than solving equations, it is looking at data. Therefore, it is no surprise that teaching decisions in the Maths department are supported by collecting regular feedback from not only one class but a whole subject cohort. All seven Essential Mathematics - Workplace classes are surveyed each week and the statistics are shared between all teachers. Helena Winnberg (Subject Leader) was part of the team that designed the feedback tool at the end of last year. “I use the data of the whole cohort to see how we can improve the delivery of the course and the individual student responses are a great additional tool to confirm my observations in class.”

“For example, in our Measurement unit, the digital survey tool clearly highlighted that almost half of all students struggled with the vital skill of converting units. This enabled all teachers to focus on this area more to ensure that student needs were met.”

Not only mathematical skills are addressed in the feedback process. Other aspects of learning such as time management skills, goal setting and student wellbeing are the focus of other weeks. The transition from Year 10 to college can be challenging for some students and it is very important that learners take responsibility of their own learning and reflect on their progress.

(1 = not very well, 5 = very well)

For students to take the time during their busy day to reflect on how they are using class time is crucial in the process of becoming life-long learners who reflect on how they are going on their way to their goals.

Music: Allison Bell

We have been lucky to secure Allison Bell – Sparano through Arts Tasmania at LC Term 1 and Term 3.

Allison has been available on Monday to Friday in Music from Term 3.

Allison is always up for a chat about everything music and vocal lessons. She has provided fantastic mentoring to our bands and vocalists. It has been great to Allison part of the Music Team.

Music: #Youngtion

Youngtion meets Junction 2023

We had a musical extravaganza at #Youngtion 2023 this Saturday from 11.30 AM to 3.30 PM in Princess Square as part of the Junction lineup.!

#Youngtion, an initiative by LC Music Teacher Adam Langridge, is back and bigger than ever! This event is all about giving young talent a stage to perform their original songs in a supportive, non-competitive atmosphere.

Featuring incredible performances by students from Riverside, Prospect, Deloraine, and Launceston College, our lineup was nothing short of amazing!

At #Youngtion 2023, you can expect a thrilling blend of electrifying musicians, infectious energy, and unforgettable moments. The rhythm never stops, and the memories created here will be the soundtrack to your youth!

Term 3: Music Gallery

The 2023 production of Be More Chill was a huge success. All of the students, on stage and off, are to be congratulated on an outstanding performance. We received a huge amount of praise from the show including a professional review in The Examiner.

Review: Launceston College's Be More Chill is 'professional standard'

By Declan Durrant, The Examiner, August 10

One thing is certain: no one should envy the students of today.

In Launceston College's Be More Chill - their latest annual production showing now until Saturday evening at the Princess Theatre - the modern-high school going experience is performed in peppily dark, musical form.

Contemporary teenagers contend with intrusive thoughts amidst a world of chimeric technological advancement - namely, artificial intelligence - and navigate the classically young-adult fiction motif of finding one's true self amid a world of superficial conformity.

Jeremy Heere - the lead and self-professed geek played by Bailey Landeg - is looking to "More than Survive" high-school, as he tells us in his opening number; he wants to be popular.

The jocks and the girls ignore and torment him in equal measure and his only solace are video games and his closest friend, Michael Mell (Isaac Leslie) and the unrequited love of Christine Cannigula (Meg Chapman).

More than worth remarking is the quality of Chapman's astounding voice, which is almost operatic in its capacity to hold a note.

How can Jeremy possibly have a chance at being cared for, even loved? Salvation comes in the form of a supplement: the Squip, an oblong, grey pill from Japan which contains a quantum computer which interfaces with the human mind.

Manifesting in the form of Keanu Reeves - performed with an equilibrium of computational menace and absurd humour by Hayden Gardner - Jeremy goes through changes; and not the regular teenage kind.

But, the musical's fundamental query is whether Jeremy will get the girl and if it's worth it in the end. Does becoming someone else by listening to the voice in your head which tells you you're awful end happily?

Would it be better if someone told you what to do at all times? Is free will all it's chalked up to be? It's ironic to think teenagers just want instructions; all experience points otherwise.

Based on a 2004 novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini and the subsequent stage adaptation - which has now played on Broadway and London's West End - Be More Chill is a representative piece.

It understands its position as a Highschool Musical-esque production but manages to weave affecting themes throughout.

Launceston College's staging of Be More Chill is scintillating viewing. Visually spectacular, it needs reminding that this is a high school production. There are no wooden-framed courtyards of a poorly rendered Romeo and Juliet.

No player stumbles over a soliloquy here. The acting, the singing, the lighting, the music and the choreography are all professional standard.

Have you thought about what you would like to do after year 12?

The University of Tasmania is working in partnership with Launceston College to ensure year 11 and 12 students, family and the community are informed of the many pathways into studying at The University in our home state.

Olivia Skirving a University staff member, works onsite at Launceston College on a Monday and Tuesday during school hours and is available for one-on-one meetings for both students and their families. Please contact her via the email to arrange a suitable time. She will be able to answer any questions or queries about university. Email: olivia.skirving@utas.edu.au

Last Chace to apply through SRP applications to University of Tasmania

It is the last chance to apply through the Schools Recommendation Program (SRP) last round closes October 6^th 2023 and offers will be received 2^nd November 2023. Rather than an ATAR, your application is based on a recommendation from your school. This recommendation can factor in your year 11 results, as well as other considerations. If you don’t receive an offer for your dream course through the Schools Recommendation Program, you will be re-assessed for a higher preference offer once your ATAR is released. You can still apply for The University of Tasmania after the 6^th October through normal application and ATAR score will count for offers. For more information you can visit: https://www.utas.edu.au/study/schools-recommendation-program

If you have questions or need help with your SRP application during the school holidays you can call UTAS Helpline 13 88 27 and press option 2, Monday-Friday during business hours.

UTAS Important Dates for School holidays and Term 4

University of Tasmania Open Day- Inveresk and Newnham, Sunday 1^st October, 10-2pm. Come and talk with lectures and UTAS staff about the many courses on offer. Explore the hands on activities. Free music and entertainment. A day out for the whole family.

Coffee and Chat sessions at UTAS, Inveresk Library, Wednesday 4^th and 11^th October, 10:30-12pm. Chat with Olivia and Luke whilst we have a coffee and get any of your questions answered, help with scholarship applications, SRP application before 6^th October, accommodation and have a look around the Inveresk campus.

Scholarships for University of Tasmania- Are open and close on the 31^st October. There are many scholarships you can apply for. Scholarships, fees and costs | University of Tasmania (utas.edu.au)

Launceston College Newsletter - Term 3 2023