Dear Parents/Carers

Thank you to everyone who came out last Friday evening to support the Triva Night. It was a great night. We value everyone who came along not just for contributing to our school community generally but for supporting our students in what is essentially a student designed and led event. On behalf of our school, my sincere thanks to all of those individuals and businesses who donated prizes. Your generosity and interest in our school is appreciated. A special thank you to Rebecca Glasby who works tirelessly with our Year 10 student leaders. I think many people would be surprised with the amount of planning and preparation that goes into such an event. Similarly, thanks to Todd Nankervis who works with our catering students to prepare and serve the delicious platters on offer. Most importantly, congratulations to all of our student leaders and catering students who were involved. You have much to be proud of. I look forward to Trivia Night 2026!

With regard to our overall school results for NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) we achieved some very positive outcomes. While all data is useful and relevant, we do tend to place greater emphasis on Year 9 results as most of their learning over the two years prior to the test has occurred at high school, whereas for Year 7 they have only been at high school for part of a term prior to being tested.  As I hope you are aware, reading is a priority for our school. The proportion of Year 9 students achieving strong or exceeding proficiency levels from 2023 to 2025 has increased to 65.9%, an increase of more than 10% on last year. The mean score has also increased over this same period for this group. In addition, for Year 9 the proportion of students with medium to high gains has increased over the last three years with 55% achieving medium gains and 28% with high gains in reading. This is also above Tasmanian figures which has 50% and 25% respectively. All our results for both Year 7 and Year 9 across all five measures (reading, numeracy, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and writing) are higher than similar schools in every instance. While improvement is always ongoing work and we can never ‘rest on our laurels’, there is much for us to be proud of and to celebrate. These results also reinforce for me that we are focussing on the right work in this area.

As part of our extension opportunities, we had five students invited to act as mentor musicians for the Combined Primary School Band on 6 August at Newstead College.  These students were invited due to their involvement with the Newstead College Concert Band. Congratulations to all students who were asked along and well done to those who took up the opportunity. I think this is a fantastic opportunity for these students which not only recognises their musical talent but also their leadership qualities and maturity.

From 4 August to 26 August, interested students have been provided with enrichment and extension opportunities to participate in a range of academic competitions. These competitions provide a great chance for students to challenge themselves and apply their skills and knowledge against other students from around Australia and internationally. Students have had the opportunity to be involved in ICAS (Internal Competitions and Assessments for Schools) for English, Science, Maths, Writing and Digital Technologies, as well as the Australian Mathematics Competition. Thank you to Advanced Skills Teacher (AST), Nathan Karas for co-ordinating these great experiences for our students.

Congratulations to Year 9 students Lenny and Coby, who both competed at the School Sport Australia Australian Football Championships in Queensland, as part of the Tasmanian State Under 15 Boys Football Team which finished 4th in the competition. Lenny was selected in the All-Australian team at the end of the Championships. Congratulations also to Ruby who represented Tasmania in multiple swimming events at the same Championships. Well done to our wonderful students on these great achievements!

If parents of Year 10 students have not already marked this in their calendar, please be reminded that the family information evenings for Launceston College and Newstead College are being held on Thursday, 14 August and Tuesday, 2 September respectively. These events are great opportunities to find out more information about both colleges and can assist in supporting a successful transition to senior secondary education. If you require further information, please let us know.  Flyers are found further on in this newsletter.

Thank you to those parents, staff and students who attended the most recent School Association Committee Meeting. Apart from the usual Principal report, student leaders reports and so on, the group also discussed the Hall of Fame, TASSO resources, NAPLAN data, student scholarships and student leadership selection. Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 11 September at 6.30pm.  It would be great to see you there!

For our Year 10 students it is important they finish their last term and a bit in a positive manner and are therefore able to be invited to the end of Year 10 celebration and recognition activities. Ideally, it would be wonderful to have every Year 10 student involved. Regular attendance, upholding our R.O.C.K.S. behavioural expectations and generally accepting their responsibilities as positive school citizens, are all important.  However, involvement in Year 10 end of year activities is a privilege not a right.

As we head into the second half of the term it is time for students to stay focussed on their learning and give their best in every aspect of school life.

Regards

Cary Stocks
Principal

As part of our Positive Behaviour Support Program at Kings Meadows we will be acknowledging students who have been contributing positively to our learning environment.  This means that they have been supporting our school-wide expectations.

Respect for others, self and environment

Organisation

Commitment to learning

Keeping safe

Sensible behaviour

We would like to acknowledge the following students:

Year 7:

Mia - For consistently being a great class member.

Ta'liek - For always rocking up to school with a smile and brightening everyone's day 

Year 9:

Coby (9B) & Lenny (9A) -  For their continuous efforts and commitment to sporting endeavours.

Charles & Callum (9A) - For accepting the challenge to compete in academic competitions this year.

Year 7’s have made a terrific start to Term 3 and there are some really exciting opportunities this term.

Write a Book in a Day:
On Monday this week, a large number of students were involved in the annual ‘Write a Book in a Day’ event.  We can’t wait to read their stories and find out more about this.  More details will be published in an upcoming newsletter.  A big thank you to Mrs Hart and Ms Lovegrove for supporting our students with this event.

Science Week:
This week is Science Week and students will be making bottle rockets, again more details about this will be in a future newsletter.

Museum/Town Hall Excursion:
Parents and families will have received a notice about our whole grade excursion on Wednesday 20 August.  This is a really exciting excursion to the Museum and Town Hall.  It is important students have correct footwear as they will be walking between the venues.  They also need a packed lunch as there will be no access to any shops or cafes. 

New Class Leaders:
We have recently taken applications for new Class Leaders for the remainder of this year. This is a great opportunity for students to ‘give back’ to their peers and staff and develop many skills including leadership and teamwork.  We once again, thank Ms Graham for leading this group and look forward to announcing our new group soon.  A big thank you to Kayla, Tilly, Joe, Macy, Ava, Asieh, Malachi, Penny, Evie W for being great class leaders throughout the first half of the year.

Attendance Reward:
This term we are encouraging students to increase their attendance rates and rewarding any increase with a movie and popcorn afternoon at the end of term. We are encouraging students to look at their current attendance percentage and set themselves a goal to try and raise it by between 5-10%.  Every day matters and a late start is not a great start!

Grade Focus – Organisation:
At the moment our grade focus is organisation – ensuring all students are arriving at classes fully prepared with everything they need for that lesson – that includes ensuring their laptops are charged, they have pens/pencils and correct books.

Winter Sport Concluding:
As the term proceeds there are only a few rostered games left before sporting teams enter the finals season and hopefully some grand finals for netball, soccer and football.  As always parents are very welcome to watch these games and finals rosters will be announced via the newsletter and the school facebook page.  Well done to all students who have represented the school in these sports over the last two terms.

Term 3 Learning Topics:

Maths:  Algebra

English: Novel Study - Holes

Science: Forces – Simple Machines (Physics)

HaSS: Ancient Civilisations

HPE: Risk Taking + Invasion Games

Embracing opportunities and accepting responsibility at our school is more than just values that we hold deeply, developing this mindset also allows students the stepping stones to growth, confidence and future success. In our article this week I would like to acknowledge our Year 9 students and staff who are seeking out challenges, owning their actions, building resilience and developing a mindset geared toward lifelong learning.

We’re incredibly proud that 29 of our Year 9 students have stepped forward to embrace the exciting challenge of Write a Book in a Day — a bold opportunity to unleash their creativity, collaborate under pressure and bring their ideas to life. By diving into this experience, students will not only sharpen their writing and storytelling skills but also grow in confidence, teamwork and the ability to communicate with purpose—essential tools for success in English and beyond.

Congratulations to Lenny and Coby for boldly embracing the opportunity to represent Tasmania at the School Sports Australia Australian Football Championships in Queensland — a testament to their dedication, talent and drive to succeed. Their team’s impressive 4th place finish and Lenny’s selection in the All-Australian team highlight what’s possible when students commit to their goals and push beyond their comfort zones. We’re grateful to both boys for sharing their journey through player profiles, offering valuable insights into the hard work, resilience and personal growth that come from seizing opportunities and striving for excellence.

Earlier this year, students were invited to express interest in a range of extension opportunities and academic competitions — an open door for those willing to challenge themselves and grow. Congratulations to Charles and Callum in 9A for embracing this opportunity by participating in the Australian Maths Competition last week. Their decision to step forward reflects not only a willingness to test their mathematical skills but also the courage to stretch their thinking, build problem-solving confidence and develop the analytical mindset that will serve them well in future academic and life pursuits.

As Mr Stocks has previously shared, we are exceptionally proud of the outstanding progress our Year 9 students have made in NAPLAN reading this year — a reflection of their hard work, persistence and commitment to growth. With a continued focus on our School Improvement Priority of Reading, 65.9% of Year 9 students are now achieving strong or exceeding proficiency levels — an increase of more than 10% from last year. This remarkable achievement places our school ahead of Australian, Tasmanian and similar schools for 2025 reading proficiency and is a direct result of the combined efforts of our dedicated staff, supportive parents and resilient students. Looking deeper into the data, we’ve seen a 10% decrease in students showing lower gains and a 6% increase in those demonstrating higher gains, with 28% of Year 9 students achieving high growth in reading compared to last year. These results remind us that continuous improvement takes time, effort and belief and that every student who embraces the challenge of improving their reading is building skills that will empower them far beyond the classroom.

While we take a moment to celebrate the impressive progress our Year 9 students have made in NAPLAN reading, our dedicated literacy team is already looking ahead, driven by a shared commitment to continuous improvement and student success. By triangulating a range of data sets, they’ve launched exciting new initiatives aimed at extending students’ English capabilities and closing the gap between current Australian Curriculum results and demonstrated potential in other assessments. Already, 32 students are participating in weekly explicit extension programs, while targeted intervention is being delivered regularly to ensure every student has the opportunity to meet or exceed standard by the end of 2025. This work reflects not only a belief in what our students can achieve, but also the responsibility our staff embrace to create meaningful, personalised learning pathways that unlock each learner’s full potential.

Thank you to all parents who have returned expressions of interest forms for our Melbourne trip next year.  Expressions of interest are now closed. 

YEAR 9 CONTACT DETAILS:

Student name:   Amari

Grade: Year 7

What can you tell us about this piece of work?
This piece of work makes me proud, because the issue of social media is such a big thing that affects so many people across all ages but especially young adults.

What is your favourite thing about English?
My favourite thing about English would definitely be the creative writing side because it allows people to put down their wild imaginations down on paper with no limits to what they can achieve.

What are you working on at the moment in English?
(If it means writing-wise) One of my teachers, Miss Lovegrove, has given me a passion project, which is a Hunger Games fan-fiction. I am enjoying this project and so far I have around 17 pages of writing!

(If it means subject-wise) At the moment we are doing a novel study of the book ‘Holes’ by Louis Sachar, seeing how the author has written the character and the events that happens in the story.

What are you reading at the moment?
Right now I’m hooked into the Maze Runner series and reading ‘The Kill Order’. 

What is your favourite book and why?
It was really hard to choose a favourite book, seeming as I have SO MANY to choose from. I’d say it’s Amari and The Night Brothers by B. B. Alston, a mythical adventure series where the main character (who happens to have the same name as me) is challenged by the disappearance of her older brother, who she is determined to find and prove he’s still alive. 

What are some books that you would really like to read?
I can’t choose specifics, so I’ll just say my favourite book series:  Wings of Fire, Warriors, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Amari and The (______), The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Percy Jackson, Keeper of The Lost Cities… aaaand I think that’s all!

Social media is not good for kids and young adults! 

Do you know how social media is affecting your kids? Popular platforms have a large place in young people's lives, but a lot of the time these platforms have negative effects. Social media is not healthy for children and young adults. This essay will cover mental health, social behaviour and social media’s future. There are next to no limits on what kids can access and see online. These things can be cruel, upsetting and may crucially disrupt your child’s path to a healthy adulthood.

Whether you like it or not, social media can easily impact your child’s mental health. Over 50% of the world's population uses some form of social media; that’s over four billion people, many of those being adolescents. Many posts online have some form of racism, sexism, or other strong bias towards certain people. This kind of hate speech is usually directed to groups of people, but sometimes it can also be individual people, also known as cyberbullying. Did you know that in Australia, cyberbullying is the cause of at least three suicides per week in young people? Sadly, cyberbullying is extremely common on social media platforms, either by people they know in real life or by complete strangers. This is an obvious reason to why social media can actively affect your child’s mental wellbeing and why they should be kept away from it.

Secondly, kids are most likely to be exposed to vile posts or comments containing swearing or other hurtful words. Studies show that when kids are exposed to these behaviours for a certain period of time, the child themselves are likely to take on that behaviour. When kids are exposed to other harmful content containing sexism or racism, kids begin to normalize those languages and behaviours, using them more often and believing using those words are okay. “How teens use social media also might determine it's impact. For instance, viewing certain types of content may raise some teens' mental health risks. This could include content that depicts: Illegal acts. Self-harm or harm to other people. Encouragement of habits tied to eating disorders, such as purging or restrictive eating.” Says Mayo Clinic. This shows that teens online may be encouraged to do illicit actions or bully others. Other impacts can include depression, anxiety and more mental issues in your child’s head. Crude jokes are also somewhat common online, memes and poking fun about Adolf Hitler, 9/11 and other disastrous events throughout history. This may lead to kids making jokes about it in real life, not realising how many died and were affected by those tragedies. Yet another reason why we must keep children away from online media.

Finally, the online world is only going to get worse from here on out. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a huge problem on social media. Fake profiles, scam links, even inappropriate content created by AI. Previously, there had been a case where a college student had used AI to create explicit images of female highschoolers. “With the advent of image-based AI software, it has become too easy for young people, with no technical skills and a limited understanding of real consequences for these actions, to produce digitally doctored images that can look real and cause very real harm.” Said Dan Sztrajt, principal of the college. This quote is stating that people can easily create images of anything they want, with no limits or boundaries to stop them. This can be extremely harmful to other people, especially when it’s shared online and around the globe. Another quote is saying “Ethical concerns arise with Meta AI’s image generation feature, and there is a risk of misinformation due to its ability to produce realistic but fake images. This raises questions about the potential misuse of these images outside of casual settings.” – New York Times. This proves the point that this is a dangerous and harmful tool to have access to online, since it can do anything and can be shared with anyone. A second point about the future of social media is that the under 16 year old ban that supposedly stops kids under 16 from creating accounts and accessing social media. This ban has come in too late and people have already been affected by the harmful events that came with social media. And when people do turn 16, social media would’ve already been taken over by more violent and upsetting content, followed by more AI accounts and scam to lure in unsuspecting people. We need the creators to step up and take action for all the harm caused by social media. If the uppers don’t, media is only going to get worse.

Kids are harmed by these things, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Social media does lead to horrible things like suicide and depression, which is why we must stop letting kids have social media before they turn 16. Cyberbullying, mental health and AI are huge problems to do with social media, and we need to stop it now.

Year 7 students at are sharpening invasion game skills with during Physical Education with Mrs Pel and Mr Warren, whose team-teaching approach keeps every learner moving and thinking.

Each session blends quick demonstrations with short, purposeful game play. Students are practising creating space, reading defenders and communicating under pressure. It’s been terrific to watch them call plays, lead mini-huddles and back each other in, confidence is growing week by week.

The photo captures a typical scene: focused, organised and supportive. Families can be proud of how our Year 7s bring effort, respect and teamwork to PE and how these habits flow into the classroom and the yard. With high expectations, timely feedback and plenty of leadership opportunities, students are responding with energy and pride. Well done, Year 7 - and thank you!

Mrs Pel and Mr Warren

PLEASE NOTE:

Tickets will be on sale at the start of Term 4 (Monday 13 October).

Attention: Parents and Carers

Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey

At Kings Meadows High School, the wellbeing of our students is a top priority. We want to hear directly from our students about how they’re feeling and what’s happening in their lives.

Students in Years 7-10, will soon be participating in the Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey. This important survey helps us build a clear picture of our students’ current wellbeing and identify ways we can better support them to thrive and engage in learning. The more students who take part, the more meaningful the insights will be.

This survey is part of the Department’s Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy.

Survey Details:

When:                                     Week of 1 - 5 September

Who:                                       Year 7–10 students

What do I need to do:           You and your child don’t need to do anything. The survey will be done in class time and will not require your child to prepare in any way.

A letter with more information has been sent home with all students. This includes a list of Frequently Asked Questions and a form to return if you do not want your child to participate.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Ms Kate Blaubaum – kate.blaubaum@decyp.tas.gov.au.

Thank you for supporting our efforts to ensure every student feels safe, supported and ready to learn.

Leadership Staff

Support Staff