11 April 2025

Our Average Daily Attendance Rate so far this year is

A Word from the Principal…

Great Start to the Term!

As we get ready for our first term holiday break, I want to say a big congratulations to all students for a great start to the term. Students have been recognised for showing our school values: Learn, Achieve, Respect and Fairness. These values have been highlighted in our weekly year assemblies, where we celebrate students who demonstrate our values and their achievements. Here are some examples of student achievements this term:

Academic Growth: Many students have shown growth in their class work and assessments over the term.

Sports Achievements: Our house and school representative teams performed exceptionally well in our athletic carnival and inter-high swimming competitions.

Congratulations to the students who won track and field champions and runner up awards.

Attendance Achievement: In our recent whole school assembly, a number of students were recognised for their outstanding attendance of 90% or above.

Year 7; Bentley Allen, Jake Best, Brie Coombe, Skye Hingston, Ajai Birdi, Eva Blake-Broom, Ella Broom, Ceejay Deiparine, Ashton Evans, Indi Facey, Noah Gray, Makybe Grey, Brax Hall, Shayla Hammond, Chad Jaeger, Xavier Kay-McCleland, Stef Lovell, Nixon Marcello, Laila Haywood, Isabelle Heald, Cynthara Ocumen, Imogen McCormack, Myah Ollington, Jordan Fletcher, Kuturah Radford, Cash Randall, Natalia Rutter, Jaiden Spinks, Cooper Stokes, Jett Sweetman, Levi Westbrook, Lincoln Whiteman, Joshua Young

Year 8; Cruz Batty, Archie Best, Thomas Bryce, Grace Coates, Jackson Crole, Elizabeth Evenhuis, Lucas Furphy, Toby Grey, Trinity Grey, Kooper Horton, Jhett House, Nate King, Jedda Maguire, Xander Moles, Olivia Moll, Kye Moore, Kobi Poke, Noah Prior, Dekoda Quarrell, Judd Ryan. Barbara Talamaivao, Westen Whiteman, Maya Woolley, Montana Woolley.

Year 9; Jackline Bunyasi, Blayze Elliott, Robert Flint, Noah Giles, Austin Goodger, Aydan Hyland, Brodie Jackson, Stella Kay, Ruby Lardner, Duke Marcello, Macklen Ollington, Clancy Payne, Aden Phillips, Mitchell Piepiora, Maddon Radford, Samuel Radford-Bryan, Lewis Sheehan, Derek Talamaivao, Ryan Walsh, Hunter Westbrook.

Year 10; Amber Ainslie, Piper Alderson, Carter Auld, John Barker, Teila Blake, Emily Breadmore, Bella Cameron, Xander Coates, Tori Collins, Joshua Deiparine, Madeline Edwards, Jorja Fisher, Tayarna Gray, Hayley Harrisson, Jordan Grey, Andrew Hume, Ashton Lardner, Ethan Phillips, Huon Prior, Ezra Stewart, Hannah Sutton-Collins, Savannah Swan.

Student Leadership Achievement: In our whole school assembly our student leaders were recognised for their selection for the SEC, SRC and House Captain and Vice House Captains.

Our school values complement the Department of Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) values: Connection, Respect, Growth, Courage, and Responsibility. It's fantastic to see our students living these values every day.

Our staff are working together to focus on teaching vocabulary as part of our Reading priority. Teachers will be trying out a new routine to help students understand important words in each subject area which is key for building reading comprehension and understanding subject specific texts. We look forward to sharing our journey with you next term.

We are seeking Year 7 parents feedback through a survey with a twist and some friendly class competition.  Click on the link below to access the information or keep an eye out for a text message from the school.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=xzq-qWAMHkmLO6Mvj0auyBNp4VKzTi9Osimhhb81U3BUMzdDVjJBM1pOUkdXUjQ1STJQN09YQllBOS4u

Our school would like to wish Jenny Brazier all the best in her retirement. Jenny is our trusty, super organised lab technician who has worked in the Science department for many years. We thank Jenny for her contribution to our school. Her knowledge and expertise has impacted positively on teaching and learning outcomes for our staff and students. Enjoy your retirement and the new opportunities that come your way!

I’m proud of the hard work and dedication shown by our students and staff and look forward to keeping this positive energy going into the next term.

Happy Easter and enjoy a well-deserved break!

Nikki Clark
Principal

2025 School Leaders

Congratulations to the 2025 Student Executive Council (SEC) members.

SEC Members –

• Presidents- Jorja Fisher and Madeline Edwards
• Vice Presidents – Alexis Stokes and Piper Alderson
• Secretary – Savannah Swan
• Treasurer – Oliver Davis
• Communication Officer – Bella Cameron
• Fundraising Committee – Amber Ainslie, Lucy Gourley, Taite Horton, Tori Collins

2025 SRC Members

Congratulations to our Year 7, 8 and 9 Student Representative Council (SRC) Members for 2025.

Year 7 SRC –

Year 8 SRC–

Year 9 SRC –

House Captains

Congratulations to our House Captains for 2025. All House and Vice Captains showed great leadership at our recent athletics carnival. Keep up the great work.

Perkins

Robbins

Walker

Hunter

Athletics Carnival

On Friday, March 28th, we held our annual Athletics Carnival right here at school. In the lead-up to the event, students worked hard in their PE lessons, developing and refining their skills across a range of track and field events.

The excitement began the day before with our first House meeting of the year, where we introduced our new House Captains and built up some team spirit in preparation for the big day.

On Carnival Day, it was fantastic to see such high participation across all events. Students showed great enthusiasm, supporting and encouraging each other to step up, have a go, and give it their best effort.

As always, a highlight of the day was the much-anticipated Tug of War competition, where each house had the chance to take on the undefeated teachers. With 14 students per team facing off against our 10 determined staff members, the challenge was intense. This year, only Robbins House managed to claim victory over the teachers—an impressive effort!

Thankyou to everyone who made the day a success. A huge thank you to all the students who participated and gave their best effort. To our dedicated staff members who ran and scored events—your hard work is greatly appreciated. A special mention to Jacko for preparing the track and field markings, and to the staff and Students who arrived early to help set up—your contribution made a big difference. Lastly, thank you to the parents who came along to cheer on the students and assist with some of the events. Your support truly adds to the spirit of the day.

In the end, the leader board looked like this -

1. WALKER 17931
2. HUNTER 17794
3. ROBBINS 16185
4. PERKINS 14318

Congratulations to Walker just getting over Hunter by 138 points.

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Whole School Assembly

We celebrated student success in our end of Term assembly last week. Congratulations to all students who have given their best this term. We can't wait to see your achievements in Term 2!

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Year 7 News

Foods

The Year 7s have been busy during their Foods class, cooking up some delicious BBQ wraps.

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On this occasion in Foods, the Year 7s made their own chicken nuggets filled with vegetables and accompanied with salad and homemade chips. The students are presenting their dishes using their creativity and imagination.

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7.1 First Nations symbolic "story" artwork.

YFCC Visits

Jonathon Cowen from YFCC has been visiting our Year 7's during their Pastoral Care lessons.

The topic for one week was looking at cyber safety and ways to reduce your social media online time.

YFCC (Youth Family and Community Connections) is a not for profit, community organisation that provides a range of services to young people, families and individuals in communities across the North West Coast and West Coast of Tasmania.

Year 8 News

Health and Physical Education

Year 8's had a ripper PE lesson last week at the Esplanade. They learnt a new tactical game of Sergeant's and Generals which reinforced the values of teamwork and fun.

Year 9 News

Our Year 9s were lucky enough to have Tommy Quick visit. He spoke with the Year 9s about his own experiences in life since experiencing a stroke at a young age and living with a disability. His message of being a good mate and being inclusive was fantastic. Tommy is currently cycling around Tasmania to raise funds and awareness of young people who have suffered from having a stroke.

Inter-High Swimming

On March 26th, we had an early start as we travelled to Devonport Aquatic Centre to compete against other schools from across the Northwest. It was a big day, and everyone gave it their all, showing great team spirit and representing our school with pride.

There were some standout performances, including:

• Austin Goodger, who placed 1^st in the Year 9 Freestyle B Division.
• Kye Moore, who came 2^nd and Jhett House, who finished 3^rd in the Year 8 Boys Freestyle B Division.
• Jhett House also placed 2nd in the Year 8 Boys 50m Breaststroke B Division.

But more than just the results, it was a great day of teamwork, cheering each other on, and pushing ourselves to do our best. A huge shoutout to the whole team: Cooper Stokes, Jake Best, Chad Jaeger, Natalia Rutter, Jedd Maguire, Kye Moore, Jhett House, Duke Marcello, and Austin Goodger.

We also want to say a big thank you to Mr Coombe and Jordan Williams for coming along to help out on the day. And of course, a highlight was the well-earned stop at McDonald’s on the way home to celebrate our efforts!

Well done to everyone who competed—you all did an awesome job!

Thanks – Chad & Jhett.

Applied Science

The Year 9/10 Applied Science class is involved in animal anatomy. Recently the class looked at the circulatory, respiratory and digestive system of a rat. Students were able to locate major organs of these systems and ponder on the relationship between structure and function.

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Our Year 9/10 Applied Science students have had the 'dubious pleasure' of learning dissection.

Mr Wyatt demonstrated the process of dissecting a sheep pluck and a rat.

The students then had the opportunity to apply the scalpel themselves, some with a little more enthusiasm than others.

What's a pluck, you ask; It's the heart, lungs and fully attached trachea from a mammal. Usually from a sheep, however, a pig or goat heart may be substituted.

Isn't science amazing!

Journalism

For 9/10 option classes this year, we have a new subject of Journalism. A group of enthusiastic writers have been working with Ms Chynoweth to learn how to find and report news stories in and around our community.

Please enjoy some articles written by some of our Journalism students.

2025’s Student Executive Council at Smithton High – 03/04/2025

2025’s Student Executive Council at Smithton High – 03/04/2025

This year’s Smithton High School Student Executive Council has been announced in today’s assembly, with our newest Presidents - Madeline Edwards and Jorja Fisher and Vice Presidents - Piper Alderson and Alexis Stokes.

Secretary is Savannah Swan, Treasurer - Oliver Davis and the Communications Officer - Bella Cameron.

In a new move for the SEC, it has also established a fundraising committee, comprising of Amber Ainslie, Lucy Gourley, Taite Horton and Tori Collins.

“We decided the fundraising committee was important as we plan to do a lot of fundraising this year,” said Swan. “It’s not something we have done before, but we found that it will be very effective to plan out our roles on the council and have people with specific fundraising responsibilities.”

The SEC has already begun to plan events and fundraisers that will be occurring over the 2025 school year.

Assistant Principal, Sue Bishop, is the supporting leader for the SEC, said “I am looking forward to the amazing difference and work that these fabulous students will make at our school”.

Written by Savannah Swan - 9/10 Journalism

Smithton High’s newest Student Representative Council

Our latest members of Smithton High’s Student Representative Council have been announced today during our whole school assembly. This year there has been a tight selection of 4 people from each year level 7-9.

One of our year 9 student representative council members, also taking on the role of vice-captain for the Walker house, Ruby Lardner said that she is very excited and grateful for her role on the SRC this year, and she is proud that younger grades will be able to look up to her as a role model of the school.

Lucas Furphy said he felt great when he was announced and given his badge at the assembly earlier this morning. “I’m very excited to see what we end up accomplishing this year and what fundraisers we do.”

 Another year 8 member of the SRC, Jhett House, said “I am looking forward to help improve the school and make it a better place to learn.”

Year 7

• Lincoln Whiteman
• Jake Best
• Isabelle Heald
• Myah Ollington

Year 8

• Lucas Furphy
• Jhett House
• Westen Whiteman
• Lilli Hafner

Year 9

• James Hampson
• Ruby Lardner
• Clancy Payne
• Samuel Radford-Bryan

Written by Savannah Swan – 9/10 Journalism

Preparation For Work

Britton Timbers

On March 5th and March 26th, the Year 9/10 Preparation for Work class participated in a workplace tour of Britton Timbers Mill. The students had a fantastic time exploring the mill, learning about how Britton’s process timber, and discovering the various employment opportunities available in the timber industry. It was a great chance for students to see the craftsmanship and dedication that goes into every piece of timber produced.

A huge thank you to Britton Timbers for giving up their time to host us and provide such an insightful and inspiring experience. Your support means the world to us!

Grange Resources – Port Latta

Last week, our Year 9/10 Preparation for Work class had the incredible opportunity to visit Grange Resources Port Latta and learn about production of iron ore pellets. This tour was an eye-opening experience that fascinated the students with a glimpse into the world of mining. We extend our gratitude to Grange Resources for their hospitality and for providing such an engaging and informative tour.

AG Warehouse

The Year 9/10 Preparation for Work class would like to say a huge thank you to Kanon from AG Warehouse for giving them an awesome tour of their store!

Your enthusiasm and knowledge about the agricultural industry was truly inspiring. The students loved learning about the various job opportunities and seeing firsthand what it's like to work in such a dynamic field. Get ready for a few resumes to be sent your way.

Outdoor Education

The Outdoor Ed students participated in a mapping activity where they took different coordinates around town. The purpose of the activity is to build orienteering and navigation skills.

The Outdoor Ed students visited Trawmanna and propagated and planted some Lomandra. The students also engaged in a series of teambuilding activities and enjoyed peer interaction on a warm autumn day. 

The Outdoor Ed students went on an excursion to the Stanley Nut. The students enjoyed a lovely warm autumn day where they gathered and tasted some bush foods along the way. Students also interacted with Jack from CHAC and learnt about Muttonbirds, bush plants and heard the story of the ‘Three sisters’ (Stanley Nut, Rocky Cape, Table Cape).

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The Outdoor Education students spent the day at Rocky Cape National Park as part of their end of term activity. The students hiked approximately 7km to the Tinkers look out and back. The students were mesmerized with the views and constantly changing landscape. The weather was warm and the sun was shining. To finish the day the students cooked a BBQ at the beach and shared their highlights of the trip. 

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Rustic Duck

The Rustic Duck On Montagu team have been honing their skills as they prepare to open the cafe each Thursday from Term 2.

SHS staff have been lucky to enjoy awesome coffee and delectable treats over the past few weeks for which we are always grateful.

So imagine our delight when the RD team provided a special treat to each staff member as a 'thankyou' for our support of their training!

Hospitality training is not just about building skills, it is also about learning to serve your customers with care and respect. The RD team is off to a great start under the guiding hand of our trainer, Kim Muller.

Here are just a few comments from staff after receiving their thankyou treat.

"What a kind, thoughtful and delicious treat I’ve just received from our Rustic Duck students!! I especially loved the labelling and packaging. THANK-YOU, this gesture is very much appreciated. Staff involved, please pass along our gratitude to the students."

"It certainly was a beautiful surprise. The students also delivered with a wonderful smile, thanks Kim & team"

"Mine was outside my door after I finished my online meeting. The cupcake was to die for!"

"Chocolate swirl cookie for the win!"

Recognition for our school health nurses

School health nurses play an important role in our school community, delivering health education and promotion, and supporting student wellbeing.

The Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) has recently introduced the internationally recognised DAISY Award program in schools through the School Health Nurse program.

Those with a health background may already be familiar with this program. Run by the DAISY Foundation, it is a way to acknowledge and celebrate the care and compassion that nurses deliver to the people they care for each and every day.

The program is run in 38 countries, but this is the first time anywhere in the world it will be delivered in a school setting.

Nominations are now open for the DECYP DAISY Award.  If you or a family member have had a positive experience with a school health nurse and would like to see their work recognised, why not consider nominating them! 

You can nominate them using this form, by sending an email to daisy@decyp.tas.gov.au, or getting in touch with school staff for help or more information.

Whether you’re a student, parent or carer, or a DECYP staff member, anyone can nominate a school health nurse you think is worthy of recognition.

Nominations will close on 13 June, with winners announced at an awards ceremony on 4 July. For more information, you can also visit DECYP’s website.

Community News

Dates to Remember…

Term Dates 2025

Student Free Days 2025

• Year 7-10
• Friday 6th June
• Friday 31st October

Years 11/12

Office Hours