18 17 December 2015 - Queechy High School

17 December 2015
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Dear Community,
Thank you to the Queechy High School community! It has been, as always, a year full of both expected and
surprising events and we have achieved our aim of making SUCCESS the identifying theme for 2015. Those who
attended Presentation Night would have seen the proof of this claim. I agreed completely with
LSNR General Manager, Trudy Pearce’s comments in her email following the event
“….the fabulous array of arts presentations was a reminder to me of the incredible and diverse talent in our schools and
the students enjoyment and pride in both their ability and the school was tangible. It was great.”
Thank you to our Grade 10s. What an amazing and inspiring group of young people. They have truly embraced
the ethos of Queechy: Quality, Harmony, Success and appreciated the rich diversity of our student population. All
Grade 10 students, not only our leaders, have forged friendships and understandings that I know will stay with
them throughout life. This year we have further improved our reputation as a school of choice, being able to
achieve excellent learning outcomes – our Grade 10s have been key in leading this growth.
Thank you to all of our students. They learn so much, in so many ways, they give so much, also in multiple ways –
our magazine Queechy View 2015 provides a snapshot of our year. It affirms my claims regarding the success of
our year.
Thank you to our School Association – the group of parents, staff and students who work so well together
providing guidance, suggestions and funding. In 2016 we hope to encourage more to join with us, contributing in
ways that best suit your skills and interests and thereby improving further the learning we deliver.
Thank you to our staff who give above and beyond- teachers, support, administration, assistants, attendants –
you’ll find them working with students in and out of school hours, guiding, instructing, coaching, supporting,
creating, learning together. This is not common to all schools – attend events such as the weekend basketball, the
all schools athletics or consider the various camps and socials we provide – at those you’ll find more Q staff than
any other school and they are not contracted or paid for their attendance; they are there because they truly
believe in the importance of all in our community contributing to individual student success.
For the few staff who are leaving this year we thank you for all you have contributed and wish you luck in the
future:
Vicki Fulton, one of our TAs has decided to retire – thank you Vicki for the many years you have worked with
groups and individuals, maximising their learning time and that of others.
Bruce Harrison has also decided to retire – so many students, teachers and parents are able to better understand
Maths and Science because of Bruce’s expertise and his ability to make the complex, simple. Bruce’s manner, his
high level interpersonal skills, his sense of humour and his capacity to care make him possibly the most favourite
teacher ever named and he certainly was well placed to be an educational leader – one of his portfolios has been
to grow our international program bringing the world to us and Queechy to the world. Thank you Bruce, we can
only hope that universities are developing clones.
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Page 2 Cont’
Nelson Tabe is moving to share his passion for, and expertise in, primary school music with a
position shared between Summerdale and Punchbowl schools.
Kate Berwick is leaving to take up a teaching position in Brisbane. Changing staffing needs means we
are not, at this stage, able to offer roles to Brendon Jack or Emily Dobson. I thank Emily, Kate and
Brendon for stepping in part way through the year, never an easy task, and working so well with our
staff and students.
Our Admin team are vital to our school, providing top class customer service. We thank them for
their ongoing work and say goodbye this year to Tracie Emery who is returning to Riverside High
School.
Jenni Hudson, John Crick, Guy Hansson and Liz Wilson are starting 2016 on long service leaves of
various lengths – we wish them a relaxing, reinvigorating extended holiday.
I hope you all have a happy, satisfying and rewarding holiday and I look forward to working with
many of you again in 2016 – imagine, keeping true to our current values and trajectory, the excellent
outcomes we can achieve then?!
Kathy Davis
Memorial Garden Plaque
Our School Enhancement Team from our SLB are pictured here with a plaque for our Memorial Garden
at the front of the school to remember those who passed whilst at Queechy.
This was a vision put into action by our 2014 SLB and we are proud to carry out their plan.
Thank you to Steve Bennett and Duane Kingston from Bennett and Kingston of Claremont who made
this kind donation to us.
ELITE RUNNER HERE AT QUEECHY!
COAST TO KOSCIUSZKO ULTRAMARATHON 2015
Paul Wright may choose to hide under a broom and bucket here at Queechy and keep his running
prowess quiet but the cat’s out of the bag! We now know that Paul was the ONLY Tasmanian to be
accepted, participate and complete Australia’s most gruelling ultramarathon race in Australia last week!
Starting on Friday 11th December, Paul ran over 240 kilometres from Boydtown Beach, on the far south
coast of New South Wales, to the top of Mount Kosciuszko in a time of 39.10.32 hours. Not bad for a
57 year old – the second oldest participant in the event.
Paul had been training for six years and was one of only 50 ultramarathon runners around Australia to be
chosen. Spotted today with his broom and a quiet smile, he is back at work. Thanks to Facebook, some
of us have uncovered and tracked his success and are now proudly applauding his monumental
achievement.
As one of the most challenging events in our country’s running history, Paul’s success is worthy of
enormous praise and recognition. He is an inspiration to all.
Movie Reviews
Some favourable movie reviews of two vastly different screen adaptations of Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet. Some suggestions for summer holiday viewing perhaps?
Mrs King
Romeo and Juliet by Franco Zeffirelli
Growing up, we have all heard of the tale of Romeo and Juliet. As chidren, we heard of the love and
drama in particular. Franko Zeffirelli has made an amazing movie for his time (1968), with excellent
portrayal of the themes such as love, sorrow and impulsive violence. Zefirelli’s movie takes us on an
emotional roller coaster ride.
Keeping to the story line, Zeffirelli’s version of Romeo and Juliet is set in the small town of Verona.
Romeo and Juliet are put in the relatable situation where they are unable to pursue a relationship due to
their parent’s feud. Feeling that life is against them and that they are truly “star-crossed”, they resort to
desperate measures to be together.
The young Juliet is played by the beautiful Olivia Hussy who conveys a very good interpretation of how
Juliet may have felt. Juliet’s parent’s, Lord and Lady Capulet were played by Natasha Parry and
Paul Hardwick and their performance was outstanding. Romeo was played by the talented
Leonardo Whiting and his parents, Lord and Lady Montague were played by Esmerelda Ruspoli and
Antonio Peirfedenci, both conveying a great sense of parents simply wanting the best for their child.
Some of the very emotional parts of this movie seem to be a bit overplayed making the movie quite
funny instead of serious which took away from some of the film’s themes. Besides this, I found the movie
was very well done, making you feel as though you were with Romeo and Juliet as the story unfolded.
The message that this movie is trying to portray is very clear and well-presented throughout the movie.
It is about the boundaries that adults set for their children and also about senseless conflict and violence.
The movie conveys the pressure on children who are trying to do what their parents want them to and
how it can lead to terrible consequences. It also shows us that sometimes desperate measures are
needed to fix a situation.
This movie is definitely not for young children, as the story has too many complicated words and adult
themes, but is definitely worth a watch at some point in your life. You will not regret it.
Rating 4/5
By Hana Boscoe 9F
Baz Luhrmann’s
Romeo+Juliet
A New Twist on an Old Tale
Romeo and Juliet is a classic tale known by most. A story about love and heartbreak, director Baz Luhrmann made all
the right choices to bring it to life. By the last minute of the film, you will be left speechless after being taken on an
emotional rollercoaster. Whether young or old, timid or bold, all will enjoy this Shakespearean story of old.
Set in an unknown era, the film starts with a faraway shot of a television. Cleverly, it is set up so that the viewer
thinks the television on the screen is indeed their own. A woman appears behind the glass and is soon found to be
an anchor woman. The prologue is then read out as if a news segment, making it the perfect introduction to this
new take on the story.
Romeo Montague (Leonardo DiCaprio) is lovesick over a young woman named Rosaline. Much to his parents’
dismay (Brian Dennehy and Christina Pickles), Romeo does not seem to get out of his funk. Through a series of
events, Romeo soon finds himself attending a party at his sworn enemies’ house; the Capulets. Though Romeo does
not see the sense in their constant quarrelling, he is still reluctant to go. However he is convinced by his best friend
Mercutio (Harold Perrineau) to attend and forget his heartache over Rosaline. By the end of the night, he has fallen
deeply in love with the beautiful Juliet (Claire Danes). After lies, death, joy and disaster, the movie ends in an iconic
way that will stick with generations.
One of the stand out performances was by Harold. His portrayal of Mercutio was the perfect balance of comedy
and seriousness. I was very pleased to see such an original spin on the character. Harold is mainly known for his
role as Link in “the Matrix” but has done many films since then. Leonardo and Claire do an excellent job in igniting
the flame of Romeo and Juliet’s love. Leonardo DiCaprio was twenty one when he took on the well-known role,
Claire Danes was only seventeen. Now known for greater films and charity work, Leo used the film as a platform
to leap into the pool of success. Claire is currently involved with the television series Homeland, and although she
hasn’t done much in the way of acting since Romeo + Juliet, she is still sticking with what she loves.
I found this modern take on a classic tale very enjoyable. The setting of fictional Verona Beach, Florida gave the film
the perfect feeling of edge. Throughout the film, many references to Shakespeare were made. Whether it was a
poster with the quote “The stuff that dreams are made of” or even tiny details in the costumes. This was the
perfect way to respectfully tip their hat to the playwright, without going overboard. Though the whole film was
flamboyant, it maintained a sense of dignity. Compared to the 1968 version, which I also enjoyed, Romeo + Juliet was
very relatable and it was both simplistic and complex. Behind the bright lights, drag queens and general
flamboyance, was a beautiful love story conveyed with as much integrity as the original.
One thing that I thought could have used some tweaking in the film’s production was the sound in the film. I found
that some parts of the film were far too loud. I understand that building tension is an important aspect in a film like
this, but this was a case of overkill. This was the only fault I could find, apart from this minor detail, I found the
acting, lighting and design was excellent.
This film conveys the message that violence is not a solution. No matter how bad a situation is, resorting to
violence won’t solve anything. That is why I think this is a very important story to be shown to youngsters. The fact
that it is told through film makes it more appealing to the wider population. The love that Romeo and Juliet share
conquered all, and though they met a fateful demise, they were their happiest when together. The fact that the two
lovers saw no way out and resorted to such drastic measures proved how deep their families’ feud was. If no one
was violent or horrible to each other to begin with, Romeo and Juliet would be alive and well.
The film is rated M for mature audiences. I suggest that parents watch this with their children, but you can never be
too young for a bit of Shakespeare. This film is valuable both in terms of the messages and also the language. No
matter what age, all should see this film or other adaptions of it due to the historical use of Shakespearean language
and also the themes about violence and impulsivity. I find this a family film, despite the rating. Shakespeare was truly
brought to life in this film and I’m sure he would enjoy the creative twist on his timeless classic.
Sheridan Collis Oates 9A
Some of our Host & SDR Students
Tamar Valley Resort Excursion
Danielle Walters alongside the hall table she made for our front foyer.
We love your efforts, thanks heaps Danielle!
Jamie’s Dance and Choreographic Centre
Contemporary
Ballet
Jazz/ Hip Hop
Acro Dance (Trick development)
Choreography Methods
Adult Dance (All dance styles)
Private Tuition (solo, duo, trio)
Calling all boys, girls and adults
New dance school in the Trevallyn/ Riverside area
Opening February 2016
No experience necessary!
For enquiries and or to enrol please contact Jamie Rose McDonough
Phone: 0448 544 408 or 6327 4161
Email: email.jamierose@gmail.com
The Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations Inc., otherwise known as TASSO,
is a non-government not-for-profit organisation. We provide support and information to
parents, school associations and parent groups of state schools. TASSO also put forward
parents views to State and Federal Governments on any topics related to education.
We are proud partners with DoE in the innovative and exciting program known as
Community Empowered Schools.
TASSO is a committed group of state-wide volunteers available to attend one of your school association
meetings. Call the office on 6234 9488.
Check out our Website www.tasso.org.au
Send us an email eo@tasso.org.au
Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Tasmanian-Association-of-State-School-Organisations128656777202053/?fref=ts
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HOST AN OVERSEAS STUDENT?
Experience another culture, make new friends and improve your language studies at home
Hosting – An Experience for Life
Student Exchange is looking for host families across
Australia to welcome overseas students into their home
www.studentexchange.org.au
1300 135 331 (cost of local call)
Term Dates 2016
Term 1
Grade 7 - Wednesday 3 February - Friday 8 April
Grade 8, 9 & 10 - Thursday 4 February - Friday 8 April
Easter Break
Friday 25 March—Tuesday 29 March
Term 2
Tuesday 26 April—Friday 1 July
Term 3
Tuesday 19 July—Friday 23 September
Term 4
Monday 10 October—Wednesday 21 December
Queechy High School
Penquite Road, Launceston Tas 7250
PO Box 678, Kings Meadows Tas 7249
Ph: (03) 6341 4455 Fax: (03) 6344 9892
Email: queechy.high@education.tas.gov.au
Web: www.queechy.tased.edu.au
Class Times
First bell 8:45am
Tutor Group: 8:45am - 9:00am
Block 1:
9:00am - 10:10am
Recess 1:
10:10am - 10:30am
Block 2:
10:30am - 11:40am
Recess 2:
11:40am - 12:00pm
Block 3:
12:00pm - 1:10pm
Lunch:
1:10pm - 1:50pm
Block 4:
1:50 pm - 3:00pm