Deputy Principal Report

Mrs Jones

Our school improvement plan focuses on improving student results, attendance, and ensuring we support all of our students in their choice of pathways.

Improving student Results

Literacy and Numeracy are important skills in life, and the teaching of these skills is embedded in every subject across the school. 

Literacy skills are taught in every subject because language is a major part of how students learn, demonstrate their abilities and express themselves. We have been gathering data on how our students are performing and identifying where we can provide more support. In Term 3, we will be focusing on extending vocabulary which will help students with their reading and writing.

The new Mathematics syllabus is moving away from the more traditional methods of teaching Maths to a more interactive format, so that students understand how to apply what they learn in Maths to their everyday lives. This gave us the perfect opportunity to create a numeracy space for all subject areas that could be used to teach subject-specific numeracy skills. There will be more information on our Numeracy lab soon.

Attendance

Attendance Matters. The NSW Department of Education has made attendance a focus in their state plan. This is long-term focus and at Evans, we are beginning by ensuring that our attendance data is accurate. We ask that parents respond to text messages they receive so we know why our students are not at school.

It is important to note that attendance is not only calculated if your child is absent for the day. Every minute they are late to school, late to class or missing from class are also calculated. This also means they are missing valuable learning time because as these missing minutes add up, it could mean that a student is unable to meet the requirements for their ROSA and may need to repeat a year. Attendance at school and in class matters.

Pathways

Every student is an individual, and that is why we support a range of post-school pathways.

University is where many students aspire to study. Students who are motivated and are prepared for the academic rigour of university study are supported by the school through highly trained staff. Our staff attend dedicated professional development aimed at improving HSC results and many also apply to mark the HSC so they can better advise students. Our students are also informed of early entry applications, programs and scholarships which makes their transition from high school to university easier.

University will not suit everyone, and that is okay. Whether students want to attend university later in life or wish to pick a vocation that does not require a degree, we will support them.  At Evans HS, we offer VET courses for students which means they can achieve a qualification as part of their HSC. There are also many external TAFE options available for students through our work with the External Pathways Programs. 

If a student is under 17 and has completed Year 10, they have an option not to continue studying in Year 11 at Evans HS. However, to be signed out from our school they must be:

• in another school, or registered for home schooling OR
• in approved education or training (such as TAFE) OR
• in full-time, paid employment (average 25 hours/week) OR
• in a combination of these three. 

Evidence must be provided through a letter from a parent/carer stating they will no longer be at Evans HS and why. We also need an enrollment confirmation or certificate of homeschooling, an enrollment letter from TAFE and/or a letter from an employer or payslip showing the number of hours worked. If you have questions about this pathway, please call the school.

Ms Doyle

We begin this edition of the Evans High School newsletter by recognising the importance of attendance. We firmly believe that regular attendance is the cornerstone of a successful educational journey, and over the past term, we have seen an improvement in our students' attendance rates, we now have over 50% of students whose attendance is above 90%. We want to extend our appreciation to both our students and parents for their commitment to ensuring that students are present and engaged in the learning process. Creating a positive atmosphere where students feel they belong is very important to us, and we want to thank those parents who phone their children after they have left for work themselves, who set alarms, and who encourage bag packing and uniform readiness the night before. If your child continues to demonstrate regular lateness to school, they will be required to complete missed work on Wednesday afternoons after school.

Student Performance in Examinations

This past few weeks students have worked to prepare for examinations. We are very proud of how well so many of our students have prepared and performed. The hard work, dedication, and resilience demonstrated by our students, have seen some exceptional growth in student results. Across all year levels, our students have exhibited progress and achieved results that reflect their commitment to academic improvement. We would like to acknowledge the incredible support provided by our dedicated teachers, who have been instrumental in guiding and inspiring our students to achieve their best. Year 12 and HSC 1 will have several study days available as we prepare for HSC examinations. 

Term 4 - Compressed Curriculum

As we look ahead to Term 4, we want to remind our school community that our academic year starts in Term 4, Week 6.  This means the HSC 1 students will be on leave Weeks 1-4 undertaking their HSC examinations, they will return for Spirit Week in Week 5 and begin their HSC 2 studies in Term 4 Week 6. 

The compressed curriculum allows for students to focus on three subjects for a single year, which means that in order to fit the correct number of hours into the curriculum we need to start in Term 4, hence all year groups roll over then. Parents will need to ensure that students have equipment for the new academic year and equipment lists will be sent home early in Term 4. 

We are immensely proud of the accomplishments of our students and grateful for the commitment of our school community. Together, we will continue to strive towards thriving as Respectful, motivated and trustworthy students.