Principal Report

We have finished our 2023 school year on a high with many plans coming to fruition. Firstly, congratulations to our two cohorts of HSC students who undertook their exams and out-performed previous groups of students across a range of subjects with the largest number of Band 6 and Band 5 results and a commensurate reduction in the lower performance bands. Of particular interest, were the results of our HSC 1 students who had strong success including outstanding results in a wide range of subjects such as Mathematics, Chemistry and Visual Arts. HSC 1 students now have the opportunity to build upon their success as they undertake their second group of three subjects, sitting the exams at the end of 2024.

We sent 2023 Year 12 students off in fine style with the ringing of the last school bell tradition after walking through a guard of honour of the whole school. There were many tears as Ms Liku led them and the drummers all the way from the rear of the school to the front gate. The Graduation and Formal evening was a highlight of our school year and a great time was had by all. Our thoughts and best wishes follow our students through their next transition and new pathways into adult life.

After a considerable time – 6 years –our school hall is completed. In a deeply moving and significant smoking and cleansing naming ceremony, we unveiled the Uncle Wes Marne AM Performing Arts Centre. It is so named to recognise the considerable impact that Uncle Wes has played, not only in our school but across Western Sydney in education, mentoring young people, building deep cultural awareness and knowledge and social change. The significance lies in the fact that Uncle Wes was not allowed to go to school as a child and was originally not allowed to come into schools to speak with students and staff. However, with great tenacity, he persevered and is now a highly valued and revered person to the point where he is a recipient of the Medal of Australia, a Fellowship at Western Sydney University and, of course, now a Performing Arts Centre amongst many other accolades.

Along with the hall, we have continued to improve our learning spaces and facilities across the year. We have resurfaced our outside basketball courts, refurbished one of the kitchen classrooms, removed the barbwire fencing, completed signage, made significant grounds improvements and undertaken the delivery of seven high quality demountable classrooms which have since been joined by nine others to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of enrollments in the Intensive English Centre.

Our Intensive English Centre, the largest in the state for the past three years, has continued to attract students arriving from across the world. As Sydney continues to expand, we expect to continue to grow, valuing the cultural diversity that these students and their families bring to our community. Thank you to Ms Liau and her staff for their ongoing commitment to providing a quality first schooling experience to our newly arrived students and their families. You open doors to possibilities and opportunities.

The high school has also continued to grow as we have offered a range of innovative pathways and opportunities. This year marks the completion of the first senior class to undertake their Year 11 and 12 studies in 3 subjects over one year with the remaining three to be completed in 2024. They have just completed their first round of HSC exams along side our last cohort of Year 12 students who have studied 6 subjects over two years. We are incredibly proud of the maturity and application of this first cohort of 3X3 or compressed curriculum students. Thank you to Ms Field and Mr Murphy, and particularly, the HSC1 2023, teachers who have taken us on this journey.

In October last year, we saw the release of chatGTP, the first of many AI tools into the public domain and this was met, at the beginning of this year, with much handwringing and consternation, not least from me. However, as we moved through the year, we have made a considerable shift from a position of fear to one of opportunity, looking to the tools for improved teaching, learning and administration. The reality is that these tools have already been part of our lives and systems for a long time. We will be reframing assessments, developing protocols for their usage, and building the skills of both students and staff. We have developed a team of 11 fast adopters and innovative educators who will be building our capacity to engage in this space. After all, 42% of all occupations will have some tasks that will be affected by the utilisation of artificial intelligence. New careers have appeared – who had heard of a prompt engineer before this year? Innovation drives our economy and we must prepare our students and selves to participate at all levels. We will be offering parent workshops in this space next year – it is both a scary and very exciting time.

Our Living Deadly students have continued to excel in bringing and celebrating culture not only to our school but across Western Sydney with our students opening the huge Western Sydney NAIDOC games, undertaking Sorry business in the community and Cody Berhardt (School Captain) being the cohost of the launch of NAIDOC for the Department of Education. I acknowledge the work of local Dharug man, Jie Pittman, who has awakened culture and connectedness for both students and staff. All staff have undertaken both freshwater and saltwater training on country learning to build their understanding and cultural capacity. We also value the ongoing relationship with the Solid Ground Artist-in-Residence program that sites a high-profile indigenous artist to work with students to develop music and design each year. A big thank you to teacher, Ms Silva, who has continued to build the capacity of our First Nations program and provide all students with a deep cultural immersion that has become part of our school life.

At the end of this term, we relaunched our House system after a complete revamp led by Mr Sondaar and Ms Dixon, with input from other staff and the student leadership team. We have elevated the system to include both sporting and academic prowess, celebrating the achievement of students across the academic, social, physical, and community domains in the spirit of competition.

Thank you to all the staff at Evans, across administration, teaching and educational support who make our school the place that it is. A special thanks to our Business Managers Ms Lane (Finance & SAM), Ms Dixon (Properties & EA), and School Administration Manager Ms Briggs (Finance & SAM)  who all have our school at the heart of their work. To Pete, our GA, thank you for another year of outstanding work and commitment to our school.

As always, we acknowledge the important role that our families and community play in the outcomes of our students and the wider school. It is a team effort. I would like to take this opportunity to wish each of you and your families a safe summer and a wonderful and prosperous 2024.

Regards

Nerina Pretlove

Principal