Welcome Back HKHS

I am quite sure that we can all agree that it is fabulous to be back at school. The last four months without students or staff have made the school environment somewhat eerie, but the busy bustle of the day, happy chatter, sharing of experiences, and just reconnecting has returned a sense of normality. It was evident right from the 25th of October that staff and students felt better for being back together.

Let me commend our students for the mature and settled way they have returned after this period. There are restrictions in place that complicate the day and prevent many activities from occurring. Our students have taken these in their stride, accepted the way things are, and have just got on with it.

There have been no difficulties with mask wearing, no issues from segregated playground spaces. The way our students and staff have worked together in cooperation to make the requirements happen has been wonderful and reflective of the positive culture of our school.

I take this opportunity to recognise the school staff for their significant efforts across the past four months. This hasn’t been easy for anyone, however the multifaceted approach and deep commitment shown by the staff of this school is second to none – they are simply fabulous.

End of Year -

Official Ceremonies

Guidelines for official ceremonies, graduations and formals have been released by the department, and these will bring about limitations as to what we will be able to put in place. I need to raise awareness of the following decisions that have been necessitated by the guidelines:

Graduation will be held at school on Monday 6 December at 9.30 am. Only students and staff may attend. Covid safe procedures will be in place. The event will be live streamed.
Our annual Presentation Ceremony will be held on Tuesday 7 December, and will be during the day as it was in 2020 with only staff and students in attendance. Covid safe procedures will be in place. The event will be live streamed.
Orientation Day for our incoming Year 7 in 2022 will be held on Thursday 9th of December.
The Year 12 formal will now be held on Thursday 9 December. We have had to change venues to The Entertainment Grounds. Again, only students and staff will be able to attend.
Unfortunately, we have made the decision to cancel the Year 10 Dinner Dance. This is the result of several factors including the volume of events in such a short time frame, availability of venues and the need to prioritise Year 12.

Obviously, this will be a very busy week for the school. It is unfortunate that we are required to limit attendance to only staff and students in each case, and we hope that 2022 will see us return to welcoming our parents, carers, and community back into our school. Until then we will do all we can to involve you in these important events.

Current Operating Guidelines

Currently the school operates under Level 3 Plus guidelines. This requires a range of measures to be implemented, including cohorting, masks indoors, increased ventilation, no visitors, no excursions, and many other restrictions. At this time, I am not aware of when we will move to reduced restrictions, however when this does occur the school will continue to operate under a range of measures that restrict what we are able to do. We will keep our community informed of any changes.

Advice for Families

Last week the Secretary of education sat down for a short conversation with Professor Sharon Goldfeld, a paediatrician and Director of The Centre for Community Child Health. Professor Goldfeld has decades of experience in state government as a senior policy maker in health and education. During the 2020 second COVID-19 wave she analysed the school transmission data for the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. During the discussion Sharon shares some practical tips for families when talking to children about COVID-19, the layers of protection in place in our schools, and the benefits of getting our students into the classroom to learn. Parents can access the video here:

Advice for families (nsw.gov.au)

New Staff Member

This term we welcome Ms Katie Ellis to Henry Kendall High as our permanent Languages teacher. Although the online environment was not the easiest entry into a new school, Katie managed this well and is settling in now that we are back on site. I look forward to having Katie as a part of our team across the years to come.

NAPLAN 2021

A big congratulations to our students and staff for this year’s NAPLAN results! Despite the challenges this cohort of students have performed well, and compare favourably with previous results. Literacy and numeracy are the responsibility of all teachers, and as such, these results reward the effective teaching and learning happening across the school. I would like to acknowledge the literacy and numeracy teams who worked closely with students in the lead up to the exams.

All schools now have centrally mandated targets to achieve in the areas of top two bands (7 and 9 combined) for Reading and Numeracy. Henry Kendall has targets set at 23.9% (Reading) and 25.8% (Numeracy). We have exceeded our targets in both domains, by 5% in Reading and by 3% in Numeracy.

Year 7 and 9 students are assessed across five domains:

Reading, Writing, Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar, and Numeracy.

Our Year 7 students are above State Average and above the Similar Schools Average in all five domains.
Our Year 9 students are above State Average in four of the five domains, and above the Similar Schools Average in all five domains.

These achievements are significant and again confirm Henry Kendall as a leading school on the Central Coast.

Going forward our NAPLAN results require further analysis, to be undertaken by the literacy and numeracy teams, particularly in relations to student growth, and specific question analysis. From here, trends can be identified, and strategies implemented.

Once again, congratulations to the entire school community, and of course, to our students.

Good Luck Year 12

The HSC exams have finally started for our Year 12 students, and I wanted to share a message of good luck – both for the exams, but more importantly for a wonderful life ahead. Reality has it that the senior school journey for this cohort has been marred by a global event beyond our control. A virus that they, as well as anyone, understand the enormity of. Our students have watched the global impact, the effects on their community, and they have felt the personal impact in a very poignant way through their HSC preparations. I know how this experience has denied Year 12 of things they looked forward to, and it has challenged them emotionally and academically. But through it they are stronger and more resilient.

How this experience has influenced and shaped our young people may not be truly known for many years. Resilience in the face of adversity is something essential in the human soul, and I do believe that each of our Year 12 students will be stronger people because of this experience. At the end of the day, what they learned in their subjects this year might open doors for them. What they learned about themselves, their ability to persevere and keep standing despite the challenges they faced will influence and shape how they approach life.

On behalf of the staff at Henry Kendall I wish each one of our Year 12 students every success and happiness. Congratulations Year 12. You should feel nothing but pride for yourselves because we at Henry Kendall High, and your families at home, hold nothing but admiration for you.

School Leaders 2022

Congratulations to our incoming student leadership team for 2022.

School Captains:

Jade Sweeney and Harrison Day

Vice Captains:

Arabella Kimber and Joshua Emms

Prefects:

Mackenzie Goodhew, Annabel Worrad,

Tamika Williams, Emma Stone and

Charley Newton-Kasteel

Our incoming leaders undertook application, interview and speech components before being elected by their peers and the staff. I was incredibly impressed by the quality of each applicant, their integrity and genuine desire to contribute, and I look forward to working with them and watching them grow as people and as leaders.

I take this opportunity to recognise and thank the student leadership team of 2021 – Brandon, Imogen, Clare, Caitlyn, Charlotte, Eloise and Bridie. They have been strong and vibrant leaders, wonderful school ambassadors, and a credit to themselves and their families. It has been a pleasure working with each of them, and I have no doubt that leadership will be an aspect of their lives in the future.

Taking An Extended Break

I will be taking leave for the last three weeks of the year, and Mrs Donna James will be relieving as Principal in my absence.

I take this opportunity to thank the school community, students and my staff for the ongoing support and positivity despite all we have persevered through, managed, and endured in 2021. Henry Kendall High is a special place. I am fortunate, thankful, and proud to lead a school so committed to the best for its students and families.

I wish everyone an enjoyable, restful and celebratory festive season and a wonderful break across January.

Andrew Backhouse

Principal

Wellbeing Corner

Preparing all students for bushfire season