End of Term 2

Principals Report

Term 1 has proved to be extremely positive for Henry Kendall High School, however equally hectic. It has been great to have had such an encouraging start to the year, with the ability to operate with genuine normality for the first time in three years. Students have responded in kind; getting involved, treating others with respect, enjoying being here, and demonstrating a desire to contribute. I look forward to this positive culture continuing throughout the year. 

Staff Development Day Term 2 

Our School Development Day for Term 2 is Monday 24April and will be focused on Aboriginal Education. The work we do as a school to provide strong cultural experiences for our indigenous and non-indigenous students is vital. The emphasis of this day is to build the commitment, knowledge and understanding of our staff in Aboriginal histories and cultures to inform our teaching and ensure that all students feel known, valued and cared for.  

Attendance Notifications

Our school provides a range of notifications to parents and carers on a regular basis regarding student attendance. One of those is a departmental requirement to notify parents and carers each term where overall attendance for any student is below 90%. In most cases these absences have been explained and are genuine, however they are still recorded as an absence on our system and the notification is a requirement that we have.

 

In some cases, the notifications issued in the past week raised concerns with some parents and carers. Please be assured that these letters are for your information only. If significant attendance concerns exist regarding your child’s attendance pattern the Deputy Principal will be in contact to discuss the matter. The concerns raised by some parents and carers have drawn my attention to the wording of the letters themselves, which haven’t been reviewed for some time. I have now addressed this and believe that the intent of the message will be clearer in the future.

Executive Conference 

On Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 March 2023 the School Executive held our annual conference, which represents a vital opportunity to spend two days focusing on our core business of teaching and learning, and on the development of the leadership capacities of each person. 

 

With the NSW Curriculum Reform taking effect from this year, it was an optimum time to focus our attention on this significant piece of work that will require all teaching and learning programs to be redeveloped over the next 3 years – a major undertaking. Across Monday 20 March our focus was on the development of a deep understanding of the purpose of the reforms, the change management processes required to undertake this work, and the implementation phases in leading this work over the next three years. I will discuss the key elements of the reforms and what they’ll mean for your child’s learning later in my report. 

 

The second day of the conference was focused on the development of leadership capacity within each member of the school executive. Our focus was on the concepts Leading in New Times and was led by Tim Perkins from Cut Through Coaching. Through devolving into specific aspects that impact and effect leadership practice each day, we are better placed to understand our own patterns of behaviour, frames of reference and ways of managing the daily challenges faced as school leaders. Given the context of recent years, a refocus on our sense of purpose as a leadership team, a reconnection with our sense of belonging to our school, and the mindset that we bring to our professional identity, were all topics that were very important to explore to ensure that the leadership of our school is as vibrant as it can be. Our executive team found this focus enormously purposeful and beneficial, empowering us to continue to lead our school through strengthened self-awareness and clarity. 

NSW Curriculum Reform 

A complete overhaul of the NSW Educational Curriculum has been on the cards for a number of years now, and the release on the new syllabi that drive this curriculum has started this year. The process of a total overhaul will take many years to be completed, requiring schools to redevelop every teaching and learning program – a significant undertaking. 

 

While each syllabus has specific content and specialised focuses, all are embodying common threads that guide the changes. There are three core elements that underpin the directions of every subject syllabus: 

  • A focus on deep learning – Teaching and learning is focused on developing students’ deep knowledge of important concepts, principles and methods on each subject. Factual and procedural knowledge remain essential, but the syllabuses of the new curriculum prioritise depth rather than breadth of learning. 
  • Integration of knowledge and skills – Learning in each subject is a mix of theory and application, with no subject focused only on knowledge or only on skills. New syllabuses develop skills in applying knowledge (for example, critical and creative thinking) and provide opportunities for students not develop and demonstrate such skills. 
  • Progress is based on attainment – The new syllabuses are untimed. They do not specify when every student must commence, or how long they have to learn, each syllabus. Students progress to the next syllabus once they understand the prior syllabus. Students who require more time can have it; students ready to advance are able to do so. 

 

As each new syllabus is planned and implemented at a school level we will see an opportunity for the focus of learning to better reflect to world in which we live, and a stronger opportunity to equip our students with the tools they will need in a rapidly changing world. 

Term 2 Dates 

School Development Day Monday 24 April 

ANZAC Day Tuesday 25 April 

All students return Wednesday 26 April 

 

I hope all Henry Kendall High students and their families have a Happy Easter and a well deserved break. I look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.

 

 

 

Mr Andrew Backhouse

Principal