Faculty News
English Faculty
As 2018 draws to a close, it is clear that our English students have once again been a source of inspiration, amazement, hilarity and perseverance. On behalf of the faculty, it has been a pleasure watching the students grow as they develop and strengthen their critical thinking and creativity skills, the ability to work collaboratively and individually, and of course, their love of literature. This term has provided a number of highlights, but I would like to acknowledge a few of the most pertinent:
- The Year 7 and 8 YAP classes and their workshop with award-winning author, Claire Zorn. She inspired curiosity and the act of thinking outside the box. The budding writers within the group absorbed her creative writing tips!
- Year 10 completing their junior schooling, marking the end of Stage 5 English with thoughtful and detailed responses to their dystopian fiction texts.
- The thought-provoking presentations delivered by Year 9 students for their Media and Manipulation unit.
- The engaged and active learning taking place in the classrooms of our Year 12 cohort as they delve into the new topic, Texts and Human Experiences.
At the time of writing, the students of Year 12 2018 only have one more sleep until they receive their results. The English faculty would like to congratulate the group on everything they have achieved, and wish them well for which ever path they choose to take. They were a special year group, and the positive relationships that were formed between the teachers and their classes is testament to the values that exist within Henry Kendall High School.
The end of the year also marks the departure of two members of the English faculty. We are farewelling Mr Mitchell Herring and Miss Natalie Hammond. Mr Herring worked with a number of year groups, and his passion for history was most certainly appreciated by the YAP classes. Miss Hammond’s trademark wit and positive attitude will be missed by the students. Mr Herring and Miss Hammond have been invaluable members of the English team. They work tirelessly in support of our students, and continually strive to create engaging and powerful lessons.
As a team, we are looking forward to what 2019 brings and working with the students to help them achieve their personal best. The faculty is also excited to welcome back Mr Jason Morris and Mrs Melanie Bailey, who will both add a great wealth of experience and knowledge to the team.
Enjoy the summer break.
Mr Blake Wawrzyk
Relieving Head Teacher English
Maths Faculty
The Mathematics Faculty would like to congratulate students for their hard work and dedication over the course of 2018. Many students have surprised themselves by setting personal learning goals and engaging in all classroom activities and this has led to a vast improvement in their mathematical skills. It has been impressive to witness students across all years maintaining their diligence through to the end of the year.
Our Year current 12 students have made a great start to their HSC year with all courses completing their first assessment task in Weeks 9 and 10. Whilst the holidays are a time to rest and recharge, it is also a great opportunity to organise your notes, revisit difficult concepts, complete topic summaries and ensure that all work is up to date. All mathematics courses have now completed enough content for students to start working through past HSC questions. There are three terms of hard work coming up in 2019 and it is important to start off on the right foot so the holidays could be a fantastic opportunity to start preparing!
Our vey successful ‘Maths and Milo’ mornings have run throughout 2018. This is a free maths tutorial class where any student may drop-in to GL9 from 8am onwards every Tuesday morning to either receive Maths tutoring or tutor a younger student. It is a wonderful opportunity to work through maths problems over a cup of milo! We also have Mathematics teachers and volunteers from the University of Newcastle who are there to assist students. There is no need to register for ‘Maths and Milo’, just turn up. We look forward to offering this service again in 2018. Special thanks to Ms Goodacre for her coordination of this valuable program.
Our ‘Maths Club’ program has again been a huge success in 2018 with over 20 of our senior students taking part. The program is now in its sixth year, allowing students to work in small groups with their tutor, consolidating their skills and growing in their confidence and enjoyment of Mathematics. To the Smith Family coordinator, Regina, and the Smith Family volunteers, we say a HUGE thank you for your generosity of time and skilfulness. We couldn’t do it without you! A big thankyou to Ms Lill, Mrs Cortaville-Smith and Ms Klein for coordinating this program and afternoon tea. A huge thank you also to our fantastic teachers who also donate their time and expertise every week. If you are interested in being part of this program for 2019, please see the Maths Faculty teachers for an application form.
If you are interested in being a volunteer Maths tutor, please contact Regina Gilbert, Springfield Learning for Life Program Co-ordinator at the Smith Family.
The Smith Family
The Smith Family is a national charity
helping young Australians in need to
get the most out of their education,
so they can create better futures
for themselves.
Regina Gilbert
Springfield Learning for Life Program
Co-ordinator
Phone 4333 4159
Email regina.gilbert@thesmithfamily.com.au
Ms Jovannah Knight
Head Teacher Mathematics
Science Faculty
It has been a busy term for students and staff. Students have worked hard to complete their final assessments and teachers have provided students with quality feedback. Overall the students did well and we encourage students of all year groups to review their classwork each week and produce summaries to assist them to better prepare for their formal tests.
Year 7 and 8 YAP students have spent the term studying functioning organisms. They have enjoyed planting fruit and vegetables (your students will explain how to distinguish between these) in the G Block garden. The students have been able to develop their understanding of how plants transport water and nutrients to all parts of the plant and the importance of water and carbon dioxide for producing sugars to provide an energy source for the plants to grow. We look forward to tasting the fruits of their labour. Most students enjoyed the heart dissection and were engaged to learn by investigating the real thing. These students have been a pleasure to teach, their enthusiasm and curiosity is inspiring and I know they will continue to seek and absorb knowledge and understanding as they continue through their schooling.
Year 9 have been closely examining the structure of the Earth, in particular the crust and how its movement produces volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0diXsNiQ64
Ms Louise Watkiss - Head Teacher Science