Year Advisers Reports

Years 7, 9 & 11

As  the  end of the  school year draws  closer, Year 7 have been very busy with completing assessment tasks.  Although assessment time can be a stressful time for students, they have handled the pressure incredibly well.  Students have completed assessments for Poetic Projects in Human Relationships, Videos for Change in Project Based Learning, Game Design in Digital Technology, just to name a few.  At present students are planning their $20 Boss project in Project Based Learning and I am looking forward to seeing all the incredible ideas they come up with.

On Thursday 19 November, Year 7 had a fun and exciting day attending workshops focusing on Careers and Wellbeing. This including workshops on resilience, social media and effective communication. They ended day with an exciting newspaper fashion challenge where they got to display their design skills with a simple but fun activity. 

Each week on Friday we have year assemblies where we celebrate the success of another week done! If a student is lucky to have a birthday on that day, they get the pleasure of having the whole year group to sing Happy Birthday to them, including the teachers – my singing of Happy Birthday has improved throughout the year!  During these assemblies we also have our weekly Henry Hero’s draws, where students receive a $5 canteen voucher if their name is drawn. Caitlin Wu has been our lucky winner five times this year, and students are keen to beat her record – the best way to do this keep getting those Henry Hero’s for fantastic behaviour and work. 

Although the end of the school year is fast approaching, it is hard not to get caught up in the excitement and loose concentration. Remember:

“You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose”               Dr Suess 

Mrs Karen Hogan

Year 7 Adviser

Year 9 settled back into Term 4 very well! 

Students have been very busy trying to finish assessment tasks. Year 9 should all be very proud of themselves for their final submission for each course. I know that all students have tried their best and will be eagerly awaiting their end of year results.

A reminder to all students that even though assessment tasks are finished, there is still valuable teaching and learning happening in every classroom. If they have been absent for any reason or are unable to submit an assessment task, students need to speak their teacher and submit an Appeal Form. 

The Peer Mentor Training day was held in Week 3 this term and it was incredible to see such positive and proactive students getting involved. 

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected as Peer Mentord for 2021: Max Lewry, Katie Rowsell, Preeya Brown, Mason Bruinning, Melanie Strybis, Lachlan Knowles, Ella Lauchlan, Alliana Tabayag, Julie Fabroa, Ella McNeill, Fletcher Hartley , Lachlan Gunn, Larna Homer, Eden Turner, Maddy Clark , Samantha Edwards-McCallan, Vesna Bakarich-Davies, Kaleah Blackett, Ping Hui Chang, Kiarah Drury, Skyla Bedford, Excel Egwutuoha, Eva Ogston, Chloe Nadilo, Lili Jazz Gottlieb, Aurora McNaughton, Jess Hayward, Alexander McGavin, Jack Simpson, Harry Supple, Callum Kennedy, Leah Reynolds and Elektra Williams-Clarke. 

During the day we will also had the coveted spaghetti marshmallow tower competition and we had some great designs that were built. The winners of the competition were Excel Egwutuoha, Lachlan Knowles, Max Lewry, Alexander McGavin, Skyla Bedford and Ping  Hui Chang.  Well done Team!

A special thanks goes to Mr Judd Newton who also helped on the day and saw some amazing leadership qualities throughout the day. 

The 2020 school year is nearly finished.  

Keep up the hard work Year 9, you are all doing a fabulous job! 

Miss Tamara Sexty

Year 9 Adviser

Its been a busy Term for Year 11 so far with them thrown straight into HSC work.  I clearly remember welcoming the students as a new Year 7 group and now they are approaching Year 12 with all the challenges of their final year in high school. 

Where has the time gone?  Well, there have been lots of amazing experiences and lessons learnt and hopefully they will find their final year at Henry Kendall High School not only demanding, but with lots of enjoyable experiences and great memories made.

To help smooth the pathway students were asked to nominate a teacher to be their mentor. Students meet regularly with their mentor to guide them with their planning, organisation, goal setting and generally just being another shoulder to lean on. Please encourage your child to participate in this program as it is very worthwhile.

A camp for Year 12 early in Term 1, 2021 has been organised for 8 - 10 February 2021. It is important in not only delivering the Life Ready content but in creating bonds and promoting teamwork.  And it’s fun!

I would like to congratulate Tia and Taylor who were recipients of this year’s Zonta Scholarships.  This is designed to recognise and support young women in progressing their education and careers. Well done ladies!

Students should have received their assessment booklets this week. This document outlines all of the school and NESA Policies and Procedures for assessment in the HSC.  Please ensure you are familiar with this document and it should be used by students to plan and organise their work for the coming year. This  is something their mentors can also assist with.

One issue that often arises is the number of hours students spend at their part-time jobs. One aspect of success in the HSC is maintaining a balance of school work, socialising, exercise and part-time work. It is recommended that students complete no more than 10-12 hours per week, whilst acknowledging that for some students this is not enough if they are supporting themselves. Please consider the necessity of lots of work hours and discuss ways to reduce these to a manageable level.

If you have any concerns or questions please contact me.

Mrs Julie Starkey

Year 11 Adviser