Visit from the NSW Department of Education

Last week, we were fortunate to host a number of senior officers from the NSW Department of Education led by Mark Grant, Executive Director.

The purpose of the visit was for head office staff to learn about our wonderful school, work with some key staff and also ensure the head office bureaucracy remains in touch with the day to day operations of schools. It was a mutually beneficial visit and it gave our staff an opportunity to showcase all the excellent things they do. These senior officers used a number of words to describe our school and its programs – positive, calm, settled, focused, innovative and creative.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

A reminder we have the launch of our new FOCUS: On Positive Learning program on Thursday, 7 December 2017. We are calling all parents to help on the day - please contact one of the coordinating teachers for more information. This will be a full mufti day with a Green treat station being organised. Cecil Hills High School is focusing on our three core values of being respectful, responsible and successful. I would like to publicly thank our FOCUS team for their significant investment of time and energy, most notably, the head teachers on the team – Stephanie Haskett, Alison Randall, Jane Carter, Mary Lukose and Katherine O’Malley.

Year 12 (2018)

Our school had been planning a modified curriculum structure where Year 12 (2018) would have had Tuesdays with no timetabled classes. I explained this at the recent HSC Information Evening and the benefits. Last week, I met with Year 12 students and the P&C to explain that we have encountered some difficulties in making this structure work effectively on our timetable. I am still hopeful that future cohorts of Year 12 will benefit from a more flexible approach to their senior studies. However, for Year 12 (2018), they will continue under the present structure which involves senior students leaving school at lunch time on Tuesdays. Please do not hesitate to contact me at school if you have any questions about this matter.

Flexible Learning Spaces

At the recent P&C meeting, I took parents on a tour of some of our new but unfinished flexible learning spaces. Our Library has always been a showcase for innovative practices but we will have four new large spaces operating in 2018 to allow teachers to experiment with their pedagogy (the art/science of teaching) and try new ideas without being confined to a 48 square metre room with 30 desks and 30 chairs in rows. From next year, the E Block staffroom will be converted into two large spaces (and an extra large room when required), we have a new large demountable and the common room will be a classroom. In terms of my introductory quote, education has moved beyond merely teaching students on how to sit, how to apply for a job or how to climb a corporate ladder. In conjunction with our new Year 8 electives, these classrooms will encourage teachers to use different teaching practices and add to the toolkit that every successful teacher carries with them.

Encouraging Independence and Responsibility

As students move from being primary school students into young adulthood, it is important they develop a sense of independence and responsibility. Our fantastic front office staff are always willing to assist parents, however, we have had an increase in parents dropping off items for their children, sending messages to students via their phones during the day and students neglecting to bring an early leavers note if attending a medical appointment. In a large school, our front office staff can spend precious time tending to these matters, time that could be saved by parents ensuring that their children are independent managers and more organised. I ask parents for their support in these matters to ensure that our front office staff can focus on their core business.

P&C Meetings

Our final P&C meetings for 2017 will be at 6:30pm on Monday, 4 December 2017 with a repeat session at 9:30am on Thursday, 7 December 2017. Michael Lane, Deputy Principal, will be revealing our new Year 8 electives at these meetings. It was fantastic to see a number of parents at our daytime meeting in November. This meeting typically lasts about 45 minutes and it is a quick way to get up to speed on current developments and have direct input into decisions made at school. We always welcome input and feedback from parents and community members to ensure we are considering your perspectives when making decisions.

I look forward to continuing to work with the staff, students and parents of Cecil Hills High School, the best school in NSW.

Mark Sutton, Principal

In our community

Police Open Day

Parent workshop