End of Term 2

Principal's Report

Dash/Shave for Dan

As you will have undoubtedly heard from your children or viewed on our Facebook page, our school community has come together in the most amazing way to show solidarity and support for Dan Quilty as he undergoes treatment for lymphoma. 26 staff and many students participated in the Bay-to-Bay event on Sunday morning 17 June. All participants completed the 12km distance in a fantastic show of unity for the difficult time that Dan is facing.

 

This was followed up on Monday 18 June with four teachers, one past student, and eleven current students publicly shaving their heads in front of the school community to raise funds for the charity of Dan’s choice. Over $3,500 were raised, and most importantly this sense of community, and support was shared with Dan who was able to be present on the day, and who shared some powerful thoughts in thanking the school.

 

In Dan’s own words in an email to staff;

“Today was an overwhelming experience for me; I believe we experienced everything that is good about Henry Kendall High School in a concentrated form. The fact that so much of it was driven by our student body is a testament to the character of our school and the quality of work we do not only as their teachers, but as their mentors and friends. To see students such as Joel and James step up and lead the school in such a mature and accomplished manner filled me with pride.”

 

That pride was felt across our entire school community.

Term 3 School Development Day

On the first day of Term 3, Henry Kendall High School will be combining with our partner schools for our annual Learning Community School Development Day. This day of high quality professional learning is highly anticipated on our annual calendar and provides access to renowned educational speakers, as well as sharing expertise from within our four schools. This year our development day is focussed on staff wellbeing, and is being hosted by Gosford High School.

NSW SPC Conference

I recently attended the annual NSW Secondary Principal’s Council Conference in Tweed Heads. This important event provides extensive professional learning, as well as an important opportunity to share with colleagues and learn from the experiences and stories of fellow Principal’s. It brings together an extraordinary array of national and international speakers, as well as the Minister for Education, the Secretary of the Department, and various other professional associations.

 

There were a number of areas of focus in this year’s conference – leadership, innovation and engagement.

 

We explored concepts of agile leadership and mindsets to ensure our schools thrive despite uncertainty and complexity of current contexts.

Time was spent delving into curriculum and system design, which was very timely given the recent announcement of the NSW curriculum review. Principals were challenged to consider a different kind of education that focusses on enhancing the unique strengths and passions of every child.

 

Schools are places where culture is an essential component of success; and yet culture is so often overlooked. We were asked to explore how we can create a culture where all involved feel compelled to contribute towards collective goals. Themes such as balancing management and leadership; moving from accountability to responsibility; the importance of interpersonal relationships; and finding the time to do what matters most were all examined.

 

As teachers we are striving to build the capacity for lifelong learning in our students. It is important that teachers model this concept and continually seek opportunities to extend our own learning; and as a community that you are given an insight into the learning we undertake.

Where are they now?

As a part of our Alumni project and as we build towards the schools 50th anniversary in 2020, we are going to take the opportunity of showcasing the achievements of some of our Henry Kendall graduates. Many of our past students have gone on to achieve some amazing things, using skills and opportunities from their schooling days to forge dynamic careers across a diverse array of paths.

 

Since graduating Henry Kendall High School in 2010 Grace has:

 

Graduated the Bachelor of Oral Health at the University of Sydney 2013.

  • During three years of study elected as the Year/Sports Representative which involves liaison with peers and faculty staff and organisation of events.
  • Received the following awards:

 

  • NSW Dental Therapy Prize for the highest clinical proficiency, 2013.
  • Johnson and Johnson prize for the highest mark obtained, 2013.
  • University of Sydney Academic Merit Prize 2011, 2012.
  • Oral B Prize for the highest clinical proficiency, 2012.
  • Merit Entry Scholarship, Faculty of Dentistry, Sydney University 2011.
  • During Rural Placement in final year:

 

  • Completed a literature review on the correlation between otitis media and oral health in children with possible publication, assisted in the organisation and product development for the “Yeddung Guri Yeddung Yerra (Good Ears Good Teeth)” program, performed oral health screenings and oral health promotion in the community settings and homes of Indigenous children and adults. Discussed the oral health and general health needs of the Indigenous community with the Indigenous elders. At the conclusion of the placement my placement Grace and her partner were initiated into the Indigenous community and received Indigenous titles and individual Aboriginal paintings depicting our life stories.

Grace then obtained full time work for Central Coast Local Health District as an Oral Health Therapist in early 2014.

 

In 2015 Grace decided to further her career in dentistry and was accepted into the Bachelor of Dental Science at Charles Sturt University. Since commencing in 2015 she has:

  • Elected as student year representative 2015 and 2016.
  • Elected as Vice President of the Student Dental Association (SDA) in 2017.
  • Head Residential Advisor and Residential Advisor – Charles Sturt University Orange Campus –  Jan 2016 – Dec 2017
  • Student Ambassador – Charles Sturt University Orange Campus Dec 2015 – present

As of 2018 Grace is in her 4th year of the five year dentistry program and thoroughly enjoying the experience. In the future she is very interested in pursuing specialist training in Paediatric Dentistry.

Parents & Community Association

The P&C Meets in the Nichols Meeting room in the Administration building at 7.00pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, with our next P&C Meeting for 2018 being the 24 August. I welcome all parents to join our P&C and take an active role in our school.