Message from the

Head of Senior School

7 March - 21 March 2018

It has been a big couple of weeks! The Athletics Carnival on Friday 9th was a huge success. We were blessed with stunning weather, perfect for a carnival, and the students excelled themselves in terms of participation and cheerful support of the Houses. That evening the Icebreaker function was held at the Hotel Canobolas and it was fantastic to see so many people there, making new friends and cementing longer-term ones. KWS Day, on the 10th, was another day where the strength of our community was in evidence. A huge thank-you must go to all those involved in these events, both within the school staff and in the parent community.

Year 12 students start their exams this week and the Year 11 accelerated Maths students do their first Year 12 task in the lead-up to the HSC. I wish all those students all the very best. No doubt the preparation they have done will be reflected in their results. As parents, please keep a calm and positive home atmosphere – no mean feat when there’s a grumpy or stressed teen about!

The rowing team is away all this week taking part in the Nationals event at Penrith. We wish the whole team all the very best of luck and hope that the weather is favourable. Some Year 12 members of the team will be sitting their exams at Penrith, under the supervision of Mr Rowe.

The 2017 Annual Report is now on the school’s website. That report, which takes considerable collation and a lot of input from many key people within the school, is a requirement of NESA and it has to cover a very diverse range of areas. I encourage you all to at least skim-read it so that you have a snapshot of the school’s performance last year.

As we move into the final stages of preparation for Registration and Accreditation, the administrative load is very demanding. For those unaware, every five years all independent schools have to go through a thorough process to ensure that they are able to continue operating as a registered educational organisation. This involves all teaching and learning programs, work health and safety matters, employment and financial probity, boarding and student wellbeing programs. While we have all those in place all the time, the inspection that takes place as the final part of the process ensures that our documents and processes are up to date. Everything has to be uploaded to NESA by the end of next week and our inspection date is 5 June. By the time the mid-year holidays arrive, we will be feeling the need of some R and R!

I thank you all for your continued support of the school and its programs. We are always happy to receive feedback, so if you wish to contact us about any matters at all, please do not hesitate.

Have a great fortnight!

Bev West

Head of Senior School