Year Advisers Reports 

     Years 8, 10 & 12

YEAR 8

Hi Year 8, last year we all thought we had seen the last of online learning, unfortunately we have had to go through it again. However, I am proud of how you have managed the difficulties that come with having to stay at home and complete your work online. I have been hearing many positives reports back from your teachers on how well you are going. I understand there have been times that you might have felt that you haven’t gone well and worried about keeping up with the work, please remember that your teachers are here to help and to reach out to them.

As the term went on and we realized that we were going to be online learning for longer, many of you were missing seeing and talking to your friends, so we started our Weekly Tuesday Assembly. Mrs James and I have loved seeing you and talking with you and the sharing of silly stories, gifs, images and sometimes music made us laugh. We miss you all, and look forward to when we can again be back at school. 

During the holidays, please remember to take a break from school and get outdoors (in a safe way!) as much as possible, removing ourselves from the screens that have dominated our lives over the last few weeks is very important. Do something you enjoy, I am planning to catch up on reading lots of books that I have been putting off and trying to beat my children in games of Cluedo! 

I shared this quote with you on our Google Classroom during the term, and I wanted to share it again – the message is so important! 

“At some point in my life I decided, rightly or wrongly, that there are many situations in my life that I can’t do much about…So what I should do is concentrate on the situations that my energy can effect” Jim Henson

Wishing all Year 8 a relaxing and safe Holiday!

Mrs Karen Hogan

Year 8 Adviser

YEAR 10

Happy end of term everyone! I know this certainly wasn’t the Term 3 that we had all envisioned at the beginning of the year, however I would like to acknowledge Year 10 for how well they have persevered and adapted to these foreign and undesirable learning conditions. Year 10 continue to impress me with their maturity and dedicated approach to online learning. It is no secret that motivating yourself is a difficult challenge to rise to day in and day out but our Henry Kendall students have continued to try their best and this speaks volumes.

The Stage 6 subject selection interviews were conducted over the phone this term and the feedback for Year 10 from the Head Teachers was amazing! They were particularly impressed by how seriously the students took this formal interview and how they did not let the fact that this was now being conducted over the phone, affect their ability to maturely communicate their Stage 6 desires. By this time Year 10 will have received their subjects for next year. Looking forward to hearing all about these when we return.

The Senior Jacket order has now been placed and I look forward to seeing our grade debut this sleek new black and gold design next year and set the trend for senior HK students for years to come. 

I wish all of our Year 10 families the best for the upcoming school holidays. Use this time to get outdoors and enjoy this lovely spring weather! Get those Netflix series binged and I look forward to welcoming Year 10 back to face-to-face learning at Henry Kendall very soon! 😊

Miss Natalie Hammond

Year 10 Adviser

YEAR 12

This is definitely not how I imagined this report would be going. Normally we would be saying goodbye to Year 12 with their dress-up days, ‘muck-up’ day, graduation, plans for the formal and some final words of advice for preparing for the HSC. However, as we well know this was not to be this year. We have been hit with something completely unprecedented – no Year 12 cohort has faced anything like this.

Despite this, there are many positives to be taken from this situation. Year 12 students have demonstrated amazing determination and resilience. We as a school, are in awe at the way the students have applied themselves to make the best of this situation. They have developed many new skills, and for those students interested in pathways to university, they have shown that they have the ability to be self-motivated and learn in a self-directed manner which is reflective of how university operates these days. The lack of these attributes is the undoing of many first-year uni students!

We have also had some amazing times this year including sports carnival dress ups, Camp Toukley, Valentine’s Day fundraiser, Bunnings BBQ, music on the library steps, knockout teams – lots of happy memories!

For students completing major projects, a big CONGRATULATIONS! Your teachers are so impressed at the way these have come together. The students have displayed amazing talent, diligence and organisational skills to complete these works and I can’t wait to get back to school to see what they have created. I’m sure faculties will post some great photos of these for us to enjoy.

To those students who found themselves unable to drive themselves through the challenge of online learning, I would like to say that we understand, and that health and wellbeing is the most important consideration for us. Of course, we are going to encourage you, call your parents and try our best for you, but ultimately you will be OK and will find a path in life, and be happy and well.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our School Captains, Brandon and Imogen, our Vice Captains Clare and Caitlyn, and our Prefects Bridie, Charlotte and Eloise. I may be biased but I think that these fine young people have done an outstanding job and would have to go down as some of the best student leaders we have had. Congratulations to all of you and I know you will find great success in the future.

At the time of writing this I have no idea what Term 4 is going to look like, but rest assured that as a school we will endeavour to give you as many of the final school experiences as we can. Mr Backhouse and his team are fully aware of the significance of these ‘rights of passage’ events, and we will plan activities for Year 12 (in a Covid-safe manner!) as soon as we know the timelines involved.

Look forward to seeing everyone in Term 4

Mrs Julie Starkey

Year 12 Adviser