School News

'Quilty Strong' - Mr Dan Quilty

This is a long overdue update and thank you to the whole school community. In short, treatment is progressing well and as expected up to this point. I remain both positive and patient for what is to come.

During Term 2, I was deeply moved by the support shown from the entire school community in response to my cancer diagnosis. This ranged from seeing my boss, colleagues and students shave their heads on the brink of winter to a 25+ strong team of teachers braving a 12km fun run under the "Dashing for Dan" banner. Further to this, the community reached deep into their pockets and raised $3635. This money contributed significantly to the overall fundraising for the SAN Cancer Support Centre, which reached a total of $17,120 from our team alone.

The fundraising efforts culminated last weekend at the "SAN Run for Life", a 5km fun run in aid of the Cancer Support Centre. Over 70 people turned out for the "Quilty Strong" team (including teachers Blake Wawrzyk, Michael Mellish and Sasha Fitzgerald). The event marked an opportunity to draw a line under the first stage of the treatment process. One lesson I have learnt from all of this is to celebrate the small victories and use that success to focus on the challenges ahead. 

September and October promise challenges to all of us, not least to the students of Year 11 and Year 12 as they take on the first and final steps of their HSC years. Personally, I begin the next and hopefully final stage of treatment during this time. I hope to be celebrating some bigger victories with you all again soon! Henry Kendall High School has never been far from my thoughts while I've been away and I wish all the best to the staff, students and community as the year goes on.

Mr Daniel Quilty - Year 10 Adviser /English Faculty/Humanities YAP Teacher

Professional Learning

Introduction to Integrated STEM

On Monday 13 August, Donna James and I attended an Introduction to Integrated STEM Stage 5 workshop at Cessnock High School.  The workshop was presented by Dr Scott Sleap of the Cessnock Academy of STEM Excellence (CASE). The Introduction to Integrated STEM Stage 5 Workshop is about preparing schools to introduce iSTEM into their curriculum. The program starts with the acclaimed film Most Likely to Succeed which offers an inspiring look at what students and teachers are capable of, if we have the vision and courage to transform our schools.

After a discussion on the implications of the film, Dr Scott Sleap conducted a workshop on how to effectively teach, program, timetable and resource for an integrated approach to STEM. The program also included advice on how to develop partnerships with industry and tertiary institutions, followed by a hands-on STEM taster lesson and tour of the Cessnock High School’s Makerspace and Design and Innovation Centre. The workshop was so valuable and it provided us with a real insight about the different programs, activities and the amazing resources that are available to be able to deliver really dynamics learning experiences for our students.

Mrs Caroline McTeigue - Head Teacher TAS

Curriculum Development Stage 6 Standard 1 Mathematics

Ms Knight and Ms Goodacre worked for two solid days engaged in Curriculum Development and Planning for the new Stage 6 Standard 1 Mathematics course. There is still much more planning to be done however 3 units of work have been completed detailing teaching and learning strategies aligning with the NSW Syllabus which incorporate rich tasks, applications of technology and real-life applications of course content. Assessment strategies were considered and discussed with a focus on mathematical modelling.

Ms Jo Knight - Head Teacher Mathematics

Fusion 360 course​

Fusion360 by Autodesk is a world-class CAD/CAM software package used in manufacturing and engineering. It enables us to do 3D mechanical design, modelling and simulation.  It is free for educational purposes from

https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/students-teachers-educators.

We encourage interested students to download the software and explore it!

 Mr Guyot and Ms Lill recently attended a Fusion 360 course at Cessnock High, learning how to incorporate it into the STEM courses at Henry Kendall High School. We had a stimulating day designing 3D shapes in Fusion360. We made a little key-tag for a bag, which was then 3D printed, and we worked on a collaborative project to design a toy plane. We loved the creative and dynamic nature of Autodesk and can’t wait to use it with our students.

Photo: https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

This course facilitates the development of our new STEM and iSTEM programs for stage 4 and 5, to develop student competencies in 3D design and manufacture.  Many future employment opportunities will depend on students being comfortable operating within these digital environments.  Product design and manufacture will increasingly rely on visualising new technologies in the virtual world, then making them in the real world using processes like 3D printing. We are keen to get our students seriously involved in these technologies!

We are grateful to the expert presenters, Peter and Ruth Thompson, for sharing their enthusiasm and skill. Originally TAS teachers, Peter was also an Inspector, Technology Education from the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards while Ruth was for many years the President of the Institute of Industrial Arts Technology Education (Australia’s largest technology and engineering educator association). Now retired, they continue to teach and inspire teachers through their company dontpanic.net.au. We are also grateful to Cessnock High for organising the course. Cessnock High and its partner primary schools are a shining beacon of STEM leadership in our region.