Principal's Report

HSC Begins

After months of hard work and preparation, the 2018 HSC examinations are now underway.

Our Year 12 students have worked hard in getting to this important point and are now applying not only the knowledge they have learned, but their capacity to think critically and apply that knowledge. This is a stressful period that tests students, but their tenacity and strength of character will ensure they persevere and achieve their personal best.

As a community we wish Year 12 the best through this time, and look forward to celebrating the conclusion of 13 years of schooling at the Year 12 formal on Tuesday 20 November 2018.

2019 Subject Selections

The subject selection process for Years 8, 9 and 10 for 2019 has now concluded and students in those years are aware of their subject patterns for next year. This is an important process in shaping and individualising the learning opportunities for each student, and we do aim to meet as many needs as possible. Now comes the complicated process of building the 2019 school timetable!

Henry Kendall Canteen

This term has seen the commencement of a new contractor in the canteen. Fast Food Fresh are providing an exciting new range of affordable, healthy and tasty food options for our students and staff. As they become established the menu will be expanded, with a focus on the high quality that our students deserve. We are looking forward to working with the Fast Food Fresh team.

Community Support

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many community members who so generously support our students and families who are disadvantaged through donations of food. These are used by our student services team to ensure students in need are well fed at school each day, and to provide resources to families through food hampers. This generosity is so willingly provided and makes a significant difference in the lives of families and students who are struggling to make ends meet.

As Christmas approaches we know that it is a time when some families do face difficulties. Through to the end of the year the school and P&C will be working together to create Christmas and holiday hampers for those in need. Any donations of non-perishable food items will be gratefully welcomed.

Young Achievers

Term 3 PBL

At the end of last term the two Young Achievers classes presented their project based learning displays for the past term. Students were required to investigate the requirements of establishing a new human colony on Mars, present their findings, and develop a marketing package to convince people on earth to undertake this journey.

The work of the two classes on the challenging task was nothing short of remarkable; both in terms of their deep understanding of the topic based on research, collaboration and critical thinking; but also in the quality of projects presented displaying creativity, curiosity, communication, and capacity to apply learning in practical ways. Well done to our Young Achievers!!

Outstanding NAPLAN Results

The recent release of NAPLAN results show that again Henry Kendall High School has performed exceptionally well. Particularly pleasing is the steady increase in the number of students achieving in the top two bands in Reading and Numeracy, which is a priority area set by the Premier for schools. In fact, a quarter of all Henry Kendall High School NAPLAN students attained the top two bands, with an 8.07% increase in Year 9 Numeracy alone. This is an outstanding achievement!

Additionally, Year 7 and 9 Reading and Numeracy are all well above state average, with trend data indicating a steady improvement annually. Well done to our Year 7 and 9 students. These results affirm the hard work and rigorous teaching practices put in place by our Literacy and Numeracy Teams over recent years.

Term 4 School Development Days

On each of our Terms 1-3 School Development Days, our staff completed additional hours of professional learning in lieu of the two Development Days at the end of Term 4. As a result all staff and students finish the 2018 school year on Wednesday 19 December 2018.

Parents & Community Association

The P&C meeting scheduled for November unfortunately clashes with the Year 12 Formal, and hence has been moved back a week to Tuesday 27 November. I welcome all parents to join our P&C and take an active role in our school.

Mr Andrew Backhouse

Principal