Faculty Reports
English Faculty
This has been a very busy and productive term for English students and teachers.
Year 8 English have been studying a new Drama unit this term. This including students investigating different forms of theatre throughout the ages and from different parts of the world. Students also wrote and presented their own dramatic scripts. This has been very successful, as the following extracts from reflection statements from Ms Schild’s English class will demonstrate:
Freya: ‘Performing our script was an amazing way to bring our ideas to life. Working as a group, learning a new skill set with my friends made the experience more enjoyable.’
Charlotte: ‘Overall, my personal experience of completing the unit was the BEST because we got to write, act, read and learn with all my friends and my class.’
Brandon: ‘Performing our script was interesting to see it all come together and work well.’
The Young Achievers English classes in Years 7 and 8 have both been preparing for the Celebration Evening in Week 1 of Term 3. Year 7 English have been working in groups on a Project Based Learning (PBL) task on Shakespeare, and last week they presented their projects to the class and to special guest Mrs Wearne. It was great to see the final products, which included 3D visual representations of scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet; a prop box of items from Shakespeare’s time; a film contrasting Shakespearean leisure activities with those of the 21st Century; a dramatic reading of a soliloquy from Macbeth and accompanying posters; a Shakespeare for beginners kit, complete with a TV advertisement; and an interview with Master Shakespeare himself. As part of PBL, the students were required to mark not only the other group projects, but also their own. This responsibility was taken very seriously, and it was interesting to observe how honest the students were in the assessment of their own contribution to the group effort.
Year 8 Young Achievers will be presenting the results of their investigations into world literature at the Celebration Evening. Each group was assigned a different region of the world, and they have produced an installation reflecting the literary culture of the region. Each student was also responsible for producing a detailed journal exploring authors and composers. I look forward to seeing their display next term.
Year 9 English have been studying poetry from around the world, exploring different perspectives. For their assessment, students were required to write an essay response in 45 minutes, with only annotated copies of their chosen poems to assist them. This is a demanding task, and one which really requires students to organise their thoughts, and use textual references to support their ideas in a well-structured argument.
In Year 10, students have been studying a range of documentaries, to explore how filmmakers use the medium to convey a point of view. This develops the students’ understanding of how images can be manipulated to influence the responder, and will assist them to be more critical consumers of the media saturation which is such a dominant part of 21st century life.
Year 11 have completed their second assessment task. Standard and Advanced students both presented a speech which required them to speak persuasively about the texts they have studied to a NESA representative. English Studies completed a research task, and English Extension students wrote an essay response. All students will sit an end of course exam at the end of Term 3, which will be useful for both students and teachers in making the final decision about which course to study in the HSC year.
Our HSC English Advanced and Standard students have one final task before the Trials, an in-class essay on Module C at the end of Term 3, Week 1. All students have been given practice essay questions, and they should be using the vacation time to prepare for this task, and for the Trial exams. This is a time when students should be rereading or viewing their prescribed texts, including those studied in Term 4 last year, as they will all be examined.
Mr Blake Wawrzyk is busy at Harvard University working on collaborative gifted and talented programs. The course is called Deeper Learning for All: From the Classroom to the System. We are very fortunate to have such expertise in Henry Kendall High School.
Finally, thanks to all the wonderful English teachers for their support this term. I would also like to acknowledge Ms Carmel Taylor, our amazing Teacher Librarian, who has kept smiling despite all the delays to the final renovations of the library.
Ms Pamela Hogan - Head Teacher English
Mathematics Faculty
It has been a very hectic Term 2 in mathematics. We have just completed an assessment week for Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 which involved sitting the Term 2 examination for all mathematics courses in Stages 4 and 5. Students will receive feedback week 1, Term 3, and will then be able to work on some revision exercises to improve skills where required. Years 7-10 have access to an online mathematics program called Manga High, which involves practising skills and concepts learnt in class in order to deepen understanding. Students are encouraged to utilise this opportunity for further revision opportunities at home.
Stage 6 mathematics students have also just completed Assessment Task 3 and results are being distributed to the students. Students are to engage in a feedback process to determine where weaknesses lie and what areas need further revision in order to attain a deeper understanding. Students are welcome to make appointments with their class teacher in order to help determine the most suitable form of revision as we lead up to the next assessment tasks. For Year 12, the next assessment task is the Trial HSC and all students are strongly advised to treat the upcoming holiday period as a break to STUDY/revise/refine skills. Similarly, for Year 11, this break should be utilised to engage in revision for the upcoming Final Preliminary examinations at the end of Term 3.
Ms Jo Knight - Head Teacher Mathematics
PDHPE Faculty
As Term 2 draws to a close, it has been another busy first semester in the PDHPE department. Students across all grades participated in a cross country and athletics module of practical lessons, learning new techniques or brushing up their past skills. The cross country lessons led to HKHS being able to nominate a strong team of students to attend the zone cross country and put in some great performances, doing themselves and the school proud. Unfortunately, all our athletics training and practices didn’t get the opportunity for the students to showcase their skills as the rain and wet weather cancelled our carnival plans to the frustrations of students and teachers.
Other requirements of the students in semester 1 have seen their participation and enjoyment in modified games, kicking and catching games and team games. Students, who chose the elective PASS, are currently in the process of designing a set play for either netball or touch, then required to film and edit and show the breakdown of the players movements. There looks to be some great game analysis as the students strive to replicate the actions of some of their favourite sports commentators.
PDHPE isn’t just all about having fun and playing games and exercising for a healthy active lifestyle. In theory lessons, students were also getting to learn about their bodies, inside and out and the changes and developments we go through, both physically, mentally and socially. Year 8 have learnt about having ‘A Balanced Lifestyle’ and being an ‘Adolescent – A Time of Change’.
The Wheel Deal’ and ‘Don’t Mind Me’, were topics that Year 10 were able to learn about with regards to road safety and consequences as well as resilience, mental health and managing stress. Year 9 were engaged in the topics of ‘Drugs and Consequence’ as well as ‘Mirror, Mirror’ which is an important topic regarding body image, self-esteem and health and wellbeing. These are all valuable life lessons to prepare our students for real life situations and circumstance which will confidently lead to them making the right choices and decisions in life.
Before we sign off for semester 1, we would like to wish Mrs Quitadamo well as she approaches her journey into motherhood, with her going on maternity leave and the exciting arrival of her baby in the coming weeks. All teachers and students hope to see her soon and get to meet her newborn child. We would also like to thank Mr Breckenridge for the past 3 years of teaching at HKHS. Mr Breckenridge will be departing in the holidays for an exciting overseas adventure, where he will get the opportunity to further his teaching and life experiences as he works and travels through Central America and Europe. Best wishes and hope to see you back at HKHS in the future.
Mr John Newman - Head Teacher PDHPE