From the Assistant Principal

This week I finished up my time as Acting Principal and I am in great appreciation for the support I have received from the community while I have been in this role. Below I have shared with you my reflections for the Principal’s Address at the assembly.

Over the past 5 weeks I have had the absolute pleasure of being the Acting Principal of our College. As you may know, I love this school. I love the staff, the students and the netball #upthehens BOK BOK. However, it has been a steep learning curve to step up into Mrs Holdings' large, quiet office and very comfortable spinny chair. 

When I first decided to be a teacher - my passion was to share my knowledge and love of learning with future generations. I did not ever think I would be a principal - nor did I aspire to be, however when presented with the option of who would sit in the very comfortable spinny chair, me or Mr Morton, it was an easy decision to make. 

The last 5 weeks have provided me with 5 very important lessons that I would like to share with you. So strap in - here are some lessons from the Wright play book for Elite Athletes and the general public.

Number 5 - Maths is important

My degrees qualify me to teach the following, Religious Education, Music and Political Science. I have been teaching for 17 years this year. My Maths has encompassed the following - in Religion, we mainly count to 3, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, 7, for the days of creation, 12 for the apostles then it's a case of 1-2 skip a few…. Jesus feeds the 5000. In music I mainly count up to 4 - or if I’m feeling extra fancy - I might throw in a 5,6,7,8. But we don’t let it get much more complicated than that - shout out to all the struggling drummers. In politics we count votes, but that's a very reasonable exercise in skip counting.

In the last 5 weeks, I have counted, my fingers, toes, multiplied, divided, given percentages, rounded to the nearest decimal point, added the calculator app to my home screen on my phone and sometimes I had to figure out what the algebraic equation was and kept on getting different answers to X. There was even a case of BODMAS and a little bit of a cry to Ms Carberry and Mr Kershaw about a Cartesian plane after googling “the thing with the X and Y on a grid” and not coming up with anything. I can honestly tell you - Times Tables are important. As someone who was convinced my 4 times tables would get me through life, I wish I had kept practicing my times tables, the last 5 weeks would have been much easier. Maths is important. 

Number 4 - Just Do it, and do it now

I got through my high school and first half of my university years as the Queen of Procrastination. I had convinced myself that I worked best “under pressure” and I should create that pressure by leaving everything to approximately 7pm the night before the task is due and working literally up to the minute the task was due.

Let me tell you, in this job, there can be no procrastination. There can only be preparation. If I leave something for the next day, not only will it not get done in time, I will also suffer the consequences of parents, students and staff looking for answers which I simply could not give not because I did not know, but because I chose to not know by not being prepared, letting them and most importantly myself down. I learnt very quickly that I needed to be even more organised than I was ever before, because who knows, I might just be lucky enough to get the Friday afternoon phone call to be one in 4 Catholic schools in the state of NSW that is selected to be Randomly NESA audited and given three days to prepare. And guess what, in my first week as acting principal, I was.

So the time to start that task is now, spend the extra 15 minutes finishing off the practice paper, get those atomi, edperfect, stile, edpuzzles ticked off, make sure your Google Classroom tasks are completed, and actually press the submit button. As a first century Jewish scholar famously wrote “if not, who? If not now? When?” - the person is you, the time is now. 

Number 3 - celebrate the wins

It’s important to know our limitations, but it's also important to celebrate our achievements. The only way you can check how far you have come is to look behind you. Take a moment, enjoy what you have achieved at this point. We all have room for improvement, but our first achievement is making our first attempt. Sometimes the bar is set high for us to reach: for example be part of the Hennessy Elite Netball Squad, or sometimes it is very low. 

Sometimes it's our friends and colleagues who point out our growth. Sometimes it's a realisation.Sometimes its concentrating on the one game you did win and not focussing on the 4 you lost. Sometimes it's the small wins that need to be celebrated to keep us going.

Number 2 - Always lean on the people around you

A reminder that no one can navigate life's challenges entirely on their own. Whether it's seeking guidance from your teachers, collaborating with classmates, or seeking emotional support from friends and family, leaning on others not only lightens the burden but also enriches our journeys. 

There were many times that I just didn’t know. I didn’t know the answer, the solution and sometimes the cause. But I always had people around me to ask the questions too and of course, I was scared I was going to be in trouble, or to be made to look like a fool because I didn’t know the answer but I leant on them anyway. And those people made sure they were not telling me what I was doing wrong, but gently guided me to recognise where I could improve and to dust myself off and try again. At Hennessy we have an undeniable reputation for unity, respect and setting high standards. All of these aren’t created on our own as individuals, but are created together and support our enduring successes.I know because I have been blessed enough to experience it.

And finally - and my most important lesson learned was to PRAY.

With all that was changing around me, from where my office was, to what I taught - I’ll be back with you Year 7’s next week - to the kinds of questions being asked of me. There was one thing that endured throughout and that was prayer. Each day I took a moment to start my day with a quick prayer, to centre me, before each decision, a quick prayer for guidance, at the end of each day a prayer of gratitude for all I had been able to do. 

And each weekend I participate in a community prayer, I return to mass, sit in the same spot we have for nearly 2 years - with my church crew who give no judgement about my unbrushed hair or my 4 absolutely wild children, being thankful that nothing here had changed, enjoying the routine and the thousands year old traditions and being humbled that I was one of tens of millions of Catholics around the world who are listening to the same bible readings, singing similar hymns and praying the same words. I have two quotes from St Paul’s letters that get me through each day and I would like to share them with you 1. From St Pauls letters to the Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” and 2. From St Paul’s letter to the Romans “The Pain that you’ve been feeling can’t compare to the joy that’s coming”. And each time I return to these verses, it reminds me to pray to lift my anxiety, worry, sadness, uncertainty and place them in the hands of God - a burden that I do not have to carry alone. A moment shared with God to be grateful and to be truly happy and momentarily for inner peace.

I have returned to my office in A1, with a great appreciation for the patience and kindness that you have all shown me, in a job that I literally learnt while I was in it. I have always admired Mrs Holding and all the Principal’s I have worked with, being in this job for 5 weeks has certainly shown me that admiration was certainly well deserved. Being an Acting Principal has made me a better Assistant Principal, the lessons I have learnt will be brought straight back down to make me a better leader, teacher and person and I cannot wait to return to the pastoral care business with Mrs McInerney and the House Leaders. Congratulations to our Year 12’s who have formally finished their schooling and to the Year 11’s who have completed their Preliminary Examinations. I leave you with the great words of my favourite artist, guess who’s back, back again, Mrs Wright’s back (as Assistant Principal) - tell your friends.

From the Director of Students

My speech to the year 12 students..

First, I would like to congratulate you on completing your final schooling chapter. I would like to thank your amazing teachers, House Leaders, pastoral care teachers and support staff for supporting the students and all involved in getting these students here today ready to graduate and take on the world.  

Today as you sit before us, in your primary school uniforms reflecting on your schooling and where the last 13 years have gone, this is where it all started, then fast forward to 2018 when 12 different schools turned into one. You walked through the gates to assembly in the hall - greeted with energy and enthusiasm by Miss Payne, with your shiny shoes, nice crisp freshly ironed blue shirts. Some started with speed, “BEEP BEEP”, others trying to find their spot on the grass with a few territory wars. You were the first to start the House System, where you were bright eyed and ready for high school. From Day 1, you were bound for greatness and look how far you have come.  

Let’s reflect on some of the schooling highlights.  

• Your endless quotes and teacher recounts through your explicit journaling  
• Sydney excursion - the walking, whinging, opportunities, food runs and late night movies 
• Your academic successes! You have pushed and challenged each other throughout your schooling, we cannot wait to see your HSC results 
• First of the House system as vertical Pastoral Care and some certainly checking their points and keeping us on our toes to make sure there was no ‘cheating’ when it came to point allocation of the House Cup, first silver awards, first gold awards  
• Ancient History’s very own Minotaur  
• Wordle challenges  
• The Leadership Lounge  
• The new Big Girls in the house 
• The endless A1/A2 conversations, counselling, and life discussions  
• Spiders? Who would have thought a simple spider could bring so many fears and tears in Cambodia 
• Your cooking abilities or lack of - even those who put metal in the microwave in Food Technology  
• Your anatomy lessons  
• Alans modified uniform arrangements  
• Just ducking out to my car! Whoever knows what for?  
• Helping to design the most colourful Year 12 graduation ever 
• Tenpin bowling champions 
• The winning Urban Challenge team who was without a leader  
• Cooper’s driving ability  
• Those who had modified names for a period 
• Cambodia, where some formed fond memories and friendships 
• Individual driving ability, some even needing some teacher assistance to help with their parking and take offs 
• Chess Tournaments - our first ever College Chess Captain and Riverina Champions  
• The friendships you have formed, even those fond memories shared in the bathroom toilets  
• The endless kitchen changes and modifications - as a group, the only ones who have continued to have kitchen time out 
• The epic PE parties well planned by our party specialist  
• Our cultural integration and acceptance of diversity  
• Dress ups - on point! Style and fashion gurus this week we have seen an elaboration on your Year 7 Melbourne Cup outfits - we certainly had some great horses that year! 
• Sporting successes and highlights - records broken, except for this week as the teachers dominated the students in the Year 12 challenges 
• The Kahoot requests 

Today is to reflect on the outstanding achievements of the graduating class of 2023 and the amazing experiences and stories over your years at Hennessy, which have helped us grow into the people we are today. As a cohort, we believe that we encapsulate the school’s values of Live Spiritually, Learn Dynamically and Act Justly which have been shown through our time at high school, I personally would like to congratulate you as a group who is united, you have supported your peers, been there for shoulders to cry on, picked up your mates when they needed you most. You are such a beautiful group who have been reflective of those you have encountered, selfless young people who will inspire the world.  

Your schooling has been fun, and we have learnt so much along the way. So, as you leave here today, remember this is where you came from, remember the values you learnt and remember the moments which shaped who you are today. We wish you every success with your future and cannot wait to hear from you all about the paths you choose.  

Good luck in your HSC.  

Jessica McInerney
Director of Students