Principal's Report
Welcome to Week 4. The highlight of last week was our Opening School Mass on Friday. This mass has many traditions including the parading in of town signs to signify the regional nature of the College. There was a strong sense of community and a unity of prayer and hope for the new year. Many thanks to Father Jiss for celebrating the Mass and to all those students and staff who contributed. A special thank you to Mr Miller for his work in organising the mass and Mrs Riordan for the talented choir and to Mrs Wright for organising the welcoming and badge ceremony after Mass.
Student leaders who were acknowledged included:
Year 10 Peer Support Leaders, Year 11 House Vice Captains, Gallagher: Lachlan Li, McAuley: Riley Noakes, Nagle: Zabir Alam, Rice: Isaac Brown;
Year Level Leaders Year 8: Daisy Van Leeuwen and Sebastian Silk, Year 9: Bonny Bromham and Ruby Holt and Year 10: Kobe Owen and Jessica Banwell
(Year 7 Leaders will be elected in Term 2 when the students have a chance to know each other better.
Congratulations to all these students and their families. It is wonderful to see so many students nominating generously to serve the Hennessy community as student leaders.
There was a strong attendance of parents, students and staff at the Year 11 Information Evening last Tuesday. This evening was a valuable opportunity for parents and students to learn about processes and rules for the Higher School Certificate and also to have the opportunity to meet staff.
Just a reminder that we are still looking for nominations to fill two positions on the School Community Council. Please return the Expression of Interest at the end of this newsletter to Mrs Nadine Woods, Council Secretary, if you are interested in taking on one of these important roles. The Council meets once a term and is looking to run more fundraising and community events in 2025.
Ash Wednesday is next week and marks the commencement of Lent. Students have been given information about Lent in both RE classes and at weekly assemblies. The Ash Wednesday Liturgy will be held in the College Hall at 9am. Parents are most welcome to attend.
Naplan will be held across Australia from March 12. There is always a lot of media attention around Naplan and conflicting opinions on its value to both families and schools. Hennessy views it as a snapshot in time to see where our students are achieving and where they would benefit from further support. Our 2024 results were most notable in Year 7 where, when compared with Students of Similar Background, we achieved results ‘well above’ in Reading and ‘Above’ in Writing, Grammar and Numeracy. Other results in Years 7 and 9 were ‘close to’ for National and Similar Background averages.
You may have read my Compass post yesterday in which I encouraged parents to watch the new ABC series, ‘The Role of a Lifetime”. ‘With more parents than ever facing burnout and kids with anxiety increasing, the series is an accessible and empowering call to arms, equipping millions of parents and caregivers with practical tips, tools and most importantly, the confidence to smile while navigating the role of a lifetime.’ Please check it out.
As we settle into the new year, please do not hesitate to contact me or any staff member if you have queries or concerns.
