Welcome to Week 6. Last Tuesday, the College celebrated the start of the 2023 school year with the Opening College Mass. The mass was a beautiful and reverent celebration of unity and togetherness, with students, staff and parents coming together to pray for the new school year and to reflect on our 2023 theme of ‘Walking Together’. Highlights of the mass were welcoming over new staff and over 100 new students and presenting badges to our new Vice Captains, Year Captains and Peer Support Leaders and also recognising the 2022 College Dux, Damon Xia. Thank you to Father Jiss, Mrs Riordan and her talented singers and musicians and Mr Mitchell and Mrs Wright for their work in making such a memorable occasion. It was wonderful to once again see so many parents and carers attend mass.

The first few weeks have been busier than usual with the lifting of COVID restrictions. This has meant that students have been involved in a wide range of sporting and extra-curricular opportunities. Whilst this means that students do miss classes, it also means they can develop their individual talents and pursue their passions. Hennessy is all about developing well-rounded students who have the opportunity to shine in many areas. It is expected that when students miss classes, they make an effort to catch up on work. Juggling of school and other commitments is what we see many elite athletes do and is part of the commitment required to achieve personal goals.

Next week students in Year 7 and 9 will begin their NAPLAN assessments. NAPLAN is being conducted much earlier this year so schools and families can receive feedback sooner. The NAPLAN reports will also change from 10 Performance Bands to 4 Achievement Bands. NAPLAN is a snapshot of student skills and knowledge at a particular point in time and students are encouraged to do their best. The NAPLAN reports are very useful for schools to know where areas of strength are and where more focused teaching is required.

Next Thursday, we will be holding the first of our Years 7 – 12 parent/student/teacher interviews. Details about the interviews and how to book have been shared on Compass, with families given the choice of either face-to-face interviews or Teams online interviews. If you have any queries regarding the booking process, please contact the front office. Classes will only be held for Year 12 on the day, other students are expected to participate in their interviews in full school uniform and may then either go home or attend supervised study in the Library.

School fees have now been issued. We once again apologise for the lateness with fees due to the migration to our new finance system. Please do not hesitate to contact the Front Office if you have queries about your fees or how to pay them. Thank you for your patience and ongoing support of the College by prompt paying of fees.

As always, we are here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Kathy Holding
Principal