Last Thursday a group of students presented the Passion Play in the Hall to the whole school. This was part of a liturgy presented by Deacon Mark. The play was a very respectful and moving enactment of the death of Christ and I would like to thank Mrs Wright, Miss Coffee and Mrs Riordan for their work in this and also to thank Deacon Mark for his ongoing support of our school.

Year 12 are currently on their annual excursion to Sydney. This excursion involves visits to a large variety of venues such as Australian Institute of Music, Human Disease Museum, Allianz Stadium, UNSW Campus, and the Australian Museum to name a few. Students will also visit The Big Issue and have discussions surrounding homelessness and the disadvantaged. Another actvity students participate in is the Urban Challenge which is a problem-solving and team-building event. I would like to thank all the teachers who have given up their time to supervise and attend this excursion and a special thank you to Mrs McInerney for her organisation leading up to this and to Mrs Nowlan who has taken over the role of excursion leader in Sydney.

It was wonderful to see a small group of parents at the session Parenting in a Hypersexual Digital World on Tuesday night. This was part of a program also presented by Real Talk to Year 8 and 10 students. Parenting, and indeed being an adolescent, is not easy in the current digital age. Mrs Wright’s section in this newsletter has some useful links where parents can find more information on this important topic.

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Teaching Matters Summit in Hobart. This conference focused on the Science of Learning and was both informative and affirming that our archdiocese is on the track to providing quality learning which is based on sound evidence and research. I was particularly inspired by the table in this link from the Australian Educational Research Organisation which maps how teaching should align closely with how we know students learn.
https://www.edresearch.edu.au/guides-resources/practice-resources/teaching-how-students-learn-model-learning-and-teaching

Just a reminder that school attendance is the key to success, I realise that some absences are unavoidable but is important that students catch up on work missed if they are away.

We are currently seeking student names to attend Anzac Day ceremonies in Young and surrounding towns. Please encourage your son/daughter to represent Hennessy on this significant day.

Happy Easter to everyone - the Easter season is celebrated for 50 days ending in Pentecost - the birthday of the church. Thankyou to all the students and families who have been involved in supporting the parish celebrations over the Easter Triduum.

This week we had a visit from Real Talk, Real Talk is an organisation that gets REAL on the topics of sex, relationships and personal identity. Based on Catholic values, and using personal sharing from our team of presenters, we provide up-to-date resources, presentations and programs on these important topics. Real Talk’s ‘Love and Life’ Reflection Day is an opportunity for young people to hear from specially trained outside presenters about these topics. Our aim is to empower students to make healthy choices that show respect for themselves and others. I had the opportunity to spend time in the Year 10 day watching the students engage really well with the content and respond with maturity and depth.

Thank you to all the parents who also attended the parent information evening. The opportunity to engage with Paul Ninnes in a setting where our questions could be answered as both parents and educators. It was an incredibly informative and supportive evening.

Currently our Year 12 students are on their Excursion in Sydney, a fantastic opportunity for students to experience curriculum activities with experts and to connect socially. A huge thankyou to Mrs McInerney who has organised the activities and Mrs Emily Nowlan who is leading the excursion.

Next Term we will start with the Year 7 Camp in Week 1, followed by the Year 11 Retreat in Week 2. Information has been discussed with students and all resources are on Compass. Camps and Retreats are an important part of College life and are compulsory. They encourage teamwork and resilience, but also develop a strong sense of community, responsibility for each other, important life skills and spiritual development. All our teachers who attend these camps and retreats do so in their own time, knowing the benefits of these activities and we are so grateful for the wonderful staff that we have at Hennessy who continually support our students as wonderful well rounded young people.

ANZAC Day falls during the holidays this year, however celebrations are still occurring across our regions. A Google Form link was sent out to students this week to indicate who would like to attend the ANZAC Day March in their areas. Students who attend will receive a House Point.

Next term we will also launch Seasons for Growth. The Seasons for Growth program is an evidence-based change, loss and grief education program that uses the imagery of the seasons to illustrate the experience of change, loss and grief. Young people can experience grief following significant changes and losses in situations such as, someone they love dies, separation and divorce, friendship changes, illness impacts their life, relocation and a number of other factors. Seasons for growth focuses on change and loss as part of our lives as well as learning new ways to respond to these changes.

There are only a few days remaining of the term and I encourage students to make the most of the time left in learning and connecting with friends. May you have a safe and restful holiday and come back refreshed for an excellent Term 2!