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Welcome to the first newsletter for Term 4. Staff began the term with an outstanding professional learning day presented by Graham Wright. Graham Wright is an expert on all things HSC but on the day also presented a much broader challenge for our teachers to teach in such a way that provides the best possible outcome for all students in Years 11 and 12 whether they are seeking university entry, TAFE, apprenticeships or work. A big thank you to Graham for such an engaging day, that was well received by all staff, and to Mrs Wright for organising this day.
The HSC exams began on Tuesday with the common English Paper. We are fortunate to once again have Mrs Lee Armstrong in charge of the HSC exams at Hennessy. This is Lee’s 13th year in this role and she commented that she had not seen such a respectful and calm group of students. Please keep our students in your thoughts and prayers as they work through their various HSC exams over the next few weeks.
Some of our students, Mrs Wright, and Mr Simon Quinn had the great honour of attending Father Mark’s ordination mass in Canberra last week. A group of staff and students then attended his first local mass and morning tea on Sunday. It was wonderful to see the obvious joy that Father Mark shows in embarking on his new vocation. We congratulate him on his ordination and wish him all the best on his new spiritual journey.
Congratulations to Mr Simon Quinn, who will take on the role of Acting Religious Education Leader for Term 4. Thank you Mr Quinn for accepting the challenge to be a leader in this very important role.
On Thursday night Mr Andrew Morton and Mrs Leanne Parkman led a meeting for our new Year 12 students and their parents. This meeting was very well attended and parents commented on the value of such evenings. It was very resassuring to see such a large Hennessy community gathering, these gatherings are an important part of our home-school partnership.
Yesterday we officially recognised our new student leadership team for 2024/2025. Father Jiss led us in a beautiful mass for the students and their families which included a badge presentation and leadership pledge. We recognise all our senior students as leaders and challenge them to take on Mother Theresa’s challenge:
I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” I pray that all our senior student will make many ripples to make Hennessy and the world a better place.
The Hennessy Student Leadership team for 2024/2025:
Year 12 HSC examinations
Year 12 have made a great start to their HSC examinations which continue until Thursday November 7 with Physics our last exam. A reminder that if a student misses an exam for any reason, to contact the office asap and get the illness/misadventure forms from myself to submit to NESA. If you are sick you need a Doctors certificate for the exam day. The certificate also needs to be very specific as to why you missed the exam. Failure to do so will result in not qualifying to receive a HSC. Good luck to all in the remaining exams.
Year 11 Examination feedback and Transition to Year 12 2024
Year 11 students have been receiving feedback from their exams and it’s very important that they use this to formulate a plan to acknowledge and build on their strengths but also to develop on their weaknesses.
Last week we met with Year 11 to go over expectations for year 12, planning for the future and also the processes for changing subjects. A decision regarding subject changes is needed sooner rather than later, however, if students are still unsure, stay in class for now rather than to make a decision that cannot be reversed. It is important that students know and are happy with their pattern of study, especially if they want and need to qualify to receive an ATAR. Students are to stay in their classes until Compass changes appear on their timetable.
Reminder for all year 12 to book an interview with Mrs Parkman to discuss 2025 and beyond. She is an amazing resource for all students.
As we begin a new term, it’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to make a fresh start. Behaviour and uniform records have been reset, and it’s been pleasing to see so many students take up this chance to begin again.
With the transition to summer uniform, we’d like to remind everyone of some key uniform expectations:
- Socks must not have any logos and should be the correct colour for the uniform.
- Hats are required in active play areas but are encouraged to be worn whenever students are exposed to the sun to ensure sun safety.
- Over the winter break, some students have grown taller, which means some of the girls’ skirts are no longer at the appropriate length. If you need assistance with uniforms, the College Second-Hand Shop has a range of items available. We also welcome any donations to the uniform pool to support other families.
We also want to take a moment to reflect on the success of our recent Grandparents' Mass and BBQ Breakfast. It was truly heartwarming to see our church filled with grandparents and special friends, whose love and support mean so much to our community. A special thank you to the Student Leadership Team, who helped serve up delicious teas, coffees, and breakfast. Your hard work was greatly appreciated!
Looking ahead, this month we are focusing on Catholic Mission Month. One of our key events will be the Socktober Parade, where we’ll be raising funds for Catholic Mission. Please don’t forget to bring a gold coin donation to help support this important cause.
Let’s make this term a positive and successful one!
Hi all, welcome back to the Leadership Lounge! This week is run by our new College Captains, Josh and Madi.
Hope you all had a great brain break and are ready to come back to a fun-filled last term. As we know there are going to be some major changes, including the departing of our beloved year 12 seniors. However, this opens new doors and opportunities for our new 2024/25 Leadership Team. We are so excited to share our ideas and work along side each and every one of you! This term brings an action packed schedule with exciting events such as our highly competitive Socktober competition, the Annual Melbourne Cup day and various Christmas-themed competitions and events that are sure to engage all students. Our new leadership team has come up with the key focus areas of participation, inclusivity and connection within the Hennessy community with the overall goal to bring together not just each year group, however more importantly the whole school. We would also like to thank all students and parents who attended the Leadership Mass, getting to see all of your faces was a great pleasure. Another thank you to the students and the wonderful grandparents who attended the Grandparents Mass on Thursday morning, hope you all had a wonderful time. As we all know Nagle is still in the lead for the House Cup, as always. Nagle also took the win last term! Thanks for reading, and we cannot wait for this exciting term with our keen college community. Best of luck to all our Year 12s in their HSC!
See you all soon,
Madi and Josh
The Hennessy Parish Mass and St Mary's Parish Youth Group will occur on the 2nd of November at 6pm - all are invited to attend and be involved. Further information provided on the attached flyer. Please RSVP on the Compass form attached https://forms.gle/4dmaDTWHQDXLuCeR8
