Welcome to Week 8!

Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. The four Sundays of Advent lead us in anticipation to the coming of Jesus at Christmas.

The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the colour violet is a liturgical colour that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

The third candle is pink and symbolizes joy. It is called the “Shepherd’s Candle,” and is pink because rose is a liturgical colour for joy. 

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Saviour. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”

Our Presentation Night will be held next Wednesday from 6:00 pm in the College Hall. All families are invited to attend. This is a special time to recognise outstanding achievements by students from Years 7 - 11 in academic, sporting and other significant areas. We are very grateful for the families and businesses who sponsor the various awards each year.

Last week Year 7 and Year 10 participated in excursions to Collaroy and Canberra. Hennessy values excursions as an important part of each student’s learning experiences. Excursions not only allow students to visit new places and experience new activities but they also challenge students to get to know their peers and teachers in a different environment. Unfortunately Covid has interrupted the excursion program and this has been very disappointing for the students.  The Pastoral team has been looking at our excursion program and is hoping to make some exciting new changes in 2023.

Last week I attended the Mental Health First Aid Course for Teens in Canberra. Mental health is everybody’s responsibility and a high priority here at Hennessy. We strive to support students through proactive programs, educational programs and individual support. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, House Leader, Mrs Wright, Mrs McInerney or myself if you have any concerns.

Principal 
Kathy Holding 

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL & THE DIRECTOR OF STUDIES

As the 2022 academic year draws to a close, we begin to reflect on our students’  year of learning and growth. Students have achieved success and realised improvement in their knowledge of concepts and skills across all Key Learning Areas. Some growth is measured as grades or scores but even these grades disguise a person’s true development. For instance, for a student to earn a C grade last year and be awarded a C grade this year must have shown a year’s worth of growth to maintain that grade. This is to be celebrated.

Year 12 2022 HSC Results and ATARs

HSC results and ATARs are released on Thursday 15 December. These results are the culmination of 13 years of schooling for our out-going class of 2022.

We invite all Year 12 2022 students to join us for morning tea from 10:30 on Thursday 15 December to celebrate the HSC results as one.

Presentation Night

The College Presentation Night will take place on Wednesday 6 December with an arrival time of 6:00 for a 6:30 start. The evening will recognise student achievement across a range of areas throughout the College. It promises to be a wonderful celebration and, after COVID, a return to a format where the College community can join together for such an event.

                             

IAN MERGARD                                                                                                
Acting Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning         

JANICE DUNK 
Acting Director of Studies

Last week I had the privilege of attending Year 10 Camp with an amazing and inspirational group of young people. Not only did we challenge ourselves on a 23 metre abseil drop, climb stacks of crates and learn a bit about how not to add spices to our bush cooking, the group also visited Parliament House, the Australian War Museum, Questacon, the Art Gallery and many more of our national icons. I was most impressed with the way that the students encouraged each other, treated each other with respect and were willing to move outside their comfort zones to try something new. Our focus for the camp was leadership as we move into the final years of the students' school and the senior years at the College. I congratulate all students on their resilience and attitudes on the camp and thank the staff who organised and supervised events and activities.

Year 7 camp was finally held at Collaroy last week after delays due to COVID guidelines. Students made some incredible memories and bonded together over some great activities. By far the highlights were being able to finally see the ocean on beautiful days and swimming in the beach pool and Stand Up Paddle Boarding and Kayaking. These opportunities certainly do not happen without the dedication of the teachers who organise these and I am so grateful to the House Leaders and teachers who support these initiatives - taking time away from their work and families to attend.

This weekend we celebrate the Cherry Festival and we are so pleased to be joining with St Mary’s Primary school to promote our Catholic School community in Young. We would love to see you down there supporting us and you are more than welcome to join us last minute if you would like to.

Next week I will begin the review process of the current Uniform Policy. The first of this process was to present the Uniform Policy to the Community Council, our next step will be to involve students in the review, our third step will be to consult the staff and finally the suggestions will be taken to the College Executive to make final decisions. No items of clothing will be changed, the focus of the review will be on items such as jewellery, hair and makeup. The student consultation will be held on Monday in Break 2 in D Block.

As part of our commitment to the promotion of discussion around Mental Health, Hennessy Catholic College are actively supporting the Young Local Health Advisory Committee. Next year we will launch with the Head to Health program at the College and students will be able to access the services through QR codes provided. For more information and help, especially in the upcoming holiday season please visit https://www.headtohealth.gov.au

On Tuesday 22 November members of Gallagher House gathered for our annual Dine and Donate evening. This was an opportunity for Gallagher House to demonstrate how we can come together as a community of staff, students and families. Dine and Donate is an event which aims to raise funds and also prepare and donate vital meals to the less fortunate in the Hilltop’s community. The initiative consists of students coming to school with family members and preparing meals. The students and their families then sit and enjoy a meal with the other students, families and staff. The remaining meals are then packed and sealed and donated to local charities to be given to those less fortunate. 

We were fortunate to have a good turn out on the night with approximately 30 guests taking part in the preparation and sharing of the meal. It was great to see our students, family members and staff working side by side to produce a lovely meal of Spaghetti Bolognese. Once dinner had been cooked we were able to package a total of over 50 meals which will be distributed by St Mary’s Parish to people within our local community who are needing assistance..

Our thanks goes towards everyone who supported this fantastic initiative. The evening would not be possible if it was not for the excellent organisation of the evening from Mrs Mary Johnson and Mr Brendan Croese.

Mr Luke Miller
Gallagher House Leader

Nagle PC's were getting into the spirit of Christmas early with a PC door competition.  It was wonderful to see the students engaging with each other and sharing ideas  Notable mention was N5 with Covid RAT kits as part of the decorations, N6 with a gift under the tree for everyone. 

The winner was N1 with a tree, wreath, lights and an elf on a shelf named Calvin.

In the last Newsletter we should the progressive works of students who had attended a Victoria Anderson Art Workshop.

Here is the amazing finished result!

7.3 & 7.4 Science have been enjoying learning about the phases of the moon this week in Science. Students created models of the 8 major moon phases using Oreo cookies. 

Congratulations to Year 12, 2022 student, Hannah Rolls, who won the mixed media section at the Cowra Regional Gallery Upstart Exhibition. Hannah entered her piece called "Ring Toss". Ring Toss is a game associated with throwing rings on a wooden stand with dowels, and the metaphor for the collars and the associated love and fun that coincides with the dogs!

School leaver employment supports are NDIS supports available to students leaving secondary school. 

These supports give you the skills and confidence to help you move from school to employment. They offer individualised supports for up to 2 years after finishing school to help you get ready for work and plan your pathway to employment. They are also tailored to meet your individual employment goals and may include: 

-       work experience in open employment 

-       job skills training 

-       travel training. 

https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/finding-keeping-and-changing-jobs/leaving-school#are-you-a-year-12-student-or-leaving-school