Welcome to the final newsletter for Term 1. This afternoon we finished the term with a beautiful Stations of the Cross service organised by Mr Mitchell. This service was solemn but also full of hope as we considered the true meaning of Easter. The students were very respectful during this service and we hope that it gave each of them an image of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. 

The final two weeks have been busy and students have had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of sporting and extra-curricular activities ranging from debating, peer support, She Leads Conference, league tag, touch football, soccer, to the Jordan McLean Cup. The key focus of any school must be teaching and learning, however, we also pride ourselves on challenging, recognising and nurturing the many talents of our students. The generosity of our staff is crucial in making these events happen.

As part of our pastoral care programs students in Year 9 have been involved in ‘Man Cave’ (for boys) and ‘Enlighten’ (for girls). These days have challenged students to get to know themselves and their peers better, to recognise that many of their peers have challenges and to develop empathy and understanding for each other. The students have also learnt about respect and their rights and responsibilities.

Another important event for students in Years 8 and 10 has been ‘Real Talk’. These presentations have replaced ‘Choicez’. These presentations have focused on respectful relationships and the digital world from a Catholic perspective.

Please encourage your children to attend the various Anzac Services which will be held around the district.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our families for their support this term and to wish everyone a happy and holy Easter and a restful, safe and happy break. School returns for students on Wednesday, April 26 beginning with an Anzac service in the Hall.

Teaching and Learning News - Learning Dynamically…Inspiring Futures of Hope

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

We have had a busy term both in and out of the classroom and a huge thanks to our amazing teachers who have facilitated these opportunities for our students.

Mrs Holding and myself have finished our meetings with each KLA leader to discuss how the HSC data from 2022 can inform and improve our practice. These have been very insightful and the Leaders are now working with their KLA teams.

Year 12 are now half way through their HSC course - only one major round of assessments to go before the Trials. Year 7-10 have finished their assessment schedule for the Term and will continue to learn from the experiences.

Finally, I would like to talk about our Year 12 cohort. I have just come back from the year 12 week long excursion to Sydney. What I saw and experienced on that excursion was a credit to the students, their families, their teachers and their school. Their excellent behaviour, participation in lectures/tours and manners were outstanding.  Most importantly I saw students support and be kind to each other when needed throughout the whole week. These year 12 students and leaders of the school are drivers of and creators of a positive and supportive school Culture at Hennessy. They are role models that younger students can and should aspire to be. Congratulations to them and their families.

Please enjoy the break, have a joyful Easter and come back fresh and ready for another Term of learning.

This year Hennessy has taken up the challenge to yet again fundraise for CARITAS. Our first effort of the season was to particularly support the CARITAS Earthquake Fundraising appeal, where our generous community donated over $900. Each week during Lent, the House Captains and House Leaders organised events to fundraise for Project Compassion. Our total fundraising for the school was over $1000, with Gallagher House taking out the most fundraised during this time with over $350 raised from their delicious cake stall! Our COllege has a proud tradition of supporting those who are less fortunate than us, and as a Lenten promise have committed to almsgiving during this period. We look forward to next year’s CARITAS challenge and will set ourselves a goal of trying to push to the $2500 mark.

The most important season in the church is upon us with Holy Thursday being celebrated today with Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and celebrating the last supper. Please join with the Young Mission and our College community as we celebrate this important time

At the beginning of next Term the College has been offered the opportunity to run a 6 week program on Re-Navigating Anger and Guilty Emotions (R.A.G.E.) through small and confidential groups with a trained counsellor. Please see information below

Rage is a strengths-based program that aims to help young people from the age of 11-17 identify feelings of anger and gain strategies to express and cope with feelings of frustration.

Topics covered include:

• The many faces of anger
• The 4 Ts of anger
• Healthy expression of anger
• Getting through the guilt of anger
• Relaxation, exercise, and diet

The program runs for 6 weeks with an hour session which are hands on, practical and FUN.

If you are interested in more information or would like to include your child in the program, please contact Mary Wright at mary.wright@cg.catholic.edu.au

Mary wright 

Assistant Principal - Mission & Ministry

Last Thursday Hennessy battled Young High School in the annual Jordan McLean Cup. 

Hennessy were able to retain the cup again this year after taking the win in all 3 grades!

Welcome back to the Leaders Lounge!

Hennessy has had a tremendous start to the school year with plenty of exciting events throughout Term 1, as a school community we’re looking forward to many more opportunities in Term 2. During Week 8, Year 12 journeyed to Sydney exploring and experiencing the bustling city. Splitting into groups to immerse in subject based activities, attending academic dinners, solving escape rooms, participating in the urban challenge, navigating public transport and much, much more! As a cohort we can all agree that there was something for everybody during our stay. 

Last Thursday the leadership team put together our second Lunch on the Lawns (which then became Lunch on the Concrete due to wet weather). But this didn’t stop our talented musicians from performing; neither did it stop the canteen meal deals from being a massive hit. This time around, all money raised will head straight to a local charity chosen by Year 12. 

Our Week 10 leadership meeting welcomed some fresh faces on Monday. The recently appointed Year Level Captains attended the meeting with the aim of hearing some new ideas to benefit all year groups. 

There are still a few events occurring in the final week of Term 1, our wonderful women in leadership positions for Years 11 and 12 are attending a leadership day at ANU in Canberra. The final day of term will host a Stations of the Cross Liturgy to commemorate Good Friday. 

Nagle is still on top of the House Cup but it seems that it will only hold for so long as Rice climbs their way up to an eventual victory. Overall a huge congratulations goes out to all students for getting involved this term. 

Thank you for reading this edition of the Leaders Lounge!

See you all next term :)

Hayley Grotegoed 

Rice House Captain 

Yr 12 Standard Mathematics commenced their topic on Statistical Investigations.

Students collected biometric data to organise, display and summarise the data to determine associations to make future predictions.

In Weeks 8 and 9 the following students have attained a House Award for Living Spiritually, Learning Dynamically and Acting Justly;

Year 7 - Sofia Minehan, Monica Taylor, Jack Willis, Bonny Bromham, Chloe Eastlake

Year 8 - Pheobe Apps, Gus Forbutt, Hugo Davidson

Year 9 - Samantha Malkav, Zietske Brits, Zailee Coupland

Year 10 - Jayda Hemara, Edward Maloney, Claire McRae

Year 11 - Bella Cooper, Lily Murphy

The second level of achievement in the Awards system is a Bronze Award, which requires students to attain 2 points in each category (Live Spiritually, Learn Dynamically and Act Justly) and a total of 15 or more points. There are a number of students who are very close to this milestone through their high level of involvement in sporting, academic, cultural and spiritual opportunities offered by the College in Term One.

Year 7 Technology are doing a unit on 'Living Off the Grid'.  Students research various aspects of living off the grid and sustainable living and then construct a model of their living off the grid arrangement.

Peer Support has come to an end, and the Peer Support Leaders have finished the term with a sausage sizzle and a newspaper dress up competition. Each group got the dress up one Queen and one Knight and had the chance to display their creations to the year group on the catwalk.

A big thank you to our Peer Support Leaders for their efforts, enthusiasm and dedication to the Peer Support Program. They have been exceptional leaders and have handled the delivery of the program very well. We hope the Year 7 Students have enjoyed developing relationships with their Leaders, engaging in a range of activities and developed skills of resilience, antibullying and relationships. 

Miss Rogers and Miss Woods. 

Congratulations to Elisabeth who came second in the State Finals of Lions Club Youth-of The Year Competition in Gilgandra recently.

Elisabeth arrived stating that she loved the entire experience, has made many new friends!

Congratulations Elisabeth!!

Recently Hennessy students have been treated to some Rugby training during their sporting classes with the Brumbies! This has been a great experience for the students teaching them safe tackling techniques and preparing them for contact within the game!