Welcome to the last newsletter for Term 2. This has been a busy but very productive term with lots of quality learning experiences both in and outside the classroom. I had the great pleasure of attending the Variety Night last Tuesday night. I was extremely impressed by both the quality and variety of acts on the evening. The students were very well prepared and performed professionally and to a consistently high standard. The joy they showed in performing was very obvious!  A huge thank you to, Mrs McLachlan, Mrs Riordan and Mrs Hill for their organisation for this successful event.. Creative Arts is certainly thriving at Hennessy!

We will have several staffing changes for the start of next term. In previous newsletters, I mentioned that Mrs Close and Mrs Igoe-Taylor will be leaving. Mrs Morgan is also leaving Hennessy and we wish her all the best.

Miss Emily Rogers, Miss Cassie McLachlan and Mrs Amy Mergard will be joining the Hennessy staff for the remainder of the year to cover this movement. Mrs Hill will also be working with Mrs McLachlan as Creative Arts Leader.

Today, the student leaders ran an assembly to farewell Bec White, our canteen manager, who has been working at Hennessy for nearly fifteen years. During this time she has fed many, many hungry students and teachers. Students will fondly remember her for her famous ‘chicken schnitty’ burgers. A huge thank you and best wishes to Bec for all she has done over the years.

Mrs. Leanne Hardy will also be joining the staff next term as the Principal’s Assistant. She has worked at Hilltops Council for many years as an Executive Assistant and will bring a wealth of experience and skills to this role.

The Year 10 students were very enthusiastic and grateful for the opportunity to attend their ski trip last week. Apparently, the snow was perfect and there were many tales of successes and adventures on the slopes. Thank you to Mrs Wright, Miss Woods, Mr Mergard, Mr Croese and Mrs Hudson for attending this trip. Thank you to Mrs Cass for taking on the organisation of this excursion.

The Cambodia Immersion trip is well underway. Students are really enjoying their experience and apparently having an amazing time but also finding the high temperatures a bit challenging.

During the break, I will be overseas on a study tour so for any urgent matters please email Mrs Wright mary.wright@cg.ctholic.edu.au

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our families for their support this term and to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Year 12

Congratulations to Year 12 who have mostly finished their assessments and begin to look ahead to the Trials in Term 3. It has been a huge task and they have handled it well. 

The Trial HSC Timetable is now final - these will be in Weeks 4 and 5 of Term 3. Students will only be required to be at school for their examinations but may access the library at other times. 

Over the holidays students should be using time to study for the exams. The best type of study is to practice past paper questions as this helps develop written skills which is essentially what the exams are testing. Just reading over notes and making study notes are useful to consolidate knowledge but are not effective unless they lead to practicing the application of that knowledge. ATOMI is also useful and a great starting point to revise content. Past papers are available on the NESA website along with marking criterias, some sample answers and marker feedback. Most students will have access to other papers as well from their class teachers. 

So while Year 12 students should rest, it’s not the time to ‘down tools’ - it’s the time to ramp up the study habits. 

Year 10: Subject Selections for next year’s Year 11 2024

Subject Selections for Year 11 2024 will take place in week 2 of Term 3. There will be a Parent Information Session on Tuesday 25th July and selections will open after this. During Period 5 a subject market will take place in the Hall and students will have time to talk to current Year 11 students about their subjects.

Then, on Thursday 27th July, there will be interviews with all current Year 10 Hennessy students and their parents. Year 10 students will have the day off classes and only be required to be at school for their interview. There will be a link sent to parents week 1, Term 3 to book a 20 minute appointment time. Interviews will be in the College Library with members of the College leadership team. The interview is a compulsory component of the subject selection process. This is a great opportunity to ask questions so that everyone understands all the relevant requirements and pathways of study.

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF STUDIES

Year 7-11 Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences are in Week 3 Term 3

When: Thursday 3rd August from 8am-6pm (Year 12 students have normal classes that day and are not expected to make interview bookings). More details to come.

Reports

Semester 1 Reports for Year 7-10 will be published on Friday 30 June. Parents will be able to download their child’s reports via the parent portal on Compass. Report grades follow NESA’s Common Grade Scale:

• A: The student has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the content and can readily apply this knowledge. In addition, the student has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills and can apply these skills to new situations.
• B: The student has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the content and a high level of competence in the processes and skills. In addition, the student is able to apply this knowledge and these skills to most situations.
• C: The student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills.
• D: The student has a basic knowledge and understanding of the content and has achieved a limited level of competence in the processes and skills.
• E: The student has an elementary knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.

Ian Mergard
Director of Studies

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of travelling with the Year 10 cohort on the Year 10 Ski Trip. In being a self reflective learner myself and involved with the school life, it was noted that in never having touched or been on skis before, can say that after three intensive lessons and many hours on the “Magic Carpet”, and much encouragement from all the students, I did not improve. However, each time I fell (which has been recorded many times by our students, staff and the random people at the Thredbo ski resort) I not only provided many laughs, I realised that falling was actually not that bad. In these moments I reflected on the blessing that our students are to our College as each student who saw, came by and offered help, tried to teach me how to get up on my own and guided my skis when I could not. The pride I had after the many times I was landed in the snow (and the very short amount of time I was there thanks to the Year 10 students) of the wonderfully young people that I have the pleasure of sharing in an educational journey with is a true blessing. Thanks to the teachers who accompanied the Ski Trip, without their generous time this would not be able to happen.

On Saturday night we celebrated yet another successful St Mary’s PArish Youth Group - with numbers growing - I encourage as many young people to come along and attend mass, join us for dinner, games and share a faith community. The Youth Group will be held the last Saturday of every month. 

Last week we also had the privilege of hosting Same from the Cyber Safety project who spoke to Years 7-11 on the appropriate use of Digital devices. Parents also attended a parent session after school. It was a timely reminder as we move into the holidays of the importance of good sleep hygiene and the importance of privacy sessions on our social media accounts. Please see below for some fantastic ideas for the holiday time and balancing between the digital and physical world.There are many more resources free of charge on the Cyber Safety Project website.

Hey Hennessy squad,

Hope you are all having a beautiful week 9/10. 

I CANNOT BELIEVE WE ARE AT THE END OF TERM 2! This year is going wildly fast..

Quick little disclaimer; Year 12’s we have 12 weeks left of school EVER! To put that in perspective, that's from our Sydney excursion until now. Scary days all round!

As per end-of-term usual, the Hennessy community has been super busy as of late (in the best way possible.) Hennessy’s debut State of Origin competition was absolutely slayed by year 12 after winning every round against both year 10 and year 11 (proud). Thank you to everyone who represented their year and for the massive support from the sideline; you are all the very best !

Concluding the end of semester on an all time high, year 10 students are embracing winter in full potential with their excursion to the snow. Can't wait to see and hear all about their freezing feats on the ski slopes. 

Variety Night showcased the many talents of our amazingly gifted students. From singing, dancing, musical compositions and many more creative performances Variety Night was of much success; I am constantly in awe of the extensive range of brilliance within our school community.

Hennessy students are on a worldwide tour at the moment with many of our lovely year 11/12’s heading over to partake in our Cambodia Immersion trip. In doing so, these students are giving back to the underprivileged through rebuilding shelters and providing the bare necessities that we may take for granted. This is such an incredible experience that allows for students to immerse themselves in the Cambodia culture, enhance their understanding of gratitude and become closer as a cohort in the most beautifully generous way. The Hennessy Community is BEYOND proud to share that the Cambodia year 11/12 Group has raised $17,000 (thanks to your exceptional generosity); these funds will go towards building materials and the community/families in need. During this 10 Day trip, students will build two houses (from scratch may I add), sight see the gorgeous landscape of the country and make many connections with locals that they will treasure forever. Truly a trip of a lifetime (excuse the cliche but it's true!) These students are so excited to embark on this journey, regardless of the 1am wake up! 

*Stay updated on their trip via following Hennessy on Instagram and Facebook*

Enjoy the rest of this wholesome Hennessy Newsletter - always so much goodness going on within college and I'm so glad I got to share this time with you on the Leaders Lounge. 

Stay warm, stay sunny (pls Young it's too cold)

BIG LOVE + GRATITUDE,

Sienna xxx 

We can not wait to hear all the amazing stories ✈️

Year 7 have been busy making chicken brooder boxes out of paper. Here are the results!