Welcome to Week 4. Our Year 12 have commenced their trial exams and are presenting in a calm and serious manner for each exam. I was so excited to see Year 12 students at break time using palm cards to test each other for their upcoming exams. Palm cards and practice papers are the most effective ways of studying.

Thank you to all those families who took up the opportunity to attend parent/student/teacher interviews in person or face-to-face last Thursday. These opportunities are very valuable for discussing what your student is doing well and areas for growth. The presence of the student gives them a true voice in their learning.

By now students in Years 7 and 9 would have received hard copies of their Naplan results. These exams were sat in mid-March and are one of many tools the school uses to map student growth and achievement. The Levels of Achievement have changed from previous years. The levels are Exceeding, Strong, Developing, and Needs Additional Support whereas before we had 9 bands for Year 7 and 10 bands for Year 9. This change means that it is not possible to track student growth from their previous test. Literacy and Numeracy are a key part of the learning for all students at Hennessy. Our students are supported through:

• quality teaching which is focused on explicit instruction
• support with reading and numeracy through extra reading and maths programs (Macqlit and MathsMastery)
• PAT testing twice a Year in Years 7 – 10 to map student growth and achievement
• Growth from Year 9 to the HSC is also monitored through our DeCourcey results which show how students grow as mapped to other similar schools

I would like to clarify our mobile phone policy. State schools are bringing in new guidelines for phones, we have chosen to respond in a slightly different way and are not under the same jurisdiction. Mobile phones are banned from all classes (unless there is a particular need to use them eg medical monitoring, or photos of work). Phones are stored in pouches at the front of the room so they can be seen but not touched. Students may have them when changing classes and during breaks. Phones are confiscated if the policy is breached. The current Year 7 were not permitted to have mobile phones until Semester 2 and this is being reviewed to either keep or expand this ban for Year 7 in 2024. We also provide education in cyber safety on a regular basis to educate students in this regard. We are currently not seeing many major issues with our policy and have had other Catholic schools show interest in our policy.

I will be on Long Service Leave from Wednesday, August 16, returning on Wednesday, September 20. During my absence, the following changes to staff will occur:

Acting Principal - Mrs Mary Wright

Acting Assistant Principal - Mission and Ministry - Mrs Jess McInerney

Acting Director of Students - Mrs Emily Nowlan

Acting Nagle House Leader - Mrs Maryann Schiller

I know the College will be in fine hands during my time away.

Walking Together in 2023.

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

This week HCCY has been investigating a new virtual learning program that brings expert-level tuition to regional and remote Catholic high schools, helping senior students overcome the “tyranny of distance”.

The Virtual Learning Collaborative (VLC) uses Microsoft Teams and OneNote Class Notebook to deliver courses that would otherwise not have been available to students because of a lack of resources or restrictions from timetables at their schools. One example of this is Economics being offered virtually.

Pioneered by Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn, the learning program launched this year. It is now being used by around 30 students in NSW and the ACT and there are plans for ongoing expansion.

Among Catholic schools in NSW, 204 (or 35 per cent) are located outside major cities, including 12 schools in remote NSW and four in very remote NSW.

Some regional and remote high schools do not have the resources to go all the way to Year 12. The VLC program has enabled two schools to start offering the HSC once more: McAuley Catholic Central School at Tumut and St Anne’s Central School at Temora.

Not only do the virtual classrooms offer course materials, but students benefit from teachers who are at the top of their fields. There are alternatives to face-to-face classrooms and the virtual classroom can be a collaborative and engaging learning environment for students.          

Trial Examinations
These are now underway and Year 12 are to be congratulated for the calm and settled way they have approached each exam. A reminder though that they must bring sufficient equipment to each exam as borrowing is not permitted in the HSC.

A further reminder that during this time students need to ensure that they are looking after their wellbeing. Some advice is:

• Take the time to plan - this is really important if students have outside commitments that are causing additional time constraints
• Look after yourself - build in some downtime and ensure you’re not hungry when studying
• Rest when you need to - don’t study more than 40-50 minutes with a short break and try and get plenty of sleep
• Stay focussed - it’s OK to say no to social events if you are studying - many more will come along. Turn off distractions too.
• Ask for help - do this earlier rather than later - contact your teacher if you need some assistance
• Be prepared - rehearse the conditions of the task such as practising writing out answers (if an exam) or practice speeches in front of a mirror.

Remember your classroom teacher is the first and best point of contact for any questions or issues you may have with your subjects. 

Ian Mergard 

Director of Studies 

The upcoming fortnight sees some exciting news for Hennessy. Next week, in the Week 5 Student Wellbeing Session, students will hear the speeches of our candidates for College Captain. Students who have applied for College Captaincy have been nominated by their peers and will also be interviewed by a panel of the leadership team this week. The College Captains will be announced next week. In Week 7 students in their House groups will hear the speeches for their House Captains. We are so pleased with the quality and amount of students who have nominated their peers for leadership and have also stepped up to the challenge of leadership. Leadership is an essential skill in our community that requires much resilience, reflection and refreshing of ideas. The College prides itself in the quality of all students and the development of their leadership qualities at the College and the way they transfer these skills after their time at the College.

This term we are supporting the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal through a casual clothes day called “Winter Warmer” on the 23rd of August. Students are encouraged to rug up and donate generously to those who are less fortunate than us. A reminder that all students are required to adhere to the policy regarding casual clothes days. There will be activities and other ways to donate on the day led by our Student Leadership Team.

On August the 31st We invite all grandfathers, fathers, uncles, carers and all the special men of our community to a Father’s Day Mass and BBQ at the parish. Please RSVP here for catering purposes https://forms.gle/WR9jtaa9mrKXU6vi8

A huge thankyou to all the students and families who attended the Hennessy Parish Mass. Each term they grow, and it is truly wonderful to see our community celebrate with what is the heart of our Catholic education story.

Uniform Policy focus of the fortnight is Jewellery:

Jewellery

The following jewellery items are permitted:

• Two earrings per ear (small studs or sleepers)
• One fine metal necklace with a small pendant appropriate for a Christian school subject to Principal discretion.
• One watch
• Medical Alert Bracelet

Facial piercings must be a clear stud or covered with a bandage or removed.

Senior students are permitted to wear ONE ring of any style, however, this must be removed before practical lessons.

A full copy of College policies can be found at this link https://hccy.nsw.edu.au/policies

Welcome back to the leaders lounge! What a beautiful week it has been, with the sun out, vast blue skies… and thankfully I’m happy to say I haven’t had to defrost my windscreen for a while. It has been a laid back week at Hennessy this week, with students able to get outdoors during break time and soak up the sunshine. 

The long anxious wait is over for year 12 students as it has finally reached year 12 trials time! The trials began on Monday 7th August and will continue for 2 weeks. We wish all those sitting the trials good luck and all the best over the coming days.

Our year 8 and year 10 netball teams headed to Albury for the All Schools Cup Netball on Wednesday. Mrs Wright’s persistent and “elite”  training is paying off for our two teams. GO THE HENS! 

On Wednesday the year 11 students travelled for a careers expo in Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC). This was a great opportunity for the students to inquire and learn more about their potential path in the future from a range of career paths including: university, TAFE, apprenticeships, volunteering, scholarships and many other careers, and what this training consists of. Hopefully this will give the group of students ideas for future prospects post school.

A shout out to our future leaders of the school, some of whom have stepped up and completed an application for the student leadership team for 2023/24 leadership. Just a reminder that interviews will begin Thursday the 10th of August, for the candidates who applied.

This week has been sporting the mighty yellow and gold, where Gallager snatched the lead from the two term winning Nagle house. This has placed Gallager as the winning house for term 3 House Cup (currently). The Gallager house captains are very excited about our current house standings. QOD: “Keep up the good work Gallagher!” - James Payne (Gallager Vice Captain). This was only possible by the tremendous participation of Gallager students living spiritually by participating within the Gallagher Dine and Donate late in July. As a result, they managed to donate a total of 50 meals of a fantastic ‘Easy Chicken Curry’ for those in need. 

Thanks for tuning in and reading this week's student lounge article. 

“Go Gallagher!” - JP 

Ps. “He won’t be saying that when Nagle takes the lead AGAIN”  (Jasmine) 

Jasmine Sullivan & James Payne 
Nagle Vice House Captain & Gallagher Vice House Captain

Year 11 Visual Art students had the opportunity to attend a one-day workshop last week with Mr Tim O'Regan. Tim has been a Visual Arts teacher of over 35 years and provided critical information regarding the theoretical and practical aspects of the course that is advantageous in gaining marks for the HSC.

On Thursday 27 July 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 25 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 Chicken Curry. 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 Rowena Moncrieff and Mrs Meghan Navori as well as the Gallagher staff who attended.

Mr Luke Miller
Gallagher House Leader

Hennessy Elite Netball Squads - also known as "the Hens" travelled to Albury yesterday to compete in the All Schools Cup Netball Carnival. 

Well done to all teams!

Our Yr 11 team competed against 63 other teams, in a school of 2000, hosting 1600 extra students, yrs9-11,  was a logistical masterpiece!

While we didn’t have any placings in the various disciplines, the students did enjoy a wonderful experience and should feel very proud of their achievements. James Ruse High were the overall winning team for Yr 11, so that’s tough competition! I sat with a lady who is the Head of Mind Challenge Opportunities at MLC Burwood and was amazed at the many & various opportunities/ competitions they are able to offer their students.

So an insightful day for all of us and sharing the bus and time with YHS was wonderful for building community between the 2 schools.

Hilltops YOUth Survey 2023

Brought to you by the Hilltops Youth Action Group (HYAG) This survey is a chance for YOUth to have a say in issues affecting young people in the Hilltops. We want to hear from YOUth about how you feel in your communities, struggles you are facing, things you'd like to see change and matters that are important to YOUth! We ask that when you are answering questions to do so truthfully. Your answers will be ANONYMOUS, and we will be using this information to drive a Youth Forum later in the term. *Please Note: Youth/young people are at the heart of this survey. We care about you and your wellbeing. If any of the questions raise any issues or are triggering, there are services available to you to call and have a chat with a counsellor: Kids Helpline at any time on 1800 551 800 or got to kidshelpline.com.au Headspace on 1800 650 890 or go to eheadspace.org.au Butterfly Foundation on 1800 334 673 or go to butterfly.org.au ReachOut go to au.reachout.com

This is the link: https://forms.gle/qyiKJX4rMRYDMTtz5