YEAR 12

Our 2024 Year 12 students complete their HSC examinations this week. Congratulations to them, their families and teachers. We thank them for the contribution they have made to our school and look forward to celebrating their results at the end of the year.

We would like to thank the parents of our Year 12 students for the support they have offered their children over this challenging year. We are aware and appreciate that parenting during the HSC year is often a stressful and difficult task. We would also like to thank the Year 12 teachers for the guidance and support they have provided each of the students in their classes during this HSC year.

Year 12 students are invited to their Sign-out Day on Tuesday 12 November at 10am. This will be their opportunity for students to return text and library books. A letter has been sent home with details of this event.

YEAR 11

Year 11 students have made the important transition into their HSC courses from the start of this term. All students were issued with the HSC assessment booklet and calendar for 2024/25. It is highly recommended that students and their parents become familiar with the senior assessment policy and examine the assessment schedules and requirements for each of their courses. As school leaders, it is also expected that Year 11 wear the appropriate school uniform and embrace the serious work ethic required of senior students. The term ends for Year 11 with an assessment block and it is strongly recommended that the preparation for this important week start from now, with a regular program of revision of the course content covered in each lesson.

Reports for students in Year 11 were issued on 6 November during a meeting with their Curriculum Advisers. Students by now may be in a position to decide their pattern of study in the HSC year. Students are advised not to make a hasty decision if unsure of a subject choice, and instead maintain 12 units until later in the term or next year. Some students have already made decisions to drop a course. Once the documentation has been completed students will be issued with updated timetables and will be invited to the library or Learning Centre to work independently during study periods. 

YEAR 7 -10

This time of the term is a busy assessment period for all our students. Many students have already completed key assessment tasks in all subjects. The student grades that will appear in their semester 2 reports reflect the outcomes assessed in these tasks and our Year 9 and 10 students will meet with their curriculum advisors later in the term to review their progress and personal best targets set this year. Semester 2 reports will be sent home at the end of this term.

A reminder that the afternoon study centre is open in the Library every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons until 5pm if students need support and advice from teachers.

EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE

At last week’s executive conference, the school's executive team collaboratively worked on developing our 2025-2028 School Excellence Plan. The conference enabled critical time for professional dialogue on quality teaching and was a valuable and productive time to engage with the initial draft mapping of the next steps the school will take to ensure continuous improvement in learning, teaching and leading at NHSPA. 

As part of the conference agenda the executive team also discussed vital topics such as teaching and assessing Creativity, Curriculum essentials in developing robust teaching and learning programs, and Quality Teaching Rounds as a way for teachers to collaboratively reflect on their pedagogical practice. These discussions were part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the educational experience and ensure our students' success.

STRATEGIC IMPROVEMENT PLAN

As part of the School Excellence cycle, NHSPA will be commencing a new Strategic Improvement Plan 2025-2028. As we indicated in the previous Bulletin this term and copied again below, initial consultation across the wider school community has begun. We thank the wonderful teachers of NHSPA for their subject expertise, their passion and collaborative commitment to excellence in teaching. We also thank our community for their continued support. Please see the NHSPA Vision and Context Statements: Draft 3 NHSPA Vision & Context Statements 1st Nov 2024.docx  as well as our Strategic Directions and purpose statements below. 

Your feedback is welcome – please use this link: Strategic Improvement Plan 2025 – 2028 (Community) 

Our 2025-2028 strategic directions will focus on initiatives from What Works Best research to continue to build a culture of high expectations and excellence in teaching and learning. This is where we are heading:  

Strategic Direction 1 Student Growth and Attainment. Purpose: To enable students to grow and attain their personal best in learning through explicit, consistent, research-informed teaching. Through high quality teaching and learning programs, targeted professional learning, and effective use of data, collective efficacy and a culture of evaluation will be strengthened to foster educational excellence and lift student achievement.  

Strategic Direction 2 Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Purpose: To sustain a vibrant, high expectations learning culture by ensuring all teaching and learning is research informed.  Educational excellence will be driven by the High Potential and Gifted Education Policy and What Works Best research underpinning all aspects of teaching and learning. 

Strategic Direction 3 Excellence in Learning Environments and Wellbeing Systems.  Purpose: To strengthen and nurture inclusive, connected, positive teaching and learning environments to promote students’ academic and emotional wellbeing. To foster an arts-rich education by developing state of the art performance and learning spaces that provide opportunities for all students to develop and extend their gifts and talents as creative, engaged, socially responsible and thriving citizens.   

High-level projects/processes will support:  

• Quality Teaching & Learning  

• Reading  

• Numeracy  

• HSC pathways and achievement  

• Attendance  

• High Potential Gifted Education (HPGE) with a particular focus on the creative domain  

• Excellence in Performing Arts Education and the upgrading of Learning & Performance Spaces    

• First Nations student achievement  

• Student wellbeing and school transitions (Years 6-7, Years 10-11, Years 11-12)  

• Student Leadership & Voice