Welcome to Term 3! 

I hope everyone had a great break and that the first two weeks of Term have started really well for you. Students are back looking happy, refreshed and keen to learn.

Trial HSC examinations commenced for Year 12 students on the first day of term. They have one week yet to go and we wish Year 12 the very best in this final exam week. Many students will also be submitting Major Works or completing performance-based examinations for NESA in the coming weeks. It is an important and very busy term for Year 12.

Monday 22 July was our School Development Day. Teachers collaborated in wellbeing workshops and collectively presented on quality teaching practices based on the What Works Best research. The workshopping and presentations were outstanding and testament to the high expectations learning culture at NHSPA. Such sharing of expertise and teaching strategies builds the capacity of us all to improve student outcomes. Thank you to all the teachers who delivered and led workshops and to Deputy Principal Nilaufer Rajwar for her leadership of the day.

We welcome our new canteen operators, Anthony Catering, who started with us this term. Feedback from both students and staff is very positive.

There is a lot of excitement as well as effort going into the Legally Blonde auditions. Well done to all the students who are auditioning and thank you to Head Teacher Music Ynping Mak, Olivia Callaghan (Dance) and Zoe Van Munster (Drama) for their leadership of the auditions running after school every day.

Band Night last Thursday night – an evening of student led rock and jazz band performances – was outstanding. A variety of music from highly talented musicians and singers made for a very enjoyable evening. As always, I am impressed by our students’ talent. It is also a delight to witness the joy and love of performance evident in our students. Well done to all who performed, the Year 11 VET students who managed the evening, and to Head Teacher Music Ynping Mak, Amber Johnson (Music) and Zoe Van Munster (Drama) for coordinating the rehearsals and performance.

Yesterday during staff meeting time, Hannah Hindmarsh, Head Teacher Teaching and Learning, led staff on professional dialogue around the newly released High Potential and Gifted Education research on the Creative Domain. This research is extremely relevant to teaching and learning at NHSPA where creativity is recognised as essential to all learning.

Also yesterday at the Telstra Theatre on George Street, the 2024 Schools Spectacular was officially launched. Two of our students performed: Julien Daher and Micah June (Year 9). It was a privilege to watch them perform in this context. Schools Spectacular is the highest profile performing arts event for the NSW Department of Education. This year's theme is All 4 One and is about looking forward, supporting one another, and is centred around unity, connection and working as one for a common goal.

As I mentioned during assembly last week, I encourage all students to challenge themselves at NHSPA. Teachers will motivate and inspire students – this is what quality teaching is about – but I remind students to consciously challenge themselves and set goals to achieve their personal best.

This morning we celebrated the Year 11 High Achievers for Semester 1 with a morning tea in the staff common room. Well done to these students who have worked very hard and achieved excellent results in their Half-Yearly school reports.

Finally, I am kindly reminding parents and carers that if they happen to have the personal email of a member of staff, that they restrict emails to work hours only. Scheduling emails and ‘delay send’ options are helpful in this regard and support our teachers.

Term 3 will be another excellent term of learning at NHSPA!

Best wishes,

Dr Susan Green