Hi Everyone 

There is so much to celebrate and congratulate our talented and hard working students on over these past 2 weeks!

With the due dates for HSC practical works rolling past, we have had the pleasure of viewing the students' exemplary artistic and literary creations. 

Students from English Extension 2 showcased their major works in the library on 28 August, followed by the opening of the HSC Visual Arts exhibition in St Georges Hall. Last week, the Design and Technology major works were on display in the common room, followed by an evening of Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension performances at the Soiree evening in St George's Hall. 

Moving from one event to the next, it was impressive to see the diversity of themes so successfully explored by students across a variety of artistic genres. The passion, integrity, creativity and talent of our students is inspiring and reminds our community of what a special school NHSPA is.

The HSC Drama performance examinations concluded last week with many students feeling extremely proud of their work.  We wish all our Music students the best of luck as they complete their practical examinations this week.  

Our HSC Dance students have already received their nominations for 'Callback'. Callback is a celebration of the outstanding talent of students who presented their work as part of the 2024 Higher School Certificate Dance Practical Examinations. It is a showcase of exemplary dance performances, compositions and films presented by students from across New South Wales, from all school systems. 

We are thrilled to announce that 23 of our Year 12 Dance students received nominations this year with 12 students receiving nominations in all three areas of the course, and a total of 53 nominations being made overall. 

Congratulations to all the Dance students on their exemplary performances!  In addition, some of the Co-Curricular Dance Companies were selected to represent the school at the State Dance Festival this week. Tickets can be purchased through the Seymour Centre Box office. Good luck dancers!

This Thursday 12 September was 'R U OK? Day'. A lot can happen in a year, a month, a week. Whether it’s your friend, family member, colleague, partner, or teammate, the people you care about go through life’s ups and downs every day. By having regular, meaningful conversations, you build trust and normalise talking about what’s really going on, so when the people in your world find themselves struggling, they know you’re someone they can talk to.  

NHSPA has recognised this day of action by hosting a breakfast on Thursday morning followed by a game of 'student versus staff' in Dodgeball. Students had the opportunity to write little notes of kindness to other students or teachers  and send them anonymously.

What are you doing for RUOK? Day

Last week, Nilaufer Rajwar, Karl Pico and I attended the annual NSW Deputy Principals' Conference held in Sydney. The theme was 'Leaders in Learning' and we attended a number of interesting and informative sessions on leadership, teaching and learning, wellbeing, and curriculum. 

The opportunity to reflect on practice and process through professional dialogue with other school leaders was invaluable and we hope to incorporate what we learned going forward.

Have a wonderful remainder of the term!  

Belinda Scanlan

The evidence is clear that consistent attendance is the essential first step for your child to have a positive experience at school. Every day matters for your child’s learning. In recent years we’ve seen too many students miss a day of school here and there. Missing school for students means missing assignments, time with friends, an important Maths lesson or getting picked for a sports team. With days missed, years are lost.

Students are required to attend school every day, whether it’s the first or last day of the term, Mondays, Fridays or days dedicated to sports carnivals, school excursions and incursions. 

Help us make sure your child is achieving their best and stays ahead in their learning with regular school attendance. The more time your child attends school, the greater their opportunity to learn and improve their wellbeing. Together, let’s build positive attendance habits for a lifetime.

If your child is absent from school, please let us know why as soon as possible, even if it is just a few minutes at the start or end of the school day. Of course, there will be times when your child is unable to be at school (like when they are unwell). Medical appointments should take place outside school hours where possible and family holidays should be taken in term breaks.

If your child is feeling anxious about coming to school and you need support, please reach out to your child’s Deputy Principal, Year Adviser or myself (Deputy Principal, Karl Pico) directly. Our staff are here to work with you and your child to help them attend school each and every day. There are also helpful resources for parents and carers on the Every Day Matters website.

Thank you again for working with our teachers and support staff to make sure your child is at school, on time, every day. We all want to see our students learn, grow and belong in our equitable and outstanding education system.

NSW Health advises that whooping cough (sometimes called pertussis) is circulating at high levels in NSW and affecting school aged children in particular, with incidence highest among children aged 10 to 14 years old, followed by 5 to 9 year olds.

Whooping cough is a serious respiratory illness. It is highly contagious and spreads easily between kids and families. It can be life threatening for babies, especially newborns.

Whooping cough usually begins like a cold, with early symptoms including a cough, mild fever, tiredness and blocked or runny nose. The cough will usually get much worse and may progress to severe coughing fits that can last for many weeks. Intense and rapid coughing fits can be followed by gasping and a ‘whoop’ sound.

Whooping cough is spread in the air as droplets, usually by coughing or sneezing. Vaccination provides the best protection from whooping cough.

More information

• Information for childcare and schools – whooping cough 

• Identify, Protect, Prevent – whooping cough

Contact: Incident Report and Support Hotline

Call: 1800 811 523

To help stop the spread of whooping cough, NSW Health recommends:

• Children who are sick (including those with cold and flu symptoms) stay home and away from other children until their symptoms have resolved or as directed by their doctor.

• If a child is diagnosed with whooping cough, they should stay home for 5 days after they start antibiotics, or 21 days after their cough starts.

• Parents seek treatment and testing advice through their GP when their child is has symptoms of whooping cough. Parents can also call healthdirect day or night on 1800 022 222 for advice.

• Parents can help protect their children by making sure all their children are vaccinated on time.

• It is very important for pregnant women to be vaccinated during each pregnancy to protect the new baby in its first few months of life when it is too young to be protected by vaccination.

• If parents are concerned and need health advice, they can call healthdirect on 1800 022 222. Healthdirect is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days. A registered nurse will answer the call and provide health advice and connect families to the right care for their child.