Deputy Principal Report

On behalf of the Senior Executive Team, we would like to thank all the Newcastle High School students, staff, parents and community members for of their support, in what was another year of challenge, change and adversity. We hope that all members of our learning community have a safe and restful break and are able to spend some much needed time with family and friends. While we all eagerly await the holidays, it’s important to take a minute to stop and reflect on the year we’ve had and acknowledge the achievements we have all accomplished during these unprecedented times.

New School Plan – 2021 saw the implementation of the NHS Strategic Improvement Plan 2021-24. This process involved the development of a collective school vision and mission statement, identification of 3 overarching Strategic Directions and clear milestones to track progress. A variety of teams have been established, along with faculty-based improvement plans that focus on the achievement of targets in student attendance, wellbeing and academic attainment. This plan is something we are extremely proud of, and we would like to thank all students, staff and parents for their contributions to its development and ongoing commitment as we continue to strategically work towards growth in all areas.

Lockdown 2.0 – The lockdown came upon us with less than 24 hours notice and lucky for us, CANVAS was setup and support structures were in place, meaning we were able to “press go” at a moments notice. We would like to acknowledge the flexibility and resilience that staff, students and parents demonstrated as they persevered through an extended period of learning from home that tested everyone’s patience and wellbeing. We are extremely proud of our ability to continue our engaging teaching and learning programs and assessment during this time, which was at the very centre of all our decisions. While Zoom didn’t quite meet our needs for social connection, our ability to continue learning in this format was clear.

COVID-Safe Return – The return to face-to-face learning presented its own challenges, with the constant changing of COVID Guidelines and case numbers increasing in the local area. This task involved the separation of year groups, assigned toilets and canteen lines, mandatory face coverings and enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures. With over 1200 people on site, this was an extremely difficult task and we would like to thank all students and staff for their cooperation with these changes. This allowed us to coordinate a successful and COVID-Safe HSC on site, as well as COVID-Safe CHC Exhibition Week, which are the pinnacle of success at our school.

New Executive Team – The permanent appointment of two new Deputy Principals has consolidated the leadership team at NHS for the foreseeable future. Mrs Fraser and Mr Maher come with a wealth of experience and have settled in nicely as they become accustomed to NHS and build relationships with the students, staff, parents and community. We would like to thank Mrs McNeilly and Mrs Sager for their contributions as part of the Senior Executive Team in 2021, they have been instrumental in leading NHS through the past 12 months, implementing a variety of systems and processes that helped support the new school plan, lockdown and COVID-Safe return.  We would like to congratulate Mrs McNeilly on her appointment to Terrigal High School as Deputy Principal and wish her every success in the role.

2022 and Beyond – In the coming academic year, we will continue our strong focus on learning and high expectations for student success. The Strategic Improvement Plan will move into its second year and the many programs and opportunities for student growth will be enhanced as a result of our collaborative approach in 2021. Some exciting professional learning opportunities will also be delivered at NHS in 2022, allowing staff to expand on their expertise in alignment with our shared goals. A further enhancement to our curriculum will be the implementation of a Period Zero for Year 11 and 12 students, in order to meet the mandatory hours prescribed by NESA. This additional period will be scheduled from 7:55 am to 8:55 am every Thursday. This strategic placement on a Thursday will allow senior students with a Period Zero to start early, however, they will also finish early, as Stage 6 students are not required to participate in Thursday afternoon sport. This time can be utilised for independent study and free up time for weekend commitments.

As a Deputy Principal Team, we take great pride in promoting the values of tolerance and good citizenship among students, creating a caring and inclusive environment where all learners can achieve their personal best.  We look forward to the opportunity to lead our strong learning community throughout 2022 and beyond as we continue on our journey towards excellence.

Deputy Principals 2021

Mr Craig Maher Year 7 & Year 11 (Y12 2022)

Mr Joel Anderson (Rel.) Year 8 & Year 10

Mrs Michelle Fraser Year 9 & Year 12 

Ms Quinn Robertson - Cooks Hill Campus