Principal's Report

School Holidays

On behalf of all the staff and community of Newcastle High School, I wish you a safe and restful spring break.  I would like to thank our learning community of students, parents and staff for the amazing work completed in partnership this term to continue education throughout the lockdown we are experiencing as a result of the pandemic.  The old saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, is truly being epitomised at this time across the world.

School for Term 4 Week 1 commences on Tuesday 5 October, after the public holiday on Monday 4 October.  We are anticipating that the school will remain on Level 4 operations, continuing our Learning from Home approach.  Any change to this will be advised to all parents and families through email and our school mediums of communication.

Deputy Principal Appointments

I am pleased to announce that we have finalised the merit selection process for the two positions of Deputy Principal at our Parkway Avenue site.

At the commencement of Term 4, we will welcome Craig Maher and Michelle Fraser as our newly appointed, substantive Deputy Principals.  Both Michelle and Craig are experienced deputy principals prior to this appointment, coming to us from high performing public high schools.  Craig Maher has been the Deputy Principal at Yanco Agricultural High School and comes to us with a wealth of experience.  He will be starting Term 4 with Years 7 and 11, replacing Shannon Sager who has been relieving in this position in 2021.  Michelle Fraser has been the Deputy Principal at Lambton High School and she also comes to us with vast amounts of senior executive leadership experience.  She will be starting Term 4 with Years 9 and 12, replacing Rachel McNeilly who has been relieving in this position in 2021.  Michelle will be working with our newest students coming in as Year 7, 2022 and with our transitioning alumni, supporting the graduating Year 12 Class of 2021.

On behalf of our whole school community, I would like to thank Shannon Sager and Rachel McNeilly who have been relieving in the Deputy Principal role in 2021, and acknowledge them for the outstanding work they have done.  In Term 4, Shannon Sager will return to her role as Head Teacher Wellbeing and Rachel McNeilly will return to her role as Head Teacher English, after some long service leave.  Jodie Woolley who was relieving as Head Teacher Wellbeing this year will remain supporting wellbeing in Term 4 and assist in the transition of our new senior executive.  Jodie will also assist students returning to face-to-face learning as we transition out of lockdown in Term 4.  Hayley Edwards will remain as the Head Teacher English until Rachel returns to this position after her period of leave.

COVID-19

Our local government area (LGA) remains on stay at home orders as we end Term 3, and we will continue Learning from Home on Level 4 restrictions until further advised.  At this time, we are planning for Level 4 restrictions to continue into the commencement of Term 4, however we are ready to move the school to Level 3 or Level 3 plus, which will be guided by announcements about the health orders in place for respective LGAs.  The summary to explain each of the school operational levels is included for your reference.

As advised to all parent and families, the NSW Department of Education announced the Roadmap to Return to Face-to-face Learning for all NSW public schools on Friday 27 August.  The roadmap for schools proposes a staged return to face-to-face learning at school in Term 4, which will be guided by announcements about the health orders in place for respective LGAs.

The Roadmap to Return to Face-to-face Learning involves the following:

1.  Staged return: Level 3 Plus - a staggered return for prioritised cohorts, with no mingling or on-site activities, when stay-at-home orders are still in place but other community vaccination and transmission conditions are met.

2.  Full return: Level 3 - a full return for all cohorts to settings with reduced mingling and on-site activities when stay-at-home orders are lifted.

The decision regarding when our school moves to Level 3 or Level 3 Plus will be made in line with all LGA conditions determined by the government.  The details about this roadmap are summarised here:

·  If stay-at-home orders are lifted in regional NSW before the end of Term 3, schools in those areas can expect to return to face-to-face teaching and learning at Level 3.

·  From Monday 25 October, select cohorts under stay-at-home orders – starting with students in Kindergarten and Year 1 – will return to face-to-face learning under Level 3 plus COVID-safe settings.

·  From Monday 1 November, students in Years 2, 6 and 11 will also return to school sites under Level 3 Plus settings, followed on Monday 8 November by students in Years 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

·  Students in Year 12 and those completing their HSC will continue to be able to access school sites in a limited way while on Level 4, and from Monday 25 October will have full-time access to school campuses and their teachers.

·  HSC exams will be delayed until 9 November with the revised NESA HSC 2021 Examination Timetable now published.

In Term 4, all students and families will be supported with Newcastle High School’s Learning from Home resources on Canvas, accessed via the NHS Website.  We also offer hard copy material for collection and the loan of technology as requested via our REQUEST FOR HELP LINK. 

Year 12

Plans have been made to return Year 12 students to school in Term 4, based on the staged return from Level 4 to Level 3 as outlined in the attached schedule.  This timetable is subject to change if our LGA lockdown status changes at any time.

All return to school plans in Term 4 are based on students choosing to engage and attend school, as the NSW Department of Education has announced that the ‘official’ end date for Year 12 is Friday 17 September.  Newcastle High School will be supporting Year 12 to access teachers and our school throughout Term 4, Weeks 1-5 despite this announcement, with signing out of school to commence in Week 5, from Monday 1 November.

Year 12 will have a Level 4 school timetable for Term 4 Weeks 1-3, from Tuesday 6 October until Friday 22 October, with scheduled 2-hour sessions planned for all courses using our timetable lines.  All students are welcome to attend these sessions across their timetabled classes, delivered COVID-Safely within Level 4 restrictions. This timetable has been sent to students and families in the last week of the term.  Students who choose to attend these sessions will follow the school COVID-Safety Level 4 protocols sent to all students, including the use the COVID App to sign in to the school, face masks and social distancing in accordance with our COVID-Safety Plan.

In Week 4, Year 12 can then choose to return to school for two weeks, in normal lessons from Monday 25 October – Thursday 11 November.  Friday 29 October is planned to be a FunDay, organised by the senior student leaders and our school, including dressing up, activities and celebrations.  We recognise the incredibly significant aspect of this social event for Year 12 and will be planning for this FunDay to occur safely, pending COVID guidelines being met in the lead in to this time.  In Week 5, some students may choose to enter ‘stu-vac’ and not attend any classes, which is entirely up to individual preference.  Teachers will be available in normal timetabled classes during Week 5, should students choose to attend.

The Year 12 Graduation and Formal have also been tentatively booked for Week 10, with Tuesday 7 December scheduled for the Graduation and Thursday 9 December for the Formal, at Merewether Surf House.  Students can now pay for the Year 12 Formal, with the school guaranteeing that no money will be lost for any student should we need to cancel this event due to COVID-19 guidelines prohibiting it continuing.

NESA released the revised HSC 2021 Examination Timetable in early September, and all COVID-19 Updates on the HSC 2021 can be found HERE.

All information for Year 12 university entrance and support for post-school pathways can be found on the NHS Careers Facebook and any student needing support about post school issues should see our Careers Advisors, Amanda Hine and Gareth Lewis.

Any student who requires additional or personalised support throughout this period is asked to speak to their Year Advisor, Head Teacher Secondary Studies or Deputy Principal.  Alternatively, please log an enquiry or request for support at our REQUEST FOR HELP LINK.

Wellbeing

It is hoped that the school holidays is a time for rest and relaxation, despite the current circumstances.  The spring holiday break find us all remaining in our homes, looking for ways to stay well, healthy and positive in a COVID-Safe, lockdown manner.  The school is providing student wellbeing support, resources and information remotely through all of our communication platforms, and over the last few weeks we have put the spotlight on mental health and wellbeing.

R U OK? Day was a focus for our school and promoted digitally across our media platforms and through our connections with students.  Our Wellbeing Team are all available to assist any student or family experiencing difficulty. This includes our Counsellors, Student Support Officer, Year Advisors, Head Teacher Wellbeing and Chaplain who are all accessible by calling, emailing or requesting support at our REQUEST FOR HELP LINK.

Please prioritise looking after your wellbeing, and the wellbeing of those around you, letting us know if there is anything we can do to assist.  This includes taking time these holidays to be offline, off screens, exercising and being safely outside to manage wellbeing in such challenging times. 

NAPLAN Results 2021

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.   Year 7 and Year 9 NAPLAN 2021 results were released last week, with all student results being posted home to families in the last week of term.

NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

NAPLAN results allow parents/carers and educators to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards.  

The assessments are undertaken nationwide, every year, in the second full week in May.

NAPLAN is made up of tests in the four areas (or ‘domains’) of:

·  reading

·  writing

·  language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation)

·  numeracy.

For more NAPLAN Parent and Carer Information please follow this link.

This year, Newcastle High School (NHS) has demonstrated ongoing, significant growth and improvement in the literacy aspects of our NAPLAN results, with both Year 7 and Year 9 above state average results.  Reading, writing and language conventions are all showing significant school-wide improvement, as depicted in the graphs attached, where NHS is the green line, the state of NSW is the red line and similar schools to ours is depicted in the dark grey line.  Numeracy remains an area we need to focus strategic attention on for improvement in both Year 7 and Year 9 into the future. Well done NHS!

Janene Rosser - Principal