Welcome to Week 2. Most students have now returned to school and are thoroughly enjoying face to face teaching and most importantly seeing their friends. Year 11 will complete their End of Course Exams today and have been showing a high degree of maturity as they do their exams. Each year 11 student was also given a care package which was supported through donations from the Hilltop Action Group. We are most appreciative of their generosity and value the role they play in the community supporting and engaging young people.

Year 12 also had the option to return for study sessions over this week and then next week. Again, they are to be commended for their maturity in approaching their independent study for the HSC and in seeking teacher feedback.

I know for many of our junior students that returning after lockdown has not always been easy and I would encourage you to contact your House Leader if you need support for your child.

Resilience is a word which we hear so much about at the moment. Resilience was a very strong attribute for Eddie Jaku who died this week in Sydney at the age of 101.  If you have not heard of Eddie I would encourage you to read about him online or read his book “The Happiest Man on Earth”. Eddie Jaku, survived the Holocaust and, rather than being consumed with hatred and regret, dedicated the rest of his life to promoting kindness, tolerance and resilience. He went on to build a life in Australia and is famous for his work in establishing the Jewish Museum in Sydney and being a tour guide for school students.

Miss Doherty has resigned from her position as Religious Education Leader. She is to be commended for the passion, hard work and deep faith which she has brought to her role. Her liturgies were very memorable and she was able to engage the students in a very meaningful way. Miss Doherty's musical talents will also be sadly missed by the Hennessy Community. She returns to Canberra next year.

Last Wednesday parents had the opportunity to attend the Cyber Safety presentation offered by the Cyber Safety Project. The feedback was that this was a very useful and informative evening. The presenters also delivered virtual presentations to years 7 - 10 the following day. A very powerful part of their presentation was presenting data on what Hennessy students had reported via an anonymous survey. This is certainly a very important topic and we will definitely be doing these presentations again in 2022, hopefully face to face.

 Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns.

Kathy Holding 

Principal