Staff news
We welcome several new staff this term. In English we have Ms Jessica Fay-Williams who has replaced Ms Chelsea Slender. In Learning Support, Monique Van-De-Pol is our new Learning and Support Teacher. Elizabeth Mouratidis and Bastas Spirithoula have joined our HSIE Faculty. In Mathematics we have Maria Dinos and in Technology and Applied Science we have Deborah Carouse and Fatima Kassira. I know that all these teachers will bring quality teaching to all our students.
Congratulations to Vicky Liakopoulos who has been selected for the role of Curriculum Writing Specialist (CWS) to support the implementation of the Writing in Secondary initiative through support for the development of writing within a specific secondary setting across four KLAS (PDHPE, Visual Arts, Science and History). The expertise of the CWS will support the development of skills in academic writing for demonstration by students of deep content knowledge. The CWS also works as part of a broader team to contribute to deepening and scaling the evidence base for improved student outcomes in writing within subject disciplines.
The Writing in Secondary initiative is focused on supporting schools in NSW to lift academic writing in stages 4 and 5 within subject disciplines, across the state, with a specific focus on equitable achievement of student outcomes. The work will focus on driving improvement through a focus on academic lift at the ‘top end’ to deepen the evidence base for scaled implementation and support.
School Development Day
Our Term 2 development day focussed particularly on data analysis of our HSC 2021 results. We would like to thank Jennifer Pledger from NESA who took the 2 hours to explore the Results Analysis Package (RAP) and assess our student’s assessment data. The rest of the day was spent developing the skills of our staff in numeracy and high potential and gifted learners. The learning completed by our staff will be evaluated through Learning Walks which will occur in week 6 this term.
Annual School Report and School Improvement Plan
We have been working hard to complete our 2021 Annual Report which will be available on our website at the end of Term 2. I hope you find the report informative. It certainly reflects a very busy and successful year in the life of Beverly Hills Girls High School.
As a school community, we were fortunate to be involved in the Department’s external validation process during 2020. As we reflected on our progress relative to the fourteen elements of the School.
Excellence Framework, we were able to identify specific outcomes where we were excelling and others where we will focus on growth and improvement. This data provided us with an excellent starting point for the focus of our 2020-2024 School Improvement Plan.
Parents and Citizens Association
Our next meeting on Wednesday 1st June 2022 will be the Annual General Meeting. We hope you can come as we desperately need new members to fill the executive roles. It is a great opportunity to work with our school to sustain quality teaching and learning for our girls.
We will also have our student advisors present to outline the direction of each year cohort for 2022.
Canteen
Our canteen is due for a renovation and will be closed during Term 2 Week 9 and Term 3 Week 2. We will still be providing food for our students with temporary canteen facilities in place.
School Reports
We are currently working towards the preparation of school reports for all students. Year 12 will receive their reports on 23rd May and Years 7-11 reports will be distributed to students during period 4 on the last day of term.
Student Safety
During the past few weeks, we have been communicating with students regarding several important issues and it would be very helpful if parents and guardians reinforce these important messages.
We regularly remind students about the importance of being safe as they move to and from school. Please note the points below from the Department of Education guidelines.
Make sure your parents or another adult you know is aware of where you are at all times. Always walk straight home or to the required destination. Walk near busier roads and streets or use paths where there are a lot of other people.
- Know where safe places are – a shop, service station, police station, library or school. If you are frightened, you should go to one of these places and ask them to call the police.
- Learn about safe adults you can look for and talk to if you need help – police officers, teachers at school, adults you know and trust.
- Do not talk to people you do not know, and never get into a car with someone you do not know. If a car stops on the side of the road and you do not know the person inside, do not stop.
- If you are scared and can use a phone, call Triple Zero (000) and tell them you are scared.
- If someone tries to grab you, yell out, ‘Go away, I don’t know you!’ This lets other people know you have been approached by someone you do not know.
I also encouraged students to speak to their parents and myself or one of the deputies if they witnessed or were involved in any incident of concern so we can provide the appropriate support and let the authorities know of any concerns.
Students were reminded to be more alert when walking home and to obey any pedestrian management advice that may be in place. With trucks moving around construction sites and heavy vehicles sometimes hampering movement of cars, there is the potential for more unpredictable behaviour such as cars overtaking and trucks backing from driveways. Students are reminded about the safe use of pedestrian crossings. Too often we see students simply walk, or run, out onto the crossing without looking. Students are to check that any vehicle approaching the crossing has seen them and is stopping before they enter the crossing.
Influenza is a very contagious infection of the airways. It affects people of all ages. Although it can be a mild disease, it can also cause very serious illness in otherwise healthy people. It can require hospitalisation and can cause death.
Vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect you from serious disease caused by influenza and Covid19.
Ms M Iemma
Principal