As term 2 ends, I acknowledge that we have so much to celebrate. The uplifting enthusiasm and commitment of our staff and students, the wonderful celebrations held during HealthBeat, the Poet Laureate competition and many sporting achievements. Our executive, support staff and teachers give so much of their time and energy to Hills to ensure that our students have a rich experience.
HealthBEAT
Watching our children enjoy skipping across the school brought back childhood memories. Every child was given a skipping rope and were provided with skill sessions. They raised money for the very worthy Heart Foundation. The Juice Bikes were very popular, especially with the junior school students. It was heartwarming seeing the kindergarten students dressed in their farm outfits being assisted by our senior students when peddling to make their drinks. I enjoyed running a writing session for our parents. It was so relaxing and inspiring sitting in our newly painted yarning circle surrounded by the beauty of nature. Such a great idea!
Poet Laureate
After the initial creation of the Port Laureate during last year's ArtsBEAT festival we sat in the final weeks of Term to select the next Poet Laureate. During the selection process, I had the honour of judging the competition with the Head of English Sandy Alderson, Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School David Hamper and our Coordinator of Professional Practice and English teacher Sarah Warby. The standard of the Senior School students vying for this title was exceptional. Their spoken poetry was centered on the theme of rising above doubt. It was very challenging to select a winner. A special thank you to their coach Justine Zarebski whose passion for instilling a love of language and poetry in our students is palpable. We could not separate the final two and even asked our current Poet Laurate Maka to help us decide. In the end we chose two very worthy recipients: Tahlia and Steve. Our Poet Laureate creates and performs poems for our important school events. This year Maka presented to NSW Principals at the AHISA meeting held at Hills. The principals were amazed at her sophisticated poetry and delivery. Justine Zarebski wrote about Maka, “Her work as our inaugural poet laureate has made our school a more beautiful and meaningful place. She showed the power of poetry to connect us with each other and with the world around us. I am grateful for her commitment to promoting the spoken word and making it more accessible to everyone.”
I have included an excerpt from the two poems:
What is your dream?
What is your ignited ambition?
You can’t let kinda quench that eternal fire.
And let me tell you one thing,
One thing that may change your life –
The greatest doubt you face, is not from external factors,
But from your internal soul.
It is you who doubt if other’s doubt about you is correct.
The moment you stop doubting yourself,
Is the moment you kill other people’s doubt about you.
You are going to break this cage.
You are going to not walk, not run, but
Fly to that destination, where you discover that
Time is irreversible, that you can’t
go back and make a great beginning,
but you can start now, and make a great ending.
It’s gonna be tough, and you will struggle through it.
But remember, you only struggle
When you climb to the apex of the mountain.
So, what is doubt?
Doubt is a catalyst that drives you
To find the real you.
- Steve W
The human spirit whispers voices to the horizon,
Creating a world of your own imagination.
Feeding you courage and individuality,
Possibilities of monumentality.
It pricks the beauty of liberation,
And finds the identity of determination,
Through the power of self-transformation.
The ultimate configuration of the ‘true self’.
Inner evil is not an inherent quality,
Rather a manifestation of ferocity.
Something easily manipulated,
By the opinionated of the world.
The Unstoppable Tyrant is not so invincible when faced with the chance of greatness.
If anything, it entertains us,
Telling us stories of the height of clouds,
Teaching us testaments of our surrounds,
And preaching to the sound of your spirit.
My spirit,
In the name of flight.
- Tahlia S
Intergenerational program
One of our Senior School English classes led by Seshni Hudson, the Head of International Students, has been meeting on a weekly basis with elderly residents in their eighties and nineties from Arcare. The six ladies have told me that they love coming to meet with our students and enjoy discussing the focus of the work being studied this term in English Hero’s Journey as well as telling the students about the past and their experiences. Betty, one of the residents told me that she keeps seeing the lovely faces of our students when she returns to the home and that the visit to Hills is the highlight of her week. It is such a wonderful program for our students and the residents. Next term, the ladies will be working with a different class. At the end of the program, the children will develop an eBook of each resident’s life story.
Strategic Plan 2022-2025
We have redeveloped our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan upon realising that we had already achieved most of what we had set out to do. We have also reshaped our mission, purpose and graduate aims to reflect what our students need to flourish and to put students at the centre of what we do.
Wishing all of you a relaxing and special time with your families.
Karen Yager | Principal
Facebook
YouTube
