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High Notes, Vol 26 No 28, September 12 2025

From the Principal

High Talent

Congratulations to the following students for their performances in the National Classical Greek examination. High Honour Award – Brendan Woo (12E) - Advanced; Dhuryah Sapra (10E) and Sajan Thiagalingam (10T) -Intermediate; and William Tran (9R) – Beginning Attic. Merit Award-Shoummo Kar (9R) – Beginning Attic. Well done to Mr Burrow for preparing the boys so well in their first attempt at this international examination! Congratulations to Maxi Ibrahim (9M) who was selected in the CHS Open Water Polo Team.

Prefect Good Deed

Last Thursday night on the T8 line at Revesby, a young female university student was waiting for her parents to pick her up from the station, when she noticed a man in dishevelled clothing arise from his seat and follow her. She moved anxiously under a streetlight. At this point a ‘tall, wide Asian kid with glasses’ put himself between the man and the frightened young woman and asked her if she was OK. When she shook her head, he made a point of waiting with her until her parents arrived, while keeping an eye on the man hovering around. The young woman was moved to write to me and ask me to say thank you to the upright young man who ‘put his body between me and someone who could have hurt me and made sure I was safe’.  Well done!

Interpreting Semester 2 Year 12 Reports

All Year 12 students will be scheduled to meet with me to get their final reports, commencing 15 September. The ATAR estimate for the second semester report is based on the results of the Trial HSC alone. Students can get a more accurate appraisal of how they would perform if the HSC were to be held now. Historically, these ATAR predictions are replicated in the actual HSC with surprising accuracy. Those who performed better at assessment tasks, practical projects or performances than in formal examinations, are disadvantaged by this method of calculation. However, unless the examination marks are earned, they cannot be distributed to those with the best ranks in the course. Unless students take radical steps to address areas of weakness highlighted by their teachers, or until students adopt rigorous study schedules and stick to them for weeks at a time, then the ATAR predictions given to them at the interview, based on the Trial results, will in all probability, closely reflect the actual HSC ATARs they earn. Intensive effort for a month or so can make a very big difference to examination scores. Students are urged to take the short-term pain for the long-term gain. Working in pairs or triads, sharing question-answering techniques or core essay content, or model answers, can help increase the quantum of HSC marks earned, and hence assessed marks will be scaled up to equal the total of earned HSC examination marks. Student-created resources, as well as ATOMI, are available to students to help boost examination marks after the Trial. Once the rank orders are decided, mutual self-help in revision and study benefits everybody, as the rising tide lifts all boats. Talk to your son about his planned study schedule between now and the HSC examinations. Effective study is promoted by regularity, variety, intensity and consistency.

National Child Protection Week

National Child Protection Week (7-13/9) has a theme which asserts that ‘every child in every community needs a fair go. Child abuse and neglect are preventable. Also, it is important for us all to remember that ‘Every conversation matters: shifting conversation to action’. When young people are stressed or anxious about relationships in their lives or are suffering the effects of neglect or abuse, they need to share their story with someone. Too often feelings are repressed, leading to unhealthy wellbeing outcomes. As well as raising awareness, we need to make safer environments for children. This is particularly important in schools, where young people spend so much of their time. They need to feel safe and be prevented from suffering harm. Bullying makes children feel unsafe. We need to call it out then work out a pathway forward for the bully as well as the victim.
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal