Dear ADHS community,
Transitioning back
I want to start by commending the entire year 7 and 10 cohorts, as well as the small number of year 8/9 students who have so far successfully transitioned back to face to face learning over the past few weeks. It was great to have a buzz around the place again, and to see the way our students warmly greeted each other and their teachers. It was clear they were ready to return to the classroom and to some semblance of normality. I also want to acknowledge the ADHS staff for successfully managing another transition.
Academic progress
As we all pivot back to face to face learning by the midpoint of Term 2, it is very important that all students reflect on their progress and consider how they might best demonstrate their learning by the end of this term. This is particularly so for our Year 9 and 10 students. Academic performance, attendance and behaviour must all be satisfactory for the award of a year 10 Certificate. These are important weeks coming up, so please continue to encourage your young person to be diligent, remain focused, and to submit all work by the due date as we work toward the end of the semester.
Assessment and reporting
Teaching and learning in ACT public schools shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers have adapted to provide online learning successfully and this has included their ability to assess against set Achievement Standards.
Schools are required to report on student progress against the achievement standards of the Australian Curriculum however, for Semester 1 2020 these requirements will not include A-E reporting. The revised requirements recognise that learning and assessment has continued throughout semester 1, including during the online learning period.
Student reports will be emailed to families at the end of week 10 this term.
Student class awards will also be conferred at the end of this semester, in line with usual practice. Details of how these awards will be presented will be provided to the community in the near future.
New ADHS Board
In introducing the new ADHS Board, I would like to acknowledge the work of the 2019 ADHS Board. Under the leadership of Julia Graczyk, last year’s Board were active in their advocacy in a range of areas from policy, finance, capital works and community consultation. Sincere thanks on behalf of the school community to Julia, Charlotte Yeoh (Student Representative), Elizabeth Lorenz (Teacher Representative) for their significant contributions.
Please join me in welcoming the new Board into their roles and I look forward to working closely with them in the provision of high quality educational experiences for the ADHS community.
Denis O’Dea - Board Chair, Parent Representative
Anne Twyman - Parent Representative
Rajiv Shah - Parent Representative
Denis O’Hare – Appointed Member
Edeline Ohk – Deputy Board Chair, Student Representative
Mridul Bhattarai - Student Representative
Zoe Cole - Teacher Representative
Calum Clugston - Teacher Representative
Reconciliation Week
As with many things at the moment, we were unable to come together as a community to acknowledge and celebrate Reconciliation Week as we normally would. We were, however, able to share some goals from Reconciliation Australia with our students on Friday. This year’s theme of ‘In This Together’ is obviously very poignant in the current environment. Teachers will take the opportunity this week to continue the conversations around reconciliation through authentic learning activities in the classroom.
Roof replacement at ADHS
Later this month works will commence on replacing the roofing system on 4 of the 5 main buildings of the school. The new roof will greatly enhance the thermal performance of the buildings and associated comfort levels for occupants. With very few areas of the school air conditioned, and Canberra summers heading in the direction they are, this work is welcomed. It is a major project and will come with a level of disruption to learning spaces at various points in time. We will be working with the contractor to minimise these disruptions where possible to do so.
Year 7 Enrolments 2021
At this time of the year we would normally invite our prospective families into the school to meet with our staff and students in preparation for transitioning to high school. We are unable to do this at this time, but our staff remain on hand to assist with any questions you may have concerning enrolment.
All applications for enrolment are completed online and can be accessed via the enrolment section of the Education Directorate website. The website also contains important information on enrolment policy and procedure, including Priority Enrolment Areas.
https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/enrolling-in-a-public-school
Applications will close on 6th June.
Regards
David Briggs
Principal
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