Hennessy Catholic College Yearbook 2022

ENGLISHMATTERS

In the words of Pope Francis, education enables us to “grow and helps us to love life, even when we are not well, even in the midst of many problems. True education enables us to love life and opens us to the fullness of life” (2014). Thank you to the English team for 2022 – Mrs Close, Miss Hayes, Mr McAllister, Mr Bell, Mrs Igoe-Taylor, Mrs Duff, Mrs Cullen and Mr Bigwood. Your expertise, professionalism and willingness to work collaboratively to facilitate optimal teaching and learning is highly valued. Thank you to our Diverse Learning Needs staff - Mrs Wark, Mrs Livolsi, Mrs Cusack, Mrs Hughes and Mr Prindable who are such an integral part of our differentiated learning programs and enrich the educational opportunities for our students. Thank you also to Mrs Cullen for overseeing the coordination of Diverse Learning Needs within the College. Importantly, thank you to all our students, their parents and care-givers for their commitment to dynamic learning in English. Within the English Department in 2022 we have been focusing on providing engaging and effective teaching and learning within the “five quality lessons each day” whole school model. Our English students have been honing their English skills and knowledge in preparation for the increasing academic rigour they will experience in 2023, developing their appreciation of the rich and varied literary world particularly in relation to creative and critical writing, historical fiction, multi-media texts, picture books and poetry. This year our Year 7 and 8 students had the pleasure of participating in the live performance of Poetry in Action titled “The Poet’s Quest” where a time travelling adventurer brought the joy and frivolity of language to life. Students witnessed the transformation of a protagonist unable to express himself discovering how poetry allows him to find his voice and his sense of self too. Years 9 and 10 were similarly highly engaged when watching a performance of “The United Nations of Poetry”. They were taken on a poetic journey from love poetry written on scraps of papyrus in Ancient Egypt to the poetic traditions of Australia and New Zealand’s first nations and the heightened worlds of William Shakespeare.