Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

In 2022, Year 11 student Hannah Jennings as part of her HSC acceleration pattern of study, completed her HSC Dance course which consisted of the following elements:

1. A Core Performance work. This is a 3–5-minute performance that is choreographed by the teacher to highlight the students’ skill and technique
2. A Core Composition work. This is a 3–5-minute work that is choreographed by the student and is taught to another student to perform for the examination.
3. Major Work, which in Hannah’s case was a Major Study Performance. This work is a 4–8-minute performance that is choreographed by the teacher to highlight the stamina, performance quality and technique of the student.
4. Core Appreciation. This is the written component of the dance course where students are required to analyse professional dance works in essay form.

Following the completion of her practical examinations in August, Hannah received Callback nominations for all three of her practical works:

• Core Performance
• Core Composition
• Major Study Performance

What is special about Creative Arts subjects is that once all the HSC results are released, the Creative Arts and other practical subjects get the chance to be awarded and chosen to represent the school in state-wide exhibitions of their works. For dance, this exhibition is known as ‘Callbacks’, which is the annual showcase of performances and compositions by HSC students of dance, presented by the NSW Education Standards Authority and the NSW Department of Education. This year there were over 700 nominations for Callback, but only works were chosen.

In December of 2022, Hannah Jennings was chosen to perform her Core Performance work in the HSC Dance Callback exhibition, as well as, her Core Composition was placed on the waitlist to also be presented. This is a dream come true for any HSC dance student, and on Thursday, 9 February 2023, Hannah got the opportunity to perform her Core Performance work at the Seymour Centre, Sydney in front of an audience of over a thousand people. Not only did Hannah perform her work in both the matinee and evening shows, but she was also selected on the day to speak to future HSC dance students in workshops, as well as be selected for an on-stage interview about the HSC Dance content. Some of our staff and Creative Arts students travelled to Sydney to watch Hannah at Callbacks and reported back that she represented the SJRC community with dignity and grace throughout the entire day.

It is an absolute honour to be selected for such a prestigious event, as it is well known that only the top 5-10% of the state get the opportunity to perform on the Callback stage. We are so proud of Hannah’s achievements. Congratulations, Hannah!

I refer you to the report by Hannah.

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the 2022 HSC Callbacks. "Callbacks" is an event showcasing and celebrating the outstanding achievements of the top performers from the practical portion of the syllabus as a part of the HSC Dance cohort of 2022. They can provide a highly valuable insight into the standards and outcomes for current and future dancers and their teachers. Of the cohort last year there were 700 nominations from all over the state and only 34 students were selected.

Just to be nominated for something such as this was beyond what I thought I could achieve. It was a goal I had set for myself at the beginning of my HSC journey with Mrs Woods and Miss Oppedisano (aka Miss O) and it is hard to explain the true feelings and to understand what this actually means.

Over the course of the first two weeks back to school this year, I made several trips to and from Sydney to take part in a workshop with other performing students, a launch event where I had the privilege of meeting the Minister of Education, Sarah Mitchell, as well as a technical rehearsal. But most importantly, my show on Thursday 9 Feb which included two Q&A sessions, where schools bring their students to hear what the journey can bring and entail for them a matinee show and a night time performance where I danced my 'Core Performance, Gravity'.

Overall it was such a positive and joyful experience. The organising team truly wanted the best for every dancer, ensuring we were well-prepared to put our best foot forward. I also met some stunning dancers but also beautiful people, from the backstage chats and laughs with all the dancers to being able to share my hard work over the last two years, I am very grateful for having been a part of this event. I couldn't have done it without the support of my teachers, Mrs Woods and Miss O and my parents and the endless trips they made to make this dream become a reality.
Hannah

Year 11 & 12 Study Skills Seminars

On Tuesday, 7th March, Year 11 and Year 12 will attend Study Skills seminars at the College, conducted by Elevate Education.

These seminars have proved to be extremely useful over the years and are a great opportunity for Year 11 students to pick up skills that will help them handle the increased workload of senior school, and assist Year 12 students in preparing for their major exams at the end of the year.

• Year 11 Periods 1&2 (9:05am-11:05am)
• Year 12 Periods 3&4 (11:35am-1.35pm)

Ian Lutton
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching