PrincipalFrom the Deputy

Message from the Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal, Mr James Walmsley 2020 has been a year that has brought out the best of many of our students, teachers and School community. Despite the considerable impact of bushfires and floods in Term 1, which threw our Year 7, 8 and 9 camps into disarray, nothing could prepare us for the complete reimagining of our curriculum delivery that was brought upon by COVID-19.

Unfortunately, in a year where many remarkable achievements have taken place, 2020 will be remembered for remote learning, social distancing, Zoom presentations and a restructuring of many traditional Pittwater House activities.

Due to the timings of when this message was written we were yet to know the School’s 2020 HSC results. However, it is appropriate to mention and celebrate the 2019 results of our students. In addition to our school ranking of 85th in NSW, Pittwater House students have achieved 13 ATARs greater than 95, with two students reaching the All Rounders List, 27 students making the Distinguished Achiever’s List and 12 students nominated for Callback – and all from a small student cohort. Geordie Smith achieved the distinguished position of Dux of the Girls College, with a wonderful ATAR of 99.05 and James Pinnington achieved the Dux of the Grammar School with 97.3.

We are thrilled that as of October, we already have 50 students from the Class of 2020 receiving early entry into their 2021 University Courses. These early entry offers are based on a range of areas, such as individual portfolios and Year 12 school assessment marks. It is great that so many of our students can be reassured that they have a guaranteed spot, before they even sit an HSC Examination, which is testament to the hard work they have put into their schooling throughout their time at Pittwater House. We are also thrilled to be able to celebrate at this point the great success our students have achieved in their HSC practical submissions or performances. As of this date, we are aware that Emily Zhou has been nominated for Encore for her HSC Music performance, Lily Briscoe and Shantani Jepson have been nominated for HSC Callback for their HSC Dance performances. Shantani did remarkably well, receiving three Callbacks for Dance. A similar outstanding achievement was the nomination of Matthew Norton’s major Visual Arts Body of Work to NESA’s ARTEXPRESS. NESA holds these events to showcase exemplary examples of HSC student works.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many School activities and has meant we have had to redesign the way we communicate with parents and our ability to be involved in external-school events, in many ways it has resulted in an increased focus on the classroom. The six weeks of remote learning had its challenges, but it was not long before we had a consistent package of lessons being delivered as per the timetable, with the assistance of tools such as Canvas, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. As of October, 5,080 Zoom meetings and 5,068 Microsoft Teams video conferences have taken place at Pittwater House. This has included lessons, meetings and even ‘New Parent Evenings’ and ‘Subject Selection’ presentations. It was extraordinary to see how well our community and especially our students adapted to the shift in learning styles. It was also amazing to see the quality of the work that was still being produced by the students during this period of uncertainty. The

Message from the Deputy Principal

teachers in particular deserve a great amount of praise for their flexibility, but also their determination to make remote learning a success. Although, 2020 was a year without NAPLAN, it remained a year of many students being involved in Gifted and Talented opportunities, University of NSW ICAS Competitions and other subject specific enrichment opportunities. This was further facilitated by the introduction into the School of a full time Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator, in Mrs Victoria James. One special mention here goes to Yarra Jackson in College 8, who achieved first place in the Future Problem Solving Competition. This made her the National Champion in the Individual Category of this competition, which was an amazing effort. Next year she will represent Australia in the International level of the competition. As our students enter their HSC Examinations within their COVID bubble, it has been great to see their resilience, adaptability and good humor. The fact that so many have achieved early entry into their post school tertiary options, is not only a reflection of the great advice of Mrs Mellissa Murray our Stage 6 Stage Co-ordinator and Careers Advisor, but also a reflection of the fact that Pittwater House students throughout their schooling have been involved in so many leadership, outdoor education, sporting and academic pursuits. Therefore, for those seeking early entry there are well armed with value adding evidence to support their school academic results.

I am thrilled with what has been learnt in 2020 about student agency, pedagogy, resilience and new ways of engaging both the students and our community. Our School is now a much more flexible place and one where we are much more prepared to deal with new challenges. These lessons and the strength of our community will see us face 2021 as an even stronger place of learning. Mr James Walmsley