Warners Bay High School experienced another highly productive year of teaching and learning in 2019, with teachers and students working hard to achieve personal bests.
Our top highlights included:
Outstanding Results in the HSC
Warners Bay High School students achieved outstanding results in the HSC in 2019 and was the highest performing Comprehensive High School in the Hunter. Students achieved 61 Band 6s and 215 Band 5s across 33 courses. One of our students was recognised in the All Rounders’ List for achieving Band 6/E4 in each of his subjects. Two of our students were named as Top Achievers, recorded top 10 performances in the state in Community and Family Studies and Mathematics Standard 1. The work of our students was shortlisted and chosen to be featured in HSC showcases and exhibitions including ARTEXPRESS, OnStage and In Tech, the details of which appear elsewhere on this website.
Eleven of our students achieved ATARS of 90+, an outstanding achievement.
The Warners Bay High School community was equally proud of those students who applied themselves to their studies throughout the year and achieved personal bests. Well done!
Provision of a Broad and Diverse Curriculum
Warners Bay High School continued to provide a broad and diverse curriculum to our students across each of the Learning Areas from Years 7-12. New curriculum was implemented in Technological and Applied Studies, Mathematics and PDHPE, and opportunities for enrichment, extension and remediation were provided at point-of-need.
Ongoing Commitment to Professional Learning
WBHS teachers continued to engage with high-quality, targeted professional learning to further enhance their professional practice and improve student learning. Three of our Early Career Teachers successfully attained accreditation as Proficient Teachers in 2019, joining the ranks of our highly qualified and talented teaching staff.
Professional Experience Placements for Teacher Education Students
During 2019 Warners Bay High School hosted 27 Teacher Education Students from the University of Newcastle and Avondale College, providing mentoring support to preservice teachers at various stages of their development. Teachers also provided support to 25 Masters of Education students for five full days over a five week period, providing workshops and observations lessons designed to ensure these students were ready to engage with the demands of more rigorous placements later in their courses.
Over 40 members of our staff have completed formal training with the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and provide an exemplary service to preservice teachers and a number of tertiary institutions.
Hub School Program
Warners Bay High School continued to work in close partnership with the University of Newcastle and New Lambton Public School on the Department of Education Professional Experience Hub School Program. WBHS continued to invest in professional learning for supervising teachers, focusing particularly on formative assessment and numeracy strategies, and further refining coaching techniques. The school contributed to the development of resources that will be distributed to all public schools throughout the state and engage in research addressing the role of the School Co-ordinator of Professional Experiences and strategies that can be used to support PEX students who are identified as being at risk of not satisfying requirements. WBHS will continue to contribute to this program in 2020.
GATS Programs
The EEE program continued to offer opportunities for enrichment, engagement and extension to our high achieving GAT students in Years 7 and 8. Year 7 students undertook a series of tasks designed to enhance their critical and creative thinking skills; while Year 8 students investigated ways in which they could contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Teachers adopted the roles of mentors, coaches and guides as students collaboratively managed their project-based learning. Parents and friends attended two evenings during which the students used the skills they had developed to present the products of their efforts.
Since its original inception in 2006, the EEE Program has contributed to the development of over 1000 gifted and talented WBHS students.
Reporting Online
In Term Four Warners Bay High School distributed our Yearly Reports online for the first time. The Report Co-ordination Team comprised of Mr Morgan, Mr Murdoch, Ms Blake, Ms Morgan and Ms O’Keefe, worked closely with Mr Husband to ensure that electronic copies of all reports were available to parents and students on the advertised dates. Many parents reported that they appreciated the immediacy associated with this new innovation. Hard copies of reports will continue to be generated by the school upon request.
Celebrating Outstanding Contributions to Education
In 2019 Warners Bay High School farewelled our long-term Principal, Dr Sharon Parkes, who retired after an illustrious career spanning 47 years. Dr Parkes provided strong educational leadership and guidance to the Warners Bay High School community for 14 years, and leaves a legacy of excellence in the provision of education and extracurricular opportunities for our students. Director of Educational Leadership, Louise Gallagher, acknowledged Dr Parkes’ outstanding contribution to public education, presenting her with a NSW Service Medallion at our celebration of Dr Parkes’ accomplishments in Term Three.
We also farewelled our long-term Deputy Principal, Ms Marisa Dal Zotto, who retired after a long career of meritorious service to the Department of Education and the students of the Hunter. Ms Dal Zotto provided strong leadership to the staff of Warners Bay High School for more than 15 years and ensured that our students were appropriately supported and able to access a diverse curriculum. We wish both of these educational leaders all the best with their new ventures.
New Educational Leadership
In 2019 Warners Bay High School welcomed two new members of our Senior Executive team. Early in the year Ms Amanda Lawler joined us as a Deputy Principal, bringing with her a wealth of experience as an educational consultant and instructional leader. At the start of Term Four we welcomed Mr Marcus Neale as our new Principal. Mr Neale has extensive experience as an educational leader and is looking forward to working closely with the Warners Bay High School community to ensure that we continue to provide a “Quality Education for All”.
Strong Support from our SAS Staff
Throughout 2019 our School and Administration Staff continued to provide exemplary support to our teaching staff and students both in and outside the classroom. The impact that our School Administration Manager, Business Manager, School Administrative Officers, Site Supervisor, Learning Support Officers, Educational Paraprofessionals, General Assistants and Computer Support Officer have on the learning of our students should not be underestimated. They help to create an environment in which teachers can focus on the provision of quality educational opportunities for our students, secure in the knowledge that they are being ably supported by very capable, hard-working colleagues.