04 Mar 2019
Ku-ring-gai High School is a school that values and works closely with its students and families to ensure that every child has all the necessary opportunity for personal and academic achievement.
Today, the challenges for families and educators today are immense. We talk about future focused learning at Ku-ring-gai High School and of preparing young people for successful lives – but what does that really mean? Is it just about learning, skills and competencies or is there a little more?
From its establishment in 1965, Ku-ring-gai High School has a proud history of global connectedness and has fostered a true understanding of the meaning of the word "humanity". As a learning community we are more focused than ever on ensuring that 'harmony in diversity' remains our underpinning belief , that our school will always be a safe haven for all students and every student will be respectful of each other at all times. Therefore, our future focused learning is strengthened by a solid ethical base. But what is future focussed learning? Young people today are citizens of a rapidly changing world. This is a world of instant answers and connectivity through technology. Our challenge as educators is to engage young people in:
- Their ways of thinking - critical thinking, creative thinking, and deep thinking which encourages them to not just accept the answers they can find online but to question them and then to know what to do with the answers and information.
- Working in the 21st century - developing skills of communication and collaboration.
- The tools necessary for working - information and technology literacies to complement numeracy and literacy skills.
- Preparation for a successful and fulfilled life - an understanding of citizenship, responsibility, resilience and a strong sense of justice and equality for all.
Our talent enrichment program is the epitome of future focused and creativity in learning. Every student from Years 7-10 has 4 extra hours of subjects of their choice per week. They are able to choose from a wide range of subjects including the arts, dance, drama, 3D design, animation, film making, voice, instrument, creative writing, big history, environmental studies and sports options. Each subject is focusing on problem solving, creativity, communication and collaboration.
Our expectation at Ku-ring-gai High School is that through personalised innovative and challenging learning programs, every student will be an effective learner, challenged in their learning and given a variety of assessment tasks that allow all students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. In guiding this learning process, students are encouraged to think critically, work co-operatively and always to reflect upon their learning.
Our learning environment fosters creativity. With the recognition that the learning environment is the third teacher, Ku-ring-gai High School is outstanding with its 25 acres of beautiful parkland surrounding the national park, welcoming and flexible learning spaces and modern specialised rooms including science laboratories, commercial kitchens, and technology spaces.
The first teacher is the parent. We work closely with families through the parent and citizens committee, surveys and questionnaires so that we truly reflect the expectations of our families.
Our teachers are passionate educators who know their students and how they best learn. As a smaller secondary school, between 600 and 650 students we have the advantage of smaller classes and individual learning programs.
Ku-ring-gai High School is a community that values the individual worth and contribution of all its members. Our school ensures excellent student centred, coeducational and comprehensive education with a positive focus on developing outstanding opportunities for students in the creative arts.
Ms Terri-Anne Kamasz,
Principal
BA. Dip Ed. Honorary fellow of the College of Educational Leaders.