At Killarney Heights High School we are focused on providing a quality education that develops strong foundations for life. We are committed to the pursuit of personal best in all endeavours. We seek to build strong community partnerships in an innovative and vibrant school that can cater to individual students and individual families.
Our school is a co-educational, comprehensive Year 7 to 12 high school in a bushland north shore setting 20 minutes from the Sydney central business district. Excellent specialist classrooms with
- interactive whiteboards
- data projectors
- well-resourced library
- multi-purpose centre
- playing fields
- dance studio
- drama studio
- music studio
- recording studio
- fitness centre
- comprehensive technology with wireless internet access
- applied studies facilities
enable the school to provide a broad and rich curriculum. The school's statement of purpose focuses on a strong commitment to quality learning that drives the school's mission in promoting student ownership of learning as well as achievement of personal bests within a school culture where positive attitudes, values, and mutual respect are highly regarded. With a strong tradition of academic excellence, the school is confidently preparing students to meet the social and vocational changes of the 21st century. The school is proud of its excellent academic tradition, highlighted by success in the higher school certificate (HSC) and school certificate. Years 7 and 8 provide a general transition course. There are also extension classes for students in Years 7 to 10 and an accelerated French program. In Years 11 and 12, students are able to pursue vocational options as well as academic courses. 35% of senior students participate in vocational education courses either on-site, at neighbouring schools or technical and further education (TAFE).
Some of the benefits of a high school education at Killarney Heights High School are:
- An outstanding extension program for academically talented students in the junior school.
- A caring, dedicated and enthusiastic teaching staff and professional support staff.
- High-quality educational facilities including 300 networked computers for student use, an 802.11ac school-wide wireless network, a recording studio, a commercial kitchen for hospitality, photography, ceramics facilities, a fitness centre, drama room, multi-purpose hall and the integration of technology in teaching and learning, including Interactive whiteboards.
- Learning support for identified students to improve student engagement and progress.
- English as a second language support for students who are new arrivals to Australia.
Warringah Community of Schools
Killarney Heights High School is part of the Warringah Community of Schools, a collaborative learning community of local primary, high and specific purpose schools established in 2014. Allambie Heights Public School, Arranounbai school for specific purposes (SSP), Belrose Public School, Davidson High School, Forestville Public School, Frenchs Forest Public School, Kambora Public School, Killarney Heights High School, Killarney Heights Public School, Mimosa Public School, Terrey Hills Public School, The Forest High School and Wakehurst Public School form the Warringah Community of Schools.
The vision of the Warringah Community of Schools
Individually, these schools provide excellence in education. Collectively they are committed to the sharing of innovative practices for the benefit of all students. The learning community builds on professional collaboration to enable the further development of teaching and leadership capacities of all staff. The Warringah Community of Schools demonstrates that public schools offer an exceptional education from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Our History
The Story of The First School Crest - 1967
The symbols on our first school crest are Irish in origin:
- Ross Castle tower symbolises strong foundations
- The Irish Harp symbolises harmony
- The shamrock symbolises some of the values and beliefs both for Ireland and our school
The Story of The school motto "sylle aefter faerelde"
The school motto on this crest has been an item of some discussion and debate over the years. It is particularly unique because it is old English or ‘Anglo Saxon' which was in common use in England before the 1066 A.D. Norman Conquest. The choice of an Anglo Saxon motto in 1967 was unusual at a time when most NSW school mottos were in Latin or more recently in modern English. This is also curious, given that all of the imagery associated with the school is Irish or Celtic because of the name Killarney, an Irish county in Eire, The Republic of Ireland.
Mrs Sheila Segal who worked with our first principal, Mr A. M. Meyers, was able to inform Ms Jackson, the present principal, that the original interpretation of " Sylle aefter faerelde" was ‘To each according to his conduct'.
Ms Jackson has researched the background of the school motto with the aid of Professor Margaret Clunies Ross, Professor of Old English Studies at the University of Sydney. The school motto appears to be an abbreviated quote from the writings of a late Old English Abbott Aelfric of Eynsham, "a prolific writer of religious literature, including translations from the Bible, saints' lives and homilies. The standard edition of the text of this homily is by Peter Clemoes, Aelfric's Catholic Homilies: The First Series. Early English Texts Society. New Series 17 (Oxford: 1997). The text from which (our motto) is taken is on p.238, on line 184.
This reads as follows: Ic afandie manna heotan: & heora lendena. & aelcum sylle aefter his faerelde.& aefter his agenre afundennysse meaning "I will make trial of the hearts of men and of their loins, and to each I will give according to his {life} journey and according to his own invention [or discovery]".
The fact that the word ‘his' is missing from the motto is most likely explained by the fact that the school was coeducational and hence it was more appropriate that "To each according to his/her journey/conduct" was used.
The three words on their own in the school logo can be interpreted as "sylle" meaning foundation, "aefter" meaning after, and "faerelde" meaning journey.