HSC Mastery Intensive Holiday Program | 7-11 July 2025

English Advanced
Lecturers: Ms Andrianna Aliferis & Mrs Claire Low

English Extension
Lecturer: Ms Andrianna Aliferis

Texts Covered in Lectures

English Advanced:

• Common Module – Texts and Human Experiences: William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice
• Module A – Textual Conversations: John Keats ‘The Complete Poems’ and Jane Campion’s ‘Bright Star’ (OR The Poetry of Sylvia Plath as featured in ‘Ariel’ and Ted Hughes ‘Birthday Letters’)
• Module B – Critical Study of Literature: Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations (OR The Poetry of T.S. Eliot OR Kazuo Ishiguro’s An Artist of the Floating World)**
• Module C – The Craft of Writing: General skill building and exam preparation (with reference to a range of texts from the HSC English Advanced Prescriptions)

**Not all three texts will be covered in this module. Dependent on numbers.

English Extension 1:

• Common Module – Literary Worlds (there are no set texts from NESA for this module)
• Elective 2 – Worlds of Upheaval: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

Mathematics Standard
Lecturer: Mr Grant Eirth

Mathematics Advanced
Lecturer: Mr Neel Shah

Mathematics Extension 1
Lecturer: Ms Natasha Childers

Mathematics Extension 2
Lecturer: Mr David Sadler

Course details will be announced soon.

Physics
Lecturer: Ms Amy Homola

Course details will be announced soon.

Chemistry
Lecturer: Ms Katrina Harte

Course details will be announced soon.

Biology
Lecturer: Ms Melanie Hunt

Course details will be announced soon.

Economics
Lecturer: Mr Andrew Athavle

Course details will be announced soon.

PDHPE
Lecturer: Mr Simon Wadds

Course details will be announced soon.

Modern History
Lecturers: Mrs Sheena Kraa and Mr Mark Langley

With the exception of the Core topic (covered on Monday and Tuesday), the remainder of the week will have a focus on Short Response and Extended Response writing skills, and will not be specifically covering content related to all the topics. Activities provided will be accessible for all students regardless of which topics they have studied.

Business Studies
Lecturer: Mrs Jodie Morrison

Course details will be announced soon.

Designed specifically for students in Year 11, this program will give them a head start in their studies as they move towards their final year.

A mathematics session is offered each day depending on the student’s current electives:

• Mathematics Advanced (2025 HSC Course) & Mathematics Extension 1 (2025 HSC Course)
• Year 11 Mathematics

The HSC Head Start Program also includes an additional ‘one-off’ session each day across the following subjects:

English – Ms Andrianna Aliferis / Mrs Claire Low
Science – Ms Katrina Harte
History – Mrs Sheena Kraa
Business Studies/Economics – Mrs Jodie Morrison
Health and Movement Science – Mr Simon Wadds

These sessions are designed to support the development of essay writing skills and/or short answer responses for HSC exams.Year 11 students will also have access to one-on-one lecturer support in the Learning Commons throughout the day.

BA, MTeach, MEdLead

Andrianna is a passionate educator that brings a wealth of experience, with 14 years teaching Stage 6 English. She is an HSC Examination marker for English Extension 1 and Major Works for English Extension 2 courses. Andrianna has coordinated and lectured at HSC intensives (including lectures, workshops, and tutorials) at various institutions across Sydney for over five years. She is also a University Lecturer in Education and English Literature. Additionally, Andrianna holds several post-graduate qualifications and was awarded the Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence for her studies and research. She is also working towards her Doctorate/PhD candidature.

BA(Engl/Ling), BEd

Claire has over 19 years of teaching experience in Sydney and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Linguistics, a Bachelor of Education, and a Master of Arts in Literature. She has taught at Inaburra School (5 years), St Andrew’s Cathedral School (11 years), and Regents Park Christian School (3 years). Claire has nearly a decade of HSC marking experience across Standard, Advanced, and Extension 1 English and brings a deep understanding of the syllabus and assessment standards required to reach top-tier outcomes.

BSc, DipEd, MA

David has 36 years of teaching experience at Sydney Grammar School, including seven years as Head of Mathematics. He has also taught at UNSW and spent nine years as Head of Maths at Talent 100 Coaching College. He is the author of Year 11 and Year 12 mathematics textbooks published by Cambridge University Press. David brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise and we are extremely privileged to have him as a lecturer in 2025.

DipEd, BSc(Hons), MPhilEd, PhD

James has extensive experience and knowledge in mathematics fields, teaching the Ext 2 course fifteen times and the new course since it was updated in 2020 twice. He has taught across an array of high schools both in the Independent and Public Education sectors for 19 years and is currently Principal of Inaburra School. James has also taught in tertiary contexts in the fields of Psychology, Education, and Mathematics. James has authored two books, published articles in international journals, written for local publications such as the CASE journal, and presented at multiple conferences, both domestically and internationally. He has presented papers on a range of topics including mathematics education, the philosophy of education, teaching for virtue and sociocultural approaches to education. James’ PhD was focused on the learning of mathematics through collaborative discussion which he promotes in the classroom to assist students to learn collaboratively how to solve complex problems.

BSc, LLB (Hons), GradDipEd(SecMath)

Natasha has 10 years of experience teaching Stage 6 Extension 1 Mathematics. She has taught at St Catherine’s Waverley and is currently teaching at Inaburra School. In addition to her extensive experience in teaching Mathematics Extension 1, she has conducted school holiday lectures for a private education provider, tutored in Teacher Effectiveness at UNSW, and has been a presenter for MANSW, providing lectures on Mathematics Advanced Calculus since 2022.

BASc(Math/Psych/Indo), MTeach(Math/Lang) 

Neel is an energetic educator who engages students by transforming challenging concepts into practical and applicable content. He has been known to include cooking, fitness, and other out-of-the-box elements into his mathematics lessons to bring the content to life! Neel is in his sixth year of teaching Mathematics within independent high schools and has lecturing experience at the University of Sydney and for Surveying NSW.

BSc(Stat), BEd, MEdLead 

With over 15 years of experience teaching Mathematics Standard 2 Stage 6, Grant brings a wealth of expertise to the classroom. He has been an HSC Marker for 10 years, a Judge Marker for four years, and a Senior Judge Marker for two years.

Teaching for the first time in the Independent system, Grant has an extensive background in education, having taught in the Catholic sector for 28 years, the public sector for three years, and internationally in Japan and Chile.

His teaching style is relational, linking mathematical concepts to real-life applications to engage students and enhance their learning.

BScEd

Katrina is a multi-award-winning high school Science teacher with 10 years of experience teaching Stage 6 Chemistry. She specialises in creating resources that support teachers and engage students. Katrina has contributed to the teaching community by writing articles, presenting at conferences, lecturing at universities, and delivering professional development for teachers. Utilising her expertise, she has built an audience and supported teachers and students across the globe through her education blog.

BASc(Physio), BTeach(Sec), completing a MEd(EdLead)

Amy has 9 years of experience teaching Stage 6 Physics, as well as Science Extension and Investigating Science. She also possesses HSC marking experience and has facilitated HSC Physics Workshops during school holidays, focusing on exam preparation, problem-solving skills, and refining extended written responses. Amy has experience in both the Independent and Public Education sectors, currently teaching at The Jannali High School and previously at Inaburra School. She is passionate about teaching Physics through problem-solving and the application of models and laws to specific examples. Amy strives to teach her students principles first, enabling them to deeply understand the concepts and apply them to any scenario, whether familiar or not.

BSc, GradDipEd

Melanie brings real-world applications of Biology to the classroom through her extensive travelling expeditions, enabling her to provide additional context, relevance, and practical application to her teaching. Melanie has taught both in the Independent and Public Education sectors and is in her third-year teaching Stage 6 Biology at Inaburra. Melanie has facilitated seminars in a university ministry setting and kids ministry training. She wholeheartedly engages with the HSC syllabus, fascinated by gene expression, diseases, and human behaviour.

BEd (Econ/Geog)

Andrew has over 24 years’ experience teaching the Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) syllabus including over 20 years of HSC marking experience. He is currently a Senior Marker in HSC Economics and has also been a Supervisor of Marking, Senior Marker, and Judge Marker in HSC Business Studies. Andrew has worked as a consultant on syllabus development, HSC examinations and assessment in Economics and Business Studies with NESA. He is also a Director of the Economics and Business Educators and has delivered numerous Professional Development Courses relating to Teaching, Learning and Leadership at a range of schools and educational conferences across NSW. Andrew has been recognised by the Professional Teachers Council of NSW for his outstanding contribution to education in NSW.

BCom, MTeach

Jodie brings a wealth of business knowledge and experience to the classroom through her prior roles in marketing and management for national and multinational organisations such as Arnott’s, Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever. She also has experience as a sole trader and launched a successful not-for-profit Creative Arts school. She is currently studying a Master of Educational Leadership and runs the Alumni for teacher graduates of the Teaching Schools Alliance Sydney (TSAS). Jodie is in her fourth year of teaching Stage 6 Business Studies in the independent sector and is passionate about teaching the HSC Syllabus with excellence to prepare students for life in the business world.

BA, BEd

Mark is currently the Learning Leader of HSIE at Inaburra school and brings a wealth of experience to Stage 6 Modern History. Mark has taught in both the Independent and Public Education sectors and is in his ninth year of teaching History and HSIE subjects. Mark was fortunate to be part of the Inaburra History Tour to Germany and Italy in 2024, gaining valuable experience linked to the Stage 6 Modern History syllabus. He is passionate about fostering deep understanding of complex concepts and promoting student achievement through refining extended written responses.

BA, BTeach (Hum), MEd(EduLead)

Mrs Sheena Kraa is an experienced History and HSIE educator with 17 years of teaching across Catholic and Independent schools. She served as Head Teacher of History at OneSchool Global and Moriah College from 2013 to 2024 and held leadership roles at OneSchool Global’s Illawarra Campus, including Head of Campus (2015–2018) and Assistant Campus Principal (2010–2015). Sheena has marked the HSC Modern History new syllabus for three years and has been a Trial HSC Writer for QATS for four years. She is also an experienced coach for teachers and Heads of Department and a trained facilitator in Harvard’s Cultures of Thinking through Project Zero.

CertIIISportCoach, CertIVTAE, BEd(Heal/Phys)

Simon Wadds has been a dedicated educator in Christian schooling for over 20 years, with 15 of those as Head Teacher of PDHPE. He has a wealth of experience teaching HSC PDHPE and CAFS, as well as five years as an HSC PDHPE marker for NESA. Passionate about making learning engaging and relevant, Simon connects classroom content to real-world applications. With a strong background in sports leadership, he has coached and managed teams at the national level, bringing valuable experience to his teaching. He’s also been involved in running holiday workshops in PDHPE for many years, further supporting students in their learning.