Coden Smith is on the home run to the HSC and taking full advantage of his teachers putting on study sessions in the school holidays.

The Toronto High School student has an intense study load, prepping for Advanced English, Mathematics Extension 1 and 2, Physics, Engineering and Industrial Technology Timber Products and Furniture Technologies.

Each day he gets up early and walks the dog to get some fresh air before hitting the books. He’s attended holiday study classes at his Lake Macquarie school for a number of subjects.

His maths teacher, Michael Handley, has inspired Coden’s goal to be a mathematics teacher.

“I’ve got a great maths teacher, I like learning and I’m pretty good at maths,” he said.

“It’s all about creating a better world.”

Coden has already notched up impressive achievements – Year 12 Dux of his school and a Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork Award from the Australian Defence Force.

Matraville Sports High School teachers have run a study bootcamp in the holidays, which school captain Dennis Taukafa said had been a “game changer”.

‘‘It’s starting to hit us that we need to knuckle down and get straight into studying, and we need to stick to the structure of how we were in school,’’ Dennis told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Kooringal High School students sang the praises of their teachers giving up their time in the holidays for final preparation.

Year 12 student Cash Bradshaw has attended multiple study sessions at school, along with his classmates, and appreciated the support of teachers.

"Even just being able to make this time for us in their own holidays to come in and do these study sessions with us is really helpful," Cash told the Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser.

"I know it takes a lot of time out of their lives, but we definitely feel supported when they come in and do all this stuff for us."

Ducklings on desks

Public libraries around NSW have been right behind the HSC students, opening for extended hours, putting on mindfulness sessions, providing free pizza and bringing in therapy dogs.

At Sutherland Shire Library therapy dogs Astro and Billy competed for students’ attention with freshly hatched ducklings.

Cronulla High student Penelope Foote and Kirrawee High student Lieve Bode met earlier this year at the library and were there this week to see the ducklings hatch.

Penelope said the dogs and ducks were a real mood-lifter “especially when the studying is so stressful”.

Arts and Libraries manager Melinda McNaughton said Sutherland Shire Council’s ‘HSC Rescue Program’, running for five years, handed out18.7 kilograms of lollies, 27.3 kilograms of fruit, 1170 snack packets and more than 300 slices of pizzas annually.

“We’re showing the students that we have the resources and the space to help them,” Ms McNaughton told The Daily Telegraph.

“We’re also hoping to build a connection with those students ongoing, so if they go to university, they go to TAFE, or even if they undertake work, that the library is still a space for their whole journey.”