From the Principal
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
Riverside Arts Night
The highlight for me this week was the Riverside Arts Night, yet another display of the tremendous breadth of talent we have at Riverside; both students and teachers. For those of you who attended, I think you would agree that the Art Exhibition was exceptional - wonderfully and considerately curated by Ms White and Ms Millington. The fruit ceramics are always my favourite. The dance and music program was breathtaking - tears from me, as always (in a proud way)! Ms Wang, Mr Love and Mr Brinsmead have tutored and supported our musicians in a dedicated, expert fashion, as reflected in the quality of the performances. Kiana K (Year 11) shone as our new Performance Captain and our individual and group musicians demonstrated great musicianship and passion for music, not to mention talent. The same can be said for our Dance Company who has grown in numbers and grace. Congratulations to Ms Mitchell and Ms Hendriks for the outstanding work that they continue to do with our wonderful dancers, teaching and choreographing their works - we have grown by one Year 7 company this year and I am becoming increasingly concerned that our dancers are outgrowing the stage. It was a wonderful evening with a sell out audience. I would like to make special mention of the efforts of Ms Nikic, Ms Serov, Ms Nagle, our publicity team, Bel and Julianne, for the posters, program and socials, and everyone who supported in the set up or by attending. Just another wonderful exhibition of the quality learning that takes place every day at Riverside, both in and outside the classroom.
Student Volunteers
Today we celebrated the students who have been assisting our HSC students as readers and writers. I am always so proud to congratulate students who selflessly and kindly put their hands up to give of their time and energy to help others. Selflessness and school spirit are qualities that we look for in our future generation of leaders and achievers and it is students such as these who make me proud to be the principal of Riverside. Congratulations to all of our student volunteers for being such remarkable humans. Students who commit themselves to school service will also be in the running for a Riverside Achievement Badge, once they have fulfilled the criteria.
Primary Links
Every Wednesday for five weeks we are welcoming a group of talented Year 5 students from local primary schools to participate in our Primary Links program. This program gives students the opportunity to experience high school and participate in activities that they may not have the chance to participate in at primary school. It is wonderful to have so many of our specialist high school teachers enjoying working with these bright young minds to give them an authentic Riverside experience. Thankyou to Ms Miller and Ms Hendriks for coordinating the program and our dedicated teachers for creating engaging taster lessons.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Louise McNeil
Principal
Second Hand Uniform Shop
ARTEXPRESS
Year 10 Elevate Parent Information Night
In just under a month we have the Year 10 Elevate Parent Information Night. It will provide valuable tips and strategies to help your child succeed academically and is paired with the Effective Study Habits Workshop that Year 10 students will be partaking in during their Transition to Success week. Date: 2 December Time: 5:00 PM Location: School Library An RSVP link has been emailed to Year 10 parents.
Faculty News
Science
National Recycling Week - 10–16 November 2025
It’s National Recycling Week! Each November, Australians celebrate ways to reduce, reuse and recycle, thanks to Planet Ark, who started the campaign all the way back in 1996. It’s a great reminder for all of us to think about how we can help our planet. A huge shout-out to Mr James and his team of environmental warriors who visit our classrooms regularly to make sure our paper waste gets recycled. Thanks to their efforts, and a little help from all of us, we’re reducing, reusing and recycling our way to a greener school-one paper at a time! Ms Nikic
TAS
Tasty Creations and Speedy Innovations!
This semester, our Year 7 Design and Technology students have been busy exploring creativity in two exciting projects — Fabulous Flavoursome Food and the Solar Car Dragster. In the kitchen, students developed essential food preparation and cooking skills, experimenting with flavours and techniques to create delicious dishes. They then shifted from aprons to engineering, using 3D CAD software to design and print the bodies of their own solar-powered car models. Both projects gave students the opportunity to explore new technologies, think creatively, and gain confidence through hands-on learning. "Cooking Pizza in TM was a lovely experience that I greatly enjoyed and had a lot of fun doing with my friends. If I had the opportunity, I would most definitely do it once more." - Veronika I “Making pizza was a unique and memorable experience. This experience helped me learn numerous skills such as making sure I am using correct amounts of ingredients, knowing when food has finished cooking by looking at it and how to safely navigate the kitchen with hot food. Because of this, making pizza was an enriching and rewarding experience." - Jasmine B “Designing a solar car and understanding principles of kinetic energy was a satisfying and enriching learning experience.” - Ailin Z "I enjoyed structuring my solar car because I got to use real tools, solve problems, and see it move with sunlight." - Victoria W "We all experienced the different types of energy including kinetic, potential and solar energy and how we can use these in daily activities." - Josephine S
Ms L Abbott
Hospitality Work Placement
Year 12 Hospitality students completed their final work placement this week across a range of venues, including Baia, Boronia Kitchen, and the Hunters Hill Hotel. All employers provided highly positive feedback about the students’ performance. Ms Soares
Co-curricula Activities
Debating - Years 7 & 8
At today's assembly, our Stage 4 debaters were recognised for their outstanding efforts in the 2025 Premier's Debating Challenge. Congratulations goes to Emma L, Emily R, Cara S and Madison T of Year 7 for their first year of debating at Riverside Girls High School. Even though none of these students had debated before, they managed to win two out of three of their debates. We also recognised the outstanding achievement of our Year 8 team this year. Zali C, Emily H, Ellie L, Amelia K were zone champions. This was an amazing outcome and was the result of strong team work and a healthy competitiveness. We also recognised Jess R and Charlotte R for their commitment and participation in the competition. Well done, girls! All in all, the future of debating at RGHS looks bright!
Ms C Mulcahy
Debating - Years 9 & 10
This year Riverside had two teams in Stage 5 Debating. The students worked tirelessly on preparation, which involved understanding the structure of a debate, how to form a rebuttal and how to think quickly on your feet. There were three topic areas for debate: Education, Australian Society and Law and Order. The students met weekly to research the topic areas and to develop stronger vocabulary in order to debate these topics in a sophisticated manner. The crowning moment was our success in beating North Sydney Girls in Round 2! We did not go on to win our zone but the students can feel a strong sense of achievement for their good efforts! Ms G Philpott and Ms C Reoch
Public Schools Poetry Slam
The English faculty share many creative writing and poetry competitions and every so often a Riverside girl is recognised for her talent. Year 10 English and Drama student Mackenzie, composed and delivered a slam poem which she then recorded and submitted to the NSW Public Schools Poetry Slam competition. There were over 400 applicants, and Mackenzie was one of the 66 finalists to progress to the State Finals. We wish her all the best as competes in person at the Arts Unit on Monday. A link to Mackenzie's slam poem will be included in this year's issue of The Stream. Ms Purisima
NSW Volleyball Schools Cup Success
On Tuesday, our Year 8 and Year 9 volleyball teams proudly represented the school at the NSW Volleyball Schools Cup tournament. The students had a fantastic day, performing with skill, determination and teamwork. Their efforts reflected the dedication they've shown throughout the year in weekly training sessions and previous competitions. We're thrilled to annouce that our Year 8 team placed third in their division, while our Year 9 team achieved an outstanding result by winning their division! A heartfelt thank you to Ms Vardanega for her support throughout the long day and to the wonderful coaches Jeremy and Hannah for their ongoing expertise and guidance. Stay tuned - reports on our Year 7 and Year 10/11 teams will be shared next week following their upcoming competitions.
Ms T Nagle
Classics By The Cove
Our Year 7 English students and Year 9 Drama are bursting with creativity and confidence as they continue to develop and rehearse their performances for the upcoming Classics by the Cove showcase evening. This special event will celebrate the timeless stories and characters of classic literature, with a few modern twists added along the way.
Over the past few weeks, Year 7 English classes have been hard at work bringing these pieces to life. Some classes have chosen to write their own scripts, inspired by classic tales but infused with their own humour and fresh perspectives. Right now, every class is deep in the process of learning lines and blocking their scenes. Through this process, students are discovering so much about literature and storytelling, as well as learning about teamwork, communication, and building confidence.
The energy and enthusiasm during class rehearsals has been vibrant, and we can already tell that Classics by the Cove will be a memorable evening filled with wonderful performances.
We invite families, friends, and the wider school community to join us for the showcase and celebrate the hard work and talent of our Year 7 English and Year 9 Drama students. Classics by the Cove will take place on Thursday 27 November. It will commence at 6pm in the hall and the P&C will be selling popcorn and snow cones before the show and during intermission.
The photos below are of 7T, 7E and 7K English classes rehearsing this week.
Ms R Young
Careers
Please visit https://riversideghscareers.com/ for the latest information on careers and life beyond school. You can use this site to locate universities, TAFE and any other type of course across Australia, information about the HSC and job vacancies. Feel free to drop into the Careers office if you have any questions.
Ms J Low and Ms T Soares
Dates for the diary
P&C
If you would like to volunteer for various P&C activities, please sign up via the link below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHE1OojbX6yWoo85D7kbRofz_1TmQOixDenmj-b-AkkxoJ4Q/viewform