From the Principal
Dear Parents/Caregivers, I hope you have had a wonderful week. P&C I would like to begin with a massive shout out to the parents of our wonderful P&C. We met this week and, as always, I left the meeting feeling uplifted and excited for the positivity and support that the group of parents have for the school. For those of you who may not be aware, every parent is welcome and encouraged to join the P&C (or pay the P&C Contribution if you are unable to attend meetings or assist with volunteering). They meet once a month at 7pm in the school office to receive school updates and to plan fundraising activities to support school programs and events. As a school, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the P&C for the funds that they raise to support purchases of recourses and programs, such as outdoor tables and umbrellas, textbooks, signage (which is yet to be installed but which will make the school look amazing), equipment for the Fitness Centre, a contribution to the school A/V upgrade in the Hall (planned but not yet completed), contributions to co-curricula activities such as Write a Book in a Day and the 2025 Literacy activity, an annual student scholarship, and so the list goes on. There is also a passionate team of gardeners, led by Tanja Perl, whose individual gorilla gardening efforts have enhanced the aesthetic of the Victoria Rd frontage of the school with the planting of frangipanis, as well as vines in the entry garden on Huntley’s Point Rd. These enhancements, along with the ongoing maintenance efforts of our GAs, Javier, Freddy and Lara, have improved our school grounds enormously. We are a so lucky school to have such amazing people in our midst, so dedicated to making our school the beautiful place to learn, work and visit that it is. Harmony Week - Everyone Belongs We were a school awash with Orange on Wednesday as we celebrated Harmony Day. This year’s theme, Everyone Belongs, was celebrated in a formal school assembly through a series of heartfelt speeches delivered by our International Student Leader, Jasmine K; Sophie F and Thisha V from Year 7; and our EAL/D teacher/International Student Coordinator, Ms Peterson. At Riverside the values of harmony, diversity, inclusion and respect underpin the learning culture and disciplinary expectations of our school. As a school leader I advocate that no teacher, support staff member or student walk past a situation of conflict, racism or discrimination without either speaking out to stop it or reporting it to a teacher to have them intervene and respond. With so much social and political unrest colouring our global community, it is profoundly important that as a school community we stay true and committed to these values and we enforce them explicitly and consistently. I will never shy away from speaking out against poor behaviour, particularly of the racial or discriminatory variety, and know that our school is all the better for it. I am proud of our students and their confidence and unity in promoting positive values and behaviour, along with the unwavering belief of the majority in the importance and power of holding one another up. Happy Harmony Week to you all and may you feel the power of connection in all areas of your lives.
NAPLAN I am pleased to report that, despite an almost statewide implosion of the NAPLAN system last week, Riverside managed to have all Year 7 and 9 students complete their tests with little or not interruption. Thankyou to Mr Sendov, Ms Wong and Mr Young for their planning and support of our students in setting the conditions to allow this to happen. They did a wonderful job and I know the students felt well set up to perform to their best in these national tests. Welcome to Year 7 Afternoon Tea A date for the diary is Tuesday 24 March for a Welcome to Year 7 Afternoon Tea for all families of Year 7 - we will send out a personalised email and RSVP link shortly. This is a casual event to provide the opportunity for parents to meet their daughter’s teachers. It is not a parent teacher interview. Year 7 will receive interim reports in Term 1 Week 10 to provide initial feedback to parents and final reports in preparation for parent teacher interviews in late Term 2. We hope to see you for some cake and chat.
Ignite Program Information Evening – Year 7 2027 There will be an information evening for the Ignite Program on Wednesday 1 April at 6:00pm in the school hall. Please pass this on to any friends or family who might be interested in seeking information about this HPGE program at Riverside for Year 7 2027. Registration is possible via a QR code on our Instagram. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Louise McNeil Principal
Mindfulness Mondays
Faculty News
Maths
Come and join us in 7MA_E to be a maths detective
Literacy in Mathematics came to life in class recently. The activity we completed involved many calculations and explanations. It was fun to use our thinking skills to present to the class our work and effort. We were challenged to use more words than numbers in this process! Our discussion was based on the mathematical steps involved in arriving at the answer to the calculation.
Mr S Saad
Co-curricula Activities
Volleyball at Riverside
Over the past two weeks, Riverside has seen an incredible run of volleyball success, with our athletes representing the school at both state and national levels.
A standout highlight was Skyler’s S's outstanding performance at the Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships, where she proudly represented NSW in the U17 division and brought home a silver medal. This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to her dedication and skill. Skyler S was also joined by Hana L as the pair to compete in the National Schools Cup. Despite facing challenging rainy and windy conditions, the girls showed resilience and determination, gaining valuable experience against strong competition. Back on home soil, the Riverside Year 12 team competed in Division 1 at the Schools Cup tournament held at Sydney Olympic Park - a huge step up as it was their first time competing in this division. The team had an exceptional run, making it all the way to the gold medal match and finishing with silver. This result was even more impressive given the circumstances, with some Year 9 students stepping up to fill in, many playing alongside the Year 12s for the first time. It was a fantastic display of teamwork and a valuable learning experience for all involved.
To round out the fortnight, Riverside competed in the Open Knockout competition against NBSC Manly Campus. In what was a fiercely contested match, both teams claimed a set each before heading into a nail-biting final set. Riverside narrowly missed out by just a couple of points, but the girls should be incredibly proud of their performance against a team featuring state representative players. They showed great composure, skill, and determination throughout.
Overall, it has been an outstanding start to the volleyball season at Riverside. We are incredibly proud of all players involved and look forward to continuing this momentum next term, with opportunities for students across all year groups to participate in upcoming Schools Cup tournaments.
Ms T Hendriks
Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships
Congratulations to Skyler S who represented NSW in Coolangatta at the Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships (AYBVC), along with her playing partner. The girls faced some tough competition but made it through to the finals, where they took home the silver 👏 Skyler stayed on to play the Australian Schools Cup with Hana L, where they came fourth. Well done to both of the girls for their amazing achievements.
Ms T Hendriks
Artistic Swimming
Congratulations to Sophie K (Year 10) who competed in the NSW States Competition held at Sydney Olympic Park on 1 March. She won three gold medals across all of her categories, Junior Solo, Free Team and Tech Team and is now in the final stage of preparation for the Australia National Championships/Oceania Championships in April. We wish Sophie the very best of luck.
SRC - Harmony Day
Vaccination Consent
NAIDOC Week
Poster Design Competition
All students are to submit their entries to Ms Ghorra in the library and she will post them to the coordination centre.
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
Community Notices
Calling all creative students!
Ready to write, sing, and connect with nature? Join us for the Bush Studio Songbirds Camp — an unforgettable music immersion for public high school students (Years 7–12) at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park! Students will work directly with Rachel Collis, an accomplished songwriter, vocal artist, and Creative Director of the NSW Public Schools Sydney North Singers. When: 31st August – 1st September 2026 Where: Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (Gibberagong EEC) Register here: Bush Studio Songbirds Camp To see what else Gibberagong EEC can offer your school visit our website: Gibberagong EEC We look forward to working your students at this inspiring bush immersion music experience!