As we come to the end of another successful term, it is important to take a moment to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students. This term has been filled with hard work and memorable experiences that truly showcase the talents and spirit of our school community through sports, the creative arts and in the classroom.
In the second half of the term, our Year 7 students attended an enriching camp, where they had the chance to make new friends, participate in team-building activities, and develop important skills in a supportive setting. In addition, our Senior Ski Camp was a standout event this term. Students enjoyed the thrill of skiing while also growing personally and building strong bonds with their peers. This experience not only challenged them but also allowed them to appreciate a different type of sport. We thank the teachers and staff for their commitment to organising this memorable adventure.
The annual Battle of the Bands competition was also a real hit! Our talented musicians showcased their creativity and skills, delighting the audience with their performances. We applaud all the bands and performers for their hard work and dedication, which contributed to a fantastic event.
We also farewelled three staff members who have taken new positions in locations closer to home. Thanking our teachers, Grace Dooley (PDHPE) and Elsie Tweneboa (Social Sciences) for their contributions and efforts for RBHS, RGHS and now RHS. Also, our longstanding Deputy Principal, Emma Payne, leaves to join a new school community at Willoughby GHS- we know she will add a lot of value to her new setting as she has here.
Each event reported in this newsletter highlights individual and collective talents and strengthens our sense of community and school spirit. We look forward to seeing what the next term will bring.
We wish everyone a restful break and look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 22 July.
Writing my last Deputy Principal report for Randwick High is bittersweet. The decision to leave to move closer to home was incredibly difficult; I have genuinely loved serving your community.
Many of you have known me since I began at Randwick Boys High School as Head Teacher English 9 years ago. Thank you for welcoming me and embracing change, connecting during COVID lockdowns through literature and wellbeing activities, and then trusting me to take on the role of Deputy Principal in 2022. I have always aimed to uphold the very high expectations of our school. I have acted each day with a great sense of responsibility to be a support and advocate for our young people, and you, their families. Sometimes as a Deputy you need to have tough conversations and make difficult decisions, but please know I have not taken this lightly, and that all of these calls have been deeply grounded in the care I have for my students.
For our Randwick Girls’ community, I am sorry we have not had more time to work together, but it has been a pleasure to get to know you. The merge has not been without challenge, but I am so proud of all that we have achieved together, and I have no doubt that Randwick will continue to rise above and strengthen our new identity through the empathy, courage and passion you all demonstrate everyday.
I recently learnt of the African term “Ubuntu”, meaning “I am because we are.” This has become a theme of farewelling Randwick this week. As humans, we are better when we show humanity to others, and that has been the greatest joy of working at Randwick- our care, fierce loyalty and dedication for one another, and I hope moving forward our community will continue to be kind and determined to be our best selves each day.
It has been a real honour and privilege to know you and serve you as a teacher, leader and friend.
Up the Wicks
Randwick High School’s Inaugural Prefect Afternoon Tea
On Thursday 05 June, we hosted the first Randwick High School Prefect Afternoon Tea (PAT). The event was designed to develop leadership skills and foster connections between school leaders through leadership and wellbeing activities, such as “Speed Dating”, where we got to know each other by answering “Would You Rather?” questions, and a social deduction game of “Mafia”, where Prefects had to work together to identify all members of the Mafia, along with plenty of snacks and pizza.
Having our PAT in the Senior Study Centre, with its four study rooms and multiple floors, provided a unique opportunity to also use the space for a first for PATs: an Escape Room. Four teams of Prefects had 30 minutes to solve clues and find a radioactive rock hidden by a mad scientist, and if they did not find it in time, the School Captains and Vice Captains would be (hypothetically) blown up! A special thank you to Noah (Year 11), who kindly devoted some time to create a custom website for us with a “timer bomb”. You can try it here at https://bomb-timer.neocities.org/. Luckily, all four groups of Prefects were quick enough to decode the clues and save the Captains and Vice Captains, just in time for pizza!
The event was a huge success and marks the beginning of what we hope will be a long-standing PAT tradition at Randwick High School.
The World's Greatest Shave Fundraiser
On Friday 23 May, Randwick High School hosted its World's Greatest Shave event to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Organised by the Student Representative Council (SRC), the day was a major success.
A number of students and teachers volunteered to shave their heads in front of a full school audience - showing their support for those affected by cancer. Hairdressers from Just Cuts Randwick generously donated their time and hairdressing expertise, helping to run the event smoothly and professionally. Adding to the day, Year 11-12 SRC students offered bright temporary coloured hair spray to keep things fun and colourful.
The event had a strong turnout, with hundreds gathering to watch and cheer on the participants. In total, the school raised $5,330.35, which is well beyond the original target! It was a clear display of school spirit and collective effort for an important cause.
The SRC extends a big thank you to everyone who participated, donated, or supported the day. It would not have been possible without the involvement of so many. The donation page remains open, so there’s still time to contribute to this important cause. Every donation counts.
With weeks of preparation behind the scenes, the success of the day was a proud achievement for Randwick High School!
To donate or learn more, visit our fundraising page - https://www.worldsgreatestshave.com/fundraisers/RandwickHighSchool
Fort Street High School’s Future Leaders Conference
On Friday 30 May, four Year 11 SRC students from Randwick High School were invited to attend the annual Future Leaders Conference at Fort Street High School. This year’s theme, ‘Leading Through Adversity’, set the tone for a powerful and thought-provoking day.
The experience was enlightening and gave us the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from student leaders from a diverse range of high schools in the Sydney metropolitan area. We were also able to listen to some great guest speakers who inspired us with their own experiences and stories, showing us how leadership values can be developed and applied in everyday life, regardless of situation or circumstance. There were plenty of opportunities for us to ask questions of the guest speakers during two sessions throughout the day.
The first of which was with the three guest speakers who told us about themselves and their journeys, as well as the Q & A panel session. By listening to how three different speakers answered the same questions, it showed us the power of believing in yourself in times of adversity, and that it doesn’t matter where you come from or who you are, you are able to achieve great things.
The last portion of the day, which consisted of us getting into small groups and collaborating with SRC from other schools, was a massive highlight of our day. We went through some icebreaker questions and then started working on an event that we would host for our own schools in groups. This was a great time as we were able to see how other schools organise and plan their events, what things they take into consideration, and see how we could apply that back at our own schools. This experience led to the opening of many new ideas and development of leadership skills that we can put into action at Randwick High School and in our day-to-day lives.
Overall, the day was both inspiring and empowering. The speakers were engaging and often humorous, making their stories even more relatable. Most importantly, the conference reminded us that effective leadership is about connection, courage and making a difference - even in the face of adversity.
Sydney Grammar School’s Prefect Afternoon Tea
Walking through the grand entrance of Sydney Grammar’s main hall, I found myself starting the Prefect Afternoon Tea (PAT) with an opportunity to mingle and network. Then, we were called to our assigned tables to begin the first icebreaker, a “speed dating” round of fun “Would You Rather?” questions that caused everyone’s sweat to run down their cheeks. All of a sudden, all you could hear was “Yes, I’d do the same”, “I’m not too sure” or the occasional “No I wouldn’t…”. Before I knew it, I had been on a speed date with everyone on my table.
Once the icebreaker ended, we were encouraged to circulate the room, meet Prefects from other schools and enjoy the food - from sushi and savoury pastries to sparkling drinks (with the lemon sparkling water being a personal favourite!). With half a spinach pastry still in my mouth, we were called to return to our tables to start the next activity: trivia.
The trivia round started off easy, at least for me, but there were a few questions that were trickier than expected - especially when it came to identifying obscure car logos. In the end, my table proudly took second place, and I couldn’t help but celebrate with an enthusiastic “YYEEssss!”
After the celebration and chatter died down, we knew that the event was coming to an end, as all great things must. We took one last photo - a group photo of all the schools that took part in the event.
Overall, the PAT was a well-organised and great experience, filled with fun icebreaker activities and opportunities to connect with fellow Prefects from multiple schools across Sydney.
Year 7 camp
Careers Day success – a future full of possibilities!
On Monday 17 June, Randwick High School proudly hosted a dynamic and inspiring Careers Day for our Year 10, 11 and 12 students. The event was a resounding success, providing students with valuable insights and practical information to help them explore and shape their future pathways.
A huge thank you to Gina Lockton and Jim Dimopoulos for their outstanding organisation and dedication to making this day possible. Special thanks also to Kylie Fagan’s Year 12 VET Entertainment students for their help in setting up, and to Despina Neroutsos’ Year 11 Hospitality students for their professional catering — both contributions were deeply appreciated and helped the day run smoothly.
Our students were incredibly fortunate to connect with an impressive lineup of providers, including:
Universities and Training: TAFE NSW, Macquarie University, Western Sydney University, UNSW Future Students, UNSW Built Environment, ACU, University of Sydney, ICMS, Notre Dame, National Fashion College, ACPE, University of Tasmania (Rozelle), SEDA, The Hotel School (SCU), Sydney Film School, William Angliss, The Fashion Institute, Sydney Actors School & Sydney Design School.
Gap Year / Voluntary Programs: AIFS Camp America, Thoroughbred Breeders Australia.
Business and Industry: Marriott Hotels, Elders Real Estate, Hoyts, Racing NSW, Transport NSW.
Employment Agencies & Other Pathways: NECA Electrotechnology Apprenticeships, Teach NSW, and NIE Careers (Medical Pathways).
Thanks to this well-supported and engaging event, many of our students left feeling more confident and excited about the next steps in their education and career journeys. We are incredibly proud to be able to offer experiences like this, which help our students find and plan their future pathways.
Social Science Play-Doh Geography
This term, students in Ms Jordan's Geography classes brought geography to life by exploring topographic maps and contour lines—with a creative twist! Using Play-Doh, they built colourful landforms to model how contour lines represent elevation and shape on maps. This hands-on activity helped students visualise changes in terrain and understand how geographers read the land.
Student performed experiments on the nature of subatomic particles and examined the quantum effects that govern these particles.
Year 12 Textiles & Design Open TAFE Day
On Tuesday, 17 June, Year 12 Textiles and Design students attended the TAFE Open Day. They engaged in workshops focused on design collaging and draping, participated in a guided campus tour, and viewed an exhibition showcasing student work. The event provided a valuable opportunity to explore the learning facilities, observe a range of industry-standard sewing machinery, and gain insights into the various fashion courses and career pathways available within the industry. Thank you to their teacher Ms Stolzenhein for organising this wonderful opportunity!
Year 9 Marine Marine Studies incursion
This Term, our Year 9 Marine and Aquaculture Technology classes attended an incursion hosted by guest speaker Ali from Sea Shepherd, who discussed the dangers of shark culling and its impact on our marine environment. He also exposed the truth about shark nets; how effective our shark nets really are, and how they are negatively hurting not just sharks but also other marine creatures. The students in the two Marine classes found the incursion very informative, about the vast reality of how sharks are really being treated. Ali informed us that approximately 11,417 sharks are killed every hour by humans, and at this rate many shark breeds are on the fast route to extinction. Overall, this incursion was very fascinating and also sad to see that this is the sad reality the sharks in our oceans face, we really appreciated Ali coming in to host this incursion on behalf of Sea Shepherd.
Year 10 Marine Studies excursion
Year 11 Depth Study field sampling abundance and distribution
Year 11 Biology Bechtel Class Seminar
Early in the week, Year 11 Biology had the privilege of meeting and learning from a few environmental workers from the company BECHTEL as part of our Year 11 Depth study.
We learnt about the different role of environmental surveying and the scope of the engineering and infrastructure, covering examples such as the new Sydney Airport development, tunnels and the recent Sydney Metro projects. It was incredibly interesting to understand the immense work behind all of these, and especially the bio-environmental lens. All of the speakers inspired us to chase our interests of biology and engineering into stable careers such as theirs, where we could someday manage nuclear waste, or assist in building places for others.
It was a delight and wonderful experience to both learn and understand this side of the world, as well as to meet such accomplished individuals who turned our dreams into a reality and inspired us to give our education everything we have.
Music update
Term 2 has been a dynamic and interesting time in the Music department. We have had several events and incursions where our students’ musical talents have been on display, and we are so proud of all of those who have participated.
In Week 8 we held the first in our series of outdoor lunchtime concerts, featuring students from Year 11 Music on our portable stage in the Central Oval. A large number of students sat down in the sun to watch these wonderful performances and bask in the musical atmosphere.
Later that week we hosted facilitators from In Rhythm, who taught our Year 7 students to play different ostinato patterns (repeated rhythmic patterns) on hand drums. Year 7s learned to play polyrhythms, call and response, and create a sense of unity within the group. There were also many students who got up and improvised their own rhythms, which was exciting to witness.
On Monday of Week 9, we held the first official Randwick High School BATTLE OF THE BANDS! Four bands competed for the title in front of a massive and enthusiastic crowd. Our judges had a difficult choice but decided that JESIT, made up of Year 9 and 10 students Jeremy Arevalo, Sam Kendall, Edward Ashcroft, Ike Pittman and Tom Macassey, were this year’s winners, performing Even Flow by Pearl Jam.
We love the direction that Music is taking at Randwick High, and hope the momentum continues. Our Concert Band, String Ensemble, and many Rock Bands are flourishing, and we encourage all students to keep participating, practicing and playing music.
RGHS Alumni visit
On July 02, Randwick High School’s Year 10 Drama class had the pleasure of meeting Randwick Girls’ High School alum Emelia Griggs.
Emelia is an experienced scripted television executive who has a passion for telling Australian stories for all ages. Currently she is the Head of Development and a Television Associate Producer at Roadshow Rough Diamond. Prior to her current role, Emelia worked for several years at Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) managing the development of drama and comedy content across all formats.
Emelia graduated from Randwick Girls’ High School in 2009. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and English at UNSW, followed by a Post Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting at UTS. She also studied for a semester at the University of Michigan as an exchange student as part of her BA.
Emelia answered lots of questions from students about career paths, university study choices, the option of an exchange year abroad, the steps to advancing in your career, and what she learnt from her time in high school. The students were very engaged and eager to understand how life after school really is and how best to know what path you want to take.
If you are a RHS alum, we would love to welcome you back to the school to inspire and encourage our current students. Randwick High School proudly builds on the traditions of its two founding schools, Randwick Boys’ High School and Randwick Girls’ High School. We warmly encourage our alumni to keep in touch with the school. Our alumni coordinator working as part of the Ourschool program is Miriam Hechtman and you can contact her here: Miriam.Hechtman@det.nsw.edu.au
Term 2 Sports wrap-up
Term 2 has been action-packed with Randwick High School students representing our school across a wide range of grade sports, knockout competitions and carnivals.
The final major sporting event of the term was the Eastern Suburbs Zone Athletics Carnival, held on Thursday 26 June at ES Marks. It was a fantastic day of competition and achievement for Randwick High School, with 33 students qualifying for the upcoming Sydney East Athletics Carnival in individual events. In addition, 8 of our relay teams secured qualification, a testament to the depth of talent within our school. Special mention goes to Samuel Woodland (13 yrs boys) and Talia Truong (16 yrs girls) who were Zone Age Champions. Congratulations Samuel and Talia!
All students who participated demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship, effort, and school pride throughout the day. A sincere thank you goes to all the staff who have supported and coached our many teams throughout the term.
We now look ahead to Term 3, and we wish the very best of luck to our Cross-Country runners who will take part in the NSW All Schools Carnival on 22 July.
RHBS and RGHS Alumni
The Randwick High School Entrepreneurial Program aims to create positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship and make the possibility of entrepreneurship a reality for students. The program will provide a space to help students develop strategic thinking, reflection skills, and confidence in their ideas.
We are reaching out to our community to see if any of our brilliant entrepreneurial Alumni can come back and guide the students for a session in Term 3. If you or someone you know who graduated from Randwick Girls/Boys High School fits this description, please email our alumni coordinator: miriam.hechtman@det.nsw.edu.au for more details.
School Absence Notification System
Regular attendance at school is essential to assist students to maximise their potential. At Randwick High School, we must ensure our school has effective measures in place to monitor and follow up students absences. We are required under Section 22 of the Education Act (1990) to undertake all reasonable measures to contact parents promptly and within two school days of absence. We have implemented additional measures to ensure we are upholding the NSW Department of Education standards here at Randwick High School. Our school absence notification system consists of a text message, follow up email and Sentral notification in the parent portal, to minimise unexplained absences. An absence is unexplained if parents have failed to provide an explanation to the school within 7 days. Thank you for your understanding and assistance.