From the Principal
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
I hope you have all had a wonderful week.
The good news for Year 12 is that the Trial HSC exams are over for most students. Now the big job begins and continues for Year 12 teachers who will complete the marking and reporting for their classes. I wish to acknowledge the efforts of all Year 12 students in managing their exam schedule and doing their best in all exams, particularly those students who have the added pressure of major works and practical exams to complete and prepare for. The advice I continue to give Year 12 is that the time is now for staying focused and not taking their feet off the pedal. Stay positive and stay connected – we are all here for them. We look forward to having them back in class.
Big Week
It has been another big week at Riverside with many fantastic events taking place:
James Martin Walk
Thankyou to Mr Zabakly and Amelia K, Sandhaya J, Eliana L, Cleo H and Betsy P for braving the conditions and representing Riverside in this 25km walk from Martin Place to Parramatta to retrace the steps of NSW Premier, James Martin on his daily walk from Parramatta to access public education in the city. Each year Riverside is invited to participate in this commemorative walk and to enjoy the opportunity to meet students from nearby schools.
Debating
Our Year 9/10 Debating Team had a resounding win over the debaters from North Sydney Girls High School yesterday – an outstanding achievement. Congratulations to Ms Philpott and the debating team of Genevieve D, Amelia T, Zoe B, Sophia B and Hedieh R.
Leading for Equity and Excellence
I had an enriching day on Wednesday participating in the Metro North Principal’s Conference, Seeing Me. It was a wonderful opportunity to work with colleagues to share research and best practice in leading with equity and excellence to ensure all students are able to access positive educational outcomes, regardless of their race or class. I am very proud of Riverside’s record in driving equity-oriented inquiry to design, implement and reflect on all learning and co-curricula programs to ensure that all students have the opportunity to access positive, equitable outcomes across all domains of their school experience. Furthermore, I have confidence in the wellbeing infrastructure that underpins the learning at Riverside to ensure all students have the best chance of developing the resources and resilience to meet the challenges of their complex, ever-changing world, as well as succeeding in their learning.
Girls Schools Conference
I am excited to be attending the first meeting of the Girls Schools coalition at Sydney Girls on Monday. Once again, it will be an opportunity to share research and initiatives to drive ongoing improvement for the students in all of our schools. This is a great initiative that will be attended by the principals from 15 girls schools across Sydney to work collaboratively and creatively to workshop and address new ideas and emerging issues in the girls educational spectrum. I look forward to sharing the learnings with our executive and teachers in upcoming meetings and through the School Excellence Plan.
Year 10 Year Adviser
Ms Hearne will be leaving our school on 1 September 2025. She will be replaced by Ms Casey as Year 10 Year Adviser and Ms White will step in to teach the two Year 12 classes. We will also welcome the arrive of Ms Millington to join our CAPA staff. We are sad to see Ms Hearne leave but know she will make a tremendous impact in her new school. We also know that Ms Aldred will be a wonderful Year Adviser for Year 10.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Louise McNeil
Principal
HPGE Showcase - Year 7-9
The High Potential and Gifted Education Showcase provides an opportunity to share the exciting achievement of our Year 7-9 HPGE students. Light refreshments will be provided.
It is on Friday 5 September from 8:30-9:30am in the school library.
Please RSVP via QR code or the link in our bio.
We look forward to seeing you!
Faculty News
English
Year 12 Drama Performance Evening
On Friday 8 August, students in Year 12 Drama performed their Individual and Group Performances and presented their Individual Projects for Trial HSC marking in front of an audience of friends, family and teachers. The event marked a significant milestone in each student's Year 12 Drama journey, by showcasing months of dedicated rehearsal, script development, character exploration, and project refinement.
It was a highly energetic and engaging performance evening which showcased the talent of all Year 12 Drama students. This was the first time that the students were presenting their completed works in front of a larger audience, and whilst there were some nerves beforehand, all overcame them to perform in a confident and engaging manner. Most importantly, this evening demonstrated growth in student confidence and all students were very supportive and encouraging of their peers.
The monologue performances were 6 to 8 minutes in length and were a combination of self-devised and adapted pieces. The monologues reflected a wide range of styles and characters, which included an excited director, an aspiring superhero, the Grand High Witch, Frankenstein’s creation and a woman whose husband liked to meditate with potatoes!
One of our Year 12 students elected to complete a Costume Design for her Individual Project. She presented her costume design on the French play Tartuffe by Moliere with her designs reflecting the traditional Baroque period. Her costume designs were very visually effective in her use of colour and materials.
The Group Performances were all self-devised from improvisations which stemmed from the topics provided by NESA. All group performances included aspects of physical theatre, transformational acting and strong performance skills to create a strong actor-audience relationship. The evening also served as a valuable rehearsal opportunity ahead of their official HSC performance examinations.
Feedback from teachers and audience members was overwhelmingly positive, commending the students emotional range, stagecraft, and ensemble collaboration.
Students in Year 12 Drama should be proud of putting on such a wonderful show. Thank you to the parents, students and teachers who came to support Year 12 Drama.
Ms R Young
Science
Science Week
Students Decode the Universe in a Week of Science Fun.
As part of this year’s theme, “Decoding the Universe – Exploring the Unknown with Nature’s Hidden Language,” students from all years took part in a jam-packed week of hands-on activities that brought complex science to life. Using polarised lenses, they uncovered hidden light patterns, and with the help of lasers, measured the width of hair-proving that Physics can be both mind-bending and surprisingly fun.
The week kicked off on Monday with the Destination Moon escape room, where teams raced against time to solve puzzles and navigate their lunar mission. On Tuesday, students plunged into the mysteries of the ocean in the Deep Blue escape room. Wednesday saw a flurry of engaging physics challenges, from bending light to breaking codes. On Thursday, budding scientists tackled The Next Element escape room, combining logic and science know-how. Finally, Friday wrapped up the week on a creative note as students designed and built their own miniature terrariums to take home.
Co-curricular Activities
Stage 5 Debating Riverside Team A vs North Sydney Girls Team A with Riverside the winning team!
Topic - That we should punish parents for their children's crimes
After the coin toss Riverside had the Negative
The Team has been preparing weekly at lunchtime, particularly focusing on improving their knowledge around the topic and elevating their vocabulary.
They all spoke very well and developed clear points which they were able to develop as well as including effective rebuttals
Riverside Team A students: Genevieve D, Amelia T, Zoe B, Sophia B
Chairperson was Hedieh R
Big Sister Little Sister 2025
Another wonderful and successful year for the Big Sister Little Sister program has come to a close!
These past two terms have been filled with various fun activities, from icebreakers to trivia to Just Dance. These activities have helped year 7’s settle into life at Riverside by getting to know the school, each other, and feel supported by older students. We wrapped up the year’s program on a very sweet note, with all big and little sisters gathered for cupcake decorating. They got to customise and flourish their creations with icing and (of course) lots of sprinkles!
Huge thanks to the P&C for generously funding this program, and to all the teachers and staff whose support has made these events possible.
See you all next year!
From the Big Sister Little Sister team
Testimonies:
“I enjoyed the Big Sister Little Sister experience because I was able to get along with new people, especially those who were in my group. I got to develop a relationship with my big sister and all my peers in my group.”
Leanne P, Year 7
I really enjoyed the Big Sister Little Sister program. We had donuts, pizza and even decorated our own cupcakes. I got to build new relationships with my big sister (Gabby) and with my partner (Gwen). I honestly couldn't have asked for a better big sister than Gabby. She was kind, considerate and everything a little sister could have ever asked for. I really appreciated the program, developing relationships and making new friends.
-Vienna W, Year 7
I thought Big Sister Little Sister was really nice. I really liked making new friends with not only my group but everyone else around me. We did so many activities and had such an engaging and delightful time. My big sister (Logan) was the kindest big sister. She tried very hard to make it enjoyable and comfortable for all of us. Thank you to the organisers of the program for making it so pleasant and heartwarming
Ruru, Year 7
SAVE THE DATE - Wednesday 10 September 2025 - Ryde Cammeraygal Area Student Film Competition and Festival 2025
Additional festivals you can enter with the same film:
Capture: The 2025 signature item is CLIP
Highlighting outstanding films from students in Years 9 to 11
https://artsunit.nsw.edu.au/capture-film-festival
Schools can participate in the festival as a class entry or submit films created by individual students or groups of students. There are no fees to submit your films for any Film By festivals.
Schools are eligible to submit multiple films and must adhere to the guidelines.
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
P&C GARDENING BEE - SATURDAY AUGUST 30 - 12PM UNTIL 4PM
The P&C was gifted over 20 large Frangipani cuttings (around 2m tall each).
We would really appreciate your help to plant these, as they all need stakes to support them as well.
Many hands make light work!
Slowly but surely the school grounds are becoming greener and prettier, hopefully contributing to the school spirit and pride!
We’d love to see you, even if you can only donate an hour of your time.
BYO shovels and hammers.
Afternoon tea and treats on us!
Please RSVP to perltanja@gmail.com
Thank you!
Madeleine and Tanja
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