From the Principal
Dear Parents/Caregivers, I hope you have had a wonderful week. Peter Pan - 3, 4, 5 June How could I begin the newsletter with anything other than news of the school production. What a privilege to be part of school that produces such a high quality piece of stagecraft year after year. The talent and dedication of the actors, sound and lighting and backstage crew is such a testament to the talent of our students and the value that our students place on the show. It also reflects the commitment to excellence of this large group of fine young members of our school community in setting themselves a goal and seeing it through. Students with the confidence, drive and commitment to teamwork to make a 6-month commitment to the school production, usually year after year, are also the students who succeed in all facets of their school and personal lives; in their learning, performing arts, sport and citizenship while still retaining their own unique personalities and perspectives. As I always say to the girls, success looks different for everyone. Confident, independent, creative young global citizens, empowered to face challenges with resilience and positivity, is what we strive to build at Riverside, through our rich classroom, co-curricula and extra-curricula program and by and large, judging by the calibre and quality of the students that we work with every day, I’d say we are pretty successful at doing so. A big thanks to Mrs Young and Mr Young and all of the teachers who have supported them along the way, as well as giving up their time to supervise the students over the last few nights and coming to watch the show. A production that captures such an extensive representation of students from Years 7-12, with differing degrees of background and experience in the theatre, is a mammoth event and one that make our school so extraordinarily unique and special. Make sure you get your tickets for one of the evening performances. They are selling fast. Year 12 Reports Year 12 received their Half Yearly Reports last Friday. I always enjoy meeting with our HSC students to deliver this formal reporting mechanism, filled with individualised feedback and suggestions for improvement as they prepare for the final six months of their HSC studies at Riverside. Please ask your daughter to share her feedback and results with you and to discuss any concerns or questions that she may have as she embarks on her final learning and assessment. I also like to take the time to remind all Year 12 students that the HSC journey is a partnership and that every teacher, mentor, Year Adviser, Deputy Principal and myself are here to support them in this journey. It is also important to remember that in times of stress or difficulty, we have a School Counsellor at school five days per week and they are aware to prioritise Year 12 students at this often intense stage of their schooling. The reports have been uploaded to Sentral for any student who was absent from school. Our accelerated students also received their reports. Year 11 will be the next cohort to receive their reports. School Signage Thankyou again to our amazing P&C for funding our beautiful new school signs. They serve both a practical and emotional purpose, in pointing people to our school and locations within it, as well as reminding the students of our commitment to them by empowering them as confident, independent, creative young women. It is so important that our students are able to learn in a clean, neat, inspiring physical environment that looks like we are fully invested in them; because we are. I hope you have seen the school sign on Victoria Road and that you appreciate it announcing our wonderful school.
Year 10 Subject Selection Information Evening - Tuesday 26 May 6pm Year 10 will receive their Stage 6 curriculum booklets at the Information Evening so it is important that all students and their parents attend. We will provide advice and tips to support students in their decision-making for subjects for Preliminary and HSC courses (Year 11 and 12), including all of the courses available to study at Riverside. If you are a parent of a Year 10 student, please RSVP to the Subject Selection Information Evening on Tuesday 26 May at 6pm in the Hall. We look forward to seeing you all at this very important evening. Parent Survey Please look out for the parent survey that was emailed to all parents yesterday. We are seeking information and feedback to improve our communication and understanding of your expectations of us, in terms of preparing your daughters for life beyond school. Please be sure to complete the survey so that we may use it to guide our planning and ongoing improvement. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Louise McNeil Principal Year 7 2027 Ignite (HPGE) Test Registrations
Peter Pan Tickets On Sale Now
Tickets are on sale now for Peter Pan - https://www.trybooking.com/DLZCT
Peter Pan Rehearsals
Excitement is building in the school hall as rehearsals for this year’s school production of Peter Pan enter their final stretch. With opening night now less than two weeks away, cast and crew members are working hard to bring the magical world of Neverland to life. After weeks of learning lines, songs and blocking, rehearsals have become more focused on the finer details and transitions between scenes. As opening night approaches, rehearsals are becoming more intense, but the cast has shown tremendous dedication, learning their lines and staying late after school to rehearse. Behind the scenes, the crew has been just as busy. Students working on props, lighting, and set design have been working to transform the stage into a colourful world filled with a pirate ship, mermaid lagoon and the Darling nursery. There is a real sense of excitement building about this year's production, and tickets are already selling quickly. Families, friends, and staff are encouraged to reserve seats early, with best availability on Wednesday night, to support the talented students who have worked so hard to make this production possible. Performances will take place in the Hall at 6:30pm on Wednesday 3, Thursday 4 and Friday 5 June. Tickets are $15 (plus booking fee) and available through Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/DLZCT
Ms R Young
National Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Dear Parents/Carers, Re: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019). Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
- year of schooling
- category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
- level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
- formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
- consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
- develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability. The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy). Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au). If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school. Kind regards Louise McNeil Principal
Ripple Study Mentor Program
We're launching something new for our Year 7 and 8 students: the Ripple Study Mentor Program. This isn't about catching up. It's for students who want to become stronger, more independent learners. It's for students who are willing to sit with hard work, ask better questions, and grow. Sessions run every Tuesday after school from 3:10–4:00 PM, starting Week 6. Places are limited, so please complete the Google Form on Sentral and register your interest. 📚 Become a Better Learner.
Mindfulness Mondays
Faculty News
Maths
Inspired by the AMT’s Australian Mathematics Competition, Kangourou sans Frontières (KSF) is now the largest maths competitions in the world, with more than 6 million participants each year. Held in March, the KSF is a great opportunity for students to experience maths in a competition environment prior to the AMC in August. Congratulations to the following students who received awards:
- Brooke B (Year 8) - Credit
- Sophie C (Year 8) - Credit
- Olivia L (Year 8) - Credit
- Emily H (Year 9) - Credit
- Charlotte H (Year 9) - Credit
- Amelia K (Year 9) - Credit
- Charlotte R (Year 9) - Credit
- Shikha S (Year 10) - Credit
- Masako K (Year 12) - Credit
- Vicky Z (Year 11) - Distinction
Solving 8MA-K
In our 8MA-K maths lesson, we explored solving rate problems in the real world by picking five different catalogue items from the Coles catalogue we were given. The task was to calculate the equivalent price per 100g or per mL or per kg. We found this lesson useful and enjoyable because of its applicability in everyday life and the hands-on learning techniques used by our teacher - thanks Mr Saad! Phoebe S and Nara W
Co-curricula Activities
Robotics Competition in Greece
Yuri K (Year 9) recently competed in the First Lego League Open International Championship in Greece. Students from across the globe came together to tackle challenges, showcase creativity, and celebrate the power of robotics and teamwork. It's where future leaders and inventors unite for an unforgettable event! Well done to Yuri
Wanderers Secondary Schools Cup Championships Finals Day!
⚽️ CONGRATS to our Year 7 & 8 and Year 9 & 10 Football Teams 🏆
After a massive day of competition against schools from across Greater Sydney, both teams have officially qualified for the next stage which will take place in July, the Wanderers Secondary Schools Cup Championships Finals Day! 🏆
The students displayed incredible teamwork with some outstanding results including 8–0 and 6–0 victories 👏🔥
A special shoutout to Chloe F for her brilliant goalkeeper efforts and editing/film skills capturing the day 🎥🧤
For some it was their first time playing in this arena, very proud of everyone's effort. Thank you to the parents and officials who supported our student's on the day.
Well done to all players for representing Riverside with pride! 💙⚽️
Senior Premier’s Debating Challenge
Round 4 was a challenging one for our senior debaters participating in the Premier’s Debating Challenge. We competed against two schools - Sydney Girls High School and Sydney Boys High School. Round 4 topics were based on ‘Environment’ and the topic debated was: That the international community should lift the ban on mining in Antarctica, and Riverside Girls debated as the affirmative. Last year our competitors won the Year 11 and 12 Premier’s Debating Challenge and so this was a rigorous and competitive debate. Our team presented a strong debate around the model that ethical mining practices should be implemented by 2040 to ensure that the needs of progressive society and the environment are adequately weighed up. After a very nervewracking debate, the adjudicator ruled in favour of Sydney Girls High School. We used our life and debated within the same round again, but this time against Sydney Boys High School. We were the affirmative team, debating the topic That car tolls should be increased to subsidise public transport. As anticipated, both teams brought their A game to this debate, but unfortunately Riverside weren’t able to adequately argue that their model would create an impactful change to the status quo. This brings a disappointing end to the Year 12 team’s senior debating career. This team has been involved in debating since Year 9 and have shown incredible growth in their confidence, eloquence, teamwork and character. I would like to express the genuine pride I have had in coaching them over the years, and wish them all the best in their future oratory adventures beyond Riverside Girls.
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 Lemon and Ms T Soares
Dates for the diary
P&C
Parent Volunteers Needed for Peter Pan The P & C will be selling refreshments over the three evenings of the school production of Peter Pan, Wednesday 3rd June, Thursday 4th June and Friday 5th June. We are looking for 8 to 10 parents to help each night from 5pm to 9pm. For more information and to let us know your availability please complete this google form and we be in contact with more details. https://forms.gle/PEmcr9w9RR33vrj5A
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!