Riverside Currents Week 2 Term 2 2025

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Athletics Carnival

We could not have been luckier with the weather on Wednesday for our Athletics Carnival. It was a stunning day with a positive student turn out; a good number of students choosing to have a go to represent their house and represent themselves in putting their best foot forward in one or more of the events on the day. Organisation of the Athletics Carnival at such a superior venue is a huge undertaking and one that staff put a huge amount of effort into, both in the lead up and on the day. We favour Sydney Olympic Park as the venue in order to provide the most professional environment for our students to compete in and perform, many athletes in preparation for zone representation. As always, I was a proud principal, watching so many students from Years 7-12 giving it their all and those who weren’t competing, cheering on their friends. It was a wonderful atmosphere of healthy competition and sportsmanship with a few records broken along the way. Whole school events, such as the Athletics Carnival, are an important feature of the school calendar as they foster team spirit and a culture of cohesion and belonging.

Music Camp

As tickets for The Little Mermaid go on sale this week, the cast and crew are all working overtime to bring the production to the stage. Ms Young and Ms Wang accompanied the cast and orchestra to a production music camp in the National Park this week, to work intensively and uninterrupted on rehearsals. This is a key lead up event to the musical and one that the students look forward to with much excitement. As always, the feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive. Thankyou to Ms Young and Ms Wang for their work with our performers and musicians. Details of ticket sales are further down in the newsletter.

Parent Teacher Nights

Term 2 is a big term for finalising Semester 1 assessment and reporting for all students. I have encouraged all students to bear this in mind in approaching the term, suggesting that all students set their goals high to ensure they achieve their best in learning outcomes. We know that positive behaviour and wellbeing leads to learning success. Organisation and good study habits also support achievement in all subjects, both in the classroom and at home. Please be confident that we are working with your daughters to support their planning and organisation, as well as applying the principles of explicit teaching to scaffold and build all curriculum knowledge and skill development in an environment of high expectations in all classrooms and learning domains. Please continue to have conversations with your daughters about learning; ask what they’re learning about, ask if you may assist, ask if they are enjoying the learning, ask if they require additional support. These questions are crucial to ensure that you are confident that your daughter is prepared for reaching her learning goals and outcomes. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school with a specific question or concern.

Mobile Phones

I would like to request that you all have a conversation with your daughters about responsible phone use (out of school) and to stay off their phones while they are at school. Behaviour incidents, linked to the misuse of phones, continue to be a problem amongst students. It would also be helpful if you remember to contact your daughter via the Front Office if you are required to communicate with them during the day, rather than contacting them on their phone. We will always ensure that they receive a message.

Winter Uniform

We are excited to unveil our new Riverside scarf. I would like to encourage all students to purchase the scarf and wear it with pride - it is warm and stylish. The scarf may be purchased from the Front Office or Noone for $29.90. Thankyou to Gabby J for modelling the scarf and blazer - a winning winter combination.

HPGE Test

To all of our parents with younger daughters – just a reminder that the registration link for the HPGE test is open and can be found on our website: https://riversideg-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/events/2025/5/hpge-test-2026.31_may.html

Have a lovely weekend.

Louise McNeil

Principal

Co-curricula Activities

The Little Mermaid Musical

For three nights only, our school hall will be turned into an underwater paradise, for our production of The Little Mermaid. With over 180 students involved in the cast, crew and orchestra, it is going to be an amazing experience.

Tickets are on sale now! Tickets cost $15 (+ booking fee) for students/children and $25 (+ booking fee) for adults.

The performances will take place in week 6 on Wednesday 4th, Thursday 5th and Friday 6th of June at 6:30pm. No tickets will be available at the door, so please purchase your tickets in advance from Trybooking at: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1397612

Rehearsals have been heating up over the past two weeks and the students involved are very eager to share their hard work with the Riverside community in just 24 days when the opening night commences!

The backstage crew attended their first rehearsal last week and got stuck into painting, prop making and assisting with sound and lighting. We are lucky to have so many committed students who are willing to give up their time to be involved in completing the myriad of tasks that the backstage students do.

Costume fittings have also commenced taking place for the cast. We would like to thank the P&C for their financial contribution towards the hiring of the costumes. Many of the costumes are hired from Gosford Musical Society Costumes and the costumes definitely help bring the characters and scenes to life!

Ms R Young