RANDWICK BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL 08 november 2024

Dear RBHS Community,

I would like to extend our congratulations to Year 12 students, who have successfully completed their HSC examinations this week. After years of hard work and dedication, they now embark on the next exciting chapter of their lives. The sense of achievement in the air is palpable, and we are incredibly proud of the resilience and commitment shown by our graduating class. Next Tuesday night, we look forward to celebrating their accomplishments at the Year 12 Formal, an evening that will surely be a memorable conclusion to their school journey.

We also congratulate Year 8 students, who wrapped up their examinations this week. This marks the conclusion of our formal examination period for 2024, and we commend our students for their focused approach and effort throughout this period. As always, examinations serve as an important learning experience, helping our students build skills in time management, study discipline, and self-reflection, and provide teachers with valuable insight and opportunity for feedback.

On Monday, we will come together for our Remembrance Day Assembly, where we will pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who have served in conflicts, both past and present. It is an important occasion for our school, as we honour their bravery and commitment to peace. We encourage all members of our community to take a moment of reflection during this time.

Looking ahead, we are excited to begin the transition events for our Year 6 students, who will be moving into high school next year. These events will help our incoming students get to know the high school environment, meet their new teachers, and begin the exciting journey of transitioning into the next phase of their education. It is an exciting time for these students, and we look forward to supporting them every step of the way.

Finally, I would like to thank our entire school community for their support and cooperation with the lockdown procedure yesterday. The quick response and adherence to safety protocols ensured that the process ran smoothly and with minimal disruption. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are always our top priority. Thank you for your understanding. Please see below the email sent to all parents yesterday to confirm what occurred.

As we head into the final weeks of term, I encourage all students to continue giving their best, maintaining their focus, and making the most of the opportunities ahead. We wish everyone a restful and enjoyable weekend, and we look forward to celebrating the achievements of our students in the weeks to come.

Letter to parents

Dear parents and carers,

This afternoon, near the end of lunch, the school received some information concerning a potential risk to safety. As a precaution and to allow us to assess the situation, we called a lockdown. Whilst students were moving to their lockdown areas, we quickly established that there was no danger or risk to students, but completed the lockdown procedure as a timely drill.

Students assembled in the gym with the teachers as per protocol for further instructions and a debriefing meeting. No examinations were interrupted and all students remain safe and well. All schools hold practice drills each term to ensure that we are well rehearsed in case of a real incident. Staff reflect on these drills and we then update health and safety procedures in consultation with the Department of Education.

Please do not hesitate to contact the relevant year advisor or request counselling if for any reason you feel your son was impacted in any way. I take this opportunity to also thank staff for the calm way they reassure students and follow well practiced routines in any drill or incident.

Thank you for your understanding,

This is my first column as the Vice-Captain.

As the spooky spirit of Halloween subsides, Movember emerges. This month we encourage all young men to open up to each other. No matter who we are, we have moments where we struggle with our mental health, and talking about it can be especially difficult. You might be going through a breakup, grieving the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, a bad mark on an exam, or you might just be having a bad week. You never know what someone might be going through; have a chat with a mate, and ask “Is everything ok?” or “How have you been tracking?”.

Growing up, many of us have heard “Men are meant to be strong, stoic and self-sufficient” - this makes it hard for us to talk about our feelings, contributing to males accounting for 69% of all suicides. To challenge this statistic, the SRC is planning fun activities throughout Movember while raising money for the cause, including a gym pass for the strength and conditioning gym and voting for your favourite teacher’s facial hair style.

If you would like to directly donate to this cause, please do so.

This Movember, let’s encourage each other to open up and talk about mental health

Year 10 Science Bicentennial Park excursion

On Friday 01 November, ten Year 10 students, accompanied by Mr Tran, went to Bicentennial Park for a mathematics excursion, exploring careers in Surveying and Geospatial Engineering. We learnt about the importance of surveyors in many industries, including engineering and architecture, as well as the importance of mathematics in our lives. We learnt about the history of surveying, and it was fascinating. After that we applied our mathematical knowledge in a game of mini-Olympics, using real life surveying equipment, like a theodolite, to measure how far we were all able to throw an object. Huge thanks to Mr Tran for organising the event, and I speak for all of us when I say we can't wait for more excursions in the future.