DEPUTY PRINCIPALS' MESSAGE

Year 7  Thank you to all the parents and caregivers who attended ‘Meet the Teacher’ Night on Wednesday. Participating in these types of events helps build links between the school and parents and caregivers. We heard some wonderful stories about how our Year 7 students are coming home from school and talking about their days learning and making friends. Thank you to our Wellbeing Team for their organisation of this successful transition program. Congratulations to Year 7 for their enthusiastic approach to commencing secondary school. It has been terrific to observe students using their diary and confidently asking for directions as they navigate to all their new classrooms.  Their smiles, exemplary manners and ability to express themselves have been complimented by many in our school community already. Keep up the good work Year 7. Please remind your child that they can use their lockers to reduce the load of equipment that they are carrying in their school bags. Lockers must have a lock on them to keep belongings secure. In Week 5 an extra-curricular clubs expo will be held by the Prefects at lunch time on Wednesday 25 February. Year 7 are encouraged to attend and consider joining one or two clubs to enhance their experience at our school. Information regarding NAPLAN 2026 for Year 7 is found at the end of this report and has also been emailed to parents. Year 8 Year 8 have settled well into the year by building on the connections that they made in 2025 with their peers and getting to know their new teachers. Later in this term they will be attending a Science Excursion at Gibberagong to study ecosystems and learn about animal and plant interactions.  Year 9 Year 9 are enjoying their start to the year and settling into their new elective subjects. Students have also seen a change to their Sports program with all of Year 9 attending Sport on Monday afternoons in either a recreational sport of their choosing or interschool grade sport. We are sure that students are enjoying increased choice in the curriculum studied at school. Later this term, Year 9 will complete a session on managing money in our ‘Talk Money’ program. The program is aimed at improving financial literacy. In Year 9 students will complete two workshops. The first will be about the world of work, employee rights and having constructive conversations at work. The second workshop is aimed at gaining awareness of their digital profile, reading payslips and managing tax and superannuation. Thank you to Ms Cho for organising this important activity. Information regarding NAPLAN 2026 for Year 9 is found at the end of this report. Year 10 On Monday 16th February Year 10 students were involved in the Assessment Information Session to prepare the cohort for their senior years. The presentation went through assessment processes, illness and misadventure appeals, and academic misconduct, covering the important points that are included in the Year 10 Assessment Manual. This document has been emailed to all families this week. Please read through this document carefully with your child and if there are any questions, please contact Mrs Wallwork - Deputy Principal.  As part of our wellbeing program students will complete the Youth Aware Mental Health Workshops on the 9,16 and 23 March. On Wednesday 11 March there will be vaccinations for our Year 10 students and on Wednesday 25 February, Year 10 will complete NESA’s mandatory ‘All My Own Work’ modules. All My Own Work (AMOW) is designed to give students the opportunity to understand, value and use ethical practices when locating and using information during their studies. This includes following the principles of ethical practice to avoid malpractice when students prepare their work. To be eligible for entry into a Preliminary and/or Higher School Certificate (HSC) course, and for the award of the HSC, all students must complete AMOW or its equivalent.  Year 11 Year 11 are preparing to attend camp in Jindabyne in Week 6 from Monday 2 March to Friday 6 March. This is an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships amongst the cohort and for students to challenge themselves with the activities on offer. We know that all our students will display resilience in trying things even when they seem difficult during this camp. Thank you to Mrs Sheppard and Mr Atkin for the organisation they have done in preparing this opportunity and to all staff who will be attending to support our students. Year 11’s leadership skills and capabilities have been on display this week. Firstly the SRC leadership held a very successful Valentines Day event. The planning of roses, serenades and decorations made for a great event that contributes towards building school spirit. Our Sports Leaders have also led their sports houses in a very successful swimming carnival including a ‘fashion parade’ and cheering competition. Well done to all our Year 11 leaders! Year 11 will complete their first Assessment Block from Monday 23 March to Friday 27 March. Further information including a timetable and instructions will be sent out in the coming weeks. Year 12 Over the last few weeks Year 12 have been working hard in their classes in preparation for their upcoming assessment block in week 8 of this term. Further details will be sent to all students and parents next week. On Friday 27 February Year 12 will be involved in a RIOT refresher workshop to continue the work we have been doing across the school with our Resilience in Our Teens Program and on Friday 13 March students will participate in the Elevate Education Study Skills- Finishing Line program, which will assist our students to put in place strategies to address subject gaps in the lead up to examinations, deal with stress and anxiety and set up good study routines. Alumni Night Our first HGHS Alumni Night was held on Thursday 12 February. This event involved approximately 21 ex-students coming back to school to visit and share their insights and experiences in high school, university, and life beyond studies with our current Y11 and Y12 students. It was a wonderful event. Thank you to our prefects and Mr Junaid Blake for the organisation of this. We look forward to many more in the future.  Club’s Expo On Wednesday 25 February at lunch time the Prefects will again be holding a clubs expo at the school. This event is to encourage participation in HGHS clubs and introduce junior students to the many extracurricular activities in the school. This club expo aims to increase school spirit and promote cross-grade relationships, further fostering the well-being of students through creative outlets. Thank you again to our wonderful prefects and Mr Blake you their organisation of this event.  SRC Induction On 27 February we will be holding our SRC induction to formally recognise the newly appointed SRC for 2026. This will commence in the HGHS Hall from 9 am. Formal invitations will be sent out early next week.  HGHS Mobile Phone Policy  HGHS endorses the DoE Policy of “Off and Away”. This policy allows students to carry their mobile phones in their bags to and from school. Students while on the school grounds must not use their phone to text, to make a phone call, play games or access social media. Students can only use their phones for educational purposes under the direction of a teacher. This could be, for instance in a Maths or Science lesson, or to take screenshots of a teacher’s notes during class if allowed to by a teacher.  Students are to keep their phones in their bags, at all times while on the school premises. If a teacher sees a student with a phone on a desk or not in a bag, the teacher will ask the student to put the phone away whether they are in a classroom or in the playground.  Repeated infringements will be referred to the relevant Head Teacher or Deputy Principal. School staff can allow students to use their mobile phones in specific circumstances, for an educational purpose, for their wellbeing or to support students with specific needs. These are called exemptions. Specific exemptions to our procedures include timetable checks, checking the time, and using your phone wallet to access your student card to allow you to swipe-on at the beginning of the school day.  Most importantly if a student needs to contact their parents because of an emergency, or illness they must go to the Reception Office. They should not be using their phone to contact parents to come and pick them up. The process is for the student to go to reception, be checked into the sick bay and parents called by an office staff member.  NAPLAN 2026 In Term 1 each year, students in Year 3 ,5 ,7 and 9 complete their NAPLAN assessments. This email contains important information regarding the steps that parents and caregivers need to take prior to the NAPLAN tests in March. NAPLAN will be held for Year 7 and Year 9 on the following dates: Wednesday March 11th - Writing  Thursday 12th March - Reading Friday 13th March - Conventions of Language Monday 16th March -  Numeracy In preparation for these assessments we ask that parents and caregivers assist their child to ensure the following:

• The laptop to be used conforms to the device requirements: Device requirements
• The laptop that your child uses has a lockdown browser installed. Previous lockdown browsers should be deleted and a new one downloaded.
• Lockdown browsers to be used are provided in this link: Lockdown browser
• Have your student complete a demonstration test at home so that we know that the technology works and they are familiar with the platform. Practice tests are found here: Public demonstration site
• Students bring their headphones for the assessments. It is recommended NOT to use wireless or bluetooth as the lockdown browser can prevent these from working. If a student arrives and does not have headphones or the headphones do not function they will be supplied with new headphones and parents/caregivers will be invoiced $8 for the cost of these.
• Remove any parental controls placed on their child’s device to make it easier for our staff to resolve technical problems during the assessment.

This will allow us to follow up on problems with laptops prior to the commencement of the NAPLAN assessments. Students will be required to confirm in their grade google classroom that they have updated the lockdown browser and a check will occur on Friday, March 6th March, 2026. These assessments are aimed at providing the Department of Education and the school with information regarding our literacy and numeracy teaching and learning strategies. The results of these assessments do not impact the performance of students in their curriculum studies at school. Please reassure students that their performance is not for the purpose of their academic reports or future class allocations.  If you have any further questions or technical issues please ask your child to see Ms Thompson or Ms Gilmore, or contact the school via this email address:  hornsbygir-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Vanessa Gilmore and Amanda Wallwork Deputy Principals

Year 8 HARDING MILLER EDUCATION FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

Congratulations to Mia and Vishruti who received the Harding Miller Education Foundation Scholarship. This scholarship is for students who demonstrate academic excellence and are highly motivated to succeed at school.

GYMNASTICS NSW - OUTSTANDING RESULTS - Rhythmic Gymnastics

Aggie Fan (Year 12) and  Olivia Ryu (Year 10)

• State Champion: Crowned 2025 NSW Championships Individual All-Around Champion, securing the title for an impressive four consecutive years since year 8
• National Champion: Selected to represent NSW at the 2025 Australian Championships as a member of the NSW State Team, and led the NSW team to the Team Gold Medal for New South Wales. Also achieved Individual All-Around Runner-up at the 2025  Australian Championships, claimed apparatus gold in Ribbon.   

SOCIAL JUSTICE - PARENTS & GUESTS WELCOME

Purchase tickets here

Jazz and Lyrical Dance Ensemble Auditions

Hornsby Girls High School is proud to bring another year of Jazz and Lyrical Dance programs as part of the Extracurricular Dance program. This year, we will be working with a new company called Central Academy- filled with highly experienced dance choreographers and instructors who personalise training sessions focused on technique, artistry and enjoyment.  Lyrical and Jazz Dance ensemble auditions will be held on the  26th February from 3-4pm. Students who are interested must complete the EOI Google form. Link provided: 

If you have any questions about the auditions, please come and speak to Ms Hoang at the PDHPE staffroom. Best of luck to all dancers auditioning! Ms Hoang - Extracurricular Dance Coordinator, 2026

KIDS GIVING BACK - Saffron Lo and Aditi Dubey

"I hope you are well and that the 2026 school year has started smoothly for your school community. I’m writing to sincerely thank you and to acknowledge the wonderful students from your school who volunteered with Kids Giving Back during Term 4 of 2025 and across the December/January school holidays. Their kindness, empathy and willingness to show up for others made a real and tangible difference to vulnerable communities across Sydney, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. These students were part of a wider group of young changemakers who prepared thousands of meals and care packs for people experiencing hardship. What stood out was not just what they did, but how they did it, with care, compassion and a genuine desire to help. Their actions so clearly reflect the values your school nurtures: kindness, leadership and social responsibility. If there is an opportunity to acknowledge their contribution within your school community, whether through a newsletter, assembly or certificate, we would be incredibly grateful!" Well done Saffron Lo and Aditi Dubey!

NSW School Vaccination Program Year 7 and Year 10 Students - Provide your consent for routine school vaccinations online

NSW Health works with schools to offer the vaccines recommended and funded for adolescents by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in a school-based vaccination program, including: diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, (whooping cough) (dTpa), human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal ACWY. NSW Health will offer these free routine vaccination clinics to all Year 10 and Year 7 students at school as follows;  YEAR 10  Wednesday 11th March 2026 – Meningococcal ACWY This clinic date will also include a Catch up Clinic for those students who missed their scheduled vaccinations last year. Year 11 – Meningococcal ACWY (if not already vaccinated in Year 10) and Year 8 – HPV and dTpa (those who missed it in Year 7). YEAR 7 Vaccinations - Term 3, 2026; Thursday 13th August 2026    -  dTpa vaccine  Thursday 10th September 2026   - HPV vaccine  To have your child vaccinated at school, you need to give your permission (consent), either online or by filling out and returning the paper consent form.  NEXT STEPS FOR FAMILIES 1. Please read and refer to the school vaccination program information on the NSW Health webpage https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/schoolvaccination.aspx 2.  Give consent online visit Health or scan the QR code provided. 3. Talk to your child about getting vaccinated. Helpful information and resources can be found at the following links - For Parents School Vaccination Program: for parents and carers and Students School vaccination information for students 

Year 10 HKWS Charity Drive

The Year 10 Charity Committee is proud to announce the upcoming HGHS Charity Drive and Charity Bake Sale Day in support of the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women's Shelter (HKWS). Commencing Monday 23rd February, donation boxes will be placed at the front office for students in Years 7–12 to contribute brand new items to assist women and children experiencing domestic violence and homelessness. In addition, a Charity Bake Sale will be held at lunch on Thursday 2nd April (the last day of term), and students are encouraged to bring coins to purchase baked goods, as well as a gold coin donation for the accompanying Mufti Day.  Well done to all Year 10 Committee members for their vigorous planning and preparations for the Charity Drive as well as the upcoming Charity Bake Sale Day. There has been nothing but leadership and hard work demonstrated in support of a truly worthwhile cause. More information will be posted in the coming week in the Daily Notices and in the next Torch newsletter highlighting the outstanding efforts made. A GoFundMe link will also be made available for parents who wish to make a donation  Ms Hoang - Year 10 Advisor

Travelling Safely - Bus Aware Week

At HGHS student wellbeing extends well beyond the classroom including the journey to and from school. Our streets are busy with buses, cars, cyclists and pedestrians and with so many distractions including phones, headphones and friends - staying aware of your surroundings is essential. Next week 23 February – 1 March, we recognise Be Bus Aware (Bus Safety) Week,  an initiative by Transport for NSW to build bus awareness in road users and pedestrians on how to stay safe on and around buses to reduce injuries and fatalities.  This includes awareness and safety around school buses for parents, carers and students to ensure everyone arrives at school and home safely each day! The highest-risk time for students is just after getting off a bus. Not only are buses large, they block visibility - drivers may not see students crossing and students may not see approaching traffic.   Due to their large size and mass, buses take longer to slow and can cause severe outcomes for other road users in accidents.   Drivers can help reduce the risk of accidents and keep children safe by:

• slowing down to 40km/h when bus lights are flashing, unless a lower speed limit applies. Lights flash on buses to warn motorists that they are picking up and dropping off children
• looking out for children crossing the road near bus stops, in school zones and along bus routes
• giving way to buses when they merge back into traffic.
• Keeping a safe distance when driving behind a bus, never merge closely in front of a bus and be aware of blind spots around busses

Students, a simple safety habit: Stop. Look. Listen. Think. Please remember to:

1. Stop one step back from the kerb
2. Look continuously both ways 
3. Listen for the sounds of approaching traffic - Remove headphones and pause phones before stepping onto the road  
4. Think whether it is safe to cross and keep checking until safely across.

For more information and and helpful resources that demonstrate safe road behaviours, please visit Be Bus Aware | Transport for NSW Bus safety for school students Wellbeing Team

OLD GIRLS CLASS OF 1959

"Just a note to say how much I enjoyed looking around my old school yesterday. It brought back many happy memories. Everyone we spoke to, both pupils and staff, were welcoming, gracious and helpful. We enjoyed chatting with Vanessa Gilmore (Deputy Principal). The buildings and grounds looked immaculately maintained, better than I can remember them! I have some photos to add to my memoirs. Best wishes for the future of the school. It remains a credit to all who work and study within its walls, Margaret Andrews ( née Pattison)".

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