From the Principal
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
Social media age restrictions for under 16s begins on 10 December
This week I would like to focus on the upcoming social media age restrictions for under 16s to begin on 10 December. This will apply to students from Year 7-11, so a significant portion of our school population.
The message that is coming through loudly and clearly from all government and departmental media releases and information bulletins is that the age restriction is not the responsibility of schools or parents to police, although we do play a significant role in ensuring that our young people are informed of their rights and responsibilities regarding this law and that they know who to turn to if they have questions or concerns about their online habits.
It is being made very clear that it is the responsibility of the social media platforms to manage who is legally able to create accounts on their platforms.
For further information for parents and young people, the link below to the eSafety Commissioner provides a comprehensive outline of key aspects to the ban. There is also a webinar that you may like to log into to further inform yourselves:
Social media age restrictions hub | eSafety Commissioner
We will continue to work with our students to educate them on the safe use of technology through our Behaviour Strategy and Digital devices policy. I am hopeful that this move to protect young people from unsafe online behaviour and content will have a significant positive impact on the wellbeing and capacity of our young people to engage more proactively in the real world and realign their focus to real world relationships and activities; the world beyond their screens.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Louise McNeil
Principal
Happy World Teachers' Day - 31 October 2025
Riverside Arts Night
To celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students across the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) and PDHPE programs, we are pleased to invite you to the Riverside Arts Night on Thursday 13 November.
The Art Gallery will be open in the Gymnasium from 5:00 pm, followed by Music and Dance performances in the Hall from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
A food truck will be available on site for you to purchase light refreshments during the evening.
To assist us with event planning and seating arrangements, please complete the Google Form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe04CdyU1i2EMgJO4YnEd_q3VRIensZ2BakabY4DorFxI_DjQ/viewform
We look forward to celebrating our students’ creativity and talent with you.
Faculty News
English
Classics by the Cove 2025
This past week in English and Drama classes, Year 7 and Year 9 Drama students have begun working on their Classics by the Cove performances. Students have engaged in a range of class activities to prepare themselves for the performance. They have delved into the classical texts studied and explored the power of language to communicate to and engage an audience.
In addition, the students have been actively involved in the creative process. They have collaborated to write original scripts, auditioned for roles, and made decisions in the staging and interpretation of the performances. This hands-on approach has allowed students to develop their creative and critical thinking skills and added more complexity to their engagement of these classical texts. Students will be performing scenes from Shakespearean plays, Ancient Greek Myths, poetry, novels and Commedia dell’arte.
We look forward to sharing these performances with the Riverside Community on Thursday 27 November at 6pm. All are welcome to attend. The P&C will be selling refreshments before the performances and during intermission.
The photos below are of 7G rehearsing The Secret Garden and 7T students developing their script.
Ms R Young
Insight Creative Writing Competition
Congratulations to our very own Isabela M.M in year 8 who has been shortlisted for her creative writing piece entitled “Syntax Error” in the Insight Creative Writing Competition.
Isabela has been invited to the award ceremony in Melbourne where the winner will be announced on the 10 December.
Here is a copy of her story for you to enjoy over a cup of tea.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14i8pIIgBvJV2v9nd-8AssQ-zSBhXcmXo8Af35jDwn70/edit?tab=t.0
Ms M Purisima
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
From the Office
With the change in weather comes the flu and allergy season. If your child is away from school for three or more days, a medical certificate is required. Please email it to us or have your child bring it in when they return to school.
Dates for the diary
P&C
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