From the Principal
Dear Parents/Caregivers, I hope you have had a wonderful week. Student Leadership - Ryde Public Schools Network Student Voice Council I was very proud of our two student leaders, Issy P and Sophie K, for their representation of our school at the Student Voice Council, convened by the Director Educational Leadership, Michael Hooker. The council is made up of student leaders from every primary and secondary school in the Ryde Network, only one of the networks represented in the larger Metropolitan North Regional council. Their first meeting for the year was held at Riverside this week and, by all accounts, was successful at bringing many inspiring ideas and initiatives for improving public education for all. Congratulations to Sophie who was elected to represent Ryde Network in the greater Metro North Council. It is opportunities like this that allow our bright, creative young minds to flourish and grow and, perhaps most importantly, empower them to contribute to the improvement of our society and, in this case, public education. I always look forward to seeing what happens when we engage student voice. World’s Greatest Shave bake sale at Epping Boys In other leadership initiatives, eight of our senior leaders were involved in the Epping Boys’ World’s Greatest Shave event this week. In a show of solidarity with the leaders of Epping, our leaders contributed to the fundraising for the event to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. I am always happy to support the good work that comes out of the collaboration with Epping Boys and look forward to many more such opportunities. Cricket Team – opportunities at Riverside It has taken two years of advocating from a passionate group of talented cricketers but we have finally got there – our own Riverside cricket team. And, may I add, the only reason that it has taken so long is that we were unable to form a team due to lack of players. Congratulations to these leaders and athletes who have trained and prepared to defeat Narrabeen Sports High School in their first match on Tuesday. I look forward to seeing what they will achieve as the team gets stronger. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until October to see what they can do as all of the pitches are being converted into football fields for winter! Thanks to Ms Miller for her great work coaching this team. School photos School photo day always sets a buzz around the school – the curls, ribbons and hairspray come out in abundance. Thanks to Ms Trapnell for her work, year after year, in organising this logistically complex event. We all appreciate it. Drop off at school – stay safe I would like to request that no one park over the school driveway when you are dropping off your daughter in the morning. Please remember that your convenience does not always equate to safety for our students and teachers. Please endeavour to drive beyond the driveway and drop your daughter off further down the road (towards the ferry stop). You may then also make use of the round about to return to Victoria Rd, without doing a U-turn over double yellow lines. Welcome to Year 7 Afternoon Tea A date for the diary is Tuesday 24 March for a Welcome to Year 7 Afternoon Tea for all families of Year 7. This is a casual event to provide the opportunity for parents to meet their daughter’s teachers. It is not a parent teacher interview. Year 7 will receive interim reports in Term 1 Week 10 to provide initial feedback to parents and final reports in preparation for parent teacher interviews in late Term 2. We hope to see you for some cake and chat.
Ignite Program Information Evening – Year 7 2027 There will be an information evening for the Ignite Program on Wednesday 1 April at 6:00pm in the school hall. Please pass this on to any friends or family who might be interested in seeking information about this HPGE program at Riverside for Year 7 2027. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Louise McNeil Principal
Mindfulness Mondays
School Photo Make Up Day 16 March 2026
For students that were absent for school photo day on Wednesday 11 March, the make up day has been scheduled for Monday 16 March. Please ensure your daughter is in full school uniform.
Harmony Day
The SRC are celebrating Harmony Day next week by sharing messages and a Harmony focused assembly. Students are encouraged to wear a splash of orange on Wednesday 18th March to acknowledge this important day.
Faculty News
Science
HPGE Year 7 Science
The Year 7 HPGE Science class recently carried out a practical investigation inspired by a simple kitchen question: Does adding salt change how long it takes for water to boil? The idea came from a discussion about cooking pasta.
To test this, students designed an experiment comparing the boiling point of plain water with water that had salt dissolved in it. Using thermometers and bunsen burners, they carefully heated both samples and recorded the temperature at which each one began to boil.
Our results showed that saltwater took longer to boil and that it boiled at a slightly higher temperature than plain water. This happens because of a scientific principle called boiling point elevation. When a substance like salt dissolves in water, it interferes with the movement of water molecules. As a result, the water needs a little more heat energy to escape into the air as steam, which means the boiling point increases.
Although the difference in temperature was small, the experiment helped students see how everyday observations, like cooking pasta, can lead to meaningful scientific questions. It also highlighted the importance of fair testing, careful measurement, and analysing results.
It was a great example of how science connects the classroom with real-world experiences, and the class enjoyed discovering that even simple ingredients like salt and water can reveal interesting chemistry.
Mr R Gorrez
Solar power and generating electricity
In science class we did a very experiment using the STELR kits to test ‘Which angles of a solar panel maximises the amount of electrical currents that is produced from the light source.’ To do this experiment we created a circuit with solar panels and clips and connected the whole thing to an multimeter to measure the current and voltage that is produced by the solar panels. Instead of using the sun we used an artificial light that mimics the sun rays that is included from the STELR kit as well as all of the other equipment.
To discover the most efficient angle we used protractors to angle the solar panels while the light is pointed at the panels, keeping everything in the same position as the constant variable to maintain the accuracy of the experiment and just changing the angle that the solar panels face as the independent variable. This was very fun and informative activity that allowed us to get a further understanding of how renewable sources can be used to generate electricity, which will be incredibly useful for our depth study related to optimising the energy usage at RGHS. By Mila J 9T
Co-curricula Activities
🏏 Riverside Opens Cricket Team Triumphs in Round 2 of the Marie Cornish Trophy - Syd North competition 🏆
Congratulations to our Opens Cricket Team for their victory in the second round of the Sydney North cricket competition! Facing off against Narrabeen Sports HS on a hot and humid day, our team showed grit, skill, and unbeatable spirit in a fiercely competitive match. Riverside took to the field first, with Nancy B setting the tone by claiming the first wicket of the day and finishing with impressive bowling figures of 2/14. Shikha S delivered a powerful performance as well, with outstanding figures of 2/10. Thanks to their sharp bowling, Narrabeen was restricted to 4/95 after 20 overs. Chasing the target, Riverside showcased excellent teamwork and composure, reaching the winning runs by the end of the 18th over. Leading the charge with the bat was Ria S, remaining not out with a fantastic 39 runs, supported admirably by Shika S who contributed a valuable 17 runs before retiring hurt. Contributing to further excitement for the team was the opportunity to meet ex-international cricketer, former Bangladesh captain Jahanara Alam who umpired the game. What a fabulous team effort in tough conditions — well done, Riverside Opens Cricket Team! Keep up the brilliant work as you continue this exciting season! Ms N Miller
Sydney North Representatives
Congratulations to the following students on their Sydney North sporting achievements.
SRC March Charge
The SRC would like to announce Riverside’s participation in ‘The March Charge’, a month-long fitness challenge and fundraiser run by the Cancer Council to support cancer research. Almost 1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. So, we’re doing our part to change this by getting active, setting our goals, and fundraising to help end cancer. Students are encouraged to walk or run as many kilometres as they can contribute to this important cause. Others can also donate to support their kilometres, with all funds going directly to cancer research. You can use the link here to donate directly to the Riverside Team https://www.themarchcharge.com.au/fundraisers/riversidegirlshighschool
Rehearsals for Peter Pan
Rehearsals have commenced for this year’s school production of Peter Pan. On Wednesday, the whole cast came together to receive their scripts and rehearsal schedules and participate in an initial read through of some of the scenes from the play. It was great to see so many students across all grades attend and excited to read the script. We have 105 students in the cast this year. Rehearsals continued on Thursday, with a smaller section of the cast. This rehearsal focused on characterisation and initial blocking of the first three scenes and the last scene. It was really pleasing to see the students transform so effectively into the roles they had been assigned. Rehearsals for the cast take place every Wednesday and Thursday after school until 4:30pm. A rehearsal schedule has been created so that cast are only required to attend the relevant rehearsals. The backstage crew will join us in Term 2 at the Thursday rehearsals. Next week’s rehearsals will focus on scenes involving The Lost Boys on Wednesday and the Pirates on Thursday.
Ms R Young
2026 UTS Startups Summit
On Wednesday 4 March, Year 10 students travelled to the International Convention Centre Sydney for the UTS Startups Summit. The event brought together innovators, founders, investors, and students from across the state to explore the rapidly evolving world of technology and entrepreneurship.
Before the keynote sessions began, students were able to explore the expo area, which featured dozens of startup booths and technology demonstrations. This interactive space was one of the highlights of the day. Students had the chance to speak directly with tech entrepreneurs, startup founders, and product developers about their work and their journeys in the startup space.
Did you know that Tech Central is a massive, 6-square-kilometer innovation precinct in Sydney's CBD, stretching from Haymarket to South Eveleigh, designed to be Australia's premier technology hub? It features giants like Atlassian and Canva alongside startups, research hubs, and universities, supported by over $38 million in NSW Government Funding. With AI's rapid evolvement over the last 2 years, this space is an exciting hub for students to immerse themselves in.
Among the featured keynote speakers was Australian tech entrepreneur Scott Farquhar, co-founder of Atlassian, who shared insights into building one of Australia’s most successful global technology companies. He spoke about the importance of curiosity, determination, and kindness, three qualities he asks of his own children to demonstrate while navigating their place in this world. The Q&A style discussion saw Scott discuss how his humble beginnings turned into a multi billion dollar company. His message? For students to pursue ideas that solve real-world problems.
Students also heard from venture capital expert Jess Walker from Black Nova Venture Capital, who provided a fascinating perspective on how investors identify promising startups. Her talk explored how venture capital supports early-stage companies, what investors look for in founders, and why innovation and strong problem-solving skills are essential in the startup world.
Another highlight of the summit was the presentation by Nilram Azadpeyma, a solutions architect from OpenAI. Nilram discussed the growing role of artificial intelligence in modern technology and demonstrated how AI tools are being used to support businesses, developers, and creative industries. Students gained a deeper understanding of how emerging technologies such as AI are shaping the future of work and innovation.
She highlighted how these very tools can be used to create a startup in a matter of minutes compared to weeks or months worth of work before AI was developed. Overall, the excursion was both inspiring and educational. Students returned to school with new ideas, a greater understanding of entrepreneurship, and a deeper appreciation for the possibilities within the technology sector. Riverside Girls High School would like to thank UTS for organising the summit and for hosting such an engaging event.
Senior Premier’s Debating Challenge
Our senior debaters competed in Round 1 of the Premier’s Debating Challenge’ against Marsden High School Round 1 topics were based on ‘Education’ and the topic debated was: That university entrance requirements should be based on portfolios of work instead of exam results, and Riverside Girls debated as the affirmative. This was the team’s first debate of the year and after one hour of preparation, our girls presented a convincing argument that circulated around the reasoning that a portfolio of work which including exam results would enable students to showcase all their skills and more adequately demonstrate an applicants suitability for a course. After an exciting and detailed debate the adjudicator ruled in their favour and Riverside was victorious! Congratulations Louisa, Summer, Peggy and Issy on all your hardwork. Thank you Zoe in Year 11 for being our chairperson.
Vaccination Consent
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
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
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!