Riverside Currents Week 2 Term 1 2026

From the Principal

Dear Parents/Caregivers, Welcome to Year 7 Welcome back to the new school year with an extra big welcome to our Year 7 students and their families. Introducing each new Year 7 group always brings a renewed energy to the school and the Year 7 class of 2026 is our biggest cohort yet. 130 vibrant, happy, energetic young women bouncing their way off to class, getting lost around the school, looking for the lunchtime clubs and displacing older students in their quest to find their place in the school. And this is all done with the happiest and politest of demeanours. Every year I stand back and admire how quickly each Year 7 cohort settles in and at the end of Week 1, I almost feel like they have always been here. We are truly delighted to begin their high school journey with them. New staff/Year Advisers And as a new year rolls in we also welcome a number of new teachers: English Welcome back to Ms Turco – Head Teacher English (shared with Ms Purisima) Ms Bennett Maths Ms Wong Science Ms Wang HSIE Mr Andonov Ms Guerreiro-James PDHPE Ms Eldridge School Counsellor Ms Taylor Year 7 Year Adviser Ms Hendriks

Uniform I would like to begin by thanking you for supporting your daughter in wearing the Riverside school uniform. I am very confident that there is an option to suit all students, including navy shorts/pants (not tracksuit pants) and long sleeve shirts. We have also introduced a v-neck jumper, blazer and scarf for all students to wear as the weather becomes colder. Senior skirt We met with Year 11 this week to inform them that the only acceptable senior navy skirt is the one available through our official uniform supplier, Noone. We also have many good quality second hand skirts that we are happy to give to any student who is currently wearing the incorrect, old style fitted skirt, either given to them by a past student or a look alike purchased through an alternate supplier. The current skirt has been the mandated skirt since I have been at the school and students should be well aware of the uniform. If your daughter has any questions about the correct skirt, please suggest that she speak to the Front Office or Ms Gleeson. Applying for extended leave I would like to remind you all that school attendance is compulsory. For this reason, we encourage that all holidays are taken during school vacation periods. This is particularly important for students in Year 11 and 12 as the assessment rules are very strict and any non-attempt of assessment tasks due to unapproved leave, will receive 0. These rules are stated very clearly in the Preliminary and HSC Assessment Booklets. If there is an essential reason where you need to seek extended leave for your daughter (more than 3 days), I will only consider approving leave for extenuating circumstances. Please be aware of this and discuss all non-essential leave with your daughter prior to booking tickets to ensure they do not have assessments. This may make life far less stressful for your daughter, particularly as she prepares for her HSC. Hanol Middle School visitors We are currently hosting a school tour of eighteen Year 9 and 10 students from Hanol High School in South Korea. They are being given an Australian school experience with their Riverside buddies. They have had a great week playing ice breakers and attending normal lessons with their buddies. This is a valuable experience for the Korean students with the focus being on immersing them in learning in English to develop their confidence and skills in using English. They should go home with many stories of life in an Australian school. Thankyou to Mr Sendov for coordinating the 7-day tour so beautifully, drawing on the collective, generosity and spirit of Riverside to create such a memorable experience for these students. We will continue to open our doors to international students and tour groups as these rich cross-cultural opportunities provide a wonderful set of experiences and understandings for our students. P&C Meeting I would like to personally invite all parents to attend our P&C meeting in the school Common Room (D Block) on Tuesday 10 February at 7pm. Come and join a wonderful group of parents, committed to making our school a better place. Updated website Riverside Girls High School I am proud to announce that we have a new and improved website – designed by the NSW Department of Education and put together by our own Ms Holt. If you are curious, require information or would like to direct a friend to our school, please be aware that the information is absolutely up-to-date and hot off the press. And we will endeavour to keep it this way. We also appreciate any feedback that you may have so that we may provide the most user-friendly, accurate website we can. Please also refer to our social media to remain informed of our school goings on. Open Day Our annual Open Day will be held on Tuesday 3 March from 4:00 - 6:00pm. Please pass this on to your friends and family who may be interested in visiting our school and considering Riverside for their daughters now or in the future. We have also posted a QR code on Instagram to manage RSVPs. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Louise McNeil Principal

Open Day

Year 11 Information Evening

Faculty News

Science

The Science and CAPA faculties are excited to begin the new year of teaching and learning with a united approach.

Ms A Nikic

Co-curricula Activities

Congratulations to Lucy H (Year 10) who has been selected into the Football Australia FIFA Talent Development Scheme event. Lucy was also selected by Sydney FC into their invitation only development squad and by Football NSW to participate in their future Sapphire program. We wish Lucy all the best with her football endeavours ⚽⚽