Dear Parents/Caregivers,
I hope you have had a wonderful week.
As you could imagine, it has been a big, wet week at Riverside. As always, the school was abuzz in the mornings with extension classes, dance, music and vocal group rehearsals, as well as the aroma of fresh coffee and baked goods from Matta Tiddas; and in the afternoon with musical rehearsals and mock trial. It is always so wonderful to walk into such a vibrant, happy, occupied school in the morning with active learning and engagement taking place. It immediately brings a smile to my face as I walk from my car to my office and sets me up in a very positive mood for the day. It is also a great source of pride for me to host school tours for prospective families, as I did this morning, knowing that the families will only leave with a positive impression of our students and the learning at Riverside.
Mock Trial
Congratulations to our talented Mock Trial Team who didn’t manage to win this week but put up a great contest. Thankyou to Mr Zabakly for the time and energy he puts into preparing these future young lawyers and communicators for these incredibly gruelling events. We are very proud of their achievements.
HPGE Dance opportunity
We are very proud of our Dance program at Riverside and the work that our dancers do with our talented teachers, Ms Mitchell and Ms Hendriks, assisted by Jess in Year 12. I was treated to the talents of our HPGE dance students in Years 7-11 when I visited their dance incursion yesterday. Having two left feet and no brain for recalling choreography, I am always in awe of the beauty of movement and performance and was immediately captivated by the spectacular of these 26 students gliding across the floor in perfect synchronicity. Congratulations to all of the participants and to Ms Mitchell for her choreography and leadership of these students. I look forward to enjoying the final polished performance.
Year 10 Subject Selection Information Evening
Year 10 have been presented with their Stage 6 curriculum booklets. This information provides the basis for all decision-making for subjects for Preliminary and HSC courses (Year 11 and 12), including all of the courses available to study at Riverside. If you are a parent of a Year 10 student, please RSVP to the Subject Selection Information Evening on Tuesday 27 May at 6pm in the Hall. We look forward to seeing you all at this very important evening.
I hope you have bought your tickets for the musical and have a wonderful weekend.
Louise McNeil
Principal
Messages from the Office
Student safety
We wish to recognise and thank the Riverside parents who are considerate, patient and law-abiding as they drop their children off in the morning and collect them by car in the afternoon. We would also like to note the actions of some parents and ask for their immediate help in improving safety for our students.
Please do not illegally park at the front of the school, in No Stopping zones, across the driveway or in the bus zones. Parking signs are designed to prioritise student safety. We would appreciate your adherence to the road rules to ensure student safety.
Appointments
Regular attendance has countless benefits for your child’s learning and development. Parents play an important role in ensuring students get to school and stay in school every day.
Building positive attendance habits
You can help build positive attendance habits by:
- helping your child learn the importance of punctuality and routine
- making sure your child arrives on time from the start of the school day, ready to take part
- reducing disruption to learning where you can, by planning any necessary appointments outside of school time
- contacting your school to explain any absences (within 7 days of the first day of any absence)
- making sure any holidays or medical appointments are taken outside school hours
- working with the school to encourage and support regular attendance.
Co-curricula Activities
Don’t Miss The Little Mermaid!
With just under two weeks until the opening night of The Little Mermaid, the cast, crew and orchestra have all been working really hard to bring this magical show to life. Our rehearsals this week saw the cast and orchestra come together for an extended rehearsal. The backstage crew also worked well on applying the finishing touches to the props and set pieces.
The power of a live theatrical performance lies in the connection between the performers and the audience. Each reaction from the audience becomes energy for the performer and creates a vibrant atmosphere, propelling their performances to new heights and giving our talented students a platform to showcase their talent. For our performers in both the cast and orchestra, the opportunity to perform in front of a packed house, is a chance to shine. We invite all students, families, friends and community members to join us for an unforgettable journey under the sea.
Tickets for students and children are $15 and $25 for adults. No tickets will be sold at the door. Performances commence at 6:30pm on the Wednesday 4th, Thursday 5th and Friday 6th June. https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1397612?date=2025-06-06
Here are some photos from this Thursday's rehearsal.
The Little Mermaid - Parent Volunteers Needed
The P & C will be selling refreshments at The Little Mermaid Production on 4, 5 and 6 June, before the show and during interval. If you can help out please complete the google form below to indicate your availability or contact Zoe on 0405 917 933 to volunteer.
https://forms.gle/VX88mCphcK7N1KJFA
More Than a Match: Celebrating Culture and Pride at Marn Grook
Last Friday evening, under the lights of the Sydney Cricket Ground, the GO Foundation was honoured to once again stand as Match Day partner for the Sydney Swans’ annual Marn Grook Match — a proud fixture of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round. In a spirited contest, the Swans met Carlton in a game that transcended the scoreboard.
It was a celebration of the enduring strength, depth, and vibrancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. We were privileged to be joined by over 120 GO Scholars and their families. Among the supporters was the esteemed Michael O’Loughlin, GO Foundation co-founder.
Our scholarship holders were not mere spectators; they were participants in history. They took to the field as mascots, delivered the match ball, met the captains at the coin toss, and stood proudly at the boundary line as the players warmed up. These moments — small in time but grand in meaning — exemplified empowerment and visibility. Our school is incredibly proud of Matilda TH, Sharlae H, and Aziza TA. Thankyou to their families for their ongoing support.
The evening opened with a stirring performance by Gomeroi artist Kobie Dee, followed by a powerful Welcome to Country from the Gamay Dancers — both unforgettable highlights that set the tone for the night.
We extend our congratulations to the Sydney Swans on their 78–62 victory — but more importantly, we thank everyone who contributed to making the evening such a success. Special mention goes to Jay Wathun, our GO Scholarship Program Officer, for his outstanding commitment to our students.
For the GO Foundation and our community, this was far more than a game. It was a reaffirmation of connection, culture, and collective pride.
Let us honour it. Let us remember it. Let us continue the work.
More Than a Match: Celebrating Culture and Pride at Marn Grook.
Ms Amanda Ghorra - Aboriginal Student coordinator
#GOFoundation #MarnGrook #SydneySwans #CarltonFC #AFL #IndigenousEducation #EducationAustralia #LoveWhereYouLearn #RiversideGirlsHighSchool
Premier's Debating Challenge (Round 2)
The senior debating team competed in round 2 of the Premier’s Debating Challenge’ against Tempe High School.
The debaters were Year 11 students Louisa, Summer, Peggy and Issy and Year 9 student Sophia was chairperson.
Round 2 topics were based on ‘Politics’ and the topic debated was: That we should ban politicians from appearing on podcasts, and Riverside Girls debated as the negative.
After one hour of preparation, our girls presented a convincing argument that circulated around the reasoning why change the status quo?
After quite an intellectual and eloquent debate, Riverside Girls secured the WIN and will progress to Round 3: Health.
Congratulations, debaters!
Ms M Purisima
Girls In Property Industry Insight City Excursion
On our day trip to the city for Girls in Property, we were immersed into a completely different world. Normally, when we go into the city we just see the outsides of tall buildings and brush past busy people on their way to work, but this excursion showed us the thought built into things as simple as the pavement we walked on. We met some truly inspiring people with relatable stories and passions for their work. It was amazing to be a part of such an empowering experience, especially as young girls about to enter the workforce, and we were met by so many friendly people with genuine interests in our curiosity. We’re all super excited to continue with this challenge and see what else we can learn and who else we can learn from.
Isabelle V & Olivia L
NSW Blue Team - Chloe F - Year 8
Congratulations to Chloe F from year 8 who is a very talented football player. She has been selected to play for the NSW Blue Team.
Some context on what that means:
"The Talent Support Program (TSP) is a games-based program, where the top players from each Sydney Metro region (North, South, East, West, and Far South) play regular high-level matches against each other and A-League academies.
The purpose of TSP is to provide an increased number of talented players exposure to a high quality environment and an increase in high quality games. Further, it will enhance the process for talent identification and selection of representative teams and provide additional opportunities for benchmarking and identification for national teams.
In the FNSW TSP our key words are "Adaptable, Brave and Creative".
Half a foot in the door to being a Matilda - Australian Rep if she keeps up her hard work. Congratulations again Chloe!
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