Dear Parents/Caregivers,
It has been an extra big week at Riverside this week, including my favourite event of the year - Recognition Assembly. The Hall was packed with proud parents, grandparents and students, eagerly awaiting the presentation of the awards, be they academic, leadership, contribution to innovation and design or recognition for entrepreneurship.
Whole school events always remind me why it is that I love coming to work every day – it is the teamwork, collaboration, collegiality, communication and genuine care for our students that unites our teaching and support staff. And the real cream on the cake is that I get to work with all of your wonderful children everyday and to strive to provide them with the happiest, most rigorous, innovative quality learning environment that I can. Recognition Assembly is a wonderful affirmation of all that we do so well at Riverside.
Congratulations to all of the award recipients, and, as I stated in my address to the assembly, not everyone can receive an award but for every student who was acknowledged today, we encourage them to keep up the great work and continue to lead Riverside through their exemplary work ethic and determination to succeed. The future is looking very bright with all of our students leading the way into it. And I stand by those words absolutely.
This week is the last full week of school before students return to us on Thursday 6 February 2025 (all year groups). The last day of school for 2024 is Wednesday 18 December. Students will receive their reports on Tuesday 17 December to read and reflect on their feedback from teachers. We encourage all students to discuss their reports with their parents and ask their teachers for any clarification they may need about the feedback.
Have a wonderful weekend and an amazing Christmas season. We look forward to seeing all of our students back at school in 2025.
Louise McNeil
Principal
Faculty News
Maths
Maths Olympiad and Maths Games
Nearly 70 students from Years 7 and 8 have been putting their maths problem-solving skills to the test in recent months, completing four events in either the Maths Olympiad or Maths Games. These are run across Australia and New Zealand and give students a fantastic opportunity to solve some quite challenging problems!
The Maths Olympiad is difficult and extremely competitive, so it is wonderful to have Shikha S and Zi Kei A achieve scores in the top 10% of all participants. To honour this amazing achievement, they receive a “high achievers” medal and pin. We also had two students - Olivia K and Haruna C achieve scores in the top 25% of participating students. They each receive a patch to recognise this fantastic result. A special encouragement award was also presented to Susanna B, who participated in the Maths Games last year but decided to compete in the Olympiad this year and performed admirably.
She is commended for her willingness to step outside her comfort zone and challenge herself. The Maths Games is a non-competitive format where students can still test their skills but without the pressure of competition. Congratulations to Amy C, Cleo H, Amelie B and Genevieve D, who received a patch for their outstanding results in the Maths Games.
Congratulations to all the students who participated and gave it their absolute best!
Mrs S Halverson
HPGE
On Thursday 12 December, a Dance Workshop was organised to develop the potential of Riverside Girls High School students interested in Dance for Years 7-10. Run by the ‘Dancing Under the Influence’ Dance Company, this one hour workshop by a professional dance teacher provided the students the opportunity to develop their ability and knowledge of contemporary dance.
This experience was organised as part of the Riverside Girls High School HPGE program, responding to a Year 8 HPGE survey where many students identified interest in participating in an external enrichment activity that involved an expert professional running a session for Dance or Sport. At the end of the workshop experience, the participating students provided very positive feedback, many requesting that it could be run again next year.
Ms E Turner
Co-curricular Activities
2024 Sportswoman of the Year award recipients
Congratulations to our 2024 Sportswoman of the Year award recipients.
- Overall Champion - Charli N (370 points)
- Overall Runner-up - Bronte N (299 points)
- Senior Champion - Alicia L (222 points)
- Senior Runner-up - Mikayla D (186 points)
- Junior Champion - Susanna B (204 points)
- Junior Runner-up - Jacqueline P (161 points)
The Annual Stream
The Stream team is excited to announce the release of our third issue of the magazine. The girls have spent the year brainstorming, writing, editing and designing the magazine. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of students at this school as well as the HPGE opportunities available at the school.
We hope you enjoy reading and please share it with your friends/parents outside of school. You can access your digital copy from this link.
https://tinyurl.com/TheStream2024
Mr J Zabakly
Lane Cove Youth Orchestra Collaboration Concert
On Monday 9 December, the Lane Cove Youth Orchestra held a collaboration concert with the Riverside Girls High Senior Orchestra in the school hall. This was part of a funding grant received by the Lane Cove Youth Orchestra, as part of the NSW Government’s $37.2 million Local Small Commitments Allocation Program, which aims to continue developing symphony performance opportunities to young musicians in the community.
The program of both orchestras featured a blend of classical favourites and contemporary works, highlighting the skill and dedication of the young musicians. The highlight of the program was a newly commissioned work by Adrian Hallam, called "Impending Joy". All performances were captivating and brought together the powerful collaboration of the musicians involved. Congratulations to all student performers who participated in the evening, and special thanks to Lyndall McNally (President of LCYO) and Mr Tim Kannegieter who organised the concert.
Ms C Wang
Honouring Our Senior Years: Celebrating the Senior Spirit Football Match – Friday, 6 December
On Friday, 6 December, our school senior community gathered to witness a thrilling NOW tradition — the Senior Spirit Football Match — as we honoured our Year 10 students moving into their senior years and the Year 12's of 2025. The match was a high-energy showdown, filled with tense and challenging but good-natured competition. Screaming goals were netted by Maya P, Alicia L, Charli H, and Leanne C, showcasing incredible skill and Sam Kerr like stamina.
In the end, the game resulted in a 2-2 draw, a testament to the evenly matched spirit and talent of both sides. Beyond the goals and the game, the true highlight was the cheerleading teams from both years, the school spirit and camaraderie that make our school shine and make for a well earned zooper dooper. Thank you Mr Gorrez for stepping up and putting on your runners to coach such a wonderful team! Mr Palmero for encouraging our students on and off the field.
A huge thank you to the admin staff, DJ Pontin, Mikayla D and the official team — including School Captain Zara P and students Micah C and Isla E— for helping the event run smoothly.
We also extend our gratitude to all the teachers who supported the match on the day, it was a sweltering hot day with the cicadas singing in the background. It was a celebration of the journey ahead for our seniors!
Ms Ghorra - Year 10 Adviser and football coach
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 Lemon and Ms T Soares