WEEK 4, TERM 2, 23 may 2025
acknowledgement of country
We recognise the Dharrug and Kuringai people, the owners and custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories. We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education.
pRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Parents and Students,
At Wednesday night's P and C meeting we had 48 registered parents at our online meeting which focussed on Resilience In Our Teens (RIOT).
Our school's RIOT coordinator Mrs Susan Davenport (PDHPE Faculty) provided an excellent overview of the program, the evidentiary reasons for introducing the program at HGHS, the observations of staff and students regarding the program and its positive effect on school culture and other details on the continued integration of RIOT into school practices.
Parents are overwhelming supportive of the program, the wellbeing programs we have in the school and the caring nature of the staff who support the students in such a highly successful academic school.
Thank you Susan for the excellent presentation and giving up your time for the parent presentation.
Ms Katrina Thompson (IT Network Manager) always provides IT support for these online meetings and I would also like to acknowledge and thank Katrina for her time and expertise and assistance prior to and during the meeting as all attendees are registered and need to be allowed into the meeting once verified.
In my report to the P and C I mentioned the following:
A thank you to all parents who have made financial contributions to the school. As a highly successful selective school we provide programs and activities and teaching to achieve excellence. This has been achieved over the years through additional contributions from parents. I also made reference to and thanked those who might not be in a position to provide contributions but acknowledged their time, skill and expertise in assisting the school, whether through attendance at P and C meetings, as a member of the P and C or participation in P and C events.
I highlighted the upcoming Autumn Concert and the work of our new conductor Jenny Ridgway, next week's Year 11 and 12 Parent Teacher Night, and the upcoming 95th Anniversary of HGHS on Friday May 30 with students dismissed at 2:40pm.
The P and C are also planning a Spring Fair for Saturday 6 September. Students who are interested in performing at the Fair should register their interest with me in the coming weeks.
Reference was also made to the Year 10 Subject Selection process. Once the Year 10s complete their exams we will provide more information to students and parents. Thank you for your patience.
Last night we witnessed a brilliant school Autumn Concert with over 300 students and 400 parents in attendance at the Hornsby RSL.
The concert started at 7pm and concluded around 9:10pm with ensembles, orchestras, bands and choirs.
The concert also included video performances of small groups that were shown in-between the live performances when students were moving on and off the stage.
Yvette and Olivia (Year 11) were the MCs and did a great job of informing the audience of the performance schedule. While there were many student highlights a particular congratulations goes to Ruoyin Gan (Year 11) for playing a beautiful lead clarinet solo in the Symphony Orchestra.
To add to the rainy weather the RSL was leaking in parts and there were a large number of buckets with drops of water that students and staff negotiated as they moved to and from the stage.
Our new conductor Ms Jenny Ridgway's debut performance was spectacular! The students have responded very well to the change from Ms Sholl to Ms Ridgway and continue to excel.
Ms Nadia McCarthy directed the choirs and did a superb job.
Two inspiring musicians leading our students!
We are very fortunate to have them both.
Assisting Ms Ridgway and Ms McCarthy were Mrs Susie Sutcliffe and Mrs Sholl (organisation of students, assisting the conductor and director, and encouragement while debuting her impressive tambourine skills in the Jazz Band).
Thank you to Ms Isabella Pozzolungo (Head Teacher Creative and Performing Arts) for crowd control and her greetings and directions to parents throughout the evening.
It was very good to see both Mrs Sutcliffe and Mrs Sholl so relaxed prior to a school concert having handed the baton over to Ms Ridgway and Ms McCarthy!
Well done to our very dedicated Music Department who also helped to pack the truck at school with our GAs Mr Harris, Mr Tutty and Mr Bell, pushing road cases in the pouring rain!
Thank you to all students, staff and parents who assisted with the packing of the truck last night going well past 10pm.
Kind regards,
Justin Briggs - Principal
Deputy Principals' Message
Year 11 and 12 Parent Teacher night information - Parent teacher night will be held at Hornsby Girls High School on Wednesday 28th May from 3pm-7pm. The evening will give our teachers the opportunity to provide parents/caregivers with important feedback on the progress of their child. A reminder that interviews must be kept to a maximum of 5 minutes. It is suggested that you allow 5 minutes between each appointment in order to give you time to get to the next venue.
Year 9 and 10 Examination Block - Year 10 exams will commence in Week 5 28th May-30th May and Year 9 Exams commence in Week 5 from 2nd June- 5th June. An email has been sent to all parents, caregivers and students along with their examination timetable with further details.
Early Leavers Pass - From time to time it will be necessary for students to leave school early to attend an appointment. Whilst these instances should be kept to a minimum, we understand that sometimes it will be unavoidable.
If you know in advance that your child will need to leave school early, please send an email to the school at hornsbygir-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au including details for the reason for the early leave application, the date this will occur and the time that the student will need to leave school. The students will be required to swipe out at the office prior to leaving, be issued with a leave pass, and be permitted to leave the school grounds at the designated time.
Extended Leave - We always encourage families to organise leave to travel overseas during the school holidays, however if your child requires leave from school for more than 5 school days parents will need to apply for extended leave. The process for this has now changed. Please see the steps below.
Step One: Go to https://hornsbygir-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/
Step Two: Select ‘About Our School’ and then ‘Rules and Procedures’
Step Three: Complete the ‘Extended Leave Application’ form
Step Four: Have your child see the relevant Deputy Principal
Minerva Awards - During Year Assemblies in Week 4 students engaged in a presentation on the school’s Minerva Awards System. Students can obtain signatures from staff in the categories of:
Academic Endeavour and Spirit - School Spirit and Endeavour - Creative and Performing Arts Participation - Sporting Endeavour and Achievement - Community Service
The process for working towards Bronze, Silver and Gold Minerva Awards has been explained to students and many students have now collected their Minerva Card to begin collecting signatures.
All students have access to this presentation on their Grade Google Classroom and can talk with you about the awards scheme if you would like. Thank you to our Year Advisers for presenting this to their year groups.
Elevate education - Elevate Education will be hosting their next parent webinar on supporting your child during exams on June 4th.
Here’s what Elevate will be covering on the night:
Helping your child prepare in the week before an exam
Establishing a good routine for your child the night before
Helping your child to optimise their exam performance
Elevate works with our students at Hornsby Girls High School, delivering high-impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series, you’ll learn how you can help support your child at home by reinforcing the skills they’re learning at school.
Sign up for the session below to learn how you can help your child succeed in exams by establishing an effective routine in the days before.
Live Parent Webinar: How You Can Support Your Child During Exams
Wednesday 4th June 6:30-7:30pm (AEST)
https://go.elevateeducation.com/auschoolwebinars
Year 11 Life Ready - On Friday 16th May Year 11 participated in a presentation run by Legal Aid NSW, this program provided students with legal skills as they progress to the adult years. The topic areas covered enabled young people to identify problems that a lawyer can help them with. Topics include mobile phone and car contracts, money, fines, workplace rights, renting and credit debt.
Year 11 Charity Day - On Friday 16th May the Year 11 Charity Group raised a substantial $987.00 for the group Girls not Brides. Thank you to Ms Tourikis- Year 11 Adviser for her coordination of the event.
Butterfly Foundation Year 8 - On Thursday 15th May Year 8 were involved in a presentation from the Butterfly Foundation. The "Let’s Talk Body Image Online" workshop delivered evidence based, age and developmentally appropriate information on eating disorders and body image issues. The presentation helped students to develop positive strategies on how to deal with online appearance ideals, comparisons and appearance related teasing and bullying. Thank you to Ms Cho- Year 8 Adviser for her organisation of the event.
Year 9 Wellbeing presentation - On Wednesday 21st May Year 9 were engaged in a presentation from Toolbox Education on Overcoming Procrastination where students were taught practical CBT(cognitive behavioural therapy)-based strategies to limit their amount of procrastination. They were taught to understand how to identify avoidant behaviours, remove obstacles in the way of task completion, and form personalised action plans to re-focus. Thank you to Ms Hoang- Year 9 Adviser for your organisation of this event.
Ms Gilmore & Ms Wallwork
athletics carnival
That’s a Wrap on Our 2025 Carnivals! Our final school carnival for the year – the Athletics Carnival – was held Friday 9 May, and what a fantastic day it was! Thank you to all students, staff, and supporters who made the day so special. Congratulations to everyone who participated and gave it their all – your school spirit and sportsmanship were on full display.
Record-Breaking Performances!
We’re thrilled to share that four school records were broken on the day. A huge well done to the following athletes for their outstanding achievements:
● Arabella Lewis – 100m and 400m
● Jolin Wirianata – Long Jump
● Thinolee Gunnasinghe – Shot Put
Age Champions
Congratulations to our Age Champions for 2025:
● 12 Years: Ruby Cai
● 13 Years: Jolin Wirianata
● 14 Years: Diyana Kariyawasam
● 15 Years: Tara Gilkeson
● 16 Years: Summer Choi
● 17+ Years: Zoey Jiang
And a special mention to our Champion of Champions:
- Arabella Lewis
House Points Results
It was a tight contest, but Scott House emerged victorious – congratulations!
● 1st – Scott: 948 points
● 2nd – Rainbow: 899 points
● 3rd – Turner: 816 points
● 4th – Coghlan: 752 points
● 5th – Stephens: 573 points
Well done to all houses for their energy, participation, and competitive spirit throughout the day.
A special thank you to our House Leaders for your passion and leadership – you’ve done a fantastic job this year. We’re looking forward to your final challenge: the House Choir, coming up later this term!
Ms Hall - Carnival Convenor
saxophone quartet
On Monday 12th May, the sax players of Hornsby were lucky enough to have Jacopo Teddei (alto) and David Brand (baritone) of the Berlin Signum Sax Quartet join us for a two hour workshop.
The first half of the workshop was spent with our saxophone quartet (Evie, Melodie, Ruby, and Yi Ern), on their piece “Volcanic Ash”, in preparation for the upcoming ‘Strike A Chord’ Competition. They passed on valuable insights from their many years of experience, guiding us through ensemble skills, communication and the importance of details.
For the second half, all saxophonists from Years 7-12 joined in, where Yi Ern played through her HSC piece ‘The New South’ and was able to get some insightful and useful feedback from the players! This feedback helped not only Yi Ern, but also the rest of our saxophonists, running through concepts such as proper breathing, controlling sound, and extended techniques like circular breathing, growling, flutter tonguing and slap tonguing.
Near the end of the workshop, we even got the opportunity to hear them play a few excerpts from their upcoming concert, inspiring us all to be amazing players in the future!
Thank you to Mrs Sholl for organising this event, and to Musica VIva and the Signum Saxophone Quartet for the unforgettable and valuable experience!
By Melodie, Yi Ern, Evie and Ruby
Ms Sholl - Music Faculty
YEAR 11 CHARITY DAY
Year 11 had their Charity Day on Friday, the 16th of May. We were able to raise a whopping $1002.50 to support Girls Not Brides, and donate directly to “Supporting Afghan Girls through Sport.” Girls Not Brides is a global partnership aimed at preventing child marriage and empowering girls. For more information, about how you can support this organisation, take a look at their website! https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/
During lunchtime, the Year 11 Charity Committee held an extremely successful bake sale in the COLA, with goods ranging from barbie-themed drinks to iced cakes and cookies. We had a showing of “Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse” in the hall which was decorated with fairy lights, streamers and balloons! At the same time, we had a handheld photobooth going around with students and teachers enthusiastically taking photos with the props!
Thank you to everyone who has contributed and supported our Charity Day!
Ms Tourikis - Year 11 Advisor
Year 7 Peer Support
In our weekly Peer Support sessions, groups of ten Year 7 students work with two to three wonderful Year 10 leaders. Each week, they focus on a different topic to promote positive aspects in life, such as confidence, resilience, teamwork, and positive relationships, just to name a few. This week, the session was about Strengths and Positives Around Me. Students had the opportunity to identify their strengths and the strengths of their peers. By writing them out on little cards and exchanging them with a partner, they demonstrated and reflected on how peers can support and encourage each other, recognising and affirming their partner’s strengths. The session ended with making an origami heart, where students also wrote a positive aspect for one another, symbolising the goodness and positives they see in them. These little encouragement cards and hearts were placed in a lovely cellophane bag for them to take home as a reminder of their strengths and positives. The Year 10 leaders showed amazing leadership skills in organising the activities and modelling positive behaviours. Lots of smiles, laughter and chatting were observed as students interacted.
Ms Li - Student Support Officer
2025 zonta induction
On Tuesday Week 3, we were very grateful to induct 33 new members to the Zonta group for 2025! Our zontians pledged to fulfil the obligations of membership, before an insightful presentation of the global Zonta initiatives from the International District 24 Lieutenant Governor, Sue Johnston. We are looking forward to a year of leadership, fellowship and service at the HGHS Z-Club, under the Zonta International motto of “Build a Better World for Women and Girls.”
Amber McLean and Sidhi Saxena - President and Vice-President of Z-Club HGHS
Our first initiative for 2025, is to include a brief column in the Torch newsletter where we will advocate and spread awareness of women's rights, as well as discuss issues prevalent to women in today's society. Seryn Lim and Tabitha Riyaz in Year 11 are our first journalists for this year, with their case study on South Korea:
How does anti-feminist ideology manifest in the mistreatment and exploitation of women in the entertainment industry?
The 2022 South Korean Presidential Election was won by Yoon Suk Yeol on an agenda of anti-feminism. Yoon equated feminism to “misandry” and promised to abolish Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family – whose support was crucial to victims of sexual harassment, assault, and sex-based harassment. The campaign targeted young men who felt increasingly threatened by recent policies that improved the wage gap and women’s opportunities and competitiveness. Media polls found a great gender disparity in the votes of 20-30 year olds, with 62.9% of male voters voting for Yoon, compared to only 26.1% of their female peers. Despite South Korea making significant progress towards improving women’s rights, growing competition opportunities amid economic instability fuelled men’s resentment towards women.
Consequently, internalised misogyny is now openly being displayed, made evident by the mistreatment and exploitation of women in the entertainment industry. In the case of Lee Ji-eun, also known as IU, a K-Pop idol widely considered the most successful Korean musical artist, she has been exploited throughout her career by management companies, fellow entertainers, and even fans. In the early stages of her career, many companies promised Lee opportunities to start and expand her career, but instead took large sums of money from her without any return. In an interview on the “Starry Night” radio show, she also stated that while touring, she “really didn’t have any days to rest… I only had about a week of break during the entirety of the year,” referring to the excessively long duration of performances, practices and fan events.
Regardless, there seems to be little public concern for the wellbeing of female artists and entertainers. This is largely due to the standards many public figures are held up to, being forced to maintain a strict image. This is prominent in the industry in general, however a much more serious issue for female entertainers. Women in the entertainment industry face unwarranted harassment, stalking, and threats often, with lack of protection or empathy from their companies or fans.
Seryn Lim and Tabitha Riyaz - Zonta members of 2025
MOCK TRIAL
The Mock Trial Competition is run by The Law Society of New South Wales and aims to introduce students into NSW’s judicial system by giving them practical experience through various courtroom roles and cases, mimicking the proceedings of an actual court. Students are scored by a qualified Magistrate on how well they fulfill the obligations of their roles and work as a team to win their case.
In our first round we were given a criminal case to prepare for, and we were up against The Northholm Grammar School, who was the defence while we were the prosecution. We had Tabitha and Rashi as barristers, I was the solicitor, Elyse as the Magistrate’s Clerk, and Sanvi and Solomiia as witnesses. Both of the teams performed exceptionally well and Northholm Grammar was a tough opponent to face. However we ended up winning the round due to our teamwork, the quality in which we displayed our roles to, and the instructions which we received from our mentors Rachel and Carina, both alumni of Hornsby Girls High School.
In our second round we were given a civil case to prepare for and we faced off against Abbotsleigh Senior School, who was the defence while we were the plaintiff. We had Solomiia and Alexia as barristers, Benita as the solicitor, I was the Magistrate’s Clerk, and Melody and Rashi as witnesses. The case proved to be a very entertaining yet difficult one with both sides performing equally well. We won the round in the end, once again because of our team’s great coordination and preparation.
Thank you Ms Viner for providing us with this opportunity and thank you to Rachel and Carina for mentoring us, and Ms Harkins, Ms Boden, and Ms Gilmore for supporting us. Hornsby Girls High School is now onto the Pre-Finals for Mock Trial!
Yasaswini Mandava - Year 11
COMMUNITY NEWS
Children’s Online Privacy Code The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), the Australian Government’s privacy regulator, is seeking input from parents and carers to assist them in its development of the Children’s Online Privacy Code (the Code).
The Code will put children at the center of privacy protections in Australia. By the time a child turns 13, it's estimated that 72 million pieces of data will have been collected about them.
The aim of the Code is to strengthen privacy protections for the handling of children’s personal information. Your insights as a parent or carer are important.
To have your say, please take a few minutes to complete the parent discussion paper here
Your support is also important in helping your child or young person to take part too, please assist them in filling out the appropriate worksheet, provided in the link above.
This consultation will be open until the 30 June 2025. You can read more about the Code here
https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-registers/privacy-codes/childrens-online-privacy-code