From the Principal - Ms McNeil
I have to confess that right now I am struggling to begin my report as I am overwhelmed with pride and appreciation for every student and teacher at Riverside.
Recognition Assembly
We held our annual Recognition Assembly today and it was a gala event. The Hall was packed (very Covid unfriendly) with proud parents and students, eagerly awaiting the presentation of their award, be it academic, sport, leadership, contribution to innovation and design, community service 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.
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 those of you who are being acknowledged here today, keep up the great work and continue to lead Riverside through your exemplary work ethic and determination to succeed. The future is looking very bright with all of you leading the way into it. And I stand by those words absolutely.
Altern8
Special mention to Ms Tao for her huge efforts in coordinating the Year 10 transition into senior school program, Altern8. The program has been vast and included visits from representative from the University of Tasmania and Siemens Australia’s Women in Engineering team to promote and encourage careers in engineering. I know this was very inspiring for many of our students who are aspiring to careers in STEM. Thankyou to Ms Tao and her sidekick, Ms Soares, for this tremendous collaborative effort in pulling together this very dynamic and worthwhile program.
That is all from me this week, my word bank has dried up once again. I will ensure that I prepare a bumper final edition of my report for next Friday, Week 10, the last official day of school for all students.
Have a wonderful , well deserved weekend!
Ms Louise McNeil
Principal
From the Deputy - Ms Gleeson
A Time for Celebration and Recognition
Congratulations to all our award recipients acknowledged at this morning’s Recognition Assembly. It is a true privilege to see the vast array of excellence achieved by our students in so many different areas whether it be the Arts, Sports, Academic or within the Community.
What I would like to do now is send a message to those students who did not receive an award today. Perhaps you are feeling a little disappointed. Please know that today’s assembly is just the tip of the iceberg. We see acts of greatness every single day here. I am constantly amazed at the achievements of so many at Riverside. Even small acts of kindness and generosity to help each other, perhaps to help a teacher straighten a room at the end of a lesson. So perhaps what is important is how you move through each day and how you interact with your peers and your teachers. An award does not define who you are as a person or your worth as a human on this planet and in this school. Keep striving to do your best and and be the best version of yourself.
Congratulations to all Riversidians on a wonderful assembly. Make sure you say thanks to your wonderful teachers too!
Ms Mel Gleeson
Deputy
Faculty News
HSIE
Legal Studies - NSW Constitutional Convention Update
I’m Claudia K, a Year 11 Legal Student. I was invited to the NSW Parliament for the NSW Schools Constitutional Convention, which involved 85 students from both regional and metropolitan schools. We gathered there to discuss ministerial accountability and the Constitution. We first heard a keynote address on the topic from Professor Anne Twomey of University of Sydney Law School. During her speech she gave us a strong understanding and context of the constitutional questions we discussed at the conference. We later split off into smaller groups where we debated and decided on specific changes that we recommend to the government. I was one of 30 students who had been elected by my peers to head to the national constitutional convention in Canberra. I want to thank Mr Zabakly and Ms McNeil for supporting my application and giving me advice. I cannot wait for Canberra!
Claudia K (Year 11 Legal Studies Student)
Maths
Year 8 Mathematics Excursion to Luna Park
Did you know?
- The Joy Wheel in Coney Island is made up of 20 sectors, each with an angle of 18° at the centre of the wheel.
- The Joy Wheel has an area of approximately 19.6𝑚².
- The barrel in Coney Island spins at a speed of approximately 7 revolutions per minute.
On Monday Year 8 had the privilege of going to Luna Park for the day. After missing all excursions over the last two years in lockdown we were extremely excited. It was a beautiful day and the trip on our private ferry through Sydney Harbour was magical. It was a wonderful opportunity to bond with girls in our year as well as students from other schools. The most popular rides amongst all the dare-devils were the Hair Raiser, Big Dipper, and Sledgehammer. It was a terrific way to end our year, having lots of fun whilst still learning. We would like to thank our Maths teachers and the support staff for organising a fun day for Year 8.
Jasmine, Orahnia, Sarah and Erin
Maths Corner
Last week's newsletter answer: $64.35 ie 65% of $99
Ms M Frangos
TAS
Year 9 Food Technology
Our Year 9 Food Technology students made some Christmas cookies last week which they had a wonderful time decorating in class.
Mr B Palmero
English
Classics By The Cove - Wrap up
After the success of last week’s Classics by the Cove, we asked students in Year 7 and Year 8 to reflect on the process and their performances, including what they liked, what they found challenging and what they learnt about themselves. From their responses, it was obvious how much the students got out of this experience and the fun they had.
Ms R Young
This is what some of the students said:
“I am happy to say I learnt that a great class can do anything if they set their mind to it…We got to share all our creativity with each other. I loved how everyone was positive and there were only nice things to say to each other.” Ellie
“As an audience member, I could see how the class was really engaged and love doing the play with each other. I could see that the class enjoyed doing it and had a ton of fun during the play and the practices. I could tell that they were all friends and they would have supported each other if one of them made a mistake they wouldn’t get mad.” Aylin
“There were many memorable moments and just bonding and talking to people you don’t normally talk to.
I can work with anyone, and this performance has made me realise what a great team / class we make.
We had our ups and downs but, in the end, it was worth it to see the audience clapping and cheering.” Olivia
“I was really nervous before getting on stage and during the beginning and middle of the play, but by the end, I didn’t feel nervous at all… I found writing the script to be the most interesting because it needed to be concise, clear, appropriate for the Middle Ages while being character appropriate.” Annabelle
“The valuable thing about creating and taking part in the whole class performance is learning more about how to cooperate as a class and how to bond with one another.” Daphne
“The most valuable thing was all coming together and making a great script and an amazing play. We all worked well together to create the play and the final show in the end was fabulous and my parents definitely liked it because they were laughing their heads off… I learnt how to present in front of many people and it was actually my first play I have presented in front of many people.” Ashleigh
“ I think the skills and teamwork that went into it was really important. It was also really fun to work with people we wouldn’t normally work with…I really enjoyed it and I’m happy I took part in it.” Emily
“The script writing was very effective as everyone got involved in the process of making the play.” Amelie
“In the future it will get easier to perform in front of people from having this experience of already doing it.” Olivia
“I got to see an insight into how plays are created. It was good to be able to do something like this in front of friends and family. I learnt that I’m able to push myself in performing and I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit.” Kaitlyn
“Something valuable about taking part in a whole class performance is that everyone has a role and everyone contributed to play their part.” Olga
“I learnt that I can try.
It’s normal to be nervous but you can take control of those nerves and create an amazing performance.
If I had the opportunity, I would definitely do it again.” Charlotte
“I liked being outside during the performance as it seemed a lot more casual and you don’t feel as nervous.” Zara
“I found it really challenging in the beginning because I was so nervous but that changed when I went on…I’m really glad that I got to be a part of this play because it really changed me and allowed me to form new friendships.” Bella
Co-curricula News
Year 10 Altern8 Program
Year 10 have been participating in the Altern8 program. This program is to assist students in transitioning into senior Stage 6 schooling. The program will include information and exposure to various careers, industry experts, university, study skills, and future planning workshops. Urban Challenge on the last day will focus on building collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills essential for their future.
Ms E Tao
2022 Bronze Duke Of Edinburgh
At 7am on Wednesday 7th December 2022, a group of 29 students from Years 9 and 10 left for the 2022 Bronze Duke of Ed at Somerset, Colo River. We arrived to camp around 9am and spent roughly 2 hours repacking our bags, making sure our rucksacks weighed less than 13kgs (The first challenge). We split into 2 groups with our camp leaders Jade and Jim and the students were assigned various roles. We took off on a 10km hike with our packs, taking with us everything that we would need for the 2 days. We stopped along the way for water breaks, snacks and lunch and then arrived to our campsite to set up our tents and start making dinner using the trangeas. The students played UNO and roasted marshmallows on the fire whilst debriefing about the day. Lights out was 9pm and the students were exhausted after a long day. We were up early with the sun, packed up the tents and rucksacks and had breakfast before we did some morning stretches and discussed the plan for the final day. We left for our final 4km hike to base camp and ended with a much needed swim in the Colo River. We are so proud of the students for their efforts over the past 2 days. Their determination, enthusiasm and physical and mental strength, especially considering some of the students had never been hiking before is admirable. Well done on completing your Bronze Duke of Ed expedition!!
Ms K Green and Ms J Haire
The Stream Student Magazine
The Stream magazine was officially launched this week to the student body and community members. Click on this link to download your digital copy of The Stream to read this weekend.
Mr J Zabakly
From the Office
We want to thank our Admin staff who worked tirelessly to prepare for our wonderful Recognition Assembly today. Ms Beer and Ms Holt worked with the Wellbeing team and teachers to collate, print and organise the awards. Thanks to Ms Bosze, Ms Eiszele, Ms Sacco, Ms Stapleton, Ms Whittaker and Ms Yip who tirelessly moved between manning the office and helping with the assembly. Thank you to both Mr Chris and Mr Ron, our relieving GAs, for their help setting up the hall.
Also a great show of thanks for Ms Brookes, Ms Haron, and Ms Howard who catered a fabulous morning tea for our guests and students. Thanks also to Ms Ghorra who, as relieving Librarian, welcomed us into the Library.
