Penrith Selective High School

A warm welcome back to our entire school community. As we head into another year, I’d like to extend a special welcome to our 2023 Year 7 cohort and our new 8-11 enrolments. Along with over 175 new students, we also welcomed 18 new teaching, administration and support staff. A special welcome to our new Student Support Officer, Ms Tiarne Verbeek; Visual Arts Teacher, Mrs Catherine Berry and Social Sciences Teacher, Ms Tazneem Musa all of whom were appointed permanently to our school.

For those community members who attended our first P&C meeting, I shared an update on our incredibly pleasing HSC results. Congratulations to Gabriel Cant, our 2022 School Captain and 2022 Dux! Gabe achieved an ATAR of 99.80, closely followed by Aatish Budhwani with an ATAR of 99.75 and Siyan Tao with 99.70. 11 names will be added to the HSC Excellence Honour Board in the School Hall, equal to the 2019 cohort. This board acknowledges students who achieve the top band (Band 6 or E4) in all courses studied. Further to this we also had 271 mentions on the Distinguished Achievers List for Band 6 or E4 results in individual HSC courses. Perhaps most impressively, the class of 2022 obtained 4 state ranks. These are the first state ranks obtained since 2020 and possibly the only time we have ever had 4:

• 3rd place state ranking for Gurveer Khalsa in Mathematics Extension 2

• 15th place state ranking for Aatish Budhwani in Legal Studies

• 3rd place state ranking for Gabe Cant in Modern History

• 4th place state ranking for Gabe Cant in Society and Culture

P&C Update

Our most recent P&C Meeting took place on 14 March and was one of only two meetings in the year that occur on-site. My thanks to the outgoing P&C Committee led by Mrs Mini Mathew for her outstanding service to our school and leadership. Mrs Mathew has helped to increase parent involvement in our school through many key calendar events including Open Night and the Cross Country Carnival. While Mrs Mathew has chosen to step down from her role as P&C President, she remains on the committee’s executive.

Following the AGM, I am pleased to share our P&C Association Office Bearers for 2023 are as follows:

President: Priya Rodrigues

Secretary: Tushar Anandani

Vice President I: Prabha Maheswaran

Vice President II: Tanzin Ahmed

Treasurer: Lam Nguyen

Other Executive Committee Members: Mini Mathew, Romi Mathew, Jay Sadeg, Lily Sadeg, Venkat Mandadi, Sivakumar Sivagnanasundaram

We welcome Mrs Rodrigues, Mr Anandani, Mr Sivagnanasundaram and Mrs Nguyen to their new positions for 2023.

For enquiries and correspondence please contact: The PSHS P&C Secretary on pncpenrith@gmail.com

On 14 March we also relaunched our Revital’eyes initiative - a program to plan the renewal of the school site. The last Revital’eyes Tour took place in 2016 and we have begun to identify future areas that are no longer fit for purpose or in need of revitalising in 2023 and beyond. You can view the upgrades that have been happening as a result of our previous Revital’eyes tour here:

www.smore.com/3jxsq-pshs-facility-update

Finally, thank you to all who have contributed to the first newsletter for 2023. Please enjoy reading about all the wonderful initiatives and activities that have taken place including Year 7 and 9 Camps, PSHS Swimming Carnival, Year 7 Clap In, our Inaugural High Achievers Assembly and many more.

Warm regards,

Jaclyn Cush

Relieving Principal

Best friends Gabe Cant and Aatish Budhwani couldn’t believe their eyes when they opened their ATARs on Thursday.

The Penrith High School students not only got the marks they wanted, but they also managed to secure themselves Dux and Proxime Accessit.

“I am feeling very, very happy today. It’s still kind of sinking in,” said Gabe who received an ATAR of 99.80 and was third in the state for Modern History and fourth in Society and Culture.

“It’s definitely been a very long year. The first half of the year was very slow and lots of arduous study and then trials and the HSC came very quickly. A lot of time spent in the library until it closes.”

On a call together, Gabe and Aatish opened their ATARs, hoping that they got the same mark. In the end they were separated by 0.05 of a mark, with Aatish landing himself an impressive 99.75.

When the Herald called to speak with them today they were rushing between university campuses, eager to see what each of them had to offer.

“My teachers have been a really big source of inspiration for me,” said Gabe who, as a consequence, is likely to study a Bachelor of Arts and Cognitive Science at Macquarie University after receiving a scholarship.

For Aatish, a Bachelor of Commerce and Law at the University of Sydney is the dream, and one that will hopefully come true after he secured an ATAR above the UAC guidance mark.

In mid February we held our Inaugural HSC High Achievers' Assembly and Morning Tea. In doing so we recognise and celebrate the commitment , hard work, diligence and effort our highest achieving students have placed in their quest for academic excellence over 13 years of education, including 6 years of high school. To our high achievers, you are a symbol of hope, of what is doable, what is achievable and what is possible.

It is fitting that we celebrate our highest achieving HSC students while welcoming our newest Year 7 cohort. As is the tradition at PSHS, our Year 7 cohort is welcomed to assembly with a traditional Clap In. On graduating in six years time the cohort has its farewell experience by being Clapped Out of the Assembly.

A great day of celebration!

On Tuesday, 28 February, 2023 the Legal Studies Association of NSW held a function at the Masonic Centre in the city to acknowledge the achievements of the top 20 ranked students in HSC Legal Studies in 2022. Each student and their teacher and parents were invited to attend.

Aatish Budhwani from Penrith Selective High School was placed equal 15th in last year’s Legal Studies HSC. He achieved a mark of 97. He was one of four PSHS students to achieve a state rank (top 20).

As each student was called up to receive their certificate they were interviewed about their HSC Legal Studies experience, their introduction to university, their future plans and how they might change the Legal Studies syllabus and exam. The interviewer was Brian Elliott from the LSA (Law and Society Association). Brian was one of the founding Deputy Presidents of the LSA and was President from 2001 to 2009. He has been an HSC Marker, Senior Marker and the Chief Examiner for Legal Studies.

Aatish is now studying law at Sydney University.

Aatish is to be congratulated on a fabulous result which was achieved through persistent and consistent hard work which made the most of his exceptional abilities.

Mr Stone-Aatish’s Legal Studies Teacher

Previous School: Camden High School

Subject Area: PDHPE

University Education: Masters of Education (PDHPE)

Interests: Football (soccer), Music on Vinyl, Sneakers

Favourite Sport: Football (soccer)

Favourite Food Dish: Burritos

Previous School: Malek Fahd Islamic School

Subject Area: Business Studies/Commerce/English

University Education: Master in Education (Secondary), Bachelor in Commerce Major: Accounting, Submajor: English Literature

Interests: Reading, baking, cooking

Favourite Sport: Reading (it’s a sport!)

Favourite Food Dish: Pizza/Pasta

Anything Else: I am looking forward to being a part of the PSHS community and meeting the amazing people who are part of the success of this reputable school

Previous School: Killara High School

Subject Area: Visual Arts and Photographic & Digital Media

University Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts at National Art School. Bachelor of Teaching at Western Sydney University

Interests: Ceramics, Photography, Baking, Gardening, Long Lunches and Travel

Favourite Sport: Social Netball for Wednesday Sport

Favourite Food Dish: Bibimbap

Anything Else? I recently adopted three white ducks who live in my garden

Previous School: New Teacher

Subject Area: Drama and Music

University Education: Bachelor Secondary Education/Bachelor of Arts, Music (Intensive) and Theatre and Performance Studies (Ext) at UNSW.

Interests: Musical Theatre and Dance

Favourite Sport: Dance/Swimming

Favourite Food Dish: Sushi

Previous School: Parramatta High School

Subject Area: PDHPE

University Education: Bachelor (Exercise & Sport Science) Master (Teaching Sec Ed.)

Interests: Outdoor adventures, Painting, Rhythm & Poetry

Favourite Sport: Cricket & Football

Favourite Food Dish: Ice Cream

Anything Else? Ex Penrith High School student (Class of 2014)

Previous School: As a counsellor there are many, I work across high schools, primary schools and DoE preschools. I last taught at Nepean CAPA HS, I was a high school teacher for about 9 years.

Subject Area: I am a School Counsellor now but I was an English and History teacher.

University Education: I have 4 degrees, BA, Masters of Secondary Education, Graduate Diploma in Psychology and Graduate Diploma in Psychology (School Counselling).

Interests: I like music- guitars, cooking and film.

Favourite Sport: Cricket.

Favourite Food Dish: Smoked brisket.

Anything Else? I look forward to working with students and families at Penrith High School.

Previous School: I only finished university at the end of last year. But my final placement was at Kingswood High School.

Subject Area: Wellbeing (Student Support Officer).

University Education: Bachelor of Social Work, Western Sydney University.

Interests: I enjoy watching movies/ TV series.

Favourite Sport: NRL.

Favourite Food Dish: I love everything except seafood.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Prue Car and local Member-Elect for Penrith, Karen McKeown, visited The Penrith Public School Breakfast Club on 30 March which runs with assistance from our students.

Our students assist the primary school canteen manager with providing free breakfast for anywhere between 40-80 students daily.

It is a wonderful initiative for our students to be involved in, teaching them the importance of community and citizenship.

Our Year 7 students were busy challenging themselves and building new friendships as they started their first few weeks of term 1 on school camp.

Thank you to the amazing team of teachers who spent three days away from their families to ensure our students have these important opportunities beyond the classroom.

Year 9 had an amazing 3 day trek making friends, experiencing so many adventures and being self-sufficient under the guidance of incredible staff!

Thank you to the staff who spent time away from their families to ensure our Year 9 students were safe and learnt what it takes to literally climb mountains!

Maths Enrichment has started, and you should be receiving the invoices shortly. Please pay for the Enrichment as soon as possible as this helps us provide the resources for your child, if you have a problem paying the invoice, please contact Mrs Ryan.

Primary Peer Tutoring has also commenced on Tuesday recess.

All of our Olympiads and Competitions start in Term 2 so please read the Daily Notices carefully so you know when you can sign up.

Please ensure that your child/children have all joined the relevant Maths Google Classrooms. Revision and past papers are always posted in the main Google Classroom for the whole grade to access.

Mrs Sue Briggs

Head Teacher Mathematics

Maths is a language of numbers and signs,

A tool to solve problems of all kinds,

It's a world of logic, that’s precise and true,

With infinite possibilities for what we can do.

From simple addition to complex equations,

Maths can solve mysteries with great precision,

It's the foundation of science, engineering and more,

With endless applications, ready to explore.

Algebraic equations solve for the unknown,

Equations and formulas we make our own,

Solving puzzles, unravelling mysteries,

Unlocking secrets and untold histories.

Geometry brings lines, angles, and curves,

Measurements and dimensions, our minds to serve.

Trigonometry helps us calculate heights and distance,

While calculus deals with change and persistence.

Statistics track and analyse data and trends,

Making sense of patterns and predicting ends,

Probability and chance lead us to the best bets,

Guiding us in decisions with minimal regrets.

Maths is more than just formulas and numbers,

It's a way of thinking, a way of exploring,

It teaches us to reason, apply and deduce,

To solve problems and to produce.

So, embrace the beauty of maths, my friend,

And you'll discover a world without end,

With endless possibilities and much to gain,

It's a subject that will always remain.

Adapted by Mr Tan

All the year 10 students were presented with an empowering performance from Gibber. Gibber has been sponsored by Diageo Australia as part of their commitment to reduce alcohol misuse, including underage drinking, to bring their highly acclaimed award winning, global education program, The Smashed Project to schools across Australia. The presentation evoked a sense of emotion as they were presented with situations which are relevant and current in adolescents' lives. These aspects include relationships, consent, health, online safety and career aspirations. Students will continue to explore these topics in their PDHPE classes where they continue to grow and develop their sense of self and understand the factors that influence them to make informed decisions.

Penrith Selective High School took 28 swimmers to compete at the Nepean Zone Swimming Carnival which was held at Glenbrook pool on 28 February 2023. Many new experiences were had which included; first time qualifying for zone, personal best times, first time qualifying for Sydney West and engaging in a relay team to represent Penrith High School.

A big thank you to all those parents who came and supported our students on the day!

Penrith High school finished 4th on the day out of 8 high schools. We wish the following students all the best as they qualified to go through to the Sydney West Swimming Carnival which will be held at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on 4 April 2023.

Kingston Lay Yr 7 Age Champion

Asha Pickering Yr 10

Ryan Wen Yr 10

Joshua Chun Yr 10

Isaac Ng Yr 11

Parth Purohit Yr 12 Age Champion

12 Days of Christmas

Hello everyone, this is an update from the final main event that was held at the end of 2022.

On the first day of December, a Christmas Scavenger Hunt was announced for students to compete in, with the first clue being released the following morning. The festivities continued on the second day, with students decorating their classrooms with Christmas decorations while the SRC put up Christmas trees and decorations in the hallways and front office.

The third day saw a Lolly Jar Guessing Competition in the Quad where students got to guess how many lollies were in the jar. The winner received the entire jar. On the fourth day, students participated in a Christmas Song Trivia Competition, with groups competing against teachers to complete the song lyrics of popular Christmas songs.

During recess and lunch on the fifth day, students were invited to watch either "Nightmare Before Christmas" or "Home Alone" in the gym, while the SRC sold lollies and snacks. The sixth day was a Pyjama Day, organised by the JRC, they asked for a gold coin donation to participate. The donations went to ‘The Beagle Project’. The Beagle Project rescues and rehomes animals used in experimental research.

Day seven saw Elves and Santa’s little helpers deliver cards and candy canes. Students had ordered candy canes and messages to be delivered to their friends in class. On the eighth day, there was a Christmas Fair in the quad, the SRC and other clubs sold treats to help lift the Christmas spirit.

The ninth day featured the Mini Christmas Olympics, the SRC collaborated with the House Captains to run mini sporting competitions at recess and lunch. On the tenth day, the school hosted a Christmas Trivia Championship for students and staff to participate in teams and earn rewards for the top three places.

On the eleventh day, we offered ‘Photos with Santa’ in a mini photo booth that was set up in front of the Kindness Wall and students took photos using a polaroid camera. Finally, on the twelfth day, the SRC hosted a Variety Day Talent Show alongside the PSHS House Cup Tournament during recess and lunch.

School Spirit Week

The theme for the 2023 Penrith Selective High School Spirit Week this year is ‘Feel the beat’ where there is a wide variety of events focusing around the theme of music! School Spirit Week is held in the last week of term 1.

Day 1 - To start off School Spirit Week, the SRC are going to host a student versus teacher dance off in the gym. Teams have to register their groups online to participate in this event.

Day 2 - The following day, students are going to be able to dress up as their favourite music artist. The SRC are asking for a gold coin donation to participate in the Mufti Day. Students will be able to take photos with their friends in the photo booth which the SRC is going to run during recess and lunch for students to take photos with their friends. The photo booth will be outside of the CAPA quad.

Day 3 - Day 3 is going to be the prestigious Easter Egg Hunt where Easter eggs of all sizes and types are going to be placed all over the school for students to find and enjoy.

Day 4 - The final day is going to be the Cross Country Carnival where students compete in a distance race to get a spot in ZONE or just run for fun. The SRC will be holding a barbeque where students can sit and enjoy the wonderful food cooked by the SRC whilst watching their peers take part in cross country. The prices have been advertised via posters and emails.

More information about how the event went will be given in the next Newsletter.

World Greatest Shave

The SRC team has been raising money for World Greatest Shave which is a fundraiser for the Leukaemia Foundation in Australia. Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer that can develop in anyone of any ages, young or old. Some people don't even know that they have Leukaemia as there are no obvious symptoms during the early stages for most types of blood cancer. There are a range of different types of Leukaemia but there are 2 broad types which are Leukaemia Cells and Myeloid Cells which affect different types of blood cells. The SRC will be running 3 main events to raise money for the cause:

1. Students will be shaving their heads.
2. Crazy Hair Day.
3. A raffle to win Airpods.

We will share the grand total of money raised in the next newsletter. Currently, the money raised is over $7,500.

Your 2022/23 SRC team

Congratulations to the very brave and generous PSHS students who participated in the World's Greatest Shave this year. 8 students shaved their head to raise money to support people living with blood cancer. Together our students have raised over $11,000.

Year 9 student Charvi Voola raised $9,497 before her big shave-a hugely talented student with an even bigger heart!

Thank you to J'aime Hair in Penrith for taking time out of the salon to help our students shave for a cure.The SRC, led by Ms Verbeek, has organised another incredible event.

Hi School, hope you are enjoying this new newsletter edition. The Captains of 2022/2023 have been witness to the many successes of our school thus far. 2023 brought about new beginnings and with eagerness, we continue to work tirelessly towards the progression of our student body. George and I have led the Prefect Body alongside Ms Pipio, our Prefect Coordinator, through several internal and external events, initiatives and wider community service.

Our main role as Captains is to represent Penrith Selective High School to display the values of our school; integrity, courage, citizenship and diligence. With the assistance of several leadership bodies and staff, the Prefects are able to present, organise and execute our events with great ease. The significance of the Prefect Body is to also relay student voice into the higher executive of our school, which we continue to aim towards throughout our leadership journey. We encourage students to speak to us and innovate new initiatives wherein students can join to participate and learn new skills.

Term 1 has consisted of our very own Prefect Afternoon Tea, where more than 90 students from across Sydney came together to meet like-minded students and learn the importance of balance in Year 12. The balance of academics, extra-curriculars and other commitments can be difficult to master and this was the main focus for the Afternoon Tea. Initiatives such as Harmony Day, occurring on 24 March is a celebration of our cultural diversity as a school and increases student engagement with the wider community.

Our first term of 2023 has been exciting and we look forward to the terms ahead.

Kind regards,

Milvia Mathew and George Mickhail

The Vice Captains, Iman and Tanish, have been working hard to make our school an enjoyable place with upcoming events and fundraisers. One of our major events this term has been Penrith’s Annual Prefect Afternoon Tea. This event is held annually where Prefects and Student Leaders from across Western Sydney are invited to our school for an afternoon of getting to know each other. We have had the pleasure to be a part of organising this event alongside the Captains Milvia and George, the Functions Prefects, and the rest of the Prefect body to make this event as enjoyable as possible.

In the past, the Vice Captains have donated a gift to the school in honour of them graduating and leaving a legacy. Currently, we are working with our Relieving Principal, Ms Cush, to brainstorm a list of possible gifts we could give back to the school to make it more enjoyable to our peers and staff as we leave this year. We hope to be able to provide a gift that reminds everyone of the Graduating Class of ‘23.

One of the Vice Captain’s main roles is to oversee the rest of the Prefect body, including planning, executing and ensuring smooth communication, cooperation and collaboration of schoolwide events with other student bodies, such as the SRC, Multimedia Team, House Captains and JRC. Currently, we are working with the Faculty, Academic and Social Justice & Equality Prefect teams to run school-wide events and fundraisers for different charities, non-profit organisations as well as to improve school spirit and morale. We are also overseeing the Enrichment and Functions Prefect teams in regards to different clubs and enrichment programs, as well as external events with other schools in Western Sydney.

In the future, we have more exciting events planned. We hope that everyone looks forward to these events and enjoys them as much as we had while planning them.

Thanks,

Iman Dirron and Tanish Patil

Orientation Day

The journey of high school is often a perilous and daunting experience, however, we, as the Academic Prefects, have ensured a smooth transition for our newly welcomed Year 7 students into Penrith Selective High School. Starting with a Principal's address, they were greeted by caring, supportive faces, from their year advisers to their deputy principals and to us, the academic prefects and the rest of the school. With the assistance of our chosen peer support team, we have assisted year seven students to be accustomed to the Penrith High life, by immersing them in the importance of our diaries, figuring their way around school and providing general information on how each school day unfolds.

Recognition Assemblies

Our Recognition Assemblies recognize and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of students in each year group. The purpose of our Recognition Assemblies is to acknowledge individuals who have made significant contributions to the school community, whether through academic achievement, extracurricular activities, or other forms of excellence. As the Academic Prefects aim to assist our younger year groups with any support they may need, we try to ensure each year group assembly is able to run smoothly and all students receive recognition for their amazing accomplishments.

Peer Support

The Academic Prefects were tasked in assisting Mr Rolls in finding suitable peer support leaders to welcome the new Year 7 students of 2023. These leaders played a large role in both Orientation Day and the first few days of the new school year. This meticulous process involved selections and criterias needed to be met by the candidates who expressed their interest in being a Peer Support Leader in 2022/2023. Around 40 people were selected from a vast group of around 100 people and training sessions every Friday morning have established an extremely reliant and caring peer support group as well as role models for our new year seven group.

Study Groups

The Academic Prefects have been working with the Academic Advisers, Mrs Richardson and Ms. Micallef, to make Year 12 study groups for Wednesday wellbeing sessions. The Mathematics study groups this term and the English study groups from last term, have allowed students to make study material for the subjects such as key past paper questions, study tips and techniques to approach a vast variety of questions. This is then compiled in a shared document by one member of each study group to allow students to revisit the study material for the subjects, and explore the study material from other study groups, boosting their academic performance during exam blocks. As this is shown to be a very successful use of Wednesday afternoons, we have begun to develop a timetable for the year 11 group in preparation for their year 12 journey as well.

Leah Joseph, Aatman Joshi, Avneesh Shivkumar, Dev Shah and Sasha Madan

Academic Prefects 2022/2023

This year the School Functions Prefects have been working hard to ensure the successful and smooth running of significant events. While we have been working with Ms Fayle in overseeing Alumni, we have also assisted in various events such as Presentation Day and Night. Notably, on February 21, we organised and held our 2023 Prefect Afternoon Tea for Penrith High School. Prior to Penrith PAT, the Functions Prefects worked closely with our Prefect Coordinator, Ms Pipio, SASS staff, Ms Ryan and Ms Shearer to plan and organise the event. Ms Pipio and Ms Ryan aided in organising a bus for prefects from other schools to easily attend Penrith High School. With the help of Ms Shearer, we were able to organise the food and the party bags that were given out after the end of the PAT. With the assistance of teachers, Functions Prefects were able to organise and plan for the Penrith PAT. On the day of Penrith PAT, we had many helping hands that ensured that the event ran smoothly. Multimedia and SRC worked closely with the prefects to prepare and organise prior and during the event. After the Penrith Prefect Captains’ and Ms Cush’s speeches - welcoming over 90 Prefects from surrounding schools, the evening started with a traditional activity known as Speed Dating, where prefects conversed with each other as an introduction to get to know one another. The fun continued, as we moved onto trivia, categories into three sections; general knowledge, pop culture, and school-based questions. The evening activities concluded with all the prefects putting on their dance shoes and going back in time, as everyone enjoyed Just Dance to; ‘Timber’, ‘Dynamite’, and ‘That’s what makes you beautiful.’ We ended the evening with photos taken by multimedia in the photo booth and handed out party bags to thank the prefects for attending Penrith PAT. We thank all the students and teachers who were involved in organising the Penrith PAT and the prefects from other schools who attended the event.

On another note, there are various future events to look forward to from the function prefects including Alumni Night, Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week and many more in term 2! If you have any suggestions for events that you would like to be held in our school, please let one of us know! As we approach the end of Term 1, we have successfully assisted in school events for the majority of our leadership period. We anticipate the organisation of upcoming events and can’t wait to increase school spirit through them in our last term.

Dharani Sutharshan, Angeline Kaitharath Joby, Dharika Sujendran

School Functions Prefects 2022/23

The Enrichment Prefects have been working hard behind the scenes on various programs around the school. In such an academically motivated environment, such as Penrith High School, we understand that it is just as important to uplift our peers around us as well as ourselves. It is for this very reason that the Enrichment Team has been helping to organise and run the Peer Tutoring Program, which focuses on pairing students together to work on subject specific tutoring. Peer tutoring stimulates higher rates of student response and feedback, thereby contributing to improved academic performance, while also provides additional opportunity for pupils to engage across different cohorts and develop an understanding of collaboration outside of a classroom environment. As Enrichment Prefects, we aim to foster a sense of unity and collectivism within our school, which the Peer Tutoring Program allows by having students engage with one another to help themselves grow, learn and connect with one another.

Our school has a very rich extracurricular environment which has something for everyone to get involved with. The Enrichment Team also help manage some of the school's many clubs, aiding club leaders in sorting out finer details, corresponding with Ms Pipio, and reaching out to the school as a whole. After the COVID-19 lockdown, many of the clubs suffered and most simply stopped running, but after some very hard work and plenty of enthusiasm from the school community, the clubs are now up and running in full swing! As Enrichment Prefects it is our primary goal to extend all students' school experience beyond the classroom and promote ways to form connections and passions throughout the school, and clubs are once more a thriving avenue for engagement where everyone can get involved.

The Enrichment Team has also been working behind the scenes in helping to organise the upcoming run of the annual external competitions posed to students - including familiar favourites like the Australian History Competition and the Da Vinci Decathlon. As both of these competitions (and many of the others) occur later on in the year, students should consider potential teammates to ensure maximum fun (and success, too!). We encourage students if they find competitions outside of school that look interesting to them or tap into a unique niche to let us know, and we’ll take it up for consideration!

Nirosha Manandhar, Alex Vella, Victor Qin and Mia Heredia

Enrichment Prefects 2022/2023

At the beginning of the year, the Faculty Prefects focused on organising the faculty based clubs around the school. Around PSHS, there are many opportunities for children to join various clubs run by individual faculties, such as the Chess Club run by the History Faculty, or the Coding Club run by the TAS Department. The Faculty Prefects gather the information including the club run times as well as the club leaders and room allocations. During the PAT, the Faculty Prefects were in charge of organising the photo wall in the hall, as well as gathering all the decorations from various stores to make the event as memorable as possible. The colour scheme which was chosen, was a blue, black and gold colour theme, which was inspired by our school colours. All prefects arrived early morning during the day of PAT and worked meticulously throughout the day to make sure the day ran as smoothly as possible. Overall, the PAT was a success, with us making many lifelong memories as well as forming new friendships with many like minded people around the Sydney area. As of now the prefects are focusing on organising the Push Up Challenge around the school as well as helping to organise the Rubik's Cube Challenge, by working with the Maths Department.

As of now the Faculty Prefects are working with the History Department to organise the upcoming ANZAC Day Commemoration at our school. This is one of the most formal events of the year at Penrith, and it is imperative that it runs as smoothly as possible. During this event, the Faculty Prefects will collaborate with Ms Kwiet to help with the preparations needed to allow this event to run as smoothly as possible.

Shiv Nair, Jayden Kumarage, Cameron Lau and Eric Han

Faculty Prefects 2022/2023

At Penrith Selective High School, we spend every day of the year to create a positive environment that fosters diversity, inclusivity and equality. Days such as International Women’s Day and Harmony Day provide a great opportunity for the Social Justice and Equality Prefects to dedicate entire events towards recognising and appreciating the powerful voices within and beyond our school.

Beginning in the 1900s, International Women’s Day celebrates all women – those who came before us, those who are working beside us and those bound to make phenomenal progress in the future. We have continued to advocate for social justice and on March 8, Penrith Selective High School ensured to honour both our female staff and students. The prefect body and Social Justice Club hosted a morning tea for all staff on this special day where they could treat themselves with biscuits, cakes and tea. Handmade cards were also gifted to all the women working in our school with personalised messages to express our gratitude and appreciation for their hard work and achievements. By involving students in this collaborative event, we can inspire the next generation of younger women and work towards creating a more equitable society.

Another event that the Social Justice and Equality Prefects have been working hard on was Harmony Day. Australia is a diverse and multicultural nation, so it is important to reflect on the contributions that people from all walks of life have made to our school community and country. To celebrate the many cultures of Penrith Selective High School, we held a Mufti Day on March 24, inviting everyone to wear orange to show their support and lift school spirit. To foster a sense of belonging and acceptance, we also hosted a ‘world’ themed trivia where students could form teams based on different countries. Through this exciting competition, students both learnt about other cultures and taught their peers about their own, creating an harmonious environment where everyone felt valued and respected.

With many more events to come, we are looking forward to getting students involved in the advocacy for social justice and equality in a fun and entertaining way.

Paige O'Connor, Janindu Wijayagunawardana, Pranavan Prakesh and Manhistha Bucktowar

Social Justice and Equality Prefects 2022/2023

Early in February Niall Stewart and Isaac Carroll from Yr 9 Music represented our school at the Penrith CBD Corp Seniors Week Concert. They presented a range of pieces on the piano for audiences and were wonderful representatives of PSHS.

Thank you Ms Parashko, one of our music tutors, and Gai Hawthorn for inviting us to connect with our local community.

In February our senior Drama students attended OnStage. This is a showcase of exemplary individual projects and group performances from the 2022 HSC Examinations.

Thank you to Ms Lawson and Mr Vassallo for accompanying students and helping them better understand the demands of the course.

The PSHS Drum Corp worked with students from Penrith Public School for their inaugural performance at PULSE Alive.

See following article.

Recently our students performed in PULSE Alive at the Ken Rosewall Arena.

Students of PSHS participated in mass dance, show band, drum line and were also members of the principal vocalist team. In addition, Mr Sandham, our instrumental music ensemble coordinator, directed the show band, Ms Kelly, our choir conductor led the mass choir and Mr Vassallo, acting Deputy Principal, was stage manager for the event.

On February 13 and 14, Year 11 and 12 engaged in the RYDA Road Safety Education Program as a part of the DET Life Ready Course.

The program offered students 6 workshops, which looked at vehicle safety, driver awareness, mind matters, road statistics, real life stories and passenger safety. Each workshop was presented with a specialised facilitator relevant to the topic area.

Learning how to be an active passenger was a powerful workshop where students came up with ideas, phrases and strategies to reduce dangerous driving. Students were presented with the alarming statistics of unsafe P-Platers driving in the first 6 weeks. Becoming aware of hazards on the road and the need to check our blind spots whilst driving and witnessing what a difference a 10km/hr braking distance makes as the students saw the dummy being flung into the air when braking at 60km/hr. These were just a few experiences that the students encountered.

At Penrith High School we will continue to strengthen these life skills to enable our young people to become informed citizens through our wellbeing programs. To ensure a holistic approach to educating our students, RYDA has created a range of parent tools to further educate your children on the risks whilst on the road. These tools provide information such as choosing a safe car or suggested commentary to use when teaching our young people how to drive. This guide for parents and carers can be found via this link: https://rse.org.au/about-ryda/parents-caregivers/

During week 4 Year 11 Physics conducted their In Depth Study.

Here they are investigating how much iron can be found in iron tablets!

Our students recently placed 4th in the Championship Coxed Quad Scull along with placing 1st and 2nd respectively in the women's and men's inter-regional quad sculls.

Thank you to Mrs Sarah Vella and Mr Daniel Waddell for their ongoing support of our rowing teams.

On March 8 2023, PSHS celebrated International Women's Day at assembly and with a special morning tea in the Alumni Garden.

Thank you to the students and staff for this recognition.

As part of the celebration for International Women's Day, some staff and students attended the Penrith CBD Corp International Women's Day Breakfast.

Thank you to our String Ensemble who opened the morning and Cassidy Lauguico from Year 11 who performed a solo. As a part of our partnership Ms Michels, our Advocate for Female Students, accompanied three students to attend the breakfast.

Thank you to Ms Michels, Mr Rolls, Ms Parashko, Mr Sandham and Mr Vassallo for supporting the event.

To bring in the new school year we decided to talk about our future! In this episode, the 14th, the team discusses sustainability at school particularly with the creation of our new garden. As society becomes more aware of our impact on the environment, this collective movement towards a sustainable future has never been more important. We hear some riveting conversations between Harsheen and Sahithi who worked on the garden as they both provide a very articulate perspective on how we should be more mindful of our environment. Ms Bolle also joins the conversation with excellent tips and advice on how we can better our relationship with nature.

his episode marks the debut for a few of our Podcast team members, including our new hosts - Manasvi Salaka and Yashika Saravanan.

We also welcome our new copy writers - Sreekar Kompella, Amanya Valiveti and Shamaila Faisal - who all work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring you new content from our community.

It's been a busy start to the year in the Wendy De Paoli Art Gallery with our first exhibit focussing on the Faces of Penrith.

Thank you to the CAPA Faculty for putting the exhibition together.

Congratulations to all our wonderful Young Archie Award recipients who were recognised at a recent school assembly.

The winners are pictured below with their certificates that were presented at assembly.

They are Irene The for the Staff Choice Award, Cillian Dunne for the Principal's Choice Award and Finnly Draper for the Student Choice Award.

Congratulations again to all participants on their amazing masterpieces!

Email: penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: http://penrith-h.schools.nsw.gov.au
Location: 158-240 High Street, Penrith NSW, Australia
Phone: 02 4721 9529
Facebook: facebook.com/penrithselectivehighschool.com