Penrith Selective High School
April/May Newsletter 2021
From the Principal
Welcome to our latest newsletter.
Our Co-curricular, enrichment and student clubs program continues to provide so many unique opportunities for students in all grades.
Student success in so many areas
Congratulations to our Da Vinci Decathlon teams who under the guidance of Mrs Holloway and Ms Kwiet were presented with a number of certificates for places at the multi-disciplinary event hosted by Knox Grammar.
Debating season is in full swing and the teams have had quite an impressive level of success under the expert advice from Mr Bates and the debating coaches.
Reports from a number of other programs and competitions are included later in this newsletter and a note of congratulations to all. Additionally, sincere thanks to all of the staff who organise and lead these programs and to Ms Pipio (Head Teacher Co-Curricular Programs) and Mrs Martin (Administration Officer Co-Curricular Office).
Penrith in Performance- Ricochet (Sydney Conservatorium of Music)
With great excitement, the Creative and Performing Arts Faculty have launched their 2021 event to showcase Music, Dance, Drama and Visual Arts.
Penrith in Performance has showcased student works for many years and we are looking forward to celebrating excellence at this world class venue in Term 3.
Details about auditions and tickets will be sent shortly.
Thank you to all of the CAPA staff led by Head Teacher, Anthony Vassallo.
P&C Forum Untangling Teens from Technology - Please RSVP
We continue to see large use of technology and despite all the positives that it brings, there are ongoing issues for students and families with overuse and addiction. Details have already been sent to families via email, but please remember to RSVP for this event (Tuesday June 15 @7pm).
It will be hosted on zoom to allow for easy access and it is pleasing to know that over 100 families have already booked a space.
Please RSVP using the button below as places are limited.
Sunrise Weather at Penrith Selective High School
A number of senior students have been working hard to encourage teams to participate in the Push Up Challenge for Mental Health. As a result of their work, the national launch of the 2021 event will be held during Sam Mac’s weather segments on Sunrise. Details will be provided to students and families soon.
We are looking forward to being part of this important focus on mental health and seeing many familiar faces on Sunrise.
Please enjoy the updates from so many areas across the school. There has been an enormous amount on and it has been great to see students achieving both in and outside of the classroom.
Warm regards,
Mark Long
Principal
Year 7 and 10 Deputy Principal Report
I would encourage all Year 7 and 10 families to attend the Digital Device Usage Presentation - Untangling Teens from Tech: Useful Strategies for Parents.
Presented by former school counsellor, psychologist and Digital Expert Jocelyn Brewer, this 90 minute seminar is available for students and parents to view together. To make access easier, this session will be held via Zoom, It is essential to RSVP and via the following link due to restriction on numbers:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIodO-rqjgsHdMIv7jPMLeAb5cYbvmWN3-Q
Please see Mr Long’s family update for further information which was emailed on May 13.
Year 7
As promised, Term 2 has been a busy one. I have been impressed by the sportsmanship and enthusiasm Year 7 students showed at their first Athletics Carnival at PSHS. I look forward to recognising the achievements of our talented sportspeople.
Year 7 also showcased their fantastic listening skills as they completed their NAPLAN assessments. This is the first time students have needed to sit an assessment in the school hall as a cohort and seated alphabetically. Their entry in and out of the hall was superb and their focus across the three days commendable.
After a few hiccups, it seems Parent Teacher Evening was a success. We have received many emails expressing gratitude for and confidence in the highly experienced teaching staff at PSHS. We have passed these on to the classroom teachers and they were extremely touched.
During Week 5, Lisa Maltman from The Sleep Connection will be sharing the “Sleep for Better Health, Resilience and Performance” message in a workshop. The students will be receiving a sleep diary to complete prior to the workshop.
The aims of the program include:
· Creating an awareness of the current level of sleep deprivation among students and the effect this is having on all aspects of their lives and,
· Empowering students with the knowledge, practical strategies and tools to make informed decisions regarding their sleep health.
Students will be coming home with a workbook including information parents may find helpful. If parents would like more information on the program, along with helpful tips and resources for parents please visit: Program Overview and The Sleep Connection.
If you would like to join your daughter in completing a sleep diary to relate more to the information and gain a picture of your own sleep health, then you are welcome to print one from The Sleep Connection-Sleep Diary.
Year 10
Thank you to all our students and families who joined us for the Post School Planning Session. I must apologise for issues with the technology on my end and I am grateful to Mr Long, Mr Buchli and Mr Ferguson who were able to plug in the gaps. I do hope the session was useful and that all families have found 35 minutes to work through the scaffolded conversation which I emailed on May 10. A reminder that draft Post School Plans are to be submitted via Google Classroom by June 1.
I would like to take this time to raise awareness of some fabulous resources that support students and families as they navigate the constantly evolving world of social media and the complexities of online interactions.
1. The e-safety commission website has some fabulous information available for parents and schools regarding reporting abuse and safe online behaviour. Please visit https://www.esafety.gov.au/ for this information.
2. Safe on Social offers a complete online safety solution for students and parents, including professional learning programs, and a Safe on Social toolkit. Please visit: https://www.safeonsocial.com/
3. Eyes Open Social Media provides education about the risks and dangers associated with social media use, the knowledge and empowerment to immediately apply security with easy to follow practical solutions, to ensure the maximum enjoyment and the lowest risk is achieved when interacting in the digital world. Please visit: https://eyesopensocialmedia.com.au
Jaclyn Cush
Penrith Selective High School has launched a podcast
In case you missed it
This project has been months in the making between the Prefects and Multimedia Leaders. The podcast is to guide our students to succeed in life. Its aim is to share wholesome experiences and wisdom from prefects, teachers, successful alumni and professionals at the top of their field.
If you'd like to listen to the episodes, click the link below or follow us on Spotify. You can also search for The Penrith Perception on your Spotify app.
https://open.spotify.com/show/5XRsX7by50diB1FNBSkNhD
Stay tuned for more upcoming episodes.
Da Vinci Decathlon
The Da Vinci Decathlon is an Academic Decathlon. This year, 5 teams from Penrith High School participated over May 4 - May 5 and it was a fantastic experience for them.
The subjects which we completed were Engineering, Mathematics, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy. For this we had to use many different strategies and techniques to complete it. We were able to perform to the best of our abilities with the support of our organising teachers Ms Holloway and Ms Kwiet.
At first we had no clue as to what the competition was about but once we started we had amazing ideas rushing through and we were all engaged in the whole process. The best thing about participating in this competition was the academic challenge and how we had no limit to use our creativity. We had to think outside the box and from different perspectives. For example, in one of the subjects, Code Breaking, we had to look at different puzzles and codes then try to crack them. Working together and thinking in different ways really helped us and, overall, we ended up coming 3rd in Code Breaking. This was a huge achievement for all of us!
At the end of the day we all had an amazing time and achieved outstanding results. This experience could not have been any better without Ms Holloway and Ms Kwiet.
- Anoushka Singhal Year 7
Debating Update
Four out of our six debating teams have been competing in an online debating competition run by the University of Sydney Debating Society.
In this competition which has been run on a Thursday after school we had two senior teams and two junior teams.
Our senior team 1 consisted of yr 12 students: Jasmine Amin, Olivia Bock, Jasraj Kaur, Jamima Rumey Jiffrey, Vishwa Shah and Cedric Kutschera. Our senior team 2 consisted of yr 10 students: Himani Bhandari, Krish Gupta, Ambeikaa Mishra, Tamiz Rumey Jiffrey and Pranavan Prakash.
Our junior team 1 consisted of yr 9 and yr 8 students: Zeynep Unal, Angelo Varghese Paul and Barenya Satapathy. Our junior team 2 consisted of yr 7 students: Riyanna Bandara Lokuge, Elijah Craig, Mitali Garg and Charvi Voola.
Both the Senior and Junior Competition had 3 rounds and a final. Students competed against schools from the greater Sydney region and beyond including a range of public and private schools. The quality and standard of the debating was of an extremely high calibre and proved to be a great challenge and learning experience for all our teams, especially as these were some of the first debates some of our teams had competed in this year or as a team. Our Penrith students conducted themselves exemplarily demonstrated through their skill, knowledge and decorum with which they conducted themselves and represented the school. They debated across a range of issues and topic areas including education, politics and the environment. While each team only won 1 out of their 3 round debates, they have learnt a lot through the experience of debating against schools they normally don’t debate against in our Western Sydney region. This paired with the feedback they received from the adjudicators will be a very valuable experience as they move forward to their future debates later in the year.
Congratulations Boys Open Basketball Knockout Team
Congratulations to Karl Serrato(coach) and the Boys Open Basketball Knockout team (Abhinav Santhakumar, Lachlan Stone, Josh Gange, Rionne Bondal, Eugene Chen, Cameron Lau and Pavethen Krishnakumaran) on a gripping 45-38 win against Deniliquin HS recently. Deniliquin HS, who travelled 8 and half hours to get here on Sunday, then returned straight after the game, were a very good team. Thanks to David Huynh and David Elias for their support on the day and to Andrew Rutherford for using his time on Sunday to pick up a scoreboard. Our student supporters also created a great atmosphere.
Open Boys Knockout Basketball- the story so far…………………
The PSHS Boys Knockout Basketball team comprised of Lachlan Stone, Abhinav Santhakumar, Rionne Bondal, Josh Gange, Cameron Lau, Pavethan Krishnakumaran, Nikhil Parthiban (up to Gala Day) and Eugene Chen (since Gala Day) has moved into the last 16 in the State and will be playing Warners Bay HS at home on Monday, 24th May for a place in the last 8 in NSW.
The team is coached by Karl Serrato (English Faculty) and has deserved its success due to a lot of hard work, which included four two hour 8am training sessions in the holidays and many before and after school training sessions as well. The boys have worked very hard on their fitness, skill development, strategies and teamwork. Their well executed game plans have allowed them to focus on playing to their strengths and playing as a team.
This has been their journey so far:
Round One
Bye
Round 2-12-3-21
v Winmalee HS-Away-WON-44-34
Round 3 -26-3-21
v Blaxland HS-Home-WON-51-24
Sydney West Gala Day-Penrith Valley Sports Centre 29-3-21
Pool Matches
Game 1
v Glenmore Park HS-LOST 25-36
Game 2
v Kellyville HS WON 40-30
Game 3
v Merrylands HS WON 28-16
Semi final
v Castle Hill HS WON 37-24
Final
v Glenmore Park HS LOST 32-57
TOP TWO TEAMS PROGRESS TO THE STATE ROUNDS
STATE ROUND OF 32 -3-5-21
v Deniliquin HS-Home-WON 45-38
STATE ROUND OF 16- 24-5-21
v Warner’s Bay HS-Home Game (Monday Week 6)
Clark Stone
Eid Mubarak
The prefects and Wardha Ijaz have been working diligently to help create greater diversity in our community by bringing Eid to Penrith Academically Selective High School. Having brought you a Lunar New Year event earlier this year, we have put together this event to celebrate this wonderful holiday, with our fellow Muslims, to mark the end of Ramadan.
Eid is a time for being with family and reflecting on the month of Ramadan, and it's great to see so many of our students participating so actively in the events we have organised. We have set up henna stalls for students, an Arabic Calligraphy Competition and the photobooth(above). Muslims around the world come together to celebrate an end to a tough period of fasting from sunrise to sunset for a whole month. We’re glad it was such a successful day and hope to run more events like it in the future.
Eid Mubarak!
Shameer Iftikhar
Left to right: Alyna Arago, Wardha Ijaz
PREFECTS REPORTS
Captains
Ashvini Dolamulla
Kokulaan Santhakumar
Hello everyone!
This term, we attended the 2021 School ANZAC Ceremony organised by the Penrith RSL.
The executive prefects are currently planning a gold coin fundraiser day for UNICEF with regards to the COVID-19 situation in India. Through this fundraiser, we would like to support the communities in India who are currently experiencing hardship.
Alongside the House Captains we have been working extensively on our annual Quadschools Sporting Tournament against James Ruse Agricultural High School, Baulkham Hills High School and Girraween High School across the four sports of Touch Football, Soccer, Basketball and Volleyball. Preparation has commenced with regular training sessions taking place on Wednesday mornings and the tide is turning with strong hopes in training camp that our school can upset the previous champions...Baulkham Hills High School!
Vice Captains
Elizabeth Santoso
Shameer Iftikar
As our term comes to a close we have been organising what our Year 12 gift to the school will be and as we collate grade responses we hope to choose the best gift to the school. That being said, if anyone has any great ideas please feel free to contact any of the prefects :) We also hope to send out formal invitations to some very lucky teachers so be sure to be on the lookout.
Senior Prefects
Alyna Arago
Zach Wan
As we approach the end of our tenure as Senior Prefects, this term Alyna and Zach have been assisting the Captains and Vice-Captains throughout the school. Additionally, we helped plan and run our schools Eid cultural celebration and are currently organising the Push-up Challenge. We have also been working hard to get Podcast content out for your entertainment.
Year 7
Leader: Jola Canla
Assistant(s): Tamara Jaglica and Sinduja Sureshkumar
Throughout our time as Yr 7 Prefects, we have assisted the Yr 7 advisers, Ms Horsley, Dr Royal, and now, Ms Alrubai in helping the Year 7s at Penrith High. At the end of 2020, we had assisted with JRC meetings as well as preparations for the incoming group of Yr7s. In 2021, we have continued helping out with JRC meetings and have created a ‘Meet the Teachers’ for the parents of the Yr 7 students. As of now, we are working with the JRC and Volunteering Prefects to increase donations for the Beanie and Blanket Drive Appeal in addition to helping Ms Alrubai in her new position as Year Adviser.
Year 8
Leader: Rana Singh
Assistant: Darren Pradhan
The year 8 Prefects throughout the last 3 terms have been collaborating with Mr Huynh and Ms Horsley in a variety of activities. Last year, Satvik Warrier and Isaac Ng had successfully hosted a handball competition where we helped in the creation of the posters and the advertising of the event. The event was said to be a great success and enjoyed by the participants. Throughout the last 3 terms, Darren and I attended a variety of wellbeing meetings to relay information, make ourselves known and answer any questions the year 8s had for us.
Year 9
Leader: Eugene Chen
Assistant(s): Nicholas Whelan
The Year 9 prefects throughout the last 3 terms have been collaborating with our respective year advisers, Ms Wallace and Mr Huynh in regards to the Year 9 cohort. During Term 4 of 2020, we provided Year 9 (now Year 10), with a presentation in regards to their studies leading up to the beginning of their senior years. In 2021, the prefects have organised school events such as Lunar New Year in Term 2, where we, the Year 9 Prefects, have relayed that information to the year group. We have also been in contact with HeadSpace, an organisation which is focused on mental health, which has brought around opportunities such as currently, Nicholas and I are in organisation for an activity for the whole Year 9 cohort.
Year 10
Leader: Olivia Bock
Assistant: Jahin Khandoker
The Year 10 Prefects, alongside Ms Wallace, have been preparing the grade for their senior subject selection. Throughout our time as Prefects, we have been helping the Year 10s transition into senior grades and attending their year meetings to provide a voice for the grade and make sure that any issues or problems that they have can be dealt with easily.
During our last term with Ms Wallace, we plan on helping the Year 10s have an easy transition into Year 11.
Year 11
Leader: Leeanna Yao
Assistant: Marco Perri
The Year 11 Prefects through these last few terms have been working alongside Mr Elias in further assisting the grade adapt into senior school. As we head into the second assessment block, we have been providing advice, and helping students on how to efficiently handle stress of workload and upcoming tasks whilst simultaneously maintaining a healthy mental wellbeing. Through emphasising time management and organisation, we will continue to encourage social connections with one another and collaboration. Likewise, we will continue to work alongside Mr Elias to plan more exciting and fun activities.
Mathematics
Leader: Abhijith Maliakal
Assistant(s): Leeanna Yao and Yash Mishra
The Maths Prefects have continued working with Ms Briggs to coordinate our schools Math’s Peer Tutoring Program. With 27 wonderful new Peer Tutors from years 10 -12, we have a strong and skilled team of tutors who have been tutoring students across our school.
Maths Peer Tutoring has also continued running exam-help sessions in preparation for each grades’ Maths exams. Where students can go over any last minute queries or exam specific concerns with a tutor.
English
Leader: Fairy Patel
Assistant: Jamima Rumey Jiffrey
The English Prefects have continuously worked with Mr Lidster, the Head Teacher of English, and Mr Bates to provide many opportunities for all students. We have been organising a Debating Competition, alongside Mr Bates, that will run across all the grades for any students who are passionate and interested in debating. These competitions will not only allow students to develop their debating skills, but also allow them to have fun. Additionally, English Peer Tutoring has continued to run. There are many talented year 11 students who kindly assist any students from years 7-10 who require help in any aspect of English. Throughout the terms, there has been a significant increase in the students who have signed up for English peer tutoring and hopefully there are more people who sign up - all students who require help can be assisted that way.
Science
Leader: Darren Pradhan
Assistants: Aditya Kumar and Sara Saleh
The science prefects have enjoyed two semesters packed with numerous events. In Term 2 of 2020, we organised Science Week which was defined by multiple challenges including Escape Rooms and interesting experiments. Following this, we planned and delivered a Science Halloween Mufti with a Hogwarts flavour to encourage and foster the house competitive spirit at our school. Our major project this semester has been around the Science Peer Tutoring Program which offers junior students help around science subjects. In our final month as prefects, we strive to commence planning for Science Week 2021 to ensure a smooth transition to the Science Prefects of 2021-2022.
TAS
Leader: Marco Perri
Assistant: Luke Boyes
The TAS Prefects have been working thoroughly with Mr. McGovern and the TAS Faculty to assist in a myriad ways. The TAS Faculty runs a plethora of enjoyable and interesting clubs such as; Robotics, Anki Overdrive, Aurecon and the Woodtech Club. The Club Expo was extremely successful and we are hoping to keep high numbers of students within the clubs over the year.
Social Sciences
Leader: Paul Sebastian
Assistant(s): Shameer Iftikhar and Abi Maliakal
The Social Science Prefects, through our last terms, have focused on coordinating competitions, especially events such as MUNA. On Monday 10 May, Penrith High School hosted Evatt - a model United Nations Assembly, imitating the United Nations Security Council Assembly. 10 Penrith High School students across senior grades participated in the event amongst teams from Sydney Girls High School, Blacktown Boys High School and Katoomba High School. The competition gave our students the ability to develop, not only in deepening their understanding of international diplomacy, but further learned to thrive in unforeseeable circumstances, demonstrating great resilience and patience.
Volunteering
Leader: Cedric Kutschera
Assistant(s): Jola Canlas and Isaac Chang
This month, the Volunteering Club has been collecting donations for the Blanket and Beanie Appeal, collecting warm items and useful goods for the homeless of Sydney. We have been working together with multiple other high schools on this project and want to thank everyone who has donated. Thanks again to Ms. Pipio and all the Volunteering Club members for their help.
Canteen
Leader: Nicholas Whelan
Assistant: Rana Singh
The Canteen Prefects, over the past few terms have been working hard with Loretta, Louise and the rest of the Canteen Staff in order to help the canteen and it’s presence in the school. We have created posters for the canteen and helped promote the Canteen through emails to the student body. We have helped with the creation and advertisement of limited edition weekly specials as well as helped create a suggestion box for the student body to voice their opinions on new food items to be added as well as new chalkboard special suggestions. Over Terms 2 and 3, the Canteen has implemented their winter menu, with fan favourites making a return such as cupped noodles. Unfortunately, over our term as Prefects we have not been able to implement Canteen volunteers but hopefully these will be back for the next prefects who take up the position.
Duke of Edinburgh
Leader: Sinduja Sureshkumar
Assistant: Zach Wan
This term the Duke of Edinburgh Prefects have been updating the noticeboard with new images and information that will hopefully be useful for future students. With the amazing help of Mela Hoffman, Ms Andreatta and Mr Oxley, we have created new laminated image collages of our 2020 Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journeys and stapled them onto a repaired collage wall. We have also begun planning how to change the information board near the Duke of Ed Storeroom with a fresh new look and updated information. We hope to be able to complete this update of the information boards before the end of our time as Duke of Ed Prefects.
In addition to this, Ms Andreatta and the Duke of Edinburgh Prefects are assisting a group of Bronze students in completing their service section for their Duke of Ed Award. We are overlooking their community project where they are going to be raising funds for The Dreams2Live4 Organisation and helping them to plan an event Bowls4Dreams.
The Duke of Edinburgh Prefects and Miss Andreatta meet regularly, discussing ideas for future students. Trying to make systems more efficient and trialling ways to encourage students to keep up to date with hours, are often the topic of discussion.
The Duke of Edinburgh Scheme will be continuing although its namesake has passed away.
Below are photos of Year 9 beginning their camp this week. Stay warm!
PAT
Assistant: Paul Sebastian
Over the course of our time as the 2020/2021 Prefects, each prefect has had the opportunity to attend and meet with other excellent leaders from private and selective schools through the connective process known as ‘Prefect Afternoon Tea’, or ‘PAT’ for short. Through PATs, both Prefects from other schools and our own were able to meet and forge connections with one another, ensuring that ideas regarding events and improvements to their respective schools were shared. As a result, the tradition of PATs spanning from the first 2017-2018 Prefects has enabled us to visit and attend a multitude of schools, including Pymble Ladies College, James Ruse Agricultural High School, Baulkham Hills High School, Sydney Grammar and Sydney Girls High School. Ultimately, through the advent of PATs, our Prefects have gained knowledge and insight from other leaders from the school above, and have ensured to maintain connections with these schools so that the next generation of Prefects may follow in our footsteps and continue the tradition of attending PATs and sharing ideas.
Social Justice
Leader: Jamima Rumey Jiffrey
Assistant: Ashvini Dolamulla
Over our the last couple of terms as Social Justice and Equity Prefects, we have focused on running initiatives to help struggling communities in meaningful ways. First, through the Social Justice Club’s ‘Class Donation Competition,’ over $250 was raised for the Afghan refugees, specifically in delivering staple foods such as rice bags to help their communities in trying, post-COVID times. Further, a range of activities were run throughout Term 1 surrounding International Women’s Day, including a Teachers Morning Tea, a Trivia Day and an assembly performance, all aimed at celebrating achievements of women within and outside our community.
Alumni
Leader: Aditya Kumar
Assistant: Elizabeth Santoso
Over the past few terms, Liz and I have been collating interview transcripts and going over Towers Magazines; scouting out who we may want to potentially interview (Ms Andreatta you better watch out because we found your graduation photos :) ). It was awesome to look through Towers over the years and see how far our school has come. All of the smiling faces in these publications truly show the both of us how great our school community is. Sadly, this year due to COVID we have been unable to hold any alumni events for already graduated classes but we are currently in the midst of interviewing ex-students who are now teachers or who have relatives now at this school online and hope to share their experience, stories and memories with you in future newsletters.
Public Relations
Leader: Tamara Jaglica
Assistant: Hana Hallani
The PR Prefects have been working on promoting school events alongside the SRC and House Captains. We have posted the Meet the Prefects and photos which Multimedia has taken of our multiple school spirit events. We have corresponded with the PAT Prefects to ensure communication is maintained with other high achieving schools within NSW. We are currently working on two major projects with other schools. We also respond to any questions students may have about the school and events which are occurring.
Head over to @penrithprefects on instagram or Penrith Prefects on Facebook to stay up to date with prefect events!!
Uniform
Leader: Jahin Khandoker
Assistant: Olivia Bock
Our job is to regulate and promote the Uniform Shop at PSHS. During the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 we had been very busy with the Year 12’s donations and prepping for the upcoming Year 7s and their uniform needs. As Term 2 is coming to an end, we are currently searching for enthusiastic and capable volunteers to replace the Year 12s.
The Uniform Shop sells second-hand uniform pieces at a cheaper price and is located on the second floor of A block. Anyone is welcome to sell, borrow or donate pieces at any time if they come to contact us!
The shop is open on Monday mornings, Tuesday lunches, Wednesday recesses, Thursday lunches and Friday mornings.
CAPA
Assistant: Ana Maksimovic
For the past terms, CAPA has been very involved in all fields, including Music, Visual Arts and Drama.
Composition Workshop with Dr. Jim Coyle: On 3 May, the elective music students had the chance to engage in a full-day workshop with Dr. Jim Coyle from the University of Sydney. In this program, HSC Music 2 Students, alongside Year 11 composers, had the opportunity to workshop their compositional skills and HSC compositions and learn essential tips and tricks in order to enhance their compositions. Not only was it very useful for us, but the entire experience was very engaging, added with Dr. Jim Coyle's great sense of humour.
See further article in this newsletter.
Encore: On 5 May, elective music students also had the wonderful opportunity to watch the Encore performances from the 2020 HSC Cohort. Encore is an annual event in which exemplary Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension students are selected to perform pieces that were of the highest standard. Due to COVID, last year’s event was unfortunately cancelled, but this year, the students were able to experience the digital sessions in the comfort of their classrooms. Undoubtedly, the performances were superb and it was a wonderful experience and a learning opportunity for performance etiquette even though we got a bit scared at the immensely high standard of performance!
Art Express: On Monday, March 1, 2021, the senior Visual Art Students of Penrith High School were very lucky to visit the annual Art Express Exhibition in the Art Gallery of NSW! Art Express is the annual exhibition in which the most outstanding bodies of work created by HSC Visual Arts Students are displayed for everyone to see. This year, we were lucky to have our students visit this very special exhibition. There is no doubt that for our HSC Visual Arts students, Art Express shows all the possibilities for their major works. Art Express includes a broad range of artworks, including: photography, printmaking, sculptures, textiles and even fibre-works! As well as that, students are also able to look at exemplar process diaries, in which they would observe the creative processes behind the artworks. Nonetheless, this experience has helped shape our aspiring artists’ appreciation for the creative processes behind the artworks, as well as an appreciation for the concepts and artworks themselves. Penrith In-Performance On 20 July, 2021, the CAPA Faculty will be hosting a new event in order to showcase the wonderful works from the CAPA students, known as Penrith In-Performance. This event, which includes students in year 7-12, will be a showcase of the exemplary works in our ensemble program across Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. Students will be required to audition for a spot in this showcase. The theme for this event will be Ricochet, and will be used as a way of showing how students at Penrith High have been able to bounce back from hardships over the past two years. Of course, this will undoubtedly be an exciting event and the chance for students to showcase their superb performances and artworks!
See further article in this newsletter.
Young Archie Competition: In Term 1-2, students in the Visual Arts Ensemble were working on their artworks in order to enter the Young Archie Competition. This competition, held at the Art Gallery of NSW, aspires young artists between the ages of 3 and 18 to engage in their creative side. Similar to that of the Archibald Competition, the Young Archie Competition involves students from 3-18 to paint portraits of someone whom they are most inspired by.
SRC
Leader: Yash Mishra
Assistant: Alyna Arago
Over the past few weeks as SRC Prefects, Alyna and I have been working hard at school events. During early term 1, the SRC body, with the help of a few prefects, worked on a number of events, such as World’s Greatest Shave, the Bandage Bear Appeal, and ways to improve school spirit. World’s Greatest Shave was a great success. The students volunteered to shave their head to raise money that furthers research and supports families facing blood cancer, raising over $2000!
The back half of term 1 saw us work on School Spirit Week (see following article), a three day event aimed at increasing the sense of community at the school. Multiple activities, such as Teachers vs Students dances and games contests, an amazing race consisting of various sporting activities, and a Trivia Competition, also involving both students and teachers. Overall, term one was a great success!
In term two, Multicultural Day has been the main focus for the SRC, as well as the planning for a Wellbeing Day for the whole school. We are well underway organising food stalls and performances and, given the current state of Covid, we look forward to hosting Multicultural Day.
School Spirit Week Term 1
School spirit is an essential aspect of school life that the SRC has placed a particular focus on in the last year. Our annual School Spirit Week took place in the final four days of Term One. This year, each day consisted of a particular theme and carefully planned activities to maximise school spirit and the enjoyment of the entire school.
Day One involved dressing in team mufti to match the theme of ‘Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork.’ The PSHS Amazing Race took place where students were guided through clues in the form of riddles and encouraged to show off their skills, winning points for their teams and in the running for some of the great prizes. Recess saw the students take on each other in general knowledge trivia, with the champions taking on the special teacher trivia team at lunch. Comprising of Mr Hoekstra, Ms Alrubai, Mrs Briggs, Ms Bolle, Mr Rutherford and Ms Kwiet - the teacher team beat the student team 12 - 7.
Day Two was the ‘Attack of the Teachers.’ The day started with a traditional student vs teacher game of volleyball, followed by a dance off between the SRC and English Faculty. Both showdowns filled the gym with students coming together across all grades to support their peers with great cheer and excitement. The teachers won both battles, but the buzz of it all was still apparent as the day came to an end.
Day Three was another jam-packed day as students took part in the great Easter egg hunt. During assembly time, the SRC Easter bunnies hid over 600 chocolate eggs and 100 chocolate bunnies around the school. Students scavenged all of recess, searching for Easter eggs, tying in with the final theme of ‘Get Egg-Cited.’ In addition to this, students were tasked with the challenge of finding the teacher who had the golden ticket - a $50 canteen voucher, accessing it with the secret code word. One lucky student found it with Mr Elias, but there were many confused teachers that day.
Day Four was the annual Cross Country event which concluded an exciting week. During the day, students ran in their age groups while competing against each other for house points. To maintain the inclusivity and excitement of the week, many clubs ran stalls on the day and students were treated to some musical performances. The House leaders had also organised photobooths, face painting, and a place to socialise and grab some free items. All done in house colours, showing support for our sport team.
It sure was a successful event and the SRC are looking forward to hosting more events for the PSHS student body soon.
Parth Purohit, Mrs Xiberras & The SRC Team.
Congratulations Eugenia!
Eugenia completed the Higher School Certificate in 2020 achieving an ATAR of 99.65 and has been admitted to the University of Sydney to study for a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degree.
The Bursary has been conducted for over 30 years. It was instigated by the partners of Penrith legal firm Bateman Battersby Lawyers to encourage high school students in the Penrith and Blue Mountains Local Government Areas to undertake legal studies at a tertiary level.
Many of the previous winners have gone on to achieve great success in practising law in a variety of fields, working in high level management positions in both the private and public sectors and teaching law at Universities both in Australia and overseas.
As the 31st winner of the award, Eugenia was presented with the Bateman Battersby Bursary trophy and a cheque for $1, 000 to assist her in her initial year of legal study by firm partners John Bateman and Michael Battersby.
Excerpt from The Sydney Weekender April 26, 2021.
Congratulations Eugenia - you join a number of students from PSHS who have won this Bursary!
Cross Country 2021
On the last day of Term 1 ( April 1) our school’s Annual Cross Country was held. Students ran a long distance race between 3-6km depending on their age group. The event was highly enjoyable with heaps of school spirit.
Lawson came through with 1st position on 557 points. This was followed by Blaxland 496 points, Wentworth 468 points and Mitchell on 446 points.
Congratulations to all the competitors who participated throughout the day making the carnival an overwhelming success! A big thank you to all the teachers and House Captains who helped organise and run the day.
Below is a list of Age Champions
Alison Joseph
Athletics Carnival 2021
We saw the return of the House relays as well as the students v teachers relays and some very competitive 100m finals! Many records were broken with new long jump and high jump records being made.
Our Year 12s enjoyed their last carnival entering many events solely for participation and fun!
It was such an enjoyable carnival with lots of sunshine and full of school spirit! After much competition there can only be one winner.
The final results were as follows:
Wentworth - 1550 points
Lawson - 1529 points
Blaxland - 1386 points
Mitchell - 1347 points
Age Champions
Boys 12 years - Benjamin Reynolds
Girls 12 years - Mitali Garg
Boys 13 years - Meet Joshi
Girls 13 years - Eva Motti Abraham
Boys 14 years - Ryan Wen
Girls 14 years - Joanne Kim
Boys 15 years - Rohan Rangineni
Girls 15 years - Saloni Etikala
Boys 16 years - Santhosh Samuel
Girls 16 years Dharika Sujendran
Boys 17+ years - Luke Boyes
Girls 17+ years - Zoe Adrienne Elizalde
Health Inspirations Program
“Siyan (Nancy) Tao and Supreethi Kanta recently engaged in the Health Inspirations Program run by Nepean Hospital and the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. They were excellent representatives of Penrith Selective High School and were noted to be mature and enthusiastic in their approach to the two-day experience. They visited six different wards and spent time with over ten health professionals including a Doctor, Physio, Midwife, Radiographer and others. We hope this helps them gain a clearer picture of a career in health and informs their future choices about their careers.”
Chris Buchli
Careers Adviser
“What was so great about the program was that it offered a holistic perspective of health- not only the medicine field, but also allied health and undergraduate/postgraduate pathways in uni.
This was reinforced through the generous healthcare professionals who shared their personal high school and uni experiences with us. That really comforted me because I realised that even if I didn’t get into my dream field through direct entry, there is always a chance via alternate pathways.
We also learnt so much about how various departments in the hospital work together as a whole, which was super interesting.
Really, the best part of the program was the hands-on activities we did, such as visiting wards including Cardiology, NICU and ED (my absolute favourite!!).
Oh, and getting lost in the hospital."
Supreethi Kanta
“The best thing about the program was the ability to walk around the hospital wards and how we were able to ask health professionals questions about their work and education. This gave us insight into careers in the medical field, as well as firsthand experience in the medical environment. This was extremely informative, and useful in exploring possible careers in health. Through the course of the program, I have discovered new branches of healthcare that I was not aware of previously. We were also able to ask how to obtain such careers in healthcare, which has greatly influenced my future choices for university and education. "
Siyan Tao
Ricochet
It is with great excitement our CAPA Faculty, which includes our tutors, conductors, choreographers and directors, announce the return of Penrith in Performance (date to be advised).
This event, which will feature students in years 7-12, is a showcase of the exemplary works from our ensemble program across Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts.
To reflect our school community's ability to bounce back from the challenges of 2020 the theme for 2021 is Ricochet.
Due to the large growth of our programs the showcase will take place at the Verbrugghen Hall at the Conservatorium of Music. If you're unfamiliar with this beautiful venue, here is a link to Romeo and Juliet Reimagined, a performance that some of our students performed in during 2019 on the same stage. Here are some photos of the space we will fill in less than 10 weeks.
Congratulations to PSHS Drama Ensemble!
Music Composition Workshop
Thank you to Mr Jack Rolls for organising and Ms Goodman for helping the day run smoothly.
Period 6 Friday - from a Teacher’s Perspective:
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say not every teacher looks forward to the last lesson of the week with any High School students. After a typical ‘buzzing’ week at Penrith High, last Friday Period 6 was an enlightening new experience for me.
As part of our school’s teacher research projects into our own pedagogical practice I was fortunate enough to observe Miss Annabel Goodman and her Yr 12 Music 1 & 2 class.
Eight students performed a piece each, with an aim to show how they could maintain the integrity of the original score and put their own ‘original spin’ on the piece.
I’d like to thank Lachlan Braikenridge, Olivia Bock, Ana Maksimovic, Cedric Kutschera, Vishwa Shah, Leeanna Yao, Preetam Telugu and Ashvini Dolamulla for finishing my week on a high! What I saw and heard was amazing: from Chopin on the piano, Dua Lipa on the drums to some sassy trumpet. I really felt quite humbled to be in a room with 9 such talented musicians (I count Miss Goodman as one).
Thanks so much for having me…. I may just ‘pop in’ again, just for my personal enjoyment.
Mrs Kylie Craigen
English
Congratulations Dhanush and Heer!
Please check out the article here:
https://www.museumoffire.net/single-post/local-penrith-student-wins-museum-of-fire-history-award
Year 10 History Excursion – Sydney Jewish Museum
On 11 May 2021, Year 10 history classes had the honour of visiting the Sydney Jewish Museum. This museum was created in 1992 by the generation of Jewish refugees who fled to Australia, after the Holocaust in 1945. We had the privilege of hearing the stories of two holocaust survivors, Paul and Yvonne, both of whom were mere children when this was happening. The museum is primarily made of artifacts donated by Holocaust survivors and consists of items which had significant sentimental value, rather than monetary value. Every artifact we saw had an anecdote attached to it and it was really beautiful to see. I often feel that history gets reduced to numbers and statistics and we lose sight of what it actually represents. The museum was a really great opportunity to consolidate our in class learning and help us realise that history is about real people and real issues - the holocaust was a terrible mass genocide and it changed the lives of millions of individuals around the world
Geethika Aranhiyullathil Pradeep, 10HIS2
On Tuesday, 11 May, 10HIS2, 10HIS4 and 10HIS6, went on their excursion to the Sydney Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst. We were extremely fortunate and lucky to be able to go, even during the restrictions for COVID-19. We all complied with the regulations and had our mask on at all times. The Sydney Jewish Museum was founded by Holocaust survivors, to share their experiences during the Holocaust and to educate people about their struggles and suffering. As we walked into the building, we were all able to admire the beautiful architecture of the interior of the museum and the names of the Holocaust survivors, engraved on the walls of the stairs, and were quickly split into groups with designated tour guides to either go around the museum or listen to a Holocaust survivor’s speech. The tour guides kindly showed us all different artefacts and timelines during the Holocaust and taught us important and insightful information about the experiences of the Jewish people pre-World War 2 and during World War 2. Not only were we deeply informed about the saddening struggles of the Jewish people during the Holocaust, but we were also enriched with the beautiful culture of the Jewish faith. However, the most heartbreaking part of the museum, was the Holocaust survivor’s speech. Our group was able to hear from Paul Drexler, who talked about his experience during the Holocaust. His story was deeply saddening, but it was so heart-warming to see his gratitude and to teach us of a significant moral that no matter who we are, regardless of the colour of our skin or race, religion, or ethnicity, we all should be treated equally. Paul Drexler kindly donated his novel ‘In Search of My Father’ - which shares his research about his father’s death during the Holocaust - to our school library.
In essence, the trip to the Sydney Jewish Museum, taught us all more about one of the biggest events in history and about the Jewish culture and reinforced the important moral that no matter who we are, we all deserve to be treated with equality.
Shreya Shrestha 10HIS6
UN Youth Evatt Trophy Competition
On Monday 10 May, Penrith Selective High School hosted the preliminary round of the UN Youth Evatt Trophy Competition with great success. The Evatt Competition is a Model United Nations debating and diplomacy competition where teams of two represent a member country on the UN Security Council to debate issues of international peace and security through a stimulated UN debate.
All members of our school’s MUNA Club were highly involved in organising and participating on the day and the weeks leading up to it, ensuring a wonderful event that signals more participation to come. On the day, Penrith High welcomed teams from Blacktown Boys High School, Katoomba High School and Sydney Girls High School, as well as two UN Youth adjudicators. Congratulations to Penrith Selective High School students Abigail Quadros who has taken a leading role in fundraising for MUNA, Jasmeen Kaur, Jamima Rumey Jiffrey, Jasmine Amin, Nishat Hossain, Priyal Mahida, Nithushan Suresh, Jules Blair, Quintin Handley and Alex Vella for competing with admirable adaptability and excellent results on the day. A big thank you as well to helpers Zaryab Ahmad, Rishabh Alajpur and Pranavan Prakash for organising and assisting the adjudicators so that the event could run smoothly. Zaryab and Rishabh will also be competing in a preliminary round held at the University of Technology, Sydney towards the end of the month.
Of course, on behalf of Penrith Selective High School’s MUNA Club, we would like to extend a huge thank you to Ms. Ross and Mr. Hoekstra for making this day possible in the first place - it was Penrith Selective High School’s first time hosting the Evatt Competition and participating internally as a school, and with all students’ incredible performances, we are sure that it will not be the last. Thank you to everyone involved, and we wish all participants the best of luck for future Evatt rounds.
Jasmine Amin and Jamima Rumey Jiffrey
Year 12 MUNA team members
Victor Qin takes on politician experience in Parliament's Legislative Assembly.
Victor Qin is representing the electorate of Chifley as one of more than 100 passionate young people from across NSW selected to have the opportunity to participate in the YNSW’s 2021 Youth Parliament Program.
Youth Parliament consists of a seven-day camp where participants are split into committees and develop bills on issues important to them ahead of debate on the floor of NSW Parliament. At the end of camp, all pieces of youth legislation are presented to NSW Members of Parliament for consideration.
The Year 10 student says, "I am incredibly excited to be a part of the health committee and can’t wait to get the chance to enact tangible change. It’s empowering to know that my voice will be heard on one of the largest platforms for youth in NSW. I’m looking forward to hearing the perspectives of other participants from around NSW and can’t wait to get to work!"
Since its inception in 2002, Y NSW’s Youth Parliament Program has played an instrumental role in shaping public discourse and policy, with around two thousand participants and approximately half a dozen pieces of Y NSW Youth Parliament youth legislation being passed into NSW Law, including the recent Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.
This is an incredible achievement for Victor Qin and we look forward to following his journey in the Y NSW’s 2021 Youth Parliament program!
For more information on the Y NSW’s 2021 Youth Parliament Program, visit: https://www.ymcansw.org.au/community-services/youth/youth-parliament/
Brian Ferguson
Deputy Principal
Business Studies and Economics HSC Study Days
Empowering Girls Program
Thank you to Ms Xibberas and Ms Pipio for their organisation!
Congratulations Tarin!
Table Tennis 2021
The Sydney West Table Tennis Knockout Carnival was held at Nam Ho Table Tennis Centre, Rydalmere on May 3. There were altogether ten schools who participated for the event. The ten schools were Penrith, St Marys, James Ruse, Baulkham Hills, Mitchell, Cranebrook, Glenmore Park, Arthur Phillip, Glenwood and Cumberland.
The team from Penrith consists of three Year 10 students, Arnav Bhargava, Prajit Das and Shuva Khatiwada, and two Year 9 students; Yesh Netrapalli and Ishaan Pohankar. The team was selected by Mr Stephen Tan who managed to assist these students to achieve the school’s best record so far in this competition.
For the first round of the competition, the schools were grouped into Pool A and Pool B. PSHS was assigned in Pool B together with St Marys Senior, James Ruse, Baulkham Hills, Mitchell, and Glenmore Park. Each match consisted of seven games, that is, four singles and three doubles. Whoever won four games is considered the winner for that match. The team from PSHS managed to defeat all the other teams except James Ruse and Baulkham Hills.
It was a close fight against James Ruse and the match was tied at 3-all. Unfortunately, PSHS was defeated in the final doubles match. The top two teams for each pool then competed in the semi-finals, of which Baulkham Hills emerged as the champion and James Ruse as the runner-up.
As there were five schools who missed out in the final’s competition, the Sydney West Table Tennis Convener, Mr Lyall Davis, decided to come up with another social match so that the teams from Pool A and Pool B could compete against each other. Our team was undefeated in all the social matches.
It was such a great experience for the students from our school. They were so motivated to train hard in preparation for next year’s Knockout Carnival. You never know, maybe by next year, our team from Penrith High might just emerge as the champion for the 2022 Sydney West Table Tennis Knockout Carnival!
Cheers,
Stephen Tan
Mathematics Teacher
Photo (l-r)
Shuva Khatiwada
Arnav Bhargava
Yesh Netrapalli
Mr Stephen Tan
Prajit Das
Ishaan Pohankar
Mr Lyall Davis
Penrith Selective High School
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: 024721 0529
Facebook: facebook.com/penrithselectivehighschool