Penrith Selective High School
October/November Newsletter 2020
From the Principal
Welcome to our latest newsletter.
As we edge closer to the end of the 2020 school year, there have been no shortage of events and student success in the usual wide range of fields. A major highlight was the Year 12 Graduation. For possibly the first time, Year 12 did not graduate from the school hall but from our newly completed Alumni Garden. It was special to have parents and family onsite for this event given the year we have shared. Our thanks to Year 12 and their families for their immense contribution to the school community and we wish the students the very best for their results and life beyond school.
There will be one more newsletter before the end of the school year and I know that the articles and photos below, capture so much of what has taken place over the last month.
My thanks to the students and staff who have worked on so many events and opportunities for the entire school community to enjoy. We certainly can't make up for some of the lost events of 2020, but there is a wonderfully tenacious effort by all to stay focussed in classes and to spend some quality and fun times with each other before the school year ends.
Warm regards,
Mark Long
Principal
PSHS Graduates of 2020
Graduation 2020
Congratulations to the class of 2020, who, after a year of trials and tribulations, graduated in fine style on the 12th of November this year. Penrith’s navigation of the COVID-19 restrictions resulted in an unusual ceremony compared to previous years. The beautiful Alumni Garden was formally opened, and it provided a lovely backdrop to the proceedings, in place of the Hall which has been the location for every Graduation Ceremony previously as far as we can tell. As was noted on the evening by Ms Cush, Year 12 students 2020 have enjoyed a unique final year at Penrith, and so it was entirely fitting that their Graduation was no different. Aside from a few technical hitches and some external noises, the evening was a great success; Year 12 entered the garden as students, and walking down the long aisle of roses under the congratulatory gaze of be-masked and socially distant parents, caregivers and teachers, left it as proud graduates. Speeches also were heard by Mr Long, Mr Hoekstra, and the Year 12 leadership team, whose poignant musings on the many hidden talents of the group were highlighted by the rousing performance of the Year 12 music group. It is to be hoped that the Graduation Ceremony for the class of 2021 can take place under more relaxed circumstances, but it would not be the worst thing if it too were to occur on a balmy spring evening surrounded by greenery.
Tom Hoekstra
Year 12 Adviser 2020
For further photos please visit our Graduation Photo Gallery Link below
Opening of the Alumni Gardens
There were so many people to thank for this beautiful area at the front of the school. The plaque placed on one of the sandstone blocks within the garden explains it precisely:
The 70th Anniversary Alumni Garden was made possible by those whose time, expertise, resources and genuine care contributed to the construction of a space to be enjoyed by current and former visiting students, while also capturing 70 years of excellence in Public Education.
Maria Ryan
Chris Prior
Glenn McNally
Matt Oxley
Cathie Fayle
Julie Dicker
Darren Pradhan
Gai Hawthorne
Beth Spanos
Brian Long
Libby Drysdale
Rhonda Hanbury
Jo Sonter
David Sonter
Julie Letters
Graham Letters
Praba Maheswaran
Thank you to all those involved and especially Mark Long, our principal, for carrying this to fruition.
Year 12 Clapout Ceremony
In the hall the students were addressed by Mr Long and selected students from each year spoke about the influence Year 12 had had on them. Many a friendship was made through the various clubs, Peer Support and SRC to name a few.
A highlight was the teacher's band playing for the students!
Mr Hoekstra, the Year 12 adviser, spoke at length about his time with them. Many humorous memories were discussed but also there were times that were mentioned that brought a tear to the eye. To conclude the ceremony the students were addressed by Ms Cush.
Year 12 finished their time at Penrith High with a Clapout around the school starting in the hall and finishing in the Alumni Garden. When they had started in Year 7 they were welcomed into the school with applause so it was only fitting that they would leave the same way. However, to abide by social distancing Year 12 went around the school - through the hall, through the ovals, through the quad and through the Alumni Garden(where they were to graduate after their exams) while students from every year clapped as they passed.
It was indeed a memorable occasion! Good luck Year 12!
You can see a small video of the Clapout below.
Congratulations Kokulaan!
Mathematics
Another school year is almost over and all students in Years 7 to 10 have completed their yearly examinations and their teachers are busy writing reports.
Next week the Year 7 students will start working in class on a research task that will increase their knowledge on where their school mathematics has been developed from, as well as encouraging the students to think about how mathematics is used in their everyday lives. This culminates in each student completing a presentation to their class in Week 9.
The Year 8 and 9 students are still working on units of work that will be assessed in 2021. The Year 10 students are busy working in groups on their Stem project. The finals for the STEM project are on Thursday Week 9 during their English lesson and the Grand Final for the STEM project is Friday week 9 during their Mathematics lesson. Hopefully the winning STEM project will be uploaded to Facebook in Week 10.
Next year we will be starting Compaction. This involves the Year 10 course and the Preliminary Mathematics Advanced Course being compacted into one year. The 24 Year 9 students have been selected based on their Year 9 performance and their ability to work independently and learn new concepts quickly. They will complete the HSC for Mathematics Advanced in 2022 and in 2023 they will complete the HSC for Mathematics Extension 1 and Extension 2 with their cohort.
Throughout the year we achieved some great results in all the Olympiads and competitions that we have entered our talented students in despite the online learning due to Covid. We are so incredibly proud of all that they have achieved and all that they continue to achieve.
Here are some more fantastic results:
Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO)
The Australian Mathematics Trust also use the Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO) as one of the competitions to determine which students are selected to a number of invitation only events; including other mathematics competitions AMOC, enrichment classes, Tournament of Towns and Olympiad training schools. Participation in these elite programs increases the likelihood of being selected in the Australian Training teams for the International Olympiad Team. It gives talented students an opportunity to be recognised and to participate in activities which will enhance their enjoyment and knowledge of mathematics.
There were 1 539 students from 173 schools participating in this very prestigious and challenging 4-hour Olympiad. This year we had 13 students from Year 8 and Year 10 competing. The following students achieved either a Distinction or a Credit:
Gurveer Singh Khalsa Year 10 Distinction
Harrison Shi Year 10 Distinction
Dismitha Punchinilame Year 10 Credit
Eric Ruan Year 10 Credit
Timothy Gonzales Year 8 Credit
Tournament of Towns
The Tournament of Towns is an international competition with more than a hundred participating cities around the world. Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Perth are among the Australian participants. It is conducted each year in two stages – Autumn and Spring. Each stage has two papers: O (Ordinary) and A (Advanced). There are also two streams: junior (for students in Years 8 - 10) and senior (Years 11, 12). The level of difficulty of A-level paper is comparable with that of AMO, i.e. it is very hard. The O-level paper is slightly easier, but it still requires a student to have an extra-ordinary talent for Mathematics. The duration of the competition is 4 hours for O-level and 5 hours for A-level.
Students can only enter this highly elite and challenging competition by invitation only. The AMOC state director for NSW, from the Australian Mathematical Trust Mr Dmitry Badziahin, issues the invitation.
This year we had four students invited to compete in both papers! This honour went to Gurveer Singh Khalsa of Year 10 and Keeno Mendoza, Jamieson Berida and Beonrik Pascual of Year 11. One other student from Year 11 was invited to participate in the two training sessions; Anaf Sayed of Year 11. We are very proud of all five young men who not only have worked hard on their Olympiad Mathematics, but who represented our school admirably. We wish them all the best in this international competition.
Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC)
The annual Australian Mathematics Competition was held on ThursdayJuly 30. More than 30 countries participate in this annual competition.
There is an emphasis on problem solving; a valuable life skill, and the questions are designed to be fun for the students. The AMC is run by the not-for-profit Australian Maths Trust (AMT). The problems created for the AMC papers are set to the highest possible standards by volunteer teams of the most experienced mathematics teachers and academics in the country.
This year, despite all the disruptions to learning and going online, our students achieved 11 High Distinctions, 121 Distinctions and 298 Credits. The photo below shows the winners of the High Distinction certificate. This means that they were placed in the top 3% of their year group and region.
Our 11 PSHS High Distinction achievers were:
Year 7
Abigail Swinn, Ishaan Garg and Jireh Choi.
Year 8
Rohan Rangineni, Pramit Dutta and Shyla Vashisht.
Year 10
Gurveer Singh Khalsa, Eric Ruan and Zaland Ekhlass.
Year 11
Jamieson Berida and Nicholas Whelan.
“The Best in School” Award: this award recognises the student with the highest AMC score in a school, based on the minimum achievement of a Distinction Award, and minimum AMC entries of 50 secondary students. This year the award went to Jamieson Berida of Year 11.
All certificates were handed out either at the school assembly, year assembly or in their mathematics classes. Congratulations to all our winners!
Australian Informatics Olympiad
On August 27 five students sat the gruelling 3-hour Australian Informatics Olympiad. Each paper consists of six problems, and students had to submit the source code for their solutions online during the three-hour contest. Gurveer Singh Khalsa of Year 10 and Jamieson Berida of Year 11 both achieved Bronze Awards.
Mathematics Enrichment
Our Enrichment program for 2020 has concluded. Our High Distinction, Distinction and Credit achievers are:
Euler:
Pranavan Rajeshkannan High Distinction
Sanskar Tilbile Credit
Hazel Mulhotra Credit
Gauss:
Celis Pascual Credit
Tamiz Rumney Jiffrey Credit
Noether:
Harrison Shi Distinction
Gurveer Singh Khalsa Credit
Supreethi Kanta Credit
Eric Ruan Credit
Dismitha Punchinilame Credit
* The application forms have been sent out for Years 8, 9 and 10 in 2021, but if your child/children would like to participate, they can come and see me in the Mathematics staff room for an application form. The invoices will be sent out very early in Term 1 2021.
The Enrichment program runs once a week before school. We run Euler for Year 8, Gauss for Year 9 and Noether for Year 10. The program is taught by our Alumni, former students who themselves excelled in Mathematics. It is designed to extend laterally the mathematical skills of the students who are excelling in their day to day mathematics. There is a fee of $130 involved, and this covers the tuition fees and resource materials from Canberra for the three terms. If your child starts the program you are liable for the whole fee, so please discuss the program with your child before entering them.
However, if your child is struggling with Mathematics or just needs a little more help with their work, then I highly recommend our Peer Tutoring program. This is free, and is a program designed to have our senior students help their fellow students address their area/s of weakness. If you would like your child to take up this offer they can either send me an email or send an email to mathspeertutoring@gmail.com
Mrs Sue Briggs
Head Teacher Mathematics
Mathematics Award Winners
Jamieson Berida Year 11 - Best in School Award
Remembrance Day Ceremony 2020
On the 11th of November, 2020 Penrith High School’s Years 9 and 10 students commemorated the lives of Australians lost at war in the school’s Annual Remembrance Day Ceremony.
The opening address made by Mr Stone highlighted the roles and contributions made by indigenous servicemen and women, the discrimination they faced and the subsequent lack of recognition. The story of Cathy Freeman’s great grandfather, Frank Fisher, was told as an example of such discrimination.
The reading of the poem “We Shall Keep the Faith " by Moina Michael (1918) read by Eugene Chen , Year 11 History Prefect Leader, urged students to always remember and respect those who lost their lives fighting.
The piano performance of “ L’Apres Midi” (Yann Tiersen) by Year 10 music student Lily Robinson captured the solemnity and mood of the occasion, where students were able to quietly reflect on the meaning of Remembrance Day.
The Ode, read by Luke Boyes, Year 11 History Prefect Leader, has been used in commemoration services in Australia since 1921. It was followed by The Last Post, played expertly by Lachlan Braikenbridge of Year 11, then one minute’s silence and finally The Rouse, also played by Lachlan, which reinforced the solemnity of the ceremony.
The National Anthem was beautifully sung by Katherine Shipp and Arya Chavan, both of Year 10, to complete the formalities.
The student body respectfully reflected upon all those lost in wars, reminding us of the devastating effects war has on humanity.
Mr Stone
Head Teacher History
Lachlan Braikenbridge
Lily Robinson
Mr Clark Stone Head Teacher History
Congratulations Gauri!
Gauri won a Single Under 16s, Doubles Under 17s and Quad Under 17s.
Thank you to Nepean Rowers who provide the opportunity for Penrith High students to train and compete.
Debating Update
Year 11 Debating
The year 11 team, having won their two previous debates earlier in the year, took on Smiths Hill High School in round 3 of the Premier’s Debating Challenge. The topic for this debate was ‘That we should limit the ownership of cars to one per household’. In this particular debate Penrith High was the negative. In a closely fought debate our Penrith team was defeated by a well-drilled opposition.
The Year 11 team performed well throughout this competition and have been a credit to themselves and the school in how they have conducted themselves in this competition.
Well Done Ladies!
Year 8 Debating
In term 3 the Year 8 Debating team had won their zone and had proceeded through to the knockout phase of the competition. In the knockout phase of the competition the topics can come from a range of topic areas, instead of from a single focus area.
In round one of the finals they found themselves up against Hastings College, Port Macquarie. The topic for this debate was 'That we should ban zoos'. We were the affirmative and Penrith High and through a model of animal sanctuaries instead of zoos, supported by some effective arguments around the ethics of zoos, repopulation and education of the public, was able to win this debate.
In Round 2 of the finals, Penrith High was against Bulli High School and the topic for this debate was 'That the government should increase funding for the Arts'. Penrith High, in this debate, was the negative. Through taking an approach that looked at balancing the economy in the troubling times Australia finds itself in, the students managed to come away with a narrowly won victory.
The next round of the finals of the Premier’s Debating Challenge was the State Quarter Final. In this debate we were up against Smiths Hill High School. The topic for this debate was ‘That we should ban politicians from using social media’ (If only!). Penrith High in this debate was the affirmative and the students based their case around the impact of fake news, social media’s lack of editorial/journalist standards and this ban leading to better governance for Australia. In a close contest that went back and forth down the bench, Penrith students narrowly lost this debate. All 3 adjudicators commended our team on how the students conducted themselves, that they were engaging with arguments and rhetoric in a manner more like that of a senior debating team and they would be a formidable debating team in the years to come.
While they were defeated in the State Quarter Finals, they learnt a lot from the experience and will grow as debaters into the future. After this debate the Arts Unit emailed to congratulate the Year 8 debating team on how far they had came this year. In recognition of them being the last team from Western Sydney left in the competition they have been crowned the Western Sydney Regional champions for 2020. Congratulations and well done!
Tim Bates
Debating Co-ordinator
Year 11 Debating team
Year 8 Debating team
Year 8 Debating team
CAPA Update
A great way to finish the year!
Year 8 Visual Arts Photo Challenges
Below are a few examples.
Deekshiga Pandian
Close-up Photography
Kohulramanan Muraletharan
Krithika Sujendran
SRC Update
The SRC has been busy planning, organising and preparing for many exciting events to occur in term 4 of 2020. Already we have started off this term with two incredible mufti days for the school to enjoy and use as an opportunity to donate towards a good cause. Pink Up Penrith was a pink-themed mufti day to support breast cancer research by fundraising money for the McGrath Foundation. On the day, the SRC created a photowall and organised a pink-hairspray event, which were both very successful and created a buzz in our school spirit. This mufti day enabled the student body of Penrith High School to contribute back to society while also having a fantastic time, raising almost $1000. The Halloween mufti day was held on World Teachers’ Day, for which the SRC raised over $500. There was a Halloween photo wall as well as lolly bags and halloween cupcakes. We would like to thank all students for donating on both mufti days and participating in these school events. A special thank you to House Captains and House Vice Captains for assisting the SRC with gold coin donation collections. Finally, a small reminder to all students to follow the SRC page on instagram (@penrithsrc) to stay updated with upcoming school events.
The Maths Faculty on Pink Up Penrith Day
PSHS SASS Celebrating National Pink Day
Halloween/Harry Potter/World Teacher's Day Celebrations!
Duke of Edinburgh Silver 2020
Thank you to Mr McNally for accompanying them and also to Mr Chapple for coming back to help Ms Andreatta, PSHS Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator, and to make these very successful and safe due to exceptional organisation and practice.
Glad everyone had fun despite the storms! See the article below.
Silver Duke of Edinburgh Practice Journey - Megalong Valley
On November 11-13, 20 students hiked and camped in Megalong Valley for three days and two nights for the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Practice Adventurous Journey. Accompanied and assisted by Miss Andreatta, Mr Chapple and Mr McNally, we learnt to navigate dense bush using a map and compass, as well as to practice our camping skills like setting up tents and cooking on Trangia stoves.
Even before the trip we had already encountered difficulties! Mr Chapple had discovered that the road to the starting point of our journey was closed off for road works and we had no way to get to our original starting point, even after all the elaborate planning we had done in our weekly Monday morning sessions. Everyone had to be notified at the last minute of the new changes and the starting point was changed to our ending point. This meant that we had to modify the route of the first day in order to reach our campsite at a reasonable time of the day. Due to the unexpected changes, we were unprepared for the difficulty of the route on the first day, and it was mentally challenging for many of us, although this taught us the importance of planning, but also how to safely modify plans if need be.
The second day came, and everyone was excited about the prospect of swimming in the river. The teachers had arranged for lunch at Galong Creek, as well as a paddle at the campsite next to Cox's River. Everyone was eager to refresh themselves and wash off the sweat of the tiring past two days. Upon reaching the campsite, everyone rushed for the river, forgetting about tents and food. It was only when it was close to dusk, that everyone remembered to set their tents up and cook their dinner. After a quick meeting regarding the plans for the next day, we celebrated Zoe’s birthday with a chocolate cake and caramel cake that Mr Chapple had bought on his way to the second campsite.
After being attacked by swarms of moths trying to eat our food, we escaped into the protection of our tents and no one dared to go outside again. Instead of a quiet peaceful night as before, we were caught in a thunderstorm, the lightning and thunder keeping us awake. We were sure we heard a cow mooing, but the next morning, only Miss Andreatta agreed that she’d heard it. During the walk of the last day, everyone was eager to get home as quickly as possible, and we worked as a team to overcome the constant uphill stairs. Of course, we were caught in another thunderstorm as we climbed the stairs, and when we had finally finished our journey, we were all drenched, in both sweat and rain.
Feelings of exhaustion we all experienced after three long days of hiking in the late spring weather and having been confined up to 8 people for most of the day, allowed many students to cultivate better relationships with others. Through this students were able to work together to help motivate each other and navigate through the bush. While the expedition was mentally and physically challenging for many, this journey was a really rewarding experience for all of us.
Samantha Buda and Athena Auw
Year 10
PSHS recently said a sad goodbye to Jodie Borg-Acting Head Teacher PDHPE! Good luck in the future, Jodie!
Farewell to our Head Teacher TAS, Graeme Mell, as he went on long service leave at the end of Term 3 prior to retirement!
Uniform Purchase Changes
The purchasing of your child’s school uniform will be a little different this year due to the COVID 19 pandemic and ensuring we are adherent to the mandatory social distancing restrictions of 1 person per 4 square meters. Our retail store located at 52 Cox Avenue, Kingswood, 2747 will be accessible by appointment ONLY from the 13th October through to the 22nd December.
Cowan & Lewis are very mindful of the inconvenience this may cause with restricted accessibility whilst avoiding unnecessary queuing and delays and ensure the safety of our Staff, Parents and students.
We would encourage all students to be outfitted prior to the end of the year to ensure they are catered for before the new school year
Appointments can be made on the Cowan & Lewis website www.cowanlewis.com.au. Locate your schools crest, click on the booking link and select the appropriate day and time.
- Each appointment will have a 20 minute duration.
- 1 Adult and 1 Child per booking
- For each additional sibling a booking will be required
- We ask that you arrive 10 minutes prior to your appointment
- If you arrive more than 5 minutes late to your appointment we will unfortunately ask that another time be made to ensure the next appointment is not delayed
Alternatively online orders can be made and delivered to school twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursday during the school term. Exchanges can be arranged back through the school office by contacting Cowan & Lewis or leaving an exchange form in the bag to be collected, the exchange form can be located on the Cowan & Lewis website on your school’s page.
We thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work through this challenging time and look forward to welcoming you to our store. Please feel free to contact our staff via email penrithhs@cowanlewis.com.au or phone 47217422 should you require any further information.
Staff and Management
Cowan & Lewis Pty Ltd
PSHS Memorabilia For Sale in the Accounts Office
Penrith Selective High School
Email: penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: penrith-h.schools.nsw.gov.au
Location: 158-240 High Street, Penrith NSW, Australia
Phone: 02 4721 0529
Facebook: facebook.com/penrithselectivehighschool