Penrith Selective High School
July/August Newsletter 2019
From the Principal
Welcome to our current newsletter.
It has been wonderful to welcome back Year 12 following their Trial HSC exams. As a group, they continue to work well and the key messages at this point is to stay focussed, work with each other, work with their teachers and maintain balance to stay healthy. We look forward to enjoying the remaining weeks of school and then celebrating with families at the Graduation.
We have been very proud to see so many students doing amazing things in and beyond school and some of the students have been acknowledged in very prestigious ways. William Gao and Keshna Jeyandrabalan were awarded the NSW Minister of Education Award for Excellence on Tuesday evening at Sydney Town Hall. Keshna has also been awarded the John Lincoln Award for Community Service (presented by the NSW OAM committee) and the Dame Marie Bashir Award for Peace. The three awards place both students in a very elite group and we are very, very proud of both students.
At the recent Australian Education Awards, a black tie event for public and private schools we were very proud to be a finalist in 3 categories. Congratulations to Mr Gary McGovern who was a finalist in the category of Rising Star of the Year. Mr McGovern retrained to be a teacher after a successful career as an Engineer and his HSC results and the respect in which his students hold him is testament to his incredible talent. It was also great to have our current School Plan recognised as one of the best in the country.
Our Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) team competed and won the National Championship in Canberra two weeks ago (as mentioned below). This too, is a significant event in the school’s history. The boys competed as China in the regional event and the UK at Nationals. Thanks to Mr MacRae for running our MUNA program and taking the boys on the trip. Over the weekend, Rhys, Victor and Jack met with senior diplomats at the UK High Commission, Jack was interviewed on ABC Radio and Rhys gave the vote of thanks at the official dinner.
Our upgrades continue across the school with the Music practise rooms almost completed as is the newly enclosed area near the canteen and gym. We will aim to use the money raised from Walkathon to complete the fit out of both spaces so that students can use and enjoy both. The Department of Education continue to paint a number of areas which has been a very welcome upgrade to the school.
Finally, as we plan for 2020 thank you to everyone who joined us for night events in the first half of term. The timetable is being completed, our new Head Teachers of English and Creative & Performing Arts are almost finalised and interviews are underway for shortlisted students that have applied for placement in years 8-11.
That is just a small snapshot of the work that is underway at school, but I know that you will find much more in the articles below.
The school continues to be a vibrant, exciting and stimulating place where students and staff are doing incredible things each day.
Warm regards,
Mark Long
Principal
Congratulations National Champions!
The senior Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) team – John Maddock, Victor Zhou and Rhys O’Connor – from Year 12 in Penrith Selective High School won the debating award at the annual National MUNA Competition at the Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House) in Canberra on 16 to 18 August 2019.
MUNA is an annual, two-day weekend event that is part of an International Rotary project to educate senior high school students (years 10 - 12) on the United Nations Organisation and its vital commitment to world peace, in addition to health, education and living standards around the world. The event provides an excellent forum for students to develop and practice their public speaking skills whilst debating on topical world issues. The students spoke with exceptional eloquence and intellect, which resonated well with the judges.
Since the students were allocated the United Kingdom in the competition, Penrith Selective High School students met with senior diplomats at the UK High Commission to discuss the topical issues of debate in the competition. The Rotary Organising Committee selected John Maddock to represent all the participants at the National MUNA Competition on ABC radio and speak about the event. Rhys was also chosen to speak on behalf of all the competing participants to speak about the competition at a formal dinner that included foreign dignitaries and ambassadors.
Mr Joel MacRae
HT Social Science
Congratulations Sukhman Banwait!
My name is Sukhman Banwait and I was able to attend the NSW YMCA Youth Parliament 2019. The YMCA NSW Youth Parliament is a program that gives young people a voice in the governance of NSW. It is a place where the opinions and concerns of young people in NSW are heard by those who have the power to make laws. YMCA NSW and a committed team of volunteer leaders run the program, which brings together students from right across the state, each representing their local electorate. The Youth Parliamentarians worked together in teams to develop legislation that aims to overcome issues concerning their local communities. My team looked into issues with Transport and Infrastructure. In July I took part in a 6-day residential camp, where along with my committee, I presented a Bill in the NSW Parliament House in front of real Members of Parliament. I debated on the transport and infrastructure team and proposed amendments to a bill. The amendments successfully passed with the bill and have now gone to real members of parliament for consideration. I wanted to write about this in the next newsletter to raise awareness of youth issues and this program. Apart from developing my leadership and debating skills, I developed friendships that last a lifetime and was able to speak out for the youth of NSW.
I appreciate this opportunity,
Sukhman Banwait
World Humanitarian Day
On Monday, August 19, two Year 11 students, Armish Faisal and Sophia Hadjimichael, accompanied by Ms Zhou and Miss Horsley, attended the UNHCR World Humanitarian Day Conference at International Towers, Barangaroo. Below is their account of the day:
World Humanitarian Day is held annually, in recognition of the work of humanitarian aid organisations around the world. Attending the conference was an eye-opening and inspiring experience for us. Thank you so much to Ms Zhou, Miss Horsley and Ms Pipio for making this possible.
We were lucky enough to hear from Dr Munjed Al Muderis, a pioneering Orthopaedic Surgeon who was born in Iraq under the regime of Saddam Hussein. Having been ordered to perform inhumane surgery on army deserters in Iraq, he was faced with what he described as the biggest moral dilemma of his life. This led him to become a refugee. Undertaking an extremely dangerous journey by boat and facing dehumanising treatment in detention centres and prisons, Dr Al Muderis, with his resilience and hard work, was able to become a pioneer of Osseo Integration Surgery in Australia. His work led him to develop prosthetics that respond to nerve impulses, and his work as a surgeon continues to restore hope in countless patients today. The organisers of the conference (including one of our very own Penrith Alumni!) generously supplied us with some copies of his book “Walking Free” for the school library.
We also heard from Michael Hayman, a speaker from an organisation called APOPO. This organisation uses rats to detect and clear landmines in areas that have been purged by war, such as Cambodia. Currently, landmines are a major problem in such countries, as they often go undetected and cause severe injury or death. We were educated about how this organisation uses scent detection rats, also known as HeroRATs, who are trained to detect landmines, to return land back to communities for development. In 2018, this inspiring group cleared 532 landmines and was able to give back an impressive 1, 786,781 square metres of land. Michael’s speech was highly informative and engaging, and it was an amazing opportunity to meet him and learn about this remarkable project.
Lastly, we were lucky enough to meet and hear from a very special Penrith Alumnus, Maria Calibo-Sales. Maria runs a corporation called Calmar Corps, a partner of several non-for-profit organisations. She is an advocate for the empowerment of women in the workplace. Her organisation uses technology to de-risk their operations, save time and money, optimise revenue and capture long term capability for small/medium sized businesses.
At the end of the day, we left the city feeling inspired by the incredible people we had the opportunity to hear from. The overall message of the day was that, with collective effort, significant, positive change really is possible. This is something we hope to take with us and share with younger students in Social Justice Club.
Armish Faisal and Sophia Hadjimichael
Congratulations Avyukta!
2019/2020 SRC News
The 2019/2020 SRC body has been announced and selected. The leadership initiative consists of 4-7 students varying from year to year that were selected by their peers to represent the school and their grade. The SRC congratulates those who applied and encourage them to keep looking out for opportunities as there are numerous ways to serve our school. We would like to express a very special thank you to Ms Pipio, Mr MacRae, Mr Long, Miss Horsley and Ms Zhou for their continued efforts in assisting with the selection process.
The SRC are currently working on preparations for Variety Night and are conducting surveys as to the themes for the night. There are also plans for future events in the making that have been in conversation.
SRC members are:
Year 7:
Saranyan Satyajith
Angelo Paul Varghese
Harsini Donti
Japneet Gill
Year 8:
Alicia Cai
Milivia Mathew
Parth Purohit
Arun Dannala
Year 9:
Alan Steny
Abhinav Santhakumar
Rehan Ali
Gabrielle Cant
Nipulma Attanayake
Soo Jung Yoo
Athena Xin Tian Auw
Year 10:
Alyna Arago
Archanaa Kananathan
Darren Pradhan
Hana Hallani
Madeleine Reeves
Shameer Iftikhar
Yash Mishra
Year 11:
Armish Faisal
Drashti Shah
Imran Sarwar
Shreyas Ananthula
Anusha Vakeesan
Office Bearer Positions:
SRC President: Darren Pradhan
SRC Vice President: Madeleine Reeves
Secretary: Gabrielle Cant
Treasurer: Alyna Arago
Media Liaison Officer: Archanaa Kananathan
Q and A with the Office Bearers:
“What is something you would like to achieve this year/next year in your position, if so what steps are you going to take to achieve it”
We have a very committed and hard-working team of representatives forming the SRC body. Our goals throughout the year will be to remain as a strong and productive team that will work alongside teachers and students for the school’s betterment. We aim to maintain a high level of school spirit through organising a wide variety of events and days for the school. Most importantly the 2019 to 2020 SRC body would like to stay engaged with teachers and students and carry out what is in their best interest as this is what we have a genuine passion for.
(Darren Pradhan - SRC President)
“How has SRC and the role you possess influenced you so far?”
This is the 4th year I’ve served on the SRC and over the years I have developed as a leader and a person. This will be the third consecutive year that I hold an office bearer position and I am becoming worthy of the title.
(Madeleine Reeves - SRC Vice President)
“What motivated you to try out for SRC, and your specific role?”
My motivation to try out for SRC emerged from the desire to seize the opportunity of giving back to the school and its community, who have provided me with so much. Once I was elected, I knew I had to take it one step further and run for the office bearer position to maximise my contributions to the committee and the school as a whole. The position of secretary seemed like the right fit as it allowed me to do so whilst also aligning with my own abilities and interests.
(Gabrielle Cant - Secretary)
“Is there anything you find particularly interesting/intriguing about the SRC which you hope to discover in the coming year?”
As my first year being a part of the SRC Body, I look forward to finding out and experiencing first-hand how we work together to turn the ideas of our peers into reality. I am interested in the steps and processes involved in turning a simple suggestion into a school-wide event. I hope to discover how the different year groups collaborate despite our differences in experience and knowledge and to develop ideas that could make this school a better learning space for everyone. Additionally, I anticipate to see how the new perspective and voice I offer can contribute to the SRC Body of 2019/20.
(Alyna Arago - Treasurer)
“Is there anything you admire about your role in particular, and if so why do value it?”
I admire the creative expression that being a Media Liaison Officer offers as I can experiment with different designs and represent the SRC’s events/ideas through an imaginative sense. I value the creative aspect of the position as it allows me to personally develop my skills in creating whilst making items that can be displayed for the school. Furthermore, I appreciate the opportunity to represent the SRC especially in an original or inventive way.
(Archanaa Kananathan - Media Liaison Officer)
Archanaa Kananathan Yr 10
Media Liaison Officer
Left to right: Miss Horsley, Darren Pradhan, Madeleine Reeves, Alyna Arago, Archanaa Kananathan, Gabrielle Cant, Ms Zhou
P&C Report
This term, our National Science Week presentation with Dr Karl doubled up as the P&C forum. It was held in week 4 (Tuesday 13th August). A great success!
In week 7 (Tuesday 3rd September) we will have a regular meeting and one of the topics on the agenda will be the commencement of community consultation around a new building at school. This follows up on the work by the P&C executive prior to the state election in March with Stuart Ayres.
The P&C looks forward to seeing parents on Tuesday 3rd September (7pm- Common Room)
Thank you for your understanding and to the P&C for their ongoing work to support the school.
Congratulations Girls!
The Royal Australian Chemistry Institute (RACI) organises the NSW Titration Competition annually. Out of 8 teams competing from Penrith Selective High school, 1 team, consisting of Sharon Peters, Chinnu Anil and Vaishvi Doctor (pictured below), was placed 2nd at their local State Level Competition. Based on their final score RACI has invited the girls to the Australian National Titration Competition to be held on September 14 at UNSW.
We wish the girls luck as they commence their training.
Ms Lam (HT Science)
Mathematics Update
Currently, all Years have just completed their term 3 Mathematics Tasks. All of the Mathematics staff are very hard at work marking and collating the examination papers. As well as writing Year 12 reports. It has been a hectic term for students and teachers alike!
We have also continued on with our enrichment programmes, Olympiad training and Olympiad competitions.
The UNSW Competition
The UNSW School Mathematics Competition has been run each year since 1962. It is open to participation by secondary school students in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It is run in two divisions: Junior, up to and including Year 10, and Senior, Years 11 and 12.
The competition is designed to assess mathematical insight and ingenuity rather than efficiency in tackling routine examples. The competition is a three-hour open-book exam. About 700 students participate, 350 in each division, and prizes and/or certificates are awarded to about 60 in each division. In recent years, the UNSW School Mathematics Competition has served as one of the selectors for the Australian team in the International Mathematical Olympiad.
This year, six of our students achieved credits. These students are:
Junior Division: Jamieson Berida and Gurveer Khalsa Singh
Senior Division: Erick Rajan, Naveen Manivasagan, Vedant Patel and Benjamin Renaud.
Australian Informatics Olympiad
The A.I.O. is a three hour examination in which students are given 6 problems to solve. The students need to write a computer program to solve each of the six problems. They can use Python 2, Python 3, Java 11, C++ 17, C# or Pascal. Each problem contains a number of subtasks, worth a total of 100 points. All problems are of equal value and all problems may be attempted.
This year the A.I.O. was held on Thursday August 22. We had 5 students competing in the Intermediate Division and 3 in the Senior Division.
Every participant will receive a certificate, and the top 25 students from NSW will be invited to a 10-day intensive training school in December where they will learn higher-level algorithms and data structures. If these students are successful enough then they can be asked to participate in invitation-only events, from which the top four will be selected to represent Australia in the International Olympiad in Informatics!
Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad
This examination is 4 hours and will be held on Thursday September 12. Students are not permitted to use calculators or electronic devices.
It is suited to Years 8 to 10 level and particularly for those who:
a) have completed at least one of the Mathematics Enrichment programmes, (Euler, Gauss or Noether level) and
b) are high achievers in the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) and
c) students who have acquired knowledge in Olympiad problem solving
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 and 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.
Currently 9 students from Years 9 and 10 are in training to participate in the A.I.M.O for 2019.
Other students from Years 8 and 9 are preparing for the 2020 A.I.M.O.
Australasian Problem Solving Mathematics Olympiad
The Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) is a not-for-profit, professional organisation that offers a range of mathematical competitions for students. The programs are unique in that they focus on the students' ability to solve mathematical problems in a creative manner - as opposed to simply reaching a solution using a prescribed method. Each year thousands of schools participate in the competition from around Australia and New Zealand.
The main aims of the competitions are to:
Teach major strategies and develop flexibility for problem solving
Foster creativity and ingenuity and strengthen intuition
Stimulate enthusiasm and enjoyment of mathematics
Provide for the satisfaction, joy and thrill of meeting challenges
Each mathematics class in Years 7 and 8 are entered as a team. So Penrith Selective High
School has entered 10 teams. The Maths Olympiad offers team awards; including plaques for the top 10% of teams and Team of the Year Awards for the highest score in each section. Individual awards include certificates for students who participate in all 5 Olympiads; medals for perfect scorers; a trophy for the highest score within a team; metal pins for students placed
in the top 10% of scores; and patches for students in the top 25% of scores.
The students of Year 7 and Year 8 have currently completed 4 papers over Terms 2 and 3 in the APSMO. The 5th and final paper will be held on Wednesday September 18.
By Mrs Sue Briggs
Head Teacher Mathematics
Jamieson Berida of Year 10 placing 32nd overall in the Junior Division and Erick Rajan of Year 11 placing 32nd overall in the Senior Division of the UNSW Competition
Maths Student Profile
But did you know great minds are lurking in the middle of Penrith Selective High grounds, hiding in its vast rooms and alleyways? Vedant Patel is one such student and I managed a quick talk with him.
What practical applications has maths helped you in?
I use the quadratic equation all the time when I go to the shops. But in all seriousness in addition to the purely technical elements, mathematics also teaches you methods of reasoning and a certain rigour in how you approach your work. Whether you or not you aspire to become a mathematician, this discipline is a science in its own right, and one that has a great importance for everyone. It also teaches me to be more patient and rigorous. Finally the technique of sketching smooth curves teaches one of living life in a way that goes with the flow despite its ups and downs.
How do you approach the harder/ content heavy topics in 3u and 4u?
When I encounter a topic that I don’t understand, I relook at the chapter summaries and the worked examples in textbooks and if that doesn’t help, I try another textbook and then some YouTube videos. If the concept is still cloudy or still doesn’t work for me, I then approach my teachers for some extra help but overall doing questions on the topic should most definitely be helpful.
What aspect of maths do you enjoy the most?
Maths is a puzzle, from which I enjoy the challenge of putting the piece tighter for a deeper understanding and the satisfaction that comes from completing the puzzle.
Has there been any uni courses to do with maths that has interested you? If yes, what makes you excited about the course?
Actuarial studies really interests me and how math is used to predict possible futures and outcomes.
Has maths helped you in other areas of school study? If so, in what ways?
The proofs in maths helped me value logical reasoning and I applied this to physics and chemistry to get a deeper understanding of the content and formulas.
What general advice/ time management skills do you recommend for students studying 3U and 4U maths?
When studying for 3u and especially 4u, regulated revision is a must! Along with completing a range of questions from different sources (textbooks and past papers), with an increase in the number of papers done weekly as the exams come closer. I think doing past papers is a must, as it allows you to be familiar to the time pressures in the exam and it exposes you to the type of questions presented, as textbook questions and exam questions are very different and it is important to have exposure to both.
Congratulations Jovel!
Jovel Espinosa Year 10 has been successful in gaining entry into the NSW Sydney Schools Singers. She is a talented vocalist and a committed member of the school choir. Congratulations on this wonderful effort!
AUSTRALIAN HISTORY COMPETITION
Congratulations to the following students for their excellent efforts in this year's Australian History Competition. They all achieved High Distinctions.
Year 7
Yingnan Chen
Pramit Dutta
Sharvari Nivendkar
Narain Srinivasan
Jocelyn Yunardi
Year 8
Jools Blair
Alex Vella
Year 9
Zaryab Ahmad
Anders Ernest
Abigail Quadros
Lily Robinson
Eric Ruan
Year 10
Tamara Jaglica
Ana Maksimovic
Special congratulations are in order for Anders Ernest, who was declared one of the Champions of his age group across the country, scoring 92 on the test. Anders will be receiving his medal at assembly next week.
History Smash
There were five Parent/Teacher Nights over terms 2 and 3. Thank you for your participation.
Hakusan Homestay Exchange 2019(24.7.19 - 2.8.2019)
On July 24, Penrith High School had the pleasure of hosting 14 Japanese students from PHS’s sister city in Hakusan, Japan. Fourteen PHS students and their families warmly welcomed their student into their homes as well as sharing their daily lives as Australians. On the first day, host sisters/brothers and LOTE teacher, Ms Sullivan welcomed Hakusan students by eating lunch together and touring Penrith High School. Despite the language barrier, PHS students and students from Hakusan communicated well and looked forward to the upcoming homestay days together.
From that day forth, Hakusan students were able to take a glimpse of the lessons in an Australian high school. Hakusan students enjoyed various activities such as Boomerang-making in Visual Arts, Sport, Japanese with different grades and were even able to experience some of their host sister's/brother’s lessons. Hakusan students also appreciated their visit to the Blue Mountains and Penrith Public School. The friendship between host students and Japanese students grew during recesses, lunches and travelling back home together. On the weekend, host students were able to take their exchange student to explore Sydney and general activities included visiting Sydney’s popular tourist locations and eating Australian foods. I am sure all of the students had a lovely weekend together.
As difficult as it was to bid farewell to the Hakusan students on Friday morning, I believe everyone involved in the Hakusan Homestay Exchange 2019 will treasure the experience and cherish all of the precious memories made together over the 10 days. There is no doubt the host students have made a lasting friendship with the Hakusan students.
Thank you Ms Sullivan for organising this wonderful homestay program!
By Susan Lin, Year 10
Debating Update
The year 11 Metro Team consisting of Chinnu Anil, Vaishvi Doctor, Ethan Shackley and Rayana Soller won all three of their zone matches against Blacktown Girls, St. Mary’s Senior College and Katoomba. Across the course of the competition the team continued to get better with each debate. In the Regional Final they came up against Baulkham Hills. In a very close debate, our team was narrowly defeated by Baulkham Hills. The adjudicator for this debate commended them for their skills and effort and wished them all the best of luck in their future debates.
Year 9 and 10 Team
Both the Year 9 and Year 10 Debating Teams won all their zone debates against other schools this year. The Year 10 team (Olivia Bock, Jasraj Kaur, Jamima Rumey-Jiffrey, Vishwa Shah + two reserves who filled in for us in one of their debates: Durga Pothuraju and Vedika Sathiasothilingeswaran ) beat Cambridge Park and Glenmore Park, whereas the Year 9 team beat Cambridge Park and Katoomba (Forfeit). The zone was decided in a closely contested debate between our Year 9 and 10 debating teams. The Year 9 team narrowly won this debate and moved onto the regional part of the competition.
The year 9 Team went up against Rooty Hill HS in their Regional Quarter-Final. They won this debate quite comprehensively. In the Regional Semi-Final the year 9 Team went up against Baulkham Hills HS and won this debate. They will be continuing onto the Regional Grand-Final in the next fortnight.
Year 9 Debating Team - Lyndsay Everett, Andre Dubier, Gabby Cant and Marc Mumford
Make a Difference Day
Make a Difference Day is a leadership event that invites two year 10 students from numerous schools across the state to attend NSW Parliament and gain understanding about what young leaders can achieve. The day consisted of a keynote speech by Lilon Bandler, daughter of Faith Bandler, raising awareness of the overall impact that we as students can achieve when we work collaboratively and have common goals in mind. Lilon repeatedly used the words “now is your time” when addressing the position that young leaders and representatives have, in not only “making a difference” but what we as individuals and society value. The experiences of Bandler and her emergence into the realm of Indigenous Health Care was one that left us inspired and urged the emerging leaders of our future to start uncovering what we find important and ways we can translate that into our practices at home, school and the community.
The second portion of our day was the opportunity to discuss our generation’s pressing concerns about the future in small groups. The predominant worries that arose were climate change and religious discrimination. These issues were talked about in immense detail and with a strong passion. As the leaders of our future, we were encouraged to spread awareness about the issues we feel strongly about in order to help others be mindful of their actions and decrease misconceptions. Make a Difference Day taught us many lessons about the initiatives that we as students can undertake in the hopes of being successful leaders and driven adults of the future. We are appreciative of the opportunity that was presented to us and hope that the future leaders of Penrith Selective High School can experience the same in the coming years.
By Archanaa Kananathan and Yash Mishra
Report from the English Prefects
For the last five weeks, Caspar Zauner and I (Ethan Shackley) have been in charge of the organisation and completion of roles relevant to the English Prefect Portfolio. Throughout this experience, we have both learned much in regard to the needs of the English Faculty within our school and the needs of the student body in relation to the subject.
In response to our gaining of the role, Caspar and I have worked alongside the English teachers (specifically Ms Ross) to carry on ideas proposed within the 2018-2019 Prefect body and brainstorm our own initiatives. We have also been involved in the school’s Information Evening as representatives of the English Faculty.
The product of the discussions we had with teachers was the laying of the foundation work necessary for the development of an English tuition initiative specifically designed for Stage 4. Ms Ross, having proposed the idea to the previous body, was passionate about sparking a genuine interest in English from early within the junior years - an enthusiasm both Caspar and I can support.
A further conversation decided on just some of the general ideas that the tuition lessons could focus on. However, it was soon decided that the most accurate way to target the needs of the stage was to create a survey and analyse the data received.
This was completed and distributed and approximately 30 sample responses were quickly received back. This survey asked students about the confidence they had in their English capabilities, their interest in the initiative and, most importantly, what skills they believed needed refining.
Seeing this demand, student volunteers for the teaching of these tuition sessions were sourced from Year 11, as this program has the goal of being student-run.
Within the coming weeks, these students will work alongside the next English Prefects to schedule sessions for the development of important skills such as comparative essay writing, general essay structure, thesis writing, and much more.
I look forward to the success of this initiative, and it's eventual broadening to Stage 5 if demand exists, and would like to thank the English teachers (particularly Ms Ross) for their support and assistance.
Ethan Shackley (English Prefect Leader)
Report from the Social Science Prefects
On August 5, Open Night, the Social Science Prefect Interns and Mr MacVean had a great time meeting the new year 7 students of Penrith High for 2020. We held a display, showcasing the junior subjects; commerce and geography, with commerce food stall posters and maps. Our “Guess the flag” challenge was extremely popular and allowed us to converse with many of the new students, providing them with insight of what it’s like to study at Penrith High. We hope to see many of them again next year!
There are also plans for new initiatives that involve the use of geography skills to solve fun activities with prizes to be won. Be sure to keep a look out for these competitions as the new Social Science Prefects take over!
Peer Tutoring
Did you need help with your Social Science subjects? If yes, Peer Tutoring for Social Science can be started! It will be a completely free service provided by students of Penrith High and will be run at either recess or lunch. Please express your interest to the members of the Prefect intern body.
MUNA Club
Are you interested in global politics? Do you have a passion for debating? Well do we have a club for you!
The Social Science Faculty is extremely excited to announce the success of one of our MUNA teams this year in Canberra. We are also very excited to commence the club again in Term 4, so keep an eye out for that.
We had a great time as your Social Science Prefect Interns and we wish the next Prefect Interns the best of luck!
By Erick Rajan, Emily Luo and Hasanga Malalasekara (below)
Report from the History Prefects
We started off our time as History Prefects by introducing prospective students in Years 5 and 6 to the wonders of the Ancient World at the Information Evening. This was a great opportunity for us to engage with the faculty as well as share our passion for the subject.
We also had the best of times at History Club! From making heaps of new friends to supervising teams of explorers on their (often unsuccessful) journeys to the City of Gold, the History Prefect Interns for Weeks 1 to 5 have been kept quite busy. Although we've had an amazing time fending off piranha attacks and handling artillery shells, we are now at the stage where we have to pass on the positions of the History Prefect Interns to the next team, with Hasanga stepping up from her Assistant role to become the new Leader, supported by Alex Chan and Ihan Samaraweera, the two new assistants. We're sure the new recruits will be able to handle the responsibilities.
A reminder to students to come by the History Club! We’re in Room H.1.2 every Thursday recess and we would love to see you there. Thank you to the History Faculty and to Mr Hoekstra, who has been filling in while Mr Stone is on leave. We hope the next team has as much fun as we did!
Regards,
Holly Epps (Leader), Hasanga Malalasekara (Assistant) and Ben Gange (Leader) - (below)
Report from the Stage 5 Prefects
Subject Selections Year 10
As Stage Five Prefects for these weeks, our main role was to assist year 9 and 10 into their transitions to year 10 and senior school. It was vital that we support them and give advice and provide accurate information in order for them to make better decisions about subject selections and extracurricular activities. In terms of year 10 Subject Selections, we spoke to the students about questions that they had regarding any part of the process, while also bringing together questions that our cohort had at that time to formulate a presentation for their grade. The topics in this presentation regarded various aspects of subject selections and included; How Year 11 Timetables Work, The Process of Changing a Subject/Class and Tips to think about when making decisions about subjects. This presentation was presented at their Wellbeing Assembly alongside a Q&A for any other miscellaneous questions that they had for us. Their grade asked some wonderful (though scarce) questions and hopefully some of the concerns they had about the senior years were cleared up.
Accelerated Business Year 9
At the same time, for year 9, we brainstormed ideas for a presentation about the ins and outs of Accelerated Business. This was mainly prepared by Sarah (who is currently taking Accelerated Business) and covers the function of the course, conditions for entry, and also shares personal experiences and testimonies from current Accelerated Business students. As students in year 9 aren’t familiar with the units system, the presentation also provides a basic understanding of units in senior study and explains how Accelerated Business falls into the system. This will be presented at the year 9 Wellbeing Assembly in week 7, prior to the Business Accelerated Entrance Exam in order to help them gain a better understanding of the course and help them make a decision on whether to take the course or not.
Written by Sarah Kumar, Jerry Yeh, Rahul Sahadevan
Report from the TAS Prefects
The TAS prefects have excitedly taken on the challenge of helping to improve student input into the faculty. The main goal for our 5-week session was to improve upon the current clubs as well as support the development of newer or returning clubs. Our first objective was helping Brayden Kwok of Year 8 initiate his Wood-tech Club which, through a survey we created and Mr Long distributed, we discovered had garnered a large amount of interest from across the grades. The survey results yielded larger than anticipated interest especially from junior years. The Wood-tech Club has been set to run on Thursday recesses and to be monitored by Mr Mell allowing students to make and create anything they like. In addition to Wood-tech Club, in preparation for next year, under Mr Mell’s lead, we have decided to reinvigorate the Technology Committee and Anki Overdrive Club. Our first major involvement was the Clubs Expo where we showcased all the previously spoken about clubs as well as the currently running, Coding Club. Here, we helped to promote each of the clubs for current and future students within the school during a lunch session in the gym. For these events, Lance advertised and ran demonstrations for Anki Overdrive, Kieran spoke to students and parents about the Technology Committee and Coding Club whilst Candy spoke to future students and parents about the TAS subjects that students in year 7 will be taking. Alongside Mr Mell, we created google classrooms for each of the clubs.
On the Thursday of Week 5, the Wood-tech Club ran its first session in room T.1.2. Brayden and Mr Mell spoke and led the meeting which mostly consisted of conversation surrounding what would be the goals of the club i.e. What everyone would like to do during sessions, whether to make personal or group projects and gaging the interest in producing anything for the school. The club as of the current time is made up entirely of junior students, however, several senior students have offered to provide any help with equipment or passing on knowledge when required.
Keiran Ha and Jun(Candy) Ma
Report from the Volunteering Prefects
What has been going on?
The Volunteering Prefects have really enjoyed the time that we’ve had. Although it was only 5 weeks we have managed to get the Volunteering Club back up and running as well as organising a non-for-profit charity Daffodil Day for the Cancer Council.
We really look forward to seeing what the next round of Volunteering Prefects are planning to do!
VOLUNTEERING CLUB
When we first began at PSHS in 2015 we can all recall Volunteering Club as being a really important part of the school environment and so we aimed to get that off the ground as soon as we could. The club aims to create opportunities for the students of PSHS that allow them to build greater connections with the Penrith community and to develop initiative and care within our school. Although the club is still in its early stages we aim to be able to incorporate a number of possibilities such as more fundraisers, annual charity drives and school visits to the local retirement home. We believe that this club, under the guidance of the dedicated students of Penrith, could really grow to become something that every student would enjoy being a part of.
DAFFODIL DAY
PSHS celebrated Daffodil Day in week 5 by doing face-painting, hair-braiding, a photobooth and selling pins as a means to raise money for Cancer Council. We were all excited about the event and seeing the support from all the students.
Left to Right: Rachel Augustine (Leader), Holly Gerrard (Leader), Eugenia Kim (Leader), Bobo Deng (Assistant), and Kieran Ha (Assistant)
Prefect Afternoon Tea – PAT
Prefect Afternoon Teas, PATs, are integral, prefect run events that are hosted by many schools across Sydney, creating strong and vital bonds between schools and their leadership team. Each member of the 2019/2020 Prefect Body has the privilege of attending these events multiple times throughout the year and hence representing Penrith High School.
On August 22, three members of our prefect body, Casper Zauner, Caleb Op’t Land and Ihan Samaraweera attended the prefects of 2019/2020’s first PAT invite at Arthur Phillips High School, participating in a variety of activities ranging from the name games to charades accompanied with delicious snacks. They effectively established new friendships and connections to various prefects from a plethora of schools and excellently represented Penrith High School.
Currently the Penrith PAT Prefects, are planning our very own PAT, scheduled to take place in early 2020 with all Penrith Prefects and a copious amount of schools in attendance.
We, as a prefect body, look forward to representing Penrith High School and to continue forming and strengthening relationships with other schools and various leadership teams across the community.
Kevin Lin, Chinar Shah and Eugenia Kim (below)Arthur Phillips PAT
Report from the SRC 2019/2020
Thank you to all the candidates who tried out for the SRC, and sought to represent the school. Congratulations to the 2019/2020 SRC body (mentioned above in the SRC Report), which has recently been elected by their fellow peers to be their representatives. The group of 26 has begun their important work in serving the school, with the first order of business being voting for the Office Bearers of the SRC. After a rigorous voting process, the elected office bearers of the SRC are:
President - Darren Pradhan
Vice President - Maddy Reeves
Treasurer - Alyna Arago
Secretary - Gabby Cant
Media Liaison Officer - Archaana Kananathan
The SRC is now planning its next major event, which is Variety Night. The group is looking forward to the next 12 months and are ready and excited for the challenges and tasks which lie ahead.
Lance Santos and Benjamin Gange
Report from the Public Relations (PR) Prefects
The Public Relations (PR) Prefects - a team of three consisting of Soo Yeon, Bobo and William - has been off to an exciting start. The past five weeks, all efforts have been focused on brainstorming ideas and ways the school can communicate with the public, such as through the “My Community” Project, and methods to introduce the Prefect body to the school, primarily through the Prefect Intern Video.
With the Alumni Garden ready to be constructed, all the prefects were ecstatic knowing that we have the opportunity to celebrate the school’s 70th Anniversary with a beautiful addition to the school's environment. The PR prefects wrote an article showcasing the efforts of past and current students and outlining the goals of commemorating past achievements. The article was then distributed to the local community digitally through Facebook pages, and with physical pamphlets and posters distributed around the Penrith area, in the hope of gaining PSHS exposure for the “My Community” project - which would help fund the construction of the Alumni Garden.
Additionally, the Prefect Intern Introduction Video has now been completed after two weeks of choosing songs, rewriting their lyrics to ensure it embodied the life and culture of the school and developing a filming timetable. Then, filming began. This involved gathering the Prefect Interns, directing them and filming as per the storyboard.
This video will be shown at all well-being meetings to ensure that younger students know who they can approach in times of need, whether it is for help or advice. It will also be uploaded on the school’s numerous social media platforms!
Written by Soo Yeon Yoo, William Baltaks and Bobo Deng (below)
Report from the Stage 4 Prefects
Work with year Advisers
As the Stage Four Prefects, we were delighted to work with years 7 and 8 as the most junior years of Penrith High. Our work revolved around helping the year advisers; Mr Hyunh and Ms Wallace with any matters relating to their respective year group.
Year 7
For year 7, since the JRC leadership group had just formed it was in its early stages. 16 students were voted in from their peers to advocate all inquiries, suggestions and questions that year 7 had. As the new Social Science Prefects come in, they will be working very closely with the JRC group to improve the overall experience of year 7.
Year 8
The work around year 8 revolved predominantly around the stage 5 Elective Subject Selections. After introducing ourselves at the year 8 Assembly we created an online forum where they were able to ask us any questions regarding Subject Selections. We provided our personal experiences about the subjects that we did giving an insight on what each student may enjoy the most and how we developed a long lasting bond with the other students. Additionally the stage 4 Prefects were there during the Subject Selection Evening; talking about certain subjects and answering questions from parents and also being MC.
Overall being Stage Four Prefects was lots of fun and very rewarding and we look forward to keeping in touch as the new prefects take over.
Written by: Kevin Lin, Rachel Augustine, Erick Rajan and Ihan Samaraweera (below)
Report from the Mathematics Prefects
For the first five weeks of term 3, the Maths Prefects were led by Simon Woo. The team included Alexander Chan, Emily Luo and Zoe Peters. Together, a meeting was held with Ms Briggs and topics such as Maths Peer Tutoring and the Rubik’s Cube Competitions were discussed. Additionally, we also helped with several tasks that took place in the past few weeks. With the focus of planning forward for the next Maths Prefects' Team and creating a platform for a smooth transition, plans for an upcoming Peer Tutoring Program and exciting new challenges for the Rubik's Cube Competition were created. Overall, we would like to give a special thanks to Mrs Briggs for guiding us and being such a great mentor for our first few weeks as prefects and in particular, Maths prefects.
Open Night - Mathematics
The Open Night this year for Mathematics was a great success. It took place on August 5 and is a showcase to future students and applicants wishing to join Penrith Selective High. It is a night where each faculty showcases their subjects and explains to parents what is expected within these subjects. Alongside Victor and Mustafa and Ms Briggs, the Maths Prefects were in charge of the posters for the night. With this, the Mathematics showcase drew a large audience, with many trying out the Rubik’s Cubes and challenge problems. These were designed as brain teasers and were tackled by many of the incoming year 6s. Furthermore, we found great potential for upcoming Rubik’s Cube Competitions with lots of attempts at the school speed cube record. With the intent to engage as many future students as possible and to introduce them to the beauty of mathematics, Ms Briggs did an amazing job, carrying the maths faculty and answering all questions posed.
Rubik’s Cube Competitions
With the end of the term in a month, we are happy to announce the upcoming Rubik’s Cube Competition for this term! The competition will take place near the end of term (week 10 most likely) and will be organised by Cyril in Year 12. The competition has become an icon as a great way to end the term with some friendly competition. With exciting challenges and unique races, the termly Rubik’s Cube Competitions are a favourite and must - watch. Whether you are competing or cheering for your friends, we encourage you all to come out and watch the performance. The competition will take place in the quad (in front of the main building and canteen) so you cannot miss it! If you have any inquiries or any challenge suggestions, feel free to contact Ms Briggs in the Maths staffroom, Cyril or any of the Maths Prefects. We look forward to seeing you all at the amazing event!
AMC
This year’s AMC was held on August 1 and was compulsory for years 7-10. The AMC is a problem solving driven exam and ramps up the difficulty of questions as they are completed. As Maths Prefects, our role was to help with the preparations for the exam. This was a real test of our speed and efficiency as prefects, with the four of us desperately working to setup the various classrooms for the examination. This provided great experience as it gave us all an idea of what further work may look like for us. The competition took place after recess and will be counted towards the yearly report. We would also like to congratulate all the students who participated and wish you the best of luck.
Alexander Chan, Zoe Peters, Emily Luo and Simon Woo
Report from the Science Prefects
STEM Club
The Science Faculty has worked closely with the Science Prefects to brainstorm possible initiatives for a STEM Club. STEM Club also known as Science – Technology – Engineering – Mathematics Club, will be a fantastic club that develops and constructs various projects that can help improve the environment around the school. Whilst currently in the planning process, the club has thought of initiatives to improve the functionality and learning environment inside the classroom. This will positively impact the students as it will provide better resources and a creative environment that supports them as they strive for the highest.
National Science Week
National Science Week was a fantastic experience for the students. It was a week filled with fun science related activities and demonstrations. The students were able to make sorbet, observe dry-ice demonstrations, experience the tension and excitement of trying a science escape room and use their creative skills to develop an ink-circuit.
Sorbet
To begin Science Week, the Juniors had the opportunity to make sorbet using a variety of different flavoured juices. They learned how a rock-salt bath was able to freeze the liquid juice and turn it into sorbet.
Dry Ice
After a tasty first activity, the next day was followed with a presentation by Dr Karl. Juniors also witnessed a wonderful explanation by Miss Lam on how to carbonate normal cordial by adding dry-ice. A dry-ice detonation was also performed on the field which blew the student’s mind.
Escape Room
During recesses and lunch times students in groups of three had the chance to solve a puzzling escape room filled with science-mania and exciting riddles.
Written by Caleb Op't Land, Vaasav Mehta and Jerry Yeh
Report from the LOTE Prefects
Hakusan Exchange (mentioned above)
While settling into our roles as LOTE Prefects, we’ve been extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to assist with the Hakusan Exchange. As mentioned in the article above, in Week 1, our school welcomed 14 Japanese students and their teachers from Hakusan, Penrith’s sister city in Japan. This was an eye-opening experience for us all and allowed us to forge many new friendships.
We assisted with the welcoming ceremony, taking photos during the assembly and as the Japanese students were introduced to their host siblings. We later joined them for an art lesson, assisting Mrs Clarke as she ran a boomerang painting activity. One of our visitors was disappointed that the boomerangs wouldn’t actually come back, but we’re sure they’ll at least be a special memento, bringing back memories of our visitors’ time in Australia. We’ll be sending our visitors some booklets of photos, accompanied by entries from host students, to remind them of their experience on exchange.
On the weekends, host families took their visitors sight-seeing. Outings included a trip to the zoo, a visit to the Blue Mountains and, of course, a visit to Sydney Harbour. Many tears were shed following the farewell ceremony- those ten days seemed to have flown by! We would like to thank Ms Sullivan for all her hard work in organising the exchange, as well as all the families who generously hosted one of our visitors.
Language Quizzes
Our main goal as LOTE Prefects has been to spark student interest in Japanese and Italian, particularly as junior students no longer study languages in Year 7. In order to do this, we’ve put together a collection of online quizzes on Japanese and Italian language and culture. We’ve shared these links to these quizzes with Ms Pipio and Ms Sullivan, and will organise a set day each week when they will be held at recess or lunch. We’ll alternate between Japanese and Italian each week and record the weekly winner, as well as awarding points for participation. These quizzes will culminate in a grand final in a game-show style setting, which we hope will involve a panel of judges (language teachers or senior language students). There will be a big prize in store for the champion! We can’t wait to get these quizzes up and running and look forward to the involvement of students from all year groups. If anyone has any suggestions on how we can further promote the language subjects at our school, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us.
Students working in class
Boomerang creations
A great day in the city
Report from the Towers Prefects
Nicole Huang (Leader)
Ethan Shackley (Assistant)
Chinar Shah (Assistant)
Simon Woo (Assistant)
Hello everyone! We were the Towers Prefects for this half term. This period was very enjoyable for us and we were able to work with our Teacher/ Librarian, Mr Wilcox, who was crucial to helping us coordinate our initiatives and helped to provide lots of guidance in regards to the direction of where the magazine was headed. We are also currently working with the individuals who will be designing a page to deliver an engaging and thought provoking Towers Magazine by next term. Some pages which are currently underway are the Daffodil Day, Science Week, and Design Team Club pages.
Speaking of the Design Team, that was something we brought about during our term that will greatly benefit our school. This team, which was kickstarted by Simon and Ethan, is a concentrated hub of creative energy, where students who are interested in Graphic Design or the Visual Arts can come along and contribute their ideas to the school’s design projects. As well as assisting with the design of our towers pages, the team has recently also been involved with the redesign of the school’s much wanted (and needed) school sports uniform and the design of our 2020 Quadschools jerseys, which our athletes will be proudly wearing to represent our school at Baulkham Hills High School and Girraween High School next year.
We hope that many more students can get involved with our design team and contribute their amazing ideas to not only the Towers Magazine, but the school as a whole.
Nicole Huang
Report from the CAPA Prefects
Exciting News - Events and Initiatives
This has been an eventful term so far for the CAPA faculty and CAPA Prefects (Soo Yeon Yoo, Zoe Peters, William Baltaks and Sophia Hadjimichael - pictured), with many events, exciting projects, and brand new initiatives.
HSC Open Night
Week 2 of this term, our Year Twelve Music and Drama students presented their HSC pieces at a small performance night. With a fantastic turnout, the event was a great opportunity for students to showcase the excellent quality of their performances, and the huge effort they have put in over the year. Great work Year Twelve!
The Penrith Eisteddfod
On Thursday August 22, our school’s String Ensemble, Concert Band and Stage Band performed at the Penrith Eisteddfod for the first time, under the baton of Richard Sandham - the conductor of the Pulse Public Schools Concert Band. The Eisteddfod is an annual competition held at the Joan Sutherland Centre, with school instrumental groups performing and receiving feedback from a professional adjudicator. Congratulations to all the students who participated- everyone’s enthusiasm on the day was fantastic to see. We’d like to especially congratulate our String Ensemble, who came first in their section. This is a fantastic achievement and we are all extremely proud!
As for the final results for the concert and stage band sections, we came third! Given the number of schools who cancelled their performance, this was yet another example of how participation and confidence makes all the difference. Watching the other schools perform has left us all inspired to continue improving our musicality, and we’re sure that we’ll be back better than ever next year. Thank you so much to all the teachers who made the day possible: Ms Ridgeway, Ms Whittaker, Mr Vassalo, Ms Scardanas and Ms Sonter. Thank you also to Mr Oxley, our General Assistant, for generously transporting all the gear to the Joan Sutherland centre for us. We’re very grateful that we didn’t have to carry keyboards, cellos and a drum kit down High Street!
PHS Art Competition
This term, our first rotation of CAPA Prefects initiated a new Art Competition for all students to participate in. With a theme of ‘cool, calm and collected’ to raise awareness for mental health, the overall winning artwork will be displayed in the School Counsellor's Office and prizes will be presented to the winners of all several categories. Currently in the planning phase, we hope to hold the competition later this term - and look forward to seeing the fantastic artworks our students can produce.
Ongoing CAPA Opportunities for Students
As well as organising performances and events around the school, the CAPA faculty also offers many extracurricular opportunities, including competitions, enrichment programmes, tuition classes and clubs.
Weekly Art Club
Art Club runs every Tuesday lunch in the Art Block, where like-minded art enthusiasts can meet to discuss their practise and share common interests, as well as plan art projects around the school.
Art Enrichment
Art Enrichment runs in the morning before school, and is more skills focused - where teachers give students demonstrations, exercises and advice on improving their technical artistic skills. Currently, the Art Enrichment Group has been working on a highly secretive and possibly exciting new project. To join any of these groups, talk to CAPA staff members, or come to the Art Block at Tuesday lunch.
Pulse Public Schools Concert Band
This Combined-Schools Ensemble rehearses weekly on a Wednesday afternoon at Nepean CAPA High School in Emu Plains. It is open to woodwind, brass and percussion players. The band performs at some incredible venues, particularly the Opera House for the annual Pulse Concert. We currently have two students from Penrith involved in this ensemble. For further details, please see Mr Vassallo.
Report from the Alumni Prefects
Our main project as Alumni Prefects was being involved with the establishment of the Alumni Garden. With consultation from Mr Long, we designed flyers to encourage voting for our Alumni Garden in the ’My Community Project’ to receive a $50,000 grant. Along with the flyers, we added the paver purchase slip for anyone who may be interested in purchasing a paver. After finishing the flyer, the Alumni Prefects and 10 other prefects helped distribute the flyers around the Penrith community - to the parents of our school and Penrith Public School, letterboxes of local residents and more. In total, we distributed around 400 flyers! We now wait patiently for the results and hope to receive the grant for the Alumni Garden, that will help us connect with the Penrith Community and past/present/future Penrith students.
Furthermore, the Alumni Prefects worked with Ms Fayle to do a review on the Alumni Night 2019 for the next Towers-Alumni Newsletter.
The Alumni Prefects have been brainstorming some ways to organise an Alumni Week showcasing past newsletters, student achievements, photos and more! The week planned will recognise the rich history of our school!
By Candy Ma, Jessica David and Nicole Huang
Front Cover of Flyer
Back Cover of Flyer
Report from the Social Justice and Equality Prefects
The Social Justice Club are full of passionate individuals that are willing to explore the issues present in the wider society and where possible provide support through different programs and initiatives. During meetings we collaborate to share our views on the variety of topics, allowing everyone to share their opinion and make a contribution.
The Social Justice and Equity Prefects have roles in advocating for equity between all individuals at our school and the wider community. Currently the Social Justice Club is drafting ideas to help raise awareness about prominent social issues through events such as ‘R U OK day’ and donation drives to help the less fortunate acquire what they deserve and contribute towards a greater cause.
Some of the initiatives we have worked on so far is the education drive for refugees. This involves the collection of stationery supplies from students which we can then send to the Blue Mountains Refugee Centre who will distribute these supplies. We have also worked on the ‘International Day against slave trade of indigenous peoples’ which we will be selling ribbons in support of and to raise awareness.
The Social Justice Club has also brainstormed a variety of different considerate initiatives. Some of these initiatives include:
- Metal straws in the canteen to reduce the use of plastic and increase environmental sustainability
- Compost bins for the school garden
- Bake Sale for charity with a focus on World Vision: Helping women affected by domestic violence
All these initiatives are undertaken to provide aid and support to our local community and spread awareness of certain conflicting topics that are present in our society. We have been absolutely thrilled to be a part of this incredibly diverse club in the past few weeks and are excited to see how all these initiatives follow through.
Prefect Interns: Sarah Kumar(L), Jessica David(L), Vaasav Mehta(A) and Rahul Sahadevan (A)
Stationery Packs
Our Ribbons for Sale
Duke of Edinburgh Update
There is a lot happening this term with the Duke of Edinburgh program. All the Bronze students are in the final processes of their preparation and training for their qualifying journey within the Blue Mountains National Park: Glenbrook Section, which will be happening over the next few weeks.
The Silver students are planning for their qualifying journey which is early next term and will also be in the Blue Mountains National Park, but this time throughout the Megalong Valley and part of the Six Foot Track.
The Gold students have been working on planning for both their upcoming practice journey at the end of the term, this time adventuring through parts of the Great North Walk, Bouddi National Park on the Central Coast and Sydney’s Northern Beaches, finishing in Manly. They have decided on the venue of their qualifying journey and this year we will be exploring New England National Park, near Armidale. They are still yet to finalise specific details.
Many of the Gold students have undertaken, or are thinking about their residential project. 4 students completed this throughout the last holiday period and we’ll hear about one of their experiences a bit later!
Lastly: the biggest events in the Penrith Selective High School Duke of Edinburgh calendar this month. The Gold Award Ceremony to be held on Friday 13 September at Sydney Town Hall, where 5 students both past and present have been invited to receive their award. This ceremony will also commemorate 60 years of the Duke of Edinburgh Program and will be the biggest Award Ceremony hosted in the world outside of the UK, with special guests His Royal Highness Prince Edward Earl of Wessex KG, GCVO in attendance.
Also, on September 14, 8 students have been invited to ‘take a walk’ with His Royal Highness and to be a part of the unveiling of the National Trail. We are one of only five groups to be given this opportunity.
The first five names are the Gold Awardees on the 13th and all will be attendees for the walk:
Holly Vallester: (Previous student and Gold Awardee for 2019)
William Ngo: (Previous student and Gold Awardee for 2019)
Michelle Lin: (previous student and Gold Awardee for 2019)
Grace Faulder: (Previous student, Gold Awardee for 2019 and now part of the PSHS tutoring program)
Joshua Lin: Currently in year 12. Gold Awardee 2019.
Andreas Higginbotham: Currently in year 12. Gold participant.
Kristiana Margate: Currently in Year 11. Gold participant.
Amber Walker: (Previous student, Gold Awardee and now a part of the PSHS Duke of Edinburgh staff team)
Photos will be posted on the Facebook page of all of these events so keep an eye out for the updates.
Ms Lisa Andreatta
PSHS Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator
Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award
Gold Dukes Residential Project - Big Fiji Explorer
(a few snippits of the experience…..)
My years with Duke of Edinburgh have allowed me to experience, learn and explore, so many new and amazing things, to which I am incredibly grateful!
One of these experiences has been my Gold Residential Project - a part of the Gold Award where you must step out of your comfort zone for a minimum of a week and (hopefully) come out a better person! Not surprisingly, my parents were more than happy to kick me out of the house, especially overseas, so I took full advantage of this opportunity and embarked on a Rustic Pathways trip named ‘Big Fiji Explorer’ - two weeks I will never forget!
The name says it all; Big Fiji Explorer was 16 days of exploring and immersing ourselves within the true Fijian culture; packed with adrenaline, life-changing service and beautiful people.
I was lucky enough to share this experience with 9 other students and 3 leaders, whom I now consider life-long friends.
Being the only member from Australia had its pros and cons.
It was awesome as I got to learn loads about different cultures, suddenly I had a mad accent, and there were so many moments where our slight language barrier had us crying in laughter.
Its downfall was that we had to arrive and depart separately. I was incredibly nervous to meet them, they had all met at LAX and flown to Fiji together, while I had arrived alone the day before. However, Dukes Residential is all about putting yourself in uncomfortable positions and growing from them; since, I have become so much more confident and independent, this initial challenge now seems comical. The worst part was departing, as I had to say goodbye so much earlier. I miss them.
Pacific Harbour:
Amongst all the days of adrenaline, we grew extremely close to our homestay family. On the last night I was talking to one of the daughters, Melania, for hours. It was inspiring to hear about her fight for education in university and made me realise just how much I take the opportunity of education for granted. Leaving Pacific Harbour was even harder than Leleuvia, as we had to say goodbye to our Fijian family.
SomoSomo
The following morning, we departed from the Eco - Lodge and set off for SomoSomo, a remote island in the Yasawa Island chain of Fiji. As our leaders had warned us, this was the part of the trip where we would fully immerse ourselves into their culture and live completely rustic!
We started with private beach huts and our own beds in Leleuvia, to mattresses on the floor at Pac Harbour, to SomoSomo, where we shared a tent and slept in bunk cots with no source of light – It may sound like I’m complaining but I truly loved them all! However, arriving back from this trip, I can’t believe I ever thought Duke of Ed expeditions were rough.. SomoSomo was the area of our travels that impacted me the most, here we saw the true life of a Fijian villager – a truth that is often overshadowed by the tourist attraction of Fiji’s beautiful sights. Here, we learnt all about their traditions, customs, beliefs, hopes and hardships.
As soon as we arrived (a 4 hour cruise + speed boat ride), we went to present SevuSevu – a sacred Fijian tradition; to the Chief. She is one of only two female chiefs in the entire country; it was an absolute honour to meet her.
We spent the day in Gunu Village, installing playground equipment, painting classrooms and building up concrete walls. After a day’s hard work, we all crashed back at camp, talking for hours in the hammock.
On Sunday we rose for an early breakfast before heading off to Sunday School. Here we learnt how to sing traditional Fijian songs and after, the kids of the village showed us around their homes.
SomoSomo taught us all so much about Fijian village culture, we learnt how to weave, danced a traditional meke and watched a local rugby game. Every single person in Fiji was incredibly warm and welcoming, immediately treating us as family and making it very hard to leave!
On our final day, we went snorkelling around SomoSomo, before packing up and bidding farewell to the Gunu villagers. It was another 4-hour cruise back to the mainland – a quick pizza pitstop – and another few hours in the minivan when we arrived back to base camp.
Fijian Highlands
I can easily say that the Fijian Highlands are the most beautiful place I have ever been in my entire life. Straight after skydiving, the high still buzzing, we re-packed at base camp and set off to town. After a little shopping and exploring through the local markets, we jumped in open back trucks for a crazy ride up to the highlands.
Big Fiji Explorer
As you can probably tell from the extensive babbling above, I had the time of my life on this trip. It’s been a month since and I still have post-trip depression!
Apparently, everyone says that they had the perfect group on their Rustic trip – but I truly believe that my group couldn’t have been better! We still keep in touch all day every day, despite the frustrating time difference from our separate corners of the world.
Not just my group, but my inspiring leaders and all the people we met along the way, will leave a lasting impact on me forever. One of the beautiful things about Fiji is how genuinely warm and welcoming the people are. Each spot we stayed at, the locals immediately took us under their wings and accepted us as part of their family- there will be many many people missed.
Although it wasn’t just the people I met that made this trip so amazing. Every day, I was lessening my bucket list and experiencing something you can’t anywhere else – the true Fijian culture. From skydiving, to singing in the local church, to painting classrooms – I have learnt and experienced so much in this short amount of time and best of all, feel as if I have left a positive impact!
It has not only made me grateful for the things I take for granted back home, but also I am aware of the little things Fijian culture has that no other country does.
I also now hate plastic more than ever. I loved it.
10/10 would recommend it!
Zoe Peters
Safe Driving Program
Year 10 were fortunate enough to experience a presentation from the Drive to Survive Academy during their Wellbeing meeting. It delved into the importance and responsibilities that come hand in hand when being behind the wheel as well as the larger scale of committing to smarter decisions. Many Year 10 students have started beginning their journey as a driver and the presentation fulfilled its purpose of informing and educating the cohort to protect the wellbeing of themselves as well as others.
The presentation was highly effective in delivering a strong message about driving. They were shown videos of the outcomes of negligent driving including driving while texting as well as how cars with distinct safety features performed against collisions. Year 10 heard a very moving personal recount from Jarrad Ingram, who told his story of being involved in a collision. Jarrad lives with damage to the brain after his outcome of a car accident and inspired others to learn from his mistakes. His invaluable advice was that “Life is about making smart choices, you only get one go, slow down, use your head and remember, I thought I could get away with it, maybe you won’t either.”
Year 10 received a lot from the presentation by the Driving School Academy. They know that they will take the advice and information from the Wellbeing Meeting and apply it to every aspect of their lives to make themselves better drivers as well as better people. We together thank the Drive to Survive Academy for sharing their stories.
Sport Update
In our June newsletter, we reported that 5 students would be attending the NSW All Schools Cross Country Championships to be held at Eastern Creek in July. Congratulations to the following students on their places in the Combined High Schools division.
Santhosh Samuel - 46th in the 14 years boys
Zoe Peters - 34th in the 16 years girls
Luke Boyes - 7th in the 16 years boys
Marco Perri - 66th in the 16 years boys
Rithvik Nair - 57th in the 17 years boys.
These are positions in the state and all runners should be proud of their efforts.
NSW CHS Athletics
In week two of term 3, we had 37 athletes (including 5 relay teams) attend the Sydney West Athletics Championships at Blacktown. With all athletes representing Penrith Selective High School with pride, we had 4 outstanding students who will represent Sydney West at the NSW CHS Athletics Championships in week 7 this term. We wish them the best of luck.
Luke Boyes - 16 boys Long Jump, Triple Jump, 800m and 1500m.
Erick Rajan - 16 boys High Jump
Zoe Peters - 16 girls Triple Jump and Long Jump
Nicholas Tseung - 15 boys Long Jump
(Pictured below)
CHS Tennis
Congratulations and good luck to Nicholas Tseung of Year 9 who has been selected to represent Sydney West at the CHS Tennis Championships in Wollongong in week 8.
Grade Sport
Term 3 Grade Sport is drawing to a close. We have had many excellent results against the other 5 competing schools. To the credit of our students, we have fielded teams in all of the available sports and in the coming weeks we will know the outcome of the finals.
Congratulations and thank you to all students who have contributed in the following sports.
Girls: Netball, Soccer, Aussie Rules, Ultimate Vortex.
Boys: Basketball, Touch, Soccer, Ultimate Vortex.
We also have an additional 600 students who participate in another 20 sports each Wednesday afternoon. Students are to be commended on the manner in which they board and travel on the 7 buses we use each week that are supplied by Cumberland Coachlines.
Term 4 will see a new set of Grade Sports offered with a number of mixed teams making up the numbers. Teams will be selected for term 4 in the following sports.
Girls Basketball and Futsal
Boys Cricket and Futsal
Mixed Netball, Volleyball and Touch
Students are reminded to check their school emails daily and be ready for term 4 sport selections to open.
Year 7 Nepean Zone Gala Day
For the second year in a row, the Year 7 Gala Day has been hindered by weather. The Nepean Zone organisers are looking at a back up date and we hope to soon see 100 plus of our Year 7 students competing against other Year 7 students from around the Zone in Netball, Touch Football and Soccer at Jamison Park. The remaining Year 7 students will participate in fun and challenging physical activities on school grounds during the day. These students will be coached and refereed by our very capable Year 9 PASS students. This was a very successful event last year, which we hope to see repeated in coming weeks.
Mr Newell
Sport Organiser
Congratulations to the students who have qualified for the State Athletics Championships - CHS!
U/15 Boys Basketball 2019
The team has played very well and has qualified for the Sydney West Championship Gala Day which was played on the 23/08/19.
The boys won a tough fought game against St Clair High School in the opening round and then beat Cranebrook High School 46 – 33 to secure a spot in the championship tournament.
Name of players from left to right:
Nikhil Parthiban, Cameron Lau, Abhinav Santhakumar, Jacob Veloso, Owen McCann, Lachlan Stone, Eugene Chen, Henson Chen and Christopher Kwon
Chess Success
Congratulations to the Penrith High School Intermediate Chess Team who topped their Group last week and progressed to the elimination finals. The team consisting of Year 10 players Fabien Malherbe, Jamima Rumey-Jiffrey, Yash Mishra and Daniel Biswas, and Year 9 players Arvind Jaradhan, Prasath Jeevahan, Rehan Ali and Sivatharshan Sivaranian, all aptly managed by Cedric Kutschera from Year 10, did not lose a round and overcame teams from Blue Mountains Grammar School and Kingswood to snare their place in the finals against James Ruse A, Baulkham Hills A and Kings.
Despite playing some excellent chess, our team lost to Baulkham Hills last Friday in a tough battle. The Chess Club meets every Monday lunch in Room H.1.1.
Come and congratulate the team, play some games and hone your skills. Chess. Think ahead.
Ms Konnie Kwiet
Rowing Update!
Our rowers continue to improve every day they are on the water.
Thank you to their supportive parents and the Nepean Rowing Club for helping our students pursue their passion.
Students have trained each week and competed in a few events including the Leichardt Rowing Regatta and most recently they attempted the 5 kilometres event on the Nepean River.
See the website photo gallery for more photos.
Rowers (L-R) - Tanish Patil, Alex Vella, Daming Wang and Eric Ruan
Penrith Selective High School
Email: penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: https://penrith-h.schools.nsw.gov.au
Location: 158-240 High Street, Penrith NSW, Australia
Phone: 02 4721 0529
Facebook: facebook.com/penrithselectivehighschool