The Debating Enrichment Program
The Debating Enrichment Program is open to students in Years 7 to 10. The program is run by our alumni. Students who participate in debating are encouraged to extend themselves by refining their ability to think rigorously and critically, considering ethical and philosophical ideas. Participating in debating programs at Penrith Selective High School allows students to hone their academic skills and become confident, self-directed learners. Competitive debating is extremely effective for gifted and talented education. Opportunities include; The Penrith Selective High School Debating Enrichment Program as well as external debating competitions such as The Premier's Debating Challenge, University Debate, Combined High Schools debating team.
The Drama Ensemble Enrichment Program
The Drama Ensemble Enrichment Program is open to students in Years 7-12. The Drama Ensemble Enrichment Program is focused on extending and challenging students in the Creating and Performing Arts. Drama promotes communication skills, teamwork, dialogue, negotiation, socialisation and critical thinking. It stimulates the imagination and creativity. Through intensive focused rehearsals, students will have the opportunity to participate in: LightsUP Drama Festival and the Penrith Valley Performing Arts Festival.
CAPA The Shakespeare Carnival
The Shakespeare Carnival is open to is students in Years 7-12. The Shakespeare Carnival is an education based program designed to increase theatre accessibility amongst students. It provides students with the chance to dance, act, sing, move and produce films in a challenging setting. Through intensive focused rehearsals, students will have the opportunity to participate in: Sport for Jove Shakespeare Carnival.
CAPA Choir
Choir is open to students in Years 7-12. Choir is focused on extending students in singing. Choir improves mood, decreases stress levels, depression and anxiety. Singing in a group provides students with a sense of belonging to our school community. Students will have the opportunity to participate in: In-Concert, Pulse Showcase of Excellence in the Arts and Schools Spectacular
CAPA Voice
Voice is open to students in Years 7-12 at all stages of learning. Voice is focused on extending students in singing. Students will have access to a highly qualified private tutor who will personalise a program for them.
CAPA Woodwind
Woodwind tutoring is open to students in Years 7-12 at all stages of learning. Lessons are focused on extending students in their study of their instrument. Students will have access to a highly qualified private tutor who will personalise a program for them at the level required.
CAPA Bass and Brass
Bass and Brass is open to students in Years 7-12 at all stages of learning. Bass and Brass is focused on extending students in their study of their chosen instrument in this range. Students will have access to a highly qualified private tutor who will personalise a program for them at the level required.
CAPA Guitar
Guitar is open to students in Years 7-12 at the beginning, intermediate or advanced stages of learning. Guitar is focused on extending students in their study of the instrument. Students will have access to a highly qualified private tutor who will personalise a program for them at the level required.
CAPA Piano
Piano is open to students in Years 7-12 at all stages of learning. Piano is focused on extending students in their study of the instrument as well as preparing students for their external exams. Students will have access to a highly qualified private tutor who will personalise a program for them at the level required.
CAPA Concert Band
Concert Band is open to students in Years 7-12. Concert Band is focused on extending students in their chosen musical instrument. The Penrith Selective High School Concert Band has grown exceptionally in size and talent. With the increase in band members, we have also seen a variety of new instruments. These include a bass clarinet, French horn, and percussion (including the congas). Students will have the opportunity to participate in: Penrith Eisteddfod.
CAPA Stage Band
Stage Band is open to students in Years 7-12. Stage Band is focused on extending students in their chosen musical instrument. Stage Band was formed in 2004 to extend the talented brass and reed players in the orchestra. It introduces a sophisticated jazz style of playing; a high level of technical ability is required. Students will have the opportunity to participate in: Penrith Eisteddfod. Auditions Term 1, Week 3.
CAPA Rock Band/s
Rock Band/s is open to students in Years 7-12. Rock Band was formed in 2002 to give students, who are interested in the rock genre, the opportunity to perform. Students perform at various school functions throughout the year. Students will have the opportunity to participate in: the Penrith Valley Performing Arts Festival.
CAPA String Ensemble
String Ensemble is open to students in Years 7-12. String Ensemble enables students to join a community of talented musicians. Students can make new friends, play music together and engage in peer tutoring. The String ensemble also allows students to develop team skills, listening skills, intonation and rhythm. Students will have the opportunity to participate in: Pulse Showcase of Excellence.
CAPA Visual Arts
Visual Arts Intensive is open to students in Years 7-12. Visual Arts Intensive enables students to develop their artistic and creative skills, and experiment with new mediums. Students will have the opportunity to participate in: the Nagoya Art Exchange, Operation Art, Young Archie Competition and Woof Art Prize.
Mathematics Euler Enrichment
Euler Enrichment is open to Year 8 students. Euler “is a series of challenging mathematical/computer programming problems that will require more than just mathematical insights to solve. Although mathematics will help you arrive at elegant and efficient methods, the use of a computer and programming skills will be required to solve most problems.” Euler provides “a platform for the inquiring mind to delve into unfamiliar areas and learn new concepts in a fun and recreational context.”
Mathematics Noether Enrichment
Noether Enrichment is open to Year 10. “The students are involved in a wide range of significant mathematical problem-solving activities. Each activity is explored to sufficient depth for students to appreciate the solution strategy involved and the process by which it is obtained. The program aims to develop the mathematics problem solving skills of the students. It also aims to develop the students’ skills in the logical and effective presentation of solutions, and, of course, to increase the students’ knowledge of mathematics. There is a consistent emphasis on systematic approaches to problem solving.”
Mathematics Gauss Enrichment
Gauss Enrichment is open to Year 9 students. “GAUSS, with its interactive programming platform, results in students who are better equipped to explain the theory behind their work, developing and strengthening their analytical skills for future projects. GAUSS provides students and researchers with the high-end analytical tools needed to solve the complex problems they’ll face in both academic and professional careers.”
Mathematics Peer Tutoring
Maths Peer Tutoring is open to students in Years 7 to 12. The program is run by Penrith Selective High School students in Years 10 and 11. It allows all students to develop stronger mathematical skills and embed core concepts.
Mathematics Maths Peer Tutoring
Maths Peer Tutoring – Primary School is open to students in Year 9. The program is offered to Penrith Public School to improve numeracy skills. It allows our Peer Tutors to engage in leadership opportunities through this tutoring/mentoring program
Mathematics Maths Mentoring and Homework Support
Maths Mentoring and Homework Support is open to students in Years 7 to 12. Our Mathematics teachers are available each day to help, support and extend all students.
Maths Olympiad
Maths Olympiad is open to students in Years 8-12. The aim of this program is to teach major strategies and develop flexibility for higher order thinking problem solving. Maths Olympiad fosters creativity, ingenuity and strengthens intuition. This program is ideal for those who have a talent for mathematics. Maths Olympiad stimulates enthusiasm and enjoyment of mathematics.
Computational and Algorithmic Thinking
Computational thinking is becoming part of our everyday world. It is the basis of all computer programming and has led to platforms such has Facebook and Google. The Computational thinking group will teach the students problem-solving methods that draw on solving complex real world problems with the use of computers and or logic reasoning. We will draw on logical reasoning, algorithms, decomposition, abstraction and patterns and generalisations.
LOTE Italian Peer Tutoring
Italian Peer Tutoring is open to students in Year 8 to 12. Italian Peer Tutoring is available for students who wish to perfect their linguistic skills, embed the grammar and develop proficiency and fluency in the language. Students will be able to work at their own pace to clarify any misconceptions.
LOTE Japanese Peer Tutoring
Japanese Peer Tutoring is open to students in Year 8 to 12. Japanese Peer Tutoring is available for students who wish to perfect their linguistic skills, embed the grammar and develop proficiency and fluency in the language. Students will be able to work at their own pace to clarify any misconceptions.
LOTE OzCLO
OzCLO – The Australian Computational and Linguistics Olympiad - is a contest for high school students. It is recognised internationally. OzClo challenges students to develop their own strategies for solving problems in fascinating real languages. Our program is designed for all students – the knowledge or study of a second language is not needed. Students will have the opportunity to compete against other students around the world.
Science Peer Tutoring
Science Peer Tutoring is open to students in Years 7 to 12. Science Peer Tutoring is available for students who wish to embed core concepts and develop extensive knowledge in all units of work. Students will be able to work at their own pace to clarify any misconceptions.
Science Titration
Titration is an analytical skill that Chemistry students will develop throughout the course in Years 11 and 12. The challenge is to quantitatively determine the concentration of unknown solutions provided which requires precision and accuracy. The Royal Australian Chemistry Institute (RACI) organises an annual NSW Titration Competition where students work in teams of 3, over 90 minutes, to perform acid-base titrations and determine the concentration of a weak acid. Winners receive a medal and may be invited to compete at a national level. Titration is commonly revisited in Science related courses offered at Universities.
TAS Coding
Coding is open to students in Years 7 and 8. This extra-curricular opportunity will provide students with valuable computational thinking and problem solving skills via a range of challenging coding problems. This course does not assume any prior knowledge and it is suitable for Beginners wishing to learn ‘Python’ programming. Weekly sessions will be led by UNSW students and supervised by a teacher from Penrith Selective High School.
The Les Gordon History Debating Competition
The Les Gordon History Debating Competition is open to students in Year 10. The competition is an annual Sydney-wide knockout tournament. History debating encourages students to, not only develop their public speaking skills, but also refine their research skills, as students are required to support any arguments they make with legitimate historical evidence. For this reason, students can participate in History Debating as speakers, researchers, or both.
Mock Trial
The Law Society of New South Wales has been running the Mock Trial competition since 1981. The Mock Trial is open to students in NSW in years 10 and 11. Students will learn about the NSW judicial system by providing practical experience into the running of a court case in a true-to-life adversarial setting. Students learn advocacy, debating and problem-solving skills.
The da Vinci Decathlon Yrs 7 and 8
The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and general knowledge.
The da Vinci Decathlon Yrs 9 and 10
The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and general knowledge.
Financial Literacy with models
Financial modelling is a key skill for those who intend to move into the world of business, finance, mathematics or scientific study. Most employers will expect that you understand and can work with Excel to create and interpret models. This is an intensive Excel based modelling course that will provide you with these core business and decision making skills, giving you a head start on your pathway through university and beyond. The course would be delivered by faculty from the UNSW’s, Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM).
Ethics Olympiad
The Ethics Olympiad promotes respectful, creative and rigorous discussion of ethics among students within and across school communities. The Ethics Olympiad is divided into 2 competitions: junior school and middle school. The Ethics Olympiad is normally run online between schools and in various capital cities at a school venue or a central location. Schools may send 5-10 students to participate in the event. During the day, all students will be involved in a series of three Ethics. Olympiad heats. A Gold, Silver and Bronze medal will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Future Problem Solving
Future Problem Solving is open to students in Years 10-12. “FPS is now an international educational program for students of all ages, focusing on the development of critical, creative and futuristic thinking skills. The program challenges students to apply their minds to some of the significant issues facing the world of today and the future, equipping them with the vision, skills and tools to design and promote positive futures for the society in which they live.”
The World Scholar’s Cup
The idea behind the World Scholar’s Cup was to create something different than traditional academic competitions and conference. An enrichment opportunity that motivated students not just to demonstrate their existing strengths but to discover new ones.”
