Principal's Address
It is difficult to believe that the year has come to an end. 2018 has been another successful year on so many fronts and a number of these achievements and highlights are detailed below in this newsletter, as well as earlier editions. Of course, our Facebook page continues to showcase students achieving in so many areas.
As you would know, our HSC results equalled our best ever and the school maintained our rank of 27th in NSW. The class of 2018 share this mantle with the class of 2010 and class of 2017.
Jack Lin is our 2018 Dux after achieving an ATAR of 99.7. A great achievement for Jack, his family and his teachers. Zach Kembrey finished with a state rank of 6th (Engineering) and Prithi Sivabalan finished with a state rank of 2nd (Tamil). 121 other Penrith students were also featured on the 2018 HSC Honour roll. Well done to all!
As we know every single student is much more than a 4 digit ATAR number and it was wonderful to welcome so many students on Friday for the HSC Brunch. To see everyone looking relaxed and excited about what lies ahead is a powerful reminder of how privileged we are as staff to work with incredibly talented students and supportive families. Many thanks as well to the staff at Penrith High who work so hard to ensure that students have as much support and as many opportunities to not only succeed, but to be well equipped for life during and after school.
On Monday evening, we will celebrate student achievement at the 2018 Presentation Evening. Alongside our Year 12 Graduation, this is our most formal and prestigious event.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff for their work this year. Both the teaching and support staff are incredibly talented and committed to the student body and I know that they will enjoy the break before being ready for 2019.
I hope that you enjoy the student achievements that are showcased below. It captures so many great examples of the breadth of opportunities that students can access.
Finally, I wish everyone a relaxing summer holiday and a Merry Christmas. School resumes for Year 7s, 11 and 12 on Wednesday 30th of January and Years 8, 9 and 10 start on Thursday 31st of January. Student timetables will be available on the Sentral parent portal in the final week of the holidays and emails with further details for 2019 will be emailed directly to families before the end of term.
Thank you once again for your support of the school and I look forward to seeing you at school in 2019.
Mark Long
Principal
Red Room Poetry Object Competition 2018 update
Earlier this year we celebrated the achievements of three of our talented Year 7 Students who were successful applicants of the Red Room Poetry Competition.
There were 2,526 poems submitted to the competition, from which only 72 made it to the shortlist.
Dharika Sujendran of Year 7 has been selected as the NSW Staff Pick, acknowledged during the announcement of winners. Dharika’s poem One Tear Drop looks at our carelessness of Mother Nature.
The winners were announced during a live-stream video event on December 6, in partnership with the Museum of Arts and Applied Sciences.
Mary Xiberras
English Faculty
Mathematics Update
The AIOC School of Excellence is held in the first two weeks of December. The results of the Australian Informatics Olympiad are used to determine which students are invited to train at the AIOC School of Excellence. This highly prestigious school takes in students from all over NSW. To be selected to receive this invitation is an honour as the principal purpose of the School will be to help identify and develop the skills of students who may become members of the Australian Team to compete at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2019. The four members of that team will be selected following further examinations and the AIOC Informatics Selection School in April 2019.
The Mathematics Department of Penrith Selective High are very proud to announce that our first ever representative at the School of Excellence is Jamieson Berida! Well done Jamieson, we are all proud of you and your achievements to date! We wish you good luck in December!
The Euler, Gauss and Noether Enrichment Programmes
Your sons/daughters should be coming home with the application to do enrichment for 2019. Please bring the completed and signed applications to the Mathematics staff room ASAP.
All classes are conducted before school from 8am until 9am. 95% attendance record is an expectation. These programmes are for enrichment only, they do not contribute to the students grades. Due to the number of students now entering the program, we have been able to reduce the cost to each student. The cost is now $130 per student. This covers the tutors fees, cost of materials and resources, marking etc. If you are experiencing financial difficulties then please contact me, (Mrs Sue Briggs).
We run the Euler Enrichment programme for the Year 8 students. (No pre-requisites).
We run the Gauss Enrichment programme for the Year 9 students. (Completion of Euler preferred and/or good results in Year 8 2018).
We run the Noether Enrichment programme for the Year 10 students. (Must have completed Gauss).
This year our students achieved some very impressive results.
In the Gauss section, the students had to solve 12 problems. These problems included Geometry, the use of spreadsheets, Diophantine equations, counting techniques and congruence.
* Darren Pradhan earned a High Distinction, placing him in the top 10% of all of the students studying the Gauss program.
* Rebecca Jiang, Beonrik Pascual and Anaf Sayed all achieved Distinctions placing them in the next 15% of all of the students studying the Gauss program.
In the Euler section students had to solve 12 problems. These problems included number theory, arithmetic series, figurate numbers, the Pigeonhole Principle and counting techniques.
* Yashvean Anantha Siva earned a High Distinction, placing him in the top 10% of the students studying the Euler program.
* Samantha Buda, Grace He, Riya Jain, Papri Mallick, Panshul Nelapudi, Veerja Patel, Aditti Prasannakumar, Anandikaa Ramesh, Abhinav Santhakumar and Adi Shah all achieved Distinctions placing them in the next 15% of students studying the Euler program.
All students were given certificates for participating in the enrichment program.
Peer Tutoring
The 2018 Peer Tutoring program was run by Mustafa Bandukwala, Kyung Yong Kwon and Victor Zhou. They did a fantastic job and I really appreciate all the help and the setting up of Google Docs to help it all run so smoothly.
We will be running Peer Tutoring again next year. It is a free service run at either lunch times or recess. So if you would like a tutor in 2019 please email your request to mathspeertutoring@gamil.com and we will match you with a peer tutor who will help you with your maths for free.
2018 Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO)
On September 13, 5 brave young men sat the 4 hour Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO). This four-hour examination is an open event for talented students up to Year 10 level, appropriate for those who have completed the Gauss or Noether stage, high achievers in the Australian Mathematics Competition and students who have acquired knowledge of Olympiad problem solving.
The AIMO is one of the competitions used to determine which students are selected to a number of invitation only events, including other mathematics competitions, enrichment classes and training schools. It gives talented students an opportunity to be recognised and to participate in activities which will enhance their enjoyment and knowledge of mathematics.
Our students were Jamieson Berida, Beonrik Pascual, Darren Pradhan, Keeno Mendoza from Year 9 and Marc Mumford of Year 8! The top 10% of students entering the AIMO achieve High Distinctions, the next 15% earn Distinctions, the next 25% earn Credits and the remaining students receive participation certificates. This is our first year of entering this important and challenging Olympiad and the boys had minimal training beforehand. Our results were impressive:
Jamieson Berida and Beonrik Pascual both achieved Distinctions.
Darren Pradhan and Keeno Mendoza both achieved Credits.
Penrith Primary School Mathematics Peer Tutoring
This year we started the Penrith Primary School Peer Tutoring Program. This involved 10 of our dedicated Year 9 students to be partnered with a Gifted and Talented Mathematics student from Penrith Public School. The students worked together every Monday lunch time in our school library. Our peer tutors were Gurmehar Kaur, Darren Pradhan, Jerome Sumagaysay, Aayushi Ajmera, Minuli Nanayakkara, Rebecca Jiang, Christina Baik, Hanna Hallani, Ram Ganesh and Heethavan Senthikumar.
The students were working from the Newton Enrichment series. Our students instructed the primary school students on techniques for problem solving. The students built up a great rapport with the younger students. Both the PPS students and our students learnt a lot from the collaboration.
A Day with Adam Spencer and Eddie Woo at UNSW
On Wednesday November 21, 6 students from Year 10 and Ms Alrubai enjoyed a day of Maths with maths-wizard Eddie Woo and beloved Australian comedian Adam Spencer at the University of NSW. The University opened their doors to more than 50 schools with almost 500 students and teachers packing the auditorium. The students from Penrith High School who attended were Amrit Chauhan, Erick Rajan, Ricardo Irving, Todd Barton, Kevin Lin and Ethan Shackley, all students who have a passion for maths and a love for problem solving.
Proceedings started with a welcome by the NSW Minister for Education; Hon. Rob Stokes via video message with the message of “maths is beautiful, maths is special” followed by the last Education Minister Adrian Piccoli who is a large advocate for careers in mathematics teaching.
Eddie Woo ran the first session with the question, “Mathematics is…?” and asked each individual in the audience to be honest about their response. Eddie challenged that maths should be “play, exploration and teamwork” and presented fun activities to prove this point. Our students had the opportunity to play Mean Boxes, Shikaku and the Game of 23. Our Penrith High School students played so well that they were even the first to finish some of the rounds. Eddie reignited a love for play and learning in mathematics and our students finished the first session with a glint in their eyes and a reignited fire in their hearts.
After the break, every student was gifted with Adam Spencer’s new book Top 100 and Adam’s cautionary note that some puzzles in his book don’t exist anywhere else and they are hard (which some of our students took as a challenge instead of a warning). Adam gave us a taste of every unique puzzle in his book and students had a chance to give it a go. The Penrith students hit a brick wall with the Super-villain conundrum until some of the boys realised that the simpler method is the way to go. Adam finished off his session with a deck of cards and trying to draw a picture of how many unique combinations you can get if you shuffle a deck of cards (answer: 52!=8.06xwhich is approximately 8 with 67 zeros after it!). This left all 500 of the students stunned and gasping under their breath. If Eddie’s session left the students feeling inspired, Adam’s session created a little fear at the magnitude of mathematics).
Our students were excited and ecstatic after the sessions and were really nervous to meet their new found idols. They had their calculators signed and group pictures were taken to commemorate this wonderful day. Year 10 loved the sessions so much that they would love to come again next year.
Mrs Sue Briggs
Head Teacher of Mathematics
Peer Tutoring Coordinator
Gold Duke of Edinburgh: Residential 2018 - Rustic Pathways - Island Survival
For my Residential Project, I had hundreds of options, but this program grabbed my attention straight from the beginning! The Rustic Pathways: Island Survival.
This program entailed 13 teens stepping out of their comfort zones, departing on an 8-day survival course on a remote island off Queensland, Australia. Alongside four incredible instructors:
- Nav - our crocodile Dundee survival expert.
- Amanda – the marine biologist.
- Aly – our personal medic.
- Adam – the adored life coach.
The catch is we were only allowed five items of our choice - other than essentials, such as clothing and water!!!
My 5 items were:
• A Toothbrush (although brushing with sea water and sand was not very refreshing)
• A headtorch (should’ve checked the batteries life first)
• Fish seasoning (I need to brush up on my spearfishing skills!)
• A towel
• A knife (my only sensible choice)
I also tried to smuggle some 70% deet bug spray, but Amanda would not allow such toxicity near the marine life, so it was confiscated.
After meeting my 12 jetlagged companions, of which all were American, we settled into a Youth Hostel where we were to stay until we departed for the mysterious island. During the next few days in Sydney, we took place in several group bonding activities. These included a Harbour Bridge Climb, an Amazing Race-like challenge around the CBD (of which I had an unfair advantage!), surfing lessons on Bondi beach and a Dress For Success Community Service Program. Paired alongside free time in the hostel and around the city I was really able to get to know everyone whom I was soon to be stranded with!
After a final meal on the mainland at Hogs Breath Cafe, we were given a final debrief on what is to be expected on the island including rules and a basic structure of the days to come. We were also made aware of the teams we would be in for the activities and challenges on the island. I was in team Rustic Reds, Rustic Island here we come!
6 long hours later on a barge, we have arrived! Immediately we are made aware of the situation. Our ship has been wrecked, and we were the only survivors of the incident. We were told that rescue shouldn't be expected until at least 8 days. Our gear, including barrels of water, ration packs and our five items had been scattered over the shore but was soon gathered as we set up a temporary camp for the night. Let the games begin!
The next day we attempted to settle into our surroundings, pimping our campsites and taking place in trades over our rations with one another. Our menus for the week were identical, containing:
4 tins of baked beans (of which I traded off instantly, after trying it cold! Eww)
2 tins of spaghetti (tasting similar to the baked beans! Great start)
2 tins of tuna (great for "rustic ocean" breath)
2 packs of dry 2 min noodles (surprisingly delicious dry)
2 salami sticks
one packet of beef jerky
a bar of chocolate (the first item to go)
a bag of snakes (the second item to disappear!)
a jar of peanut butter (clear standout above the rest of the items in the ration pack. The absolute highlight of the trip, even when the ants got into it! "Extra protein", said Nav)
20 vita wheat crackers (best as a brekkie snack with PB)
4 breakfast biscuits
Another source of food that became an option for us was hunting for fish out in the reef. Now, this may seem easy, and admittedly I thought so too! Unfortunately, I'm not the Bear Grylls I thought I was and was unsuccessful in my spearfishing endeavours! Instead, during our hunting expeditions, I became less committed to catching fish and rather enjoyed the beautiful reef and marine life. Fortunately, for my dignity, no-one else was able to catch a fish either, only those who attempted with fishing lines.
Other than unsuccessful fishing, our days were filled with lessons and activities with each instructor:
- With Nav, we learnt handy survival tips and listened to his amazing stories about his life at a cattle station and growing up in the Australian outback. We learnt skills such as getting water from unexpected places, navigating in the dark using stars, telling the time of day without a watch and making fire.
- Amanda took us out on marine, snorkelling expeditions where we monitored the reef and collected data on the species present and the health of the coral as well as cleaning and removing rubbish from the shore and water. On these trips we ran into turtles, a large family of stingrays and even a small shark (I'm not sure why everyone was so relaxed about it. I wasn't!)
- Aly told us everything there is to know about first aid and tested us in hilarious role-play scenarios aimed at everyday life situations, regularly catching us off guard.
- Adam was in charge of making sure we were all happy during our time on the program. Through his activities, he cemented the group together aiding the creation of life-long relationships with each other.
When we weren't taking place in lessons, we were given the opportunity to have downtime. During this time, we would play beach games of soccer, capture the flag and volleyball, explore and walk around the tiny island and relax with each other at the campsite or in the beautiful water.
Now, for the best part of the day (in my opinion), the challenges! Every day the instructors would inform us of our upcoming Survivor-like challenges, testing us physically and mentally and the teamwork and communicational skills of our groups. Winning these challenges promised the allocation of left luxury to the winning team including food, cooking equipment, sleeping mats and bags and housewarming gifts for our campsites such as Tiki torches, extra tarps, pillows or even hammocks.
Some of the most memorable challenges were the remodelling of our campsites when 'cyclones' struck, scattering our items everywhere; Building the tallest structure from 100% natural products with a ping pong ball 'rested' on top; Egg tossing in the dark; Or the final day, 24hr challenge, involving sleeping with an egg without it smashing, racing around the island to clues and several challenges incorporating everything we had learnt during our lessons such as, making tents in the wind, starting a mini fire and building a raft to escape the island (failed miserably to everyone's amusement).
The hardest part of the trip was definitely saying goodbye. It was hard enough to leave behind our beautiful campsites and the island vibe but to all the incredible friends I made with the twelve teens as well as the instructors. I could not be more thankful for being allowed to take place in such an amazing journey. The program will always remain a fond memory close to my heart and I would go back in a heartbeat!
Max Peters
Year 12
Social Sciences
It has been a busy and successful year in Social Sciences. Our dedicated staff have actively engaged with the students to enrich their learning. We would like to thank the school community for their active participation and involvement with our programmes.
Australian Geography Competition
Students entered the Australian Geography competition and once again, we have had some exciting results. Many students received outstanding results including many High Distinctions and Distinctions. Most notably, Ricardo Irving of Year 10 and Datir Ajinkya successfully ranked in the top 1% in Australia in addition to the 61 students who received a High Distinction. Congratulations to all students who participated.
Accelerated Business Studies
The Social Sciences faculty will again be delivering Accelerated Business Studies for the start of 2019. This means selected students from Year 9 will begin the Preliminary HSC course in Year 10, 2019. This is an exciting opportunity for our gifted students to complete two units of their HSC prior to the commencement of Year 12. Over 65 students attempted the entrance exam and 24 students were selected to form the Accelerated Business class of 2019/2020.
Commerce Small Business
Students from Year 9 Commerce classes have been participating in the Business Enterprise Challenge. In this challenge, a business is established from each of Mr. Coburn’s, Mrs. Elias’s and Ms. Ladd’s classes where they sold delicious lunch products to school students on a designated day. Students gained practical business experiences related to marketing, operations, finance and human resources. All profit generated is donated to a worthy charity.
MUNA
Student interested in debating, public speaking and foreign affairs participated in the Model United Nations Competition. PSHS entered 5 teams in 2018. The group representing Turkey (Jack Maddock, Victor Zhoung, Rhys O’Connor) just missed out on winning the competition and received the runner-up prize. Ricky Rangra of Year 12, in the PSHS group representing Israel, was awarded Best Public Speaker for the competition. As part of the competition, students are asked to dress up in their assigned country’s national dress. Although none of the PSHS teams won this costume award, our students enthusiastically participated (see examples of Israel and Turkey in the picture below). Perhaps next year a group from PSHS might win and receive an invitation to the next stage of the competition in Canberra.
Politics Club
Mr. MacRae’s Politics Club for students in Years 11 & 12 have been meeting to explore their passion for the cut and thrust of Australian politics. The club has been running debates and discussion events in 2018 covering current political issues. In 2019, there will be a NSW State election and a Federal election. The club will be looking to get involved in events that will help students learn about Australia’s elections. Students from Year 10 and above are encouraged to participate. See Mr. MacRae in the Social Sciences faculty for more information.
Gardening Club
Year 9 students (who are completing their service for Duke of Edinburgh) have revived the garden in addition to some very keen Year 7 and year 12 students Bob Huang and Zac Kembrey. Students applied science in action - through chemistry, soil testing and raising food from seed; engineering - considering new water application ideas and, of course, many laughs; enjoying planting and maintaining the space together. Students shared carrots, beetroots, bok choy, kale, and Mediterranean herbs with each other and staff. A big thanks to Matt the G.A for his support too.
Fair Trade
The Fair Trade club grew in 2017 and 18 to have over 40 members who shared the role of running events across Open Night, Parent Teacher Nights, Variety Night, Cross Country Day and Multicultural Day. Students have been supporting small-scale cocoa farmers in the Dominican Republic. The club raised over $500 again in 2018 and have big goals including an Edu-Fair expo planned for next year.
Mr MacRae
Head Teacher Social Sciences
9 Week Programming Course
This term we offered a 9-week programming course for interested students in Year 7 and 8. The course was held every Wednesday after sport and was led by two university students Michael Chan and Victor Fang. Students involved explored programming concepts and the fundamentals of the Python programming language. Students enjoyed this course and demonstrated exceptional logical and computational thinking skills. I congratulate the commitment of the following students who stayed back every Wednesday to attend this program:
Abhinav Santhakumar
Ajinka Datir
Alex Vella
Amnah Hussain
Dinil Rajamanthri
Eric Ruan
Gurveer Khalsa
Paththinigamage Wijayahunawardana
Mia Heredia
Michelle Kim
Owen McCann
Sam Barakat
Siva Sivaranjan
Sophia Gonzales
Tamiz Rumey Jiffrey
Yaashvanthi Murugan
Zadid Syed
Victor Vukovic
Eugenia Kim of Year 10, has been a very quiet achiever at PSHS showcasing her dancing talent.
Eugenia is a member of the State Dance Ensemble - such an achievement when there are so many who try our for a coveted spot in this group.
As a member of the State Ensemble, Eugenia performed brilliantly in this year's School Spectacular "The Greatest" in the very colourful Bollywood segment.
Congratulations Eugenia!
Penrith Selective High School
Email: penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: penrith-h.schools.nsw.gov.au
Location: 158-240 High Street, Penrith NSW, Australia
Phone: 02 4721 0529
Facebook: facebook.com//penrithselectivehs