Our Senior School Swimming Carnival started off in great fashion with our early competitors swimming in the 100m and 200m freestyle as well as the 200m Individual Medley, as the rest of the College arrived, it was shaping up to be a great day, that is until the rain set in and when the lightening began we had no choice but to send all of students inside to take shelter. As the time passed, it became clear that we were not going to get to run our full carnival and so the decision was made to send students back to the College who were not serious competitors.

Those who stayed were able to get back in the pool later in the afternoon and we managed to get through all our scheduled events. Although we were rush and events did have to run quicker than they usually would, we managed to see some great, competitive races.

Congratulations to Cuthbert who are our 2025 Swimming Carnival House Champions as well as the following students who earned Age Champion.

The Senior School library would like to welcome our school community to the new year.

This year we have been blessed with the addition of our new library assistant Mrs Angeline Dela Cruz . It is a pleasure to have her as part of our senior school library team. Angeline brings with her a wealth of experience in various library settings.

Recently we celebrated Library Lover’s Day to coincide with Valentine’s Day. Numerous books relating to love were on display for students to peruse and borrow. We also ran a competition where students had the chance to win a prize if they correctly guessed the number of hearts displayed in the library. We would like to thank Mrs Dela Cruz for creating the wonderful display and competition. Please see photos below of our Library Lover’s Day display.

Marcelle Smith and Kelly Bunsell
Senior School Teacher Librarians

We are thrilled to introduce our new Junior School Extra Curricular Program, which will run fortnightly on Thursdays during Period 7. This initiative has been designed to expose our students to a wide variety of activities, helping them discover new skills, interests, and passions that they might not otherwise have the chance to explore.

Our program offers a diverse mix of skill-based, interest-based, physical activity, and service-based experiences, ensuring that every student can engage in activities that inspire and challenge them.

(Click on the photos below to enlarge)

For more information on about the program, scroll below to the Junior School updates or click below.

On Monday, Diva and her NSW CIS cricket team won both tournament.

"With God’s blessing she has been given captain’s cap for CIS team" , says Diva's proud mum.

However, the team faced a tough loss against Sydney West on Tuesday. Despite the setback, Diva played an incredible captain’s innings, remaining unbeaten at 51 runs. Over the weekend, she showcased her exceptional skills with a brilliant performance, scoring 87 runs off 99 balls in her district match. Her consistency and leadership on the field continue to shine, making her a key player in every match.

(Photo submitted by Dhara P and published with permission)

The library in H block is open for students in Years 3-6 use each morning from 8:45am - 9:00am and during Break 1 every day. Students can borrow and return books in their library lesson or in these alternate opening times.

A reminder that all students must have a College Library (waterproof) bag to borrow. These can be purchased from the College uniform shop.

Scholastic Book Orders

All classes Years 1-6 received the latest brochure during Week 1. Kindergarten parents are also welcome to order from the brochure sent home with the older students or view the online brochure. Orders for this edition close on Sunday, 23rd February.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will again be participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. During library lessons K-2 students will engage with the required number of books as part of their teacher read lessons, whilst students in Years 3-6 will read their books independently. The challenge does not start until later this term but students are encouraged to start reading and recording. During their library lesson students received a recording sheet and their log in details which have been glued into their diary.

Book Covering

Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to be a part of our covering crew this year. We do not currently have any books needing covering but will email when we have our first lot ready. If you would like to join the crew (or continue) could you please email me with your contact details [email protected]

Get ready to dance the afternoon way at the P&F Junior School Afternoon Disco on Friday, 14th March !

• K-2: 3:15pm - 4:30pm
• 3-6: 4:45pm - 6:00pm

Tickets on Sale Friday, 28th February. More information to follow in next week's College newsletter.

The College is concerned about the safety of students in the H Block carpark. This is due to students not using the pedestrian crossing, parents double parking and the necessity of driving out the way that drivers have come in. We have reviewed the H Block parking to make it safer by making it a one way system.

• From Monday 17 February, the orange cones at the end of the lower H block carpark have been removed; however, the chain will remain.
• Enter and leave the H Block carpark through Gate 4.
• Drive in a clockwise direction:
  • Turn left into the lower H block carpark.
  • Turn right at the end of the lower H block carpark (this is where there have been a set of orange cones).
  • Drive up to the top level of the H Block carpark.
  • Stop at the crossing to check for pedestrians every time you drive up to the top level.
  • Turn right and out Gate 4.
• Do not drop your children at the top level of the H Block carpark. Please only park in the lower H block carpark. and walk them into the College.
• Do not park on the grass.

Please read Dr Chalwell's message above on supporting children's safety at school .

Please see below some key information regarding music ensembles and private music tuition as we begin the year.

Music Ensemble Rehearsals

Please refer to the JS Music Ensembles Information linked below for rehearsal days, times and locations.

Stage 1 Choir will commence in Week 5 (Monday, 3rd March) . More details regarding how to join this ensemble will be communicated by Mrs Barnett.

Changes to Music Ensembles

To accommodate the significant growth in our music program over the past few years, we have restructured some of our ensembles:

A live theatre-based lesson on alcohol for Year 9

As part of the PDHPE curriculum, Year 9 students will engage in this Alcohol Education Incursion during week 5. The incursion is an empowering and relatable theatre in education program developed to complement the work that is being done in the classroom. Smashed helps to embed prior learning and present the issues in a realistic, credible format.

If you are interested, you can explore further the details covered in this session to assist with conversations at home related to this important issue. Download the guide below.

Do you want to improve your child' s results and their understanding of their coursework? If so, this is a great opportunity to receive guided advice and support.

Faculties in the Senior School conduct weekly opt-in study and support sessions for students to attend as they require.

Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to access subject teachers and support and assistance for work or assessments that are currently completing.

Students do not need to book a place but should arrive to the listed rooms at the times included in the timetable below.

Once the nomination has been completed and accepted, further information about the trial will be sent to students and their nominated parent email address.

In addition to the weekly updates, Senior School students have been emailed a calendar outlining all the representative sporting opportunities for Term 1.

Please note, students who nominate to trial for these teams should have extensive playing experience and in the case of AICES and CIS trials, students should be playing in a representative team outside of school at an association or state level. Some sports, such as cricket, require students to be involved in certain representative teams or academies for nominations to be accepted.

Nomination Guidelines

1. All nominations should come from the student interested in trialling.
2. Students MUST email all nominations to the Head of Student Opportunities AT LEAST 2 days before the nomination date. Late nominations will not be accepted. Students who do not nominate will be turned away from any trial they attend.

Term 1 rep sports calendar with dates and nominations details/links can be downloaded below. The calendar was also distributed to students early this week.

Please see below some key information regarding music ensembles and private music tuition as we begin the year.

Music Ensemble Rehearsals

Please refer to the SS Music Ensembles Information linked below for rehearsal days, times and locations.

Changes to Music Ensembles

To minimise clashes between various ensembles, there have been some changes to lunchtime rehearsal days for some groups. Please check the information linked above carefully.

We would also like to welcome Mrs Fiona Morris who will be taking on the Senior Vocal Group this year. Mrs Morris is an experienced classroom Music teacher, vocal tutor and conductor. Many students and parents will know Mrs Morris already through her fantastic work with our Junior School students. However, she also brings a wealth of experience in working with Senior School students. We look forward to seeing the continued growth in our Senior Vocal Group this year under her guidance.

Attendance

A reminder that punctuality and consistent attendance are essential to the success of our ensembles. If a student is unable to attend a rehearsal, please notify the ensemble conductor in advance.

We will continue to provide monthly updates and progress photos on our website. You can also view the masterplan and general project information.

We invite you to watch a timelapse videos (June 2023 to January 2025) on our website via the link below.

Please bookmark the new College Shop website so that you can order uniforms easily. If this is your first time visiting the new uniform shop you will need to create a new login and password and read the full user guide below.

The P&F exists to foster community, connection and contribution amongst College families, and the broader College community. We exist to generate a sense of community involvement amongst the College and to contribute back to the College through social activities, community events and fundraisers.

To get involved in the P&F in the future, contact us at the email below.

Warm regards,
Matt Perry
President – RHAC P&F Association
[email protected]

Play netball with Rouse Hill All Stars (RHAS) netball club in 2025! We are a supportive, family friendly club welcoming new and experienced players in all age groups.

We are seeking the following junior players to join RHAS now!

• Under 7s (born 2018) - 5 players
• Under 10s (born 2015) - 5 players
• Under 11s (born 2014) - 4 players

For questions, please contact Leanne Fletcher on 0422 323 591.

We are looking for the following coaches to commence Monday, 24 February (Semester 1)

• Girls Netball
• Girls Futsal
• Boys Basketball
• Boys Football

Submit your expression of interest to Mr Luke Adams [email protected] with details of your coaching history and any qualifications.

This is a paid coaching role for the Semester 1 representative sporting season. All coaches must have a current Working With Children Check (WWCC) number.

Got a bit of time? Time to give blood and change lives?

1 in 3 people in Rouse Hill will need blood, and they need people like you to give it. The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood will be rolling into town from 19 to 22 March at The Fiddler.

Don’t forget to pre-book your spot at Lifeblood.com.au , on the app or call 13 14 95.