Parent and Student Matters
- English
- Duke of Edinburgh Hike
- Lights, Camera, Pius! Film Festival
- Maths Drop-In
English
Year 9 Romeo & Juliet Incursion
On Thursday 28 May, an external theatre company visited the college to perform a re-imagined version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The consensus among the students was positive, and it was very entertaining.
It expertly covered themes of love and death in a grim but light hearted fashion. It also offered insight into themes found in Shakespeare's original, such as fate, patriarchy, and authority vs youth.
The play further put a spin on the Shakespearean classic by setting it in a post-apocalyptic world. I found this to be a very good idea as it allowed my fellow peers and me to relate to the play by using struggles felt today.
Students jumped, gasped, and hung on the edge of their seats as actors ran through the audience. Year 9 collective enjoyed the play and found it not only very entertaining but also extremely insightful for the upcoming essay. Personally, it was very helpful to see Romeo and Juliet's conflict visualised on a stage, and after the show, the actors took questions, giving their valuable opinion on themes, relationships within the play, and their take on the moral of the play.
Overall, Year 9 was very entertained by the re-imagined classic Romeo and Juliet, and in between the entertainment, we were left to ponder the antagonist of the play, the moral of the story, and key themes of fate, free will, youth, authority, and society.
Harry Staber – Year 9
Young Writer's Showcase launch
On Friday 29 March, NSW Education Standards Authority hosted the launch of the Young Writer’s Showcase 25 publication at NSW Parliament House, where 2025 College Captain Anthony Parissis was recognised for his short fiction Major Work ‘The delicate art of a funeral zeibekiko’. Anthony attended the ceremony accompanied by his father, Angelo, and his teacher Mr Daniel Quilty, whose support and guidance helped bring this exceptional work to life.
For the 2025 HSC, both College Captain Anthony Parissis and Vice-Captain Lachlan Staber’s outstanding major works were nominated for publication in the Young Writer’s Showcase, itself an incredible achievement, with Anthony’s short fiction piece selected for publication.
The English Extension 2 course challenges students to plan and complete an extended, original composition as their Major Work. We congratulate Anthony on becoming a published author and are incredibly proud of the recognition he has received for his Major Work and the talent, creativity and dedication it represents.
Read ‘The delicate art of a funeral zeibekiko’
https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/noindex/2026-05/young-writers-25-pdf.pdf
Ms Diana Emery - Leader of Learning, English
Duke of Edinburgh Hike
The Duke of Edinburgh Bronze/Silver hike took place in the Namadgi National Park in the ACT over the long weekend. It truly was a unique educational experience.
To be able to count your steps and look around and observe the natural landscape and to know where you are on a map, well that is Maths and Geography in practice.
To build a fire, that's simple Engineering and Physics, but to keep the fire burning that is basic Chemistry.
To observe the diversity of the animals and plants around us; that is Biology.
To witness how light plays with colour and allows you to see different perspectives; that is Art.
To sit in the silence and detect distant birds’ song amidst the whistling wind; that is Music.
To look up into the sky and describe it as vast; that is English
And when you look into the night sky to see the trillions of stars in the Milky Way and try to begin to understand your place in the universe, well that’s humbling and that is Religion.
Thank you to Mr Munday and Ms Doyle, and especially thank you to Mrs Gunns for the organisation and behind the scenes work that enabled 47 Year 9 and 10 students to experience the subzero temperatures, to experience the exercise that was the hike, to build a community and participate in the educational experience that was the Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous journey.
Ms Denise Ramsey
Lights, Camera, Pius! Film Festival
We're looking forward to this year's Lights, Camera, Pius! film festival, which will be held at Hoyts Cinema, Chatswood on Thursday 3 September. Now is the time to start planning your film. You will have the coming holiday break to work on it.
Submissions are due by Friday 21 August (Week 5, Term 3) on USB at Student Reception.
Ms Frances Doyle - Leader of Learning, Visual Arts
Maths Drop-In
It has been absolutely wonderful to see such a strong turnout of students preparing for their Mathematics assessment tasks. Students from Years 5 through to 12 have been attending in large numbers, demonstrating a genuine commitment to their learning by seeking support, requesting feedback, asking thoughtful questions and striving to improve their understanding and performance.
The positive learning atmosphere created by these students has been fantastic. Their willingness to dedicate extra time and effort to their studies reflects a commendable growth mindset and determination to achieve their personal best.
A special thank you must also go to our Year 11 and 12 Extension Mathematics students, who have generously given their time to support their peers. Their leadership, encouragement, and willingness to share their knowledge have made a significant contribution to the success of these sessions and helped foster a collaborative and supportive learning community our College.
STOP PRESS: EXTRA SESSION TOMORROW MORNING
As the mathematics assessments continue, there will be an extra Maths Drop-In session tomorrow morning - Friday 12 June.
Where: C1
When: Tuesdays & Thursdays
Time: 7:40 am - 8:30 am
Mrs Amanda Fileman - Mathematics Teacher