Cheltenham Girls High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cheltenham Girls' High School | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Truth, Unity, Concord | |
| Established | 1958[1] |
| School type | Public, Secondary, Single-sex, Day school |
| Principal/ Headmaster |
Ms. Susan Marshall |
| Location | Cheltenham, New South Wales, Australia  |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Enrolment | ~1,340 (7–12)[1] |
| School colours | Maroon, Pink & Sky Blue |
| Homepage | cheltenham-h.schools.nsw.edu.au |
Cheltenham Girls High School, is a public, comprehensive, high school for girls, located in Cheltenham, a north-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Established in 1958 and operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, the school has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1,340 students from Years 7 to 12.[1]
In the 2006 Higher School Certificate, the National Education Directory of Australia named Cheltenham Girls High School the sixth best performing school, and the best non-selective public school in Sydney's Hornsby region.[2]
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[edit] History
Cheltenham Girls High School was founded in 1957–1958 by Bessie Mitchell who also acted as the first Principal.[1] The School is located on the former residential estate of the Vicars family, who had donated the land for the specific purpose of building a school.[1] A stained glass window from the original house is now situated in the administration foyer, as well as a larger window of a ship being located in the E block. The ship is used in the header of the school newsletter, Yallambee.
The first students of the school were accommodated at Epping Boys' High School buildings during 1957, as the school was poor and had no money to buy their own property. These students moved to new buildings on the Cheltenham site in 1958, and comprised four classes of second year students and 10 classes of first year students.
A common myth associated with the school is that the colour of the uniform comes from a bequest, the terms of which stated that the uniform must be pink. In fact, it was the first headmistress, Bessie Mitchell, who decided the uniforms should be pink dresses. These dresses are still worn today and are noted throughout the area.
One highlight of the Cheltenham school year is the annual Presentation Day, which is held at the Sydney Opera House each year. The majority of students, staff and parents travel to Circular Quay station in a special train reserved for this occasion (the "Cheltenham Express").
On this day dress uniform is worn, which means the addition of grey stockings to the summer uniform. Grey stockings are part of the official uniform, but are not normally required in summer (the exception being Presentation Day).
[edit] Curriculum
Cheltenham Girls' High School is registered and accredited with the New South Wales Board of Studies, and therefore follows the mandated curriculum for all years. The school provides two years of compulsory subjects (Years 7–8); two years of compulsory subjects, plus three elective subjects for the School Certificate (Years 9–10); and two years preparing for the Higher School Certificate (HSC) (Years 11–12). In Years 11 and 12, a minimum of 12 units Preliminary and 10 units HSC must be studied, with English the only mandatory subject. Additional courses are also available through TAFE NSW, the Open High School, Saturday School of Community Languages and other providers.[3]
The school is a comprehensive high school, and typically performs well in the HSC, outperforming some public selective schools.[4] In the 2006 HSC, the National Education Directory of Australia named Cheltenham Girls the sixth best performing school, and the best non-selective public school in Sydney's Hornsby region.[2]
[edit] Organisations
- P & C Association: Cheltenham's Parents and Citizens' Association takes an interest in the welfare and education of its students. The annual general meeting of the P&C takes place at the beginning of each school year and regular meetings are held each term. One highlight of the school year is the annual Art & Craft Show, which is held at the beginning of the second term. This event is run by the P&C and is the major fundraising event for the year.
- School Council: The School Council was established in 1992. It comprises elected representatives from the student body, staff, parents and the community. School Council meetings take place on the Monday in weeks 4 and 8 of each term, before P&C meetings.
- Cheltenham Old Girls Association: The Old Girls Association promotes ongoing contact between former students and supports the school with fundraising efforts.
- SRC: this is a panel of girls from each grade in the school who help with raising money for charities and helping girls have their say on what is needed around the school.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Cheltenham Girls High School. School Locator. New South Wales Department of Education and Training (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ a b Top HSC Schools by Region - Albury to Newcastle (PDF). The National Education Directory of Australia (2006-12-21). Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ Pattern of Study. Curriculum. Cheltenham Girls High School. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ Patty, Anna. "Lessons in choice", News and Features, Sydney: The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007-07-30, p. 14. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
