The Hills Grammar School, Sydney, NSW Videos

Senior School Athletics Carnival
Last week, our Senior School hosted their annual Athletics Carnival. Held at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, students donned their house colours to triumphantly take to the track and field, competing for House points and personal bests. The arena was buzzing with cheers of cohorts proudly singing chants for their respective House groups. Congratulations to all students who eagerly participated in the 2024 Athletics Carnival.

The Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre was alive with excitement on Wednesday as our Junior School students gathered for their annual Athletics Carnival. The arena echoed with chants and cheers as students embraced the spirit of competition, pushing themselves to their limits or simply enjoying the thrill of participation. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the fiercely contested House Relays, where all students came together to cheer their Houses to victory. Such memorable events are made possible by our dedicated staff, who managed stopwatches, tape measures, starter guns and results sheets with tireless precision. A special thanks to our Senior School PASS students for their invaluable assistance throughout the day. Congratulations to everyone who took part and made the day a resounding success!

One of our Senior Students, Emma, created this video showcasing the 2024 French Tour. This tour saw a group of twenty-four students from Years 8-12 explore three French-speaking countries: France, Belgium, and Switzerland. From the iconic sights of Paris to the solemn Anzac Day service in Villiers-Bretonneux the students soaked up rich history and language. They participated in French lessons in Geneva, visited the picturesque town of Chamonix, and explored Brussels on a walking tour and enjoyed culinary experiences such as waffles, mussels, and chocolate. One of the highlights of the journey was the homestay and school experience at Cité Scolaire Internationale in Lyon where students were warmly welcomed by their host families and were able to experience French daily life. Thank you to the parents who supported this tour, the students who were a joy to travel with, and Emma for capturing the trip.

In August, Principal Karen Yager and Deputy Principal, and Head of Senior School, David Hamper will be presenting at the National Education Summit Brisbane being held at the BCEC in the Sustainability in Schools Conference. Sustainability is a collective responsibility and is vital for a healthy environment and human flourishing. With a school campus developed in the heart of a beautiful natural environment, our school ethos is centred on caring for and protecting this beautiful environment, our local community and beyond. We aim for our students to contribute meaningfully to society propelled by a strong sense of purpose, resilience and hope for the future.

National Model United Nations conference in New York
Last term students attended the National Model United Nations conference in New York. This tour saw the resurgence of our international tours that commit to providing experiences in a real-world setting. The trip was facilitated through the English Department who prepared the attending students weeks before flying out by transforming classrooms into a vibrant hub of research, debate, and strategic planning. Students crafted compelling position papers, diving deep into assigned country profiles, and honing their public speaking skills – all crucial steps in becoming effective global citizens. The following video is a snippet of a video created by Senior Student Jacob who interviewed his peers on their experiences.

Hills Grammar and UTS TD School partnership
Recently, we sat down with students from our Senior School to discuss their involvement in the UTS TD School and Hills Grammar partnership. Hills Grammar is proud to share that we are the first school in the country to engage in a microcredential pathway to experience university through UTS’ ‘Innovation in Complex Systems’ course. Students shared their experience of the program, highlighting their passion for assisting the School to become net zero by 2035. Following our strategic plan, the School co-designed this net-zero challenge space with UTS for students to explore, and joined UTS TD School as the inaugural delivery partner of the ‘Innovation in Complex Systems’ microcredential for secondary students.

Watch on as our students raced to the finish line at our annual cross-country carnival yesterday. Despite the weather, everyone participated with such determination, many beating their personal best records! Congratulations to all students, and a special thanks to our Senior School PASS students, who assisted our Junior students and supported them when they needed it most!

On Friday, we welcomed families to explore our vibrant campus and meet our dedicated teachers at our annual Open Day. Prospective families witnessed engaging classroom activities, met our Hills Originals and saw the diverse extracurricular opportunities that a Hills Grammar education offers. Please visit our website for all additional tours in Terms 2 and 3.

Our Junior School and ECEC students enjoyed their annual disco last Friday. The neon nights themed event was a great success, thanks to the dedication of our parent and student volunteers, teachers and staff. We hope you enjoy watching our Hills Originals dance the night away!

Each year our Junior and Senior Schools battle it out at their annual swimming carnivals, with participating students earning valuable house points for their respective houses. These carnivals are such wonderful opportunities for the school community to unite showing support for their houses and fellow swimmers.

Next week, our graduating class of 2024 will be participating in the World’s Greatest Shave. They will be cutting and shaving their hair in honour of the Leukaemia Foundation and hope to hit their goal of $25000. Help them raise much needed funds for the Leukemia Foundation by donating to the following link: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/thehillsgrammarschool

This week we hosted 'An Evening with the Principal' event for our Early Childhood Education Centre, Junior and Senior Schools. This event allows parents to socialise with each other, with their teachers, grade coordinators and executives, providing an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between families and the School. Principal Karen Yager aptly connects our School song to this relationship, stating that “together as one, we have the will to succeed”.

This week we welcomed students back to Hills Grammar, including our new cohort of Kindergarten and Year 7's. The year ahead promises many opportunities for all students across our Junior and Senior Schools, and we are excited to see how each individual thrives as Hills Originals.

As we enter a new year filled with possibilities, we are heartened to share the following video of our students, filmed for our Annual Presentation of Awards. Our Hills Originals are each unique, extraordinary individuals, with their own passions and interests in life. During 2023, our students shared what their dreams and aspirations were, we have no doubt that in 2024 our students will continue to work towards these goals.

Wishing our Hills Grammar community a wonderful and safe holiday period. Nicola, Annabel and Aaron who are students in our Senior School, created this festive ad in their Social Media workshop during their enrichment week. They were given a brief to create an advertisement for an event, utilising props and lighting. This group chose to spread the joy of the festive season by selecting a Christmas theme.

Today, we welcomed back the Class of 2023 for a morning tea to share their HSC success with their peers, teachers and Executives. We congratulate all students on their efforts in their final year of schooling and look forward to seeing what the future holds for these Hills Originals. Congratulations to the following students who received commendable results: Lachlan Boyd – Lachlan achieved Band 6 / E4 results in all 4 of his subjects, including Advanced English, Extension 1 and 2 Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Lachlan received this year’s highest ATAR of 98.75, which would place him in the top 3.5% of all students in the state. Rory Wilson – Rory achieved Band 6 / E4 results in all 6 of his subjects, including Advanced English, Advanced Mathematics, Economics, Geography, Modern History and History Extension. Rory was this year’s joint School Dux for his performance on internal assessments. He received an impressive ATAR of 98.65, which places him in the top 3.5% of all students in the state. Showcase Nominations and Prizes Zengxun (Jasper) Gao was selected for Art Express for his artwork titled 'Resonance', expressive form-designed objects (Hazelhurst Arts Centre) Linda Ye was selected for Art Express for her artwork titled 'To Live', expressive form-photo media (Ngununggula, Southern Highlands Regional Gallery, Cowra Regional Art Gallery) Zachary Simpson was nominated for Drama Onstage for his monologue performance 'Politics is a Religion'. Rory Wilson received second place in the 2023 HTA History Extension Essay Prize. Rory’s essay was entitled ‘From Artefacts to Algorithms: The Value of Digital Technology in Reshaping the Traditional Museum Experience’.

Get ready to watch all the fun from our House Spirit Day! In a sea of red, green, yellow and blue the School spirit was at an all time high on Monday with students raising points for their house groups. With Motiv8 activities, air guitar, chess competitions, Rubik's cube races, house relays, cookie decorating and more, students in our Junior and Senior Schools were encouraged to participate in all the fun.

Giving Day
Join us tomorrow on Giving Day to invest in sustainable futures. For 12 hours only, your donations will be doubled by our generous matching donors. www.charidy.com/HillsGrammar

The Hills Grammar Community is keen to support us as we invest in sustainable futures on Giving Day. Our first message is from Mr Darby To, Chair of School Council and Hills Grammar Parent. Watch our stories over the next few days as we share messages from Alumni and our Community. Giving Day | Monday 20 November | 8am – 8pm where your donation is doubled and will have a greater impact on the sustainable futures of our Hills Originals. www.charidy.com/hillsgrammar