From Ms Allum

Welcome to the 2024 School Year

To everyone in our community, parents, and students – my best wishes for a good year. I hope all of you are glad to be here and feel supported and cared for!

A particular welcome to our new students and their families. I hope that you soon feel part of the School community. I look forward to meeting you all soon.

There is a lot of information in this edition of Behind the Green Gate. Please take the time to read all of the major sections, and skim through the rest, reading in detail the things which are relevant to you. Most importantly, SCEGGS is a community of people who look after each other. If you do have any questions at any time, please do not hesitate to ask any of us – we really do want you to feel part of our community and know that we care that you get as much as you can out of a SCEGGS education.

Who’s Who at SCEGGS

We know that we will do a better job in educating your daughter if we have a really open and trusting relationship. So, we do encourage you to ring us and talk any time – as we will too! We want to hear what is going on for your daughter – and for you and your family. So, if you are unsure of whom to contact – whether it is to share some good news, ask a question, or just talk about the education of your daughter – the following may help.

The Class Teacher or Form Teacher is often the best first port of call. These teachers will know your daughter best and will always be willing to listen and chat and can point you in the right direction if there is a better person to be speaking to, or just to help you navigate your way around the school. We encourage you to come to the relevant Parent Information Evening in the first couple of weeks of term to meet him or her.

Your daughter’s subject teachers, Years K-12, have the best information about how your daughter is going, and have day to day contact with her too. They will also have detailed knowledge about our programs of learning within their discipline. In the Secondary School, the relevant Head of Department can also answer questions about courses of study, subject choices and issues concerning their teachers.

In the Secondary School, Year Co-ordinators for each of the different Years may be able to address concerns – about academic, social or other issues.

In the Primary School, any one of the Primary Executive can help with more serious matters.

A list of the relevant senior and pastoral staff for 2024 can be found in the Who’s Who at SCEGGS in the 2024 guide which can be accessed via the SCEGGS Portal.

This includes:

• Form Teachers and Year Co-ordinators in the Secondary School
• Heads of Department
• Primary Class teachers and the Executive for the Primary School

Finally, if you have a serious matter to talk about, or something you feel is not being addressed adequately, (or if you just like one of us and have heard us say something that you want to follow up on!) please feel free to contact anyone from the senior staff:

• Deputy Head of School – Ms Holly Gyton
• Head of the Primary School – Mrs Helen Dempsey
• Director of Curriculum – Mr Andrew Gallagher
• Director of Wellbeing – Ms Laura Connolly
• Director of Administration – Mr Phil Rogers
• Director of Operations – Ms Marlise Kalt
• Director of ICT – Mr Craig Whalland
• Business Manager – Mr Adrian Craig

I am also happy to talk to any parent – on the telephone or in person. Please ring if you would like to discuss a matter or come in for an appointment.

Welcome to (or welcome back to) SCEGGS!

Jenny Allum
Head of School

2023 HSC Results

Please click here to view our 2023 HSC Results.

Student Wellbeing Survey 2023

Student wellbeing must always be a key priority area for all schools! For more than 20 years, we have felt that a key part of this focus means creating opportunities for the girls to tell us in their own words about their relationships with peers and their social and emotional wellbeing more generally. We want to continue to strengthen our wellbeing programs to ensure that our students feel cared for and have a strong sense of belonging to the school community overall, and are given the skills to live a productive and flourishing life, knowing what is important and how to look after themselves and their friends. We want to understand what worries our students and how we can best support them to respond to the tricky parts of their lives. While the specific focus areas of each biennial survey have grown and changed over time, our commitment to hearing from the girls directly has not!

With this in mind, we again commissioned IPSOS (our market research firm) last year to administer our Student Wellbeing Survey to all students in Year 4-12, and to analyse the results for us. Many of the focus areas in our survey are informed by the trends and data provided by Australian youth wellbeing questionnaires, such as the Mission Australia Youth Survey, as well as our own day to day experiences with the girls. In the 2023 wave, we asked about their health and wellbeing, their friendships, their sleep patterns, their school life, their peer relations and what concerns them about being a member of our school community. We also wanted to evaluate the implementation of our anti-bullying policy by asking a series of questions about bullying in the school, and also wanting to evaluate which of our policies and activities have been most successful in making the school a safe place for our students.

It is also important to us to share the results of this survey with our community. So after each wave, usually every second year, we report the findings of this survey in this newsletter, and make changes to our policies and procedures to try to ensure that our students are safe and happy at school.  

To see an analysis of the results, please click here.

Best wishes
Jenny Allum

From The Chaplain

From the Chaplain

Welcome back to the new school year to everyone in the SCEGGS community. I look forward to catching up with all of you or meeting you for the first time soon (even if it’s just a friendly wave at the gate in the morning). I hope and pray that this year will be one of fulfilment and joy in all that you do.

Harvest Festival

In Week 2 this year, we celebrate Harvest Festival, an event in the Christian calendar which focuses on what we have and what we can give. Each girl is asked to bring to school at least one non-perishable food item which will eventually be distributed to those in our city whose lives have been affected by misfortune. Here is a list of items that we would be suitable:

It is estimated that over two million Australians need food relief at the moment due to the cost of living crisis and other unpredictable circumstances. Unfortunately, that number is growing each day with  almost half of that number being children, as their parents struggle to put food on the table. Many of these children often go to school without breakfast, or to bed without dinner. The demand is urgent.

Harvest Festival recognises all of the good things that we have been given and the opportunity to give to those in need. We continue to pray for those affected and dealing with great loss and trauma. We will continue to consider ways that we as a community may be able to help in the process of restoration, particularly in light of the last few years.

Could you please have your daughter bring in her item(s) by Monday 5 February. Each year, the Chapel is decorated beautifully with these items and other produce. At the end of the week the food will be delivered to Vinnies Support Centre in Redfern for distribution. I appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness in these difficult times.

“Rough Edges” Cooking with love: A great opportunity that the whole community can be involved in.

SCEGGS has had a great connection to many of the local welfare agencies for a long period of time. One of those services that we are consistently working with is Rough Edges, another community centre for the poor, lonely and marginalised, located under the hall of St John’s Anglican Church, Darlinghurst. Throughout the week our staff take whatever leftover food we have at the end of the day from our cafeteria to Rough Edges so that they can provide it to those that attend this centre.

Unfortunately on Monday nights, food is difficult to come by for the centre. We began a program in 2022 where families and individuals were invited to make fully cooked meals, enough for about 6-10 people, to feed those in need. Each week, 8-10 families or individuals cook enough food to feed Monday nights clientele.  It is not a regular weekly commitment as we have a roster where most people cook no more than once a term. With the more people that we have involved, the more we can share the love around. The food gets dropped off to me at the Forbes St gate (or the Primary School office) on a Monday morning and I deliver it to Rough Edges later that day. If you would like to join our current team of generous volunteers or have further questions, please let me know via email (Garry Lee-Lindsay). I have a list of menu ideas, preparation requirements and other important information that I can send you. It has been a great thing for us as a school community to be involved in and a great thing for our local community as well.

The SCEGGS Podcast “Walk The Mile” Episode 49: New Beginnings  

I would like to invite all members of our community to have a listen to our school podcast “Walk The Mile”. The name comes from one of our popular chapel hymns that speaks about looking out for one another and sharing the load. The podcast began as an experiment during the COVID lockdowns and has continued to provide conversations that anyone can relate too. It’s a good way of getting a feel for our community both inside and beyond the Green Gate.

This episode addresses the issues that might occur when starting school: whether it be for the first time, a new school or a new year. Heidi Anderson (a very experienced Kindergarten teacher) and Ashleigh Smith (our current Year 7 Coordinator) talk about what is important when starting or returning to school. There are massive changes to consider and we know it can be overwhelming for some, students and parents alike. I hope you enjoy the conversation and find it to be helpful.

And a reminder that we are published on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcast and Deezer, so you can access it easier from your preferred device. I always welcome your feedback or any ideas you may have for further episodes. You will find each podcast as they are produced in this newsletter and on the other platforms as well as our website.

Rev. Garry Lee-Lindsay
School Chaplain

From the Primary

Welcome everyone, to a new school year! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday and got to enjoy some beautiful sunshine and quality time with family and friends. I’d like to take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to all our new girls and their families; we hope that you settle into life at SCEGGS quickly but please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions at all over the coming weeks.

This year we also have a number of new additions to our Primary teaching team. Please see the Who’s Who booklet in this week’s Behind the Green Gate.

We are very much looking forward to meeting you all at our Parent Information Evenings in Week 2. These evenings are for all parents of girls from Kindergarten to Year 6. Parents will hear from their daughters’ teachers about aspects of the classroom programs, activities planned for the year and ways parents can assist their daughters at home. These sessions will be held in the girls’ nominated classrooms. However, we would love it if you could join us in the Primary Playground for some informal drinks before the sessions begin as an opportunity to get to know each other and to start the year in a positive way.

The Joan Freeman car park will be open for parking from 5.30 pm but will close promptly at 9.00pm on Monday and 8.00pm on Wednesday. The entry of the car park is positioned on St Peters Street which can be accessed via Forbes Street.

Parent Information Evenings

We urge you to come along and meet our wonderful team of teachers and to hear about the exciting things that will be happening at the school during 2024.

Helen Dempsey
Head of Primary

Navigating the Primary School Car Line

Bourke Street Car Line

Navigating the Primary School car line can certainly be a tricky part of the afternoon! The good news is that, as a community, we can make it work. Below are some helpful tips to ensure the safety and efficiency of the afternoon car line queue.

How can you help?

• Primary School pick-up times are 2.55pm for Kindergarten to Year 2 and 3.10pm for Years 3 to 6. Please arrive at the correct time, not earlier.
• Year 6 girls should be collected from Forbes Street, unless they have a younger sibling. In this case, parents can collect their daughters from Bourke Street.
• Always display your daughter’s name sign.
• Follow the directions of the teachers; they are in the best position to see the overall situation.
• Move up the queue as far as you can go; please avoid leaving empty spaces in front of your car.
• Remain in your vehicle. The teachers will assist your daughter to ensure her safe departure.
• Encourage your daughter to quickly enter the car on its curb side with her bags. It is much safer to place bags into the front or back seats rather than the boot.
• Please do not double park. Always join the moving queue from the northern end of Bourke Street, no matter how frustrating it might be.
• If a vehicle is pulling out of the moving queue after collecting a child, please grant them easy access.
• Please avoid taking phone calls during this time as your full attention will ensure safety is the priority.
• If you are approaching or leaving the school on foot and need to cross the street, use the Bourke Street pedestrian crossing. A traffic controller will also be on duty before school to ensure your family’s safety.

A collective effort to follow the guidelines of the dismissal process will ensure road safety measures are in place, keeping your daughter, the teachers and you safe. 

Thank you for your patience as these car line etiquette expectations become habitual for the year ahead.

Gabriela Grocott
Manager of Primary Administration and Operations

2024 Parent Information Booklet

What time can I drop my daughter at school in the morning? Whom do I email an absence note to if my daughter is sick and away from school? What time does the Secondary Library close in the afternoon?

A booklet for parents is available on the SCEGGS Portal to answer all of these questions and more! The 2024 Parent Information Booklet contains the most important logistical and organisational information for parents including:

• School attendance information for all students K-12
• Arrangements for before and after school supervision
• Pedestrian safety
• Students driving to and from school and school activities
• Students riding bicycles to and from school
• Food allergy awareness
• Student accident insurance
• School shop opening hours
• … and much, much more!

The 2024 Parent Information Booklet is now available for all current SCEGGS families to download from the SCEGGS Portal and we would strongly encourage all families to be aware of the important information contained inside.

Student Health Information

Year 7 and 10 Immunisation Program    

NSW Health offers all school students free vaccinations recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). These vaccines are important and protect students through to adulthood.

If your child is in Year 7 or Year 10 this year, you now need to provide consent online for their routine school vaccinations.

In Year 7, students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV). In Year 10, students are offered the meningococcal ACWY vaccine.

Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.

Further information and details on how to provide consent will be available in next week’s newsletter.

Food Allergy Awareness

At SCEGGS we are concerned about the safety and wellbeing of all our students. Many of you will know someone who is affected by anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. A food allergy is an immune system response to a normally harmless food protein that the body believes is harmful. When the individual eats food containing that protein, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, triggering symptoms that can affect a person’s breathing, digestion, skin and/or heart. Nine foods cause 90% of food allergies. Peanuts are the leading cause of severe allergic reactions, followed by tree nuts, shellfish, fish, milk, eggs, wheat, sesame and soy.

 There are girls at SCEGGS from Kindergarten to Year 12 with mild to severe food allergies. The only way to manage a food allergy is avoidance. While the children with allergies are being taught to care for themselves at an age appropriate level, we also seek your support. To minimise the risk of exposure for these students, we request that no nuts, peanut butter or other nut products are brought to the school site or other school activities.

We also ask that you help us educate your daughter on the importance of not sharing food with others, washing hands after eating and calling out to an adult if she thinks her friend with allergies is sick. We can never totally eliminate the risk of an anaphylaxis episode, but we are all responsible for helping to lessen that risk.

Thank you for your help in protecting those around us. To learn more about anaphylaxis and food allergies, go to www.allergyfacts.org.au and www.allergy.org.au.

Student Health, Medical and Emergency Information

All parents are reminded to provide the School with accurate and relevant medical information.  When medical circumstances change, it is essential that our records reflect your daughter’s current health status. Please send through any changes to the relevant Secondary School Year Co-ordinator or to Sarah Johnstone, Deputy Head of the Primary School: Student Wellbeing in the Primary School.

Phil Rogers
Director of Administration

Parent Information Evenings and Parent Teacher Afternoons

Upcoming Parent Information Events

Over the next few months there are a number of important parent information events.  These events are listed below by year group with a general description of each event at the end of this article.

Kindergarten – Year 2

Years 3 & 4

Years 5 & 6

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Year 12

Whole School Information Session: K-12

Parent Information Talks and Evenings

These evenings are for parents and carers of girls from Kindergarten to Year 12. Parents will hear from their daughters’ teachers about aspects of the classroom programs, activities planned for the year and ways parents can assist their daughters at home, and from guest speakers on various topics. These are important sessions and all parents are urged to attend.

Further information about each event will be sent prior to the event and we look forward to welcoming many of you to each event.

Phil Rogers
Director of Administration

From the Business Office

Firstly, welcome back to all returning SCEGGS families and a very warm welcome to all new families in 2024. We trust you will enjoy being a valuable member of the SCEGGS community!

In this first issue of Behind the Green Gate for the year, I would like to mention some important points from the Business Office: 

2024 School Fees 

The fee account for Term 1, 2024 was emailed to all families in November last year. We send the Term 1 fee statement out early to allow for cashflow planning. If you have not received the email or require a copy of your account, please contact the Business Office on 9332 1133 or via email.

The first account was due for payment on Wednesday 31 January 2024. SCEGGS greatly appreciates the payment of fees on or before the due date which provides us with certainty of cashflow and allows us to deliver an outstanding education for your daughters. Note that you have the ability to pay amounts on to your SCEGGS fee account at regular intervals (eg monthly or fortnightly) to smooth your cashflow or line up fee payments with the timing of your cash inflows.

Future invoices for 2024 tuition fees will be emailed in April, July and September. For planning purposes, note that fees are always due on the first day of term.  

A final invoice for any supplementary charges will be emailed in November. 

Student Accident Insurance 

The School maintains a personal accident insurance policy which covers all students currently enrolled at SCEGGS.  If your daughter suffers an injury while at school or while participating in a school activity, we will gladly assist in completing the claim forms and associated documents for insurance purposes. You will see a charge of $30.45 per girl on your Term 1 statement for the insurance coverage. 

If you have any queries or concerns about your SCEGGS fee statements, student insurance or any other finance related matter, please feel free to contact the Business Office by email or phone so we can assist. 

Adrian Craig 
Business Manager 

Technology Update

SCEGGS is continuing the 1:1 Computer Program in 2024. Every girl in Years 4 to 12 will have their own convertible laptop.

Kindergarten to Year 3 have access to class sets of iPads and some laptops are also used regularly in these years.

The parent information sessions run during the first part of Term I will include information on the 1:1 program.

Any girl currently without a laptop will receive them during the first weeks of school. Parents and girls will also be provided with important information about using and caring for the computer, as well as other essential information, such as cyber safety, ergonomics and accessing the technical support services at School.

If you have any questions about the program at SCEGGS, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Internet Usage

Typically both at school and home your daughter now has access to a technology-rich environment. Effective and appropriate use of the powerful tools within the IT sphere requires responsible behaviour to accompany use of the computers, mobile phones and the internet. Of real concern to us as a school, however, are some instances where there is reported inappropriate use of the internet by some students. The School has put in place a number of strategies to ensure our students use available technologies to achieve suitable and productive outcomes but there are some ways in which you can assist your daughter to make effective use of the internet within the home environment.

Important information and advice for students and parents about laws and other information relevant to the internet can be found in the front section of the School Diary. Students in Years 7-12 and their parents are asked to familiarise themselves with the Internet and Network Users Agreement. This agreement clearly states our belief that students should be responsible for their own actions and goes on to outline the conditions under which access to the internet and the School’s network is allowed. As a parent you are asked to sign the agreement to ensure that your daughter understands the agreement and to make you aware that use of the internet and School’s network is conditional.

The School takes other measures to ensure that our students’ online experience is productive, safe and appropriate. Web filtering is used so that our students do not access, intentionally or otherwise, inappropriate websites. Websites on block and allow lists are updated regularly and placed into categories that the School may choose to apply. At present the sites that are blocked fall into the following broad categories: ads, adult, aggressive, audio-visual, drugs, forums, gambling, hacking, pornography, proxys, violence, virus-infected and more. We are able to (and do) block other unsuitable sites not included in these classifications.

Students should treat their login passphrase as an important personal credential and keep it confidential, as they would a PIN for a bank account. If a student suspects that someone else knows their passphrase, or that it has been compromised in any way, she should immediately change it or request that it be changed by visiting the ICT Service Desk. Students must necessarily assume responsibility for any use of a computer accessed via their login name and password.

The School takes these measures to help ensure that each student’s experience on the internet is positive and productive but, unfortunately, it is not always possible to ensure that all students will use this resource properly. In the past some students have posted, from home and from school, unacceptable material on the internet. Students must understand that matters on the internet are accessible to the entire world and that, as a result, care must be taken not to malign other people, or institutions. Any such activity can be subject to legal redress. Parents should be aware that it is not realistic to monitor or control such activities from school computers or, of course, from home computers. Combating this type of activity requires persistent and continuing efforts on our part as well as by you, at home.

Because students’ access to the internet is not confined to their time at school it is important that you participate in the partnership with the School in educating your daughters about the use of the internet. The Australian Communication and Media Authority has published several useful articles and tips for parents and students. These can be found here. I strongly recommend that you read this and other sections of the site where you will find tips for children of different ages. Discussing these with your daughter and adopting some of the suggested strategies would be one practical way in which you could support the School in encouraging more appropriate internet use.

The internet can be a powerful and constructive technology that provides great educational benefits. Like many other technologies, the internet also has a negative side. Students need on-going education about internet use and the dangers and pitfalls present as well as the many benefits. Parents are encouraged to join with the School to ensure that the internet continues to deliver positive educational and social outcomes for all.

Craig Whalland
Director of ICT

School Cafeteria

The Cafeteria menu embraces the principles of Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia and the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy.  Girls will have the option to purchase from the specials menu, sandwich bar or the bakery.

The Cafeteria Menu for Term 1 is available here.

Opening times are:

 
Recess orders must be placed by 9.30am and Lunch orders must be placed by 10.30am on the day of order.

Recess and lunch orders can be placed using the Flexischools online ordering system or the Flexischools App (see instructions below).

Note that prices in the cafeteria have been increased in response to significant increase in prices from our suppliers.

Getting started with Flexischools

If you’d like to start ordering online, Please follow these instruction:

Set up your account 

1. Download the Flexischools App

Download the app from the App Store or from Google Play.
Note: for iPhone and iPad please select ‘Allow’ notification

2. Register

Open the Flexischools App and click ‘Like to register?’, enter your email address and click ‘Register’. You will be sent a registration email. Follow the instructions in the registration email to finish setting up your account. Once your account is set up, login to the Flexischools App, select the Profile icon on the grey navigation bar, select Student and ‘Add a student’, search for their school name, select their year level and class and enter their details.

3. Top-Up Your Account

To make ordering fast and simple, you can set up automatic top-ups.

Order 

1. Place your order

In the Flexischools App, swipe up and down to find the service category you are interested in, swipe left and right to find the service you are interested in and select the green ‘Order’ button.

2. Make your selection

Select the items you wish to order.

3. Make payment

Select your payment option and complete payment to place your order. 

Payment System

We have implemented a system to enable students to purchase items outside of the ordering window which allows them to make food and beverage choices at recess and lunch times, while ensuring parents can maintain visibility over the items they are purchasing.

Secondary Students are able to use their Student ID card to buy items in the Cafeteria. Girls can select items and Cafeteria Staff will scan their Student ID card at the point of sale to complete the transaction (via Flexischools account).

To enable this function, you need to enter the Student ID card number (located under the barcode on the Student ID card *A) into your Flexischools account in the Student card number field *B in the Settings tab.

Your Flexischools account must be in credit to utilise this function – see the Account tab or click Top Up Wallet *C.

Important Note

Now that Students have been allocated a Form Class, the Class field must be updated (*D in the Settings tab).

Primary Students should continue to pre-order as they are not issued with a Student ID card.

Please also note that cash is not accepted at the cafeteria and students are not able to make purchases with their mobile phones or smart watches.

SCEGGS, together with our catering partner, Cater Care, will continue to work on enhancements to the Cafeteria as part of our continual improvement strategy.

Adrian Craig
Business Manager

Music Matters

All co-curricular music activities resume in Week 2 (From Monday 5 February)

You will now be able to find information about your co-curricular music rehearsals on Clipboard.

By the end of the week, you should be able to see your co-curricular music timetable on here. It is still possible to enrol in additional music ensembles. Please contact our Music Administrator Alice Kotowicz if you wish to discuss enrolling in a music ensemble. 

Most music tuition lessons resume in Week 2 (From Monday 5 February)

Music Tuition organisation remains the same as last year. Timetables for music lessons can be found on Cognito and are usually circulated by the tutors. Please contact your tutor directly if you are not sure when lessons commence.

Upcoming Term 1 Music Events

(please be aware the date in the printed school diary is incorrect).

Heidi Jones
Head of  Music (Co-curricular)

Secondary Sport News

Secondary Inter-House Swimming Carnival

Wednesday 7 February, 9.30am – 2.30pm at Lane Cove Aquatic Centre

Travel Arrangements

All girls must come to school (8.15am) in correct sports uniform and travel on the buses to the carnival. Please note that we are using a new venue this year.

Girls are to go to their Form room and wait for instructions to move to the buses. Form Teachers will travel on the bus with their class.

The Carnival will finish at 2.30pm. All girls will travel back to school on the buses unless a written permission note has been given to the Form Teacher.

Students may be dismissed at the conclusion of the carnival, after consulting their Form Teacher. Parent should collect students from Little Street near the Pottery Green Oval Parking area.

Uniform

Girls must wear correct sports uniform to and from school. They may change into other decorative House attire once at school. No girl is to travel to or from school in any clothing other than their correct sports uniform.

A school hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, a school jumper or tracksuit must also be brought to the Carnival. If it is particularly hot, we would also strongly recommend a light long sleeve top for further sun protection when not swimming.

Girls should swim in the SCEGGS swimming costume or approved race suit, and Swimming cap.

Lunch and refreshments

There will be no canteen facilities available. All girls must bring enough food and drink for the day.

Parents and spectators

Spectators will be permitted at the carnival.

General

There are to be no mobile phones, laptops, chewing gum or face paint (coloured zinc for sun safety is permitted).

Girls are to move to their allocated House area when they arrive at the pool.

Attendance at the Carnival is compulsory. Girls unable to attend on the day are required to submit an explanatory note to their Form Teacher.

The most important contribution on the day is each girl’s support of her House.

Girls must adhere to the pool rules – no running, pushing, bombing, hanging on lane ropes, unsafe or disruptive behaviour. The wading pool is out of bounds.

Wet Weather

Be fully prepared for wet weather – bring umbrella and/or raincoat.

In the case of extremely wet weather or thunderstorm/lightning, a decision will be made at school on the morning of the Carnival. All girls should have some basic equipment with them (eg some paper and their pencil case) to participate in Day 8 lessons in the event the Carnival does not proceed.

Please Note:
On the morning and afternoon of the Swimming Carnival, there will be NO Secondary Sporting co-curricular activities (with the exception of gymnastics). There will be some matches for Sydney Indoor Hockey and St Catherine’s Basketball and Competitions. The Music ensemble will still rehearse.

Alison Gowan
Director of Sport

Primary Sport News

Welcome back, and for those new to SCEGGS, welcome! We look forward to being back on the sporting field in 2024.

The following sports for Primary students have been offered for Term 1:

IPSHA Football & Year 3 Basketball will commence this Saturday.

Reminders for the weekend:

• Year 3 Basketball has training from 8.30 – 10.00am on Saturday morning, 3 February, in the SCEGGS Sports Hall. 
• IPSHA Football has training from 8.00 – 9.30am on Saturday morning, 3 February, at CPSC Synthetic Turf Moore Park. 

Any potential updates, including for wet weather will be made in Clipboard via a push notification.

Girls must arrive in the correct uniform, have a full water bottle and bring all other sports-specific equipment required to play (e.g. shin pads for football).

Primary Sport Achievements

Does your daughter compete in any sport outside of school (for example, at a representative level or a sport we do not currently offer)? If so, I would love to celebrate their achievements by recognising them in this newsletter!

Please email any information (and photos, if possible) to Adrian Hammond. These will be included in newsletters throughout the year.

Mr Adrian Hammond
Primary Sport Co-ordinator

Public Speaking – Speech Tuition

Speech Lessons are open to girls in Years 3 – 12. These follow the ASCA (Australian Speech Communication Association) Syllabus with graded examinations up to the Diploma of Communication (Year 12). The group lessons focus on all aspects of oral communication.

If you would like your daughter to continue with her Speech Lessons or commence lessons this year please click the relevant link below:

• Year 7 – 12
• Year 3 – 6

If your daughter has already submitted an enrolment form via email, there is no need to re-submit. If you have any questions please email Elizabeth Walsh.

Elizabeth Walsh
Speech and Public Speaking Co-ordinator

Debating

Welcome to Debating for 2024!

I hope that 2024 will be a year where we see lots of new and old faces in our debating program. Debating is a great activity that helps you to think on your feet, builds your confidence speaking in front of people, and teaches you how to understand and construct arguments. There are various opportunities to debate at SCEGGS: You can be a part of a team in an inter-school competition, just attend training, or participate in our social debating program.

The easiest way to sign-up to debating is by attending the first training session for your year group, outlined below. There will also be an opportunity to sign-up at the co-curricular expo. If you have any questions please email Imogen Harper (The Debating Co-ordinator for the Primary and Secondary School).

Detailed information with competition dates and times will be in the notes distributed at the first training session. 

Primary

Any Year 6 who is interested in the ISDA Debating Competition must come to our first training session on Friday 2 February, 3.10-5.00 pm. We will have an additional training session for ISDA teams the following Friday in Week 2.

IPSHA training for Year 6 will be held at Friday lunchtime, beginning Week 2.

Year 7

For Year 7, there will be an Introduction to High School Debating session on Monday 5 February, 3.10-5.30 pm. This will cover the basics of debating, while also giving all students the chance to participate in a full practice debate. Any Year 7 who is interested in debating should come to this, even if they have done debating in primary school. Following this, we will be running internal debates on Friday 9 February, from 3.10-5.00 pm, which will be used to help us sort our debaters into competitive teams. Regular training will begin for Year 7 on the Monday of Week 3, and will go from 3.10-5.00 pm.

Year 8 – 12

For Years 8-12, we will be holding our first training session of the year on Friday 2 February, from 3.10-5.00 pm. After this, training for Years 8-9 will begin in Week 2 at its regular time of Monday after school, 3.10-5.00 pm.

Imogen Harper
Debating Coordinator

School Shop

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday
8.00am to 12.30pm
1.00pm to 3.30pm

For those who would like to place on line orders for Summer uniform, the link is available here.

If you have queries regarding School Uniform or the Clothing Pool please feel free to contact us during school hours.

Lost Property

Ensure all clothing, footwear, books and stationery items are labelled. It is advisable to include the full surname and first name or initial so the items can be clearly identified and returned. If required, laundry markers are available from the School Shop.

Years K-6 Lost Property is located in bins outside the Primary School Office.

Years 7-12 Lost Property is located within the School Shop. If the item is labelled, the girls are notified by email. A gold coin donation is required when claiming the item. All donations go to Plan International sponsored children.

Lost lunch boxes and drink bottles are kept in containers just inside the School Shop entry. Girls can collect their lost items at any time but please note that no notification will be sent to the girls and no donation to charity is required to claim the items.

All unclaimed lost property, including any items of school uniform with no identification, will be displayed outside the school shop in the last week of the term for students to claim.

Items that are not collected will be recycled at the end of every term.

Clare Reid
School Shop Manager

Dorothy Wilkinson Memorial Library

The Library is open to Secondary Students at the following times:

Hours

7.30am – 6.00pm     Monday to Thursday
7.30am – 4.30pm     Friday

SCEGGS Scholarships

A reminder for parents that applications for scholarships for 2025 close on Sunday 4 February 2024. Registrations for Year 7 Academic Scholarships are being taken online through the ACER website. Applications for all other scholarships are downloadable here.

Any questions should be directed to the Enrolments Office on 9332 1133.

Sonja Richards
Registrar

Parents’ and Friends’ Association

Dear Parents and Friends of SCEGGS

On behalf of the P&F Association, I extend a warm welcome to you all to the 2024 school year. A particular welcome to those families joining the SCEGGS community this year – we hope your SCEGGS journey is a wonderful one!

Our Committee organise a number of events, gatherings and guest speakers throughout the year and we hope you are able to join us for as many events as you can to get to know other families. This year is also a Festival on Forbes year, a biennial event bringing together the School and wider community.

A hugely popular event is our annual P&F Welcome Cocktail Party to be held on Friday 1 March from 6.00pm – 8.00pm on the Joan Freeman Terrace. Please see the invitation below for booking details.

Students in Years 9 & 10 and a parent or carer are also invited to attend the Parent/Daughter Breakfast on Friday 16 February from 7.00am in the Great Hall.

Our guest speaker will be the Class of 1995’s Lucy Hill (BETTS). Lucy is Head of Marketing and Communications in Australia for Natixis Investment Managers, one of the world’s largest asset managers. We look forward to welcoming Lucy back and hearing about her journey beyond the Green Gate!

Tickets are available here.

Parent-to-Parent Communication – WhatsApp
SCEGGS parents and carers may be familiar with the cohort emails used to communicate among parents. These will no longer be used from 2024. The primary method of facilitating parent-to-parent communication among the parents of your child’s cohort are via WhatsApp Groups. These are administered by Class Parents and the onus is on you to join the group by clicking here.

I look forward to meeting many of you over the year!

Penny Newton
President, P&F Association