NAIDOC Week Celebrations

NAIDOC Week (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) is celebrated annually in July, highlighting the important historical and cultural contributions of Indigenous communities.  It’s a time to reflect on the rich traditions, languages, art, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as to acknowledge their resilience and the challenges they have overcome.

Last week SCEGGS held their own NAIDOC week celebrations and had the opportunity to come together as a school community to celebrate, learn, engage and participate in a variety of activities in relation to this years theme, For Our Elders.

Uncle Allen Madden, a respected Gadigal Elder and cultural representative for the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council opened our celebrations with a Welcome to Country during Monday Morning’s NAIDOC Week Assembly. We also had the pleasure of welcoming and listening to Aunty Kath Farawell a proud Kaanju-Birri woman. She shared with us some of her stories and how she connected with people through her art.

In this Assembly we also had the privilege to listen to the SCEGGS Choir perform the opening song of the Spinifex Gum concert. In June the SCEGGS Choir, partnered with Sydney Symphony Orchestra to present the song cycle Spinifex Gum in the Concert Hall of Sydney Opera House. This sold-out concert featured the Cairns based ensemble Marliya which is made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait teenage female singers. Spinifex Gum is a modern Australian work addressing the issues of indigenous social disparity, deaths in custody, disproportionate incarceration and land rights. It was a powerful and engaging performance and enjoyed by all at the Assembly.

After the Assembly the Student RAP committee met with Aunty Kath to discuss their vision of an ongoing whole school art project. We look forward to working closely with Aunty Kath over the coming months to see this project through. 

Throughout the week there were many different celebrations and engagement in cultural activities including:

• A Dance workshop run by the Brolga Dance Academy. Jodie and Tingha led Year 8, Year 9 Drama and the Primary school in both traditional and contemporary storytelling and dance. The girls learnt language associated with traditional stories and connected with culture through body movement and song.
• Many Form classes reflected on the meaning of ‘Elders’ in our society and the important role they play in imparting knowledge, wisdom and culture to future generations.
• The school cafeteria featured a number of Indigenous food items/ingredients for sale throughout the week including lemon myrtle and white chocolate muffins, Davidson Plum and raspberry muffins, damper with coastal rosemary, turkish bread with salt bush and native cherry tomatoes and pepper berry brioche. Menus were designed to accompany these dishes by students attending our Cape York and Top End Immersions in September.
• Our Immersion students have also been busy in their spare time making scrunchies from endorsed Aboriginal printed materials to sell as part of their fundraising efforts. On Friday they ran a ‘scrunchie stall’ and were able to make $355. The funds raised will help provide the materials for the community projects in the Top End and Cape York.
• The week concluded with a number of smoking ceremonies led by members of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. Uncle Raymond and Uncle Brandon explained the significance and healing powers of traditional smoking ceremonies and it was a privilege for all the SCEGGS Community to participate in this ancient custom.

Overall, it was a wonderful week of celebration and experiences that have not only brought us closer to the rich heritage of our First Nations peoples but have also united us in a common vision — a vision of a future where respect, reconciliation, and collaboration flourish.

Heidi Anderson and Zoe Thompson
Co-Chairs of the RAP Committee  

Mid-Term Break Monday 14 August 2023

Families are reminded that the School will be closed for the Mid-term Break on Monday 14 August.

Most sporting teams still have fixtures on the Saturday, so it is important that to remember that all students are still required to play their scheduled matches.

We wish all families a happy SCEGGS long weekend on Monday!

The SCEGGS P&F Term 3 Meeting with Special Guest Dr Caroline West

The P&F warmly invites parents and carers to join them for an insightful discussion on children and happiness with Dr Caroline West.

Dr Caroline West is a SCEGGS parent and Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Sydney. Having received her PhD in Philosophy from the Australian National University in 1997, she is renowned for her teaching and research on concepts such as ethics, the philosophy of happiness and wellbeing and feminist philosophy. She is a popular public speaker and writer with her expertise being often called upon by the media including the Sydney Morning Herald, ABC Radio and TV and she has been published in several academic journals. She is currently working on a book on the philosophy of happiness. 

Book Character Parade

The annual Book Character Parade will take place at 9am Tuesday 22 August, in the Primary Playground. This event is organised to celebrate Book Week 2023 and is a highlight of the library calendar!

Students are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character and to bring a book to match their outfit. The girls may come to school already dressed in their costume and go home the same way. If girls come to school or go home by public transport, they will need to wear their uniform to school and change into their costume when they arrive.

Parents should ensure sensible shoes are worn as “character” shoes can be worn for the parade only. Girls should also be aware that it is a normal school day, and they need to sit and move around the classroom as usual, so large or uncomfortable costumes may not be such a good idea!

Book Week is officially organised by the Children’s Book Council of Australia and is now in its 78^th year. The aim of Book Week is to highlight the importance of, and the joy of reading; the theme in 2023 is Read Grow Inspire.

Parents are invited to watch the parade and explore the Book Fair, where books can be purchased.

We are looking forward to a fun event to celebrate books and reading!

Karen McBride
Primary Teacher Librarian

The 2023 Ethics Olympiad

On Thursday 27 July, a group of five girls from the philosophy club competed in the 2023 International Ethics Olympiad after winning gold in the regional competition earlier this year. In the lead up to the competition, they spent hours studying and practicing, ready to give their all to the competition. The Olympiad was made up of three rounds, where our team discussed, philosophised, and questioned unseen texts related to the topic areas of national service, vegetarianism and tradition, lookism, death and taxes, anger in politics, and evolutions in neurotechnology. We went up against 43 different schools from all around the world, ranging from India to Hong-Kong, to Canada. Overall, our team – made up of Zoe Linder (Year 10), Sophia Papadakis (Year 10), Leyla Bensan (Year 11), Bella Talib (Year 11) and Chiara Weaver (Year 11) – came in 15^th place, a wonderful and impressive achievement. We are so grateful to have had this opportunity to display our knowledge and hard work and really enjoyed this experience! There is an Olympiad for middle school aged children later this year, or if you just want to give philosophy a try, please pop into philosophy club (every Tuesday after school in C4) and give it a go!

Chiara Weaver
Year 11

Science News

National Science Week is nearly upon us. We have a number of activities at school, and we also encourage all our students and families to visit some of the amazing events that are run all over Sydney and regional NSW. Some of these include:

If you would like more details about these events and others available outside of Sydney, here is a useful starting point.

Note: while most of the events are free, they often book out quickly, so register soon.

Also, a reminder that Year 5-6 and Year 7-12 are encouraged to enter the Super Science Bake Off. (Entries due on Tuesday 15 August).

During the week staring Monday 21 August, students are encouraged to attend lunchtime Science workshops. These include activities such as holding fire on your hands, a cane-toad dissection, Physics Phun, training an AI generator to detect broken bones, and finally, a mega volcanic explosion!

We are all super excited! Looking forward to sharing the fun with you all!

Mia Sharma
Science Teacher 

Primary Sport News

Saturday Sports

Three weeks into our IPSHA AFL and Touch Football season, and our girls are having a ball. Check out some photos from the weekend’s games!

City2Surf 2023

Best of luck to the girls running in the City2Surf this Sunday! Its not too late to get involved for those who haven’t signed up yet! If you and some friends are interested in running in 2023’s City2Surf, gather your friends and get ready for the world’s largest fun run! On Sunday 13 August, the City2Surf promises to be a great day out, running or walking 14km from Hyde Park to Bondi Beach.

For more information, speak to Mr Mitton and get signed up today!

FIFA Women’s World Cup

With the world cup truly on its way towards the final stages, we celebrate all of the amazing achievements and spectacles the championship has brought us. Check out some photos from the Primary School Girls who attended some matches!

If you attend any matches, send some photos of you in your supporter’s gear to Tom Mitton and be featured in the following weeks BTGG!

Primary Sport Achievements

Please help us celebrate any other achievements outside of school!

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 Tom Mitton. These will be included in newsletters throughout the year.

Tom Mitton
Primary Sport Co-ordinator

Secondary Sport News

SCEGGS Mid Term Break

With our impending SCEGGS Mid -Term break coming up on Monday August 14, it is timely to remind everyone that most sporting teams still have fixtures on the Saturday. All students are required to play their scheduled matches.

Sailing

Congratulations to Grace Morrow (Year 12) who travelled to Alicante in Spain to compete at the 420 World Championships. The trip was an amazing experience, with 277 boats from 20 countries competing over 6 days of racing, involving more than 600 sailors and their coaches, and supporters.  

One of the main objectives for the Australian Team was to expose the sailors to the scale and intensity of elite international competition.  Additional challenges were presented by the European heat wave, high humidity and the unusual sailing conditions of that part of the Mediterranean Sea.  

Grace and her sailing partner competed in the Women’s Division. The division was split in two, because of its size, and the competition ran over six qualifying races and six finals races.  The first two days offered light winds and a large chop, favouring the lighter local crews.  The third day presented much stronger winds, more similar to our strong summer winds.  This allowed the girls to demonstrate their skill and deliver their best results, finishing 7^th and 13^th.  Unfortunately, the first two days of light winds, and adjusting to the Mediterranean, cost them a spot in the gold fleet.  The next three days saw them deliver some great results finishing 13^th, 17^th, 6^th, 10^th, 20^th and 8^th in the final races of the championship. Overall, they finished 42^nd in the 64 boat women’s fleet the best result of the four boat Australian team.  A great result for their first international regatta.

Grace is now back at SCEGGS and focusing on her trial HSC exams.

Interhouse Hockey

Last Tuesday the Interhouse Hockey Competition was conducted on the Moore Park artificial turf. Congratulations to Badham who were the eventual winners after a countback.

Interhouse Netball

Last Tuesday the Interhouse Netball Competition was conducted at the Moore Park Netball courts. Congratulations to Barton who were the eventual winners after a countback.

Do you have any sporting news or photos to share in the Green Gate?

We love seeing our students being active and want to celebrate their passion and enjoyment amongst the SCEGGS community. Please send in any action shots from the weekend and any other interesting sporting highlights to Alison Gowan (Please ensure that photos are of your daughters only. We are unable to publish photos of non SCEGGS students without parental permission).

SCEGGS Training sessions before and after school plus Saturday Sport

Please check the @SCEGGSSport Twitter feed for the latest updates relating to cancellations and wet weather.

IGSA Fixtures, Results and Wet Weather

The IGSA website and platform for accessing wet weather, fixtures and team results can be found here.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself on 9052 2721 or 0418 491 521.

Alison Gowan
Director of Sport

100 Days of Kindergarten: A Journey of Growth, Learning, and Celebration

The first 100 days of kindergarten are an exciting and transformative period in a young child’s life. This milestone marks a significant step in their educational journey, filled with discoveries, friendships, foundational learning experiences that set the tone for their future years of schooling, and of course, a whole lot of mathematics! As we delve into the remarkable adventure that is “100 Days of Kindergarten,” we witness and reflect upon the incredible growth, development, and joy that unfold within these young learners.

The 100^th day of kindergarten holds special significance at SCEGGS. From the very first day of school KA have marked each day using tens frames, 100 charts and tally marks counting toward this exciting moment. This celebration serves as a reflection of their growth, achievements, and the bond they’ve developed with their peers and teachers.

This year the 100^th Day was filled with fun and exciting activities that highlight the significance of the journey. All girls dressed-up for the occasion to the theme of 100. Costumes ranged from the elderly to creative interpretations of 100 in all forms. Mrs Wilsmore wore a t-shirt that had the number 100 made out of LED lights!

We kicked off the day with some dancing and participating in a 100 day’s Fitness challenge. We then welcomed the kindergarten parents to join in the fun. Some of the rotations included building structures out of 100 cups, crafting colourful fruit loop necklaces using useful collections of ten, creating imaginative 100-day monsters, and participating in the thrilling dice race to 100. These activities not only reinforce foundational math skills but also foster creativity, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment. The laughter, camaraderie, and shared accomplishments created a vibrant atmosphere that celebrated the partnership between parents and teachers in fostering young minds’ growth and development.

After farewelling the parents, the girls continued on their 100 journey and enjoyed discussions of what they would like 100 of and what they would not like 100 of. We listened to stories themed with, you guessed it, 100 and enjoyed more activities where the number ten was celebrated in making 100.

It was a brilliant day for all and the conclusion of the first 100 days of kindergarten is not the end, but rather the beginning of a lifelong love for learning. I was also thrilled that they all decided to come back on the 101^st Day!

Heidi Anderson
Kindergarten Classroom Teacher

Years 5 and 6 da Vinci Decathlon

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition hosted by Knox Grammar School designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. On Thursday 27 July, a Year 5 and a Year 6 team competed in the competition across 10 disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics and Chess, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography, and Legacy.

Each team consisted of eight girls selected for their ability to think logically, creatively and reflectively during problem-solving as well as their reliability when collaborating and taking on different roles for different tasks. Throughout the day, the girls practised their skills in team spirit as they competed against over 150 schools across Australia. They were challenged to be resourceful, remain open-minded, respectively listen, and remain resilient as they worked towards group goals.

Well done to the Year 5 Team: Anara Murugesan, Octavia Kirchner, Serafina Kwok, Audrey Park, Aerin Murphy, Susanna Brown, Alexandra Narev and Claire Tesvic.

Year 5 girls placed in the top 15 in Cartography out of 71 teams.

Congratulations is also extended to the Year 6 Team: Olivia Liu, Anna Slack, Angelina Wang, Ava Pepper, Charlotte Lowe, Alice Cameron, Eve Stewart and Anja Baker.

The Year 6 girls placed in the top 10 for English and the top 15 in Science out of 83 teams.

Some reflections of the day:

A memorable moment was the giant gong the event coordinators rang at the end of each challenge. The noise was ear-splitting as everyone knew this signalled the end of the session. Relieved, all the students let out a huge scream! – Alexandra, Octavia and Aerin

We learned how to manage our time better. Even though we were allocated two papers each, we ended up working together as we helped each other meet the deadlines. – Anara and Claire

The most memorable part was in the last few minutes of each discipline and everyone was frantically running around and helping each other. – Ava and Anja

The highlight of the day was working together to complete our papers and solving the riddles in the codebreaking paper. – Serafina and Audrey

Nada Siljanovska and Gabriela Grocott
da Vinci Decathlon Coordinators

Visual Arts

Bundanon Art Camp 2023

At the end of last week, a group of Year 11 and 10 Visual Arts students travelled to Bundanon with Ms Dawson, Ms Tesoriero and Ms Willems.

Bundanon is a beautiful place situated on the land of the Dharawal and Dhurga Peoples outside of Nowra on the South Coast. In Dharawal Bundanon means deep valley. More recently it was the home of the Australian Modernist painter, Arthur Boyd. Boyd lived at Bundanon from the 1970s, purchasing what was then known as “Riversdale” on the banks of the Shoalhaven River. He continued to add to the existing buildings to create a home and studio.

In 1993 Prime Minister Paul Keating announced the Australian Government’s acceptance of Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s gift of Bundanon and the intention to establish the Bundanon Trust.

Bundanon is a cultural and environmental asset. It was born out of Boyd’s often stated belief that ‘you can’t own a landscape’ and the wish that others might also draw inspiration from the remarkable place.

The Boyd Education Centre was built in 1997 and completed in December 1998 by renowned Australian architect Glenn Murcutt.

In 2020, construction of a new light-filled (and bushfire resistant) contemporary art museum on Bundanon’s Riversdale property was announced. Partially buried in the landscape, the new museum development sits at the centre of the new plan for Bundanon, with a bridge structure landing onto an expansive public plaza near the existing nineteenth century buildings. The new Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) buildings have enlivened Arthur Boyd’s iconic Bundanon property and provide a most exquisite place to work, stay and relax.

Below is a summary of the trip from Year 10 student Zoe Lindner

From Friday 28 July to Sunday 30 July, art students in both Year 10 and Year 11 went to Bundanon Art camp. We all had a fantastic time, starting with night photography, leading into painting en plein air by the lake, and drawing with charcoal in the forest. We had a full immersion into the natural landscape, with a disconnection from our devices in a truly refreshing environment. It was an incredibly beneficial experience for us all to appreciate the natural world and reconnect with nature.

The activities we engaged in challenged all our artistic abilities, from learning new techniques, to trusting the process, we learned so much from Saskia, Mary and André who were champions throughout the whole camp. Saskia’s passion for modern art was so inspiring, Mary’s technique for charcoal taught us all so much, and André’s methods for painting en plein air were so beautiful. A special mention to art trivia on Saturday night, the friendly competition of every art student was electric! This camp was much needed to relax and recharge at the start of a stressful school term, and I highly recommend it to all future art students. You will learn a lot from this new technique in art appreciation, and even more from letting go and having fun.

Although the trip was not without challenges, such as weather and fatigue, the staff did a fantastic job at keeping morale high. A big thank you to Ms Tesoriero, Ms Willems, and Ms Dawson for making the trip as fun as it was. You don’t get experiences much like this anymore, so I was very proud and excited to be a part of it.

Thank you to everyone who has made Bundanon such a fond memory for all of us to hold and cherish forever!

Keep an eye out for the full exhibition of all works around the school and online later this term. 

This week’s banner is from Year 11 student Bella Talib.

Heidi Jackson
Head of Visual Arts

Music Matters

Primary Strings at Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival

Congratulations to all the primary string players from Kindergarten to Year 6 who performed beautifully at the University of NSW Clancy Auditorium in the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival (ASBOF) last Sunday. The adjudicator Ms Elizabeth Scott was very impressed with the musicianship and presentation of the ensembles and ASBOF organisers commented on how polite and well-behaved our girls were representing SCEGGS amongst schools from all over Sydney.

The results were:

• Stringalong – Gold Award
• Sinfonietta – Silver Award
• Chamber Strings – Gold Award

The musicians in all three ensembles have worked so hard in rehearsals, lessons with their tutors and practising at home to learn the ASBOF repertoire. Each ensemble presented a contrasting program, which included compositions by Australian composers for the Festival. Special thanks to Ms Stephanie Holmes for accompanying, Ms Pauline Chow and Ms Amelia McCluney for assistance on the day.

Senior Secondary Concerts

An invitation to all interested families and budding musicians who would like to hear an evening of wonderful music by our Year 11 Music 1 and 2 students in Week 5, Wednesday 16 August, 5.30pm at Great Hall.

This concert is then followed by our annual showcase of Year 12 Music 1 and 2 students.  The SCEGGS HSC ENCORE Concert will take place in Week 6, Thursday 24 August, 6.00pm at Great Hall.

This evening would also provide you with an insight to the work by our senior music students in their respective music courses.

Any students who are currently learning an instrument in the secondary school or are an elective music student, should come along and see where music can take you into the HSC.

We look forward to sharing the work of our students with you!

St. Mark’s Choral Scholarship

Interested SCEGGS Students (16-18 years) are invited to apply for the Choral Scholarship offered by St. Mark’s Church in Darling Point.  Please see the flyer for further information and audition details.

Sydney Youth Orchestra Auditions

Sydney Youth Orchestra (SYO) is the leading orchestral training and education provider in NSW. Involvement in SYO weekly ensembles fosters dedication, commitment, teamwork, confidence and many other skills which translate into every aspect of life. Auditions are now open for musicians from Years K-11 to become involved with SYO for 2024. Please discuss the audition requirements here with your daughter’s music tutor to help to prepare thoroughly.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Young Musicians Workshop

Sydney Symphony Orchestra is hosting a motivational 3-day student orchestral workshop for aspiring young musicians. Take a deep dive into the finer elements of rehearsing and performing a major symphony orchestral work, with the guidance of the talented musicians of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the 2023 SSO Fellows. Here is the link.

Minimum standards as follows to apply and the applications close Sunday 13 August.

Strings

• Violin – AMEB Grade 6
• Cello – AMEB Grade 5
• Viola & Double Bass – AMEB Grade 4

Woodwind

Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon – AMEB Grade 4

Brass

French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba – AMEB Grade 4

Percussion

Timpani, Orchestral Percussion – AMEB Grade 4

Upcoming Music Events

Term 3

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

SPAN Presents Walk the Mile Live!

SCEGGS’ beloved Walk the Mile podcast hosted by Rev Garry Lee-Lindsay is coming to you live.

Monday 11 September 2023
6.30pm – 8.30pm
RSVP Friday 1 September

Join Garry and the stellar panel who will discuss their careers in the Performing Arts.

This is a great opportunity for aspiring actors to hear from successful practitioners Elizabeth Butcher (Arts Administrator), actors Charlotte Friels, Deborah Galanos and Poppy Lynch, as well as our very own Mr Eyers!

Click here to book your ticket today for an entertaining and engaging evening!

Parents’ and Friends’ Association

Class Parent Events