Light Her Path

Why I Give £100 to My School
(Noting that £100 in 1963 is equivalent to approximately A$3,000 today)

Papers uncovered from the 1963 SCEGGS Building Fund Appeal reveal a note evidencing the value of alumni communities.  It also highlights the fundraising challenges for girls’ schools compared to boys’ schools.

SCEGGS Archivist Prue Heath has uncovered papers from the 1963 SCEGGS Building Fund Appeal, including a very entertaining note from a past pupil of a girls’ school about donating to your school.  The letter is startling for its spirit and for the relevance of its sentiment.

In discussing and trying to convey the importance of the current Light Her Path Capital Campaign, the SCEGGS Capital Committee feel that they could not have said it better themselves.  We hope you enjoy this delightful note reproduced below.

The Light Her Path Capital Campaign is seeking to raise $20 million:

• $12 million this year to ensure we can bring the new designs for Wilkinson House, melding heritage and function, to life
• a further $8 million to expand SCEGGS’ scholarship program from the 35 girls currently supported by means-tested scholarships.

We invite every person in our community to give as generously as they can.

See the proposed plans for Wilkinson House on our website.  You may also pledge to the Light Her Path Capital Campaign or call the SCEGGS Development Office on (02) 9332 1133.

The Light Her Path Committee

Year 12 Physics Excursion to CSIRO Marsfield for Pulse@Parkes

On Monday 7 June, Year 12 Physics students took part in the Pulse@Parkes program, an innovative project that provides high school students the opportunity to control the famous Parkes radio telescope. From the ATNF headquarters at CSIRO Marsfield, the students observed pulsars under the guidance of professional astronomers Dr George Hobbs and Rob Hollow.

The data obtained contributes to the growing database used by professional astronomers for ongoing research which aims to determine properties of the pulsars, which are the post-supernova remnants of dead stars. Astronomers from the CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS) use the data to track the evolution of the pulsars over many years and test Einstein’s theory of gravity and possibly find evidence of gravitational waves.

This was a fantastic opportunity to meet professional astronomers, learn how to control a state-of-the-art telescope, experience Science in the field and collaborate on a large scientific project.

Marlise Kalt and Nicole Novak
Science Department

B Kinder Day – Thursday 17 June

Next Thursday the Primary School will be celebrating b Kinder Day. This day falls each year in June to encourage the spreading of kindness, empathy and compassion with the ultimate goal of reducing mental health challenges for young people. b Kinder Day was established by the Fly High Billie charity, run by Danny Kinder in honour of her late daughter, Billie Kinder. Danny will be visiting SCEGGS on Thursday to talk to the girls about her mission to make the lives of young people all around the world as positive as possible. The Primary School girls will be involved in a range of other activities throughout the day with a focus on increasing our “kindness footprint.” 

Each student is asked to bring a gold coin donation for Fly High Billie and invited to wear mufti clothes to school in either bright, rainbow colours in line with the b Kinder logo, or in clothing with kindness-themed messages.

The morning will begin with our very special “Mother” & Daughter breakfast at 7:30am-8:20am in the Primary Playground. We look forward to welcoming many special women within our SCEGGS community to school on this day.

Sarah Johnstone
Deputy Head of Primary (Student Wellbeing)

From the Primary School Library

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Congratulations to the 53 primary students who have completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge, with more than 10 weeks remaining until it officially concludes on Friday 20 August. These girls have read a combined total of more than 1060 books!

The Kindergarten to Year 2 students are getting very close to finishing too, by completing the Challenge in the Library and during class time at school.

A special mention to the following Year 3 to Year 6 students for recently completing the Challenge:

Year 3: Amelia Clewlow, Evie Duncan, Lola Elliott, Mackenzie Hansen, Sarah Ibrahim, Amani Joshua, Alexandra Millin, Gabriella Orth, Eve Parker, Charlotte Randall, Diya Shankar, Evie Thorpe.

Year 4: Zara Anderson, Ella Chong, Sienna Dwyer, Tabitha Hyde, Ava Pepper, Zoe Rajaratnam, Sarah Reif, Clementine Reuss, Anna Slack, Maddison Soulos, Helena Squires, Eve Stewart, Angelina Wang, Lily Withers.

Year 5: Ashanti Gillies, Perri Lawrence, Lucinda Morgan, Olivia Roberts, Charlotte Thomson.

Year 6: Sophia Duncan, Amelie Singer.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at karenmcbride@sceggs.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions or concerns regarding the Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Junior Judge – Russell Humour Prize for Young People

Congratulations to Caitlin Cameron, Year 6 on her selection as one of five Junior Judges in the inaugural Russell Humour Prize for Young People, a literary competition that is being conducted by the State Library of NSW. Over the past month, Caitlin has been reading, making notes, and comparing some of the funniest books published in the last two years for children aged 5 to 12 years.

The shortlisted books follow:

• The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty
• Action Tank – Book 2 by Mike Barry
• Your Birthday was the BEST! by Maggie Hutchings, illustrated by Felicita Sala
• The Underhills: A Tooth Fairy Story by Bob Graham
• Wombat by Philip Bunting
• Sneaky Shadows by S C Manchild, illustrated by Sam Caldwell

The award-winning children’s book will be announced via Zoom on Thursday 17 June at 10 am. You are invited to join Caitlin live for this announcement! Please register via this link to confirm your interest and receive the Zoom link.

Join the excitement, meet the judges, and discover the funniest book written for primary students!

Karen McBride
Primary Teacher Librarian

Refugee Week

Refugee Week is held each year to celebrate Australian refugees and the positive contributions they make to society. At SCEGGS we will be celebrating Refugee Week from 14-18 June (Week 9). We hope that in doing so we can create a better understanding about the experiences and needs of refugees and asylum seekers. We do this so that we can work towards creating a culture of welcome for refugees and asylum seekers so that they might flourish in life.

Refugee Week’s theme this year is unity. Unity serves as a reminder that despite our differences we all share a common humanity, a common goal. We all know too well the impact that 2020 has had on us and considering this, unity is a sentiment that resonates with all of us. Unity is what we relied on to support one another and it is this support that kept and continues to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe during this pandemic. We have all experienced firsthand how vital unity is to the survival of a community, and so we can recognise how significant this theme is to Refugee Week. While our experiences with COVID-19 have been significant for us and how we know and experience life, the harrowing experiences of refugees that have come to Australia to seek asylum from cruel injustices such as war, poverty and starvation are experiences of extreme hardship and upheaval. Belonging to a community such as SCEGGS, where we receive an education, are respected, valued and safe, we live extremely fortunate lives. As such, we hope that we demonstrate compassion and leadership with regards to the needs of refugees trying to create a safe home for themselves and their loves ones and draw on our understanding of unity to recognise why reaching out to give practical help to refugees and asylums seekers is so important.  

We ask that as a SCEGGS community we share generously of what we have by donating to the House of Welcome food and basic household goods drive, as one way of expressing unity with refugees and asylum seekers in our community during Week 9 of this term.

These items donated will go a long way in helping refugees settle into their new communities and feel a sense of welcome and belonging.

We thank you in advance for all your contributions.

Mietta Paipetis and Gabriella Skettos
Year 10 students

Inside the Primary Classrooms

Year 6 Science: Experimenting with LittleBits

For the past few weeks, the Year 6 girls have been enjoying learning about electricity and what actually happens when a circuit is created. By using standard wires, batteries and lightbulbs, the girls were able to determine that electricity moves in circuits, only certain materials conduct electricity, and moving electrons actually create electricity.

The girls are now using their knowledge of electricity while experimenting with a new technology tool called LittleBits. LittleBits is a platform of electronic building blocks that allow students to easily create and design products. In class, the girls will be exploring different components such as input and output bits, adjustable dimmers, and light sensors and in groups will be building prototypes of a self-driving cars, an art machine, and an automatic throwing arm! The next step will be to undertake an invention cycle and use LittleBits to an create entirely new product.

The girls are just starting their journey with LittleBits and are having so much fun! LittleBits have definitely sparked their interest in and curiosity about how electricity can be used for inventive purposes and to design a product.

Diane Jackson
Primary Teacher

Primary School Mothers Day Breakfast

Go Greener

The Humble Cotton Bud                                                                                           

“Water authorities around Australia say people flushing cotton buds down the toilet are creating one of their biggest headaches for sewerage treatment, fuelling calls for a national ban on the plastic stemmed swabs” – Pressure builds to broaden bud ban (SMH, June 5 2021)  

Cotton buds were first developed by Leo Gersteenzang in the 1920’s. Since then, cotton buds can be found in almost every bathroom. While it is not recommended that they are placed in the ears, they have a variety of other uses that make them such a common household item. For example, they can be used for makeup application and removal, cleaning wounds and hard to reach places in areas around the home as well as arts and crafts activities. While infinitely useful, they have a disastrous impact on the environment.

A cotton bud is made of a spindle (plastic, bamboo or paper) and a cotton swab (requiring vast amounts of water and pesticides to produce). Plastic or cardboard are then used to package the cotton buds for the consumer. To make matters worse, they are a single use item.  

According to the National Litter index of 2018-2019, the plastic stick from cotton buds and lollipops were the 6^th most littered item in NSW accounting for 1.2% of littered plastic objects. If cotton buds make their way into our waterways and oceans, they can have a terrible impact on marine life. Not only do they cause marine creatures to feel full if eaten resulting in their death from starvation, the plastic breaks down into microparticles that absorb poisonous toxins present in the water. 

What can you do about this? 

• Ditch the disposables and buy reusable silicone cotton buds that can be easily cleaned with soap and water
• Give up single use cotton buds and switch to reusable and washable cotton pads to remove or touch up makeup
• Think of other things to clean those hard to reach places such as a bamboo toothbrush or a toothpick that can be composted
• If you absolutely must use single use cotton buds, ensure you buy compostable ones with no plastic sticks or packaging and use them sparingly

 The NSW Government is about to release its overdue plastic policy. You can read the Cleaning up our act: redirecting the future of plastic in NSW discussion paper here. 

If plastic cotton buds are not on the banned list of plastic items, take action by writing to Matt Kean MP, the Minster for Energy and the Environment and your local member to voice your concerns. Small actions make a difference. 

Sue Zipfinger
Maailma Environment Committee

Secondary Sport News

2021 Secondary School Inter-House Athletics Carnival                                                                           

Congratulations to Christian House who won the Secondary Athletics Carnival last week. Christian dominated the participation points to cement their win, proving that it pays to get involved!

Overall House Results

6th – Docker

5th – Badham

4th – Beck

3rd – Langley

2nd – Barton

1st – Christian

Football

Congratulations to Sarah Farrow who was named as a shadow player for the NSWCIS Open Football Team. Sarah competed at the NSWCIS Football Championships which showcased a very high level of football skill and ability. Sarah will now be on standby in the event of any injuries in the lead up to the NSW All Schools Championships.

For those students wishing to work on their football skills and aspire to reach the levels of Sarah there will be a holiday clinic run by some of our senior football coaches in the holidays. 

Wheelchair Sports

Well done to Coco Espie in Year 7 who took part in a promotional video put together to promote more women to participate in wheelchair sports. The video is called “How I Roll” and sung by Casey Donovan.

Here is an informative article about involvement in wheelchair sports that I thought many people would find interesting to read.

We look forward to seeing more of Coco in her racing chair during the athletics season.

Armidale Netball and Hockey Sports Tour

Good luck to the 28 students who will be heading to Armidale next Thursday to compete in the PLC Armidale Invitational Netball and Hockey Carnival. This tournament will be an excellent warm up for the IGSA Competitions next term. We are all very excited and can’t wait to watch our teams in action despite the weather forecast of snow in Armidale!

Snowsports

SCEGGS has 50 students competing at the Sydney Regional Snowsports Championships over the holidays. Students will compete in Snowboard, Alpine and Skier Cross events throughout the week and we wish them all well in all of their events.

Basketball

Well done to SCEGGS Team 8 who celebrated their final round of basketball with a close win over Danebank at Sutherland Basketball Stadium on the weekend.

Gymnastics

Congratulations to Georgia Farrow, Lucia Scala, Hannah James, Ilana Patkar, Madison Liew and Sally Webster for their performances at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Levels 5-8 Trial #1 held on 5-6 June at Shire Gymnastics, Kirrawee. The following gymnasts received top 6 placings for their routines across rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon routines:

• Georgia Farrow (Level 5 Snr A) placed 3rd in Hoop;
• Hannah James (Level 5 Snr B) placed 1st in Hoop, 3rd in Ball, 2nd in Hoop and 2nd overall;
• Lucia Scala (Level 5 Snr B) placed 4th in Hoop, 2nd in Ball, 3rd in Clubs and 3rd overall;
• Ilana Patkar (Level 7 Snr) placed 5th in Hoop; and Sally Webster (Level 8 Snr) placed 3rd in Rope, 4th in Ball, 4th in Ribbon and 4th overall.

In Artistic Gymnastics new Sarah James competed at the Inner-City Level 5 Invitational Carnival held at Bunnerong Gymnastics. Sarah finished 3^rd in vault, 7^th in Beam, 5^th in Floor. Overall she finished only .75 from 1^st place. Well done Sarah.

Equestrian

SCEGGS has several riders who will be competing at the NSW Interschools Equestrian Championships in the holidays. The competition will run June 28 – July 2 at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre. We look forward to hearing more about the competition after the holidays.

If families have any sporting news and achievements please send details to alisongowan@sceggs.nsw.edu.au. We love hearing and seeing photos of what our students are doing outside of school.

Alison Gowan
Director of Sport

Primary Sport

Co-curricular Saturday Sport                                                                                 

Congratulations to our Netball Teams in Years 3 to 6 and our Year 4 & 5 Minkey Teams for their fabulous season in Term Two. We were fortunate to have a consistent Term of training and games where coaches were able to build on existing skills and see much improvement across the cohort.

Thanks to parents for your support on the sidelines and to the coaches for their ongoing care and support for the girls. A special thanks to Mrs Sweeney, Miss Styles and Miss Tucker for coordinating these sports.

Touch Football Trials

A reminder that Touch trials will continue next week and on Tuesday 13 July. Please see details below.

Permission notes (or an email sent by 11:00am) are required for any student being picked up from training by another parent / carer including nannies and babysitters. If arrangements are reoccurring, parents may provide one permission note for the term.

Year 3 Minkey Training and Trials

Minkey Training and Trials will continue on the following days.

Training Sessions

Tuesdays from 20 July at CPSC Synthetic Turf, Robertson Road Moore Park, 3:15 – 4:50pm plus two Saturdays listed below

Students will be taken by bus to and from SCEGGS and the venue every Tuesday afternoon.

Pick up 4:50pm from Robertson Road or approximately 5:20pm from outside the SCEGGS Sports Hall on Forbes Street.

Permission notes (or an email sent by 11:00am) are required for any student being picked up from training by another parent / carer including nannies and babysitters. If arrangements are reoccurring, parents may provide one permission note for the term.

Sue Phillips
PDHPE & Sport Co-ordinator

Music Matters

Assembly Performance                                                                                                  

Congratulations to members of Amati Strings with their performance of “Irish Legend” by Robert Kerr, arranged by Soon Hee Newbold.  The performance featured soloist Veronique Serret (Class of 1993) who had previously workshopped the string players in their rehearsal last week.  You can watch the performance here.

Amati Strings Workshop – Wednesday 2 June

On Wednesday the 2 June, Amati Strings was fortunate to welcome SCEGGS Old Girl Veronique Serret to our rehearsal. Veronique is a professional violinist who works with many Australian composers and plays a range of pieces, from baroque to contemporary rock and improvisation. We began by rehearsing “Irish Legend” with Veronique as soloist. It was thrilling to play with such an amazing violinist who sped through thousands of notes at a cracking pace while maintaining accuracy and finesse! After an inspiring session, we felt confident to perform the piece at assembly. Towards the end of the workshop, Veronique played a solo piece composed especially for her called Crie by Cathy Milliken for violin and voice. Crie is from the French “to cry out”; the piece is about women speaking out and being courageous enough to find their voice. Playing violin while singing is not an easy feat and Veronique performed beautifully. It was fascinating to learn about Veronique’s life and for her to mentor us musically. She is a kind and talented musician who is a fantastic role model for us all. We are so grateful to have had such a wonderful violinist join us in rehearsal.

Congratulations AMEB String Students

Congratulations to our string students who have sat their AMEB examinations on Saturday 5 June.  We had a large candidature of students who sat exams either on Saturday 25 May or Saturday 5 June.  The girls were well supported by Mrs Anne Sweeney (Director of Strings – violin/viola) and their string tutors in preparation for the examinations – Ms Dominique Gallery, Ms Evelyn Cirevski, Ms Lerida Delbridge Ms Rachel Valentine and Ms Vicki Parkin (cello).  The students’ examinations were also accompanied by Ms Heidi Jones and Ms Stephanie Holmes on the piano.  Thank you String staff and accompanists. 

Congratulations to the following students:

City of Sydney Eisteddfod – Clarion Wind Band, Choir and Madrigal Ensemble

Congratulations to members of Clarion Wind Band, Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Choir and Madrigal Ensemble.  Due to COVID restrictions Sydney Eisteddfod entries are by video submission this year. Over the past fortnight, the students from these ensembles have been working hard to prepare for their video submissions.

SCEGGS’ School Choir, Madrigal Ensemble and Contemporary Vocal Ensemble recorded their submissions ready for entry into the Youth Vocal Ensemble categories.  The Choir’s submission included composer Andrea Ramsay’s Letter from A Girl to the World which included a powerful spoken letter written collaboratively by our choristers about what they want for their world and for themselves. Madrigal Ensemble aimed to demonstrate their ability to perform in a variety of styles by contrasting the challenge of Kodaly’s five part, unaccompanied lightening quick Dancing Song with the lyricism of Australian composer Dan Walker’s The Secret Migration. Contemporary Vocal Ensemble aimed for a visual and aural experience for their adjudicator by recording What Happens When A Woman complete with body percussion and Titanium made popular by Australian recording artist Sia.

Miss Allison Harrigan
Director of Choral

Clarion Wind Band have prepared and recorded two pieces for the event.  The recordings of the two works are entered in the Secondary School Novice Concert Band section.  The band recorded Richard Meyer’s Knights of Dunvegan.  The work is written with the Scottish castle of Dunvegan in mind. It contains a driving main theme with rich modal harmonies, a march and an exciting flourish to finish.  The second work recorded is Flamingo Road by Steve Hodges.  The work is a Latin inspired piece with an active percussion section.

Ms Alison Ryan
Conductor of Clarion Band

Best wishes to the SCEGGS choral and band entries for the City of Sydney Eisteddfod!

Meet our Tutor – Chloe Waldron-Reilly (Piano)

This week, our tutor of the week is Chloe Waldron-Reilly who teaches Piano in our Music program.  This week we asked Lisa the following questions – Thank you Chloe!

How long have you played your instrument?       
31 years! I began Suzuki piano at age three and violin at age four. 

Share with us a performance highlight.  
Two comes to mind: in 1999 I had the privilege of performing in a masterclass with one of my favourite composers, Miriam Hyde. Later, in 2004, I achieved a mark of 100% for my HSC Music Extension final performance. 

Who did you learn from/where did you study?
My teacher was Paul Rickard-Ford while I was studying at the Conservatorium of Music high school. Under Paul’s guidance I achieved my AMusA diploma with distinction at age 14, followed by my LMusA diploma in year 11 at age 16. In 2005 I commenced my university studies at UNSW with an interest in music education. I graduated with my Bachelor of Music (hons.) in 2009. My studies are continuing now in the field of psychology, where I have a keen interest in how children learn music. 

What do love about teaching at SCEGGS?
SCEGGS is a wonderful community. All the students there are very polite and respectful. All of my students are keen to improve their piano skills and are enthusiastic during their lessons each week. There are many performance opportunities offered at SCEGGS and the teaching and performance facilities are wonderful. The support from the music staff is also tremendous; their organisation skills are second to none!

Peripatetic Music Program

Our peripatetic tuition program is currently at capacity. 

Any students who would like to be placed on the waiting list for: Piano or Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass and Guitar) MUST complete the electronic form.  Paper copies will not be accepted as it is crucial that these forms are date stamped. 

Any other instruments or vocalists are close to capacity, but we would welcome your request.

If you are interested in Now is a good time for families to have a conversation with their daughters and/or with music tutors to discuss their progress with their voice or instrument.

A reminder that a 4-week notice period is required for any students who wish to discontinue their tuition at the end of the term.

Take Your Instruments Home

A gentle reminder for all students who have been storing their instruments in the Diana Bowman centre to take them home over the holidays.  This is especially important to help maintain your practice as well as for the security of your instrument.  The holiday period is also a good time for your instrument to be serviced in preparation for the second semester.

Upcoming Events:

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

Drama News

Year 11 Drama – Elements of Production                                                    

Year 11 Drama students have recently concluded a study of the elements of production. As an assessment they were required to interpret the play-text, pretty.strange. by Liv Satchell, and respond to it with a costume or set design for production. The results were quite impressive and the girls demonstrated a terrific knack for creative and functional interpretation.

Here are some of the interpretations from Molly Murray, Jessica Vernon, Claudia Shead-Turner and Amelia Liew:

Excursions

In Week 9, Drama students from Year 9 will be attending The Seven Stages of Grieving by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman at the Sydney Theatre Company. The Year 10 students will be attending a production of Happy Days by Samuel Beckett at the Old Fitz Theatre, produced by Red Line Productions.

Please remember to return your permission slips.

HSC Drama

Chookas to the girls in Year 12 Drama this week, who are completing their Individual Project Trial.

“The World is a Stage, but the Play is Badly Cast.”
Oscar Wilde

Peter Eyers
Head of Drama

2020: A Year in the Life of SCEGGS Darlinghurst

A reminder that our 125^th anniversary commemorative photo book is now available to be pre-ordered. When you open the link, click on the “Book now” button at the top of the screen.

Pre-ordered books are available for pick up from the Secondary Reception desk from today.

The book features over 1,500 photos from our 2020 photographer in residence, Chris Gleisner, and will cost $77 + processing fee of $0.50.

We hope that you enjoy this beautiful keepsake from a momentous year!

Inter-House Speaking Results

Inter-House Speaking Challenge

The Intermediate Inter-House Speaking Challenge was completed on Wednesday 2 June and the results were as follows:

3rd – Beck

2nd – Docker

1st – Christian

Congratulations to the following students on their individual results:

4th – Astrid Hooper (Christian)

3rd – Helena Piazza (Christian)

2nd – Nicola Allen (Beck)

1st – Samantha Dawson (Docker)

These results, combined with the Senior and Junior results make up the Final Results for the Inter-House Speaking Challenge.

The Final results are:

6th – Badham

5th – Langley

4th – Barton

3rd – Docker

2nd – Beck

1st –  Christian

Sandra Carter
Speech and Public Speaking Co-ordinator

P&F Events

Please see below coming events this term:

Year 9 Class Parent Drinks

Year 7 Parents Drinks

Year 11 Parents Drinks

Blazer Pocket Awards

Girls in the Secondary School who are awarded a blazer “Pocket” for excellence and outstanding achievement in a co-curricular activity are able to have their blazers embroidered only during holiday periods.

Awards will be announced at the Final Assembly for this term on Friday 18 June. Blazers may be left at the Student Services Reception from that Friday, until 1:00pm on Monday 21 June (the first weekday of the School Holidays). Blazers cannot be accepted after the 1:00pm cut-off time. Any late submissions will need to wait until the next School Holidays.

Students with previous awards that have not yet been embroidered can also leave their blazers at this time.

Embroidery and dry cleaning will take place during the School Holidays. The embroiderers require all blazers to be dry cleaned before being sent on to them. All costs will be charged to your daughter’s account.

Angelique Cooper
Special Projects

Careers Corner Newsletter