From Ms Allum

I am very pleased to announce that Mr Andrew Gallagher has been appointed to be the next Deputy Head of SCEGGS, commencing in January 2026, to replace Holly Gyton when she takes over as Head. I think they will be a fantastic team!

The relationship between the Head of School and the Deputy is a key one for SCEGGS, and one that requires a shared vision for the School, trust and loyalty, clear communication, and a collaborative approach. So I was not at all surprised that Andrew was Holly’s clear choice for the role! Andrew will be her Deputy, and so of course it should be her selection, but I also want to highlight that it was the unanimous view of all those on the interview panels in both rounds – an external and independent Principal; Sally Auld, the Chair of the Board of Directors, and myself too. Andrew’s application was a strong one from a highly experienced and committed educator, a person of integrity and an educational leader with a great love for and commitment to SCEGGS.

Andrew has been Director of Curriculum at SCEGGS since 2012, and was Head of History and a Year Co-ordinator at SCEGGS for a number of years before that. So he brings a depth of knowledge about curriculum and wellbeing to the role of Deputy. As a member of the SCEGGS Executive since 2012, he also brings a wide knowledge of all areas of SCEGGS, a strategic focus,  and a deep commitment to the values and ethos of the School.

Andrew holds a Master of Arts, a Bachelor of Education and Graduate Certificate in Religious Education.  He was a member of the NESA NSW Curriculum Reform Teacher Expert Network in 2022 – 2023, a presenter at the statewide HSC History  Study Days from 2011 – 2024, the NESA Chief Examiner – School Certificate Australian History, Civics and Citizenship from 2009 – 2010, and was an HSC marker for Ancient History for many years.

Andrew is highly regarded by all of the staff of the School, and by students and parents too. I know that Holly and Andrew will write the next chapter in the history of SCEGGS with strength, care and vision, and I know that the School will continue to thrive as they take SCEGGS to the next level, whilst being strong custodians of the values of the School, those which have endured for its first 130 years.

Congratulations, Andrew!

Jenny Allum
Head of School

Lessons Beyond the Green Gate – Olivia Boyages (2012)

Last Friday, we were delighted to welcome back Old Girl Olivia BOYAGES (2012) as our guest speaker at the P&F Years 7 & 8 Parent-Daughter Breakfast, with journalist, and current parent, Tony Squires as our MC.

Olivia has had an incredible journey since leaving SCEGGS – completing a double degree in Law and Arts at UNSW, working as a litigation lawyer at Gilchrist Connell, and even spending a year at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Olivia reflected on lessons she learned at SCEGGS and how they have continued to carry her through life beyond school:

• Persist through change (even when it’s very hard) – whether it was adjusting to university, surviving a wobbly graduate year, or starting Year 7 as a new student at SCEGGS (and navigating an oversized uniform), Olivia reminded us that “change is uncomfortable, but sticking with it is worth it.”
• Be the busy person – Olivia shared some advice she received at SCEGGS: “If you want something done, give it to the busy person. Be the busy person!” It’s a principle she carries with her today as she balances her legal career, love of languages (she speaks six!), and life as a mum to a one-year-old. “Busy people get it done!”
• Trust your instincts (even if it might not be whatever everyone else is doing or expects) – whether it was choosing Greek school over Saturday sport  in high school to balancing work and parenthood and living in a way now where she prioritises what is important for her, what matters is trusting her own judgement, following her own path, and being confident in her own decisions.

Her passion for justice and community were evident as she spoke about giving back through her work supporting women and refugees, her fundraising treks through the Northern Territory, and her commitment to outreach programs with the elderly.

Olivia was an inspiring example to our current SCEGGS girls (and parents!).

Julia Hasche
Communications Co-ordinator

Year 9 Camp Reflection

On Wednesday 27 August, Year 9 loaded the buses on Bourke Street and rushed aboard to head for the great unknown/Glenworth Valley. The ride up was buzzing with anticipation, singing and, for some, last minute naps as we prepared for the journey ahead.

Once we landed, we were divided into seven groups and introduced to the leaders tasked with keeping us alive. We were then welcomed to Country by Uncle Tim, a Traditional Owner who taught us what it means to be Indigenous, the family lines of eagles and crows and shared beautiful songs and stories before we set up our campsites.

Lunch then followed, with swarms of us heading for the wraps before we began our first activity: Abseiling. Each group did a different activity.

The hardest part was the walk up the hill to reach the site, but once there, the beautiful view took our already stolen breath away as, one after another, we braved the terrifying act of throwing
(waddling) ourselves down a cliff face. Boundaries were pushed and, in the end, no matter how far we got, we could all honestly say we were proud of ourselves. 

In the cold of the night, we huddled around our Trangias to cook honey-mustard chicken, dreading the infamous Shiny-Shiny (cleanup) that followed, before we all collapsed into our tents, exhausted from our giddy excitement and breakdowns on the edge of a cliff.

The next morning, we collected our breakfast in communal quiet as we recovered from our chaotic first night in tents and prayed our fingers wouldn’t fall off. As it warmed up and the horses came to join us, we lathered on sunscreen and set off on a three-hour hike up Mount Olive. The journey was full of inspirational choral performances, riddles, and an unholy number of spiky plants until we finally reached a spot to rest and reflect. Everyone spread out and settled down to write letters to themselves, full of questions and goals. I’m sure they will be… entertaining to read once we finish Year 12.

After another yummy wrap, it was time to push ourselves forward, this time on mountain bikes. There is too much that can be said about our cycling, so all that will be said is—hills and pain—although we also had the transformative experience of feeding goats and cows, so it shall be fondly remembered.

That night we played games, demolished our burgers and listened to stories around the campfire before crawling into our tents for another freezing night interrupted by scream-like bird noises.

The last morning, we said goodbye to our tents and used camp magic to fit them into bags they most certainly shouldn’t fit into before we shlepped through the mud to our final activity of canoeing. The fear of capsizing left us once on the river but in its place entered the burn in our arms that became synonymous with accomplishment.

When we returned to the campsite, we said goodbye to our leaders and climbed back onto the buses nursing cuts and bruises for a much quieter and sleepier journey home.

On behalf of Year 9, thank you so much to Ms Bloomfield, Ms Satchell, and all the staff that attended for making this amazing camp possible, we have made so many memories and none of them would have happened without you

Sophie Downes
Year 9

Year 8 Camp Reflection

After the bus ride that was filled with laughter and games, we all came stumbling off, excited for the next few days to come. Standing in the circle playing a game, we were all anticipating our groups and tents. Some filled with nerves, while others couldn’t contain themselves. When we got divided into our groups, we had sprung into action, darting around the campsite. Despite the wind, when we worked together, we managed to put up our tents and got straight into our first activity.

Surfing was a blast whether you were in the water or not, with the fun instructors and small waves perfect for lessons, we had the best time. The beautiful views and warm waters were a nice touch, along with the hike there and back which was filled with conversations and awe. Back at the campsite, everyone was buzzing, looking forward to our next activity. Soon, helmets on our heads and pads on our knees and elbows, we hopped on our bikes and rode off under the warm sun, following our instructor along the coastline, racing against our peers. Time flew, and soon we were back at our tents, enjoying the sunset and eating our dinner. We went down to trivia and stuffed ourselves with lollies with our groups.

The wind started to pick up again as we were winding down in our tents, and soon enough, we were back together as a year group. One hundred and eight of us slept beneath the shelter, spiders crawling overhead, teachers dozing off on tables—it was a night etched into our memory, strange but also unforgettable. Sore backs and dust were the first to greet us when we woke up for the second day of camp, and back to the activities it was. We all participated in planting trees and clearing out weeds in hopes of repopulating the area with native Australian plants, and we learnt about the native flora and fauna of the land. Afterwards, we met with Indigenous elders and further discussed the ways they used the land 60,000 years ago, enriching our knowledge about the culture and history of Australia.

Overall, this camp was definitely one to remember, and the memories will stay with us long after camp has ended.

Thank you to all the teachers who were with us on the journey!

Isla Roberts  and Helena Squires
Year 8

Secondary Sport News

Athletics

Good luck to Coco Espie in Year 11 who flies out next week to compete at the World Para Athletics Championships to be held in India. We wish you every success and can’t wait to follow your journey.

Equestrian

Congratulations to Hannah Doolan in Year 11 who was selected for the Australian Young Rider team (21 and under). The team competed in the Trans-Tasman Challenge at the Waratah show jumping competition recently.

Snowsports

Congratulations to the 10 students who represented SCEGGS at the Australian Interschools Snowsports Competition that was held at Mt Buller in Victoria last week. The weather gods continued to deliver with more snow falling throughout the week to continue what has already been a bumper season. At times the mountain was in total whiteout with snow falling.

Click here to watch the video.

Here are the images

The cross-country races were blessed with beautiful weather on what was one of the best courses ever raced on at Interschools in the past 15 years!

Unfortunately, our Division 2 Snowboarders were caught up in 100km winds, and a blizzard on the final day, which resulted in race times being altered and everyone evacuating the mountain after just one run. Despite the extreme weather conditions, all SCEGGS competitors raced extremely well with the most outstanding result coming from Bowie Whittle (Year 8) who won the individual Bronze Medal in the Division 3 Alpine GS.

A special thank you to all parents who managed all transport and accommodation logistics as well as performing team manager duties and supporting our team. You all deserve a medal.

Highlights from the week were as follow:

Click here to watch the video of Jessica Grace.

Sailing

Well done to Isobel Payne who competed in the NSW Match Racing State Championships. Isobel’s team from Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron placed 5^th overall. The winning team, also from RSYS, consisted of Isobel’s older sister Gretel (class of 2021).

SCEGGS at Play

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.

SCEGGS Training sessions before and after school plus Saturday Sport

Any cancellations or adjustments will be made in Clipboard and families will receive a notification or email when changes are made. Please ensure you have notifications enabled.

All Clipboard notifications will now come through the SCEGGS Mobile App too, so if you have been receiving notifications from Clipboard (eg when sport is cancelled due to wet weather), you will need to download the SCEGGS Mobile App to ensure that you continue to receive these push notifications.

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

Primary Sport News

CIS Athletics Carnival

Last Friday 5 September, the 2025 CIS Primary Athletics Championships were held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre. Four students competed from SCEGGS. The girls worked hard in the lead up, including attending training sessions, and were supported by Ms Axford and our team of coaches on the day. Beatrice Emanuel (1500m and 800m) and Stasia Serafin (100m and 200m) achieved top 3 places in their events and will now go on to represent CIS at the NSWPSSA Championships next term. Congratulations to all competitors and we wish Stasia and Beatrice the best of luck at the NSWPSSA Championships.

Student Achievements

Dasha Jolley (Year 6) competed at the Australian Interschools Snowsports Championships last week and achieved commendable results in each of her events. What an excellent achievement to qualify for Alpine, Skier X, Moguls, and Cross-Country Classic. Congratulations to Dasha!

Gymnastics

It was a busy weekend for the SCEGGS Gymnastics team, with students competing at both Glebe PCYC and the Ascham competition. The team has also been busy preparing for the upcoming IPSHA competition. Athletes competed in multiple apparatus events, including Vault, Bars, Beam and Floor. There were some impressive results, and it was a good experience showcasing their gymnastics skills alongside Kincoppal and Ascham. Some of our highest scorers included:

Procedures for After School Sport Changes

If a Primary sport is scheduled for the afternoon, however needs to be cancelled (due to wet weather/poor air quality/extreme heat etc), then we update the location of the activity on Clipboard to

 “Activity Cancelled – Read notes section”

and the finish time is changed to 4.30pm. We then write the following message in the notes section:

“… cancelled. Call … (by 2.30pm) for …”

We also post a notice on the SCEGGS App that is accompanied by a push notification, with the same message as above.

We appreciate families are expecting students to be at sport until 4.50-5.20pm on a usual afternoon for sport. Therefore, we provide supervision (not sports activities) until 4:30pm to give families time to organise alternative arrangements for an earlier collection.

If you are unable to organise your child to be redirected to go to the 3.10pm carline, or collected by 4.30pm at the Sports Hall, we ask that you contact the Primary Office (by 2.30pm) to arrange for your child to attend After School Care so you can collect them at a time that suits you best.

We endeavour to update Clipboard and the SCEGSS App of sport cancellations or changes by 1.30pm each day. It is important for families to enable push notifications on their moblie devices to receive these updates.

If you are running late to collect your child from Forbes St after sport, then please note that coaches are instructed to wait 10 minutes and then students will be redirected to wait at the Primary office. For specific information on pick up and drop off times, please refer to the information here.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Important Sports Dates

Eastside Tennis is running School Holiday Tennis Camps throughout the break. If you are interested in your daughter attending, then please click here to find more information.

Have a wonderful week!

Mr Adrian Hammond
Primary Sports Coordinator

Primary & Secondary Music

Musicale 3

Congratulations to all students who performed in last week’s Musicale! It was fantastic to share music that the girls have been working on with their family and friends.

Congratulations to the following groups who performed:

Thank you to all the music staff, tutors, external conductors, accompanists and assistants for their hard work and dedication.

HSC Encore Concerts

Last Thursday night, Year 12 HSC Music students performed their final concert. It was an exceptional concert that covered rock, pop, jazz, classical and folk.

We wish the following students all the best for their HSC performance examinations this week:

Back to SCEGGS Dinner

Thank you to Lux Strings and the Madrigal Ensemble for your involvement at the Back to SCEGGS Dinner, and to Mrs Sweeney and Miss Harrigan for preparing these ensembles. A lovely evening was had by all!

Year 5 Cello Trio at Assembly

Congratulations to Olivia Tan, Sophia Prodromou and Georgina Sharp for their sensitive performance of Celtic Canon at the 3-6 Assembly this week. The skills gained through chamber music of this kind – watching, listening and playing without a conductor – has given these students extension beyond their usual ensemble experience. Brava Olivia, Sophia and Georgie!

Beyond the Green Gate

We love hearing about ways our musicians are involved in music-making outside of school. Please send details to Heidi Jones.

Clipboard

All co-curricular music ensemble schedules are now available on Clipboard. If you haven’t set this up yet, please follow the provided instructions. For any issues with Clipboard set-up, contact our Music Administration Assistant, Miss Alice Kotowicz.

Term 3 Event Overview

Please refer to Clipboard for information regarding rehearsals and performances.

Heidi Jones
Head of Music (Co-curricular)

Visual Arts

Staff Exhibition

SCEGGS prides itself on having an art staff who are educators and practising artists.

This week current members of Staff, Ms Heidi Jackson and Ms Anita Tesoriero are exhibiting new works in a group show with former members of Staff, Ms Cheryl Collier and Ms Katrina Collins.

The Show is open Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 September 11 am to 5 pm.

Preview the works here:

• Anita Tesoriero
• Heidi Jackson
• Katrina Collins

All members of the SCEGGS Community are warmly invited.

This week’s banner is a composite of works on show: Left to right: Heidi Jackson, Katrina Collins Cheryl Collier, Anita Tesoriero.

Heidi Jackson
Head of Visual Arts

Year 7 Vaccination Clinic

On Monday 22 September (Week 10) all Year 7 students will be offered the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines through the NSW Health School Vaccination Program.

We ask that Parents of Year 7 students complete their online consent form by Thursday 18 September.

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

How to provide consent:

1. To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit the NSW School Vaccination Portal. The Vaccination Portal works best on Google Chrome.
2. Follow the steps to log in to your existing ServiceNSW account. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you don’t have a ServiceNSW account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one.
3. Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required.
4. Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:
   1. Enter your child’s personal details
   2. Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
   3. Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
   4. Provide consent
   5. For more detailed instructions can be found on the NSW Health website. This includes instructions for how to withdraw consent.
5. You will receive a text and/or email when your online consent has been completed.

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper consent form from SCEGGS Student Services or Reception.

If you have given consent for your child to be vaccinated at the school clinic, but they are absent on the day of the clinic visit, the school immunisation nurses will try to catch them up at their next visit. Alternatively, you can speak to a GP or pharmacist about catching up on vaccinations.

Click here for more information on school vaccinations.

or if you have any questions, please contact South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit on 9382 8333 (Ext 2).

Phil Rogers
Director of Administration

Careers Corner

Careers Corner Newsletter

Please click here to view the latest issue of the Careers Corner Newsletter.

Andrea Pinnock
Careers Advisor

Parents’ and Friends’ Association