In This Together

If you are looking for an interesting and helpful podcast to listen to over the weekend or the upcoming school holidays, I would like to recommend this. It is from the ABC Conversations series, and this episode, around 54 minutes long, is a terrific one. Sarah Kanowski interviews parenting author and educator Maggie Dent, host of ABC “Parental as Anything.”

In this conversation, Sarah and Maggie discuss how to raise strong girls to become confident young women in an age of smartphones and early sexualisation. I recommend it for all parents – from Kindergarten to Year 12!

Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Have a good weekend!

Jenny Allum
Head of School

COVID Update – Reducing the risk of illnesses this winter

NSW Health reports that there has been an increase in influenza activity across NSW, indicating an early commencement to the influenza season and a rapid increase in reported cases. In addition, they continue to report that COVID-19 transmission in the community remains significant.

We encourage all families to follow NSW Health’s advice to reduce the risk of all illnesses that may affect the SCEGGS community this winter, including COVID and the flu. We can all protect our loved ones and the community in general by:

• staying home if unwell, sick or if you have any flu-like or COVID-like symptoms.
• practising good hand hygiene by sanitising and/or washing hands regularly with soap and water.
• practising good cough and sneeze etiquette by coughing and sneezing into your elbow or using a tissue and immediately disposing of it.
• keeping up to date with vaccinations, including the flu vaccine. Until 30 June 2022, all NSW residents can access free flu shots from their GP or pharmacy.
• testing immediately for COVID-19 if you have any symptoms and isolating until you receive a negative result.
• taking a RAHT before visiting vulnerable loved ones or going to large gatherings and events. We would also ask all families to do a RAHT test on the morning of Wednesday 20 July before students return to school after the school holidays.

All students K-12 have been supplied with the last 5-pack of government-issued nasal RAHT tests during Form Time this week. Students should speak with their Form Teacher, or Year Co-ordinator in the Secondary School, if they have not yet received their 5-pack.

Please remember that staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing any symptoms of flu or COVID-19. If symptoms occur at any time, your daughter should not attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test. Even if she tests negative on a RAHT, please keep her home for 24 hours and then test again. Even if multiple COVID tests (RAHT and/or PCR) come back negative for COVID-19, students should not return to school until all symptoms of the illness have gone.

Stay warm!

Holly Gyton
Deputy Head of School

Festival on Forbes – 21 August 2022

The Festival on Forbes is very much a whole school event and relies on your wonderful contributions.

As we head into the holidays what a great time it is to have a clean out!

From the first day of Term 3 we will be accepting donations at the school of the following items:

• Bottles of wine for the Coin Toss
• Prizes for all ages for the Chocolate Wheel
• Books, books and more books
• Vintage clothes – in good condition
• Vintage Handbags
• Vintage Jewellery
• Second hand sporting goods
• Gourmet Pantry goods – sauces, marinades, jams etc (Jars available from the General Office)
• Suitable prizes for the Silent Auction (hampers, work experience, holidays homes, gift certificates, beauty products etc)

Information about item drop-offs from the start of Term 3 will be in next week’s Behind the Green Gate!

For Festival on Forbes information from previous editions of Behind the Green Gate, click here.

Bree Parker and the Fair Committee

B Kinder Day

Next Wednesday, the Primary School will be celebrating B Kinder Day. We have celebrated this day for several years, aiming to inspire the girls to make positive change in the world. We all know the world could use a little more kindness, so the purpose of B Kinder Day is to discuss kindness and to empower the girls to see that they each have the capacity to make a difference.

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

The girls will engage in a range of activities in classes throughout the day including a Kindness-themed K-6 Assembly. In the afternoon, we will come together in House Families to participate in a special activity supporting empathy and generosity – we will be holding a “Great Book Swap”! Supporting The Indigenous Literacy Foundation, The Great Book Swap is designed to raise funds to gift culturally relevant books to children living in remote communities. To participate in this event, your daughter is invited to bring a pre-loved book to school from Friday 17 June. We ask that these are in good conditions and that a maximum of two books is donated.

Then, on B Kinder Day the girls will swap their book for another title, recommended, and donated by someone else. The girls are asked to bring along an additional gold coin to participate and support this worthwhile initiative or further donations can be made via the link above. Information will be shared with the girls in House Families this week and additional reminders posted on Seesaw.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Mrs Karen McBride regarding The Great Book Swap.

Rebecca Woodcock
Acting Head of Student Wellbeing

Free Cyber-Safety Education Session for Parents

Relationships Australia have developed a series of events for parents and carers titled “Conversations with our Children”.  As part of this series, ySafe are delivering a free cyber-safety education session for parents and carers on Thursday 30 June 2022 via Zoom.  This session will cover topics including setting up a cyber-safe home, how to keep young people safe online and examine research-based information on gaming and screen time.  If you are interested to find out more about this session, please click here.

Olivia Whelan
School Counsellor

From the Chaplain

The SCEGGS Podcast “Walk The Mile” Episode 24: Keeping Our World Wonderful                                                             

On Sunday June 5, people across the globe observed World Environment Day. It is a great opportunity for everyone to stop and consider our role as citizens of this planet and the impact we might be making on it. There are a number of people within our school community who are passionate about continuing to function sustainably and encouraging all members to consider their environmental footprint. Two staff members that have a lot to do with reaching our environmental goals are Sue Zipfinger and Laura Tennant and they join me in this episode to discuss the things that we are doing as a school, the roadblocks to being “environmentally friendly” and the hope for the future. This is definitely something we all need to consider for ourselves, our current neighbours and generations to come.

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.

Confirmation at SCEGGS

We have had a number of enquiries the confirmation process at SCEGGS and I am happy to say that it will be happening later this year. Confirmation has been part of the SCEGGS tradition since 1927 . It is the Christian practice of confirming the promises made on one’s behalf at baptism. By being confirmed, the confirmee is saying that they understand the Christian faith and want to make it an important part of their lives. It is a formal way of declaring publicly a belief in Jesus Christ. The confirmation ceremony is not only an expression of faith but also a welcoming into the worldwide Christian church.

Confirmation is offered to all students in years 8 to 11. There will be a number of meetings held during lunchtimes to prepare for the confirmation ceremony. During these meetings we will be looking at the basics of the Christian faith, discussing their importance and answering any questions you may have. Neither baptism nor connection with the Anglican Church is necessary. There is also an opportunity for those seeking baptism within the confirmation process. A confirmation service will be held in third term in the school chapel, officiated by the Bishop of South Sydney, the Reverend Michael Stead. Relatives and friends are invited to this very special occasion.

If you are still interested in being confirmed this year or have any questions about it please contact me via email or call me before the end of this term.

Rev. Garry Lee-Lindsay
School Chaplain

Science News – Dissecting Cane Toads

Excitement was mounting throughout all of last week when the news came that our Cane Toads had arrived!! Girls were counting their sleeps until the big day! Finally, at Friday lunch, it was Dissection Day (D-Day!) and the lab was choc-a-block with eager students.

After observing the external anatomy, identifying whether it was male or female, and observing the adaptations found in the mouth to prevent prey from escaping, students made incisions on the abdomen and observed the organs inside.

Some groups were careful surgeons worthy of becoming doctors, while others showed gusto and chopped away with fervour. All groups learnt about how the organs and systems were interconnected and some of the differences between toads and mammals e.g. fat is stored in long, finger-like fat bodies in toads instead of adipose tissue in mammals.

One group even managed to neatly dissect the skin from the legs and applied electricity to cause the leg to twitch.

The dissection was so popular that the Science Department is considering running further lunch-time dissections in the future.

Mia Sharma  
Science Teacher

Secondary Sports News

In Secondary Sport news this week, read about the fantastic achievements of our students in AFL, Cross Country, Football and Equestrian.                           

AFL

A big congratulations goes to Julia Machliss and Yve Mitchell who represented NSWCIS at the NSW All Schools U15 AFL Championships. Julia and Yve were members of the NSWCIS Team that won the Gold Medal at the championships. Julia was also awarded the Best & Fairest for the NSWCIS team.

Both players have now been selected to represent NSW at the Australian All Schools Championships that will be held in Term 3. We wish them all the very best as they prepare for this tournament against the best youth players in Australia.

NSWCIS Cross Country Championships

SCEGGS had six secondary competitors who competed at the NSWCIS Cross Country Championships. It turned out to be a very successful day for SCEGGS with the highlights being:

Matilda Emanuel 2^nd, Annaliese Stackpool 6th, Nancy Newton 7^th and Lily Cooney 12^th in the 14 years age group. The team won the Gold Medal!

Ruby Fry placed 2^nd in the 15 years.

Gabriella Ibrahim 9^th in the 18 years.

We wish our runners well with their training over the holidays as they prepare to compete at the NSW All Schools in July.

Football

Well done to Sarah Farrow in Year 12 who represented IGSA at the NSWCIS Football Championships. The NSWCIS Team were undefeated throughout the tournament and won the Gold Medal.

Equestrian

Well done to Hannah Doolan, Natalia Randle and Scarlett Webber who represented SCEGGS at the North-West Equestrian Expo. This is Australia’s largest Interschools event for Secondary School students with 560 riders, 720 horses, 25 equestrian events in 5 days.

Hannah, Natalia and Scarlett represented SCEGGS participating across a range of disciplines including combined training, dressage, show jumping, sporting and team events. All the girls come home with a ribbon. Highlights were as follows:

Combined Training (Dressage & Show Jumping combined) Hannah achieved a 3rd place, Natalia a 4th and Scarlett a 5th place in their division

Show Jumping: Hannah achieved first in both her events and was Overall Champion at 80cm in her division

Dressage: Natalia achieved a top ten place in Novice dressage

Six Bar Team Show Jumping: SCEGGS/Kambala composite team achieved 3rd place out of more 50 teams.

All riders are now looking forward to training for the NSW Interschools event in early July at Horsley Park.

IGSA Fixtures, Results and Wet Weather

There is a new IGSA website and platform for accessing wet weather, fixtures and team results. You do not need to register or sign up to be a member to access this site.

SCEGGS Training sessions before and after school plus Saturday Sport

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

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself on 9052 2721 or 0418 491 521. Alternatively, if you have any news or photos that we can highlight in the newsletters please email alisongowan@sceggs.nsw.edu.au

Alison Gowan
Director of Sport

Primary Sport

Term 2 Saturday Sport                                      

Best of luck to our girls on Saturday for their final game for the season. Congratulations to all girls for a successful term of Saturday sport in Minkey, Hockey and Netball!

Term 3 Sport Enrolments

Enrolments for some sports are still open for Term 3. Please email Tom Mitton or Brittany Robbins for any further Term 3 Sport enrolment questions.

We are still seeking more girls to join Dance with Joel (Friday Lunchtime) in the Old Gym! Get involved today for those keen dancers or those just wanting to give it a go for the first time!

Term 3 Saturday Sports Trials

On Tuesday 21 June, we will be having the first of our trials for Term 3 Saturday Sport. This includes all sports, including Year 3 Minkey (Modified Hockey), IPSHA Touch Football Year 4-6 and IPSHA AFL Year 5/6.

Further details have been sent in the enrolment letter for Term 3 Saturday Sport.

SCEGGS Training sessions before and after school, plus Saturday Sport

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

Music Matters

SPAN Event featuring Anna Dowsley – Congratulations                                                                                        

The SCEGGS community were treated to a stunning performance last Thursday evening by Anna Dowsley and choristers from Choir, Madrigal Ensemble and Cantare.  Congratulations to the students who performed alongside Anna last evening in the combined works Habenera by Georges Bizet from the opera Carmen and You’ll Never Walk Alone from the musical Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Special thank you to Miss Allison Harrigan who had worked to prepare and conduct the choristers for this event.  Thank you also to Mr Heinz Schweers who accompanied the combined items and to Ms Heidi Jones who accompanied Anna for her three solo items: Die Mainacht by Johannes Brahms, Voi che sapete from the opera Le nozze di figaro by W.A. Mozart and Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix from the opera Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns. Well done Choir, Madrigal Ensemble and Cantare! 

AMEB Piano Result

Congratulations to Ruby Hughes (Year 8) who recently completed her Grade 2 Piano for Leisure examination.  A wonderful achievement – well done Ruby!

Week 8 Piano Concerts

Pianists are invited to perform in the Piano Concerts scheduled in Week 8 on Thursday 16 June.

3.30pm – Primary Piano Concert 

4.30pm – Secondary Piano Concert

We encourage students who learn at school, and students who learn externally to perform.

These concerts will be held in the Great Hall. Family and friends are welcome to attend.

Upcoming Events

Week 8

Thursday 16 June 3.30pm – Primary Piano Soirée (Great Hall)

Thursday 16 June 4.30pm – Secondary Piano Soirée (Great Hall)

Week 9

Friday 24 June – Interhouse Music Competition (Great Hall) – Secondary school event

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

Refugee Week 2022 and the Year 11 House of Welcome Food Drive

Each year Australians celebrate the contributions that refugees and migrants who arrive to our shores make to our society. Furthermore, we come together each year to focus on the ways in which we, as an Australian community, can better respond to the needs and challenges that refugees and migrants face in leaving their homelands and arriving in an unfamiliar place.

Refugee Week 2022

It is only through storytelling and engaging in dialogue that we can better understand what refugees and asylum seekers have faced. It is only through listening that we can be moved to reflect on how we might be called to create a more just and compassionate society. This year the theme for Refugee Week is healing. What a poignant theme it is! We cannot move forward and create a more loving society if we don’t respond to the places where there is hurt, division, pain, and suffering. This is the core message of Christianity. We have an incarnate God who came into this world and experienced the brokenness of the world so that we might learn how to do things better!

In the Gospels we read that Jesus suffered many times, too. One such story is that upon hearing of the horrific death of Johan the Baptist, Jesus withdrew from the people to find some solitude. The crowds of people though followed Jesus and he felt compassion for them, even during his own suffering. It is then that we read about the feeding of the 4 or 5 thousand people with only a small amount of food. What was provided by Jesus was of course nourishment in the form of the loaves of bread and fishes. And still, more importantly, a nourishment of their spirits, an acknowledgment of their brokenness and longing to be close to Jesus whom they knew provided more than just what we need physically to survive, for “they all ate, and they were satisfied”. We hear of large crowds, of strangers, of people in need coming to Jesus and his response was one of active love and compassion.

As a SCEGGS community, we once again are asking you to donate to the Year 11 Charity Food Drive during Refugee Week, Week 9 Term 2. The non-perishable food items will be delivered to The House of Welcome in Granville that is a drop-in refuge for recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers. We know that the food donations are one small way we can extended loving compassion to the many who through some of the most devastating humanitarian crisis and acts of war have had to flee their homelands to find safety here, to find some sanctuary and respite and to begin some of the process of healing.

Thank you in advance for your generous support of this initiative. Secondary students can drop food items in the baskets outside the Chapel. Primary students can give their donations to their class teachers.

Please note: We pay particular heed to the wishes, habits and palates of those receiving our donated goods and respectfully request that you do not supply soup, baked beans or tinned spaghetti.

Dynielle Whitney
Head of Religious Education 

Debating

Congratulations to the Years 7B, 8A, 9 and Juniors, who won their Archdale debates on Tuesday evening.

The final training of the term will take place on Monday. Archdale Debating will then resume in Term 3 on 26 July, with Round 6 debates held at SCEGGS.

Imogen Harper
Debating Co-ordinator

Winter Vacation Care for Primary School Families

With the July holidays fast approaching, we would like to take the opportunity to share our Winter Vacation Care Program with you, which includes a wonderful variety of excursions and incursions and exciting in-house days at the Centre for all children to enjoy.

The service will be operating from Monday 4 July – Tuesday 19 July, with students returning to school on Wednesday 20 July 2022.  The service is open for current Primary SCEGGS girls and their school aged siblings only.

If you would like to book your child into Vacation Care, please click here to generate your tickets.

Please note, that if you have not yet enrolled your child into our After School/ Vacation Care Service through the OWNA website or you are a new family joining SCEGGS in 2022, you will be required to fill out enrolment documentation prior to booking. 

Please reach out if you have any inquiries about Vacation Care.

Fran St John
After School Care Co-Ordinator

Go Greener-Cutlery Library

In the SCEGGS cafeteria we go through approximately 100 bamboo spoons, forks and knives each day. While they are compostable, they are still a single use item. We would like to trial a cutlery library and need your help. If you have any old or non-matching cutlery at home, would you consider donating this to our cutlery library? The idea is to have a collection of metal cutlery at school which the girls could use and then return to collection point in the cafeteria for washing each day. If you would like to donate some knives, fork or spoons please leave them in the containers in the General Office and the Primary Office.

World Environmental Day Activities

An assembly last Monday morning, began our World Environment Day Celebrations. Nicola Allen, our Maailma Captain, and Perri Lawrence with Josie Wheater from the Primary Enviro girls, gave a passionate and eloquent address to the school community on the theme #OnlyOneEarth.

The girls raised around $540 through a few activities. On Monday, for a gold coin donation, students could get a hot chocolate in a keep cup. In the secondary school on Thursday, we ran a second hand uniform sale for $5 per item. The Enviro Girls will donate the World Environment Day money to Bush Heritage Australia.

Congratulations to Camille Asher in Year 7 who won the #OnlyOneEarth banner design competition! A group of girls painted her design on fabric as part of our activities. Other students contributed to our Hands for the Environment banner with affirmations of what they could personally do for the environment.

A wonderful way to celebrate World Environment Day!

Susan Zipfinger
Sustainability Co-ordinator

Blazer Pocket Awards

Girls in the Secondary School who are awarded a “Pocket” for excellence and outstanding achievement in a co-curricular activity can have their blazers embroidered during the holiday period. Awards will be announced during the final week of Term 2. Students with previous awards not yet embroidered can also leave their blazers at this time

Blazers may be left at the Student Services Reception from Friday 24 June until 1.00pm on Monday 27 June. Blazers cannot be accepted after the cut-off time. Late submissions will need to wait until the next holidays.

Embroidery and dry cleaning will be done during the holidays and the cost will be charged to your school account.

Angelique Cooper
Special Projects

Parents’ and Friends’ Association

Class Parent Events