From the Chaplain

SCEGGS Podcast “Walk the Mile” Episode 1 2021: Changes                                               

I am very excited to have the first episode of the SCEGGS podcast for 2021 ready to be heard. For those who may be new to SCEGGS, Peter Eyers (Head of Drama and the creator of his own podcast “Stages”, an exploration into the world of theatre and performance) and I began working on the podcast towards the end of last year and we released four episodes in Term 4. It was received very well so we have decided to try and keep the ball rolling with lots of interesting and challenging conversations with members from all parts of our community. The name Walk the Mile comes from one of the hymns that we sing in Chapel Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You. In one of the verses, it speaks about walking the mile and bearing the load. One of the core values that we hold here at SCEGGS is that we do our best to walk with one another through whatever might be going on. I believe as humans we can often need support by someone just being present with us, understanding our needs and having compassion for our struggle. It is about connecting with one another’s questions and wonders and knowing we are not alone.

The purpose of this podcast is for the listener to feel like they can be part of the same conversation on topics that affect all of us in some way. My hope is that it will create further conversations where greater connections will be made and another way of building strength within our community and beyond. If you have ideas for topics, any feedback or if you have something you would like to come and talk about, I would love to hear from you.

The intro and outro music (otherwise known as “stings”) have been provided by two of our Year 8 students: Lila Eversgerd and Samantha Millin. They are their own original pieces created for an event called “That COVID Show”, a selection of songs written by students and recorded for a special presentation that was performed last year. 

The first episode for this year is about change. Two Year 12 students, Amelia Board and Clementine Gleeson-Cook, discuss their experience of change in their own lives, particularly in the school setting, and how they have tried to manage those situations. It is a very insightful look into what it might be like to be growing up in the present environment. I hope you enjoy listening.

Easter Services 

This year’s Easter Festival will be held on Wednesday 31 March starting at 7:00pm in the Great Hall. Due to COVID-19 restrictions adults attending will need to register beforehand and scan in via QR code at the event. More details will be given soon. This is always a wonderful ceremony which focuses on the meaning and significance of Easter. The following day the whole school will be involved in our Easter Service in two separate sittings.

 At both of these services a collection will be taken as a donation towards Lou’s Place, a local welfare organisation that seeks to meet the needs of women suffering from underprivilege, marginalisation and abuse. SCEGGS Darlinghurst has had a connection to Lou’s Place for over a decade and we continue to offer support in a variety of ways. All students have been asked to bring at least a gold coin donation to go towards their Form or year class’ Lenten offertory. This can be brought to their Form or class teacher by Wednesday 31 March.

School Community

Occasionally I will conduct different ceremonies for those connected to our school community. 

The photograph below was captured during a Baptism that I performed last Saturday in the School Chapel. I don’t think this young lady was very happy about me splashing water on her head.

She has a good right hook!

Rev Garry Lee-Lindsay
Chaplain

Primary Sport

Primary Cross Country Carnival                                           

Even with the dark clouds above, the Primary Cross Country Carnival went ahead and was a fantastic morning. All students displayed enthusiasm and gave their best effort running and competing for their house.

Thank you to the Primary staff, Sport staff and coaches for their help around the track and a special thank you to our Cross Country Captains, Gabriella Ibrahim and Audrey Ewington, who ran with the Primary girls to support and encourage them along the way.

Congratulations to the following girls:

Age Champions

Final House Points

IPSHA/NSWCIS News

Congratulations to Anjola Petrie (Year 6) and Olivia Plavsic (Year 5) who trialled for the NSWCIS Girls Football Team on Monday 15 March.

Anjola and Olivia had a great experience trialling with some other very skilled players from around NSW. What a fantastic opportunity and challenge for both girls who played very well throughout the day!

Good luck to Stella Dodwell (Year 6) who is competing at the NSWCIS Primary Swimming Championships today!

Term 1 Saturday Sports Information

We wish all students good luck for their final games of Football, Flippa Ball, Water Polo and Basketball this weekend. We hope everyone has enjoyed sport this term!

Term 2 Saturday Sports Information

 IPSHA Minkey Years 4-5

Training sessions will be held in Week 9 and 10 of Term 1 as follows:

Training Sessions in Term 2 will commence on Tuesday 20 April (first day of school) at SCEGGS Top Court 3:15 – 5:00pm

For all Tuesday training sessions, girls will meet coaches on the SCEGGS Top Court at the end of the school day. Girls are to be picked up at 5:00pm from outside the Sports Hall on Forbes Street.

IPSHA Netball Years 4-6

Trial sessions will be held in Week 9 and 10 of Term 1 as follows:

Training Sessions in Term 2 will commence on Tuesday 20 April (first day of school) at Centennial Parklands Sports Centre (CPSC) Netball Courts, Robertson Road Moore Park 3:15 – 4:50pm

For all Tuesday sessions, girls will catch the bus to and from SCEGGS and the venue. Girls can be picked up at 4:50pm from Moore Park or approximately 5:20pm from outside the Sports Hall on Forbes Street.

Year 3 Netball

Trial sessions will be held in Week 9 and 10 of Term 1 as follows:

Training Sessions in Term 2 will commence on Tuesday 20 April (first day of school) at Centennial Parklands Sports Centre (CPSC) Netball Courts, Robertson Road Moore Park 3:15 – 4:50pm

For all Tuesday sessions, girls will catch the bus to and from SCEGGS and the venue. Girls can be picked up at 4:50pm from Moore Park or approximately 5:20pm from outside the Sports Hall on Forbes Street.

If your daughter is unable to attend any of the Term 1 sessions listed above, please contact XantheAxford@sceggs.nsw.edu.au

Reminder: Permission Requirement for all Primary Sports

Permission notes (or an email) are required for all students being picked up from a sports activity or training session by another parent / carer including nannies and babysitters. If arrangements are reoccurring, parents may provide one permission email for the term.

Permission emails need to be received by SCEGGS Sport Staff prior to 11:00am, in order for coaching staff to be communicated to.

Xanthe Axford
Acting Assistant Primary Sports Coordinator

Inside the Primary Classrooms

3F had a wonderfully spontaneous art lesson with Minnie, Mrs Dempsey’s dog this week. As you may already know, Minnie spends the day in the Primary School on Wednesdays as part of a wellbeing trial program for Term 1. Last week in Art, we were due to start a series of drawing lessons that would focus on careful observation of shapes and form, drawn from looking at real objects. In the Year 3 program, our topic was to be Australian plants and flora, using our classroom collection of dried banksia cones and branches of gum leaves.

Seeing as though Minnie was at school, I decided to challenge the girls with a different approach to drawing from life. Instead of starting with the still life of dried seed pods that we had originally planned, I decided to see how they would respond to a life drawing of a living animal. Minnie obliged us by ignoring the mat we offered for her, continuing instead to move around the art room, giving the girls a moving subject!

Despite the challenge of drawing something that kept moving, the lesson followed the same principles of all good drawing tasks. The girls were reminded to look closely and carefully at what they were drawing. They looked at the round shape of Minnie’s eyes and the triangular shape of her nose. They were encouraged to notice the texture of her fur and how it was longer on either side of her nose than the fur on the top of her head. Then they noticed that the fur on her ears was longer and curlier than they had expected. Finally, they were asked to observe which part of her face was darkest, such as her eyes and nose, and to use their pencil to achieve darker shading.

The real take home moment of learning came when the girls realised, by looking at a real dog in front of them in the art room, that her eyes do not have two white half circles as highlights. They learnt how to draw the eyes with greater realism than the cartoon style of pictures they were familiar with before.

The girls all agreed that drawing Minnie is much harder than drawing a collection of objects – they really appreciated and understood what a ‘still life’ is, after drawing a constantly moving target.

Vickie Kalocsay
Years 3-6 Art Teacher

Careers News

In this special mini-issue of the Careers Corner newsletter, there is information about UAC applications as well as dates for online information sessions for courses at UTS and Macquarie University.

Andrea Pinnock
Careers Advisor

Go Greener

“Water is the driving force of all nature” – Leonardo Da Vinci                                                    

Did you know that half the world’s schools do not have access to clean water?

Or did you know that 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related illness?

World Water Day fast approaching on Monday March 22 and this year’s theme is Valuing Water. Year 8 Geography students were given the challenge of writing an article to raise awareness about water and our water usage at SCEGGS.

Around the world we use 10 billion tons of fresh water every day, yet 11% of people worldwide drink dirty, unsanitised water. In Australia, the average household uses 340 litres of water daily. We unknowingly waste 113 litres of water a day. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the buses we catch, the soft drinks we consume and the plastic we waste all needs water to exist. Water is a valuable resource which needs conserving.

With the increasing demand for water, we have had to find a way to save and manage our use of water. Sydney Water offers many ideas for saving water on their website. 

Some examples include:

• Taking shorter showers
• Adding a restrictor in your shower head which reduces the amount of water per minute from 19 litres to 9 litres.
• Checking for water leaks
• Not leaving your tap running when brushing your teeth
• Making sure your dishwasher and washing machine are full before turning them on

Without water at SCEGGS, the school would shut down. Every year the school uses approximately 3 Olympic sized swimming pools of water which is equivalent more than 7.5 million litres of water. Multiple strategies have been put in place to help reduce water usage in our school.

At SCEGGS there are 80 toilets. These use 3 litres of water for every half flush and 6 litres of water for a full flush. Always half flush when possible. We have 160 bathroom sinks. Many  of the taps require some sort of force to be placed upon them so the water comes out. The taps are also timed meaning that the water flow will stop after a few seconds. There are also several friction, spring loaded bubblers which reduce wastage. The Joan Freeman stormwater retention tanks located in the car park collects 40,000 litres of rainwater from the building. This greywater is used to flush toilets and water the gardens.

A big thank you must go to Mr Stevenson, Facilities Manager, for coming to our class and giving us an entertaining presentation on water usage at SCEGGS.

So, for this World Water Day , what are you going to implement to protect this valuable resource that is essential to our existence?

Year 8GED Geography students
Ally Collins-Tait, Aurelia Cortese, Zoe Crisafulli, Charlotte Darcy, Ellie Earwaker, Zara Fairfax, Willow Garside, Lara Gavan, Bianca Hardge, Lily Hreszczuk, Eleanor Lawrie, Julia Machliss, Edie Maclennan, Aasha Maunsell, Maddie McCormack, Lucy McInnes, Claudia Parker, Mahlia Petrie, Zahra Ridling, Grace Rock, Maya Shearing, Helaina Travassaros, Evelyn Vigil, Celia Watson, Emily Yule, Hebe Zines

Drama News

Year 9 & 10 Drama Excursion to Melbourne                                                                                                      

I am delighted to announce that students in the Year 9 and 10 drama classes will be given an opportunity to participate in a Drama Tour to Melbourne during the mid-term break in August.

We will be taking in a host of cultural experiences offered by marvellous Melbourne including an AFL game, a tour of the Victorian College of the Arts and attendance at both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the historic Princess Theatre.

Information brochures and booking forms will be distributed next week.

We Will Rock You

The Scots College, in conjunction with various schools, are producing the Queen musical We Will Rock You at the NIDA Theatre in the first week of Term 2.

The dates are Wednesday 21 April – Saturday 24 April.

SCEGGS is delighted to have representation in the cast from the following students:

Eliza Newton, Maggie-Rose Dunlop, Jessica Millin, Eva Harris, Samantha Millin, Isabella Morgan, Lucia Habib and Elizabeth Lapham.

We wish the girls the very best for their final weeks of rehearsal, as the show is pulled together for presentation to an excited audience.

More information can be found on the Scots website.

Year 7 And 8 Production – Framed

A production featuring students in Years 7 and 8 will be presented in Term 3. Auditions will be conducted in early Term 2. Rehearsals will be conducted on Tuesday and Friday afternoons and cast members must be available for all rehearsals.

The play being produced is Framed by Carla Moore. The narrative takes place in an Art gallery where famous paintings from history are being stolen. Four of the greatest detectives are summoned to solve the crime.

Framed will be directed by St Peter’s Players Tutor, Ms Romy Bartz.

Auditions will be announced in future editions of Behind The Green Gate and posted on the Drama noticeboard outside the Playhouse.

Theatre is a mirror. A sharp reflection of society.

Yasmina Reza – playwright

Peter Eyers
Head of Drama

Parents’ and Friends’

Year 7 Parents and Carers Get Together                                        

A reminder that this event is on this evening.

Date: Thursday 18 March 2021
Time: 7 pm
Address: Easts Rugby Club 22a O’Sullivan Road Rose Bay

If you have any questions please contact the Year 7 Class Parents.

Year 8 Parents and Carers Get Together

Date: Tuesday 30 March 2021
Time: 6.30 – 9.30 pm
Address:  Untied Rooftop Bar, Level 4, Exchange Place, 400 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo
Cost: $50 per person for canapés and welcome drink. Tickets may be purchased clicking here. 

If you have any questions please contact the Year 8 Class Parents.

Music Matters

2021 SCEGGS Eisteddfod – Primary Highlights Concert                                                                 

We are proud to share with you the names of the students who have been selected for the Primary Eisteddfod Highlights Concert:

The Primary Highlights Concert will take place in the Great Hall on Wednesday 24 March at 4pm. 

Due to COVID restrictions, parents/guardians are invited to secure their seats through this TryBooking link.

We can only allow a maximum of four per family (excluding the performer).

A special thank you to our accompanists Ms Heidi Jones and Ms Stephanie Holmes.  Not only have they been busy this week accompanying both Secondary and Primary students, but they have been the main drivers in organising the logistics for the eisteddfod. 

Thank you also to Mrs Bronwyn Cleworth, Ms Lanneke Jones, Mrs Anne Sweeney who have worked to organise the students in readiness for their heats.

AMEB Results

Congratulations to the following students who have achieved the following grades in their AMEB Examinations:

Bondi Barlow – 6^th Grade (Piano)

Sophia di Lucia – 4^th Grade Theory Exam

Well done Bondi and Sophia on your outstanding achievements!

Choral Workshop with Josie Ryan

Year 12 music students Annika Deitz and Astrid Girdis were very fortunate to enjoy a vocal masterclass in the SCEGGS Chapel with renowned soprano Josie Ryan on Monday March 15. Ms Ryan holds a Masters degree specialising in Early Vocal Music and Historical Performance practice from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.  She is frequently engaged as a soloist with leading Australian ensembles including the Australian Brandenburg Ensemble and The Song Company.  She worked with SCEGGS’ Madrigal Ensemble sopranos Annika and Astrid to assist their vocal technique and stylistic interpretation of this year’s Easter Service musical offering O Salutaris Hostia by Esenvalds. 

Musicians of the Week

This week we would like to focus the following musicians from the Primary school and asking them a few questions about their participation in ensembles.

Olivia Chua (Year 4) – Chamber Strings

How long have you played your instrument? 

I have been playing the violin since Term 3 of Kindergarten and I started piano even earlier, when I was 4!

What’s your favourite memory of being in a string ensemble at SCEGGS?

Playing in the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival in 2019 and 2020, but especially in 2019 before COVID when we performed on stage in front of an audience.

Why do you love performing?

I love performing because I make new friends and play music with girls from other year groups.

Eva Ancher (Year 6) – Cantare

What do you love about singing?

I love singing because it is a fun and creative way the express yourself. I also feel that it really rewarding, especially when you see improvement from practising.

What is your favourite song?

My favourite song is Dona Nobis Pacem by Lightfoot. I love the piano part and find it fun and exciting to sing.

Are in an ensemble outside of school?

Yes, I am part of Sydney Children’s Choir. Here we develop our skills such as, sight singing and reading music.

Peripatetic Music program

Want to learn an instrument or voice? Applications for lesson are accepted all year round; however, waiting lists may apply. The form can be accessed here.

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

Health Alert in the Secondary School

There is an important Health Alert pertaining to the Secondary School this week.                                                                                             

Head Lice

There has been a case of head lice reported in the Secondary School. Head lice are very common in schools, and it is important that all parents check their daughter’s hair regularly and follow the necessary procedures if needed. For further information, please refer to the NSW Health Department.

Bethany Lord
Director of Pastoral Care