From Ms Gyton

Wilkinson House … are we there yet?

On Monday in Assembly, I showed the girls a few ‘work-in-progress’ photos from inside the new Wilkinson House. The furniture is going in, the carpet is down and we are just putting the finishing touches on all the spaces – it is really starting to look wonderful! Elegant, stylish and practical.

So where to from here?

We have submitted our application for an Occupation Certificate for the building, with Practical Completion hopefully following soon after. We will let you know as soon as we have achieved these milestones, and we can start moving into our brand new space … but we are really close!

Holly Gyton
Head of School

Festival on Forbes – Save the Date

We’re excited to announce our biennial Festival on Forbes will be on Sunday, 23 August!

Our fantastic Fair Committee is already hard at work planning a fun-filled day for the whole SCEGGS school community.

Stay tuned! We’ll be introducing the Fair Committee and sharing more exciting details here in BTGG over the coming weeks.

Mark your calendars – you won’t want to miss it!

Winter Uniform is now in-store and available for purchase

• Fittings and Appointments
• Winter Uniform Requirements
• Online Purchases and Second Hand Uniforms

Uniform Fittings and Appointments

If a full uniform fitting for your child is required, it is advisable to make an appointment. The best available times for full service are between 9am-12pm Monday to Friday.

We will be closed during the school holidays and re-open Tuesday, 21 April 2026.

Winter Uniform Requirements

Students who are new to SCEGGS will be required to purchase:

• long sleeve shirts
• a winter tunic
• knee high navy socks and/or tights
• a tie (for girls in Years 3-12)

The blazer can be purchased in time for the Photography days in Week 6 of Term 2. K-2 Primary students are to wear the belted tunic with a striped long sleeve shirt. Year 3 Primary students are to transition into a collared striped shirt, a tie and an unbelted tunic.

For those who prefer to wear pants we offer a tailored wool blend pant. Primary students can wear these pants with the primary striped blouse. Secondary students who choose this option are to wear the pants with a navy striped blouse as well. A tie is not required to be worn if you choose to wear pants.

Online Purchasing and Second Hand Uniforms

For your convenience uniform can be purchased through Flexischools.

We also have good quality second hand uniforms available.

We look forward to helping you with your Winter uniform needs.

Clare Reid 
School Shop Manager

Sleep well, live better

The benefits of sleep are wide-ranging!

• In terms of physical health, sleep improves immunity against disease.
• It is important for metabolic health which affects weight.
• It is during sleep that growth hormone is secreted.
• Being well-rested is associated with reduced incidence of sporting injuries.
• Sleep is also vital for emotional development.
• And a lack of sleep is linked to risk-taking behaviours …

So are you and your daughter getting enough sleep?

Friday, 13 March was World Sleep Day, a celebration of sleep and a call to action. The rallying cry for 2026 is “sleep well, live better”.

Whilst sleep (alongside diet and exercise) is a cornerstone of physical and mental health, SchoolTV’s experts noted that only 15% of teenagers are getting enough sleep. So what can you do?

There are lots of practical tips included in this SchoolTV video to help the whole family get a good night’s rest.

To access the videos in this edition of SchoolTV, please click here.

As clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller notes, getting enough sleep is a powerful way to protect against depression. This is because the structures in the brain that support development of serotonin are built and re-built between the 6^th and 8^th hours of sleep. Poor sleep affects the encoding of positive memories more than negative memories, so if we aren’t getting enough sleep our memories of our own lives skew towards the darker moments. Consolidation of memories whilst we are asleep is also vital for learning. Getting a good night’s sleep has both short and long-term effects on our physiology and mental wellbeing.  

Guidelines and research indicate that primary-aged children should be getting between 10 and 12 hours of sleep per night and adolescents should get 8 to 10 hours.

The hour prior to going to bed is crucial. Melatonin begins being produced by the body when our eyes detect that the sun is going down. As melatonin builds up in the body, we gradually become sleepy. Light from screens (phones, laptops, TV, video game consoles) delays melatonin production, which is why screens should be put away an hour before bed. Studies show that keeping technology in bedrooms disrupts sleep, so devices should be kept elsewhere when possible. Calming activities such as reading, listening to music or showering before bed are helpful. It is best to avoid rigorous exercise before bedtime. Experts suggest not eating just prior to bed, though if a rumbling stomach is threatening to keep you awake, a banana (which contains the amino acid tryptophan which stimulates sleep), warm milk or nuts are good options. In-depth conversations about one’s day or worries are also best avoided before bed. Setting aside a time to debrief with your child earlier in the afternoon is a good routine to try and cultivate.

Napping in the afternoon can be a good way to revitalise a tired child or teenager, as long as naps are limited to 20 minutes (to avoid them slipping into deep sleep and waking up groggy). As tempting as it may be for adults and young people alike, sleeping in for more than an extra hour on the weekends to make up sleep debt is not recommended; a consistent wake up time each day is best.

There is additional information on sleep apnea, sleepwalking, sleep terrors, delayed sleep phase syndrome and narcolepsy in this edition.

Sleep Ninja® is a great resource designed at the Black Dog Institute in consultation with young people. It’s a free, evidence-based smartphone app shown to be effective in helping young people with their sleep.

Wishing you all an excellent night’s sleep.

Lauren Miles
School Psychologist

Emotionally Intelligent Parenting during Adolescence

Are you interested in joining a parenting program that aims to help you and your child manage the many emotional challenges of adolescence?

Tuning in to Teens® is a six-week program, run one evening a week at SCEGGS for two hours, specifically for parents of students in Years 6-8. 

This program will teach you how to manage your own and your adolescent’s emotions in ways that help you to remain close and keep communicating. By learning these skills, you are less likely to have as much conflict within your family and your teen is more likely to talk to you about the challenging issues they face.  These are factors that have been found to reduce the risk of mental health and emotional problems.

Would you like to find out more?

This is a great opportunity to learn some skills to assist your relationship with your daughter, and also to connect with other parents in a relaxed and comfortable setting.

The program will run each Monday for six weeks, for two hours each session, starting on Monday 4 May and finishing on 15 June.  It will be held at school between 5.00 – 7.00 pm.

Please email  by Wednesday 22 April to participate or if you have any questions.

Some Feedback received from SCEGGS parents who have previously attended Tuning in to Teens:

I highly recommend this program to anyone with teens as you never know what is around the corner, and having a toolkit available to use is most helpful.

It has given (us) the opportunity to be more aligned in our parenting styles and how we deal with certain situations.

Practical examples/strategies, listening to others experiences (was helpful).

Family is calmer.

The practice we got in the class really helped.

What is Emotional intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is about using your emotions to guide you through the world.  It is about being able to use your own knowledge of emotions to make decisions, to calm yourself down, to manage anger and conflict, to help you in your relationships with people, to understand what is happening in social situations, and to assist you in any aspects of life that involves you and another person.

Why is Emotional Intelligence important?

Research has shown that young people with greater emotional intelligence:

• are more aware, assertive and strong in situations of peer pressure
• have greater success with making friends and are more able to manage conflict with peers
• are more able to cope when upset or angry
• have fewer mental health and emotional difficulties
• have more stable and satisfying relationships as adults
• have greater career success – Emotional Intelligence may be a better predictor of academic and career success than IQ!

When parents focus on helping their teen learn about emotions, the young person is more likely to have higher emotional intelligence. In this parenting program we will teach parents what to do to help these skills develop, and in doing so we expect teens to manage adolescence better.

Melissa Saxton and Caroline Blyth
School Counsellors

Primary School Easter Hat Parade

You are warmly invited to join us for our annual K–6 Easter Hat Parade!

Date: Thursday, 2 April

Time: 2.00pm

Where: Primary Playground

Parking: Please note that onsite parking is not available during the school day. Families are also kindly asked to avoid parking in the school zone, which comes into effect from 2.30pm.

It is always a joyful and colourful occasion for the girls and a lovely way for our community to gather as we approach the Easter season.

Girls in Kindergarten to Year 2 will create their Easter hats during Art lessons. Girls in Years 3 to 6 are invited to make their own hat at home and bring it to school on the morning of the parade.

Parents are very welcome to enjoy the Easter Hat Parade and view from the upper balcony outside the Year 3 and 4 classrooms, or from the playground area closest to the equipment. The Bourke Street gates will be open from the end of lunch at 1.50pm to allow parents to enter the school grounds.

We hope the sunshine joins us and that it will be a cheerful afternoon of creativity and celebration. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

Parents are also warmly invited to attend our End of Term Assembly earlier that day. The assembly will take place in the Great Hall at 12.00pm and we would be delighted to have you join us as we celebrate the term’s learning and achievements together. Students from Years 2, 4 and 6 will be presenting items, and the Primary String Orchestra will also perform.

Helen Dempsey
Head of Primary

Year 7 Camp

Recently, the Year 7 cohort adventured out to Crossland Reserve on Dharug Country. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by the smiling faces of our Group Leaders from Southbound Adventures. During our time away at camp, we took part in several engaging activities, such as canoeing, the flying fox, hiking, enviro games, team time/building, Indigenous education and swimming in the pool. A fan favourite was definitely the flying fox. Even though the thought of zooming high across a valley below sounded extremely terrifying, everyone had a go and loved it!

Another popular activity was canoeing. In boats of three or four people we played a super fun game called “Fruit Salad” in our day groups. In “Fruit Salad” all of the boats rafted together, and each person was given a fruit that matched with someone else’s in a separate boat and when our instructor called “Fruit Salad!” everyone had to get out of the canoes and run across them swapping spots with the different fruits. For our first night activity, we played three rounds of “Sing Out”, watching Christian take out the win for the best singing and dance moves!

After weeks of preparation, on the second night, we finally got to have our talent show. The night was full of amazing performances and a special shoutout goes to 7OP for a great dance that corresponded to the Year 7 motto “Oh, the Place’s You’ll go… when you Belong, be Brave and Become.” Congratulations to 7Cr for the best contribution from all their dancers and then finally to 7Do for winning overall!

Although we had some rain on the final day, we persevered and still had the best time and made so many lasting memories. A special thanks to all of the teachers and Southbound staff that helped make this camp so special.

Overall, Year 7 camp was an unforgettable experience where we created so many new friendships and stepped out of our comfort zones. It was such an incredible way to start the year, creating special bonds and memories that we will treasure forever.

Lulu Holt and Eliza Wilcsek
Year 7 

Music Matters

Sing and String 2026

On Sunday, 8 March 2026, we welcomed 62 students from Sydney Grammar School for the inaugural Sing and String Workshop, a coming together of like-minded choristers and string players make music together with our closest school neighbours. In both school calendars there are concerts that take many weeks of musical preparation and artistic excellence.

In contrast, the Sing and String Workshop was an experiment to see just what could be achieved in one day when you put enthusiastic musicians and conductors in a room together for a few hours, work hard and then boldly perform this new music to an audience.

The result was a wonderful concert, warmly appreciated by SCEGGS and Sydney Grammar parents.

Special thanks to Sydney Grammar staff Mr Greg Platt, Ms Belinda Jezek, Mr Koen van Stade and Mr Nicholas Parry for bringing their talented students and to Mrs Anne Sweeney,  Ms Allison Harrigan and Mr Lachlan Massey for organising the day.

Heidi Jones
Head of Music (Co-curricular)

Drama News

In the Spotlight this week:

• Catch Me If You Can
• Cluedo
• Till The Stars Come Down
• Common superstition amongst actors

Catch me if you Can

SCEGGS students Katerina Giannikouris (Year 11) and Olive O’Keefe (Year 10) join Sydney Grammar School in their production of the musical Catch Me if you Can. The musical is based on the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

The production plays at Sydney Grammar from April 21 to April 24.

Bookings: Sydney Grammar School

Cluedo

SCEGGS Old Girl Octavia Barron-Martin (Class of 1997) is a member of the cast in the production of CLUEDO set to play the Theatre Royal from April 11 to May 10.

Based on the famous board game, and film, of the same name; the evening promises to be a terrific laugh.

Bookings: Theatre Royal

Till the Stars Come Down

Head of Drama Peter Eyers is about to take to the stage again in Beth Steel’s Till The Stars Come Down.

A family gathers in a former East Midlands mining town for the wedding of Sylvia and Marek. Hilarity and tragedy loom at the nuptials.

The production plays at KXT on Broadway (Ultimo) from March 27 to April 11.

Bookings here.

Did you know?

A common superstition amongst actors is that ghosts frequent their theatres and performances – and some theatre owners agree. The Palace Theatre in London long kept two seats permanently empty to make room for their resident ghosts. One was believed to be Ivor Novello, the Welsh actor after whom the Novello Theatre is named. The other was said to be an unknown ballerina. However, once Harry Potter and the Cursed Child became such a resounding success, they began selling the tickets for those seats once again.

Whether the Ghost Light is a superstition depends on who you ask. A single bare bulb is left lit on the stage in many London theatres, so it is never completely dark. Some believe that this allows ghosts to perform at night, meaning they will spare the actors and not curse the production. Others say it is a health and safety measure to ensure no one falls into the orchestra pit after the company has left.

During COVID, theatres around the world left a ‘ghost light’ burning on their stages, signalling that live performance would return after the pandemic.

Peter Eyers
Head of Drama

Public Speaking

The Australian Speech Communication Association (ASCA) Award Ceremony was held on the weekend and a number of SCEGGS girls received awards and scholarships.  This is an annual event where students’ achievements are celebrated and a number of students from across the state perform pieces from their exams.  It was held at Ravenswood School for Girls and the guest speaker this year was Suzanne Floro, the new Principal at Ravenswood.  She delivered a thought provoking speech about the challenges we, and our students and children, face in a world of ever increasing technology. 

Helaina Travassaros (Class of 2025) was one of eight performers and delivered an extract from Gloria Steinem’s “Living the Revolution” commencement address which was delivered at Vasser College in 1970, still relevant and pertinent today.  She also received the Gina Pioro Director’s Award for Outstanding Performance for her consistently high exam marks throughout secondary school and a Centre Medal.  Pippa Brenner (Year 12) was awarded the National Scholarship Award for Excellence also for her consistently outstanding exam results. 

The other awardees were Jessica Gallie (Year 11), Livia Holzner (Year 6) and Cleo Ballard (Year 5) who received Centre Medals.  Isabella Conroy (Year 11), Perri Lawrence (Year 10), Alice Chandler (Year 6) and Cynthia Xia (Year 4) were awarded Studio Medals.  Bianca Elias (Year 8), Mackenzie Hansen (Year 8), Emily Snow (Year 7) and Georgina Sharp (Year 6) received Studio Achievement Medals.  Congratulations to them all and to all the girls who completed an ASCA exam in 2025.

Elizabeth Walsh
Speech and Public Speaking Co-ordinator

Secondary Sport News

In Secondary School sports news this week read about:

• Easts Touch Grand Final Day
• Interhouse Cross Country
• IGSA Swimming
• Student achievements in Athletics and Surf Lifesaving

Easts Touch Grand Final Day

Good luck to all the SCEGGS teams playing in the Grand Finals this weekend at Queens Park:

Congratulations to the following girls who have been awarded Best & Fairest in their grade by Easts Touch:

SCEGGS 11 – Bianca Elias (Year 8)                  Junior D

SCEGGS 12 – Penelope Martell (Year 8)         Junior E

SCEGGS 13 – Zoe Rajaratnam (Year 9)           Junior F

SCEGGS 15 – Monique Kamper (Year 7)         Year 7A

Inter-House Cross Country

The Secondary School Inter-House Cross Country Carnival was held last Tuesday at Queens Park. Despite storms throughout the evening before, the weather fined up and we had a wonderful early morning competition before school.

Congratulations to Christian House who were the overall Interhouse Cross Country Champions. The top runners will now go on to compete at the IGSA Cross Country Championships to be held at Frensham School on May 8. Those selected will be sent details soon.

The Individual Age Champions were as follow:

12 Years – Miwa Gentile (Christian)

13 Years – Beatrice Emanuel (Christian)

14 Years- Madison Coutts (Docker)

15 Years – Anna Slack (Beck)

16 Years – Annabelle Jessup (Badham)

17 Years – Harriet Christie (Beck)

18 Years – Matilda Emanuel (Christian)

HOUSE POINTS

IGSA Swimming

The SCEGGS Swimming team competed at the IGSA Swimming Championships last Friday at Homebush.  SCEGGS were the overall runners up in Division 3 and had several swimmers reach the finals.

Well done to all swimmers who competed on the day: Zoe Argyrides (Year 11), Mariah Barlin (Year 7), Leona Brenton (Year 12), Stella Brenton (Year 10), Susanna Brown (Year 8), Cynthia Cai (Year 9), Vivienne Calleja (Year 7), Lucinda Carroll (Year 8), Sophia Carroll (Year 10), Orla Darroch (Year 11), Coco Espie (Year 12), Elodie Harvey (Year 8), Kate Hawkins (Year 10), Sarah McIntyre (Year 9), Gemma Munro (Year 10), Amelia Porter (Year 8), Georgiana Porter (Year 10), Jasmine Qian (Year 8), Jessica Venetoulis (Year 11), Siena Walsh (Year 8), Isobel Weston (Year 10), Rosie Wong (Year 7) and Chloe Yule (Year 12).

Results from IGSA Finals

200m IM – Kate Hawkins (Year 10) 10^th

12 Years Freestyle B Finals – Mariah Barlin 6^th          

13 Years Freestyle A Final – Susanna Brown 9^th

14 Years Freestyle A Final – Jasmine Qian 10^th

15 Years Freestyle B Final – Kate Hawkins 1^st

16 Years Freestyle A Final – Gemma Munro 8^th

17 Years Freestyle B Final – Leona Brenton 8^th

18 Years Freestyle B Final – Chloe Yule 4^th

13 Years Backstroke Final – Susanna Brown 5^th

17 Years Backstroke Final – Leona Brenton 8^th

15 Years Breaststroke Final – Kate Hawkins 9^th

Intermediate 100m Freestyle Relay – Gemma Munro 7^th

Intermediate Freestyle Relay Final – 9th

Kate Hawkins, Sophia Carroll, Sarah McIntyre, Gemma Munro

NSW Junior Athletics Championships

SCEGGS had several students compete at the NSW Athletics Championships last weekend and produce some outstanding results.

• A special congratulations to Sarah James (Year 12) who is the NSW U17 High Jump Champion. Sarah beat her previous personal best by 9cm on her way to winning the title. See Sarah in action here.
• Well done to Beatrice Emanuel (Year 7) who placed 2^nd in the 13 years 1500m, and 5^th in the 800m.
• Another outstanding result came from Matilda Emanuel (Year 12) who placed 2^nd in the U’20’s 800m.

The Australian Championships will be held in Brisbane in the April holidays. We wish Beatrice, Matilda and Sarah all the very best as they continue to train for this competition.

Surf Lifesaving

Good luck to Clementine Finlayson who will competing at the Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships in QLD this weekend. Clementine came away with two medals at the recent NSW Championships in Newcastle and is excited to be heading to the Gold Coast to compete.

Easts Touch

For all the latest Touch results please refer to the East Touch webpage.

IGSA Fixtures, Results and Wet Weather

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

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.

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

In Primary School sport news this week read about:

• Primary Cross Country Carnival
• Student Achievements
• Sporting Reminders
• Important Sports Dates

Primary Cross Country Carnival

The Primary Cross Country Carnival was on Tuesday, 10 March at Queens Park. After torrential rain the night before and grey skies to start the day, the sun finally appeared and it turned out to be a beautiful morning.

The day started with an Acknowledgement of Country delivered by Maya Clark and Sophia Prodromou (Year 6) followed by the 8/9 Years race. This was the first time for many of these students attempting the challenging 2km course and it was an exciting finish with Alicia Hyland (Year 4) winning by the narrowest of margins. Billie Evans (Year 4) put in a stellar effort and was victorious in the 10 Year Olds division, and Isabelle Lee (Year 6) won the 11 Year Olds race, her fourth year in a row placing first. The last race of the day was the 12 Year Olds, with Hannah Walker (Year 6) showing excellent stamina to get the win. Well done to all students who participated and challenged themselves on the day, and congratulations to the following girls who placed 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in their age division.

Lastly a big congratulations to Barton who once again came away as House Champions for the event. The IPSHA Cross Country Carnival will be held on Wednesday, 2 April at The Kings School. All students who were selected to attend the IPSHA carnival have been notified and we wish them the best of luck!

Student Achievements

Lark Xiao (Year 4) recently participated in the Speedo Sprint Finals, and after the event she received a certificate from Swimming Australia’s Junior Excellence Program. Congratulations to Lark for her efforts and achievement.

Sporting Reminders:

• For any questions or issues, please email Adrian Hammond and the SCEGGS Sport Department.
• If your child is going to be absent from Saturday sport, then you need to contact Helen Dempsey at least one week prior to gain approved leave.

Important Sports Dates:

• Saturday, 21 March: Final Round of IPSHA Saturday Sport and Year 3 Basketball competitions.
• Tuesday, 24 March: Trials commence for Year 3 Touch Football, IPSHA Hockey, and IPSHA Netball Trial.
• Wednesday, 1 April: Years 3-6 IPSHA Cross Country (selected students have been notified)

Have a wonderful week!

Mr Adrian Hammond
Primary Sport Coordinator

P&F Class Parent Events

Your Class Parents have been busy planning some wonderful events to bring together different cohorts across the school.

Events include:

• Kindergarten and Year 1 Family Outing
• Year 4 Easter Egg Hunt
• Year 5 Parent Dinner and Drinks
• Year 11 Parent/Daughter Film Screening Social
• Year 12 Parent and Carer Cocktail Party

Year 12 Parent & Carer Cocktail Party             

Date: Friday 27 March

Time: 7.00pm

Venue: Private Residence

Cost: $95 per person (includes beverages and canapes)

RSVP: by 24 March via Trybooking.

Year 4 Easter Egg Hunt

Date:    Thursday 2 April 

Time:    3.30pm – 5.00pm

Venue: Paddington Gates Playground, Centennial Park

Cost: $15 per child (includes bags and eggs, hot cross buns, cold drink and icy poles)

RSVP:  by Wednesday 1 April via Trybooking.

Kindergarten and Year 1 family combined outing – Alice in Wonderland followed by picnic & play in the Botanic Gardens

Kindergarten and Year 1 families, together with siblings and extended families are invited to join a morning of delight.

Date:    Saturday 11 April

Time:    10-11.30am Alice in Wonderland           

              11.30am-2pm Picnic & play time in the Botanical Gardens           

Venue: The Pioneer Garden, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

Cost:    Ticket to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ – $22 per person. Optional add on $28 for lunch box and water. Lunch box selection options include braised chicken sandwich, egg salad sandwich, Reuben sandwich, crunchy veggie

RSVP: 27 March via Trybooking.

Year 5 Parent Drinks & Dinner

Date:    Thursday 23 April

Time:    6.30pm – 10.30pm

Venue: The Royal Hotel, Paddington

Cost: $59.00 per person, includes food (canape based) and drink on arrival

RSVP: Thursday 16 April via Trybooking.

Year 11 Parent/Daughter Film Screening of the Devil Wears Prada 2

Date:  Wednesday 6 May

Time:  6.15pm – 8.30pm

Venue:  Randwick Ritz Cinema, 45 St Pauls Street, Randwick

Cost:  $20 per person

RSVP: via Trybooking