Using Public Transport – Tap On and Off every time!

Welcome back to Term 3! As we start the new term, we remind parents that we strongly encourage students to use public transport when they are old enough to do so safely, as it is a much greener option, reduces traffic, congestion and pollution, and builds independence in the girls. This option is only possible if we have enough bus services in our area to support this – and that means it is essential that all students Tap On and Off every time they use public transport.

To help us with this, we kindly ask all parents to:

• ensure that your children have a valid Opal card for travelling to and from school each day.
• remind them that it is essential that they Tap On and Off every time they use a bus or train service.

It is an important condition of the Student Code of Conduct when travelling that students must Tap On and Off with their School Opal Card or Child/Youth Opal Card every time when using public transport. This is so that Transport for NSW can understand customer travel patterns and modify or redistribute the services provided, if necessary.

Data from the Opal Network, particularly about student travel patterns, is a key piece of information in determining school bus routes – timing, frequency and the routes themselves.

Please note: Bus services in our area will be reduced if it appears as though other areas have a greater service usage rate and hence a greater need for these services.

Tapping On and Off demonstrates how frequently all bus routes are used by SCEGGS students, so please make sure your children Tap On and Off every time so that this data is accurate.

If your child’s School Opal Card has expired or been damaged, lost or stolen, please visit here to reapply.

Holly Gyton
Deputy Head of School

From the Chaplain

A Podcast About Fashion!

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope you have all had a good break over the holiday period. I look forward to seeing you throughout the semester and that the rest of the year goes well for you.

The SCEGGS Podcast “Walk The Mile” Episode 39: You are what you wear or you wear what you are?

Fashion has been fashionable since the dawn of time. The clothes we wear say a lot about us, the things that are important to us, how we see our place in the world. And fashion extends to all sorts of creative practices that we participate in. Madeleine Park has her own podcast which deals with this area of fashion and identity. We discuss her passion for fashion, her quest to gather a deeper understanding of societal trends and individual leanings, and the need for more thought and effort in the area of sustainable fashion. I found this to be an enlightening conversation  and hope you do too.

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.

Garry Lee-Lindsay
Chaplain

2024 Orientation and Subject Selection

As we start the new term, I would like to advise you of the 2024 Subject Selection Information sessions we will be holding in Week 4 of this term. As subject selection is very important, parents are encouraged to attend these meetings with their daughters. For each Year group, there will be a Subject Information Booklet distributed digitally (except the current Year 9 girls where last year’s booklet covers both years). These information booklets are distributed to the students beforehand and expand on the NSW Education Standard Authority (NESA) requirements and the details about the subjects offered. Representatives from each subject department will also be available at these orientations, where girls and parents will have the opportunity to ask questions and find out more information about the various courses.

Please note: ALL subject selections for 2024 must be submitted by Friday 1 September. After this date, elective lines for each Year group will be determined by the girls’ preferences, thus placing restrictions on student choices and changes to original preferences. I encourage all girls to think very carefully about their subject choices for next year and ensure that their form is in before the due date. Please do not hesitate to contact your daughter’s subject teachers or me if you have any questions about subject selections for next year.

Andrew Gallagher
Director of Curriculum

Year 10 Vaccination Clinic Date and Online Consent

In Week 2 of Term 3, all Year 10 Students will be offered the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine through the NSW School Vaccination Program offered by NSW Health on Thursday 27 July.

Parents can now provide consent online for their child’s routine school vaccinations. Vaccinations will only be provided at school if consent has been given.

• To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit here.
• 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.
• Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required.
• Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:
  • Enter your child’s personal details
  • Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
  • Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
  • Provide consent

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form directly from your child’s school.

We ask that Parents of Year 10 students complete their online consent form by Friday 21 July.

If your child misses the school vaccination clinic, the immunisation nurses will try to catch them up at their next visit. Consent can be provided online for any Year 7 students who missed the Term 1 Clinic, for them to be caught up with the dTpa and the HPV vaccinations at the upcoming Year 10 Clinic. Alternately, you can speak to a GP or pharmacist about catching up on vaccination.

For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit here. 

or if you have any questions, please contact South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit on:

9382 8333 (Ext 2).

If you require information in your language, please visit here.

Update regarding Year 7 & Year 8 Catch-up HPV Vaccinations

From February 2023, only one dose of HPV vaccination is required to be fully vaccinated. If your child is in Year 7 or above and previously missed their second dose of HPV vaccine, they are now considered fully vaccinated and do not require a second dose.

Phil Rogers
Director of Administration

From the Primary School

B Kinder Day

What a better way to end Term 2 than celebrate B Kinder Day! The school was a buzz of colour and excitement as the girls arrived through the gate in their best rainbow coloured outfits ready for a day focusing on spreading kindness far and wide!

This is now the fourth year that SCEGGS has celebrated B Kinder Day and it is certainly becoming one of the favourite days in the Primary School calendar. The girls know that kindness is a value that is very important to us and one that should be focused on every day not just one day a year. However, this day allows us to think more deeply about how we can be kind to ourselves, the environment and other people from both within and outside our community. 

This year the symbol for the day was a sunflower. The girls worked in their classes to make various versions of this bright flower and inside wrote a pledge that showed how they intend to spread kindness. The flowers displayed together certainly gave our playground a wonderful pop of colour and put a smile on my face each time I walked past. Some of the pledges included:

“I promise to be kind to everyone new or old and never say an unkind word.” – Olivia Liu (Year 6)

“I will be kind by smiling to others.” – Isabelle Lee (Year 3)

“I will help anyone who is hurt or sad.” – Aleisha Yeung (Year 4)

Another activity during the day saw the girls put together hampers of goods to donate to local organisations. Before putting the hampers together, the girls learnt a little bit about what these organisations do to help those in need and why their donations would be so helpful.

Kindy, Year 1 and Year 2 created boxes of gardening equipment to go to the Community Garden at Hope Street Baptist Care in Woolloomooloo. Years 3 and 4 put together hampers of toys, books and craft supplies for the children who go to the After School Program run at Hope Street Baptist Care, where some older SCEGGS girls volunteer. Years 5 and 6 created beautiful hampers of toiletries, female hygiene products and make-up for Lou’s Place, a refuge for women in Redfern.

The fun continued at lunchtime when the girls were joined by their teachers in the playground to dance and play games together. B Kinder Day concluded with the K-6 End of Term Assembly in the Great Hall. The focus of this was how we have spread kindness in the community this term. We heard from some Year 5 representatives about their experience at Kids Giving Back and some Year 6 girls shared about their local community service walk, where they made sandwiches and baked goods to deliver to homeless people in the local area. Ms Whitney, Miss Woodcock and Miss Jordan-Watt also shared how they give back to others in their own lives.

The money raised from the day will be given to the B Kinder Foundation who will put the funds towards providing resources for schools in need.

The generosity throughout the day was absolutely incredible! A big thank you to the girls and families for their thoughtful donations. We know these will be greatly appreciated.

Sarah Johnstone
Deputy Head of Primary: Student Wellbeing

Science News

During Term 2, students in Year 12 Chemistry worked hard on their titration skills in preparation for the RACI Titration Competition. We invited a number of Sydney Grammar School students to also attend our after-school practice sessions, and this formed a lovely collaboration.

Georgia McCormack said “The competition was excellent practice at patience and consistency which are both key skills for stem research! (it was also quite therapeutic!)”

Late last term, the teams competed in the Competition and we have some fantastic results to report – we gained first, second and third places in this division!!

First place went to the SCEGGS 7 team, which consisted of Isabella Morgan, Josephine Robson and Jessica Millin.

Second place went to the SCEGGS 3 team, which included Leyla Ozen, Georgia McCormack, Susanna Nagib.

Third place went to the SCEGGS 5 team, which included Chloe Norman, Grace Morrow and Vivienne Henry.

A big congratulations to those teams, as well as everyone who worked hard, practiced, and then put their skills to the test! Also a big THANK YOU goes to Ms Johnson and Mr Hanson for their time and effort in coaching the girls at lunches and afterschool. 

Mia Sharma
Science Teacher 

Primary Sport News

Welcome back, SCEGGS families and students, to an exhilarating Term 3, 2023! We hope you had a fantastic break and are ready to dive into an action-packed term filled with sports and activities that will surely make memories for years to come.

We are thrilled to announce the return of a wide range of sports and extracurriculars, providing our students with opportunities to showcase their talents and sportsmanship. If your daughter is looking to join as a late enrolment for one of our offerings, please send an email to TomMitton@sceggs.nsw.edu.au or BrittanyRobbins@sceggs.nsw.edu.au to see if there are places available!

On Saturdays, our girls will hit the field for the IPSHA AFL and IPSHA Touch Football competitions. These competitions allow our students to show their skills in their chosen sports, forge lasting memories and friendships, and compete against other local schools. Please check out the IPSHA Code of Conduct, which has been sent to all IPSHA schools, reminding parents, coaches and players of expectations while competing.

For our Year 3 students, we move onto Term 3 Sport at Ascham for their Minkey Hockey journey. This exciting and skill-building competition will undoubtedly nurture a love for hockey and instil values such as teamwork and perseverance. A reminder that matches begin next week. There will be a training session on Saturday morning from 8.30am-10.00am at Moore Park Fields, Robertson Road for all girls enrolled. Attendance is required.

We are committed to providing a supportive and encouraging environment where all students can develop their physical and mental prowess while having a blast. Whether your passion lies in team sports or individual activities, there is something for everyone in this term’s comprehensive sports program.

We extend our gratitude to our dedicated coaches, teachers, and parents who make these sporting events possible. Your unwavering support and enthusiasm are what drive our students to achieve their personal bests and grow both on and off the field.

So, let’s lace up those boots, pick up those hockey sticks, and get ready to hit the ground running! Together, let’s make Term 3, 2023 at SCEGGS one to remember! Go team!

Primary Sport Achievements

Congratulations to Clementine Finlayson (Year 4) who represented SEHA Under 11s team in Tamworth for the Kim Small Shield, which they won (in Div B). It was a massive weekend of hockey with Clementine playing 8 games of hockey and 2 games of indoor hockey over three days.

Help us celebrate any other achievements outside of school!

Does your daughter compete in any sport outside of school (for example, at a representative level or a sport we do not currently offer)? If so, I would love to celebrate their achievements by recognising them in this newsletter!

Please email any information (and photos, if possible) to Tom Mitton. These will be included in newsletters throughout the year.

Tom Mitton
PDHPE and Sport Coordinator: Primary

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at SCEGGS

“…a teaspoonful of resilience, a hot cupful of vitality…”

Half way through the year already – yes, for many of our candidates the first expedition of the year is done and dusted – amazingly, we have already led around 150 SCEGGS students on practice hikes in bushland around Sydney and the Blue Mountains – we hope it was a great experience for all, and that they are inspired and eager to embark on the Qualifying hike between now and year’s end. A reminder for any candidate that did not complete an intended hike that it’s not too late, there are still opportunities to do your two expeditions between now and the end of the year – just email or have a chat with Ms Bower.

We are jumping straight into the second round of expeditions this weekend, so we encourage our candidates to be organised, prepared, enthusiastic and motivated. As the year goes on and people can become tired, it’s tempting to delay a hike until “next time” – but as some of the senior students can attest, the further one gets through the year, the more the deadlines, dramas, surprises and setbacks can tie you up in knots – so take your opportunities to hike sooner rather than later, if possible.

For the same reason, candidates are best off keeping well ahead of schedule on their other Award Components – Volunteering, Skill, Recreation and, for the Golds, Residential. We encourage everyone to calculate an expected completion date based on the hours you have remaining and make that an aspirational deadline to work toward – put it in your diary, plan yourself a small reward for that week, tell friends and family that that’s your goal.

On more down-to-earth matters, we’ll remind you that camping over the next few months entails embracing all that a Sydney winter can offer – sparkling clear days with crystal sun-rays and the sharp nips of a frosty morning on the fingertips, but also long cold nights, and the potential of skin-anesthetising wind or rain. Plan carefully for the expected conditions, attend and engage with the group meetings, and listen to any advice from your Award Leaders with great regard – we’ve been doing this long enough to know all the mistakes and pitfalls that can occur, and have the best intentions to minimise your discomfort or disappointment.

So, all that said, let the adventures begin! Let’s make every trip a thoroughly memorable and exciting one with mindful planning, a teaspoonful of resilience, a hot cupful of vitality, and a backpack topped up with enthusiasm! Good luck to all, we can’t wait to share the grand outdoors with you on your next endeavour.

Joanne Bower and Doric Swain
Duke of Edinburgh Award Co-ordinators

The Australian Economics Olympiad

For the first time, five Year 12 SCEGGS students entered the Australian Economics Olympiad competition (AEO) which is a series of fun, challenging activities aimed at refining and testing high school students’ mastery of economics.  The AEO builds on and tests students’ knowledge and problem-solving abilities in economics and develops their skills in applying economic facts and reasoning to problems in policy, business, and finance.

We congratulate Josephine Robson, Sienna Monahan, Laura Davies, Angelica Philips and Stella Hopkins for their efforts. The first round was a 2 hour multiple choice and short answer test with two students: Laura Davies and Stella Hopkins, progressing to the final round. Some of the questions involved topical issues in the economy such as JobKeeper, fiscal and monetary policy, climate change and natural disasters.

In the second round, students were allocated group members from other schools and had to create a policy case study to enumerate the benefits and drawbacks of each type of permanent migration to Australia as a whole, as seen through an economic lens. Then, they had to advise on changes, if any, to Australia’s migration targets now and over the next five years, based on economic arguments and tools that prioritise growth in the welfare of “Australians”.

This was a challenging task given the timeframe, the need for collaboration across states, and the general nature of the question. Both students were resilient and presented their case study to an audience of economists. Congratulations to Laura Davies, who was part of the winning team based on the quality of their case study Power Point! Their presentation was well-researched, detailed and accurately explained. Here are a few excerpts:

Joanna Hung
Social Sciences Teacher

Visual Arts

The Art Department invite you to join our cocurricular program for Semester 2.

This semester we offer Darkroom Photography, Observational Drawing, and a Painting course. Tutors are experienced educators and highly regarded practising artists in their own field. Darkroom Photography is run by Ian Lever who is a professional photographer with several decades of national and international experience. His work is widely acknowledged especially his social documentation of Sydney Life. Ian’s work is represented in the collections of the State Library and the National Gallery of Australia. Lilli Stromland is a Graduate of the National Art School and an exceptionally skilled artist with an established fine arts career. Lilli is attracting a strong commercial following and is due to open her latest show at Mars Gallery in Melbourne in August.

Classes are as follows:

Classes are capped at 5 for each session of Darkroom Photography and 15 for Drawing and Painting. Art students are given priority enrolment in Years 9 to 12 with possible non-elective student enrolment available if space is available.

Please enrol here.

Enrolments close tomorrow. Please get your enrolment registered as soon as you can as classes are very popular and places fill quickly!

Classes commence in Week 2.

We are looking forward to another amazing term of fun with all our students!

On behalf of all the Art Department.

This week’s banner is a work from Year 8 student Olympia Batchelar.

Heidi Jackson
Head of Visual Arts

Year 11 Studies of Religion 2 Olympiad

In the last lesson of Term 2, Year 11 Studies of Religion 2 participated in the Inaugural SOR2 Olympiad. Student knowledge and understanding was tested in an informal, round-robin style approach. A relaxed, yet competitive environment ensued and a big congratulations goes out to the three students who tied for first place: Leyla Bensan, Daisy Singleton and Chiara Weaver. These students demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of course content and received a trophy for their efforts! Here is what Leyla Bensan had to say about the experience:

“The Olympiad that Mrs Simpson made for us was so fun!! From it we were able to flex our knowledge that we’d gained over the semester, and practice answering questions in a casual environment together. Music was played, and we all chatted and danced as we learnt, and got even closer as a class. Our SOR2 class is much like a family, and we all care for each other and want us all to do well, so it was a wonderful way to finish the term. We all love having Mrs Simpson as our teacher, and find the subject so fascinating, as learning about different religions is so applicable to everyday life, and from each religious tradition is a valuable perspective and way of life that we can all learn from and incorporate into our own lives in some way. For any girls curious about the subject for Year 11, we’d all encourage you to try! For many of us it is, a lifeboat amongst all the subjects- a warm community and environment.”

Lidia Simpson
Religious Education Teacher 

Music Matters

Spinifex Gum – Congratulations!

On Wednesday 21 June 47 very excited SCEGGS secondary choristers partnered with Gondwana Choirs and Sydney Symphony Orchestra to present Spinifex Gum in the Concert Hall of Sydney Opera House. This work composed by Melbourne’s Felix Riebl, a part protest and part celebration of a modern Australian song cycle addressing pervasive issues of indigenous social disparity, deaths in custody, disproportionate incarceration and land rights.  This sold-out concert featured the Cairns based ensemble Marliya which is made up of talented and passionate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teenage female singers.  Our SCEGGS choristers invested much time in rehearsals to prepare for such a high level performance and were thrilled with the artistic result of sharing the stage with the musicians of the Sydney Symphony and some of Australia’s best young singers. Year 12 SCEGGS chorister Maggie-Rose Dunlop responded to participating in this performance by saying “it was truly just the best experience. It was such a privilege and an honour to be able to sing with such a confident group of young women who, through their talents, are able to provoke almost every emotion at the same time, as they share important messages and stories that are essential, not only to Australian history, but to all Australian lives today. By being on stage with Marilya Choir and sharing these messages with them, we placed ourselves, our families, our friends and our teachers into such a powerful and united position, where we were able to encourage change to happen within our society and where we are able to live in recognition of the past and begin to move forward together. It was also an incredibly valuable opportunity to get a taste of professional music and to be part of something bigger than us. It was one of my favourite performances I’ve been lucky enough to ever take part in.”

Music Week Concert featuring ‘Legendary Jazz singer’ Emma Pask

The SCEGGS Music department are very excited to share a series of concerts and activities next week for MUSIC Week.  This year Australia’s legendary Jazz singer Emma Pask and her Musical Director Mr Kevin Hunt will be coming to SCEGGS from Tuesday of Week 2 to workshop scat techniques with our Elective Music classes.  Emma will also be coming to workshop with some of the featured ensembles who are performing in this special Music Week concert on Thursday 27 July 6pm. 

Emma was spotted by renowned Australian Jazz great James Morrison to join his band as lead vocalist.  She was only 16 years old at the time!  She then toured with James Morrison and his big band around the world for 20 years.  Some of Emma’s performance highlights has included performing at the wedding of Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, singing for the late Diana Princess of Wales and Princess Mary of Denmark.  Emma is also the ‘Mo’ award winner for Jazz Vocalise of the year.  She has also received Aria nominations for Best Jazz Album of the Year in 2014 and 2016.  Emma has also opened for the Grammy award winning American vocalist Kurt Elling on his 2018 Australian tour.  During the 2020 COVID-lockdown, Emma was also chosen by The Sydney Opera House to launch the first of their live streamed concerts.

To secure your seats to this free concert – please book via TryBooking.  We look forward to sharing a very special evening of Jazz with you next term.

Please see below the series of lunchtime concerts outlined for Music Week:

HSC Music Concert 2

An invitation to staff, family and friends of our Year 12 Music 1 & 2 students to come and come and listen to the students’ performances this evening at 6pm in the Great Hall.  The concert is part of the students’ preparation leading to their Trial HSC Assessments.  We would love to see as many of you as possible to support our students.

B Kinder Day

The Primary Percussion Ensemble and Primary String Octet performed beautifully at the B Kinder Day K-6 Assembly at the end of last term. Ms Jayne Groves directed the talented percussionists in a piece that she wrote with her partner and SCEGGS percussion tutor Matt Moore wrote called “Eat Play Sleep”. This terrific piece was written about life at a music camp, with all the musicians in the ensemble engaged and busy throughout the performance, with catchy rhythms and wonderful sounds. The Primary String Octet lead the assembly in the School Song and national anthem. The string players and percussionists then joined forces in the Assembly finale “Under the Sea” from the The Little Mermaid and the impromptu massed singing was an uplifting finish to the end of term K-6 Assembly!

Upcoming Music Events

Term 3

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

SCEGGS writers shortlisted for the “What Matters?” Writing Competition

We are excited to announce that Anna Slack (Year 6) and Georgia O’Keefe (Year 9) have both been shortlisted in the “What Matters?” writing competition. Run by the Whitman Institute, this competition asks students to write 500 word pieces on a topic that they are passionate about. Anna wrote about the importance of the written word throughout history and its ability to encourage vital societal discussion and debate. Georgia drew from Sylvia Plath’s conceit comparing opportunities to figs on a tree in order to explore the temporal and precious nature of the opportunities we are given in our life. We are very proud of the thoughtful and passionate pieces of writing and wish Anna and Georgia all the best as the shortlist is judged before the winners are announced in September. All shortlisted entries can be read at the Whitlam website.

Jennifer Bean
Head of English

Public Speaking

Term 1 and 2 saw many students represent the school in a range of public speaking competitions, we congratulate them all. Special congratulations to Sadie Juneja (Year 9) for progressing to the State Final of the Rostrum Voice of Youth. Sadie wrote and delivered two 6 minute prepared speeches for the different levels of this competition as well as delivering entertaining and informative impromptu speeches at the final two levels. Sadie beat hundreds of other students and was one of just 6 students representing NSW in the State Final. 

The Legacy Public Speaking Competition will take place next week, Sofia Tzouganatos (Year 7) and Isobel Weston (Year 7) will represent the school in this competition.  We wish them the best of luck.

Elizabeth Walsh
Speech and Public Speaking

P&F Primary School Winter Wonderland Disco

The ‘Winter Wonderland’ SCEGGS P&F Primary Discos will be held on Friday 28 July in the Great Hall at the following times:

• Kindergarten to Year 3 from 3.30 pm to 5 pm
• Years 4 to 6 from 6 pm to 7.30 pm

Dismissal Information

All students will be dismissed in a car line from the Great Hall. At the conclusion of each event, staff will be located on St. Peters Street and we ask that you drive down the street in a car line until you can safely stop to collect your daughter. Please remain in your car and a staff member will bring her to you.

A reminder that a ticket for your daughter can be purchased using the Trybooking link previously sent via email. Bookings close at 5 pm on Wednesday 26 July.

Please contact me if you have any queries regarding the organisation of the evening.

Gabriela Grocott
Manager of Primary Administration and Operations