From Ms Allum

Welcome back to a new term! I hope you had a good holiday and your daughters are looking forward to another exciting term of opportunity and hard work. It was lovely seeing everyone back yesterday and celebrating our 127th birthday with our Foundation Day Assembly.

You might be aware of the “pink coloured” terrace house on the corner of Bourke Street and St Peter’s Street, adjacent to the SCEGGS campus. As a property with an entrance and driveway in St Peter’s Street, we have long considered this one of the most strategic properties around us.

Unexpectedly, the terrace was about to be put on the market at the end of last term, and fortunately for us, we are very pleased to have been able to acquire the property.

Why is this such a strategic acquisition for the school?
As you may be aware, our team of school counsellors is currently located in Wilkinson House. The proposed redevelopment of Wilkinson House provides for larger classrooms and additional sporting facilities while still retaining the same exterior walls and building envelope, so naturally some of the school services currently located in Wilkinson House need to be moved to other places around the campus. The school counsellors are one of these services that we will need to relocate. In addition, we have been considering how we might be able to provide increased specialist wellbeing student support facilities for our students. With minimal refurbishment, this terrace will allow us to provide a welcoming, comfortable, homely student wellbeing hub and counselling service in a convenient location. Positively, we can establish this new hub before any potential redevelopment of Wilkinson House commences.

In addition to the vastly improved teaching and learning spaces that will be created for a 21st-century learning environment in Wilkinson House, we recognise the increasing need to provide specialised well-being student support – we believe that to learn well, our students have to be well, and so the terrace will allow us to develop a dedicated space where students can access resources and support in a slightly more private and discreet setting.

So we are thrilled with this purchase and I look forward to unveiling our new refurbished purchase over the next few months.

I hope you all have a good term.

Thinking Allowed – Designing a Career in Teaching

In this issue of Thinking Allowed, SCEGGS Old Girl and staff member Maevie McEvoy writes about the joy of unlocking her passion and her journey to fulfilling her ambitions in teaching.

As a young person, the road to discovering the perfect career path is not always straightforward. I feel incredibly lucky to have somewhat stumbled upon my passion for education, which I am now in the process of turning into a career. 

I started my job at SCEGGS as the TAS Assistant in 2020. After completing a Bachelor of Media Arts (Hons) at UNSW Art and Design, specialising in animation, I was unsure which direction I wanted to pursue. I noted that most of my fellow graduates embarked on careers in the media industry, but that didn’t appeal to me. So, I tried my hand at freelance animation and design, but I found this experience unsatisfying as it didn’t provide me with enough opportunities to explore my creative side. This did not deter my drive to pave my own path!

Growing up in a household of educators (my father was a university professor and lecturer, and my mother was, and still is, a ceramics teacher), I had always thought about working in the education sector but was unsure exactly what that might look like. Fortuitously, I gained my first experience working with children whilst working with my mother who runs Ceramics in Schools. In this role, I was often involved with large scale projects such as creating ceramic murals depicting students’ work. This was the spark that ignited my passion for working with children and young adults. I found the act of teaching an individual a new skill, to the point where they could then create something completely unique and amazing, incredibly rewarding. So, I was set on gaining more experience working creatively with children. This led me to my current job as TAS Assistant, which has turned out to be the perfect stepping stone towards beginning my teaching career. 

As soon as I started working in the SCEGGS TAS Department I knew I was exactly where I wanted to be. Ironically, I did not study Design and Technology while I was at school, but it didn’t take me long to realise that it provided the perfect foundation to explore all my interests. I may be biased, but I do strongly believe that Design and Technology is the subject of the future! It is an incredibly well-rounded, versatile subject that teaches students valuable and practical skills and it encourages students to contribute to society responsibly and ethically through creative and innovative design processes. Being exposed to the content of the Design and Technology syllabus as well as working alongside the wonderfully creative teachers in the TAS Department cemented my conviction that becoming a Design and Technology teacher was right for me.

I suppose initially I was apprehensive about joining the teaching profession due to the reports of teachers being overworked, undervalued, and underpaid. But I soon realised, not only by virtue of working at a wonderful school like SCEGGS, that these fears were far outweighed by the delight of being a part of a student’s success in learning. In my current role, I have had incredible opportunities to help students with their creative projects utilising a diverse range of technologies, and have enjoyed witnessing the students unleash their creativity and helping them to develop practical skills to solve genuine, relevant, real-world problems. Thus, since gaining further insight into the teaching profession by working at SCEGGS, my passion for teaching crystallised and I came to the realisation that I would like to pursue a teaching career. 

In 2021, I was one of the incredibly fortunate members of staff to receive a SCEGGS Professional Learning Scholarship. This scholarship is assisting me in my career aim of becoming a fully-fledged Design and Technology teacher. I have just completed my first semester of studies and am enjoying every second of it. 

Through my studies and experience of working at a school, I am continuously reminded of how vitally important the profession is to society. To be able to provide a child or young adult with education, that will in turn empower their future, is a special opportunity which must be valued. It has become clear to me that teaching is not just based on having an area of expertise and a willingness to share it with others. I have been impressed by the wide scope and quality of knowledge and skills that teachers are required to have to become successfully qualified in Australia, further demonstrating the complex, multi-faceted nature of the profession. 

Teachers play a critical role in not only furthering an individual’s academic development, but they also influence the growth of an individual’s personal character. Successful teachers realise their ability to responsibly influence and shape the values and beliefs of the next generation. Therefore, it is essential for teachers to keep abreast of the innovations within the profession and maintain a dynamic approach to their practice. Teaching is a challenging, yet highly rewarding, noble profession, and I look forward to joining the profession with eager anticipation.

Maevie McAvoy
TAS Assistant

Festival on Forbes

There are less than 31 sleeps until the Festival on Forbes on 21 August! The Fair Committee is looking forward to hosting the most fabulous fair ever!

Here, you can read about:

• Drop-off Arrangements for Vintage Clothing, Sporting Goods, Books, & Wine & Chocolate Wheel

• Year 8 Cake Stall

• School Fee Raffle
• Silent Auction

Drop-off Arrangements for Vintage Clothing, Sporting Goods, Books, & Wine & Chocolate Wheel

1. Proceed NORTH on Forbes St, towards the Green Gate @ no. 215. Just BEFORE you reach the Green Gate, on the LEFT is the entrance to the FORBES ST CAR PARK.
   

2. Turn LEFT into the carpark, being mindful of pedestrian traffic at this time of day. If there is a queue, please do a lap of the school, instead of blocking the carpark entrance.  To do this, head down the hill, turn LEFT at St Peters Lane, then turn LEFT at Bourke St, then turn LEFT at Liverpool St, then LEFT into Forbes St.

3. Once you have entered the carpark, there will be specific parking spots reserved for donations to be unloaded and taken to the Old Gym.

**look out for the Festival on Forbes VOLUNTEERS in high vis  who will help you**

Year 8 Cake Stall

The Year 8 class parents are deliciously tasked with organising the cakes, gourmet sweets and coffee stalls. In due course, families will be asked to contribute baked goods for this stall. However, if you are unable to bake goods for the stalls, donations to cover the costs of running the stalls are gratefully appreciated.

Your chance to win at the SCEGGS Fabulous Festival on Forbes – 50% off your daughter’s school fees for 2023

The SCEGGS Trust in conjunction with the P&F’s Festival on Forbes, will again be running the very popular School Fees Raffle at the 2022 Festival on Forbes.

First Prize:                           50% off your daughter’s school fees for 2023

Runner-up Prizes:            4 x $250 Voucher for the SCEGGS School Shop

Ticket Price:                      $100 for one ticket
                                             $175 for two tickets
                                             $400 for five tickets

To purchase your tickets and for T&C’s please follow the link below:
https://www.trybooking.com/BZIHP

This year all funds raised will be directed to the Light Her Path Campaign in support of the redevelopment of Wilkinson House. 

Thank you for your support – We look forward to seeing you at the 2022 Festival on Forbes.

Good Luck!   

Silent Auction

One of the major fundraisers for the Festival is the Silent Auction, and the P&F work hard with the wider community to obtain brilliant prizes. Donations to the Silent Auction have an enormous impact on the Festival’s success and we value greatly the generosity of every donor who contributes to the auction.

Already many families and local businesses have donated to the Silent Auction generously. To name just a few:  

• Two night stay in Kangaroo Valley
• Three night stay in Byron Bay
• Dinner at some of Sydney’s most recognised restaurants including Pompei’s, Ezra and Nomad
• A range of fine wines
• Wonderful work experience opportunities for students
• Private Curator tour of Sydney Modern Project building for 10 guests, courtesy of the Art Gallery of New South Wales

The Festival on Forbes Committee would love to hear from you if you wish to donate or source prizes for the Auction. If you have any queries or ideas, please contact our Silent Auction Coordinator, Jenne Tsangaris   or Director of Development, Daisy Bahen.

Many thanks for your support.

For Festival on Forbes information from previous editions of Behind the Green Gate, click here or email sceggsfof2022@gmail.com with any questions or queries.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram! 

Traffic and Parking Trial – Forbes and Bourke Streets

Parents who pick up their girls from SCEGGS in the afternoon will be familiar with the issues we encounter in both Forbes Street and Bourke Street.  While certainly not a new issue, the congestion of cars between 2:45pm and 4pm is significant and creates frustration for our parents and also the local neighbours too.

We have been working collaboratively with both the City of Sydney and our local community to look at measures to improve traffic flow around SCEGGS, particularly during the afternoon peak.

As a result, City of Sydney has agreed to a trial of new parking arrangements on both Forbes and Bourke Streets for Terms 3 and 4 of 2022.  The trial arrangements are designed to improve parking access for school buses and allocate a clearly designated area for pick-up of passengers.

City of Sydney has recently installed new street signs on both Forbes and Bourke Streets with the new parking restrictions.  Additionally, we have appointed a qualified Traffic Controller who will be stationed on Forbes Street in the afternoon.  Their role will be to assist parents to comply with the new rules and to ensure the best possible flow of traffic.  Specifically, the Traffic Controller will:

1. Direct drivers not to park across the pedestrian crossing at the Green Gate;
2. Ensure drivers are not double-parked waiting to collect their passengers;
3. Direct drivers to move on if they cannot park within the signed “No Parking” zone on Forbes Street AND direct drivers to move on if they remain in the “No Parking” zone for more than the two minutes allowed; and
4. Ensure the parking and traffic rules are being adhered to.

During the trial, City of Sydney Rangers will increase their patrols around SCEGGS.  The Rangers, together with our Traffic Controller, will monitor any incidents/observations as part of the trial.

Note that Rangers do have the power to issue fines and demerit points to drivers breaching the rules.

We believe the trial arrangements for Terms 3 and 4 will have a positive effect on traffic flow around SCEGGS.  This will be of great benefit to drivers picking up their girls, and more importantly, it will improve safety for our students.  It also demonstrates to our neighbours that we are working with them to minimise disruption during peak pick-up and drop-off times.

Please familiarise yourself with the revised parking arrangements for both Forbes and Bourke Streets which can be found here.  Also, when necessary, please follow the guidance and direction provided by the Traffic Controller on duty.  Their role is to make sure drivers are complying with the rules and we ask you to treat them with respect and understanding.

At the conclusion of Term 4, City of Sydney staff will analyse the effectiveness of the measures to determine the success (or otherwise) of the trial arrangements.

We thank you for your co-operation and look forward to improved traffic flow around SCEGGS.

 
Jenny Allum
Head of School

COVID Update

Reducing the risk of illnesses in Term 3                                                                                          

NSW Health reports that there has been an increase in COVID-19 transmission in the community over the holidays and that the incidence of influenza cases remains high too. With this in mind, we encourage all families to follow NSW Health’s advice to reduce the risk of all illnesses that may affect the SCEGGS community this term.

Household contacts

Students and staff who are identified as household contacts can attend school if:

• They have absolutely NO symptoms and feel well
• Parents/carers notify the school beforehand that a student is intending to return under this provision, by emailing absences@sceggs.nsw.edu.au
• They conduct a daily RAHT and return a negative result each morning before attending school for a week (5 school days).
• Staff and students who are household contacts must wear a mask indoors, except when eating or exercising. It is recommended that primary students follow these same guidelines wherever possible.

Staff and students who have had COVID-19 in the last 4 weeks do not have to comply with these guidelines for household contacts and are not required to self-isolate unless they develop new COVID-19 symptoms.

Masks

Masks continue to be mandatory in several cases:

• On buses, trains and other public transport: this applies to all staff and to students aged 12 years and older. It applies when travelling to and from school, and during school excursions, by public transport or by chartered transport services.
• Mask wearing is mandatory indoors for staff and high school students returning to school as household contacts for a week (5 school days) and is recommended for primary school students in the same situation.

In addition, staff and students are strongly encouraged to wear masks indoors during the first four weeks of Term 3, if they wish to do so. While it is not mandatory, it is important that our community is a safe and supportive environment for everyone, and that we respect the personal choices made by students and staff and the diversity of individual health circumstances associated with the decisions about wearing masks.

If your daughter is unwell

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.

In general

We can all protect our loved ones and the community in general by:

• staying home if unwell, sick or 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 into a tissue which is immediately disposed of.
• keeping up to date with vaccinations, including the flu vaccine.
• testing immediately for COVID-19 if you have any symptoms and isolating until you receive a negative result.

Please help us keep everyone in our community as safe and well as possible this term!

Holly Gyton
Deputy Head of School

K-12 School Attendance Reminders

Attendance at school is a legal requirement for every student under the age of 17 unless:

• leave has been granted by the Head of School in advance
• an emergency or unforeseen situation arises
• they are sick or have a medical/dental appointment.

If your daughter is unable to attend school due to illness or an emergency

Parents should notify the School before 9.30am when their daughter is absent for any reason. It is important that this communication includes the reason for the student’s absence. Any leave for reasons other than illness or an unforeseen situation should be sought well in advance from the Head of School, wherever possible.

Requesting Permission for Other Leave

Parents should be aware of the importance of school attendance except in the most extreme circumstances. To apply for other leave, parents should email Jenny Allum directly, giving the reasons for the leave sought, and with plenty of notice. Approval of such leave is completely at the discretion of the Head of School. The cumulative effects of student absence from school can be quite significant. For example, a student who is absent for more than 7 days every semester will miss more than a full school year over their 13 years of school if the pattern continues.

Students involved in elite sporting programs who have training schedules that may impact on their arrival at school on specific mornings for a short period of time should also apply directly to the Head of School for permission.

On very rare occasions, parents may also apply for Exemption from Attendance at School for their daughter. In this situation it must be “clearly demonstrated by the applicant that an exemption is in the student’s best interests in the short and long term and that alternatives to exemption have been considered”. For example, employment in the entertainment industry for a short period of time may be one such situation.

Absences notes/emails must be provided within 7 days

• Parents must provide a written explanation for any full day or partial absence (arriving late or leaving early). The explanation must include the reason for their daughter’s absence from school.
• Parents can provide written explanations in one of THREE ways: by providing an email from a registered parental contact email address, by submitting a form through the Parent Portal or by handwriting an absence note and signing it.
• In accordance with the National Standards for Student Attendance Data Reporting, parents MUST provide this written explanation within 7 calendar days of their daughter’s absence, or the absence will be recorded in a category labelled “unexplained or unjustified absence”. After 7 days, a written explanation must still be provided, but for our official records, for school reports and for records provided to Government agencies such as the Department of Education and the Department of Human Services, the absence must remain categorised as unexplained/unjustified.

Holly Gyton
Deputy Head of School

Light Her Path: Re-development of Wilkinson House and the Planning Process

This week, there was media interest in the re-development of Wilkinson House and we wanted to share an overview of the development process. We are very grateful for the community support for the re-development which is part of the School’s long-term strategic plan and at the centre of this year’s Light Her Path Campaign.

Wilkinson House, on the corner of Forbes and St Peters Streets, is currently used as classrooms, was formerly the School’s boarding house and previously residential flats. The current building is not fit for purpose, and the re-development project aims to ensure the School can make the most of our small footprint of inner-city land and provide our students with a contemporary learning environment.

Conditional Development Consent was granted by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) in May 2020 to the concept development of the SCEGGS Campus in three stages. The IPC did not approve the application for the demolition of Wilkinson House and construction of a new replacement building.

SCEGGS considered the feedback from the IPC and undertook a design competition which resulted in the selection of Smart Design Studio as project architect to develop a new vision for Wilkinson House.

In embarking on the revised plans, architect William Smart said, “Transforming Wilkinson House into an excellent learning environment is not a simple task, nor is it driven by a desire to change the appearance of the building. Most of the proposed changes are created to achieve compliance with building codes and standards, which have changed dramatically since the creation of this building.

Our design focuses on maximising the internal space available and creating an environment that is sustainable, accessible, safe, efficient, durable and highly functional. We’ve proposed minimal changes to the exterior so that the building will continue to read as a handsome Emil Sodersten brick building for a long time into the future.”

Community and stakeholder engagement on the new plans for Wilkinson house was undertaken during August 2021. Engagement comprised a community information and feedback meeting with Thompson Street residents and the East Sydney Neighbours Association (ESNA) in attendance. A separate information and feedback session was undertaken with residents of the Horizon building.

There was overwhelming support for the concept which incorporated the retention of most of the Wilkinson House façade and the retention and reuse of significant building features. Feedback also highlighted concerns relating to traffic access and the management of construction vehicles during construction and the management of noise and dust issues associated with the project.

As required by the Concept approval for the Master Plan, the School prepared a Heritage Conservation Management Plan for the entire campus in consultation with the City of Sydney and the Department of Planning which was approved in December 2021.

Revised plans and specialists reports for the adaptive reuse of Wilkinson House were submitted to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment in December 2021 to undergo the required “Test-of-Adequacy” prior to formal assessment.

Supplementary information was requested, prepared and the formal Development Application, which included separate Heritage Conservation Management Plan for Wilkinson House, was lodged in February 2022 and placed on public exhibition between 7 March and 5 April 2022.

Of the seven submissions that were received following public exhibition, six were from residents of the Horizon building solely concerned with noise, disruption and traffic during the build along with the ongoing traffic management in Forbes Street and St Peters Street. The additional submission was from the City of Sydney Council related to the above, along with some points relating to heritage aspects of the proposal. The school prepared and submitted a formal response to the submissions received as part of the planning and development process.

We have been very fortunate to have so much support through the development process – through our heritage consultants, architects, and their ongoing consultation with the heritage specialists in the City of Sydney’s planning assessment team, the Department of Planning and other key stakeholders. We are very pleased with the progress to date and the fact that we can create an important future for Wilkinson House while respecting the heritage and history of the building.

We are currently in the final stages of the approval process having addressed key issues raised in the submissions received following the consultation process and exhibition period and maintained ongoing discussions with both the Department of Planning and City of Sydney Council. We are hopeful that a conditional consent may be issued during Term 3. The tender process and commencement of works will then be planned to commence as soon as possible.   

The Capital Campaign Committee

Secondary Athletics Carnival – CANCELLED

Unfortunately the weather has defeated us and our Athletics Carnival, which was scheduled at Hensley Athletics Field tomorrow, has had to be cancelled.

With the rain we have already had, the forecast for intermittent rain showers tomorrow and the limited shelter/facilities at this particular field, it was not looking like a pleasant day for anyone!

The regular Friday “Day 10” timetable will operate for all students in Year 7-12 tomorrow, with students in full school uniform as expected on any regular school day.

We look forward to being back at the revamped ES Marks Athletics Field for our Athletics Carnival next year – hopefully bigger and better than ever!

Alison Gowan
Director of Sport

Music Matters

Inter-House Music Competition – Congratulations!                                                               

Congratulations to Langley, who are the winners of this year’s Inter-House Music Competition.  This year’s theme Musical Heroines were met by all Houses with an eclectic selection of songs of varying styles.  Langley had performed the following items for their winning performance:

Small Ensemble: Rolling in the Deep by Adele.  As described by the students – Rolling in the Deep is a unique mix of gospel and disco that navigates between the need for both power and vulnerability as a female artist. It was awarded 2012 Song of the Year at the Grammys and is one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Large Ensemble: I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor describes the discovery of personal strength after a bad relationship, but its significance extends far beyond heartbreak- it has since become a powerful symbol of female empowerment as well as a beacon of hope in the LGBTI community. Since its release in 1978, it has been famously covered by the likes of Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross and will continue to inspire women for generations to come.

Congratulations also to:

Docker – 2^nd Place

Christian – 3^rd Place

The adjudicators for this year’s competition, Dr Jo Lawry and Mr Simon Burke AO, thought all performances were of a very high standard and were impressed with the students’ creativity with their musical arrangements.  Well done everyone!

Sing And String Workshop with Eric Avery

The SCEGGS Choir, Madrigal Singers and Amati Strings participated in a Sing and String Workshop this week with First Nations musician Eric Avery. Eric is a violinist, vocalist, dancer and composer from the Ngiyampaa, Yuin and Gumbangirr people of NSW. He works with his family’s custodial songs and his haunting compositions often feature him singing while playing violin, predominantly in the Ngiyampaa language. Eric has performed with the Black Arm Band, the Byron Bay Bluesfest, as the opening act for Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens and was awarded a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship in 2021. He has gained an international reputation, appearing alongside some of the greatest artists of our time, from Yo-Yo Ma to Tina Arena. We look forward to Eric’s collaboration with SCEGGS choristers and musicians in performance at the NAIDOC Assembly on Monday.

Eric Avery is the face of the current Optus ad that you may have seen on television. 

Change of Date – SCEGGS HSC ENCORE Concert

The date of the SCEGGS HSC ENCORE Concert has been changed to Thursday 25 August – Great Hall, 6pm.  We look forward to sharing the Year 12 Class of 2022’s music performances with the school community in this free concert. 

All Elective Music students are also encouraged to attend this performance with their parents to experience and support the work of the senior Music students.

Woodwind and Brass Concert Sign-Up: Term 3 Week 3 Thursday 4 August

Woodwind and Brass students are invited to perform in the Woodwind and Brass Concerts scheduled in Week 3 on Thursday 4 August.

Primary

Secondary

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.

Closing date for the sign-up is Monday 1 August.

Licentiate of Music (LMusA) – Rebecca Colwell

Congratulations to Rebecca Colwell (Year 10) who received her LMusA (Licentiate of Music, Australia) diploma in an award ceremony at Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the end of Term 2.  This is an amazing achievement as the national success rate for this diploma is around 10% of candidates.  Well done Rebecca!

Term 3 Calendar of Music Events

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

ICAS Competitions in the Primary School

Each year, girls in Years 3-6 can participate in a range of ICAS competitions. These competitions, developed by UNSW, are designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics and Science. Girls in Years 3-6 can complete ICAS English and ICAS Mathematics and girls in Years 4-6 can also complete ICAS Science.

This year, participation in ICAS will be optional. These assessments will take place before school at 7.30am on selected days. Please see below for details of the ICAS Assessment schedule.

If you would like your daughter to participate in any of the ICAS competitions, please visit the online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global. The ICAS English, Mathematics and Science competitions cost $19.25 each.

Click on the link below to access the Parent Payment System to register your daughter. You will then be asked to enter the school’s access code.

All online payments close on Monday 1 August 2022. Please ensure you have registered and paid the entry fee by this date. It will not be possible to register past this date.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Cristi Wilsmore
Deputy Head of Primary (Teaching and Learning)

SPAN Event – Career Foundations

Book your tickets today for our SPAN event: Career Foundations – The tools you need to build a rewarding career.

Our stellar panel of industry leaders will share their insights on how to enhance your employability, effectively search for a job, compose a cover letter and resume, refine your interview etiquette and use social media to connect and network to help you consolidate your career toolkit.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from: Ian Narev (CEO, SEEK), Angus Dawson (Managing Partner, McKinsey, Australia and New Zealand), Heather Gyton Carroll (Head of Marketing, Janus Henderson Investors) and Jenny Allum . The Panel will be moderated by Holly Gyton.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Nobel Laureate and Holiday Science

During the holidays, girls had the opportunity to attend a real Scientific Conference on Batteries and Energy solutions for our world. During an action-packed day, students attended presentations by Dr Gavin Harper from the University of Birmingham about recycling batteries and Professor Vanessa Peterson from ANSTO about how nuclear particles from our local nuclear reactor in Sydney can be used to improve batteries.

Students also heard a very thought-provoking presentation by Nobel Laureate Professor Stan Wittingham encouraging more action on climate change and encouraging students and younger Scientists to get involved in innovating solutions to current problems.

During morning tea, students Speed-Scienced (like Speed-Dating but better!!), having the opportunity to meet and chat informally to various Scientists about their career, research areas and aspirational goals. Students also learnt about making Scientific posters and had the chance to assess the variety of Scientific posters on display. Students particularly enjoyed finding some of the best and some of the not so good posters! See if you can guess which is which…

Some students were very lucky and had the opportunity to control the newest and latest Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) including observing their own hair under the microscope and examining electrode materials for batteries.

At the end of the day, students were excited to be provided with a kit to make batteries from lemons at home. Overall, it was a day full of amazing opportunities! A big thank you goes out to the International Meeting on Lithium Batteries and the Australian Battery Society for hosting this event!

Mia Sharma
Science Teacher

From the Business Office

The Term 3 tuition fee invoice was emailed to parents/guardians on 5 July 2022 and was due for payment yesterday, 20 July 2022.

Thank you to all parents and guardians who have paid their fees.  Timely payment greatly assists us to manage cashflow allowing us to provide the best possible education for SCEGGS girls.

If you have not paid your fees or have a balance outstanding on your account, we kindly request payment before the end of July as the account is now overdue.

We understand that emails may not reach the intended recipient, or they may be overlooked.  If that is the case, please contact us at accountsreceivable@sceggs.nsw.edu.au and we will be able to resend your Term 3 invoice.    

Remember that you have access to your full fee account history on the parent portal which includes any current balance as well as historical fee invoices and record of payment.

As always, please feel free to contact the Business Office with any fee-related queries.

Adrian Craig
Business Manager

Go Greener – National Tree Day

Are you upset by all the negative news surrounding the state of the environment? Do you want to do something to help our planet? National Tree Day is an opportunity to get your hands dirty and do something positive. This year, Schools Tree Day is on Friday 29 July and National Tree Day is on Sunday 31 July.

Planet Ark began National Tree Day in 1996 and it has since grown to be Australia’s largest community tree planting and nature event. So far, 10 million volunteers have planted twenty-six million trees.

Trees are important as they provide a range of environmental, cultural, and emotional benefits which affect our health and wellbeing. Of course, they absorb carbon dioxide and filter the air we breathe, but did you know they also capture up to 60% of the rainfall reducing runoff in streets? They provide a vital habitat for animals and insects and in the right location, trees can also help reduce cooling bills in summer by providing much needed shade. Finally, they bring joy and add an aesthetic touch to our urban environment as they move through their changes each season.

Trees also have a big role in our health and wellbeing. Julia Baird in her book Phosphorescence, said “when we are exposed to sunlight, trees, water or even just a view of green leaves, we become happier, healthier and stronger.” She discusses Shinrin-Yoku or “forest bathing”, an idea developed in the 1980s in Japan. This is based on Shinto and Buddhist practices and is a way of immersing yourself in nature using all your senses. It is a form of “ecotherapy” and has been found to have measurable health benefits.

This National Tree Day, why not try some forest bathing or get involved in one of the many activities organised by your local council. See below for a list of some events:

• Willoughby council
• Waverley Council
• Woollahra Council
• Inner West Council
• North Sydney Council
• Ku-Ring-Gai Council
• A quick guide to forest bathing

Sue Zipfinger
Environmental Co-ordinator

Secondary Sport News

SCEGGS Sailing Team                                                        

During the holidays, a number of students competed in the Australian Secondary Schools Teams Racing National Championships, held at Georges River 16 foot Sailing Club (GRSC).  The team, comprising of Hannah Kernohan (Captain), Olivia Chadwick, Gemma Ashton, Isobel Payne, Jessica Board, Simran Murphy, and Mika Docherty, received a late call to compete due to the withdrawal of a Tasmanian school. With no training, the girls faced teams who had placed in the top 3 at their state’s championships.

Despite this and other challenges (wind, rain, capsizes, broken booms), the team had a tremendous regatta, placing 22^nd in the competition, managing 12 wins against various schools. This was no mean feat, given that over 348 races were sailed, with a rolling round robin format that was relentless, giving them just about a fifteen-minute break between races before needing to jump back in and head out to the course. 

Perhaps more importantly, was the conduct and sportsmanship displayed by the girls: they were enthusiastic, supported each other, debriefed together after each race. Furthermore, on the last day after their final race in wild weather, the SCEGGS team took care not only of their own boats, but also others which were blowing over, as many sailors headed back to the boatshed. Then the qualifying teams for final rounds were called and the girls helped them all launch in the waves, retrieving trolleys, then again for the next group, then catching boats which came back with breakages.This did not go unnoticed, with the race committee awarding our girls the Umpires Award for helping others and asking thoughtful and important questions, highlighting their desire to learn and grow as sailors.

A special thank you goes to Georgina Kernohan (mother of Hannah) who was one of the chief volunteers throughout the entire regatta and worked tirelessly marshalling, organising boats, races and so much more.

Congratulations girls – for your perseverance and for being excellent sport role models!

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

From the Chaplain

Cooking with love: A great opportunity that the whole community can be involved in                                             

Welcome back! If you managed to have a holiday, I hope it was a good one and I look forward to seeing you all throughout Term 3.

SCEGGS has had a great connection to many of the local welfare agencies for a long period of time. One of those services that we consistently are working with is Rough Edges, a community centre for the poor, lonely and marginalised, located under the hall of St John’s Anglican Church, Darlinghurst. Twice a week, our staff take whatever leftover food we have at the end of the day from our cafeteria to Rough Edges so that they can provide it to those that attend this centre. To find out more about what Rough Edges is and does please have a listen to the current episode of our podcast.

The SCEGGS Podcast “Walk The Mile” Episode 25: Rough Edges

(And a reminder that we are published on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcast and Deezer, so you can access it the easiest way for your preferred device. I always welcome your feedback or any ideas you may have for further episodes. You will find each podcast as it is in this newsletter and on the other platforms as well as our website.)

This podcast contains material that is sometimes confronting and disturbing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories for people. For some people, these responses can be overwhelming. If you need to talk to someone, support is available.

• Kids helpline: 1800 55 1800
• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Mental Health Access Line: 1800 011 511
• Parent Line: 1300 1300 52
• Alcohol and Drug Support Line: 1800 198 024
• Domestic Violence Hotline: 1800 737 732 (1800RESPECT)

Unfortunately on Monday nights, food is difficult to come by for the Centre so I am wanting to propose an opportunity where we might be able to help out. I am hoping that people could make cooked full meals, enough for about five people. My goal would be to have about 12 families or individuals doing this each week to meet the usual amount of clientele who seek out food from Rough Edges. It wouldn’t have to be a regular weekly commitment and with the more people that we have involved, the more we can share the love around. I am imagining that the food would be dropped off to school on a Monday morning and I would deliver it to Rough Edges later that day. There are obviously other logistical issues that need to be considered but at this stage I would just love to hear from you if you are interested. I have a list of menu ideas and preparation requirements to share once I get some feedback from the community. Please let me know asap if you are interested via email so we can get the process going. I think this would be a great thing for us as a school community and a great thing for our local community.

Garry Lee-Lindsay
Chaplain

B Kinder Day

On Wednesday 22 June the Primary School was a sea of rainbow colours, glitter and bubbles as we celebrated B Kinder Day. Held annually and inspired by the life of Billie Kinder, B Kinder Day is a day dedicated to encouraging school students to make positive changes in the world. Wearing multi-coloured mufti and t-shirts with kindness themed messages, we came together as a community to spread kindness and raise money for the Fly High Billie charity who support children and spread messages of kindness internationally.

With songs and laughter echoing through the playground, the sense of community was felt in every corner of the Primary School. The girls danced to the Nutbush and Wakka Wakka, jumped in the photo booth with friends, blew bubbles and drew with chalk on the pavement during break times.

Shaking pompoms and wearing party hats, the Year 6 Leaders greeted classes as they entered The Great Hall, ready for an assembly led by Kindness Club. In scenes more similar to a disco, everyone clapped and danced in their seats, the atmosphere electric, with a sense of joy and fun. Discussing kindness and empowering the girls to see that they each have the capacity to make a difference, we heard from a number of members of our school community about ways they look outwards and show kindness to those around them. Mrs Anne Sweeney, Head of Strings, shared about her experience volunteering at Rough Edges in Darlinghurst, a safe space for those in our local area needing support, a hot meal and a chat. She spoke about the unexpected rewards she felt volunteering and the impact the conversations and connections have on her. Ms Nicola Kidston, Year 7 Co-ordinator, reminded the girls that small people can make big change and inspired them to think creatively about how they can support organisations. She shared how the Year 7 students were challenged by the current situation in the Ukraine and worked together to raise over $1000 through various events to help those in need and devastated by these ongoing events. Ms Laura Connolly, Director of Student Wellbeing and a familiar face to the girls in her role as basketball coach, planted the seed for the girls’ future involvement in Community Service trips to places such as Cambodia. Sharing a range of photos from her previous trip to Cambodia, she highlighted the life-changing and long-lasting impact volunteering has on less fortunate families and communities. Before the Chamber Strings led us in the School Song, Mr Lee-Lindsay taught us further about the history of our school motto Luceat Lux Vestra, Latin for “Let your Light Shine”, and the ways Jesus calls us to spread love and be a light in the world.  

The presentations in assembly left the girls feeling moved, fuelling discussions back in the classroom about the people in our community who inspire us and make a difference, and how we could, as a school, thank these people. Each girl wrote a message of kindness to various individuals, charities and organisations acknowledging their efforts to make the world a better place and thanking them for their service and contributions to our community. These cards reflect the love for Mums, Dads, and other relatives; thank the critical care of Doctors and Nurses; acknowledge those such as The Smith Family and The Salvation Army who help the homeless and others in need; demonstrate appreciation for the role of Barnardos Australia and Anglicare in supporting families; and thank other organisations who create a voice, and care for other vulnerable groups in our local and global community. Our focus on community service will continue this term as each year group considers ways to support organisations in our local area.

Reinforcing to the girls their capacity to make a difference in this world, we came together in House groups in the afternoon to participate in The Great Book Swap. Swapping their pre-loved books for another new title, the girls raised $350 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation further supporting them in their mission to provide culturally relevant books to children living in remote communities.

We also couldn’t have a Kindness-themed day without mentioning our Kindness mascot, Kindacorn. Follow this link to watch a video montage of Kindacorn and our Primary girls.

Rebecca Woodcock
Acting Head of Student Wellbeing

P&F Primary Disco

The P&F Association is delighted to bring you the Primary School Disco!

Enrolments in Co-curricular Visual Arts classes for Semester 2 are now open

We offer Darkroom Photography, Observational Drawing, Digital Photography 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 and Eliza Gosse are both Old Girls (Class of 2012) and Graduates of the National Art School. Both are exceptionally skilled artists who have established successful fine arts careers. Both have gained Gallery representation upon graduation and continue to build a strong critical and commercial following.

Chris Gleisner is a freelance photographer and teacher and was the SCEGGS in house photographer during 2020. Her commercial practice and fine arts work are highly accomplished and make Chris ideally positioned to share a broad range of technical skills and creative ideas with students wishing to hone their skills in digital photo media.

Classes are as follows:

Monday: Drawing with Lilli Stromland. 3.15pm to 4.30pm. Open to Years 7 to 12.

Tuesday: Darkroom Photography with Ian Lever. 3.15pm to 4.45pm. Open to Years 9 to 12.

Thursday: Painting with Eliza Gosse. 3.15pm to 4.30pm. Open to Years 9 to 12 .

    OR

    Darkroom Photography with Ian Lever. 3.15pm to 4.45pm. Open to Years 9 to 12.

   OR

  Digital Photography with Chris Gleisner. 3.15pm to 4.45pm. Open to Years 7 to 12.

Classes are capped at 10 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. The program begins again in Semester 2.

Respond with an expression of interest here.

Enrolments close on Friday 22 July. Please get your enrolment registered as soon as you can as classes are very popular and places fill quickly!

These classes are a fantastic way to engage with creative enterprise beyond the classroom.

Classes commence in Week 2.

Heidi Jackson
Head of Visual Arts

Careers News

Welcome to Careers News for Term 3! Issue 34 of the Careers Corner newsletter is available here.

There are also a number of other events and opportunities that may be of interest:

Work Experience with Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences

The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences is committed to inspiring creativity and curiosity through placement programs at the Powerhouse Museum and Sydney Observatory that enhance students’ educational experiences.

The Secondary Student Placement Program provides a snapshot into the world of museums and cultural institutions, giving high-school students a taste of an industry that they might one day be part of.

This program can be used as part of a secondary student’s work experience requirement in Year 10, 11 and 12. Please note only two students are placed each week, so placements are limited.

Applications open 1 August for the Spring holidays program, which will run from 4 – 6 October.

Applications close 21 August.

UNSW x National Science Week 2022

Monday 15 August 2022, 6:30 pm – Tuesday 23 August 2022, 7:30 pm (UNSW Sydney)

The UNSW x National Science Week program is a celebration of the latest global developments in science, medicine, technology and engineering. In 2022, learn how the backyard bird count is helping safeguard the future of our feathered friends, what new scientific discoveries can teach us about the pursuit of pleasure and its relationship to pain, the diverse uses of RNA technology for challenging health conditions and so much more.

University of Sydney | Project Management Spring Camp

Friday 30 September 2022, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (The University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus)

This face to face in-person program offers an excellent opportunity for high school students in Years 10-12 to learn about project management and where this dynamic field can take them.

Students will develop awareness of project management as a discipline, career pathways, our Bachelor of Project Management degree, and hear from the university’s students and alumni about their experience at the University of Sydney.

Those attending will also participate in interactive workshops with the university’s academics and experience a master class.

The program includes talks from industry professionals and in the past, has included site tours to Google and Australia’s leading technology company, Atlassian, to learn more about projects in action.

Applications close on 9 September 2022, 5:30pm AEST.

National Mathematics Summer School

Sunday 8 January 2023, 9:00 am – Saturday 21 January 2023, 5:00 pm (Canberra)

The National Mathematics Summer School (NMSS) is a program for motivated and high-achieving school students that has been held each January since 1969.

The 55th NMSS is planned to be held in Canberra from 8 to 21 January 2023.

Applications will open soon, and will close at the end of August.

Vacation Care – Winter Holiday Program

Our Winter Holiday Program was filled with action-packed adventures and non-stop fun.

In the first week, we hit the ground running with a day bowling at Strike! Many of the children perfected their skills and scored some impressive strikes. We yarned the rainy days away by doing some good old fashioned French knitting, making friendship bracelets, designing colourful tassels and creating our Vacation Care’s famous pom poms. Clay Day was super fun. The children showed so much imagination as they moulded amazing things from clay, such as butterflies, mushrooms, pots, pigs, and even tacos. A glow-in-the-dark light show was a real highlight. The instructor performed a light show that was mesmerising to watch and inspired the children to learn some new and exciting moves with hula hoops. We also celebrated NAIDOC Week. The children enjoyed learning about traditional Aboriginal symbols, making serpents, creating their own rain sticks and learning about traditional rain dances.

The fun did not stop in the second week of Vacation Care. The week started with an excursion to play laser tag and arcade games. The children showed their competitive side as they ducked for cover from laser beams and challenged each other to reach the highest score on the arcade games. Harry Potter Day was a Muggle’s dream with a one-way ticket to Hogwarts. The children made beautiful wands suitable for all wizards, witches, and Muggles alike. We also brewed magical potions and created enchanted fluffy monster books.

In between all these fabulous, programmed activities the children enjoyed some free time playing with their friends and creating their own exciting games. At no time did the rain dampen our spirits or hold us back from enjoying our time at Vacation Care.

Look out for details about our next Vacation Care program in due course.

Fran St John
After School Care Co-ordinator

FANGIRLS Returning to Sydney!

FANGIRLS The theatrical phenomenon written and composed by Old Girl Yve BLAKE (2010) is returning to Sydney. Playing at the Sydney Opera House from 28 July – 4 September, this award-winning production is a battle-cry about the true power of teenage girls. Further information and ticket bookings may be found here.