From Ms Allum

As football finals season kicks in around Australia, SCEGGS girls too also marked their sporting triumphs over the weekend. Our teams claimed grand final victories in Hockey and Basketball – an outstanding achievement! My congratulations to these teams and all who proudly represented SCEGGS throughout the term. You can read more about these sporting highlights here.

SCEGGS spirit also shone last Sunday when Year 11 opted to forgo a sleep-in in favour of a beach clean-up at Rose Bay as part of their community service commitments. Thank you to Year 11 Co-ordinator Ms Wymer and Social Justice facilitator Ms Whitney for leading this initiative.

Last Thursday evening we were delighted to host our SPAN event welcoming back Old Girls Amy Dale (2005) and Petronella McGovern (1986) for an insightful conversation about their careers in writing, publishing and journalism. SPAN is an important pillar of the SCEGGS community, bringing together Old Girls, current students, staff and parents. Petronella beautifully encapsulated the purpose of the evening, describing SPAN as a “supportive, encouraging group which lifts other women and girls.”

Petronella shared a particularly heartwarming story about arriving at SCEGGS as a Year 7 boarder from regional NSW and meeting her peer mentor, Christa, a Year 10 boarder. Many years later, Christa would once again support Petronella—this time as a senior editor with Petronella’s publisher ! This story truly resonated with me, as it underscores the deep sense of community at SCEGGS. As we say, “Once A SCEGGS Girl, Always A SCEGGS Girl.” Our girls always look out for each other—it’s as simple as that.

And, as our Year 12s transition to “Old Girls” in the next chapter of their SCEGGS journey, I hope they take comfort knowing they are always part of a community that will support and empower them throughout their lives. I take this opportunity to wish the Class of 2024 well as they prepare for their HSC. This diverse, kind, creative and generous group of girls have been passionate and intellectually curious students who have embraced their student journey with spirited confidence. I am so proud of them all and the accomplished women they are emerging to be – may their light shine brightly forever.

Jenny Allum
Head of School

Year 11 Community Service

Last Sunday on 22 September, around 60 Year 11 students arrived bright and early to Rose Bay Beach for a group beach clean-up as part of our community service program. In small groups, we walked across the beach, picking up any rubbish and debris we saw along the way. We filled up numerous bags with dangerous microplastics, which was a great way to start our morning, knowing we were doing our part to protect our beaches and marine life. Whilst it was a simple act, it was a great reminder for all of us about the impact we can have on our environment and local community just by working together. 

Afterwards, we were rewarded for our hard work with some bacon and egg rolls, courtesy of Head Chef, Mr Lankshear. Sitting on the grass and eating breakfast as a year group really felt like an end of  Year 11 celebration and was a great way to bring the year together as we enter our Year 12 journey. 

Thank you to Ms Whitney and Ms Wymer for organising the event, as well as Mr Lankshear, Ms Toolan, Ms Rosen, Ms Simpson, Ms Gowan and Ms Connolly for volunteering their mornings to help out! Shout outs also to all the Year 11 students who got involved in this great cause! 

Overall, it was such a fun morning and we look forward to more opportunities to make a difference in the community as a year group in the future.

Milly Rowland and Gabirelle Cheung
Year 11 Students

Online Safety Week in Primary School

In Week 8 the Primary School hosted Online Safety Week. This saw all students participate in a range of activities focusing on how to keep safe, to be kind and considered when using devices online. 

These experiences included Mr Whalland (Director of ICT) teaching Year 5 and 6 students about the importance of using secure passwords, or passphrases.

A range of engaging and cleverly written literature was shared across K-6 classrooms that took famous children’s stories and gave them a modern twist where the internet and device usage ruled! Highlights were ‘#Goldilocks’,  ‘The Fabulous Friend Machine’ and the eSafety Commissioners ‘Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5’.

Year 6 completed a Mathematics lesson with an online safety theme, where the girls surveyed each other to gather data on their online activity and then converted this into fractions, percentages and graphed their findings. 

We also welcomed a guest speaker from YSafe who facilitated workshops for each stage.

Topics featured the importance of not sharing your Protected Personal Information (PPI) online such as never using your full name in a username on a game platform. Other sessions focused on the risks associated with engaging in social media, cyber bullying and digital footprints. A strong focus for Stage 3 was of the importance of stopping to think about the impact on others and yourself before posting anything online and the need to be a positive upstander when you see things online that don’t feel quite right.  

These experiences concluded with a K-6 parent information session where Helen Dempsey (Head of Primary), Amelia McAllan (Head of PDHPE K-12), Lauren Miles (Primary School Counsellor) and Sarah Johnstone (Deputy Head of Primary, Student Wellbeing) spoke on the topic ‘Raising Your Child in the Digital World’. We thank the parents who attended this session for their interested and curious approach. It’s certainly an area that leads to robust dialogue and needs constant attention and further discussion. We’re all in this together! 

Sarah Johnstone 
Deputy Head of Primary, Student Wellbeing

Stage 2 Oracy Showcase

In the Primary School, we prioritise oral language as the foundation of English skills. This term, the girls in Stage 2 combined reader’s theatre with choral reading, bringing words to life through rhythm, expression, and teamwork. Four teams were selected for the Stage 2 Oracy Showcase, where the girls demonstrated fluent reading with expression, phrasing, and timing, along with clear speech, confident posture, and strong voice projection. Most importantly, they collaborated to deliver unified, engaging and often humorous presentations.

We’re incredibly proud of their efforts and the growth they’ve shown as readers and speakers! Congratulations to our winners of the showcase, Mimi Naughton, Chloe Anderson, Livia Holzner and Sophia Prodromou in Year 4 who recited Running Late by Ken Nesbitt and Isabelle Lee, Fiona Wu, Amelia Chow and Ava Grange who were awarded Highly Commended for their recitation of The Visitor by Jack Prelutsky. Special thanks to our Judges on the day, Ms Elizabeth Walsh, Grace Luck (Year 10) and Ingrid Fairbairn (Year 10), and the Year 5 girls who hosted the event. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the tremendous support the girls have received from their teachers in developing their oral language and communication skills this term in the lead up to the Oracy Showcase.

Kristy Williams
Year 5 Teacher

SRC & R U OK? Day in the Primary School

This term the SRC worked together to plan a series of activities for the Primary School to acknowledge R U OK? Day. In our weekly meetings we discussed the best ways to support, encourage and promote kindness and empathy at SCEGGS. We worked together to create a range of resources that explored these values with a particular focus on the importance of checking in on our friends and family members regularly using the acronym ‘ALEC’- Ask, Listen, Encourage action, and Check in.

During Week 8 each SRC representative took the lead in delivering these activities to their class during Form Time and they did so with confidence and grace. It was wonderful to have the Year 8 and 9 girls from the Secondary School visit and assist across K-6 classrooms.

On R U OK? Day, the SRC enjoyed handing out yellow ribbons at the school gate in celebration of this special day and reminded everyone of the importance of asking ‘Are you ok?’ not just on this day, but every day of the year.

Miss Jordan-Watt and the Primary SRC Team

Year 3 Camp

Last week, Year 3 headed to The Tops Conference Centre for an action-packed 3-day camping adventure. On Wednesday morning, we made our way south and within an hour we were surrounded by 200 acres of bushlands in the heart of Stanwell Tops. The Southbound team greeted us with a warm welcome and after some delicious morning tea, we got straight into the camp activities.

One of the most important goals of school camp is for the girls to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. While most girls felt “nervo-cited”, the combined feeling of nervousness and excitement, it was wonderful to see our Year 3 campers embracing challenges and approaching unfamiliar experiences with curiosity, persistence and a positive mindset. It is amazing to see what some of our youngest SCEGGS girls can achieve when given the opportunity to do hard things – like adventurous outdoor activities and living away from the comforts of home for 2 nights. The girls certainly rose to the challenge and grew from their Year 3 Camp experience!

One of the most anticipated activities was the Giant Swing, and it did not disappoint! With a harness firmly in place, each girl was raised up to a height of 15-18 metres only to then grip the release cord and plummet towards the ground until the massive cable takes hold and swings the girl out towards the valley below. Wow! It got the adrenaline pumping just watching! With the girls in Group 3 cheering her on, Miss Jordan-Watt suited up in the harness and was pulled up to the 18-metre mark before being flung through the air and screaming just a little! Well done, Miss Jordan-Watt! The height-defying activities continued over at the Vertical Cluster activity. Here, girls climbed a variety of 12 metre hanging climbs while being belayed by their peers on the ground. Many girls surprised themselves when they reached the top after thinking it looked impossible to do. Anything is possible when you are determined and encouraged by your friends.

“I loved sharing new experiences with people in my day group. During the Vertical Cluster we all collaborated to cheer each other on”.  
Sophia Bragg

With two feet firmly on the ground again, the girls had the opportunity to build their teamwork skills through cooperative team challenges. During this activity, the girls had to draw on their learner qualities of collaboration and flexibility, and use their problem-solving skills, to solve a series of group challenges. The girls had their eyes on the target at the Archery activity. Under the guidance of a professional archer, the girls learnt the correct technique as they aimed for the elusive bullseye. Plenty of patience and concentration was needed during this activity. Patience also came in handy during Kite Making. Windy Wollongong lived up to its name and The Tops location provided the perfect launching pad for flying the kites that each girl created. However, some strong gusts saw a few kites become entangled with each other and the trees!

“My favourite memory from camp is making kites.”
Isabelle Tawfik

For the Bush Walking activity, the girls headed out along the escarpment to see some magical views of the Illawarra coastline. One group even caught a glimpse of some whales and dolphins. The girls had an opportunity to play in nature and learn more about bushwalking skills. Cameron, a Darug man and Aboriginal Cultural Educator, ran a fascinating Indigenous Education session. He spoke about traditional differences between the roles of men and women, such as hunting and gathering food and the tools used for each.  Cameron also spoke about how the didgeridoo, or “Yidaki” as it is traditionally called in Eastern Arnhem Land, is made and he also played some amazing animal sounds including the emu, goanna, and kangaroo. Cameron also spoke about how a common type of wattle plant can be used to create soap – the girls had fun lathering up with this plant – and the medicinal properties of the lemon tea tree that can be found throughout the Illawarra. The girls also had a go at weaving with Cameron showing them the type of weaving technique used to create a dilly bag. While more time was required to actually create a bag, some girls successfully weaved bracelets.

“I enjoyed the bush walk and connecting with friends in nature”.
Tove Klettenberg

The girls came to the Mountain Bike activity with a wide range of riding skills, from the well-experienced bike rider to the novice rider. The learner quality of persistence was in full peddle for those new to bike riding and it was great to see these girls giving it their best effort. The more experienced bike riders were challenged by an obstacle course across grassland before exploring the perimeter of the camp and navigating the gravel track.

Camp is also about getting to know each other better, to expand friendships and build stronger relationships across the year group. It was lovely to see the girls make new connections and encourage each other as they participated in all the camp challenges. Lots of smiles and laughter filled each day.

“After camp, on the bus ride home, I was feeling proud, accomplished and happy.”
Mia Anderson

Our Year 3 girls are to be congratulated on participating in the camp with enthusiasm, determination and a sense of fun. It was an absolute delight to see them enjoying themselves and making the most of their camp experience. A big thank you to Mrs Joukhadar for organising Year 3 Camp and to Miss Jordan-Watt, Miss Woodcock and Ms Held for accompanying me on camp and for looking after the girls so brilliantly!

Cristi Wilsmore
Deputy Head of Primary School (Teaching and Learning)

Secondary Sport News

IGSA Grand Finals

Congratulations to our SCEGGS teams who played in Grand Finals on the weekend.

Netball Semi Final

SCEGGS 2 were defeated by PLC Armidale 1 in the semi-final on Friday evening.

Thank you to Aromaia Balfour Ash and Ingrid Fairbairn from Year 10 who filled in on the evening due to the Year 12 formal.

Netball Finals

Football Finals

SCEGGS 1 drew 0-0 with Ascham 1 out at Heffron Park to be joint premiers and remain undefeated all season.

Basketball Finals

Hockey Final

NSW CIS Athletics Championships

On Tuesday 24 September, seven athletes represented SCEGGS and IGSA at the NSW CIS Athletics Championships. The effort students have put into training certainly paid off and all achieved outstanding results at this high level of competition!

The SCEGGS Athletics community is so proud of you all.

NSW All Schools Athletics Championships

Good luck to all athletes who are competing at the NSW All Schools Athletics Championships in the holidays! Please reach out to Ms Axford if you are competing so we can find and share those results in Behind the Green Gate next Term. 

You can find more information here.

Form Time Fitness

During Form time in Weeks 8 and 9 this Term, Year 7, 8 and 9 students participated in a fitness session with SCEGGS Instructors Sheron Sultan, Andrew Freebury and PDHPE Staff. Students participated in three different activities: Afro Step, Boxing and Circuit training.

These sessions offered students a taster of the Fitness and Strength & Conditioning sessions that are run on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings each term, on site at SCEGGS. Please click on the links to read more about each activity on Clipboard.

If you’re keen to join any of these sessions in Term 4, please contact Ms Robbins, Sports Administrator here.

Term 4 Sport Dates

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.

SCEGGS Training sessions before and after school plus Saturday Sport

Any cancellations or adjustments will be made in Clipboard and families will receive a notification or email when changes are made. Please ensure you have notifications enabled.

All Clipboard notifications will now come through the SCEGGS Mobile App too, so if you have been receiving notifications from Clipboard (eg when sport is cancelled due to wet weather), you will need to download the SCEGGS Mobile App to ensure that you continue to receive these push notifications.

IGSA Fixtures, Results and Wet Weather

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

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

IPSHA Basketball and Tennis, and Year 3 Football trials have now finished.

Well done to the students for their efforts. The coaches were impressed with the overall quality across the three sports. A reminder that teams will be announced at the start of next term and the competitions commence in Week 1, Term 4.

Please check Clipboard for specific information on training and game fixtures. This will show up in the first week of Term 4.

Student Achievements

Alexandra and Lucinda Carroll (Year 6) have been thriving in the pool with their Water Polo. Below is a shot of them at the Under 13 National Water Polo Championship where they represented NSW. Their team beat every other state except for Queensland. Alexandra and Lucinda then went on to play an international competition in Athens, Greece, playing for Kap 7 Australia. Their team won the tournament, beating teams from Greece, Italy and Switzerland. Congratulations, girls!

Year 2-3 Football Skills has continued each Thursday afternoon under the watchful eye of Mrs Sweeney. The girls have been playing fun games to help improve their teamwork, dribbling, shooting and passing under the guidance of Head Coach Craig Blesson and his team of passionate coaches. Keep up the excellent effort, girls!

Georgina Sharp (Year 4) has been heavily involved with Equestrian and recently competed in the Australian Interschools Championships in Tamworth. She had a fantastic time, made lots of new friends and thoroughly embraced the team spirit and what it means to represent NSW. Georgina also had a very successful competition, coming home with two fourths, a fifth and sixth overall in the primary show horse section. Congratulations, Georgina. What an excellent achievement and experience.

Upcoming Dates:

I hope you have a wonderful and restful break!

Mr Adrian Hammond
Primary Sports Coordinator

Primary and Secondary Music

Congratulations to the following students who completed national music examinations with the Australian Music Examinations Board this term. Preparation for AMEB examinations takes many months and the students are to be congratulated for their achievements. Thanks also to the music tutors who helped the girls to prepare all areas of the examination syllabus and to parents for their support and encouragement of daily home practice.

String Soireé

Last Thursday, students in Contemporary Strings performed in a Lunchtime Soireé. There were solo cello and violin performances and also small chamber ensembles that students had organised and rehearsed themselves. Congratulations to all the performers, special thanks to the students who came along to be an appreciative audience and to Ms Catherine McKay for accompaniment. Performances of this nature, in a safe and non-threatening environment, are vital for a musician’s development and sharing our music making together is lots of fun!

Vocal Soirée

On Thursday afternoon, several students from the studios of Helen Saltos and Leonie Butler performed in a vocal soirée in the Great Hall for a receptive audience. Students ranged in age from Year 6 to Year 11, some having had only a few lessons before sharing their music from the stage. All performed differing styles of music with confidence! Thank you to Leonie for accompanying her students and to Ms Stephanie Holmes for accompanying the students of Helen Saltos.

Rock Bands

On Tuesday evening, the SCEGGS Rock Bands had the exciting opportunity to travel to Scots College to take part in a collaborative rock music workshop. The event featured performances from a total of 11 bands, each showcasing their unique musical style. Throughout the evening, the bands received valuable feedback and expert advice from Sydney-based drummer and composer Paul Derricott. His insights on performance technique, textural layering, and stage presence provided the young musicians with a deeper understanding of their craft. The workshop not only fostered musical growth but also encouraged collaboration and creativity among students from both schools.

During Monday’s lunch break, our Year 12 Rock Band delivered their much-anticipated final performance outside the school cafeteria. The band captivated the crowd of students and staff, creating a lively and energetic atmosphere as they showcased their musical talents one last time before graduating.

Bugles Wind Band Assembly Performance

The Bulges Wind Band recently celebrated their Silver Award from the Australian Schools Band and Orchestra Festival with an encore performance of Journey Through the Void by Australian composer Tim Fisher. The composition delves into themes of darkness and uncertainty, gradually transforming from a sense of apprehension to a rising excitement as the piece unfolds.

Year 3 Choir

The Year 3 Choir performed a song called New Friends in the K-6 Assembly on Tuesday 24 September. It was a joy hearing this heart-warming song about making new friends that was sung so beautifully for parents, teachers and students.

Beyond the Green Gate

We love hearing about ways our musicians are involved in music-making outside of school. Please send details to Heidi Jones.

Clipboard

All co-curricular music ensemble schedules are now available on Clipboard. If you haven’t set this up yet, please follow the provided instructions. For any issues with Clipboard set-up, contact our Music Administration Assistant Miss Alice Kotowicz.

Heidi Jones
Head of Music (Co-curricular)

Vacation Care

Dear SCEGGS Families,

A friendly reminder our action packed fun filled vacation care program will kick off next week.

The service will be operating from Monday 30  September – Friday 11 October 2024, with school returning on the Monday 14 October 2024. 

We welcome all school aged boys and girls enrolled in primary school in 2024.

You can preview the program here.

The vacation care program for Spring has a wonderful variety of excursions, incursions and exciting in-house days at the centre for all children to enjoy. We now use a simple Google Form for all bookings and payments will be through Xplor using direct debit.

Confirmation of your requested days will appear on the Bookings Calendar in your Xplor Home app by Friday 27 September, If they do not appear please get in touch with the service as soon as possible. Kindly be advised that cancellations made after Friday 27 September, will be subject to a cancellation fee equal to the standard daily rate.

Limited places are available each day and bookings are made on a first come, first serve basis.

Due to child to educator ratios, excursions are limited to 40 children per excursion, depending on the activity type.

Please note, that if you have not yet enrolled your child into our After School/ Vacation Care Service through the Xplor or you are a new family joining SCEGGS, you will be required to fill out enrolment documentation prior to booking. This can be accessed via this link.

Please reach out if you have any inquiries about Vacation Care, please do not hesitate to contact me here.

Adam Mawardi
After School Care Coordinator

Blazer Pocket Awards

Girls in the Secondary School who are awarded a blazer ‘Pocket’ for excellence and outstanding achievement in a co-curricular activity can have their blazers embroidered only during holiday periods.

Awards will be announced at End-of-Term Assembly on Friday 27 September.

Blazers may be left at the Student Services Reception on either that Friday or before 1.00pm on Monday 30 September (the first weekday of the School Holidays).

Students with previous awards that have not yet been embroidered can also leave their blazers at this time.

As above, blazers cannot be accepted after the cut-off time of 1.00pm Monday 30 September. Any late submissions will need to wait until the next School Holidays.

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

General Office

Parents’ and Friends’ Association

Class Parent Events