From Ms Allum

Welcome to the first issue of our school newsletter “Behind the Green Gate”! It has been joyful having our Year 3 and Year 7 girls onsite today for their welcome day and I look forward to seeing all the girls return on Friday (and Kindy on Monday!).

Behind the Green Gate (BTGG) is issued each week on Thursdays. We try to publish lots of really helpful information and interesting articles and student achievements. We wanted to send this first edition for the year today, on the day before the official start to the school year, to give you just a little information to start the year. The next edition of BTGG will be published next Thursday (3^rd Feb) and will be the usual bumper first edition with much more useful information for you all. So, this is just a first welcome introductory edition.

We hope the first few days of school go well for your daughters and for you all too.

Lots of love and best wishes for the 2022 School Year.

Jenny Allum

From the Chaplain

Welcome back to the new school year to everyone in the SCEGGS community. I look forward to catching up with all of you or meeting you for the first time soon (even if it’s just a friendly wave at the gate in the morning). I hope and pray that this year will be one of fulfilment and joy in all that you do.

In Week 3 this year we celebrate Harvest Festival, where each girl is asked to bring to school at least one non-perishable food item which will eventually be distributed to those in our city whose lives have been affected by misfortune. At the beginning of 2020, two million Australians relied on food relief and half of those are children. I am certain that these numbers have grown due to the pandemic that we have all experienced.

Many of these children often go to school without breakfast, or to bed without dinner. Harvest Festival recognises all of the good things that we have been given and the opportunity to give to those in need. We continue to pray for those affected and dealing with great loss and trauma. We will continue to consider ways that we as a community may be able to help in the process of restoration, particularly in light of the last couple of years.

Each year, the Chapel is decorated beautifully with these items and other produce. Hopefully we will be able to celebrate in the chapel but that is yet to be decided. At the end of the week the food will be given to our local Anglicare office and distributed throughout the south-eastern area of Sydney. I appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness in these difficult times.

Rev Garry Lee-Lindsay
School Chaplain

Parent Information Evenings and Parent Teacher Afternoons

Parent Information Evenings                                                          

These evenings are for parents and carers of girls from Kindergarten to Year 12. Parents will hear from their daughters’ teachers about aspects of the classroom programs, activities planned for the year and ways parents can assist their daughters at home, and from guest speakers on various topics. These are important sessions and all parents are urged to attend.

The School will let parents know if these evenings will go ahead face-to-face or by Zoom, and start and finish times, as each date approaches.

Parent Information Talks

Year 7, with guest speaker Paul Dillon: Wednesday 23 February

Primary Parent Information Evening (with guest speaker Kirsty Goodwin): Monday 28 March

 
Parent-Teacher Afternoons

Primary

Parent-Teacher Interviews for Primary classes will take place during Weeks 7, 8 and 9 in Term 1. Teachers will organise interview times directly with parents.

Secondary

Secondary Parent Teacher Afternoons take place from 3.30pm on the dates below.

Sarah Walters
Director of Administration

Student Health Information

Food Allergy Awareness                                                                                      

At SCEGGS we are concerned about the safety and wellbeing of all our students. Many of you will know someone who is affected by anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. A food allergy is an immune system response to a normally harmless food protein that the body believes is harmful. When the individual eats food containing that protein, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, triggering symptoms that can affect a person’s breathing, digestion, skin and/or heart. Nine foods cause 90% of food allergies. Peanuts are the leading cause of severe allergic reactions, followed by tree nuts, shellfish, fish, milk, eggs, wheat, sesame and soy.

 There are girls at SCEGGS from Kindergarten to Year 12 with mild to severe food allergies. The only way to manage a food allergy is avoidance. While the children with allergies are being taught to care for themselves at an age appropriate level, we also seek your support. To minimise the risk of exposure for these students, we request that no nuts, peanut butter or other nut products are brought to the school site or other school activities.

We also ask that you help us educate your daughter on the importance of not sharing food with others, washing hands after eating and calling out to an adult if she thinks her friend with allergies is sick. We can never totally eliminate the risk of an anaphylaxis episode, but we are all responsible for helping to lessen that risk.

Thank you for your help in protecting those around us. To learn more about anaphylaxis and food allergies, go to www.allergyfacts.org.au and www.allergy.org.au.

Student Health, Medical and Emergency Information 

All parents are reminded to provide the School with accurate and relevant medical information. New families who have not yet returned the Student Information Booklet 2022 are asked to do so as soon as possible.

When medical circumstances change, it is essential that our records reflect your daughter’s current health status. Please send through any changes to the relevant Secondary School Year Co-ordinator or to Rebecca Woodcock, Acting Deputy Head of Student Wellbeing in the Primary School.

Sarah Walters
Director of Administration

Music Matters

Week 2 Secondary Ensembles “Meet and Greet”
Rehearsals commence for ALL ensembles (Primary and Secondary)

Given the disruption that was experienced throughout the last two years, the Music Department would like to host a series of “Meet & Greet” for the following ensembles in the Secondary School:

• Monday 3.30 to 4.15pm – Choir in Great Hall
• Tuesday 3.30 to 4.15pm – Contemporary Strings in PMR and Clarion Band in Great Hall
• Wednesday 3.30 to 4.15pm – Amati Strings in DB 1 and Holst Band in Great Hall

We understand that there may have been a period time since students have reconnected with playing in an ensemble.  The “Meet and Greet” will provide an opportunity for us to reconnect and an ensemble.  This is also an invitation for ANY students who would like to experience being a part of an ensemble, especially for students in Year 7 or are new to the SCEGGS community.

Rehearsals for ALL ensembles will formally commence in Week 3. Please look in your email for communication from your ensemble director. 

Students who are taking Music as an elective study MUST participate in at least one Music Ensemble. If for whatever reason you cannot attend your rehearsal, please do the courtesy of letting your conductor or Ms Chow know ahead of the rehearsal.

2022 Music Ensemble sign-up at the Co-Curricular Expo – Friday 4 February

If you are keen to join an ensemble so you can exercise your musical talents, the Music Department would love to see you at the Co-curricular Expo on Friday 4 February on the JF Terrace or in the Sports Hall.

This year our sign-up process for NEW members will take place as part of the school’s Co-curricular Expo.  Come see the ensembles we have on offer and meet our ensemble directors (Choral, Band, String), the 2021 Music captain and Music leaders. For a full list of the school’s music ensembles – please consult page 34 & 35 of the school diary.

When? Friday 4 February 1:00pm

Where? JF Terrace or the Sports Hall

Who should come? Anyone NEW to SCEGGS or those would like to join a music ensemble.

We look forward to seeing YOU there!

Music Tuition

Peripatetic music lessons will resume in Week 2. Please contact your tutor if you have not heard from them this year.

A reminder that most students will be allocated a rotating lesson time, within the confines of each tutor’s load. Out-of-class lesson times are given to Senior Elective Music students.

If you wish to learn an apply for Instrumental or Vocal lessons at SCEGGS please fill in this form (see attached). Waiting lists exist for Piano, Violin, Cello & Guitar.

Please see the Peripatetic Music Program Guidelines for further details.

SCEGGS Eisteddfod – “Practice-a-thon”

In preparation for the upcoming SCEGGS Eisteddfod (more information to follow) the Music Department will be holding a practice-a-thon in Weeks 2-6.

Practice trackers will be available from music tutors and classroom music teachers. Use the tracker to monitor your daily practice. We are aiming to see how long our best practice streak is. Earn a Bronze award for a 7 day streak, a Silver award for a 14 day streak, a Gold award for a 21 day streak and a Platinum award for a 28+ day streak. The awards will be distributed along with your Eisteddfod award.  

Heidi Jones
Accompanist & Performance Coach

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

Sport News

A warm welcome from the SCEGGS PDHPE Department for 2022. We are excited to be back playing sport in Term 1. Specific information for each sport will be given to students and parents separately as draws and guidelines become available over the upcoming week.

Parents and students have been emailed a copy of the Dates, Times and Venues list.

Please see below for the list of sports that will be training this Saturday:

Saturday January 29

SECONDARY

Easts Touch

Venue TBC (Students and parents will be emailed once Centennial Park confirm exact field).

• Junior 1^st and Senior 1^st Trials from 7:30am – 9am

Students have been emailed and should have signed up online by the google form sent by Ms Thompson.

• Year 7 Trials (continued from Thursday January 27) from 9am-11am

IGSA Softball

Venue TBC (Students will be emailed once Centennial Park confirm field).
Team 1 from 7:30am – 9am

IGSA Tennis Trials (non-Tildesley players only)

Camperdown Tennis Centre – Mallet St, Camperdown

• Years 10 -12 from 8am – 9:30am
• Years 7 – 9 from 9:30am – 11am

PRIMARY

IPSHA Water Polo

Gunyama Park Aquatic Centre, 17 Zetland Ave, Zetland
Years 5 & 6 from 8am – 9:30am

IPSHA Football

Moore Park Synthetic Turf
Years 4 – 6 from 8am – 9:30am

Year 3 Basketball

SCEGGS Sports Hall and Top Court
8:30am – 10am

Secondary Swimming Carnival – Monday February 7

Unfortunately, the Secondary Swimming Carnival will not be held in its traditional format due to the current COVID situation.

We will be conducting a time trial on Monday February 7 at Lane Cove Aquatic Centre for keen swimmers who wish to be considered for the SCEGGS Swimming Team to compete at the IGSA Swimming Carnival. Secondary students will be contacted next week if they wish to nominate. The PDHPE Department will supervise the trial day and organise transport to and from the aquatic centre.

A squad will be named after this event and final selections will take place at the MLC Invitational Carnival on Friday February 18.  More information to follow in due course.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact myself on 9052 2721 or 0418 491 521.

Alison Gowan
Director of Sport

Public Speaking – Speech Tuition

Speech Lessons are open to girls in Years 3 – 12. These follow the ASCA (Australian Speech Communication Association) Syllabus with graded examinations up to the Diploma of Communication (Year 12). The group lessons focus on all aspects of oral communication.

If you would like your daughter to continue with her Speech Lessons or commence lessons this year please click the relevant link below:

Years 3-6

Years 7-12

If your daughter has already submitted an enrolment form via email, there is no need to re-submit again.

Sandra Carter
Speech and Public Speaking Co-ordinator

From the Business Office

Firstly, a warm welcome to all new families to SCEGGS and a welcome back to returning families. In this first issue of Behind the Green Gate for 2022, I would like to mention two important issues:

2022 School Fees

The fee account for Term 1 2022 was emailed to all families in November last year. If you have not received the email or require a copy of your account, please contact the Business Office on 9332 1133 or email nicholarobinson@sceggs.nsw.edu.au

The first account is due for payment on Friday 28 January 2022.  SCEGGS greatly appreciates the payment of fees on or before the due date which provides certainty of cashflow and allows us to deliver an outstanding education for your daughters.

Future invoices for tuition fees will be emailed in April, July and September this year with a final invoice for any supplementary charges emailed in November.

Student Accident Insurance

SCEGGS maintains a personal accident insurance policy which covers all SCEGGS girls.  If your daughter suffers an injury while at school or while on a school activity, we will gladly assist in completing the required forms for the insurance claim.

An amount of $25.50 per girl was charged on the current statement.

Adrian Craig
Business Manager

School Cafeteria

The Cafeteria menu embraces the principles of Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia and the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy. The girls will have the option to purchase from the specials menu, sandwich bar or the bakery.

Recess orders must be placed by 9:30am, and Lunch orders must be placed by 10:30am on the day of order.

Recess and lunch orders can be placed using the Flexischools online ordering system or the Flexischools App (see instructions below). 

Getting started with Flexischools 

If you’d like to start ordering online, it’s super simple to get started. 

Set up your account  

1. Download the Flexischools App

Download the app from the App Store or from Google Play. 
Note: for iPhone and iPad please select ‘Allow’ notification 
 

2. Register

Open the Flexischools App and click ‘Like to register?’, enter your email address and click ‘Register’. You will be sent a registration email. Follow the instructions in the registration email to finish setting up your account. Once your account is set up, login to the Flexischools App, select the Profile icon on the grey navigation bar, select Student and ‘Add a student’, search for their school name, select their year level and class and enter their details. 
 

3. Top Up Your Account

To make ordering fast and simple, you can set up automatic top ups. 

Order  

1. Place your order

In the Flexischools App, swipe up and down to find the service category you are interested in, swipe left and right to find the service you are interested in and select the green ‘Order’ button. 
 

2. Make your selection

Select the items you wish to order. 
 

3. Make payment

Select your payment option and complete payment to place your order.  

Updated Payment System

COVID-19 impacted upon some of our goals for 2021 including reducing single use items as well as the ability to take cash payments.

We have implemented a system to enable students to purchase items outside of the ordering window which will allow them to make food and beverage choices at recess and lunch times, while ensuring parents can maintain visibility over the items they are purchasing.

Secondary Students are now able to use their Student ID card to buy items in the Cafeteria. Girls can select items and Cafeteria Staff with scan their Student ID card at the point of sale to complete the transaction (via Flexischools account).

To enable this function you need to enter the Student ID card number (located under the barcode on the Student ID card *A) into your Flexischools account in the Student card number field *B in the Settings tab.

Your Flexischools account must be in credit to utilise this function – see the Account tab or click Top Up Wallet *C.

Important Note: now that the Students have been allocated a Form Class, the Class field must be updated *D in the Settings tab.

Primary Students should continue to pre-order as they are not issued with a Student ID card.

We will continue to work on enhancements to the Cafeteria over the next 12 months as part of our continual improvement strategy.

Parents’ and Friends’ Association

Year 7 families are warmly invited to the Year 7 Welcome Picnic. Details are:

Date: Sunday February 6

Time: 11.30am – 2pm

Venue: Lachlan Reserve, Centennial Park

BYO food, drinks, picnic gear. No share plates please. Will reschedule in the event of (very) wet weather.

We hope to see you there!

School Shop

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday
8.00am to 12.00pm
12.40pm to 3.30pm

A uniform price list is available on the SCEGGS website.

If you have queries regarding the School Uniform or the Clothing Pool please feel free to contact us during school hours.

Lost Property

Ensure all clothing, footwear, books and stationery items are labelled. It is advisable to include the full surname and first name or initial so the items can be clearly identified and returned. If required, laundry markers are available from the School Shop.

Years K-6 Lost Property is located in bins outside the Primary School Office.

Years 7-12 Lost Property is located within the School Shop. If the item is labelled, the girls are notified by email. A gold coin donation is required when claiming the item. All donations go to Plan International sponsored children.

Lost lunch boxes and drink bottles are kept in containers just inside the School Shop entry. No notification is sent to the girls. It is their responsibility to check the containers and no donation is required to claim the items.

Clare Reid
School Shop Manager