Winter, Flu, COVID and You!

Help Our Community Stay Healthy

At this time of year, it is important that we all follow health and safety guidelines so that everyone in our community is as safe and well as possible throughout the cooler months of the year. With both influenza and COVID still circulating in NSW, it is important that we all play our part to help reduce the risk of transmission of these illnesses for students and staff members.

Help reduce the spread of flu and COVID

To stop the spread of both influenza and COVID, there are effective measures that students and staff can take:

• Stay at home when sick with acute cold and flu symptoms (such as a runny nose, sore throat, fever, cough).
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and sneeze into your elbow instead of your hands.
• Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth.

If a student is unwell and has any symptoms for any illness they should stay home and test for COVID-19. Whether the test comes back positive or negative for COVID-19, the student should not return to school until the student no longer has any acute symptoms.

Staff and students may obtain a 5-pack of RAHTs from Student Services or the Primary Office any time they would like one. I would also encourage families to check any RAHTs at home in the cupboard and ensure that these have not expired.

Parents/carers should continue to notify the school if a student has tested positive to influenza or COVID-19 as part of the usual absence notification process, by emailing absences@sceggs.nsw.edu.au

Health advice is that staff and students who are sick should always stay home to rest and recover and avoid putting others at risk of getting sick.

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

Holly Gyton
Deputy Head of School

Distribution of NAPLAN Reports

This is to advise parents and carers of all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, that we have posted out today (Thursday) your daughter’s NAPLAN report for 2023. You should receive this in the mail by early next week. Please remember as I advised you earlier in the year that there are new NAPALAN Proficiency Standards that have been introduced this year. Instead of the previous 10 band structure, the report on student performance will now consist of four levels of achievement. These new levels are labelled: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs Additional Support. Additional information on these new levels and an explanation of how to read your daughters NPALAN report will be contained in the letter you receive next week. If you have not received your results by the end of next week please contact the General Office to let us know.

If you have any questions about your daughter’s NAPALN results please feel free to contact either Cristi Wilsmore, Deputy Head, Teaching and Learning, in the Primary School or myself in the Secondary School.

Andrew Gallagher
Director of Curriculum

Jeans for Genes Day

On behalf of Year 11, we are proud to announce SCEGGS we will be celebrating Jeans for Genes Day on Monday 7 August!

The Jeans for Genes campaign raises awareness of the daily challenges faced by the 1 in 20 people suffering from incurable genetic diseases across the world. This event helps to support funding research projects; these contribute to making a significant difference to the lives and livelihoods of those affected. It is also a celebration of the progress we have made so far.

Jeans for Genes day fundraising goes to the Children’s Medical Research Institute. It is an independent organisation with over 170 scientists committed to finding treatments and cures for serious conditions affecting kids. For 65 years, their mission has been to improve the health of children. With community support they have helped eliminate rubella, introduced care for premature infants, and developed microsurgery techniques for organ transplants that save lives every day.

By donating through Jeans for Genes, you can help the scientists at Children’s Medical research Institute find cures! So please bring a gold coin donation on 7 August to support Jeans for Genes. Year 11 will be collecting donations this day.

This year, Year 11 have decided to have a Barbie theme! So, it’s time to bring out all your denim, and feature anything pink- t-shirts, jumpers or anything else that you can think of! You can also even theme your denim outfit to match a Barbie. There may even be some surprise events also taking place on this day, so get planning now!

Looking forward to seeing SCEGGS dressed in denim!

Year 11 Jeans for Genes Day Committee

Science News

Australian Science Olympiad

We would like to wish all our hard-working Olympiad students good luck for the Australian Science Olympiad Examinations. This is a very challenging competition and we are proud to note that we have record numbers of students entering every category of the competition – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Environmental Science and Junior Science!

Students in the SCEGGS Teams have attended weekly or twice-weekly training sessions (including Friday afternoons!) since the beginning of the year. A particularly big shout-out goes to Zahra Ridling, who regularly attended Chemistry, Physics AND Biology Training sessions! Training sessions were run after-school at Sydney Grammar School by the wonderful teachers Dr Sheridan, Ms Mendes and Dr McCarron, and we thank these dedicated teachers very much for their time and effort. The training sessions have also helped to cement an excellent collaboration between SCEGGS and Sydney Grammar students.

National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) Entries Closing Soon!

Just a quick reminder that if you are in Year 11 and are interested in attending a Science Camp during the December/January Holidays, entries are closing at the end of this month. It is an excellent opportunity to meet like-minded people and learn about cutting edge Science. It also involves an opportunity to travel overseas to one of the International Youth Science Forums if selected.

National Science Week

National Science week is coming closer (14-24 August at SCEGGS), and the Science Leaders have been brainstorming and researching to make sure we have the best year yet! To start, we will be having a Super Science Bake Off, where students can enter their best “Science-Themed Cake”. So, get thinking and get your Chef’s Hats’ on! Here is Mrs Sharma’s first effort (though I’m sure you can do better!):

If you have any favourite Science experiments you would like to conduct for National Science Week, let the Science Leaders or Mrs Sharma know and we’ll see what we can do!

Science Club Term 3

Science Club has started back this term on our usual Friday lunch-times. This week students investigated optical spectroscopy (often used by scientists to determine the composition of stars and galaxies). Students used spectroscopes to observe reflected sunlight as well as the light emitted by excited samples of particular elements. Then they built their own spectroscopes using diffraction gratings and cardboard.

Mia Sharma
Science Teacher 

From the Languages Department

The Languages Department is delighted to have been able to reinstate the French Exchange Program after a 3-year hiatus during the pandemic. At the end of Term 4 last year, three of our then-Year 10 students went to Lyon to attend school and experience a different way of life with their French host families in the city of Lyon. This term, it is their host sisters’ turn to visit them in Sydney. A special welcome to our three French students from Lyon who are staying at SCEGGS for the first three weeks of Term 3:

• Emma Chalandon who is staying with Teagan Barrack;
• Charline Armbruster who is hosted by Julia Richards and;
• Anaïs Brossard is with Lucy Thomsen.

This has been such a joyful and enriching experience for all students and their families. I have asked Teagan Barrack to reflect on her experience:

My French exchange journey, consisting of my 6-week trip to Lyon, France during the Christmas school holidays of 2022/23 and the 6 weeks hosting my French exchange sister has proved to be one of the most valuable experiences of my school career. Thanks to the detailed and effective matching process, I was fortunate enough to be paired with my now second family and of course my second sister / best friend for life. During my stay in Lyon, I was able to experience 4 weeks of French school during which I enjoyed a galette party, lunchtime snowball fights and class tests and assessments. I am so grateful for all of my exchange sister’s classmates and teachers who made me feel welcome at my lycée. I also enjoyed experiencing a way of life completely different to my own and a highlight was certainly finishing school at 12 pm every Wednesday. In the two weeks of holidays, I got to experience a bit of a “tour de France” where I was fortunate enough to be taken to Paris, Avignon, Nîmes and around Lyon where I got to experience the Eiffel Tower, the beautiful Pont du Gard, the Haribo museum and Lyon’s lights festival.

I am currently in my second to last week of hosting my French exchange student and I have immensely enjoyed sharing some of my favourite moments of Australia. During these July holidays, we watched the sunset from the top of the Sydney Eye Tower, visited the Australian Parliament, went horse-riding in the classic Australian bush, and surfed on Noosa Beach. Now back at school, I have started Term 3 with a whole new appreciation for the warm and welcoming SCEGGS community as I experience school life through the fresh eyes of my exchange sister.

As this journey is coming to an end with my exchange sister being with us for only two more weeks, I am reminded of how incredibly grateful I am to be offered this unique and amazing opportunity. This 12-week journey has been filled with growth, learning, appreciation of French culture and my own and an opportunity to re-evaluate what language learning and my education is truly about. I am so appreciative of all the new friendships and relationships that I have formed and above all, the positive effect the exchange has had on my French, vastly improving my confidence, comprehension, pronunciation, and vocabulary.

As you can see from Teagan’s reflection, participating in an exchange requires an open mind and curiosity (and a bit of resilience, one might add) while providing many rewards.

In 2024, the 6-weeks French Exchange program will take place as follows:

• French students come to Sydney from 29 June until 11 August 2024 approximately.
• SCEGGS students go to Lyon from approximately 9 December 2024 until 18 January 2025.

Year 10 students of French will be invited to apply in Term 1, 2024. If you would like further details about the SCEGGS French Exchange program or exchanges with external organisations, please contact the Languages Department.

Angelique Deleeuw
Head of Languages

Years 7 and 8 “Father”/Daughter Breakfast

Years 7 and 8 students and their “fathers” are warmly invited to join us for the P&F’s “Father”/Daughter Breakfast for on Friday 4 August from 7.00am – 8.15am in the Great Hall.

Currently a Patient Safety Quality Coordinator at St Vincent’s Hospital, Helen White graduated with a Master of Intensive Care Nursing at UTS in 2017, ten years after finishing school at SCEGGS. Life as a Registered Nurse has had its challenges, especially the years working in Intensive Care at St Vincent’s during the pandemic. Having recently obtained a Graduate Certificate in Health Service Management from the University of Tasmania, Helen now spends more time managing patient incidents and clinical governance; a role she finds hugely rewarding.

To hear more about Helen’s career journey and the lessons she’s learn along the way, join us at the Years 7 & 8 Father Daughter Breakfast on Friday 4 August.

ICAS Competitions 2023

SCEGGS students will again participate in the annual ICAS competitions this term. This Year all students in Years 3 – 10 will participate in the English, Mathematics and Science competitions. These competitions provide an excellent opportunity for all students to experience challenge, cultivate critical thinking skills, engage with different types of questions, and enables deeper engagement with these subjects beyond the curriculum taught in class. Additionally, participation in ICAS will provide further feedback to teachers, parents and students about each girls’ areas of strength and areas for further improvement.  There is a cost of $20 per test which will be recharged to your account.

ICAS tests will take place in class time at some point in the follow weeks this term.

• English during Week 5 (Tuesday 15 August – Friday 18 August)
• Science during Week 6 (Monday 21 August – Friday 25 August)
• Mathematics during Week 7 (Monday 28 August – Friday 1 September)

If you have any further questions about ICAS please feel free to contact either Cristi Wilsmore, Deputy Head, Teaching and Learning in the Primary School, or myself in the Secondary School.

Andrew Gallagher
Director of Curriculum

Secondary Sport News

FIFA Women’s World Cup

The biggest female sporting event in the world is happening on our doorstep right now. Over 1.5 million fans are expected to attend matches over the next few weeks as we showcase and celebrate women’s sporting talent. As Matildas fever sweeps across Australia, we will also be getting into the spirit here at SCEGGS.

The SCEGGS ‘live’ site is now up and running at recess and lunch in the Old Gym. SCEGGS will show any live matches on the big screen throughout the tournament. On other days there will be match replays and highlights packages being displayed. You can keep up to date with results on the display outside the PDHPE Office.

Information regarding the SCEGGS World Cup Knockout Challenge has been sent out to all students. Get your teams together for a fun lunchtime knockout style tournament that will run throughout the World Cup.

If you missed out on tickets to see some of the matches check out the Live sites around Sydney. The FIFA Fan Festival site at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour is screening all matches live and has a host of music, food and entertainment. While you are there, don’t forget to visit the FIFA Museum to explore more about the history of this wonderful tournament.

For those of you heading to the matches don’t forget to email a ‘selfie’ of yourself at the game to Ms Gowan. We will put some of these in the Green Gate and on the Sport TV outside the PDHPE Office.

Sydney Interschools Snowsports

SCEGGS sent 50 students to Thredbo in the holidays to compete at the Sydney Regional Interschools Championships. Unfortunately, the weather was not favourable with limited snow and windy conditions for most of the week. On the final day of competition, the mountain was shut down due to high winds resulting in some Division 2 & 3 events being cancelled.

Some of the highlights from the week:

Redlands Cup Invitation Event

Abigail Grace placed 2^nd and won the Silver Medal for Division 2 Alpine.

Interschools

The team for the NSW Interschools Championships is currently being finalised and information will be sent out to all families this week.

AFL

Congratulations to Emma Juneja (Year 12) who was one of 12 girls from NSW selected to play in the Allies State team, a team of girls from NSW / ACT / NT and Tasmania, at the National Championships in Brisbane during the holidays. While they were very competitive against Vic Metro they lost 70-51.

Equestrian

Well done to Chloe Copp (Year 12) who competed at the Caboolture Festival of Jumping and World Cup Qualifier at the end of June. Chloe and her horse ‘Cameron’ performed very well to reach the final rounds of the 1.20m Junior Tour.

You can watch Chloe’s finals round here.

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  (Please ensure that photos are of your daughters only. We are unable to publish photos of non SCEGGS students without parental permission).

SCEGGS Training sessions before and after school plus Saturday Sport

Please check the @SCEGGSSport Twitter feed for the latest updates relating to cancellations and wet weather.

IGSA Fixtures, Results and Wet Weather

The IGSA website and platform for accessing wet weather, fixtures 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

Saturday Sport

Well done to all of our Touch Football teams who took to the field for the first weekend of Saturday Sport for Term 3. With our five teams playing around Sydney from Santa Sabina to Kambala on the weekend, we had some mixed results in our first week. Well done to our Year 4 girls who got a win in their first-ever game!

Our three AFL teams (Years 4,5,6) all played at Moore Park West and showcased their skills against their respective opponents. This season we welcome nearly 40 enthusiastic girls to the AFL program, up from 14 last year. The increased numbers in AFL are fantastic and promise an exciting season ahead for all teams. Congratulations to all three teams who also secured wins!

We wish our Year 3 Minkey Hockey Girls the best of luck as their competition against Ascham and Kambala gets underway this weekend. 

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

We are committed to providing a supportive and encouraging environment where all students can develop physical and mental prowess while having a blast. Whether your passion lies in team sports or individual activities, there is something for everyone in this Term’s comprehensive sports program. We thank our dedicated coaches, teachers, and parents who make these sporting events possible. Your unwavering support and enthusiasm drive our students to achieve their personal bests and grow both on and off the field.

SnowSports

Head to the Secondary Sport News article here for the details.

FIFA Women’s World Cup

The FIFA Women’s Football World Cup has begun, and Australia and New Zealand are hosting it in July and August. Many of you will know that Australia played their first match last Thursday against Ireland winning 1-0.  The event started as a 12-team tournament in 1991 and has grown to 32 teams in 2023. This is the calendar’s largest women’s sporting event, with approximately 1.5 million fans attending the matches. 

If you attend any matches, send through some photos of you in your supporter’s gear to TomMitton@sceggs.nsw.edu.au and be featured in the following weeks BTGG!

Two students who were definitely at the game last Thursday were Sasha and Sophie in Year 3. The two girls were lucky enough to walk the Matildas out to the field. What an amazing experience!

SCEGGS Sports Hats

If your daughter is currently playing Saturday morning sports and wants to wear one of our new IPSHA-approved hats, please contact TomMitton@sceggs.nsw.edu.au. Alternatively, come by the PE office and pick one up today! The hats cost $30 and will be charged to your daughter’s account.

Primary Sport Achievements

Congratulations, Beatrice Emanuel, on her incredible achievement at the NSWPSSA Cross Country last Friday, finishing 7^th out of 76 competitors. Beatrice has been named as a reserve for Nationals Cross Country to be held in Canberra in August. Well done Beatrice for your amazing race and result.

Help us celebrate any other achievements outside of school!

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

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

Tom Mitton
Primary Sport Co-ordinator

Primary School Father’s Day Breakfast

The Primary School is delighted to host a Father’s Day event for the significant people in the lives of our students.

We hope to see you there!

Visual Arts

A reminder for students interested in submitting a photograph or short film for the annual Woollahra Gallery Youth Photographic Awards and Short Film Prize to email your work to Ms Jackson by the end of week 4 (Friday 11 August).

All Art students at SCEGGS are encouraged to put forward work for this exhibition.

Student photographs can be processed and manipulated either in a dark room or digitally.

Entries can be in colour or black and white.

All photographs to be submitted in a digital format only.

Digital format photographs must be a minimum of 2mb or 300dpi. (The Art Department can help you with this if you need)

We encourage you to be as experimental and innovative as you like!

Any questions, please drop by the Art Staffroom to have a chat.

Below are some of the entries from 2022.

Please send your work to Ms Jackson via email as all works are submitted together as a group entry.

This week’s banner is one of last year’s entrants Jade Brennan with a work called Yuin in the rain.

Heidi Jackson
Head of Visual Arts

Music Matters

Rough Edges ‘Christmas in July’ Performance – Basie Jazz Band, Lux Strings and Madrigal Ensemble

‘Christmas in July’ was celebrated on Friday 21 July at Rough Edges with three SCEGGS musical ensembles sharing their music to add to the festive atmosphere of the evening.  Congratulations to students in Lux Strings, Madrigal Ensemble and Basie Jazz Band who performed at the event.  The music was certainly well received with requests for “More!” and spontaneous dancing that took place throughout the hall.

Many thanks to Mrs Anne Sweeney, Miss Allison Harrigan and Mr Michael Tierney who were on hand to assist with the ensembles for the evening’s performance.  Thank you also to the additional tutor support from Ms Eliza Sdraulig and Ms Michelle Kelly. 

It was a wonderful evening of celebration with fantastic support from the SCEGGS community with the creation and donation of hampers from Old Girls.

HSC Music 1 and 2 Concert 2 – Congratulations!

Congratulations to our students in Year 12 Music 1 & 2 who performed in a concert last Thursday 20 July, 6pm in the Great Hall.  The concert is part of the students’ preparation leading to their Trial HSC Assessments. 

Many thanks to Ms Alison Ryan, Ms Heidi Jones and associated guest musicians who provided the ensemble support.

If you missed out on hearing the girls – don’t be dismayed as there will be a final opportunity for you to come and support them in the SCEGGS Encore Concert on Thursday 24 August at 6pm in the Great Hall.  We look forward to sharing the wonderful musical talents that our Year 12 Class of 2023 has to offer!

Congratulations Rebecca Colwell – City of Sydney Eisteddfod

Rebecca has worked very hard to take part in three Sydney Eisteddfod events over the holidays and got some encouraging feedback. 

• Second Place in Australian Piano (any age), playing Ross Edwards Sonata 1^st Movement and Roy Agnew’s Etude;
• Highly Commended in 20^thand 21^stCentury Piano (17 and over) playing Maurice Ravel’s Ondine;
• Highly Commended in the event: Recital Award (17 and over) playing the Ross Edwards’ Sonata and Maurice Ravel’s Ondine.

Congratulations Amelia Chow – St. George Eisteddfod

Congratulations to Amelia Chow who participated in the 8 years and under category of the St. George Eisteddfod.  Amelia was awarded a ‘Well Done’ ribbon for her performance on the Violin. Eisteddfods can be a wonderful forum for students to not only share their performances, but an opportunity to watch and learn from their peers.  Well done Amelia!

The Metropolitan Orchestra String Camp

The Metropolitan Orchestra in Sydney is running an exciting school holiday orchestral training program for primary-aged children (7-12 years), playing at an AMEB Grade 2 standard or above. TMO Juniors will experience 3 days of orchestral rehearsals and tutorials with tutors from The Metropolitan Orchestra, working towards a performance on the final day. This experience will be enriching, exciting, nurturing, lots of fun, and importantly, memory-making! In addition to outstanding music tuition, students will take part in daily yoga classes and team-building activities.
HURRY – LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE – less than 20 spots left! Register now.

Upcoming Music Events

Term 3

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

Accessing SCEGGS systems from overseas for Students and Staff

As part of strengthening our IT security posture at SCEGSS, we have implemented a restriction that prevents staff and students from accessing any SCEGGS system from an overseas IP / Network address.

If any student is travelling overseas and requires access, please email the service desk. Please include their details and estimated date of return and we can add them into a bypass rule that will allow them to continue accessing SCEGSS systems whilst travelling.

Please note – this does not affect parent or guardian accounts, only staff and student accounts.

Craig Whalland
Director of ICT

Careers News

2023 University Open Days

Many universities are hosting Open Days, providing future students a wonderful opportunity to explore campuses and find out more about degrees and courses that interest them. Click the link to see all upcoming dates.

Andrea Pinnock
Careers Adviser