Thinking Allowed

Amelia McAllan, Head of PDHPE at SCEGGS Darlinghurst discusses the PDHPE curriculum, including sex education and issues around consent in this week’s Thinking Allowed article.

As a School we recognise the importance of providing learning opportunities for our students to support them in becoming confident, articulate, resilient young women who possess the knowledge and skills to allow them to take their place in an ever-changing world. Through their PDHPE lessons, we aim to provide opportunities for our students to develop self-management, interpersonal and movement skills that can help them become empowered, self-confident, and socially responsible citizens. We believe that PDHPE provides valuable learning experiences for our students to develop the knowledge and skills to empower them to make healthy and safe choices and to take action to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of both themselves and the communities in which they live. The petition has brought the topic of respectful relationships and consent to the forefront of discussions and highlighted the importance of education.

Learning in PDHPE reflects the dynamic nature of health, safety, and wellbeing in the context of a diverse and rapidly changing society. A new PDHPE syllabus has been developed and implemented from 2018 which has seen a significant shift in the way in which the teaching of relationships and sexual health is delivered.

The aim for students learning in PDHPE is for the students to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that are important for building respectful relationships, enhancing personal strengths, and exploring personal identity to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others.

The students develop strategies to manage change, challenges, power, abuse, violence and learn how to protect themselves and others in a range of situations.

Throughout their course of study in PDHPE, students develop, strengthen, and refine key skills that allow them to take action and advocate for their health, safety, wellbeing. In Kindergarten we focus on developing foundation skills, whereby students learn to identify how they grow and develop an understanding of their body and recognise that the terms ‘private’ and ‘public’ are associated to parts of the body. Students learn to recognise that all people have the right to give consent and tell others not to touch their body when they do not want to be touched. The students also identify the skills and strategies to be safe and be supportive, they recognise that they have the right to say yes or no to affection and appropriate touch. When students move into Years 1 and 2, they will then learn to describe the situations and learn to distinguish between contexts and when situations are appropriate and inappropriate in relation to consent. Specific strategies are targeted at this stage with the introduction of a help seeking strategy they can use when they feel unsafe, ‘No-Go-Tell’. The focus of learning across Years 3 and 4 is on exploring strategies to manage change, how to seek help and advice and how to manage the changes experienced during puberty. Much of their learning focuses on relationships and what their rights and responsibilities are in different relationships while also building the skills and strategies for them to be healthy, safe, and empowered in different situations. In Years 5 and 6 students learn about the managing transitions and challenges as they mature. The emphasis is placed on describing actions that support caring and respectful relationships and how to plan and practise assertive responses, behaviours and actions that can protect and promote their health, safety, and wellbeing.

In their Secondary School journey, learning focuses on the skills and strategies that can be used to promote inclusivity, equality, and respectful relationships. In their PDHPE lessons in Year 7, students learn about the changes to their relationships and discuss ethical behaviours in relationships including consent, and develop the interpersonal skills to negotiate safe intimate relationships. In Year 8 we explore the different nature of relationships and in particular power and abuse and what practices in sexual relationships that enhance their safety and contribute to positive experiences. A significant focus of the students’ learning in Year 9 focuses on sexual health and respectful relationships, with a semester of their study addressing this content. During this time, the students investigate the characteristics of respectful relationships and the rights and ethical responsibilities of individuals in relationships. The emphasis is on ensuring the students practise and evaluate their ability to use their interpersonal skills to develop and maintain respectful and inclusive relationships. They focus on informed consent, conflict resolution, seeking help and asserting a stance on an issue. Students also learn to recognise early warning signs about sexting and offensive online material and propose a range of realistic scenarios to manage situations where their own and other’s health, safety and wellbeing is impacted. In Year 10, students learn to predict potential problems and develop effective solutions to risky situations. They explore the harms associated with drug use and recognise the short- and long-term consequences of alcohol and illicit drugs on the individual and community.

The Pastoral Care program within our School is also very closely connected to the topics and themes taught in PDHPE. Each year group extends upon the main topics taught in a year and the Year Co-ordinators, led by Bethany Lord, will also explore these key areas through additional sessions and learning experiences and guest speakers who can provide insight and expertise in these areas.

As a Department, we are starting the conversations and attempting to bring about change but recognise that more can still be done. We have a passionate team of teachers who teach across the whole school, K-12, and each are equipped with the knowledge and skills to address these key issues. We are willing to tackle these issues and not dodge the more controversial content as we recognise the significant role we can play. We will also be looking to hear from the students more so that we can directly target areas that they feel we need to address in more detail or need to get right. As a department we also recognise the importance of our partnerships with the families within the School. We encourage you all to use our lessons and content in PDHPE as a springboard to further discussions as a family. We know that this is a significant topic and one which we already discuss with students and families but want to get right!

Amelia McAllan
Head of PDHPE

Emotional development and talking about feelings

Just like adults, children and young people experience many feelings and emotions.  Feelings can present in different shapes and sizes with varying levels of frequency, intensity, and duration.   Some emotions may feel big, uncomfortable, and overwhelming while others may feel quiet, slow, or grounding. 

It is normal for children and young people to move between different emotions as they navigate their way through life. 

Feelings are fluid and constantly change in response to different experiences and stressors.  Feelings and emotions serve important functions; they help us make sense of the world around us and tell us when things are going well or not so well. 

You may have noticed your daughter shift along this continuum of feelings and experience emotions such as happiness, joy, and excitement, embarrassment, guilt, sadness, anger, worry and stress.  These are normal feelings we all experience at some stage in our life. 

As your daughter grows and navigates their way through school, their ability to understand and manage emotions will also strengthen.  It is important to consider the age of your child as a wide range of emotions and behaviours are expected at different developmental stages (Be You, 2021).  It is also important to understand young people identify, experience, and manage feelings differently.  Some children may be able to identify how they feel with ease.  While others may find it more challenging and may communicate their needs in other ways such as through their behaviour or body language.  Emotional development is an individual process that will look differently for each child, even if they are in the same family!  

There are many factors that affect the emotional development of young people.  This includes puberty, brain and cognitive growth, changes in sleep patterns, fatigue, changes in their thinking, development of identity, understanding their place in the world and sense of belonging and developing independence skills.  It is important to understand the context of the emotion your daughter is experiencing.  It can be helpful to consider, “What is going on in my daughter’s life?”.  Strong emotional reactions and responses are normal when young people face difficult circumstances.  It is also important to acknowledge the young person’s cultural background and how this may influence their ability to talk about feelings and emotions.

As a parent or carer, you play an important role in your daughter’s emotional development.  Children develop emotional skills through their social interactions and relationships with significant people in their lives including family, parents, and carers.

Kids Helpline (2021) indicates children who learn healthy ways to express and cope with their feelings are more likely to:

• Develop empathy and be supportive of others.
• Develop resilience and coping skills.
• Develop a positive sense of self and self-confidence.
• Improve school engagement and connectedness.
• Develop positive, respectful, and stable relationships.
• Have good mental health and wellbeing.
• Display fewer behavioural problems.

There are a number of ways you can support your daughter to talk about feelings and emotions.  Here are some helpful suggestions:

• Notice the emotion: Feelings and emotions can be challenging to identify.  Try noticing the emotion by observing changes in body language, mood, presentation and monitoring their behaviour.
• Behind every behaviour is a feeling: What need is your child trying to fulfil? Try to understand the feeling and meaning behind the behaviour you can see.
• Provide a safe and supportive space: If you notice your daughter is experiencing an uncomfortable or big feeling, reach out to them and name this.  Let them know you care about them and are available to support them.
• Clarification: Clarify how your child might be feeling by asking open questions. For example, “It looks like you are going through a hard time, do you want to talk about what is going on?” or “What do you want to do with this feeling?”
• Listen: Support your daughter to identify and express their emotions so they feel heard.  Active listening allows your child to know right now, you are the most important thing to me, and I am here with you (Raising Children, 2020).
• Label the emotion: Support your daughter name how they are feeling by being open, curious, and reflecting what you can notice.  You could ask “I’m wondering if you’re feeling a bit sad or upset?”.  Putting feelings into words supports the emotional identification, self-awareness, and emotional literacy of young people.
• Locate the emotion in the body: Exploring where your daughter experiences the emotion in their body helps develop emotional awareness. It also strengthens the mind-body connection.
• Acknowledge and validate how they are feeling: Acknowledging feelings is an effective way to show understanding, support, and care. Remind your daughter it is ok to feel like this, these are normal feelings we all experience, and I am here for you.  
• Sit with the feeling: Resist the urge to fix what is happening for your child.  Instead try to sit with the feeling and hold space for your daughter by being open, empathetic, and non-judgemental.  Responding to your daughter’s emotions with understanding and acceptance fosters strong and positive connections.
• Be a role model: Children take cues from adults in their life about how to respond and react. Show your daughter how you deal with uncomfortable or big emotions. 
• It is ok to talk about feelings: Praise your daughter for sharing with you, remind them it is ok to talk with you about how they are feeling.
• Recognise, manage, and understand your own feelings: Talking about emotions can bring up different responses for us all. It is important to recognise your own feelings and to access the support you may need while supporting your daughter.

Talking with your daughter about feelings and emotions can be challenging, and that is ok.  There is no script to follow and mistakes might be made, we are all human!  Open communication lets your daughter know; I am here for you, I care about you, you are important to me and you do not have to go through this on your own.  Looking for opportunities to speak with your daughter and acknowledging how they feel is a great place to start. 

Olivia Matthews
SCEGGS Darlinghurst Counsellor

Drama News

Yesterday was a spectacular day for the School at our annual House Drama Day. The work constructed, rehearsed and presented by students was most impressive and I applaud every student for their creativity and the manner in which they tackled the challenge.

This year the Houses were charged with the task of navigating the narrative of a fictitious female character; but placing her in a new “world” and telling her story with a particular genre of style. For example, placing Elizabeth Bennet in an underwater city using the form of the Musical.

The event was adjudicated by actors Tara Morice, Andrew McFarlane and by Drama student Bonnie Harrington from the class of 2020. They commented on the super choices and invention delivered by the girls in their obvious enjoyment of the storytelling they indulged in.

Congratulations to Christian House who won the competition with their exploration of the character of “Debbie Ocean” (from the Ocean’s 8 film) told in the style of a true-crime documentary. Barton came second placing Snow White in a jungle setting told through the lens of reality TV. Third place went to Badham, delivering a Whodunit mystery with Regina George (from Mean Girls).

Thank you to everyone who made the day such a success. A special mention to Ms Goodfellow whose attention to detail and technical support of the girls adds to the terrific aesthetic of the day.

Bravo!

Peter Eyers
Head of Drama

SPAN Event – In Conversation with The Hon Julie Bishop

There are limited tickets available to this SPAN Event, In Conversation with The Hon Julie Bishop.

Old Girl, ABC Journalist and news presenter Celina EDMONDS (1988) will interview the former Minister for Foreign Affairs as she shares her insights on leadership.

Please join us via Zoom on Wednesday 17 March at 6.30pm.

Register by Monday 15 March and a Zoom link will be emailed to you.

Year 12 Charity – Cuts for Cancer

On 12 March, Year 12 will be participating in Cuts for Cancer. We will be cutting 20cm off our hair to donate to Sustainable Salons, who will use our hair to make wigs for people suffering from Leukaemia.

The donation goal this year is $15,000, and we hope that you can help us meet this goal!

47 Australians are diagnosed with blood cancer every day. Australians that have their jobs, family, hair and even life taken away from them.

Your money will aid the fight against leukaemia through the Australian foundations, The World’s Greatest Shave, and the Leukaemia Foundation.

A proportion of the money donated goes to families with leukaemia. This means the money goes to families of people who need to travel hours to receive treatment and have constant hospitalisation due to the strong chemotherapy that leukaemia requires.

Families will often have to pay for external accommodation whilst a family member is having treatment. This money goes towards that care and providing them with support.

Also, during treatment it is rare for the person to continue work, so this money helps compensate their lost income.

The remaining donations go towards Australian research to develop better methods of treatment that are not as invasive and harsh as chemo. Your donations will help this important cause immensely.

But you may be wondering… what happens to the hair that all the Year 12s will cut off?

The hair itself contributes to making wigs for chemotherapy patients, in the goal of making them more accessible. Good quality, real hair wigs cost upwards of $2,500, though usually around $10,000 – $25,000, making them very hard to get for the people that need them.

The price is so high is because of the lack of hair donations (it takes 20, 20cm ponytails to make one wig), and because of the time it takes to make.

The hair that is not long enough for wigs (less than 20cm) goes to cleaning up oil spills across the world, helping to keep our oceans cleaner and their environments varied. Hair itself repels water while actively absorbing oil, making it a very effective tool for this task.

You can find out more about these foundations at these sites:

https://www.doitforcancer.com.au/ways-to-do-it/shave-cut-colour
https://worldsgreatestshave.com
https://www.leukaemia.org.au/

All donations are welcome, no matter how big or small, so use this link to help fight the fight against leukaemia! 

Abby Burge, Head Prefect and
Mia Freeland, Deputy Head Prefect

Presentation for the Primary School Community – Building Courage and Resilience in Children

A reminder that this presentation is being held on Monday 8 March in the Lecture Theatre from 6.00pm – 7.30pm.

Karen Young, psychologist, author and founder of Hey Sigmund, will be speaking to parents on the topic “Building Courage and Resilience in Children”. We encourage parents with daughters in Kindergarten through to Year 6 to attend and hear from this highly experienced professional and parent.

For more information about this session, see the flyer.

If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP via this link.

In line with COVID-19 Safety Guidelines capacity will be limited. We ask that no parents attend who are displaying cold or flu like symptoms and ensure that appropriate hygiene and social distancing is maintained for the duration of the event.

For further information please contact Sarah Johnstone at SarahJohnstone@sceggs.nsw.edu.au.

Sport News

In this week’s Sport News, read about the International Women’s Day Run, Touch Football, Sailing, Term 2 Sport Trials, the upcoming Secondary School Inter-House Cross Country Carnival and the IPSHA Swimming Championships.

SCEGGS International Women’s Day Run – Monday March 8

SCEGGS International Women’s Day Run 6.45am – 7.45am
Meet at McKay Oval Centennial Park at 6:30am

Join us in walking/jogging/running around Centennial Park as a show of unity in the SCEGGS Community for accelerating Women’s equality. It is open to all students/staff/parents who would like to join us on International Women’s Day.

Junior State Cup – Touch

Well done to the following students who competed at the NSW Junior State Cup that was held at Wagga Wagga on the weekend: Lily Cooney, Olivia Davis, Sophie Davis, Ruby Hill, Emma Juneja, Dominique Liew and Sacha Parr. Well done also to Lucy Juneja and Clementine Hooper who were selected to referee at the tournament. Everyone performed well and all the Easts Roosters U’12, U’14, U’16 & U’18 teams progressed through to the quarter finals.

Grand Finals – Easts Touch Tuesday Competition at Queens Park

Well done to both the Senior 1sts and Junior 1sts Touch teams who were both runners up in their grades for the Tuesday Summer Competition.

The Senior 1sts were defeated by Brigidine College, Waverley in a very closely fought match. The scores were locked at 6-6 with Brigidine scoring the winning try right on the full-time bell!

Simultaneously on the next field the Junior 1sts played OLSH in their grand final. The scores were locked up at 2-2 when on the full-time bell OLSH scored the winning try! Miss Rogers, Ms Thompson and Ms Gowan watched on in amazement and couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed.  

Thank you to all of our SCEGGS spectators who were there to support both teams. It was wonderful to see so many students and parents on the sidelines at sport – we have missed you over the past year.

Sailing

Well done to Isobel Payne (Year 8) and Abby Tattersall (Year 6) who represented the RSYS at the ACT Teams Racing Championships on the weekend.

The team had a terrific result and finished 2^nd overall (behind Cranbrook) in a large field that included school and university teams from Ascham, Redlands, ANU, Knox, ADFA and CGS over a very long, hot and tiring weekend.  

Teams Racing is quite a specific form of sailing competition – it involves three boats from one team vs three boats from another, with endless round robins against as many teams as possible, and the overall aggregate points determine the winning team.  

Term 2 Sports Trials

Trials for Football and Basketball will commence over the upcoming weeks. Students should look out for emails from the PDHPE Department detailing exact times and venues.

Secondary Inter-House Cross Country – 16 March

The Secondary Inter-House Cross Country Carnival will be held on Tuesday 16 March at Queens Park. Students should assemble at 6:45am near the amenities block at the Baronga Avenue end (opposite Moriah College).

The first race will commence warm up at 7:00am (15, 16, 17 & 18 years age groups) and the second race (12, 13 & 14 years age groups) will commence warm up at 7:15am. Please note that a student’s age is what they will turn in 2021 eg their age at the 31/12/2021.

This is a participation based event that all students can take part in. All age groups will run the same 3km course.

All spectators are required to remain on the perimeter of the course and not stand near any students. Spectators must not enter the marshalling area, finish chute or finish line.

Buses will take all students to school at the completion of the carnival at approximately 7:45am.

IPSHA Swimming

On Tuesday 2 March, our SCEGGS Representative Swimming Team competed at the IPSHA Swimming Championships held at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. Well done to all girls who competed on the day. We are so proud of your efforts and how well you supported of each other throughout the day!

Congratulations to the following girls who received ribbons on the day for placing in their heats:

A special congratulations must also go to Stella Dodwell who has been selected to represent IPSHA at the CIS Swimming Championships in both the 50m Backstroke and 50m Breaststroke. This is an amazing achievement, and we look forward to having her compete on Thursday 18 March 2021.

If families have any sporting news and achievements please send details to alisongowan@sceggs.nsw.edu.au. We love hearing about what our students are doing outside of school.

Alison Gowan/Director of Sport 
&
Sarah Carter/Assistant Primary Sports Coordinator

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

As we dive into a new year with, hopefully, a more normal life on the horizon, I’d like to welcome all the girls back this year and wish everyone success and forward progress. The Duke of Edinburgh Award navigated some strange tides last year, causing some of the girls to fall behind, but at the moment we have favourable winds for steady progress, and are sailing powerfully.

This time last year we were reassuring everyone how mindful we were of the bushfire situation and the risks that go with trekking in those conditions – particularly smoke haze and compromised safety in affected forests: – how long ago those worries seem, replaced almost directly by the concerns of Covid-19. This year, with both of those risks greatly eased, we look forward to a smooth-running program, enabling everyone to achieve their goals and encounter new experiences in a happy and safe environment.

At the moment we are just starting our Expeditions for the new Bronze girls in Year 9, and I would like to outline a few points that will give everyone a better experience and chance of a good outcome:

• Permission notes/Medical forms for the expedition are usually emailed directly to the girls, however if for one reason or another there is a problem, a generic Permission Note/Medical Form is available on the Duke of Edinburgh Award Cognito page, which can be used by any level student, for any hike. Permission notes are expected no later than the Wednesday prior to the expedition, handed in to the upstairs office of PDHPE. They are a legal document, so should be completed with care, and signed by both Parent/Guardian, and the student.
• Prior to the expeditions, we run meetings for the girls concerned, usually in W5. Girls should receive emails giving notice of the meetings and are expected to attend. They provide essential information about the hike, including logistics, expected behaviours, potential difficulties, having a comfortable experience, and safety. As most expeditions are unique, the planning and requirements may be quite different from a previous hike.
• Students “sign up” for their expeditions on Cognito, and sometimes because of limited spaces we need to employ a “first in line” policy; however generally all girls will be given sufficient opportunities through the year to complete two expeditions. When signing up for a hike, please be mindful that girls must make their own arrangements with sporting, musical, dramatic or other commitments – contact coaches/instructors as well as the SCEGGS staff overseeing those programs to make arrangements, should there be an overlap of schedules. Your commitment to the Award is not automatically a higher priority than Sport.
• Finally, girls are required to return any equipment they have borrowed from the school within two days of their return from the hike – clean, dry and in good repair. If this cannot be done (sometimes rain can prevent drying of tents), please let me know as soon as possible, so that we can arrange for the next group to receive their equipment. Currently, we are in the midst of six weeks of back-to-back hikes, so the return of equipment is critical for a smooth-running program. Please note that tents should NEVER be washed in a machine, or with regular detergents or cleaners – it destroys the waterproofing and makes the tent worthless.

For girls continuing on to Silver or Gold, or those completing a Gold Award they started last year, remember to stay on top of your activities, and keep up to date with logging them – and also get those assessor signatures sooner rather than later. If you have questions or difficulties with your award, a quick review of the rules on-line, or a question to me (at school or by email) may save hours of wasted effort or missed opportunities.

Ms Joanne Bower & Mr Doric Swain
Duke of Edinburgh Award Coordinators

School Cafeteria

SCEGGS Cafeteria                                                 

A reminder of the School Cafeteria information including the Term 1 Menu.

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

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.

Sarah Walters
Director of Administration

Go Greener

Active Citizenship for the Environment – Clean Up Australia Day                                          

Clean Up Australia Day is an annual event organised across Australia where community members work together to collect waste from local areas and improve the natural environments which are so important for our collective wellbeing. This year the event will take place Sunday, 7 March.

The first Clean Up Australia Day was organised by cofounders Ian Kiernan and Kim McKay in 1989 to clean up Sydney Harbour. Mr Kiernan first alerted us to the problem of rubbish in our oceans when he participated in an around the world solo yacht race during 1986/87. The first Clean up Australia event was held in 1989 and it has now grown to include over 600,000 volunteers across more than 7000 locations in Australia each year. In the past 30 years, volunteers have donated more than 33 million volunteer hours of labour and removed over 350 thousand ute loads of rubbish from over 178,000 sites across the country.

Today the focus of the Clean Up Australia Day is as much on preventing rubbish entering our environment as it is removing what has already accumulated. The Clean Up Australia Day is the nation’s largest community based environmental event and helps people realise the connections between local pollution and the health of our oceans and marine life.

Participating in a Clean Up Australia Day event is a great way to show commitment and action towards a sustainable future. Support the health of your local environment, meet others or join with a group of friends to take part in a Clean up Australia event this year on Sunday 7 March.  You can register at the following website.

We would love to have photos of any SCEGGS girls participating in a Clean Up Australia Day event. Please forward any photos to Ms Jackson in the Primary School or Ms Zipfinger in the Secondary School.

Diane Jackson
Co-ordinator of Primary Enviro Girls

Primary Library – Book Cafe

With great excitement and enthusiasm, the Year 3 to 6 girls arrived at the Book Café last week, all ready for their annual book tasting experience. Some students arrived up to 10 minutes early so they were asked to return to the playground until lunch or recess had finished!

As the first books were taken from their book stands, “Chef Mac” announced, “Your entrée is now served!”

After five courses and the sampling of many brand-new books, there was a frenzy of activity as the girls decided which books borrow.

The Book Café is now a highlight of the calendar in the Primary Library, as we celebrate Library Lovers’ Month during the month of February.

Karen McBride
Primary Librarian

Music Matters

SCEGGS Eisteddfod – Heats Timetables                                                          

Next week (Week 7) will be the commencement of our SCEGGS Eisteddfod Heats.

Primary students and family

An email with your eisteddfod heats time has been sent to each family.  Copies of the timetable are also available in the Primary Music room and studios for reference.  If you have not received the email, could you please contact Ms Stephanie Holmes in the Music Department: stephanieholmes@sceggs.nsw.edu.au

Secondary students

Secondary students have been sent a copy of the timetable. They can also access the date and time of their eisteddfod heats through Cognito and the timetables that are posted around the Music Centre.

It is important for ALL participants to remember their instruments and music for their eisteddfod heats.  There are limited times available for students who miss their heats.

Practice-a-thon

It is time for students who have participated in the Practice-a-thon to return their “Practice Trackers” to Primary Music room or to the Music Office in the Diana Bowman Centre.  Certificates will be presented to students at the conclusion of the eisteddfod period.

Amati Strings Assembly Performance

Congratulations to members of Amati Strings featuring Lara Greenfield on drum kit. The ensemble performed Brandenburg an arrangement by the classically trained Hip Hop duo, “Black Violin”.  The theme for this arrangement is based on J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.  Bach originally composed six of these Brandenburg Concertos, with the view of receiving work from the Elector of Brandenburg. Well done Amati Strings and thank you to Mrs Anne Sweeney for her direction.

Primary Musicals for 2021

We are pleased to announce that this year the Primary School musicals will take a slightly different format…They do say a change is as good as a rest!

Late in Term 2, we will present the very first Stage 3 combined Musical. This will give girls in Years 5 and 6 a chance to work collaboratively on a production specifically written for them by Ms Lanneke Jones, our new Primary Music teacher.

Here are the driving questions that Ms Jones had in mind as she wrote the production:

• What does home look like to us, to our children?
• What are our visions of Australia today?
• How have artists, musicians, poets and creative minds represented our land?
• How do our first nations peoples represent their culture here?
• Given the nature of the past year, we are invited to appreciate the land we live in, and the beauty, freedom and possibilities it holds for us all.

This play has been created with a mix of old and new Australian songs. Inspiration came initially from Dorothy Mackellar’s ‘My Country’, and then I collated a number of contemporary poems from indigenous authors to be narrated throughout the play. I created a story of Holly, a girl who lived in the Northern Territory who moves to the city of Sydney with her family, finding home and belonging in both places. I have endeavoured to weave Australian scenes within the plot through songs, images and poetry.

Stage 2 girls will be working towards a concert in Term 3 that will present repertoire inspired by work of Matthew Doyle. Matthew is a descendant of the Muruwari people from the Lightning Ridge area of NSW and grew up in Southern Sydney on Dharawal land. He is a professional musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, cultural consultant and educator, with a passion for passing on the indigenous languages of Sydney.

Primary Instrument Recruitment

Girls who are not learning an instrument at school are being encouraged to consider taking up a band or string instrument! Recruitment concerts were held for cello this week with mentoring from older students. Elizabeth Teoh (Year 5) and Georgie Auld (Year 5) performed beautifully for the girls in the Year 1 and Year 2 music classes, demonstrating the beautiful rich sounds of the cello. Some primary and older secondary girls played band instruments to a captive audience of Year 2 girls, showing them all the different instruments available to learn at SCEGGS. Thank you to the following girls who assisted:

Girls who take up instruments will be able to join an ensemble after they have had a term or two of lessons.

Musician of the Week

Each week we will be choosing a musician from one of the ensembles and asking them a few questions about their participation in an ensemble.

This week, we are featuring Allegra Sintras in Year 11. Here are her responses to Music Committee member (Band) Lily Helene’s questions:

1. Why did you play your instrument?

I chose to start learning the saxophone because it has a very dynamic and creative sound that is flexible for so many different genres. Saxophone is one of those instruments that no one gets tired of. Everyone loves hearing the sax solo in a jazz or blues piece! I used to play the clarinet, but after playing for 3 years, I realised I wasn’t quite enjoying it but I knew I loved music. I started to learn the saxophone and the transition wasn’t too difficult because the clarinet is very similar.

2. Why do you love performing in this ensemble?

I have only been a part of the Basie Jazz Ensemble since the beginning of the year.  I have been welcomed with open arms and feel lucky to be a part of it. The other girls are very inclusive and collaborative, and Mr Jewitt never fails to make early morning rehearsal a joy! I love learning new jazz pieces that are all so different and dynamic!

Peripatetic Music program

Want to learn an instrument or voice? It’s not too late to apply for instrumental or vocal lessons. The form can be accessed here.

Pauline Chow
Head of Music

Inter-House Results

Results: Junior Inter-House Speaking Challenge                                                                    

Great effort was made by all participants.

Primary School Paddle Pop and Icy Twists Day

On Friday 12 March the SCEGGS P&F will be raising funds by holding a Paddle Pop day in the Primary School.