From the Chair of Board

Dear Members of the School Community

On behalf of the School Board, I send our best wishes to all in our community at the beginning of the new school year. 

We particularly extend a very warm welcome to those new to the School this year and hope that you all feel settled as quickly as possible. We are all part of a wonderful school with a vibrant and supportive community and we wish you all the very best as you begin your educational experience at SCEGGS Darlinghurst. 

I wanted to communicate a couple of important aspects of the Board’s role and of the ownership structure of the School. It is important to note at the outset that the Board does not have a role in the day-to-day running of the School. We set the long-term strategic direction for the School and support the Head as she executes the mission, vision and strategy of our School. We acknowledge the importance of good governance in all our undertakings and aim to provide broad, comprehensive and modern governance of the School. 

You can find out more information about the Board on the School website here, which includes a list of all of our Board members.

The School is owned and operated by SCEGGS Darlinghurst Limited, a company limited by guarantee. All adults within the SCEGGS community are eligible for membership, including parents, Old Girls, staff, friends and benefactors. The cost of membership is $100; your membership will last for six years and can be made in the form of a payment or donation. All members receive a copy of the Annual Report and may vote at the AGM.  Applications for membership are sent to every person who donates to the SCEGGS Trust and to anyone who enquires about membership. It is a great idea to join the company; doing so shows your support for the School and, at the same time, acknowledges the ownership structure of the company which is so clearly vested in our community and the School’s success. 

If you would like to become a company member please contact the Company Secretary, Bridget O’Brien, via email or phone the Director of Administration, Phil Rogers, on 9332 1133.

I wish everyone in the School community a wonderful year ahead.

Sally Auld
Chair

Secondary School Wellbeing Survey – Week 3

Over the past few years, the Counsellors, with the support of the Director of Student Wellbeing and Year Co-ordinators, have conducted a brief survey of students in Years 7 to 12 to help give us a snapshot of student health and wellbeing. 

During Year Meetings next week (Week 3), we will again be conducting a short questionnaire of secondary students, which will take approximately two minutes to complete. These questions will help us identify any students who may need some additional support, as well as informing initiatives and interventions for particular year groups and assisting us in setting wellbeing goals for 2024. This is so important for all of us as we plan for the new school year.

You are welcome to contact Laura Connolly, Director of Student Wellbeing, or any of the SCEGGS School Counsellors on 9332 1133 if you have any questions.

The Counselling Team
Janet McEwen, Philippa Gibson, Melissa Saxton, Olivia Whelan and Lauren Miles

From the Chair of the Trust

On behalf of the SCEGGS Trust, it is a pleasure to welcome back the SCEGGS community for 2024. We extend a warm welcome to families who are new to SCEGGS. I hope you all found time to relax and recharge.

The SCEGGS Trust is the fundraising arm of the School and our vision is to ensure the opportunity and excellence of a SCEGGS education is secure for generations to come through increasing diversity through scholarships, capital development and cultural resources.

The SCEGGS Trust raises money for two main purposes:

• Scholarships to broaden the opportunity of a SCEGGS education and increase diversity among the School’s students.
• Capital works to evolve our inner-city campus to deliver world-class education through outstanding facilities and technology.

SCEGGS stands here today as the result of the vision, drive and generosity of individuals in our community including those who founded the School, saved SCEGGS from the 1970s financial crisis and invested in our future through scholarships and redevelopment of our unique site.

The development of SCEGGS is the result of ongoing investment and generosity of past and present members of our community – parents, old girls, educators and leaders committed to excellence in education and the unique values the School instils. The work of the SCEGGS Trust serves to further that vision and work together to create opportunity for every SCEGGS girl, now and in the future.

2023 was a wonderful year for the SCEGGS Trust. Substantial progress was made towards our Light Her Path campaign, particularly with our second annual Giving Day which raised over $520,000. We were thrilled that so many in our community chose to come together and give. Participation by over 310 donors was a remarkable achievement for a School of our size and a substantial increase on last year’s Giving Day. The goal of the Campaign is to raise $12 million for the redevelopment of Wilkinson House and $8 million to expand our means-tested scholarship program and thanks to the enormous support of our community, we are almost half-way there!

I look forward to sharing news with you as the works on Wilkinson House progress and we continue to grow our Scholarship Fund.

The Trust prides itself on doing all that we can for the benefit of SCEGGS girls, and we look forward to sharing in that with you through the year.

If you would like more information on the Trust’s work, or to share your thoughts on the Trust’s fundraising initiatives, please do not hesitate to contact me here.

Alternatively, you may contact the Development Office via email or on 9332 1133.

I look forward to seeing you throughout the year.

Christy Boyce
Chair of the SCEGGS Trust

The SCEGGS P&F Association Years 9 & 10 Parent/Daughter Breakfast

Students in Years 9 & 10 and a parent or carer are invited to attend the Parent/Daughter Breakfast on Friday 16 February from 7.00am – 8.15am in the Great Hall.

We are delighted to welcome back to SCEGGS Old Girl Lucy Hill (BETTS) from the Class of 1995 as our guest speaker.

Lucy is Head of Marketing and Communications in Australia for Natixis Investment Managers, one of the world’s largest asset managers.

Prior to joining Natixis last year, Lucy spent the last 20 years helping to build some of the best-known brands in Australian financial services including ANZ, AMP and Perpetual.

After her time at SCEGGS, Lucy studied at UNSW and gained her Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing and Accounting.

Lucy is happily married and mum to two boys and one dog. When she’s not working she loves travel, walking in nature, reading and baking. She also loves spending time with her extended family including three sisters who all attended SCEGGS and catching up regularly with her SCEGGS friends!

To hear more about Lucy’s career journey and the lessons she’s learn along the way, join us at on Friday 16 February!

Science News

Welcome back to another exciting year of science club! Science club runs weekly on Monday lunchtimes in JF14, and is an incredible opportunity to do fun experiments with your friends and learn about the wonders of science.

To kick off the year, next Monday we will be celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day which celebrates and recognises the empowerment of women and girls through participation in science, technology and innovation. 

In honour of this, we welcome distinguished Associate Professor Lana McClements of the School of Life Sciences and The Institute for Biomedical Materials and Devices at UTS to give us a talk. She is the leader of the Cardio-Obstetrics Research Group and is focused on women’s health as well as advocacy for women in STEM. 

The talk will be held next Monday 12 February at lunch in the Lecture Theatre and we encourage everyone to come as we learn about her inspiring career, her experience as a woman in STEM and her interesting research into pregnancy and the cardiovascular system. We will also be offering time for questions at the end of the talk for anyone with any specific inquiries.

We hope to see everyone there!

Janet Zheng, Jasmine So, Rebecca Colwell, Sophia Chu, and Teagan Barrack
Science Club Leaders

Science Co-curricular Overview

Science is getting ready for another big year! There’s always something exciting going on, so if you are interested in the wonders of the world (or out of this world in Space!), conducting experiments, engineering or anything else scientific, please come and join us.

To help with planning, here is a quick overview of some of the co-curricular activities available in Science. If you are interested in any of these activities, please contact Mia Sharma or Luke Hanson for further information.

Term 1

Term 2

July Holidays (9 – 13 July, 2024)- The Armidale School Forensic Science Camp for Year 8 students.

Term 3

October Holidays (9-11 October, 2024) – The Science Experience (Macquarie University) for Year 9-10 students.

Term 4

January Holidays 2025 – National Youth Science Forum (NYSF Science Camp) for current Year 11s (Year 12 in 2025).

Visual Arts

The Art Department is pleased to share our Co-curricular program for Semester 1!

Students are encouraged to attend the Co-curricular Expo tomorrow at lunchtime in the Sports Hall where our Art Captain Jade Brennan will be present to answer questions about the opportunities on offer in 2024. Classes will commence in Week 4.

This semester we offer:

• Observational Drawing,
• Darkroom Photography, and
• Painting course

Tutors are highly experienced educators and practising artists. Darkroom Photography is run by Ian Lever who is a professional photographer with decades of national and international experience. His work is widely acknowledged especially his social documentation of Sydney Life.

Painting and Drawing classes are tutored by Lilli Stromland who is both an Old Girl (Class of 2012) and a Graduate of the National Art School. She is an exceptionally skilled artist who has established a successful fine arts career. Lilli continues to build a strong critical and commercial following.

Classes are as follows:

Classes are capped at eight for each session of Darkroom Photography and 15 for Drawing and Painting with a waitlist option. Art students are given priority enrolment in Years 9 to 12 with possible non-elective student participation available if spaces are free. The program begins again in Semester 2.

Here are some works from our students from the past:

Further information and sign up is available through Clipboard.

We also have a student led Art magazine, SCOPE. Anyone can submit articles, reviews or essays to SCOPE and we are in the process of receiving applications for the position of Editor. This role is open to students in Years 9 and 10 and we encourage these Visual Arts students to seize this opportunity to extend their leadership skills in this unique position. Students have been emailed details of how to apply.

This week’s banner is Harper Jones’s drawing that was awarded the Howard Tanner Drawing Prize at Speech Night last year.

Heidi Jackson
Head of Visual Arts

Secondary Sport News

A big welcome to everyone who is new to SCEGGS sports in 2024. It has been a busy time for the PDHPE Department as we get ready to begin our Term 1 Sports. Please be patient as we await final draws and match times from our various associations. We are still finalising teams and will load everything onto Clipboard as we receive the information.

Inter-House Touch

Inter-House Touch will be held next Thursday, February 15 at Robertson Rd, Moore Park. Every student is encouraged to attend and show their House spirit. This is a great opportunity for students to get to know other students across different year groups. It will be a fun afternoon involving participation and fun.

Buses will depart SCEGGS at 3.10pm. Parents are welcome to collect students from the fields at the completion of the event. Alternatively, there will be buses returning to school at 5pm.

Please speak to the PDHPE Department if you have any questions regarding Inter-House Touch.

Athletics

Congratulations to Coco Espie (Year 10) who won the Junior Girl’s 10km GIO Oz Day Wheelchair race that was held throughout the streets of Sydney on Australia Day. The event features some of the best wheelchair racers in the world and was Coco’s first time competing in the junior category.

Coco also competed at the AIS Summer Down Under Series in Canberra and won several of these races.  

In addition to her busy schedule, Coco was featured in a promotional video for Wheelchair NSW that you can view here.

Well done to Annabel Lavery (Year 8) who represented Balmain Athletics in the 1500m U14 Race Walk at the Little Athletics NSW Region 8 Championships at Sylvania Waters over the weekend.

She finished in First place and has qualified for the State Championships on Sunday 3 March.

Annabel is pictured with her brother who also medalled at the championships.

SCEGGS Old Girls

Good luck to Sienna Green (Class of 2022) who is currently representing the Australian Stingers Water Polo Team at the World Aquatic Championships that are being held in Doha, Qatar. Sienna was awarded the Best and Fairest for her dominant display in their opening match against Singapore. We look forward to hearing more results as they happen.

Best wishes also to Phoebe Cridland (Class of 2019) who is currently representing Australia in Cross Country Skiing at the 2024 Nordic World Junior and U23 Championships which is taking place in Planica, Slovenia this week.

SCEGGS at Play

Do you have any sporting news or photos to share in Behind 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

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

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

I hope your daughter has had an enjoyable and productive start back to school and settled back to class routines. K-2 sport returns this week!

Please click here for all pick up arrangements for the term. A reminder that if you would like to give permission for another parent to collect your daughter, then you need to send an email to Adrian Hammond or the Sports Department.

Reminders for the sport:

• Students are to arrive 30 minutes prior to the scheduled game time for IPSHA games.
• Girls must arrive in the correct uniform, have a full water bottle and bring all other sports-specific equipment required to play (e.g. shin pads for football).
• Any potential changes or cancellations, including for wet weather, will be made in Clipboard via a push notification.
• If your child is going to be absent from sport, then you need to contact Helen Dempsey at Helen Dempsey to gain approved leave.

SCEGGS students are expected to uphold the SCEGGS Sports Values when participating in sport. You might like to discuss these with your daughter this week to ensure they have a positive sporting experience.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Mr Adrian Hammond
Primary Sports Co-ordinator

From the Languages Department

Students of Year 10 French have been briefed and sent information about the six-week reciprocal SCEGGS French Exchange with the Lycée Saint-Marc in the city of Lyon. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to practise their language skills in authentic situations and settings and to gain an appreciation of the customs and lifestyle of France.

Applications close on Monday 19 February 2024.

For further information, please contact Angélique Deleeuw.

Angélique Deleeuw
Head of Languages

Music Matters

Assembly Piano

Thank you to Rebecca Colwell (Year 12) and Zara Perkins (Year 10) who have played in the first two Assemblies of the year. If you would like to join the roster to play the intro and outro for Ms Allum and the Hymn, please contact Ms Jones.

Co-curricular Expo

The Music Department will have a table at the Co-curricular Expo on Friday. Music Staff and students from the Music Committee will be available to answer any questions you have about the Secondary Co-curricular Music program. Further information about Primary and Secondary Co-curricular Music is available in these booklets.

• Primary Co-curricular Program
• Secondary Co-curricular Program

Clipboard

All co-curricular music ensemble schedules are now available on Clipboard. If you haven’t set this up yet, please log-in here.

If you are having any issues with Clipboard set-up, please contact our Music Administration Assistant, Miss Alice Kotowicz.

Music Tuition

Most individual music lessons resumed this week. Timetables for music lessons can be found on Cognito and are usually circulated by the tutors. Please contact your tutor directly if you are unsure of lesson times.

It’s not too late to organise instrumental or vocal lessons. Further information and an application form can be found in this booklet.

SCEGGS Eisteddfod

• The SCEGGS Music Eisteddfod is a competition open to all musicians currently taking private lessons, inside or outside of school.
• Entry into the Eisteddfod is free, and applications will open in Week 4 (from Monday 19 February).
• A well-prepared piece at the student’s current ability level is best. Chat with your tutor to discuss this.
• All Elective Music students are preparing for participation.
• Heats will be held in the Week 7 beginning in 11 March.

Highlights Concerts

Highlights Concerts will be held on Wednesday 20 March.

A variety of awards are made at these concerts:

1. 1. Outstanding Musician of the Primary School/Secondary School
   2. Wran Prize for Up-and-Coming Vocalist (Secondary only)
   3. Acknowledgement Awards

Upcoming Music Events

Term 1

Heidi Jones
Head of  Music (Co-curricular)

Parents’ and Friends’ Association

Welcome Cocktail Party

We are looking forward to seeing you at our annual P&F Welcome Cocktail Party to be held on Friday 1 March from 6.00pm – 8.00pm on the Joan Freeman Terrace. Please see the invitation below for booking details.

P&F Parent Events

Year 7 and 10 Vaccination Clinic Dates and Online Consent

If your child is in Year 7 or Year 10 in 2024, you will need to provide consent online for school vaccinations offered by NSW Health’s School Vaccination Program.

SCEGGS Vaccination Clinic dates for 2024 are as follows:

• Year 7 – diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV)vaccines – Friday 22 March
• Year 10 – meningococcal ACWY vaccine – Friday 2 August

Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received. Online consent will only be accepted if provided through the NSW Health School Vaccination Program portal.

How to provide consent:

1. To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit: health.nsw.gov.au
2. Follow the steps to log in to your existing ServiceNSW account. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you don’t have a ServiceNSW account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one.
3. Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required.
4. Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:
   1. Enter your child’s personal details
   2. Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
   3. Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
   4. Provide consent

Detailed instructions can be found on the NSW Health website.

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper consent form from the school.

We ask that Parents of Year 7 students complete their online consent form by Monday 11 March.

The benefits of providing consent online:

• easily update your child’s details
• receive SMS and/or email notifications when vaccinations are given
• faster upload of vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

If you have given consent for your child to be vaccinated at the school clinic, but they are absent on the day of the clinic visit, the school immunisation nurses will try to catch them up at their next visit. Alternately, you can speak to a GP or pharmacist about catching up on vaccinations.

For more information on school vaccinations visit here.

or if you have any questions, please contact South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit on: 9382 8333 (Ext 2).

Phil Rogers
Director of Administration