At NEGS, your child's care and development are at the heart of everything we do. Our core values of Excellence, Integrity, Responsibility, and Teamwork are embedded in our curriculum, extracurricular activities, and school culture, shaping our students into well-rounded individuals ready to make positive contributions to society.  We want to develop our young people to be empathetic and fulfilled, have drive and purpose, know themselves, take ownership, and embrace all possibilities. 

By upholding our core values, we aim to create a cohesive and supportive school community where every child can flourish. We encourage students to support their peers and contribute to a community where everyone feels valued and respected. I encourage open communication between the school and families, as your insights are invaluable in helping us maintain a safe and nurturing environment.

Thank you also for reinforcing these principles at home and in the broader community. Together, we can ensure that NEGS remains a place where your child feels safe, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. A place where each individual can be their best.

Thank you to the Dads and father figures who joined us Thursday night at the Father-Daughter dinner. It was great connecting with you and seeing you enjoy time with your son or daughter. Our students much anticipate the evening, which is always a special.

I look forward to continuing to connect and converse with our families, who will join us on Friday for our whole-of-school Athletics Carnival.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Armidale Eisteddfod. Thank you to the staff for the teaching and learning this experience provided our students. It was a proud moment when our 3-6 Choir was awarded third place. Over the weekend, three of our students will perform in the vocal sections; we wish Kenzie, Rhali, and Ruby the best. Next Tuesday, our Saumarez Ensemble will be performing. Our music and performing arts are an important and vibrant part of our school, and I look forward to seeing this area continue to grow. 

This week is National Volunteer Week. As a community, we are grateful to all our NEGS volunteers, who generously give their time and expertise to so many facets of our school community. We appreciate you and your impact on our community. Thank you!

Whatsoever you do, do it heartily.

Liz van Genderen

Principal

I want to commend our students on a great week. It has been a busy week that culminated on Friday with our Athletics Carnival. It was a great day that showcased competitive and school spirit. I want to acknowledge our Senior students, Year 12, for their leadership of the day. Seeing the competitive spirit and participation demonstrated on the day was wonderful. Thank you to all the parents who joined us and the P and F for running the canteen. Finally, I would like to thank our staff for the smooth running of the Carnival, particularly Ella Kenny, our new Head of Sport. We will hold our Athletics Whole School Assembly on Monday, 17 June, to which all parents are invited.

I commend the students who performed last week and over the weekend at the Armidale Eistefodd. Next week, our Saumarez Ensemble will perform. It is good to see NEGS represented in the performing arts.

Next week is also a big week on our Equestrian calendar with the North West Equestrian Expo. It is Australia's largest high school interschool equestrian event, at which NEGS is the school with the largest number of riders, along with our support crew of coaches and parents. As a school, we are very proud of our long and successful association with this event and see it as a highlight on our calendar. We love to see our equestrian students representing NEGS in one of the few true opportunities to compete as a team. I want to take the opportunity to remind our students that they are representing NEGS, and their behaviour must always be in line with our school expectations and code of conduct. Taking such a large group away presents many challenges. I want to thank our Equestrian Centre staff, led most admirably by Annyka, and supportive parents for making this happen. 

Mr Jamie Moore

Deputy Principal

Dear NEGS families,

Our journey through the Learning and Teaching Framework continues this week as we turn to the Quality Teaching layer.

The Framework has a dual focus—how we design deep learning that is authentic and relevant to the real world and how we teach and professionally cultivate a culture of learning in our classrooms and around the campus. The Quality Teaching Model (QTM) addresses the latter in partnership with the Community of Practice outer ring.

The Quality Teaching Model identifies 18 elements that can be considered markers of quality teaching practice in a school context. The elements are organised into three categories: Intellectual Quality, Quality Learning Environment, and Significance. 

Intellectual quality is about academic rigour – avoiding surface or rote learning in favour of rich and strongly encoded knowledge and skills. The Quality Learning Environment category is all about class culture, the supportive but demanding culture of a classroom where students are supported to achieve. Significance is just that – meaningful teaching and learning, relevant to young people's lives, inclusive and respectful, and relevant in our dynamic modern world

The research to support these defined elements is extensive, stretching back to the 1990s and the work of Associate Professor James Ladwig on authentic pedagogy. It’s since been through a number of iterations and expansions, including being adopted by the NSW Department of Education as their central pedagogical framework in 2003, and the conduct of a full randomised control trial by the NSW Department of Education in 2014-15 (the sort of really well-designed studies that test for drug efficacy and other clinical interventions in medical research). These kinds of large, expensive studies are uncommon in educational research.

Needless to say, the Quality Teaching Model is thus a proven model to help guide and shape classroom teaching. A key strength that may not be immediately apparent is the way it creates a collaborative culture of practice for teachers and educators that builds up their skills and develops their classroom practice. Quality Teaching Rounds is a proven process of observation, reflection, and collegial discussion around the 18 elements. I am pleased to say that we have begun our Quality Teaching Rounds here at NEGS and the genuine and supportive collaboration between teachers about their professional practice has been an absolute joy.

Learning is at the heart of our framework, extending beyond our students to our staff, families, and community. We’re all in this grand endeavour together: to create a wonderful schooling experience for our young people and help everyone associated with the school be their best at NEGS—sure, but also to be their best in the wider world because of their association with NEGS.

On a final note, especially given that this term’s focus school value is responsibility, I just wish to note that I will be attending the Connabarabran North West Equestrian Expo. I look forward to helping the girls keep up with their coursework as they compete, especially as there is quite a bit of assessment due either directly after Coona or not long after. I also look forward to talking with you, our parents, about our approach to academics at NEGS. See you at Coona!

Kind regards,

Ryan Caldwell

What a fantastic fortnight we've had! Our school choirs shone brightly at this year's Eisteddfod, delivering exceptional performances that truly impressed everyone. Their hard work, dedication, and talent were evident in every note sung.

Additionally, the Athletics Carnival was a great success. Students participated in the various events with enthusiasm and team spirit, making the day unforgettable.

It was also great to come together as a community and celebrate our families. Mother’s Day Chapel and afternoon tea were warmly received as an opportunity to show thanks and recognise the importance of the role these figures play in our lives. Furthermore, our annual Father-Daughter/Son Dinner saw our Dads and their children enjoying good company over a shared meal and some impressive dance moves. 

Congratulations to all for your remarkable efforts and achievements!

Heidi Dent

Junior School Co-ordinator

“Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your modus operandi and change the world” – Annie Lennox

What a great goal, something that costs us nothing and yet can have such a significant impact on our environment. In keeping with our school's value of responsibility this term, I would like everyone to consider the profound impact that kindness can make on boarding at NEGS. We are all responsible for our actions and words in particular and their effect on the people around us. I strongly believe that the reintroduction of vertically integrated boarding has created a softer environment in boarding. Older students are proving to be great role models, and the multiple age groups in one space are creating better conversations. 

This is only the beginning, though – we all need to do better! It saddens me every time I hear of someone ‘gossiping’ or being ‘mean’ and the hurt and discord these incidents cause. It may be difficult in an environment populated only by teenage girls to create a completely zen world, but we all have the capacity to show kindness to each other. So I say to everyone - Think before you speak, consider if it is necessary to comment at all. Recognise that not everyone will get along but that everyone is entitled to be themselves. If someone is not in your tribe, move on silently. Small actions can have big impacts, and it is not a question of asking people to do more but often asking them to consider if they need to get involved at all.

Let’s not punish our friends if they make a mistake, let’s not be afraid to welcome new people into our community, and let’s not allow a minority of people in our sphere to dictate how we behave in general. Instead, let’s embrace the diversity boarding life offers us, invest in making new friends, and create a warm and welcoming environment in our Schools and boarding houses.

As adults and role models in our children’s lives, let's all encourage kindness. Parents, you play a crucial role in shaping our community. Let’s begin the conversations we need to have with our daughters about how to ditch the drama and concentrate on making that change in boarding and the world that Annie Lennox wants to see.

“Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your modus operandi and change the world” – Annie Lennox

Thank you. What a great night!

Last Thursday, we celebrated our Father-Daughter/Son Dinner. Thank you to all the dads and grandads who were able to join us. We acknowledged and celebrated those unable to be with us due to distance and other commitments. This is always a special evening on our school calendar, and it is so lovely to see everyone enjoy themselves, make new connections, and share a meal together.

Thank you to our P and F for your support of the evening. Thanks to the generosity of everyone who attended, just under $10k was raised.

We want to acknowledge businesses and individuals who donated prizes for the Auction and/or raffle:

• Barclay Kelpies
• Matt Garside, MJG Rural Developments, rural fencing and cattle yard building business
• AgBoss
• Nutrien Ag Solutions
• New Holland Tractors
• Paul Halloran, Bushman agent
• Heartland Rural at Cowra
• Ulrick Family
• Jessica Riemsdijk
• Peter Moffitt

EARLY YEARS INFORMATION EVENING

On Tuesday, 28 May, at 5.00 pm, we are holding an Early Years Information Evening for our current Pre-K parents and families considering NEGS for Pre-K and Kindergarten in 2025.

The evening will be held in our Kindergarten Classroom, and you will have the opportunity to hear from our Principal, our Pre-K and Kindergarten teacher, and how you, as parents, can best prepare your child for the transition into their formal schooling years. 

At NEGS, we appreciate the importance of these early formative years and know that our Early Years program sets a strong foundation. Our Early Years program ignites a love of learning in a nurturing, warm environment that embraces curiosity and develops critical thinking skills. As they enter their formal school years, we build upon these foundations with the right balance between academic challenges and student-driven discoveries. Our Junior School is built on a solid base and progress for every child.

We look forward to our current Pre-K parents joining us for this evening, along with any families who have a sibling due to enter Kindergarten in 2025.

When: Tuesday, 28 May at 5.00pm

Where: NEGS Kindergarten Classroom

For more information, please ring Katlyn, on 6774 8700.