NEGS News - Term 4 Week 2

We have had a busy and exciting start to Term 4, with a number of key events, including:

• 2022/2023 Prefect Induction – welcoming our incoming Head Prefect, Deputy Head Prefect and 4 Prefects and all year 11 students into Year 12. This was followed by afternoon tea for the students and families. 

               Please note we are yet to announce House Captains and the 2023 leaders for Boarding and the Equestrian Centre

• Girls Night In – for new students joining us in 2023, It was a pleasure to meet our new parents and enjoy the morning introductory session to NEGS, the parent evening at Tattersalls and a barbecue before families headed home. 

                Our new students left with a booklet as a memento, along with a plant – for them to grow in their time at NEGS.

• Pancake Friday – thank you Penny Lehman and Year 7 students 
• Whole of School Colour Run 
• Year 9/10 camp at Coffs Adventure Centre; 

                  The coming Year 11 camp means all students 7-11 will have been on camp this year!

• 19 for 19 Challenge – community event

• The ISHE – congratulations to all students who participated 

This week also featured:

• Year 7/8 UNE Research study – how our youth are feeling about climate change issues – Understanding Ecological Emotions of Young People
• Commencement of rehearsal for Carols – Year 7, 8, & 11 students. 
• Whole of school Wellbeing Day from which the take-away message was:  

               What so ever you do, do it Heartily

We wish to thank Laura Cambridge and Liane Nixon for their organisation of this special day.

Next week: 

• The Standtall Event in Tamworth on Thursday 27 October; a new   – regional event supported by the NSW Government: 

There will be a host of speakers aiming to arm students with the skills of resilience, the strength to stand up to bullying, the keys to motivation, the power of perspective and the benefits of making good and wise decisions. These come together to build hope for the future in these teens, a vital component to their mental well-being’.

• The 2023 Regional Youth Taskforce: 

Students of families in Years 6-12 have the opportunity to be part of an advisory group that provides young people from rural and regional areas with a unique opportunity to meet with the government and inform decision-making; connect like-minded and driven young people to engage in issues such as entering the workforce, mental health, connectivity and public transport.

NEGS continues its work with AIS Collaborative Action Model around Respectful Relationships; with a focus on:   

• identifying strengths and opportunities for family partnerships (thank you to the P&F and our liaison parents)
• policies and procedures.
• student voice.
• teaching and learning (Round Square).
• inclusive and connected school climate.
• physical and social environment
• staff professional learning.

Liz van Genderen

Principal

Welcome back to Term 4 and a busy run to the end of the year. I was hoping that we would be welcomed back by a vastly improved weather story but alas the rains have dampened our start. The inconvenience of weather on us, as a school, is minor when you consider the hardships being faced by those badly affected by floods. Whether it’s ruined crops, isolation or inundation of homes our collective heart goes out to all impacted and offer our support and prayers.

It has been great to see the positiveness that has accompanied the students return and I have enjoyed the smiles and happy “Good Morning Sir” that I have received, daily. The focus on kindness and wellbeing continues to shape a culture of engagement, care, and community. This has definitely been reflected through our whole school colour run where we celebrated having fun as a school as we welcomed some of our 2023 starting students. It was great to see our senior students running, walking and laughing with the younger students. Also to have our new leaders, in year 11, man the colour stations, with their loud music and positive attitude.

I was also lucky enough to accompany a number of students representing the school at the 19 for 19 event in support of Anya’s Wish. This outstanding community initiative brings together, not just the people of Armidale but, people from far and wide to walk to raise money for research into finding cures for childhood cancers. It was a cracking day to walk either the 5km or 19km track through the beautiful New England which offered amazing views over our gorge country.

Finally, as we have transitioned to our summer uniform, if there are items that have become worn please get to the clothing pool to replace. Our uniform is an important part of who we are and identify us in our community, so I ask that we continue to wear it with pride.

Jamie Moore

Acting Deputy Principal / Director of Sport and Activities 

We were delighted to hold our annual Girls’ Night In last Thursday and Friday. The Girls’ Night In is a much-loved event for Year 6 girls moving into NEGS Senior School the following year. 

This year, we hosted 27 girls for two days and a sleepover. These girls were courageous, jumping into classes with various Senior School teachers. 

The event concluded with the whole school Colour Run, with the girls joining the remainder of the school for the afternoon. 

We are excited to welcome these girls and their families into the NEGS community in 2023.

The term is off to a flying start. 

As anticipated, the Junior School is buzzing just two weeks into Term Four. It was great to see our families and students, Pre-K to Year Six, enjoying the Colour Run. This was a fun-filled opportunity to bring our school community together. Both school-based sports and Summer sports have commenced, with our students enjoying Martial Arts and taking to the Touch field, as part of the local school competition. This Friday also presented another opportunity to focus on student wellbeing and connection with the ‘Whatsoever you do, do it HEARTily' Day.

Carpark Arrangements

Commencing Week Three, Monday 24, we will move to a dual drop-off/collection system, whereby families can elect to park their cars, walk into the school grounds, or continue utilising the drive-through facilities. The newly painted entry identifies the clear zone, therefore we ask that parents move to the parking spaces if the drive-through is full. Please keep in mind the drive-through is to be a continuous flow.

NE Sings

The weekend sees the performance of the New England Sings! Concert. It is a wonderful opportunity, and we are extremely proud of our students taking part. We also thank our parents for their dedication in supporting their children and allowing for their participation in these special events with over 800 students singing in the mass choir.

Student Achievement 

During the holidays, Abbie Kelly (5) represented NSW in the Marcus Oldham Australian Interschool Championships, which is an amazing achievement. Abbie competed in the Primary Preliminary Dressage, placing 2nd in the 1B and 5th in the 1C with an overall placement of 4th. The NSW Primary Dressage Team went on to be awarded 3rd in the teams' championship. Abbie also competed in the Primary Novice Championships, placing 7th.

Congratulations, also, goes to our Junior School students, Caitlin Emerton (6), Abbie Kelly (5) and Georgina Pillar (5) who competed in the Inter School Horse Extravaganza in Tamworth. The event offered a wide range of disciplines, including – showjumping, one-day event, sporting, show riding, dressage, combined training, para-dressage, camp draft and working horse challenge. 

Good Luck to our IPSHA Gymnastics team, Charlotte Travers (4), Imola Archer (4) and Matilda Travers (2) who will complete in Sydney next week. We wish them all the best.

Adelaide Scanlon-Dawson (5) has achieved personal bests in the pool, competing in a number of swimming competitions across the region during the school holidays.

Community Service

I would like to acknowledge Sasha and Jules Huard for giving their time each week, helping to run a breakfast club for those less fortunate in the Armidale community. Participating in community service is an important part of growing empathy allowing us to build compassion and relate to others.

As we move through the term, please share with the school your child's achievements or contributions to the community. We are so proud of our NEGS students' achievements.

Heidi Dent

Junior School Coordinator 

P and F AGM Report

Since the P and F was reinstated in 2021, the NEGS P and F have raised over $32,000 for the school and students through opportunities such as the BBQ at the Women's Hockey Masters, swimming and athletic carnivals, and the Autumn Fair. On the fundraising side, the main income source continues to be the voluntary P&F Levy which accounts for a significant portion of our net revenue. The commitment of so many of our families to paying this makes it possible to assist the school in a lot of different and varied ways.

A huge thanks need to go out to everyone who came together to work on the P & F and assist the committee and the school. Particular thanks to all our parents, students and families who ensured the Autumn Fair was such a huge success. This includes all the parents who manned the BBQ at events and sold our famous NEGS steak sandwiches, those parents who made baked goods, tomato relish and pulled pork at all hours of the night, our NEGS students who have given up their time to come along and assist, staff members who have given freely of their time … and the list goes on. However, a particular thanks to all our parents, students and families who ensured the Autumn Fair was such a huge success.

Kirsten Beard

P and F President

We welcome the 2023 Parents and Friends Committee:

Management Committee

President - Fiona Macarthur

Vice President - Rasha Shammas

Treasurer - Belinda Keogh

Secretary - Jo Watson

Other Committee Members

Junior School Coordinator - Jo Watson / Jessica Riemsdijk    

Boarding School Coordinator - Jane Tumeth

Senior School Coordinator - Peter Moffit

There are still opportunities to get involved; please consider the following:

• Taking on the organisation of the Fair Year Group Stall
• Other roles on the Fair Committee
• Liaison Parent

Email community@negs.nsw.edu.au to find out more.

May I start by congratulating those that participated in the Interstate equestrian event held at the Olympic Equestrian Centre over the break. The NSW team was led by NEGS student Charlotte Jacobson, who was proud to lift the trophy as the winning state captain. All NEGS riders acquitted themselves admirably and the school acknowledges their commitment to their sport.

Term 4 sport is well underway with NEGS fielding sides in local, Touch Football, Indoor Hockey, and Futsal competitions. We also have students swimming on Friday mornings at SportUNE and participating in Armidale Parkrun on Saturday mornings. There are several students also participating in other teams at twilight netball as well as our continued busy equestrian program. There will be supervision in the NEGS Gym on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday afternoon and a Tuesday morning for those wishing to put in “extra’s”.

There will be a renewed focus on wearing the correct uniform to sport and I have asked supervising teachers to be unwavering in policing this.

Jamie Moore

Director of Sport and Activities/ Deputy Principal

Last week, Years 9 and 10 took on their annual camp at the Coffs Coast Adventure Centre. The girls were given the option of a variety of activities, including a commando mud course, a giant swing, a flying fox, a survivor course, archery, fencing, and capture the flag. 

Ultimately, the girls' leadership and collaboration skills were tested, as well as their fitness and agility.

Does your daughter want to do her RSA/ RCG or another course? Kickstart your career with short summer skills courses that you can learn online at your own pace or at a location near you 

With the HSC all done and dusted in early November, you will probably have a bit of time on your hands. What better way to use that time than to test out an in-demand industry, get a taster of a future course and gain some valuable skills along the way with some fee-free skills training over summer?

The Summer Skills program has been designed specifically with school leavers in mind. The program allows you to dip your toes into the vocational training world by exploring courses that interest you and help to gain valuable skills to take with you wherever you want to go.

That’s why the NSW Government is offering fee-free, industry-aligned short courses for young people aged between 16-24 who have left school and want to learn new skills.

Heaps of courses and locations are available across a range of vibrant growth sectors, including early childhood education, care sectors, trades, hospitality, agriculture, construction, business, fitness, digital literacy and more.

Learn skills for real jobs, build your resume and join school leavers across NSW planning for their future.

There are limited places available, so enrol now and get ahead of the game!

Please follow this link to register for: 

https://skills.education.nsw.gov.au/initiatives/summer-skills?locationProximity=100000&location=ARMIDALE,%202350&campaignCode=Summer%20Skills%2022-23&coordinates=-30.50156683,151.6662071

Careers News

Term 4 is up and running, and sport has recommenced. Girls are swimming and playing futsal, and indoor hockey. Some of the under-16 mixed teams arriving at the venue in the NEGS bus are pictured below.

We are participating in the Park Run this weekend if the rain doesn’t cancel it. 

I can’t emphasise enough how important it is for your daughter to participate in sports. A busy boarder is a happy boarder.

Sports Benefits:

• improves your mood
• improves your concentration
• reduces stress and depression
• improves sleep habits
• helps you stay physically fit
• boosts self-confidence
• And it has been linked to leadership traits

Di Kerr

Head of Boarding