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| 18 Nov 2022 | |
| General News |
NEGS News - Term 4 Week 6
As the end of Term 4 approaches, we look forward to gathering as a community at our important end-of-year events to celebrate 2022 and recognise and applaud the outstanding student achievements that made it a remarkable school year.
All students K to Year 11 are expected to attend school up to, and including our Speech Day Ceremony on Friday, 9 December.
There are a number of key events in the next three weeks:
As part of our ongoing focus on our students social and emotional well-being, we are working in partnership with Headspace who will be providing information, treatment, and care coordination to support the well-being of our young people. I look forward to sharing more as this partnership progresses.
The whole school staff will be meeting next week to enhance their knowledge and skills in the provision of Multi-tiered Systems of Support for our students. The framework is universal, targeted and intensive.
It has been shown that early identification and appropriate support can help prevent or reduce mental health difficulties' impact on students’ social, emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes.
Liz van Genderen
Principal
Across my many roles as Deputy Principal, one of the most rewarding is to accompany different groups on their various trips away. Most recently, I was privileged to have joined years 5 and 6 on their excursion to Canberra. Mrs Dent and Mrs Nixon did an amazing job in providing our students with a busy, informative, and fun excursion. Seeing the group looking magnificent as they toured Parliament House in their formal uniform was particularly pleasing.
Over the past few weeks, I have spoken to the students about creating respectful learning environments, which is vital for students and teachers to feel success in the classroom. Added to that, and something that I would like to see as a focus moving forward is participating in respectful conversations. What I mean by this is making sure that we all check the tone of our language so that it is neither confrontational nor entitled. Manners cost nothing, and approaching conversations with a view to displaying common courtesy, opening with "excuse me", explaining, not demanding, and using please and thank you are all ways to make people feel respected. This can become increasingly difficult as the fatigue of a long year sets in, but be mindful that it has been the same for everyone in the school community.
From a uniform perspective, we continue to focus on wearing the correct uniform, especially PE, making sure we are in the correct shorts for our PDHPE and sporting activities. Also, many excuses have been thrown up this term for not having the right uniform. ‘It’s at the laundry’ or ‘I left it home’ or ‘wearing the uniform is uncomfortable for one reason or another’. I encourage the students not to look for excuses but start being better organised, being more responsible, or showing a bit of resilience. Let us wear our uniform correctly and with a pride that reflects the NEGS way.
Jamie Moore
Acting Deputy Principal / Director of Sport and Activities
The end of the year is fast approaching, and many exciting and fun events are happening. Please note year group involvement, uniform requirements and locations are listed under each event.
Monday 28 November
Pre-K - Year 6
Celebration of Learning Academic Assembly. All parents and friends are welcome.
2 pm at NEGS Assembly Hall
All children are to wear their full school uniform with the blazer.
Monday 28 November
Year 6 Students, Staff and Families
Year 6 End-of-Year Dinner
6pm at Wicklow
Smart Casual
Tuesday 29 November
Pre-K - Year 6
Step Up Morning
All our Junior School students will experience morning activities in preparation for 2023, preparing them for the next step!
PE Uniform
Tuesday 29 November
Pre-K - Year 6
Pool Party 1.30- 3pm at Monckton Aquatic Centre.
PE uniform/ pack swimmers, rashie and towel
Monday 5 December
Pre-K - Year 6
Pirates of the Curry Bean Matinee
NEGS Junior School is excited to perform their rendition of 'Pirates of the Curry Bean' to their families and special guests.
11.30am NEGS Assembly Hall
PE uniform
Tuesday 6 December
Pre-K - Year 6
Pirates of the Curry Bean Performance
6pm NEGS Assembly Hall
*Information about arrival times and drop-off points will be emailed separately.
Students wear suitable clothing for changing into costumes.
Carols Service
NEGS Songbirds are required, as they will be performing. Please notify Ms Kelson if you are seeking Leave from attending. All other year groups and families are warmly invited to join our NEGS community for this lovely event.
The Carols will be followed by a Christmas Party BBQ.
5pm NEGS Chapel of Michael and All Angels.
Students are to wear their school uniform and blazer.
NEGS Speech Day
Kindergarten - Year 6
Academic and special end-of-year prizes will be awarded across all years, with parents and carers warmly invited to attend. Morning tea will be held following the Speech Day assembly. Junior School parents will be notified if your child is receiving an award. The School year concludes at the end of our Speech Day Service. Following the morning tea, students will depart with their parents.
9.30 am NEGS MPC
Full School Uniform
I would like to thank everyone for their support during these busy times and look forward to seeing you at the many events planned to take place to celebrate 2022, our students and their achievements.
Heidi Dent
Junior School Coordinator
Having just returned from refereeing our Touch Football teams in the local competition this evening, I am reminded of the importance of effort, of striving. There’s been much of such effortful striving around the campus in recent weeks, with examinations occurring in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10, and HSC courses hitting their strides for our Year 11s. Much like our Touch Football players, I’ve observed a pleasing tenacity in our students as they put their ‘best feet’ forward academically. Such tenacity is to be lauded, and I thank our school community for supporting our students in their academic endeavours.
We are in the final stages of our subject selection process for Years 8 & 9 and their Stage 5 electives for 2023, and I trust the information sessions we’ve held with elective teachers have been helpful for our girls in making choices that suit their interests and passions. Stage 5 electives are all about having a go and pursuing areas of interest, and thus making the effort to pursue academic endeavour in a more personalised manner. The enthusiasm on display in these information sessions was quite inspiring and reflected the effort I saw this evening on the sporting field.
Our Year 10s are likewise finalising their Stage 6 subject selections for 2023, and I’ve very much enjoyed my lengthy conversations with the students, helping them chart a pathway forward to a future they feel is relevant to their interests and thus worth pursuing. There’s a sense of purpose and striving toward a goal that shone through these conversations, something I dare say we all hope for from the young people we care for.
It’s been lovely to see the academic rigour in all this effortful activity in recent weeks, and I commend each and every member of the school community for assisting our students to strive purposefully.
Ryan Caldwell
Director of Teaching and Learning
With our teams competing well in our chosen sports for term 4, it allows us to draw attention to the future and start to look towards 2023.
It is fantastic that we have, in the last month, been able to get the earthmovers back in to make some minor adjustments to the levels on the oval. This will allow a trench to be dug along the Northern side of the oval to house an irrigation line that can be used for maintaining the fields. We aim to have our athletics track and Rugby field up and running at the start of next year. Along with that, we have engaged with Armidale Regional Council, and they will be assisting with the aeration of the field. We are also investigating the marking of a permanent walking track that will take in much of our wonderful property and can be used by our cross-country runners and social walkers.
We are also fielding interest from current students in joining the Talented Athlete Program as we look to grow in this space. We do not want to limit membership just to Hockey, Netball and Rugby but look to involve students from any sport where they are passionate, committed and achieving at an advanced level. On that front, we are exploring ways to support and build partnerships with like-minded organisations such as NIAS and the University of New England.
After missing out on putting a team into the Tildesley Cup Tennis competition in 2022, we are looking to revitalise a sport that, historically, has been a proud inclusion in our offering. A call out to all students with interest in being involved has resulted in several names being put forward. We will look to run a ‘hit up session’ before the year's end.
Unfortunately for our paddlers, the Hawkesbury Classic was cancelled again this year due to safety concerns arising from the volume of rain falling in the catchment in the previous month. I would like to congratulate Mrs Lehman and the girls for their hard work in preparing for the event.
It was my pleasure to be present at the Armidale Sports Council and 2AD/FM100.3 Sports Star Awards this week. I was very proud of the number of our students nominated and achieving success in their chosen fields.
Equestrian students recognised on the night included:
Other students recognised were:
Congratulations to all of our students for their achievements throughout the year.
Congratulations to Matilda, Charlotte Travers, and Imola Archer, who competed at the IPSHA Gymnastics carnival.
Junior School Step-Up Day
The Junior School Step Up Day is an opportunity for Junior School students to experience their 2023 class and teacher for a day.
Junior School 'Pirates of the Curry Bean' Musical
NEGS The Junior School is excited to present their 2022 musical, 'Pirates of the Curry Bean'.
There will be two showings; Monday, 5 December matinee 11.30 am, and Tuesday, 6 December evening 6pm.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children (years 3-12).
To purchase tickets for the Monday Matinee, please click the button here:
To purchase tickets for Tuesday Night, please click the button here:
NEGS Festival of Carols
To celebrate the end of Term 4 and the Christmas holiday, we will be holding our Festival of Carols for all families Pre-K to Year 11 on Thursday, 8 December, at 5pm in the school Chapel.
Following the Chapel Service, there will be a BBQ, and all families are warmly invited to attend.
Please RSVP for catering purposes.
Speech Day
We will now be holding a whole-school Speech Day, Kindergarten to Year 11. This will allow us to gather as ONE school to celebrate and recognise the significant achievements of our students.
The School year concludes at the end of our Speech Day Service. Following the morning tea, students will depart with their parents.
Please make sure you have marked this date in your calendar - 1 April 2023 for the NEGS Fair.
FAIR SPONSORS
We are currently seeking Businesses who would consider becoming Sponsors of the Fair. Would your business be interested?
RAFFLE PRIZES
We are also seeking raffle prizes, prizes large and small.
To find out more, please contact Tricia Gerigk via email triciagerigk69@gmail.com
