Mid-Term is Fast Approaching.

Today, we welcomed prospective families to our Open Day. We were excited to share our Why NEGS? What makes NEGS a unique and inspiring place for their students' education and growth. Thank you to our current families for your ongoing advocacy and for referring new families to NEGS. It is rewarding to see interest in NEGS continue to grow. 

Congratulations to our rugby teams on their recent victories at UNE Rugby Gala Day. Your hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship are truly paying off.

IGSA Athletics competition is just around the corner. Our athletes have been training hard, and I look forward to seeing them compete and give their best on the track and field.

As we prepare for Book Week, it is time to dust off our favourite stories. Whether it’s reading or storytelling, we look forward to celebrating the joy of books. All JS parents and grandparents are warmly invited to our Book Week Parade, which will be held in the Assembly Hall on Wednesday morning.

Best wishes to our Year 12 students, who are in the midst of their HSC trials, and our Year 11 students, who are well underway with their leadership applications for 2025.

Next Friday, 23 August, we look forward with great anticipation to welcoming our Grandparents and special friends to NEGS. This day is always a highlight on our calendar.

Thank you to the P and F Management Committee for the work they have been doing in reviewing the P and F operations. As a result of their consultation, our current model is quite updated, and after seeking advice, it has been concluded that a more workable and efficient model can be implemented. The NEGS P and F Association have always played a pivotal role in supporting our school through fundraising initiatives and community-building activities, and moving forward, we look forward to building a stronger and more responsive parent body that continues to serve the NEGS community with excellence. I encourage you to read the material emailed this week and show your support to transition our P and F to serve our community in the most effective and transparent manner possible.

I hope you have marked 7 September in your diary for the NEGS Community Trivia Night; it will be a great night of NEGS spirit, fun, competition and Trivia! 

Keep up the excellent work, everyone!

I am sharing the following articles with you; I find them very pertinent, as I hope you will as well.

Practical strategies for managing exam stress | Exam stress and teenagers (reachout.com)

Managing kids’ screen time ... without tearsThe Australian | Natasha Robinson • AUS • Aug 9

Ms Liz van Genderen

Principal

With the Olympics all over our screens for the past two weeks, there can be no option but to marvel at the competitors and their will to succeed. We have witnessed the culmination of, for some, a lifetime or significant period of dedication, sacrifice, training schedules, nutrition plans, competitions, pre-seasons, post-seasons, rest, recovery, and rehabilitation.

An all-consuming drive and passion for what? In the case of the 100m sprint, a performance less than 10 seconds long, a lifetime of work boils down to 9.784 sec (gold medal) or .005 sec behind (silver medal). For Kishane Thompson, does his measure of success hinge on 5 one-thousandths of a second? The answer to that question can only be answered by him, not the people around him nor those that commentate on the sport. What is his 'vision of excellence' what did he 'choose' as his marker, and what did he do to 'commit' to achieving this.

With our Year 12s sitting their trials and moving, at pace, towards the HSC, it would be a great time for a conversation to be had around what excellence looks like for them and how they can commit to that. It can be quite stressful to have the view that 12 years of work boil down to a set of five or six exams. However, is that what will define the person they will eventually become? The real question is, have they given themselves the greatest chance to achieve their best? Will Kishane Thompson see himself as a failure or will he use his performance to act as a marker on his journey to personal excellence?

Here at NEGS, we believe Excellence is a cornerstone to success and sits as one of our four Core Values alongside Responsibility, Teamwork and Integrity. We will always ask our students to 'Choose Excellence', we will continue to challenge our students to articulate what their 'Vision of Excellence' is, and we will expect that our students 'Commit to Excellence'. That is the NEGS Way.

Mr Jamie Moore

Deputy Principal/PDHPE and CAFS Teacher

Miss Sorby visited the Year 8 and Year 10 French classes to tell them about her inspiring recent Art Residency in France. She treated the girls to photos from her trip, and the students were able to ask questions to deepen their cultural knowledge of France's art and culture.

Choosing French and Visual Art for electives will take you places!

Merci Ms Sorby!

Ms Philipa Tlaskal

English and French Teacher

This week began with a professional development team meeting led by our dedicated consultant, Chris Morris from the AIS. The focus was on Deep Learning Design Sessions, which sparked a thought-provoking discussion around Daily Deep Learning Practices. This prompted me to reflect on student learning and the pursuit of excellence. Last week, I mentioned Maggie Dent’s work on embracing risk, and this week, I find myself referring to another of her articles, where she identified the need for Deep Thinking where she highlighted the following;

In today’s fast-paced and technology-driven world, it’s more important than ever to promote deep thinking and a commitment to excellence in our students. While it may seem that thinking is something we naturally do, the pressures of modern life - constant screen time, consumer demands, and the need for immediate entertainment - impact our children’s ability to think critically, solve problems, and strive for excellence.

Deep thinking is essential for academic success, social development, and emotional well-being. Encouraging students to engage in thoughtful reflection and meaningful conversations not only enhances their academic performance but also builds their confidence and resilience. 

One of the challenges we face is ensuring that students don’t just learn to memorise facts but also develop the ability to think deeply, creatively and explore new ideas with no predefined answer.

To counteract this trend, educators are designing learning to incorporate thinking strategies such as driving questions and visible thinking routines, which encourage students to consider different perspectives and think critically before making decisions. These tools not only improve academic performance, but also help students develop a mindset geared toward excellence.

Parents also play a crucial role in fostering deep thinking and a commitment to excellence at home. By engaging children in meaningful conversations, encouraging them to ask thoughtful questions, and allowing them to solve everyday problems independently, parents can help their children develop the skills needed to excel in all areas of life. For example, when faced with a challenge or conflict, asking children, “How can we find the best solution?” promotes problem-solving and critical thinking.

In a world where quick answers and instant gratification often take centre stage, it’s essential to nurture our students’ ability to think deeply and strive for excellence. By encouraging them to be reflective thinkers, creative problem solvers, and committed learners, we can help them succeed academically and grow into thoughtful, capable individuals who embrace excellence in all they do.

https://www.maggiedent.com/blog/

Mrs Heidi Dent

Junior School Coordinator/Year 6 Teacher

As we approach week five, it is hard to believe that we are approaching the middle of the term. 

Year 12 have begun their Trial HSC exams and are now hurtling toward the end of their school days. We wish them all well as they spend the rest of this term studying for their final exams in October.

We have had a bit of an up-and-down start to this term. Unfortunately, our challenges have all resulted from the misuse of mobile phones and social media. As adults, we cannot underestimate the damage our young people can cause to themselves and others with these devices.

As a school community, we strive to minimise this risk, but we cannot supervise their use all the time. We provide education in the appropriate use of mobile devices, we ask all students to read and agree to a 'Responsible Use of Technology' statement each year, and we have age-appropriate hands in times to give their young and developing brains a rest. The lure is strong, and, understandably, boarders feel bereft when not connected to their digital world, but as adults, we have a responsibility to their development to balance their obsession with technology and, in particular, social media, with the reality of how that can unfold in the real world. In boarding, we have some requirements, which include things like keeping doors to rooms ajar/open when not changing and using the common spaces in the house to gather as a group. There is no suggestion that every time a door is shut or that when 3 or 4 girls are in a room together they are up to no good, but this term, a common denominator in the instances we have dealt with has been a group of students ‘mucking around’ in a room, using a mobile phone in an inappropriate way. The consequences for these actions have run from minor to severe and it is a timely reminder to everyone that things can end badly when we don’t stop to consider the repercussions of our actions. We need the support of parents to continue the process of education in this area. Although we are focusing on the school value of Excellence, this term I feel it is really important, in light of recent events, to focus on Responsibility as well. In their digital world of instant gratification and no consequences, we need to remind our young people to stop, take a breath, and think about the actions they are considering taking and the result of those actions. Would they do ‘that thing’ if you were standing next to them?

I would also like to quickly remind parents that if they have any concerns about how their child is going in boarding, their first point of contact should be their child’s Head of House. These members of staff spend a lot of time with your children and will have the most current and relevant information concerning their progress. If you have any concerns or would like to check in on how they are going, this is the most effective way to receive information. If any member of staff feels concern for your daughter, they will contact you directly, or they will raise their concern with me, and I will contact you. We are always open to conversations regarding the wellbeing of our Boarders, but we cannot act if we are unaware of the challenge you or your child may be facing. We also use Orah to inform parents of merits and minor misdemeanours in the boarding environment. As I have mentioned before, these notifications are for your information only to keep you in the loop. You may use the information however you wish.

In White House, please contact Miss Alice Corbett on 0482 525 862 or 6774 8777 or white.house@negs.nsw.edu.au 

In Kirkwood House, please contact Mrs Jennifer Woodley Smith on 0400 216 786 or 6774 8784 or kirkwood.house@negs.nsw.edu.au 

On the weekends, the regular House Mothers are Mrs Jennifer Murphy in White House and Miss Grace Bailey in Kirkwood House, and they can be contacted on the same numbers as above. 

The weekend activity plan is available on the NEGS parent portal for those concerned that their child is bored on the weekends. Sometimes, we have to move things around due to weather or availability, but we endeavour to have something for them every weekend. As our parent survey indicated it was not desirable to parents, we have not made these activities compulsory, so being proactive is important - please encourage your daughter to join in as often as possible. There are also numerous opportunities for the girls to participate in self-motivated activities like tennis, shooting hoops, playing touch or exercising in the gym (under supervision). There are also many opportunities to entertain themselves with cooking and craft in the House.

Information about the NEGS Tamworth bus will be sent to all boarding families via Orah broadcast, please keep an eye out for this communication if you are interested in your daughter using the service to get home for a weekend.

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.” – Henry James

Mrs Kassy Cassidy

Head of Boarding

Last week, NEGS hosted 7 students and 2 coach translators from China Pony Club (CPC). The CPC students engaged in several riding sessions and two academic classroom lessons per day, allowing them to experience NEGS fully.

During classroom lessons, CPC students engaged in printmaking, music, got to weigh the steers in Agriculture and discussed Romeo and Juliet in groups with our NEGS girls in English.

In one session, we took the CPC riders over to the agriculture plot to count the new lambs, and it turned out that the electric fence excited them the most. It became quite the challenge for the CPC team to see who could hold onto it the longest. 

During the week, CPC students lived in Saumarez boarding house and joined our NEGS girls in the dining hall. CPC Coach Elijah remarked how much they enjoyed living and dining with the NEGS students and congratulated us on how well the NEGS girls welcomed them to the school.

This was especially evident during the Welcome lunch on the first Sunday when both CPC and NEGS students travelled to Rob and Fiona Macarthur’s property at Mt William. While there, the students got to weigh sheep, see them being mustered by excellent working dogs, and even see a sheep being shorn, thanks to Rob's efforts. 

On the final day of the camp, students competed in an open Show Jumping competition. Many of the CPC students did exceptionally well riding horses borrowed by NEGS families, with Chinese students William and Vega taking home wins in their events.

A big thank you to the Dunlop, Henry, Moffitt, Menzies, and Saunders families for loaning us horses for the camp. The horses were perfect, and the CPC riders completely fell in love with them.

After the success of the China Pony Club camp attending NEGS, CPC invited 4 NEGS students to travel to China and spend a week at an Equestrian Centre to train and compete. This trip will be held during Nov 27-Dec 2, 2024 with a team of 4 riders from NZ also attending.

Selection criteria and nomination forms have been sent out with the 4 riders to be selected at the end of August. 

Mrs Annyka Overton

Equestrian Centre Coordinator

To celebrate this year’s National Science Week, some of our Year 9 students participated in the CSIRO National Science Week Quiz, hosted by ABC TV’s weather whizz Nate Byrne and featuring two teams of STEM experts. 

They used the Kahoot quiz platform to participate in real time with the quiz, which was filmed at Questacon in Canberra. They learned that there are many moons in our solar system (not just 1!), Helium is named after the sun, there are many ways that six identical Lego bricks can be put together, a Bluebottle is not just one animal, and Capsaicin is the chemical in a chilli that burns. 

If any of our families would like to have a go at the quiz, you can access the video here. The Kahoot can be accessed via this link, using the game code: 08674132

Ms Stone

Science Teacher

Read this week's Careers Newsletter HERE.

Mr Mark Ambrose

Careers Advisors/Business Studies Teacher

Read information regarding the 2024 Non-government schools census collection notice HERE.

Mr Shaun Cassidy

Business Manager