What a term it has been. Stepping into the role of Acting Principal has offered me a new vantage point on just how much our students, staff and community take on, and just how much they can achieve, all in one term. In looking back across every school, every year group and every area of the curriculum, it has been a joy to take it all in.
The undoubted highlight of the term was our School production of Legally Blonde The Musical. What a show it was! The company’s theme Think Pink! Think Power! Think Resilience! said it well. The chemistry, the energy, the humour, the singing, the choreography, the costumes and the sheer confidence of our students on stage at the Seymour Centre was something quite special. Congratulations to Director of Music Darren Kuilenburg and the entire production team, and to every student who was part of this phenomenal production.
The Primary Disco was also a wonderful success. This year’s theme, Witches, Warlocks and All Things Magical, transformed the School Hall into something suitably enchanting, and meant that the dance floor was in full swing from the start. Thank you to the P&C for organising such a well-loved occasion.
Sport has had a real presence this term. Our students have represented IGS with great distinction at both ASISSA and CDSSA levels in football, cross country and more. The High School Athletics Carnival has just wrapped, and Primary School have their own carnival to look forward to next term.
Beyond sport, the breadth of what students have been involved in this term is impressive. Year 9 students headed to our rural campus in Kangaroo Valley for their Outdoor Education Camp – three days of bushwalking, canoeing and mountain biking through some beautiful areas, and also the beginning of the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award for many. The Canberra trip, the Sydney Fish Market culinary fusion experience for Middle School, and a host of other excursions and day programs have taken learning well beyond the classroom this term.
Assemblies have been a chance to pause and acknowledge some really pleasing academic and creative achievements. The Mock Trial team performed exceptionally well against competing schools and our Primary Decathlon team took seventeen students to the State Da Vinci Decathlon at Knox Grammar School, competing across a remarkable range of disciplines. Our Theatresports teams have had a standout term, especially the Seniors who made it to the Grand Final at the Enmore Theatre, and it has been wonderful to see our Junior School Languages Assembly celebrate the rich linguistic diversity of IGS, with student performances across Chinese, French, German, Italian and Japanese. Congratulations also to Year 11 Visual Arts students Alice R and Romeo I, selected for the prestigious National Art School HSC Intensive Studio Program – a very competitive and notable achievement.
AI has been a strong focus this term and I have found it exciting to see how thoughtfully and critically our students and staff are engaging with it. Our Day of AI Australia saw students from Kindergarten through to Year 12 exploring how artificial intelligence works and how it is shaping the world around them. It was clear in their engagement that they could celebrate the technology’s enormous benefits, while retaining a healthy awareness of its impacts or potential drawbacks. This connects closely to the work we have been doing as a school on our strategic priorities – being curious, critical and careful about new technologies and finding ways to harness them in our students’ education.
Today, we also observe NAIDOC Day activities across the School. It is a meaningful occasion and I am glad that so much thought and care has gone into how we mark it as a community. It follows a wonderful Languages Assembly earlier this term that included a Reconciliation segment led by Primary students, and a term in which Aboriginal studies and cultural learning have been present across a number of activities. I want to acknowledge Jade Carr, Head of Indigenous Education, for the work she continues to do to keep this important learning central to life at IGS.
Term 2 has also been a significant one for our School’s future direction. Work is well underway on a new Strategic Plan that will carry IGS forward from 2027, and Deputy Principals Mary Duma and Sarah Herbert and I have hosted three strategy days this term, alongside a community evening that invited parents and carers into that conversation. We look forward to sharing more as that work develops in Term 3 – a term that also brings International Day, HSC Trials and much more. Also joining us as we head into Term 3 are exchange students from Germany, Italy, France and Spain who arrived this week – a very warm welcome to all of you.
It has been a privilege to serve as Acting Principal this term and I want to thank the whole IGS community for the warmth and support that has made it such an enjoyable experience. We look forward to welcoming Principal Shauna Colnan back in Term 3.
I wish everyone a wonderful and restful break.
Warm regards
Thom Marchbank
Acting Principal
