Welcome back to Term 3! I hope everyone had a restful winter break. It’s wonderful to be back on campus, with our students returning full of energy for the term ahead. It’s equally wonderful to be back at School myself after Long Service Leave in Term 2 – my deepest thanks to Thom Marchbank and our whole leadership team for their steady stewardship while I was away.
There was no better way to close out this opening fortnight than with International Day – a loved tradition on our calendar. This year’s theme From Country, All Stories Begin was beautifully brought to life through a keynote address from Aboriginal artist Brett Groves, performances spanning a Dharug tea ceremony to an Italian vocal solo, food stalls representing cuisines from across the globe, and our community lunch which welcomed representatives from seven consulates and IGS alum Mi-kaisha Masella. It was also a fitting day to farewell our exchange students from Japan, France, Italy and Germany, who return home this weekend after their time with us. Thank you to Director of Languages Regine Berghofer and the whole Languages team for another International Day that captured everything we love about IGS and our vision of Unity Through Diversity
It has been a busy fortnight. We began with a Staff Professional Development Day giving our teachers valuable time to plan and prepare for the term ahead, before our students returned to a full calendar of learning, culture and connection – including the launch of our Semester 2 OSHC Clubs Program and our first Junior, Middle and Senior School assemblies of the term last Friday.
In the Junior School Year 3 stepped into the spirit of their House elements for a First Nations Music, Dance and Art incursion, working with composer in residence Harry Straulig and First Nations dancers Peter Straughen and Nathan Leslie to explore how sound, movement and image can tell a story. Year 6 spent a full day immersed in Japanese language and culture during our Taikoz incursion, learning taiko drumming and the striking Onikenbai sword-dance tradition, and on Wednesday we celebrated 100 Days of Kindergarten and 100 Days of Year 7 – a lovely moment to see our newest Primary and Middle School students celebrate just how far they have come. Wednesday also marked National OSHC Educators Day and I want to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful OSHC team for the care and energy they bring to our students every day after school.
Our Senior School has been equally busy with Year 12 Practical Drama Trials and Year 11–12 Language Continuers Oral Examinations, alongside a very successful Year 11 Market Day where our Business Studies students raised $1,755 for the IGS Indigenous Scholarship Fund. We were also delighted to see our Mock Trial team take on Brigidine College in a hard-fought Round 1. Thank you also to our SRC who ran a Disability Pride Month bake sale last Friday raising funds for Able Australia and bringing our community together.
There is so much still to come this term. Our Primary School Athletics Carnival and the HICES Music Festival are just around the corner, alongside the Piano Competition next week. As the term progresses we look forward to our HSC Showcases which will highlight the extraordinary talent of our senior students, science excursions to Kangaroo Valley and a brand new addition to our calendar – Grand-Friends Day in the Primary School. Week 6 will bring the creativity of Book Week and we will welcome Professor David Hawes for the next instalment of The Ultimo Series exploring emotional dysregulation. There is also a Kindergarten Open Morning, our Family Fun Day at The Retreat, the Colour Run, the B Kinder Primary Summit as well as excursions across every stage of school.
Our Year 12 students will commence their HSC Trials from Week 3 through to the start of Week 5 and I wish every one of them calm, focus and confidence as they head into this important period. We will bring the term to a close with our Year 12 graduating cohort’s final week of ceremonies and celebrations – a time that always means a great deal to me as we farewell young people who have grown into extraordinary versions of themselves over their years at IGS.
On a personal note, many of you will have seen Emeritus Professor Shirley Alexander’s recent message to our community about my decision to retire at the end of this year. After twelve wonderful years leading this School and 40 years in education, it feels like the right time, and I want to sincerely thank the many parents, carers and members of our community who have already reached out with such kind and generous words. Your messages have meant a great deal to me and I look forward to many more special moments with our community before the year is out.
I wish you all a fantastic Term 3 filled with learning, connection and plenty to celebrate.
Warm regards
Shauna Colnan
Principal
