The Junior School celebrated Harmony Day this week, a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the importance of inclusion, respect and encouragement in our school community. Our focus on the value of goodness was reinforced through meaningful discussions and activities.

Throughout the week, students actively participated in a range of activities that highlighted and celebrated our diversity. In the classroom and on the playground, they embraced these values, strengthening our culture of kindness and belonging.

A special thank you to Year 1 for their contributions to this memorable occasion. Our School is a beautiful, diverse community that represents the world, and it was fantastic to see our students celebrating this. The cultural costumes were a vibrant showcase of the rich diversity that makes our School so special.

As we continue to foster an inclusive and respectful community, we remind all students about the importance of using appropriate language and making considerate comments at all times. This includes during playtimes, after-school travel and when interacting with friends outside school hours. Words matter, and we encourage everyone to speak with kindness and respect.

May the messages of Harmony Day be embedded in our daily interactions, ensuring that inclusion, respect and kindness are lived out not only this week but always.

As part of our Digital Citizenship lessons, students have been learning about responsible and safe use of technology. Some students have shared that they may be accessing programs and apps that are not age-appropriate. This highlights the importance of vigilance, appropriate access and active monitoring of your child’s online activity.

We encourage you to:

• Review your child’s device settings to ensure appropriate access and restrictions
• Monitor online conversations and interactions to ensure safety and respectful communication
• Check age recommendations for apps and social media platforms, as many have minimum age requirements for a reason
• Discuss online responsibility with your child, reinforcing what they are learning at school about their digital footprint and the long-term impact of their online behaviour.

Thank you for promoting healthy and safe digital habits, reinforcing our messages at School. This will serve our students well now and in the future. Thank you for your partnership in promoting responsible technology use.

Digital Wellbeing: Age Recommendations for Commonly Used Apps

Some students are accessing apps that may not be age-appropriate, and we ask families to carefully monitor their child’s digital activity.

Here are the minimum age requirements for some commonly accessed apps:

• TikTok – 13+
• Instagram – 13+
• Snapchat – 13+
• Facebook – 13+
• WhatsApp – 13+ (16+ in some regions)
• Roblox – 13+ (Parental controls available for younger users)
• Fortnite – 13+
• Discord – 13+ (17+ recommended due to content risks)
• Minecraft – 10+

We encourage parents to review privacy settings, set boundaries and engage in open conversations about online safety with their children. For more detailed reviews and guidance on age-appropriate apps, visit Common Sense Media.

Our recent P&F Movie Night was a fantastic event, bringing together our school community in a beautiful and welcoming atmosphere. It was wonderful to see families enjoying the evening together, creating special memories.

A huge thank you to all our parent volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure the night ran smoothly, from preparing the BBQ to serving up delicious popcorn, lollies and treats. Your dedication and effort are truly appreciated.

A special thank you to our P&F leaders, Mrs Sophie Taggart and Mrs Chrissy Latis, for their outstanding coordination and leadership in making this event such a success.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to this community event!

A reminder that we will be celebrating Mrs Karen Wallace’s retirement and honouring her 37 years of service at The Illawarra Grammar School. We hope you can join us for the assembly and light afternoon tea.

Date: Thursday 3 April 2025
Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Location: IGC

Please allow extra time for parking, as on-site parking will not be available.

RSVP for catering purposes here.

We look forward to celebrating together!

Term I concludes on Wednesday 9 April 2025, with Term II commencing on Monday 28 April 2025. Please remember that winter uniform is worn in Terms II and III. If you need to purchase any items of the winter uniform, please view the General News section below for Uniform Shop school holiday hours. More information about our Uniform Shop, online ordering and our Uniform Guide can be found here.

Please note that Friday 6 June is a Staff-only day and the following Monday 9 June is the King’s Birthday.

Wednesday 2 April – Year 4 Celebration of Learning 

Thursday 3 April – Mrs Karen Wallace’s Farewell

Wednesday 9 April – Junior School Cross Country Carnival

This term the Languages Department has started running Mandarin, French and Japanese proficiency classes on Thursday mornings in order for students to enrich their language skills. This opportunity is designed to prepare students for the official proficiency exams, held later in the year, which increase their speaking, reading, listening and writing skills and provide them with an experienced teacher to guide them in their chosen language.

Mandarin Proficiency: Isabella Xu, Year 8
I am fortunate to attend the Mandarin proficiency class where I can broaden my knowledge and fluency through engaging activities and tasks. The School uses the HSK tests (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi), providing materials for students to complete test levels one to three. Currently, Year 8 and 9 students are working towards taking exams level one and two, whilst Year 10 is aiming to finish level three. In class, we are focusing on listening questions, reading comprehension and speaking exercises that are used to strengthen our vocabulary and communication skills. In addition, our Mandarin teachers, Ms Zhu and Mrs Yeh, provide practice papers for us to complete so we can familiarise ourselves with the structure and format. These classes have taught us essential communication phrases and have helped us develop and improve our Mandarin abilities to their full potential.

French Proficiency: Keerthi Mahesh, Year 8

Every Thursday morning, I attend French proficiency classes, which allow me to expand and add to my speaking, writing, reading and translating abilities. The students in the class vary from Years 8-12. Our teachers, Madame Johns and Madame Gonzalez, provide us with resources from a book called the DELF, where we cover exercises that include topics such as directions, places in town, schedules and personal correspondence, such as emails and letters. Despite some students already knowing the material, we still go over each exercise as a class, aiding all of us in revision or learning something new. These classes have not just taught us about the French language but also about life in France. I am grateful to attend these classes, and I hope that they will continue to improve my French skills.

Japanese Proficiency: Jemima Hemmes, Year 11

Japanese students have been studying for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) under the guidance of Mr Mackey. The class consists of a range of skill levels, from students who are just starting to learn the first alphabet to those who have been studying the language for four years. Currently, we are working on level N5, which includes learning a variety of kanji and practising casual conversation. I’m pleased that this class is available, as it not only helps us earn a qualification in Japanese but also broadens our cultural understanding.

Lola Stephenson – Year 11 Student

Over the past month, Year 11 Legal Studies students have been hard at work learning about the legal system and the processes involved in developing a case through the Law Society’s Mock Trial which will be happening on 28 March. 

This opportunity has given our class valuable hands-on experience that has developed our ability to analyse witness statements, write persuasive arguments and think critically about the smallest details. 

In teams of six, we start by being given our position in the case. Our case is criminal and we are representing the defence. Each person then takes on a role that would usually be seen in the courtroom. This consists of two barristers, one solicitor, two witnesses and a magistrate’s clerk. Throughout the process, we have had to develop objections, solicitors notes, opening and closing addresses, strong witness statements, which has enhanced our ability to work and communicate as a team. 

Though many of us have not done something like this before, we are working hard for a great result to ensure we can continue through to the higher levels of the competition. Alongside this, we are taking away many skills from this experience that will help us in our studies and provide us with an opportunity to learn and connect. 

A special thank you to the teachers who are making this experience possible, especially Mrs Woolnough, who has dedicated countless hours to preparing us. We are so grateful and cannot wait to represent Illawarra Grammar in our first round.

Yasmin Matar – Year 11 Student

As we begin to reflect on the end of our first term of the year, the urge to find a purpose or passion becomes increasingly relevant especially for the senior years. In my own journey responding to this over the past term, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing some influential female leaders in our community, the Lord Mayor Tania Brown and the MP for Cunningham Alison Byrnes. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been searching for where I belong, for my niche. I’ve thrown myself into everything, public speaking, debating, sports, drama, youth politics, hoping one of them would feel like the thing that defined me. Although these are all my passions, no matter what I did I never felt satisfied just doing one thing. I used to see it as a flaw. I was overly eager to participate in everything, but now I see it differently. My niche isn’t just doing one thing, it’s taking every opportunity, using my passion and voice to make a positive difference, and embracing everything that excites and challenges me. 

People will always tell you that you can’t. That you have to choose one path. That you can’t be a scientist and an artist, a leader and a learner, an activist and an athlete. But why not? Why should we limit ourselves when the world is full of opportunities waiting to be taken?

When I interviewed Cr Tania Brown, she reinforced how powerful it is to stand up for what you believe in. She talked about representation, especially for young women, and how important it is to see people like yourself in leadership. “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” she told me. Finding your passion, your niche, means figuring out what you care about most and embracing it, even when it’s not the most obvious path.

During my interview with Alison Byrnes she said “The more you try the more you grow”, this is a reminder that sometimes the best things aren’t planned, you can never do too much for a community, you can never benefit something too much, so you might as well try, because you don’t know if you don’t try it. You can’t make positive change in yourself or your community if you don’t actively try to be the best version of yourself or push to make a positive impact everywhere you go.

People love to say, “It’s not the journey, it’s the destination”, but I’ve learned that it’s both. The journey is where you grow, find your voice and make an impact. The destination might change, but the experiences along the way shape who you are. 

Sienna Bohm – Year 10 Student

When asking yourself what the word ‘leadership’ means, it can be hard to define a singular idea, with most dictionaries have quite a mundane definition, one defines leadership as “the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it”. I disagree with this definition, leadership is not about trying to convince that your point of view is right or dictating exactly how things should be done, but it’s about facilitating a collective of viewpoints and ideas and molding it into one shared vision.

At The Illawarra Grammar School, we are able to develop our leadership skills beyond the traditional definitions of leadership, through a variety of programs. In particular, the Year 10 leadership program offers three unique leadership positions allocated to selected Year 10 Students: Student Host, Peer Support and SRC Leaders. These positions allow students to embody traits of a strong leader, including confidence, compassion, empathy and respect for the ideas of others.

SRC Leaders

The Student Representative Council allows student representatives to voice the concerns of the student body. It has been an amazing experience to discuss issues and solutions with students from different years. Observing the Head and Deputy Head Prefects has been particularly inspiring as they conduct the meetings in such a mature and approachable manner, encouraging others to the same. As SRC leaders, we attend all meetings and are responsible for sharing our own ideas as well as those of our peers, even when we don’t always agree as it’s important to remain open to new ideas and viewpoints.

Student Hosts – Maggie Mison

Year 10 Student Hosts assist with Open Days by leading tours and sharing a unique perspective on our school community. This role not only allows us to connect with other Student Hosts but also helps build relationships with prospective students and their families. Being a Student Host fosters pride in our School, while improving public speaking and social skills. It’s a rewarding opportunity to contribute to our School’s impact by providing meaningful information to others.

Peer Support – Addison Tarrant 

There are many aspects to love about being a Peer Support leader, but personally, I enjoy helping Year 7 students navigate the challenges I once faced. We are always available to support them, whether it’s assisting with NAPLAN software or guiding them to support staff. We act as friends who offer advice and encourage students to get involved, especially in events like ArtsFest. A highlight was attending one night of their camp, where we built strong relationships. I feel so honoured to be a part of this important stage in their high school journey while also developing my leadership skills in a fun and supportive environment.