Welcome back!
A warm welcome to all families as we return from the holidays. I have enjoyed hearing from students about the things they enjoyed during the break, whether it was relaxing with family at home or travelling away.
The mid-year point is a wonderful opportunity for students to reflect on the past semester and look forward to the remaining part of the year. In particular, I would encourage students to:
- Read their Semester 1 reports together with their parents. The greatest value of the reports will come through a discussion of the students’ strengths and achievements in their courses so far in the year, along with a discussion of areas of potential growth. Semester 1 reports can be found in your Carer Orbit App and your Edumate web portals.
- Set some goals for the remainder of the year. Those might include specific academic goals for particular subjects. A helpful exercise is to look at what the average ‘effort’ rating of the Semester 1 report was, across all subjects – then, set a goal to increase that average for the latter part of the year. Most of the time, success and achievement will flow from student effort.
- It’s also helpful for students to take this opportunity to set goals beyond the classroom, including in areas of physical fitness, social relationships, emotional maturity or spiritual growth. Year coordinators and Wellbeing class teachers have already been having these conversations with students as the Term has begun.
Upcoming events
Term 3 marks a very busy season for College events, with many wonderful opportunities ahead for both students and families to engage in. It will be vitally important to continue to check upcoming dates in The Roar, and monitor communication from Year coordinators closely. This week and next, Year 9 and 10 parent-teacher interviews will be taking place. If you missed the opportunity to book a meeting, please contact the student’s teacher directly to arrange a conversation at another time.
Later in the term, the Athletics Carnival will be held, and students who hope to excel in this arena will do well to begin training now. The term ahead is also an extremely busy one in the Music Department, with a number of performances and competitions being held. Our Sheep and Cattle Teams will represent the College in various events too, and I wish students across all these areas the best in their preparation.
Uniform Matters
At the end of Term 2, I spoke at assembly to all students to remind them of our expectations around hairstyles. The College Handbook states that:
- Students’ hair must be neat, tidy and appropriately styled.
- Unnatural colours are not permitted.
- Extreme hairstyles/cuts that involve shaving all or part of the hair; mullet-cuts, undercuts and steps are not regarded as appropriate.
- Fringes must not cover the eyes.
- Students with hair that is collar length or longer must wear their hair tied up.
- College colours matching Navy, Royal Blue or Claret Red ribbons only may be worn.
- Students must not have visible facial hair.
In particular, recently there has been a tendency for students to have their hair cut in ways which involve shaving part of the head (usually the side), which also creates a mullet hairstyle. Students whose hair does not meet the expectations will be asked to have it brought into line with the expectations, and we very much appreciate the support of parents with this.
As the weather gets colder, it’s also very important that students layer their uniforms in the correct way. Please note that students are not permitted to wear sports jumpers with their formal uniforms. The woollen jumper and blazer are the proper layers to wear with the formal (non-sports) uniform.
I look forward to a wonderful term of learning and growing, and welcome back again to Term 3.
Mr Daniel Odell
Head of Senior School
Galloway House
It has been an outstanding first half of the year in Galloway House and a genuine pleasure to watch the girls embrace the many opportunities available to them, both within the College and through their own pursuits. They have approached each experience with enthusiasm, commitment and a willingness to challenge themselves, making the most of all that boarding life has to offer.
We are fortunate to have such a talented and diverse group of young women. Many have represented the College with distinction through the College Musical, Showcase, Cattle Team and Equestrian events, while others have proudly represented the College in Saturday sporting competitions. Their dedication, perseverance and school spirit have been wonderful to witness.
Within the boarding house, the girls have enthusiastically embraced a range of new experiences through our Saturday ‘Crafternoons’ and baking sessions. They have enjoyed learning to make apple crumble, cinnamon scrolls, ANZAC biscuits, homemade pizzas and brownies, while also developing new creative skills through gem art, paint-by-number, watercolour painting, beading and sewing projects. These afternoons have provided a wonderful opportunity for the girls to relax, connect with one another and discover new interests.
Our weekends have also been filled with memorable experiences, including bushwalks, cookouts, campfires, cinema outings, bowling, trampoline parks and shopping trips. Last term, the Year 7 girls celebrated their first dinner out together at Brocks, with the Year 8 and 9 girls looking forward to their own special evening next week.
Perhaps the greatest joy has been witnessing the personal growth of the girls throughout the semester. The Year 7 students have settled remarkably well into boarding life, growing in confidence and independence, while the older girls have continued to mature into caring, supportive role models. There is a genuine sense of camaraderie, kindness and generosity that extends across the different year groups, creating a warm and welcoming community where every girl is encouraged to flourish.
It has been a truly rewarding first semester, and I feel incredibly privileged to share in the girls’ journey during such an important stage of their lives. I look forward to the opportunities that the second half of the year will bring as they continue to grow in confidence, character and compassion.
Mrs Naomi Woodall
Head of Galloway House
Cattle Show Team Dinner
Monday night saw 70 of our staff and students join together for the annual Cattle Show Team dinner. We shared memories and presented our annual awards. We also farewelled our lovely Year 12 team members and thanked them for their outstanding leadership.
Congratulations to the following award recipients.
Most Outstanding Mentor 2026: Laura Moorhead
Runner-up Most Outstanding Mentor 2026: Matilda Penfold
Most Outstanding Junior 2026: Alliena Gill
Runner-Up Most Outstanding Junior 2026: Quade Penfold
Most Improved Student 2026: Tara Matthews
Runner-up Most Improved Student 2026: Maggie Dooley
Congratulations to Tara Matthews, who won our annual Sydney Royal Easter Show Team Carcase Award.
Mrs Libby Dawes
Director of Agricultural Studies and Equestrian
Success for Scots All Saints Students at the 2026 The Horse Den NSW State Championships
Three students represented the College at the State Interschool Equestrian Championships during the school holidays.
Marni Thompson: Runner-up Champion Senior Show Horse, coming 2nd across all three phases (Led, Rider, Ridden), riding Whitmere San Sebastián.
Hayden Marr: Reserve Champion – Secondary Combined Training 80cm (49 starters in the class) and 5th – Secondary Novice Dressage.
Phoebe Marr: Reserve Champion – Secondary Combined Training 65cm and Reserve Champion – Intermediate Preliminary Dressage.
Marni, Hayden and Phoebe have all made the State team and head to Victoria in September for the National Interschool Championship.
Mrs Libby Dawes
Director of Agricultural Studies and Equestrian
