From the Middle School
From our Head of Middle School
Term 3 is off to a running start with the Year 7 camp last week out at Vision Valley. By all reports the girls had a fantastic time despite the weather, throwing themselves into each activity and challenging their limits to achieve rewarding results. We even had some brave souls who elected to enjoy the waterslide in the rain during down time! Please enjoy the student reflections below:
On year 7 camp I really felt I was challenged, and I had a lot of fun doing the activities. I especially loved the crate stacking challenge. We got to go on the waterslide which was a highlight for lots of the people at camp. One of the nights we camped inside and had a lot of fun eating the marshmallows while we watched a movie in our tent. The other nights we were in cabins with people from our compass class. Overall camp this year was wet, but the rain didn’t dampen the fun we all had.
Hattie Murphy (Year 7 – Lang A)
On Wednesday 20th of July, Goodlet, Bennet, Lang and Marden Year 7’s headed off for our 3-day, 2-night camp at Vision Valley. We all spent one night camping in a tent and one night in the lodges. In the time we were in the tents we learnt how to put up a tent, enjoyed delicious barbeque meals and roasted marshmallows by the bonfire. Despite the rain we still got to get involved in activities like crate stacking, the vertical challenge, orienteering, team building, archery, nature connections, canoeing and more. On some afternoons, we got the option to have a go on the water slide. When it was our turn to sleep in the lodges, night activities included trivia night with a side of hot chocolate! Camp was so much fun, and we are so lucky to have had the opportunity to visit Vision Valley and participate in all the activities there. A big thank you to all the teachers who came with us and made camp possible.
Isabelle Port (Year 7 – Goodlet B)
Camp was a very fun and exciting experience. My favourite activity was canoeing. We played lots of games while canoeing like world domination. In that game you were a country and you had to try and touch every canoe to make them your country. I also really liked the crate stacking; it was so fun and I got up to 9 crates high! I loved the dining hall. It was so big and it made me feel so connected to everyone as the tables could be connected and made into very long ones. The food was great too!
Sanaya Lakhani (Year 7 – Bennet A)
Our camp at Vision Valley was a fantastic opportunity for everyone that attended. We have grown as people, peers, and students. When we first arrived, we were immediately welcomed with fun games, as well as a delicious morning tea and lunch. After that, we went straight into our activities. These included abseiling, orienteering, canoeing, vertical challenge, crate stack, nature connections, archery, team activities and more. We were challenged to work as a team and think as one, as well as overcoming fears and rising to the occasion. Of course, we needed fuel after these activities, and we were presented with many delicious meals. In the afternoon, we were privileged to use the incredible waterslide, which many people said was the highlight of camp. On top of that, we participated in fun team trivia and putting up tents. Overall, camp was a fantastic experience that we will cherish for years to come.
Laranya Nanthakumanran (Year 7 – Marden A)
Thank you to Mrs Harrison – Head of Year 7 and Mrs Budd – Deputy Head of Middle School for all of their thorough organisation. I would also like to acknowledge the teachers who gave up their own family time to support the outdoor ed experience: Mr Fogale, Mrs Lovell, Ms Reed, Ms Brooks and Mrs Cooley – without your assistance we could not provide the girls with this opportunity.
This Friday our Year 7 Geography students will be visiting the Blue Mountains as part of their curriculum studies. Hopefully, we will be blessed with some sunshine.
A reminder that we will continue to run our Gloucester Gatherings across lunchtime on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This week the girls were invited to craft paper flowers which will be gathered into bunches as gifts for two significant staff members. Gloucester gatherings are a chance for girls to come together, make new connections, share skills and have some fun.
Thank you to those who supported the “Spuds for Floods” College fundraiser on Tuesday. Middle School will be launching our own Semester Two Service Program over the next few weeks. This will provide a variety of opportunities for the girls to elect to support a variety of initiatives within Compass groups during allocated Mind Body Spirit time over the next two terms. More details to follow soon.
A reminder that the well-loved Pymble Garden Party is set to make a comeback this year on Saturday, 17th September. We are all very excited about sourcing and running the traditional Middle School Basket Stall. Girls across Years 7 and 8 will be invited to work with a partner to donate goodies to create a basket of their own choice. Their imagination is the limit! We have always had such a huge variety in the past, such as gardening themed watering cans, baby baths filled with gifts for a new born, cooking themed mixing bowls, Friday night TV baskets filled with chocolate and other goodies. Further details will follow closer to the date.
Congratulations to our newly appointed Year 7 Transition Leaders who will be training at lunchtime this Friday in anticipation of events they will run in Junior School later this term. These leaders play a crucial role in supporting our current Year 6 students as they begin their transition to Middle School.
Good luck to the following girls with this important responsibility:
Zoe Bloom, Stella Sharp, Mia Chen, Skye Macleod, Emily Raaff, Lulu Hargraves, Sanaya Lakhani, Chloe Wang, Cindy Jin, Eliza-Rose Griffiths, Brielle McDonald, Isabelle Port, Thenulya Gunasekera, Laranya Nanthakumaran, Emily Englund, Jessica Spence, Varada Vinay, Zoe Manning, Celine Chen, Addison Woods, Annabel Taylor, Grace McSweeney, Lucinda Martin, Dia Verma, Hayley Browne, Emily Huang, Raeya Bhat, Layla Abdel-Megeed, Celine Liu, Isabella Woodall, Lily Mancey and Leander McLaughlin.
Also, a big congratulations to Joy Yin of Year 7 who has received excellent results in her recent eisteddfod competitions:
- Sydney Eisteddfod – Piano Polyphony 15 years and under – 2nd place
- St George Eisteddfod – Piano Solo Restricted 12 years and under – 1st place
- St George Eisteddfod – Piano Solo Open 12 years and under – 2nd place
Year 7
Our Bennett, Goodlet, Lang and Marden campers returned this week with stories of fun and adventure at Vision Valley. On Wednesday this week we supported the Write a Book in a Day initiative to fundraise for children’s cancer research by wearing our winter woollies – beanies, gloves and favourite jumpers. Best wishes to our Year 7 Write a Book in a Day team Ella Handley-Greaves, Grace Louw, Angela Tao, Alannah Tang, Kyraa Vig, Chloe Wei, Xiran Rong, Dia Verma, Jemma Huang, Abani Dhaliwal, Emily Huang, Cindy Jin, Leila Rich, Stella Sharp, Anjali Shah and Isabella Zhang who will be competing on August 8th.
Directions this week has focused on another area of Digital Wellbeing, Bystanders and Upstanders. We have discussed the differences between these stands and how we can be better upstanders when we witness poor choices and treatment of others both online and in person. The eSafety Commissioner website includes excellent resources about how to be an upstander and strategies to use when young people want to help their peers. Senior Constable Lynda Hart, School Liaison Officer who has spoken with many Pymble students over the past few years, talked about cybersecurity, identity theft and internet safety. This presentation built on our Digital Wellbeing lessons this far – cyberbullying, screen time habits and positive bystander interventions.
Year 8
Congratulations to Jenny Xu and Alissa Xue who have been shortlisted for the international John Locke Essay competition (Junior Category) out of nearly 800 essays. The winner of the competition will be announced in Oxford in late August. What a tremendous achievement it is for our girls to have reached this far!
In Directions this week, students have reflected on their progress and personal achievements in Semester 1 in order to develop new goals for the semester ahead. By looking at their report, students have been able to reflect on whether their results have reflected their level of effort for each subject. The aim of this is to celebrate the strengths in their report and to think about how they could approach areas needing improvement.
REMINDER FOR ALL STUDENTS
Learning for Secondary School students will be face-to-face and on campus from Term 3 as advised via the Parent Portal at the end of Term 2.
Secondary students who test positive to COVID or are not well enough to attend school are to follow the normal procedure by contacting their subject teachers via email and/or referring to Canvas to catch up on missed work.
Homework Help in Term 3
Homework Help is an after-school service offered to all Pymble students in the Secondary School to provide assistance and support with everyday homework, assignments and research skills in a friendly, quiet environment. Homework Help is staffed by teachers from the Learning Support Team.
When: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday after school: 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Where: Classroom C3 (Top floor of the Colonnade Building)
Dates: From Monday Week 3 (1 August) to Thursday Week 9 (15 September)
For further enquiries, please contact Mrs Lora Lim, Head of Learning Support at llim@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
Volunteers Needed for the Sri Lankan Food Stall at Pymble’s Garden Party
FROM THE SECONDARY SCHOOL PARENT GROUP
Year 7 Co-ordinators
Carol Bai 0450855866
Shiva Rich 0414322874
Year 8 Co-ordinator
Sunny Ires 0424878781
