From the Preparatory School

From our Head of Preparatory School

Reflecting on what brings joy and happiness is a little different than it was perhaps two years ago. Some things will remain constant over time but other things, perhaps previously taken for granted, take a more valued position. Last week, in both the newsletter and to the girls in Assembly, I mentioned a favourite book that inspires me. In particular, my attention was drawn to an activity to create a case or box of small things. 

This week, my box of small things is about looking at small celebrations of joy and happiness. Things that may seem insignificant on their own but can collectively impact your emotions and view of the world. While in this reflective moment, I remembered with great joy a small gift I once received from a class of Year 1 girls. This gift was a simple recycled jam jar full of small, written memories of the girls. They had labelled it Mrs Ahearn’s Happy Jar! Yes, it had notes about fractions, solving problems and a great deal of Mathematics learnings undertaken together, but it was also full of other shared memories and experiences. It certainly was and continues to be a precious Happy Jar! 

If I was to personally create a Happy Jar this week for each girl, there would be much that could be added. While some additions for individual girls would be needed, there would also be many commonalities. 

• Seeing my friends and teacher at morning check in
• Choosing my mindfulness activity that I really loved!
• Sharing my artwork with my class and feeling proud
• Listening to the recording of my teacher after she had watched my dance in Performing Arts
• Talking with my teacher; she called me on my iPad and it was just me!
• Talking with my friends in break out rooms
• Doing my PE lesson and recording it (in the family room)!

Beyond the school day there is so much more that could be added to each girl’s jar. As our Year 2 SRC Leaders identify below, things such as: 

• Playing tennis with my brother
• Trampolining and ping pong
• Going for a bike ride with family
• Building Lego
• Playing in the backyard
• Taking time to relax!

By filling a Happy Jar of small activities and memories, what you being to see is an abundance of joy and happiness. A tactile piece of evidence that connection and joy is very present in the world of our girls. 

Some small pieces of small joys this week from the Prep Happy Jar! 

Take care and know that we are journeying together with the knowledge that your daughters are achieving great things!   

Mrs Karen Ahearn

Head of Preparatory School

From our Year 2 Co-ordinator

Despite some very tired faces at the end of each day, the girls continue to work with determination, focus and engagement. This week we have been reminding the girls of the importance of break time and time away from their iPad for both physical and mental wellbeing. We encourage you to talk to your daughter about this at home and support her to turn her iPad off at the end of the day and take a well-deserved break. 

In Science, the girls undertook a STEM challenge to design and make a bridge made from paper. The bridge could be made using only paper, glue and sticky tape and needed to be able to hold the weight equivalent to a toy car. As you can see from the designs and models, our girls will definitely have the capabilities to be the engineers of the future!

It has been wonderful to see the Year 2 Leaders continue to share their voice and encourage the girls in the Preparatory School to be kind, read books, do physical activity and have a go in the Pymlympics! 

From our Year 2 Communication Leaders  

Christina Yang, Pipi Chen, Loriah Zhang and Lakey Boyes 

We are going to share some of our thoughts about online learning, our favourite things and what we are doing to be kind to ourselves: 

“My favourite subjects when learning online are Maths, Art, PE and Performing Arts. When it is break time, I like to go outside in my backyard to play and after school my favourite thing to do is go bike riding with my family.” – Loriah  

“My favourite subjects learning online are Art and Maths as they are fun. After school I like to play tennis and cycle with my brother which is lots of fun.” – Pipi 

“At home during online learning I still find so many fun things to do! I like to play on my trampoline, play ping pong, draw and build Lego. I also like to do ballet and dance. I have really enjoyed watching the Olympics at night with my family too as when I grow up I want to be an athlete and compete in the Olympics too.” – Christina 

“The thing I love best about online learning is you get more time to relax but one thing I wish I could do whilst learning at home is have my friends with me.” – Lakey 

From our Year 2 Library Leaders  

Isla Lu, Angelina Yang, Elaine Wang, Julie Kang, Afra Sarchami, Candice Li, Lola Yang and Kate Bi 

While we are at home, we have been rediscovering some of our favourite books. Here are some we think you should read too! 

Thea Stilton and the Cherry Blossom Adventure – Julie  

Dragon Keeper – Elaine 

Weirdo series – Candice 

Ivy and Bean – Angelina 

Ella Diaries – Kate  

Cat Kid Comics – Lola 

From our Year 2 Library Leaders  

Carolyn Sang, Emily Pu, Stephanie Zhao, Evelyn Lu, Vanessa Lee, Alicia Miao, Mikayla Ho and Nouvelle Nicholson 

We have been working hard to spread kindness and positivity throughout the Preparatory School. One of the ideas was to create a sense of fun by having a theme day. The first suggested theme day from our SRC girls is Rainbows and Sparkles. We encourage everyone to wear something bright and sparkly (anything you have at home already, like a hair accessory, scarf or hat) on Friday 20 August to spread some sparkle throughout the Preparatory School online! 

Mrs Kate Giles

Year 2 Co-ordinator

From our Deputy Head of Preparatory School

As we head into a much appreciated and needed mid-term break, it is a timely reminder to recognise that our emotional wellbeing at this challenging time is paramount. We know our days can be a roller coaster of emotions, perhaps even more so as we juggle working from home and the commitment of learning online. It would be unusual not to have days where we just want to start over!  

All the teachers have been including opportunities for your daughter to take a breath. In Kindergarten, bunny breaths, in PE, a pause for some mindfulness. In Year 1 the girls have continued to build skills recognising their feelings on the ‘mood meter’, utilising the Kimochi feelings and music to engage with. In Year 2 the girls have been reminded of the importance of positive self-talk, and how important it is to be kind to ourselves, each other, and the earth.  

I think this message extends also to you as parents. Not every day will be perfect, and that’s okay. Look forwards and know that the sun will come up tomorrow! What’s important is knowing when to pause, get some fresh air or do something that presses the reset button for you. Our wonderful Kindergarten to Year 6 psychologist has some wise words on coping with the rough days. Take care and enjoy the mid-term break. 

Mrs Tracey Frater

Deputy Head of Preparatory School

From our k-6 Psychologist

Being at home for an extended period of time can cause added stress and conflict for us all. We know that many families are continuing to juggle work, school and family commitments simultaneously which can understandably take a toll on one’s mental health and wellbeing. 

The restrictions associated with the Coronavirus outbreak and our sudden need to adjust to a different, (rather strange) way of doing life can be very difficult for children to understand. However, children are not always able to articulate their feelings and frustrations and so, it is not uncommon for parents to see a change in their child’s behaviour including increased meltdowns, crying, clinginess, defiance, lack of focus or even changes in sleep and appetite. Know that this is a normal response in children as they are trying to process changes in their world around them. Also know that this is temporary and should pass once they are able to return to their usual routines. Most importantly, know that you are doing the best you can and it’s especially important to be kind to ourselves and each other during such times. 

Below is a link with tips and ideas on ways that might help you maintain family wellbeing during lockdown.  

https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/coronavirus-covid-19-guide/coronavirus-physical-distancing-and-family-wellbeing

Mrs Frieda Stemp

K-6 Psychologist

From our Teacher Librarian

BOOK CHARACTER DRESS UP – Who will you be?  

Who is your favourite character in the world of stories and imagination? As we celebrate Children’s Book Week on Friday 27 August, we encourage girls to dress up as their favourite book character; parents and brothers and sisters may also like to join in the excitement! So have some fun for the day and dress up as your favourite book character and post a picture to the Book Character Dress Up Padlet! We can’t wait to see who you choose to be for the day. 

SPECIAL EVENTS: Author and illustrator online presentations! 

Kindergarten and Year 1 will meet Aura Parker in an online presentation. Aura’s books include Cocoon, Goodnight Glow Worms, Meerkat Splash, Twig and The Silly Seabed Song. During the interactive presentation, Aura will share her stories and behind the scenes knowledge of working as a children’s book author and illustrator. Girls will be guided in a drawing activity by Aura.  

Signed books by Aura Parker can be purchased from The Children’s Book Shop (add link to Aura Parker form) 

Year 2 will meet the illustrator Tannya Harricks in an online presentation. Tannya is an artist and children’s book illustrator. Her books include Dingo and Kookaburra by Claire Saxby and Mallee Sky by Jodi Toering. Each Year 2 class will join a session with Tannya who will share insight into being a children’s book illustrator and the processes and techniques required to illustrate a book. Girls will also be guided in an art exercise. 

Signed books by Tannya Harricks can be purchased from The Children’s Book Shop (add link to Tannya Harricks form) 

Session times and links for the Book Character Dress Up Padlet and Presentations will be provided closer to the day. 

Read by Us! Stories for Prep by Years 9 and 10  

Girls in Years 9 and 10 have been joining together online to read and share stories for the Preparatory School. You can view the stories on this Padlet.  

Click here to listen 

Online resources available from the Preparatory Library  

Have you visited the Preparatory Library App? The App provides access to a range of online resources including World Book, Britannica, BrainPOP, Story Box Library, and links to a small selection of suitable websites.   

Prep Online Learning Resources

This video briefly overviews how to search World Book Kids, World Book eBooks, Britannica School and DK Findout! All of the online resources are available to the girls via the Preparatory Library App.  

Mrs Josephine Laretive

Preparatory School Teacher Librarian

Notices

Pymlympic Games: Mind, Body and Spirit

Although the Tokyo Olympics have come to an end, the Pymble Olympic fever continues! Our girls are continuing to engage in our Kindergarten to Year 6 Pymlympic Games, with our Year 2 House Leaders, promoting House spirit each week in Assembly.  

The challenges are not compulsory but a way of providing the girls with an avenue to engage, create and have fun while take part in healthy House competition. Girls are now familiar with Padlet and are exploring activities that capture their excitement and interest as they upload their photos to their House padlet to accumulate House points.   

Click this link to access the challenges for Kindergarten to Year 6 students.  

Correspondence to the Preparatory School

Please note that all correspondence to the Preparatory School Office should be via prepschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or by phone on + 61 2 9855 7720.  

A friendly reminder from our Healthcare Team

If your daughter has a Critical or Medical Alert plan, these need to be updated every 12 months with your GP and forwarded to the College. This includes, but is not limited to, medical plans for asthma, anaphylaxis and allergies. We appreciate the challenges of organising a consult with a GP during lockdown, but please know that you can also arrange a telehealth appointment to have your daughter’s plan updated. It is vital that we have a copy of the plan in Healthcare so we are aware of how to manage your daughter’s condition if an incident occurs on campus, or when she attends an excursion or camp. Before any camps or excursions, you are asked to fill in a permission form and a medical form. Please remember that students are not permitted to attend camps or excursions until these forms are completed. Please contact healthcarecentre@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au if you have questions regarding these plans. We are more than happy to help.

Essential Workers

Assistance for parents: scheduling Do Not Disturb times on your daughter’s College iPad

During learning discussions, a few parents identified concerns regarding social calls and chat groups to their daughters during family time. Can I encourage parents to feel confident to remove their daughter’s device after school hours to an ’iPad sleeping space’ as part of the daily routine. This could be to a space which is set up for ’sleeping’ iPads and for overnight charging. The girls may enjoy selecting this space with you.   

Alternatively, our Digital Learning Team has provided the following instructions for parents to assist with scheduling Do Not Disturb times on the girls’ school devices. We hope this is of assistance.   

Tips for managing iPads at home 

Enabling ‘Do Not Disturb’ on the iPad 

Online Lesson Recording Agreement – Students

Parents are reminded that if they have not done so, please read through with your daughter the Online Lesson Recording Agreement – Students as she continues to work online. Please remember to submit once completed.  Please click here to access this document.    

While working online: uniform and other information

While working at home, girls will be expected to wear their PE uniform or school jumper when online. However, there are some exciting days planned in coming weeks such as Book Character Dress Up on Friday 27 August. There are also occasions when year groups and our Year 2 SRC Leaders have identified special days to add some sparkle! 

Please continue to notify the Preparatory School Office if your daughter is unwell and unable to attend her classes online.   

Contact details

A reminder to keep your contact details up to date. For any changes, please use MyPymble Change of Details link. 

Co-curricular information

Co-curricular activities 

Students who are currently enrolled in Co-curricular activities for Term 3 will receive emails from the CCSA team providing links to online activities. Parents are asked to please check their email on a regular basis as new links will be sent ahead of each scheduled activity.   

Jack and Jules Fitness sessions

Click this link to join this activity as part of the Pymlympics Challenge. Each student can collect ten House points for every session they participate in!