From the Boarding School

From our Head of Boarding

Another busy week for us here at Pymble! While we weren’t necessarily triumphant in the pool, we certainly won the prize for team spirit. It was wonderful to see the sideline of the pool resplendent in pink as our Boarders cheered on their Boarder ‘sisters’ in the Day girls versus Boarders relays. Congratulations to our Marden and Goodlet/Lang squad who did us all proud.

Farewell to much-loved colleagues

Our first Boarders’ Chapel Service for the year was an opportunity to farewell three wonderful staff members. Claudia Fulford has been with us for almost four years and as the girls recounted, has left an indelible mark on our Pymble family. Claudia is admired for her outstanding organisation and ability to turn her hand to just about any activity. We have all appreciated the manner in which Claudia has gone “above and beyond” to maximise the Boarding experience. Kirstie Ogilvy has been a kind and warm presence in Marden House, greeting the girls enthusiastically each afternoon and always ready to hear about the day’s events. Emily Behan joined us relatively recently but her fun and down-to-earth approach quickly endeared her to all. Claudia, Kirstie and Emily have all taken on new positions that will build on their many skills and create new opportunities. I am excited for what the future holds for their lives beyond Pymble and I thank them for the many gifts they have given so generously to our Pymble family.

A new tradition

It was with much excitement that our most senior Boarders took ownership of their Year 12 Boarder jerseys. The jerseys were presented in Chapel, and we all agreed that this was a special way to celebrate the leadership, camaraderie and culmination of their Boarding journey. We look forward to adding this new tradition to our Boarding calendar.

Mrs Carolyn Burgess

Director of Boarding

From our Deputy Head of Boarding

Last weekend was the first ‘Love It’ weekend of the year. The Goodlet girls got back into the swing of things with a trip to the driving range – they even managed a sneaky trip to the beach on Sunday afternoon to enjoy some hot chips and an evening dip. The Marden girls had great fun on their adventure to Wylie’s Baths and while the ocean was a little too wild for us, the day was enjoyed by all. Thank you to Mrs Myles for making it so special!

This weekend we have some more beach trips on the agenda. Saturday will see a trip to Manly and Shelley Beach for the Marden girls followed by an adventure with Mardi to the Botanical Gardens on Sunday. The Goodlet girls will also have the opportunity to head to Manly Beach on Sunday. As we all get in the mood for Valentine’s Day next week, we are heading to the cinema on Saturday night to check out the latest JLo rom-com, Marry Me. We will share a comprehensive ‘Love It’ schedule in next week’s newsletter!

As always there will be plenty to do around the grounds. The swimming pool will be open each afternoon over the weekend and we are looking forward to the first official weekend of sport. We can’t wait to cheer the Boarders on!

Mrs Katie White

Deputy Director of Boarding

Prefect Supper Club

On Tuesday, our wonderful Year 12 Prefects organised a delicious ‘Supper Club’ for our new Year 7 Boarders to welcome them and help them settle into the term. It was great to see that all of the new girls had settled in so well, not only into the Boarding regime, but also building strong relationships within Marden House. Many stories were shared around the swing set as everyone delved into bowls of ice cream and chocolate. Thankfully, we shipped them back off to Marden before we had to endure the wrath of the sugar high (sorry Mardi!). If you are reading this and are a parent/carer, rest assured, your children are in great hands!

P.S. We were so excited about hosting this event, we forgot to take photos of the girls!

Pip Austin

Head Boarder

A View From My Window

Hi, my name is Tilly and I’m a new Year 10 student at Pymble joining Boarding just this year. I’ve moved here from South Korea, having lived in Asia my whole life. I’ve lived in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. My family is still living in South Korea. I have my mum, dad, sister and cat. My sister is 18 and is just about to graduate. Some of my interests include playing music. I play three instruments – the drums, the flute, and bass guitar. I also like sports such as netball and cross country.

The first thing I would want to do if I went back to South Korea is drink an iced matcha green tea, visit my best friend Isabella, hang out with my family in the snow, and cuddle my cat, Bowie. In South Korea, it’s currently winter and the temperature goes down to -15 degrees celsius and it snows almost every day. Although it is really pretty and there are a lot of fun activities like ice skating, snow angels, snowball fights, skiing, and sledding and my front yard looks like a winter wonderland, I do not miss shovelling the snow, slipping down the hill to get to the bus stop, and my fingernails literally turning blue. At school we would have snowball fights and then sit through the rest of the day in wet clothes!

Living my whole life in Asia, I’ve been exposed to a diverse range of cultures and learned about them first-hand. I celebrate lots of holidays that are special in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. I actually don’t really know anything about Australia even though I’m an Aussie. I am looking forward to getting to know more about my new hometown.

Boarder of the Week

Congratulations to Lucy Robertson, our Year 11 Boarder of the Week. Lucy joined us from Gunnedah when she was in Year 7 and continues to embrace life as a Boarder with all her might. Her enthusiasm has been obvious again this term as Lucy led the way on the Community Weekend as she made the most of all the activities and encouraged others to join in the fun. She was a superstar at the swimming carnival and entered countless races and cheered on her Boarder ‘sisters’. Lucy is a Spirit House Captain for Goodlet House and is an exemplary role model for others. We thank Lucy for her diligence, sense of fun and for being a beautiful friend to all.