From the Boarding School

From our Head of Boarding

It has been a whirlwind of a term and one filled with the joy and camaraderie that is the hallmark of our Boarding family. As you will see from the photos below, our Christmas celebration on Tuesday was evidence of the special bonds that exist in our Boarding family.

Thanks from our Boarding Prefect Team

As part of our Christmas celebrations our Prefect team gave a beautiful thank you speech. They did a wonderful job and I thought it was appropriate to share their gratitude here as another way to acknowledge our wonderful Pymble team:

Girls as we know, Christmas time is not only just for receiving presents but it is also a time to give back and say thank you. There are so many people that contribute to boarding life every day to make sure that our boarding experience is to the best it can be. Although I’m sure these people are aware of how grateful we are, we thought it would be appropriate to really say thank you to each group of people in our boarding community and to make sure no one goes unnoticed.

On behalf of everyone in the boarding community we would like to say thank you to all of our Boarding staff. Our Heads of Year, Anne, Kate, Holly, Beth and Mardi, you do so much for all the Boarders in all houses. You are our ‘go to people’ and without you guys the houses wouldn’t run nearly as smoothly as they do now and we are forever grateful for all you do.

We would also like to thank our Assistant Heads of Year, Sophia, Taryn, Pari, Catherine, Jaimee and Nicky for being there for all of us this year. We have loved to get to know you as many of you guys were new additions this year. We are all very grateful for what you do and cannot wait for the year to come.

Finally we would like to thank all of our casual staff. You guys are always there to help around the house. I would just like to say thank you for all you have done for us throughout the year, it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed.

Miss Howie and Miss Kiddle, thank you so much for your endless support, we are so grateful to have the both of you constantly supporting us in all aspects of school life, you both are such a great support team, and all your hard work, dedication and support behind the scenes does not go unnoticed. We are all extremely grateful to have the both of you. We wanted to let you both know that you are deeply appreciated and loved in our boarding community, always making us feel safe and supported. Thank you again, you are both the best.

To our Day School Heads of Year, thank you all for your endless support of our Boarding community, we are greatly thankful for your love and kindness, we appreciate your understanding and sacrifices you make to make our day school experience the best it can be, your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

To the Facilities team thank you for making our Pymble a home like no other. You always are there to give us a helping hand when we need things done and allow us to have so many opportunities for our Pymble Boarding family. We definitely appreciate what you do for us and hope you enjoy a restful break.

For us Boarders, most of us don’t get to go home and back to the comfort of our own beds when we’re sick. But, thanks to the amazing Healthcare team, we are still so lucky to have amazing care and facilities provided to us when we need that extra bit of care. So we wanted to say a big thank you to Lauren and the Healthcare team for always making sure that the health of our girls is looked after

We can definitely account for all of the girls here that one of the highlights of all of our days is walking into the dining hall at recess or lunch and seeing Gary and the other kitchen staff with big smiles from ear to ear. The effort and care you all put into making sure that our meals are not only delicious but also nutritious is something I’m sure that everyone is grateful for. So to the catering team and Mr Speechly, thank you so much for the insane amount of work you put in for us Boarders, your work doesn’t go unnoticed… especially when there’s Oreo ice cream.

To the cleaning team, I know your job is not easy, so we genuinely cannot thank you enough for the time and effort you put in every day when making sure our homes are tidy and clean. So on behalf of the Boarding community, we would like to thank the cleaning team and Mr Davidson for all your hard work and dedication you put forward for us.

To our lovely School Office ladies. We can’t thank you enough for the endless support you provide to us on the daily basis. The constant reminders to sign in and out of our free periods and when you check up on us when we need us most never goes unnoticed. Your constant smiles and engaging chats keeps us going throughout the day. We thank you for all of the behind the scenes work you put into the College and most importantly our Boarders. There are simply no words to describe you all except, determined, hard working and most importantly caring.

Miss Rockwell, throughout many the years of your involvement in boarding you have been nothing but supporting and the one who gets the job done, if it weren’t for you we wouldn’t be lucky enough to have all things that we have been privileged to be given. Your input to the community has never gone unnoticed and we will forever be grateful for everything you have done for us.

Mr Raymond, you’ve been the backbone of our Day school life, your input to education needs and facilities have been deeply appreciated. We give you thanks for keeping us motivated, happy and encouraging us to our best even when we kind find the grit and determination on some days. You inspire every one of us to strive for the highest and lead with great privilege.

Mr Stewart, where would we be without you? From early in the morning and late at night you’ve always been just around the corner to give our Boarding community a helping hand. All that you’ve done for us for the past years has been nothing but cherished and we are truly grateful for your presence within our tight knit community.

To our incredible Revs. You are our neighbours, our advisors and the backbone of our family. Thank you for always being there, for your acceptance, kindness and compassion. We are deeply indebted to you.

To Dr H and Mrs Shaw, we honestly have no words to express how grateful and appreciative we all are of what you’ve done for throughout your time here at Pymble. One thing is for sure, you both represent what the College stands for of which is pride, you show pride through the education, sporting, and the arts aspects of the community. You motivate and inspire us to do our best every day. We’re forever grateful to have you leading our school and being the face of this beautiful college. Boarding definitely wouldn’t be the same without you.

Dr H, we couldn’t think of a better role model than you, you’re a leader through and through with innovative and creative skills under and outside the school categories. And Mrs Shaw, although you’re stepping down from Deputy Head of the College your vibrant smile and determination will forever be present for years to come. Please keep smiling and never change, we love you both just the way you are.

Laurel and Heather, we must say you guys are pretty awesome. You guys have done and do so much for our Boarding community. You help us with our crazy requests, like needing your key to get the laptop chargers, PE uniforms and textbooks we’ve forgotten. You both have amazing personalities and your big smile improves everyone’s day.

Mrs White, you are a real rockstar. Of course, you are a busy woman but we know (and hope) you do it out of love for us Boarders. You also take time out of your busy day to genuinely check in with each and every one of us. Whether you realise it or not, you have such an impact in the little things you say and do to support us individually, which makes a big difference to boarding over all. From the bottom of all our hearts thank you Mrs White.

Mrs B – the woman, the myth, the legend. There is too much we could say honestly, so we will just say this. You know our families, our home towns, but most importantly you know us. Despite the million things you do in your day, you never lose sight of us Boarders as individuals, by knowing what we’re up to and always checking in. I hope you know how much we appreciate you, so lots of love and merry Christmas from all of us.

The Margaret Brooke ‘Brooksie’ Award

Congratulations to Georgina Pechan of Year 12 who is our Term 4 Brooksie recipient. Georgina is an integral part of our Boarding family who brings joy and sunshine with her wherever she goes. She is kind, generous and compassionate – consistently willing to lend a helping hand around the house or with her peers in various tasks – and always makes people feel loved by offering to make them a cup of tea.

Georgina is diligent and hardworking, has an extraordinary gift of creativity, checks in with the people around her, and has a remarkable ability to make her Boarding sisters feel listened to and cared for. Her warm personality never fails to make you smile, and her joy is infectious and always brightens the room. Georgina could not be more deserving of being presented with the Brooksie Award – we are so glad to have her part of our Boarding family!

Get Ready for 2023!

Please make a note of the following important dates for Term 1 2023:

29 January – Year 11 and 12 Boarders return from 2.00pm , Boarders and their Families – are welcome to join us for Chapel at 5.30pm BBQ Dinner on Marden Lawn

30 January – Current Boarders Years 8 to 10 return from 2.00pm for Term 1, Boarder Parent Group (BPG) Meeting – 3.30pm, BPG Welcome Drinks – 5.00pm to 7.00pm

30 January – Year 11 Boarders to Camp and Year 12 Boarders to Day Camp

31 January – Year 11 Boarders return from Camp

2 February – Luna New Year Dinner

3 February – Year 1 to 12 Photos

3-5 February – Boarders’ Community Weekend Friday to Sunday (no leave during this time)

3 February – Boarding Lockdown and Evacuation Drill – 3.30pm to 4.30pm (mandatory), Whole of Boarding Meeting Welcome Dinner and Badge Ceremony

4 February – Boarders’ Picnic and Orientation Challenge

5 February – Boarders’ Community Activity – Raging Waters

6 February – Year 7 to 9 School Swimming Carnival

7 February – Year 10 to 12 School Swimming Carnival

Please click here for full list of dates for 2023.

We’d also like to announce the dates of some of the most-anticipated yearly events at the College for early 2023:

Icebreaker: Friday 24 February. This is a great opportunity for parents and carers to come together in early Term 1 to reconnect in a social setting.
New Parent High Tea: Friday 24 March. This is a valuable opportunity to meet fellow parents and carers at the College in order to begin to forge friendships within their cohort. Further details for both events will soon be made available. All new parents and all Year 7 parents are invited to this fun event.

We look forward to your safe return in 2023!

A huge thank you

Lastly, and most importantly, my heartfelt thanks for sharing your beautiful girls with us. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of their lives and watch them grow and develop into the caring, giving and capable young women that they are.

Every good wish for a happy, safe and family filled festive season.