From the Junior School

From our Head of Junior School

As we approach the holidays, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to you all for your endless support, kindness and love to my team throughout this term. It’s been a challenging start to the year with COVID-19 restrictions, gastro bugs and COVID-19 impacting many of our families and lots of rain and yet we’ve shone with a sense of collective joy, hope, creativity and fun as a Junior School family. Thank you for your endless trust in us and your commitment to supporting your daughter’s learning journey in this our first term as a Junior School Kindergarten to Year 6.

It was wonderful to finally meet and chat with so many of you at the PPA Icebreaker on Friday evening. Kudos to those of you who showed real courage in having a go at the African dancing … I thought about it but wasn’t brave enough! I am sorry I didn’t get to chat to all of you who were there but hope you made new friendships and delighted in catching up with old friends too. There was a powerful positive energy buzzing in the room and it’s so good to be able to connect in person at last. We look forward to many more gatherings over the year. We’re looking to inviting our Year 2 and Year 3 families onto campus early in Term 2 so look out for information around those events in the coming weeks.

This week I launched the 100 Adventures to Complete Before you Finish Junior School challenge booklet to our girls. The aim is to inspire our girls to play outdoors, to try new things, to explore nature and enjoy some outdoor adventures as they grow and journey through the Junior School. This challenge is not compulsory and there are no prizes for the first to complete. The aim is to give the girls a challenge to aspire to throughout their Junior School days. Girls who complete all 100 challenges will be honoured for their achievement. I would love you to support your daughter in having a go at a couple of these challenges over the holiday.

Reflecting on our Learning

As Term 1 draws to a close it is an opportunity for our girls to reflect on their learning, the challenges faced, the solutions found, and projects completed. It is now a time to recharge the batteries ready for an exciting and busy Term 2.

For some of our girls they have shown adaptability as they have pivoted from on campus learning to online learning and back again. During this time they have demonstrated responsibility as a learner, making sure tasks were completed, where they continued to challenge themselves and have a go. Our girls have also used opportunities in their learning to develop skills in problem-solving, critical and creative thinking as well as the important skills of collaboration where they have actively listened to ideas and suggestions from their peers, kept to deadlines and proudly presented as a group their solutions to real world problems or used their voice to bring awareness and change.

Kindergarten explored Pymble and cared for ducklings as part of their Geography and Science units. Our Year 1 students created their own musical instruments in Science when learning about sound and continued to develop their writing skills, where they even wrote from the perspective of an ant! In History our Year 2 girls learned to construct tables to present historical information and visited the Old Schoolhouse Museum where they examined and reflected on artefacts of the past. Our Year 3 girls learned about change and continuity in communities and identified traces of the past in the present and explained their significance.

Diversity is celebrated in the Junior School. Our Year 4 students explored celebrations around the world. Year 5 investigated biodiversity found in the Pymble playground and wrote proposals to encourage biodiversity on our campus. Year 6 used their voices to bring awareness to discrimination and Human Rights and learned how to pass a Bill in Parliament.

I wish our girls and families a relaxing holiday enjoying Sydney’s beautiful autumnal weather.

Mrs Lara Bird

Deputy Head of Junior School – Academic

External Opportunities and Competitions

Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Competition

In Term 2, students in Years 3 to 6 will participate in the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Competition, Australia’s longest running annual poetry competition for school-aged children. This opportunity will be occurring within your daughter’s classes and will be supported by her literacy teacher or will be part of your daughter’s homework activity. The theme this year is ‘In my opinion’ and will provide students with a myriad of ways they can express their thoughts and feelings through the medium of poetry. 

Tournament of Minds

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a creative problem-solving challenge for teams of cross-grade students. Teams are required to work together on a long-term challenge for six weeks without assistance from teachers, parents or peers. Students and parents should be aware that TOM requires outside school preparation time with the team, including rehearsals. Tournament day is also on a weekend towards the end of August, and students chosen for the team MUST present their solutions on Tournament Day. No student substitutions allowed. Training at school will involve one full lunchtime per week. Teachers will choose teams with a range of individual skills and talents across a number of disciplines, as observed in school and in Co-curricular involvement. There are two Pymble TOM teams for girls in Years 5 and 6 in 2022. Years 5 and 6 girls have been provided with information on this tournament.

Future Problem-Solving

Year 5 students have been provided with information on the exciting opportunity to step into the future and develop creative solutions through the Future Problem-Solving program. The girls will explore a futuristic world riddled with problems and work collaboratively to develop innovative solutions. The program teaches problem-solving strategies, critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and communication whilst also preparing the girls for the future. This will require a commitment of one lunchtime each week and additional research at home. 

Throughout the year there will be more opportunities for students of all ages to participate in competitions within and external to Pymble and we will share these in our newsletter.

Our Week of Learning in Pictures 

Please enjoy the Digital News created by our ICT Captains this week.

Focusing on our Mind, Body, Spirit

What a fantastic term we have had, and a fabulous start to the year. It has been full of new beginnings, opportunities to connect in person and the first full term for some of our girls in years. We have been so proud of how the girls have shown up and got involved in all aspects of school life with excitement and enthusiasm.

There have been some incredible highlights over the term and opportunities for our girls to connect with the Mind Body Spirit curriculum. We have had classes developing their Class Charter which reflects on how they would like to feel within the class environment and how they can contribute to our Junior School culture of kindness. We celebrated House spirit, with the girls connecting with their House and spending time together bonding and developing a sense of belonging across the Junior School. Our Year 3 girls have constructed a kindness tree that has allowed them to give shout outs to one another and positively affirm their peers. Our Year 4 girls have explored character strengths and the unique gifts they bring. Our Kindergarten and Year 2 girls have enjoyed their Nature Immersion; a time to connect with the beauty that surrounds them and carve out space to be. Our fantastic Year 5 girls have explored the theme of ‘Choose Kind’ and been researchers with Mrs Brown into the impact of kindness in our school and world. Our Year 6 girls have developed their leadership skills through focusing on Listening, Enthusiasm, Attitude, Determination, Energy and Respect and exploring the ways in which they can show up as their best selves. What a wonderful celebration of a proactive approach to wellbeing our community has displayed this term. I am so looking forward to what Term 2 will bring.

Mrs Kimberley Tyson

Deputy Head of Junior School – Students

Kindness Club – Years 1 to 3 

Our wonderful Kindness leaders have celebrated the power of kindness and the fabulous job they have done in spreading kindness in our community by performing a reading of the picture book Kindness Grows by Britta Teckentrup. 

Celebrating Student Voice

Thank you for your generosity in supporting our College charity, Costumes for Cancer. As a Junior School we have raised an impressive $7,413 so far. Thank you for helping your daughter to help others and understand the importance of showing kindness to others. We are so proud of the way the girls give of themselves to help others. They danced so enthusiastically on Wednesday as part of our ‘Walkathon’.

Mrs Nerissa Davey

Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations

Our Sustainability Focus – the Bottle Cap Drive

We are delighted with the amount of bottle caps we have received from our Junior School community. At last count we were exceptionally close to the target of 8,000! We know we can achieve this target. Please continue to collect caps over the holidays and send them in next term. A huge thank you to Giselle Man, Stacy Sharp, Lia Lin, Celine Soo, Leahara Wijesuriya, Natasha Horner, Sophie Harris and Jessie Gao (Year 6) who have displayed such leadership in assisting us to count the caps. They have encouraged our younger girls and been fierce advocates for the cause. We look forward to the creation of our mural throughout Term 2.

SRC – the Voice of our Junior School

Thank you to our Term 1 captains who have led the charge and been voices for their Compass classes and year groups and encouraged them to fill up their suggestion boxes. It is because of their voices that we have committed to these efforts:

• Unstructured Play Day – postponed to Term 2
• Bottle Cap Mural – almost at our target of 8,000 caps
• PJ Day – Term 2
• Another Bubble Disco – Term 2
• Play Equipment for Years 3 to 6 at Lunchtime – Term 2 Arrival

Careers Day – Save the date

Last year we had an overwhelming response to our Careers Day in the Junior School. This was a wonderful opportunity for our parents to share their careers with our girls. We shall be holding this event again this year. Years 1 to 3 parents are invited on 19 May from 10.45am to 12.45pm and Years 4 to 6 on 20 May from 10.45am to 12.45pm. We have 30 spots available for each day so get in early! Apply at this LINK. 

Congratulations

Diving 

Congratulations to the following girls who qualified for this event by placing at IPSHA and CIS to compete at PSSA and for these fantastic results:

8 Year Girls Springboard        2nd Amelie Berg (Year 3)

9 Year Girls Springboard        1st Zara Ware (Year 3) 

10 Year Girls Springboard      2nd Amélie Rahme (Year 4). Congratulations to Amelie who also qualified for the NSW team for SSA Nationals in Brisbane in November.

11 Year Girls Springboard      5th Anne Liu (Year 6)

Swimming

Congratulations to the following girls who qualified for this event by placing at IPSHA and CIS to compete at PSSA and for these fantastic results.

Junior 4 x 50m Relay            2nd 

Emma Deere (Year 4), Oriana Fenton (Year 5), Chloé Shires (Year 5), Lily Zhang (Year 4)

Senior 4 x 50m Relay           2nd 

Amalia Bond (Year 6), Megan Chia (Year 6), Emma Ng (Year 6) and Jessica Persson (Year 6)

Emma Ng (Year 6)                 12th Girls 11 Years 50m Freestyle Prelims
                                                4th Girls 11 Years 50m Backstroke Finals

Congratulations to Emma who also qualified as a reserve for the NSW team for SSA Nationals in Brisbane in November. Qualified to NSWPSSA Team

Megan Chia (Year 6)              5th Girls 11 Years 50m Butterfly Finals

Notices

Kindergarten to Year 2 Co-curricular Sports and Activities

Registrations for all Kindergarten to Year 2 activities (except tennis) roll over into Term 2. To enrol for tennis in Term 2, please register online in the usual manner. Please email the Junior School Office with any changes to your daughter’s travel arrangements for Term 2.

Mrs Kate Brown

Head of Junior School

Important Dates

From the JSPG

Elizabeth Toh, Aimee Birch, Stephanie Pickford and Kai Jones

Save the Date: JSPG Family Picnic and Movie Night – Saturday 14 May

We are very excited to be holding the biggest event in our JSPG calendar, the Family Picnic and Movie Night, on Saturday 14 May from 3.30pm to 8.00pm.

Last year, this was tremendously successful and now with the addition of Years K-2, we are looking forward to making this year bigger and better.

For those who have not yet attended, the family picnic is like a carnival and a fun day out for the whole family. There is a variety of food and entertainment, including a giant slide, kindy farm, putt-putt golf, old-fashioned games and karaoke. There are also sideshow attractions for the kids, including guessing competitions and a spinning prize wheel. The event concludes with a family dinner and movie as the sun sets.

This is a fabulous opportunity for the Junior School community to gather and create special memories. We will be seeking parent assistance for the ever-popular cake, bake and lolly stand shortly, as well as the other fun stalls being run by year groups.

Please talk to your class parent or year co-ordinator (or alternatively email us at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com) if you are able to help out before or during the event.

Details on how to purchase tickets will be emailed out shortly by Community Engagement.

Upcoming Events organised by Year Co-ordinators and Class Parents 

Kindergarten Park Play will be held during the holidays on Wednesday 13 April from 2.00pm at Bicentennial Park, West Pymble.

Save the date: Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance

Date: Saturday 28 May, 6.30pm to 9.00pm (Week 5, Term 2).

Theme: Springtime in Paris

Invitations to follow in Term 2 with venue details.

Communication with Parents

The parent contact directory is available on MyPymble and has been developed for parents and carers to opt-in to share their contact details with other parents and carers in their daughter(s) year group to help build community connections.

To check your details, log in to MyPymble, click on Parent Contact Directory (under My Shortcuts) and then your Roll Class. There are some parents/carers with names, phone numbers and email addresses missing. To update your details, please click on your name in the top right corner, and select My Profile.

Questions?

If you have any questions or require further information, please email us the JSPG at:

pymblelcjspg@gmail.com

From the JSPG, we hope you and your family have a very happy Easter period and safe holiday break.