From the Junior School
From our Head of Junior School
Welcome to 2023 and Xīnnián kuàilè to all our families who celebrate Lunar New Year. A huge thank you to Mrs Anna To, Mrs Victoria Adamovich and Mrs Caren Ottaviano who have decorated our Junior School and led activities for all our girls to celebrate and learn about this joyful event.
The girls arrived for the start of the term and year with huge smiles, positive spirits and excitement for their learning adventures. A particularly warm welcome to all our new families. We are so glad you have joined our Junior School community of kindness and I look forward to getting to know you all more over the coming weeks.
This year I am challenging myself to learn more languages as I am so proud of the many languages and cultures we have in our Junior School. Please help me on this mission! If any of you are willing to help me learn some basic phrases, or to share stories from your culture, please reach out to me as I would love to connect with you. My email is: kbrown@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
Be of Service
As a College, we are challenging ourselves to ‘be of service’ this year. I know many of our families already give of their time to help others. I would love to hear from you about any service you and your family give within the community so we can share these acts of kindness in our Junior School and inspire one another, and particularly our girls, to know that each of us has the power to make our world a kinder one.
As a Junior School we will be undertaking some acts of service during the school year.
Be kind, be creative, be brave and be you!
This term we are focusing on kindness to self. Being kind to ourselves means we are able to approach new learning with a growth mindset. Kindness to ourselves also empowers us to be resilient and tenacious when faced with challenge.
Throughout the term I will talk to the girls about our four ‘Kindness to Self’ facts:
- I will speak to myself with a kind voice (talking to myself as I would speak to a best friend)
- I will be nervous sometimes, and that’s ok
- I will have a go
- I will make mistakes, and that’s ok
We are therefore encouraging our girls to be courageous in their learning, to embrace challenge, to keep going when learning is tricky. We are also encouraging them to be brave in making new friends and being inclusive. Please help us to encourage your daughters with these challenges.
I also encourage each of you to be as brave as your daughters and reach out to someone you don’t know yet and have a chat with them – it could be the start of a wonderful new friendship!
A huge shout out to all our Kindergarten parents who were modelling bravery on Tuesday as they sent their daughters off on their first day of school and then chatted with new friends they were making for themselves over a cup of coffee.
Gumboots
We are encouraging the girls to connect with the outdoors as much as possible and as there is going to be a live construction site around the campus this year it’s a perfect opportunity for our girls to be outdoors with gumboots on and being playful or observing engineers at work as part of our STEM learning focus.
Medications
On occasions your daughter may require medications to be administered during the day. If your daughter requires any medications during the school day, including prescribed antibiotics, they need to be delivered to School Office, clearly labelled and in original packaging. Clear instructions from parents need to be included with the medication. We cannot administer medication in the form of syrups or tablets if they are not in their original packaging as we have no knowledge of what they are.
Please send to the School Office any medication eg Ventolin, Epipen, eczema cream etc. if your daughter has specific medical conditions which warrant their use. The Action Plan for its use should be included in the pack.
Nut Allergies
Please ensure that your daughter’s food does not contain any nuts as some of our students have severe allergies to food containing nuts and nut products. This includes spreads such as peanut butter and Nutella.
Birthday Treats
If you would like to send in birthday treats for your daughter and her class please limit this to either small (mini) cupcakes or iceblocks (Zooper Doopers) only. Please only supply for your daughter’s class (not the whole grade). If your daughter has allergies please make arrangements directly with your class teacher.
Car Line
Parents are reminded that parking along the LOWER Road is not permitted at any time. Please do not arrive before 2.30pm in the afternoon. Girls are escorted to car line after the conclusion of the school day at 2.45pm. We do our best to ensure drop off and pick up is a smooth process but we need your help! Please be patient with the queues at the start of this term and please only arrive at the set times. Once co-curricular activities start, car line becomes much quicker.
Parents are reminded to remain in their car for the safety of both girls and adults and to assist with traffic flow. If you are delayed in collecting your daughter please be reassured that she will be taken to Out of School Hours Care until your arrival.
Arrival: Daily Routines
Please be aware that girls arriving before 7.45am must attend Out of School Hours Care. Our playgrounds are not supervised before 7.45am.
From 7.45am, staff will be in attendance at car line and in the playgrounds. K-6 students may enter grade spaces to put their belongings in their lockers.
Departure: Daily Routines
Kindergarten to Year 2 parents will need to complete the travel form by clicking here if you have not already done so.
Girls in Years 3 to 6 are responsible to remember where they need to go after school each day, please use your daughter’s diary to assist her to remember where to go each afternoon.
Any changes to these routines must be sent in writing to the Junior School office juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. Please note that it is important that any changes to travel arrangements are received prior to 2.00pm.
Girls with older sisters – Girls wait at the Junior School Library until their sister collects them by 3.30pm or at OSHC if they have a Senior School sister.
Girls Traveling on College Buses
Girls wait in the K-2 School Office and are supervised until 3.00pm when they are walked to Sunshine Square to join the Year 3 to 6 girls. All Junior School girls are then walked to Kelso bus area by a Teacher.
A reminder that all students travelling on the Pymble bus service must have a current registration. Please click here to register your daughter for the bus.
Car Line
Please remain in your car displaying your daughter’s name as you approach the collection area. Parents are asked not to exit their vehicles as staff will assist students to vehicles if necessary. Please note that this is a single lane and drivers must wait for the car in front to depart rather than exiting the car line lane. Parents may be asked to go around if their daughter is delayed.
Access from Greyhouse Walk
There is currently no access from Greyhouse walk via the Valley to K-2. Please walk via the Junior School courtyards. Please follow directions from College staff at all times.
Junior School Music Information
The College Junior School Co-Curricular Music department is a dynamic and fun program. Students have the opportunity to participate in a vast array of music ensembles at their individual level of skill and interest.
Any girl who plays an instrument and would like to be in an ensemble but has not yet been placed in one, is encouraged to come to the Music Office at lunchtime or before school. All students who learn an Orchestral or Band instrument at the College are expected to participate in an appropriate ensemble.
Most ensemble rehearsals commence Week 2 (Monday 6 February). Please click here to view the rehearsal times and commencement dates for 2023.
COVID Information
The process for management of COVID positive cases in students remains in line with the guidelines in use during Term 4.
- To ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, any student who tests positive to COVID should stay away from school until feeling well again with no symptoms, as per the NSW Health guidelines.
- If your daughter is absent due to COVID, please follow the usual process of notification of her absence via the MyPymble parent portal.
Term 1 2023 Key Dates (WEeks 1 + 2)
Friday 3 February Individual Photo Day 9 – Years 1 to 6
Saturday 4 February IPSHA Saturday Sport trials
Monday 6 February Kindergarten start full days from 8.15am to 2.45pm (continuing for the rest of the year)
Tuesday 7 February Year 6 Leaders’ Induction 9.30am to 10.30am in the Chapel
Thursday 9 February Kindergarten to Year 6 Parent Information Evening (classrooms)
Friday 10 February Photo Day – Kindergarten and catch-up photos
Saturday 11 February. IPSHA Saturday Sports starts
Mrs Kate Brown