From the Middle School
From our Head of Middle School
Welcome to Week 4 in the Middle School. It is great to see the girls using the new play equipment on the Gloucester Lawn across lunchtimes and during intervals within the Mind Body Spirit timeframe. Last week we welcomed our Year 12 Middle School Liaison Prefects who hosted skipping games on Thursday as a way to encourage everyone to get active and mingle in an attempt to foster new friendships. From this week on we will be holding Gloucester Gatherings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Next Thursday 24 February, Year 7 parents have been invited to join their daughter’s Compass teacher as a way of getting to know him/her, as well as an opportunity to meet other parents from the group and build connections. It is so important that we get to know each other on what will be a journey across the next six years. This will be followed by an information session in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts (GMCPA). We have called the evening ‘Knowing People, Knowing Pymble’ and do hope that one parent from each family will be able to join us for this exciting event.
On Tuesday 22 February, the College will be facilitating the Cross Country Carnival. All students in Years 7 and 8 will participate across Periods 1 and 2. Please encourage your daughter to register for this event via the Portal link where more details are available.
Our Year 7 families received details of the up-and-coming Outdoor Education program at Vision Valley which was emailed last Friday. This promises to be a fantastic opportunity for the girls to have fun, be challenged, build resilience and establish new connections.
COVID-19: Important update and reminder for families
- what to do if another member of your household tests positive while you are already in isolation;
- a reminder to inform the school if your daughter has to isolate at home and temporarily switch to learning via Pymble Online; and
- upcoming booster shots for eligible students.
Mrs Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School
Directions
Year 7
Courage is a word, and College value, that our Year 7 girls have demonstrated in the past few weeks. Courage to try new things. Courage to sit at recess and lunch with new friends. Courage to roll up their sleeves, yet again, for another vaccination. Courage to try their best at the Swimming and Cross Country Carnivals as well as to join a new Co-curricular sport. Courage to audition for Peter Pan. Courage to play in a music ensemble group. We have been encouraging Year 7 to try new things and be creative about this. While there are no guarantees, there will always be wins and success, and no doubt there will be disappointment along the way. It is important to remember there will be many opportunities over their time at Pymble to step up and be part of this rich College life. We have seen wonderful ‘bounce back’ this week when things have not quite happened as expected. The NSW Health nursing staff who administered the first of the high school vaccines program last Thursday commented on the outstanding manners and behaviour of our Year 7 girls, emphasising the point that they were the best students they had ever worked with. We congratulate Year 7 on such an outstanding accolade.
Our upcoming Directions lessons introduce the girls to the 5 Ways to Wellbeing which are connections, being aware, helping others, getting active and keep learning. Each of these signposts are taught in class and we value the support of our Year 7 parents in developing them outside of the classroom. Balance and practise are key. Year 7 Camp was launched on Wednesday this week and we look forward to an enriching Outdoor Education experience for our girls in Weeks 6 (Hammond, Ingleholme, Thomas and Wylie) and 7 (Bennett, Goodlet, Lang and Marden). Email correspondence was sent to parents in Week 3 and there will be much excitement as we prepare for our time together at Vision Valley. Next Monday Elevate will be workshopping study and organisational skills for academic and wellbeing success. We look forward to sharing Elevate resources in next week’s newsletter.
Year 8
Our Year 8 students are settling into Year 8 after adjusting to new classes, new teachers and new subjects. They are building resilience as they form social connections with peers whose faces they might know, but who they have never properly interacted with before. Year 8 students are also being exposed to slightly different teaching styles. It is significant that these are impactful, resilient building experiences which become more normal as our students progress through the College.
We encourage our Year 8 students to also look to new opportunities of interest. A group of Year 8 students put in an expression of interest for an Environment Leaders’ Workshop this week at Vision Valley. They came away from the day with knowledge about key environmental concepts and a consideration of the impact and role they can play at the College. Some students have already joined our Cadet program after hearing an informative talk from passionate Cadets earlier this term. This week in assembly students were invited to consider participating in the Academic Research Club which fosters academic exploration and discovery. Students were also invited to register their interest in being a Pymble Morning Tour Guide – this is an important opportunity of responsibility as students meet new families and take them on a tour of the College.
In Directions this week, the focus was on mindful eating, a consideration of which foods fuel our bodies and how to incorporate a good breakfast in our busy mornings. This topic will be covered in more depth in PDHPE. We are looking at the three components of healthy lifestyles, good nutrition, adequate sleep and exercise, this term.
From the Head of Learning Support
Homework Help Term 1
Homework Help is an after-school service offered to all Pymble students in the Secondary School to provide assistance and support with everyday homework, assignments and research skills in a friendly, quiet environment. Homework Help is staffed by teachers from the Learning Support Team.
| When | Monday, Tuesday and Thursday after school: 3.30pm to 4.30pm |
| Where | Classroom C3 (Top floor of the Colonnade Building) |
| Dates | From Monday 7 February (Week 3) to Thursday 31 March (Week 10) |
For further enquiries, please contact Mrs Lora Lim at llim@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.
Mrs Lora Lim
Head of Learning Support
ySafe Cyber Safety Event
On Wednesday 9 March Pymble is hosting an important and engaging online education session for Years 7 to 10 parents and carers. The session will be co-presented with ySafe, Australia’s leading provider of cyber safety education.
This practical, strategy-rich session will cover the important points that families need to know about online safety; covering key information about social media and gaming, screen time recommendations, and step-by-step instructions on how to set up a cyber-safe home.
Please register for this event by following the link provided. This is an important school event that we recommend all parents and carers of Years 7 to 10 students attend.
Date: Wednesday 9 March 2022
Time: 6.30pm
RSVP: Click here to register
