From the Middle School
From our Head of Middle School
This week we recognise the festival of Diwali, the Festival of Lights on the Hindu calendar. Our Middle School Office has been decorated accordingly to reflect the colour of celebration as we extend our well wishes to all who honour this special time.
On Wednesday, we brought together all our new students who started in Term 4 for a welcome morning tea with their buddies. It is always so beautiful to hear stories of positive transition and how individual members of our Pymble community have reached out to make others feel welcome and included.
On Friday Middle School will host the incoming Year 7 2023 Links Day. It promises to be a program full of fun and excitement as the girls explore campus and get a glimpse into what lies ahead. Thank you to all of our Middle School leaders and our other volunteers who have helped to make this a special day for Year 6. I would like to especially acknowledge the beautiful banner designed by Syrena Lin and painted and co designed by Eliza-Rose Griffiths, Syrena Lin , Elise Lin, Sanaa Kapoor, Isabella Mark, Jessica Xu, Kitty He, Melody Chen, Sophie Lin, Brielle McDonald, May Zhang, Kitty Yip, Lillian Li, Lucy Sun, Cindy Xu, Jacqueline Wang, Lexi Zhang, Tara Sproules-Nath, Isabel Neal, Peita Christofis, Rezia Khan, Ciara Sweeny, Maya and Amelie Clements. The welcome banner sets the tone so perfectly.
This year, our College Co-curricular Expo – Have a Go! – falls on the same day so it will be wonderful to be able to showcase all of the activities on offer not just for Years 7 and 8 but also for those incoming students. This is a chance for the girls to explore possibilities for the future and embrace new opportunities to develop new skills, meet new people and have fun. Please encourage your daughters to embrace this event.
Year 7
Last week, Year 7 were introduced to Passport which is an online tool which the girls will use in their time at Pymble to create a record of their involvement and growth across in a range of activities at school. The focus in Middle School is for the girls to upload reflections on what they have learnt about themselves, and the skills they have learnt through their participation in school events, learning and co-curricular activities. We know they have learnt much about themselves and others, achieved academically and participated in the extensive co-curricular program offered here at the College. In Directions classes this week, the girls have had an opportunity, with the support of the IT staff, to set up their Pymble Passport. Reflecting on their time spent in Year 7 will be an important initial entry for their Pymble Passport.
Congratulations to all the Year 7 students who were involved in the IGSA Festival of Speech which was held at Pymble over the weekend. It is fabulous seeing the girls embrace these opportunities to challenge themselves beyond the classroom. We look forward to continuing to celebrate other achievements throughout the term.
As we head towards the mid-point of the term there are several assessment tasks scheduled in the next few weeks. Parents will be able to see these tasks through the My Pymble app. It would be helpful to check in with your daughter to ensure that she has a sensible homework schedule established for the term to make sure she is completing her homework and preparing for her final assessment tasks of the year.
Year 8
On Friday last week, Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services ran a study skills session with our Year 8 students. The session was designed to help the girls assess what changes could be made in order to work towards achieving their personal best in an efficient and effective way as they prepare for their Year 9 studies. Students examined their home study environment, the way they organise and manage their resources, options for how to work effectively at home and deal with distractions, how to manage the workload in high school using project management strategies, and the steps to studying in high school: making study notes, learning the notes by testing yourself and doing as much practice as possible. The key takeaways from the session were also addressed in Directions classes this week.
Parents are encouraged to review the Study Skills handout from the session with students and discuss the main areas identified where changes need to be made. Parents can also find extra study skills tips by clicking here.
Student reflections:
On Friday the 21st of October, Year 8 was lucky enough to have Prue Salter (a study specialist) come to Pymble to talk to us about different ways we can study more effectively and efficiently. We were able to take away skills, tips and tricks from this wonderful experience and were able to put them into practice. This experience not only helped us by teaching us many different and efficient ways of studying, but it was also able to help us by teaching us how we can manage our time better. All of Year 8 are very appreciative of Prue Salter and thank the school for allowing us to have this experience.
Written by Isabella Rumble
On Friday, we had study extraordinaire Prue Salter come into our assembly to give us a presentation on effective study techniques and habits to take to Year 9. She provided us with suggestions on how to make our study time more effective by taking breaks after 30 minutes, making sure our space wasn’t distracting and planning out our study before we start. She also showed us filing systems to help us keep organised. Additionally, she showed us apps to help with our self-control and focus such as Study Bunny and Self Control. On top of this informational presentation, she got us to reflect on our time management, organisation and how we manage our workload. Overall, I have conceived that this presentation was a great wakeup call for how we’re managing our studies and has made us aware about the step up we will need to take in Year 9.
Written by Ann Kyle
Our Year 8 into 9 leadership applications have now opened following a leadership launch by our Upper School team. Year 8 students have been shown how to access online information about how to write a CV and how to create a short video submission. For more information, please click here.
From the Middle School Parent Group
We look forward to seeing our Year 7 and 8 parents at the upcoming dinners. Please see details on how to book below:
Year 7 Parents Cocktail Dinner
Date: Saturday 5 November
Location: Avondale Golf Course
Year 8 Parent/Carers Social
Date: Saturday 29 October
Location: Governor Hotel, Macquarie Park
Please RSVP by clicking here by 22 October 2022, or contact us at Sunny.hres@gmail.com or Malinib.srivastava@gmail.com
