From the Middle School
From our Head of Middle School
Congratulations to all of our Middle School Sportswomen who were recognised last Friday evening at the Sports Women’s Awards Dinner. There were so many achievements and so many talented Middle Schoolers embracing opportunities across a variety of sporting fields. I am always so impressed with the way in which our Year 7 and 8 students enthusiastically participate in the college’s co-curricular program be that in Sport, Music, Drama or one of the many other choices on offer. Developing skills, working as part of a team and building connections whilst having fun; is an integral part of the Middle School experience. Well done to all who have put their hand up across the year.
This Friday we look forward to welcoming our new Year 8 2023 students to the college. They will spend the day shadowing their buddies to get a feel of what the day is like for a Middle School student.
Year 7
It is exciting to be at the halfway point of Term 4. A team of wonderful girls have been working together to prepare for next week’s Year 7 Christmas Chapel service. The girls have been busy choosing Christmas carols, preparing items and helping to create decorations for the service. We have been impressed with their enthusiasm and the effective way the girls are working on this project. We look forward to showcasing their hard work when Year 7 parents and carers join us next Tuesday 15 November to help celebrate the end of their daughter’s first year of high school. If you would like to attend, please look for the invitation on MyPymble so that you can RSVP.
An important activity that Year 7 students need to contribute to at this time of year is donating food items for the College to give to the Exodus Foundation. Please check the House allocations below and remind your daughter to bring in their items over the next few weeks. Donations can be left at the Middle School Office.
Bennett: Rice/Dry Pasta
Goodlet: Noodles packets/cups
Hammond: Pull ring tinned soup/Powered soup
Ingleholme: Pulled ring tinned fish/meat
Lang: Pull ring tinned baked beans/spaghetti
Marden: muesli bars
Thomas: Long life milk/Tea/coffee/Up and go
Wylie: Cereal
In Directions this week the girls have been participating in activities that support 5 Ways to Wellbeing. The girls love connecting through games and movement activities and make the most of the beautiful spring weather that has finally arrived. Some groups have tried a range of meditation or breathing activities which are helpful tools for the girls to regulate emotions and take the time to be still.
Last Friday evening it was wonderful to see many of our Year 7 girls’ contributions to Sport at Pymble acknowledged at the Sports Women’s Awards dinner. Particular congratulations to Hayley Browne who was awarded Year 7 All Rounder. A great achievement. We look forward to seeing even more girls involved in Co-curricular sport next year.
Dance is an extremely popular co-curricular activity for Year 7. This week our Dancers have been busy rehearsing for and performing in the Pymble Dance Showcase – Stories in the Sand. The skill level and dedication of these girls is impressive and we continue to be amazed at their performances. Congratulations to all girls involved.
Year 8
Special mention and congratulations to Matilda Harrison, who won the Year 8 All Rounder award at the Sports Women’s Award dinner last week. It was gratifying to hear about the contribution and talent of all Year 8s who have achieved sporting accomplishments this year.
We are impressed with the contributions brought in by our Year 8s for the Exodus Foundation to support those in our Sydney community who are experiencing poverty and unemployment. This year we are also supporting the OzHarvest Food Drive. Each Compass group has been assigned a different food group, of non-perishable items, to add to baskets which will be given to people in need at Christmas. The College’s contribution is a long-standing tradition of which everyone is enormously proud. Please see the list above (Year 7 news) of food groups for your daughter’s Compass group. The last day for contribution will be Thursday 1 December at 8.15am. House points are being allocated for contributions and the group with the most points will win a Compass Group Pizza Party!
Friday is Transition Day to acknowledge and prepare for the change from Middle School to Upper School. After recess, the cohort will listen to a guest speaker, at lunch there will be a barbecue and students will hear from key staff in the Upper School. We have some new students who will attend too. We are immensely proud of students who volunteered to be buddies for new students. We could not accept all applicants because there were so many, so we had to take those who applied first. However, there will be more opportunities for buddy positions next year. Congratulations to Helen Huang, Annie Liebmann, Elizabeth Yates, Ann Kyle, Bonnie Xu, Anais MacDonald, Rosa Kim, Joanna Gu, Ella Mitchell, Zarah Hres, Daisy Stoodley-Williamson and Jocelyn Ying. Buddies play a vital role in making new students feel welcome by providing support for the orientation process.
This week in Directions students learnt about their digital footprint, particularly how Google, Instagram and Facebook collect data from users. Students learned how to access the data collected by their applications and Google, so that they could have some understanding of how and why this information is gathered and used. This lesson provided a good reminder for students about lack of privacy on the internet.
From the Middle School Parent Group
As we hurtle towards the end of yet another academic year, we would like to invite you to our final coffee for the year:
Year 7 and 8 Coffee Morning for Parents
Date: Friday 25 November
Time: 8.00am
Location: Bricklane Espresso, Shop/21 Philip Mall, West Pymble
We hope to see many of you there!
Malini (Year 8), Sunny (Year 8), Shiva (Year 7) and Carol (Year 7)
