From the Preparatory School

The sharing of stories is a way to open windows to the past, present and imagined future. Stories create an opportunity to envision a world that is magical and different. Sharing stories helps us to understand more about each other, what intrigues and excites and what we want to achieve.

Storytelling can have many focuses. It can be recounting your life as a child or recalling memories that have had impact or caused great excitement. Stories can bring past experiences to life; memories of a loved game or experience that is not in the world of current generations to enjoy.

However, storytelling is so much more! You can narrate and enhance what is an important memory, develop a creative narrative that builds on characters of the imagination and develop links between the real and imagined. You are empowered to be as creative and provocative as you like and can provide justifications for the actions of characters as you develop reasoning and recognition of emotions.

Storytelling is enhanced when we share little pieces of our self, and this was obvious as generations came together on Tuesday as our Kindergarten to Year 6 girls welcomed grandparents and significant adults into their environment. Favourite books were shared, and girls proudly narrated the things they were proud of in their learning and play environment. Grandparents read stories, FaceTimed others in distant lands and delighted in exploration with the girls.

Personally, I delighted as a young child in the often crazy narrations of my grandfather and father. There was much humour, and often mischief in these stories, but always time to listen and share.Our girls learn much from interactions with elders, not just about the past but also how we can view the future full of memories with new horizons and possibilities.

From the Deputy Head of School

Mrs Tracey Frater

Kimochi Online Parent Session

Last night we had the pleasure of listening to Michael Edgecomb from Doing Life Together as he shared how effective Kimochis can be in assisting with emotion coaching and increasing the kindness footprint both at school and home. Michael explained how feelings that are hard to have are often very difficult to control in young children and lead to ‘flipping the lid’, when emotions can take over. In these instances, the feelings chart and Kimochi characters are useful tools to validate feelings and unpack them once your daughter has become calmer. Michael provided a number of practical examples that should be useful to you when discussing your daughter’s day, both the highs and lows.

This session was recorded for you to view at your convenience. You can find numerous useful resources at https://www.doinglifetogether.com.au/.

Click here to view the recording.

From the Kindergarten Co-ordinator

Ms Catherine Casey

May the Forces be with Kindergarten!

On Thursday 13 May, the sun was shining as our Kindergarten girls travelled to the beautiful Clifton Gardens to meet the fabulous crew from Ranger Jamie Tours. It was time to be scientists! The Rangers spoke to the girls about push and pull forces and how they help people and objects move. We made paper rockets and watched as the release of air pressure caused them to fly through the air at great speed. Kindergarten then had a go at being billy cart drivers. We used our muscles and pull forces to race the billy carts with passengers in tow. There was much excitement in the air and cheers echoed around the park. We also discussed another force called gravity which keeps our feet firmly on the ground. After a wonderful lunch in the sun, it was time to make a mess! With a mixture of cornflour and water, we made slime. We learned that by using the push force we could keep our slime solid, but if we stopped it turned to liquid and became a gooey mess! Kindergarten had a wonderful day of learning and wonder during our first excursion as Pymble girls. We can’t wait for the next one!

From the Teacher Librarian

Mrs Josephine Laretive

Wednesday was National Simultaneous Storytime. The Preparatory School was one of more than one million participants who shared a reading of Give me some Space by Philip Bunting. The story was about a girl called Una who dreams of a life in space. After a splendid journey into space, Una realised that “The Earth is our spaceship…It is our mission to take care of the Earth so that we can explore the Universe for Light years to come.” This year, National Simultaneous Storytime was extra special as the story was read by the astronaut Dr Shannon Walker from the International Space Station! You can view the story via the Story Time From Space link  https://youtu.be/VeCxxMZjlFo.

Parent Focus Group Invitation 

As you know, the College has made the decision to combine our Preparatory and Junior Schools into what will become known as our Junior School for girls in Kindergarten to Year 6. This will take effect from Term 1, 2022.  

In anticipation of this transition, we will be conducting small focus groups with current Preparatory and Junior School parents to get your feedback and to identify areas for enhancement. Our focus groups will be held in the Junior School Library at the following session times:  

• Tuesday 8 June, 2.00pm to 2.45pm 
• Tuesday 8 June, 5.30pm to 6.15pm 
• Wednesday 9 June, 9.30am to 10.15am 
• Wednesday 9 June 5.50pm to 6.15pm

We are sending an email to you all which will include a link for you to click on if you would like to be involved in one of these focus groups. Each focus group will be small, however we are happy to hold more groups after these dates if there is lots of interest from our parent community to be involved in this process.  

Please note that all correspondence to the Preparatory School Office should be via prepschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or by phone on + 61 2 9855 7720.

Mrs Karen Ahearn

Head of Preparatory School

Notices

Dates for your Calendar

Kate and Jol Temple Author Visit for Years 2 and 3 – Monday 24 May

On Monday 24 May, the authors Kate and Jol Temple are visiting Pymble to present to Years 2 and 3 to celebrate the release of their new book series The Underdogs. Students will be able to order signed copies of Kate and Jol’s books. Please click here to read more and access the order form. 

Preparatory School Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 25 May

The Preparatory School Athletics Carnival will take place on the Main Oval on Tuesday 25 May commencing at 9.00am and concluding at approximately 1.00pm. Parents are invited to attend, however are asked to utilise the designated spectator and parking areas and to adhere to current health guidelines. 

During the carnival, all students will participate in both track and field activities with the emphasis being on active participation. Your daughter has been preparing for the carnival during class physical education lessons by building her technique and skills across the different athletic events. The running events are seeded. The girls have all participated in time trials during their physical education lessons and placed in races accordingly.

Please refer to the notification emailed on Thursday 13 May for further details.

Term 2 Nature Immersions

The Preparatory School Nature Immersion program will continue this term, with all grades participating in one afternoon of activities. As per Term 1, this program will take place on the Pymble campus with teaching staff and the Pymble Experiential Learning team facilitating the learning. The girls will enjoy activities such as nature walking and environmental education, team building activities, campfire stories and Indigenous Australian education.

The Nature Immersion afternoons for Term 2 will take place between 1.15pm and 2.30pm on: 

Crazy Sock Treasure Hunt Day: Friday 4 June

Our wonderful leaders have listened to the suggestions put forward by the girls in the Preparatory School and are very excited to be hosting a special fundraising opportunity at the end of this term. The event will be called ‘Crazy Sock Treasure Hunt Day’ and will be happening in Week 7 on Friday 4 June.

This event will be raising money for the Westmead Children’s Hospital, one of the College’s nominated charities for 2021. Your daughter is invited to wear a fabulous pair of crazy socks, which will be worn with her winter uniform and to bring a gold coin which will be her donation to participate in the planned Treasure Hunt organised by the SRC leaders of Year 2.

Birthday Treats

We are pleased to advise that as there has been an easing of restrictions regarding the serving of food, should you wish to bring in small cupcakes for your daughter’s class in celebration of her birthday, you would be most welcome.

Helpful Information from the Teacher Librarian

Mrs Josephine Laretive

Years 1 and 2 Suggested Reading Popular Chapter Books!

The library has a wide range of chapter books. The books provided in the below link are organised by the author’s surname, with the genre and key themes listed. Books are not connected to levelled readers.

Click here to see the list.

Student Photos

Junior and Preparatory School photos can still be ordered through Melba Studios. There will be a small fee charged for delivery to your home as the timeframe for delivery to school has closed. 

To order please go to Melba Studios – click here.

• Select ‘School Orders’ and enter the password PLC
• You will need to enter your daughter’s student ID number, which is listed on the email sent to you on Tuesday 30 March and her year group (please note your daughter’s student ID number is privacy protected so only you can see her portrait)
• Select ‘Deliver to Home’ (a small fee will be charged). Please complete one order per student. 

If you have any issues with ordering, please contact Melba Studios directly on +61 2 9438 4566. 

Winter Uniform in Term 2

Please note that girls are now expected to wear full winter uniform to school. This includes the navy blazer, which is a compulsory garment to be worn to and from school in Terms 2 and 3. On days of scheduled PE lessons, all Preparatory School girls will require the full Pymble tracksuit including track pants and tracksuit jacket. Please refer to page 33 of your daughter’s diary for details of requirements. Parents are asked to contact the College Shop on +61 2 9855 7744 to make an appointment for a fitting if necessary. Please note that all students require the winter school hat and Preparatory play hat during Terms 2 and 3.

To ensure lost items are returned to your daughter, please name EVERYTHING that your daughter brings to school. This includes headbands, ribbons, socks, shoes, ties, underpants, lunch boxes, drink bottles, carry bags, shoes etc. There are lots of girls in the Preparatory School with identical belongings and it is easier to reunite your daughter with any lost belongings if they are clearly named.

Travel

Parents are reminded to email the Preparatory School if you need to arrange another parent to pick up your daughter at the end of the school day. All changed travel requests should be communicated to the Preparatory School Office before 2.00pm to ensure messages can be conveyed to students and staff.

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 the Preparatory 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 Preparatory School Office any medication e.g., 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.

Contact Details

A reminder to keep your contact details up to date. For any changes, please use the MyPymble Change of Details link.

Lunch on the Run and Water Bottles

Lunch orders can be placed through a third-party service called My Student Account. An order needs to be placed by 8.30am for it to be processed on the day of ordering.

A reminder to send your daughter with enough water for the day, as per the College newsletter, as commencing Term 2 bottled water will no longer be served at the food trucks and cafés at the College. Please ensure that your daughter has a water bottle with her. The water bubblers and water bottle filling station has returned to operation.

Click here to order.

PSPG NEWS

Mrs Aimee Birch, Parent Group Leader

PSPG Term 2 Meeting Wednesday 5 May

Thank you to everyone who attended the PSPG Term 2 Meeting.  If you missed it you can click here to view the recording of the meeting. 

Preparatory School Parent Group (PSPG) News

Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 25 May

The PSPG will be hosting a refreshment stall at the Prep School Athletics Carnival. All proceeds from the stall will be donated to Bear Cottage. We need assistance from parents to donate food and help at the stall on the day.

To sign up for volunteering or food donation, please click here: https://signup.com/go/NbmVvwF.

For further information, please contact Fatima Khamash at fatma.khamash@gmail.com.