From the Principal
What a treat it was on Saturday to stand on the sidelines and cheer for our girls in their first round of IPSHA and IGSA sport for the year. The campus was buzzing with energy and it was clear our families, coaches and staff were relishing the simple pleasure of being together on campus to watch our girls do what they love to do. Thank you to all the parents who took the time to talk to me and express their pride and joy.
The start of the year feels like the right time to update our families on our second year of implementing our Watch Us Change the World Strategic Direction. It’s wonderful to see many of our girls really starting to understand the intent of WUCTW and articulating the connection between the opportunities on offer at Pymble and the evidence-based rationale confirming why these learning experiences are so critical for their future. This awareness is also building among our younger students as we continue to focus on developing four key ‘intelligences’ – Academic, Emotional, Social and Digital – and empowering our girls to become changemakers.
It’s impossible to cover the depth and breadth of our strategic initiatives in one Newsletter column, so I have asked the leaders of each pillar to nominate an initiative they were most proud of in 2021, and one they are excited about introducing this year. As you can see, trying to hold them back to one initiative per pillar didn’t quite work, such is their enthusiasm!
Academic Intelligence: Mr Justin Raymond, Deputy Principal – Academic
Highlights of 2021: Pymble Institute | HSC Improvement Project | Work Experience Program
Launching the Pymble Institute research centre in 2021 began the ongoing relationship between our learning community and partners and collaborators in industry and academia who are keen to promote research benefiting women and girls. It provides students with unlimited opportunities to channel their curiosity into meaningful research and a structure for teachers to generate their own targeted research in action to further enhance teaching and learning at the College.
The HSC Improvement Project (covered in more detail in Week 2 Newsletter) was another huge success, encouraging a series of sustained gains, improvements and positive habits which resulted in our girls exceeding our expectations in their assessments and final results.
Our Work Experience Pilot Program in 2021 connected students 16 years and older to industries or organisations in their field of interest. Due to its success, the program will be scaled up in 2022 to increase the number of opportunities for students while also working to develop a deep pool of work experience opportunities from our Pymble community.
Excited about in 2022: More HSC Improvement | Metrics of Success Project
We will be making further enhancements to our HSC Improvement Project to support each girl to achieve her personal best. This includes creating a study hub for Senior students; increasing the range of expert teachers and high-achieving graduates available for after-hours study support; and providing academic mentoring to give each Year 11 and 12 student access to the best advice about how to approach their HSC years.
We are also working on launching a Metrics of Success Project to offer an alternative measure of student achievement beyond HSC subject marks and ATARs. This will offer a new lens of success, such as the percentage of students who achieve early entry to their preferred course, and the level of adaptability, flexibility and preparedness our students have for life beyond Pymble.
Emotional Intelligence: Ms Lamia Rockwell, Deputy Principal – Students
Highlights of 2021 Mind, Body, Spirit Curriculum | Youth Mental Health First Aid training | K-12 House structure
In 2021, we embedded our new MBS Curriculum across K-12 in timetabled Directions lessons informed by students and delivered by trained teachers – we believe this is unique to schools in Australia. Lessons cover a wider range of age-appropriate issues from friendships, belonging and connections to self-care, cyber bullying and safety, goal setting, gratitude, consent, decision making, study skills, drugs, alcohol and mental health. The aim is to help develop each student’s personal toolkit to assist her with overcoming challenges and changes and responding to new opportunities in life. In addition, all staff have been (and new staff in 2022 will be) trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid.
To promote a greater sense of belonging, connection and support for girls across year groups, we aligned our House system for K-12. Our K-6 students were so excited to join their ‘big sisters’ in Secondary School in online and face-to-face House events in 2021 and we have great plans to build on this growing sense of House spirit and pride in 2022.
Excited about in 2022 iYarn app | Knowing People, Knowing Pymble program
Following a successful trial of the iYarn app by several Year 10 Compass Groups in 2021, the app will be rolled out to students in Years 10 and 11 in Semester 2. The check-in system, which has been developed in conjunction with the girls, helps build self-management skills via the delivery of relevant fact sheets and has increased connections between the girls and their Compass Teachers by prompting conversations about wellbeing and general progress.
We will continue to refine our programs to support students and parents and build deeper connections with staff and other families at key transition points, including Kindergarten, Years 3, 5 and 7, the Year 9 long-stay residential, Boarding and Year 12 graduation, through our Knowing People, Knowing Pymble program.
Social Intelligence: Mrs Julie Shaw, Senior Deputy Principal and Dr Sarah Loch, Director – Pymble Institute
Highlights of 2021 Literary Cultural Festival | First Nations Perspectives
In 2021, we introduced the role of Intercultural Connections Captains and launched the Literary and Cultural Festival, led by our Conde Library team. Our inaugural festival generated a deeper understanding of one another’s backgrounds and journeys and will expand in 2022 to include K-12.
We also introduced Aboriginal Studies for Stage 5 (Years 9 to 10). This course attracted a great team of teachers within the History, English and PDHPE areas and a growing number of interested students. The design of the Indigenous Garden, including a yarning circle, was completed for all to enjoy, and all staff joined an online professional learning session with the Mirri Mirri team to build our cultural competency in First Nations culture, history and language.
Excited about in 2022 Intercultural Connections Student Leadership team | Aboriginal Studies expansion | Anti-racism Curriculum
The Intercultural Connections Student Leadership team now includes a representative from Years 7 to 12 and our First Nations scholars. Initiatives in 2022 include a getting-to-know-you lunch and a whole day intercultural experience for all students.
Aboriginal Studies is also being introduced to Stage 6 (Years 11 to 12), providing a pathway for our girls to continue their studies in this important area. Experiences of exchanges are in the planning process and we look forward to introducing these for Years 5 and 6 students to expand their cultural awareness. The Kate Mason Professional Learning Grant is enabling a team of staff to work with an academic in the area of anti-racism and unconscious bias, alongside a group of Year 12 students who have developed a curriculum in this area for the Directions program.
Digital Intelligence: Mr Anthony England, Director of Innovative Learning Technologies
Highlights of 2021 Partnering with UCLA to deliver Data Science Curriculum | Pymlympics | Robotics
Forging a partnership with UCLA in 2021 has enabled Pymble to establish a new STEM learning landscape of international quality that has not been seen before in the Southern Hemisphere. Our new Data Science course in 2022 is an incredible opportunity for our girls and one of the many ways we will be equipping them with the experience and skills they need to redress the imbalance of women working in STEM industries.
Our whole-College Pymlympics challenge during the 15-week lockdown in 2021 was a magic example of how students are becoming responsible and adept users of technology to activate human potential and create positive connections. Created by the girls for our community, Pymlympics gave our students, staff and families a sense of togetherness at a time when we were forced to live and learn apart.
The scale of our Robotics program continues to be a source of huge pride. As far as we know, Pymble has the largest Robotics program for students in Australia, if not the world, and our girls continue to seize every opportunity to learn, grow and thrive in this space.
Excited about in 2022 Partnering with MIT for creative STEM learning | K-6 STEM Creativity Festival
Another exciting partnership that will bear fruit in 2022 is working with MIT through its NuVu Innovation School. This will give our girls access to hands-on STEM studio learning where they will work on solving complex, real-world challenges designed to build their creativity, critical thinking and collaboration skills. Once again, Pymble is the only school in the Southern Hemisphere to offer this unique opportunity for girls to forge forward in the world of STEM design, engineering and invention.
Our K-6 STEM Creativity Festival in Semester 2 aims to celebrate student voice and leadership, amplify the role of STEM in the Junior School and encourage the involvement of parents as exemplars and learning partners in this space.
My additional commitments in 2022
At the start of each year, I also like to share an overview of professional commitments that are additional to my responsibilities at Pymble. These roles add great value to the College by enabling me to be part of decision-making that influences the experience of our students, staff and families. In 2022, these commitments include:
- Association of Independent Schools NSW (AISNSW) Supporting Student Mental Health Working Group – Chair
- AISNSW – Advisory Council member
- Independent Girls’ Schools Association (IGSA) – Sports Standing Committee member
- Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia Board – Treasurer
- Australian Youth Orchestra – Board Member
- Telethon Kids Institute (UWA) – Adjunct Research Fellow
- The Child Health Promotion Research Centre (Edith Cowan University) – Adjunct Research Fellow
On a personal note, this year I am starting a Master’s degree in Narrative Therapy through Melbourne University and, in June/July, I will be taking a four-week sabbatical to learn, grow and bring great ideas back to Pymble. During this time, I will be visiting STEM schools; setting up student exchange partners; attending the Global Forum on Girls’ Education; working with our new STEM partner MIT (NuVu School of Innovation); and attending an Oxford Global Ethics program at the University of Oxford to support our work in diversity, under the Cultural Intelligence pillar.
Today’s column is a whopper, I know. The intent was to provide you with a little more insight into some of the things you have seen and heard about recently. We have a busy, fulfilling and exciting year of learning ahead, and I look forward to sharing regular updates and more highlights with you along the way.
