From the Principal
Only two weeks into term and already we are hearing are so many great news stories from around the campus, including a fabulously successful Welcome to Kindy 2023 day on Saturday, inspired training sessions for our Year 11 Sony Camp volunteers, best-ever results for Pymble gymnasts at nationals and the opening of Archie’s Café next Tuesday.
One story that stands out for me, purely for what it says about our students and their teachers, is the extraordinary performance by our Jazz White Eisteddfod Dance group at DanceLife Unite during the break. Earlier in the year, Jazz White – and all our Secondary Eisteddfod Dance groups, for that matter – qualified for the national competition. By the time the day arrived, eight dancers in the group were unable to attend. Undaunted, the girls re-blocked their routine for the eighth time this season, gave it their all and took out the national title for high school groups. The win is a fabulous achievement; well done to our dancers and their teachers. Even more impressive is the creativity, persistence and resilience the team demonstrated in turning a setback into success.
“Success is about handling the setbacks, problems and mess, over and over.”
– Remi (Sharon Pearson), author and CEO of The Coaching Institute
It goes without saying that our teachers and staff are integral to our students’ success in all aspects of their learning at Pymble. We are incredibly proud of Team Pymble and acutely aware of the importance of continuing to attract and retain the best people to support every aspect of your daughter’s educational journey.
While there have been numerous media reports about the shortage of teachers in New South Wales and Australia as a nation, we are fortunate this is not an issue for Pymble. Our leadership team has taken a strategic and future-focused approach to cementing Pymble as a preferred employer by establishing a comprehensive range of programs to support and celebrate current staff, and an equally comprehensive program around talent acquisition.
Our goal is for Pymble to be recognised as an employer of choice for outstanding teaching, operational and administration talent. We want to be known nationally (and internationally) as a ‘career destination’ and an exceptional place to work, teach and grow.
Our talent acquisition program includes hosting regular meet-and-greet events for recruiters and potential employees to learn more about Pymble’s culture, values and career opportunities, and to network with key staff from different areas of the College. The latest initiative launched this month is a staff referral program designed to help current staff suggest friends, family members or former colleagues for positions available at Pymble. We see several benefits to successful placements that stem from recommendations from our people, including increased access to top quality staff who may not have thought to consider a career at Pymble, diversity of employees and talent, and the opportunity for dedicated Team Pymble members to contribute further to our College culture and sense of family.
To support the professional development and wellbeing of our current staff, while they in turn support our students, we have a range of programs including:
- morning teas to enable staff on parental leave to stay connected with the College
- an active Staff Wellbeing Committee, with its own calendar of events and initiatives
- staff health and wellbeing microsite
- onsite healthcare checks
- free and confidential counselling service through Benestar
- L.O.V.E awards recognising and rewarding staff who Live Our Values Everyday.
We acknowledge teaching as a profession of the utmost importance. Competitive remuneration and benefits, along with professional mentorship and opportunities to grow and take the next step in your career, are all part of the Pymble experience. Our staff day on Monday of last week is a great example of the whole school professional learning we engage in on a regular basis, with all staff attending multiple sessions, including a keynote presentation and workshop on diversity and inclusivity. It really says something about the depth of professional knowledge at Pymble that 20 sessions were delivered by members of our team to support the four focus areas of our Watch Us Change the World Strategic Direction: Academic, Emotional, Social and Digital Intelligence. A huge thank you to our Director of Professional Learning, Kerryl Howarth, for designing such a thought-provoking and enriching day of learning.
We are grateful our amazing staff are recognised and celebrated by our parents and carers through events such as the annual staff appreciation day lunch the PPA will be hosting tomorrow. Thank you for showing our staff the love they deserve. ❤️
Signing off in anticipation of a great weekend ahead cheering on our Cattle Team, who are competing in the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza, before catching up with past, present and future Pymble families living in and around Scone, NSW. Here’s hoping the weather holds out for our girls as they demonstrate the parading and judging skills they have been working so hard on, with the help of our College steers, Stanley and Skippy, and our amazing Agriculture staff. Of course, if it buckets down as predicted, I know our girls will handle any “setbacks, problems and mess,” because that’s what our dedicated educators, in partnership with their supportive families, are teaching them to do.
Dr Kate Hadwen