From the Principal
How exciting to see our campus spring to life after the summer break, with the return of all students and staff. Welcome or welcome back, and happy new year to all our families, including those who are currently celebrating the Lunar New Year. According to Chinese culture, the Year of the Rabbit is said to be a year of calm and contemplation, which sounds delightfully zen – and nothing like our first day back, as these photos from our combined assembly show.
There was so much energy and joy in the air as we reunited with our returning students and welcomed 180 new Junior School girls and 178 new Secondary students, including 38 new Boarders. We are so glad you are all here. Pymble is a place where you belong.
Greeting students as they arrived, visiting classrooms and staffrooms, and watching the girls bounce giant beach balls around in assembly made me reflect on – or perhaps contemplate, as the Rabbit would have us do – the difference between our first day this year compared to last year. Those who were here may recall the constant distribution of RAT kits to use every three days before coming to school. If you were a Boarder, that pesky swab tickled your nostrils every single day! As for combined assemblies, they were a thing of the past as we zealously kept year groups apart to minimise the spread of COVID.
Of course, COVID and other illnesses have a deep and lasting impact on individuals and communities around the world. As a College, we will continue to support those who are doing it tough, because we are the type of people who give back.
What do I mean by this?
One of my favourite authors is James Clear, who wrote Atomic Habits. He says, instead of focusing on specific targets, goals or outcomes, think about the type of person you aspire to be. From there, every single action, every decision you make is a nod towards the person you want to be in the future.
This year, I am encouraging every member of our Pymble family to be the type of person who gives back.
Why is this important?
As members of our Pymble family, we share common values. Care, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility are the glue that binds us together as a family. What do families do best? They provide shelter, nourishment, the necessities of life and a whole lot of unconditional love and support.
Thanks to their families, each of our beautiful Pymble girls turned up to school this week in a clean uniform, with a carefully packed bag containing all the equipment she needed each day, and the ability to access food at recess and lunch time. This is not the case for every child in Australia. There are children who don’t have food for the day, let alone access to a school like Pymble. There are refugee families who have nothing and adults who are sleeping rough after life has dealt blow after blow, and they don’t have the means to change their story, yet.
As a Pymble family, we have remarkable power and capacity to make a difference to these fellow human beings. By lifting up one, we lift up all. The state of the nation’s health – both physical and emotional – rests on each of us and our ability to contribute. So, this year, I will be asking the girls, time and time again, how will you be using your gifts and talents to be of service in the world? What type of person do you want to be? The person who helps others? The person who is kind? The person who puts their hand up to give their time to support someone who doesn’t have the privileges we have at Pymble? We can all give back in different ways and I look forward to seeing where this superpower will take us in 2023.
A huge thank you to all those who have already started giving back through our donation drive of items to support The Smith Family, Wayside Chapel and Dignity Australia. Please, keep the following items coming, and remember that any clothing or linen placed in the donation bins must be in good condition, freshly washed or new, and without damages or stains.
- clothing and footwear (especially suit jackets and pants)
- blankets and linen
- non-perishable food items
- personal care items
- new and unopened packets of underwear and socks.
Signing off with a few snapshots of today’s spectacular Lunar New Year celebration on campus, and a short video about what this special time of year means to two of our wonderful teachers and their families. Wishing all our Pymble families blessings and good luck for the year ahead.
Dr Kate Hadwen