From the Senior School
It was wonderful to see so many participants and enthusiastic supporters of Senior students at the College’s Athletics Carnival on Monday. I would like to thank all those Seniors who led so well by example by competing hard, cheering their teams on and taking the time to put together some great costumes. Your leadership and school spirit led by example and helped to create a successful day of sporting achievement and community. Congratulations to our athletes who performed at such high standards, it is inspiring to see the results of all your training and hard work.
We had our second meeting of the Pymble-Knox Positive Relationships group this week. The students from both schools are working hard to organise events and initiatives – it is very pleasing to see the commitment, optimism and energy in this team.
This week, we have been interviewing Year 11 students who have applied for positions in the Sony Camp, which will run later this year. It is so pleasing to see so many applications from students who want to contribute to their community and make positive differences in other peoples’ lives.
Finally, a huge congratulation to Year 12 student, Pragya, for her Deans’ List Award in a State of Origin Robotics competition. Pragya has been recognised for her skill, achievements and leadership. This is a very well deserved award!
We are now at the half–way point of Term 2! Students should be well settled into their routines of study and revision. I would like to remind all parents and students that we have organised for teacher-supervised rooms during many of the Prep lessons. The students who are using these opportunities are reporting higher levels of productivity and focus. I encourage all girls to review the sessions on offer and make use of this where they can.
From the Head of Extended Learning
Mrs Jenny Olsen
The camp is offered to Year 12 only to provide a structured and quiet study program in a distraction-free environment. Students will have access to experienced academic staff who will be able to assist with marking, problem solving, understanding the questions or content. In addition, we will be offering dedicated rooms with exam-like conditions to allow students to complete practice exams. The week is fully catered for, with morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided.
Date: Monday 21 June to Friday 25 June
Times: 8.30am to 4.30pm
Cost: $295 (charged to your College account)
For further information and registration – click here or contact Mrs Jenny Olsen jolsen@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
Mrs Nikki Wyse
Head of Senior School
Da Vinci Decathlon
Grace Ho and Georgia Bicego (Year 9), Hanna Cheung and Claudia Chan (Year 10)
Da Vinci Decathlon is a highly competitive national competition where a team of eight students from each school completes papers from ten different disciplines that reflect Leonardo da Vinci’s areas of expertise. There are three sessions, with ten subjects distributed throughout the full-day event. This year’s theme revolved around the concept of ‘Chance’. The Decathlon was held across two days with the teams from Years 7 to 8 competing on 4 May, and the teams from Years 8 to 11 the following day.
The NSW State round began with a flurry, as students worked their way through the Science, English, Ideation and Cartography papers for Session 1. In the last couple of years, this involved settling around a table in a massive hall, joined by dozens of students from other schools. But this year the competition looked a bit different…
Pre-COVID-19, the Da Vinci Decathlon was held at Knox. However, this year, the Decathlon was run via Zoom. As soon as the session started, the papers were released and had to be downloaded, printed, completed and uploaded! Despite the obvious logistical challenges, students enjoyed the variety of mediums they could choose to work with, including iPads and laptops. A chaotic harmony resulted with students using digital devices and traditional materials to complete the papers. The smooth-running of the online experience was largely due to the attentive support from Knox and our own IT staff, who sat with us for the duration of the Decathlon.
The papers contained their usual intellectual stimulation, such as the last question of the Science paper, which addressed the ethics and morality of the discipline. Recess was a welcome relief (special thanks to Mrs Tarrant for supplying chocolates and lollies to keep us going), although we couldn’t resist the urge to continue discussing the cartography paper-with a question reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet from Year 9!
Session 2 consisted of Code-Breaking, Engineering, Art and Poetry and Mathematics. Each team worked collaboratively, with experts on each team assigned to a specific discipline. The Art and Poetry paper introduced the theme of maximalism, an artistic concept that emphasises the aesthetic of excess. The artwork and poem we produced in under an hour reflected upon this idea, using bright colours that mimicked the style of the stimulus (see below).
Legacy was a new discipline this year, which replaced General Knowledge. Students did extensive research in preparation for the new task. Unexpectedly, questions were delivered verbally and students had a small window to discuss their answers, which were in the form of ‘true’ or ‘false’, multiple choice and open answer questions. There were some challenges with sound, which we rectified for the next day of the competition.
We would like to thank Mrs Tarrant, the Library and IT team for a wonderful Decathlon this year! We are delighted with our results, including the success of our Year 7 team, which came first in NSW! These students now go on to the Nationals to be held (in person) at Knox on 20th-21st June. Congratulations to the Year 7 team and reserves – Isabelle Attard, Grace Beck, Kiki Chen, Rosa Kim, Amber Li, Alice Mao, Katherine Pan, Ruhani Surana, Amber Wang and Alissa Xue!
Our Year 8 team was also outstanding, placing 2nd in NSW out of 78 teams. Wonderful results also were achieved by our Year 10 and 11 teams, placing 5th and 7th in NSW.
To see the incredible results of our students across the various disciplines, please click here.
