From the Senior School
From the Head of Senior School
Year 12 Higher School Certificate examinations continue this week. All students are to be congratulated on their calm and steady approach in the first week of papers. It was pleasing to chat to the girls after their exams and hear their confidence with their performance. Please remember that the Heads of Year 12, Mr Andrew Heggie and Ms Theresa Mimmo are here to assist with any issues if they arise.
I would also like to thank the Year 11 students (Year 12 2023) for their maturity and care in keeping the noise to a minimum around the Senior Centre while the HSC exams in are progress. It can be challenging, especially with the wet weather, but the girls have shown great support to their peers with their respect and kindness.
Student Leaders’ Induction
What a treat to have the Student Leaders’ Induction on Friday last week and welcome so many parents and carers to share in this special event. Acknowledging the role of all Year 12 students as they take on their roles as leaders in the College is an important rite of passage for the students and their peers. It has been impressive to watch the girls rise to the early challenge of Year 12 and set up solid routines around their study and school commitments and social life.
Mentors
I spoke to the new Year 12 students in an assembly last week about the opportunity to work with a mentor. Many of the girls are already engaged in this voluntary program and report high levels of satisfaction. Briefly, students can apply to work with a chosen senior member of staff as their mentor. The students themselves nominate areas that they would like to work on or would like to discuss and are responsible for making the meeting times. If they are interested, students have been asked to email me directly to organise a mentor.
Sony Camp 2023
Excitement is building for Sony Camp 2023. On Thursday 13 October, our volunteer companions and relief companions from Pymble and Shore School participated in their second full training day. Throughout the training, they learnt about medical needs, manual handling, communication and child protection standards to ensure our camp is a success.
They had fun learning important daily responsibilities for their campers – such as bedtime routines, assistance with eating and personal care. The Shore boys had varying degrees of success learning to “do hair”!
Some student perspectives:
Training day 2 was so incredibly fun! Together with our groups from Shore, we learnt about so many critical aspects of learning to care for children including bedtime, and dressing routines. At times, it was somewhat uncomfortable when we had other people brushing our teeth for us, but it was a critical part of learning how to care for others. – Ellie
Training day 2 at Shore was a very beneficial, fun day. It was a very informative day learning about the importance of working together and most importantly communicating. It was a good day where we got out of our comfort zones, brushing each others teeth, getting our hair done and attempting to feed each other. It was a fun and helpful day that was full of laughs. – Eliza
Training day 2 at shore school for Sony Camp was filled with learning. We did many beneficial activities such as learning about the code of conduct, learning bed time routines, hearing from a nurse on tips and tricks and many more. One of the key things I took away was different communication styles. We learnt the alphabet in sign language, and we learnt how to spell, and read peoples names. We also learnt some of the simple signs a such as ‘thank you’, ‘bad’, ‘good’, ‘toilet’ and much more. Overall, this day was a very helpful and we are looking forward to training day 3 where we find out our campers. – Soph
From the Heads of Year 12
This week we asked our new College leaders Alyssa and Freya to reflect on the week that was as well as what they are looking forward to in Year 12. Not surprisingly, the jerseys have been a highlight so far. They had the following to say –
The beginning of Year 12 has been a whirlwind of both new and old – from new classes to familiar faces, and the Induction Assembly on Friday to seeing everyone in their “Class of 2023” jerseys. Last week really was a celebration of the journey we have been on to reach our final year here at Pymble, and a reminder of the adventures still to come as we all accepted our roles and responsibilities as the new leaders of the College. Whilst we know that Year 12 is a time to put our skills from our years of schooling into good practice for study and exams, it is also our chance to have the most fun.
Now more than ever, we really do believe it’s important for us all to make the most of opportunities to spend time with our friends, have fun with each other in the KM, and support each other through the highs and lows of the year ahead. The Senior School is a really beautiful community full of so much love and kindness, and our goals focus on encouraging this atmosphere of lifting each other up. We could not have asked for a better start to our final year, and we can’t wait to work together as a cohort to cherish the moments and make the most of the year ahead!
Yale Young Global Scholars
During the June holidays, Year 12 (2023) students Celine, Lina, and Hanna participated in Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS). YYGS is a highly rigorous 2-week summer school for high school students around the world. It is held at Yale’s campus and students are able to immerse themselves in the academic environment of Yale’s community. Lina shares her experience participating in YYGS below:
During the 2-week session, I attended several lectures, a selection of seminars, as well as many group activities. Even though the whole program was conducted online, it has been a fruitful experience. The lectures include a wide range of topics, from the use of robotics in psychology to the use of music in cardiology. There were different subtopics under general lectures, which we were able to research in more detail with our family groups. All lecturers were very passionate and experienced within their area, which made every student intrigued and engaged throughout the lectures. The seminars, consisting of elective topics, allow students to explore their own topics of interest. choosing preferences. As seminars are in smaller groups, there is actually a greater opportunity for participants to interact with the hosts to discuss the topics that they are interested in. Not only does this allow you to dive deeper into your passions, it is also a helpful guide to understand potential university courses.
More information about YYGS can be found by clicking here.
From the Secondary School Parent Group
Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend the PPA meeting the other evening, including the compressed Secondary School Parent Group AGM. It was lovely to have a chance to catch up, find out more from Dr Hadwen about what is happening in the College and to thank everyone for their year’s effort and welcoming in the group for the year ahead.
As such, I would like to thank the parents who held formal roles on the SSPG committee this year including Julie Xie, Pam McPherson, Jane Stewart, Pilar Yemma, Susan Ma, Vicki Volikas, Gi-Nin Baikie, Dushi Cooke, Malini Srivastava, Sunny Hre, Carol Bai and Vanessa Middleton. Also, a big thank you to all the parents who took on informal and support roles, organising and supporting events, attending coffee mornings and forwarding on emails and requests for assistance.
Group Leaders – Brigid Robson and Priscilla Macpherson
Record Keeper – May Tai
Year 12 Co-ordinators – Jane Stewart and Melissa Markson
Year 11 Co-ordinators – Susan Ma and Pilar Yemma
Year 10 Co-ordinators – Pam McPherson and Zoe Green
Year 9 Co-ordinators – Christel Vgne and Monika Surana
Year 8 Co-ordinators – Shiva Rich and Carol Bai
Year 7 Co-ordinator – Kai Jones
Care and Support – Vanessa Middleton
Once again, thank you to everyone for all your help and support. We look forward to a chance to see you at the end of year celebrations and events for the start of 2023.
Written by Priscilla Macpherson
