From the Upper School

From our Head of Upper School 

Week 4 has been fast paced in the Upper School, with Year 9 enjoying their Burn Bright SPARK program and our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders engaging in their training that we had initially scheduled for late 2021.

The week also included further planning for our Upper School Information Night on Monday 28 February and Year 10 Camps in Week 10 later this term, as well as our exciting long-stay pilot programs for Year 9 in Terms 3 and 4. We look forward to updating you about each of these exciting opportunities in due course and, for me at least, hopefully meeting some of our wonderful Upper School parents face-to-face!

In year assemblies this week, we have continued to echo our Upper School mantra for 2022 of being courageous. I was surprised to realise how much discussions at work can trickle into life at home, as I found myself purchasing the poster below for my daughter from Etsy. Every night we ‘read’ Stephen Hawking’s life story as told by the Little People, Big Dreams series (I am trying to steer her towards my love for Science) and always stop to enjoy this quote. I’d love for my daughter to be as courageous as our Upper School girls, and felt she needed a visual reminder to try new things, to keep positive, and to never give up.

COVID-19: Important update and reminder for families

Please click here for:

• what to do if another member of your household tests positive while you are already in isolation;
• a reminder to inform the school if your daughter has to isolate at home and temporarily switch to learning via Pymble Online; and
• upcoming booster shots for eligible students.

Mr Tom Riley

Head of Upper School

From our Deputy Head of Upper School

From Ellie (Year 10) and Emily (Year 9):

“As members of the Student Representative Council (SRC), we were given the task of marketing and selling Valentine’s Day cards and chocolate roses to our respective year groups. This was a wonderful opportunity for students to show appreciation for their friends and teachers in the form of a tasty treat. Best of all, it was a chance to help others – all the proceeds from this initiative are being donated to the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter. The SRC was super excited to support this cause, and so was the Upper School community. Collectively, students in Years 9 and 10 purchased 482 roses! The SRC had initially estimated that a total of 500 roses would be sold school-wide, so we are very proud of the Upper School’s contribution.”

Mrs Michelle Hunt

Deputy Head of Upper School

From our Heads of Year 9

Burn Bright     

Today Year 9 participated in the Burn Bright SPARK program to encourage students to develop respect for themself and others. This day aims to equip Year 9 students with the tools to help build confidence, positively express themselves, understand their values, cultivate gratitude, gain perspective and build their capacity to be resilient. We look forward to sharing some student reflections next week.

In Directions this week, students discussed how the five senses can be used to soothe and bring us comfort, and to self-regulate thoughts and feelings. Students also learned how to make a counselling referral for themselves using the Pymble Portal. Students are welcome to do this if they are feeling consistently overwhelmed or worried, if they are struggling with friendships, or if they would like to discuss aspects of their life outside of school. Once a referral is made the counsellor will make an initial appointment and will discuss informed consent and any need for parental involvement at this point.

Mrs Karina Richter Head of Year 9

Mr Adam Levin Head of Year 9

From our Heads of Year 10

This week was a busy one and saw our fantastic Peer Support Leaders complete their training on Monday before being presented with their badges. A big thank you and congratulations to all 68 of you who completed the Burn Bright training.

Along with our fantastic Peer Support girls we also presented our new 2022 Year 10 Upper School Leadership team with their badges.

Week 4 sees us solidifying our routines and developing new positive habits. It is also a wonderful opportunity for us to remind students of our school values and how they can be lived out through our personal presentation. Respect, one of our key school values, can be demonstrated by wearing the uniform proudly by being well-groomed. The school diary outlines specific uniform regulations including:

• The summer dress is to be knee length.
• Earrings – one stud earring per lobe only.
• Make-up – no nail polish, false eyelashes or makeup are to be worn.
• Ribbons must be worn in long hair which needs to be tied back.

We appreciate your help in encouraging your daughter to uphold the school values in taking pride in her presentation.

In Directions this week students have been asked to engage in a debrief of Paul Dillon’s presentation. They will be asked questions such as:

• What stood out most to you about Paul Dillon’s presentation?
• What facts did you already know?
• What was something that you believed to be true about drugs or alcohol, that you discovered was actually false?
• What was the most surprising thing you learned?
• What was your takeaway message?

We hope that you had similar conversations with your daughter at home.

From the Head of Learning Support

Homework Help Term 1

Homework Help is an after-school service offered to all Pymble students in the Secondary School to provide assistance and support with everyday homework, assignments and research skills in a friendly, quiet environment. Homework Help is staffed by teachers from the Learning Support Team.

For further enquiries, please contact Mrs Lora Lim at llim@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Mrs Lora Lim

Head of Learning Support

Key Dates

ySafe Cyber Safety Event

On Wednesday 9 March Pymble is hosting an important and engaging online education session for Years 7 to 10 parents and carers. The session will be co-presented with ySafe, Australia’s leading provider of cyber safety education.

This practical, strategy-rich session will cover the important points that families need to know about online safety; covering key information about social media and gaming, screen time recommendations, and step-by-step instructions on how to set up a cyber-safe home.

Please register for this event by following the link provided. This is an important school event that we recommend all parents and carers of Years 7 to 10 students attend.

Date: Wednesday 9 March 2022

Time: 6.30pm

RSVP: Click here to register