From the Principal

Our Boarders hold a very special place in our hearts. As anyone who has been to Boarding School knows, it takes an enormous amount of courage and resilience to live away from your family, with staff and other students as your carers and constant companions for the majority of each school year. The bond our Boarders share as a result is as precious as it is sustaining. Certainly, some of my closest friends remain my Boarding ‘sisters’ who I lived with all those years ago.

Happy Boarders’ Week!

This week was Boarders’ Week and it was wonderful to celebrate our ‘pink Pymble ladies’ with a program of events ranging from day girl versus Boarder relays, basketball and AFL matches, to tours of the Boarding Houses for our Preppies and a bush band concert tomorrow at lunchtime. As our Boarding Prefects Brin and Elle said in Wednesday’s Combined Assembly, Boarders’ Week is also a chance to acknowledge all the staff, day girls, mums, dads and others who generously support our Boarders with transport to sport on weekends, sleepovers, invitations to dinner and lunch and “helping us with anything and everything.” From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to our Pymble family for all you do to create a true home away from home for our girls.

On that note, Matt and I, along with some of our staff and our Chair of College Council, James Hunter, had the pleasure of visiting Dubbo last weekend to spend time with our current Boarding families from that region. We also caught up with several of our ex-students and families who are thinking about sending their daughters to Pymble in the future. Given how challenging times have been in country Australia, and despite the current mouse plague, it was great to feel the sense of optimism from our regional community.

Sharing stories with Grandparents

This week we had the great pleasure of welcoming Preparatory and Junior School grandparents to share a lunchtime with their granddaughters and their friends. There was a lot of love in the air as storybooks were read, memories of bygone childhoods were told and our girls proudly shared their learning with their loved ones. We are, of course, thinking of all those with family overseas who are not able to travel at the moment. To that extent, it was wonderful to see grandparents overseas Facetime or Skype their granddaughters, parents filling in for their absent parents and other grandparents metaphorically adopting other girls without family present so they too could connect with an older generation at this heart-warming event. Walking around, meeting family members and listening to their pure joy at being on campus again reminded me of how grateful we are that we can bring our community together in these ways.

Listening to our inner voices

Regular readers of The College Compass will be aware that I like to take the opportunity of our Combined Assembly for Years 7 to 12 to convey a timely message to the girls. At this week’s assembly, the message was about listening to your inner voice and training it to become your personal coach – one who will travel with you throughout life and guide you towards being your best self.

After acknowledging that we all have chinks in our armour, or weak spots, that sometimes tempt us into behaving in ways we are not proud of, I reminded the girls that our inner voice always speaks the truth. For instance, if you know you haven’t really given your best effort at something and someone tells you how impressed they are, the compliment rings hollow as you know deep down you could have done better. If you engage in negative or disrespectful chatter about someone else, no matter how justified, your inner voice knows the best version of you would ‘Go direct, with respect’ to the person to resolve the issue.

The opinion of your inner voice – especially when it says, “I’m proud of you” – is the one we should be listening to and heeding.

The girls were asked to take 30 seconds to identify six qualities they would like to be known for at school; ones that make their inner voice say, “I’m proud of you”.

You could hear a pin drop – which is incredibly rare in our vibrant assemblies – until the silence was broken by girls sharing their answers. Kindness, Loyalty, Bravery, Compassion and Optimism were a few of the responses. Interestingly, not one girl answered in relation to being a winner, getting an A in a test or making a Firsts team. When it all boils down to it, our values and character traits create the legacy we want to leave behind. The girls were challenged to think about how they would like to be remembered when they left Pymble and the important first steps they might take to ensure this is the reality for them.

We will continue to remind our girls that our ‘hidden scorecard’ in character is a combination of our actions every day – when things are going well and also during times of pressure, stress or discomfort. Listening to and growing their inner voices will help them to build the moral and ethical character which will enable them to have a truly successful life.

As you read this, you might like to reflect on the six words that come to mind when you are truly at your best. Try writing them down, discussing them with your children and making them visual – perhaps on the kitchen fridge or somewhere where you can reference them when decisions are being made.

One of my favourite reads at the moment is the sequel to Jordan Peterson’s book 12 Rules for Life, called Beyond Order. One of Jordan’s latest ‘rules’ gives us strong guidance around our ‘hidden scorecard’ and encouragement to continue working on developing our best self.

“Imagine who you could be, and then aim single-mindedly at that.”

Finally, the Secondary pastoral team, along with our Deputy Principals and Chaplains, wanted to end the assembly with a message about the temptation of getting involved in negative ‘banter’ and how simply ‘calming down’ is, at times, the most effective strategy to ensure the chink in your armour is not exposed. We created this fun clip to reinforce this message to our girls. Enjoy!

Dr Kate Hadwen 

Principal

From the Chaplains

This week in the Secondary schools we celebrated Diversity Week, Boarders’ Week and Pentecost Sunday. We have looked at the story of Pentecost, which is the birth of the Christian Church; it is an interesting and powerful story as told by the Apostle Luke in Acts. It communicates the reversal of the story of the power of Babel – a story which tells us why people are divided by language, and in the story of Pentecost, whilst people speak different languages, they are brought together and unified by the Spirit of God. It is the original unity, though not uniformity, and diversity, but not division.

The story of Pentecost, the birth of the Church, also speaks of human beings now being God’s living temples. God is to be known, experienced and heard through one another. This story communicates the call to honour God, by honouring those we share our homes and our worlds with. Dogma and doctrine are good and important, but there is nothing more important than the call to love one another. This week we have acknowledged that for our Boarders. While our Boarding community is a very loving and supporting community, there is no place like home with their families, pets and their own space. There are many positives: one is the new family and home away from home, which they develop and grow into. Living on campus means for many taking advantage of many of the opportunities offered here at the College. It is also, however, a unique experience – and we know their families miss them very much. You have left them in good hands.

I would like to offer a prayer for our community. Loving God, we thank you for the diversity which exists within this community at Pymble. Families, students and staff from different parts of the globe, with various cultural and religious heritages – and a variety of languages spoken in homes. Like the day of Pentecost, while perhaps diverse may we be at one with each other as we are with you. May you hold us together, teach us to love one another and to honour what is sacred in our lives, by honouring those we share our communities with.

Blessings in Christ

Rev Lorenzo

Reverend Lorenzo Rodriguez Torres

College Chaplain

Our Strategic Direction

Each week in the College Compass our strategic pillar leaders will provide an update on the Strategic Direction of the College. We also look forward to sharing the full strategic direction document with you in the coming months.

Our four pillars include: 

• Academic Intelligence – Knowledge for a better world
• Emotional Intelligence – Empowered to be courageous
• Digital Intelligence – Technologies for an innovative future
• Social Intelligence – Diversity as the path to unity

This week Dr Sarah Loch and Mr Justin Raymond will discuss our Academic Intelligence – Knowledge for a better world strategic pillar. 

Academic Intelligence – Knowledge for a better world

In this strategy update, we would like to share some insights into ways the Academic Intelligence pillar is coming to life through research, innovation and partnerships.  Many initiatives are reaching students and teachers and, in the spirit of lifelong learning, you will see ways that students, parents, teachers and others in our community are learning together. As the Academic Intelligence pillar is based on cultivating a curiosity and hunger for learning, we hope readers are inspired by the initiatives, and excited by the opportunities for our students.

How is research helping Geography teachers to prepare students for their futures?

Mr Liam Hume, Celestino Project Lead and Geography Teacher, and Ms Deb Owens, Geography and Commerce Teacher, Geography, Business and Economics Department

We are leading an action research project involving Year 10 Elective Geography students and their parents, with support from Dr Susanne Pratt from the Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation at the University of Technology Sydney. The action research aims to inform adults (as teachers and parents) how we can best collaborate with young people to support the development of transdisciplinary (TD) skills.

Our research question is ‘How can student voice be amplified by Year 10 Elective Geography students so that they are future-ready?’ The purpose is to investigate ways in which Geography students can be empowered to identify and develop the transdisciplinary skills (character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking), which are fundamental for the pathway through tertiary education and/or the future workplace. Future work means preparing students for future careers that don’t exist yet, or skills which will enable students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. 

The first part of the project involved a workshop with 20 Year 10 Elective Geography Students who volunteered to be part of the research project. The workshop involved students undertaking a condensed Design Thinking protocol which allowed them to consider ways the Geography team can develop students’ TD skills, so they are future-ready. Two more workshops will follow this term, as well as a parent survey.

Year 10 Elective Geography students participating in the first workshop of the action research project:

Our team will use the results to inform the planning and delivery of programs in Geography and in other subject areas in the College. A presentation will also be given at the Australian Geography Teachers Conference in Hobart on 29 September, with other presentations and publications to follow.

What works best in HSC teaching?

Mrs Melissa McMahon, Director of Teaching Excellence

This action research project seeks to investigate the teaching and learning strategies that work best for our Pymble girls. I am closely studying a group of our HSC teachers to ascertain key methodologies that have a significant impact on learning. I am observing, surveying, interviewing teachers and also seeking feedback from students.

The ultimate aim of the research is to guide professional learning for our teachers and deliver enhanced outcomes for students, with our talented pool of expert HSC teachers sharing their knowledge with colleagues.

Exploring options for an adventurous future

Mrs Kate Brown, Head of Junior School

As you will read in Kate Brown’s, Head of Junior School, message this week our Junior School students commenced their future careers adventure with an event to open their minds to careers. You might like to know that the initiative was solely devised by our Junior School students, through their SRC Representatives.

The girls worked with Mrs Davey to organise the logistics and invite parents to set up stalls to promote their career area. The parents used artefacts and items to create a fabulous set of interactive displays that spanned the entire Library and John Reid Hall area. This incredible initiative sparked the girls’ curiosity about possible futures and helped them to see themselves in many possible roles.

Seeing yourself in a career in health

Mr Andrew Kozyra, Director of Futures and Partnerships

Pymble Ladies’ College and the Rural Doctor’s Network (RDN) recently held the second annual Careers Forum on the grounds of Pymble. The aim of the forum is to raise awareness of the opportunities in medicine, nursing, and health, and particularly in rural areas of NSW and Australia. This is an event which is open to other metropolitan schools, with a specific emphasis on schools with boarding communities.

Students attended lectures, a Q&A panel, expo style exhibits, interactive workshop style sessions, and generally learnt from recent graduates in the fields represented. Students have access to an event which challenges them to consider their post school options, to consider factors such as job shortages and industries displaying high levels of employability, and to develop the appropriate depth of understanding of a given industry rather than reactively choosing post school courses. Feedback from parents and students has indicated the inspiring talks and stories they engaged with during this forum. As an example, attendees commented on the passionate address given by The Hon. Bronnie Taylor, MLC, Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women.

The RDN Forum is a fantastic example of an open-ended learning experience for students that challenge perceptions, gives them the tools to take charge of their decision making, and to envision ways that they may be able to make a difference in the world beyond Pymble.

Search skills: EBSCO Discovery layer

Ms Tessa Zwar, Conde Library Team Lead

MultiSearch, the Conde Library’s new Discovery Layer was launched this week. A discovery layer is a tool that allows users to search multiple information sources at once., e.g. a library catalogue, databases, eBooks and online encyclopedias. Co-built with EBSCO Information Services, the Discovery Layer facilitates more academically rigorous researching for Secondary students and staff.

While time saving, this type of search also helps students tap into a wider range of relevant resources with a more academic lens. Students and staff can set up projects within MultiSearch to keep track of information more easily. This is especially beneficial for students conducting more extensive research and signature projects. Find out more about MultiSearch on the Conde Library homepage – explore the search function and check out the tips and tricks page.

Teaching teachers for the future

Ms Joanne Mitchell, Director of Teacher Growth

At Pymble, we appreciate that the real world school setting plays a vital role in supporting initial teacher education and our Pymble teachers contribute to the education and training of pre-service teachers through our professional experience program. Each year, we welcome  pre-service teachers from a range of universities including Macquarie, Sydney, UTS, Curtin and the University of Queensland, amongst others, to work in classrooms across Years K to 12.  

Through our Professional Experience Program, pre-service teachers get exposure to what the modern classroom looks like and feels like while learning from our best. The purpose of the program is to provide structured opportunities for the pre-service teachers to observe teachers at work in the classroom and to undertake in practice the work of teaching. Trainee teachers develop a coaching relationship with our highly experienced and skilled Pymble educators and engage in a period of observation, followed by opportunities to practise, demonstrate and understand the impact of their teaching skills. It is through the experience in the classroom, accompanied by rigorous feedback from the supervising teacher, that the trainee student teacher learns his or her craft. 

Clara Lim is a Macquarie University student who has just completed her final practicum placement with Jennifer Kennedy in the Science Department. At the beginning of her placement, Clara’s personal goal was to build her confidence in the classroom and to do this she challenged herself to step out of her comfort zone and implement a range of strategies. Clara really enjoyed her working relationship with Jennifer, who she described as supportive; adding that Jennifer also challenged her to consider the quality of her practice. Now, Clara feels more prepared to take on a classroom of her own.

We also have two pre-service teachers joining the Science Department for the rest of this term. Christine Atsalis is working with Stephanie Attley and Brendan Liddle with Erica Lyons. Clara’s advice to Christine and Brendan this morning as they enjoyed recess together was to, “Make the most of your placement. You are here to get as much experience as you can”.

It is reassuring to know that our Pymble teachers and students are playing a leading role in providing the experience needed so that these graduates are ready to take on the changing face of education. Thank you to all Pymble teachers who willingly give their time outside of the classroom to invest in the education and training of the teachers of the future. Your work does make a difference! 

From left to right: authors Christine Atsalis, Brendan Liddle, Clara Lim

Parent portal focus groups

We would like to invite you to attend an online focus group to help us further streamline communications here at Pymble and ensure that we are building the best MyPymble Parent Portal and App to meet the needs of your family.

If you could please spare five minutes to complete the attached survey and/or attend a 30-minute online session on the available dates:

Register you attendance and complete online survey here.

We greatly appreciate your time and commitment to ensuring we provide families with the most efficient Pymble platforms possible.

Community Engagement Team

From the Preparatory School

The sharing of stories is a way to open windows to the past, present and imagined future. Stories create an opportunity to envision a world that is magical and different. Sharing stories helps us to understand more about each other, what intrigues and excites and what we want to achieve.

Storytelling can have many focuses. It can be recounting your life as a child or recalling memories that have had impact or caused great excitement. Stories can bring past experiences to life; memories of a loved game or experience that is not in the world of current generations to enjoy.

However, storytelling is so much more! You can narrate and enhance what is an important memory, develop a creative narrative that builds on characters of the imagination and develop links between the real and imagined. You are empowered to be as creative and provocative as you like and can provide justifications for the actions of characters as you develop reasoning and recognition of emotions.

Storytelling is enhanced when we share little pieces of our self, and this was obvious as generations came together on Tuesday as our Kindergarten to Year 6 girls welcomed grandparents and significant adults into their environment. Favourite books were shared, and girls proudly narrated the things they were proud of in their learning and play environment. Grandparents read stories, FaceTimed others in distant lands and delighted in exploration with the girls.

Personally, I delighted as a young child in the often crazy narrations of my grandfather and father. There was much humour, and often mischief in these stories, but always time to listen and share.Our girls learn much from interactions with elders, not just about the past but also how we can view the future full of memories with new horizons and possibilities.

From the Deputy Head of School

Mrs Tracey Frater

Kimochi Online Parent Session

Last night we had the pleasure of listening to Michael Edgecomb from Doing Life Together as he shared how effective Kimochis can be in assisting with emotion coaching and increasing the kindness footprint both at school and home. Michael explained how feelings that are hard to have are often very difficult to control in young children and lead to ‘flipping the lid’, when emotions can take over. In these instances, the feelings chart and Kimochi characters are useful tools to validate feelings and unpack them once your daughter has become calmer. Michael provided a number of practical examples that should be useful to you when discussing your daughter’s day, both the highs and lows.

This session was recorded for you to view at your convenience. You can find numerous useful resources at https://www.doinglifetogether.com.au/.

Click here to view the recording.

From the Kindergarten Co-ordinator

Ms Catherine Casey

May the Forces be with Kindergarten!

On Thursday 13 May, the sun was shining as our Kindergarten girls travelled to the beautiful Clifton Gardens to meet the fabulous crew from Ranger Jamie Tours. It was time to be scientists! The Rangers spoke to the girls about push and pull forces and how they help people and objects move. We made paper rockets and watched as the release of air pressure caused them to fly through the air at great speed. Kindergarten then had a go at being billy cart drivers. We used our muscles and pull forces to race the billy carts with passengers in tow. There was much excitement in the air and cheers echoed around the park. We also discussed another force called gravity which keeps our feet firmly on the ground. After a wonderful lunch in the sun, it was time to make a mess! With a mixture of cornflour and water, we made slime. We learned that by using the push force we could keep our slime solid, but if we stopped it turned to liquid and became a gooey mess! Kindergarten had a wonderful day of learning and wonder during our first excursion as Pymble girls. We can’t wait for the next one!

From the Teacher Librarian

Mrs Josephine Laretive

Wednesday was National Simultaneous Storytime. The Preparatory School was one of more than one million participants who shared a reading of Give me some Space by Philip Bunting. The story was about a girl called Una who dreams of a life in space. After a splendid journey into space, Una realised that “The Earth is our spaceship…It is our mission to take care of the Earth so that we can explore the Universe for Light years to come.” This year, National Simultaneous Storytime was extra special as the story was read by the astronaut Dr Shannon Walker from the International Space Station! You can view the story via the Story Time From Space link  https://youtu.be/VeCxxMZjlFo.

Parent Focus Group Invitation 

As you know, the College has made the decision to combine our Preparatory and Junior Schools into what will become known as our Junior School for girls in Kindergarten to Year 6. This will take effect from Term 1, 2022.  

In anticipation of this transition, we will be conducting small focus groups with current Preparatory and Junior School parents to get your feedback and to identify areas for enhancement. Our focus groups will be held in the Junior School Library at the following session times:  

• Tuesday 8 June, 2.00pm to 2.45pm 
• Tuesday 8 June, 5.30pm to 6.15pm 
• Wednesday 9 June, 9.30am to 10.15am 
• Wednesday 9 June 5.50pm to 6.15pm

We are sending an email to you all which will include a link for you to click on if you would like to be involved in one of these focus groups. Each focus group will be small, however we are happy to hold more groups after these dates if there is lots of interest from our parent community to be involved in this process.  

Please note that all correspondence to the Preparatory School Office should be via prepschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or by phone on + 61 2 9855 7720.

Mrs Karen Ahearn

Head of Preparatory School

Notices

Dates for your Calendar

Kate and Jol Temple Author Visit for Years 2 and 3 – Monday 24 May

On Monday 24 May, the authors Kate and Jol Temple are visiting Pymble to present to Years 2 and 3 to celebrate the release of their new book series The Underdogs. Students will be able to order signed copies of Kate and Jol’s books. Please click here to read more and access the order form. 

Preparatory School Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 25 May

The Preparatory School Athletics Carnival will take place on the Main Oval on Tuesday 25 May commencing at 9.00am and concluding at approximately 1.00pm. Parents are invited to attend, however are asked to utilise the designated spectator and parking areas and to adhere to current health guidelines. 

During the carnival, all students will participate in both track and field activities with the emphasis being on active participation. Your daughter has been preparing for the carnival during class physical education lessons by building her technique and skills across the different athletic events. The running events are seeded. The girls have all participated in time trials during their physical education lessons and placed in races accordingly.

Please refer to the notification emailed on Thursday 13 May for further details.

Term 2 Nature Immersions

The Preparatory School Nature Immersion program will continue this term, with all grades participating in one afternoon of activities. As per Term 1, this program will take place on the Pymble campus with teaching staff and the Pymble Experiential Learning team facilitating the learning. The girls will enjoy activities such as nature walking and environmental education, team building activities, campfire stories and Indigenous Australian education.

The Nature Immersion afternoons for Term 2 will take place between 1.15pm and 2.30pm on: 

Crazy Sock Treasure Hunt Day: Friday 4 June

Our wonderful leaders have listened to the suggestions put forward by the girls in the Preparatory School and are very excited to be hosting a special fundraising opportunity at the end of this term. The event will be called ‘Crazy Sock Treasure Hunt Day’ and will be happening in Week 7 on Friday 4 June.

This event will be raising money for the Westmead Children’s Hospital, one of the College’s nominated charities for 2021. Your daughter is invited to wear a fabulous pair of crazy socks, which will be worn with her winter uniform and to bring a gold coin which will be her donation to participate in the planned Treasure Hunt organised by the SRC leaders of Year 2.

Birthday Treats

We are pleased to advise that as there has been an easing of restrictions regarding the serving of food, should you wish to bring in small cupcakes for your daughter’s class in celebration of her birthday, you would be most welcome.

Helpful Information from the Teacher Librarian

Mrs Josephine Laretive

Years 1 and 2 Suggested Reading Popular Chapter Books!

The library has a wide range of chapter books. The books provided in the below link are organised by the author’s surname, with the genre and key themes listed. Books are not connected to levelled readers.

Click here to see the list.

Student Photos

Junior and Preparatory School photos can still be ordered through Melba Studios. There will be a small fee charged for delivery to your home as the timeframe for delivery to school has closed. 

To order please go to Melba Studios – click here.

• Select ‘School Orders’ and enter the password PLC
• You will need to enter your daughter’s student ID number, which is listed on the email sent to you on Tuesday 30 March and her year group (please note your daughter’s student ID number is privacy protected so only you can see her portrait)
• Select ‘Deliver to Home’ (a small fee will be charged). Please complete one order per student. 

If you have any issues with ordering, please contact Melba Studios directly on +61 2 9438 4566. 

Winter Uniform in Term 2

Please note that girls are now expected to wear full winter uniform to school. This includes the navy blazer, which is a compulsory garment to be worn to and from school in Terms 2 and 3. On days of scheduled PE lessons, all Preparatory School girls will require the full Pymble tracksuit including track pants and tracksuit jacket. Please refer to page 33 of your daughter’s diary for details of requirements. Parents are asked to contact the College Shop on +61 2 9855 7744 to make an appointment for a fitting if necessary. Please note that all students require the winter school hat and Preparatory play hat during Terms 2 and 3.

To ensure lost items are returned to your daughter, please name EVERYTHING that your daughter brings to school. This includes headbands, ribbons, socks, shoes, ties, underpants, lunch boxes, drink bottles, carry bags, shoes etc. There are lots of girls in the Preparatory School with identical belongings and it is easier to reunite your daughter with any lost belongings if they are clearly named.

Travel

Parents are reminded to email the Preparatory School if you need to arrange another parent to pick up your daughter at the end of the school day. All changed travel requests should be communicated to the Preparatory School Office before 2.00pm to ensure messages can be conveyed to students and staff.

Medications

On occasions your daughter may require medications to be administered during the day. If your daughter requires any medications during the school day, including prescribed antibiotics, they need to be delivered to the Preparatory School Office, clearly labelled and in original packaging. Clear instructions from parents need to be included with the medication. We cannot administer medication in the form of syrups or tablets if they are not in their original packaging as we have no knowledge of what they are.

Please send to the Preparatory School Office any medication e.g., Ventolin, Epipen, eczema cream, etc. if your daughter has specific medical conditions which warrant their use.  The Action Plan for its use should be included in the pack.

Contact Details

A reminder to keep your contact details up to date. For any changes, please use the MyPymble Change of Details link.

Lunch on the Run and Water Bottles

Lunch orders can be placed through a third-party service called My Student Account. An order needs to be placed by 8.30am for it to be processed on the day of ordering.

A reminder to send your daughter with enough water for the day, as per the College newsletter, as commencing Term 2 bottled water will no longer be served at the food trucks and cafés at the College. Please ensure that your daughter has a water bottle with her. The water bubblers and water bottle filling station has returned to operation.

Click here to order.

PSPG NEWS

Mrs Aimee Birch, Parent Group Leader

PSPG Term 2 Meeting Wednesday 5 May

Thank you to everyone who attended the PSPG Term 2 Meeting.  If you missed it you can click here to view the recording of the meeting. 

Preparatory School Parent Group (PSPG) News

Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 25 May

The PSPG will be hosting a refreshment stall at the Prep School Athletics Carnival. All proceeds from the stall will be donated to Bear Cottage. We need assistance from parents to donate food and help at the stall on the day.

To sign up for volunteering or food donation, please click here: https://signup.com/go/NbmVvwF.

For further information, please contact Fatima Khamash at fatma.khamash@gmail.com.

From the Junior School

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” (Benjamin Franklin)

This week our girls have been lucky to be involved in a richly diverse range of experiences to help them learn and grow. This week they have immersed themselves in a range of different careers, exploring each one as an adventurer, asking insightful questions and enjoying learning from experts within our community. A huge and heartfelt thank you to our SRC girls for the idea that led to this initiative and to all our parents who shared their careers with our girls this week. The girls were delighted by the fabulous range of career adventures to explore, including chicken farming, mortgage lending, being an artist or author, filmmaking, printing, cake decorating, surveying, medical sales, being an anaesthetist or a chemist, dentist, psychiatrist, barrister, doctor, surgeon or a CEO in banking or a railway signal design engineer. We feel so blessed by the support you show your girls and us and we thank you all for the gift of your time for this event. A huge shout-out to Mrs Nerissa Davey, who managed the many logistics for this very successful event.

We look forward to the second session in this series next week. Here are some of the girls, and parents’ thoughts and reflections from this experience:

It was an amazing experience for the girls to talk to a variety of parents who shared their life passions and how that culminated in their careers. Mr Turnbull

It was fun and interesting as there were so many different jobs that the parents were passionate about. I wish we could have stayed longer. Rose

I enjoyed it so much as I learnt about jobs that I never knew existed like devices put in your body to stay alive. Harriet

We got to try out so many different things. I loved learning about what barristers do and printers. I loved the business cards he made us. Silka

It was such a great experience seeing all the different careers I really liked all the medical ones. Lucy

It was so great having my mum there. I also learnt how to make a magnet with a battery and wire from Mr Woods-McConville. The railway system was cool. Lily

The engagement of the girls was incredible as were their deep questions, it was so valuable and exposed them to a wide variety of career possibilities. Mrs Worthington

The questions the girls asked were so insightful. Mrs Kelly Mancey (presenter and Pymble Director of Community Engagement)

The parents were so passionate about what they do. I think the Junior School is the best as the girls are so keen to be part of everything and build on what they learn.  Roscoe Peters (College Videographer)

Sharing our stories with our grandparents

We have also enjoyed sharing our stories with our grandparents this week. It is so important that we help our girls to understand the power of story sharing and learning from someone else’s journey as they begin to shape their own. It was wonderful to gift ourselves the time and space this week to learn from the elders within our community and to celebrate this experience across K-6. This week I learnt that in Africa there is a wonderful word “ubuntu”, which literally means ‘I am because of you’. It explains that a person is a person through other people, emphasising the importance of community and togetherness.  Our community is galvanised by events such as the ones we have shared this week, such experiences of “ubuntu”. Thank you all for the many ways in which you support our Junior School family and community.

I loved having my grandparents, they came all the way from the Central Coast. I loved the treats they brought too! Hilary

It was so fun because I got really yummy food like dumplings to share. It was so awesome to share my book I am reading with them. Mikayla

I got to go to the Prep School with my little sister, I loved having them as they are so close to me. Adella

What a beautiful picnic in the sunshine, it was so worth the trip from Newcastle to be here. Meryll and Bob Bishop (grandparents to Edith Cullinane)

It is so special to spend time with the grandchildren and share in this day. Deanna Cornish, Margaret and Ken Broadhead (grandparents to Willow Gerreyn)

Congratulations to both our ISDA debating teams who showed poise and creative thinking in their very competitive debates last Friday. We wish our Team A all the very best as they progress to the quarter-finals this Friday.

As we continue to focus on building our sense of community, our Kindness Captains have again led the way. They have proudly introduced our inaugural kindness newsletter this week, The Kindness Compass, and each week these girls will help us create and then share this newsletter with each Compass Class.

This week we welcome Miss Sophie North to our Year 3 teaching team and to our Junior School family. Miss North has previously worked in both Victoria and the UK and brings with her a passion for language, speaking multiple languages fluently. We also welcome Mrs Melissa Kotian and Mrs Angus to our Year 4 teaching team and Mrs Shenaiya Day to our EALD team.

Lens into Learning

Mrs Lara Bird, Acting Deputy Head of Junior School – Learning and Curriculum

The girls in the Junior School have been busy exploring, learning and investigating. In Year 3 the girls are discovering the lifecycle of living things and learning how to cook damper. The girls in Year 4 are learning about light, looking at artificial and natural light as well as writing persuasively. Our scientists in Year 5 have designed solar ovens to see the effect of heat on solids and Year 6 are busy regrowing vegetables as part of their sustainability Inquiry unit. Year 3 and 5 enjoyed National Simultaneous Storytime Day listening to the astronaut reading of Give Me Some Space live from space.  

Da Vinci Decathlon

A reflection by our very proud teachers of the Da Vinci teams: Mrs Monica Medeiros, Miss Lyn Wynne and Mrs Jo Meacock

The results are in! We are excited to announce that at the recent da Vinci Decathlon, which was a virtual event, our Year 6 team were the overall winners! Our Year 5 team also took out third place in Science in their very first da Vinci Decathlon.

Congratulations to all of the girls who participated in this very challenging academic competition. The da Vinci Decathlon includes ten competition disciplines of Engineering, Mathematics and Chess, Code breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy. They worked collaboratively in teams of eight to solve problems and come up with solutions against 153 other schools from around the State.

Along with these incredible overall results, Pymble also placed in the following disciplines: Year 5 – English fourth, Ideation seventh and Year 6 – Art and Poetry first, Engineering fourth, Ideation fifth, Cartography sixth, English seventh, Legacy seventh, Mathematics ninth.

Congratulations once again to the girls for all their hard work throughout the term!

Year 6 Inquiry

A reflection by Mrs Monica Medeiros, Year 6 Compass Teacher

During our Sustainable Food Production Inquiry unit this term, Year 6 has been investigating the importance of healthy soil to food production and sustainable practices that help maintain soil health to ensure food security around the globe for our future. They have also been thinking about food waste and evaluating how much of the food we produce as a nation is wasted without thought to the efforts of farmers and the lost natural resources.

One of the investigations has centred around solutions to food waste such as regrowing vegetables from scraps or cuttings normally thrown into our kitchen bins.

The girls have been amazed at how quickly the vegetables they are attempting to re-grow have actually sprouted shoots and roots! Some of the best examples are spring onions, garlic, romaine lettuce, celery, carrots, bok choy and beetroot!

 In their weekly measuring and recording of data for their vegetable experiment, the girls have noticed that some of the vegetables, which had previously been growing just in water, were ready to be transplanted into the soil. With the help of our amazing gardening team, some of the girls planted their vegetables in garden beds prepared with healthy soil and some natural fertiliser from our farm (thank you to the cows and chickens)! We can’t wait to continue our investigation and to harvest our vegetables when they are ready, perhaps a Year 6 salad lunch awaits?

 A huge thank you to our resident horticulturalists, Sarah and Alex who helped the girls, providing not only tools and tips but also their expert advice about the vegetable experiment. Year 6 is truly grateful and we love working with experts around the College campus!

Notices

If you missed the Kimochi training last night Click here to view the recording of the Kimochi Online Parent Session Tuesday 18 May. It was a resounding success.

Calendar Dates

Mrs Kate Brown

Head of Junior School

JSPG

Mrs Louise Woodall, Mrs Sarah Fisher and Mrs Shiva Rich, JSPG Leaders

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets to the PPA Trivia Night on Saturday 5 June from 6.00pm at Hornsby RSL. Make a table of ten with your class or year group or come solo – everyone is welcome!

Come dressed as something starting with ‘P’ – there will be a prize for the best-dressed table, overall winning team, raffles and gold coin games. Tickets include a sit-down two course meal, welcome drink and trivia entertainment. Click here to purchase your tickets.

Upcoming Events organised by Year Co-ordinators and Class Parents

From the Middle School

This week the campus is awash with pink as we celebrate Boarders’ Week across the College! Thank you to those who helped make bunting out of the donated denim, especially Rachel Tyson for her artistic eye for detail. The creations are adorning the colonnade and look fantastic. Our Boarders are such an integral part of the Middle School community and bring with them experiences from near and far. Our Years 7 and 8 Boarders hail from: Mudgee, Bohena Creek, Moree, Alice Springs, Gladesville, Walcha, Parramatta, Narromine, Lightning Ridge, Tambar Springs, Pymble, Young, Quambone, Wyee, Somersby, Tullamore, Pyrmont, Narrabri, Dubbo, Gledswood Hills, Roseville, Vaucluse, Rylstone, Port Moresby, Walgett and Avalon. Each one of the girls is precious to the Middle School.

Outdoor Education Experiences

Last week our Year 8 girls enjoyed a week away from their routines as they took up the associated challenges on offer at either the Somerset or Southbound sites. I would like to thank all of those who worked so hard to ensure the experience was rich and rewarding for the girls, especially Mrs Stephanie Sibug, Ms Hannah McNelly, Mrs Sarah Budd, Mr Adam Levin and the Pymble Outdoor Education team: Nick Wilkesmann and Georgie Cain.

Year 8 camp at the South Coast in Kiama was an amazing experience, we all met so many new people and developed positive relationships with them. We were introduced to new skills such as cooking dinner on a trangia and using tents, we also learnt about Indigenous culture and bush regeneration practices. Everyone was pushed out of their comfort zones and took risks to grow and develop their confidence in activities like stand up paddle boarding and surfing. We all loved nighttime around the cooking circle and talking to each other about the day we had. After this experience, I am really looking forward to camp next year! Tully O’Regan 

The best part about camp was definitely the campfire. At the end of a long, tiring day, we would all sit around the campfire to warm up, play games and talk. We had great food and there was always lots of singing and music. Over a few days, we had all bonded. In-jokes were born, and the camaraderie formed was like a lovely family. I will definitely miss the campfires and I will never forget the spirit of friendliness around the fire. I also enjoyed the hiking trip. Being out there in the wilderness was very peaceful and the view was amazing! I think it gave us all time to appreciate the beauty of nature and reflect on our experiences. The actual hiking was very fun and despite some challenges, I loved it! I learned a lot about independence. The Colo River camp was different from other camps, in that we had so much more freedom to make our own decisions, especially regarding the activities. We had complete control over whether or not we wanted to participate, and so we got to choose how far we wanted to push ourselves, how much would we challenge ourselves and how far out of our comfort zone would we go. There was something very liberating about making our own choices and accepting responsibility for what we chose. From this, I think all of us learned we were capable of more than what we thought, and all it took was the guts to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. Evelyn Zhu 

My time at the Year 8 outdoor education camp was a great experience because it allowed me to go outside my comfort zone and participate in activities that I wouldn’t usually do. I had a go at stand up paddle boarding, surfing and canoeing. My favourite activity during camp was surfing because even though I hadn’t done it before, I was able to stand up on many of the waves. Camp was also a good opportunity to interact with people I usually wouldn’t. Camp was a very hands-on experience, and I had a lot of fun. Isabelle Johnston 

Year 7 is looking forward to their Outdoor Education Experience across Weeks 6 or 7. We are excited to be able to welcome parents to Vision Valley for the Rites of Passage event on the final evening. We are delighted that both Dr Kate Hadwen and Dr Arne Rubinstein will be joining us as facilitators during this time. Thank you to those who have confirmed their attendance and sent their letter to their daughter.

Year 7 Assembly

Earlier this week, Year 7 had the opportunity to hear from our Year 12 Captains of Wellbeing on the topic of vaping. The Captains discussed the health concerns associated with vapes as well as school expectations and consequences. They reminded the girls that it is actually illegal for young people under the age of 18 to buy e-cigarettes. Whilst the Captains emphasised to the girls that only a small minority at this age may be aware of vaping, they stressed that knowledge is power and being informed allows us to make better decisions. More information for young people can be found here: http://darta.net.au/wordpress-content/uploads/2020/02/E-CIGARETTES-AND-VAPING-FINAL-2020.pdf

Cross Country

Congratulations to our Middle School Cross Country participants who represented the College last Friday at IGSA and achieved impressive results. Pymble won the competition for the first time since 2017 and would not have been able to do that without the talent of our Years 7 and 8 athletes. The 12 Years age group came sixth, 13 Years came third and 14 Years came first. Well done girls!

Year 7 Team: Audrey An, Abby Smith, Imogen Wu, Matilda Harrison, Maggie Morgan, Alia Curren, Laura Makeham, Mea Shires, Grace Beck, Elizabeth Yates, Elizabeth Bailey, Katherine Hart, Winter Shirvington and Charlotte Tideman.

Year 8 Team:  Pheobe Paleologos, Grace Townsend, Sarah Baker, Sophia Slater, Mia Sams, Tessa Newitt, Tully Black, Arabella Cox and Aimi Jenkins.

Da Vinci Decathlon

Congratulations to our Middle School da Vinci Decathlon teams, who achieved outstanding results last weekend. Our Year 7 Team: Kiki Chen, Alissa Xue, Katherine Pan, Grace Beck, Alice Mao, Ruhani Surana, Amber Li, Isabelle Attard, Rosa Kim and Amber Wang took out first place overall out of 75 teams, followed by our Year 8 girls: Sophia Chang, Maya Garg, Lauren Korenblyum, Ayana Sapra, Teresa Sun, Nityasree Viswanathan, Allison Wang, Evelyn Zhu, Christiana Soo and Amy Zhang who placed second overall.

Some of the many highlights in the ten disciplines include:

Year 7 – 1st in Cartography, Science, and English

Year 7 – 2nd in Mathematics, Ideation and Code breaking.

Year 8 – 2nd in Creative Producers and Science

Good luck to the Year 7 team who will be competing at the Nationals on 20 to 21 June at Knox Grammar School.

Debating

We are nearing the end of our Debating season and I wanted to congratulate all the teams who have participated with passion and conviction. This Friday evening, we have the ISDA Year 7 Quarter Finals at Shore – they are still undefeated! Also, Year 7A FED and 8B FED are in face-to-face semi-finals which Pymble will be hosting. Good luck girls!

Robotics

Well done 20731H Wooden Horse for competing in the early morning in VEX Worlds. They earned their best scores all season; a perfect end to this year’s competition. Well done Amy Zhang, Ang-Ya Koo and Sophia Chang for their teamwork and persistence over the past year. Final awards and results will be released at the end of the week.

Directions Week 5

In Directions this week, Year 7 students will have the opportunity to discuss concerns and scenarios about camp in Weeks 6 and 7. The aim of the lesson is for students to be able to approach camp with more knowledge and strategies to problem solve common challenges they may face. Through brainstorming solutions to specific scenarios collaboratively, students will be developing their capacity for resilience. Our students will also affirm what they can look forward to on camp and consider the advantages this experiential learning experience offers them.

After a week away on our Year 8 Outdoor Education Experience, our intention with this shared Directions/English approach is to explore the value of challenges associated with camp. Students are positioned to see the ‘real world’ learning as a valuable way to develop awareness of self and others and to also understand that new experiences can be enriching and empowering; this essentially mirrors the ‘Apprenticeship’ stage of the ‘bildungsroman’ genre. A core component of Year 8 Wellbeing this term has centred on developing students’ awareness, resilience and adaptability and this aligns beautifully with the characters’ experiences in a variety of texts currently being explored within our English unit. Year 8 students will reflect on their camp experience in Directions and then use this reflection to build their own bildungsroman text in English in lessons during Week 6. 

Mrs Jenny O’Donnell

Head of Middle 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.

From the Upper School

A Message from Mrs Boyd, Head of Upper School

It was wonderful to see our athletes shine at the Athletics Carnival on Monday. It was a wonderful atmosphere with girls sharing their wins, laughing at the various costumes and enjoying the school spirit. We congratulate the girls for their participation on the day.

We would like to acknowledge four of our Upper School super swimmers. Ellie Beck, Hannah Morton, Bella Zhang and Grace Gerreyn have been selected for the 2021 NSW Sharks Squad. 

There is one opportunity each year to qualify for this squad and the swimmers have to come in the top eight places in a National Final and swim under the qualifying time. The girls achieved this on the Gold Coast in April at the National Age Swimming Championships. Their first Sharks Training Camp is in the July school holidays on the Central Coast. Well done, girls!  

 A Message from Ms Beaumont and Mrs Michie, Heads of Year 9

We could hear the collective sigh of relief last week when Year 9 finished their final NAPLAN exam in Week 4 and what a wonderful way to begin Week 5 with the Secondary School Athletics Carnival on Monday. As you can see from the photos, the weather was very kind and the girls enjoyed competing, cheering and hanging out with their friends. Congratulations to all Year 9 students for their enthusiastic participation.

The Year 9 Upper School leaders have been busy planning and running our Year Assemblies. Kara and Jiya organised last week’s Assembly and Catherine and Aashna get an opportunity to organise and run Assembly this week. This is great way for our leaders to develop their leadership skills and is much more enjoyable than hearing from Ms Beaumont and Mrs Michie each week!

Another Upper School leaders’ initiative is Fun Friday. Here are our Year 9 girls enjoying some fun in the Science courtyard:

This week in Directions, the focus moves from self-awareness to exploring our character strengths. If we are aware of our character strengths, we are better able to make decisions about things like subject choices. Following this we will look at how to present ourselves when applying for jobs, starting with constructing a CV. The students have access to an excellent resource in the Careers Department which has a plethora of information about all sorts of industries and careers.

A Message from Ms Foley and Mr Stern, Heads of Year 10

The Secondary School Athletics Carnival took place on campus on Monday. The sun was shining as the girls proudly represented their Houses across a range of events. It was wonderful to see students having a go and, most importantly, supporting their peers!

Arabella Hunt noted, “The Athletics Carnival is a great chance to catch up with girls in your House and support them when they race!”

Millie Ruscio added, “I really enjoy the atmosphere and spending time with friends while cheering each other on.”

Year 10 Co-curricular Drama/Filmmaking recently competed in the Regional Shakespeare Carnival, ‘Sport for Jove’. Annie Chen and Jacqueline Qin competed in Co-curricular Filmmaking and took out a remarkable first place!

A group of Years 10 and 11 students participated with performances being an ensemble scene, duologue and group devised piece. Co-curricular Drama also entered with a short film and in a first for Pymble, two out of our four entries won first place for their categories!

Annie and Jacqueline will go on to represent Pymble at the State Shakespeare Carnival at the Seymour Centre later this term.

A very exciting result for Drama and these wonderful Drama students.

With assessment tasks upon us, we want to emphasise the importance of effective time management. Please encourage your daughters to plan their study time through time specific portions. We encourage the girls to use ‘organisational Monday’ during Compass time to organise their week and suggest they explain their evolving workload with parents or guardians. An assessment task may feel overwhelming when first starting, however it can be much more accessible if it’s broken down to smaller chunks.

Key Dates

Mrs Melissa Boyd

Head of Upper 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.

From the Geography, Business and Economics Department

Mr Liam Hume, Celestino Project Lead and Geography Teacher

On Friday 14 May, Our Year 10 Elective Geography students travelled to Luddenham, Western Sydney to visit the location of the Sydney Science Park, which in 20 years’ time will be a thriving city home to thousands of people. This was a landmark occasion for the College as our students were the first to visit the site and see for our own eyes what the future for Sydney will look like.

The Sydney Science Park will be a city of the future. A SMART city and a world leader in innovation and sustainability, and our students are helping to plan it. Working with industry experts from CSIRO, Sydney water and Core Waste, students conducted a range of environmental tests, such as comparing the quality of dam water to tap water to identify the modifications that need to be made to make it drinkable and using thermal imaging sensors and infra-red technology to investigate how different surfaces can be used to keep the city cool. Students were also given the opportunity to interact with the team at Orion Drones to learn about the mind blowing power and potential of using drones for site modelling. 

This authentic data will be used to inform research projects as students work to solve complex and real world challenges facing the development of the Sydney Science Park. These ideas will be pitched to experts at CSIRO and could potentially be implemented into the design of the Sydney Science Park. Additionally, students were given tasters of a number of important future career paths and an awareness of the trans-disciplinary skills needed as students move into jobs that may not yet exist.

From the USPG

Mrs Pilar Yemma and Mrs Susan Ma, Parent Group Leaders

Thank you to Vicki and Ginin for organising a lovely coffee catch up. It was great to see such a nice group of mums enjoying great conversations on such a gorgeous day.

A friendly reminder that the Year 10 Coffee Catch Up will be the following  Thursday 27 May at 9.00am at Brick Lane Espresso, Philip Mall, West Pymble.

We hope many of you can attend. It is a great opportunity to stay connected to other parents in your year group. 

Have a great weekend.

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

Year 12 HSC Study Camp

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.

From the Boarding School

It has been a brilliant and busy week as we celebrated Boarders’ Week with our entire Pymble family. 

The week started off with a fun and fabulous Community Night with our Boarders challenging themselves in the dance off to end all dance offs! Sunday morning was a more serious affair, but equally enjoyable, as we joined with the Pymble Uniting Church congregation in our own War Memorial Chapel. This special service is always a treat, and it was extra good to have our Boarders so involved. The delicious brunch that followed was much appreciated and provided great sustenance for the afternoon’s sporting challenges.

We arrived at school on Monday to find the Houses and offices radiantly swathed in pink and sprinkled with an assortment of Boarder-inspired paraphernalia including hay bales, flamingos and even a life-sized cow! This set the scene for various events throughout the week including the Boarders versus Day Girls relay, basketball, AFL and volleyball, Boarder presentations in Chapel and at assemblies, and an egg and bacon breakfast on Marden Lawn.

While Boarders’ Week is an opportunity to celebrate all things Boarding, it also presents another way in which we can recognise and thank the broader Pymble family who make residency at Pymble so special. Our heartfelt thanks go to our Day School staff, students and families who go out of their way to make living at this beautiful College so special.

Pymble goes to West!

As you will have read, last week I was lucky enough to visit a host of Pymble families and friends as I travelled around rural New South Wales. The trip culminated with the Dubbo Boarding Expo and a celebration with past, present and prospective Pymble families. It was an excellent opportunity for us to share all the great things about Pymble Boarding and was made all the more special by the attendance of the Chair of our College Council, Mr James Hunter and his wife, Mrs Katrina Hunter, as well as Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell. Fun stories about sleeping on verandahs and various Boarding ‘sisters’ were shared. The common theme of the happy conversations was the deep gratitude that all past Boarders felt for their time at Pymble.

A View From My Window

My name is Victoria Burton, but to everyone I am known as Torie with an ‘e’, and I’m currently a Boarder in Year 9. I live eight hours away from Sydney in a small town called Coonamble. Coonamble is located in the north west of New South Wales about two and a half hours from Dubbo.

I live on a property called ‘Thara’ halfway between Coonamble and a small village called Come By Chance. On my property my family runs livestock such as Angus cattle and Wiltipol sheep which we butcher for our meat. As well as running livestock, we also do dry land cropping where we plant crops such as wheat, barley and chickpeas.

I have a family of four including my older brother Angus who is currently Boarding at The King’s School in Year 12, then there is my mum and my dad. I own three dogs – a kelpie named Spider because she is always finding something to climb or chase after, a chocolate Labrador named Milo due to her chocolate coloured coat, and a red cattle dog named Ding as he has a quarter of dingo in him. I own a number of chooks – isabrownes and black bones, and we have a duck named Lui and my dad’s work horse – Fernese.

When I’m at home I normally spend my days helping dad in the paddocks with stick picking, moving livestock, maintenance on machinery, picking and dropping off different equipment and doing general work around the place. I generally help my mum with the washing or just doing the simple jobs around the house like gardening and cleaning. As a family we enjoy going water skiing in the holidays with our ski boat and catching up with friends.

One of the things I enjoy most about my home is being able to ride my motor bike off in the late afternoon with the sun setting and racing my brother. I really cherish the moments I spend helping my dad while he works in his workshop and watching romance movies with my mum.

From the view of my window, I can see my dad waving at me from the cab of the tractor, my mum sewing on all our name tags for school or weeding the garden bed, my brother playing footy in the backyard and the dust kicked up from his motor bike as he zooms past, the dogs chewing on old bones, the duck flying out of the cage towards the dam, and the chooks scratching around. I can see the silos in the distance, the last picture of dad’s ute as it heads down the paddock, the postman delivering the mail down our drive, the sound of mum’s favourite music playing from the kitchen, the sunrise in the early morning, the sound of birds singing, and the beautiful view of millions of stars in the night sky.

Boarder of the Week

Lucy Small is the perfect choice for Boarder of the Week in this week of celebrating all things Boarding. Lucy, Prefect of Sport and the Arts, comes from a long line of Pymble Boarding alumni and as a fourth generation Boarder, it feels as though she is related to almost everyone in one way or another. She is an outstanding role model for our community and demonstrates the College values in all that she does. Her gentle ways, kindness and joyful approach are appreciated by the entire Boarding family. She is especially thanked for her faultless and inspired organisation of Boarders’ Week.

Mrs Carolyn Burgess

Director of Boarding

Co-curricular Administration

End of Term 2 Registration Period

The End of Term 2 Registration period will open at 12.00pm on Wednesday 2 June. During this registration period, you will be able to register for Term 3 and Semester 2 Programs as well as make selections for your Term 4 Saturday Sports. All program information will be available in MyPymble on the ‘Co-curricular at Pymble’ pages (click here) from Wednesday 26 May.

Term 3 2021 Saturday Sport Registrations Have Closed

This is a reminder that registrations for Term 3 Saturday Sports have closed. Please remember that withdrawals from Saturday Sports after the registration closing date are NOT automatically approved and registering for a Saturday Sport signals your daughter’s commitment to play that sport during Term 3. If you would like to request entry into a Term 3 Saturday Sport, please complete a Co-curricular Registration Request form by clicking here.

Changes to your Co-curricular Registrations

This is a reminder that registrations for all Term 2, Winter Semester and Yearly programs (with intakes) have now closed. Confirmation emails were sent during the second week of the holidays. If you wish to make changes to your daughter’s Co-curricular programs, please complete a Co-curricular Registration Request form by clicking here.

If you have any questions about Co-curricular programs, please contact Co-curricular Administration at ccsa@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or on +61 2 9497 7848.

Mrs Monique Zahra

Head of Co-curricular Administration

Sport

Athletics and Cross Country

IGSA Cross Country Carnival

On Friday 14 May, the IGSA Cross Country Carnival was held at Frensham School in Mittagong. Our Pymble team consisted of 56 athletes, eight in every age group from 12 years to 18 years. There were 26 schools that competed, therefore approximately 200 athletes in every race. The girls ran hard under perfect conditions which resulted in Pymble finishing first in the overall point score – reclaiming the championship trophy for the first time since 2017 by 83 points. It was certainly a fantastic result and a big team effort by our runners and the reserves, who pushed each girl to train hard throughout the season just to make the team.

Please click here to access the result from the IGSA Cross Country Carnival.

We look forward to getting final confirmation from IGSA about which girls will progress through to CIS Cross Country on Thursday 10 June.

Thank you to all our exceptional coaches who prepared the team well for the carnival; Mickey Nicholas, Jack Brown, Imogen Gardiner, Sally Guthrie and our Head Coach Deb Walsham.

Artistic Gymnastics

Level 5 Students Compete at Manly

Six of our Level 5 gymnasts opened their competition season at the Levels 5 to 7 Northern Region Invitation Competition on Sunday 16 May at Manly. It was the first time at a gymnastics competition for two of our gymnasts, only having just started gymnastics last year. The girls showed a few nerves early on, but soon settled in and performed well at the competition and came away with the following results:

Level 5 Junior

Ashton Malcolm (Year 5) – 6th Vault, 6th Bars, 12th Overall

Level 5 Senior

Zarah Hres (Year 7) – 3rd Vault, 6th Overall

Mahika Swamy (Year 7) – 1st Beam, 10th Overall

Gabriella Sheh (Year 6) – 15th Overall

Madison Yip (Year 9) – 6th Bars, 16th Overall

Lara Groves-Berry (Year 9) – 17th Overall

The gymnasts will now continue training in preparation for the Winter Wonderland competition coming up on Saturday 5 June and Sunday 6 June at Manly. All Levels 3 to 7 Pymble gymnasts will be competing!

Miss Allyse Taylor

Acting Head Coach – Artistic Gymnastics

Basketball

Basketball Team of the Week: Pymble 21 (Year 7)

A big shout out to our Year 7 Pymble 21 team who, after four rounds, is on the top of the ladder of the Year 9 Division.

This team so far is undefeated and everyone is playing some great Basketball. I and their coach Lyara Jayasinghe are very impressed with how rapidly their skills are developing and how well they play as a team. Well done to the below girls and keep up the great work!

Lily Cao (Year 7), Anita Clark (Year 7), Helen Huang (Year 7), Rose Kirkby (Year 7), Maggie Morgan (Year 7), Jacqueline Wang (Year 7), Cindy Xu (Year 7), Arini Yellamaraju (Year 7) and Jocelyn Ying (Year 7).

Results:

Mr Jack Garrad

Co-ordinator – Basketball

Football

Saturday 15 May – Round 4 of the IGSA Football competition

Team of the Week: Pymble 7

Congratulations to Pymble 7 for receiving Round 4 Team of the Week. The Pymble 7 team entered their Round 4 match against Ravenswood 3 on Pymble Kelso Oval on Saturday 15 May. The team played a fantastic match and won their first game of the season. Incredible defence from Lara Blair (Year 12), Georgia Degotardi (Year 12) and goalkeeping from Tania Yam (Year 12) in the first half allowed expansive play and a solid start to the match. Isabella Green (Year 12) scored on her first game for the team and was supported in attack by a great game from Marguerite Andrews (Year 12) and Siobhan Dubois (Year 12). The whole Pymble 7 team trained well. It was a fantastic team effort from Elizabeth Gan (Year 12), Lucy Small (Year 12), Samantha Guthrie (Year 12), Hannah Edwards (Year 12), Abby Jackson (Year 12) and Mia De Riz (Year 12). Well done team!

Mr Edward Ellwood-Hall

Co-ordinator – Football

Junior School Sport

Junior School Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to all girls who competed in such a fun Junior School Athletics Carnival. Special mention to Deb Walsham, Katie Edwards, the Sports team, our athletics coaches, and teachers who helped run the championship events and athletics stations.

Please click here to view the outstanding results from the Junior School girls.

To purchase photos of the event, please click here (password is Kelso).

IPSHA Team of the Week: IPSHA Netball Pymble 8 (Year 4)

All the hard work put in at training started to come together on this chilly Saturday morning as our Pymble 8 girls put it their strongest performance to date. It was an intense game that saw the ball move between both ends of the court at a rapid pace with several shots for goals from both teams.
Special mention to Edith Cullinane (Year 4) for her multiple goals and Ruby Thomas (Year 4) who was excellent in defence. It was an excellent team effort. Well done girls!

Mr Matt Tyson

Co-ordinator – Head of Sport K to 6

Volleyball

On Monday 17 May we had 16 girls compete in the NSW Junior Indoor Volleyball Schools Cup. Pymble nominated a Year 8 team coached by Ryan Chan and a Year 9 team coached by Sheilah Adam.

After a long competitive day, both teams made the final. Our Year 8 team narrowly lost by two points against Mitchell College which gave them the silver medal and our Year 9 team took the gold with a dominant display over volleyball powerhouse Sydney Girls. The highlight of the day was Vanessa Liu’s 17 point streak on her serve in the semi-finals. A great effort and most likely a Pymble record!

Congratulations to the below girls:

Year 8 – Isabella Chen, Khatthaliya Elliott, Marissa Zhou, Ruthia Moore, Daisy Le, Vicky Hu and Zi Xuan Xie

Year 9 – Caitlin Costello, Charlotte Dhanu, Yeting Huang, Vanessa Liu, Sophie Ma, Alicia Slobodian, Chloe Teng, Hoi Ling You and Lux Fritz.

Mr Jack Garrad

Co-ordinator – Volleyball

Performing Arts

From the Director of Co-curricular Performing Arts

The Importance of Being Earnest – Opens tonight!

There is still time to book tickets for our fabulous Years 10 and 11 production of The Importance of Being Earnest for tonight, Friday and two performances on Saturday. For details and Cast Lists please access the link below.

The Best of PAC

The best performances from PAC week will be staged next Thursday at 3.35pm in the Amphitheatre. The range and quality of talent was fabulous and all the students are to be commended on their performances. Entry is by gold coin.

Mrs Sabina Turner

Director of Co-Curricular Performing Arts

Drama

The Importance of Being Earnest – Years 10 and 11 Co-curricular Drama Production 

Please come along to this wonderful Drama production and see is a highly entertaining evening of theatre. There are two casts on alternate evenings this Thursday to Saturday, and it is a great celebration of Oscar Wilde’s language and wit. Best of luck to these two casts for great opening nights – please see below for photos which is a snapshot into the production. Book your tickets on the GMCPA website.

Regional Shakespeare Carnival – Firsts for Pymble Drama

Congratulations to our Curriculum Drama and Co-curricular Filmmaking students! Performers from Year 11 Drama competed on Thursday 13 May at the Regional Shakespeare Carnival, Sport for Jove, versing many other schools. They performed in Ensemble Scene, Duologue and Group Devised. Co-curricular Drama/Filmmaking also entered with a Short Film. In a first for Pymble, two out of our four entries won first place for their categories in Ensemble Scene and Short Film, these items will go onto represent Pymble at the State Shakespeare Carnival at the Seymour Centre later this term. We are so proud of all our Drama students who performed with passion. The judges commented on their highly refined rehearsal preparation, great movement, and prop work, as well as engaging characterisation and energy. Well done to our all our Drama students! Stay tuned for details for the State Shakespeare Carnival!

Year 11 Ensemble Scene – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Curriculum) – First Place

Annabelle Ainsworth, Alisha Behl, Antoinette Boxall, Kate Falconer-Flint, Ciara Gibson, Kashika Goswami, Annika Johnson, Tessa Webster, Rosanna van Horen

Year 11 Group Devised – Macbeth (Curriculum)

Sophie Coughlan, Tahmara Thomas, Amelia Fantham, Arabella Ibbotson

Year 11 Duologue – Romeo and Juliet (Curriculum)

Anna Mufford, Catherine Wong

Year 10 Filmmaking (Co-Curricular) – First Place

Annie Chen, Jacqueline Qin

Additional Audition Timeslot for Knox Drama Production

There has been an additional audition timeslot created for students in Years 8 to 10 and who have other clashes (including Earnest, Drama Festival and Theatresports for the original timeslot this coming Wednesday), you can alternatively audition on Thursday 27 May, 3.30pm to 6.00pm (you can come any time during this time). Best of luck for the audition!

Ms Tamara Sweetman

Head of Co-curricular Drama

Language Arts

Debating

ISDA

Last week Primary A and B, Year 7, 10 and Senior A ISDA teams participated in their first finals debates. Well done all for making it to this level and congratulations to Primary A, Year 7, 10 and Senior A teams who, along with Year 9, are progressing. Year 7 and 10 remain undefeated. This Friday’s ISDA finals will be held face to face, at Shore. Debaters and parents will have been contacted regarding travel arrangements and other details.

FED

Last week we held the first of the FED Finals rounds at Pymble via Zoom. Special thanks to both Year 8 teams who made it to their finals after a busy week at camp. Year 7A, 8B, and Senior A have all progressed. Pymble will host the Semi-Finals this Friday face to face in the KM building. Congratulations teams and coaches. Parents are welcome. All must scan in and food will not be served. Masks are optional.

Special Request

Additional Archdale, FED and ISDA debaters are required this Friday at Pymble to Chair and time all semi-final FED debates. If your team has not progressed and you would like to assist, please contact Mrs Hubbard. We need you!

Archdale

The Archdale season commenced last Tuesday. Welcome to our new teams and coaches.  As Year 8 were on camp for Round 1 make-up debates will be organised for 8A and 8B teams and affected debaters and parents will be emailed alternate arrangements. Timings for all Archdale are as follows:

Most training sessions will occur prior to debates. There will be one to one and half hours prior to the debate and half an hour following the debate. The canteen will be open on Tuesdays. Results for Round Two on the topic of Australian Politics will be published next week.

Farewell to Senior Debaters – High Tea

The farewell dinner planned for June 11 has been changed to Thursday 17 June and rather than a dinner, a high tea at Avondale has been organised. Invitations will be sent to all Debaters in Years 10, 11 and 12. It is hoped all Senior FED, Archdale and ISDA debaters will be able to join us at this fun event. We are pleased to also be inviting parents of Year 10, 11 and 12 Debaters.  After a year and a half of Zoom Debating, we are looking forward to this special event.

PESA Public Speaking

Chloe Hoang performed at the Plain English-Speaking competition at Normanhurst Boys’ High and is now through to the Regional Finals at Lewisham on Tuesday 25 May. Congratulations Chloe.

Mock Trial

Well done to our Mock Trial team for a great first trial against Masada. Thank you to the team and coach, Mr Moynihan. The next Mock Trial is against Loreto Normanhurst on 25 May. Those in Archdale teams may have to see Mrs Hubbard regarding a sub.

Mock Mediation

The next Mediation scenario has been released and the team is working hard preparing their script.

Mrs Bronwyn Hubbard

Head of Language Arts

Music

Thank You for The Music – Term 2 Ensemble Concert

The Music department is excited to produce the Term 2 Secondary School Ensemble Concert – Thank you for the Music on Wednesday 16 June. It has been more than 18 months since many of the College Music ensembles have played in the GMCPA theatre.

From Dvorak to Gospel, this will be a wonderful night of musical entertainment and excellence.

We will also be farewelling our talented Year 12 Music students and acknowledging their contribution to the College Co-curricular Music program.

This is a free event and no booking is required. We hope to see you there.

YOU’RE WELCOME! – Moana is coming to Pymble in three weeks

For one night only on June 3 at 6.30pm in the GMCPA, Year 8 Elective Music will present the Disney musical, Moana JR. The production is part of the Broadway Junior series and is 60 minutes in length.

Moana is the story of a young girl who is destined to become chief of her island, Montanui. With supplies of fish and coconuts running low on the island, she decides to “take on the world”. She sets sail to the far ends of the ocean to retrieve the heart of the sea. First, she must convince her parents that she is brave enough to do this and face the dangers of going beyond the island shelf into the ocean – much like a Pymble girl “changing the world”!

Tickets will be on sale through the GMCPA box office LINK. Please come along with your family and enjoy some wonderful music performed by some very talented young ladies.

Mr Kurt Schweinberger

Head of Co-curricular Music

Extended Learning

Cattle Team

Easter Show

In the last week of Term 1, the Pymble Cattle Team competed at the Royal Easter Show. The girls worked tirelessly making sure the steers were comfortable and our stands were tidy. Pymble pride was shown when informing the public about Pymble as a school and the Pymble Cattle Team.

The Pymble girls all had an amazing time at the Easter show, enjoying the rides in their breaks, getting to know other competitors, and having discussions about Pymble and the cattle. For some of the Cattle Team members this was their first Easter show, they were able to quickly adapt to the fast-paced environment and help out wherever they could.

The steers, Rugrat, Rib and Quin were competitive entrants. They all scored highly both in the ring and on the hook.

Placing for the classes:

• Rib placed 2nd in his Middleweight section
• Rugrat placed 1st in his Lightweight class

Placing for Hook:

• Quin came 6th in the trade class
• Quin won a silver medallion for his carcasses and won champion virtual taste test carcasses
• Rib came 3rd in his class on hook
• Rugrat came 1st in his class on hook

In the auction Rib and Rugrat were also extremely successful, Rugrat went for $6.10 per live weight kilograms and Rib went for $6.70 live weight kilograms. The steers did amazingly well and were major competitors at the show.

We were also able to enter three girls into the paraders class – Jemima Burney (Year 10), Safia Arslan (Year 10) competed in the RAS/ASC Beef Cattle Paraders’ Competition and Victoria Graves (Year 12) competed in the School Paraders Competition. Victoria was Highly commended in her class, Jemima and Safia coming close to placing in a highly competitive class.

Overall, the girls all had a great time getting to show off what Pymble can do in the cattle world and show what we have to offer.

Victoria Graves (Year 12)

Captain – Cattle Team

Introducing the Pymble Pod

Recording is officially underway for the College’s podcast – PYMBLE POD: LISTEN TO US CHANGE THE WORLD!

Our team of hosts are from Years 7 to 12 and yesterday the first episode was recorded. We are extremely excited to begin sharing this with you, so stay tuned! For now, here are the names of our spectacular hosts… 

Year 7 

• Delaney Burke 
• Rosa Kim 
• Layne Phillips 

Year 8 

• Emily Abadee 
• Madeline Taylor 
• Sienna Hui 
• Rebecca Ryan  

Year 9  

• Eleni Vassiliadis 
• Emma Parsons 
• Romina Cooke 
• Amelie Matthews 

Year 10 

• Jessie Qin 
• Angela Ye 
• Sasha Wong 

Year 11 

• Ingrid Kim 
• Samadhi Siriniwasa

Year 12  

• Claire Browning 
• Vivian Wen 
• Sambavi Sasikaran 

From the Communications Prefects

We are halfway through the halfway term of the year, but the fun at Pymble won’t be slowing down any time soon…

There are plenty of student-led events coming up, such as the exciting annual Languages Week. Our Classics Captains, Deblina and Cia (Year 11) have worked incredibly hard to organise events for the week – here is Deblina to share some interesting thoughts about Languages Week and being a subject captain. 

What language do you study and why did you choose it? 

Hi, my name’s Deblina and I am one of the Classics Captains for 2021. I study Latin at school and am thoroughly enjoying the course this year. Personally, I chose to do Latin as I was intrigued by it – the culture, the life of Romans and the language itself. There’s this significance to it, especially since it’s the mother of most European languages, including English. 

What motivated you to be a subject captain? 

My motivation to becoming Classics Captain stemmed from the idea of ‘having a go’. If I’ll be totally honest, I had no other intention other than ‘Why not?’ and I certainly did not expect the role at all. Genuinely, it was a complete shock. But I am grateful that I was chosen, and the teachers could see my interest in the subject and what I could bring to the role. 

Why do we hold Languages Week? 

As you may have heard, Languages Week is coming up! There is a lot of planning happening now to get ready for the week. The purpose of having Languages Week is to encourage students to get involved in languages and we want to spark an interest in students to immerse themselves in different languages. Due to the pandemic, our ability to experience other cultures has shut down for the next few years, so Languages Week is the perfect opportunity to get close to a new way of life! 

What can we expect from Languages Week? 

We don’t want to give too much away but get keen because there will be plenty of cultural games, competitions and food to look forward to! 

Speaking of food, out of the languages we offer (Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese and Greek) which cuisine is your favourite? 

This is a hard one. But I will have to go with Chinese – probably because I’m craving it right now, but it’s definitely a top choice anyway. 

Captains of Wellbeing 

Yesterday, the Captains of Wellbeing brought us one of the most exciting Combined Assemblies ever to be held. To promote the spirit of wellbeing, the COWs jazzed up the 60-minute Assembly and brought in Zumba instructor, Christine Taylor, for two songs worth of dancing.  

“The goal for the mini-Zumba session was to boost spirit. With everyone entering assessment periods, we hoped a little dancing would help everyone destress just enough to keep on going!” Sarah Chan, Captain of Wellbeing

It was an unexpected but pleasant surprise and seeing everyone get up and dance to their heart’s content was certainly the best start to yet another hump day.  

Monique Goyen and Rachel Kang

Communications Prefects

Years 10 and 11 Drama performance

Adventure Sports

Grab a friend and have a go at our Adventure Sports!

Mountain Biking

Skills – Confidence – Enjoyment

Learn to Mountain Bike! 

• Develop a lifelong passion
• ‘Boss lady’ skills
• Build self-confidence
• Mental and physical challenges

Visit chocolatefoot.com.au for more information.

Orienteering

Grow – Explore – Discover

• Lifelong skills
• Map reading
• Build self-confidence
• Mental and physical challenges
• Get your family involved!

Visit boldhorizons.com.au for more information. 

For more information email Ms Claire Foote at claire.foote@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Ms Claire Foote

Experiential Learning Assistant

From Out of School Hours Care

This term our program has been focusing on a different country each week. The countries were chosen by the girls in Term 1. The theme is ‘where in the world’?

Each week we will be making crafts that relate to the countries and doing cooking and sporting activities.

Week 1 – Japan week

Week 2 – New Zealand week

Miss Alexandra Ibbotson

Educational Leader

Pymble compression tights

Pymble-branded compression tights are now available at the uniform shop. These tights feature reflective logos for visibility, as well as offering UPF 50+ sun protection and are constructed from moisture-wicking fabric. 

Girls from Years 5 to 12 will be permitted to wear sports tights during practical PDHPE lessons and sports training. Tights may not be worn when representing the College unless specified by the relevant Head Coach. 

The tights cost $95 and are available in sizes XXS to XL. Click here to purchase. 

Sony Camp Bake Sale – Saturday 22 May

Are you able to help us with our Sony Camp fundraising event? We will be holding a bake sale on Saturday 22 May at the Ku-ring-gai Netball Courts in Turramurra. All funds raised will go towards the Pymble-Shore Sony Camp. Donations can include items such as whole cakes, cupcakes, slices, biscuits, toffees, crackles or any other specialties you might have!

Sony Camp 2021 will be the tenth annual Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp hosted by Pymble and Shore Year 11 students, with the assistance of our community. Sony Camp provides much-needed respite for the parents and siblings of children with a disability by delivering a fun-filled four-day experience for the children. The Camp relies on the generous donations of our school community.

If you are able to assist, could you please complete this short google form to allow us to anticipate donations.

Many thanks for your support. Every donation will make a difference.

The Sony Camp Committee

Year 8 Elective Music performance

Careers, Courses, Competitions and Sponsorships

Careers

National Careers Week 2021 

Monday 17 May 2021 to Sunday 23 May 2021

National Careers Week is an initiative of the Career Industry Council of Australia and aims to celebrate careers, career development, career development services, and career development practitioners. 

It also promotes the economic, social and personal benefits of career development for all Australians. NCW develops heaps of fantastic resources each year that can support you when thinking about your future. This year, they have created handy information sheets that provide useful tips, information and exercises about careers and your future. 

Check out the three attached here. 

1. How to start your career using social media 
2. Five steps to getting your career started  
3. Making the big decisions – choosing subjects and courses 

UTS Co-op Presentation 

Alumni Kate Woolley (2018) is in her second year at UTS on their Co-op Scholarship program. 

See attached for information on this excellent program. 

UNSW Coop Program Presentation  

During Directions I have been presenting the UAC application process. All slides will be available for students to review on the Virtual Classroom after next week. 

Upcoming Presentation at Pymble during Lunch in the Jobson Lecture Theatre 

• Monash via Zoom, 20 May
• University College Melbourne, 25 May
• UNE in person, 3 June 
• Melbourne University in person, 7 June 
• Newman College, 10 June  

Open Days  

iCanStudy | How to Reduce Your Notes by 80 per cent 

Saturday 22 May, 1.00pm to 3.00pm 

UOW College | Online Info Session
25 May 2021, 5.30pm to 6.30pm – online 

University of Sydney | Languages at Sydney: Go Global 2021 

Wednesday 26 May, 4.00pm to 4.30pm – online 

Sydney Design School | Open Day 

Saturday 29 May, 10.00am 

Sydney Design School, St Leonards 

ARTiculate – HSC Shakespeare Seminars 

Tuesday 1 June, 5.00pm to Thursday 3 June, 7.00pm 

ACPE | Open Day 

Saturday 5 June, 10.00am to 1.00pm 

CQUni | TAFE Information Session, Online 

Tuesday 8 June, 12.00pm to 1.00pm – online 

UOW College | Nursing Online Info Session
22 June 2021, 5.30pm to 6.30pm – online 

UOW | Year 12 Online Information Evening 

Tuesday 29 June, 6.00pm 

ACU | Exploring the ‘big questions’ 

Thursday 1 July, 10.00am to 11.00am – online 

ACU | Starting your business and IT degree: what you need to know 

Monday 5 July, 10.00am to 11.00am – online 

ACU | Five good reasons to study criminology 

Wednesday 7 July, 2.00pm to 3.00pm – online 

ACU | From Uni to the Workplace – How to Land a Job During and After Uni
8 July 2021, 6.00pm  – online 

ARTiculate – Health Economics to support understanding microeconomics 

Tuesday 20 July, 4.00pm to 4.45pm – online 

University of Newcastle | Open Days
Ourimbah: 31 July 2021, 10.00am to 3.00pm
Callaghan and City: 28 August 2021, 10.00am to 3.00pm

AIT | Open Day 

Saturday 14 August, 10.00am to 2.00pm 

SAE | Open Days
Sydney: 8 August 2021, 10.00am to 2.00pm
Byron Bay: 8 August 2021, 10.00am to 2.00pm

Workshops and Courses 

UNE | HSC Booster Day
31 May 2021, 9.00 am to 1 June 2021, 2.00 pm
University of New England, Armidale Campus

ACU | Experience ACU 

Blacktown Campus: Wednesday 30 June, 9.30am to 1.00pm 

North Sydney Campus: Tuesday 6 July, 9.30am to 1.00pm 

AFTT | Film High School Workshop

6 July 2021, 9.30am to 5.00pm
Academy of Film, Theatre & Television, Surry Hills

AFTT | Acting High School Workshop
7 July 2021, 9.30am to 5.00pm
Academy of Film, Theatre & Television, Surry Hills

AIE | Industry Experience Day

7 July 2021, 10.00am to 3.00pm

University of Sydney | Tertiary Jazz Pre-audition Workshop 

Saturday 24 July 2021, 2.00pm to 5.00pm 

Sydney Conservatorium of Music 

Scholarships 

John Bell Scholarship 

Value: Training and mentoring opportunity 

King & Amy O’Malley Trust Undergraduate Scholarship 

Value: $5,000 AUD 

Competitions 

Anzac Day Schools’ Awards 

What does commemoration look like in your community? Entries close 30 June 2021

Front Page Schools Competition 

Entry is free and is open to all Australian schools and classes. Entries close Friday 27 August. 

Anthology Photographer of the Year 2021

Entries close 31 August.

2021 Hilarie Lindsay Young Writers Competition
Entries are open until Tuesday 31 August.

Future of Fashion Design Challenge
This challenge will run until the 14 June. There are heaps of great prizes to be won.

MobileMuster Film Competition
Entries are due Monday 13 September.

Charles Sturt Advantage Early Offer Program – Opening Soon
Round one applications will be open from 3 May to 31 May.

Boroondara Literary Awards 

Entries close Friday 27 August. 

Early Offers – Not Just for High Achievers 

Early Entry Programs 

If you are doing well at school, there are lots of programs you can choose from for early entry. If you’re acing your subjects, you might like to try WSU’s True Reward Program, or SCU’s Star Early Offer Program. But as we mentioned, there are early entry programs that look at other criteria as well, not just your grades. 

Indigenous Students 

If you’re an Indigenous student, there are lots of programs out there to help you get an early offer. For example, Macquarie’s ATSIEP entry pathway lets you apply even if you don’t meet the required ATAR for your dream course. The University of Sydney’s Gadigal Program also has lower entry requirements, and other great perks like ongoing support throughout your studies. 

Leadership and Community Involvement 

Spent a lot of time volunteering while at school? Were you a school leader or sports captain? You can be rewarded for your extra efforts with an early offer to uni. Macquarie’s Leaders and Achievers scheme is perfect for people who have shown leadership qualities and commitment, or if you’ve been school captain or dux you might like to apply for the University of Sydney’s Future Leaders scheme. 

Notre Dame University Young Achievers Early Offer 2022 Program
Applications are now open to Notre Dame University’s Young Achievers Early Offer Program. This is your opportunity to secure a place at Notre Dame before you even sit your final exams. To apply, you need to gather your Year 11 and 12 results, any non-academic achievements, and answer a few easy questions about yourself. The Early Offer Program is open to students looking to study at both the Fremantle and Sydney campuses. Offers are released between July and September.
Applications are open until Wednesday 1 September.

Portfolio entry 

University of Canberra’s portfolio entry pathway. Or if you’re a budding musician, the University of Sydney’s Creative Arts Special Admission Scheme. 

Other Options 

There are heaps of other programs for all sorts of students. CSU’s Charles Sturt Advantage allows you to get an early offer based on your soft skills, while CQUni’s Prinicpal’s Recommendation Scheme lets you receive an offer based on a recommendation from your principal. Some programs let you complete short courses and base your entry on your results from those, such as La Trobe’s Prepare for La Trobe program. You could also apply using your Year 11 results for some programs, like Murdoch’s Year 12 Early Offer Program. 

Get Your Uni Applications in Early 

Heaps of courses in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory are now open for application through UAC – and if you apply before 30 September you can take advantage of their early bird fees.  

Applications for courses in Western Australia are also currently open through TISC. 

Lots of universities have also opened direct applications for 2022, such as ANU and Notre Dame. 

Mrs Katrina O’Kelly

Futures Advisor Years 5 -12 

Preparatory and Junior School Focus Groups

As you know, the College has made the decision to combine our Preparatory and Junior Schools into what will become known as our Junior School for girls in Kindergarten to Year 6. This will take effect from Term 1 2022.

In anticipation of this transition, we will be conducting small focus groups with current Preparatory and Junior School parents to get your feedback and to identify areas for enhancement. Our focus groups will be held in the Junior School Library at the following session times:

Each focus group will be small, however, we are happy to hold more groups after these dates if there is lots of interest from our parent community to be involved in this process.

COVID-19 Update

To comply with NSW Health regulations, all families are reminded of the following: 

• Until further notice any girl over 12 years of age will be required to wear a face mask on public or Pymble private transport
• It is the personal responsibility of students to provide their own mask while travelling to and from school and while attending excursions
• We will be reinforcing with the girls the importance of hand washing and sanitising when arriving at campus, while on campus and when leaving the campus
• You will be required to sign in using the QR Codes when entering the College grounds as a condition of entry. Pymble staff may ask to see the green tick on the Service NSW app. 
• If you are unwell or experiencing symptoms, please reschedule your visit to the College for a later date.
• Please keep 1.5 metres from all staff when entering the College and promote hand hygiene within your family. 
• Any girl over 12 years of age will be required to wear a face mask on public or Pymble private transport. 
• If your daughter is unwell, please keep her at home and have her tested. We request that even if your daughter has the slightest sniffle, cough or sore throat, she still requires a COVID-19 test.
• While you are welcome back on campus, we ask that you do not film or photograph your daughter or any other child while on campus.

Indigenous Round

From the College Uniform Shop

Full winter uniform is now to be worn until the end of Term 3. This includes the navy blazer, which is a compulsory garment to be worn to and from school in Terms 2 and 3.

Uniform Shop purchases can be made here: https://shop.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au/

Important Uniform Notes

• Girls in Kindergarten to Year 8 wear the winter tunic with a plain white pointed collar blouse and tie.
• Kindergarten to Year 6 girls have the choice of knee high black socks or 70 denier black opaque tights.
• All Secondary School girls wear 70 denier black opaque tights.
• Years 9 and 10 girls wear the winter skirt with a plain white pointed collar blouse and tie.
• Years 11 and 12 girls wear the skirt with the long sleeve tartan trim long sleeve blouse and tie.
• The navy blazer and winter navy hat MUST be worn to and from school each day.

Activate Family Zone Account

Parents and carers of Years 2 to 7 girls should have received an invitation to accept their Familyzone Premium Licence, which is paid for by the College. Thank you to the families who have already accepted this invitation. This important tool gives parents the ability to receive a weekly snapshot of their daughter’s internet usage, manage screen time and access to apps, set times for work and play, and receive real-time alerts and reports. If you have not received this invitation or would like some more information, please contact the College IT Department or Familyzone Customer Support.

Please make use of the College Cybersafety Hub for up-to-date app reviews and other helpful cyber safety information: https://pymblelc.cybersafetyhub.com.au/family-zone/getting-started.

Cyber Safety Hub

Your family, your school and cyber safety

Our school recognises that children today are growing up in an increasingly online world and that it’s important that we do more to support and guide them to navigate this digital landscape.

Successfully developing healthy and responsible digital citizens requires a holistic approach, and that’s why our school’s cyber safety ecosystem allows us to work collaboratively with you to support your children’s digital development and provide the advice and support you need.

Click here to access the Pymble Cyber Safety Hub.

From the Director of Community Engagement

This week has been been filled with community connections as we welcomed more than 1,000 parents, carers, grandparents and friends across a number of events!

With the great weather we have been having it was a perfect day on Tuesday to hold the Grandparents Picnic for Preparatory and Junior School students. It was a delight watching the girls interact with their grandparents and share a picnic on Main Oval.

Today we held our McGrath Foundation Morning Tea to raise much-needed funds for breast care nurses. We welcomed around 500 parents and carers to share morning tea with their daughters. A big pink shout-out to our student captains of Community Service Alison Cook, Elizabeth Gan and Hannah Grogan for running the day so smoothly, and for rallying the student volunteers to add a splash of pink on Main Oval. The counting is still taking place, however, so far we have raised more than $5,000! Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket or made a donation.

Coming up we also have:

• Year 12 2020 leavers reunion tomorrow evening 21 May from 6.00pm. 
• PSPG Fundraising Stall at the Preparatory School Athletics carnival on Tuesday 25 May with proceeds to go to Bear Cottage. For donations please click here to register.
• JSPG Year 6 Parent Daughter Masquerade Dance: Saturday 29 May, 6.00pm to 9.00pm. Main Hall, Pymble Ladies’ College – please click here to register.
• PPA Trivia Night: Saturday 5 June at Hornsby RSL. Theme this year is the Letter P, so get a team together or come solo, everyone is welcome. Please Click here to register.

Welcome back Catherine

Today we had a lovely visit from one of our Alumni, Dr Catherine Yang. You may remember Catherine from our recent advertising campaign, or from the memorable speech she made to students across K-12 at this year’s Foundation Day. Catherine joined us today for a cupcake at the Mother’s Day morning tea and was blown away and humbled that so many girls remembered her and her message of gratitude.

Parent portal focus groups

We would like to invite you to attend an online focus group to help us further streamline communications here at Pymble and ensure that we are building the best MyPymble Parent Portal and App to meet the needs of your family.

If you could please spare five minutes to complete the attached survey and/or attend a 30-minute online session on the available dates:

Register your attendance and complete the online survey here.

We greatly appreciate your time and commitment to ensuring we provide families with the most efficient Pymble platforms possible.

For more information on events please don’t hesitate to contact us at communityenagement@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.  

Mrs Kelly Mancey

Director – Community Engagement 

Alumni News

On a beautiful autumn morning, we were thrilled to be able to invite back to the College a group of lovely ex-students for a tour and morning tea. It was wonderful to see the range in leaving years (from very recent 2019 leavers through to 1973 leavers) and to see how the bonds of Pymble have connected them all.  

We visited familiar areas of the College and also newer developments, both of which evoked fond memories and created new ones.

We love to welcome our ex-students back to the College for them to spend time remembering, reminiscing and for us to appreciate their contribution to our wonderful school.

Mrs Katrina Corcoran

Alumni Relations Manager

From the Pymble Parent Association

Trivia – Saturday 5 June at Hornsby RSL at 6.00pm

The seats for the Trivia Night are selling well with more than half the seats sold! Don’t regret not buying a table (ten people) or individual seats. Would love to have a table or two from each year group represented on the night. We hope you are all starting to warm up for the night by watching The Chaser and Who wants to be a Millionaire. Remember the theme is the letter ‘P’.

Donations for the winning team, best dressed, winner of heads or tails and a few raffles would be greatly appreciated. All funds raised from the night allow the PPA to fund teachers’ development (such as allowing a teacher or two to go on a further development course each year) and prizes at prize giving e.g. the Vicki Walers prize. Donations can be dropped off at each school office.

Examples of donations:

• Wine, whiskey, gin etc
• Tea
• Candles
• Chocolates
• Adventure vouchers – e.g. Bridge climb, jet boating on the harbour etc.
• Movie tickets
• Uber Eats/Menulog vouchers
• Photographic packages – family photo shoots
• Personal service vouchers – facials, massages, spa days etc.
• Entertainment vouchers – Sydney Theatre, Hamilton tickets etc.

Please register here 

To all those parents that attended the Big Morning Tea today, we hope you were able to enjoy a cup of tea with your daughter. All proceeds from the day are going to the McGrath Foundation, the school’s charity for this year.

Pymble in Young

PPA Trivia Night

Year 6 Masquerade Dance

105 Years of Pymble

To mark 105 years since the foundation of Pymble Ladies’ College, College Archivist Enid O’Carroll will share a piece of Pymble history in the Newsletter each week – 105 Objects in 105 Years.

1945 – victory medal and text book

A well-worn edition of Outlines of Physical Geology by Chester Longwell, tells a story of grateful students, and a dedicated teacher. The book plate notes the owner as Heather Drummond. It bears an inscription from 14 senior students expressing their gratitude to Miss Drummond for an excursion to Jenolan Caves April 26, 1945. Repaired with red binding tape clearly a valued and treasured resource. Miss Drummond joined the teaching staff at Pymble in 1941. Students described such events with:

…vigour and stamina required for excursions, lest a familiar tartan-skirted figure should be seen animatedly talking from a mountain top whilst lesser mortals were still toiling upward!

Other excursions noted in the magazine for 1945 include a Chemistry excursion to the Australian Glass Manufacturers’ works at Waterloo. Mention is made of the Pyrex section and its properties suited to bowls and ovenware.  While class V1F went on a city excursion taking in Darling Harbour, Pyrmont Bridge and Woolloomooloo Bay all unrecognisable to today’s vistas. Travelling about the city on foot in crocodile, bus and tram, with a stop at the Mitchell Library then back to Pymble on the train, via Wynyard.

A symbol of peace, the victory medal given to Australian school children marks the end of the war years.  The medal features a Knight with sword with an outline of Australia as the backdrop.  The flip side depicts the southern hemisphere with Australia, Antarctic, New Zealand, South Africa and South America. The medal and the Longwell Geology text form part of the Heritage Collection.

1946 – Brass Gongs

One of the most unique artefacts in the Heritage Collection are the brass gongs. Created and gifted to the school in 1946 by Lt Archer, from the crew of HMA ML822. Given in thanks for the support the College provided in the time of war. They were presented by Lt Archer on the 8 May 1946 at morning assembly.

The gongs are made from three spent shell cases from a Rolls Royce two-pounder gun. The chains suspending the gongs are from the skipper’s bathroom plug, the rods from the engine room and Bakelite base from the wireless cabin. For many years they were proudly displayed on the Principal’s lectern in the Assembly Hall.

The gongs were used in the 2016 performance of Aurora – Centenary Gala Concert held at the Opera House. The hammer fashioned from timber taken from the bilges went missing many years ago. Recently our TAS Technical Assistant (Workshops) has recreated it. Using images and CNC milling equipment Will Frohlich created a replica hammer in Tasmanian oak, stained with oak stain and bees’ wax. Again, the beautiful tone of the gongs rings out.

Pymble Business Directory – Now Live

The College is pleased to announce to current families the Pymble Business Directory. The Pymble Business Directory will allow Pymble families to advertise your business or service to our Pymble family. We will also be offering this opportunity to our Alumni newsletter Jacaranda Post at the end of Term. 

Businesses who have registered can now be found on the Pymble website here. 

To list your business please complete the attached form.

With your support we hope the Pymble Business Directory will grow to become a valuable resource to our Pymble families. 

Illuminate

The articles will take readers into classrooms from Kindergarten in the Preparatory School to Year 12 in the Senior School, from Drama to Science to the Library. We invite you to enjoy this insight into the depth and diversity of innovation in our learning environments and our commitment to sustainable capacity building.

Keeping Up With Our Boarders

Parent Handbook 2021

Our Parent Handbook provides a quick and easy reference for families on all things Pymble. We encourage all our families to familiarise themselves with the handbook.

Should you have any questions or require further clarification on any of the information contained in the handbook, please contact communityengagement@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.