From the Principal

daydream

noun: a visionary fancy indulged in while awake; reverie

It’s great to be back for the final term of the year. Judging by their energy, our students have returned recharged and ready for an action-packed end to their year, too.

During the break, I read a thought-provoking piece of research for the master’s degree I have been working towards since the start of the year. The paper proposed the notion that daydreaming a positive scenario or outcome could be the yang that counters the yin in relation to a problem in your life. Yin, of course, being the negative, hidden, passive and contracting aspect and yang representing the positive, obvious, active and expansive in Chinese philosophy. According to this philosophy, to understand and deal with any issue well, you must understand its yin and yang and how these aspects interact.

The idea resonated with me on multiple occasions throughout the week. On Sunday night, I countered the worries I harboured about all the things that could possibly go wrong in the term ahead (the yin) with the yang of imagining seeing our beautiful students on campus again and spending time with them in Term 4. In the wake of the resignation of our fabulous Senior Deputy Principal, Julie Shaw, I reflected with the girls that I often regard Julie as the energetic and positive yang to my yin – especially when I am dealing with the nitty gritty of school leadership and feeling a bit locked away in my office.

Julie’s decision to step away from a role she has upheld in her own inimitable style for 13 years has led to a re-evaluation of our school leadership structure and careful consideration of how we ensure continuity of excellence now and in relation to our plans for the future. Subsequently, we have made a few strategic changes to our Senior Executive team, which were communicated to you this week. If you missed my notice on Wednesday, please click here for the overview.

The big news this week is, of course, the commencement of HSC examinations for Year 12. It was wonderful to see the girls approach each day with to-be-expected nervous excitement along with a quiet calm and confidence, the hallmarks of a well-prepared cohort. Could HSC exams be the yin to the yang of our girls’ hopes and dreams for their future? Both are necessary to move into their next stage of life, and it’s interesting to consider daydreaming about the future as a balance to the intense final HSC exams. Food for thought in any case.

Speaking of teens…

Last night’s parent information session, Speaking of Teens: Holding Onto Love presented a smorgasbord of food for thought for parents when it comes to dealing with tricky teenage issues.

Interestingly, two of our experts mentioned the value of thinking and daydreaming time for our young people. Author Madonna King’s comment, “Let’s give them time to lie on the trampoline and ruminate,” echoed the notion of using seemingly idle thinking time as a way of finding balance and possibly the first step towards resolving an issue playing on your daughter’s mind.

Brad Marshall (aka The Unplugged Psychologist) similarly reflected: “It’s okay for our kids to be bored; to stare at the wall and watch paint dry sometimes.” This provides space for imagining a scenario that may counter a negative story in their mind, as per the yin and yang daydream theory.

Please click here for a summary of the practical advice and suggested approaches shared at the event.

A huge thank you to all our panellists, including Pymble parent John Vassiliadis who moderated the discussion with wisdom, compassion and humour in all the right places. Without our Deputy Principal – Students, Lamia Rockwell and her team, and the Community Engagement team, this event would not have happened. An equally big thank you to the many parents who joined us to have this incredibly important conversation about leading our teenagers through complex issues, in a complex world, with love.

Focus groups for parents

Speaking of important conversations, in Week 6 I will be hosting a series of five focus groups for parents and carers to discuss ‘what’s working well’ and what would be ‘even better if…’ at Pymble.

These groups are intentionally small to ensure all participants have a voice. Translators are available on request in the two sessions marked with an asterisk.

The sessions will be held on:

Monday 14 November: 2.30pm*
Tuesday 15 November: 7.30am
Wednesday 16 November: 9.00am, 2.00pm*, 5.00pm.

Please click here to join a session.

Festival of Speech is back – and the girls need your help!

It is always a joy to showcase the power and passion of student voice, and this year’s Festival of Speech feels like an extra special treat. After COVID-19 moved the event to an online format for the past two years, we are looking forward to welcoming competitors from 27 girls’ schools to Pymble for the resumption of the face-to-face competition from Friday 21 October to Saturday 22 October 2022.

Open to students in Years 7 to 11, the festival offers a friendly and competitive platform for participants to develop the core competencies that are critical to their achievements both within and beyond their lives at school. These include critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, citizenship and character. Don’t just take my word for it, though. This is the perfect occasion for Pymble students to define the value of Language Arts activities in their lives.

“Language Arts is a large part of my identity. When I introduce myself, when people ask about my hobbies, I always say ‘Debating’ first.”  Angie Wang – Year 11

 “In Debating, we have opportunity to question, seek to understand and think about solutions to the issues that we see around us. I have developed skills in, for lack of a better name, productive skepticism. Faye Chang – Year 12

“Language Arts is about questioning ourselves and the world, seeing the unbiased truth and creating solutions through a strictly open-minded and nuanced perspective. It is something that will always be a prominent part of my life, and I hope to share this with as many others as possible.” Maya Garg – Year 9

Thank you to our Head of Language Arts, Bronwyn Hubbard, for all her hard work in organising this event, the many students and parents who have volunteered to assist, and our fabulous Facilities, Community Engagement and other staff for making it all happen.

We still need more student and parent volunteers to ensure the day runs smoothly, so if you are interested in helping out and learning more about Language Arts in the process, please sign up via the forms below.

Parent volunteer sign-up

Student volunteer sign-up

We look forward to a wonderful display of Language Arts talent when the festival begins. Who knows, perhaps the debating, public speaking and other sessions might spark some productive daydreaming for you.

Signing off with a heart full of joy – joy at having our students back on campus, joy at seeing our staff fully engaged in supporting our students, and joy that HSC exams have started smoothly.

Dr Kate Hadwen

Principal

From our Chaplains

Welcome to Term 4 and the final one for 2022! Our special prayers this term will be for our Year 12s who will be busy with their HSC exams.  Monday was World Mental Health Day and, as we think about this, I hope you can find moments to just be and spend time nourishing yourself. This is also the term when the Church/Christian calendar moves to a new year during the season of Advent.

This month, our Jewish community has celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles following Yom Kippur, while our Hindu community has recently celebrated Dusshera and is preparing for the festival of lights, Diwali. Our prayers and blessings are upon all who celebrate during this holy season.

The movement of seasons and life is constant, and I am mindful that some of our journeys are pain-filled needing attention and healing. As we move together through this term, we pray God’s blessing upon all of us, especially our children as we continue to grow in community, caring and involving ourselves in the business of love.

Blessings and peace.

Reverend Punam Bent
College Chaplain

From the Director of Student Learning (Years 7-10)

Vision Valley Residential Program (Year 9)

Our next group of Pioneers will leave for Vision Valley on Sunday 23 October, returning on Friday 18 November.

Any missed assessment tasks for students attending will receive an estimate; however, any hand-in tasks or major works that are currently underway must be submitted prior to departure.

Year 10 Term 4 Examinations and Study Day (Year 10) 

Year 10 examinations will take place in Week 4 with catch-up examinations scheduled for early Week 5.

Year 10 students are granted a study day on Friday 28 October and are expected to study from home. 

Should you wish for your child to be at school for their study day, please email the Upper School Office at least two days prior so we can arrange rooming and supervision, as required. Note: students who study on campus are expected to remain at school for the entirety of the day and should not plan to come late or depart early.

A copy of the exam timetable has been emailed to students along with the examination protocols and procedures; you can access these documents by clicking on the respective links below:

• Year 10 Term 4 2022 Examination Timetable
• Year 10 Term 4 2022 Examination Procedures
• Year 10 Term 4 2022 Examination FAQs

Jake Plaskett

Director of Student Learning (Years 7-10)

From the Director of Student Learning (Years 11 to 12)

HSC exams have begun!

On Wednesday morning, our fabulous 2022 Year 12 cohort started their HSC Exams with English Paper 1 and 2, Japanese, Music 1 and Music 2. They are to be congratulated on the calm and mature way they have approached all their exams so far.  

The NESA invigilators who supervise the exams have been so impressed by their gracious manners and willingness to follow instructions.  

 Post exam comments have included: 

“There were no surprises – I felt well prepared” 

“The essay question in Paper 1 was broad so I could show off what I had studied”  

“I am glad that this one is over, I am giving myself a couple of hours rest, then onto the next one” 

My very best wishes for continued success over the next couple of weeks. Please refer to the Pymble Valete Handbook if you have any questions about HSC Procedures, Futures and Career information and Key Dates.  

The new Year 12 2023 cohort has returned with a motivated and determined approach from day one. For some wise advice on how to study smarter not harder, please refer to this article from Dr Jared Cooney Horvath, an educational neuroscientist from the University of Melbourne.  

In the first part of this term, students will be working on motivational mapping and organisation to set them up for success in Year 12.  

Mrs Natasha Stanfield

Director of Student Learning (Years 11-12)

From the Director – Pymble Institute

Year 9 Vision Valley Longstay program

Research program and early insights

I was recently privileged to participate in the pioneering Vision Valley Year 9 longstay five day trek, The Great Return, with a fantastic group of students. I am very pleased I survived the walk! It was physically challenging and a very different way to spend my working week but I had some ulterior motives driving me on! As Director of the Pymble Institute, where I lead the College’s research program, I am also part of the team designing and implementing the research project into outdoor education and I wanted to gain first-hand experience of the program and practice some field-based data collection.

The study is assessing measures of courage, stress and resilience and data is being collected from participating Pymble students and their parents, as well as school leaders from both Pymble and Riverview. Quantitative input comes from pre and post online surveys and feedback forms and qualitative measures include individual interviews, focus groups, photographs, video, diaries and drawings.

Early insights

Fieldwork requires a range of data collection methods. In this chart, demonstrating one way of collecting data without technology and within the constructs of the program, students rate themselves out of 10 to describe ‘where they’re at’. In this example, the average ‘Start of program’ rating is 6.4/10, which increases to 8.5/10 at the end of the program (N=19).

The pre/post survey (N=44), which was administered online on the first Monday of the program and again in the first week back at school, showed evidence of a slight increase in the mean score drawing from a 7-item scale, ‘Academic Resilience’ (Marsh & Martin, 2008).

These snippets give a taste of the types of insights we will receive from the research project which will aid in improving the program. I look forward to sharing much more comprehensive insights with parents, students and staff in the near future.

Dr Sarah Loch

Director – The Pymble Institute

COVID-19 Response Plans and Advice

Please note the following health and safety guidelines for students and staff in Term 3.

Stay at home if unwell

Students and staff are asked to stay at home if they have any COVID, cold or flu symptoms. Please do not allow your daughter to attend campus until she is symptom-free in addition to having returned a negative RAT result.

If your daughter is not well enough to attend school, please follow the normal process of reporting the absence to her teacher/sub school via the MyPymble app.

Testing positive

If the result of your daughter’s RAT (or PCR test) is positive, please follow the normal College procedure of emailing health@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au and reporting the absence to the relevant teacher/sub school via the MyPymble app.

As of Friday 9 September, the isolation period following a positive RAT or PCR test has been reduced to five days. If students still have symptoms after five days, they should continue to isolate. Students should continue to register a positive RAT result with NSW Health.

Changes to reinfection period

NSW Health has revised the COVID-19 reinfection period from 12 weeks to four weeks, effective immediately.

This means a person who has previously had COVID-19 will be required to re-test for COVID-19 from 28 days after their last isolation period ended if they experience symptoms. A positive result is regarded as a new case, which must be reported as such, and the person will need to follow the relevant health advice again.

Masks

• Students and staff are required to wear a mask at large indoor gatherings, such as assemblies and Chapel services.
• Students who travel to school via public transport or the Pymble Bus Service must wear a mask at all times during transit.
• Masks are strongly encouraged, especially in situations where it is difficult to maintain adequate distance between you and others.
• Students are encouraged to pack a supply of masks for each day.

Hand hygiene

• Sanitiser will continue to be provided at key points around the College.
  
• Unmissable new posters have been placed around campus encouraging frequent handwashing.

COVID boosters and flu shots

• Students who are due for a COVID-19 booster shot are encouraged to have their next vaccination.
• We encourage all eligible students who haven’t had a flu shot yet to do so, as the health authorities are also predicting a substantial flu season.

 Any further information or advice for Term 3 will continued to be shared by notifications via the MyPymble app.

From the Junior School

From our Head of Junior School

Welcome to Term 4! I am delighted to welcome Crystal (Year 2), Sissi (Year 4) and Evelyn (Year 6) to our Junior School family this term and extend a warm welcome to their families. It always makes me proud when I see how our girls reach out with kindness to new members to our Junior School family and help them feel connected and settled.

This term, our focus is on leaving a trail of kindness wherever we go, and as you now all know, we are hoping to travel far on our kindness mission with a ‘walk’ to the moon by Friday 11 November. Please help us and support your daughter as she walks, swims, dances, hops, bounces, runs or skips her way through the next month as part of our community mission to stretch our kindness message all the way to the moon! Please click here to see a link to the journal your daughter will be bringing home on Friday to record her kilometres travelled. Archie has promised to do his bit to help us on our mission!

The girls have come back hungry for learning, and already this week I’ve had the honour of sharing French lessons with Year 6 where I learnt lots of new vocabulary through a fun quick draw game and been on a spice discovery trail with Year 3. Year 1 have begun to investigate the features of living things and their environments, starting off by examining seeds using magnifying glasses. Kindergarten enjoyed exploring different materials and talking about the different textures and colours of each material.  Year 4 have started to read their novel Blueback by Tim Winton and are writing persuasive letters to their teachers about why their holiday was the best!

A new baby in our Junior School

We are delighted to announce that Mrs Meyers has welcomed a second son, Maximilian (Max) Robert Bruce Meyers into the world on Thursday 29 September. She and Max are safely home and Max is a very much loved member of their family. We look forward to meeting him in the coming months.

Graduating Superstars

We are proud to celebrate three of our amazing teachers who enjoyed their graduation this week. Miss Charalambous, Miss Prince and Miss Trevisan all graduated from Macquarie University and we feel very honoured they have chosen Pymble as their home.

Congratulations

A huge congratulations to Charlotte and Ines Wang (Year 1) who showed courage and kindness in completing the Blackmores 10km run over the holidays. The girls ran to raise money to support the care of premature babies as they were themselves born prematurely. I love how they are giving back to those who helped them and raising awareness with their efforts. We are so proud of them both.

Congratulations to Tiffany Ma (Year 2) who recently competed in a dance competition and was awarded third place in a highly competitive field. We know Tiffany works hard to hone her skills and her dedication to her sport is something we are very proud to celebrate.

Lastly, a big congratulations to the following 31 girls on their fantastic results in their recent AMEB Exam.

Click here to download the full list of students and their results.

Matilda the Musical

Pymble Ladies’ College will soon be filled by the smell of rebellion, when Year 6 2022 presents Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. Based on the beloved book and adapted from the award-winning full-length musical, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. tells the story of an extraordinary little girl who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

Despite Matilda’s astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers, her disinterested parents find her to be a nuisance and a bore. When Matilda enters her first term at school, she captures the attention of Miss Honey, a shy but kind teacher, and the two form a wonderful friendship. Unfortunately, the school is ruled by a mean and tempestuous headmistress named Miss Trunchbull, who hates children and delivers cruel and unjust punishments to all her charges. Matilda is determined to change her story, but will her cleverness and courage be enough to withstand the reign of the Trunchbull?

Join Year 6 2022 on Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 October, as each class brings their section of the story to life in an all inclusive production. Tickets on sale now! Click here to purchase.

Our girls will truly prove Matilda’s words that “even if you’re little, you can do a lot”.

First week back in pictures

From the Junior School Parent Group

Welcome to Term 4 from the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)! We hope you had a happy and restful holiday break. Please join us on Thursday 3 November from 8.45am to 9.45am in the Junior School Library for the final JSPG meeting of the year.

Our guest speakers include Mrs Brigid Robson and Mrs Sunny Hres, President and Vice President of the PPA. Mrs Kate Brown will provide us with an end of year update and Mrs Nerissa Davey and some of our Year 6 students will be speaking on student voice.

We would love if you could come join us in person for the meeting. Please note the meeting will be recorded for those you cannot make it.

Elizabeth Toh, Aimee Birch, Stephanie Pickford and Kai Joines

JSPG Leaders

News from Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)

We had a fantastic holiday program over the last school holidays! Highlights including our favourite maker day with Mary, and our very own gardening incursion with Sarah, the College’s Lead Horticulturist. To see some photos from our Holiday Programs, please click here.

For our feedback and framework Padlet, please click here.

For more information on how to book a place, please click here or contact us via email at oshcadmin@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

Reminders from the Administration Office

AFTERNOON TRAVEL CHANGES 

Please email juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au to advise any changes to afternoon travel arrangements. Late changes should be made prior to 2.00pm to ensure messages are received by staff and students prior to the girls end of formal day routines. 

LOST PROPERTY 

All items of uniform should be named including summer hat, play hat, uniforms, shoes, sneakers, socks, lunch box and drink bottle.  Lost items can be readily returned if it they are labelled. 

Winter should have your daughter’s name written in white pen inside the crown of the hat. If there is a circular label inside the hat, don’t use this as it is inclined to come loose. 

Please be aware that unnamed items will only be held at each Junior School Administration Office for two weeks.  

Pymble parent association (ppa) AGM agenda 

The PPA Annual General Meeting will take place this Monday 17 October from 6.00pm to 7.00pm at the David McFarlane Centre.

Please find a copy of the agenda here. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Dates for your Diary

Term 4 

13 October                 Walk for a Kinder World mission begins!

17 October                  Year 2 Outdoor Education Program 

17 October                  Year 1 Science Incursion

17 October                  PPA AGM

19 October                 Year 1 Outdoor Education Program

19 October                  Year 4 Author Visit 

20 October                  Kindergarten Outdoor Education Program  

21 October                  Year 2 Author Visit

25 October                  Year 6 Musical Performance, 7.00pm  

26 October                  Year 6 Musical Performance, 7.00pm  

27 October                  Year 6 Wellbeing Day

28 October                  Links Day

3 November                JSPG Term 4 AGM

10 November              Year 5 Mind, Body Spirit Day

11 November              Walk for a Kinder World final day and celebration

15 November              Jacaranda Day

17 November              Junior School Swimming Carnival 

22 November              Year 6 final Chapel and celebration of learning 8.45am -11.00am

24 November              Year 6 Disco

1 December                Kindergarten Celebration of Learning, 9.00am 

1 December                Years 1 and 2 Celebration of Learning, 11.00am 

2 December                Years 3 to 6 Speech Day, 1.00pm 

Mrs Kate Brown

Head of Junior School

From the Middle School

From our Head of Middle School

It was lovely to see the girls returning to the College on Tuesday. They seemed excited to catch up with friends and were obviously enjoying the return to summer uniforms. I do hope that our Middle School families enjoyed the break. Welcome back to the following Compass teachers: Angie White: Year 7 Marden A, Stephanie Centner: Year 7 Bennett B and Mary Nicolas: Year 8 Marden A who are returning from extended leave. Thank you to Mel Boyd who will be covering Narelle Moylan’s Year 7 Thomas A Compass group for the first five weeks of this term whilst Narelle is on leave, and thank you also to Shelley Xie who will be covering Kylie Cooley’s Year 7 Goodlet A Compass Group for all of Term 4 whilst Kylie is on leave. A warm welcome to our new Middle School families who joined at the beginning of Term 4. We look forward to getting to know you and your daughters.

On Tuesday, our Year 8 students had an opportunity to hear from Dr Hadwen, Mr Tom Riley (Head of Upper School) and Mr Stuart Clark (Head of Campus Vision Valley) regarding the Residential Program for 2023. This provided the girls with further insight into details about the exciting program on offer. Next Monday during lunchtime, students will have the opportunity to speak with a variety of co-curricular coaches to better understand how they can maintain their training routines whilst at the Valley. Parents will shortly also receive a link to a College survey which will help the team better understand thinking around decision making about committing to the program. We greatly appreciate your feedback.

Thank you to all the parents who joined us for the panel discussion on Wednesday evening: Speaking of Teens, Holding onto Love. Year 7 were very fortunate to hear from one of the panelists on Thursday – Michele Chevalley Hedge – who shared valuable insights into the importance of looking after ourselves and in particular the importance of good nutrition and sleep.

Congratulations to the following students who have been nominated for a Jacaranda Award as a result of their demonstration of our college values throughout Term 3.

Just a heads up to our Year 7 families regarding the traditional Year 7 Christmas Service which will be held in our Chapel from 1.15pm on 15 November, followed by an afternoon tea catch up. A formal invitation will be sent out to parents shortly, I just wanted to alert you so that you could save the date.

Year 7

It has been lovely welcoming back our Year 7 girls to campus this week for the start of Term 4. A special welcome to our new Year 7 students; we are very lucky to have two sets of twins join our year group this term. We hope that Maya, Amelie, Zoe and Mia have all had a great first week at Pymble and are starting to feel settled in. Thank you to their buddies and all our wonderful Year 7 girls for helping them to feel welcome.

A reminder that the girls have returned in summer uniform. We appreciate parents’ assistance in making sure that the girls are wearing their uniform with pride. Checking that their tunics are the correct length; shoes are regularly polished and that the students following the uniform guidelines is appreciated. The College uniform guidelines are outlined on page 28 of the College diary.

This week, Year 7 attended a presentation by Michele Chevalley Hedge about nutrition and sleep. Michelle is a very engaging and informative speaker who challenged the girls to think about their food and sleep habits. We are sure that the girls benefited from this presentation and hope that they will reflect on their habits to ensure that they are giving their bodies adequate fuel and recovery time.

Year 8

Welcome back to our Year 8 students for Term 4, and a special warm welcome to our two new students, Iman and Maddie who started with us on Tuesday. This term is a fairly short term but it’s likely to be a busy one for our Year 8 girls. Shortly, we will be launching our leadership applications for Year 9 2023. There are a great range of leadership roles available to students, including portfolios such as Wellbeing Leader, Intercultural Leader, Community Service Leader and Environmental Leader. More information about the roles can be found by clicking here. We encourage our students to have a go and to think about what they could bring to each of these roles.

As part of our preparation for the transition to Upper School, this term we will also be welcoming Pru Salter, a study skills specialist, to talk to Year 8 about the strategies they can adopt to counter procrastination and to work more efficiently. Directions classes will build on these themes by working with current Year 9 students to share tips and ideas.

It was great to see so many parents join us for the parent evening on Wednesday night. One of the presenters, Madonna King, an award-winning journalist and author, has written a book which may be of particular interest to our Year 8 families. The book, Being 14, explores some of the challenges and experiences faced by 14-year-old girls, and provides some interesting discussion on the topics of friendships, social media and family dynamics.

Finally, a gentle reminder to students to check their uniforms. Many of our girls have grown since last wearing their summer uniform in Term 1 and may need to lower their hem to adjust for the growth spurt. Students are also reminded to remove any make-up and extra jewellery, including necklaces and bracelets, that may have been left over from the holidays. We appreciate the support of our parents in ensuring students are wearing the correct uniform at all times.

From the Middle School Parent Group

As we get into our final term of the year, both Year 7 and Year 8 Parent Co-ordinators have organised an evening of fun for everyone to celebrate another school year coming to an end for the parents (and what a busy year it has been!). Please see notes from both year groups below.

Year 7

Dear Year 7 Parents,

We hope you had a wonderful school holidays break. Thank you so much for all your support and involvement with various school events so far this year.

It’s been great to be able to stay in touch via our Facebook Group and our Year 7 WhatsApp group and WeChat group.

We are looking forward to our Year 7 Parents’ Cocktail Dinner which will be a wonderful opportunity to catch up and also get to know the parents in your daughter’s year group.

Thank you to all the parents who have already RSVPd and made payment. A reminder to all parents to please RSVP and make payment if you haven’t already.

Wishing the girls all the best in their final term of Year 7!

Year 7 Coordinators (Carol Bai and Shiva Rich)

Year 8

Dear Year 8 Parents

We are looking forward to celebrating the end of year with you and connecting with our new Pymble families who have joined over the last couple of years. It is going to be a fun night!

The Year 8 Parent/Carers Social will be held on 29 October 2022 at the Governor Hotel. Please RSVP by clicking here by 22 October 2022, or contact us at Sunny.hres@gmail.com or Malinib.srivastava@gmail.com

We hope to see you there!

Year 8 Coordinators (Sunny Hres)

Pymble parent association (ppa) AGM agenda 

The PPA Annual General Meeting will take place this Monday 17 October from 6.00pm to 7.00pm at the David McFarlane Centre.

Please find a copy of the agenda here. 

We look forward to seeing you there.

Mrs Jenny O’Donnell

Head of Middle School

From the Upper School

A Message from Mr Riley, Head of Upper School

A warm welcome to Term 4! It is hard to believe that the end of the academic year is only a short eight weeks away. I really hope your daughters took the opportunity to have some downtime over the break and that they are rested and recharged; there is a lot to pack in between now and the end of term! As always, please do not hesitate to reach out for support should the need arise at this busy time.

This week, we formally welcome Steph Attley to the team as acting Head of Year 10. Steph has quickly settled in and is looking forward to getting to know our lovely Year 10s this term. With so much to look forward to (including Shormal, Examinations, and the Future You Festival), I am sure she will get to know their unique personalities, collective interests, and wonderful skills.

Year 9 also has an action-packed term, with our next instalment of Residential Program pioneers to leave for Vision Valley next week, and the remainder of the cohort heading off on an exciting Outdoor Education Adventure in Week 6.

We also have an Upper School Disco (for both Year 9 and 10) planned for 11 November and look forward to communicating more about this event once voting for the theme is complete. Our Upper School Leaders have led the charge here and have a lot planned as we take the opportunity to celebrate the end of the year.

Over the break, I enjoyed receiving photos of our amazing student endeavours and encourage you to submit items when you can. Please enjoy a photo of the Drama Tour to London and Paris.

Additionally, the below video was created by Year 9 Residential Program Pioneer Mika Naito and gives a wonderful insight into their four weeks away last term.

Save the Date: Shaping Your Future

Key Dates

Term 4

Thursday 13 October                                         Year 9 Residential Program (Term 4) Parent Information Evening

Friday 14 October                                              Year 10 Pymble Shore Dance

Sunday 23 October                                            Year 9 Residential Program Community Day at Vision Valley

Friday 28 October                                              Year 10 Study Day

Monday 31 October                                           Year 10 Yearly Examinations begin

Friday 4 November                                            Year 10 Yearly Examinations completed

Friday 11 November                                           Upper School End of Year Celebration Disco

Monday 14 November                                        Year 10 All Well Testing

Monday 14 to Thursday 17 November               Year 9 Outdoor Education Program

Tuesday 15 November                                       Jacaranda Day

Friday 18 November                                           The Great Return – Year 9 Residential Program

Monday 21 to Friday 25 November                    Year 10 Future You Festival 

Friday 2 December                                             Speech Day and Final Day of Term 4

Pymble Parent Association (PPA) AGM Agenda 

The PPA Annual General Meeting will take place this Monday 17 October from 6.00pm to 7.00pm at the David McFarlane Centre.

Please find a copy of the agenda here. 

We look forward to seeing you there.

Mr Tom Riley

Head of Upper School

From the Senior School

From the Head of Senior School

How wonderful to be back on campus and welcome our new Year 12s into their final year of school! They have returned full of stories from their break and lots of good humour and great ideas. I have asked a few of the students to let me know how they feel about starting Year 12 and here are their thoughts:

“I’m so excited to have come back and seen the energy that was going around about finally being in Year 12!” – Bonita

“I’m looking forward to start my extension subjects and seeing all my friends again!” – Rose

“It’s really fun to see everyone as Year 12s now in the Kate Mason Building and start all of our classes!” – Olivia

“I’m excited to make lasting memories in my final year!” – Ankana  

Over the next term, we will be talking to the students about ‘starting as you mean to end’. That is, beginning with good solid routines of study and trying to keep a balance in life – between socialising, academic goals, sporting and cultural commitment and of course, family time. As we all know, this is challenging for the best of us, so modelling coping and planning strategies can be very helpful.

Prefect Retreat

Last term, our newly appointed prefect body took a two-day retreat at our outdoor education facility Vision Valley. Over the course of the two days, we worked in our various portfolio groups to create our 2023 vision, learn what it means to be a leader and how to navigate working in a team. At the end of the retreat, each portfolio presented to the larger prefect body their plan for the upcoming year. Throughout the nine portfolios, Performing Arts, House, Sport, SRC, Community, Learning, Wellbeing, Boarding, and Coordinators/Communicators, we noticed a common theme of creating a more inviting culture within the school body. So, on behalf of the 2023 prefects, welcome and get excited for a year of positive change!

Tilly M, Student Communications Prefect

Year 12 2022 – HSC begins!

This week also marks the start of the HSC examinations, with English – Paper 1 on Wednesday. I am so very proud of these students, as they have prepared so well and been wonderful leaders for the College. They sit these exams in the firm knowledge that they have the good wishes of the entire College community behind them. We all look forward to hearing their plans for next year and beyond!

After their first paper, the Year 12 students received their final references, a little gift of a Kit Kat from their Year 11 sisters and a beautiful home-cooked cupcake from Dr H! I hope that they felt the love and support from all of us.

From the Heads of Year 11

Welcome back to Term 4 and the start of Year 12! We hope our Pymble community had a restful break and managed to spend some quality time with friends and family. 

While Term 4 is short, it is certainly intense. 2023’s Year 12 cohort have probably noticed that they’ve already hit the ground running.  

As this term gets underway, we want to highlight the wonderful Drama Tour that several of our students attended. This group was lucky enough to visit London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Paris. Students saw a variety of theatre and participated in workshops to hone their craft. 

Lucy Bell reflected that the tour was “a magical experience and something that I’ll remember forever. The theatre we saw was a world class standard and we’re so lucky.” 

Maira Waqar noted that “the Drama Tour was an enriching experience for my fellow students and I as it gave us the opportunity to experience and explore the large range of drama workshops and performances. This was a fortunate opportunity which allowed us to travel to different cities, meet new people, and visit different landmarks.” 

We’re thrilled to have everyone back on campus and wish you all the best for the term ahead! 

From the Boarding School

From our Head of Boarding

It was lovely to welcome back our Boarders and their families for the final term of the year. They were full of joy as they returned – excited about being back together and about the term to come.

It was equally lovely to hear of the fun that was had in the holidays and not surprising that many of our Boarders chose to spend the term break together in various locations and as you will see from the following snaps, some engaged in some very interesting activities!

Good luck to our HSC students

We are so proud of our 21 Year 12 Boarders and all that they have achieved over the last six years. They have worked hard, taken opportunities and given their best to their studies, all the while being supportive and kind Boarding sisters. It was a pleasure to celebrate their efforts and wish them luck on the eve of their HSC exams.  

Congratulations to our Football superstars!

We couldn’t be prouder of Allyana (Ally) and Alethea (Lethy) Levy who were selected to compete in the National Youth Football Championships, both representing NSW Country. 

Lethy had the additional honour of captaining the NSW Country side, leading her team to victory against Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory with their only loss to Western Australia. The girls both played amazing quality football and have represented NSW Country with exceptional determination and pride.

Spring Menu

As you can appreciate, food plays such an important part in our wellbeing, and to this end we take a great deal of care to ensure we are providing our Boarders with a nutritions and delicious menu.

Please click here to see all the tasty options that are on the menu in Term 4!

A view from my window

Sadly, the ‘A view from my window’ section is not a good one for some of our Boarding families at the moment with many of them dealing with the ravages of the floods. Our thoughts are with them as they manage with their usual resilience and make the best of this very difficult time. Below are images from families in Mudgee, Walgett and Narromine.

Mrs Carolyn Burgess

Director of Boarding

Co-curricular Administration

Term 3 Co-curricular Performance Awards 

Congratulations to students in Year 7 to Year 10 who have received a Performance Award for Term 3 2022. Please click here to view the full list of award winners. 

2022 Co-curricular Programs

Most Co-curricular programs started or continued this week, from Tuesday 11 October, unless previously advised the program would not be starting until Week 2. Confirmations for all programs starting in Term 4 were sent on Tuesday 4 October. If you have not received confirmation of your daughters program or have any questions about your daughter’s registrations, please do not hesitate to contact Co-curricular Administration at ccsa@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

If you would like to withdraw your daughter from a program, transfer between programs, or have missed registering her for a program, registration requests can be made by clicking here and completing the Co-curricular Registration Request form. Please note, we are receiving a high volume of emails, calls and registration requests at this time so we appreciate your patience as we get back to you which may take a couple of days.

A reminder that our conditions of Co-curricular registration were updated for 2022 and can be found by clicking here.

Term 1 2023 Saturday Sport Registrations

This is a reminder that registrations for Term 1 2023 Saturday Sports will remain open until Friday 28 October at 12.00pm. The options available to students are as follows:

• IPSHA Football (Year 3 to 6)
• IPSHA Water Polo (Year 3 to 6)
• AFL (Year 7 to 12)
• Cricket Sixers (Year 7 to 12)
• IGSA Badminton (Year 7 to 12)
• IGSA Tennis (Year 7 to 12)
• Water Polo Pymble Competition (Year 7 to 12)

All registrations are made via the online registration system, which can be accessed from the Co-curricular at Pymble pages of MyPymble (click here; parent log in required).

Mrs Susan Lindsay

Acting Head of Co-curricular Administration

Sports

Sport Awards Dinner 2022

On Friday 4 November, the College will honour the achievements of our talented sportswomen in Years 7 to 12 who have achieved great success and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their sports throughout 2022.

On the night, students who participate in competitive sports will be recognised through several awards which include Athlete of the Year, All Rounder of the Year, igsa Team of the Year, Representative Team of the Year, Strive for the Highest Awards, Sports Officials of the Year, Australian Representatives and Sportswoman of the Year.

Students and teams are nominated for these awards by the Sports Co-ordinators and Head Coaches and are then finalised by a committee. The dinner will celebrate the achievements of our students and teams and give due regard to the College values which these awardees exemplify. Awards are a way to encourage good performance and instil competitive spirit. Sport at Pymble provides a platform for students to be challenged, to achieve and grow and this awards dinner is designed to recognise those who compete at the highest level in their chosen disciplines.

Also, we acknowledge that not all athletes who show excellence and commitment to their sport can be recognised at the awards evening – there are simply too many students who represent the College in sport. For those not attending the dinner, we recognise and acknowledge your contribution to Pymble and encourage you to continue to strive for your highest in your chosen sport.

I would also like to extend special thanks to our College Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen, the College Council for supporting our exceptional Sport program and to all parents and carers who support their daughters in their varied sporting pursuits.

Ms Katie Edwards

Head of Sport – Year 7 to 12

Artistic Gymnastics

National Clubs Carnival 2022

Thursday 22 September to Monday 3 October 2022

Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre

What an outstanding result for Pymble Gymnastics! After two years of Covid-19 and plenty of disruption to training, Pymble Gymnastics had their best ever results on a national scale. Competing against 42 of the top teams from all over the country at each level, our results were outstanding!

Level 5: Sasha Clark (Year 8), Madison Yip (Year 10), Talia Luo (Year 9), Gabriella Sheh (Year 7), and Aimee Yap (Year 6)

3rd Vault

6th Bars

8th Overall

Level 7: Amalia Bond (Year 6), Lucy Clark (Year 11), Olivia Kowal (Year 11), Siobhan Hsu (Year 8), Zoe Kosinar (Year 9), Piya Parimu Kapur (Year 10)

7th Bars

10th Overall

The athletes had an amazing time and got to relax at Movie World after two days of intense competition. What a great high to finish our Level 5 to 7 season. Well done to everyone!

Ms Alison Gestier

Head Coach – Artistic Gymnastics

Athletics

A huge congratulations to the 30 Pymble Athletes who competed at the New South Wales All School Athletics Championships at Olympic Park over the holidays. 

Well done to the following athletes who came away with medal performances:

Gold Medals

Olivia Inkster (Year 12),17 Years – 100m and 200m 

Matilda Harrison (Year 8), 13 Years – 100m and 200m 

Sienna Bond (year 12), 17 Years Triple Jump and Long Jump 

Sophia Slater (Year 9),15 Years – 2km Steeple Chase 

Georgia Phillips (Year 10), 16 Years – 2km Steeple Chase 

Grace Beck (Year 8), 14 years – 3km Walk 

Yi Ying Lim (Year 11), Para – 800m 

Silver Medals

Cayla Phillips (Year 12), 19 Years High Jump 

Sybella Warton (Year 9), 15 to 16 Years, Para – 100m and 200m 

Rhedyn Wong (Year 11), 17 Years – Javelin 

Sarah Baker (Year 10), 15 Years – 1500m and 3km 

Abigail Ballhausen (Year 11), 16 Years – 3km 

Bronze Medals

Gabriella Taylor (Year 11), 17 Years – 100m and 200m 

Grace Peters (Year 9), 14 Years – Shot Put 

Brianna Worsfold (Year 12), 17 years – Discus 

Sarah Lovell (Year 9), 17 Years – Javelin 

Samara Bond (Year 9), 15 Years – 200m and 400m 

Eloise Stewart (Year 7), 12 Years – Hammer Throw

An impressive 11 athletes have now been selected to compete at the Australian All Schools Championships held in Adelaide in December. We wish these athletes the very best of luck.

Ms Laura Verlinden

Sports Co-ordinator – Athletics

Cattle Team

There will be a Cattle Team Parader and Judging Masterclass workshop for our senior Cattle Team members on Saturday 15 October at the Pymble Agriculture Plot from 8.00am to 12.30pm. This will be conducted by Ms Fi McWilliam who specialises in cattle handling and assessment. Also attending will be Ms Kit Seymour (Cattle Coach) and Mr Grant Jackson (Cattle Team Co-ordinator).

This workshop will be the final preparation for the students who will be attending the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza at Scone the following weekend, where they will be exhibiting our two Angus steers. In addition, the students will be entering parading, cattle judging, and meat judging competitions run in conjunction with the Beef Bonanza. 

On the Friday evening, the group will be attending an Agricultural Careers evening at the Scone RSL Club.

We wish them the best of luck for their final showing after what has been a most rewarding 2022 in the Showring.

Mr Grant Jackson

Cattle Team Co-ordinator

Equestrian

Hannah Rockwell (Year 12) qualified to represent New South Wales (NSW) to compete in the Australian National Equestrian Interschools last week at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre where she was also nominated as team captain for the NSW Team. 

Hannah had a fantastic week of competition, placing 4th in the 1star eventing, 2nd and 3rd in the Prix St George Dressage events and reserve champion in intermediate 1.

Hannah Led the NSW team as captain to win the overall trophy.

Huge congratulations to Hannah.

This is Hannah’s last competition for her school riding career and as Pymble Equestrian captain and a proud member of the Pymble team. We have loved watching Hannah compete over the past years at school.

We will be watching her bright future in the Equestrian world and wish Hannah the best of luck.  

Ms Ali WIlliams

Sports Co-ordinator – Equestrian

Volleyball

Congratulations to Pymble Volleyball Captain Emma Sargeant (Year 11) who competed and was named team captain at the Australian Youth Volleyball Championships in Bendigo over the recent holiday break.

Well done Emma!

Mr Jack Garrad

Sports Co-ordinator – Volleyball

Water Polo

On Wednesday 12 October, Pymble Water Polo kicked off their igsa season with a bang! 

Following our first, all program, training of Year 7 through to Year 12 we had a team breakfast to get excited for our season ahead. 

During our team breakfast our 2022 Water Polo captain Nicola Johnston (Year 12) had some lovely parting words for our students and her well wishes for our new 2023 Water Polo captain Sarah Middleton (Year 11).   

Best of luck for the season ahead. 

Ms Brigette Moore

Head Coach – Water Polo

Performing Arts

Regardless of the location, Pymble girls triumph!

Over the break, Performing Arts students have travelled near and far to both experience and perform in a range of inspiring contexts.

In the exciting contents presented below, please read of the extraordinary opportunities for the 30 Drama students who travelled to the United Kingdom and France to explore a range of productions, tours and workshops.

It was wonderful to be part of the audience that supported the Contemporary and Jazz White dance ensembles who competed so successfully in Dance Life at the Big Top, Luna Park.

Closer to home, Mrs Hubbard and Language Arts students are preparing to welcome 26 other independent girls’ schools to Pymble to participate in the many events such as Debating, Public Speaking and Theatre Sports in the epic IGSA Festival of Speech.

Pymble musicians have distinguished themselves not only in the Term 3 Curriculum concert but also as inherent presences in both Year 12 and new leadership assemblies.

A busy but rewarding term ahead with the Festival of Speech and the Year 6 production of Matilda coming soon and recitals in Dance, Drama and Music!  A sincere thank you to those staff and practitioners who have supported the students in these events.

Michael Griffiths

Director of Co-Curricular Performing Arts

Drama

Drama Tour – London and Paris

After a 2 year delay from COVID and lockdowns, 30 Drama students from Years 9, 10 and 11 and three teachers (risking it all!) departed on a trip to London, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Paris on the inaugural Pymble Drama Tour!

This was a trip of a lifetime that had been thoughtfully created by our amazing Head of Drama, Miss Tamara Sweetman, which ensured we had a fully immersive and comprehensive drama adventure.

Beginning in London, every day was jam packed to the brim, including visits to cultural and historical landmarks such as Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London (all students were allowed to leave with their heads thankfully) and a series of theatrical workshops. This included Cardboard Citizens – leading practitioners of Theatre of the Oppressed (Forum theatre), Punchdrunk – specialising in immersive theatre, Frantic Assembly – with an emphasis on physical theatre, and the Globe Theatre workshop on Shakespeare and scenes from Much Ado About Nothing. These workshops varied greatly, and have equipped us all with a set of invaluable skills to take into our acting and wider life.

Our evenings there were spent in the audience of one amazing London theatre or another watching theatrical productions live on stage, including Grease, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part 1 and 2, The Crucible, and the highlight for most students – Much Ado About Nothing at the famous Globe Theatre!  

Bidding London farewell, we ventured north via the magical Harry Potter studios to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon. Here we watched the Royal Shakespeare Company’s modern take of All’s Well that Ends Well, attended a workshop at the Green Room (which focused on stage combat and performing Shakespeare), and went on tours around Stratford-upon-Avon grounded in Shakespeare and his early life with the bonus of some yummy treats from the Stratford Food Festival.

When at last, our time in England came to an end, we caught the Eurostar (which felt like charging against a stampede to get onto with 30 girls!) over to Paris.

Here, we had a wonderful time touring around landmarks including ascending the Eiffel tower, seeing the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo (amongst many other famous works of art) at the Louvre, climbing the hill to Sacré-Cœur, seeing the Arc de Triomphe, and even Disneyland Paris! It would be hard not to admit that Disney was a highlight for many (theatricals aside), whether that be on rides (Mrs Boyd LOVED Tower of Terror) or simply enjoying the Disney magic.

Our last day in Paris saw us finish our theatrical journey by experiencing the peculiar but riveting performance of the Bold Soprano, a French (granted, with English subtitles) absurdist play first performed in 1950 in the same small theatre (and it was shockingly small!), and attending an incredible drama workshop with Cours Florent – the French equivalent of NIDA, which had us all in high spirits for our journey home.

This tour was an outstanding experience and opportunity for all of us girls involved and we are so incredibly grateful to have been given the chance to learn and experience as much as we did across England and France as theatre practitioners and critics.

From all the girls, I would like to say thank you to Miss Sweetman for the most incredible last drama journey with you as our HOD.  We cannot thank you enough for this amazing tour and once in a lifetime experience and thoroughly enjoyed sharing this journey with you.  Thank you from all your Drama Tour girls!  

I would also like to say a special thank you to Mrs Melissa Boyd and Mrs Michelle Hunt for joining us on this journey. Your support and company throughout the tour, as well as your patience and good humour were all appreciated by us!

Written by Isla Harris (Year 11)

Drama Prefect 

Ms Tamara Sweetman

Head of Drama

Language Arts

Language Arts Captains

Thank you to our outgoing Language Arts (LA) captains (Isabella Cameron – Model UN, Christine Hur – Mock Law, Angie Wang – Public Speaking and Alyssa Yee – Debating) for a wonderful year. These girls have worked very hard to provide additional opportunities in Language Arts and each area has met with much success. 2022 Saw our first Interschool MUN conference, our Mediators made it to the Grand Final to be held next month, Jenny Xu in Year 8 will compete in Public Speaking at a state level next week, we have many girls entering UN Voice, our Debaters made it through to quarter, semi and grand finals and we offered a social debating competition for the first time. All the best to our outgoing captains as you commence your Year Twelve studies and thank you. Welcome to Isabella Cameron, our new LA prefect and to our new captains (Emma Parsons – Mock Law, Chelsea Shi – Debating, Mulan Xu – Model UN and Joy Ye – Public Speaking). We know it will another great year.

Festival of Speech

This celebration of Speech and Drama will be held on the 21 and 22 October. This year, Pymble will host eleven related events and teams from 27 IGSA Girls’ schools will compete.

A Festival of Speech workshop was held in the holidays on the 28 September. Thanks to Christine Hur, Lauren Korenblyum, Angelina Lee, Emma Parsons, Chelsea Shi, Mulan Xu and Joy Ye for assistance with collating the many folders for adjudicators and school convenors and with wrapping goods for our Festive Fare stall. We are still looking for parent and student volunteer helpers. Please sign up using the links provided below.

Parent Volunteers

Here is the sign up link to the Whatsapp group:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dac5YPjegkK9xxAEyf01aE

Here is the sign up volunteer roster. Parent Volunteer Sign up

Please note that all parent volunteers must have a Working With Children Check. If not, please contact Service NSW to obtain one ASAP.

Student Volunteers

Here is the student volunteer roster. Please sign! Student Volunteer Sign up

We need you! Scripts are available for all chairs. Sign up with a friend! We cannot do this without your kind assistance.

Festival Cake stall

Boxes are available from Mrs Hubbard’s office. Please consider baking. Please return these on Friday 21 October or bring to the stall on Saturday 22 October.

Thanks to our Language Arts support mothers, Sophia Fang, Sam Yee and Aimy Hoang who are assisting with the planning for The Festival of Speech.

If you can help with a donation of time or goods, or have any questions, please email BHubbard@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. We are looking for many mums, PA students, coaches and teachers to assist with a raft of opportunities. After two years online, we hope to hold a vibrant, Spring Festival to showcase Speech and Drama. Please help us offer a wonderful Festival for many girls. Thank you to those mums and girls who volunteered last week.

IDC Debating

Please ensure all IDC registrations are completed. Make up rounds are being arranged on 21 October as this is also the first afternoon of the Festival of Speech which Pymble is hosting. See you the following Friday, 28 October in the colonnades, for this online comp!

Staff versus Year 12 Students’ Debate

Thanks to Alyssa Yee, 2022 Debating Captain and our Staff and Student Debaters who participated in the annual, comedic Staff and Student debate at the end of last term. It was an affirmative win and a staff victory! Many spectators enjoyed this comedic event which has become a highlight. This year’s topic was that we should have a timetabled nap time.

Legacy Public Speaking

Congratulations to Jenny Xu, Year 8 who has progressed to the state final of the Legacy Public Speaking Competition. This will be held at the Art Gallery of NSW next week. Best wishes Jenny.

UN Voice

This is a fun Term 4 challenge. To all who registered, please ensure Angie Wang, Joy Ye and Mrs Hubbard know your selected date. A meeting will follow.

Mock Mediation – Grand Finalists

Our Mediators are in the November Grand Final! Well done girls! Thank you to Mrs Jarvis and Amy Jarvis for stepping in to coach, as our regular 2022 Mediation coach took up an exchange opportunity in Florida, USA. (He is surrounded with devastation, but we are pleased to report he was not directly affected by the extreme weather event.)

Debating Auditions

Our audition season, for 2023 Debating competition places, starts this term. We have had almost one hundred interested Year 6 girls apply. The season commences with Year 6 girls from outside schools, auditioning on 28 October. Further dates will be published next week.

Music

Congratulations to Jenny Xu (Year 8) on her outstanding AMEB result. Jenny was awarded her Amus A on Piano. It is wonderful achievement for a student of such a young age.

Further congratulations to the following students and their teacher Mrs Patrice Goodman on the following amazing examination results. It is wonderful to see students achieving to such a high level.

• Mischa Baba (Year 6) – Grade 1 Saxophone – A Honours
• Adele Cassidy (Year 5) – Grade 1 Saxophone – A+ High Distinction
• Yuyin Luo (Year 8) – Grade 4 Saxophone – A Honours
• Madison Pearce (Year 8) – Grade 4 Saxophone – A+ High Distinction
• Zara Sandham (Year 6) – Grade 2 Saxophone – A+ High Distinction
• Macy Sun (Year 9) – Grade 6 Saxophone – A Honours
• Annabel Taylor (Year 7) – Grade 4 Saxophone – A+ High Distinction
• Kaitlin Vigne (Year 8) – Grade 4 Saxophone – B+ Credit
• Caitlin Xi (Year 7) – Grade 5 Saxophone – B+ Credit

Finally, bravo to Mrs Michell Steele and all her students on the concert they gave to parents and friends at the end of Term 3. This was a fine evening of musical excellence from students across all years at the College.

Mr Kurt Schweinberger

Head of Co-curricular Music

Term 4 bus registrations are now open!

Registrations are now open for the Pymble private bus service during Term 4 – all students must be registered and must have a current student ID card to tap on and off each trip.

Buses will be operating from Tuesday 11 October until the end of term, finishing with the scheduled afternoon run on Friday 2 December 2022.

Registration for the Pymble bus service is offered on a term-by-term basis, in two formats:

1. Term registration enables the student to access the bus service every day in the morning and afternoon. The charge is set at $390 per term.
2. Flexible registration enables the student to register for specific day(s) with a choice of morning and/or afternoon runs. The charge is set at $6.50 per trip.

While face masks are no longer mandatory on Pymble buses or all public transport options per the updated COVID-19 rules in NSW, students are encouraged to wear one when travelling on Pymble buses. Existing government guidelines for household contacts/positive cases remain in place.

Please contact College Services via collegeservices@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au if you have any further questions about transport to and from Pymble Ladies’ College.

Help us make Sony Camp great!

We’re looking for volunteers to donate their time at Sony Camp 2022 and help deliver a fun-filled experience for children with special needs. For more information about the camp and how to volunteer, please see the poster below.

Thinking of a career change? Think Pymble!

At Pymble, you will be wrapped in a culture of care, community and commitment to educational excellence. You’ll also enjoy all the benefits of a big and beautiful working environment. For more information about working at Pymble, please click here.

Job of the week: English Teacher | Full-time, fixed term for Term 1, 2023

With one of our valued teachers taking some well-deserved leave, we have an amazing opportunity for an enthusiastic and confident English Teacher to join our established team for a fixed term during Term 1, 2023 on a full-time basis.

Whether you are an experienced teacher looking to step into independent education with one of the leading girl’s schools in the country, or an accredited new graduated hoping to jump headfirst into their first opportunity out of university, you will be supported by a large and experienced team of educators with a focus on wellbeing and collaboration.

You will bring a positive influence and passion for inspiring curiosity, as well as an emphasis in delivering dynamic teaching and learning experiences for students across all stages, including English Advanced to Year 11 and 12. We are a technologically advanced College, so you will have the ability to quickly adapt to new systems and use your knowledge to enhance the engagement of your lessons.

In return, you will be supported in your own career growth with mentoring and opportunities past your fixed term, such as joining our casual pool or being considered for future prospects as they arise.

For more information or to apply, click here.

Masks on Public Transport – UPDATED

While face masks are no longer mandatory on Pymble buses and all public transport options per the updated COVID-19 rules in NSW, students are encouraged to wear one when travelling on the Pymble buses. Existing government guidelines for household contacts/positive cases remain in place.

2022 MMG Parent Survey Feedback

On behalf of all of us at the College, we would like to thank parents of Year 2, 6, 8, 10 and 12 students for their participation in the 2022 Pymble ‘experience’ survey. The information provided is extremely valuable in our strategic and operational plans and leaders across the College have already been working with their feedback packs.

We hope you enjoy seeing the data in a new, visual form thanks to the creative work of the Community Engagement team.

Please click here to view the 2022 MMG Parent Survey Feedback.

The results from the Student ‘experience’ and ‘wellbeing’ surveys will follow shortly.

Futures Team @ Pymble

Sharing student voice from their experiences of the Futures Program is important to our team to ensure the support we provide is meaningful.

This week, we have also included some information on upcoming events related to Oxford University and our partnership event with St Ignatius’ Riverview.

Work Experience

Alexandra MacColl (Year 11) recently went on work experience during the school holidays. Here is Alexandra’s reflection of her experience:

The Work Experience Program provided me with the invaluable opportunity to observe what real-world skills are needed in an architecture and interior design firm. Brooke Aitken Design facilitated the discovery and refinement of new skills such as communication, collaboration and problem-solving by allowing me to undergo a variety of different tasks.

Crucially, I learnt about the importance of organisation through the use of up-and-coming digital programs and the effectiveness of a diplomatic approach when communicating between suppliers and clients. I gained insight into how a passion for creativity can be curated into a professional career path.

Working alongside such inspiring women was an invaluable experience. I implore all Pymble students to consider applying for the Work Experience Program.

Written by Alexandra MacColl

Oxford University Information Evening

Pymble 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.

Pymble Station Upgrade

Click here to read information from NSW Government about the Pymble Station Upgrade. 

From the Director of Community Engagement and Advancement

Upcoming Term 4 Events 

A new Term is here and the silly season is just around the corner. Before we know it we’ll be celebrating together at the PPA College Christmas Celebration (Sunday 27 November) and reminiscing about the year that was. However, there are still quite a few events to enjoy in Term 4 – be sure to stay up to date with our full schedule of events and upcoming calendar here. 

Speaking of teens – Holding on to love 

Last night we kicked off Term 4 with a bang, welcoming around 300 guests on site for a parenting forum featuring five experts across a range of specialities. The panel discussed five parenting scenarios through the lens of their given field offering a thought-provoking discussion about parenting teens. We are grateful for the acumen brought by our five visiting panellists and would like to extend our deepest thanks to John Vassiliadis, Madonna King, Brad Marshall, Donna Cross and Michele Chevalley Hedge for sharing their wisdom. The program including tips from our panel can be viewed here. 

Feedback – We want to hear from you 😊 

Last term we held a set of Community Engagement focus groups aimed at hearing from our Pymble families about our communications and events. The sessions offered great insight into the needs of our Pymble parents, and as a result we have planned further avenues:  

• To drill down further on what we heard during the focus groups, we have prepared a short survey. We would be grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to complete this to help us with our event planning for 2023. Please click here to complete the survey. 
• In order to fine tune our processes even further we will be holding a second set of face-to-face focus groups, this time focusing on the technology processes we use to reach our community. If you would like to participate in this series of sessions in Week 4 this term, please contact communityengagement@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.  

Looking forward to seeing you this Term! 

Mrs Kelly Mancey

Director – Community Engagement & Advancement

Semester 2 Community Events Calendar

Pymble in Scone

You’re invited to attend a relaxed evening where you’ll meet our Chair of the Board, Mr James Hunter, our Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen, and our Director of Boarding, Mrs Carolyn Burgess, to connect with the Pymble community and celebrate our proud history.

Communications at Pymble

Important: MyPymble app updated   

We hope you have been enjoying the benefits of our MyPymble parent portal – the one-stop shop for parents and carers to receive and store College communications. Going forward only minimal communications will be sent via email, with our ultimate goal being 100 per cent of communication to be viewed via MyPymble.

The College greatly encourages all parents and carers to please update the app via the app store as we have updated the software with some new features and technical enhancements to further improve the user experience.  

Communications posted on MyPymble include academic, community, events, sport and co-curricular information, as well as important messages from Dr Hadwen. All communications sent to a year group, sub-school or the entire school will be posted on MyPymble and will not be emailed.  

Please check your family is set up for success this term by ensuring you download the MyPymble app and have access to all the information relevant to your daughter’s learning. 

To log in you will need to use your unique carer number and password, which you should have all received via email. If you are unable to log in, please reset your password using this link, or alternatively, contact the IT Helpdesk on +61 2 9855 7771 for assistance.  

For further information on these tools please click here to view the MyPymble User Guide.  

Parent Contact Directory

We are excited to launch the new user-friendly Parent Contact Directory which you can access via MyPymble or the MyPymble app. The Parent Contact Directory has been developed for parents and carers to opt-in to sharing their contact details with other parents and carers in their daughters/s year group to help build community connections. Please note if you give permission for your details to be added to the directory this will enable all parents across your daughter’s year group to also view your details.

As per our Privacy Policy (which can be viewed on our website), these contact details are for personal use only and not to be shared with other parties. They should only be used to make appropriate, school-related contact between parents and carers and they must not be used for any other purpose.

If any details are not listed on the MyPymble Parent Contact Directory this is likely because a parent or carer has not opted in to having their information shown. Please note contact lists constantly change as parents and carers update or add their details and you should refer to the list available on MyPymble for the latest correct details. You can also change your sharing preferences via MyPymble.

To log in you will need to use your unique carer number and password. Please refer to the email you will have received with your carer number to log in. If you are unable to log in, we would request that you reset your password using this link, or alternatively, contact the IT Helpdesk on +61 2 9855 7771 for assistance.

PymConnect

PymConnect is our online mentoring platform, designed to link our Pymble alumni, parents and carers to facilitate mentoring opportunities that help create a culture of shared learning, and enhance personal and professional growth.  

Since the launch of PymConnect last year we have received an enthusiastic response from our community. We currently have 177 mentors and 159 mentees making connections and building a sense of belonging.

The past 18 months have been extraordinary with lockdowns and restrictions impacting the lives of everyone – including our current Year 12 students. As they prepare to complete their HSC studies and embark on their next life journey, this is a time where connections and support are important. In preparation for our newest graduates joining PymConnect, we would like to invite you to participate in this program as a mentor.  

A special thanks to those of you who have signed up to join the program following our last invitation. 

To express your interest or to ask us a question, please feel free to reach out to us at pymconnect@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or phone +61 2 9855 7799.

Pymble Business Directory

Pymble Business Directory – Now Live

The College is pleased to announce the Pymble Business Directory to current families. The Pymble Business Directory will allow Pymble families to advertise your business or service to our Pymble family. 

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. 

Parent Handbook 2022

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.

Pymbulletin

The Ex-Students’ section of Pymbulletin reports on the achievements of Pymble alumni, news items and engagements, weddings, births and vale notices.

The Magazine

We are excited to share a digital copy of The Magazine 2021 with you. This is our yearly school magazine, compiled with the help of our students, providing an overview of the events, activities and achievements of our girls from Kindergarten to Year 12. 

Look out over in the coming weeks for the opportunity to order a hard copy version. Happy reading!

Illuminate

Pymble Ladies’ College publishes its research and innovation journal twice a year that features a diverse range of articles written by staff members and guest writers. You can read the latest edition of the College’s research publication, Illuminate: Research and Innovation, below or by clicking here.

Edition 7 includes many insightful pieces spanning across a wide range of topics, providing insight into current issues in Pymble’s classrooms and staff rooms.

Highlights from this edition include:

• Journeys of curriculum innovation in Geography education with articles from Ray Howells (focus on agriculture) and Liam Hume and Deb Owens (focus on interdisciplinary learning); all of whom are members of our Geography, Business and Economics team;
• Mapping a college-wide approach to internal teacher accreditation and reward by Kerryl Howarth, Director of Professional Learning;
• Starting a kindness revolution through research and student leadership by Kate Brown, Head of Junior School;
• Looking at local history through a First Nations perspective by Ryan Stewart, History and Aboriginal Studies teacher and PhD candidate;
• Other articles including research into HSC teaching strategies, research cultures in schools and teachers’ experience in global mentoring programs.