From the Principal

Thank you for the joy in Term 3

In years to come, when we look back at our term-and-a-half spent in lockdown, my hope is you will feel an enormous sense of pride in what we have achieved as a Pymble family.

We’ve cared for each other from afar while staying focused on ensuring our girls receive the very best holistic educational experience we can possibly deliver and remain connected with their teachers, friends, classmates and House groups.

We’ve ‘had a go’ at doing the things we know and love (and explored new local ‘adventures’, too) in reimagined and COVID-safe ways, and we have overcome the many challenges of having to stay away from the people and places we most want to be with. We have intentionally sought and created many moments of joy as a community to lift our spirits through this unusual and sometimes unsettling time.

Week 10 has been particularly joy-filled, with many special events to mark the end of term and share important College announcements.

Pymble’s Greatest Picnic on Monday was an opportunity for all staff and students across the College to take time out from class to connect with their friends and families over a bite to eat outdoors – with the Pymble playlist on in the background via Spotify, of course! It was lovely to see all the House-themed set ups and challenges that staff and students completed and shared on our picnic padlet. If you need a smile today, please take a moment to scroll through some of the delightful posts via this link.

Announcing our Pymlympic champions

This week we also wrapped up our Pymlympic Games with an Official Closing Ceremony to celebrate some of the many ways our community participated, and to announce the winning House and students voted Most Valuable Players (MVP). A huge thank you to all who took part in the activities to support their House or team.

Please click on the image below to visit our Pymlympics website and watch the uplifting Closing Ceremony video created by our Captain of Student Communications, Rachel Kang, as well as the video announcing all our fabulous winners.

Introducing our new student leaders

While we wished with all our hearts that we could have had our annual Student Leaders Announcement assembly in the gym – complete with cheers and thunderous drumrolls from the girls – it was such a pleasure to reveal our incoming Prefects for 2021/2022 in an online assembly this week.

The exciting thing about this Prefect team is that the positions, structure and selection process have all been revised and refined, following feedback from girls in Years 9 to 12 and a deciding vote by Years 11 and 12 earlier in the year.

In a nutshell, the new student leadership model has a smaller number of Prefects but a more opportunities for students in Years 7 to 12 to work with student leaders in a range of committees to enhance the life of the College and the experiences of all our girls.  

Click here to view the complete list of all our office bearers for the next 12 months, including our co-Head Prefects, Isabel Dean and Chloe Hoang. It was wonderful to see the huge student vote that led to these girls being selected for these positions and I look forward to working with Isabel, Chloe and the entire Prefect team in the months ahead.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you from Wayside Chapel

When we began our Community Project, ‘Love Over Hate’, at the end of Term 2, we had no idea how important our actions would be. An extended lockdown was far from our minds when we began our collection of toiletries, clothing and other items to donate to Wayside Chapel and the people they support.

As it turned out, we managed to fill BOXES and BOXES and BOXES with all the items Wayside needs to help their homeless clients enjoy the simple, humanising luxury of a shower, clean clothing and underwear. We arranged to have the boxes delivered earlier this term and received this grateful note from Laura Henry, the Wayside Marketing Manager who has visited Pymble previously to speak to the girls about respecting and caring for every member of society.    

“On behalf of Wayside Chapel, I wanted to share my deepest and widest thanks to you and the entire school for the incredible haul of donations we received. The stocks were getting incredibly low and with around 100 people coming to Wayside every day for support, we needed the donation more than ever! Please pass on our thanks to all of your students.

I’ve also attached a photo I took of our staff receiving some of the donations.”

Signing off for the last time this term, with gratitude in my heart for the kind, caring souls in our community and sending big virtual hugs to you all.

Dr Kate Hadwen 

Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Academic (K-12)

From the Director of Student Learning (11-12)

HSC Fitness Program for Term 4

Last Friday, NESA announced that all HSC exams would go ahead starting on November 9. This is great news for our students as I am always amazed at the growth that can be achieved between Trials and the HSC exams.

The girls have been given a reflection activity for each of their subjects, and they should be taking the time to work through this with their exams and feedback in front of them.

In one of my individual meetings with a Year 12 student this week she remarked “I am so glad you made us do Trials, I now know exactly where my gaps are and what I need to work on in terms of exam technique that I really wasn’t fully aware of before Trials”.

The Senior School Team have published the Pymble HSC Fitness Program for Term 4 to ensure that Year 12 will be exam fit, mentally fit, spiritually and physically fit for their HSC exams starting November 9.

On the first day back, students will be provided with further specific details of class times, seminar times with HSC markers, how and when they can book in for individual sessions with teachers. They will have the support of their Compass teachers to help plan out their schedule so they are working productively throughout this time.

Our advice is to take a bit of a break in the holidays, especially in the first week.

Having a break from the screen, some time with family and friends to relax is vital so they can ‘bring their best self’ to the final preparations and HSC exams.

It has been fabulous to hear the stories of how our wonderful teachers are celebrating their final lessons in such creative ways and the gratitude that students are showing their teachers. Below is a picture of Robyn Rudd with her Biology class making edible models of meiosis, polypeptide synthesis, DNA and more.

A huge congratulations to all of Year 12 on your graduation – you made it!

Year 11

Thank you to the staff, students and parents for a successful Subject Selection evening on Monday night.

On Tuesday 14 September, parents and carers should have been emailed a link and a unique code for students to select their subjects for Year 12 along with the booklist for Year 12 2022.

A reminder to students to talk with their classroom teachers first for advice as to whether you should pick up Extension courses, continue or drop subjects.

Students can make an appointment with me to discuss options by using the link on the Senior School Canvas course.

If in doubt, choose more units to study as you can always drop subjects if necessary at any time throughout Year 12.

Our advice is to use the holidays to have a good clean up, purchase your textbooks, organise your study space and filing system on your laptop in hard copy folders. Don’t throw out Year 11 notes! Your preliminary work is the foundation for Year 12 and in many subjects, you will be required to refer back to those preliminary concepts and ideas.

Year 11 students should also be reflecting on their study habits and time management this year; what strategies worked well, and which need to change for success in Year 12.

Year 12 courses will commence in Week 1 of Term 4 so girls, make sure you have a good break and recharge so you are ready to leap out of the starting blocks on Day 1.

Mrs Natasha Stanfield

Director of Student Learning 11-12

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

2021 NAPLAN Results for Years 7 and 9

All Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 undertake four assessments as a condition of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) – writing, conventions of language, reading and numeracy. As you may recall, our students completed the NAPLAN Online testing in Term 2.

Your child’s results were received by the College this week and have been posted to the address on file. We are aware that the Australian Post is experiencing delays with deliveries in Greater Sydney; therefore, if you have not received your child’s results by the end of the first week of Term 4, please email curriculum@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au so we can provide you with another copy.

It is important to note that the intention of the NAPLAN standardised tests is to provide information to the government, education authorities and schools about how school education as a whole is performing. The test results do not present an overall picture of a child’s learning and the rich, varied opportunities to think critically, creatively and develop vital learning dispositions. Rather, they are a snapshot in time of student achievement in literacy and numeracy.

The NAPLAN data we receive every year, alongside our Allwell and internal assessment program, allow us to identify both learner weaknesses and strengths and we utilise this data to design targeted strategies to support and enrich students across the full range of abilities.

We look forward to analysing the data from the 2021 NAPLAN and will ensure that classroom teachers have access to this data when they are designing what learning will look and feel like for our girls in 2022 and beyond.

Year 9 Assessment Program in Term 4

Thank you for your ongoing support during Pymble Online. I am very proud to be a part of the Pymble family and truly value the collective efforts of both you and our staff to ensure that learning continued through tumultuous times.

We will continue to design and administer assessments in Term 4 but they will mostly take the form of project-based or portfolio-based tasks.

Rest assured that our curriculum and wellbeing teams engaged in rigorous discussion about the value of examination practice; we all see great value in this type of simulation as preparation for the HSC and are thus aiming to offer an opportunity for this style of assessment as early as Term 1 2022.

Year 10 Examination Block in Term 4

Transition into Stage 6 (Years 11 and 12) is nearly upon us; I know our girls have been committed to their studies and are engaging to the best of their abilities. Given there are parameters around the number and style of tasks that schools can offer in Stage 6, it is imperative that we provide an assessment simulation for our Year 10 students that support the development of exam preparation across multiple subjects before they transition into Senior School.

As such, we will be offering an examination block for Year 10. The examinations will commence on Friday of Week 3 and will continue through Tuesday of Week 4.

Catch-up examinations will be offered on Thursday and Friday of Week 4 for students who experience unforeseen illness, misadventure, or technology failure (such as an impromptu service outage) – an Illness Misadventure Application (‘IMA’) is required to attend the catch-up session without penalty.

Our Heads of Learning Area and their teams are keen to support the students in their preparation for the examinations. As such, normal timetabled classes will continue during the examination block to allow for teachers to facilitate targeted revision and study skills workshops in the lesson(s) leading up to their exam.

We are confident that students can use the two days designated for Learning Discussions as intensive preparation or study; we also feel that splitting the examinations across a weekend allows students time to rest and recharge.

Please refer to the examination timetable below.

Note: specific start and finish times will be provided closer to the examination block and will account for students onboarding (getting onto the call and getting their space set up for the examination).

Some electives will be offering ongoing formative tasks in lieu of an examination because the skills and content are better suited to a different format.

The Year 10 Examination timetable is subject to change based on any adjustments to the NSW Health return to school plan. Should changes to the timetable be required, we will communicate this immediately to the students via email and as a post within the Year 10 Teams.

Mr Jake Plaskett

Director of Student Learning (Years 7-10)

From the Chaplains

Thoughts on Farewell for Year 12 Girls 2020

As we enter into Week 10 of our term during the Sydney lockdown, we come to the place where we bid farewell to our Year 12 students. Words can never express how I feel during this time and I can only imagine what parents and families are experiencing as they bid adieu to the final year of schooling for their children without the so called ‘normal’ ways of farewelling.

In the words of Antonio Machado (Spanish poet 26 July 1875 – 22 Feb 1939):

Wanderer, your footsteps are the road and nothing more; wanderer there is no road, the road is made by walking. By walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again.”

We pray God’s continued blessing upon all our Year 12 students as they experience this time like no other, of graduating from school during a pandemic. We will miss the face-to-face time we couldn’t have with them, but as my approach to life is about being positive, we are thankful for every encounter we have had.

I give thanks for their joyful singing of Shine Jesus Shine as if there was no other anthem truer than the one they clapped their hands to in Chapel. I give thanks for their willingness to always work with the opportunities given and be present in the moment of that which needed to be attended to.

And so, in the name of the One who is the path and the bringer of all good things, may it go well with you dear Year 12 girls of 2020. May you see light clearly in service to God and others and therefore find perfect freedom, as the College Prayer teaches us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have a safe and enjoyable break everyone with your families!

Blessings and love

Rev Bent

Reverend Punam Bent

College Chaplain

HSC Fitness Program

Pymble Research Conference and Launch of the Pymble Institute

You are warmly invited to the 2021 Pymble Research Conference, including the launch of the Pymble Institute, the College’s home of research, innovation and professional learning. This online event will take place on Thursday 7 October at 3.30pm to 5.00pm.

Keynote speaker, Dr Janet Dutton, Macquarie University, will discuss making time for research in educational practice. Presentations from Pymble students and staff who have conducted research projects will follow.

Click here to register for this event.

Click here to view the event program.

Spotlight on Classroom Excellence

Each week in ‘Spotlight on Classroom Excellence’, Mrs Melissa McMahon, our Director of Teaching Excellence, will give you a window into some of the engaging and innovative teaching and learning happening in our classrooms across the College. 

This week we are shining a light on Year 10 Accelerated Mathematics. The article is written by Mrs Amy Kydd, Mrs Julia Squires and Mrs Katie Jackson.

Mrs Melissa McMahon

Director of Teaching Excellence (K-12)

Excellence in Mathematics

Year 10 Accelerated Mathematics students have been undertaking a Mathematics Enrichment Course in 2021. They have studied topics such as Exponentials and Logarithms, Linear Programming, Circle Geometry and Polynomials with a focus on richer problems to solve.

Their assessment task for Term 3 was an investigation and we had three entries into a Mathematics Competition run by the Mathematical Association of NSW (MANSW). The Investigating Mathematics Competition is very open-ended and allows students to experience working as mathematicians.

The girls were given the investigation task in the last week of Term 2 and used the holidays and Weeks 1 to 3 of this term to plan, investigate and report on their findings. All students in Year 10 Accelerated Mathematics enthusiastically engaged in the task. It was extremely difficult to choose entries for the competition as the standard was so high. An amazing variety of mathematical concepts were investigated including Infinity, Pascal’s Triangle. Mathematics in Sport, Fractals, Euler’s number, safe levels of noise exposure and Archimedes and volume by displacement. Some groups performed experiments, others researched and posed their own questions about the mathematics that they were investigating. All students are to be commended for the high-quality investigations produced. Special congratulations to the entrants selected for the competitions. You can read about their projects and the results below.

The three investigations chosen to represent Pymble were:

The Fight To Prevent Death (Highly Commended)

Eloise Kinchington, Charlotte Hartin and Hayley Johnston

Our mathematical investigation focuses on the question, ‘Which vaccine (AstraZeneca, NovaVax or Pfizer), provides the lowest herd immunity threshold within Australia with the current Alpha and Delta variants?’ The coronavirus vaccines explored in the investigation were AstraZeneca, NovaVax and Pfizer. We utilised various mathematical equations, involving the SIR Model in order to reach our conclusions. Our equations ultimately revealed that the Pfizer vaccine was the most effective against the Alpha and Delta variants at the time of the investigation. This vaccine was followed by NovaVax then AstraZeneca. 

Mass vaccination is the solution to the recent coronavirus outbreaks within Australia, which are becoming increasingly prevalent after the appearance of the Delta strain within Sydney and Melbourne. COVID-19 is having a profound impact on society as a whole. Vaccination programs are the only hope for the world to return to normality. Internationally, effective vaccination rollouts have enabled countries including America and Britain to return to normality, despite experiencing severe coronavirus outbreaks. In the recent example of Wimbledon in London, stadiums were filled to capacity, with almost no masks or PPE perceived necessary for protection against the virus, due to effective vaccination programs. Mathematics is an integral aspect of epidemiology. Mathematical methods are implemented to forecast the spread of disease and make conclusions regarding vaccine efficacy and herd immunity. Epidemiology was the focus of this investigation due to its relevance in mathematical and real-world situations.

The Honeycomb Conjecture

Piper Markson, Angelina Lu and Jocelyn Mar

This investigation looked at bees and the hexagonal shape of the honeycomb and asked if this was the most efficient shape. The project looked at tessellations and used a bubble experiment to show how the honeycomb shape is produced. They discovered that a hexagon uses the smallest perimeter in a circle and hence is the most efficient shape for bees to use. The group even researched notable scientists in this area and reached out to Professor Hale who wrote about The Honeycomb Conjecture. The girls were very excited when he took time from his day in America to write back to the group. This group received a participation certificate.

MathsDonalds (First Place)

Rose Haran, Alie Windybank, Ava Olesen and Saskia Willoughby-Winlaw

How does the per cent of the volume of product delivered to the consumer versus maximum potential volume, and price per g/ml vary between certain items on the McDonald’s menu, indicating the best value for consumers?

This group came first in the competition! They were excited about having a reason to go and buy McDonald’s. They purchased a number of items and worked out the volume of the packet/box/cup and they compared the volumes of different sizes for drinks and chips. They identified four nugget shapes (they termed the types ‘bell, ball, bone and boot’) and calculated the average mass of each type of nugget. They then calculated the probability of getting each type of nugget in your box of nuggets. They concluded that as the sizes of the milkshake and fries increase, the cost per mL/gram respectively will decrease, indicating that the best value for the consumer is larger sizes which is what they hypothesised. They also found that the percentage of maximum volumes filled was always less than 100 per cent, besides the small fries as the fries are filled to go outside the packet.  

From the Lead – Psychological Services

School Holiday Supports and Resources

We recognise that these holidays are a time of change and uncertainty for many families. While we have the hope of lockdown coming to an end soon, we know that the pathway there is unpredictable at times.

In addition to our usual mail-out of Mental Health Supports during the holidays we also wanted to include a shortlist of resources, programs, and apps that you might find useful at this time.

Click here to view.

We hope these resources help to contribute to the considerable resilience we see every day in the Pymble community.

Mr Andrew Scott

Lead – Psychological Services

Useful Apps

Programs

BRAVE (brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au)
The BRAVE Program is a free, interactive, online program for the prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety.

This Way Up – TeenSTRONG
This program is free with a prescription from a GP or mental health professional and is a cognitive behavioural therapy program designed to teach young people (12-17) how to manage feelings of stress, anxiety, worry or low mood and build confidence to navigate common adolescent experiences.

Bite Back (biteback.org.au)
A free, self-guided online wellbeing and resilience program for young people aged 13–16 years old. The program includes six weekly challenges to help improve mental fitness, increase happiness, reduce stress, improve friendships and focus.

For Parents

Raising Children Network:
Online resources for Parents and Carers.

ReachOut Parents:
Self-help, community forums and individual support and information for parents of teenagers.

Resourcing Parents:
Find a parenting program near you.

 ParentWorks:
Free online program for Australian parents and caregivers of children (2-16). It provides evidence-based parenting strategies to improve parenting skills, confidence and child behaviour.

Happiness and it’s Causes Virtual Conference:
20 minute talks from psychologists and neuroscientists from 2020 looking at topics like “Human Flourishing in Challenging Times”.  You can see a range of other similar videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/ThinkandBeHappy.

From the Preparatory School

From our Head of Preparatory School

Mrs Karen Ahearn

Head of Preparatory School

From our Kindergarten Co-ordinator

As the end of Term 3 draws near, Kindergarten girls have been reflecting about their learning. We are so very proud of the way the girls have applied themselves with enthusiasm and curiosity across all the key learning areas. They are not only learning new content and skills but also how to be resilient, how to share ideas, how to problem solve and how a question can be the beginning of learning something new. Kindergarten girls are making amazing progress with their reading and writing, which is opening the doors to even more exciting learning adventures. We discussed our favourite memories of Term 3 and reflected on what we had learned and the things we were proud of. Here are some of our responses:

“I am proud of myself because I learned lots of tricky things.” – Alyssa Wang
“I am proud of trying.” – Aviana Faraz
“I liked learning about roller coasters.” – Sarah Kitzing
“I am proud of planting my mung beans.” – Nina Li
“I am proud of all the dancing in Performing Arts.” – Chloe Pan
“I am proud of being kind.” – Ariana Brandner
“My best memory was learning about bees and making bee craft.” – Mia Whitehead
“I am proud of everything I did at school.” – Echo Rao

Kindergarten continues to celebrate the start of spring. As scientists, we ventured into our backyards and looked out windows to detect signs of spring. We observed deciduous trees regrowing their leaves, flowers budding and blooming and bees buzzing. We also noticed that the days were starting to feel a little bit longer as the sun was not leaving us so soon of an evening. We have absolutely relished all our learning about plants, bees and the seasons. As part of our spring theme, we revised patterns in Mathematics and used nature to create our own repeating sequences.

It has been a term of courage, curiosity and care in Kindergarten. We look forward to more amazing learning in Term 4.

Mrs Catherine Casey

Kindergarten Co-ordinator

From our Year 1 Co-ordinator

Shadow monsters, people and animals, oh my! What an adventure Year 1 went on during their latest Compass Directions lesson when they ventured out into the great outdoors. The girls took the opportunity to step away from their devices and enjoy the sunshine as they made creations using their own shadows and other natural materials from the environment around them. From funky-haired monsters to crazy animal creatures, the students loved spending the time using their imaginations to create original and wild characters. What a wonderful way for our girls to get in touch with their surroundings in a fun and different manner!

Miss Emily Boyd

Year 1 Co-ordinator

From our Year 2 Co-ordinator

It has been a very busy term for Year 2 online. It has been wonderful to see the girls finish the term with the same dedication and energy they have shown all term. We are incredibly proud of the girls’ resilience and motivation during this time, their enthusiasm during lessons and the care and kindness they continue to show their teachers and each other online. They have shown maturity and thoughtfulness when reflecting on some of the positives of this time – I have lost count of the times I have heard the girls express their joy at getting to spend more time with their families, not having to wear their full school uniform and being able to sleep in a little more than usual. I love their ability to be positive, grateful and find that silver lining!

In Compass Directions this week, the girls explored all the different emotions that they feel and went on a scavenger hunt to find representations of things that made them feel happy, brave, proud and more. It was wonderful seeing the girls reflecting on their different emotions so thoughtfully.

The Year 2 Leaders are also to be commended for their eagerness to fulfil their roles while online. The final SRC theme day, Pyjama and Onesie Day tomorrow was suggested by the girls when focusing on the positives of being at home. It will be a fun way to end the term!

I will now hand over to the leaders to share some of their reflections about the term and working online:

What were your favourite activities when working online this term?
“Everything!” – Kaylee Tian
“All the art lessons, especially drawing.” – Bella Geng-Yang
“Maths, especially the capacity activities which were so fun.” – Aisha Younus
“Building things in Maths and Science lessons was so much fun – we should do more!” – Isabella Wang
“Art, PE and Performing Arts were my favourites as they were so much fun.” – Julie Kang

What did you enjoy most about working from home?
“Learning can still happen, we can still see our friends and we get to see our families more.” – Emma Feng
“We get lots more family time.” – Vanessa Lee
“We can still chat to our friends and see them online.” – Loriah Zhang
“Going for walks with our family and seeing our friends online.” – Nouvelle Nicholson
“We can sleep in and we don’t have to waste time travelling to school.” – Elaine Wang

What challenged you most learning online?
“Missing playing with my friends and seeing my teachers.” – Christina Yang
“When the Wi-Fi doesn’t work or my iPad is not working properly.” – Stephanie Zhao
“When you need to call your teacher to help you.” – Lora Guo
“It is harder to concentrate at home and I miss my friends and teachers.” – Polly Zhao

What suggestions do you have for your teachers for working online?
“More activities when you can design and make things.” – Lakey Boyes
“More Art activities and more break times.” – Afra Sarchami
“More times to chat and talk to our friends.” – Jessica Xu
“A mufti day every Friday.” – Christina Yang

What do you want to tell your teachers?
“Because you are working so hard I think you should take a break.” – Safa Ali
“Thank you for being so thoughtful and loving and selfless.” – Isabelle Wang
“Thank you for teaching us and caring for us when we are online and on campus. You are the best teachers in the world!” – Julie Kang
“Thank you for teaching us, helping us, looking after us and caring for us. I hope the virus will go away so we can all come together like before. I miss you all!” – Bella Geng-Yang
“Thank you for all the amazing work you have done during this lockdown and for making lockdown so much better.” – Elaine Wang

Mrs Kate Giles

Year 2 Co-ordinator

From our K-6 Psychologist: Having fun and staying safe in the school holidays

After a long and challenging term, the spring school holidays are finally upon us! All the girls have been working so hard and it is now time to unwind, recharge the batteries and have some COVID-safe fun. Even though we are unable to do the things we normally would do, there are still lots of great activities to keep kids occupied and combat “I’m bored”.

You might like to think back to your childhood and the things that stood out for you as a guide in coming up with ideas. As an example, I enjoyed spotlighting for possums when I was a child and so will be heading out to the bush one evening in the holidays to do this again. If you are a bit stuck or need more inspiration, the following are some tips:

1. General tips: divide the day into sections, such as morning after breakfast, mid-morning, after lunch, afternoon and evening after dinner. Work out what your day is going to look like, print out the plan and pop it on your fridge. This is especially helpful when, as a parent, you are continuing to work or study throughout the holiday period. Another way to mix things up is to have a lucky dip for picking activities.
2. Indoor activities: we have all no doubt become experts in coming up with creative and fun indoor activities that can be done at home! There are so many options including making a pillow fort, playing with cardboard boxes, making a Stop Motion video and LEGO challenges.
3. Outdoor activities: likewise, there are lots of fun outdoor activities that can be done from home. Options include creating chalk cities, backyard camping, making s’mores, shadow drawing, or going for a bushwalk.
4. Quiet time: board games, reading, yoga, smiling mind and drawing are all great options for when some down time is needed or if it is a rainy day.
5. Chores: that’s correct, even chores can form part of holiday activities! It helps in the running of the family and some chores can even be fun, like washing the car.

For lots more fantastic ideas, check out: https://www.danielaminns.com/mega-list-of-screen-free-activities? If you feel you are needing extra support throughout the holiday period, the Parent Helpline is available on 1300 1300 52.

From the counselling team, we hope you have a wonderful and safe break.

Dr Danielle Ellis

K-6 School Psychologist

From our Teacher Librarian

Read By Us!

Years 9 and 10 have now read 11 stories for the girls in the Preparatory School! You can view the stories here https://pymblelc.padlet.org/jlaretive/hn7dhh8zl9gijxg2.

Have you visited World Book Early Learning?

World Book Early Learning provides access to online stories, videos and activities. World Book Early Learning can be found on the World Book App Homepage. This video overviews key features of World Book Early Learning:

Preparatory Online Learning Resource Guide

Prep Online Learning Resources

Mrs Josephine Laretive

Preparatory School Teacher Librarian

Notices

TERM 4

Pymble is following the NSW Government’s staged return to campus plan for all year groups, which is as follows:

• Monday 25 October (Week 4): Kindergarten, Years 1 and 12
• Monday 1 November (Week 5): Years 2, 6 and 11
• Monday 8 November (Week 6): Years 3, 4, 5, 7 8, 9 and 10.

 Please keep informed of any further updates from the College to the Return to Campus plan for Term 4.

CONTACT DETAILS  

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

From the Junior School

From our Head of Junior School

As we head into the holidays, we wish you all a safe and happy break from the routine of online learning and the school day. We know that these are challenging times as we’re unable to travel and enjoy adventures with our loved ones as normal. However, these holidays provide a chance for our girls to stop, relax and re-energise ready for Term 4. Being bored is a powerful spark for creativity.

Creativity was evident in our Junior School Assembly last week when the girls joined together to create a rousing accompaniment of Happy Birthday with their musical instruments or with instruments they created. Whilst this may not have been the most polished performance, it was a fun and joyful way for us to come together as a community and celebrate. We will have a repeat performance this week!

There have been some wonderful, polished performances this week from all our Bands. These individual and group performances are always impressive, but never more so than this term when we remember that all lessons have been online. Our girls should be extremely proud of their commitment to their music and their passion for practice and growing their skills. Listening to them all play and watching them perform was a magical way to end the term.

Creativity has also been evident amongst our Robotics girls as they’ve engaged with challenges posed to them throughout the term including designing and making a catapult and designing, building and coding a robot housekeeping assistant for a family. Watch the video below to see Jessica Persson’s robot delivering rocky road (made by Jessica during her Year 5 Mind, Body, Spirit Day) to her family.

This week I have ‘handed over’ the newsletter to our outstanding Kindness Captains for Term 3.  Our theme for the term has been ‘Kindness is our Superpower’ and these girls have shone as superheroes; working collaboratively to keep us all, and our community, smiling and feeling loved throughout the isolation of lockdown.

Kindness Club ‘takes over’ the newsletter – Sophie Chiang, Zoe Chong, Anika Verma, Melanie Xu, Feifei Wang, Julia Zhu and Eliza-Rose Griffiths

“This week we reflected on all the initiatives we have led this term. We also reflected on how kindness is a superpower and how we have felt as the Kindness Captains for the Junior School this term. Here are our thoughts:

I loved celebrating Heidi and her kindness superpowers. It was fun to draw pictures of Heidi that showed her many different kindness superpowers. We hope we can make the drawings into a book which we can then give to children in hospital or quarantine to show them kindness.

We have written letters to our elderly Pymble alumni as we worry they are lonely whilst in lockdown. We hope that our letters will bring them joy and cheer them up. When you are in lockdown you can feel really isolated, so we hope that our letters help these ladies to feel connected to us all at Pymble.

We loved designing cards which we were able to use within our community. We also loved making our messages in a bottle against COVID-19. Kindness is our superpower.

We have also surprised our teachers this week by organising thank you messages from our classes. We set up private chats and organised how our class would say thank you for all our teachers have done for us this term.  

Being a Kindness Captain is a wonderful opportunity. I feel really proud to be a Kindness Captain. We get to do things that are important; we give to others and help them. As a Kindness Captain I feel like I am making a difference.”

Mrs Kate Brown

Head of Junior School

Compass Check in

Mind Body Spirit Days

This week the girls have embraced being kind to self by engaging with their Mind, Body Spirit days. Cooking together and chatting was a lovely way to learn a new skill and to share stories. Designing our own gratitude containers helped create a calm space within the day to stop and reflect on the people, things and values we are grateful for. The challenge of designing toys from recycled bits and pieces inspired some outstanding STEM thinking. Working with our counsellors and Reverends, we learned how to self-care with a guided mediation and then we ended the day by being very active with a scavenger hunt, some fitness and some physical challenges led by our PDHPE team. This was a fantastic day for the girls to learn together as a year group and share some laughter and new learning in this final week of the term.

Mrs Nerissa Davey

Acting Deputy Head of Junior School Wellbeing

Links Day – 22 October

This year Links Day looks a little different. However, our staff members have been working to create activities and connections that ensure this day is fun for all our current girls whilst online. Keep an eye on your post box as invitations to this day will be arriving soon. Thank you to Mrs Inchbold for her fantastic creative skills and for helping to package the envelopes and resources for each girl for this day.

Junior Ignite

Each week throughout our online learning, a group of girls has come together with Mrs Clutterham and Rev Bent at lunchtime on Tuesdays. This is a wonderful opportunity for our girls to read the Bible, engage in conversation around faith and pray for those in our community.

Class Captains’ Corner

The girls have done a fabulous job this term of sending in quotes and photos of their weeks to share in Digital News. This video of photos is the highlight of our week as it showcases all the wonderful learning the girls have experienced. This week our quote is from Sophie Harris who has chosen a quote from the legend that is Dolly Parton:

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

From our K-6 Psychologist: Having fun and staying safe in the school holidays

After a long and challenging term, the spring school holidays are finally upon us! All the girls have been working so hard and it is now time to unwind, recharge the batteries and have some COVID-safe fun. Even though we are unable to do the things we normally would do, there are still lots of great activities to keep kids occupied and combat “I’m bored”.

You might like to think back to your childhood and the things that stood out for you as a guide in coming up with ideas. As an example, I enjoyed spotlighting for possums when I was a child and so will be heading out to the bush one evening in the holidays to do this again. If you are a bit stuck or need more inspiration, the following are some tips:

1. General tips: divide the day into sections, such as morning after breakfast, mid-morning, after lunch, afternoon and evening after dinner. Work out what your day is going to look like, print out the plan and pop it on your fridge. This is especially helpful when, as a parent, you are continuing to work or study throughout the holiday period. Another way to mix things up is to have a lucky dip for picking activities.
2. Indoor activities: we have all no doubt become experts in coming up with creative and fun indoor activities that can be done at home! There are so many options including making a pillow fort, playing with cardboard boxes, making a Stop Motion video and LEGO challenges.
3. Outdoor activities: likewise, there are lots of fun outdoor activities that can be done from home. Options include creating chalk cities, backyard camping, making s’mores, shadow drawing, or going for a bushwalk.
4. Quiet time: board games, reading, yoga, smiling mind and drawing are all great options for when some down time is needed or if it is a rainy day.
5. Chores: that’s correct, even chores can form part of holiday activities! It helps in the running of the family and some chores can even be fun, like washing the car.

For lots more fantastic ideas, check out: https://www.danielaminns.com/mega-list-of-screen-free-activities. If you feel you are needing extra support throughout the holiday period, the Parent Helpline is available on 1300 1300 52.

From the counselling team, we hope you have a wonderful and safe break.

Dr Danielle Ellis

K-6 School Psychologist

From the JSPG

It’s hard to believe we are at the end of Term 3. Although it has been a completely different term to the one we had planned, we hope you and your daughters have been able to make the most of this time at home. It has been amazing to see the work and effort the Junior School teachers have put into online learning for our girls and we are so appreciative. We would like to wish you all a peaceful and enjoyable break and we look forward to the start of Term 4 with the girls hopefully returning to campus later in the term.

We hope the girls found the magical hour of power last week with Tracy Tam from Trace of Magic fun and entertaining. Thanks to all of you who registered and attended this JSPG event.

Just a final reminder for anyone who hasn’t had time to watch the JSPG meeting from earlier this term.  We would really recommend you watch this as it gives such a comprehensive overview of what our girls have been working on throughout online learning. Please click on the link below:

JSPG Quote of the Week:

‘We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.’ Anon

From the Middle School

From our Head of Middle School

Welcome to our final week of Term 3. It has been such a journey and I am so proud of our girls and the tremendous support that the Middle School Leadership team has provided to them. A special thank you to our Middle School Administration team, Stephenie Sibug, Ruth Volonakis and Tennille Tysoe our Administration Co-ordinator, for their willingness to always being so supportive of all that is going on.

On Thursday this week our Compass groups had the opportunity to come together in Houses across Years 7 and 8 to enjoy a game of Scattergories. It is always such a pleasure to see the girls interact and have a fun time as Middle School sisters. I would also like to thank Ang-Ya Koo and Tully O’Regan, two of our Middle School Leaders (MSL), for putting together the beautiful Year 12 farewell video from the MSLs which acknowledged the importance of relationships between Middle School and the Senior School girls.

Congratulations to the Jacaranda Award Recipients for Term 3, your commitment to the College Values is well worth celebrating!

House	Year 7	Year 8
Bennett A	Kate Toomey	Charlotte Ford
Bennett B	Siena Parsons	Jaya Krishnadasan
Goodlet A	Elise Lin	Sienna Hui
Goodlet B	Caroline Wilson	Elizabeth Tang
Ingleholme A	Alia Curren	Tessa Newitt
Ingleholme B	Anais Vander	Grace Rew
Hammond A	Stella Boyle	Lauren Gibson
Hammond B	Anais McDonald	Sarah Boland
Lang A	Addison Seeto	Annabel Charnock
Lang B	Alice Mao	Lucy Jackson
Marden A	Daisy Stoodley-Williamson	Elizabeth Bull
Marden B	Zara Pattinson	Evila Zhou
Thomas A	Sophia Darbar	Jocelyn Teni
Thomas B	Cindy Xu	Chanette Hu
Wylie A	Ruby Scarf	Zoe Rose
Wylie B	Poppy Leys	Sabrina Cooke

 

It is my pleasure to acknowledge the winners of our Middle School MasterChef Challenge that was held over the last weeks. Congratulations to:

Sarah Usher – most thematic creation
Emily Abadee – most creative entry
Tully Black – best presentation
And a special shout-out to Isabella Attard for highest level of participation. 

Middle School Service Initiative Term 4: Focus on Hope

I am very excited to be working with the Middle School Service Committee and would like to congratulate these girls for their enthusiasm and initiative in working to bring together a very exciting opportunity for our girls next term. The focus is on reaching out to others and building hope.

Year 7: Layne Phillips, Jenny Xu, Angela Zhang, Addison Seeto

Year 8: Kathie Ong, Jocelyn Teni, Phoebe Paleologos, Emily Abadee.

Below is an introduction to what lies ahead:

“At the moment, life can be uneasy and difficult for many people in lockdown, especially for those in nursing homes and hospitals. This is why students from the Middle School want to share all of their love and support to members of the wider community, in a COVID-safe way!

 Students will be given choices in relation to committing to various projects such as: knitting small knee rugs for the elderly, creating joey pouches for WIRES, sewing tiny hearts for neonatal babies, sharing a video of a personal performance for entertainment, composing letters to brighten someone’s day… the list goes on.

We are going to begin each project remotely while we are working online. We aim to get girls to participate during Compass and designated assembly time with the new Compass Captains leading the activities.

 Even though we are planning so many activities online for the Pymble girls, we are looking forward to coming back to school so that we can take these activities a step forward. Who knows, we may even be able to visit or virtually visit, nursing homes and children’s hospitals (in a COVID-safe way) when we come back. The Community Service team can’t wait until that day comes!” – Addison Seeto (Year 7), Emily Abadee and Kathie Ong (Year 8)

I wanted to shout out to Ruhani Surana who performed at our Middle School Year 7 Got Talent last week. The fact that she composed the song herself parodying Guy Sebastian’s song Belong to suit our COVID-19 context was exceptional! We certainly do have talent in Year 7! Please find the link below to the lyrics:

Lyrics for song

Directions

 

This week Year 7 girls completed work on their Upstander Advertisement Campaign which is designed to contribute to the prevention of cyberbullying within our school community. To promote upstanding, as opposed to being a bystander, students worked in pairs or small groups and chose to create a poster, brochure or flyer using the Canva graphic design program. Prior to designing the posters, students watched introductory videos and discussed the impact of a specific case where upstander behaviour made a positive impact. Students then researched the importance of, and the reasons for, standing up for others.

Our Bystander Campaign – Arini, Siena, Emily and Amy

This week our Year 8 Directions classes continued their lessons with the focus on service to others or on gratitude. We encourage you to speak to your daughter about these lessons and encourage them to continue participating in them over the holiday break. Positivity postcards to neighbours, painted gratitude rocks or chalk messages on your footpaths are some of the feel-good projects your family might like to participate in.  

Next term, Year 8 Directions will focus on the ideas of character, resilience and awareness. We are also creating a series of practical lessons to support the girls as they transition to face-to-face learning. These lessons will focus on managing uncertainty, emotional regulation and support/help seeking strategies. We will end the year with a review of student goals as our Year 8 students begin their transition into the Upper School.  

 I wanted to highlight that owing to current NSW Health guidelines, we will not be able to proceed with the traditional Year 7 Christmas Service this year in Term 4, Week 6 on Tuesday 9 November. This is a much-loved event on our calendar annually where we host Year 7 parents in the Chapel with their daughters. We thank you for your understanding and have planned several alternative fun activities in Term 4 when the girls return to campus to make up for it.

Mrs Jenny O’Donnell

Head of Middle School

From the Upper School

From our Head of Upper School

As I write this newsletter, my final one as Head of Upper School, I’m reflecting on the fact that I’ve spent 3,088 wonderful days in the Upper School and had the incredible privilege of seeing more than 2,000 students move through Years 9 and 10. These Upper School years are so special in the lives of our girls. Your Year 9 daughter is vastly different from the one who presents at the end of Year 10. It’s a stage of rapid growth and maturity and a search (or demand) for independence and voice. There are mistakes to be made, risks to explore, new subjects to try, activities to master and ever-changing relationships with self and others to navigate. These are the years of identity formation; I have always likened the Upper School to the caterpillar’s transformation to a butterfly.

For our students and parents, this time is not always easy, and I’ve had many conversations with you along the away. Often, I say things like “hang in there” and “it’ll get better” to parents, knowing all the while that the extremes of adolescent behaviour will most often resolve with time and nature. Other times there have been more detailed interventions when complications arose. I’m grateful for the times we were able to work in partnership to improve outcomes for your daughter. I look forward to one day, writing a book about some of the things I have seen (de-identified of course!) and stories I have heard along the way. However, the thing that stands out for me the most about my time in the Upper School years is the passion of our Years 9 and 10 students. When guided into meaningful pursuits they are unstoppable. There have been so many generous acts of service, kindness and advocacy for the disadvantaged that have left us all in awe. As I move into my new role as Head of Secondary – Wellbeing, I will be keeping a close eye on our Upper School girls and look forward to celebrating their every success along the way.

I would like to wish Mr Tom Riley, our new Head of Upper School, all the very best as he begins his role next term. I am confident that he will enjoy the humour, energy and warmth that Years 9 and 10 have shared with me along the way. Mr Riley will be well supported by the wonderful Upper School Team: Mrs Hunt, Deputy Head of Upper School, our Heads of Year and Upper School Administration team.

Onto practical matters, it is wonderful to be meeting with the College leadership team to start making plans for our return to campus next term. I hope this idea is exciting for your daughter, but we understand that any change to routine can be met with apprehension; particularly in the throes of a pandemic. The Wellbeing team will be using some time in Directions to help students manage any uncertainty about transitioning back to face-to-face learning and supporting those who cannot.

This week, there has been much discussion about Yearly examinations for Years 9 and 10. Please refer to Mr Jake Plaskett’s article in this newsletter for more detailed information relevant to each year group. In a recent assembly with Year 10, he outlined the changes to routines to minimise stress, whilst providing an opportunity for students to experience examination conditions prior to their Senior School years. If the idea of examinations is causing your daughter distress or anxiety, please contact her Compass teacher or Head of Year. Our student’s wellbeing remains our first priority.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful term break and that you are able to spend some time offline as a family.

Mrs Melissa Boyd

Head of Upper School

A message from Mrs Hunt, Deputy Head of Upper School

THANK YOU, MRS BOYD

Yes, Mrs Boyd, I am afraid it is time! Time to farewell you as Head of Upper School and wish you all the very best as you officially commence your new role as Head of Secondary – Wellbeing.

Last week the Upper School community (special guests, parents, teachers, our Reverends and students) held a special assembly to share memories and express gratitude for Mrs Boyd’s seven years of incredible love, compassion and care for our Upper School community.

Under the guidance of Mrs Boyd, hundreds of students have had the opportunity to experience diverse cultures due to the International Exchange program. The Service programs have enabled Upper School girls to travel to many communities throughout regional NSW and within Sydney, to care for our most vulnerable citizens.

Sony Camp is just one of Mrs Boyd’s passions and each year she co-ordinates this event. Pymble and Shore co-host a four-day ‘live-in’ holiday camp for children with a physical or mental disability. Mrs Boyd always tears up when she talks about the love and care that the program can offer these young people and the much-needed respite that families are able to enjoy. We appreciated Mrs Ann Ibbotson, one of our Sony camp volunteers, joining us to honour Mrs Boyd and her dedication to Sony Camp.

Thank you to the following Upper School Leaders who thanked Mrs Boyd and acknowledged her hard work:

On behalf of Year 9:

Jiya:

“Mrs Boyd has been such an incredible Head of Upper School. She helped to provide many community service initiatives like Easy Care Gardening, Northaven Aged Care and Retirement Village, Youth Works at Gordon Library, Turratots Occasional Care, Kids on the Block Playgroup (as part of Mission Australia), Days for Girls and Wrap with Love. She has been running most of these programs since 2014, starting new ones along the way, and interviewing hundreds of girls to enable them to have an opportunity. Even during lockdown, she has been constantly figuring out ways to engage Upper School students, for example the Read by US initiative. Mrs Boyd, your hard work and dedication drives the Upper School forward, and while we are all very sad to see you go, we’re beyond grateful for all that you have done for us and wish you the best of luck in your new position.” 

Abi: 

“The Year 9 Leaders were lucky to have Mrs Boyd’s support through working on the Knox Pymble Leadership and Year 9 collaboration. She made sure that we were equipped with the right skills going into meetings with Deans of Students and Knox Leaders and always provided us with feedback and hyped us up with ‘proud mum’ gifs. 

We are all fortunate to be working with her on this initiative for Upper School and appreciate everything that Mrs Boyd has done for us. We will all miss your massive smile, energy and warmth in the Upper School, and know that you will do just as well in your new position.”

On behalf of Year 10:

Sarah: 

“Mrs Boyd has overseen many exchange opportunities around the world including Argentina, England, New Zealand, Scotland, Canada and South Africa. She has organised for a variety of scholars to have the opportunity to attend seminars at Oxford and Cambridge Universities on the Cambridge/Oxford Summer trip. Mrs Boyd organised small groups of Year 10 students to visit The Modern School in New Delhi, India for the Youth Leadership Summit.”

Ellie:

“Mrs Boyd has also forged a connection between Pymble and Unity Grammar, an Islamic school based in Austral. With the help of her husband who is the Principal at Unity Grammar, they have allowed Pymble and Unity Grammar girls who would otherwise have no contact, to gain a meaningful and deep connection. Sarah and I were lucky to participate in hosting the Unity Grammar girls early this year before COVID-19. It was an amazing experience that gave us a greater insight into other cultures. Mrs Boyd always puts the wellbeing of all Upper School girls above everything else and since the beginning of her role, Mrs Boyd has made sure to create meaningful connections and experiences for us. Thank you, Mrs Boyd, for everything you have done, the Upper School will miss you dearly.”

Throughout the assembly we were able to laugh and cry over recounts of past adventures and photographic evidence of unplanned ‘swims’ in creeks, leech attacks, Zumba classes and endless Upper School events. What was most evident in preparing this farewell is how special Mrs Boyd is to staff members who have worked alongside her over the past seven years. Tributes and photos from past Year Co-ordinators, Connect/Compass group teachers and Administrative staff were plentiful and impossible to fit in one assembly.

Mel, one final ‘message’ on behalf of the Upper School Team: You are a spectacular human being, and we genuinely love you very much. May you continue to be a sneaky snake and when we least expect it populate our chats willy-nilly with all types of Gifs, Rick Rolls and Dear ‘friend’ memes. We wish you all the best!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Throughout the term we have seen our young women make the best of a tough situation and use the following tools to remain positive: exercise, organisation, gratitude exercises, balanced lifestyle, social contact and trying new things. Whilst we no doubt have it tough compared to life before COVID-19, we need to continue to help our young women find positives in each day and find gratitude in what we do have. I wish you a safe break and look forward to an exciting Term 4 when we commence our transition back to our beautiful campus.

Mrs Michelle Hunt

Deputy Head of Upper School

From our Heads of Year 9

Happy Week 10 to all our Year 9 families. Some say this term flew by and others think it has dragged. All we can say is that it is now over! A huge thank you to all our parents and carers who have supported Year 9 during this extremely difficult term of online learning. The students should be extremely proud of how they have conducted themselves as they worked with diligence and dedication while also showing kindness and looking out for one another.

On Monday, our girls enjoyed the Pymble Picnic and while the weather seemed to take a turn in Sydney, some lucky students managed to enjoy themselves on the coast – Giaan Jackson rounded up all the dogs for her picnic on Monday:

“It was great to see the students get involved and share pictures of yummy homemade food with their Compass groups. There was a range of food from sweet treats to homemade pizza. What a fantastic way to start Week 10.”

The Upper School Leaders team has worked extremely hard on the Pymble Knox Social which was held on Wednesday. With Mr Plaskett leading as Quiz Master, the students managed to engage with the Knox students while fostering teamwork and communication skills. The trivia questions ranged in content and the girls had a great time in break out rooms. Students were also given the opportunity to earn extra points by uploading challenge videos of themselves showing trick shots at home, things you are doing in lockdown and hidden talents. It was fantastic to see what the students have been up to while in lockdown and to finish such a challenging term with something fun. A very big congratulations to our Upper School Leaders on such a successful event.

These holidays take some time away from screens and enjoy sunshine whenever you can. Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing break.

From our Heads of Year 10

What a challenging term it has been! Year 10 should be proud of their ability to adapt to the evolving circumstances, all while maintaining their focus in class and co-curricular activities.

We hope you enjoy a well-deserved break and ensure that you get some time away from screens of any form!

Monday’s Picnic and House activities were met with excitement as the change of schedule signalled that the holidays are not far away!

Our Year 10 students got involved in a range of activities, with some students planning their time:

Boarder and Narrabri resident, Georgia Stuart, planned to spend “it under our mulberry tree and pick some of its fruit and listen to some music. I also might go for a ride on my pushbike down to the river. It will be lovely to have a break and spend a few hours away from the screen.”

Lucy Clarke planned to go “on a picnic at Wahroonga park and Sasha and I are going to climb some trees. If it starts raining we will have a board game picnic at home.”

Unfortunately, the weekend’s weather did not continue into Monday, but our girls still managed to use the time well.

Key dates

From the Senior School

From our Head of Senior School

Mrs Nikki Wyse

Head of Senior School

From the Heads of Year 11

It has been a very busy few weeks for Year 11 as they completed their ‘end of year’ examinations. It was, by all accounts, a success. We were so pleased to see how resilient the girls were in overcoming the challenging of completing them online. They showed their ability to adapt to the change and rise to the challenge and they should be very proud of their achievements!

A huge congratulations to our 2022 leadership team, all of the girls should be honoured and excited at the opportunity that their new positions offer them. We know they will be eager to begin next term and to plan amazing events and opportunities for their respective portfolios. Moving into Year 12 is an exciting time and we want all the girls to embrace the challenges that it brings and celebrate their successes.

As we move into the holidays, we want the girls to take the time to unwind, relax and take some time out for themselves. There are a range of mindful activities that the girls can take up over the break, or they can keep up with the one that they are already engaged in, we know knitting is very popular! However, if knitting is not for you, why not try something new: baking, picking up that book you’ve been meaning to read or trying art at home! Whatever they choose we hope this break is a well-deserved reset.

We look forward to welcoming the girls back in Term 4 as bright shiny Year 12 students and ready to hit the ground running.

From our Heads of Year 12

In 2013 Professor George Saunders gave a memorable commencement speech to the graduating class at Syracuse University which can be viewed and read online. He spoke about the things we remember once we leave school and he framed part of his talk around some of his few regrets, the central one for him being what he called his “failures of kindness”. He went on to clarify these as “those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded . . . sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly”.

He reflected, “Who, in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most undeniable feelings of warmth?”

As our Year 12 complete their formal schooling we are proud to say we and their teachers have been the gracious recipients of many acts of kindness and compassion from our girls, and we know they will continue to pass this and our other College Values on to people they meet in their future lives. We wish Year 12 well and look forward to welcoming them back for their learning and final examinations in Term 4.

From the Boarding School

From our Head of Boarding

We made it! It has been such a different term with much uncertainty. I am, however, filled with admiration for our Boarders who have made the most of our changed circumstances while ensuring they enjoyed their extra time at home. I am also proud of our Boarding staff members who have used the time to put in place initiatives and engage with professional learning while maintaining meaningful and regular contact with our offsite Boarders. 

Our ‘Think Pink’ Trivia Night last Friday was a real highlight. It was wonderful to see our Boarding families enjoying the company of each other and I am very happy to report they all demonstrated excellent knowledge of our Boarding family. Clearly they are ‘Keeping Up With Our Boarders’!

Our new leaders

On Monday we were delighted to congratulate our new Boarding Prefects for the 2021/22 year.

Boarding Head Prefect	Philippa Austin
Boarding Deputy Head Prefect	Rylee McKinstry
Community Engagement Prefect	Eloise Wilson
House Liaison Prefect	Jordyn Seeto
Social Inclusion Prefect	Amanda Lwin
Sport and the Arts Prefect	Chloe Moore
Wellbeing Prefect	Chloe Hanlan

I know these girls already have some fantastic ideas for enhancing the Boarding experience and I look forward to working closely with them in the new term. And just to get you extra excited about what is to come, following is an insight into our Head and Deputy Head Boarders.

Philippa (Pip) Austin – Boarding Head Prefect

I am extremely privileged to be appointed Head Boarder from 2022 and represent our Boarding family alongside Rylee. Boarding has been such a monumental part of my life since I arrived from my hometown of Cowra in Year 7, and I am honoured to be named as a leader and have the opportunity to work with some of my closest friends to give back to the community that has given so much to me.

I have always idolised the Boarding Prefects and admired their ability to unite the Boarders. I hope I can achieve and uphold the same atmosphere whilst nurturing the younger girls through their unique experience. Our vision for the year ahead is to uphold the sense of spirit and promote Boarding so that more girls can have the same experience that I have had. Coming from a small country town, Boarding has provided me with opportunities that I could have only dreamt of, and I will forever be grateful to not only my parents for the sacrifice that they have made, but also to the staff and girls that have shaped my memorable experience here at the College.

Being a Boarder equips girls with resilience and independence and provides incomparable opportunities to develop lifelong friendships. I can only use my mum and her Boarding friends as an example – they remain unseparated to this day. Becoming a Boarder has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. I am extremely grateful and excited to venture into yet another successful year here at Pymble.

Rylee McKinstry – Boarding Deputy Head Prefect

I have been boarding at Pymble since Year 7 and live at Terrigal Beach on the Central Coast. I am so honoured and excited to represent our Boarding family alongside Pip and our Year 12 Boarding sisters.

Boarding has been an enriching and fulfilling experience, and I am so grateful to be fortunate enough to attend such an incredible school. Pymble Boarding has provided me with a supportive and structured environment which has been essential in allowing me to thrive and overcome the highs and lows of high school. My favourite memories have been the unlimited moments with the girls and staff who become your family as you go through this incredible journey together. I have made so many lifelong friends and learned so much from the diverse community surrounding me.

Boarding has been an integral part of my upbringing and has shaped such a significant part of who I am. I am so honoured to have been selected to represent my community and hope to ensure others feel the same way about their journey in Boarding. 

During the next year, I hope Pip, the other Year 12 Prefects and I can enhance the Boarding experience through acting on the ideas and needs of all Boarders, and build on our reputation as a kind and positive community. I am so excited to work with such an amazing group of leaders and for what is to come over the next year.

We will miss you Miss Glover

Tuesday night was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the many gifts of the term in our End of Term Chapel Service. It was also our chance to bid farewell to our House Supervisor of Marden House, Miss Kathryn Glover.

Kathryn started at Pymble just under four years ago. Having spent almost her entire life either as a Boarder or working in Boarding, she quickly found her feet and put her own stamp on Marden House. Kathryn is organised, efficient and much loved by the parents and girls. As you can imagine it is incredibly difficult for parents to send their girls away to school and the trust and respect that the parents have for Kathryn speaks volumes. The girls also appreciated the sense of home that Kathryn built and enjoyed her daily whiteboard updates, fun House meetings and Boarding stories. And as a team we valued her great ideas, common sense and expertise in Boardingware!

As many of you will also know, Kathryn is passionate about music and while there wasn’t much success in getting the Boarders to sing their hymns in Latin, she was a great mentor to the girls who were learning instruments, encouraging them to practise and share their talents in Chapel. She also loved the opportunity to teach music and I know the Pymble Music Department appreciated having her in their team. With this in mind, the Australian Ballet School is the perfect fit for Kathryn and has the added bonus of moving her closer to family and friends. I thank Kathryn for her many contributions and send every good wish for her next adventure.

Farewell to our Year 12 Girls 

On Wednesday we celebrated our Year 12 Boarders in an online event. While we couldn’t be together in person, it was a fabulous night in which the girls donned their formal wear and were ready to party. There were many highlights of the evening, not the least the beautiful video filled with good wishes from families and friends. We wish these special girls all the best as they prepare for their final examinations and look forward to supporting them when they return to Boarding next term. 

I hope you enjoy reading the farewell speech from our 2020-2021 Boarding Head Prefect Ella Jones and Boarding Deputy Head Prefect Brin Kierath.

Well, where do we begin? We are going to miss this beautiful community and you beautiful people. Pymble Boarding has been a home for all of us and while this is definitely not the farewell any of us were expecting – let us not forget the amazing journey along the way. 

I myself started here in 2016 and for the past six years I have made so many friendships and memories which I will have with me for the rest of my life. I remember how scared I was on the first day: not knowing anyone and leaving my family for the first time. But I soon realised how much fun Boarding can be, as it is in fact a sleepover every day. I want to give a massive thank you to everyone who has made this experience so memorable. 

The Boarding family is one which everyone looks out for one another, like the time Connie lent Ella her hand warmers on a cold day, and how when an outfit is needed suddenly everyone’s clothes are up for grabs. I feel as if our year group’s main motto is ‘sharing is caring’; this is exemplified through the communal toothpaste. We want to thank everyone for caring. 

We wanted to say a massive thank you to all the Boarding staff who have created a warm and welcoming environment for us to live! Thank you Mrs Burgess and Mrs White for your guidance and support throughout this past year, you have without a doubt helped every single one of us in some way or another. Thank you Sally for making everything behind the scenes happen for us Boarders and never saying no to any crazy ideas. To Anne, thank you for being your loving, quirky, hilarious self who brightened up Lang, I will miss sitting in the office and hearing all your crazy stories. And all the parents with us here tonight, thank you so much for giving us this amazing opportunity for which we are all so grateful.

To the Year 12 Boarders, we were so lucky to have a year group with all of you in it. We’re going to miss all the movie nights, the breakfasts in the kitchen which finished right on time at 8.20am, the evacuation drills in the middle of the night, where we would all huddle together along the Colonnade. It’s all these memories at this school which we will cherish for a lifetime, so we wanted to thank everyone for making Boarding a second home and all the Boarders who became an extended family! 

We may be leaving each other and saying goodbye but we will always keep these special friendships which we have made. I am sure everyone will always just be a phone call away and I am so excited to see what life has in store for all of us. We love you all and will miss you dearly. 

Goodbye Pymble Boarding and thank you for all the love, laughter and fun you have given us!

The Margaret Brooke ‘Brooksie’ Award

Congratulations to Skye Pockley, our ‘Brooksie’ recipient for Term 3. Skye has embraced every opportunity since joining us last year and consistently demonstrates the College Values. This term she has not let the tyranny of distance defy her, she has been the first to turn up to online House meetings and has contributed to our Boarding family in many ways. She is an outstanding member of the BRC and leads her peers online in a thoughtful and mature manner. Skye did a wonderful job representing the Boarders at the whole school Olympics Assembly and has been an active communicator in a variety of formats. Skye’s generosity of spirit and respectful determination shines through in all that she does. She is indeed a tenacious, courageous, compassionate and giving young woman.

View from my window

It is most fitting that our Year 12 Head Boarder, Ella Jones, signs off with the final ‘View From My Window’ for the term. Ella joined us in Year 7 from Hong Kong and has embraced every opportunity and given back to our Boarding family in so many ways.

Hi, I’m Ella and I am a Year 12 Boarder. For me, home is a long way away in Hong Kong. I absolutely love living there and find the busy city life ideal. It takes me about 14 hours to get from the Boarding house to my front door. This journey includes two car trips, a train, airport queues and a nine-and-a-half-hour flight. My family lives in Hong Kong because of work; there are four of us, my parents, my older brother, Hugo, and me. Together we do a lot of hiking, shopping, beach visits and love to try new restaurants. We live on the peak which is tucked up away from the city and in my opinion is where the view is the best. My favourite window in the apartment is the living room window. From here I can see the ocean stretching to the horizon, islands in the distance, mountains, other high rise buildings, cargo ships, reservoirs, the jungle and even the iconic Ocean Park. My favourite thing about Hong Kong is the busy lifestyle, there is always something new to try, somewhere new to go and new people from all over the world to meet.

Mrs Carolyn Burgess

Director of Boarding

Co-curricular Administration

End of Term 3 Registration Period

The End of Term 3 Registration period opened at 12.00pm on Wednesday 1 September. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and uncertainty of when Co-curricular will return face-to-face in 2021, only Term 1 2022 Saturday Sport registrations have opened at this point. Should Co-curricular programs become available during Term 4, families will be informed by email and a separate registration period will open if required.

All program information for Term 1 2022 Saturday Sports is available in MyPymble on the Co-curricular at Pymble pages (click here). Registrations for these sports will close at 12.00pm on Friday 22 October. Please remember that withdrawals from Saturday sports after the registration closing date are NOT automatically approved and registering for a Saturday sport indicates your daughter’s commitment to play that sport during Term 1 2022.

End of Term 4 Registration Period

The End of Term 4 Registration period will allow families to register their daughters for Term 1, Semester 1 and Yearly 2022 programs as well as Term 2 2022 Saturday Sports. We will be opening all registrations on the same date, Wednesday 24 November, at 12.00pm. Should there be any change to this date, this will be communicated via the Newsletter. An email will be sent prior to registrations opening to all families as a reminder of the opening date and time. All program information will be finalised on the Co-curricular pages of MyPymble by Wednesday 17 November.

Online Programs During Online Learning

Details of available online sport sessions each week during the period of online learning are available by clicking here. This link will be updated each Friday after 12.00pm for the following week. For all other programs, registered participants have been sent the specific information about how to access sessions/resources for their program if there are online options.

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

Hockey

Hockey at Home 

It has been great to put together some fun and challenging sessions and to see the girls get creative with their Hockey. As with most online sport, Hockey is not the easiest to do by yourself, yet our Pymble Hockey girls have continued to show up and be amazing.  

Over the past term, we have ran 17 sessions focusing on repetition and discovery-based learning. We focused on ball control, individual skills and personal challenges. The girls watched video clips of the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras and mirrored the same skills; we even had a special message from Kate Jenner after she competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The challenges were taken in the girls’ stride and we received fantastic videos of the girls completing obstacle courses at home. 

A big thank you to all the girls that joined me online or watched the videos, it has been great to connect with you all.  

Miss Gina Rees

Co-ordinator – Hockey 

Performing Arts

I am still on a high after hearing Li Cunxin, author of Mao’s Last Dancer and currently Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet speak on Wednesday to about 44 students from Years 3 to 11 about his childhood; being brought up in a large, loving but very poor peasant family during the Cultural Revolution, the rigorous training and hardships at the Beijing Dance Academy, his defection to the US and meteoric rise to fame as one of the greatest ballet dancers in the world. What struck me most was his persistence, work ethic, his unswerving belief that there was more to life than what he was experiencing and once given an opportunity he put his heart and soul into making the absolute most of it that he could. His lessons of confronting shortcomings and fears, treasuring every opportunity no matter how small, keeping a positive mindset and a strong work ethic resonated throughout. His desire to live life with a difference, to have a positive effect on society and give back – not only to dance well, but to inspire certainly rang true today. Thank you to Mrs Shenaiya Day for organising the event and to the Performing Arts Support Group for generously contributing to the funding.

Musical 2022 – Boys needed!

I am also very excited to announce the musical production for 2022 will be Mamma Mia! – that fabulous, fun show with all your favourite ABBA songs and more! Information about auditions, rehearsals and performances is in the Music section of this Newsletter. We will also be requiring boys for the Male Leads and Ensemble roles (there are some great male roles in this show!). If you have any boys currently in Years 9 to 11 who may be interested in auditioning, please contact Ms Gladys Uy musicadmin@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au for all the information. Auditions will be via video submission due to COVID-19 restrictions and are due on Friday 8 October (Week 1 Term 4)!

Online Dance Packages for Fun Holiday Activities

We are very excited to launch our inaugural online Dance packages, as a fun holiday activity if the children get bored over the break and haven’t anything to do! For those who haven’t danced before they can dip their toes in and try a variety of styles, while there are also more advanced levels for those with dance experience. Go to the Dance Section for details and information on how to purchase these.

Finally, wishing you all a restful holiday break and my sincere congratulations to all the Co-curricular Performing Arts staff and students for their determination, hard work and perseverance to make online learning enjoyable, engaging and meaningful.

Mrs Sabina Turner

Director of Co-Curricular Performing Arts

Dance

Pymble Online Dance Packages

Pymble Online Dance package tutorials were created for Pymble Dancers throughout the 2020 Online Learning period. Three step options are available to purchase with further details below. Each ‘step’ contains a range of Dance styles featuring tailored class demonstration videos. Explore the Pymble Dance Online program style-by-style, step-by-step!

Step One (Age 4 to 8)

Step One is perfect for dancers 4 to 8 years looking to explore the styles of Ballet, Hip Hop, Tap, Lyrical and Jazz. No dance experience is required. Be sure to do your safety checks before commencing and have fun!

Step Two (Age 9 to 12)

Step Two is perfect for dancers 9 to 12 years looking to explore the styles of Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Lyrical, Musical Theatre and Technique. Minimal dance experience is required. Be sure to do your safety checks before commencing and have fun!

Step Three (Age 13 and above)

Step Three is perfect for dancers 13 years and above looking to explore the styles of Hip Hop, Tap, Lyrical, Jazz and Technique. Some dance experience is required. Be sure to do your safety checks before commencing and have fun!

RAD Ballet

The RAD Ballet Students were invited to enter in an Arabesque Challenge during Term 3 with the opportunity to feature in a virtual gallery. The photographs were awarded between three categories: Technique and Alignment, Editing Skills and Creative Setting and Costuming.  

Thank you to all students that entered. We hope you enjoy this wonderful display of talent. See the video below for the virtual gallery of the ‘Arabesque Exhibition’ from the Museum of Dance. 

Miss Tommy Buchner

Assistant Dance Co-ordinator – Performance

Language Arts

Language Arts Leaders

Thank you to our 2020/2021 Language Arts Captains Faye Chang (Year 12) and Chloe Hoang (Year 12) on their significant leadership roles, your commitment and involvement was outstanding.

We are delighted to have an expanded leadership team in 2022 and would like to congratulate the following Language Arts girls who have been announced as Pymble student leaders for 2021/2022;

Captain of Debating; Alyssa Yee (Year 11)

Captain of Mock Law; Christine Hur

Captain of Public Speaking; Angie Wang

Captain of Model UN; Isabella Cameron

Year 12 Language Arts prefect; Meera Barani.

Year 12

Wishing our Language Arts Year 12 students the best as they prepare for their final examinations. Thank you for the wonderful memories over your school years, we are pleased to have had our High Tea farewell earlier in the year to celebrate you!

Debating

Congratulations to Pymble Archdale Debating teams 7A, 7B and 8B who are through to the final rounds commencing on Tuesday 9 November. Coaches will be in touch in Term 4 regarding details, well done on a successful season.

The Co-curricular Department will send registrations and details shortly to those students who have registered their interest in IDC (International Debating). The season will commence on Friday 15 October and coaches will be in direct communication with teams.

Sydney University Debating Training has moved online, commencing at 4.00pm. Thank you for those who have registered, the Junior Training will be held on Thursday 7 October. Tickets have been purchased and the link will be forwarded once it arrives.

This Friday 17 September the Junior School Year 6 ISDA team will compete against the Year 7 FED Debaters. What an end of term celebration! Thank you to our Year 7 ISDA team who debated ISDA Primary A and Primary B over the past two Friday afternoons. Thank you to Mrs Itzcovitz in the Junior School for her time and enthusiasm with the programs.

Congratulations to Hanna Cheung (Year 10), Caitlyn Tan (Year 10), Maya Hu (Year 10) and Jessie Xie (Year 10) who progressed to the State Semi-Finals of UN Negotiations this term and special congratulations to Hanna and Caitlyn who competed in the Grand Final Sunday 12 September. They represented Jersey in a hostile fishing dispute with France and spent many hours preparing for the negotiation. Congratulations girls on progressing to this level and thank you for your dedication.

The Festival of Speech has moved to an online format and any Senior girls who are interested in the Current Affairs and Religious and Ethical Questions section, please contact Mrs Hubbard. Please note that girls can only enter one section.

Mrs Sweetman will convene Drama, and Mrs Clancy and Mrs Meijer will be selecting and training girls for the poetry sections. Mrs Hubbard will liaise with Public Speakers, Readers, Debaters and the two senior sections.

Students who registered interest in the UN Voice competition will be contacted directed by Mrs Hubbard and Zoom training will be offered in the holidays.

Auditions for Debating teams will be held in Term 4 for girls in Year 8 to Year 12 (2022). Year 7 and new students will audition in Term 1 (2022).

Happy Holidays to our Language Arts girls and their families! Enjoy the break.

Music

MAMMA MIA! THE MUSICAL is coming to Pymble March 2022

​The College is excited to present the musical Mamma Mia!. The production dates are Thursday 17 March to Saturday 19 March, 2022. Students from Year 7 to Year 11 interested in auditioning for onstage roles or participating in backstage must register their interest by 3.30pm this Thursday 16 September using the registration form below. 

Once a student has registered their interest, they will be given access to the Mamma Mia! VC space which will contain all the audition material. Make sure to read all the information very carefully, as some rehearsals will be held in the January holidays and on Sundays in Term 1. Audition is by video submissions which are due Term 4 Week 1 Friday 8 October. Students will need to submit a separate dance and singing audition.

Click on THIS link to view the production team’s online launch.

 Online presentation with Ex-Student Isabella Bignasca

On Thursday 9 September, the Chamber String students engaged in a presentation and question and answer session with ex-student Isabella Bignasca (Pymble Alumni 2016).

Isabella is a graduate from the Juilliard School of Music, majoring in Viola. She lives in New York and is about to commence her Masters Degree in Performance at Juilliard. The session was a valuable opportunity for the girls to gain insight into auditioning for overseas music programs. In addition, Isabella shared stories from her time at Julliard and playing as part of various ensembles.  

Thank you to Mrs Narelle Colbey (Head of Strings) for engaging Isabella to speak with our girls.

Private Music Lesson Achievements

Congratulations to the following students and their teachers on the amazing results achieved during online learning. Keep up the great work!

Yuyin Luo (Year 7) Grade 2 Musicianship – A+ High Distinction

Grace Louw (Year 6) Grade 1 Musicianship – A+ High Distinction

Madison Pearce (Year 7) Grade 2 Musicianship – A+ High Distinction

Lily Still (Year 7) Grade 2 Theory Examination – 92%

Chloe Tian-Cheong (Year 5) Grade 1 Musicianship – Honours A

Caitlin Xi (Year 6) Grade 2 Musicianship – Honours A

Claire Xing (Year 4) Grade 1 Musicianship – High Distinction A+

Angela Zhang (Year 7) Grade 2 Musicianship – A+ High Distinction

Camellia Zhou (Year 6) Grade 2 Musicianship – Honours A

Mr Kurt Schweinberger

Head of Co-curricular Music

Pymble Pod

Welcome to the launch of The Pymble Pod! This new podcast is brought to you by students across Secondary School, and with guests from our Pymble community. Browse our website here to meet the hosts and see how our podcast will be structured.

There are two pilot episodes waiting for you –

Episode 1: All Things Science hosted by Angela (Year 9) and Eleni (Year 9) with special guest Ms Hessel.

Episode 2: Self Love hosted by Samadhi (Year 11) and Maddie (Year 8).

Episodes can be accessed through this website (click here). Enjoy and stay tuned for upcoming releases!

Dads and Daughters Online Event

Pymble Online Dance Tutorials

Take a step inside the first series of Pymble Online Dance Tutorials!

Click here to download our brochure and get your dancing shoes on!

Managing Screen Time Webinar

Online Uniform Shop

Parents and carers can order online for their daughter’s Term 4 uniform needs via the College Shop. Orders received by 5.00pm Thursday 30 September will be available for collection on Friday 1 October from 11.00am to 1.00pm from the Centenary car park (drive through). If you require help with sizing, please email collegeshop@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au to organise an online appointment with our College Shop team. 

Relax and Explore

Our wonderful team in the Conde Library have created some wonderful materials for your family to Relax and Explore.  

For girls and families in the Preparatory and Junior Schools, our OSHC team has weekly Play@Home programs with craft, art and cooking ideas.

From Out of School Hours Care

Play@Home program 

At OSHC, play is very important to us! While you are locked down, we can still all play together with our Play@home program.  

Week 1 

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Please send us photos via oshcadmin@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. We miss seeing your happy faces!  

Careers Information

What’s happening (virtually) @Pymble?

UAC Timetable 

SRS Applications need to be completed by 19 September.
Ontime UAC applications need to be complete by 30 September.

Early offer rounds for SRS

• November Round 1 – change of preferences to be made by Thursday 4 November 
• November Round 2 – change of preferences to be made by Thursday 18 November
• December Round 1 – change of preferences to be made by Thursday 2 December
• December Round 2 – no longer an offer round
• January Round 1 – non-school leavers only

 ATARs released Thursday 20 January 2022

• January Round 2 – Change of preference deadline midnight Friday 21 January 2022

Offers released Wednesday 26 January 2022

Other States admission centres

• VTAC key dates
• QTAC Key dates
• TISC key dates

It is recommended by UAC to accept early offers, remove them from the top preference and place a difference course on the top for the next round.

Types of Offers:

SRS Early offers
Conditional – on an ATAR or another condition specified.
Unconditional – no conditions attached to this offer.
Only ONE UNCONDITIONAL offer can be received per round.
Conditional offers become UNCONDITIONAL after ATARs are released if placed as a top preference. For more information on offers, see UAC University offers.

Application for Undergraduate Medicine and Dentistry Important Fact Sheet

International Study Talks

USA

Student Information Session from Brown University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University (all Ivy League universities): Saturday 18 September, 10.00am AEST.

Information and registration: https://apply.college.columbia.edu/register/?id=49b3a978-2dd7-493e-875f-5c563b45ae24

Study in the US General Information Session – EducationUSA to provide an overview of the process for applying to US universities. Relevant for all students. Wednesday 22 September, 1.00pm AEST. Information and registration: https://bit.ly/3DBfTVP

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Pathway! Hear directly from a NJCAA representative to learn their college sports pathway. This session is for student athletes. Tuesday 28 September, 10.00am AEST. Information and registration: https://bit.ly/NJCAASept28

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Pathway. Hear directly from a NAIA representative to learn their college sports options. This session is for student athletes. Wednesday 29 September, 10.00am AEST. Information and registration: https://bit.ly/3DFKAsD

 UK

Studying in the UK Talk University of St Andrews and Imperial College London – for further information please check the link: Thursday 21 October at 8.00am (UK time).

The talks are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about studying in the UK and the different types of universities and undergraduate degree systems there – please feel free to share the invitation with students, parents or other counsellors.  The three talks are repeats and should last around one hour to one hour and a quarter.

Reading to support your daughters – Making Career Decisions How influencers Can Help 

Katrina O’Kelly

Futures Advisor

Open Days and Information Sessions

GVI Virtual Open Day
Sunday 19 September, 12.00am to 2.00am
Online. Find out more: https://www.gviaustralia.com.au/gvi-open-day/

Basair | Pilot Career Webinar
Sunday 19 September, 7.00pm to 8.30pm
Online. Find out more: http://www.basair.com.au/Events/Register/209

ACU | Elite Athlete and Performer Program Information Session
Tuesday 21 September, 5.00pm to 6.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.acu.edu.au/about-acu/events/2021/september/acu-elite-athlete-and-performer-program-information-session

Charles Sturt | Parent Information Session, Online
Tuesday 21 September, 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://study.csu.edu.au/life/events/parents

AFTT | Online Info Night
Wednesday 22 September, 5.00pm to 6.30pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.aftt.edu.au/events/open-days/online-info-night

CQUni | Apply to CQUni Webinar
Wednesday 22 September, 4.00pm to 5.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.cqu.edu.au/events/event-items/information-session/apply-to-cquni-webinar

ADF | ADFA Virtual Information Session
Thursday 23 September, 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.defencejobs.gov.au/events/events-detail/6tj0f4v

ADF | Gap Year Virtual Information Session
Thursday 23 September, 11.00am to 12.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.defencejobs.gov.au/events/events-detail/d5x6l4w

UOW | Open Day 2021
Saturday 25 September, 10.00am to 3.00pm
University of Wollongong, Wollongong Campus

• Speak with UOW students and experts
• Discover our high-achiever programs
• Find out about our scholarships 
• Explore your new home with a look at UOW accommodation
• Look at your options with UOW’s pathway programs
• Advance your career with postgraduate study
• Take your next step as a non-school leaver
• Find your campus
• Learn how to apply

Find out more: https://www.uow.edu.au/openday/

ATAR Notes | Free HSC Revision and Head Start Lectures Online
Monday 27 September, 9.30am to Friday 1 October, 3.30pm
Online. Find out more: https://atarnoteslectures.com/nsw/#lectures

UTS | Boost Your Application Webinar
Monday 27 September, 12.00pm to 1.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://atarnoteslectures.com/nsw/september-2021/lectures/schedule/boost-your-application

Campion College | Virtual Open Day 2021
Tuesday 28 September, 10.00am to 5.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.campion.edu.au/virtual-open-day/

BMIHMS | Virtual Open Day
Saturday 2 October, 11.00am to 12.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.torrens.edu.au/whats-on/open-day/bmihms-virtual-open-day

EY: Ready to Launch
Tuesday 5 October, 4.00pm to 5.30pm
Find out more: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/ey-ready-to-launch-tickets-169213773953

CQUni | Online Chat Session
Wednesday 6 October, 3.00pm to 6.00pm
Find out more: https://www.cqu.edu.au/events/event-items/information-session/online-chat-session-october

Sydney Flight College | Open Day
Saturday 9 October, 9.00am to 4.00pm
Sydney Flight College
Find out more: https://www.sfcaero.com.au/about-us/open-days

UAC Digital | Let’s Chat – Alternative Pathways to University
Thursday 14 October, 6.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://uacdigital.easywebinar.live/pathways-51

WEP | Student Exchange Info Session
Tuesday 19 October, 6.00pm to 7.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AgtRpIMBQSy9N_cY9RG60g

NAS | Open Day 2021
Saturday 13 November, 10.00am – 4.00pm
National Art School, Darlinghurst
Find out more: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/nas-open-day-2021-tickets-163943221589

AIT | Open Day, Sydney
Saturday 20 November, 10.00am to 4.00pm
Find out more: https://info.ait.edu.au/open-day-2021

AIT | Virtual Open Day
Saturday 27 November, 10.00am to 4.00pm
Find out more: https://info.ait.edu.au/open-day-2021

Workshops and Courses

Whitehouse Institute of Design | Foundation Portfolio Workshop, Online
Saturday 18 September, 10.00am to 12.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/foundation-portfolio-workshop-tickets-168670190079

Whitehouse Institute of Design | Mastering Video Workshop, Online
Saturday 18 September, 2.00pm to 4.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/mastering-video-workshop-tickets-168667893209

William Angliss Institute | Interview Skills Workshop
Wednesday 22 September, 11.00am to 12.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.angliss.edu.au/events-hub/past-events/interview-skills-workshop/

Swinburne Demo Night
Thursday 30 September, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Online. Be inspired by Swinburne’s newest and most outstanding start-ups.
Find out more: https://www.swinburne.edu.au/events/2021/08/swinburne-demo-night-2021/

NIE | Simulated UCAT Day Workshop, Online
Saturday 9 October, 10.00am to 5.30pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.nie.edu.au/products-listing/product/216-simulated-ucat-day-workshop

NOW ONLINE – BiG Day In Newcastle
Wednesday 13 October, 9.00am to 2.30pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.thebigdayin.com.au/newcastle2021

Virtual Camp Parliament for Girls Australia
Saturday 30 October, 8.00am to 12.00pm
Online. Find out more: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/girlsinpoliticsinitiative/555411/

Scholarships

Charles Sturt Excellence Scholarship
Value: $5,000 AUD per year
Open/Closing Dates: 2 August to 25 February 2022
Find out more

AMPA 2022 Scholarships
Value: Up to $13,200 AUD per year
Open/Closing Dates: 25 August to 20 September
Find out more

ACU Sue Mitchell Nursing Scholarship
Value: $1,000 AUD
Find out more

UNSW General Merit Undergraduate Scholarships for Commencing Students
Value: Up to $12,000 AUD per year
Open/Closing Dates: 1 July to 30 September
The 2022 General Merit Undergraduate Scholarships application is open for recent High School Leavers commencing any undergraduate coursework degree program in Term 1 2022, who seek to use their academic, leadership and community engagement experience to make a positive contribution to UNSW.
Find out more

UNE Residential Financial Assistance Scholarships
Value: 37-66 per cent discount on residential fees
Open/Closing Dates: 16 August to 4 January 2022
The University of New England has established residential scholarships to encourage qualified and motivated students who may not otherwise have considered college living because of financial constraints, to reside in a UNE residential college and be involved in the college community.
Find out more

Young Carer Bursary
Value: $3,000 AUD
Open/Closing Dates: 16 August to 30 September
Find out more

• Have been engaged in development work for at least 12 months as a professional or volunteer.

Nominees must show a strong track record of implementing impactful development work which contributes to at least one of the 17 SDGs.
Nominations close 17 October.
Find out more and nominate here: https://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/nominations-open-2022-commonwealth-youth-awards
For students who have applied via direct entry to institutions, look on their website or give the admissions centre a call for dates and instructions.

Vision Australia Further Education Bursary
Value: Varies
Open/Closing Dates: 1 July to 30 September
Find out more

Westpac Young Technologists Scholarship
Value: $5,000 AUD per year
Open/Closing Dates: 1 June to 1 November
Find out more

Western Sydney University Community Scholarship
Value: $6,000 AUD per year
Open/Closing Dates: 1 April to 9 December
Find out more

UOW Transforming Futures Scholarships
Value: $3,000 AUD per year
Open/Closing Dates: 19 July to 12 December
Find out more

UTAS Relocation Support Allowance (Interstate and NZ Residents)
Value: Up to $5,000 AUD
Open/Closing Dates: 16 August 2021 to 28 February 2022
The University of Tasmania is offering a limited number of relocation support packages to assist interstate students with the costs of relocating to Tasmania to attend University. There are two support packages from which eligible students are able to select.
Find out more

Competitions

Pangolin Photo Challenge 2021
Final entries close 31 December
Find out more and enter here: https://www.pangolinphoto.com/pangolin-photo-challenge

Further Learning

Five COVID Adjustment Points for Year 12 students applying to the University of Newcastle
The five adjustment points will automatically be applied by UAC and there is no need for any additional application. Students are eligible for a maximum of 12 adjustment points. You can read more here: https://www.newcastle.edu.au/newsroom/featured/university-announces-more-support-for-year-12-students.

Hay Inc Rural Education Program
Hay Inc invites school leavers to apply for the 2022 intake of their hands-on skills training program in sheep and beef cattle handling and general farming skills conducted in the Hay area. Details and application form are available on their website: https://www.hayinc.com.au.

Dental Assistant Traineeships
Would you like to kickstart your career in health? If you’d like a job you can jump into straight out of school, you could consider doing a traineeship. A Dental Assistant Traineeship is 12 months long, and upon completion you will receive a Certificate III in Dental Assisting.

There are a few Dental Assistant Traineeships open for applications now:

• 7 to 7 Dental, NSW

You can always look for available positions on Seek, Indeed, Talent, or sign up with your local job provider.

SCU STAR Early Offer Program – Deadline Extended
Southern Cross University’s STAR Early Offer program allows you to secure a place in a degree of choice at SCU before your Year 12 results are even released.

Given the current situation, SCU has updated their key dates. Applications will now close Thursday 30 September, and offers will be sent progressively from Tuesday 9 November. Secure your place at SCU here: https://www.scu.edu.au/star-early-offer/.

Explore Your Options with Australian Internships
Australian Internships (AI) offer programs to domestic students, and high school leavers are very welcome to apply. AI has established a long-term quality reputation and is proud to be the preferred internship provider for most leading Australian universities.

• Resume and interview preparation and guidance.

See the AI website for full details on the program, including fees. You can find out more and apply here: http://www.internships.com.au/.

Gap Year Options

An overseas Gap Year with Letz Live
For more information: Letz Live.

Spend Your Gap Year at Sea with Sea|mester
https://www.seamester.com/

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.

COVID-19 Update (last updated 16 September)

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

• Until further notice non-essential visitors are not permitted on school sites – unless by prior arrangement.
• Parents and carers must follow their school’s advice regarding changes to student drop off and pick up. This includes staying in the car when dropping off and picking up children if it is safe to do so. This does not apply to drop off and pick up from OSHC as sign in and out procedures are required.
• We are looking forward to welcoming the girls back to campus in Term 4. Please click here to read our Return to Campus brochure, which is full of important information to inform your daughter’s return.

We thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our community safe.

Last updated 16 September 2021

From the Director of Community Engagement

Return to Campus guide

Please keep an eye out for our back-to-school newsletter the week before school goes back for the full Return to Campus Guide and information you need to know as we enter Term 4 and transition back for campus.

College Shop open for Term 4

Parents and carers can order online for their daughter’s Term 4 uniform needs via the College Shop. Orders received by 5.00pm Thursday 30 September will be available for collection on Friday 1 October from 11.00am to 1.00pm from the Centenary car park (drive through). If anyone needs help with sizing, please email collegeshop@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au to organise an online appointment with our College Shop team.

Pymble Fact of the Week

We made it! Our girls (and their parents and carers), have done us proud this term, successfully managing online learning during lockdown. We hope you enjoy some much-needed rest and time in the great outdoors. 

The last day of school for 1951 leavers is a similar story, as these images show their immense joy at reaching this milestone. If you look closely at their uniform, you’ll notice the familiar blackwatch tartan is missing. For a few years post-war, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the summer uniform was a blue seersucker dress with red buttons and piping, worn with red socks. The change in uniform was due to post-war shortages in sourcing the traditional tartan.  

Event update

There are no current event updates, however, we will let you know once we are able to provide more information. While students will return to campus from 25 October, unfortunately it is unlikely we will be able to host any Term 4 events on campus. We will of course continue to develop online opportunities to engage the community.

We heart our Pymble Dads

The Dads and Daughters Zoom will honour the incredibly important relationships between dads and their daughters. The interactive event will take place across two dates:

6.30pm on Monday 11 October for Kindergarten to Year 6

and

7.00pm on Wednesday 13 October for Years 7 to 12.

Presented by Dr Arne Rubinstein, discussions will be around how you can best support your daughter as they grow from little girls who still hold your hand when crossing the road, to young women preparing to journey out into the world. Dr Rubinstein will share five key parenting strategies for our Pymble Dads and their daughters. 

Mrs Kelly Mancey

Director – Community Engagement 

Where are they now? Lexi Ibbotson (2012)

Amy Jarvis, Year 12 2021 ESU Scholarship Recipient interviews Alexandra (Lexi) Ibbotson (2012). Lexi is Assistant Co-ordinator and Educational Leader at the College’s Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) program. 

How long have you worked at the College?

I started working at Pymble OSHC in 2013 – six months after finishing Year 12. I came back to work at Pymble after deciding to change uni degrees. However, after joining the ‘department of fun’ (Out of School Hours Care) I realised that this was a career that encompassed both my strengths and passions. I completed both my Certificate IV and Diploma in School Aged Education and Care in 2016 and 2017 and became the Educational Leader and Assistant Co-ordinator in 2018.

A standout memory from your time?

There are so many it is hard to narrow it down! A real highlight from school would have to be playing in the riverbed in the Prep School. Using gumnuts as currency to buy different rocks to make all sorts of coloured powder. Mum would get so annoyed with the gumnuts in my pockets! I remember in Year 12 we had a visit back to the Prep School for afternoon tea and it was amazing how all the memories came flooding back. Definitely the diverse friendships that I have made while at school during class, through sporting teams and other co-curricular activities. 

The biggest change you’ve seen to the College?

The biggest change that I have experienced at the College would be going from a student to a staff member. It has been interesting to learn about what goes on outside the classroom and to learn about the connections between the different schools and departments. Another significant change that affects all areas of the school, is the change in Principals. I have been at Pymble for the last three Principals, each of whom have brought their own style to Pymble.

I can also remember the development of the Gillian Moore Centre of Preforming Arts, (being one of the first to perform in the theatre in the Year 6 musical in 2006), the building of the Kate Mason Building (again the first year group to be in the KM Building from 2011 to 2012) and the Braith Williams Aquatic Centre. I am very excited to see what is to come in the new Grey House Precinct – the new location for OSHC!

A teacher who made a significant impression?

Mrs Shaw for always reminding me to tidy my hair and put my hat on… for her strong leadership, approachability, kindness, and most of all her sense of humour. I can remember when I was in Year 9 or 10 and we were leaving the Biggest Morning Tea on the oval, Mrs Shaw had only been at Pymble for four-ish months, and she saw me and my friends jumping the fence to cross the road and instead of getting us in trouble she said “quick, quick, before someone sees” and helped us jump the queue! And when I had first started working at OSHC I was walking the bus girls up to Kelso and she stopped me to ask me where my hat was and why I was walking train line not in my uniform…it took me a minute to realise she was joking!

What is it about Pymble which has kept you here?

Strength in opportunities, connection to community and continuous drive for improvement.

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.

1982 – Computer program

In keeping with educational trends at the time, a computer program was introduced as an aid to learning in the early 1980s. It originally began with the Junior School, “as it was the most logical place to start for girls to take this newly learnt skill with them through their schooling life”. This sphere was later expanded and extended through the school, and to staff, parents, and administration.

A Computer Club was formed in this era and the Pymbulletin made regular mention of computers. The Family Group offered help in mastering this new technology by arranging a presentation by Mr Colin Woodley from the Association of Independent Schools, on the role of the computer in education. And following interest by parents on the subject, courses were arranged. Aimed at parents who do not have a computer in the home, a unheard of concept to us today.

Currently the school has a comprehensive IT department that look after all our technological needs. In addition, there are many extra-curricular programs such as Coding, Robotics and other STEM-endorsed programs that have also changed with the times to better equip girls with skills for the future.

Researched from Margaret Coleman’s This is Pymble College and written by Archive volunteer, Angelica Tan (Year 11).  Excerpts from Pymbulletin June 1981 and July 1984.

1983 – Jacaranda Service

The Jacaranda tree was planted in 1947, commemorating the visit of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. Since this time it has been blossoming in front of the Colonnade building and bringing colour and wildlife to the College.

On 28 November 1983, the first Jacaranda Service was held, under the leadership of Principal Jeanette Buckham. Jacaranda Day was an initiative by Mrs R Ram, a Science teacher at the College, who wanted to celebrate the existence of beauty in the changing world.

The Jacaranda service became part of the school calendar and each year Mrs Ram spoke on the meanings and symbols that could be drawn from our jacaranda. Since Mrs Ram’s retirement in 1992 other speakers have shared messages based on the symbolism of the jacaranda tree.

Each year in November the whole school assembles on Gloucester Lawn around the purple blossomed Jacaranda tree for a service of thanksgiving and to present donations to various charities. It highlights the gift and importance of giving, and the ability to give to others.

Researched and written by Archive volunteer, Angelica Tan (Year 11). Pictured are images from Jacaranda days in the past and Mrs Ram with students.

1984 – Jeanette Buckham Centre for Physical Education

The gymnasium was named for Miss Buckham who served as Principal between 1967 and 1989. The building was officially opened in December of 1983, so 1984 saw it in full use. Sited adjacent to the swimming pool, which as part of this development, was extended from 33m to 50m and diving facilities added.

The Physical Education Centre was described by a Council member:

It is not only spectacular, it is visually and physically most satisfying in all respects. It really is a super building – with cross-ventilation in all directions.

The old gymnasium, located on the basement level of the Colonnade was converted into classrooms and the original locker room into an office for the Mistress of Middle School.

A highlight of the Physical Education Centre was hosting the USA team gymnastics team as a training venue prior to the Sydney Olympic games in 2000. Although the pool has been replaced, the space continues to serve as a gymnasium, hall, and sporting venue. 

The Heritage Archive textile collection includes a t-shirt given to the College by the 2000 USA Gymnastics team. Please enjoy these images of the PE Centre and the pool during construction and in use.

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. We will also be offering this opportunity to our ex-students via our Alumni newsletter Jacaranda Post at the end of this 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. 

School Magazine 2020

This is Pymble College

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.