From the Principal

“Nobody but me is going to change my story!”

– lyrics from the song Naughty in Matilda the Musical

What joy to sit back and watch our Year 6 students shine on stage in their performances of Matilda the Musical this week. For so many of our girls, the book, movie and musical are much-loved childhood favourites with a perfectly inspiring message: young girls have a powerful voice when it comes to their own education and standing up for themselves. Congratulations, Year 6, on a fabulous display of talent, timing and teamwork!

Huge congratulations also to our igsa Festival of Speech participants and volunteers, for not only placing fifth overall in the competition last weekend but successfully hosting hundreds of students, teachers, coaches and parents from other schools and selling their entire stock of badges created by our Upper School girls to help support Ukraine. Certainly, it made me feel Pymble Proud to hear how much our visitors appreciated our warm and friendly hospitality on our beautiful campus after two years of attending the festival online. A huge thank you to Bronwyn Hubbard, who was responsible for overseeing the festival this year – great job, Bronwyn!

We hear you

Feedback is something we value enormously at Pymble so it was interesting to come across a relatively new study that reveals people sometimes avoid giving feedback due to feelings of awkwardness, worry about the consequences of saying how they feel, or possibly underestimating the receiver’s desire for feedback. Please be assured our College approach to feedback – positive or constructive – stems from a genuine desire to ensure all voices in our community are heard, valued and part of conversations about our future. We continue to explore different ways to hear, share and respond to the voices of our students, staff and families.

To illustrate the range of outcomes stemming from feedback intentionally sought, we can look to our Secondary School timetable. We are committed to creating exceptional conditions for our teaching staff and students. After a comprehensive analysis of day and time structures in Secondary Schools around the world, and focus groups with Pymble students and staff, we have developed a new timetable for 2023 with five 60-minute academic lessons per day and short passing periods between lessons to allow for travel time. We will be continuing with our 45-minute Mind Body Spirit belt across the week, however, given the high rate of student and staff satisfaction with this daily session.

In Term 3, our Community Engagement team held a series of focus groups to provide an insight into our community’s needs around communication channels, parent engagement and events.

Based on this feedback, our IT team has made a series of improvements to MyPymble, starting in Term 4, to enhance the user experience. Further enhancements are planned for 2023 following termly focus groups with parents and carers to establish priorities.

Please click here to download the MyPymble app if you haven’t already done so.

The focus groups also led to further conversations with parents in the Junior School about the best ways to encourage a broad range of carers to get involved with volunteering through the Junior School Parent Support Group. Our current JSPG leaders have recently provided suggestions for a revised structure which will enable a greater variety of positions to better involve more families. Watch this space!

When it comes to new learning initiatives, such as our Year 9 Residential Program, feedback from all involved is critical in shaping the future experience for students – including our second Year 9 cohort who are currently having a fabulous time at the Valley in the first week of their four-week program. Parents of our Year 9 Pioneers have supported our research by sharing their perspectives of the program and its impact. This is in addition to the Pioneers themselves participating in pre- and post-program surveys and focus groups. Early findings of how the program encourages students to be courageous learners were presented by our Head of Campus – Vision Valley, Stuart Clark, and our Head of Outdoor Education, Nick Wilkesmann, at the recent National Outdoor Education Conference, and are a credit to all who were involved in the creation of our pilot program.

Among the many comments documented in surveys of our Pioneers were these gems:

“Although a little apprehensive at first about what the program would entail, deciding to give it a go was one of the best decisions I have made.”

“Personally, as a member of Gen Z, I find myself using my phone barely at all now!”

“The hiking is SO MUCH FUN and the food is amazing – they even have green tea in the kitchen!”

“It is a great experience for those wanting to challenge themselves, as well as those who might already have knowledge about outdoor expeditions, such as the girls that do Cadets.”

We have also responded to questions raised by Junior School and Middle School parents about their daughters’ upcoming Year 9 Residential Programs by holding information evenings with Q&A sessions.

Thank you for taking the time to tell us what matters to you, what you love, and what could be ‘even better if…’. We keep learning and growing from your feedback, and we will continue to facilitate opportunities to have constructive conversations about all aspects of the College as an invaluable component in delivering a world-class education for your daughters, today, tomorrow and in the future.  

Dr Kate Hadwen

Principal

From our Chaplains

Every week there has been a richness added to my tapestry of work at Pymble, and speaking of feeling blessed sounds great, but what does this mean? Blessing as a soul space means that enriching encounters with students and staff add to the joy of being here at Pymble. 

Whether it was last week with the Interfaith panel and dialogue that followed with teachers and experts in Studies of Religion at the AIS conference, or the celebration of Diwali as a cultural celebration on campus, these all add to fulfilling and rewarding experiences. Last weekend, I had the privilege to accompany some of our First Nations students who had volunteered their time to share in cultural expression through dance and song at a Uniting Church conference entitled ‘Walking Together.’ To quote the program on the day: ‘From the covenant with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress to the preamble to our constitution, the Uniting Church has long committed itself to walking alongside First Peoples….’

As part of their presentation, the students sang We are Australian, partly in their languages and partly in English. As I sat and listened to their singing, I wept and felt a tad bit embarrassed at this, but then thanked God for the tears which the Scriptures in Psalm 30 promise us are not without the joy of healing. 

As we seek to listen and attend to one another at God’s table, may things of exclusiveness and privilege give way to respect and honouring all that we have been given. For God is a generous and loving Creator who blesses us all.

May your week be wholesome, and your worries be few, and may you have friends who can offer you a shoulder always in case you are weary.

Reverend Punam Bent
College Chaplain

From the Deputy Principal

It’s been a busy year for the Vision Valley team delivering a wide range of outdoor and experiential learning programs for Pymble as well as other schools and communities. With day and overnight programs for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, the campus at Arcadia is always abuzz with laughter, learning and adventure. The team is currently hosting the second Year 9 Residential Program, with students due back towards the end of November.

Pymble has operated the site for almost two years now, during which time we have made significant improvements to accommodation, communal spaces and the natural environment. We have more plans to continue improving the campus and its environmental sustainability. Consequently, the Vision Valley team is growing all the time and our dedicated and professional team now spans management, outdoor education, residential care, maintenance and logistics, catering and cleaning.  

New! School Holiday Camps at Vision Valley in 2023

In exciting news, Vision Valley is introducing a series of School Holiday Camps in 2023 offering five full days and evenings of fun and safe facilitated activities, including adventure-based learning, nature play and recreational activities.

The camps are open to Pymble students and their siblings (girls and boys) in Years 3 to 6, and additional to our existing and much-loved Out of School Hours Care Holiday Program which operates on the main College campus.

Offered in both overnight and day modes, the five-day camps allow families to choose the preferred experience for their child/children. Children staying overnight will be accommodated in bunk rooms in our comfortable lodges, supervised by experienced overnight staff living in residence with students. In addition, a senior staff member will be on-call 24 hours a day.

All staff at the camps have First Aid qualifications and are experienced working with primary school-aged children. Our catering team, Chartwells, are experts in camp food, offering fresh and delicious healthy meals catering to all dietary requirements.

The first Vision Valley camp will run in the 2023 Easter school holidays from Monday 17 April to Friday 21 April.

Bookings will open in Week 1 of Term 1 2023. More information will be published in the coming weeks.

Future school holiday camps

• Monday 10 July to Friday 14 July 2023
• Monday 25 September to Friday 29 September 2023
• Monday 11 December to Friday 15 December 2023

Save the date: College Christmas Celebration

Joy to the world, our annual College Christmas Celebration is back! The event will be held on the Sunday of Week 7 in Term 4 and all are welcome to attend this free community event. Bring a picnic or purchase food onsite, thanks to the Pymble Parent Association. Please see below for more details, and we hope to see you there!

Date: Sunday 27 November 2022

Time: Gates open at 5.00pm; Jazz Ensembles at 5.30pm; Carol Service at 6.30pm

Venue: Gloucester Lawn and the War Memorial Chapel at Pymble

Mrs Julie Shaw

Deputy Principal

UPDATED: COVID-19 Response Plans and Advice

You may be aware that COVID-19 self-isolation rules in NSW changed at the end of last week.

From 14 October 2022, anyone who tests positive for COVID does not need to self-isolate for a mandated period of time. However, as a school that cares deeply about the health and wellbeing of our wider community, we ask students, staff and families to continue to follow the recommendations of NSW Health and NSW Department of Education, which include:

• staying at home and taking a COVID test (RAT or PCR) if you have a cough, cold or flu-like symptoms
• waiting until you feel well and symptoms abate before returning to school
• wearing a face mask upon your return to school until you are completely symptom-free.

Year 12 students are reminded to follow the guidelines for COVID during the HSC exam period as outlined by out Director of Student Learning (Years 11-12), Mrs Natasha Stanfield.

There will no longer be a dedicated email address for reporting positive cases.

Please use MyPymble as per normal to advise the College if your daughter will be absent from school for any reason, and if she has tested positive to COVID.

To help protect our community, your daughter’s school office will have a supply of masks and RAT kits which will be available for students and families on request. These will also be available in the Boarding House and at Vision Valley for residents and visitors.

Please remind your daughter to remain vigilant about hygiene as we enter this new phase of living with COVID-19. This includes:

• coughing or sneezing into the crook of your arm
• disposing of used tissues carefully and thoughtfully
• washing/sanitising hands before and after eating, and following sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose.

Changes to reinfection period

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

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

Hand hygiene

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

 Any further information or advice for Term 4 will continued to be shared by notifications via the MyPymble app.

From the Junior School

From our Head of Junior School

This week, we wish a happy Diwali to all our Hindi families. We were lucky enough on Monday lunchtime to have a celebration in our Junior School Hall led by some Year 7 students and some families for our Year 4 to 6 girls and those girls in Kindergarten to Year 2 who celebrate Diwali.

Pymble Proud

Whilst I sat watching our Year 5 and Year 6 girls play basketball on Saturday morning and some of our Year 5 girls play tennis, I reflected on the power of getting involved, having a go and being an active part of our community. Our girls played with heart and team spirit and whilst the games were challenging, they stayed focused, kept going and came off at the end with huge smiles on their faces. Some of these girls were playing for only the second time, but they played with fierce courage and commitment. Some of our basketball girls raced from their match to join their teammates in the STEM room to finalise their robots ready for the upcoming VEX IQ competition! This spirit is something that energises me daily and makes my heart so proud of our Pymble girls.

Just as our girls get involved in our Junior School community, I encourage you to get involved too. Our amazing Junior School Parent Group (JSPG) are looking for volunteers to help next year in a number of different roles. If you are interested please reach out to Meredith Coleman at mcoleman@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or myself at kbrown@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. We are seeking nominations in readiness for the JSPG meeting on Thursday 3 November at 8.45am.

I am pleased to say we already have two Kindergarten 2023 parents who are keen to connect and help by volunteering as Class Parents! They have done this as they could feel the strong sense of community in our Kindergarten girls as their girls spent time with our existing Kindergarten girls last week. Thank you, Kindergarten, for helping showcase the kindness in our community!

Thank you to our JSP

A huge and heartfelt thank you to all our JSPG parents who came on Friday and worked so hard to prepare and serve such a wonderful lunch for all teachers to celebrate World Teachers’ Day. It’s so kind of you to give up your time in this way and we feel very valued and cared for by you all. Archie was delighted to have his own special treat as well and is very happy to continue as a key member of our team in the Junior School!

Thanking our staff

As champions of kindness, our girls wanted to do something to thank the teachers too. So, the Kindness Club and the Student Representative Committee joined forces to give up their time to design and make cards, write a poem and add a little bit of personalised happiness and love in an envelope to each teacher. Our staff were very moved by the kindness shown by our girls.

LINKS Day

“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” – Robin Sharman

Tomorrow, we welcome new girls to our Junior School and all our girls step into their new grade for 2023. Whilst change is exciting for many of our girls, it’s equally daunting for others. Please be assured that we will do all we can to ensure all our girls feel calm and prepared for the adventures that await them in their new grade in 2023. This time of year is an opportunity for the girls to develop resilience and forge new relationships. It can feel like slight uncertainty, as well as excitement for new adventures and all of the feelings in between.

One of the key skills identified within successful leaders is adaptability and the beauty of changing year groups and classes is that the girls get to practise these skills in a controlled and supportive environment. Something that we speak to the girls about often is that nerves and excitement are actually similar emotions. What lives between these two emotions is a slight shift of the mind. When we learn to lean into the excitement side of our nerves, we are able to face change and challenge with a greater level of enthusiasm.

The teachers the girls are with tomorrow are the current teachers on that grade and may not be the teachers they will have in 2023. Our teachers work closely together across the Junior School throughout this term and over the summer holidays to ensure a smooth and kind start to the new school year for our girls and to settle them quickly into their new classes.

Robotics Competition season begins!

Our FIRST Lego League girls (Year 5 –6) have been working hard throughout the term and over the holidays and are looking forward to their competition next weekend at Macquarie University. Good luck girls!

From Nerissa Davey – Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations

“Your voice can change the world.” – Barack Obama

This term sees the culmination of initiatives that our girls have been so proud to lead across the school. Student voice is a vital part of ensuring our girls have the ability to feel heard, the power to make change and see their ideas come into being.

This week, assembly of this fabulous initiative began. We are very grateful to Matthew, Patrick and Shane from Dependabuild, who have volunteered their time and donated the materials for this artwork. We are very excited that the artwork designed by Zeta James-Taylor in Year 5 has been selected. Our fabulous Visual Arts teacher Mrs Clutterham will draw the design on the board and then the mammoth task of adding 8000 bottlecaps will begin. We look forward to showing you the progress over the coming weeks.

‘Zhuzhing’ up our bathrooms

Thanks to our fabulous SRC, some much needed colour and brightness is being added to our bathrooms. This week some decals arrived and we began to ‘zhuzh’ or decorate these areas. The girls were delighted with the outcome!

Kind to our environment – Scrunchable plastic bins

As a joint initiative with the SRC and Sustainability Club, the girls have asked for bins to collect scrunchable plastics. These have been decorated beautifully so the girls know what bins to use. To help our girls to add in the correct waste photos of plastics have been added too. Well done girls!

From Kimberley Tyson – Deputy Head of Junior School – Students

Walk for a Kinder World

 A big thank you to all the students and families who have been involved in the first part of our Walk for a Kinder World mission. The Junior School completed 11,948km for kindness last week. What an effort! Congratulations to all the girls in Thomas, as you won House Spirit last week with your contribution of kilometres. Well done Year 4, you were the grade that completed the greatest number of kilometres over the course of the week. A special shout-out goes to Mrs Davenport, for being the Teacher of the Week in your contribution to kindness. Special mention to Miss Prince and Mrs Brown for their efforts, as they were not far behind.

 A reminder if you would like to add photos of your family completing kilometres for kindness please do so here on our Junior School padlet. There is also a fundraising page which can be found here.

Nude Food November

In our work to be kind to the environment, we are trying to minimise single-use plastics in the Junior School. We recently invited the girls to design a poster to promote Nude Food in November. This was a House competition, and we had some wonderful submissions across the Junior School. Thank you to the girls who spent time designing their posters to promote this worthy cause. Although it was incredibly difficult to decide on a winner the following girl’s posters stood out as they were informative, creative and thoughtful. Congratulations Divina Excell (2M) and Peaches Zhang (4D). The girls both happen to be in Marden and have earned a whopping 200 House points for their House. Keep an eye out around the grounds for these wonderful posters and remember to think nude, when it comes to food.

Swimming Carnival – Travel for girls in Kindergarten to year 4

As per the portal notice girls in Kindergarten to Year 4 will be dismissed at Mollie Dive Field. Please click here to indicate your daughter’s plans for the afternoon.

Celebrations of Learning – Kindergarten to Year 2

Term 4 will end for Kindergarten to Year 2 students after their Celebration of Learning on Thursday 1 December. Kindergarten to Year 2 girls are not required to attend school on Friday 2 December. Should your Kindergarten to Year 2 daughter need supervision at school on Friday 2 December, please complete the form by clicking here.

Junior School Parent Group (JSPG) Annual General Meeting (AGM) – Diversity as the Path to Unity in our Junior School

We look forward to our JSPG AGM on 3 November 2022 and Mrs Nerissa Davey, Deputy Head of Junior School Operations will be talking at this meeting along with two of our Year 6 leaders for Semester 2 and two girls; Clara Mudaliar and Amara Ahmed. These girls have all led initiatives in our Junior School to promote diversity and inclusion and to ensure all our girls’ voices are heard. 

It’s important to me, and to the success of our Junior School that you are all involved as much as you want to be or can be (as I appreciate how busy you are), and that your voices are heard. Please therefore reach out to our Community Engagement team at: communityengagement@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or to me directly at kbrown@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au if you are interested in getting involved in our JSPG in any way next year.  

Matilda the Musical

This week, our Year 6 students performed Matilda Jr the Musical. It was an outstanding performance by all the girls, highlighting their passion, hard work and dedication. Mrs Jill King, Acting Year 3 to 6 Language Arts Co-ordinator, Miss Ellen Buckley, Performing Arts teacher together with the girls, developed the scenes, props and choreography.  It was truly a wonderful performance based on the book Matilda by Roald Dahl. Thank you also to all our supportive and talented parent helpers.

Sami Bayly visits Year 2!

Sami Bayly visited Year 2 and shared insight into her newly released book Surprising Sea Creatures. Sami completed a scientific illustration degree through a bachelor of Natural History Illustration (Honours) at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Sami not only shared surprising facts about sea creatures, she also guided Year 2 through a step-by-step guide to draw a deep-sea flounder. More information about Sami’s books can be found by clicking here.

Junior School Parent Group Annual General Meeting – Diversity as the path to unity in our Junior School

We look forward to our JSPG AGM on 3 November 2022. Mrs Nerissa Davey, Deputy Head of Junior School Operations will be talking at this meeting along with two of our Year 6 leaders for Semester 2 and two girls; Clara Mudaliar and Amara Ahmed. These girls have all led initiatives in our Junior School to promote diversity and inclusion and to ensure all our girls’ voices are heard.

Please click here to download the meeting agenda.

It’s important to me, and to the success of our Junior School that you are all involved as much as you want to be or can be (as I appreciate how busy you are), and that your voices are heard. Please therefore reach out to our Community Engagement team at: events@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or to me directly at kbrown@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au if you are interested in getting involved in our JSPG in any way next year.

Our Week in Learning

Junior School Digital News

From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

JSPG Annual General Meeting (AGM)

We are looking forward to hosting our JSPG AGM next Thursday 3 November from 8:45am to 9:25am in the Junior School Library and sharing the amazing year our JSPG have had. We would love to see you in person to extend our thanks for being part of our Junior School parent community, which has been so supportive this year in helping to run an enormous number of events so successfully.

Also, to our wonderful parent community: there is always a first time to help! We are always encouraging people to become involved in helping out. Being a part of our parent group is a fantastic way to learn more about Pymble, enrich your daughter’s schooling experience and make new friends! We love meeting parents and the more parents who become involved, the better our events become.

There are many events during the year for parents to convene. However, please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested in taking on a year coordinator or class parent role for next year.

Please see our agenda for next week’s meeting here. Mrs Brown and Mrs Davey will both be providing us with updates and four of our Year 6 students will be speaking on ‘The Power of Student Voice’.

Swimming Carnival

Please click here to join us in participating in our Swimming Carnival Stall on 17^th November.

The program of events is:

7.30am to 10.30am           Championship Events

10.45am to 12.45pm         Kindergarten to Year 4 (followed by lunch on Mollie Dive)

11.00am to 11.15am         Diving Showcase

Noon to 12.45pm              Year 5 and Year 6 lunch on Mollie Dive

12.45pm to 2.30pm           Year 5 and Year 6

Please check your daughter’s schedule when you sign up to ensure you can still see her racing.

For any queries, please contact us at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com

Written by Elizabeth Toh, Aimee Birch, Stephanie Pickford and Kai Jones

Reminders from the Administration Office

AFTERNOON TRAVEL CHANGES 

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

LOST PROPERTY 

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

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

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

Dates for your Diary

Term 4 

28 October                  Links Day

3 November                JSPG Term 4 AGM

10 November              Year 5 Mind, Body Spirit Day

11 November              Walk for a Kinder World final day and celebration

15 November              Jacaranda Day

17 November              Junior School Swimming Carnival 

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

24 November              Year 6 Disco

1 December                Kindergarten Celebration of Learning 9.00am, term ends for Kindergarten children

1 December                Years 1 and 2 Celebration of Learning 11.00am, term ends for Year 1 and 2 children

2 December                Years 3 to 6 Speech Day, 1.30pm 

Mrs Kate Brown

Head of Junior School

From the Middle School

From our Head of Middle School

This week we recognise the festival of Diwali, the Festival of Lights on the Hindu calendar. Our Middle School Office has been decorated accordingly to reflect the colour of celebration as we extend our well wishes to all who honour this special time.

On Wednesday, we brought together all our new students who started in Term 4 for a welcome morning tea with their buddies. It is always so beautiful to hear stories of positive transition and how individual members of our Pymble community have reached out to make others feel welcome and included.

On Friday Middle School will host the incoming Year 7 2023 Links Day. It promises to be a program full of fun and excitement as the girls explore campus and get a glimpse into what lies ahead. Thank you to all of our Middle School leaders and our other volunteers who have helped to make this a special day for Year 6. I would like to especially acknowledge the beautiful banner designed by Syrena Lin and painted and co designed by Eliza-Rose Griffiths, Syrena Lin , Elise Lin, Sanaa Kapoor, Isabella Mark, Jessica Xu, Kitty He, Melody Chen, Sophie Lin, Brielle McDonald, May Zhang, Kitty Yip, Lillian Li, Lucy Sun, Cindy Xu, Jacqueline Wang, Lexi Zhang, Tara Sproules-Nath, Isabel Neal, Peita Christofis, Rezia Khan, Ciara Sweeny, Maya and Amelie Clements. The welcome banner sets the tone so perfectly.

This year, our College Co-curricular Expo – Have a Go! – falls on the same day so it will be wonderful to be able to showcase all of the activities on offer not just for Years 7 and 8 but also for those incoming students. This is a chance for the girls to explore possibilities for the future and embrace new opportunities to develop new skills, meet new people and have fun. Please encourage your daughters to embrace this event.

Year 7

Last week, Year 7 were introduced to Passport which is an online tool which the girls will use in their time at Pymble to create a record of their involvement and growth across in a range of activities at school. The focus in Middle School is for the girls to upload reflections on what they have learnt about themselves, and the skills they have learnt through their participation in school events, learning and co-curricular activities. We know they have learnt much about themselves and others, achieved academically and participated in the extensive co-curricular program offered here at the College. In Directions classes this week, the girls have had an opportunity, with the support of the IT staff, to set up their Pymble Passport. Reflecting on their time spent in Year 7 will be an important initial entry for their Pymble Passport.

Congratulations to all the Year 7 students who were involved in the IGSA Festival of Speech which was held at Pymble over the weekend. It is fabulous seeing the girls embrace these opportunities to challenge themselves beyond the classroom. We look forward to continuing to celebrate other achievements throughout the term.

As we head towards the mid-point of the term there are several assessment tasks scheduled in the next few weeks. Parents will be able to see these tasks through the My Pymble app. It would be helpful to check in with your daughter to ensure that she has a sensible homework schedule established for the term to make sure she is completing her homework and preparing for her final assessment tasks of the year.

Year 8

On Friday last week, Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services ran a study skills session with our Year 8 students. The session was designed to help the girls assess what changes could be made in order to work towards achieving their personal best in an efficient and effective way as they prepare for their Year 9 studies. Students examined their home study environment, the way they organise and manage their resources, options for how to work effectively at home and deal with distractions, how to manage the workload in high school using project management strategies, and the steps to studying in high school: making study notes, learning the notes by testing yourself and doing as much practice as possible. The key takeaways from the session were also addressed in Directions classes this week.

Parents are encouraged to review the Study Skills handout from the session with students and discuss the main areas identified where changes need to be made.  Parents can also find extra study skills tips by clicking here.

Student reflections:

On Friday the 21st of October, Year 8 was lucky enough to have Prue Salter (a study specialist) come to Pymble to talk to us about different ways we can study more effectively and efficiently. We were able to take away skills, tips and tricks from this wonderful experience and were able to put them into practice. This experience not only helped us by teaching us many different and efficient ways of studying, but it was also able to help us by teaching us how we can manage our time better. All of Year 8 are very appreciative of Prue Salter and thank the school for allowing us to have this experience.

Written by Isabella Rumble

On Friday, we had study extraordinaire Prue Salter come into our assembly to give us a presentation on effective study techniques and habits to take to Year 9. She provided us with suggestions on how to make our study time more effective by taking breaks after 30 minutes, making sure our space wasn’t distracting and planning out our study before we start. She also showed us filing systems to help us keep organised. Additionally, she showed us apps to help with our self-control and focus such as Study Bunny and Self Control. On top of this informational presentation, she got us to reflect on our time management, organisation and how we manage our workload. Overall, I have conceived that this presentation was a great wakeup call for how we’re managing our studies and has made us aware about the step up we will need to take in Year 9.

Written by Ann Kyle

Our Year 8 into 9 leadership applications have now opened following a leadership launch by our Upper School team. Year 8 students have been shown how to access online information about how to write a CV and how to create a short video submission. For more information, please click here.

From the Middle School Parent Group

We look forward to seeing our Year 7 and 8 parents at the upcoming dinners. Please see details on how to book below:

Year 7 Parents Cocktail Dinner

Date: Saturday 5 November

Location: Avondale Golf Course

Year 8 Parent/Carers Social

Date: Saturday 29 October

Location: Governor Hotel, Macquarie Park

Please RSVP by clicking here by 22 October 2022, or contact us at Sunny.hres@gmail.com or Malinib.srivastava@gmail.com

Mrs Jenny O’Donnell

Head of Middle School

From the Upper School

A Message from Mr Riley, Head of Upper School

It has been lovely to finally see some sun this week and to see our students outside, enjoying themselves. Let’s hope it stays around for our upcoming Outdoor Education experience in Year 9 and for our Year 10s during their exam week; I have always felt revising in nature helps to recharge the batteries that bit better!

One of the key features of the Upper School is to provide a range of experiences to ensure students develop their perspective whilst with us. This should help to ensure they understand that, whilst important, their examination block is not the be or end all of their existence and that missing out on a leadership position is more redirection than rejection. This certainly doesn’t mean that this makes these events any easier, but it helps students to learn that life is a marathon rather than a sprint.

Talking of marathons, I can’t help but think of the shining example of Nedd Brockmann who recently completed his 46-day run across the width of Australia. His superhuman feats have helped me plough on recently when feeling sorry for myself on a short run and help to signal what is possible when you fully apply yourself. I’m not advocating we all try to emulate such tasks, but I think all of our Upper School girls could take away something from his mantra of:

• “Get comfortable being uncomfortable”
• “Just keep showing up”
• “Lessss go”

It was lovely to hear that Year 10 Boarder, Andie Hodder, got to celebrate with Nedd (her cousin) and for those who would like to donate to his cause, please click here.

A message from Mrs Hunt, Deputy Head of Upper School

We were incredibly proud of the Year 10 students who assisted in the smooth running of the St Edmund’s swimming carnival this week. While supported by our Year 10 volunteers, the St Edmund’s competitors were able to enjoy our first-class facilities and commented that they felt like they were “swimming in the Olympics”.

Thank you to Chloe and Sophie for their reflections:

The St Edmund’s Swimming carnival was such an enjoyable experience. It was so heartwarming getting to meet everyone from the school, including the teachers. I volunteered to swim in the water with the students and it was so much fun. Helping and cheering them on while swimming right next to them and watching the smiles on their faces when they reached the end of the lane, was such a wholesome feeling. The kids from St Edmunds were super cool and I made some great connections! This whole experience was such an eye opener for me that helping people really is one of the most important things in life.

Written by Chloe Brogan

A few of us (Year 10 students) were lucky enough to be able to help out at the St Edmund’s Swimming Carnival. My role was to encourage lots of House spirit and help the staff to marshal the swimmers. This meant I got to spend the day chatting and getting to know the beautiful students, who made the day an absolute highlight of the year. I can confidently say everyone involved loved the day as much as I did and I’m so grateful to have met each smiling face.

Written by Sophie Livingston

A message from Mr Levin and Mrs Richter, Heads of Year 9

Welcome to Week 3. Year 9 had the opportunity this week to choose a small group of friends to embark on the Outdoor Education program in Week 6. During Compass X time, Year 9 listened to Saxon from Southbound who spoke about what to look forward to and expect during the Outdoor Education program.

Careers Continuum: Future of Work #2030 is the focus in Directions this week. Students will enter a world of work radically different from today. Education needs to prepare students for a world of work where potentially the jobs they end up doing may not even exist yet. Students explore and understand what skills and knowledge will be needed to be well equipped, prepared and resilient to future changes in the world of work. This lesson highlights to students what employment will look like in 2030 and what skills and knowledge they will need to prepare for an ever-changing job market.

Congratulations to Sabrina Cooke who was able to share this wonderful news:

Last term, I entered the Immerse Education Essay Competition. The topic was ‘Would the termination of juries benefit the legal system’ and I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to take part in the Law program at Oxford/Cambridge 2023. Next year the program will encompass expert teaching alongside other students across the world at Oxford or Cambridge for a two-week long program.

A message from Ms Beaumont and Mrs Stephanie Attley, Heads of Year 10

Welcome to Week 3. It has been a busy week with the opening of Archie’s café, the St Edmund’s swimming carnival, working towards leadership submissions and preparation for examinations. Year 10 this week continued to work on organisation and self-care in Directions to help prepare for next week and reflected on a range of strategies to assist self-regulation and motivation.

Examinations can be a daunting process but an important rite of passage for Year 10 as they prepare themselves to move from Upper School to Senior School. Examinations also give our group an opportunity to deepen their learning process, and we encourage each of them to self-test and use a range of active study strategies to make the most of the process. Rather than passively recalling information by reading and remembering by rote, we encourage our students to engage with content more actively by asking questions, searching their memory for links to other topics, using their knowledge in new contexts and intertwining this information together to form deep connections to their subject’s content.

It was a pleasure to see our girls assist with the St Edmund’s Swimming Carnival where the volunteers assisted with the running of the day marshalling students, engaging in war cries, swimming as a buddy and getting to know the students. Teachers from St Edmund’s were extremely grateful for the support and shared their appreciation for their many efforts. Well done to our wonderful volunteers.

Leadership applications will be due soon and we encourage all our Year 10 students to consider themselves leaders and search for how they can best lead others and the school in a range of areas from Sport, Chapel. House, Curriculum and more. Best of luck in this important process.

Save the Date: Shaping Your Future

From the Upper School Parent Group

It’s hard to believe it’s already Term 4! It was a very busy Term 3, and this term will likely only get busier. Hopefully everyone is staying dry.

Our lovely year co-ordinators have organised some get togethers, and we’d love for you to attend!

Year 10

Ginin and Vicki would like to invite you all for a coffee/breakfast at Brick Lane Espresso, West Pymble on Friday 28 October after school drop off from 8.15am onwards. Please RSVP by calling/texting 0412371224. If you are suddenly free on the day, please feel free to pop in.

Year 9

Key Dates

Term 4

Friday 28 October                                              Year 10 Study Day

Monday 31 October                                           Year 10 Yearly Examinations begin

Friday 4 November                                            Year 10 Yearly Examinations completed

Friday 11 November                                           Upper School End of Year Celebration Disco

Monday 14 November                                        Year 10 All Well Testing

Monday 14 to Thursday 17 November               Year 9 Outdoor Education Program

Tuesday 15 November                                       Jacaranda Day

Friday 18 November                                           The Great Return – Year 9 Residential Program

Monday 21 to Friday 25 November                    Year 10 Future You Festival 

Friday 2 December                                             Speech Day and Final Day of Term 4

Mr Tom Riley

Head of Upper School

From the Senior School

From the Head of Senior School

igsa Festival of Speech

My congratulations and sincere thanks to all the students who participated and assisted at the AHIGS Festival of Speech, which was held here at Pymble last weekend. It was an amazing event, with literally hundreds of competitors from all over Sydney. The grounds were buzzing with debates, readings, poetry recitals and the exploration of ethical questions.

Year 12 (2022)

HSC examinations continue this week – the girls are taking a pleasingly steady and mature approach as they their way through their program of exams. Those students who are yet to collect their College reference should drop by the front office in the Senior School to do so.

From the Heads of Year 12

Pymble’s Cattle Team visited Scone over the weekend for the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza. The following was written by Cattle team captain, Jemima: 

The Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza was a packed weekend that immersed the team in the cattle industry, learning about everything from how to judge cattle to Artificial Insemination of animals. All the girls participated in the Paraders and Junior Judging competitions, and many came away with ribbons! Pymble’s steers Skippy and Stanley were led in their class, with Stanley receiving Highly Commended. The three days concluded with a great careers talk from experts in the field before a long bus ride home. 

 

Mrs Nikki Wyse

Head of Senior School

From the Boarding School

From our Head of Boarding

It is always great to be out on the road to meet our families on their home ‘turf’ and our visit to Scone was an extra special one. It was wonderful to have the Chair of our College Board, Mr James Hunter and our Principal, Dr Hadwen with us as we celebrated all things Boarding with past, present and future families from the Upper Hunter Region. A highlight of the evening was the presentation by Year 8 Boarder, Mia Lorimer, who spoke of her time in boarding. Mia joined us from Alice Springs when she was in Year 7 and it was great to hear of her journey from a home schooled student through to a Pymble Boarder.

As an added bonus we were also able to visit the Hunter Beef Bonanza and see our incredible Cattle Club team in action. There were a few ribbons to be had but the real treat was to see our team confidentially negotiating rain, mud and very large animals all with trademark Pymble resilience and good cheer.

Diwali

On Tuesday night we enjoyed celebrating the Festival of Lights, Diwali with our Boarders. The afternoon started with rangoli and, not deterred by the rain, our Boarders made beautiful patterns on the Marden verandah using coloured rice. This was followed by a spectacular Indian feast culminating in a dessert of delicious gulab jamun, soft delicious berry sized balls which are soaked in rose flavoured sugar syrup. My thanks go to our Boarding House Liaison Officer, Neha Beri and Nandika Singh of Year 9 who brought this wonderful festival to life.

Love It – Mrs White

Friday night was pizza night and the whole of Boarding enjoyed a night in the house sharing pizzas a laugh. The Year 12s celebrated the halfway point of their exams with a ceremonial note burning fire pit and the miserable weather didn’t stop our Year 10s from making the most of their beach picnic on Friday afternoon. The girls headed down to Mona Vale with Kate and Holly and were super excited to pick up their pizzas on the way.  

Saturday turned on the weather for the Kirribilli Markets. Our Year 9 Head of Year Boarding, Beth Ayling, was able to take a group from Marden and Goodlet to explore the foreshore markets.  he girls even bumped into past staff member Emily Behan and were delighted to catch up with her. 

This weekend we will be welcoming our 2023 Year 7s to Marden House for a sleepover on Friday night. Our newly appointed ‘Big Sisters’ are excited to meet their new little sisters and help them settle into Pymble and life in Boarding. The Boarders are planning a great afternoon filled with Boarders Get Baking, a scavenger hunt and a swim in the pool followed by a movie night.  Our Year 10 and 11s have been invited to Newington for a Halloween event on Friday with Courtney and Holly. Saturday night will be a great night out at the Sydney Kings Basketball and on Sunday we will be welcoming the Knox boys from Years 7 to 9 for our annual Halloween Trick for Treat event.

View from my Window – Imogen Hawkins

My name is Imogen Hawkins, I am in Year 10 and have boarded at Pymble since Year 8. The Boarding House has been my home away from home for a while, but when not in Goodlet I live on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The Sunshine Coast is known for its sandy beaches, clear waters, and lush rainforests. My family is made up of me and my two younger brothers, Marc and Hugo, as well as my parents, Marina & Ashley.  

My favourite view would be the beaches back home. The warm sand between your toes, gentle waves and rays of sun. The beach for me has always been my safe place, I enjoy swimming with my friends and family, watching my little brother surf and soaking up the sun when I can. There is simply no better place to let go of any stress or tension than the beach. The perfect days back home are always the ones where you can get ice-cream and fish and chips after a good swim. I love going for walks with my mum, playing sports with my younger brothers (especially soccer), going on drives with my dad and spending time with everyone.  

My favourite thing about being back home is the relaxed, slow-paced community, with wide open spaces, it has been different being surrounded by a big city like Sydney and its fast-paced energy. Although I miss my view back home, boarding has given me its own. And being a boarder, our homes, friends, and school is our view of a home away from home. 

Boarder of the Week

Ella Graham has been a wonderful addition to our community. Joining us in Year 10 this year from Port Macquarie, it feels as though Ella has been with us forever. Ella takes every opportunity, giving her time without expectation of anything in return and being a beautiful friend to all. Ella is super organised ensuring her room is tidy and she is always ready to help out around the house. 

She makes excellent use of our Learn It program seeking to consolidate her learning through accessing the Academic Tutors and working diligently. Ella has just been appointed as one of our Big Sisters and I have no doubt she will make a valuable contribution to this program. We are beyond delighted to have Ella in our Boarding family.

Mrs Carolyn Burgess

Director of Boarding

Co-curricular Administration

2022 Co-curricular Programs

All Co-curricular programs have now begun for Term 4 and confirmations were sent out on Tuesday 4 October. If you have not received confirmation of your daughters’ program or have any questions about your daughter’s registrations, please do not hesitate to contact Co-curricular Administration at ccsa@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au 

If you would like to withdraw your daughter from a program, transfer between programs, or have missed registering her for a program, registration requests can be made by clicking here and completing the Co-curricular Registration Request form.  

The cut-off date for Co-curricular Registration Requests was Monday 8.00am of Week 3, Term 4 (Monday 24 October). As this date has now passed, the following conditions now apply to registration requests received after this date: 

• Late registration requests/transfers will no longer be accepted for most Term 4, Semester 2, and intakes for Yearly programs.  
• Withdrawal requests from termly programs will have the full program fee added to College accounts 
• Withdrawal requests from semester/yearly programs will be charged up to the end of Term 4, except for Dance, where the full year fee remains for all withdrawals.  
• Compulsory/non-refundable fees may be applicable.  

Any registration requests received prior to the cut-off are currently being processed and you should receive an outcome via email by the end of this week. We have received a large volume of emails, calls and registration requests at this time so we appreciate your patience as we get back to you.  

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

Term 1 2023 Saturday Sport Registrations

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

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

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

Co-curricular Communications 

To ensure you are receiving the latest updates for your daughters’ Co-curricular programs, it is essential that all families download the Pymble app as all communication regarding changes or cancellations to classes will be sent via the app. Minimal communications about programs will be sent via email. For more information and download instructions, click here. 

Mrs Susan Lindsay

Acting Head of Co-curricular Administration

Sports

Have a Go Expo

The Have a Go Expo will be held in the Gym on Friday 28 October with an extended lunch from 12.35pm to 2.05pm.

The Expo is an exciting, inclusive, and experiential event to showcase the College’s Co-curricular programs to Pymble students from Years 7 to 12.

Student Leaders of Co-curricular will be on hand to showcase their activities to the wider Pymble family.

This Have a Go Expo is a great opportunity to promote all that the College has to offer and encourage students to ‘have a go,’ try new things and promotes school spirit and pride.

Sport Awards Dinner 2022

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

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

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

The Sports Awards Ceremony criteria can be found here

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

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

Mr Greg Meagher

Director of Sport

Artistic Gymnastics

NL1-2 Friendly Competition – Epping YMCA 

Sunday 23 October 2022 

On Sunday, 15 of our youngest gymnasts headed to Epping to compete in their first gymnastics competition.  All the gymnasts did a fabulous job and did not let nerves get the better of them. 

A great time was had by all. 

Gold Banding 

Olivia Birch (Year 2) 

Clarice Chung (Year 3) 

Sana Iyer (Year 3) 

Aurora Lin (Year 3) 

Karen Liu (Year 4) 

Lia Sloane (Year 2) 

Rayna Wang (Year 2) 

Evelyn Zhu (Year 1) 

Silver Banding 

Freya Holland (Year 2) 

Monica Li (Year 2) 

Norah Liu (Year 2) 

Ellie Rose Ruiz del Portal Greene (Year 2) 

Jasmine Smith (Year 2) 

Charlene Wang (Year 2) 

Olivia Xue (Year 1) 

Alison Gestier
Head Coach – Artistic Gymnastics

Cricket

The weather was finally in our favour on Saturday, and our teams were able to play their first fixture of the North Shore Junior Cricket Competition. With many of our matches being rained out in Term 1, it was great for our students to get back on the pitch.  

Our Pymble 1 team came up against North Sydney Under 17 Girls Perry at Blackmans Park in Lane Cove. North Sydney was a very competitive club side and our Pymble team put up a fight however were not able to post enough runs on the board to get the win. Well done to Charlotte Carruthers (Year 8) and Phoebe Cooper (Year 9) who were the top Pymble scorers. A great delivery also from Lauren Carruthers (Year 10) who got one of the opening batsmen out for North Sydney.  

Pymble 2 travelled to Tunks Park in Cammeray to take battle against North Sydney Under 13 Girls Perry side. Congratulations to Sophie Webster (Year 7) and Anjali Shah (Year 7) who were the top run scorers for Pymble. Wicket takers for the day were Sophie Webster (Year 7) and Abani Dhaliwal (Year 7).  

Well done to all and looking forward to seeing you back at training this week! 

Jack Garrad

Sports Co-ordinator – Cricket

Fencing

Congratulations to Renee Leung (Year 9) who recently competed in the New South Wales (NSW) State Open Fencing Championships and finished in third place!

Renee is currently training in the High-Performance program for Foil at the NSW Academy of Fencing and is looking forward to competing in two upcoming National Tournaments in Melbourne and Adelaide. We wish her the very best of luck for these two tournaments.  

Simon Pennington

Coaching and Development Director – Sports – Kindergarten to Year 12

Junior School Sports

IPSHA Team of the Week 

This week’s IPSHA Team of The Week goes to IPSHA Cricket Pymble 2 (Year 5) for an outstanding match against Queenwood, placing the team at the top of the table and undefeated after two rounds. Despite most of the students only recently picking up Cricket, their athleticism and enthusiasm was displayed in spades as they showed an amazing ability to work together as a team.  

The toss was won by the captain Anika Verma (Year 5), electing to field, and sending Queenwood into bat. Opening the bowling was speedster Georgia Friedel (Year 5), with her quick and fiery action that caused early trouble to the opening batters. This was backed up by Chloe Leanne’s (Year 5) impeccably consistent bowling that bought two wickets to her name. In the field, Polly Hargraves (Year 5) was a standout, saving countless boundaries and putting her body on the line to save a lot of runs. If there was an award for the most energetic player, it would have to go to Marley Titley (Year 5), for always being the loudest on the field and the first to appeal if there was any danger of a wicket. At the end of the innings, the Pymble girls managed to keep Queenwood to 203 runs, taking a massive 12 wickets as well. 

 All the batting pairs did a commendable job, hitting fours and sixes all around the park, however, the most impressive pair would have to be Charlie Slater (Year 5) and Olivia Hicks-Duncombe (Year 5), who scored 78 runs from their 6 overs, finishing out the game to get Pymble over the line with a score of 5/285 in total. Player of the match goes to Amelia Hanstrum (Year 5) for her tight lines of bowling which brought her three wickets and classy power hitting in the middle overs, utilising the double zone to her advantage. Led by their skipper, Anika Verma (Year 5), the cricketers had a lot of fun whilst also upholding a very high level of skill. A fantastic start to the season with more talent still to come – looking forward to a great season with Pymble 2! 

 NSWPSSA Athletics 

On Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 October the NSWPSSA Athletics Championships were held at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre, Homebush. Pymble had six girls representing NSWCIS, competing at the Carnival and all girls performed extremely well all walking away with a medal. A big thank you to Mrs Deb Walsham and Miss Laura Verlinden who helped with training and preparation leading up to and on the day of the event. Please see outstanding results below  

 Amalia Bond (Year 6) 

1st 12 Years Long Jump (National Qualifier) 

4th 12 Years 100m (National Qualifier) 

5th 12 Years 200m 

 Claudia Wyatt (Year 6) 

3rd 12 Years 800m (National Qualifier) 

6th 12 Years 1500m  

Junior Relay Team – Florence Cheng (Year 4), Marley Titley (Year 5), Emma Deere (Year 3) and Zoe Liang (Year 4) 

3rd Junior 4 x 100m Relay 

 Good luck to Amalia and Claudia who will be representing at NSWPSSA at the National Championships being held in Queensland later in the term. 

Matt Tyson
Head of Sports – Kindergarten to Year 6 

Rugby Sevens

Huge congratulations to Ruby Nicholas (Year 12 2022) who has been selected into the Under 18 Rugby Sevens team who will travel to New Zealand in December to compete in the Junior Worlds tournament.  

Well done Ruby! 

Jack Garrad
Sports Co-ordinator – Rugby Sevens  

Touch Football

A big weekend for Pymble Touch Football on Saturday! Out of 16 teams, we walked away with some exceptional results.  After two weeks of competition, we can see big improvements across all teams.

Team of the week

After a tough loss in round 1, our Pymble 3 team walked away with some great skills. This week, Coach Hollie made special mention of how the team was able to turn it around, with an impressive 10 to 0 win against Santa Sabina!  

Ms Megan O’Keeffe

Sports Co-ordinator – Touch Football

Volleyball

Round 2 of the Santa Sabina Invitational Volleyball Competition took place this past Saturday with some very impressive performances. Well done to all our students, who are showing tremendous improvements week by week. 

Team of the week 

A special mention to our Pymble 1 team who had a very tight match against Santa Sabina on Saturday morning. Santa Sabina is regarded as the Volleyball powerhouse, and our Senior Firsts managed an impressive 2 to 0 win (25 to 23 and 25 to 23).  

Congratulations to our Volleyball Captain, Emma Sargeant (Year 11) on her recent Volleyball achievements. 

Emma has been selected as a member of the New South Wales (NSW) Phoenix Senior Women’s team. She played the Adelaide Storm at Sydney Olympic Park in two Australian Volleyball League (AVL) matches over the weekend. They won on Saturday and lost on Sunday and now have a 3 to 1 win/loss record after two wins against Queensland Pirates last week. 

Phoenix is the performance program that sits at the highest tier of the Volleyball NSW pathway for athletes, coaches, and referees. 

The AVL is the highest level of competitive Volleyball in Australia, with teams from each of the six states and the Australian Capital Territory playing in a home and away season in 2022, returning after two years of cancellations.  

 Here is Emma in action over the weekend. 

Chris Wood
Sports Co-ordinator – Volleyball 

Performing Arts

I have been pondering recently upon the word “victory”. At times, it is often employed in the recognition of coming first or breaking a record. These achievements are, of course, highly significant, and worthy of every plaudit offered.

In the final term of the year, we witness a range of performing arts events that celebrate students in Music, Dance, Drama, Speech and Drama and Language Arts. The Festival of Speech for Language Arts. Centre Stage for Co-curricular Drama students. Steps in the Sand as a Dance showcase for Co-curricular dance students. Junior and Senior Ensemble concerts for Co-curricular Music students.

I wanted to recognise the individual victories of students in each of these areas. These students may not come first or break a record, but their personal victories in performance can also be profound. All of these students should be recognised and celebrated.

The Festival of Speech was an epic event held at Pymble on 21 and 22 October and involved 27 independent girls’ schools, over 700 hundred students and 400 teachers, families and adjudicators. There were some great achievements across the many events for Pymble girls. Led by the Head of Language Arts, Mrs Bronwyn Hubbard, Pymble students and staff provided a magnificent landscape in which this momentous igsa event triumphed after a three-year hiatus.

We eagerly anticipate the forthcoming Dance Showcase, the Drama Showcase and the Junior and Senior Ensemble Music concerts. 

Further information about these events will be provided in the reports below.

I would warmly recommend that you attend one or more of these events and strive to seek out every student who performs on the Gillian Moore Centre of Performing Arts stage and gives her all. Celebrate each girls’ victory.

Michael Griffiths

Director of Co-Curricular Performing Arts

Drama

Second place! Drama at Festival of Speech

Congratulations to our Year 10 Drama ensemble which performed at the Festival of Speech on Saturday placing Second! We are so proud of the Drama team – well done! Thank you to Co-Curricular Drama Coach – Tim Walker for his hard work and dedication with this team.

Year 10 Festival of Speech Drama Ensemble: Sophia Thurkettle, Lily Hearne, Bella Walker, Ava Thomas, Gigi Spiller, Estelle Vander

Pymble Drama competed against 20 other schools with their original devised performance of ‘Let the Games Begin’. The performance took inspiration from the Olympic Games. It explored the mind games we play with others and ourselves, which is shown through battling with our inner demons when confronted with fear and doubt, and how people manipulate and ‘psych out’ other competitors in large competitions, to ensure they win the gold medal. It explored the idea of never giving up even when challenged with major set backs, and how we come back from difficult times in our lives to become better than before.

Drama – Festival of Speech

A big thank you to the students that were chairpersons for the Drama sections – Improvisation/Theatresports and Drama. They were very well prepared, spoke confidentially and ran these sections to a high standard.

Chairpersons for Drama – Festival of Speech: Shivani Senthil (Year 11), Freya Carmody (Year 11), Alissa Xue (Year 8), Imogen Wu (Year 8)

Congratulations to our Improvisation and Theatresports students

We are so proud of our Improvisation and Theatresports students who have performed at recent Drama competitions. Our Years 7 and 8 Team performed at the Theatresports Schools Challenge at the Linfield Learning Village on Thursday 20 of October and performed an array of Theatresports games, including 1 minute, 2 minute and 3 minute performances, completely improvised on the spot. Well done to:

Year 7 and 8 Theatresports Team: Chloe Brown, Verity Haslam, Cindy Wang, Lucinda Martin, Jemima Groves- Berry

On Friday 21 of October, our Years 10 Team performed in the Drama Theatre at the Festival of Speech. They performed a completely improvised 4 minute ‘open scene’, inspired by a location. Thank you to the Co-Curricular Drama Coach Danielle Panayi for her work on preparing her Drama students for these competitions. They represented Pymble exceptionally and we’re very proud:

Year 10 Theatresports Team: Kimia Saghaie, Murphy Scott, Giaan Jackson, Saskia Fitzgerald

Ms Tamara Sweetman

Head of Drama

Language Arts

Festival of Speech

Congratulations! We did it! What a fun festival. A wonderful Friday evening and Saturday was had by all. Congratulations to the whole Festival team of competitors, coaches, student volunteers, student bakers and all those who were the wind beneath our wings. We were so well supported by our parent body, Chartwells our caterers and many Pymble staff. A massive thank you to all.

The Competitors

Drama

Sophia Thurkettle, Lily Hearne, Bella Walker, Ava Thomas and Gigi Spiller. Congratulations on your second placing.

Public Speaking

Jenny Xu and Joy Ye 

Poetry 

Lauren Korenblyum and Tilly Morgan. Special congratulations on your respective fourth and second placings.

Readings 

Alyssa Yee and Evelyn Zhu. Congratulations on your fourth placing Evelyn.

Junior Debating 

Sophie Chang, Ella Liu, Maya Garg and Amy Zhang.

Senior Debating 

BP Parliamentary Debate in true British style Christine Hir, Angie Wang, Izzy Cameron and Jessie Xie – Congratulations on making it to the semi finals. 

Current Affairs 

Chelsea Shi, Emma Parsons and Mulan Xu.

Religious and Ethical questions 

Hanna Cheung, Caitlyn Tan and Melody Kim.

Improvisations 

Murphy Scott, Giann Jackson, Finn Saghaie and Olivia Clifford! 

Soapbox 

Piper Markson. Congratulations on your commendation. 

Pymble placed 5^th in the Junior Section, 5^th in the Senior Section and 5^th overall. A very solid result. Well done!

Congratulations to our parent team who raised close to $5 000.

Here are some of the lovely comments that have flooded in:

“Thank you for a fantastic 2 days of competition. Your hard work in organizing is very much appreciated. My step count went through the roof going all over the Pymble campus to the various events! The students thoroughly enjoyed participating and did themselves proud.”

“Thank you so much for the amazing Festival of Speech.”

“I can only imagine the amount of work that this festival involved – thank you for your efforts and hard work!”

“Your parent teams were fantastic – and so welcoming to us – they were excellent.”

“The team of students who guided us around your beautiful grounds and showed us the way to the various events were gracious, efficient and kind!”

“It really was an incredible achievement – it is a major event and I really appreciate your efforts to bring it to fruition.”

“Thanks so much for a great festival!”

Legacy State Final

Congratulations to Jenny Xu who represented Pymble so ably in the Grand Final of the Legacy Public Speaking Competition. Jenny performed strongly in both Prepared and Impromptu sections. Thanks to Emily Abadee and Joy Yee, our LA Captain of Public Speaking, who accompanied her on the day and to Jenny’s father who drove us in to the NSW Art Gallery Venue, early on a wet morning. We will be back!

International Debating

CCSA has sent registrations and timing details to IDC participants. The season will commence tomorrow. We have ten teams registered for the International Debating Championship. Good luck to all. Topic Areas are

Round 1: Economics

Round 2: Law and Justice 

Round 3: Social Issues 

Round 4: Hypothetical (The topics in round 4 will be formatted as “That we would prefer a world…eg: “That we would prefer a world where individuals could selectively erase their memories”)

Mediation

Congratulations to our Mediators who will compete in the Grand Final in November.

UN Voice of Youth

Thank you to the girls who crafted, edited and delivered impressive speeches today. Results to follow.

Debating Auditions

Debating Auditions will be held tomorrow for new to Pymble, 2023 Year 7 girls. Notes have been sent via CCSA. Other dates to be released soon.

New girls in other years will be auditioned in the first weeks of Term 1 next year.

Mrs Bronwyn Hubbard

Head of Language Arts

Music

2022 Secondary School Playing Opportunities

The College is looking to develop its ensemble program through the support of various lesser-known concert band and orchestral instruments. An area that the College would like to further develop is to see more students playing the:

• Bassoon
• Trombone, Euphonium and Tuba
• Double Bass

As part of the program, the College will support payment of tuition and instrumental hire. It is preferable that the student is already learning an instrument, such as piano, so they can make the transition with ease.

If your daughter is interested in this exciting performance opportunity and to join the dynamic music department, please send through an expression of interest to musicadmin@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

To complete an online expression of interest, click HERE.

Expressions of interest close Friday 11 November, 2022. Following this date, students will be interviewed and will need to perform on their current instrument.

2023 Internal Music Scholarship

Applications for the 2023 Internal Music Scholarships are now open. Each scholarship is open to any pupil in the College from Year 6 to Year 11 (2022). Current holders of Academic or Music Performance Scholarships covering school fees are not eligible for Music Tuition Scholarships.

A high standard of performance is expected although scholarships on musical instruments other than piano may be awarded on musical potential. The expectation is that Scholarship winners will contribute to the musical life of the College through participation in Co-curricular Performing Ensembles. The categories are:

• Junior Music Tuition Scholarship which includes students in Years 6, 7 and 8 (2022)
• Senior Music Tuition Scholarship which includes students in Years 9, 10 and 11 (2022)
• The Miss Gunn Memorial Scholarship for Piano is only open to girls of the standard of Grade 6 or higher (any age or year)
• Organ Music Tuition Scholarship is open to any girl who already has advanced keyboard skills (Piano Grade 6 and above) to learn to play the Chapel Organ.

For all information, including dates and audition requirements, download the application form by clicking HERE.

If you have further questions, please contact musicadmin@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

Diploma AMEB Results

Congratulations to the following students on achieving their Diploma on their respective instruments. We are very proud of these students and wish to acknowledge their talents and the time it has taken to prepare for these performance recitals.

• Yuki Wang (Year 9) Amus A Piano
• Cindy Zhou (Year 8) Amus A Piano
• Jenny Xu (Year 8) Amus A Piano
• Jenny He (Year 8) Amus A Piano

Year 3 Student Performance Update

Congratulations Scarlett Qiu (3C), Julie Kang (3M), Ellie Zhang (3C), Loriah Zhang (3A) on their amazing performances at the Sydney Harp Eisteddfod.

Scarlett competed in the Solo Harp (10 years) Intermediate Section and was awarded Second prize. This is a wonderful achievement as she is 8 years old and has only been learning the harp for one year.

In addition, the J.E.L.S. Quartet: Julie (violin), Ellie (viola), Loriah (cello), Scarlett (harp) competed in the Open Age Intermediate Group Music Section and were awarded Second prize. 

All students are a part of the Year 3 String program, and it is wonderful to see that they are showcasing their skills outside of the College.

Week 6: Term 4 Senior School and Junior School Ensemble Concert

All members of the Pymble community are warmly invited to attend our end-of-year Ensemble Concerts for the Junior School and Secondary School,

• The Junior School Ensemble Concert will commence at 6.30pm on Tuesday 15 November in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts (GMCPA) Theatre.
• The Senior School Ensemble Concert will commence at 7.00pm on Thursday 17 November in the GMCPA Theatre.

Both these events are free and non-ticketed.

More information will be communicated in the upcoming newsletter and via your daughter’s conductor. I hope you can make it to these very special concerts and join in the musical celebrations.

Change of date for the College Christmas Service

All members of the Pymble community are warmly invited to attend the College Christmas Service – The Road to Bethlehem on Sunday 27 November.

Please note there has been a change of date from Friday 25 November.

The service will feature the following ensembles:

• Pymble Chorale
• Senior School Choir
• Symphony Orchestra
• Junior School Choir
• Capella Choir (Junior School Chamber Choir)
• Pizzicatos
• Picoline Choir (Year 1 and 2 Choir)
• Junior School Chamber Strings

Gates will open from 5.00pm, with the Pymble Parent Association (PPA) offering a barbecue dinner. Families are welcome to bring a picnic. The College Jazz Bands will provide musical entertainment from 5.30pm, and the Christmas Service will commence at 6.30pm.

I hope you can make it to this very special service.

Mr Kurt Schweinberger

Head of Co-curricular Music

Term 4 bus registrations are now open!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thinking of a career change? Think Pymble!

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

Job of the week: Head of Drama | Full-time permanent from 2023

Our Drama program continues to support students achieving excellence. Responsible for leading both curricular and co-curricular Drama, we are looking for an exceptional accredited teacher to run the program on a full-time basis commencing from 2023.

With demonstrated ability in leading a large Drama program at a high standard, you will lead Drama teachers and a team of co-curricular coaches. You will bring a love for all things Drama, including the study and analysis of play texts, dramatic styles and forms, individual and ensemble performances, elements of production in performance, cinematography and improvisation. You will be able to effectively extend and also implement teaching processes within the program.

In working collaboratively with the Curriculum Drama staff, you will significantly contribute to the success of our elective Drama students as they work from Year 9 to the HSC; helping to guide them in their academic endeavours. You will lead a teaching team that continually refines and improves its practices. A teaching load is part of the expectation of this role.

You will also work collaboratively with the Director of Co-curricular Performing Arts, Theatre staff and the associated administration team, helping to prepare our students for various exciting opportunities and projects throughout the school year, including inter-school competitions and live performances.

For more information or to apply, please click here.

Help us make Sony Camp great!

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

Save the date: Vision Valley Holiday Camp

Junior School girls and their siblings (male or female) in Year 3 to 6 are invited to attend the Vision Valley Holiday Camp. The first camp will run in the 2023 Easter school holidays from Monday 17 April to Friday 21 April.

The holiday camp will offer overnight and day visit options and will feature a full activity program, including outdoor adventure activities, nature play and recreational games, all supervised by our experienced Vision Valley staff.

Bookings will open Term 1 Week 1 2023 and there will be limited places available. More information about the holiday camp will be published in the coming weeks.

Future holiday camps

• Monday 10 July to Friday 14 July 2023
• Monday 25 September to Friday 29 September 2023
• Monday 11 December to Friday 15 December 2023

Mrs Rebecca Pearce

Operations Manager – Vision Valley

Pymble Cyber Safety Hub

Your family, your school and cyber safety

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

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

Click here to access the Pymble Cyber Safety Hub.

Pymble Station Upgrade

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

From the Director of Community Engagement and Advancement

Upcoming Term 4 Events 

It’s hard to believe that we’re already in Week 3 and that the end of next week will mark the halfway point of Term 4. Things certainly move fast here at Pymble, and I can already sense everyone’s excitement as we inch closer towards the holiday period. There is, however, still plenty to get done in the last five weeks of term, and, as always, we’d love to have your company at the many events we have upcoming. To check out our full calendar of events, please click here.

Pymble in Scone

It’s always very special to connect with our Boarding families, and Pymble’s recent trip to Scone was a very special one. Our Chair of Board, Mr James Hunter, and our Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen, enjoyed celebrating all things Boarding with past, present and future families from the Upper Hunter Region.

Perhaps the most impressive moment of the night was hearing from one of our Boarders, Mia (Year 8), who spoke to the audience and shared her first-hand account of what it’s like to be a Boarder at Pymble.

‘Speaking of teens: Holding onto love’: links for further information

After receiving a great amount of interest from parents, we have decided to extend the online availability of the video recording of our parenting forum Speaking of teens: Holding onto love. The recording will be available to watch on YouTube until Thursday 4 November, so get in quick if you would like to see what was discussed. Click here to view the recording.

Additionally, if you would like to learn more about our panellists, access discounts and links to their publications and see a summary of the content from the forum, the program can also be viewed here.

Reviewing the Pymble School Uniform

As you may know, our Deputy Principal – Students, Ms Lamia Rockwell, has begun the process of reviewing the Pymble school uniform. The review will consider many things such as comfort, practicality and style, and we would like to get input from all members of our community, including students, parents and carers and alumni.

Starting in Week 5, we will be hosting focus groups to gather insights to determine the future of the Pymble uniform and what changes, if any, will be made. Please look out for focus group booking information on MyPymble and in next week’s newsletter.

Feedback – We want to hear what you think about our technology assets

The Community Engagement team is always keen for an opportunity to hear feedback from our Pymble family. Last term’s focus groups gave us a real insight into our community’s needs. To drill down further on what we heard during the focus groups, we have prepared a short survey and would be grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to complete this to help us with our event planning for 2023. Please click here to complete the survey.

The knowledge we have accumulated from these initiatives has been invaluable for our team in planning events and tweaking communication pathways, thus we have planned further avenues for parent feedback.

In Week 4 this term, we are looking to hold another set of focus groups, this time directed at the technology processes we use to communicate with our community. If you would like to participate in this series of sessions, please contact communityengagement@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Kelly Mancey

Director – Community Engagement & Advancement

Semester 2 Community Events Calendar

Communications at Pymble

Important: MyPymble app updated   

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

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

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

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

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

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

Parent Contact Directory

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

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

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

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

PymConnect

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

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

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

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

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

Pymble Business Directory

Pymble Business Directory – Now Live

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

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

To list your business, please complete the attached form.

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

Parent Handbook 2022

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

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

Pymbulletin

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

The Magazine

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

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

Illuminate

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

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

Highlights from this edition include:

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