From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
Learning to take risks – the power of play
Last week I read some research from Professor Mariana Brussoni who has been researching the power of play as a key part of child development for several decades. As I read her research, I felt a sense of pride for the balanced approach we have towards academic rigour and unstructured play and imaginative play in our Junior School. I am particularly proud that over the last few years our teachers have embedded Unstructured Play into the day as a key learning opportunity for our girls.
What is Unstructured Play?
It’s play that isn’t directly organised by adults. It’s play that doesn’t have a defined outcome or purpose – it’s a space and time for children to free play, following their imagination, creating their own worlds, resources and rules. We provide ‘loose parts’ to the girls during these sessions and these cardboard boxes, ropes, tyres and other bits and pieces soon become castles, transport, swings, cafes and day spas!
Unstructured play embeds elements of challenge and risk as it involves children being outdoors and being active. Whilst we obviously have adults ‘supervising’ the children whilst they engage with Unstructured Play’, the girls lead the play session.
Why is Unstructured Play important?
Imaginative play enables children to develop their own stories, rules and worlds. This then teaches them how to manage social nuances as they navigate the rules with their friends. Unstructured Play helps children learn how to calibrate risks, make independent decisions, negotiate and collaborate and manage emotions. It’s not about putting our children in danger; it’s about equipping them with the capacity to determine safe risks as they challenge themselves.
Professor Brussoni’s research over the last twenty years finds that we harm children’s social and physical development if we remove all risk from their lives. Between 1975 and 2015, outdoor play for children decreased by an alarming 29.4 per cent. By 2003, only 6 per cent of children in the US played outdoors every day. Too often the media tells us that the world is not a safe place for our children. In our desire to be ‘good parents’ we often keep our children too safe, keeping them in structured environments, totally managed by us.
We need our children to be active for their physical development. We need them to learn how to make independent decisions whilst they are still young. We do not want our children to be making their first ‘risky’ decision as a teenager when the stakes are naturally much higher.
Here are my five key take aways from Professor Brussoni’s research:
- We need to make outdoor play a daily priority for our children.
- Children need access to stimulating spaces for play; flexible spaces where they can use their imagination and explore risks.
- Children need the freedom to be able to play the way they choose.
- Unstructured Play provides children with low-cost opportunities to develop the physical and cognitive skills to master the challenges they will face as they grow older.
- Unstructured Play enables children to ‘see’ how capable they are of coping when things go wrong in their game. It therefore builds resilience.
Our girls are so lucky to have such natural, stimulating places to play in every day at school. With the introduction of scooters and bikes we have increased capacity for our girls to be more active and ‘risky’. Our loose parts and big blue blocks enable the girls to create whatever they can imagine. I am deeply proud of the way we encourage our girls to follow their own play, their own hearts and to celebrate who they are as they play.
Thank you for your support and trust over the last five years as we’ve purposefully grown our focus on Unstructured Play for the benefit of all our girls.
Last weekend Mrs Bird and I were proud to be out at Castle Hill promoting Pymble and meeting with lots of families interested in joining our College community. It always makes me proud to be able to talk about our College and our focus on empowering girls with the many opportunities we provide to challenge our girls.
This weekend Mr Brown and I are off to visit some STEM Centres and STEM focused schools in Shanghai for a week to share our learning and to learn from these world leaders in STEM learning for Junior School children. Having never been to China, I am also excited to visit a place that means so much to many of our families. I look forward to sharing my adventures and learning with the girls and staff when I get back.
Next week, I am ‘handing over’ the newsletter to Mrs Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School Academics who will be leading the Junior School with Mr Stephen Robinson, Deputy Head of Operations whilst I am away.
A message from Mr Stephen Robinson – Acting Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations
Ride Safely to School Day
Reminder: Tomorrow Friday 22 March is National Ride Safely to School Day. We are excited that we have so many girls registered for this initiative.
If you would like your daughter to ride to school with Mrs Brown and other members of the Junior School staff, please complete this form to register by midnight tonight.
All students participating in National Ride Safely to School Day must have a properly fitted helmet when riding.
A message from Mrs Lara Bird – Deputy Head of Junior School – Academics
Our first Academic Series for parents will take place on Tuesday 26 March (Week 9) 3.30pm to 5.00pm. The focus will be on “Reading with your daughter” (3.30pm to 4.00pm) and “Being a Junior Mathematician” (4.00pm to 5.00pm). The workshops will take place in the Year 3-6 library. Please see portal notice for more details.
Please click here to register your attendance. Please RSVP by Monday 25 March.
A message from Mrs Kate Giles – Head of Wellbeing K-6
On Thursday 28 March, girls from Kindergarten to Year 6 will be participating in a Wellbeing Day. Across this day, the girls will engage in activities that align with our Mind, Body, Spirit Wellbeing framework. Girls are asked to please wear their PE uniform on the day.
A message from from Miss Penny Charalambous – Junior School House Coordinator
We launched our Jump Rope for Heart skipping on Friday and the girls were exceptional in their energy and enthusiasm for skipping.
Over the coming weeks the girls will have dedicated lunchtimes to develop and hone up to 8 specific skipping skills which will then be showcased in our inaugural House Skipping Showcase on Friday 12 April.
We encourage you to support your child’s participation in this initiative and cheer them on! Look for the QR code on the Parent and Guardian Guide and keychain which the girls brought home on Friday last week.
A message from Mr Kurt Schweinberger – Head of Creative and Performing Arts K-6
Introducing the Cast of Charlie and Chocolate Factory
I am pleased to announce the students that have been cast in the Junior School production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Confirming all students who completed an audition have also been cast in the show as part of the Oompa-Loompa ensemble.
| Charlie Bucket | Charlotte Lau (Year 5) |
| Willy Wonka | Lakshi Rajeev (Year 6) |
| Grandpa Joe | Madeleine Martin (Year 4) |
| Mike Teevee | Isabelle Lau (Year 5) |
| Veruca Salt | Greta Campbell (Year 6) |
| Violet Beauregarde | Amélie Rahme (Year 6) |
| Augustus Gloop | Aarthi Rao (Year 4) |
| Mrs Gloop | Davina Excell (Year 4) |
| Mrs Teavee | Zoe Ababio (Year 4) |
| Mr Teavee | Emma Popli (Year 6) |
| Mr Salt | Madison Burns (Year 6) |
| Mrs Salt | Caia McCarthy (Year 4) |
| Mrs Beauregarde | Sophia Mohseni (Year 6) |
| Mrs Bucket | Zoe Hanna (Year 5) |
| Mr Bucket | Florence Cheng (Year 6) |
| Grandpa George | Grace Li (Year 4) |
| Grandma Josephine | Kaymi Madugalle Wijeratne (3R) |
| Grandma Georgina | Freya Holland (4C) |
| Narrators | Trisha Viswanathan (Year 6) |
| Katherine Gu (Year 3) | |
| Isabelle La (Year 5) | |
| Olivia Headley (Year 5) | |
| Alice Dai (Year 5) | |
| Bhuvika Bhatia (Year 5) | |
| Olivia Yu (Year 4) | |
| Katelyn Gu (Year 6) | |
| Ria Iyer (Year 6) |
The performance will be held in the Junior School John Reid Hall and the dates are listed below:
- Performance 1: Thursday 27 June (6.00 pm)
- Performance 2: Friday 28 June (during the school day as part of the Junior School STEAM Festival)
All cast members need to collect a note and return it before Friday 22 March. Following this date, a rehearsal schedule will be constructed once all the students have confirmed their involvement.
As the play will be produced in conjunction with the Junior School STEAM Festival, the principles of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) will form an important part of the creative and theatre making experience. From costume design, set design and props creation, the theatre experience will allow students to develop their STEAM thinking. Cast members will be required to create and design aspects of their costumes. More information will follow about this aspect of the production. Where possible, students will reuse, recycle, and repurpose objects to be more sustainably minded.
Junior School Digital News
Term 1 2024 Key Dates
Friday 22 March igsa Swimming & Diviving Championships
Friday 22 March Ride Safely to School Day
Saturday 23 March IPSHA Saturday Sport
Monday 25 March Author Visit Year 3 and 4
Tuesday 26 March Parent Reading and Maths Workshops 3.30pm to 5.00pm
Wednesday 27 March JSPG Pedal your own smoothie Year 3 to 6
Thursday 28 March Mind Body Spirit Wellbeing Day Kindergarten to Year 6
Friday 29 March Good Friday (Public Holiday)
Monday 1 April Easter Monday (Public Holiday)
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
*Final call* JSPG Pedal Your Own Smoothie – Wednesday 27 March
The Years 3 to 6 girls will be promoting healthy living, exercise and sustainability by making their own healthy pedal-powered smoothies with a blender bike. Funds raised from this event will be donated to the Barbara May Foundation. This activity is always lots of fun and fits in well with our Pymble Pulse theme this year!
Please register here by Sunday 24 March 2024.
JSPG Family Movie Night – Saturday 6 April
Our Junior School families are warmly invited to the JSPG Family Movie Night on Saturday 6 April from 4.00pm to 8.00pm on Main Oval. The evening will feature a BBQ dinner, a big screen movie screening of MIgration, popcorn and an inflatable obstacle course.
This is our only full Junior School family event together – come along and enjoy the beautiful backdrop of the College as the sun sets. We’ve moved the date forward this year while the weather is still warm, and put your clocks back an hour when you go to bed for an extra hour of sleep!
Funds raised from this event will be donated to the Junior School to help purchase additional learning resources for our girls. Please register here by Wednesday 27 March.
JSPG Easter Cookie Decorating for Kindergarten to Year 2 – Friday 12 April
The JSPG is pleased to hold the Easter Cookie Decorating activity for Kindergarten to Year 2 this year. Each girl will receive two Easter cookies to decorate in class during the morning. The cookies are nut-free and made from natural ingredients. Icing, sprinkles and a small selection of lollies will be used to decorate each cookie. Gluten-free and vegan cookies are available on request.
Please register here by Friday 5 April for this fun activity on the last day of term!
Upcoming Events
It’s a busy weekend of social activities for our Junior School families:
Year 2 Mum’s Night – Friday 22 March
Please join us from 6.00pm at 465 The Avenue, Chatswood. Welcome drink and canapes included.
Kindergarten Easter Egg Hunt – Saturday 23 March
Join us for an Easter Egg Hunt for Kindy at Bicentennial Park West Pymble. Please see the flyer for details.
4C Play in the Park – Saturday 23 March
Let’s celebrate the start of a new year at Turramurra Memorial Park, Eastern Road Turramurra from 3pm – 5pm. BYO picnic food and drinks.
Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt – Sunday 24 March
Hop on over for our Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt at Bicentennial Park West Pymble. Please see the flyer for details and RSVP to your Parent Year Coordinators.
Please contact us with any questions or feedback at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School