From the Boarding School
It was certainly a super sweet week in Boarding! Starting with our annual visit from our friends at Du Plessy Pralin and Otello. Owner, Paul Adams, chocolatier extraordinaire, talked our Boarders through the fundamentals of chocolate making including tempering, filling moulds and, of course, tasting! The girls were delighted with their home made treats and, for once, thoroughly enjoyed “cleaning up”! Our thanks go to our very own Mrs Kathryn Weidemann for her organisation of yet another unforgettable foray into food.
Dinner with Dr H and Mr Bell
Not to be outdone in the sweet stakes, Dr H and Mr Bell hosted a delicious dinner party for our Year 7 Boarders. Skye and Milla were delighted to share their recollections of the evening –
Imagine getting the chance to go over to our Principal, Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell’s house for an Easter dinner! We, the Year 7 Boarders had the honour! Right from the start when we walked in we felt so welcomed by Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell. We had an Easter egg hunt in the garden before dinner. It was so much fun!
For dinner, Mr Bell made his homemade pasta with a yummy Bolognese sauce and for dessert we enjoyed Dr Hadwen’s chocolate pudding. At the dinner table we had a great chat with Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell, and after dinner we went upstairs to see Dr Hadwen’s big shoe collection, it was so cool. We were so grateful for the evening and before we went home we played a song to show our appreciation for inviting us over for dinner.
Overall it was a really great night and we are so thankful to Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell.
Our Sporting Superstars!
We couldn’t be prouder of our Boarders who continue to shine in all things sport.
Congratulations to Grace, Jocelyn and Lana who have been selected in the Regional Australian under 18 team to compete at the Oceania Champs in Fiji in June.
Good luck and congratulations to our igsa Swimming representatives Quinn, Lily and Hannah.
I look forward to sharing more about our Boarder’s sporting successes soon.
Cattle Club at the Sydney Royal Easter Show
Our Pymble Cattle Club is a popular co-curricular activity across the school and I am sure it is no surprise that our Boarders are well represented in this group. Congratulations to Adison, Livia, Skye, Selina, Hannah and our two Phoebes who are wonderful members of the team. The Cattle team will be at the Sydney Royal Easter Show until 23 March, please look out for them, they would love your support.
Don’t forget to sign up for Eat Like a Boarder
I hope you can join us for dinner on Monday 29 April at 6.00pm, when you return your girls from the Term 1 break. This will be the ‘real’ experience, with you being able to enjoy the regular dinner service, just as the girls do each evening. If you would like to join us please rsvp to boarding@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.
Keen for a fabulous weekend away with our Boarding families?
Following last year’s amazing parent weekend in Mudgee, the McLaughlin family has organised another action-packed weekend away, this time in the Hawkesbury.
After checking into Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley, only a 50-minute drive from Pymble, we will catch a coach to the McLaughlin’s Hillbilly Cider for a late lunch. After returning to the Crowne Plaza, and enjoying the facilities, dinner and drinks will be served at the hotel.
On Sunday morning we will check out of Crowne and make our way to the Windsor Polo Club where we will enjoy a picnic lunch to conclude what’s set to be another wonderful weekend getaway.
We would love to have as many parents join in the fun. Please click on flyer below to book your activities, and click here to book your accomodation for the weekend.
Loving Love It
Last weekend was jam-packed full of fun. It started with the Easter workshop with lots of chocolate making fun on Friday. On Saturday evening we headed into Allianz stadium to watch the Waratah’s take on the Blues. We then adjusted the plan on Sunday as the weather was not looking kindly on us, so we headed to the movies to continue with the chocolate theme for the weekend to watch Wonka. The Boarders were even joined by Mrs Burgess for this outing.
This weekend we kick it all off with a trip to watch the Socceroo’s play Lebanon on Thursday evening. The Year 11 Formal is on Friday evening, so there is much excitement in Marden and Goodlet as the girls prepare for this exciting event. The Year 8s will be heading to Dr Hadwen’s house on Sunday evening. Plus, we will have some ice skating on Saturday and potentially some Easter Show fun on Sunday.
Balmoral Swim for Cancer
Pymble Boarding will once again be taking part in the Balmoral Swim for Cancer. It will be held on Sunday 24 March, and we will be entering teams into the School’s Relay section of the event, competing against the likes of Shore, Riverview, Ascham, Wenona and Queenwood. This is always a well-attended event for the Boarders and an opportunity to give back. We are aiming to raise $2,000 this year. If you would like to sponsor our team, please click here.
View From My Window
Hello, my name’s Celeste, and I’m a Year 11 Boarder from Boorganna on the mid-north coast of NSW. In my family is my Mum Ann, Dad Julian, brothers Xavier, Jude, Orlando, myself, and Jose. And my little dog Teddy.
I live on a property of about 320 acres, 90 per cent of which is rainforest. It is a mountainous region and my house is nestled in the bottom of a valley, bordered by a freshwater creek that flows past our house. Our property is unofficially named “Agua Dulce”, which translates from Spanish to “sweet water”… a hint at why we live here, in this random geographically isolated region. For a fun fact, it’s also an extinct volcano that we drive over to get to town, which is an hour away.
Usually, we just call it “The Farm”, but we don’t farm anything commercially, although my family has a small crop of organic garlic which we sell to local boutiques and loved ones. Garlic, although seemingly simple, is a complex plant to grow, and many holidays have been spent roasting in the sun while we sow, plant, mulch, rake, pick, and repeat. Dotted around the house are my mum’s gardens, which in the summer are blooming with everything from gardenias and roses to marigolds and sunflowers.
The best part of our place is the mini waterfalls that are up the creek. My childhood was spent exploring upstream with my brothers, finding new spots to swim. The closest is “The Waterhole”, a refreshing natural pool in the Dingo Creek. We never miss a day of going there in the summer. Getting to the waterfalls is a tedious yet infinitely rewarding process which involves riding our motorbikes through the bush trail, ditching them to hike through the bush terrain, sliding down the Hill of Death, and sloshing through the creek for quite some time.
The Census says about 80 people are living in Mooral Creek, which is my closest village, but it is such a secluded area that I suspect that number to be wrong due to the amount of mysterious people and their mysterious reasons for being there. But I digress.
If you were to look out my window you would see a lush paddock with said gardens. Not to mention the abundant bird life, such as the flocks of black cockatoos, kookaburras and the satin bower birds that steal the blue clothes pegs from the washing line to decorate their bowers to attract a mate.
At night you might see fireflies glowing or the occasional wild bull that has wandered down through the National Park since the fences of nearby properties burned down during the bushfires.
The outline of the mountains in the distance is silhouetted in the sunset, a specific pattern of extremely tall trees which is burned into my brain. A few Novembers ago, it was a charred landscape. It is a comforting sight to me though and I’m proud to call it home.
Boarder of the Week
Sienna came to Marden in Year 7 from Wee Waa and has been a beautifully calming presence in the house since Day 1. She is kind, considerate and shows care and empathy to all those around her. Sienna is an exemplary boarder who is polite and mature in her interactions with staff, as well as her peers. She keeps her room impeccably tidy and her uniform perfect every day, and she manages her busy schedule independently and without complaint!
Sienna is a proud Gamilaroi woman and always takes the opportunity to celebrate her culture and share it with those around her. She has proudly delivered the Acknowledgement of Country on a number of occasions, and is always involved in Pymble celebrations of our First Nations cultures, including Culture Club, our Indigenous Dance troupe and NAIDOC Week. Nothing is ever a bother for Sienna – she is always willing to go the extra step to help those around her or assist in any way she can. We adore having her as part of our Boarding family and can’t wait to see what she does in the future!
Save the Date
28 March Boarders’ Travel Day for the Easter Long Weekend
1 April Boarders return from the Easter Long Weekend from 5.00pm
9 April End of Term Chapel and Dinner for Boarders
12 April End of Term Travel Day
29 April Boarders return and Eat Like a Boarder for parents
Extra-special must-save dates!
18 and 19 May Regional Weekend on the Hawkesbury for Boarder parents only.
25 August Father, Daughter event
20 September Boarders and their Families event
21 September Garden Party
3 November Mother, Daughter Lunch (please note revised date)
Boarder Parent Group Meetings
7 May – 7.00pm Microsoft Teams meeting
20 September – 2.30pm onsite
24 October – 7.00pm Microsoft Teams meeting
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding