From the Boarding School
On Wednesday, I was delighted to announce our Boarding Prefects for the 2024-25 year. They are a fabulous team of young women and I am super excited about working with them. I was also very proud (and not surprised) to see the long list of Boarders who were successful in gaining leadership positions in the Day School. I know you will join me in congratulating the following Boarders:
Boarding Leaders
Head Boarders: Celeste McDermont and Sophie Laing
Community Spirit Prefects: Jemma Hodder and Evie Leahy
Avonmoore Prefect: Alice Beveridge
Goodlet House Prefect: Dezi Magann-Jones
Marden House Prefect: Lola Barwick
Day School Leaders
Goodlet House Captain: Charlotte Craig
Middle School Liaison Prefect: Gina Lau
Lang House Captain: Alethea Levy
Marden House Captain: Lana Pike
Academic Learning Prefect: Nandika Singh
Goodlet House Prefect: Grace Townsend
And there’s more….
Congratulations also to the following incredible Boarders who are Sport, Performing Arts and Extended Learning Captains:
Livia Armstrong – Theatre (Technical)
Joanna Au – Music – Captain of Choirs
Lola Barwick – Equestrian
Bella Croker – Hockey
Evie Leahy – Rugby Sevens
Alethea Levy – Football
Allyana Levy – AFL
Dezi Magann-Jones – Cricket
Grace Peters – Athletics (Field)
Grace Townsend – Touch Football
Hannah Weber – Cattle Club
Meet our newest Boarders’ Representative Council (BRC) members
Congratulations to Camilla (Milla) Metcalfe and Quinn Parry-Okeden who have been elected as our Year 7 BRC members. This advisory group is key to making Boarding a happy and high-functioning home for our residents. They make recommendations based on information from their peers and provide feedback to their year group on points of discussion and decisions. I am looking forward to the fresh perspective that Milla and Quinn will bring to this important group.
Boarders leading the way
Congratulations to Matilda (Tilly) Batman and Vanessa Yiu for their contribution to the Gordon and Pymble Uniting Church (GPUC) community. Despite being incredibly busy Year 12 students, Tilly and Vanessa found time to complete the GPUC Kids Club Leadership Training so they could assist in a voluntary capacity at the church’s weekly Kids’ Club. Reverend Karen praised the girls for their willingness to give back, particularly in the context of their final year at school. These incredible young woman are already well known for their generosity of spirit in our Boarding community and we couldn’t be prouder of them.
Love It, Mrs Katie White – Deputy Director of Boarding
We have some slight changes to the Love It program for this weekend. On Friday evening the Year 11s will be enjoying a pizza and games night. On Saturday night we have been invited to the ice hockey by the boarders at Knox. For those who have never seen ice hockey – you are in for a treat. This thrilling game will be action packed! We have even arranged a meet and greet with the team after the event. On Sunday, we are going to head to Brookvale Oval to watch the Sea Eagles play the Dragons.
Pymble goes South
A final reminder that Pymble will be in Wagga Wagga on 21 and 22 June at the Boarding School Expo. If you are in the area we would love you to call in and say hello. Better still, if you are available on the evening of 22 June, it would be great to see you at the Temora home of Pymble Parents, Jo and Mark Brennan for a gathering of Pymble friends. Please click the link to see the invitation and RSVP.
Supporting our wider Boarding family
Last week you would have read about Amy’s efforts to support her young cousin Jack in his battle against neuroblastoma. Please make a note of Saturday 3 August when Amy is organising a bumper sausage sizzle to raise funds for this most worthwhile cause.
Eat like a Boarder
Please accept the invitation to join us for a meal on Monday 22 July at 6.00pm, when you return your girls from the term break. This will be the ‘real’ experience, with you 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 by no later than Friday 28 June.
View From My Window
I am Livia and I am a Boarder in Year 10. I live on a small farm an hour outside of Darwin. For the long weekend I was lucky enough to fly back home on Thursday to see my family. The flight is four-and-a-half hours long and I arrived back home at 1.00am in the morning. Waking up in my own bed on Friday was a pretty good feeling!
My favourite thing to do once I get home is heading outside to look around the farm. In my pyjamas generally, Basil our little dog and Jess the blue heeler join me in the buggy to check the cattle. Our farm is 150 acres in a wetland area, and we run Brahman cattle and horses.
My family is generally quite busy, but it was nice to have a weekend that was laid back and spent at home. Saturday was spent going on a horse ride as a family which has become a rare, special occasion. Dad joined in, sitting in the buggy with the job of picking up jump rails while my sister and I race around our makeshift jump course. We have old metal drums set up as cross rails out in the front paddock. Mum walks around on her horse watching us and keeping out of the way of me and my sister’s races.
In the afternoon, just before the sun sets, we race out in the buggy to go exploring in the nature reserve that backs onto our property. Harrison Dam Reserve is full of wildlife and little tracks that lead off in all directions. In the wet season we can’t go very far into the bush exploring due to all the water, so it was nice to finally get to some of my favourite spots. We stayed out there until sunset admiring the massive dam on the left and the wide-open flood plains on the right.
Boarder of the Week
We couldn’t be prouder of Millie, our Boarder of the Week, as Beth Ayling, Head of Marden House, shares below:
Millie joined our Marden family from Dubbo at the beginning of this year, and I mean it when I say that it feels like she’s been here forever. She quickly slotted right in, no fuss, and became one of our beautiful Boarding sisters that we couldn’t imagine life without.
Millie greets everyone she sees with a big smile and is always ready for a chat about what’s happening in the lives of those around her. She is a proud Wiradjuri woman, a brilliant basketballer (winning the award UAA Indigenous Athlete of the Year last term) and an altogether lovely person to be around.
Nothing is a bother for Millie, she is always happy to volunteer to help out with projects for the College or taking our newer Boarders under her wing. We love having her in Marden House and we’re so glad she joined our Pymble Boarding family.
Save the Date
28 June Last day of term and Boarders’ Travel Day
22 July Boarders return to Boarding from 2.00pm
22 July Eat like a Boarder, 6.00pm
3 August Fundraiser for Jack Schofield
4 August Boarder Community Day (all Boarders required to be in attendance)
25 August Father, Daughter event
20 September Boarders and their Families event
21 September Garden Party
Term 4 TBA Mother-Daughter Lunch
Boarder Parent Group Meetings
20 September – 2.30pm onsite
24 October – 7.00pm Microsoft Teams meeting
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding