From the Middle School
This week we celebrated all things Middle School during our termly assembly in the gym. Congratulations to all our leaders who planned and led the event so professionally. The theme was ‘What can one girl do?’ and throughout we showcased a variety of amazing students and their achievements. One such student was Arden Liceralde (Year 7).
This term, Arden, one of our Community Service Leaders, demonstrated how one person can make a difference by starting a plant exchange and a street library in her local community. Arden’s plant exchange raised much-needed funds, and the library supported the local community by providing free access to books.
The money raised was shared with a range of local initiatives, such as the Blackbutt Community Garden. Community gardens help people learn to grow their own food, encourage neighbours to work together and provide fresh, healthy produce to those that need it most, for example the Hornsby Women’s Shelter. They also promote physical activity and wellbeing, offer educational opportunities for kids and beautifies our neighbourhood.
Overall, community gardens strengthen our community and support a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. A huge congratulations to Arden on all her hard work and dedication to her projects.
Congratulations to all of the Jacaranda Award recipients for Term 2 who were recognised during assembly. I was so proud to read out the individual comments shared by Compass teachers that celebrated how our girl lives the College values in a unique way.
| Compass Class | Year 8 | Year 7 |
| Bennett A | Tia Pillai | Lilian Ahlenstiel |
| Bennett B | Lauren Harding | Yenyu Chan |
| Goodlet A | Isabelle Thomson | Adele Cassidy |
| Goodlet B | Ruby Shepherd-Smith | Duola Lin |
| Hammond A | Emma Roberts | Zahra Hindmarsh |
| Hammond B | Emma Chen | Jessamy Facer |
| Ingleholme A | Shreya Mahendra | Gawon (Kayla) Kim |
| Ingleholme B | Haylee Lam | Mia Lam |
| Lang A | Akshara Bhattacharya | Farah Ahmad |
| Lang B | Abigail Hung | Julin Zhu |
| Marden A | Tsz Yang (Gianna) Pang | Olivia Hicks-Duncombe |
| Marden B | Emma Rose Wang | Mia Zhu |
| Thomas A | Rielle Mouton | Summer Zhou |
| Thomas B | Weijia (Summer) Shen | Chloe Saya |
| Wylie A | Claire Feng | Lyann Shih |
| Wylie B | Annika Sethuram | Georgia Friedel |
Well done to Autumn Adler (Year 8) who entertained and wowed us with her hip-hop performance on Tuesday. Autumn is also to be congratulated on being invited to display her talents at the Best of PAC this year.
Our Term 3 service launch and welcome sign project update where we will be constructing 29 signs, each in a language representative of the many cultures in our community, were also shared with the girls this week. We are so excited to celebrate the cultural diversity of our Middle School community and make it visible. Next term will also be busy as we roll out our happy box commitment.
On Wednesday, a number of girls had the opportunity to attend a performance by Bangarra at the Opera House. Next week I look forward to sharing some student reflections. Thank you to Ms Ventura who accompanied them.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and thank a very special member of our team who will be leaving us at the end of next week: Mrs Volonakis, Middle School Administration Receptionist.
Ruth has been supporting the Middle School girls and the team from the front desk for over seven years and throughout that time has won the hearts of so many. Her warmth and dedication to ensuring all needs are met has never gone unnoticed. Ruth has built our culture of care and contributed to the success of so many Middle School initiatives. She will certainly be missed! We wish you every happiness as you hark out on a new journey.
Key Dates
Friday 28 June – Last day of Term
From the Middle School Parent Groups
Trivia Night – Final Details
The Pymble Parent Association (PPA) Trivia Night is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to see you all on Saturday night. With over 260 people attending, it’s shaping up to be the biggest Trivia Night since 2018!
Important details
Location: Miramare Gardens, 48 Myoora Road, Terrey Hills
Please note: Entry is via 48 Myoora Road only, as there is no access from Mona Vale Road.
Parking: Ample parking is available on-site at Miramare Gardens
Doors open at 6.30pm for welcome drinks, table decorating and photos.
Trivia starts promptly at 7.00pm.
We have a full and exciting program planned, so please arrive on time to ensure we can kick off the festivities as scheduled. Now, let’s talk prizes!
We have fantastic prizes lined up for:
– Trivia winners
– Best individual costume
– Best group costume
– Best-dressed table (please note: no confetti permitted)
We also have an incredible array of raffle prizes and live and silent auction items generously donated by local businesses and the Pymble community. Come ready to support the fundraising efforts, and don’t forget to bring plenty of gold coins and small notes for the 50/50 and heads/tails rounds.
We hope you’re putting the finishing touches on your costumes and table decorations – we can’t wait to see your creativity shine.
The Trivia Night Committee is excited to share this wonderful event with you.
We’ll see you on Saturday!
Mother Daughter Day at Vision Valley
Thank you to all the mums and daughters who attended the Vision Valley Day last Sunday!
It started off chilly but warmed up to a magnificent sunny day and the perfect weather to be outdoors.
We were split into teams and completed two different activities during the day such as canoeing, high ropes, crate stacking and archery. The final activity was a great race challenge with all groups competing, starting with a team chant/war cry and an obstacle course. Congratulations to the Pink Koalas for winning the race!
During lunch, we asked the mums and daughters to complete a more sedate type of activity – a quiz. A special thank you to Pam MacPherson as it had been used at the only previous mum-daughter Vision Valley day before.
As you can imagine, there were some hilarious and incompatible responses to “How much weight did mum put on during pregnancy?” and “What is the most annoying thing mum does?”
Overall it was a great day for Year 7 to come together, for mum-daughter bonding and to enjoy some fabulous food. A big thank you to Rebecca and Steph at Vision Valley for putting together such a great day. Another big thank you to Briar for being our Year 7 organiser.
Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School