From the Principal
It is such a joy to have our students and staff back on campus this week, made even merrier by the infectious House spirit, energy and camaraderie of our Junior School Athletics Carnival yesterday and today. Thank you to all the parents who were able to come along to support their daughters and contribute to the fabulous refreshment stall. Your involvement in these important school events is highly valued.
When my alarm went off on Tuesday morning, I was so excited about the first day of term that I postponed a meeting with our fabulous deputies so we could all be out and about to greet the girls – our favourite way to spend a morning. An extra special welcome back to Year 12 for their very last first day of term ever, and to all our new students who commenced at Pymble this week: Margaux, Holly, Lily, Imogen, Brinda, Rhea, Zuleika, Sophia, Edwina, Melissa, Eeva, Erin, Emily, Ella, Rosie, Celica, Emma, Summer and Adela in the Secondary School; and Melanni, Chloe, Jessica, Shushu, Vedha, Harriet, Ananya, Mia, Leia, Isla, Georgia and Joy in the Junior School. We are so glad you are here with us.
We also have 32 exchange students joining our Year 10 and Year 11 cohorts this term from Argentina, England, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland and Singapore. We know there is huge interest among our Upper School girls to participate in international exchange and we are working hard to establish more connections with appropriate schools, including several in the US and UK, to provide a greater number of global learning opportunities for our girls. We look forward to sharing more information about these new offerings in due course.
Living Our Values Everyday
On our Staff Day on Monday, we were delighted to present 12 staff members from across all areas of the College with LOVE Awards for Living Our Values Everyday. These biannual awards are given to educators, coaches, administration and professional services staff who are nominated by their colleagues for being exemplars and role models of the values and behaviour we expect all members of our Pymble family to uphold: Care, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility.
Our Deputy Principal, Ms Lamia Rockwell, has been leading a team of staff who have undertaken a great deal of work around our values, what they mean to us, and how we expect to see them in action everyday within our entire community.
Following extensive consultation with students, staff and families, we have developed the following set of values statements to guide our interactions with one another.
Care: I am kind to myself and others.
Courage: I am open to new experiences to learn and grow.
Integrity: I do the right thing even when no one is watching.
Respect: I value diversity, my worth and the worth of others.
Responsibility: I take ownership of my actions.
In our first Combined Assembly for the term on Tuesday, I spoke with the girls about these statements and behaviours, and how amazing it feels, deep within yourself, when you know you are valued.
Part of that feeling comes from how we treat each other, and how we show up each day for our friends, families, acquaintances and colleagues. Putting this in context for the girls, valuing the staff and students speaking to you at assembly means listening, paying attention, and caring about what each person is saying, not talking to your friends throughout. Another example is saying thank you to your teacher at the end of a lesson or the school day.
It was heartening to see the girls rise to the challenge of choosing a value, thinking about a time when they have seen or demonstrated that value in action, and writing an example on a Post-it note. On the weekend, I am looking forward to going through the hundreds of examples collected at the end of assembly and acknowledging students for their thoughtful answers.
In addition to guiding student behaviour, our values statements are designed to provide the framework for all interactions between staff, parents and carers, and will ultimately become a component of accepting a place at Pymble. This is a positive move forward for the College, recognising that each member of our Pymble family wants to feel valued for who they are, and that we all share a collective responsibility to make that happen.
Finally, a big shout-out to three of our amazing Year 5 students who had the courage to share an example of a time when they demonstrated one of our College values in front of all students at Tuesday’s assembly – that’s all students in Years 5 to 12, no small crowd!
The girls spoke so thoughtfully and with such dignity and confidence that we were all completely captivated.
Ava: Responsibility
“At my old school, we had fidget toys handed out by the teachers. Mine had an elastic band and flew off to the ceiling. Everyone thought, ‘what just happened?’. The teacher said someone had to take responsibility for this. I said, ‘teacher it was me. I’m so sorry. I was just too fidgety.”
Mya: Care
“When some of my friends were sad because we had a friendship fire, I went up to them and asked if they are okay and want support and if they want me to sit with them at recess and lunch. I tried to support them by saying positive things to them.”
Aaisha: Respect
“I always respect my teachers and my friends, and I give them privacy, and I respect them by listening to what they say and do. It’s very important to give people respect so that they can respect you too.”
Honestly, I could not be more #PymbleProud of those girls and their reflections. Congratulations to Ava, Mya and Aaisha – a special student LOVE Award from me is coming your way.
You’ll be hearing a lot more about values and behaviours as your family’s journey at Pymble continues. For now, I wish you all our students, staff and families a wonderful term during which you are seen, heard and valued for who you are.
