From the Boarding School
Reading is magic!
As you will have guessed if you have taken a recent stroll around our Boarding precinct, this week is Book Week with the theme ‘Reading is Magic’. It has been such a thrill for me to see so many of our Boarders grow their love of reading during their time with us at Pymble. I take great delight in wondering through the houses and seeing the piles of books that grow beside some of the beds, each tome a proud reminder of hours well spent.
This year, we have included our Year 7 Boarders in the Pymble Family Book Club, with each of the girls gifted a copy of ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’ to read in preparation for our first book club. Taking place on Wednesday 28 August, we are lucky enough to have the book’s author, Maryam Master, as a special guest for the inaugural meeting.
This wonderful initiative by our Library staff gave me the idea that perhaps a book club for our Boarding families might be another opportunity to bring us together. I will talk more about this at our next Boarding Parent Group meeting on 20 September but if you have any suggestions about how this should look I would love to hear from you.
International Boarding Conference
Earlier in the week, I was lucky enough to attend the Australian Boarding Schools Association, International Boarding Conference in Canberra. There was an interesting line up of presenters all with a focus on ‘burning issues in boarding’. My favourite keynote speaker was Madonna King, an award-winning journalist and author of 13 books, six of these about tweens and teens and their challenges and triumphs.
She spoke about raising the ceiling on potential and the enormous and lasting impact that boarding staff can have on this endeavour. Madonna spoke of the power of positive interactions and how, what we sometimes think of as everyday conversations, can have life changing implications. It reminded me of the many conversations that I overhear around the houses, and I am sure there are many more that I don’t hear, where our Boarding staff are there encouraging your girls to dream big and making it very clear that they not only believe in them but that they are there cheering them along every step of the way.
Another excellent presentation was by Kellie Britnell, from the office of the eSafety Commissioner. Kellie spoke of the importance of prevention, partnership, protection and proactivity in supporting young people to have safer online experiences. There are a range of outstanding resources online which you can access at esafety.gov.au/parents.
Love It – Katie White, Deputy Director of Boarding
We had an action-packed weekend just gone. The Boarders ventured out to Terrey Hills on Saturday night to try the new golf facility – Swing Factory. With some great shots and also some misses, there were lots of giggles to be had.
On Sunday, 24 of our Boarders, along with hundreds of Boarders from other Sydney schools, ventured to one of Sydney’s most iconic attractions, Luna Park, for a fun-filled day of rides, activities, show bags and theme park snacks. Despite the drizzle, the girls got their adrenaline fix racing to classics such as The Big Dipper, Dodgem City and The Hair Raiser, as well as enjoying calmer moments visiting Coney Island, riding the Carousel and winning prizes by shooting hoops and popping balloons. We are so proud of how the girls conducted themselves, encouraging one another, making new friends and giving new experiences a go!
This weekend the Boarders will be heading to YoChi for dessert on Saturday evening and we have a great following for the Burgers and Bowls event on Sunday.
Coming up in a few weeks’ time, we have Sister Act the musical on the plan. We are looking at the matinee performance on Sunday 15 September. Tickets will be $80 each. Please click here and fill in the form if your daughter would like to attend and you are happy for the amount to be charged to your account.
The Press Club
Don’t forget to sign up for our next Boarding Community Event, to be held on 20 September, the eve of the Garden Party. Following the Boarder Parent Group meeting and some last minute Garden Party preparations, join our Boarding parents for a dinner at the Butcher’s Block at Wahroonga before heading to the Warrawee Club for an evening of live music and dancing. All Boarders are required to be in attendance on this night and we hope our families can join in the fun too.
A message about our Garden Party
As you may be aware the Garden Party is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Boarding community. Last year we raised $17,000 and $20,000 the year before. It is being held on Saturday 21 September and is a fantastic day. We will be running three stalls: the Produce Stall, the Boarders’ Barbecue and the fabulous Hillbilly Cider Shed. We will also be holding a raffle. This is a shout out to get you thinking of what you may be able to donate or contribute to the Produce Stall or the raffle.
Anything produced by Boarding families is welcome. Some examples include baked goods, jams, chutneys, sauces, pickles, fruit, eggs, bunches of herbs, flowers, wheat and cotton. It is a very popular stall and loved by all the city folk. Any donations for raffle prizes would also be greatly appreciated.
On the barbecue this year, we will also be serving bacon and egg rolls with tomato relish between 10.00am and 11.30am, and after that it will be our delicious pork and slaw rolls. Any donation of eggs for this stall would be amazing.
Finally, keep your eye out for the Google form to book a spot on the roster. Any help is appreciated and it really is a great way to catch up with other parents while contributing to the day.
View From My Window
Hi, my name is Gemma and I’m a Year 8 Boarder from Darwin, and started school at Pymble this year. I come from Darwin which is the capital of the Northern Territory and located on the coast. Darwin is famous for its multicultural food, outdoor markets, great sunsets, and warm weather all year round. I moved from a house into an apartment last year in September with my mum (Tania), dad (Tony) and brother (Anton).
When I’m at home I love spending time with my family, going to the waterfront with my friends to swim in the wave pool, going out to the markets, and the Darwin show where I watch polocrosse with my nana and cousins and go on rides. During the holidays I also go out to Dundee (which is two hours from Darwin) where I go fishing, crabbing and camping with my family.
When I look out my window, I see the navy base which was made by the US in the World War after the bombing of Darwin, I see the waterfront where people swim and have dinner together, and the Darwin Harbour, where ships come in and out.
How I feel when I return to Boarding is nervous and sad about leaving my mum and dad, but excited to revisit my friends in boarding and day school and hearing about how they spent their time in the school holidays.
Boarder of the Week
Sybella has been an integral member of our Boarding family since joining us in Year 7 from the tiny town of Tambar Springs in the beautiful North West Slopes region of New South Wales.
Now a Year 10 resident of Goodlet House, Sybella is a kind and gentle friend to all. She works hard on her studies and is committed to keeping a tight routine. Sybella keeps an organised room and can be relied on to help out around the house. She is always ready for a chat with a tea in hand or a round of Uno.
More recently, Sybella has been a welcoming buddy for a visiting exchange student. Her smile certainly brightens the day!
Save the Date
25 August – Dads and Daughters event
20 September – Boarders and their Families event (all Boarders required to be in attendance)
21 September – Garden Party
24 September – Boarders’ End of Term Chapel and Farewell to Year 12 Boarders (all Boarders required to be in attendance)
26 September – Year 12 Boarder and Parents’ celebration event (Year 12 Boarders and parents only)
27 September – Year 11 and 12 Speech Day, followed by Boarders’ Travel Day
Term 4
14 October – Boarders return from 2.00pm
18 October – Boarding lockdown and evacuation drill (all Boarders required to be in attendance)
Term 4 TBA – Mother Daughter Lunch
4 December – Year 7 to 10 Speech Day, followed by Boarders’ Travel Day
Boarder Parent Group Meetings
20 September – 2.30pm onsite
24 October – 7.00pm TEAMS meeting
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding