From the Upper School
A message from Victoria Harrison, Head of Upper School
Upper School Parent Information Evening
On Monday evening, we hosted the Year 9 and 10 Upper School Information Evenings. We hope the snapshot of essential information provided by key staff was a helpful starting point for navigating this stage of your daughter’s schooling, and that parents enjoyed the opportunity to connect with their daughter’s Compass teacher.
Alongside the academic curriculum, we are committed to fostering an environment where the girls develop a sense of perspective – one that extends to others, the world around them and the endless possibilities that lie ahead. It promises to be an exciting year for our Upper School girls, and we hope they step out of their comfort zone, embrace challenges and discover their own brilliance.
Thank you to Isabelle Port, Stella Sharp (Year 10), Layne Phillips and Addison Seeto (Year 11) for joining us on the evening to share their reflections on Year 9 and 10. Here is a snapshot of their Year 9 experiences.
What was the highlight of Year 9 for you?
Isabelle: The Vision Valley residential program was definitely a highlight. It was an opportunity to do something completely different from anything we’d done before. I got to bond with people in my year and make new friends, both from my own school and from other schools. It was a great challenge that pushed me to become more independent, which later helped me with experiences like the music tour. Overall, everyone had an amazing time, and it really stood out as one of the best parts of the year.
Stella: My highlight of Year 9 was Vision Valley. I loved living in a community, building new and stronger relationships, and trying new things, such as expeditions and the VV3, that challenged my independence, resilience, and creativity.
How did group dynamics change after Vision Valley?
After Vision Valley most people established deeper connections with their friends and broadened their social circles. These connections made it easier to deal with the changing friend groups that naturally ensued from spending more time with different people.
If you could give advice to a Year 9 student, what would it be?
One piece of advice I’d give to a current Year 9 student would be to start building consistent routines. Year 9 is a good time to experiment and find what works, but Year 10 tends to get busier and more serious. Having good habits in place, whether it’s time for study or making sure you’re getting enough rest, will help you stay on top of things when things start to heat up. Starting early makes all the difference when you hit the ground running in Year 10.
What did you notice most about the change in your year group from Year 8 to Year 9?
Everyone changes in Year 9. With more electives to choose from and the chance to explore new interests, plus Vision Valley, a lot of people started to move around in their friend groups. It felt like a time when people figured out who they wanted to be and what they wanted to do.
What was one thing you really appreciated that your parents did to support you last year?
One thing I really appreciated that my parents did to support me last year was just being accepting. A lot of things were changing for me – new friends, I’d grown up a lot since Middle School, moving around different groups, and I was figuring out how I wanted to spend my time. My parents never judged me or pressured me. They were open to me trying new things and exploring different co-curricular activities, which gave me the freedom to figure things out on my own terms. That support really helped me feel comfortable in making decisions that were right for me.
What was one thing your parents did that you were grateful for?
I was grateful that my parents always encouraged me when I needed it but were supportive of the independence I also wanted to build. For example, they pushed me to try new electives and sports, but through trusting that I could manage myself, my schoolwork and friends, they allowed me to feel more responsible with how I managed my life.
What is one piece of advice you would give to parents?
One piece of advice I will give to parents is to not put too much pressure on your kids. Support good habits, a positive outlook and trying new things, and trust that in Year 9 students can lead themselves to where they want to be.
For families who were unable to join us on Monday, you can watch the two presentations below.
Service in the Upper School
The Days for Girls service initiative has started this week and provides an excellent Wednesday lunchtime service opportunity for students. Days for Girls is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to eliminating the stigma associated with menstruation for women and girls, while improving health, education, and livelihoods worldwide. In these sessions, the girls work collaboratively to create reusable sanitary products for women in less privileged countries. We are confident that by getting involved, the girls will enhance their own wellbeing, forge new connections, and develop a broader perspective.
We are always proud to acknowledge the service activities that our students complete in their own time in the community. Over the summer holidays, Ava Christofidis offered her time at Kids Giving Back to help make over 6500 meals, breakfast boxes, snack packs, and care packs for vulnerable communities across Sydney. She also wrote thoughtful, encouraging messages to be shared with those in need. Congratulations to Ava for her kindness and willingness to serve others and to make a real difference to people in need.
Year 10 Urban Challenge and Futures Strength Skills Day Permission Notes
Year 10 Families have received a MyPymble notice about upcoming Year 10 events. It would be wonderful if you could complete these consent forms as soon as possible.
Key Dates – Term 1
Friday 21 February – PPA Icebreaker
Thursday 13 and Friday 14 March – Year 9 NAPLAN
Saturday 5 April – Pymble Foundation Gala Ball
Thursday 10 and Friday 11 April – Year 8 to 10 Learning Discussions
Friday 11 April – Boarder’s Travel Day
Friday 11 April – Pupil-Free Day
Key Dates – Term 2
Monday 28 April – Boarders’ Travel Day
Tuesday 29 April – First Day of Term 2
From the Year 9 Parent Co-ordinators
We look forward to seeing as many parents as possible at Icebreaker this Friday. If you are attending, please visit the Year 9 table to collect your name tag. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow Year 9 parents and key Pymble staff members, and we are excited to connect with everyone on the night.
We also invite Year 9 parents and carers to our first morning tea in late March. More details will be shared in the coming week, so please stay tuned!
A reminder that we have a Year 9 WhatsApp and WeChat group – please feel free to reach out if you would like to join.
Jenny Ho- 0422716808 – cola0214@hotmail.com
Ira Arnie – 0415 112 575 – ira.arnie@gmail.com
Victoria Harrison
Head of Upper School