From the Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

Going Green!

This week I’m handing over my newsletter to our 2025 Sustainability Leaders and our Formula Goblin team – so we’re going green!

A message from our Sustainability Leaders: Scarlett Qiu, Aurora Lin, Harper Chen, Mia Farthing

Composting

This term, our theme for Sustainability is composting. Every class in Years 3 to 6 will receive a small bucket used for collecting scraps from Crunch and Sip. It will be the role of each class Sustainability Captain to collect the food scraps and empty them into the worm farm at 2.55pm each school day. We chose this aspect of sustainability as we have noticed there has been a lot of fruit wasted every day. We hope that with composting and worm farms in use, there will be minimal waste each day. Worm farms contain worms that feed on food scraps, and their waste becomes very nutritional fertiliser for the flora on our campus.

Clean Up Australia Day

With Clean Up Australia Day coming up on Sunday 2 March, we are leading a College clean up. Years 4 and 6 will be working together on this mission to clean up the College. We hope that this initiative will help create a greener school environment while bringing people together with one project.

Sustainability Club at St Ives Village Green

This year, some of us will be participating in the St Ives Village Green Clean Up Australia Day, an initiative by the St Ives Towards Sustainability organisation. This event will take place on Sunday 2 March between 9.00am and 11.00am at the St Ives Village Green. For more information please click here. We would love for families to join us at this event as it will raise awareness of the environment and shine a light on our mission for a cleaner community for us all to enjoy. As this is not a College event, it will not be supervised by Pymble staff and any girls attending will need to attend with a parent/carer.

This beautiful artwork is by Camilla Yan who has designed a sustainable environment of the future. “My artwork is a perspective drawing of a leafy city made with watercolour. The buildings are all blue, and it has an environmental focus. There are no people, but there is an aquarium, pool and a park.”

A message from our Formula Goblin team – Future Force Racers

Our car is now built and the motor works! We had a special launch as we tested the motor for the first time with Dr Hadwen there to support us. We are looking forward to having our first test drive in the coming weeks.

We have now named our car ‘Solar Flare’ and have registered to race in three events in the UK in June 2025. We are very excited to be the first Australian team and we’re thrilled by the support from our community for our team. Whilst we’re excited to be leading the way with our STEM learning and making history as the first Australian team, we are proud of the way we are also shining a focus on the need for cleaner, greener energy.

Tomorrow is our first team fundraiser with our ‘wear it green for our team’ mufti day. We ask that girls who are wearing green please bring in a gold coin donation to give to the Compass teacher at roll call in the morning. Girls can also purchase a green ribbon and a Zooper Dooper, a gold coin donation for each. Thank you for supporting our mission.

Over the coming weeks we will be really courageous in making pitches to potential sponsors in the hope of partnering with mentors and corporate supporters as we drive ahead towards a greener future!

As our team slogan says, we are: Unstoppable, united, unbeatable!

It’s very exciting that we also now have a driving simulator in our STEM room. I think the Junior School staff are as excited as we are about this! We know that there is now a competition between the Junior School staff to find out who can hold the fastest lap. At this point, it’s still Mr Brown but competition is fierce!

Pedalling ahead for a greener world

As you know, a much-loved feature of our Junior School is our bikes and scooters. This week, I wanted to give a well-deserved shout out to one of our girls who has shown her formidable Pymble spirit by learning to ride a bike from scratch at lunchtimes over the last 18 months. Elise Makar (Year 6) does not own a bike so only has access to cycling whilst at school and on her lunch break. Elise has been determined to master the skill of cycling and with much support from the teachers on this duty and her friends, she can now cycle laps unsupported. We are very proud of you, Elise.

It’s lovely to see girls using the bikes and a shout out to Ivy Dao (Year 2) and her dad who ride their bikes to and from school each day.

Bogtrotter building in Kindergarten this week

This week our Kindergarten girls have also been connecting with a green character, Bogtrotter who learns to be brave and step outside his comfort zone and make new friends. The girls then used their creativity to explore making homes for their own Bogtrotter and it’s evident we have lots of future engineers, architects and designers in our midst.

Thank you for your messages of hopes and dreams

We now have over 136 hopes and dreams for your daughters submitted by members of our community. Thank you! Your messages will help us convey a strong, positive message of hope and empowerment for our girls as we celebrate International Women’s Day. I am always so grateful for your support and partnership with these sorts of projects. This is our second year of inviting you to create a collaborative video and this year we have many more messages than in 2024 which is very exciting!

A message from Mrs Victoria Aikman – Kindergarten Co-ordinator

Our Kindergarten students embarked on an exciting incursion, Exploring Pymble, where they discovered new spaces and experiences across our school. They stepped inside the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts where they explored the grandeur of the performance space, visited the chapel and engaged in a hands-on STEM activity that sparked their curiosity.

In the Year 3-6 Library, they listened to a fascinating story called Nature’s Toy Box by Wenda Shurety, immersing themselves in storytelling. A special treat was having recess in a new part of the Junior School, adding to the sense of adventure. To conclude the day, our horticultural team shared their expertise, deepening our students’ appreciation for nature and the beautiful green spaces around them. It was a day filled with wonder, learning, and exploration!

Student Quotes

“I enjoyed building different things out of Lego with Mr Brown.” – Amelia Cui (KO)

“I saw my first snail in real life today.” – Alice Fu (KT)

“I loved having recess in the valley playground and walking underneath the theatre.“ – Mabel Li (KD)

“I loved playing with the Beebots and building our Lego city.” – Sara Sidhu (KA)

A message from Mr Stephen Robinson – Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations

Critical medical information

As part of the College’s commitment to keep all students safe, it is vital that we have all requisite information and medication relating to allergies and medical conditions. It is imperative that information shared with the school is complete and up to date for our staff and nurses to ensure optimal care is provided for your daughter/s when they are on campus. If your daughter suffers from anaphylaxis or asthma, please register the action plan with the College and provide all the necessary medication. Further information can be obtained from our health care team or from Junior School administration.

Car line procedures and traffic management

The College continues to look at how it can best manage the traffic that enters the grounds during peak times. We thank parents for working with us as we make adjustments and urge everyone to ensure respectful communication is maintained when speaking to campus security and other staff. We apologise for any inconveniences caused while we ensure student safety is always prioritised, along with clear access ways for vehicles.

Junior School canteen helpers

On Wednesdays and Fridays in Term 1, Junior School allows students to purchase (through Flexischools) cold drinks and frozen desserts (special menu item). Once their order is placed your daughter will have a brown paper bag, where she will go to the Junior School Canteen (lunch tub room) to collect her cold treat.

Please click here if you can volunteer your time. For the care and safety of your daughters, all volunteers must have a current Working with Children Check (WWCC). If we do not already have your WWCC on file, please email your WWCC number to juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au along with your date of birth so it can be verified.

Living Library storytellers and mini workshops – Expressions of interest

Our Junior School is once again holding our popular Living Library event as part of the College’s Sharing Stories Festival throughout the year.

We’re inviting families in our Pymble community to “tell a story with their hands” and share what they can make or do in mini workshops for our Junior School girls.

We are looking for participants who have an interest/hobby that can be demonstrated to our girls in a mini 30-minute workshop.

This could include calligraphy, how to wear a hanbok/sari/kilt, how to braid hair or how to knit, to name a few.

We are looking for a diversity of participants from our Pymble families so that we can showcase the richness of the cultures within our community.

To register your interest, please complete the form by clicking here.

Term 1 Key Dates (Weeks 5 and 6)

Friday 28 February – Clean up Australia for Years 4 and 6

Monday 3 March – Cross Country Carnival (Years 1 to 6)

Tuesday 4 March – IPSHA Swim and Dive (Years 2 to 6) – Mrs Brown will be there to cheer the girls on

Wednesday 5 March – Kindy Incursion on Campus

Thursday 6 March – Year 4 and Year 6 Windows into Learning

Thursday 6 March – Academic Series (K-2 Maths) 4.00pm to 5.00pm

From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

Year 5 Parents – Sip & Supper

📅 Date: Wednesday 5 March

⏰ Time: 6.30pm

📍 Location: The Greengate Hotel, Killara

Join us for a relaxed evening of great food, good company, and friendly conversation. This is a wonderful chance to connect with fellow parents and unwind.

All parents welcome! Let us know if you can make it.

RSVP: Leah Deutscher (0410 188 464) or Veronia Sherrah (0418 434 827)

Please contact us with any questions at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com

KD Class’ First Playdate – Run, Climb, Slide and Play

📅 Date: Sunday 2 March

⏰ Time: 1.00pm

📍 Location: Bicentennial Park, West Pymble

Join us for a fantastic time with the little Pymble girls! It’s a great opportunity for kids to run, climb, slide, and play while parents connect and socialise.

All families welcome – we’d love to see you there!

Let us know if you can make it.

Year 2 EPIC Playdate!

📅 Date: Sunday 16 March

⏰ Time: 2.30pm to 4.30pm

📍 Location: Wahroonga Park (Coonanbarra Rd, Wahroonga)

All Year 2 families are invited to a fun and casual playdate where kids can play, and parents can connect.

🧺 Bring: A picnic rug and some snacks to share.

A great opportunity to meet and enjoy the afternoon together!

Save the Date: Kindy Easter Egg Hunt

Hop on over for some Easter fun!

📅 Sunday 23 March

📍 Bicentennial Park, West Pymble

Please see the flyer for details and RSVP to your Year Coordinators.

Year 3 to 6 Market Stall Opportunity

At this week’s assembly, it was announced that students will have the chance to host a market stall at the start of Term 2. This event, which was originally planned for Term 1, will now provide students with more time to prepare.

The stall theme is linked to a world culture that the student identifies with or is interested in. Students can participate individually or in small groups (up to 5).

To participate, students need parent permission, as the cost to produce items will be at their own expense. All proceeds from the sales (items priced at $1 or $2) will be donated to the Junior School charity, The Dish.

If your child is interested, please complete the permission form. More details will be shared closer to the event.

This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their cultural identity and entrepreneurial skills.