From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
Over the last six days, besides the myriad of learning opportunities they immerse themselves in and the co-curricular adventures they experience, our girls have driven Australia’s first Formula Goblin electric-powered car, had two authors come and share their writing journey, launched their Shark Tank entrepreneurship program and pedalled their own smoothies! All in just one week! It’s such an honour to lead our Junior School and see the impact all these opportunities have on the girls’ knowledge, skills and character. Thank you all for your constant support and partnership.
A huge thank you to our amazing parents who came in over two days to organise and support our girls as they pedalled their own delicious smoothies to support our chosen charity, The Dish, and support our Formula Goblin team with their goal of racing internationally. Thank you so much for planning and leading such a smooth(ie) event and for dancing and pedalling along with such Pymble spirit!
A special shout out to the STEM mindset of our mums who fixed mechanical issues with the bikes during the event to keep the girls pedalling, and a big thank you to AptaGrow who sponsored the event on Wednesday to support our Formula Goblin team.
Thank you to Mr Jason Chan and his fabulous team from SpecSavers Hornsby for once again offering free eye screenings to our Kindergarten to Year 2 girls this year. With over 190 families taking up the offer, this is a fabulous way for us to look after our girls’ eyesight and eye health.
Competing on an international stage
Next week we farewell Gloria (Year 5) and Arlena (Year 6) Duffy who head over to Dublin to compete in the World Irish Dance Championships. Both Gloria and Arlena compete individually on Sunday 13 April and Arlena will also compete with her team on Tuesday 15 April. Good luck to you both! We are extremely Pymble proud of you!
Mr Pryor is also sailing off to compete internationally in Portugal for the J/70 European Championships where he and his team will compete against 80 boats from Tuesday 1 to Sunday 6 April. Mr Pryor’s team previously came third at the world championships. Sail hard, Mr Pryor, and know you have all the Junior School cheering you on!
Our Formula Goblin team is officially on the road! After working tenaciously for the last eight weeks, our drivers tested the car’s performance for the first time. Most impressive was the calm determination shown by the pit crew as they problem-solved a slipping axel whilst parents and staff watched on nervously waiting for the first driver to be able to drive.
Congratulations, girls, on officially being the first Australian team to drive a Formula Goblin car as part of the GreenPower Education Trust. Thank you to all those who supported and mentored the marketing division of our Future Force Racers team as they courageously had their first go at pitching for sponsors. Mirroring Formula 1, our team need to seek sponsorship to support the inevitable costs of motorsport and we are extremely grateful to those companies and families who have sponsored the car and team so far: AptaGrow, Earthy Souls, Clever Choice Design Floors and the Ma family.
A message from Mrs Lara Bird – Deputy Head of Junior School – Academic
Resilience, tenacity and the ability to face challenges are essential skills for learning. The girls are encouraged and supported to embrace academic opportunities, whether working through complex problems, presenting bold ideas or stepping forward to participate in academic competitions.
This week, a group of Year 6 innovators launched into Shark Tank, where teams worked against the clock to create a product from a mystery bag of materials – straws, paper plates, pipe cleaners, balloons, shells and cups – before crafting and delivering a compelling pitch. With only 15 minutes to brainstorm, design and present, the girls showed creativity, problem-solving and equal voice in their teams, proving that great ideas come from collaboration and confidence.
Our Year 5 Sokratis Jr. students have begun tackling big questions under the theme Why not? – exploring bold research topics, perspectives and embracing curiosity in their research project. Throughout their research project they will be working with Dr Sarah Loch, Director of Pymble Institute, Kate Brown and me, experiencing the journey of a researcher, developing critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills by evaluating information, identifying patterns and drawing meaningful conclusions, while also enhancing time management, communication and resilience through facing challenges and being adaptable.
Academic Competitions
Students across Years 1 to 6 have the chance to showcase their storytelling skills in the 2025 WriteOn Competition and the OzKids in Print Competition. For our budding poets, girls can also participate in the Dorothea McKellar Poetry Competition. The girls will be provided details of these competitions by their Compass Teacher.
🚲 🛴 🚌 On the Move in the Junior School 🚲 🛴 🚌 – A Message from Mr Stephen Robinson (Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations)
Tuesday and Wednesday saw students in Years 2 to 6 pedal bikes to create their delicious lunchtime smoothie. Tomorrow, we will be joined by hundreds of students in Kindergarten to Year 6 as they ride safely to school. It’s not too late to register via this link!
Students may ride to school with a parent or meet Mrs Brown and the Junior School team at the Grandview Street side of Pymble Station from 7.40am tomorrow.
- Participating students can wear their College sports uniform.
- The Pymble bus will be on hand to ferry student bags safely to the Junior School
- Staff will be positioned at strategic points along the journey route from the station to the Junior School
- Traffic changes will be in place along the K-2 drop off zone on Friday to accommodate additional foot, bicycle and scooter traffic.
- All riders must be wearing a helmet.
Students will have an opportunity to ride bikes and scooters at lunch and are reminded that they are welcome to bring them to school any day of the year to ride at lunch.
Did you know the College operates coaches to and from five destinations in the morning and afternoon, allowing fast and efficient transport to the College without the hassle of traffic queues for parents?
To support Junior School students to use this service:
- Staff collect Kindergarten to Year 2 students each morning from the buses daily and walk them to class.
- Staff collect Kindergarten to Year 6 students in the afternoon and walk them to the buses.
- All buses are fully seatbelt equipped and can be tracked by parents via Transport Me App in real time.
- Bus bookings can be made for a full term or by flexible arrangement.
For more information about Bus Transport, or to make a booking, click this link.
Uniform and Appearance
Thank you for showing respect to the College uniform policy by ensuring your daughter arrives at school with her white hat this term. All students are expected to wear their uniform correctly and with pride.
- Uniforms cannot be mixed with each season. Junior School has a strict ‘no hat, no play policy’. Please ensure your daughter has her bucket play hat at school every day.
- Please make sure that all your daughter’s uniform clothing item is named including socks and shoes. We recommend white markers to be used to label dark clothing items.
- Please be aware that next term the girls will need to be in their winter uniform from day 1. Further information can be found in your daughter’s student diary.
- We have an abundance supply of unnamed lost property in the Junior School Canteen/lunch tub room. Unnamed drink bottles, lunch boxes and any non-Pymble branded items will be disposed of at the end of term.
We thank our weekly canteen volunteers, in particular Mrs Skye Benson, for the support in sorting lost property and working diligently to return it to the owners.
Junior School Canteen Helpers
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered this term. The Junior School canteen will continue in Term 2 on Wednesdays and Fridays. Junior School allows students to purchase (through Flexischools) cold drinks and frozen desserts (with an expanded range commencing in Term 2). Once your order is placed your daughter will receive 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 to juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au your WWCC number and date of birth so your WWCC can be verified.
Name badges
All students in the Junior School are expected to wear a name badge as part of their uniform. At the beginning of the year, the College provides all students with two name badges free of charge. In the event that these become damaged or lost, students will be provided with a replacement, with the cost of $10.50 charged to student accounts. Next Monday 31 March, your daughters Compass class teacher will be doing a class audit of name badges. If a student does not have two name badges in the classroom, a new name badge will be ordered so your daughter can start Term 2 with two name badges. Please assist your daughter by checking at home for any name badges and return them to her classroom on Monday.
Junior School Digital News
Term 1 2025 Key Dates (Week 9 and 10)
Friday 28 March – Ride Safely to School Day
Monday 31 March – Year 2 Author Visit
Tuesday 1 April – Parent Focus Groups: Reporting and Feedback
Wednesday 2 April – Year 4 Author Visit
Important Dates
Friday 11 April – Last Day of Term 1 and Decorate a Cookie & Easter Hat Parade K-2
Tuesday 29 April – First Day of Term 2 (all girls to be wearing winter uniform)
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
Year 3 Easter Playdate
Come join us for a fun Easter playdate!
📅 Date: Sunday, 30 March
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Bicentennial Park, Prince of Wales Drive, West Pymble
It’ll be a great chance for the Year 3 girls to play, and siblings are more than welcome to join! Feel free to bring your own food and enjoy a relaxed morning together.
Plus, there’s a little Easter surprise for everyone on the day—just keep it a secret from the kids!
Hope to see you there!
Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt
📅 Date: Sunday, 6 April
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
📍 Location: Picnic Area 4, St Ives Showground
Cost: $10 per Child
RSVP: 28 March
Siblings are welcome. BYO Food & bucket. In the event of wet weather, event may be rescheduled or cancelled.
Easter Cookie Decorating (Kindergarten to Year 2)
📅 Date: Friday 11 April
📍 Location: In-class activity (Kindy to Year 2)
📝 Details:
• Easter Cookie Decorating activity for students.
• Each student will receive two nut-free cookies with icing, sprinkles, and a small selection of lollies to decorate in class.
• Gluten-free and vegan options available on request.
• If a student cannot participate, they may bring a treat from home.
💰 Cost: $10
📌 RSVP by: Friday, 4 April 2025
📩 Enquiries: Dee Mathur – deeviya.mathur@gmail.com
🔗 [Click Here to Register] | [Parent Helper Signup]
Easter Cookie Decorating (Year 3 to 6)
📅 Date: Friday, 11 April 2025 (Final day of Term 1)
📍 Collection Location: Hedgehog House
📝 Details:
• A Take-Away Easter Cookie Decorating activity for Years 3 to 6.
• Each student receives two nut-free cookies with icing and sprinkles for decoration at home.
• Gluten-free and vegan options available on request.
💰 Cost: $10
📌 Register by: Thursday, 3 April 2025
📩 Enquiries: Dee Mathur – deeviya.mathur@gmail.com
Year 4 Parents Sip and Supper – Save the Date
📅 Date: Saturday, 17th May 2025
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Greengate Hotel, Cnr Pacific Hwy & Greengate Rd, Killara
Please join us for a relaxed evening to connect and make new friends. Please reach out to your class parents for any questions.
Autumn Family Festival
We are delighted to invite you to the Autumn Family Festival on Thursday 1 May, a special evening celebrating the rich tapestry of cultures within our community through food, art, craft demonstrations, dance and music.
📍 Location: Gloucester Lawn
⏰ Time: 4.30pm to 5.30pm: Exclusive for Junior School students and their families.
5.30pm to 8.00pm: Open to the entire Pymble community.
This festival is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate our diversity.
Please contact us with any questions at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School