From the Senior School
From the Head of Senior School
As Term 1 draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the many achievements and milestones reached by our senior students. Congratulations to our Year 11s on a strong and successful start to their Senior School journey – your enthusiasm and commitment have set a solid foundation for what lies ahead. To our Year 12s, reaching the halfway point of your final year is a significant achievement. You’ve faced challenges with determination and should take great pride in how far you’ve come.
This term has brought new friendships, new learning and new horizons. As we look ahead to Term 2, may the strength you’ve gained and the experiences you’ve shared continue to shape your growth and success.
On behalf of the Senior School team, I would like to wish all our families all the best for a restful and happy Term break. To those of you on the move, safe travels!
Head of Year 11
We would like to inform you that Ms Cuningham, Head of Year 11 for Hammond, Marden, Thomas and Wylie, has made the difficult decision to leave the College due to unforeseen changes in her family circumstances. While we are saddened to see her go, we fully support her decision and extend our gratitude for the exceptional care and dedication she has shown to all of you. We are pleased to announce that Ms Zolezzi will be stepping into the role of Head of Year 11, working alongside Ms Carr.
Ms Zolezzi is an experienced teacher who is already well-acquainted with many of you. A thorough handover will take place to ensure a smooth transition for both the students and staff. We thank Ms Cuningham once again for her hard work and commitment, and we warmly welcome Ms Zolezzi to this new role.
Staff Changes – Term 2
We would like to inform you that Mr Justin Raymond, our Deputy Principal – Students, will be taking some well-deserved long service leave during Term 2. We wish him all the best for a time of rejuvenation and adventure!
During his absence, Mrs Michelle Hunt will step into the role of Acting Deputy Principal – Students. Additionally, Mrs. Nikki Wyse, Head of Senior School, will be the Acting Head of Student Wellbeing – 7-12 for Term 2. Ms Patricia Gallardo will be Acting Head of Senior School, and Mr Andrew Heggie will serve as the Acting Deputy Head of Senior School.
All of these staff members are part of our dedicated Wellbeing team and work very closely together to support our students. We want to reassure you that the team’s strong collaboration ensures a smooth transition and that all students, families, and staff will continue to be well supported throughout these changes.
| Acting Deputy Principal – Students | Mrs Michelle Hunt |
| Acting Head of Student Wellbeing – 7-12 | Mrs Nikki Wyse |
| Acting Head of Senior School | Mrs Patricia Gallardo |
| Acting Deputy Head of Senior School | Mr Andrew Heggie |
World’s Greatest Shave
Congratulations to our senior girls who took part in the World’s Greatest Shave, raising both awareness and vital funds for leukaemia research. It was inspiring to witness such courage and compassion within our community. A particular congratulations to our three Year 12 students – Celeste, Indianna and Phoebe – who bravely shaved their heads in support of this important cause.
Many other students also chose to cut and donate their hair, which will be used to make wigs for children who have lost their hair as a result of cancer treatment. Staff also joined in with wonderful spirit – Mrs Karina Richter generously cut her lovely locks, and Mr Andrew Heggie took part by shaving his head alongside the students.
These thoughtful and generous actions truly embody the spirit of service. Year 12 student, Freya, deserves big recognition for all her efforts leading this event. Then, we also had the following students who helped out as part of the WGS Leadership team: Darcey, Ollisha, Charlotte, Isabella, Sophie, Mahika, Natalie and Katherine.
So far, the College has raised over $45,000—an incredible effort! Help us smash the goal of $50,000 by donating here: World’s Greatest Shave – Pymble Ladies’ College Senior School 2025
Robotics – International Success!
Recently our Robotics team travelled to the USA to compete in the FIRST Competition. Amber (Year 11) has provided the following report:
In Weeks 8 and 9 this term, 16 students of the Pymble Pride robotics team travelled to America to compete in the Colorado Regionals of the FIRST Robotics Competition. During the first part of the trip, we were kindly hosted in the workshop of Up-A-Creek Robotics in Longmont, where we were able to play practice matches together, learn from each other and form meaningful connections.
On our way to Denver for the competition, we were also able to visit the breathtaking Red Rocks Amphitheatre where the Beatles once played and spent time at Echo Lake which was frozen over and yielded beautiful views.
During the three-day competition, we worked as a team to play successful matches, the pit crew making mechanical and programming improvements and testing under time pressure while the scouting crew formulated our strategy and informed our team’s decisions. Through our teamwork and the guidance of our mentors, we ranked 5th after the qualification matches out of 50 competing teams, both local and international, making it to the playoffs as an alliance captain.
Through many things from as simple as communicating between roles and meeting other teams to attending interviews with judges and working under pressure, this competition has allowed us to refine our skills in both engineering and collaboration. Our efforts were recognised in how we received the Quality Award which celebrates the quality of our workmanship and the robustness of our robot.
Our performance at this regional contributed to our team’s qualification to the FIRST Championships in Houston which our team will be attending in the first week of the school holidays and are currently preparing for.
Supervised study for Year 12
Most Year 12 students have study lessons built into their timetable, based on the number of units they are undertaking. Students who are managing a 10-unit academic program will have the most study sessions allocated in their timetable.
While many girls use this time effectively for independent study, we recognise that some of these students would benefit from a more structured environment. To support this, we have created the opportunity to provide a limited number of supervised study lessons, providing a quiet and focused space to build added routine and accountability.
Especially those students studying 10 units will be encouraged to sign into one designated study space per week (at least two per cycle) in preparation for their Term 2 progress, as they work towards their Trial Examinations and HSC. These supervised sessions will ensure all students make the most of their study time in the lead-up to their final assessments.
In the final week of Term 1, we launched this program and I am very proud of the students who have shown such determination and good sense in taking up this opportunity.
Jacaranda Awards
A special congratulations to the students in Years 11 and 12 who have been recognised with a Jacaranda Award this term. These awards, presented once a term, acknowledge those who consistently model the College values in their words and actions. Chosen by their Compass teachers, the recipients are presented with a certificate and a beautiful jacaranda pin to wear proudly on their blazer – a visible reminder of the strength of character and quiet leadership they bring to our community. Congratulations to the following recipients of Term 1 Jacaranda Awards:
Year 11
| Nikita Srivastava |
| Maithili Nagarajah |
| Elise Lin |
| Swapna Baggam |
| Chloe Browning |
| Sasha Chan |
| Madeline Lim |
| Charlotte Ruscio |
| Lucy Cheong |
| Ella Willetts |
| Hannah Miao |
| Rose Kirkby |
| Olivia Choi |
| Ruby Lyons |
| Jessica Shi |
| Elizabeth Bailey |
Year 12
| Lily Sullivan |
| Amelie Borean |
| Ashira Thapa |
| Isabelle Johnston |
| Jemma Horley |
| Anarghya Guruprasad |
| Allison Wang |
| Sarah Lovell |
| Sally Payne |
| Jessica Bunce |
| Phoebe Cooper |
| Lola Barwick |
| Madelene Wong |
| Juliette Mouton |
| Evie Gibson |
| Alexandra Stansall |
You’re Just Too Good to be Shrew!
Congratulations to the talented cast and crew of You’re Just Too Good to be Shrew – a fun and light-hearted rewrite inspired by The Taming of the Shrew and Ten Things I Hate About You. It was a joyful showcase of creativity, quick wit, and strong ensemble work. From the performers on stage to the backstage crew who brought it all together, the production was a testament to the dedication and energy poured into rehearsals over many weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and left with a big smile. A special thank you and congratulations to Ms Rebecca York for her inspired direction and unwavering commitment to bringing the show to life.
Careers Expo
This week we hosted our annual Careers Expo, making its triumphant return to the Jeanette Buckham Gymnasium. It was wonderful to see many of our students, parents and other members of the College community in attendance.
We have begun advertising this event to the local community and it was great to also see students from other schools attending to share in the collective knowledge of our tertiary institutions, industry representatives and Pymble ex-students and parents.
Some facts about the 2025 Careers Expo:
- Over 1000 attendees were recorded at this year’s event (and one dog – Turi)
- 55 exhibitors
- 45 Upper School student helpers
- 25 industry mentors (including Pymble ex-students) representing the following fields in Careers Conversations:
Criminology
Paramedicine
Pediatric doctor
Lawyer
Endocrinologist
Cybersecurity
Speech Pathologist
Environmental Engineer
Ethics and Technology Researcher
Actress
Make up and Special Effects Artist
Economist
Dentist
Counsellor
Sustainable Agriculturalist
Entrepreneur
Lecture
Aeronautical Engineer
Nurse
Oncologist
Here’s what Yuyin Luo, Year 11 Futures Leader, thought of the event:
It was so amazing to hear from the range of people, learn about opportunities and be inspired by new considerations. One stall that personally stood out to me was Super Yacht Australia who introduced me to the idea of taking a gap year with a job that allows you to travel the world while getting paid. I’m glad that I took the opportunity to talk to them, even though at first I wasn’t sure I’d be interested. I’ll look forward to discovering where this might lead me in the future!
You may have noticed we introduced wireless headphones to our main stage. These were for attendees to borrow to hear the presentation without disturbing our other expo sections, and they were well received.
This year we also introduced a raffle with prizes generously donated by our exhibitors. Raffle tickets were collected from exhibition stalls when attendees visited and asked a question. The raffle will be drawn this week. We will be contacting winners via email with details on how to collect their prize.
We are seeking feedback from attendees to make the 2026 Expo even better, please provide feedback via this link.
Here are the presentation slides for those who requested them. Presentations were not recorded.
Thank you to our Deputy Principal (Academic), Christine Kenny, for stepping in to deliver the UAC presentation for Year 12 students and parents. Unfortunately, UAC were unable to attend the event due to presenter illness.
I’d like to also acknowledge the amazing Pymble team from Futures, Community Engagement, Facilities, IT, Security and Executive that helped make the Careers Expo come to life.
Extended thanks to Paula Cansick (Operations Assistant – Futures) and Natalie Lowndes (Community Events Manager) who were in the planning process for the event up to six months in advance.
Kim Maksimovic
Director of Futures and Partnerships
Key Dates – Term 2
29 April – Term 2 begins
1 May – Family Night Markets
5 May – PAC Week
8 May – Year 11 Learning Discussions (5.30pm to 8.30pm – online)
9 May – Mother’s Day Event
13 May – Year 12 Trivia Night
29 May – Year 12 Photographs
30 May – Reconciliation Week
4 June – Boarders’ Jersey Day
9 June – King’s Birthday Long Weekend
11 June – Pymble Knox Connections group meeting
12 June – Athletics Carnival
13 June – Senior School Knit In – Wrap with Love
27 June – Final day of Term 2
Nikki Wyse
Head of Senior School