From the Senior School
From the Head of Senior School – Mrs Nikki Wyse
Higher School Certificate examinations
The HSC examinations continued this week, with many students coming to the end of their academic program over the next few days. The exams finish on Friday 7 November. All our best wishes to the girls as they enter this final stage of the exams. The students are to be congratulated on their resilience and positive support of each other during this time.
Grad-u-bration 2025!
A reminder to all Year 12 2025 students about our Grad-u-bration event on Friday 19 December, following the release of HSC results and ATARs (on Thursday 18 December). This will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate your achievements together. A professional photographer will be available to take LinkedIn profile photos, as well as the chance for selfies and fun shots with academic caps and gowns so you can capture the moment with friends. Our Curriculum and Futures teams will also be on hand to offer advice and support for any next steps you’re considering. Join us from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Further details and RSVP here.
Have A Go Expo
The Have A Go Expo was a lively celebration of initiative, courage and friendship, and we congratulate all our new Year 12 students who took part with such energy and enthusiasm. Designed to inspire younger students to step outside their comfort zones, the Expo was filled with a wonderful sense of fun, teamwork and discovery. Special congratulations go to those who led their stalls and activities with reliability, creativity and pride, modelling the power of positive peer influence in action. From performing arts to triathlons, Cattle Club and cadets, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and a shared spirit of giving things a go.
Reflecting on the important link between fostering open friendships in social and academic wellbeing
Over recent weeks, we have been discussing with your daughters the importance of cultivating wide and diverse friendships. The final years of school are a unique and formative period, and for teenage girls, friendships are foundational to their emotional and academic growth. Encouraging your daughter to cultivate open, trusting and diverse friendship groups can significantly enhance her confidence, resilience and academic growth.
Building open and flexible connections – what the research tells us
As psychologist Lisa Damour highlights, developing strong peer relationships helps teenage girls build emotional maturity. Conversations based on honesty and support provide a safe space where girls learn to navigate complex feelings and challenges constructively. Damour notes that when teens ‘feel heard and supported by their friends,’ they are better equipped to solve problems and face adversity.
Research from The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues supports the idea that friendships crossing social boundaries broaden young people’s horizons, nurturing empathy, inclusiveness and critical thinking. These are key virtues for leadership, personal thriving and positive citizenship. Girls benefit when they engage with peers who bring different viewpoints and life experiences, learning respect and adaptability along the way.
The CASEL framework, the model used at Pymble for social and emotional learning, classifies relationship skills and social awareness as core developmental competencies. Expanding social networks encourages collaboration and perspective-taking, enabling girls to become more open-minded and confident in diverse social settings.
Friendships and academic wellbeing
Research further shows that the quality and diversity of adolescents’ friendships can directly influence academic outcomes. Girls with supportive, broad friendship groups experience higher motivation, reduced stress and improved focus, which builds improved academic performance. These friendships often foster co-operative learning, study sharing and mutual encouragement, enhancing understanding and interdisciplinary connections across subject areas.
Studies linking friendship networks to academic motivation reveal that girls’ achievement goals and classroom engagement are shaped significantly by their friends’ attitudes and behaviours. Furthermore, social networks disseminate positive academic behaviours throughout school communities, reinforcing resilience and productive habits.
Andrew Martin, whose work explores adolescent motivation, observes that broad connections serve as ‘engines of engagement,’ by fostering support and belonging crucial for students to actively participate and thrive in school.
Building trust to embrace broad friendships
A crucial part of encouraging girls to widen their social circle is helping them trust their friends and the friendship-building process. Parents can support their daughters to:
- Recognise that true friends value and respect them, creating a foundation for trust.
- Understand that friendships can evolve; new friends and broader networks enrich life experiences without diminishing current close bonds.
- Approach new social opportunities with openness and a positive mindset, knowing that reaching out and trusting others often leads to rewarding connections.
- Share any concerns about friendships openly with trusted adults, fostering honest communication.
Practical tips for parents
- Encourage your daughter to maintain multiple friendship groups and to be open toward meeting new peers from different backgrounds.
- Regularly discuss the qualities of healthy friendships, emphasising trust, respect and support.
- Model inclusivity, empathy and openness in your own relationships as examples.
- Help your daughter balance social time with study commitments, reinforcing that strong friendships and academic achievement can go hand-in-hand.
- Celebrate your daughter’s efforts to build and sustain diverse friendships, reinforcing their value for her wellbeing and success.
By fostering an environment where your daughter feels confident to develop trusting, open friendships and embrace diverse perspectives, you help her build the emotional and academic resilience to grow now and in the future.
