From the Boarding School
Thank you for sharing your special girls with us for another term. They have been exceptional this term, sharing their enthusiasm, compassion and Boarder common sense with their trademark generosity of spirit. I have been particularly proud of the manner in which the Boarders represented the College at Jersey Day and at the AIS Boarding Symposium, in both cases demonstrating the standard of care and excellence that we enjoy here at Pymble. As I regularly repeat, as residents of the College, our Boarders set the standard and it is a very fine standard indeed!
I know you will join me in thanking our wonderful Boarding staff who, as always, have worked tirelessly to support the girls in every way they can. Our Deputy Director of Boarding, Katie White is particularly dedicated to ensuring the best academic and recreational opportunities for the Boarders and I thank her and wish her all the best as she heads off for a brief period of long-service leave in the first three weeks of the new term.
Keeping Up With Our Boarders
It is with great delight that I share our latest edition of Keeping Up With Our Boarders. My thanks to all our Boarders and staff who contributed stories and to our incredible team of Bray Stoneham and Rachel Fairbairn from Community Engagement who share their incredible talents in editing and graphic design to make it such a memorable read. I hope you agree it is a fabulous record of our fabulous family!
Farewell to much-loved team members
Tilly Fox
On Tuesday evening we farewelled our wonderful gap staff member, Tilly Fox. Tilly joined us at the start of the year from the United Kingdom where she lived at a boarding school and quickly made a big impact on all of us. She has been a fabulous support in Boarding and an invaluable member of the Health Care team. Year 7 Boarder, Sasha Paris sums up our thoughts on terrific Tilly below.
T is for Terrific
I is for Intelligent
L is for Loving
L is for Lively
Y is for Youthful
Tilly, you are all of these qualities and more. You have done so much for us, like whenever we walk into Health Care you have the brightest smile on your face, or when we go to breakfast on a Friday morning you always check up on us to see how we are doing. Though these are just the little things you do, they make our day and make us feel so loved and cared for. We will miss you so much. Please come back and visit, and we wish you safe travels home to see your family again. From the bottom of all our hearts, thank you.
Neha Beri
We also bid a sad farewell to Neha who has been a beautiful presence in all our lives. Neha has been absolutely crucial to the two things that I am sure our girls feel are the most important aspects of their lives in Boarding – leave and travel home! As you can imagine it is no mean feat facilitating the comings and goings of 128 young women and Neha has done this seamlessly, ensuring their enjoyment and safety. She has called hosts, airlines and even theme parks to ensure the Boarders get where they need to be in a safe and sensible manner.
In Term 2 Neha also managed this role while stepping up to the position of Assistant Head of Year. She has set an excellent standard and done so in a professional and collegial manner. I wish Neha every success as she embarks on her teaching career, and we hope she returns to our Pymble family in the not too distant future.
Our Term 2 “Brooksie” Recipient
The Margaret “Brooksie” Brooke Award is awarded to a Boarder who exemplifies the spirit of a tenacious, courageous, compassionate and giving woman. These Boarders consistently uphold and demonstrate the College values and actively contribute to the Boarding community while demonstrating dedication to her studies. A Brooksie recipient consistently displays ‘Pymble Pride’ including wearing appropriate school uniform, being punctual and maintaining a tidy room.
It is my great delight to award Year 10 Boarder, Evie Leahy the Brooksie for Term 2. Since the day she arrived in Boarding at the start of 2022, Evie has been pure delight. She is consistently kind, caring and she has an excellent sense of humour. Evie keeps an excellent room and her Pymble pride is reflected in her perfect uniform.
Evie has high expectations for herself and this is obvious in her commitment to rowing. She set herself a goal of making the First Four and worked hard to achieve the dream. She is also a natural leader and this was evident in her nomination to attend the Rotary Leadership camp last weekend. Evie was one of just three of our all the Pymble Year 10 girls to be awarded this opportunity and it was clearly well deserved.
Evie is the rare individual who makes everyone she meets feel special. She is sweet, thoughtful and makes looking out her others her priority. Evie is truly the embodiment of the College Values and feel so lucky to be able to call her one of ours.
Our Term 2 Pink Ladies
Thank you to all of our day school friends and families that make our time in Boarding easier, happier and much more connected. You help us out with lifts, sleepovers and home made treats and we are super grateful for all that you do.
Our Pink Lady this term, Chloe Lam of Year 8, adds sharing her musical talents to the list and we are so thankful! Chloe was our organist for the Jersey Day Commemoration Chapel Service and she made the service extra special. Chloe attended numerous rehearsals, was incredibly accommodating and played beautifully. We hope this will be the first of many collaborations with Chloe.
Aside from our Day school families, all day school staff go out of their way to support and make our life at Pymble so much sweeter. And there is no better example of this than our wonderful Reverend Bent. Rev Bent is our much-loved neighbour and a key member of our Boarding family. She works tirelessly to make our Chapel services extra special and is always there to brighten our day. Rev Bent was key to making the Jersey Day Commemoration Chapel Service extra special – with her warmth and kindness a true tonic for all involved.
It’s not too late to sign up for Eat Like a Boarder
I hope you can join us for dinner on Monday 17 July at 6.00pm, when you return your girls from the Term 2 break. This will be the ‘real’ experience, with you being able to enjoy the regular dinner service, just as the girls do each evening. If you would like to join us, please RSVP to boarding@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au before 10 July.
Pymble heads north!
We would love to see you up north when we head up to Moree and Narrabri. There will be a special function in Moree on Thursday 20 July and I hope you can join us to catch up with our Pymble family. Please click the invitation below to RSVP.
Boarding Parent Group Meeting
Given the time of term, we have made the decision to delay the previously advertised meeting on 16 June. The meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday 27 July at 7.00pm and we hope you can join us online at this time. A Teams meeting link will be sent through early next term. Topics on the agenda include Garden Party, parent events and an update on Boarding. Please send through any additional agenda items to boarding@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.
Save the Date
Monday 17 July from 2.00pm – Return to Boarding Start of Term 3
Monday 17 July – Eat Like a Boarder, 6.00pm
Thursday 20 July – Pymble in Moree and Boarding Expo
Friday 21 to Saturday 22 July – Narrabri Boarding Expo
Thursday 27 July – Boarding Parent Group Meeting
Friday 4 to Sunday 6 August – Boarder Parents Regional Weekend in Mudgee
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding