From the Middle School
We are now officially in the second half of Term 3 and from all accounts the girls are travelling well. Welcome back to all students and staff who participated in the National Exchange experience last week. Below you will find some student reflections celebrating the opportunity. This week we will be running the first of our Transition Workshops for Year 6 into 7 2024 transition. Thank you to the 60 + Year 7 students who stepped up to this leadership responsibility and will be facilitating these sessions. Well done to our Year 7 students who attended vaccinations at the end of last week. Your maturity was very much appreciated.
Year 8 National Exchange Student Reflections
Written by Varada Vinay
This term I had the opportunity to participate in the National Exchange program at Clayfield College in Brisbane with 8 other Pymble girls. I took part in a range of my host sister’s activities as well as experiencing Brisbane first-hand. A highlight of my trip to Brisbane was going to the Ekka, Queensland’s annual show. I enjoyed going on the rides with everyone as well as experiencing signature Ekka performances and treats.
We also explored our own city on return during our excursion and showed the girls from Brisbane popular places in Sydney. Staying with my host buddy and going to school with her made me realise how different two people’s lives can be and how flexibility and adaptability are two important qualities to have when making new friends. Also listening to one another can help forge close, strong relationships. Overall, the National Exchange program was a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and experience a new city with new people.
Written by Leander McLaughlin
Last week me and three others got the amazing opportunity to go to MLC Perth on exchange. We travelled five hours to get there and went to school with our buddies on Monday and Tuesday. It was an amazing experience as it really highlighted the differences and similarities between Pymble and MLC. After each day of school my exchange buddies took me around Perth. During this time, I visited Cottesloe beach, Fremantle, Kings Park and Claremont. I really enjoyed Perth and would definitely like to come back. On Wednesday we brought our exchange girls back to Sydney with us.
They experienced one day at school on Thursday, then on Friday we took the exchange girls from all of the different schools across Australia around Sydney. On our trip we walked over the Harbour Bridge, visited the Sydney Opera House and then we took a ferry across to Manly where we had pizza and ice cream at the beach. On Saturday before, I dropped my exchange partners off at the airport. I took them to the iconic Bondi Beach. I really enjoyed this exchange and I would not hesitate to do it again.
Written by Emily Chiang
When I boarded the plane that would take me from Sydney to Melbourne, I felt a mixture of both anticipation and nervousness. The idea of going on National Exchange was both exciting and slightly nerve-wracking because it would be the first time I travelled without my family.
Over the next few days in Melbourne, we were immersed in a whirlwind of activities. We went to the Strathcona girls’ school on Monday for an exciting school day, which consisted of a ‘Whole-being day’ with presentations from the teachers, performances from the year twos, and an interactive African drumming experience. On Tuesday, we visited many popular places in Melbourne such as the Queen Victoria Markets, Eureka Tower, and Melbourne Central. Melbourne was both similar and different to Sydney, and it made the city very special.
On Wednesday, we flew back to Sydney with our exchange sisters. We were the first flight to land in Sydney. After all the other students and their exchange students from Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane arrived, we got on the bus to get back to Pymble. Turns out, the bus trip was longer than the actual flight.
Thursday was just a regular school day. On Friday, all the exchange students went on a trip to Sydney city. There, we visited the Opera House, walked across the Harbour Bridge, boarded a ferry to Manly, and ate pizza and ice cream. It was a really fun and exciting day. On Saturday, the exchange buddies left to go back to their own homes.
Living with a host family and visiting another school was an amazing experience because I got to broaden my understanding of how other people live and I got to see what other schools in Australia were like. Year 8 National Exchange was more than just a trip. It was a new and transformative experience that taught me about embracing new opportunities and stepping outside my comfort zone. The journey was filled with amazing memories that I will remember for the rest of life.
Written by Emily Englund, Phoebe Pockley, Catherine Li, Olivia Norton, Iris O’Brien, Brielle McDonald and Charlotte Henderson
Last week, seven girls participated in a National Exchange to Pulteney Grammar School, located in Adelaide, South Australia. We all had such a great time and learnt so much on our trip. Our host families picked us up from the airport on Sunday and we travelled around Adelaide. We got to experience the city, and bond with our host sisters. On both Monday and Tuesday, we went to Pulteney with our exchange sisters, which proved to be a different experience to Pymble.
We were involved in their classes and met their friendship groups. Our host families provided us with delicious food, and a homely, comfortable place to stay. After spending three nights with our host families in Adelaide, we reciprocated for three nights in Sydney. We made new friends and learnt in a new, co-education environment, which was interesting. We had a wonderful time together with all the National Exchange girls on Friday walking across the Harbour Bridge, visiting the Opera House and catching a ferry to Manly where we enjoyed lunch together.
Happy Box Update
This week we are finalising the printing of the calico bags in which we will pack the goodies created and donated by so many of our Middle School families. The student designs look fantastic on the bags! The next stage will be organising delivery to adolescent girls in two remote Indigenous communities in Arnhem Land: Gapuwiyak and Milingimby. This has been such an inclusive and well attended Service opportunity for our Middle School girls.
Thank you to all who have donated to our service initiative. This is the final call out for donations of sanitary items, period pants, pads, tampons, roll on deodorant, sheet-face masks, soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, face cleansers, moisturiser, hand sanitiser, shower gel, face washers and heat packs etc
Congratulations to Leila Rich (Year 8) who placed second at the Mathew Mitcham Diving competition in the 14/15-year girl’s event. She has now qualified for the Nationals Diving Competition which will be held in Brisbane.
Congratulations to Madeleine Gaden (Year 7) who travelled to Brisbane last week to compete in the Equestrian events at the Ekka at the Brisbane Showground on her beloved Galloway Rooster. Reports are that she had a fun week and achieved some fantastic results:
- Champion Child’s Show Galloway
- 1st Girl Rider 12 years and under 15 years
- 2nd Open Large Galloway
Welcome to Book Week 2023 – Read, Grow, Inspire!
Here in the Conde Library, we celebrate books and literature every day but this kicks up a notch during Book Week! Book Week provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all that is wonderful about stories and reading and gives us a pause to consider the enjoyment, enlightenment and wonder these add to our students’ lives, and our own.
So far we have held a staff and student panel discussing books that inspire, staff dress up day with students guessing characters and a second-hand book stall with proceeds going to the Kids’ Cancer Project. Students can also visit the Library to participate in book craft and book-inspired competitions.
We are also thrilled to launch the inaugural House Reading Challenge this year. This competition encourages students to read as many printed and ebook titles as they can for House points. The winning House will win the House Reading Trophy and there will also be individual prizes for students who read the most titles. Students can find out further details from the Conde Library.
Pymble has many enthusiastic readers, both staff and student. However, research tells us that the proportion of people who read books for pleasure is now at the lowest levels recorded. This is a worrying trend and has negative implications, not just for literacy, but for brain development, concentration, wellbeing and emotional intelligence. We have been looking at research on the importance of sustained reading for young people and adults and would like to share this with you in further detail in coming newsletter editions.
For now, we encourage you, your daughters and families to make time for books and reading. We understand that life is busy but the rewards that reading bring are immeasurable. Perhaps you may like to start with the prizewinners from this years Children’s Book Council of Australia awards?
From Ms Tess Zwar (Head of Library and Research Services) and Mrs Mandy Reynolds (Head of English)
From the Year 7 and 8 PPA Co-ordinators
Year 7 Parents’ Dinner – Thursday 31 August at 7.00pm
Year 7 parents and carers are warmly invited to a dinner in the restaurant of the Greengate Hotel on Thursday 31 August at 7.00pm. If you would like to come along to the dinner, please RSVP via the poll posted in the “Yr 7 Class of 2028” WhatsApp chat group. A large booking for the dinner has been made.
Venue: The Greengate Hotel, Corner of the Pacific Highway and Greengate Road, Killara, 2071 (Enter the car park via the Pacific Highway)
Date: Thursday 31 August 2023
Time: 7.00 pm
Dinner & Drinks: To be ordered and paid for at the dining room bar
RSVP: by Tuesday 29 August (via the WhatsApp poll posted in the ‘Yr 7 Class of 2028’ chat group)
Middle School Sweet Sensations Stall
A huge thank you to the Year 7 and 8 parents who have so generously donated funds and signed up to help at to the Sweet Sensations Stall on the day of the Garden Party. We have reached our target for donations and our volunteer roster is full. This is absolutely unbelievable and on behalf of the stall organisers, thank you for your support.
We look forward to enjoying this wonderful family event.
From Shiva, Carol, Tash, Kai and May
Key Dates in Term 3
Friday 25 August – Year 7 IGSA
Friday 1 September – Fathers Day BBQ
11 to 15 September – Year 8 Outdoor Education
Saturday 16 September – Garden Party
Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School