From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
Term 4 is a truly special term as it’s the term in which we see the girls reflect on, and celebrate, their personal growth and the challenges they have overcome throughout the year. As we settle into the term, it’s wonderful to see how engaged the girls continue to be with their learning and our community.
It’s been impressive to watch and hear the courage and passion of our girls who are participating in the auditions for PJ Factor 2023. Wow! Our girls are so skilled, and it is inspiring to see them share their talent with us all. It’s a tough challenge to try and select just some of these students to perform in the final showcase as part of our Let’s Get Creative Festival.
Friday was a fabulous example of our Pymble pride as we gathered in House areas to begin learning and practising individual songs with choreographed moves in preparation for the House competition at our Let’s Get Creative Festival on Thursday 16 November 2023. I hope many of you are able to come to our first Creative Festival as it promises to be a spectacular day in which your girls will showcase so many talents and their learning. Please remember the art gallery will be open on the evening before, Wednesday 15 November 2023, for those parents who are unable to attend on the Thursday 16 November.
While more information about our Let’s Get Creative Festival will follow in the coming weeks, some of the highlights will include:
- Opening ceremony and House procession
- Individual House performances
- Eisteddfod dance performance by students in Year 4 to 6
- Student Marketplace led by some of our student entrepreneurs (raising money for charity)
- Build-a-bear (Kindergarten and Year 2 pre-registrations only)
- Year 6 MasterChef display
- K-6 Art exhibition, with a piece of Art from each student
- Plus much more!
With so many great activities as part of the Let’s Get Creative Festival, we certainly hope you and your family can join us on campus for a terrific morning on 16 November 2023.
The courage we see in our girls will stand them in good stead as they embrace their next year of learning on our Links Day on Friday 27 October 2023 for Kindergarten – Year 5 and on 10 November for our Year 6 students. As always, the teachers will welcome the girls into their new learning spaces and give the girls a taste of the exciting learning opportunities which await them in 2024.
Robotics Team success – more teams qualified for State Championships
A huge shout out to our Robotics teams in Year 5 and 6 who travelled to Yarramalong on Friday to compete in VEX IQ. Congratulations to all girls who competed on that day with Pymble pride and a strong sense of camaraderie. Special acknowledgement to these teams who now progress to State competition later in the year along with team Entity (Lily Dao, Isabella Dong, Jing Yuan Liu and Arianna Ng):
Lydia Chen, Emma Fu, Emma Popli, Charlotte Wu and Michelle Xing – team name: 24 Quackers
Tia Gao, Bianca Ng, Lakshi Rajeev, Chelsea Wang and Lily Zhang – team name: Udon
Both teams won the Teamwork award and their Finals match. 24 Quackers won the Excellence award and the Skills Champion award.
Kindergarten Nativity
Our Kindergarten girls are excitedly preparing for their Nativity musical play to be held in the Chapel during their Celebration of Learning on 5 December. The musical will include a range of songs which the girls will sing with gusto, narration and some fabulous costumes.
Year 1 Incursion
As a part of their Term 4 Science unit ‘Get Growing,’ Year 1 participated in the hands-on exploration of plants, their needs, life cycles and uses, that was led by our own wonderful Head of Horticulture, Sarah Shields, and her experienced Facilities team. The girls planted seeds, explored how the College grounds are maintained and the many uses that plants have for people and other living things.
“The best part of the day was when we went on a leaf hunt in the riverbed. We explored different types of leaves and learnt about photosynthesis” by Megan Ye
“Going to the farm was the best thing about our Science Incursion and I will tell you three reasons: patting the animals, feeding the animals, carrying the hens and touching the eggs” by Kitty Mae Ruiz del Portal Greene
“The stomata help create oxygen for us to breathe” by Penelope Lam
“I enjoyed meeting Farmer Dave and seeing all the animals at the farm” by Ella Birch
“I learnt that a capsicum is a fruit, and I was amazed to see how photosynthesis works” by Lua Jung
“Bees take pollen, and this helps more plants and fruits grow” by Melaina Kekatos
“We discovered that plants give us oxygen and they breathe in carbon dioxide” by Nora Fan
“I enjoyed going on a leaf hunt in the riverbed and looking for different types of leaves” by Cass Lam
Learning Legends – a new initiative led by our girls
This year we have introduced a new system whereby girls who are awarded 2 assembly awards in a year are recognised as ‘Learning Legends’ and they are invited to a morning tea with Mrs Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School Academics and me. This is an initiative led by Betty Han (Year 6) and a group of Year 3 to 6 girls who worked with me earlier in the year to look at how we can celebrate more girls’ achievements and in different ways. This week we had a wonderful morning tea celebrating our K-2 Learning Legends who enjoyed a story, a zooper dooper and some play time with our new fairy gardens.
A message from Mrs Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School Academics
Opportunity to be part of a Parent Focus Group – Homework and Academic Reports
Mrs Christine Kenny, Deputy Principal – Academics and I will be hosting parent focus groups on Thursday, 2 November with a focus on homework in the Junior School and academic reports. A portal notice will be uploaded with more information for parents on how to register.
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the ICAS assessments. We are extremely proud of our girls and results achieved. We are currently waiting to receive all certificates from ICAS. Once we have received certificates across the assessments, we will present them to participating students.
A message from Mr Stephen Robinson, Acting Deputy Head of Junior School Operations
Pymble Gives Back
Thank you to all our wonderful families who have throughout this year donated clothes and linen as of our Pymble Gives Back initiative. With the end of year fast approaching and as we enter the warmer months, please consider donating any suitable items that are no longer being used. We would love to see the bin once again overflow with donations with the generosity of our Junior School Community.
A message from Mrs Kate Giles, Lead Coordinator K-3 and Mrs Jayne Mercer, Lead Coordinator 4-6
Parent Friendship Workshop – How to support your daughter with her friendships
We are starting a number of parent workshops following the parent wellbeing survey last term. These workshops will provide an opportunity for you to discuss various issues to assist supporting your daughter with her health and wellbeing. The workshops will be small to ensure a relaxed atmosphere and allow for discussions and questions, so will be capped at 20 parents.
The first workshop will be held on Thursday 9 November at 8.30am in the Junior School Library. Should you wish to attend this workshop, please sign up using this link: Parent Friendship Workshop sign up
Should you have any questions, please email us at kgiles@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or jmercer@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
HARK Refugee Clinic
In the lead up to Christmas, the HARK Clinic are seeking donations of toys, specifically Barbie dolls, baby dolls, playdough, matchbox cars, soccer balls and Lego. These items can be brought to school by your daughter or dropped at the Junior School office. If you have any questions, please email kgiles@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. We thank you for helping support the HARK Refugee Clinic at Westmead.
A message from our Sustainability Captains – Oriana Fenton & Richielynne Xiong
Thank you to everyone for bringing in your creative artworks for our recycled art competition. We were so excited to see the amazing entries so far. All artworks will all be displayed in the Art Gallery during the Let’s Get Creative Festival. It was a really tricky decision, but the winners of the competition were:
Hannah Lim (Kindergarten)
Grace Yu (Year 1)
Violet Li (Year 2)
Marni Parsons (Year 2)
Cecilia Cao (Year 3)
Arin Sadananda (Year 3)
Olivia Headley (Year 4)
Athena Ng (Year 6)
Runners up were:
Harlow Comiskey (Kindergarten)
Chloe Huang (Year 1)
Neve Sadananda (Year 1)
Charlotte Wang (Year 2)
Ellie Rose Ruiz Del Portal Greene (Year 3)
Ivanka Jia (Year 4)
Junior School Panel Event: A focus on student wellbeing for academic success
On Tuesday 14 November the Junior School will host a panel event in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts (GMCPA) from 6.00pm to 8.00pm. This event is best suited to parents of students in Kindergarten to Year 8.
The panel will feature experts in fields from child psychology, parenting strategies, child advocacy and digital media. Alumni Zoe Robinson will emcee the evening, centring the discussion on student wellbeing for long term academic success.
Zoe will be joined on stage by:
- Brad Marshall, the Unplugged Psychologist
- Judith Locke, author of The Bonsai Child and The Bonsai Student
- Lisa Maltman, founder of The Sleep Connection
- Andrew Scott, Leader of Psychological Services at Pymble
Date: Tuesday 14 November
Time: 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Venue: Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts
Registration: This is a FREE event, but registration is essential and tickets are limited.
To register please click here.
Pymble families are offered an early bird booking before tickets open to the wider community.
Please note: due to privacy guidelines there will be no recording of this event and no video link available following the panel.
Messages from Junior School Administration Office
Birthdays
There is no expectation that you supply treats for your daughter’s class. We will make every girl feel special on their birthday. But, if you would like to provide treats for the class on your daughter’s birthday, she may come to school with a small cupcake for each student in the class or an ice block if the weather is warm. Please do not bring in gift bags.
Late Arrivals and Early Departures
When your daughter is late to school could you please assist us by reminding your daughter to sign in at the Junior School Administration Hub (Hedgehog House). When your daughter needs to leave early for an appointment please send an email to juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au and sign your daughter out from the Junior School Administration Hub.
For K-2 girls travel arrangements which have changed for Term 3 please email juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
All absences for must be emailed to juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or preferably submitted through MyPymble.
Lost Property – please help!
Please check that all your daughter’s items are named including socks, hats, lunch boxes and drink bottles. All unnamed items are stored in the K-2 Upper Performing Arts Room.
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
We hope you can join us for the the JSPG Term 4 meeting on Tuesday 24 October from 8.30am to 9.30am in the Junior School Library.
There is a call out for any parents who would like to fill the role of year coordinator in 2024. We would like to announce these candidates at the meeting. Please find further information below.
Other events of note include Build-a-Bear on Friday 16 November for Kindergarten to Year 2, and Swimming Carnival stalls on Thursday 15th November (Years 3 to 6) and Friday 30 November (Kindergarten to Year 2).
2024 Parent Year Coordinators
We would love to introduce our new year coordinators for 2024 at our upcoming JSPG Term 4 Meeting, so we are now looking to fill these roles.
The year coordinator role is a hands-on role in the coordination of school events/activities and provides support for each year level in the College. In the Junior School, our year coordinators act as a conduit between the JSPG leaders and class parents, help to find volunteers for various activities and work closely with the JSPG leaders, Community Engagement and school staff as needed.
If this is of interest to you, we’d love to hear from you. Ideally we will have one or two year coordinators per year group. Please reach out to your current year coordinator or a JSPG leader to discuss further, as planning will soon get underway for next year.
Please contact us at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com if you have any queries. Wishing everyone a fantastic term ahead.
Important Dates for Term 4
| Saturday 21 October | Year 4 Father/Daughter Camp |
| Sunday 22 October | Year 4 Father/Daughter Camp |
| Tuesday 24 October | JSPG Term 4 Meeting and AGM |
| Wednesday 25 October | Junior School Ensemble Concert |
| Friday 27 October | K-6 Links Day and Kindergarten 2024 Parent Info Evening |
| Wednesday 1 November | Year 6 Surf Education, Dee Why Beach |
| Friday 3 November | Grandparents Day, 12.30pm to 2.00pm |
| Tuesday 14 November | Jacaranda Day |
| Tuesday 14 November | Focus on Student Wellbeing for Academic Success – Expert forum for parents K-6 |
| Wednesday 15 November | Years 3 to 6 Swimming Carnival |
| Thursday 16 November | Let’s Get Creative Festival |
| Thursday 23 November | Kindergarten to Year 2 Swimming Carnival |
| Thursday 30 November | Year 6 Silent Disco and Parent Cocktail Party, 6.30pm to 8.30pm |
| Tuesday 5 December | Kindergarten Celebration of Learning, Year 1 and 2 Celebration of Learning |
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School