From the Academic Team

From the Academic Team

Welcome back to Mrs Natasha Stanfield and a sincere thank you to Mrs Anthea Wawryka for the wonderful job she did as Acting Director of Studies. 

Year 12 Trial Examinations and Spring Study Camp 

Congratulations to the 2023 Year 12 cohort on the mature and calm manner in which they have approached their Trial examinations. Thank you to our teachers for their diligent work in helping Year 12 prepare. Only two days to go!  

Post Trial exams is always the time for Team Pymble! Students are encouraged to work together to share resources, identify their gaps in understanding and exam technique so they can perform at their best as a cohort in the HSC Examinations.  

There are major works and course content to finish and consolidation to be done. Every year, students are weary after trials, that is very normal. Teachers in every subject will be guiding students through a structured reflection process. Our advice at this time is to make sure students are focused on taking onboard their feedback and putting it into action. 

So much progress can be made before the external exams which are worth 50% of the HSC mark in each subject.  

Plans are well underway for our Spring Study Camp in the first week of the holidays from Monday September 25 to Friday September 29. This will run with a similar structure to the Winter Study Camp with teacher and alumni support and will take place in the Senior School Centre. Click here to register now.  

Year 11 Examinations and Subject Selection for Year 12 

Year 11 have been conscientiously preparing for their exams in Week 7 and 8 of Term 3. We know that all their hard work will be rewarded. Listed below are some important details for their planning.  

Click here to see the exam timetable.

Dates for the Exams  

The examinations will commence on Monday August 28 and conclude on Friday September 8.  

Students will return to normal classes on Monday September 11.   

Times  

Morning examinations begin at 8.25am.   

Afternoon examinations begin at 12.55pm.  

Girls should arrive at school 30 minutes before the start of their examinations to sign in and get settled.  

Illness 

Students follow the usual Illness/misadventure procedures.  

  • Email the Senior School and CC in their teacher to notify that they are ill and unable to do the exam 
  • Obtain a medical certificate, attach this to the IMA form and submit as a PDF to curriculum@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au 
  • Students will be emailed with the catch-up time for their exam which will be completed within the examination period. 

Some students have already begun to think and discuss with their teachers about subject options for Year 12.  

We encourage students and parents to attend the online Year 11 into 12 Subject Selection Evening which will take place on Monday September 6. (A link will be emailed closer to the date). Following this evening, families will be sent an email with a link and unique code for selecting Year 12 subjects.  

NAPLAN Results 

NAPLAN results are now available and have been mailed to parents. You will notice that NAPLAN achievement is being reported differently this year. The previous 10 bands have been replaced by 4 proficiency levels (described by ACARA as follows): 

  • Exceeding: The student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.  
  • Strong: The student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing. 
  • Developing: The student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing. 
  • Needs additional support: The student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily. 

It is important for you to know that we are mapping these results with other assessment data to build a full picture of each student’s progress and level of achievement. Pymble teachers are highly skilled and differentiate to ensure our students are supported and enriched as required. In addition to the expert guidance provided in the classroom, assistance is also available through Homework Help, staffed by Pymble teachers, on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between 3.30 and 4.30pm. 

Jake Plaskett and Natasha Stanfield

Director of Academic Excellence (K-12) and Director of Studies (K-12)