From the Boarding School
Time to celebrate
Speech Day is a wonderful tradition and a fitting celebration of the fabulous achievements of the Pymble community. My congratulations go to each of our Boarders, who have so admirably met the challenges of living away from home this year. Through it all, they have shown incredible tenacity, courage, compassion, and kindness, usually (😉) with a smile. I couldn’t be prouder of the spirit and resilience they bring to our College.
I am also proud to see so many of our Boarders being publicly recognised for their commitment, hard work and community spirit. Given the size of our Boarding cohort, it was wonderful to see the Boarders so well represented in the pool of awards. Congratulations to the following Boarders who were received Speech Day awards.
Year 7
Hammond House Award – Molly Turner
Academic Distinction Award – Alexis Kostalis
Citizenship Award – Kyilista Gibbs, Molly Turner, Alexis Kostalis
Endeavour Award – Maggie Brown, Zoe Luelf, Zoe Maynard, Sophie Scammel
Year 8
Boarders’ Academic Endeavour Award – Skye Mitchell
Citizenship Award – Jade George, Daysie Leahy
Year 9
Citizenship Award – Stella Walsh
Endeavour Award – Siri Taubenschlag
Year 9 Improvement Award – Alexandra Ritchie
Year 10
Endeavour Award – Rain To
Boarders’ Academic Endeavour Award – Alexandra Reardon
The Vicki Waters Award – Sienna Melton
First in First Nations Studies – Sienna Melton
First in Mathematics Standard – Poppy Barwick
First in Physical and Activity Sports Studies (200 hours) – Evie Farr
First in Agriculture (100 hours) – Georgina Stanley
Bronze Medallion – Poppy Barwick, Isabelle Burke, Leander Mclaughlin, Phoebe Pockley, Allegra Taubenschlag
Year 11
Bronze Medallion – Livia Armstrong, Summer Phillips
Our House Trophies
The Boarding House Trophies were also announced at Speech Day. With a history almost as long as our College, they are a fitting record of the spirit and endeavour of our Boarding community.
The Angus Cup was first introduced in 1929 with points being awarded for sport, singing, drama, debating and essay writing. Today, we are a little more liberal with additional points awarded for beautiful bedrooms, lots of handball championships, the odd board game and even some Just Dance. I am delighted to announce Hammond House as the winner of the Angus Cup and congratulated our Hammond Spirit House Captains, Allegra and Evie on leading their Houses to victory.
Introduced in 1927, The Foundation Shield records the winners of the Day School verses Boarders swimming competitions. This year, our Day Girls have been triumphant in defeating the Boarders by just .04 of a second. Please be on notice; the Boarders are in training for 2026!
Dating back to 1960, the Boarders’ House Cup for Excellence in Physical Education is awarded to the Spirit House who score the highest points for representation in sporting teams. This year, Goodlet House, along with their Captains, Leander and Phoebe were triumphant.
It’s no surprise that the Boarders’ House Sports Cup is all about inter-house sporting and team events. Congratulations go again to Hammond House and Allegra and Evie for their efforts.
Congratulations to our new Big Sisters
We pride ourselves on the sense of community that exists in Boarding at Pymble and our ‘Big Sister’ program is an important part of building relationships across the various age groups. The program is designed to support younger girls to transition into Boarding by linking them with a Boarder from Year 10 who acts as a friend and mentor. Another aim of the Big Sister program is to help younger Boarders develop a sense of autonomy and to encourage the development of safe and responsible behaviour outside of the College. Our Big Sisters are excellent role models who consistently demonstrate the College values. They try, whenever possible, to go out of their way to assist their Little Sister, helping with homework, organisation, friendship conflicts and even homesickness. Big Sisters have a wonderful opportunity to provide genuine support, interest and empathy for their Little Sister and I am delighted to share our big sisters for 2026: Alice, Alexandra (Allie), Annabel, Cate, Cleo, Emma, Gemma, Harriett, Lily, Lucy, Madeleine (Mads), Margaux, Mataya, Olivia, Poppy, Rose, Sasha, Selina, Siri and Stella.
Love It
Our last weekend for the year and what a great weekend it was. Year 10 returned from camp on Friday afternoon and after a shower settled in for a relaxing evening. Year 8 enjoyed a Balmoral Beach picnic. There was much excitement in the water and lots of laughs as they celebrated together. A different picnic for Year 9 under the Harbour Bridge in Milsons Point and how could they walk past a gelato bar without having gelato?! A Saturday afternoon trip was organised for Year 7 to view the Christmas decorations that have been assembled around the city. When asked how their trip was, the Christmas tree did get a mention but so did Maccas and Mecca.
On Monday night, it was a special time for the community to come together to celebrate our Boarders’ Christmas party. We gathered for Chapel and watched the nativity play that our Year 12 Boarders had prepared. The congregation was treated by our Pymbellas and their musical counterparts before we headed to the Boarders’ Dining room for a Christmas feast. After our Christmas delights, our Boarders were able to relax and dance in celebration of all their efforts and accomplishments from the year.
Congratulations to Sienna our Term 4 Brooksie Recipient
The Margaret Brooke, “Brooksie”, is awarded each term to a Boarder who exemplifies the spirit of a tenacious, courageous, compassionate and giving woman. This Boarder consistently upholds and demonstrates the College values and actively contributes 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.
Sienna is a proud Gamilaraay woman who joined us from Wee Waa on the north-western slopes of New England, New South Wales, when she was in Year 7. Now an accomplished Year 10 Boarder, Sienna exemplifies all that it means to be a Brooksie recipient. She is kind, organised, helpful and capable, all the while embodying the College values.
There are countless ways in which Sienna demonstrates altruism and leadership. I have a very strong image of Sienna being a wonderful ‘mother hen’, leading her little ‘chicks’ – our younger Boarders – with care, patience and expertise in the First Nations Dance troupe. She is an enchanting dancer and shares her love of this cultural pursuit with poise and passion. It was equally wonderful to seeing her representing us so powerfully during the NAIDOC Week celebrations where she interviewed another incredible woman, her mum!
The manner in which Sienna gathers up people and brings them together is impressive. This extends not only to her Boarding sisters, where she is known for her proactive approach to bringing the group together, but also to visitors to the College. Just one example of her inclusiveness was at our community brunch where she made it her mission to ensure an elderly gentleman from the Pymble and Gordon Uniting Church congregation felt welcome and well fed. Sienna happily fetched tea and brunch for the gentleman, all the while cheerfully chatting. She demonstrates maturity and hospitality beyond her years.
A regular at Boarders Get Baking she is a stalwart when it comes to giving back – whether it is lending a hand at Boarders Get Giving or ensuring the cupcakes are ready for Garden Party – Sienna is there with spirit and a smile. Her room is always spotless and she is the first to put her hand up to assist anyone and everyone. She wears her uniform perfectly and with pride. It is almost impossible to find her without a lovely smile and we are all very grateful for the joy she brings to our Boarding family.
A huge thank you
Lastly, and most importantly, my heartfelt thanks for sharing your beautiful girls with us. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of their lives and watch them grow and develop into the caring, giving and capable young women they are.
Every good wish for a happy, safe and family filled festive season.
Save the Date 2026
28 January – New Boarders and current Year 12 Boarders return from 2.00pm
28 January – New Boarders’ Welcome Dinner
29 January – Current Boarders return from 2.00pm
29 January – Boarder Parent Group (BPG) meeting 3.30pm
29 January – BPG welcome drinks 5.00pm
30 January to 1 February – Boarders’ Community Weekend*
20 February – Boarding Family Friends’ Event
20 February – PPA Icebreaker followed by Boarding Parent “Afters”
7-8 March – Big Sister, Little Sister camp at Vision Valley
15 March – Mother and Daughter Lunch
24 March – Boarders’ End of Term Chapel Service and Dinner*
1 April – Boarders’ Travel Day
2 April – Year 8, 9 and 10 learning discussions
*no leave permitted at this time