From the Boarding School
Our Day school friends play such an important role in the lives of our Boarding family and they are certainly wonderful BFFs (Boarding Family Friends!). These special people, and their families, help out in myriad ways including welcoming new families to the College, inviting Boarders to their homes and helping out with transport. We are grateful for their dedication, care and kindness.
It was a pleasure to be able to reciprocate some of their hospitality with a special BFF event last Friday. Our youngest Boarders invited 20 of their Day girl friends to enjoy dinner and a movie in Marden House, while their parents were at the College Icebreaker. Our Day school parents were not forgotten and invited to a pre-Icebreaker event in which the BFF program was discussed and information on ‘how to host a Boarder’ was provided.
Loving Love It
Our Boarders enjoyed another great weekend of activities, beginning with the BFF event. Saturday was a beautiful day for a trip to the Glebe markets and Sunday turned out to be perfect for a trip to Wylies’s Baths at Coogee. This weekend we will be heading in the opposite direction for a trip to Palm Beach and then into the city to sample ‘chocolate heaven’ at Max Brenner.
A few parents have been asking for a copy of the Love It program. Please click here to view the digital version or call in to the Houses for a hard copy of the program.
Learn It – Our Evening Study Program
Our evening study program Learn It is in full swing with tutors assisting the Boarders three nights a week. Boarders are emailed a link at the start of each week, where they can sign up for assistance in 20-minute time slots. This term we have the assistance of Ms Mimmo and Ms Grey from the Mathematics Department, Mr Long from Science and Mrs Collins from Learning Support. The teaching staff are joined by ex-students including Zohara Mendis and Elizabeth Backhouse who are valuable in assisting our Boarders with English, Math, Science and History subjects.
View From My Window – Skye Pockley
My name is Skye and I am in Year 11. I started Boarding at Pymble halfway through Year 8. I have a younger sister Phoebe in Year 8 and two brothers Sam and Tommy in Years 6 and 10. Having four kids away at Boarding school has made us all closer as we all come home with stories and experiences to tell, it also make the holidays much more fun because we know we have to go back to school by the end.
My parents run two properties, one west of Cobar which runs goats and one in Cootamundra which runs cattle and a few crops. Apart from spending time on the farm, my mum works and lives in Byron Bay in the far north coast of NSW and this is where my family calls home.
When we spend the holidays in Byron, I work as a Lifeguard and also at an Ice-Cream shop which is really great. My family is very involved in the Surf Club and that is where we spend most of our time. My mum is the secretary and my grandfather is the IRB Captain as well as a life member. All of us are patrolling members and compete when we can.
My favourite part of living in Byron is the freedom and the atmosphere. I love walking down the street to get an Acai Bowl, or a burger depending on the day. I also had an amazing opportunity after Christmas to help out with the Westpac Helicopter training. I was at work as a lifeguard and they brought the helicopter about 5kms out of Byron where we met them and the Police boat on the Jetski. I got to watch them practice drills with the police before the time came for me to be winched up into the rescue helicopter, other than it being really windy and the stingy spray it was a once in a life time opportunity I will never forget.
When we are at the farm in Coota, we often just spend time helping Dad out by mustering or processing cattle. We go down to the creek, when it’s not dry, and have mud fights. Sometimes we will take the camping trailer out into the paddock and camp the night. If it’s really hot we will just stay inside, I will probably end up making a cake and we just play inside in the aircon. We don’t go out to Cobar as often but when we do we go for drives around, climb up the escarpment or just play in the backyard if it is not too hot. I also drive into town a bit so I can get my hours up because it is about a 2 hour round trip.
Our house in Byron backs onto the Tallow Beach which is a really long beach and I love just going down there for a walk and a swim while watching the sunset. When my dad is down, he goes for bike rides down the beach all the way to the end and then back up to below the lighthouse. The short strip of national park separating our house to the beach makes a really pretty track to walk down to get to the beach as well as seeing echidnas, wallabies and rabbits hop around. My street in Byron is a bit of a mix. There are a couple of AirBnBs, a surfing coach, a musician, some annoying little kids and then there is us the loud house that gets the occasional shoosh from the neighbours. I love the freedom of being at home and getting to spend time with my family and animals.
As much as I love being at home I love coming back to school and seeing my friends and getting back into the swing of things. I row, and that takes up a lot of my time second to school, and although its busy I love it and have had some amazing opportunities through the sport. I love boarding at Pymble and will forever cherish the memories that I have made.
Boarder of the Week
Our Boarder of the Week this week has been a delight in the house with her bubbly nature and fun sense of humour. Congratulations to Gina Lau of Year 10! Gina always has an immaculate room, is reliable and punctual, and never fails to bring a smile to staff and Boarders’ faces. She is willing to try new things, active and involved, and polite and respectful to staff. Thank you Gina for being such a fun presence in our house!
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding