From the Boarding School
As our Year 12s enjoy their final few weeks of formal lessons, they are busily planning for their life beyond Pymble. For many of our Boarders, this means a move to a residential college and, over the last few months, it has been my great pleasure to write many words of support for our Boarders in this endeavour.
While our Boarders certainly receive a world class education here at the College, the skills and dispositions they learn in Boarding are ones which will serve them equally well in their life beyond Pymble. The ability to be able to live successfully in community is a true art and one which relies on qualities our Boarders have in trumps – courage, independence, resilience, compromise and care. As in years gone by, I look forward to happy news of the next adventure that awaits our Boarders.
Meanwhile our Year 11 Boarders are fully immersed in their preliminary examinations. The girls have worked hard over the last few weeks, making excellent use of the Learn It program and staff to ensure they are well prepared to give these final examinations their very best. My thanks to our Boarding staff who have been caring for the girls during this period, ensuring they have a comfortable and productive environment in which to study and a welcoming home to return to following each exam.
Love It – Katie White, Deputy Director of Boarding
Last week’s Love It program made the most of the spectacular weather. Holly took a mini bus full of Boarders down to Mona Vale Beach last Sunday. The weather was so warm that the Boarders even decided to have a very quick dip in the 17-degree ocean pool. Saturday night was filled with action as well, with our always popular laser tag excursion to Chatswood. This week, we have the Boarders from Year 9 Shore joining us on Friday evening for trivia, and on Saturday afternoon and evening, the girls will have the opportunity to invite a Day Girl into Boarding. On Sunday, the wonderful Meredith Myles will be taking the girls on a thrifting adventure to UTURN at Punchbowl.
The Press Club
Just a reminder to sign up for our next Boarding Community Event, to be held on 20 September, the eve of the Garden Party. Following the Boarder Parent Group meeting and some last-minute Garden Party preparations, join our Boarding parents for a dinner at the Butchers Block at Wahroonga before heading to the Warrawee Club for an evening of live music and dancing. All Boarders are required to be in attendance on this night and we hope our families can join in the fun too.
A message about our Garden Party
As you may be aware the Garden Party is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Boarding community. Last year we raised $17,000 and $20,000 the year before. It is being held on Saturday 21 September and is a fantastic day. We will be running three stalls: the Produce Stall, the Boarders’ Barbecue and the fabulous Hillbilly Cider Shed. We will also be holding a raffle. This is a shout out to get you thinking of what you may be able to donate or contribute to the Produce Stall or the raffle.
Anything produced by Boarding families is welcome. Some examples include baked goods, jams, chutneys, sauces, pickles, fruit, eggs, bunches of herbs, flowers, wheat and cotton. It is a very popular stall and loved by all the city folk. Any donations for raffle prizes would also be greatly appreciated.
On the barbecue this year, we will also be serving bacon and egg rolls with tomato relish between 10.00am and 11.30am, and after that it will be our delicious pork and slaw rolls. Any donation of eggs for this stall would be amazing.
Finally, keep your eye out for the Google form to book a spot on the roster. Any help is appreciated and it really is a great way to catch up with other parents while contributing to the day.
View From My Window
Hi, my name is Dezi and I am from Narrabri in North Western NSW. However, when I was six I moved to a small country town called Walgett. Little did I know I would make some lifelong friendships there. I recently moved to Dubbo with my mum, but dad still lives in Walgett.
I have a little sister, Lexi, who is currently in Year 7 at St Catherine’s School in Waverley. I also have three older brothers: Brandon who is 27, Jayden who is 26, and Blake who is 25. They all went to TAS in Armidale, so they were pretty jealous when I got to go to a big city school.
I love having such a big family as I always have someone to talk to and to be around. A fun fact about my name: I am actually named after my Pop whose name is Desmond, but he gets called Dezi for short, so it can get really confusing when we are at family gatherings.
Pop is a really big Beatles fan; he always likes to say his life is based around the song ‘Ob-La-Di-La-Da’ as his name is Desmond. He has a dog named Molly and his daughter married a Jones. Not to mention my Mum’s name is Penny, after the song ‘Penny Lane’. When I am home my favourite thing to do is just be with my family; they are a big part of my life. I always feel sad about leaving my family back home, but I have a family here at Pymble that I always look forward to coming back to.
Boarder of the Week
Congratulations to Year 7 Boarder Zahra, who is our well-deserving Boarder of the Week. Zahra joins us from Breeza in the state’s Liverpool Plains agricultural region.
She consistently demonstrates kindness, courage and a playful nature. She is always well organised. Zahra wears her uniform with pride and ensures she is on time and ready for whatever the day may bring. She has a creative mind and uses this to build community and spread positivity.
This term Zahra proposed a competition to determine which foursome kept the tidiest room and her housemates have enjoyed the friendly rivalry almost as much as the Avonmoore team have enjoyed the extra sparkling surrounds. We are delighted to call Zahra a Pymble Boarder!
Save the Date
20 September – Boarders and their Families event (all Boarders required to be in attendance)
21 September – Garden Party
24 September – Boarders’ End of Term Chapel and Farewell to Year 12 Boarders (all Boarders required to be in attendance)
26 September – Year 12 Boarder and Parents’ celebration event (Year 12 Boarders and parents only)
27 September – Year 11 and 12 Speech Day, followed by Boarders’ Travel Day
Term 4
14 October – Boarders return from 2.00pm
18 October – Boarding lockdown and evacuation drill (all Boarders required to be in attendance)
Term 4 TBA – Mother Daughter Lunch
4 December – Year 7 to 10 Speech Day, followed by Boarders’ Travel Day
Boarder Parent Group Meetings
20 September – 2.30pm onsite
24 October – 7.00pm TEAMS meeting
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding