From the Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

Warimi and welcome to Reconciliation Week in our Junior School. I am so proud of the way our girls take action on things that matter to them. Over the last few weeks, a group of girls have collaborated to advocate for reconciliation and cultural kindness in our nation.

Enjoy the Reconciliation poem ‘Be a Voice for the Generations’ co-created by Lakshi Rajeev (Year 5), Jing Juan Liu (Year 6), narrated by Olivia Guo (Year 5) with choreography and performance by Jade George, Bella Xu, Charlie Slater and Grace Akers (Year 6).

Also, enjoy our Reconciliation song, ‘Reconcile’ written by Sarah Lu (Year 4), performed by Ellie Lau (Year 6) with music composed by Mrs Maria Lee, Performing Arts teacher.

Teamwork makes the dream work!

This week I want to celebrate the teamwork we see in our girls as they learn and grow together. This is evident in our sporting teams, collaborative learning activities and in the extended learning our girls do in their many co-curricular activities.

Our Eisteddfod dancers dazzled with their commitment to teamwork on Friday when they realised one of their dancers was unwell and unable to attend the performance. The girls had limited time to learn revised choreography. They were determined, listened attentively to their coaches and then shone on stage with the performance. Whilst it’s wonderful to achieve high awards in these competitions, and we certainly did that as we were awarded 1^st place for our Junior Lyrical routine and 2^nd place for our Junior Jazz routine, I am even more proud of the mindset of our girls and their commitment to one another and their school.

Powering through the Balmoral Burn

I am so proud of our Junior School girls who supported one another and challenged themselves with the Balmoral Burn on Sunday. The Balmoral Burn is in its 21^st year and challenges people to power up the 420metre incline of Awaba Street in support of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.

Thank you to the girls, and their families, who supported this initiative this year. Mr Matt Tyson, Head of Sport K-6 and I are very proud of you.

This sense of supportive team mindset was very evident on Friday evening with our debaters who competed in a very intense and high quality debate against St Aloysius in the semi-finals. Our girls worked together, listened carefully to each argument posed by their opponents and presented articulate rebuttals to each submission. Whilst we are not progressing to the Finals this year, I am extremely proud of the poise and grit our girls displayed as they debated. Their exceptional general knowledge was evident, and their arguments were worthy of litigators in a court room! Whilst I was impressed by our girls’ eloquence and mental agility, I was even more proud of their dignity and Pymble spirit in congratulating the winning team. #PymbleProud.

Working as a team: Windows into Learning Year 6

We are constantly working in partnership with our Digital Learning Leaders as we strive to equip our girls with an understanding of the power of technology and the capacity to be a discerning user of technology. Mrs Jo Meacock, Year 6 Compass Teacher and Mr Jake Turnbull, Digital Learning Leader collaborated to bring AI to Mathematics with a series of complex word problems which they created using ChatGPT.

The girls and their parents then checked the veracity of ChatGPT’s solutions by working through the same problems to determine whether the process used by ChatGPT was the most efficient and whether the solution generated by ChatGPT was in fact correct. They evaluated the effectiveness of computer-generated calculations using mathematical reasoning and applied understanding. The aim of this activity was for girls to assess the usefulness of ChatGPT, an AI tool, and its role in developing student skills to be critical and effective mathematicians.

‘Some schools are making all students complete all assessments at home, whereas Pymble is embracing AI and showing students how it can be used in their learning. Well done for embracing AI Junior School!’ – Year 6 parent

‘In Windows into Learning the students were exploring AI using ChatGPT. There were discussions about the benefits and disadvantages of using AI technology. We resolved different problem-solving questions and compared it to the answers that Chat GPT found to further investigate the possibilities with AI. We had the opportunity to look at AI which gave us a better understanding of technology and a beneficial learning experience.‘ – Aria Kissun.

‘Windows Into Learning gave the opportunity for parents to grasp the understanding of what Year 6 has been doing in our classrooms. Parents were able to have a fun learning experience with their child and have morning tea in the Year 6 courtyards to mingle with other parents and peers.’ – Janet Song and Chloe Deng

Junior School Parent Group (JSPG) working as a team to send our Year 6 girls to Paris in Springtime!

A heartfelt thank you to our JSPG volunteers who worked to send our Year 6 girls to Paris for their Springtime in Paris parent daughter dance last weekend. What a glorious Parisienne spirit there was at this event. I am aware of the hours of planning, organising resources and set up/clear up there is involved in any of these events and I thank you all, on behalf of your daughters, for the magical memories you offer them as they share these experiences with their friends.

Teamwork in Learning – Collaboration – Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School – Academics

“A boat doesn’t go forward if each one is rowing their own way.” – Swahili proverb

As our girls develop teamwork skills in sport, they are also developing skills to work collaboratively with peers in their learning. Across Kindergarten to Year 6, our teachers provide opportunities for the girls to work together whether in pairs or small groups across all subject areas in rich engaging, often complex activities. Our teachers also work collaboratively to plan lessons and develop activities for our girls.

Working interdependently and synergistically in teams, the girls make decisions and overcome hurdles and challenges. They contribute their ideas and learn to reflect on the contribution of their peers. In collaborative tasks the girls also develop skills in communication and accountability, where they must all engage in the task at hand to achieve a strong result. They are working for a common purpose and goal.

“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things” – Mother Teresa.

As our girls develop their skills, they understand the importance of valuing each member of the group, hearing their ideas and contributions and the strengths they bring. Being collaborative can be quite challenging for our quieter students who perhaps prefer to work independently. However, by understanding how each student works in their group, each member, whether they are introvert or extrovert, have a role to play and their voice is valued. They are not just occupying the physical space rather they are involved in and are part of the intellectual space. We want our girls to stretch their existing knowledge and continue to develop their academic strengths.

“Sometimes collaborating with my friends is tricky as we need to listen to each other and share our ideas. It is really good when people listen to my ideas and it makes me feel heard but it is hard when people don’t listen to each other.” – Marisa Nayak (Year 2)

“I like working with my friends as we can share ideas and combine them together to make our ideas even better.”- Jelena Peng (Year 2)

“Working with other people is good when you listen to each other. My friends have really good ideas so I like combining our ideas together.” – Sophia Thach (Year 1)

“I like working with my friends as it is more fun than working by myself.” – Kelly Ni (Year )

“When we work together it is really important to listen carefully, take turns and hear everyone’s good ideas.” – Neve Sadananda (Year 1)

“When you listen to someone else it gives you new ideas and not just your own thoughts.” Sofia Novak and Chloe Pedersen (Year 5)

“If there is a really hard problem, you can work together to solve it and we might use different strategies.” Michelle Ng and Angela Zhu (Year 5)

“When working with someone if I don’t know the answer the other person might.” Melody C (Year 5)

Kindergarten Incursion- Catherine Casey, Kindergarten Coordinator

What are forces? How do we use push and pull forces to move ourselves and objects? These are some of the questions that Kindergarten have been investigating as part of our science unit this term, We like to move it, move it!

On Thursday May 25, Kindergarten were visited by Ranger Jamie Tours for an incursion filled with movement and excitement. We have been discovering that scientists observe, investigate and solve problems. The girls had an amazing time working co-operatively to make a paper rocket. It was wonderful to see them listening to each other and working together to solve dilemmas and work through mistakes. The rockets were then pushed into the sky with air pressure, and it was so fascinating watching to see how far they could go. Kindergarten took turns pulling billycarts for our friends and talked about how the more force we use, the faster our billycart will travel. We also experimented with using forces to change speed and direction. The girls took time out in nature to look for bugs and closely observe how they use push and pull forces to move. Then it was slime time! Kindergarten got messy making Oobleck out of cornflour and water. We used push and pull forces to manipulate the slime and form it into shapes.

It was a wonderful day filled with scientific wonderings and hands on learning!

Around the Grounds – Kate Giles, Lead Co-ordinator (K-3)

Kindergarten to Year 3 are using both the URSTRONG friendship program and the Kimochis program in Compass lessons this term. These research-based programs focus on teaching social-emotional skills such as communication, self-management, problem solving and resilience, with the focus on friendship and social connections. The girls have specifically been working on communication skills to collaborate with each other in a variety of different activities.

Kindergarten

In Kindergarten this week, the girls have been working in teams from across the grade to work together to achieve a goal. This focus on teamwork and collaboration was also seen during the Kindergarten Science Incursion, where the girls grew their understanding of push and pull by working in teams to create rockets and billycarts.

Year 1

In Year 1 the girls have been focusing on building and understanding their safety network. The girls have been discussing what to do if they feel worried, scared or unsafe and identifying those trusted adults who they can talk to and who always listen to them. This week, Year 1 are also focusing on care and how to show care towards others when working in a team. The girls have enjoyed building a tower in teams as well as creating a collaborative artwork with a group to build their communication and collaboration skills.

“I learnt that my mummy, daddy, my neighbour, Mrs Cook and Mrs Giles are all part of my safety network and I can talk to them when I need to.” – Lua Jung

“We need a safety network because when we feel uncomfortable, we can talk to a trusted grown-up about our feelings.” – Flora Wu

Year 2

Year 2 have been considering who they value and what makes them so special as they focus on gratitude. They created a portrait of someone who is special to them and reflected thoughtfully on what made that person so special.

“We spoke about people we value. I value my mum because she makes me feel happy and safe.” – Kaymi Madugalle Wijeratne

“I liked when we drew our special person portrait as I liked thinking about who is important to me.” – Chloe Pan

Year 3

This Term Year 3 have started the UpSchool Initiative as part of their Compass lessons. This service initiative involves the girls working collaboratively through the creation of their own story books to help change the way people think about the world. The girls are passionately considering what is important to them and how they want to see change in their world. They will then continue to create, illustrate and publish these books as the year progresses. Look out for their published books later this year!

“I am so excited to get to write my own book and have it look like a real one.” – Nadya Faheem

We encourage you to talk and reflect with your daughter about her learning during Compass lessons.

Blossoming Minds are running Circle of Security Parenting groups in June and August. These workshops aim to help parents of young children understand their child’s emotional needs and regulation, foster self-esteem and strengthen their child’s security.

In Italian lessons, our Kindergarten to Year 2 girls are loving exploring different aspects of the Italian language and culture.

“I liked making my own ‘pesce’ story.”- Charlotte Wang (Year 2)

“I liked writing a puppet show with my friend Alice.” – Claire Xu (Year 1)

“I love the ‘adesso’ song.”- Iyla Jolapara (Kindergarten)

Around the Grounds – Jayne Mercer, Lead Co-ordinator (4-6)

Year 4

In Mathematics Year 4 have been investigating the concepts of volume and capacity. Through practical activities they have looked into the difference between them, what formal units we use to measure volume and capacity and how to convert between the different units of measure.

Year 5

Recently Year 5 invited Georgia from Year 12 to join their Performing Arts lessons. In preparation for the upcoming showcase the girls participated in a workshop with Georgia and learnt about Indigenous dance movements from Gomoroi Land. Students had a great time dancing to various Indigenous movements. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for dedicating your time with us Georgia!

ySafe

Students today live in a digitally connected world.

Common topics of conversation between parents and educators are around the amount of time children are spending online, the games they are playing, the social media accounts they are accessing and how to protect children online.

During Week 7 students in Years 1 to 6 will be participating in workshops run by ySafe.

ySafe are a leading provider in Australia and deliver age-appropriate content to students on how to stay safe online.

On Tuesday June 6 ySafe will run an online session for all Junior School Parents from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.

Protecting children in their digital worlds is an ever-evolving task for Australian families. Now more than ever, parents are looking for guidance on how to manage screen time and navigate the world of games and social media.

We are therefore pleased to help our parent community by offering a crucial and engaging education session with ySafe, Australia’s leading provider of cyber safety education. This practical, strategy-rich session will cover the most important points that all families need to know about online safety, covering key information about social media and gaming, screen time recommendations and step-by-step instructions on how to set up a cyber-safe home for children of all ages.

If you’ve ever struggled with getting your children off their games and into bed, worried about the content of the games that they are playing or felt concerned that your child was spending too much time in the digital world, this workshop is for you!

The link to the session can be found by clicking here.

ySafe have also created an online safety hub for our Junior School. Please click here to access the hub which will provide you will some great information about keeping your family safe online.

We look forward to seeing many of you join us online on Tuesday June 6.

Kindness Day – Call for help!

On Wednesday 14 June we are celebrating our Kindness Day in Junior School which will centre around service. Each year group will be taking part in an activity that will involve giving back to others. We would love to invite following members of our community to assist on the day:

Year 4 – We need knitters and anyone who is able to crochet and assist in putting together the squares our Year 4 girls have knitted this year for the charity – Wrap with Love.

Year 6 – We would love to invite any Grand adults to assist with sewing hearts. The girls will be stitching around felt hearts and we would love some assistance with teaching them how to use embroidery thread. This will be in support of 1000 Hearts Charity.

We are very excited to have some Alumni joining us to assist too.

If you are able to assist please email Alana Hooper at ahooper@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au Many thanks!

Performing Arts Showcase: Archie’s World Music Adventure

You are warmly invited to the 2023 Year 5 Showcase called ‘Archie’s World Music Adventure 2023’. This will be taking place in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts on Friday 16 June from 1.30pm to 2.30pm. Entry is free, and all are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!

Messages from Junior School Administration

To ensure your daughters are not disrupted during class time, could we please request that all deliveries are dropped to the Junior School Admin offices and we will ensure they are delivered to your daughter.

Absent, Late Arrivals/Early Departures, Vacation

If your daughter is late, please remind her to go to the office to sign in so we know she is here. Please help your daughter to arrive at school by 8.10am each morning (unless she has an earlier activity) so she has time to settle into the day with her friends and is ready and calm for her learning in Period 1.

If you daughter is absent from school please enter her absence through the MyPymble App or email juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au .

If your daughter will be away from school for more than 2 days for family leave or other commitments (e.g sport) please complete the Exemption from Attendance Application form on the Portal. Where possible please provide two weeks advance notice.

Lost Property – please help!

We are finding an extraordinary amount of lost property each week, much of which is unnamed. We want our girls to be responsible for their things so please ensure your daughter’s full name is clearly labelled on all items of clothing including socks, hats and lunch items so they can be quickly returned to your daughter

Event and Excursion approval

A reminder to parents to please provide permission for your daughter to attend an event or an excursion. Click this link to view how to. If your daughter has approved leave on the day of the event or excursion please mark not approved to attend.

From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

Past Events

Family Fun Day & Movie Night

Thank you to everyone who attended our Family Fun Day and Movie Night on Saturday 20^th May. We had over 850 people in attendance and it was a wonderful day of fun and entertainment. We hope everyone had a fabulous time.

Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance

Our Year 6 Dance Committee prepared a sensational night at Killara Golf Club last Saturday night. Thank you to everyone who attended, we had over 250 girls and their families. With the theme “Springtime in Paris”, the evening was beautifully crafted to the finest detail and included an array of French décor, food and entertainment. We hope all our families had a très magnifique time!

Upcoming Events

Kindergarten to Year 2 Athletics Carnival Stall (Thursday 8 June)

The Junior School K-2 Athletics Carnival is always an exciting day in the school calendar. The JSPG runs a food and drink stall throughout the day for students and spectators to purchase from. We rely on food and drink donations from our wonderful parents as well as a team to serve throughout the day. Thank you in advance for your help!

Please click here to help participate.

Years 3 to 6 Athletics Carnival Stall (Friday 9 June)

The Junior School Years 3 to 6 Athletics Carnival is always an exciting day in the school calendar. The JSPG runs a food and drink stall throughout the day for students and spectators to purchase from. We rely on food and drink donations from our wonderful parents as well as a team to serve throughout the day. Thank you in advance for your help!