From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
Walking on Wiradurji country last week with a group of Year 6 students brought home to me the power of connecting with nature and community. Uncle Brad, an elder within the community, spoke at length to us about the need to live in harmony with nature and respecting our environment. He also explained the lack of competition within the Indigenous culture and the focus instead on finding and celebrating each person’s strengths to lift up and support the whole community. It was an honour to spend time with the Brewarrina community and lessons and memories I will hold for the rest of my life. This sense of self as part of a greater whole is an important lesson for us to teach our children. Whilst we focus this term on kindness to self, we want our girls to not only realise their unique strengths but to think about how these are valued and can be shared within our community.
I also walked away from this trip, prouder than ever of our Pymble girls. We are the first Junior School invited to spend time at Brewarrina Central School, which in itself is a huge honour, and the Year 6 girls we travelled with were exemplary in terms of their kindness, their resilience in the face of unexpected adventures and their openness to new friends and new experiences. Watching them chat, play and plant trees on country with their new friends at Brewarrina Central School is a lifetime highlight for me. The girls have forged authentic friendships and we are looking forward to continuing to connect and learn from and with these children in the months and years to come.
Whilst on the long journey, the Year 6 girls who travel by train used the time to advocate for Year 6 to be able to walk to the train station by themselves. This is usually an honour bestowed on Year 6 later in the year. Having seen how responsible this group of girls were during the trip, and having listened to their powerfully persuasive arguments, I have agreed to let Year 6 walk to the station on their own in the afternoons. The girls will therefore be allowed to walk in front of the teachers who will continue to walk all other Junior School girls to the station each day.
A kindness to self challenge for us all
As we continue our focus on being kind to ourselves, I have posed a challenge to the Junior School. I would love you, as families, to get involved with this fun challenge over the next two weeks! The challenge is:
Dance a little bit in the morning before you leave the house and see how it changes the way you walk out in the world.
I would love any photos of your family enjoying a little dance before you leave home in the morning! Please send them to me on kbrown@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au and we will share them in our Digital News during assemblies over the next two weeks.
Lent – a time to disconnect and connect
As you know, the period of Lent is now upon us and we are asking the girls to think deeply about a creative or reflective question each day with their family. This is an initiative led by Mrs Nerissa Davey, Deputy Head of Junior School Operations and our Reverends Punam Bent and Lorenzo Rodriguez Torres and a chance for us all to hear a story from each of us within our families. Mr Brown and I will be doing the challenge too with our daughters Hannah (whom we will connect with via Face Time as she is working in a school in the UK before commencing University over there later this year) Sophie and our niece Olivia who is living with us this year as she’s on her post university GAP year. Each week in Chapel we will invite girls to share their responses to these conversation starters. Please click here to see the Lent challenge.
Our Be of Service Superstars
This week I am celebrating the Year 6 girls who travelled to Brewarrina and their families. Each family made a donation so that the girls could help a student from Brewarrina Central School plant a native tree (mainly Acacia trees) on country. Thank you for this gift to those children who will now tend to the trees for many years to come. The trees have been planted by the children outside the Cultural Museum, overlooking the historic fish traps (the oldest human made structure in the world) and therefore an important part of the community.
Our Be of Service Staff Member Superstar
This week I would like to give a shout out to Mrs Tracy Reid from 3R. Over the past 21 years, Tracy has partnered with her cousin to raise funds and purchase Christmas presents for the children who attend Dalwood House and their families. They usually purchase gifts for about 40 to 50 children.
Dalwood House at Seaforth is part of the Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service and provides services for children from families who are facing emotional, physical or financial difficulties. The children need to be referred to attend the centre. Every year a different family touches Tracy’s heart.
A message from Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School – Academics
Throughout the year there will be opportunities for our Junior School girls to participate in various opportunities and competitions. They may have an academic focus, encourage passions and interests or develop leadership skills and may involve a whole year group or a small group of students. Set out below are some of the current opportunities for the girls.
Internal and External Academic Opportunities
Sokratis Junior – Years 3 to 6
This week in Assembly we launched Sokratis Junior for Years 3 to 6. The theme is “What matters to me.” Girls are expected to work independently to complete this research project, developing an inquiry question, completing research on their topic, and creating a presentation. In Term 4 parents will be invited to attend the Sokratis Junior Showcase.
Girls will be working on their Sokratis Junior project once a fortnight at school and they are responsible for catching up on work from mixed lessons. This opportunity will be open to 80 Junior School girls across Years 3 to 6. Girls have been asked to write an expression of interest on why they would like to participate in Sokratis Junior which is due by Friday 24 February.
OzKidsinPrint – Kindergarten to Year 6
Calling all budding writers, poets and artists who would like to see their work published!
Girls in Kindergarten to Year 6 are invited to submit short stories, artwork or poetry as part of the OzKids in Print Competition. Student work may be chosen to be printed in the OzKids magazine throughout the year or selected as an overall winner. Entries close September 2023. For more information please visit: https://ozkids.com.au Girls are asked to submit work to Mrs Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School –Academics, who will upload work on behalf of students.
National History Challenge – Years 4 to 6
The National History Challenge is a research based competition for Australian students. The 2023 theme for the challenge is “Change and Continuity”. There are eight special categories students can enter: Australia’s Wartime Experiences, Democracy Matters, History of Sport, Indigenous History, Australian Women’s History, Using Primary Sources, Asia and Australia and Museum Exhibit. The theme “Change and Continuity” needs to be incorporated in the special category entry.
Entries are to be submitted online before 25 August 2023. If your daughter is interested in undertaking research work as a historian, please email Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School – Academics at lbird@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
HARK Refugee Clinic
As part of the College’s focus on service, we will be supporting HARK Refugee Clinic at the Children’s Hospital Westmead. We are seeking donations of new stationery items to assist students at school. This could include lead or coloured pencils, pencil cases, pens, texters, exercise books, scissors and other small stationery items. These items can be brought to school by your daughter or dropped at the Junior School offices. If you have any questions, please email kgiles@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. We thank you for helping support this initiative.
Uniform and Appearance
All students are expected to wear their uniform correctly and with pride. Uniforms cannot be mixed with each season. Junior School has a strict ‘no hat no play policy’, please ensure your daughter has her bucket play hat at school every day. The navy ‘P’ cap is only to be used for sport not PE lessons or in the playground. The Junior School raincoat should be packed in your daughter’s school bag every day. Please make sure that your daughter’s uniform is named.
Jewellery: please note that the girls are only permitted to wear plain gold or silver studs as earrings. Whilst sparkly and gemstone earrings are beautiful, they should only be worn on weekends (not to Saturday sport) or during school holidays. Girls are permitted to wear a religious necklace as long as it is not visible over her uniform. Please do not send your daughter with a smart watch that can receive texts, emails or phone calls. Girls are not permitted these devices during the school day.
Please refer to pages 32 and 33 of your daughter’s student diary for further information.
Car line
Parents are reminded that parking along the LOWER Road is not permitted at any time.
Please be aware that girls arriving before 7.45am must attend Out of School Hours Care. Our playgrounds are not supervised before 7.45am.
From 7.45am, staff will be in attendance at car line and in the playgrounds. Students in Kindergarten to Year 6 may enter grade spaces to put their belongings in their lockers.
Please do not arrive before 2.30pm in the afternoon. Girls are escorted to car line after the conclusion of the school day at 2.45pm. We do our best to ensure drop off and pick up is a smooth process but we need your help! Please be patient with the queues at the start of this term and please only arrive at the set times. Once co-curricular activities start, car line becomes much quicker.
Parents are reminded to remain in their car for the safety of both girls and adults and to assist with traffic flow. If you are delayed in collecting your daughter please be reassured that she will be taken to Out of School Hours Care until your arrival.
Our Week in Learning
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
A big thank you to all our parents who attended the JSPG Breakfast functions over the past two weeks. It was fantastic to connect with you all and enjoy a lovely breakfast together hank you to the Community Engagement team for hosting us in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts. Welcome to our new families who were able to attend, it was great to have the opportunity to meet you all. Also thank you to Mrs Brown and Mrs Bird for attending.
We are looking forward to catching up with families tomorrow night at the Pymble Parent Association Icebreaker from 6.45pm to 9.00pm on Gloucester Lawn.
Also, please note that our New Parents’ High Tea will be held on Friday 24th March. Details will be sent out via the MyPymble app shortly.
We have two class events coming up. Please see the attached flyers for more information.
This Sunday 26 February, there will be a park play date for 1C at St Ives Village playground.
On Friday 10 March, there is a Mum’s Morning Tea being held for 3M.
Hope you have a wonderful week.
JSPG Relationship Leaders
Key Dates
| Friday 24 February | Year 3 Ranger Jamie Incursion |
| Friday 24 February | PPA Icebreaker Event 6.45pm – 9.00pm |
| Wednesday 1 March | Kindy Explore Pymble and Nature Immersion |
| Thursday 2 March | JSPG Term 1 Meeting |
| Thursday 2 March | K-6 Class Photos – All girls in full summer uniform please |
| Monday 6 March – Friday 17 March | Duckling Hatchlings visit Kindergarten girls |
| Thursday 9 March | Australian Reading Hour – 1.30pm |
| Thursday 9 March | Academic Series: Being a Junior Mathematician on Campus 6.00pm – 7.00pm |
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School