From the Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate progress – International Women’s Day 2024

Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate progress is the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day. I am proud of the way in which we are, as a Junior School, investing in each girl within our school and ensuring she is equipped with the mindset, skills and knowledge to be confident and connected in her future world.

With our focus on growing a STEM mindset we are ensuring our girls are developing their inquisitiveness, critical thinking skills, collaboration, resilience, creativity, innovation, communication and ethical and social responsibility. Empowering young women with STEM is not just about equipping them with skills; it’s about lighting their curiosity and a belief they are the architects of tomorrow’s innovations.

International Women’s Day – Our Marvellous Mathematical Mums

A huge thank you to those of you who were able to submit videos for our Mathematics is in our daily life video. I am so grateful and proud of the video you’ve created together. Please click this link to watch the video.

I will be looking to create more videos on different themes throughout the year so please look out for more invitations to be involved.

Social Responsibility

In our fast paced technical world, it’s important that we also equip our girls with an authentic sense of social compassion and responsibility. Our Sustainability club have been busy making a positive impact in our world.

A message from the Junior School Sustainability Club – Mrs Heidi Lynch & Mrs Geraldine Roberts

It has been a busy week for our Sustainability Leaders, kicking off our first Sustainability Club session by launching our own “Clean Up Pymble” event Sustainability Captains from Year 1 to 6, donned gloves and smiles as they walked the playgrounds with a mission to create a clean and natural playing environment, whilst also reducing the risk for our bird life and animals sharing the campus.

The rubbish was sorted into recyclable materials and general waste which fostered many rich conversations and sharing of ideas of how to promote recycling and limit waste within the College. We are excited to build on these ideas and see our captains inspire the wider Junior School community! We are also incredibly proud of two of our Sustainability leaders, Katelyn Gu and Sophie Ahn who volunteered on the weekend in Turramurra for Clean-up Australia day alongside their parents and Mrs Heidi Lynch and Miss Avalon Treharne. Thank you girls for being such passionate leaders.

A message from Mr Stephen Robinson – Acting Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations

Ride Safely to School Day

Friday 22 March is National Ride Safely to School Day. This wonderful initiative is the largest celebration of active travel and one of the best ways to start the school day. We invite students to participate in various ways:

Ride a bike or scooter to school with a parent or family member;
Meet Mrs Brown and other members of the Junior School at Pymble Station at 7.45am to ride (bike or scooter) to school as a group. Please complete this form to register; or
Bring your bike or scooter along to participate in a range of activities at lunchtime.

All students participating in National Ride Safely to School Day must have a properly fitted helmet when riding.

A message from Mrs Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School – Academic

Academic Learning Discussions

Academic Learning Discussions will be held in Week 8. Parents and carers of girls in Kindergarten to Year 6 have been sent information and a link to book an interview with their daughter’s Compass Teacher.

Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 March Academic Learning Discussions will be face to face on campus.

Wednesday 20 March Academic Learning Discussions will be online via Microsoft Teams.

Academic Series for Parents

Our first Academic Series for parents will take place on Tuesday 26 March (Week 9) from 3.30pm to 5.00pm. The focus will be on “Reading with your daughter” (between 3.30pm and 4.00pm) and “Being a Junior Mathematician” (between 4.00pm and 5.00pm). These workshops will take place in the Junior School Library and John Reid Hall.

A message from Mrs Kate Giles – Head of Wellbeing K-6

Importance of sleep

Research has shown that one of the most important tools to support learning and wellbeing is sleep. As a part of our College Wellbeing focus, your daughter recently brought home a copy of a sleep tracker and was asked to reflect honestly on her sleep habits for a week to learn more about her body and understand her needs.

In Compass Directions lessons, the girls have been discussing the importance of sleep for their physical, mental and emotional development. Adequate sleep is directly linked to improved attention span, memory consolidation, and overall cognitive function. In addition, a good night’s sleep also enhances mood regulation and emotional resilience, which are crucial aspects of the girls’ development.

Establishing healthy sleep habits during childhood not only sets a positive foundation for their current wellbeing, but it also commences lifelong practices that contribute to long term health and wellbeing. We hope that we can work together to support the girls to increase their sleep and ease their capacity to fall asleep.

Should you want further information about sleep, there are a number of resources available through the following websites:

Sleep Health Foundation

The Sleep Connection

A message from Miss Penny Charalambous – Junior School House Coordinator

During Years 3 to 6 Assembly on Monday, some of our enthusiastic House Leaders showcased a teaser of what is to come with Jump Rope for Heart. Their energy was infectious as they demonstrated some of their skipping skills and shared their excitement for this fantastic initiative.

Between Weeks 7 and 11, dedicated lunch times will be allocated for students to hone their skipping skills in preparation for the inaugural House Skipping showcase on 12th of April. This will provide an excellent opportunity for our students to have fun while promoting heart health and exploring the importance and benefits of regular movement. The next few weeks are sure to be filled with joy, laughter and community spirit as our students demonstrate their newfound skipping prowess.

We encourage you to support your child’s participation in this initiative and cheer them on! Look for the QR code on the Parent and Guardian Guide and keychain coming home after our House picnic lunch on Friday, when we will officially launch the program.

Junior School Digital News

A message from the Junior School Administration Office

Lost Property – please help!

Please check that all your daughter’s items are named including socks, hats, lunch boxes and drink bottles. All unnamed items are stored in the K-2 Upper Performing Arts Room and will be disposed of if not claimed.

Mobile Phones and Smart Watches

A reminder that girls are not permitted to use their phone or wear their smart watch during the day. They must be turned off and placed in her school bag on arrival at school. Should you need to contact your daughter, please phone the Junior School Office on 9855 7700 to pass along a message.

Term 1 2024 Key Dates

Friday 8 March International Women’s Day

Friday 8 March House Picnic Lunch

Saturday 9 March IPSHA Saturday Sport

Monday 11 March – Wednesday 13 March Year 6 Outdoor Education Program Group 1

Wednesday 13 March – Friday 15 March Year 6 Outdoor Education Program Group 2

Wednesday 13 March Year 3 and 5 Naplan: Writing

Thursday 14 March Year 3 and 5 NAPLAN: Reading & Grammar

Thursday 14 March Pi Day

Thursday 14 March Junior School Open Evening

Friday 15 March NAPLAN: Numeracy

From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

A big thank you to everyone who came along to the Icebreaker last Friday night. It was wonderful to see so many old and new faces come together and celebrate the 2024 school year.

Congratulations to our Junior School girls who ran in the Cross Country carnival this week – thankfully the rescheduled date proved much more suitable for this event weather-wise.

JSPG Pedal Your Own Smoothie – Wednesday 27 March

The Years 3 to 6 girls will be promoting healthy living, exercise and sustainability by making their own healthy pedal-powered smoothies with a blender bike. Funds raised from this event will be donated to the Barbara May Foundation. This activity is always lots of fun and fits in well with our Pymble Pulse theme this year!

Please register here by Sunday 24 March 2024.

JSPG Family Movie Night – Saturday 6 April

Please save the date for our JSPG Family Movie Night on Saturday 6 April. We are planning a BBQ dinner, followed by a G rated movie on the Main Oval. This is our only full Junior School family event together – come along and enjoy the beautiful backdrop of the College as the sun sets. We’ve moved the date forward this year while the weather is still warm. Funds raised from this event will be donated to the Junior School to help purchase additional learning resources for our girls. Look out for the invitation this week!

Upcoming Events

Year 2 Mum’s Night – Friday 22 March

Please join us from 6pm at 465 The Avenue, Chatswood. Welcome drink and canapes included. Please RSVP by 10 March – please see the flyer for details.

Kindergarten Easter Egg Hunt – Saturday 23 March

Join us for an Easter Egg Hunt for Kindy at Bicentennial Park West Pymble. Please see the flyer for details.

Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt – Sunday 24 March

Hop on over for our Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt at Bicentennial Park West Pymble. Please see the flyer for details and RSVP to your Parent Year Coordinators.

Please contact us with any questions or feedback at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com

Year 2 Mums’ Night – Friday 22 March

Please join us from 6.00pm at 465 The Avenue, Chatswood. Welcome drink and canapes included. Please RSVP by 10 March by clicking here.

Save the Date: Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt – Sunday 24 March