From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
Welcome back to Term 2. I hope you have all enjoyed a break from the routine of school term and for those of you lucky enough to travel to see family, I hope special memories have been created.
I wish a happy Easter to those in our community who celebrate Orthodox Easter this weekend.
This term, we extend a warm welcome to Abigail Zheng and Momo Xiao (Kindergarten), Kylie Fong (Year 2), Jennifer Chi (Year 3), Catherine Wang (Year 4), Yiyi Wang and Susie Han (Year 6) and their families, who have joined our Junior School family. I look forward to getting to know you all over the coming weeks.
This term we are looking forward to our inaugural STEAM Festival on Friday 28 June which also serves as our K-6 Windows into Learning for Semester 1. Please note that there will also be an afternoon performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Thursday 27 June at 6.00pm, for those parents who are unable to attend the STEAM Festival (or who would like to watch both performances!)
As educators we are committed to finding effective ways to nurture our girls’ extraordinary minds and to challenge them as thinkers. Life is unpredictable and we know that many of the jobs our girls will enjoy in their future are yet to be imagined, so it’s important that we teach our girls to be learners, to be observant and receptive to learning opportunities and to question everything. Children are naturally inquisitive and yet often education in the past channelled that natural curiosity into rote learning facts, algorithms and content. Whilst explicit learning is still crucial there is an equally compelling need for space and time in the curriculum for our children to wonder, think and walk away with more questions than answers. Way back in the 1700s this was noted by Samuel Johnson who is credited as a notable literary figure and creator of one of the earliest English dictionaries, who said, ‘curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous mind’.
To be successful globally our girls will need a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of people and events so they are equipped to form independent opinions, to challenge the veracity of ‘facts’ presented to them by AI and to ensure they can make a positive impact in their world and be confident doing so.
Creativity and STEM sit together in empowering students to form ideas – ideas that may then become extraordinary innovations or artworks of any form. This determination to empower our girls to be flexible thinkers who seek out challenge and have a hunger for learning is why we focus on interactive, real world focused learning rather than worksheets or reliance on one way of problem solving. Teaching our girls to make up their mind and articulate their understanding carefully after checking the evidence and processing perspectives and possibilities means they’re much more likely to not just cope with, but thrive on, change in their world and be leaders of that change.
Whilst reading over the term break, I read this quote which resonated with me and our approach to teaching and learning here at Pymble; ‘If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.’ We know that each girl deserves to think that she can if she is prepared to approach new learning with an open mind, courage, kindness to herself and determination and the safety of knowing that we are all here (parents and educators) to support her on that journey.
The Mighty May Challenge
This week Dr Hadwen and some of our senior girls are launching our Pymble Pulse initiative to Step Up and Push Up for better physical and mental health, together. This initiative is linked to the national Push Up Challenge which begins on Wednesday 5 June 2024.
Within the Junior School we will only be participating in the Mighty May challenge, which is the lead up to the actual push up challenge and we will primarily focus on stepping up or pushing up (with a range of options for how to push up) each day. Stepping up involves the girls literally going up and down a step a specific number of times each day during May and understanding that they are doing it purposefully for the challenge. Starting with one step up on Wednesday 1 May and progressing up to 31 step ups on Friday 31 May, we hope these simple exercises will continue to promote our positive focus on movement and give the girls a sense of our Pymble Pulse as we face this challenge within Compass classes and as staff teams too.
As we introduce the Mighty May challenge to our girls in Kindergarten to Year 6, we will focus on how this is supporting our College wide focus on positive wellbeing and learning skills (such as simple exercises) as a strategy to help regulate big feelings, anxiety and negative self-thoughts.
We are not promoting the actual Push Up Challenge or charity for our Junior School girls as we are mindful of their age and the potential heaviness of conversations the Push Up Challenge focus may bring into your homes. We are only doing the Mighty May challenge as a community building activity and a focus on positive movement.
Creative Writing Club for Year 5
I am excited to announce a creative writing opportunity for Year 5 students. This year Mrs Bird and I will be leading Creative Writing Club (CWC) for girls who have passion and aptitude for creative writing. Given the popularity of creative writing club last year we are looking to expand the opportunity to more girls this year by offering two opportunities across Term 2 and Term 3.
In Term 2 we will focus on fractured fairytales and in Term 3 we will focus on graphic novels. The Term 2 and the Term 3 units are separate allowing different girls to be selected to participate, as necessary. These workshops will involve weekend commitments as well as one lunch time a week throughout the term. It’s important that girls who are selected are available and self-motivated during these sessions as whilst we will be guiding their skills and growth as writers, we will expect them to be intrinsically motivated and capable of using the given time effectively.
During the program, the girls will explore traditional fairy tales from around the world. We will then investigate the aspects of a ‘fractured’ fairytale and challenge the girls with writing their own fractured fairytale. Mr Turnbull has also offered to mentor the girls in building skills with AI to create aspects of their published fairytale ready for the showcase at the end of the program.
Families will be invited to celebrate their daughter’s passion as a writer at the end of the program with an afternoon tea showcase.
The schedule for the fractured fairytale workshops is:
Saturday 18 May: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Sunday 19 May: 1.00pm to 4.00pm (as Mrs Brown will be running the Lindfield Fun Run that morning with many of our JS girls to promote kindness in our community)
Tuesday 21 May – lunchtime
Tuesday 28 May – lunchtime
Tuesday 4 June – lunchtime (this will be quiet independent working time supervised in Hedgehog House, as Mrs Brown, Mrs Bird and some of our Year 5 girls will be at the Children’s Kindness Convention)
Tuesday 11 June – lunchtime
Tuesday 18 June – lunchtime
Sunday 23 June: 10.00am to 4.00pm *noting that there will be a ‘showcase’ of the girls’ work at 3.00pm on that day.
The schedule for Term 3 will follow a similar pattern for those girls selected for that group, and will be as follows:
Saturday 3 August: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Sunday 4 August: 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Tuesday 6 August: lunchtime
Tuesday 13 August: lunchtime
Tuesday 20 August: lunchtime
Tuesday 27 August: lunchtime
Tuesday 3 September: lunchtime
Sunday 8 September 10.00am to 4.00pm *noting that there will be a showcase of the girls work at 4.00pm on that day.
I am excited to announce that we have been fortunate to be given the opportunity this year to collaborate with Kate Temple, internationally acclaimed children’s author of many picture books (the Bin Chicken series, Room on our Rock and others), the Trilby Moffat series and the Under Dogs series. Kate Temple will be working with all Year 5 students this term and then will work with a smaller group of girls over additional workshops. We will aim to ensure diversity of opportunity for our Year 5 girls so girls who participate in this Creative Writing Club (the 2 programs across Term 2 and Term 3) will most likely not be selected to work with Kate Temple in the small groups.
Please have a conversation with your daughter about these opportunities and whether this is something she is interested in and will be passionate enough to commit to. If she is interested please ask her to complete this form by clicking here as her expression of interest by Friday 10 May.
A reminder about our Junior School Dads’ Sport team – calling all Dads!
Percy Yang, one of our JSPG Relationship Leaders and a current Junior School dad has had the brilliant idea of setting up a social Dad’s sports team. Please click on this link to express your interest in the sports suggested for this initiative.
A message from Mrs Lara Bird – Deputy Head of Junior School – Academic
ICAS
The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) will be held in Term 3. These assessments will be available to students in Years 3 to 6 and held before school. These assessments will include Writing, English, Mathematics, Spelling and Science.
Not all schools enter these competitions, and some schools enter only their high achieving students. This is a voluntary competition and will be held before school.
Australian Mathematics Trust
The Australian Mathematics Competition will be held in Term 3 for students in Years 3 to 6. This assessment is a voluntary competition and will be held before school.
Further information will be provided to parents via a portal notice on how to sign up for these assessments.
A message from Mr Stephen Robinson – Acting Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations
STEAM Festival – Student Marketplace
Preparations for the STEAM Festival, to be held on the last day of Term 2 are well underway. This week I spoke to students in Years 3-6 and invited them to sign up to hold a STEAM themed market stall. Stalls can be operated individually, or collaboratively in groups up to five students. Please register your child’s market stall via this link.
Lost Property
With the cooler months fast approaching, students are starting to wear layers of clothes. Please ensure that all items are clearly labelled. A white marker can be used to label dark clothing. At present, the lost property room is overflowing with a range of unnamed hats, jackets. Students and parents can access this room before and after school.
Mother’s Day (and Special Persons) Celebration
A message from Mrs Kate Giles – Head of Wellbeing K-6
Parent Wellbeing Series
Due to added interest, we are holding a second session on ‘How to help your daughter with her emotions’. The session will be the same as the one held earlier this term and will focus on emotional regulation and how to help your daughter manage her emotions. You will also hear from Heidi Lynch, Kindergarten Co-ordinator and Tracy Reid, Year 3 Co-ordinator about the programs used in the classroom. The session will be held on Thursday 9 May at 8.30am in the 3-6 Library. Please sign up using this link.
Running Kilometres for Kindness at the Lindfield Fun Run
The Junior School Kindness Club invite you to run kilometres for Kindness on Sunday 19 May. The event, the Lindfield Fun Run is a Rotary Club community event with proceeds going to local community charities. Participants can walk, jog or run 2km, 5km or 10km while raising money for charity.
To join us, please sign up and select the Junior School team when registering using this link. Mrs Brown, Mrs Giles and Mr Schweinberger have all already signed up to run with the girls on the day.
Please note that a parent or carer is needed to attend with their daughter at the event. We look forward to the event and joining together as a Junior School community to run kilometres for kindness on Sunday 19 May!
Around the Grounds
Term 2 2024 Key Dates
Friday 3 May Individual student catch up photo day
Friday 3 May Bowden Brae Visit
Friday 3 to Sunday 5 May Years 4-12 Eisteddfod Intensive Weekend
Saturday 4 May IPSHA Sport Commences and Dance Intensive weekend
Monday 6 May Year 5 and Year 11 Buddy program – Period 5
Thursday 9 May Wellbeing Series: Kimochis 8.30am to 9.30am – John Reid Hall
Friday 10 May Mother’s Day Event – 12.30pm to 2.15pm
Saturday 11 May IPSHA Saturday sports commence
Sunday 12 May Mother’s Day
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
A warm welcome back to our Pymble families, and a big welcome to our new families joining us this term. We hope you all enjoyed the term break and are well rested coming into Term 2.
Thanks again to our Junior School Administration team who have provided the updated list of Junior School and JSPG Events for the year in the MyPymble notices this week. We hope this will help you to manage your calendars and plan for the terms ahead.
Here is a list of links to our WhatsApp groups for each year group if haven’t already joined and would like to. From there, you will be able to find the links to join your class groups as well.
Kindergarten
Parent Year Coordinator: Freda Liu and Tara Navaratnam
https://chat.whatsapp.com/Cj0jvVWnPdNBIW3xfQPTyk
Year 1
Parent Year Coordinators: Emma Kerle and Dee Jolapara
https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jo7y7YWxo7gIAoYNi4NBA4
Year 2
Parent Year Coordinators: Selina Kadeer and Elaine Yu
https://chat.whatsapp.com/E21IOdALGpe9DGPz7codub
Year 3
Parent Year Coordinators: Krystal Ma and Cindy Dowling
https://chat.whatsapp.com/IqxaGv86QbtJR1UM5tPp80
Year 4
Parent Year Coordinators: Fatima Khamash and Cheryl Wang Shi
https://chat.whatsapp.com/GPuTrecTqcq4P2JgdT1Wxz
Year 5
Parent Year Coordinators: Katrina Jones and Laura Walsh
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BCKQrms2RhEJuJ1JtRIRFS
Year 6
Parent Year Coordinators: Maria Guo and Edwina Burns
https://chat.whatsapp.com/LRwftpbqX56BT8qBspKLDX
Upcoming Events
- Junior School Mothers Day Lunch – 12.30pm to 2.00pm
This year, the Junior School welcomes Mums and special persons to join their daughters for lunch at school and celebrate Mothers Day within the Junior School. Please BYO picnic lunch, and stay for grade assemblies after lunch. Archie’s Café and Jacaranda Café are also available for parents to purchase lunch on the way in if needed.
Please note that girls must stay until the end of the school day. There will be no early departures permitted.
- JSPG Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance
Year 6 Parents, you are warmly invited to the Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance on Saturday 25 May from 6.30pm to 9.30pm at Killara Golf Club. This event is one of the most anticipated Year 6 traditions in the Junior School, before the girls move on to Secondary School. The theme for this year’s dance is ‘Springtime in Paris’.
Tickets are on sale now here. We look forward to celebrating with you and your daughter on this special night!
- PPA Year 4 Mother and Daughter Camp
Year 4 Mums, please save the date – Saturday 1 to Sunday 2 June, staying overnight at Vision Valley. There will be lots of fun activities to do together. Don’t miss this special opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with our girls. The invitation will be available on MyPymble over the coming week.
- PPA Trivia Night
The PPA warmly invites you to our annual Trivia Night on Saturday 22 June 2024. Create your own table of ten or we’ll seat you with others from your year group to meet new people! Fantastic prizes will be won and auctioned throughout the night and raffle tickets are available for advance purchase. All proceeds will go towards the Teacher and Staff Development Program and the Thank You Lunch on World Teachers’ Day.
Please note this is a parent-only event and registration is essential. Tickets are available for purchase here. Please RSVP by Wednesday 12 June.
Please contact us with any questions at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School