From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
Happy Mother’s Day
This weekend we wish our wonderful mums and grandmas a very happy Mother’s Day. Whilst for many families this is a weekend of celebration, for others this is a time of sadness. To all our families who are not with their mums, for whatever reason, I wish you a day of peace and strength.
We are looking forward to celebrating our inspirational women together as a community tomorrow and the girls are excited to share the song they have been practising within their grade as part of their gift of gratitude and love to you all. We are very lucky that this year our fabulous Pymble Foundation Board have generously given a gift for each girl to pass on to her mother. The girls are busy adding their own creativity to this gift in readiness for the weekend.
Super women in STEM
As you know, we are determined to close the gender gap in STEM pathways for our girls and their futures. We know that our girls need to be competent in many different skills to ensure they can strive confidently towards their dreams in their adventures at school and in their journeys beyond school.
Here is a short video, The Dream Gap, which resonates deeply with me as I think about our girls and their futures. I am deeply proud of the journey we are already on with our girls, and I am grateful for your constant support in fostering a mindset in your girls of dreaming big and believing in themselves. Please click here to watch the video.
The video emphasises how important it is for our young girls to have role models to look up to so they know they can realise their full potential, just like the strong female role models they know and love. I know all the mums, aunts, grandmas in our community are all phenomenal role models and as part of our ongoing STEM focus and in the lead up to our STEAM Festival on Friday 28 June 2024, I would love to ascertain how many of you are engaged in STEM-focused careers.
I know we have many entrepreneurs in our community and many of you work in technology, finance, product design, architecture, software design and engineering. I would love to hear from all of you! Please click here if you are happy to help me collate data of how many STEM Superwomen we have within our community.
I am so proud of the many different opportunities your daughters have at school to build the mindset they need. As a quick snapshot of these first two weeks of Term 2, here are some of the many examples of STEM learning our girls are enjoying this term:
Kindergarten – is learning about push and pull forces and have studied the movement of billycarts. They are also very excited that they have a construction play space set up in their common area supervised by Gerald the Giraffe!
Year 1 – is thinking about the differences between day and night and learning to collate data which they will later use to inform a prototype design. They are also developing algorithmic thinking through the instructions they are following as they learn to code using Scratch and build LEGO robots.
Year 2 – is collecting and analysing data on wind speed, wind direction and rainfall… so they are loving this soggy weather!
Year 3 – is developing their algorithmic thinking using LEGO Spike and Turing Tumbles. Year 3 is also excited to launch our inaugural Junior School LEGO Masters as they are going to be constructing their designs for the new learning spaces they will be learning within in 2026. The girls are also being challenged with thinking of the name they would like to see for the building to reflect their learning. I am excited to see their dreams and thinking!
Year 4 – is exploring heat conduction and investigating how light bends and the energy generated by turbines and solar charged cars.
Year 5 – is continuing their Mission to Mars including rocket designs and designing equipment to ensure the safe landing of their rover. They are honing their coding skills to automate the rover to safely navigate the terrain of Mars. As our continued focus on sustainable practices, the girls are also investigating processes to maintain life on the journey to Mars and whilst on Mars.
Year 6 – is investigating sustainable agriculture practices. They have now met their learning partner, our Pymble designed Chatbot Maisy Meadow Mouse, who will help as the girls shape their questions and wonderings over the term.
Bike Mechanics in the Junior School
Last week, we launched our inaugural Bike Mechanics Club for some of our engineering enthusiasts who were lucky to be selected for their passion and curiosity. These girls will be working with Mr Justin Raymond, Deputy Principal and Ben Larsen, Pedals Plus at Gordon who will come and run a bike maintenance workshop with the girls this term.
Creative Writing Club for Year 5 for this year.
Please remember that closing date for Expressions of Interest for Year 5 Creative Writing Club is tomorrow at 8.00am. If your Year 5 daughter is interested, please ask her to complete this form by clicking here as her expression of interest by tomorrow at 8.00am.
A message from Mr Stephen Robinson – Acting Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations
Mother’s Day (and special persons) celebration
We are very much looking forward to welcoming mums and other special persons to school on Friday from 12.30pm. Due to the wet weather, we have adjusted our initial plans but know everyone will have a fabulous time together.
12.30pm to 1.15pm: BYO Picnic Lunch and Craft Activities
- Kindergarten in the K-2 PA Room
- Years 1 and 2 in classrooms and common spaces
- Years 3 and 4 in Sunshine Square and the 3-6 library
- Year 5 throughout upstairs and downstairs Year 5
- Year 6 throughout upstairs Year 6
1.30pm to 1.50pm: Grade performances in the John Reid Hall
- Hall opens at 1.15pm
- All grades to perform songs for our special guests.
2.00pm to 2.15pm: Grade assemblies
- Kindergarten in the K-2 PA Room
- Years 1 and 2 in grade common spaces
- Years 3 in Hedgehog House
- Year 4 in John Reid Hall
- Year 5 in Sunshine Square
- Year 6 in upstairs Year 6
Additional information:
- Where a family has children in multiple grades, students will be directed to the location of the youngest child for lunch and craft.
- No students will be permitted to leave early. All students will depart at 2.45pm (K-2) or 3.00pm (3-6) as normal.
- Additional staff will be supporting car parking throughout the event. We kindly ask that you ensure vehicles are not obstructing carlines when they become operational.
- Due to our council development application, Grey House Walk will remain closed until 2.00pm.
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 to 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 daughter’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.
Wellbeing Weekly by Mrs Kate Giles – Head of Wellbeing K-6
As part of our Junior School focus on Kindness to others this term, the 2024 Junior School Service Journal was sent home with your daughter this week. The focus of the Service Journal is to help the girls develop a service mindset, understanding that service to others goes deeper than fundraising and means showing kindness to others by using our strengths, gifts and talents to help those around us.
Academic research shows that encouraging children to volunteer and be of service is not only a way to make a difference to the world around us, but is also valuable to their personal development by:
- Developing empathy and compassion through helping children understand different perspectives and experiences
- Instilling important values such as generosity and responsibility
- Teaching gratitude and appreciation for their own lives and experiences
- Providing a sense of purpose by allowing children to make a meaningful difference to someone else
Importantly, research also demonstrates that children who volunteer and are of service to others before they reach secondary school have a reduced risk of mental health concerns as an adolescent. (Gasser, C., & Evans-Whipp, T. 11 Here to help: How young people contribute to their community. Growing Up In Australia, 121.)
The Service Journal is a wonderful way for the girls to commit to undertaking small actions to make a difference to the world around them. This could include helping at home by making her bed, looking after pets, teaching someone something new, planting a tree, taking part in the Lindfield Fun Run or donating items to charity.
Collectively, we have set a target to complete 2000 acts of service this term. I encourage you to speak to your daughter about the Service Journal, which acts of service she may like to complete first, and why showing kindness to others by being of service is important.
Running Kilometres for Kindness at the Lindfield Fun Run
The Junior School Kindness Club invite you to run kilometres for Kindness next weekend, 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, Mr Brown 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!
Term 2 2024 Key Dates
Tomorrow Mother’s Day Event 12.30pm – 2.15pm
Tomorrow Year 1 Nature Play Incursion (girls please wear their PE uniform and bring gumboots and raincoats)
Saturday 11 May IPSHA Saturday sports commences.
Friday 17 May Years 5 and 6 Drama Eisteddfod Teams 5.30pm – 6.30pm
Friday 17 May Kindy Nature Play Incursion (girls please wear their PE uniform and bring gumboots and raincoats)
Friday 17 May IPSHA Debating
Saturday 18 May IPSHA Saturday Sport
Sunday 19 May Lindfield Fun Run
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
Upcoming Events
- Junior School Mothers Day Lunch – this Friday 12.30pm – 2.15pm
This year, the Junior School welcomes Mums and special persons to join their daughters for lunch at school and celebrate Mother’s 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 Term 2 Meeting – Wednesday 22 May
The Term 2 JSPG Meeting will be held on Wednesday 22 May from 8.15am – 9.15am. This meeting will be held in a different format to past meetings. Further details to be provided next week.
- JSPG Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance – Saturday 25 May
Year 6 Parents, you are warmly invited to the Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance on Saturday 25 May from 6.30pm – 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 – Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June
Our Year 4 Mums are warmly invited to the Year 4 Mother and Daughter Camp being held at Vision Valley on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June.
The Mother and Daughter camp will focus on fun games and activities, storytelling and a chance for each child to be recognised for their special gifts and talents. The aim is for the girls to feel a greater sense of connection to their family.
Be quick, as places are limited and may sell out. The invitation is now available in MyPymble or please click here to register by 19 May.
- PPA Trivia Night – Saturday 22 June
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.
Wishing all our Mums and carers are very special Mother’s Day this weekend. We hope you enjoy spending time with your daughters on campus this Friday where possible.
Please contact us with any questions at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School