From the Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

I can’t believe we’re almost at the end of this term. I wish those of you who are heading off on holidays the best of times and safe travels. I hope that for those of you who are staying home the term break provides a re-energising change in routine before the excitement and pace of Term 4.

Term 3 has been a glorious term full of so many learning adventures and special memories. There are so many highlights but, without a doubt, one of the many highlights was the phenomenal performances by our Year 6 girls (and our very own brave actress, Ms Davenport!) in Seussical. Both performances were highly energetic, colourful and confident. It’s hard to remember the girls are only 11 and 12 years old when you see their courage and poise on stage. Here are some of the reflections from our Year 6 girls:

Gabriella Hanna (6B): “I overcame my fear of performing in front of a crowd by building stronger friendships with my fellow performers, which made me feel more comfortable and confident.“

Rosie Han (6L): “I confronted my stage fright, despite being shy, by believing in myself the way my teachers believe in me.“

Iris Zeng (6C): “The musical performance united the class, which boosted my confidence when it was time to say my lines.“

Savannah Sherlock (6M): “When I struggled to put on my costume and got my arm stuck in the jacket, I went on acting as if it were all part of the show.“

Trisha Viswanathan (6M) “I had never performed a solo in front of that many people at the GMCPA while wearing a headset, so I focused on embracing the experience and opportunity.“

Tanvi Raniga (6M): “I imagined myself giving my best performance, believing that if I could envision it in my mind, it could become a reality!“

Wendy Pan (6D): “I demonstrated courage by standing on stage and reflecting on how far I had come in embodying the character. I focused on conveying their personality through my acting and expressions.“

Chelsea Wang (6G): “I showed courage by smiling in the spotlight, even while feeling nervous, and bravely singing my solo.“

Sissi Ko (6G): “I showed courage by wearing a rainbow-coloured wig that I wouldn’t normally choose and embraced a sassy attitude to match the character’s personality.“

Garden Party last weekend was so much fun, and I know how hard many of you worked with our Junior School stalls and the College barbecue. Thank you for your commitment to our community. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to our families who prepared the food in Main Hall as it was so delicious. Days like Garden Party are such a fabulous way for us to come together and celebrate as the very large family we are. My sister-in-law, a proud Pymble alumni, came with her young family and as a former Pymble rower she couldn’t resist having a go at the rowing competition and for much of the day held the fastest mum time!

Congratulations and thank you to all our girls who entered the colouring and cake competition; the array of talent on display was outstanding. I loved seeing hedgehog-inspired cakes and even a very clever crochet hedgehog!

Year 1 and Year 3 are out at Vision Valley

This week our courageous Year 3 girls had their first overnight Outdoor Education Program. For many of them this was their first night away from home and we are proud of their spirit and determination to embrace the challenges of cave art, bushwalking, cooking damper over a campfire, the sugar glider five-metre aerial challenge and the much-loved water slide!

I loved spending the day with them all out at Vision Valley on Tuesday. Special shout out to Mrs Dreverman for her courage in having a go at the ‘vomitron’ (being spun around very fast as you ascend into the air) on the sugar glider!

Year 1 also enjoyed their first Outdoor Education experience at Vision Valley and by all accounts had a wonderful adventure together.

Year 5 visiting St Ignatius Riverview

Our Year 5 girls joined students from St Ignatius’ College, Riverview for an action packed day of constructing and racing billy carts, sparking excitement and teamwork. Throughout the day the girls engaged in hands-on problem solving which fostered critical thinking as they constructed their billy carts. The event combined creativity, engineering and friendly competition amongst the students, leaving the girls with newfound skills and memories.

Tomorrow is our Kindness Day

Our SRC leaders (Zoe Chong, Alice Hockley, Bianca Ng and Chelsea Wang) have led many initiatives to improve our school this year and tomorrow they are proud that we are holding our Kindness Day which was an idea from earlier this year which is now coming to life. Throughout the day girls across the Junior School will participate in activities which focus on kindness to self, kindness to the environment and kindness to others. These include:

Painting pots and making paper flowers to give to our elders at the Uniting Care Centres
Sewing felt hearts to give to our Year 12 girls as an act of support before their first HSC exams
Painting kindness rocks to place around the campus and community to bring a sprinkle of kindness and joy to people who spot them
Publishing stories and play scripts with an environmental message which will then be shared with the community

I am very grateful to all girls from Year 1 to 6 who have represented their class as SRC Captains this year as their ideas have such positive impact and ensure our Junior School is a place that all our girls can be proud of and a place where they know their ideas and voice is heard. To quote from Seussical: ‘A person’s a person no matter how small’ and all of our voices deserve to be equally valued. Thank you to Mr Robinson and Miss Buchner who have mentored the SRC girls this year. A special shout out to Tanvi Raniga who has led the Walking and Givin’ campaign for our Junior School which happens tomorrow.

Opportunity for our Junior School artists and designers

Pymble’s values of care, courage, responsibility, respect and integrity, reflect who we are as people, inform our behaviour and show the world what we, as individuals and as a College, know are important.

These five values also inform our statement of intent, Watch us Change the World, defining our goal to make the world a better place for all.

To celebrate the launch of our Behaviour Statements related to each of our Pymble Values, I am delighted to announce a very special Pymble competition to design the cover of our Pymble 2025 Junior School Student Diary.

The competition for Junior School is open to girls from Year 1 – Year 6 and entries will be accepted until day 1 of Term 4 at 8.00am. If your daughter is interested in having a go at this competition, please talk through these requirements with her:

Requirements

An original artwork, either hand drawn or digital, that represents the five College values and their relevant behaviour statements
This is an opportunity to explore your creativity, using visual elements to express your ideas. Please keep text and words to a minimum.
Your artwork must measure 180mm width x 170mm height.
Digital submissions must be made in high resolution, in JPEG or PDF format.
Each student must submit an artist statement (minimum 100 words) explaining your idea, rationale, inspiration and/or intentions. This statement, and your school photo, will be printed in the school diary.
Artworks will be judged by Dr Hadwen, Mrs Bird, Mr Robinson, Ms Rockwell, Mrs Kenny, Mr Raymond and me, and the winner will be decided on the demonstration of age appropriate technical skill and how effectively the College values are conveyed.
The winner will also receive a $100 gift voucher to Event Cinemas
Artwork must be clearly labelled with your name, year and Compass Class
Entries are to be submitted to Hedgehog House or to me on kbrown@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

Take care and I look forward to seeing you all again in Term 4.

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

Congratulations to Flora Wu (Year 2) who is a Silver Award recipient in the Writeon Competition 2024. This competition is for students across NSW in Years 1 to 6; this year there were over 740 entries! Writeon is a highly competitive academic writing competition, and we are very Pymble proud of Flora and her wonderful achievement.

As the term ends, it’s a wonderful time to reflect on the academic challenges the girls have embraced and the courage they have shown as learners. Whether it was trying out different skills, learning new strategies, working collaboratively, presenting or performing in front of a small or large audience, sharing their creative ideas or having a go, every step forward is a celebration of growth.

As we enter the holiday break, it’s also important for the girls to find time for rest and to follow their passions outside the classroom – whether that’s drawing or painting, reading, or exploring the outdoors at the beach or bushwalking. Taking time to unwind and follow your passions should fuel creativity and curiosity for Term 4 ahead.

Looking forward into Term 4, students will dive into exciting topics across all year levels. Kindergarten will explore the properties of materials, while Year 1 will learn about how things grow and the external features of living things. Year 2 will investigate forces, and Year 3 will journey back to study early explorers. Year 4 will examine changes to the Earth’s surface investigating soil, rocks and erosion, Year 5 will delve into states of matter, and Year 6 will explore the world of extreme weather.

For families looking for activities during the break, consider a visit to local museums, parks and galleries. The Maritime Museum offers fascinating insights into sea explorations, while the Powerhouse Museum and the Australian Museum showcase science and technology wonders. The Art Gallery of New South Wales is perfect for those who love to explore creative works and draw inspiration.

Have a wonderful break, and I look forward to seeing everyone in Term 4, ready for new academic adventures and challenges!

An important message from Mr Robinson – Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations

Friday Canteen

Due to the overwhelming response and the warmer weather, cold drinks/frozen treats will now be available to order from Term 4. We are seeking help from parents across the Junior School to assist on a Wednesday and Friday sorting lunch orders and handing out cold drinks/frozen treats that have been pre-ordered. Should you be willing to assist, please enter you name into one of the fields below (we are initially limiting the form to only accept one submission per person, to share this opportunity with all members of the community).

Please click this link if you are able to assist.

Note: There will be no cash or card purchases on Friday. Items are only available for pre-purchase via the Junior School Flexi-Schools app. Years 5 and 6 may use this facility, or access Archies Cafe as normal.

OSHC Registrations

Please note that there are 55 days left to register at OSHC. All Junior School students need to be registered at OSHC (through the Kidsoft Website) in order to enrol in new or additional co-curricular offerings, including swimming and tennis.

If your daughter is not registered with OSHC she will not be able to be enrolled in new activities from Term 4 2024 or be eligible to select new activities for 2025. Separate instructions will be shared via MyPymble notices that demonstrate where to find your OSHC registration number within Kidsoft, as this number will be a mandatory field when registering for 2025 co-curricular activities on 20 November 2024.

Water bottles

With the temperature increasing, a reminder to ensure you daughter has a named water bottle with her at school. Water bottle filling stations and water bubblers are available throughout the Junior School.

A message from the Administration Office

Thank you parents for a wonderful Term 3 and for your assistance in notifying us if your daughter had changes to her normal school routine day, was absent from school, or if you needed to pass a message onto your daughter.

A reminder that your daughter will return to school in full summer uniform for Term 4. Please ensure all items of clothing and items are clearly named with her full name so it can be easily returned to her if it is found. Further information regarding uniform and appearance can be found on pages 32 and 33 of your daughter’s College diary.

We wish you a safe and lovely school term break and look forward to providing assistance and seeing your daughter in Term 4.

For K-2 girls travel arrangements, if your daughter has new changes for Term 4, please click here.

From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

JSPG Movie Night – Saturday 19 October

Tickets are now available here for the JSPG Movie Night, coming up at the end of Week 1 next term.

Details:

Saturday 19 October from 4.30pm to 8.30pm on the Main Oval.

The evening will feature food stalls, a big screen movie screening of Migration, popcorn and an inflatable obstacle course. BYO seating including cushions, rugs or low chairs.

Your $20.00 ticket includes:

– A barbecue dinner plus one drink

– Family movie

– Inflatable obstacle course

Year 3 Mums Lunch

Date: Friday 8 November

Time: 2.00pm

Location: Greengate Hotel, Killara

Thank you as always for your support.

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

Key Dates

Term 3

Friday 27 September Kindness Day

Friday 27 September Last Day of Term 3

Important Dates for Term 4

Tuesday 15 October First Day of Term 4

Tuesday 3 December Years 3 to 6 Speech Day (9.00am to 11.00am)

Tuesday 3 December Kindergarten Nativity and Celebration of Learning (11.30am to 1.00pm)

Tuesday 3 December Years 1 and 2 Celebration of Learning (2.00pm to 3.00pm)

Kate Brown

Head of Junior School