From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
As we come towards the end of the school year, we honour our Year 6 leaders who have held specific responsibilities for portfolios within our Junior School. Each of these groups of leaders have been mentored by members of staff who have a vested interest in that specific area of leadership and the girls were honoured in our Year 3 to 6 assembly this week by some of our staff. Here are some of the words shared in appreciation of their leadership throughout the year:
Chapel Leaders: Emily Deutscher, Olivia Guo, Lakshi Rajeev and Tanvi Raniga
Thank you for your leadership of chapel this year. Across the year you have led our Year 3 to 6 chapel services with confidence, challenging yourselves and modelling the college values, particularly showing courage reading some of the difficult names in the Bible. Thank you for working with the Chaplains and the Year 7 to 12 Chapel Leaders on initiatives across the year, including leading and running Junior Ignite. Thank you for being wonderful role models and for supporting the younger Junior School girls this year.
From Mrs Giles
House Leaders
Bennett House Leader Lang House Leader
Amelie Rahme Lydia Chen
Carolyn Dou Olivia Beaumont
Audrey Quan Madison Burns
Abigail Wu Chloe Pedersen
Goodlet House Leader Marden House Leader
Bethany Tucker Anna Smart
Anna Wang Sueann Deng
Angela Chiang Alexandra Qiu
Deanne Fernando Melody Hai Chen
Hammond House Leader Thomas House Leader
Greta Campbell Emma Popli
Alice Liu Sophia Sayegh
Savannah Sherlock Leia Ripley
Cecilia Zhang Taylor Green
Ingleholme House Leader Wylie House Leader
Zoe Liang Eleanor Zalewski
Trisha Viswanathan Izabella Prokop
Marla Kazaglis Zoey Wen
Florence Cheng Olivia Dinnie
A huge thank you to our Junior School House Captains for their hard work and dedication at all House events this year. Their contagious energy and enthusiasm have inspired everyone and strengthened the sense of belonging and pride within their House. Their efforts have truly made a difference, leaving a positive impact on our school community.
From Mr Tyson
Library Leaders: Emma Campbell, Imogen Martin, Charlotte Xue and Isabelle Yeh
Dear Emma, Imogen, Charlotte and Izzy
Thank you for being the best Library Leaders we’ve ever had! I know you are the first Library Leaders we’ve ever had but you have set an extremely high standard for those who come after you. We are so proud to have worked with you as our inaugural Library Leaders.
Your cheerful energy lights up the library and your enthusiasm in fulfilling your responsibilities has played a vital role in fostering a warm and welcoming environment for everyone in the library. Your love for our Junior School Library shines through everything you do, including:
- your dedication in taking on library monitor duties every week and contributing to the smooth running of the library – you are always willing to jump in where needed and we appreciate that so much;
- planning and running the fabulous opening assembly for Book Week;
- helping us prepare for author visits – it was so much fun decorating for Nat Amoore and Tim Harris and Year 3 loved it;
- creating and running our Staff Reading Challenge; and
- creating and writing Shelf Life our first ever library newsletter – available this week!
Thank you!
A letter to our Library Leaders from Ms Itzcovitz, Mrs Colquhoun, Mrs Walker and Mrs Mann
Kindness Leaders: Safina Burgess, Melody Chen, Ria Iyer and Chloe Morrison
Our Kindness Leaders are changemakers. Determined to lead by example, they have consistently modelled kindness in all their interactions this year and advocated for those who are often marginalised within society. These phenomenal leaders have led initiatives to show care and kindness across the year and inspired so many younger students. Creative and goal focused, they inspired so many Junior School students to run in the Lindfield Fun Run that we won a school award, and they have designed and installed little boxes of kindness around the campus to try and encourage others to feel the impact of kindness and, in turn, undertake random acts of kindness.
Thank you Safina, Melody, Ria and Chloe for all your hard work; you’ve had a significant impact on our community through the kindness you have modelled and led. You have been exemplary leaders and the way you have worked together in all you have done has helped shine kindness through our weekly meetings and across our Junior School.
From Mrs Brown
STEM Leaders: Adeline Wu, Charlotte Wu, Michelle Xing (in absentia) and Lily Zhang:
Our STEM Leaders are the dreamers and innovators who live and breathe STEM, inspiring our students to problem-solve and create. From leading the STEAM Festival with flashing lights, racing robots, and ingenious Wonka-inspired games, to turning paddle pop sticks into planes and making music from aluminium rods, they have built a world of wonder for the Junior School. Like Willy Wonka, they’ve shown us that with imagination and curiosity, “Wanna change the world?” has only one answer: “There’s nothing to it.”
From Mr Brown
Student Representative Council (SRC) Leaders: Zoe Chong, Alice Hockley, Bianca Ng, Chelsea Wang,
Our SRC leaders have ever so capably enabled student voice in 2024. Chairing the weekly meetings of SRC leaders from Years 1 to 6, they have encouraged class representatives to gather feedback from students of all ages and bring these to the group for discussion, debate and vote. Our leaders have shared the outcome of weekly meetings with Mrs Brown and met with her to bring a number of the ideas to fruition, including our Kindness and Service Day in Term 3, advocated for additional playground equipment and created opportunities for students to become involved, with drawing and colouring competitions throughout the year.
Sustainability Leaders: Sophie Ahn, Katelyn Gu, Sarah Tew and Oliana Zeccola
Our brilliant Sustainability Leaders, Sarah, Sophie, Katelyn and Oliana, have led with unwavering passion and enthusiasm, inspiring our Sustainability captains and the wider Junior School community to take meaningful action for the environment. From gifting their time for Clean Up Australia Day initiatives to reporting on tree planting within our College, launching a nature poetry competition, they’ve worked tirelessly to make sustainability a central focus within the Junior School. Their support for younger students, engagement with guest speakers, and dedication to teamwork have left a lasting impact, creating a greener, happier school for everyone. Thank you for your incredible efforts and leadership!
Farewell to a great amongst our team
As we come to the end of the school year, we inevitably farewell some of our staff members who head off for new adventures in different schools or away from Sydney. We thank each of those staff members for their contributions and service to our Junior School community and send them on their way with our love and best wishes.
One of those staff members is Mrs Geraldine Roberts who leaves at the end of this year to spend more time with her family and in particular her daughter and two young grandchildren who live in Brisbane. Mrs Roberts has given 11 years of dedicated service to our Junior School and positively impacted the learning of hundreds of little girls who began their school journey under her nurturing eye. Mrs Roberts has brought great wisdom, calm leadership and kindness to our girls, our community and our team and she will be dearly missed. We send her off to her new adventures as the beloved Gigi, as she is known to her grandchildren, with much love and gratitude from us all.
Geraldine will leave a legacy that will continue to inspire us as we strive to create a supportive and nurturing environment for all our students to feel valued and supported. – Mrs Genia Wright
I am delighted to announce that from 2025, Mrs Genia Wright will assume responsibility as Coordinator for Learning Enhancement K-6 and will bring significant experience and wise counsel to this role.
A message from Lara Bird – Deputy Head of Junior School – Academics
Congratulations to Olivia Lawrence, Stella Shen, Sienna Yeung, and Mischa Jadav who have achieved writing excellence for their work published in the Oz Kids in Print magazine.
A message from Mrs Tracy Reid – Year 3 Coordinator
Year 3 travelled by bus to the Australian Maritime Museum as part of our History unit on first contacts. We explored a replica of the Endeavour, walked through the museum, and visited other ships, including those linked to explorers and the spice trade. We learnt about Indigenous perspectives, studied maps used by early explorers, saw life size models and fascinating artefacts, participated in hands-on activities and discovered more about sustainability practices. Our favourite activity was going on the Endeavour and appreciating how difficult it must have been for the sailors. It was an enjoyable and engaging experience for everyone!
Year 6 Surf Education Pictures
A message from Mr Robinson – Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations
End of Term Afternoon Supervision
Parents who have recently registered their children for OSHC but have yet to try this service may be eligible for the complimentary ‘Welcome Afternoon’.
End-of-Term Events
Invitations for our Celebration of Learning (K/1/2) and Speech Day (3-6) have this week been sent to families. Please complete this survey regarding departure times and attendance in the final days.
Wellbeing Weekly – A message from Mrs Kate Giles – Head of Wellbeing K-6
2025 Compass Classes
As we come to the end of the year, we understand that change can sometimes be challenging for children, and this can bring a mix of excitement and uncertainty. To alleviate this uncertainty across the holiday break, on Friday 29 November, your daughter will learn who her Compass class teacher will be for 2025. They will then have the opportunity to meet their new teacher and Compass class.
Compass class placements for 2025 have been carefully considered by our teaching staff and many factors are taken into account to ensure that every girl is placed into an environment that supports her individual learning and development. While we are aware that both parents and students may have preferences, we ask for your trust and understanding in this process. Some ways you can support your daughter to feel comfortable and confident with her new class include:
- Staying positive: encouraging your daughter by highlighting positive aspects of meeting new people. This can greatly influence how your daughter feels about the transition.
- Reassuring her: if your daughter feels concerned about the change, reassure her that these feelings are normal. Remind her how she has successfully navigated new classes and changes in the past and the benefits of these experiences.
- Communicate openly: allow your daughter the opportunity to share how she is feeling and help her to process their emotions without judgement.
- Organise play dates with classmates in the new classes over the break where possible.
We will now liaise with the Junior School Parent Group Year Co-ordinators for 2025 to set up new communication groups.
Thank you for those families who have already offered some items for our unstructured play sessions. We would still love donations of any of the following items:
- Ropes
- Large cardboard boxes (for example boxes that would fit whitegoods such as fridges)
- Large clean plastic tubs/drums
- Pipes (plastic, PVC or cardboard)
- Hammocks (or sheets that can be used to make hammocks)
- Plastic crates
- cones
- Barrels
Please let me know if you have any of these items that you may be able to provide.
204 for 2024 Service Initiative – A message from Kindness Club
This term Kindness Club are leading a final Kindness Challenge for the year – 204 for 2024! So far we have collected over 150 items for Westmead Hospital and the Rev Bill Crews Foundation so we are over half way to our goal!
We are asking all girls in Kindergarten to Year 6 to bring in either a new picture/board book or a Christmas gift or food item to Hedgehog House by the end of term and it will be then delivered in time for Christmas. It would be great to see if we could get 204 books and 204 gifts and food items!
Please help us with the 204 for 2024 challenge this year and let’s support these two great initiatives. Should you have any questions, please email kgiles@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
Thank you, From Trisha Viswanathan, Riya Iyer, Chloe Morrison, Melody Chen & Safina Burgess, Year 6
A message from Mr Kurt Schweinberger – Head of Creative and Performing Arts K-6
Year 4 Training Band on Their Graduation!
This term, we are delighted to celebrate the graduation of 50 talented students from the Year 4 Training Band. Their musical journey over the year has been one of growth, hard work and joyful discovery. From learning the fundamentals of their instruments to performing as a cohesive ensemble, these young musicians have achieved so much and should be immensely proud of their accomplishments.
A heartfelt thank you goes to their dedicated teachers, Ms. Zeltzer, Miss Farlow, and Miss Ashton. Your guidance, expertise and encouragement have played a vital role in nurturing the students’ love for music and supporting their development as instrumentalists.
We look forward to seeing many of you continue your musical journey as you explore new opportunities in the College’s co-curricular music program. Keep playing, keep practising, and most importantly, keep enjoying the magic of making music.
PJ Factor Finale
Last Friday, students in Year 3 to 6 were treated to a spectacular showcase of creativity and talent at the PJ Factor Finals. Finalists performed in front of an enthusiastic audience, showcasing their skills across music, drama and dance.
Each performance was filled with passion, dedication and a wonderful sense of joy that truly lit up the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts stage. The variety and skill demonstrated by all performers made the event an unforgettable celebration of the arts and a highlight of the term.
To every performer, your hard work and enthusiasm was truly inspiring, and you should be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved. Thank you to the following students for sharing your gifts and making this year’s PJ Factor Finals such a remarkable event!
Performers:
- Alice Liu (6L)
- Alice Wu (6L)
- Anya Jolapara (4M)
- Charlie Lau (5A)
- Charlotte Wu (6B)
- Chloe Yi (6M)
- Claudia Birrell (5B)
- Eloise Scarlett (3S)
- Emerald Liu (4K)
- Emily Walker (5B)
- Emma Deere (5L)
- Emma Fu (6M)
- Euphemia Wang (4L)
- Hillary Yip (3M)
- Imogen Martin (6D)
- Irene Du (4K)
- Izzy Lau (5R)
- Jessica Guo (4KB)
- Madeline Dreverman (5A)
- Olivia Birch (4KB)
- Olivia Headley (5A)
- Peaches Zhang (6D)
- Priscilla Fang (4K)
- Rachel Zhang (4KB)
- Ria Iyer (6M)
- Sana Iyer (5L)
- Trisha Viswanathan
- Vanessa Lee (5P)
- Vedha Choudhary (6C)
- Zoe Hanna (5L)
- Zoe Soumboulidis (5R)
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
College Christmas Celebration – this Sunday
You are warmly invited to join the Pymble community at our annual Christmas celebration this Sunday. Featuring special performances from musicians in the Junior and Secondary Schools, bring the family for a picnic and join in the holiday cheer with your favourite Christmas carols, a chapel service and a surprise visit from Santa!
Venues: War Memorial Chapel, Gloucester Lawn and the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts foyer (live streamed)
Gates open from 5.00pm. Parking available in Centenary Car Park.
Year 5 Christmas Drinks
Thank you as always for your support.
Please contact us with any questions at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com
Speech Day and Celebration of Learning Dates
Tuesday 3 December – Years 3-6 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