From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
Living Life: Embracing Opportunities
Seeing our girls scoot and cycle to, and around, school on Friday was a highlight of the term. The girls embraced the opportunity to challenge themselves through being active and navigating risk of increased number of bikes and scooters with care, logical thinking and resilience. Building these skills are important life lessons and also provide opportunities for our girls to create happy memories.
Riding bikes, scooters, unstructured play and building with our blue engineering blocks helps to foster spatial awareness in our girls. Research by Delgado & Prieto, 2004; Gardner, 1993; Johnson et al., 2022 evidences that construction and spatial play help to build STEM mindsets and improved self efficacy and results in mathematics.
In a different study conducted by Wai et al. (2009), a sample of 400,000 students in years 9 to 12 was tracked over 11 years to see if there is any relationship between their initial spatial abilities and their future occupations. The findings showed that students with high spatial abilities went on to earn undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees in STEM-related fields. This week, Mrs Giles, Head of Wellbeing K-6 provides further insight into the positive impact of unstructured play.
IPSHA Cross Country
Congratulations to all our cross country runners who showed their courage and determination at the IPSHA Cross Country Carnival this week. Each runner showed true Pymble and team spirit. Many congratulations to Sienna Cassidy, Lia Sloane and Chloe Huang who all progress to CIS, and to Hongor Temuqile who is a CIS reserve.
A message from Mrs Martha Itzcovitz (Junior School Librarian)
Year 3 welcomed author Kristin Darell last week to tell us all about her writing tips, where she gets her stories from and koala poo – yes, that’s right, poo! Kristin has written a series of books set in Taronga Zoo that combine fascinating information about animals with the adventures of two junior zoo volunteers. And we were lucky enough to be joined by our very own zoo volunteer, Miss Treharne, who told us all about the real animals in the books and showed us photos and videos of herself with them – and yes, she picks up poo!
Then Year 5 enjoyed a visit from stage star and author Penny McNamee. Penny told us about her Stage Stars series of books along with some anecdotes about being in musical theatre. She even showed us some fabulous dance poses! Penny also explained where she gets her inspiration from and took us on a journey through her writing process. We learned all about the hero’s journey and how we can use this structure in our own writing
A message from Josephine Laretive (Junior School Librarian K-2)
This week Pymble Libraries held the annual Sharing Stories Festival – a celebration of stories and storytelling to connect, understand, inspire, empathise and belong. As part of this festival, Year 2 met award-winning author Kirli Saunders OAM.
Kirli told us her name is the Indigenous name of the Eurasian Coot Bird and shared insight into her vast talents as an author, poet, artist and community leader. She read two of her picture books – Our Dreaming, illustrated by Dub Leffler, and Afloat, illustrated by Freya Blackwood. One Gundungurra word Kirli shared with us that is important to her was ngununggula, which means walk together and work together.
What was special to Year 2:
“I enjoyed hearing so many different words I had never heard before”. – Olive Dickinson
“I learnt about taking care of the environment from her stories”. – Karen Jo
“I liked seeing Kirli’s art made with drones. I enjoyed the singing and colourful patterns in the video”. – Isabella Kerle
“It was nice when Kirli read her books to us and said words in her language.” – Isabella Burrell
“I learnt about how the Glossy Black Cockatoo is endangered and that they only eat from Sheoak trees.” – Riyana Maity
“I learnt that Dreaming means caring for self, caring for the community, and caring for Country.” – Mira Samy
“It made me think about caring for the community, nature and not wasting water.” – Isla Merrit
A message from Mrs Kate Giles (Head of Wellbeing K-6)
The Power of Play for Social and Emotional development
One of the most important aspects of childhood development is the opportunity to explore, challenge themselves, problem solve and learn through experience. This includes both risky and imaginative play. Risky play includes activities that involve some level of potential danger, allowing your daughter to experience challenge and uncertainty in a controlled and supervised environment. This can include activities such as climbing, swinging high, jumping and exploring unfamiliar places. Research by experts, such as Professor Pasi Sahlberg (2023), has shown that engaging in risky play has a number of benefits for the girls, including:
- Building confidence – helping her to learn to assess risks and make decisions about her physical boundaries
- Growing physical skills – improving her strength, coordination and motor skills
- Developing resilience – fostering perseverance and emotional regulation during challenging situations, which is an important factor in positive mental health
- Encouraging problem solving and social skills – including communication and negotiation skills, as well as assessment and analysis of risk
- Promoting creativity – stimulating imagination and creative thinking
In addition to this, Cevher-Kalburan & Ivrendi (2016) indicate that ‘children must learn to avoid great danger by being exposed to small dangers’ – finding that where younger children have limited opportunities to learn to self-assess and manage safety and risk, they are more likely to make poor decisions and even engage in reckless behaviour in the future. Unfortunately, opportunities for risky play have been decreasing due to concerns about possible injury or harm and the adults in their lives wanting to ensure children are not exposed to any possible danger.
Instead, Handrahan (2018) argues that schools and parents need to manage safety in preference to eliminating risk, remembering that accidents can happen no matter how hard we try to control or remove risks.
So, this weekend why not encourage your daughter to engage in free outdoor play and challenge herself. Instead of saying ‘don’t climb that tree’, try saying ‘make sure you can get down safely from there before climbing up higher’.
A message from Mr Stephen Robinson (Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations)
Formula Goblin Update
With races in Tasmania and the United Kingdom fast approaching in Term 2, the Formula Goblin team have organised two fundraising opportunities that Junior School families are encouraged to support:
- Racing Car Driving Simulator – This was open to students in Years 3 and 4 yesterday and will be open to students in Years 5 and 6 tomorrow (Friday). Students are able to have two laps of the digital course for just $2, with the fastest drivers on each day to receive certificates of achievement
- Zooper Doopers at Lunch – Following on from the popularity earlier this term, Zooper Doopers are on sale for all students K-6 next Thursday lunchtime for a gold coin donation.
End-of-term information
With the end of term fast approaching, please be aware of the following:
- Classes continue until end of day Friday 11 April. Should your daughter be absent for reasons other than sickness, please submit an exemption from attendance application to the office.
- Students in Kindergarten to Year 2 will have their Easter Hat Parade in the John Reid Hall from 12.00pm to 12.45pm on Friday 11 April. Students will not be permitted to leave after the event.
- Please avoid sending chocolate eggs to school to celebrate Easter. As a number of students have allergies, handing out such treats can be inadvertently dangerous.
Uniform and Appearance
Thank you for showing respect to the College uniform policy by ensuring your daughter arrived at school with her white hat this term. All students are expected to wear their uniform correctly and with pride.
- Uniforms cannot be mixed with each season. Junior School has a strict ‘no hat, no play’ policy. Please ensure your daughter has her bucket play hat at school every day.
- Please make sure that all your daughter’s uniform clothing item is named including socks and shoes. We recommend you use white markers to label dark clothing items.
- Please be aware that next term the girls will need to be in their winter uniform from day one. Further information can be found in your daughter’s student diary.
- We have an abundance of unnamed lost property in the Junior School canteen/lunch-tub room. Unnamed drink bottles, lunch boxes and any non-Pymble branded items will be disposed of at the end of term.
We thank our weekly canteen volunteers, in particular Mrs Skye Benson, for the support in sorting lost property and working diligently to return it to the owners.
Did you know the College operates coaches to and from five destinations in the morning and afternoon, allowing fast and efficient transport to the College without the hassle of traffic queues for parents?
To support Junior School students to use this service:
- Staff collect students in Kindergarten to Year 2 each morning from the buses daily and walk them to class.
- Staff collect students in Kindergarten to Year 6 in the afternoon and walk them to the buses.
- All buses are fully seatbelt equipped and can be tracked by parents via Transport Me App in real time
- Bus bookings can be made for a full term or by flexible arrangement.
For more information about bus transport, or to make a booking, click here.
Junior School Canteen Helpers
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered this term. The Junior School canteen will continue in Term 2 on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Junior School allows students to purchase (through Flexischools) cold drinks and frozen desserts (with an expanded range commencing in Term 2). Once your order is placed your daughter will be given a brown paper bag, and she will then go to the Junior School canteen (lunch-tub room) to collect her cold treat.
Please click here if you can volunteer your time. For the care and safety of your daughters, all volunteers must have a current Working with Children Check (WWCC). If we do not already have your WWCC on file, please email juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au your WWCC number and date of birth so your WWCC can be verified.
Junior School Digital News
Term 1 2025 Key Dates (Week 9 and 10)
Friday 4 April – Year 5 MMG Survey at 1.30pm
Friday 11 April – Last Day Term 1, Decorate a Cookie & Easter Hat Parade K-2
Important Dates
Tuesday 29 April – First day of Term 2 (all girls to be wearing winter uniform)
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
Year 1 Easter Egg Hunt
📅 Date: Sunday, 6 April
⏰ Time: 2.00pm to 5.00pm
📍 Location: Picnic Area 4, St Ives Showground
Cost: $10 per Child
RSVP: 28 March
Siblings are welcome. BYO Food & bucket. In the event of wet weather, event may be rescheduled or cancelled.
Easter Cookie Decorating (Kindergarten to Year 2)
📅 Date: Friday 11 April
📍 Location: In-class activity (Kindy to Year 2)
📝 Details:
• Easter Cookie Decorating activity for students.
• Each student will receive two nut-free cookies with icing, sprinkles, and a small selection of lollies to decorate in class.
• Gluten-free and vegan options available on request.
• If a student cannot participate, they may bring a treat from home.
💰 Cost: $10
📌 RSVP by: Friday, 4 April 2025
📩 Enquiries: Dee Mathur – deeviya.mathur@gmail.com
🔗 [Click Here to Register] | [Parent Helper Signup]
Easter Cookie Decorating (Year 3 to 6)
📅 Date: Friday 11 April (Final day of Term 1)
📍 Collection Location: Hedgehog House
📝 Details:
• A Take-Away Easter Cookie Decorating activity for Years 3 to 6.
• Each student receives two nut-free cookies with icing and sprinkles for decoration at home.
• Gluten-free and vegan options available on request.
💰 Cost: $10
📌 Register by: Thursday, 3 April 2025
📩 Enquiries: Dee Mathur – deeviya.mathur@gmail.com
6L Play Date – Save the Date
📅 Date: Sunday 11 May
⏰ Time: 2.00pm to 5.00pm
📍 Location: Treetops Adventure, the Hills – 95 Castlehill Road, West Pennant Hills 2125
💰 Cost: $51 per child & $60 per adult
📌 RSVP by: Friday, 25 April 2025, Wendy 0403691999
Join us for a thrilling outdoor adventure as we navigate tree-top courses, zip lines, and rope challenge. This is a fantastic opportunity for our girls to build confidence, teamwork, and unforgettable memories!
Year 4 Parents Sip and Supper – Save the Date
📅 Date: Saturday, 17 May 2025
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Greengate Hotel, Cnr Pacific Hwy & Greengate Rd, Killara
Please join us for a relaxed evening to connect and make new friends. Please reach out to your class parents for any questions.
Autumn Family Festival
We are delighted to invite you to the Autumn Family Festival on Thursday 1 May, a special evening celebrating the rich tapestry of cultures within our community through food, art, craft demonstrations, dance and music.
📍 Location: Gloucester Lawn
⏰ Time: 4.30pm to 5.30pm: Exclusive for Junior School students and their families.
5.30pm to 8.00pm: Open to the entire Pymble community.
This festival is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate our diversity.
Please contact us with any questions at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School