From the Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

National Simultaneous Story Time

Yesterday girls in Kindergarten to Year 3 were lucky enough to participate in National Simultaneous Storytime.

The event opened with a beautiful rendition of Somewhere Only We Know by Tim Rice- Oxley, Richard Hughes and Tom Chaplin, arranged by Kathryn Griesinger and performed by our Junior School Strings Quartet: Alex Xiao, Sienna Yeung, Annette Ng and Violet Li.

Scarlett Yang (3S) led our Acknowledgement of Country and then Ivy Dao and Stella Shen (Year 2) totally engaged the audience with their animated presentation of their research about trucks. I had the pleasure of reading the text The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell, a story about diversity, inclusion, friendship and belonging. Archie was even there to assist with the reading!

Good luck to all our Balmoral Burn walkers/runners for Sunday. I am very proud that as a College we are on the leaderboard for fundraising to support the amazing work of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation which supports children in hospital.

A very special shout out to Amalia and Melaina Kekatos who have raised $3,860 and are top of the fundraising leaderboard for the event! Amalia and Melaina have surprised me with their fundraising idea, which was to seek sponsorship for me to run in the event dressed in one of the inflatable baby suits!

Given the money they have raised, I will be honouring their challenge and will be doing my best to get up the hill in the costume on the day! Oh, the things I will do for our Junior School girls and in the name of service and community kindness!

A message from our Kindness Captains

Thank you for supporting our service focus for this term. We are so proud of the Junior School as we have already completed 1,229 acts of service! We are on track to meet the challenge of 2025 acts of service this year.

Good luck to our amazing debating team who successfully debated a tricky debate around voting in Australia last Friday. Mrs Bird and I were so impressed by the depth of argument the girls presented and we wish them luck at this Friday’s quarter final.

Making history as a racing team

Our Formula Goblin team were honoured by a visit from the CEO of GreenSTEM Education, Mr Daniel Edwards, who flew in last weekend to meet the team and watch them practise their driving skills in our official launch. Representatives from our team presented to Mr Edwards on the team’s journey over the last four months and each spoke with confidence and pride.

Mr Edwards congratulated the team, Future Force Racers, on being the first team in Australia and spoke about how impressed he was by the girls’ knowledge, team spirit and driving prowess. He commented that our drivers are as fast as some of the fastest teams in Europe so we’re sending the representatives of our team over to England with lots of luck and best wishes.

Huge thanks to these teachers and staff who have helped the girls make their vision a reality through their support and mentorship over many weekends: Mr Dan Brown, Mrs Lara Bird, Mrs Annie Bala, Mr Locky Pryor, Mrs Lyn Wynne, Mrs Alana Hooper, Mrs Jayne Mercer, Ms Eunhye Kwon, Mrs Heidi Lynch and Mr Iggy Sandejas.

Good luck to all our Eisteddfod dancers who compete tomorrow afternoon at the Dance Life Unite competition. Mrs Bird and I are looking forward to cheering the girls on as they perform and compete.

Being part of any team is an important learning experience for our girls as it builds communication skills, perspective, responsibility, time management and organisational skills, resilience and friendships. There is much research around how being part of a team supports the fostering of a leadership mindset, particularly in women and I know being part of a hockey team for many decades helped shape me as the leader and person I am now. I am delighted that we are seeing more girls commit to team activities this year, including Saturday sport.

Please remember girls need to arrive at their Saturday sport fixture thirty minutes prior to the start of their game. For example, if their netball game starts at 10.00am, they must arrive by 9.30am. Arriving early to warm up before a game offers valuable physical and mental preparation. A thorough warm up increases blood flow, improves flexibility and warms up muscles, all of which reduce the risk of injury and ensure each girl is ready to play her best. This time also allows them to practise key skills, focus their minds and get comfortable on the field or court.

Additionally, arriving early builds positive habits such as punctuality and responsibility, while also strengthening team bonds. It provides a chance for the coach to offer last-minute instructions or encouragement, and for the girls to connect and motivate one another, making the experience more enjoyable and supportive for everyone involved.

A message from Mrs Kate Giles, Head of Wellbeing K-6

The power of downtime and rest

In today’s busy world, children often also have full schedules and numerous different activities, leaving little time for anything else. While the benefits of varied activities are clear, research shows that rest (including sufficient sleep), unstructured time and balance are just as essential for healthy development.

Primary school aged children (aged six to 12 years old) require between nine and 12 hours of sleep per night for vital brain development, emotional regulation, memory and learning (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2016). Sleep deprivation has been shown to lead to difficulties with concentration, mood and behaviour, which then impacts learning (Beebe, D,W, (2011)).

In addition to adequate sleep, research also highlights the importance of unstructured time for executive functioning, including focus and memory (Barker, et al, (2014). Downtime, including free play and quiet rest, allows your daughter to process her experiences, regulate her emotions and recharge both mentally and physically. Furthermore, they suggest that girls who engage in more self-directed, unstructured activities demonstrate stronger goal setting and problem-solving abilities and are able to better regulate their emotions.

A balanced routine – including schoolwork, play, social time, rest and physical activity – is key to your daughter’s overall health and wellbeing. As we lead into our Junior School Wellbeing Week, where the girls will not have homework, I encourage you to support your daughter by:

Protecting sleep time: ensure consistent bedtime routines to prioritise adequate sleep and avoid screen time at least one hour before bed.
Schedule less: allow time for unstructured down time for play and relaxation.
Model balance in your own routines and screen/technology habits.
Encourage variety: encourage a range of activities across the week, including creative, social, physical and restful activities.

Parent Wellbeing and Academic Series – Dirty & Dangerous: Building resilient girls

The next event in the parent series will be held on Wednesday 28 May at 8.30am in the Junior School 3-6 Library. The session will be a panel discussion facilitated by Kate Giles, Head of Wellbeing K-6, exploring how sport and risky play contribute to children’s social, emotional and physical development and builds resilience.

The panel will include Mr Matt Tyson, Head of Sport K-6, Mrs Victoria Aikman, Kindergarten Co-ordinator, Mrs Hilary Alo-Emile, Year 1 Co-ordinator and Mrs Fi Stevenson, OSHC Director and Ms Lexi Ibbotson, OSHC Assistant Director.

If you would like to attend this session, please sign up by clicking here.

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

ICAS Assessments and Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC)

Information regarding ICAS Assessments and the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) will soon be available on the MyPymble parent portal. These optional competitions will be held before school for Years 3 to 6 in Term 3.

A message from Mr Stephen Robinson (Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations)

K-2 Carline Zone – No Parking Area

Drivers in this area would have seen new signage that aims to keep the road restricted to a single lane of cars only near the drop off zone. We kindly as parents to not park in this single lane area but rather find a space to park on either side. The small inconvenience of walking means we can all keep this area safe for students with slow and controlled car movement in the area.

Leave From School

If you are planning to have your daughter take leave during the school term for two days or more, you must complete the Exemption from Attendance Application form in advance of the absence.

Please do not enter ‘holiday’ into the free-form response on the MyPymble App.

Uniform and Appearance

Thank you for showing respect to the College uniform policy with your daughter arriving to school in her full winter uniform for this term and Term 3.

All students are expected to wear their uniform correctly and with pride, which means the top button is done up and the tie is correctly fitted.
Uniforms cannot be mixed with each season. This includes no co-curricular jackets as the primary source of uniform. These can only be worn underneath the PE tracksuit on such days.
Please ensure all items of clothing are clearly labelled, including tunic belts and ties. We recommend white markers to be used to label dark clothing items.

Junior School Canteen Helpers

The Junior School Canteen will continue for Term 2 on Wednesday and Friday. Junior School allows students to purchase (through Flexischools) cold drinks and frozen desserts. Once your order is placed your daughter will have a brown paper bag, where she will 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.

Wise Phone Update

It has been six months since we launched the Pymble Wise Phone Initiative and we would like to take the opportunity to review the journey so far, share the information we have gathered and, just as importantly, hear any positive or negative feedback, questions and concerns you may have.

The session will be an online meeting next Monday 26 May from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, and will be held by Anthony England, Director of Innovative Learning Technologies and Kate Brown, Head of Junior School.

Please click here to join the meeting; we will also send you a reminder notice next Monday.

Scholarship registrations open to current Year 5 students

Pymble offers a number of scholarships each year to girls starting in Year 7 including current Pymble students moving into Year 7. Registrations for Year 7 2027 Rosalie Ramsay Junior Academic Scholarship and Year 7 2027 Performance Scholarship – Music are currently open to our Year 5 students.

Registrations close from 23 July 2025 depending on the scholarship. The examination will be held at the College on Sunday 10 August 2025.

Information about portfolio requirements and how to apply can be found online through the Scholarship webpage.

Junior School Digital News

Important Dates

Friday 23 May – Dance Eisteddfod and Formula Goblin team excursion

Saturday 24 May – Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance

Monday 26 May – Year 5 Buddy with Year 1 – 1.30pm to 2.15pm

Wednesday 28 May – Kindergarten to Year 6 Parent Academic/Wellbeing Series – Period 1

Thursday 29 May – Year 3 Windows Into Learning – Periods 1 and 2,

Thursday 29 May – Year 4 Windows into Learning – Periods 3 and 4

Saturday 31 May – PPA Trivia Night