From the Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

Our Junior School Parent Group (JSPG) meeting – Thank you for your feedback

Thank you to all of you who were able to attend our Term 2 JSPG meeting last week. It’s always lovely to come together and I am grateful for your feedback as it means we can work together to continually improve our Junior School community for us all. Please read more details about the Q&A from our JSPG meeting in Mr Robinson’s section of this week’s newsletter.

Reconciliation Week

This week we have recognised Reconciliation Week, with the theme of Bridging Now to Next. It was wonderful seeing each year group engage in activities in line with this theme and focused on showing kindness and respect to each other both now and into the future.

Kindergarten discussed ‘What do kind hands do, and how do they build a kinder tomorrow?’, with the girls tracing their handprint and recording one way they can be kind and care for others.

Renee – “We show kindness by playing with everyone.”

Arin – “We show kindness by listening to friends and saying hi.”

Amelia – “If someone needs help you can help them and be kind.”

Megan – “We can be kind to a friend by giving them ideas when they are not sure what to do.”

Year 1 explored how our First Nations people shared stories using symbols and why this was an important aspect of their culture. They discussed the meaning of an Acknowledgement of Country and how we can show our First Nations people respect. The girls then created their own symbols on story stones and joined them together to create collaborative stories.

Mofei – “I enjoyed drawing the symbols on the stones.”

Hera – “I liked using the stones to explain what the story was about.”

Lucia – “I enjoyed drawing the symbols and choosing different ones to create my story.”

Morgan – “The snakes and the people sitting symbols helped me with ideas for our story.”

Year 2 explored what it means to be sorry and why we may need to apologise to someone by exploring the book Sorry Day by Coral Vass. The girls discussed the importance of an apology and why it enables us to move forward and mend hurt and wrongdoings.

Eliza – “It was important to apologise to our First Nations people because we took their children away and moved them into a new family and community. It wasn’t fair to their families and we needed to say sorry. We acknowledge this during Reconciliation Week.“

Bella – “It’s important to say sorry to the First Nations people because we took away their children and their families would miss them. The children wouldn’t know anyone in the new place so they would be lonely and now we need to say sorry for doing the wrong thing.”

Year 3 reflected upon the importance of working together and the importance of treating people equally and fairly, using their hands to represent moving forward and joining together.

Megan – “Reconciliation means respecting each other in a meaningful way.”

Catherine – “Reconciliation means being kind to others and respecting their culture and beliefs.”

Year 4 discussed what reconciliation means and brainstormed how to reconcile the past and take hopeful actions for the future.

Scarlett – “Reconciliation Week is important to our country because we get to take a moment to reflect and say sorry to the First Nations people. Our bridge shows us acknowledging the past and the mistakes made and trying to connect our country for a better future.“

Emma – “We learnt about reconciliation and how it is a week to remember our roots and the people who lived in Australia long before it was colonised. We, in Australia, commemorate this day and week together.“

Mackenzie – “Reconciliation Week is important because if we as a country have hurt our First Nations peoples, we need to say sorry for that. We need to acknowledge what happened and commit to actions moving forward to bridge us together. As a nation we have so much to be sorry for but have made great strides in bridging the gap.“

Year 5 explored the theme for this year’s Reconciliation Week by discussing their actions to support an ongoing commitment to reconciliation, reflecting on the ongoing connection between the past, present and future. They collaborated using poetry to express this.

Linking with their learning of First Nations sustainable farming practices, particularly fish traps, Year 6 engaged in a weaving activity to create woven fish where they explored Dharug words to demonstrate the respect we hold for their care of the land. This culminated in a net display to represent community.

Amy – “This week we learnt that the First Nations people looked after our land sustainably. We at Pymble acknowledge the Dharug people who looked after our land way before we did. We wove fish and wrote Dharug words to acknowledge them.“

Grace – “Reconciliation Week commemorates our connection to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is a time to learn about different cultures, traditions and achievements by First Nations people.”

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 1227 acts of service! A huge shout out to all the girls who ran the Balmoral Burn last Sunday as this is one of the acts of service within our 2025 service journal. A special shout out to the seven Kindergarten girls who braved the huge hill. A heartfelt thank you to Izzy, Nouvelle, Christina and Sooin, our 2025 Kindness Leaders, who were all there leading by example.

Please share your stories of diversity and inclusion

Sharing stories is an engaging way to educate others about different ways of life, celebrate diversity and encourage inclusivity within our Pymble family and the communities we support. If you have a story you’d like to share about culture, religion, neurodiversity or physical diversity, we’d love to hear about your idea via our online form here.

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

On Wednesday 4 June at 8.30am, we will be holding the next session of the Parent Series. 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. 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

This term, as part of the 3-6 Reading Challenge, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of diving back into some of the books I loved as a child and sharing them with girls in Year 6. From magical adventures and mysterious lands to heartwarming tales of friendship and courage, it’s been a journey that’s reminded me just how powerful books can be – not just for young readers, but for all of us.

One of the most rewarding parts of this challenge has been sharing these stories with the girls. Hearing their thoughtful questions about the characters within the novel or talking about the plots within the story and watching them make connections between characters and their own lives. These shared moments are windows into imagination, empathy and curiosity.

The purpose of the reading challenge is to encourage the girls to read across genres – from science fiction and fantasy to historical fiction, biographies, poetry and even graphic novels. Each genre offers something unique and exploring them helps the girls discover what they love while building a richer understanding of the world.

The love of reading has been further ignited through our author visits who have shared stories of their writing journeys, creative processes, and what it takes to bring characters to life on the page.

Girls in Kindergarten to Year 3 also took part in the 2025 National Simultaneous Storytime, joining thousands of children across the country in reading the delightful picture book Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell. It was a beautiful reminder of the unifying power of books – how one story can connect us all.

By reading different styles of texts, the girls begin to develop their own writing styles. Whether they’re crafting persuasive arguments or reflective diary entries, reading gives them the tools to express themselves clearly and creatively in their written work.

Through the Year 6 Reading Challenge, I’ve been reminded of the books that shaped me, and I’ve loved seeing those same stories light a spark in the girls.

Please find the list of suggested texts for students Kindergarten to Year 6 created by Mrs Martha Itzcovitz, Junior School Teacher Librarian and Mrs Josephine Laretive, Junior School Teacher Librarian.

ICAS Assessments

Information regarding ICAS Assessments is available on the MyPymble parent portal. These optional competitions will be held before school for Years 3 to 6 in Term 3.

AMC Assessments

Information on the Australian Mathematics Competition Assessment is available on the parent portal.

Northside G&T Parent Evening with Dr Ruth Phillips

Northside G&T Network are hosting a parent evening with Dr Ruth Phillips; the workshop will be delivered over Zoom. If you would like the link to the workshop to be held on Tuesday, 3 June at 6.30pm, please email me at lbird@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

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

JSPG Meeting

Thank you to those who attended the JSPG meeting last week. It was a great opportunity for the Junior School leadership team to answer questions and hear feedback from our parent community. As not everyone was able to attend and we did not get to respond to all questions, please click here to read our responses. Please feel free to contact us should you have any further inquiries.

Important information

K-2 Carline: 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 ask 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.
As noted in the JSPG Q&A, parents are permitted to park in the staff carpark from 3.00pm daily, when accessing OSHC or collecting students from activities.
With the rain seemingly ever present at the moment, please ensure your daughter has a raincoat in her bag. Larger sizes will be back in stock at the Uniform Shop in June.
At present, we have an unusually high number of students attending school without their recess. Can you please ensure your daughter has all her food packed each day, or an order is placed for either/both meals.
It is wonderful to have a large number of students involved in before school co-curricular sport. With the wet weather, please ensure students have a spare dry pair of socks to change into, so they are comfortable for the full school day.

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.

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

Saturday 31 May – PPA Trivia Night – good luck to all our Junior School families!

Wednesday 4 June – Bennett and Goodlet House Lunch

Wednesday 4 June – K-6 Parent Wellbeing Series

Thursday 5 June – Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival

Saturday 7 June – No Saturday Sport

Monday 9 June – King’s Birthday Public Holiday

Wednesday 11 June – K-2 Athletics Carnival