From the Middle School
From the Head of Middle School Jenny O’Donnell
This week is especially busy in Middle School as we prepare for our incoming Year 7 2026 students who will be visiting on Friday for Links Day. This is always a very special occasion that marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for the youngest members of our community. I would like to acknowledge and thank all the current students – our Middle School Leaders and our Transition Leaders – who will be assisting on the day to ensure everyone feels welcome.
On Monday, we held the inaugural Year 7 House Handball Championships in the gym. Having run preliminary heats within Compass groups last term, we invited House representatives to compete against each other to determine the winner. Congratulations to Lang House and Marlia Uhl who represented the group with skill and enthusiasm. The event concluded with ice blocks for all- a welcome treat on a hot summer’s day.
Aryana Dinesh from Year 7 provides an update below regarding her Kindness Board initiative.
I noticed that we could do more to celebrate kindness, and that small acts of kindness were often going unnoticed. So, I came up with an idea to change that – A board where we can recognise and appreciate the little things people do every day. It reminds us all to ‘stop and smell the roses’! To get started, I made a plan and a short presentation about how to bring the initiative to life and how it would benefit the students. I shared this with our Heads of Middle School and Heads of Year, and I was really excited when it got approved! I want to thank Ms O’Donnell, Ms Budd, Ms Michie, and Mr Stern for encouraging me to dream big and for giving me the opportunity to implement my idea. In Term 3, Week 9, I officially launched The Kindness Board by giving a speech to the Middle School and inviting everyone to join in. Since then, it’s been running every day — and it makes me so happy to see how many kindness notes appear in the box! This term, I hope even more students will get involved. Because every act of kindness, no matter how small, deserves to be noticed.
We have many talented girls to celebrate across Years 7 and 8. Below is just a selection of students who were busy achieving across the break. Well done to each of you.
Congratulations to Alice Jiang and Athena Wu of Year 8 who participated in the Oxford Schools Australia and New Zealand Debating Championship, held at St Ignatius’ College, Riverview. They were thrilled to win the Grand Final, and as the Grand Final Champions, they have been invited to represent Pymble Ladies’ College at the Oxford Schools Global Final Debate Competition, on March 14, 2026, at Oxford University.
Additionally, the girls competed in the World Scholar’s Cup Christchurch Global Round and have now been invited to the final Tournament of Championship at Yale University. The impressive list of awards received are outlined below:
• Trophy as the Champion Debate Team
• Trophy for 3rd place in Team Challenge
• Trophy for 4th place Junior Team
• Gold Medal as 9th Best Overall School
• Gold Medal as 5th Debater
• Gold Medal as the 9th Collabo Writer
• Silver Medal in Team Writing
• Silver Medal for 8th place Challenge – Social Studies
Congratulations to Yenyu Chen of Year 8, on being selected as a finalist in the My Awesome Australian Art Competition. In recognition of her skills her painting will be on display in The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. I invite you to enjoy her reflection below.
I have a deep passion for art and so over the holidays, I decided to enter the ‘My Awesome Australian’ art competition to try something new and experiment with using acrylic paint for the first time. To my surprise, I received an email today letting me know that my artwork has been selected as a finalist and will be displayed in the National Portrait Gallery. It’s such an honour to be part of this exhibition, especially as it marks the 50th anniversary of the gallery. It’s truly been a pleasure to share my work and represent Pymble in this milestone year, and thus i have shared this achievement with you. I’m also really glad that I chose to experiment with acrylics. I’ve learned so much through the process and although this may not be my best work ever compared to other mediums, i’m really glad i tried something new and and this has motivated me a lot to continue developing my new painting skills so I can continue improving as an artist.
Congratulations to Peaches Zhang of Year 7 who achieved amazing results in the prestigious Asian Grand Prix ballet competition. She placed 2nd in her category and was the youngest in her age division. As a result she was invited to participate in the finals in Manila, The Philippines where she performed her variation and contemporary solo with style.
Congratulations to Chloe Morrison of Year 7 who competed across the school holidays and won a total of 6 trophies (mixture of winner and runner up) across 3 elite Tennis tournaments. She has now qualified for the U12 Nationals with Tennis Australia. Chloe has worked with commitment and determination to achieve this goal.
Congratulations to Anna Yu Ling Wang of Year 7 for her achievements in the Level 8 Division B Floor Gymnastics. She has now been named Champion GOLD at the 2025 National Gymnastics Clubs carnival on Gold Coast where she also placed an impressive 5th in the All-Around!
Congratulations to Isabel Fan of Year 8 who over the holidays took part in the Sydney Organ Competition, which is held every two years. She had a wonderful experience meeting and performing alongside students from other schools and regions, and was thrilled to receive the Organ Music Society of Sydney Encouragement Award.
