From the Middle School
On Monday on MyPymble, I shared news with you regarding our very well-loved Head of Year 8, Theresa Mimmo. An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Boarding community here at Pymble and Theresa has now accepted the position of Deputy Director of Boarding from Term 4.
Theresa joined Pymble five and a half years ago as a maths teacher and has been an integral part of the Wellbeing team for the last four years. We are very sad to see Theresa leave the Middle School. Her deep care and investment in your daughters’ wellbeing has been exemplary. Once we have confirmed the new Head of Year 8, I will be in contact to update our Year 8 families. We wish Theresa all the best in her new role.
Pymble Ladies’ College Athletics Champions!
On Friday last week Year 7 attended the 2024 igsa Athletics competition at Homebush. Pymble Pulse was stronger than ever as Year 7 led the mighty cheers to the surprise of our competitors in the stands.
The girls showed indomitable spirit as they stood time and time again to encourage the Pymble athletics team to cross that finishing line and there were many first placings which made the day even more satisfying. We value the role our Year 7 played in contributing to Pymble spirit at igsa this year.
During Mind-Body-Spirt time this week the much-anticipated Masked Singer house event had everyone on the edge of their seats, with each house delivering spectacular performances in a variety of languages. The twist? Every house had to perform in a different language, making it a true celebration of our school’s linguistic diversity.
From catchy Spanish pop songs to Russian rap, the students’ powerful voices and expressive gestures, enhanced by their House mascot costumes, brought the drama and emotion of music to life. Mr Raymond, Ms Rockwell and Ms Bussien judged the performances, focusing on house spirit, showmanship and language proficiency. This event was a true celebration of language and culture, showcasing not only the talent of our students but also their dedication to embracing and learning new languages. Congratulations to all the houses for their incredible performances – this will be a Languages Week to remember!
Melissa Jeurgens presented to Year 8 on Tuesday. Melissa is an accredited practicing dietitian and an accredited sports dietitian. In addition to her clinic at Narrabeen, Melissa works with the GWS Giants AFL and Giants Netball as their head sports dietitian. It is Melissa’s mission to simplify diet and nutrition and help people see food as more than just calories. A balanced diet should not deprive you of foods you love but instead help you to be the healthiest, happiest version of yourself and enable you to thrive in our ever-changing world. Our Compass team will conduct follow-up activities on Thursday.
Year 8 Student Reflections
Melissa told us all about the three big food categories vegetables, carbohydrates and protein and how to incorporate these into our diet. Especially because lots of us are athletes and participate in training, Melissa told us all about what we should eat before trainings for energy and after trainings for recovery. She also spoke to us about body image and how unhealthy eating habits can affect our menstruation. I can definitely say that I learned a lot from her visit and will remember the things she said for a while! – Emma (Year 8)
During our year assembly on Tuesday, we learnt about our protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. We learnt how significant these foods are for us so we can grow healthy. Our guest speaker had talked to us informing how nutrients are vital for us growing teenagers. We enjoyed having her to our assembly and have learnt so much about what we should eat to keep healthy. – Charli (Year 8)
During assembly today we were lucky enough for a guest speaker to come and talk to the whole of year 8 about the importance of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. I am so glad that she came as I was able to learn how to fuel and repair my body especially after physical activity. This is so important as we are growing girls and need to eat the right things for us to grow up and be healthy. This was an amazing opportunity and I’m very grateful for it. – Constance (Year 8)
Melissa will be presenting to Year 7 next week.
On Friday 23 August we spent our final day of national exchange exploring the sights of Sydney. We had a beautiful sunny day in Sydney, and we were able to showcase what the city has to offer. It wrapped up an amazing week of exchange for the girls. Thank you to all of the teachers who made the program such a success.
Congratulations to Thazin Naidoo (Year 7) and Annabel Zhao (Year 7) who were selected to participate in the Western Sydney University Space Teams Academy held last week. Thirty-two young space adventurers formed teams to complete a virtual space mission as part of a WSU mission team to design spacecraft, learn basics of interplanetary navigation, land their vehicles on an exoplanet, build a sustainable habitat in a hostile environment, and explore the strange exoplanet as a team to locate resources critical to sustaining human life for the duration of their mission.
Student Reflection:
It was an amazing experience to attend Space Teams Academy in Western Sydney University. We took six major lessons throughout the week, learning from professionals and experts, and extending our knowledge through online activities including designing planets, creating habitats on Mars, and landing a spacecraft on different planets. We learnt about physics, planetary science, and orbital trajectory. It was so exciting and interesting to learn about, as there were virtual simulations of rockets and spaceship landings. We talked to professionals involved in space exploration missions, and experts in planetary science. We even talked to a former NASA astronaut and flight engineer, Gregory Chamitoff. It was truly a great experience to attend Space Teams Academy, and I genuinely look forward to any other science programs in the future. – Annabel (Year 7)
Madeleine Gaden recently travelled to Queensland on two separate occasions for equestrian competitions, one being a Grand National qualifier for 2025 and the other Brisbane Royal, the EKKA. Mads came away with qualifying four different horses for the Grand Nationals next year including her own horse, Rooster. She also had a wonderful time at the EKKA, winning many placings including a royal championship. Congratulations!
It is wonderful to be able to share the news that Diona Jacobs, Selina Jiang, Meii You and Annabel Zhao of Year 7 have made it through to the Semi Finals in the CCSA Debating competition. We wish them all the best for the next round.
From the Middle School Parent Groups
Middle School Sweet Sensations Stall 2024
The Garden Party, the biggest and most exciting event of the year, is coming up on Saturday 21st September – just a month away! The Years 7 and 8 Sweet Sensations Stall is one of the most popular so we are expecting huge crowds. Please help us out by either volunteering your time or donating money to help us buy lollies. See links below for both options and attached flyer.
To join us on the day, please click here.
To donate money to help buy lollies, please click here.
We thank you in advance for your generous support.
Year 8 Coffee Morning
Thank you to all the mums that came along to the coffee morning last Friday. It was so lovely to catch up and chat for a couple of hours.
We look forward to the next coffee morning.
Year 7 Co-ordinators
Stephanie, Leigh and Briar
Year 8 Co-ordinators
Jenny Pang (0422 716 808, cola0214@hotmail.com) and Ms Kai Jones (0431 725 948, kai_look@yahoo.com)
Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School