From the Middle School
On Tuesday of this week, we celebrated International Women’s Day at our termly Middle School Assembly in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts. This celebration was organised and executed by our Year 8 Student Leaders who did an absolutely amazing job delivering what was an exciting and informative agenda. Our leaders are so generous with their time and are always willing to collaborate to ensure we get the best outcomes. They are exemplary role models for the other girls. Congratulations to:
Isbel Neal, Saja Abdel- Megeed, Zoe Bloom, Laranya Nanthakumaran, Addison Woods, Emily Chiang, Jisoo Yeou, Sophie Ngai and Katerina Economou.
At the assembly we welcomed a guest panel of Alumni students who had been invited back to the College to share their stories and adventures post school. Thank you to Fiona Wong who represented women in STEM, Annabelle Rosewarne from the world of Performing Arts and elite sportswoman Sarah Hunter for giving up their time to help inspire Middle School.
Thank you also to the students who shared their talents across the two musical items: Lilian Wang on vocals and Isabel Cheng on piano and vocals who performed I’m a Warrior and Cecilia Zhou who graced us with an outstanding performance of Sun Qun: The Emperor on the guzheng. Cecilia specifically prepared this piece to showcase the power and enthusiasm of women.
Our beautiful International Women’s Day mural along the colonnade is a testament to the many beautiful women who inspire the girls in Middle School.
Well done to our athletes that competed at the igsa Swimming and Diving Championships. Our Year 8s had a wonderful time cheering and supporting the Pymble team.
At the end of last week our Year 7 students completed their Naplan tests. The girls were outstanding across the two days, demonstrating good organisation skills and punctuality. This week we plan to reward them with a surprise ice-blocks on one of the hot days.
Applications have now closed for Year 7 Leadership positions for 2023. I am delighted to see that we have many girls applying for the various roles. The next step is to short list candidates for interview. I would like to remind parents to encourage your daughters to attend the lunchtime Leadership Workshops that are being facilitated by our Year 12 MS Liaison Prefects:
Thursday 23 March lunch: Interview preparation (Theory)
Monday 27 March lunch: Interview practice (Practical)
Thursday 30 March lunch: Confidence/public speaking
Regardless of whether girls make it through to the next round in the leadership process, these skills are an excellent learning experience for everyone. We are very fortunate to have such proactive and invested Year 12 leaders. Thank you to Olivia Eichmann, Sasha Wong and Christine Hur.
This week the Year 10 Peer Support Leaders ran sessions with Year 7. Sessions focussed on Making new Connections and Friendships. The girls had lots of fun with their leaders.
Thank you so much to Layla Abdel- Megeed, Kayra Amir and Tala Gubara all from Year 8 for offering to speak about Ramadan in the Junior School Chapel Service last Monday – you spoke so informatively and so confidently. You did yourselves proud, thank you for stepping up to this opportunity and sharing your beliefs. I know it was very well received.
Ramadan Kareem!
Spotlight on Teaching and Learning in Year 8 Visual Arts
As an extension to their unit of study for Term 1, Coastal Worlds this term, Year 8 travelled to the Australian National Maritime Museum to explore the following exhibitions: ‘Ocean Wonders’, ‘Au Karem Ira Lamar Lu- Ghosts nets of the ocean’, and ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’. Featured artist Florence Gutchen encapsulates their focus for this Term:
“The ocean holds all mankind together, we are all connected by it and we must look after it”.
To support their investigation on how artists respond to the natural world, students engaged in activities such as observational sketching of the various installations, which were then used to enrich their own artmaking back in the classroom.
Below are some students’ thoughts on their experiences:
I really enjoyed the ‘Wildlife Photography of the Year Award exhibition where we looked at wild animals and their habitats. There were many different styles and themes and I found them really inspiring. I was also amazed by the ‘Ghost Nets’ exhibition. It was so interesting to see how the Indigenous artists could make their environmental artworks out of recycled fishing nets into the forms of various sea animals that were affected by these materials.
– Fiona Pan (Year 8)
One thing I enjoyed from the excursion was the interesting photographs of wildlife and sea life animals seen in the ‘Wildlife Photography of the Year Award’. I enjoyed viewing and taking notes on all the fascinating images and learning more about animals and their habitats.
– Cherry Lau (Year 8)
My favourite exhibition during the excursion was the ‘Ghost Nets’. The sculptures were life size and looked really cool. The sculptures were also made from materials of the endangered animals that were featured in the artwork.
– Leander McLaughlin (Year 8)
The excursion was, by all accounts, a fabulous opportunity to engage firsthand with artists’ interpretations of coastal environments and a demonstration of how art can change the way we see the world.
– 2023 Visual Arts captains, Young Cho and Alex Hyett (Year 12)
From the Middle School Parent Group
PPA New Parents’ High Tea
Our annual New Parents’ High Tea was held today in the Jeanette Buckham Gymnasium at the College. We had a wonderful turnout from parents across all year groups. As always, our Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen, gave a very warm welcome to the new families at the College. The wonderful Middle School team including Jenny O’Donnell were in attendance as well as our Middle School Parent Group representatives. A huge thank you to parents for spending your morning at the College and we hope that you had a fantastic time.
Year 7 End of Term Coffee Catch Up
A Year 7 coffee catch up with be held in the morning of Tuesday 4 April at Brick Lane Expresso, a favourite local West Pymble café. A table has been booked from 8.00am in the name of ‘PLC Year 7’. Feel free to pop in after drop off before you head off for your day. The café is open early in case any parent whose daughter may have an earlier start to the day. We look forward to seeing you.
Kai Jones (kai_look@yahoo.com) and May Tai (yeemaytai@gmail.com)
PPA Year 7 Co-ordinators
Term 1 Key Dates
Monday 3 April – Year 8 Mind Body Spirit Day
Wednesday 5 April – Learning Discussions
Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School