From the Middle School
Happy Boarders’ Week to all of our Year 7 and 8 Boarding families. This week we have had great fun decorating the Middle School office to reflect the richness of our Boarders who hail from near and far:
Year 7
Alyangula, NT – Narromine, NSW – Gravesend, NSW – Forbes, NSW – Oura, NSW -Walgett, NSW – Obley, NSW – Rawdon Island, NSW – Rankin Springs, NSW – Canowindra, NSW – Tokyo, Japan – Bourke, NSW – Cowra, NSW – Eurunderee, NSW – Port Macquarie, NSW – Gravesend, NSW – Woollahra, NSW
Year 8
Wellington, NSW – Hong Kong – Cootamundra, NSW – Walgett, NSW – Young, NSW – Cudal, NSW – Burren Junction, NSW – Scone, NSW – Mitijulu, NT – Tennyson Point, NSW – Rocky Glen, NSW – Gunnedah, NSW – Spring Flat, NSW – Redfern, NSW – Breeza, NSW – Walgett, NSW – Thursday Island, QLD
Our photographic display of the girls’ favourite animals has adorned the walls and invited many compliments. We had a barnyard of animals for all to enjoy.
Thank you to our Boarders who worked diligently to produce some amazing woven pieces of art and dream catchers that were hung in the Middle School garden in celebration of the theme of weaving communities together: Threads of Connection. Everyone had a lovely time at the Middle School Boarders’ morning tea today.
This week we have continued to interview those shortlisted for Year 7 leadership positions. The applicants have been impressive in their confident presentation and range of proposed initiatives. We hope to be able to finalise position towards the end of next week.
Week 3 provided an opportunity for our first year assemblies for Term 2 and I would like to acknowledge the investment of our Heads of Year who worked to ensure engagement and poignant messages about the importance of respect and inclusion within Middle School.
Below is a window into these important community events for Years 7 and 8 students. Congratulations to the many students who received individual recognition for their contribution to building community last term.
Year 7 Assembly Outline
Words have power, and the way we use them shapes the experiences of those around us. In a deeply personal and thought-provoking assembly, our Heads of Year shared their own encounters with the way language can influence identity and belonging.
Karen reflected on the impact of the ‘OK Karen’ stereotype, while her co-leader spoke about the assumptions and perceptions he has faced as a Jewish man working in an all-girls Christian school. These stories encouraged students to consider how everyday interactions – such as comments about someone’s background or cultural differences – can influence inclusion and connection.
To build on this conversation, students will take part in the ‘Rewrite the Narrative’ activity in their Compass lessons next week. Working in small groups, they will reflect on real-life interactions and explore ways to shift conversations toward inclusivity and respect.
The lesson will conclude with the creation of class pledge boards – visible commitments to fostering a supportive and welcoming school environment. Through this initiative, students will deepen their understanding of how thoughtful language can strengthen relationships and celebrate the diversity within our community.
Year 8 Assembly Outline
On Tuesday, our Year 8 Boarders presented to the year group assembly. They created beautiful slides showing their families, their home routines, the fun activities they are involved in when they return home. All of them demonstrated our Pymble values and epitomised the significance of their Threads of Connection which is the theme for 2025.
They have a genuine love for their Boarding sisters and the opportunity to connect in many different ways. They all spoke of their growing independence and the joy of returning to their homes and in particular, their pets, including chickens, a bunny, dogs and cats, horses, sheep and cattle. We love their diverse stories and their capacity to be inclusive within the year group. After all, how many people can say they can see Uluru from their backyard? Incredible!
Next week, the first three groups of our national exchange program will be heading off to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. Thank you in advance to the teachers accompanying the girls and their families who will host their daughter’s Exchange Sister on return. It promises to be a wonderful experience for all involved.
International Nurses Day
Our school nurses play a vital role in our community and Middle School wanted to acknowledge the dedication and care that they provide to the girls. This week Aaira (Year 8) interviewed the team:
Hi, I’m Aaira! This week I had the great opportunity to interview our amazing nurses in healthcare in honour of International Nurses Day on Monday. I interviewed Lauren, Brooke, Marie and Suzie.
What are some of your day to day responsibilities as nurses at the Pymble Health Care Centre?
We see any of the students that need any sort of medication or have hurt themselves, we see any of the Boarders as they don’t have family or parents to check up on them if they have problems like headaches and muscle pains.
We don’t just take care of the students but the staff as well. There are around 2,500 students at the College and up to 1,000 staff, and we cater for everyone in the Pymble community.
Do you provide health education for students? If so, what kind?
We are constantly reminding students about how to keep their puffers and epipens safe and near them at all times. We also like to get out and talk to each year group, with big presentations on things such as vaping. We have done talks on epilepsy and lots of other talks, such as anaphylaxis, that we do with the heads of Boarding houses. With Year 12, we make sure to emphasise how they should take care of themselves with their different doctors, and tests they should take to ensure their bodies are doing well as they are going to universities all over the world, sometimes on their own.
These questions are just two many I asked our nurses.
Make sure to appreciate the nurses around you!
Congratulations to our newly appointed Compass Captains. Good luck for the term ahead.
| Compass Group | Year 7 | Year 8 |
| Bennett A | Rose Harrington; Audrey Lee | Chelsea Dua; Thazin Naidoo |
| Bennett B | Diya Bhushan; Mithili Jayasundera Mudalige | Ula Cheng;Nadia McMahon |
| Goodlet A | Isabella Croll; Hayley Fan | Jing Chung, Adele Cassidy |
| Goodlet B | Samadhi Wanniarachchi ;Zoey Chen | Jasmine Kee, Amelia Blaiklock, Daisy Scarbrough, Lucy Woodbridge |
| Hammond A | Jasmin Hany, Shaanvi Lahiri | Charlotte Woo;Amber Lewis |
| Hammond B | Callie Cao, Makiitah Washington | Candice Liu; Chloe Teoh |
| Ingleholme A | Florence Cheng; Chloe Smith | Zoe An; Aaira Khan |
| Ingleholme B | Charlotte Dai; Trinity Guo | Cadence Wang;Victoria Xu |
| Lang A | Elisa Zhang; Marlia Uhl | Narla Bron; Jade George |
| Lang B | Flossie Murphy; Zara Younger | Danielle Hu; Dimity Loeve |
| Marden A | Kashmira Agnew, Emeline Gurjian | Athena Wu; Gabrielle Chan |
| Marden B | Lucy Moss; Harper Lee | Lilly Andrews; Charlie Slater |
| Thomas A | Leia Ripley, Krystal Gao | Annabelle Stack; Una Kim |
| Thomas B | Sissi Ko, Anika Perera | Jess Pickford, Grace Akers; Jocelyn Chow |
| Wylie A | Ahana Ahuja; Risha Kumar | Fiona Chen; Freya Andrews |
| Wylie B | Christina Harley; Ishika Sethuram | Grace Neal; Esha Marwah; Adele Jiang |
Congratulations to Misaki Nakakoji (Year 7) who won both the U14 Latin Dance section and U14 Latin Open Championship at the Open Worlds competition in the UK last week. This is one of the major international competitions of social dance in the world. She is now a WORLD CHAMPION for her age group. What an amazing achievement!
Scholarship registrations for new RTG STEM Scholarship open to current Year 8 students
Pymble has a new scholarship for students with a passion and competent skills in STEM. The RTG STEM Scholarship offered through the Pymble Foundation is open to Year 8 students (current and external students) for a scholarship commencing in Year 9 2026 until Year 12 2029.
Registrations close on 30 July 2025. Students are required to sit an examination 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.
Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School