From the Principal

I’m sure I’m not the only Australian who was surprised by the lack of media coverage about the 30^th anniversary of Mabo Day last Saturday. Mabo Day is recognised nationally on 3 June each year, to commemorate Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his successful efforts to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullius or ‘land belonging to no-one’.

We are blessed to have such a beautiful and spacious campus to host special events “in our own backyard”, so to speak, and respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the grounds we know and love as Pymble Ladies’ College. We pay our grateful respects to the Darramuragal people who cared for this land long before we did.

Speaking of special events, congratulations to our littlest athletes who ‘had a go’ at their K-2 Athletics Carnival today on our Main Oval. For our Kindies, this would have been their first time in such a spirited sporting environment, so it’s a pretty big deal, and we are proud of the enthusiasm and determination they showed. Of course, tomorrow it’s the turn of our Junior School girls in Years 3 to 6, and we wish them an equally joyful day of participating in the different heats and activities and celebrating House spirit. Just like today, I will be there, wearing my tutu representing all eight spirit Houses and cheering our young athletes along.  

Thank you to all the staff and Junior School House leaders who make these days so enjoyable for us all, and the many parents who came along to support their daughters – my goodness, the refreshment stall run by our amazing Junior School parents was next level!

Study skills for Secondary students

Having enjoyed their own Secondary School carnival a couple of weeks ago, our Senior School students are currently focussing on a different type of finishing line: trial HSC exams for Year 12 and half yearly exams for Year 11 in Term 3. The girls have been working hard and have lots of additional support in place, including the five-day HSC Winter Study Camp in the first week of the school holidays, which all Year 12 students are invited to attend. This is a great opportunity to make the most of the academic and alumni staff who will be available each day to provide subject-specific help in a supportive environment free from the distractions of home. In addition, students who are working on a major project for Visual Arts, TAS, Drama, Music or Dance will be able to visit their respective classrooms/spaces during this time to work on their projects.

For more details and to register for the HSC Study Camp, please click here.

Another great study resource for all our Secondary students (and their parents) is the Study Skills Handbook, which is a component of our Years 7 to 12 Study Continuum introduced in 2023 under our Academic Intelligence pillar. All students in the Secondary school have one supervised study lesson during their weekly MBS block, one teacher-led lesson about study skills per term, plus global access to the online Study Skills Handbook. This Handbook is a fabulous library of resources to help students improve specific study skills and to provide practical advice for parents and carers who wish to support their children’s study and schoolwork at home.

Each student and parent/carer has access to this resource, which can be found by clicking on the following Study Skills Handbook link and using the login and password pymblelc. I encourage you to have a dig around and see what helpful hints you can find.

As our Seniors approach their examination blocks, our Acting Deputy Principal – Academics, Mrs Natasha Stanfield, shares her best preparation advice for our Year 11 and 12 students:

The Past Paper study method

• do a past paper (or part thereof)
• mark it using the marking guidelines
• record your gaps
• study your gaps using study notes/class resources
• repeat!

According to Mrs Stanfield, there are multiple benefits of this active study method, including:

• you focus on studying your gaps (not re-learning what you already know)
• you become familiar with the wording of exam questions and refining your exam technique, especially if you do the paper under timed conditions
• every time you repeat the cycle, your gaps should be getting less so you can see how much progress you are making. 

Mrs Stanfield will be going over this technique with Year 12 at their assembly on Tuesday of next week, when they will also receive their trial timetable. Our girls in Years 11 and 12 are well prepared for their impending exam blocks so I won’t wish them luck – rather, I will encourage them to have a good night’s sleep beforehand, feel confident in their knowledge and preparation, and maintain a calm presence of mind as they approach each exam.  

Holiday fun for bright young minds

While there is some information on the Study Skills Handbook for Junior School parents (not students) to help them prepare for the transition from Year 6 to Year 7, the abovementioned resource is intended primarily for a Secondary School audience. So, with the impending holidays in mind, I asked our Head of Junior School, Mrs Kate Brown, and our Deputy Head of Junior School – Academic, Mrs Lara Bird, to suggest a few play-based activities that will engage our youngest learners. They have come back with seven fabulous ideas you might like to share with your daughters.

1. Choose some activities from your 100 things to do before you leave Junior School booklet.
2. Design and make a paper automata to showcase ways we can be of service to others in our community. Designs will be displayed at the Junior School’s Let’s Get Creative Festival in Term 4.
3. Research traditional children’s playground games from around the world and create a booklet/series of posters to teach others how to play those games. Bring in your booklet/posters at the start of Term 3. Some of the best ideas will be shared in our assemblies and taught to students. Designs will also be displayed at the Junior School’s Let’s Get Creative Festival in Term 4.
4. Design a piece of equipment that helps you train for sport/music/dance of your choice. Draw and label a diagram of your design to explain how it works and make a prototype. Bring it in to show Mr Tyson, Mr Schweinberger or Mr Brown in Term 3. Designs will be displayed at the Junior School’s Let’s Get Creative Festival in Term 4.
5. Go to Arcade.makecode.org and make your own maze game. Email the link to share your game to kbrown@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
6. Visit https://vr.vex.com/ (for 8 years +) and explore how to make and code your own virtual robot. 
7. Have a go at our short story competition. Write a short fantasy or adventure story (maximum two pages), which must include these five things:
   • an old school diary 
   • a small silver stone
   • a very long piece of string or rope
   • a beetle or bug of some description that plays an important part in your story 
   • a wise old character.

You can illustrate your story if you like. Entries can be solo entries or a partnership with a friend, and House points and prizes will be awarded to winning entries.

Sounds like lots of fun and we can’t wait to see what our bright young minds in the Junior School come up with during the break!

Your invitation to learn about ArtificiaI Intelligence at Pymble

Finally, a reminder that all parents and carers of Kindergarten to Year 12 students, along with all staff, are invited to attend our online information night about AI next Thursday at 6.00pm. Artificial Intelligence is making big headlines, and we are acutely aware that many parents are wondering how generative AI tools might impact their daughter’s learning outcomes. We are fortunate to have a team of experts who will talk you through the challenges and opportunities, walk you through some of the tools to gain a better understanding of the AI landscape, and share our plan to ensure our community navigates this emerging terrain with wisdom, integrity and care.

Please click on the invitation below to register and, hopefully, we will see you there.

Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal