From the Principal
It was Kindness Day in the Junior School on Wednesday this week. While each year group from K-6 spent the day working on acts of service, approximately 100 Year 5 students from Pymble and 14 visiting schools attended our second annual Kindness Convention, which we were proud to co-host with Ascham School in Edgecliff and Sacred Heart Catholic School. These Year 5 students have been recognised by their schools as leaders with kindness in their hearts who can help to change the world by spreading messages of kindness far and wide, starting in their own schools and communities.
Our young delegates heard from a range of inspiring speakers, including one of our own ex-students, Sophie Whitehouse-Sparks (Johns, 1988), who is the founder of the You Can Sit With Me campaign in schools. Sophie had her audience totally engaged as she shared the origins of her idea to create highly visible wristbands to help students identify inclusive and kind peers they can approach to sit with or talk to if they are feeling anxious or lonely. Students also worked in mixed groups to consider a problem and solve it in the spirit of kindness to self, to others or to the environment. And, wow, the ideas that stemmed from their kind young minds were incredible, including:
- A Mini Trust Buddy, which uses AI and a chip in a child’s favourite toy so the child can talk through their worries and problems with the toy and receive advice and support in return.
- A drone supply box to deliver medicine, food, water and supplies to flood victims.
- Every school in NSW plants an oak tree – the 2,500 new trees will help to reduce carbon dioxide in the environment and encourage bee colonies and the pollination of crops.
- A Pair and Share app to swap clothes within local communities, saving excess consumption, shipping costs and textiles landfill.
Congratulations to our Junior School team and our Years 5 and 6 Kindness Captains for being genuine changemakers in this space. As Mrs Brown says, “Kindness is your superpower,” and it’s wonderful to see this network of superheroes continue to grow, day by day, at Pymble.
Adults as role models of kindness
My recent experience at the Asia Pacific Summit on Girls’ Education a couple of weekends ago, and the beautifully simple You Can Sit With Me wristband idea presented at the Kindness Convention, inspired me to start thinking about ways that we, as adults, can role model the behaviour we wish for our girls.
Professionally, I was so excited to attend the summit, as I always gain so much by listening to and learning from speakers and peers. As a bonus, I was accompanying three wonderful Pymble staff members (see below) who I was looking forward to spending time with. While it was great to see friends and peers from all over the world, I am a bit of an introvert and there were times when I felt a bit anxious about walking into a room full of people I didn’t really know. Who would I sit with or talk to? Many people share this nervousness; it’s something we don’t tend to lose over time.
While reflecting on how we can amplify our strategic pillar of Social Intelligence as a parent community, I wondered: would a Pymble gathering feel more comfortable if you could easily identify someone who would welcome your approach by a visible sign, such as a wristband or a badge? It certainly would for me.
Come as you are. You can share your story. You are welcome here. These are some of the potential messages for parent wristbands or badges going around in my mind. What do you think? We’d love to hear your ideas and take them back to our team to workshop for future events for Pymble parents.
Congratulations to our superstar staff
Back to the Asia Pacific Summit on Girls’ Education and our superstar staff.
Congratulations to our Director of Professional Learning, Kerryl Howarth, who showcased Pymble’s new teacher accreditation pathway at the summit, and to Imogen Kennett and Kristen McEvoy, who were nominated by their managers to attend as outstanding educators who would make the most of the learnings and bring new ideas back to the College. We greatly value our staff at Pymble, so it is with great pride that I will handover to them now to tell you a little bit about themselves and their passion for teaching and learning at Pymble.
Imogen Kennett, Year 3 teacher (Junior School)
I was thrilled to be selected to attend the summit, and particularly excited to hear from the Finnish educator, Pasi Sahlberg, as I have long been a fan of his research on education. Sahlberg’s research shows that play is essential for children’s physical and mental development, and I was eager to learn more about his findings.
It was also a great honour to be asked to present on behalf of Nerissa Davey on Leading Girls With Compassion and Confidence in the Junior School. Although I would describe my emotions as a mix of nerves, pride and excitement, I knew I had to practice what I preach to the girls and enjoy the little moments of butterflies. I am grateful for the opportunity to have attended this conference and to have shared how we lead our girls with confidence and compassion at Pymble.
Since returning from the summit, I am more determined than ever to use play as a source of developmental growth, to expand the girls’ understanding of problem solving and design process, and to continue creating a learning environment where all girls feel safe, supported, and challenged.
Kristen McEvoy, English teacher (Secondary School)
Having previously worked across government and private sectors in both single-sex and co-educational settings, I joined Pymble in 2021 as I wanted to work within a community that is focused on empowering young women to be confident thinkers and change makers. In addition to my teaching of English, I’ve been working as a Future Problem Solving coach, organising workshops with universities for our students, and celebrating their achievements in our Bright Ideas creative writing journal.
I felt incredibly grateful to have been nominated to attend the summit as it allowed me the opportunity to learn from leaders and innovators who are united in their purpose of helping students recognise their talents and unlock their potential. As a result, I hope to implement design thinking principles in my teaching practice with attention to develop future-focused competencies to equip my students with the necessary skills needed for their future career development. I will also be presenting my insights from the summit regarding student engagement and agency in their learning to members of the teaching community on our Staff Day at the end of Term 2.
Kerryl Howarth, Director of Professional Learning (K-12)
It was with great pride that I was able to share with delegates at the summit an exciting innovation the College has successfully implemented to recognise, reward and celebrate teaching excellence.
At Pymble, we respect the diverse pathways teachers take as they progress through their careers. We recognise and value the richness of expertise and experience and the multitude of benefits for our students when teachers draw on their knowledge from industry, academia and various national and international contexts to develop exceptional learning experiences in the classroom and through broader programs.
Traditional Teacher Accreditation pathways do not recognise the nonlinear career pathways that many of our exceptional teachers have taken. To this end, we have co-constructed Pymble Plus, an internal accreditation pathway that aims to recognise, celebrate and reward teaching excellence at the Experienced Teacher level. The process of achieving the internal Pymble Plus accreditation prioritises:
- demonstrated excellence and expertise in classroom practice
- teacher agency
- positive impact on student learning.
Teachers engaged in this pathway complete a professional learning project that is directly connected to student learning needs and which can be used by other teachers to improve teaching and learning. At the same time, it has provided financial and professional recognition for experienced teachers who are delivering excellence in the classroom.
In 2022, we recognised and celebrated the talents of Victoria Aikman, Catherine Casey, Julia Squires, Cara Smith, Candice Cooper and Stephanie Attley through the Pymble Plus program. Our 2023 candidates are now working on their projects and we look forward to hearing of their successes later in the year.
Thank you to Kerryl, Imogen, Kristen and all our wonderful staff who continue to show up each day as enthusiastic, life-long learners who role model kindness and inclusion in all that they do for the College. Our girls are blessed to be in the care of this amazing Pymble family and, as the head of the school, I am so incredibly grateful and Pymble Proud.
Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal