From the Principal

Congratulations to our youngest students who celebrated a symbolic milestone this week – 100 days of Kindergarten. No doubt their parents and carers will appreciate the huge leaps and bounds their daughters have made in their learning and development since starting formal schooling at Pymble. Positively impacting on a child’s life is one of the unique joys of working in a school, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful Kindergarten teachers for the special care they take to instil the love of learning in our future graduates, who will be our Class of 2035!

On that note, a special shout-out to our Year 12 students who are one-third of the way through their Trial HSC exams, with two weeks left to go. Feedback from our girls is that they are feeling well-prepared and have not encountered any great surprises to date. I’m particularly proud of how our staff and students have worked together to ensure the best possible outcome for our Class of 2023.

Today’s column, however, is literally a TAS Fest, a celebration of our Technology and Applied Studies subjects, inspired by our inaugural TAS Fest event held in the GMCPA last Friday night.

It’s always exciting when an inaugural event is a huge success, especially when our students put their heart and soul into making it so. TAS Fest represented the first-time Pymble students and teachers of the different Technology and Applied Studies subjects have joined forces to present a combined showcase of learning. Guests viewed major works and creative projects by our Design & Technology and Textiles & Design students, while sampling food and drinks prepared and served by our Food Technology and Hospitality students. The evening culminated in our highly anticipated Textiles on Parade fashion show, which until this year was always a standalone event.

Our four Year 11 TAS Subject Captains, Stella Robertson (D&T), Manon O’Donnell (Hospitality), Arabella Sherlock (T&D) and Lucinda Woodfield (Food Tech) did an outstanding job working with their fellow students and staff to plan, promote and host the evening to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. Thank you and great job, girls!

It’s no accident TAS at Pymble has grown in popularity and size in the last five years. Our two newest subjects, Design & Technology and Software Design & Development, cater to more than 150 students alone. TAS subjects are rich in opportunities for students to develop character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking, which are the core competencies they will require in their future working lives. In addition, there are now more than 70 career pathways (that we know of) for TAS-based subjects and this number is rapidly growing due to the fast pace of technology innovation in the fields of design, hospitality, digital communications, and fashion.

Earlier in the year, our Deputy Principal Ms Rockwell and I seized the opportunity to take our Year 11 and 12 Textiles students to see the work of one of the world’s most famous designers, Alexander McQueen, at the National Gallery of Victoria. The intent of the tour was to inspire students and assist with their current studies while potentially nurturing future careers – for many of us, it was a highlight of the year.

Have I mentioned the cool tools and toys? Each of our TAS rooms and workshop spaces is fully stocked with equipment, and one of the Textiles rooms has a sublimator printer and heat press that allows students to print their graphic designs onto fabric. We also have a 1.2m x 1.2m overhead router in the workshop for cutting plywood and aluminium sheets to CAD profiles, so the opportunities for creativity and design are endless, as our TAS Subject Captains happily attest to.

“Design and Technology has always been a creative outlet for me in which I’ve been able to push myself. I find that when I’m in the TAS rooms and the workshop there is no limit to what I can make, and I love to have a class where I can experiment and design freely. The TAS teachers are amazing people that make the subject worthwhile, each bringing a different aspect of learning to class to inspire and encourage everyone.”  Stella

“Hospitality is a great subject to develop your understanding of food and beverage preparation, hygiene, safety, and working in a hospitality establishment as practicals reinforce the theory. It also allows students to collaborate in an exciting teamwork environment and experiment with a range of recipes and ingredients that are not always familiar. Students can achieve a CERT II in Hospitality: Food and Beverage, and an extensive skill set desired by many employers.” Manon

“As a Food Technology student, I appreciate the diverse learning it offers, including nutrition, the science behind food and cooking, and food presentation. Moreover, it allows us to work collaboratively in teams and unleash our creativity in the kitchen.” Lucinda

“Textiles and Design is such a fulfilling and enjoyable way to express who we are and what inspires us, whilst being able to learn new sewing techniques and creative forms to communicate messages. You are constantly working with your teachers to develop the best ideas and learn techniques. I love how something drawn on paper or a visual created in your mind can be transformed into a physical object; this is a moment when you can feel so proud of yourself and how far you have come.” Arabella

Say hello to our HOLAs

Having learnt all about TAS and TAS Fest, I hope you now enjoy getting to know a little bit about Mr Peter Ellis, our Head of Learning Area – Technical and Applied Studies. Mr Ellis commenced at Pymble in 2018 to lead the department that teaches Design and Technology, Food Technology, and Textiles and Design (Stages 5 and 6); Hospitality, and Software Design and Development (Stage 6); and Technology Mandatory (Stage 4). He currently teaches Years 11 and 12 Design and Technology students as well as a Year 12 Compass Group.

Peter, what was the ‘aha’ moment that led you into teaching?

“I was fortunate to work with Bob Britton who has a car and race car building career that stretches over 56 years and includes component repair, redesign and replacement. He mentioned that his knowledge and skills were not documented or transferred to others. He passed them on to me and I saw an opportunity to continue the legacy of knowledge and skills sharing in teaching.

What is the most rewarding aspect of the work you do here?

“I have unlimited freedom to be creative with my classes and within all TAS subjects. All students drive creativity with their passion and varying project ideas.” 

What are you most proud of achieving as a Pymble HOLA?

“I am most proud of leading a strong team of passionate, dedicated and driven TAS staff members who have extensive industry experience that provides our students with richer learning opportunities linked to real world contexts.” 

Work aside, tell us a fun fact about you…

“I aim to complete three hours of physical exercise each weekday and more on the weekends. I cycle to the College and home each day and by the end of this year I would have ridden the equivalent of one lap around Australia since starting at Pymble in 2018.”

Finish this sentence: If I could impart one life lesson to our students, it would be… 

“Find joy in what you do and the times that you share with each other and your family.”

Well said, Mr Ellis, and thank you to Stella, Manon, Arabella and Lucinda for being such wonderful champions of TAS at Pymble. As for our students who are looking ahead to subject choices for Stages 5 and 6, I hope this inspires you to channel your unique gifts and talents, as well as your creativity, in a way that brings joy to you.