From the Principal

Here at Pymble, which I affectionately call ‘Base Camp’, we have so very much to be thankful for. This feeling of gratitude sits with me regularly and is front of mind today after another week of wonderfulness and as we head into the weekend.

As I reflect on all that we have to be grateful for as a Pymble family, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has popped into my thoughts, no doubt prompted by our Foundation Ball on Saturday night. There was a palpable sense of joy in working together to build on our strong foundation of values, including our responsibility to care for others. The aim of the event was to raise funds for bursaries for refugee students to enable these girls to feel safe and loved, and to build their self-esteem in their new home. In addition, we hoped to contribute valuable funds to improve our facilities at Pymble so we can ensure we continue to meet the evolving needs of all our students and staff now and into the future.

Congratulations and thank you to our Foundation Board, our Foundation Ball sub-committee members, and our Community Engagement team for all their efforts to create such a successful night. Together, we raised more than $230,000, which, to our great delight, means we can now welcome three refugee scholars from Afghanistan into our Pymble family in 2024.

One of my favourite parts of the night was listening to our Head Boarding Prefect, Amarley Bron, deliver the acknowledgment of country and share her story. Amarley spoke so beautifully about her journey at the College and how the support she has received from our Pymble family has enabled her to overcome many challenges to arrive at where she is now, on the cusp of completing her HSC. Next year the College hopes to have 24 First Nations scholars, our biggest intake to date, as our program continues to go from strength to strength. #PymbleProud.

We are blessed to have a community of families who choose to give in different ways. It was lovely to acknowledge our hard-working PPA on Tuesday night and to thank them for all they do to contribute to events on and off ‘Base Camp’. It certainly takes a village of dedicated volunteers to offer the range of opportunities for connection at Pymble that enhance the sense of love and belonging we feel as a community. Our PPA’s care for our Pymble family extends well beyond opportunities for parents to connect. Thank you in advance to our parents for hosting lunch for Team Pymble on Friday in recognition of World Teacher’s Day. Our academic and professional services staff look forward to this annual event and are grateful for the love and effort that goes into ensuring they feel valued for the work they do at the College.

We are also blessed to play a key role, alongside parents, in the learning journey of your daughters. It was wonderful to have our incoming Kindergarten class for 2024 joining our Junior School staff for a picnic on Saturday to build their sense of belonging to our Pymble family as they embark on the next stage of their development. Heidi the Hedgehog made a guest appearance, of course, and the popcorn (my favourite) was an equally big hit!

At the other end of the spectrum, we are grateful to see our oldest learners, our Year 12 girls, emerge so confidently from their HSC exams, having been well prepared for this milestone period of their lives. And our incoming Year 12s have had a great start to their first term of Year 12 subjects last week, having settled into their new digs in The Atrium and enjoyed a very special ceremony last Friday to induct our 2033/24 Prefects and the whole cohort as leaders of our school. Our 70 Prefects were at the beautiful Vision Valley site this week for two days of leadership training and planning sessions, during which they took a moment to film this cheery hello.

Of course, self-gratitude is equally important as we establish routines that enable us to be the best versions of ourselves. A few weeks’ ago, I shared this adorable self-affirmation clip in my Monday morning update to staff. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did, and, who knows, maybe you can establish a self-gratitude routine with your family members, too.

As we reflect on the week that was, the exciting opportunities coming up, and all the things we love about being a member of our Pymble family, perhaps the most important thing to remember is…

“Gratitude helps people realise that they wouldn’t be where they are 
without the help of others.”