From the Senior School

From the Head of Senior School

Year 12 – Food for Thought

This week the Year 12 girls will participate in our annual Food for Thought event with recently graduated Pymble students. They will be enjoying a formal lunch with some of last year’s school leavers, gathering tips and hearing another perspective regarding the successful navigation of their final two terms at the College. The girls will have an opportunity to ask the recent graduates for suggestions, advice and share stories.

Our guest speaker is Annika Mountstephens (ESU 2018), who recently completed her studies at UNSW. After taking a gap year in 2022 and taking an entrepreneurial stint with a small STEM education business, she’s recently entered the professional world landing a position in technology consulting. Annika is excited to talk to year 12 about the exciting shift to the real world after school and how to leverage all the incredible opportunities Pymble provides.

Year 11 – University Immersion Day

This week the Year 11 students will be participating in a University Immersion Day, attending a university of their choice, to experience a day in the life an a campus. This follows from a day at Macquarie University, late last year and builds an understanding of some opportunities for post school life. We are very grateful to the institutions who have generously offered to host our students and provide such rich experiences. These include UNSW, ACU and UTS. Also sincerest thanks to the Futures Team who worked with the Senior School team to organise this event.

Congratulations to the Year 11 students who finished their assessment block last week. The girls are to be commended on their maturity and preparation in sitting for these tasks. As they receive their feedback, it is important to reflect upon this as an opportunity

Leadership 2025 Updated Process – A message from Mrs Michelle Hunt, Head of Secondary Wellbeing

We have some exciting updates regarding the student leadership process for 2025. After consulting with Year 11 and Year 12 students, we have decided to bring forward the leadership process by one term. This change comes after considering feedback from current Year 12 leaders who highlighted the challenges of Term 3, including Trial HSC examinations, graduation events, portfolio reports, and the commencement of summer sports. As a result, the current Year 12 leaders have advocated for a smoother transition/handover period with the 2025 leaders to assist during this busy time. We believe this adjustment will not only alleviate the burden on our students but also ensure a more effective leadership transition process. This also creates an opportunity for our graduating leaders to mentor and advise the new 2025 team.

The Leadership launch will therefore take place in Week 11 at the Year 11 assembly this term. We encourage students who are interested in taking on leadership roles in 2025 to access the Leadership site where they will find important information, including role descriptions, and application instructions. A more detailed letter outlining the application process will be posted on the parent portal on the 5 April.

We understand that some students may feel disappointed if their application is not successful. We offer feedback in two stages: first, for those not selected for an interview, and second, for those who are unsuccessful after an interview. We encourage students who have not been successful to stay positive, learn from the experience, and see setbacks as moments for growth. We kindly ask for your support in encouraging your daughter to seek feedback and explore other available opportunities.