From the Senior School
This week the Senior School has recognised and celebrated International Women’s Day in a variety of ways. The Kate Mason Building has been decked out purple and in Compass time, the students have been discussing the day and chose meaningful postcards represent how they felt about gender equity. Last week, Ms Gallardo, Deputy Head of Senior School and I accompanied a group of Year 12 leaders to the International Women’s Day lunch. Caitlyn has prepared a report of this event below.
We also participated in Social Justice Day, ‘Justice Unite’. For the first time Uniting Church schools are coming together to raise awareness about social justice issues. Students from Knox, Newington and Kinross Wollaroi will join about 100 Pymble students in running eight different stalls on Gloucester Lawn. These include the following: The First Nations Voice to Parliament, Human Rights in Iran, The War in Ukraine, Human Rights for LGBTQIA+ people, Women’s Rights (with a focus on the organisation Days for Girls), Food Insecurity in Australia (with guests from Meals on Wheels, Turramurra Community Garden and the Pink Pantry), Cultural Diversity in our schools and Climate Justice.
IWD UN Women Australia Lunch
In celebration of International Women’s Week, a group of Pymble students had the wonderful opportunity of attending the UN Women Australia’s IWD Lunch at the International Conference Centre. The event was inspiring and mind-opening, offering different perspectives on this year’s theme, ‘DigitALL: innovation and technology for gender equality.’
During the lunch students had the opportunity to meet Mel McLaughlin from Channel 7 and Australian Paralympian swimmer Annabelle Williams. A range of speakers spoke on the theme, such as Hon Sen Katy Gallagher who introduced the theme and spoke of a digital ID to protect those who cannot access paper documents as easily. She also mentioned the gender biases inherently built in the internet, which has become more evident in our rising use of AI.
The Head of UN Women Australia, Simone Clarke also spoke of increasing equitable access to technology education so that individuals can utilise these tools in a responsible and productive manner. Clarke emphasised the need for more women creating solutions for women and creating more opportunities for women to increase their skills in technology.
The inspirational and well-known American actress Alyssa Milano dialled in from the United States expanded on how technology was a vehicle for movement and has the potential to create change, in the same way that the #metoo movement gained momentum after a single tweet post. She gave an inspirational talk about her walk with other survivors and remarkable women, commenting on how individuals shape their own worlds, and while an individual cannot control what may have been done to them, they have the power to control what they make of their experience and situation. Milano advocated for bodily autonomy, the right to safety and a shift in cultural beliefs and values.
Tarana Burke, founder of the MeToo movement in 2006, also dialled in, speaking to the challenges women face all around the world. She expressed how sexual violence may be misunderstood as salacious gossip and popularised by famous Hollywood actors, drawing attention away from how these issues affect every day people, who have real lives and are, at the end of the day, still human. Burke mentioned how insufficient action was being taken and the inadequacy of incarceration, instead calling for the accountability of all individuals in creating a world that is equitable and reduces harm by dismantling systems and rebuilding them. She noted how we can utilise technology to create a safe online space for survivors to access help and opportunities.
Jackie-Lee Joe, a well-known entrepreneur, was recently the CMO of Netflix. She shared her amazing journey through different technology companies and her diverse experience in different roles, as a stem-adjacent professional. Overall, it was an inspiring and motivational event, encouraging students to step up and take action in their own communities to make a change.
Written by Caitlyn (Year 12)
Key Events this Term
Wednesday 22 March to Wednesday 29 March – Year 11 Assessment Week
31 March – Year 12 Mind Body Spirit Day
31 March – Year 11 Pathways Immersion Day
3 April – Careers Expo
5 April – From the Curriculum Office: Pupil-free day for Year 11 and 12 while Learning Discussions take place for Year 7, 8 and 10.
Year 12 teachers will be setting work if they have a Year 12 class on that day. This will be an asynchronous lesson that the students should complete on Wednesday or at some stage during the break.
Nikki Wyse
Head of Senior School