From the Upper School

A message from Mr. Riley, Head of Upper School

A big thank you to Mrs Harrison who steered the ship last week and afforded me the opportunity to travel to New Zealand to visit exchange schools. I had a thoroughly enjoyable few days at Woodford House in Havelock North, helping to settle Emily, Ellie, and Phoebe into their new home for the next five weeks. Woodford is very different to Pymble with only 350 girls from Year 7 to 13, and the majority of those being boarders. It is a wonderful opportunity for our girls, with Tessa and Sophia having joined last weekend, to experience a culture different to their own. I was particularly taken by the Chapel service in Maori and their amazing singing. I also visited a fabulous new school in Auckland that we hope to include in our 2024 Exchange offering – stay tuned on that front!

On the theme of Year 10 exchange, we also bid farewell to Maddy, Victoria, Abby and Sarah, and have enjoyed seeing highlights of our girls currently in South Africa, Scotland, Japan, Argentina, and New Zealand, and those girls here with us in Australia.

In Week 5 a group of Year 9s and I accompanied their Heads of Year to Knox Grammar School for a new focus group aimed at creating more collaboration between the schools and their year in 2024. The girls enjoyed a warm welcome from their counterparts and went to work discussing opportunities across a broad spectrum and size. They are now busy planning a return visit to Pymble in Week 8, and look forward to sharing an update with their cohort at the end of term.

Congratulations to the following students for their fantastic recent achievements:

Lily Ikawa who achieved some remarkable results at the recent Ryde Piano Competition including a 2^nd (Australian section), 3^rd (Chopin Etude), and HC (for 15 and 16 years Piano solo)
Emily Abadee who as Cadet Corporal with St John Ambulance, recently taught Julian Leeser MP how to apply a lifesaving tourniquet
Mea Shires and Angela Xenofontos for this amazing diving results at School Sport Australia. Mea won one gold and two silver medals over the course of the week, and Angela delivered a PB in all events during the week and displayed outstanding sportsmanship in and out of the pool throughout the week to be awarded a Sportsmanship Award

Finally, KYDS (Ku-Ring-Gai Youth Development Service) are offering a free webinar for parents and teenagers called ‘Flip the Switch: How to make friends with Stress’. With end of year examinations approaching this might be a useful resource for some of our families. Click here to register.

Year 10 Mums and Daughters Day at Vision Valley

Year 10 students and their mothers will be given the opportunity to visit our Vision Valley campus for the the inaugural Year 10 Mother and Daughter Day on Sunday 8 October. A core part of the Outdoor Education program at Pymble, the pristine grounds of Vision Valley offer the perfect environment for a day full of light-hearted fun in the great outdoors.

Featuring a full roster of engaging group activities, a luxurious long lunch, an Amazing Race and an informative workshop titled ‘Making Formals a Breeze,’ the day promises to be an unforgettable experience for mothers and daughters alike.

Program

8.30am – Arrival and welcome beverages 

9.30am – Activity session 1 

11.00am – Morning tea 

11.30am – Activity session 2 

1.00pm – Long lunch on the balcony 

2.30pm – Workshop

3.30pm – Activity session 3   

4.30pm – Departure 

Cost: $110 per person

Tickets: Click here to purchase your tickets.

RSVP: Tuesday 19 September 

Convenors: Pamela McPherson (bruceandpam@bigpond.com) and Zoe Green (bzgreen@bigpond.net.au).  

Please see the invitation below for more details.

Notes

– Activities have been chosen to cater for all abilities and are always optional. There will be no extreme activities such as rock climbing, abseiling or mountain biking and activities are suitable for all levels of fitness.   

– A message of inclusion: If it is not possible for a mother to attend, students are welcome to attend the day’s events with another family member without gender restriction. 

– This event is designed to encourage meeting up with old friends and also discovering new ones. If you would like to nominate one or two other families to share the day with, please tell us on your booking form. 

– For Boarding families: This one-day experience is not designed as a residential stay. However, Vision Valley has agreed to make room-only accommodation available for a small fee for the nights before and after for those Boarding families who are travelling prior to the start of term. Owing to the lack of on-site supervision in the evenings, it is a requirement that there are only female attendees and no siblings.  If you are interested in this, please contact the event convenors for further information.

More information, such as what to wear and what will happen in wet weather, will be emailed to participants after numbers are finalised. For more details, please email the event convenors.

From the Upper School Parent Group

Heavenly Pancakes Stall – Garden Party 2023

We are putting the call out to parents and carers who would like to assist with the Heavenly Pancakes Stall at Garden Party 2023. Please click here to register to work at the stall on the day (one-hour slots between 9.00am and 4.00pm), or if you are able, please click here to make a donation that will go towards the stall.