From the Upper School
A message from Mrs Victoria Harrison, Acting Head of Upper School
One of our Upper School aims is to broaden the outlook of our students, enabling them to recognise their talents, value, role, and possibilities in the world throughout their time with us. Through diverse experiences such as residential program at Vision Valley, international exchanges, service initiatives, and outdoor education programs, we aim to provide numerous opportunities for enthusiasm, reflection, and personal growth. This is a dynamic environment, and we encourage your daughters to embrace new challenges or try something different this term. We look forward to sharing many wonderful experiences with the girls.
The first residential program of the year kicked off at Vision Valley this week, we said goodbye and good luck to our Year 9 Adventurers who began their four-week stay on Sunday. Our RP24-1 cohort have been settling into life at the Valley with enthusiasm and apprehension. The first few days of the program focus on establishing new routines, connecting with peers, and beginning to expand students’ understanding of real-world experiential learning in comparison to traditional school settings. They set off for their first expedition on Friday, which we are sure will be a rewarding experience.
On campus the girls have been enjoying reconnecting with their peers, adjusting to the school routine, and getting back into their co-curricular activities. House time has been spent preparing for next week’s swimming carnivals and Year 9 Assembly included a fun movement break with Just Dance to incorporate our goal of building more movement into the school day. It was great to see assembly time being mixed up a little. Additional lunchtime movement activities will be rolled out in the next week for the girls to get involved in.
How well is your daughter sleeping? Along with encouraging movement we are starting conversations with the students about the importance of sleep. Next week we will be providing a sleep tracking document as a first step in reflecting on sleep habits. It would be great if you could encourage your daughter to track her sleep for the week so that she can start to explore if her sleep patterns are adequate for everything she needs to do. We will be supporting this with a lesson in Compass circles and are helping the girls understand the importance of enough sleep. Look out for the copy of the Pymble Sleep tracker which will be given to your daughter.
We look forward to welcoming our Upper School families on Monday 19 February for our Wellbeing Information Night. Key representatives from various departments across the college will provide a snapshot of essential information, and parents will have the opportunity to connect with their daughter’s Compass teacher. We look forward to sharing the invitation soon and hope to see you there.
Key Dates
Saturday 10 February – Saturday sport begins
Wednesday 14 February – Year 7 to 9 Swimming Carnival
Thursday 15 February – Year 10 to 12 Swimming Carnival
Monday 19 February – Upper School Parent Information Evening (Begins at 6.00pm)
Thursday 22 February – Year 10 Careers Strengths Day
Thursday 22 February – Year 9 Residential Program Term 1 Parent Workshop
Wednesday 6 March – Year 9 Residential Program Term 2 Parent and Student Information Evening
Tuesday 12 March – Urban Challenge for Year 10
Thursday 11 April – Year 10 Learning Discussions – Evening
Friday 12 April – Year 10 Learning Discussions – All Day (No classes)
Friday 12 April – Last Day of Term (For Year 9)
Victoria Harrison
Acting Head of Upper School