From the Upper School

A message from Mrs Victoria Harrison, Head of Upper School

This week we have enjoyed celebrating the Boarding students in our school community. We are lucky to have 39 Boarders in the Upper School who live in Gravesend, Young, Rouchel Brook, Forbes, Walgett, Hamilton South, Moree, Bilpin, Wee Waa, Wallendbeen, Mount Frome, Narromine, Reids Flat, Moss Vale, Orange, Bohena Creek, Dolphin Point, Whittingham, Walcha, Lighting Ridge, Tambar Springs, Denman, Dubbo, Gunnedah, Byron Bay, Mudgee, Newcastle, Singleton, Scone and Double Bay all in NSW as well as Bentley Park and Cairns in Queensland and Red Hill, ACT. We have Boarders who live further field in Moulden (NT), Middle Point (NT), Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, China and Japan.

A big thank you to our fantastic TAS assistant, Meredith Myles, for her help in crafting the lovely Boarders Week bunting that we can use year after year. Decorating the Upper School area has been a joy, demonstrating our appreciation for our Boarders. Of course, no Boarders’ display would be perfect without a bale of hay, and this week we were visited by some special guests from the Agricultural Plot. Special thanks to Farmer Dave for allowing Nanny Goat to spend time in the Upper School this week.

Boarders’ Week

We are delighted to share more insights into our Boarders as we celebrate our Boarding community. From Darwin to Hong Kong, and many places in between.

Hello, my name is Wyntah Woodroffe-Mulholland, I’m in Year 10 and I’ve been boarding since Year 9 in 2023. I live in Darwin, which is at the top of the northern territory and about four-ish hours away from Sydney by plane. I’ve lived in Darwin my whole life with my family. In my family there is myself, my older brother Chayseton, two younger sisters Imarni who is at Pymble with me and Celia-Betty who is 9, my younger brothers Patrick who is 7 and Junior who is 2, and of course my parents Enid and Kim.

The view from my window is actually just the road and the front of another person’s house but the time I spend at home are my most cherished memories with my family either having a day out fishing somewhere off the Nightcliff jetty, creek or in the mangroves, Swimming in any water hole nearby, going to the Rugby or AFL stadium and watching my siblings play – even the early 8:00am games and staying all day to watch the 6:30pm games, going to the city to have dinner then finishing off the night with a ride on the ferris wheel, having a barbeque down on the beach with all the family or simply just having a girls’ day with mum at the local shopping centre.

I had never boarded or been such a long way from home since coming here last year, so it was a big adjustment coming here and starting a new school, Although I love it in Sydney and I am very grateful for all the new opportunities that have opened up for me, going home is definitely one of the biggest highlights at the end of every term.

Hi everyone, my name is Katelyn Chan, I am in Year 10 and I have been Boarding since the start of this year. My family includes me, my brother, my mum and dad, my cat Milo, and my parrot lovebird, which we named Lucky as she brings luck, because she flew in our house, a few months after my dog, Boris, passed away. Since she wouldn’t survive in the wild in Hong Kong, we chose to keep her and give her a home. She is now a part of the family and always creates a happy atmosphere with her cheerful chirping.

As I said, I live in Hong Kong, but my dad grew up in Sydney, so Sydney has always been like a second home to me. We would come back every Easter and it was always the trip that I would look forward to every year. As much as I like Sydney, I like Hong Kong too, which is a busy place all the time. The views there are very different, as there are skyscrapers everywhere. I am lucky that as I look out on the balcony, I can see the landscape well, especially during sunset as it’s not blocked by many tall buildings. I love the various cuisines and the efficient transportation, as the railways, which are called MTRs, are the cheapest and quickest transport options since the waiting time for each train is usually just three minutes.

Every weekend on Sunday, my family and I would go to church in the morning, then we would pick up our grandparents and spend the day with them. During lunch we would go to one of the few restaurants that we always go to, and sometimes we would have a picnic by the beach. I would definitely feel like something was missing if I ever went there without my whole family. At night, my dad would always prepare a scrumptious dinner, which I really miss, and it is a good way to end the week and start another. So far, I have not felt homesick from being at boarding, as I really enjoy the experience here, especially since I can sleep in, and the boarding community is very supportive.

My name is Annika Maslin, and I am a Year 9 Boarder in Marden House. I come from a small town called Moree which has about 7,000 people in it and is located in North West NSW about an hour or two away from the QLD border. My brother, parents and I live in town with our dog.

Moree is known for its agriculture and being located right on top of the Artesian Basin giving us relaxing artesian hot pools, but the main things I miss are my family and open spaces. I have found coming to Pymble exciting as it is fun to participate in all the amazing opportunities, we are able to access such as playing netball and participating in leadership opportunities giving us the privilege to make a change and for our voices to be heard.

Coming to Boarding has had its challenges but I love having sleepovers every night, playing games with my friends at night and occasionally mucking up with my mates.

School Photographs

If you ordered a school photograph, your daughters will receive an email this week to collect them from the Upper School office. Please remind them to read their emails as we would like them to find their way home.

Service

Thank you to Jessica Allman, Charlotte Blaiklock and Leura Sayers for delivering leaflets for the Lindfield Fun Run last weekend. The girls generously gave their time on a wet weekend to help promote this event and are looking forward to running together on Sunday. This event is open to the community. It would be great to see our upper School girls take the opportunity to be involved. Click here to register.

ySafe Parent Webinar

A reminder that all parents are invited to join online this event on Monday 30 May at 6.30pm to learn how to protect your children in today’s digital world. Please click here to join the webinar.

Key Dates

Friday May 17 igsa Cross Country

Thursday May 23 Year 9 Residential Program Group 2 Parent Workshop

Wednesday May 29 Year 7 to 12 Pymble Athletics Carnival onsite

Thursday May 30 YSafe Talk to Parents at 6.30pm

Saturday June 1 Indigenous Round of Sport

Sunday June 2 Afghan Football Match at Pymble Ladies’ College

Wednesday June 5 Year 9 Residential Program Group 3 Parent/Student Info Night

Friday June 7 Boarders’ Travel Day

Monday June 10 King’s Birthday Public Holiday

Wednesday June 12 Year 10 into Year 11 Subject Selection Event (Parents/Students)

Tuesday June 25 Secondary School Ensemble Concert

Friday June 28 Boarders’ Travel Day & last day of Term 2