From the Upper School

A message from Victoria Harrison, Head of Upper School

Each year during Boarders Week, the Upper School team loves the opportunity to shine a spotlight on our Year 9 and 10 Boarders, celebrating the important role they play in the Pymble community. We want our Boarders to know how deeply we value their contributions and the unique perspectives they bring to life at Pymble.

This year, we continued our partnership with Farmer Dave, delighting students with silky chickens from the Agricultural Plot. We also unveiled the 2025 edition of our scarecrow and displayed the beautiful bunting crafted by Mrs Myles last year, which brought colour to our Upper School spaces along with the profile posters of our Boarders.

A standout addition was the new sign post, thoughtfully created by Mr Peter Ellis. This signpost highlights the diverse home regions of our Boarders, visually illustrating the distances they travel to be part of our community. It sparked conversations and offered our day students a chance to learn more about the backgrounds and experiences of their boarding friends.

We extend a huge thank you to the dedicated Pymble staff who helped bring our Boarders display to life.

We hope our Boarders have enjoyed the week and truly felt appreciated for all they contribute to Pymble. Thank you to everyone who made this week so memorable.

A special mention goes to our Boarders for leading this week’s Year assemblies, further demonstrating their leadership and spirit within the College.

Contributions from some of our Upper School Boarders

Allegra Taubenschlag

My name is Allegra, and I am a Year 10 Boarder in Goodlet House. I come from a little area in the Snowy Mountains called Crackenback, which is 30 minutes from the Victorian border. I live there with my parents, my sister, and our two Golden Retrievers. I love to ski, mountain bike and hike when I’m home. It’s a peaceful place surrounded by nature, and while I love it here in Sydney, I miss my family, my dogs, and having space to just breathe.

I started at Pymble in Year 8 in 2023, and it was a big change at first. Boarding was a new experience, but over time, it’s really become a second home to me. I’ve been lucky to be involved in so many activities, from playing soccer with my friends to taking on leadership opportunities that give us a voice. One of the things I have been most passionate about is rowing. I’ve worked hard to be part of the Inter First VIII, and it has been an incredible journey. We’ve had an amazing season, and I’m proud to be part of such a dedicated and successful team.

Boarding life has its ups and downs, but I love the sense of community. There is always someone around to talk to, to laugh with, or just to hang out. Some of my favourite memories are the late-night chats, the boarding games, and just spending time around with my friends after a long day. It feels like one big sleepover, most of the time.

Pymble has helped me grow in so many ways. I’ve become more independent, confident, and resilient, and I have learned how to manage my time and face challenges head-on. Rowing has taught me so much about teamwork, dedication, and pushing through when things get tough. I’m really grateful for everything I’ve experienced here, and I’m excited for what’s still to come.

Alex (Cabbage) Reardon

My name is Alex Reardon, and I am a Year 10 Boarder in Goodlet House. I come from a country town called Moree in North West NSW, about an eight-hour drive from Sydney. I live on my family farm with my brothers, Angus and Hugh, my Mum and Dad, as well as two dogs and two horses.

On the farm, we have cropping including wheat, barley, sagum, and fava beans and more, as well as sheep. I love going home in the holidays, because there is so much open space, I enjoy going for runs through the back paddocks, and working on the farm with my dad, and seeing my friends from primary school.

Although, there is always a point in the holidays where I just want to go back to school. Boarding has its ups and downs and there will always be times where you won’t enjoy it. But overall, I love living with all the Boarders, as well as some of my best friends. Boarding provides me with so much support, including the study and prep program, organising sports and co-curricular, or just helping me when I’m having a bad day.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Victoria O’Sullivan, Ella Gungor, Iris O’Brien, Mia Chan, Katerina Economou and Annabel Taylor who were valuable members of the cast of the Knox musical, We will rock you.

Special Year 9 Assembly

In our Year 9 Assembly last week, we explored both the range of wellbeing supports available to our students and the importance of engaging in effective self-care strategies. Along with our College psychologists, we also explored the importance of language in identifying and communicating emotions. Using evidence-based research from Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence (https://rulerapproach.org/), we explored the notion that by correctly naming our emotions, we are more likely to be able to ‘tame’ these emotions.

We know that young people can sometimes communicate online and via text message to each other using strong emotive language without necessarily meaning what they write. We have asked students to make a conscious effort to reserve this type of language for if and when they may need support. By doing so, we can ensure that such language does not lose its meaning and that students are more reflective of the way in which they communicate online to one another.

Inspiring Women in Science and Health (I-WiSH)

There is an opportunity for 50 Year 10 students to participate in a special program during National Science Week in August. I-WiSH (Inspiring Women in Science and Health) is a Pymble Institute initiative which aims to inspire students’ interest in careers in science and health.

This year’s program will take place on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 August at the College and at the San Hospital. Students will meet a range of women, working in medicine, public health, academia, science labs and research programs, who will mentor them as they complete the I-WiSH Challenge.

The challenge is undertaken in small groups and involves using a design thinking approach to solve a problem that the mentor is facing in her work or research. Joining Pymble girls will be girls from Abbotsleigh and Wahroonga Adventist School.

If you are passionate about your studies in Science or PDHPE, can see yourself following a career in Science or Health, and would like to extend your skills and knowledge, then I-WiSH is for you.

Senior Academic Scholarship registrations open to Year 9 students

Pymble offers a number of scholarships each year to girls who are currently in Year 9 at Pymble or external to Pymble who will be in Year 11 in 2027. Registrations for Year 11 2027 Senior Academic Scholarships are currently open.

Visit the Scholarship webpage for more information and to register for the Academic Test in August.

Registrations close on 30 July 2025. The examination will be held at the College on Sunday 10 August 2025.