From the Upper School
A message from Mr. Riley, Head of Upper School
It has been another action-packed week in the Upper School with Year 10 volunteers helping to run the St Edmund’s Athletics Carnival, Dr Andrew Browning from the Barbara May Foundation inspiring our girls in Chapel with his life of service, our Da Vinci Superstars showcasing their talents at Knox Grammar School, the Model UN filling the Senior School with students, laughter and debate, and our girls heading to Shore for a newly established focus group.
Elsewhere our exchange girls continue to enjoy Sydney and the beautiful weather we are experiencing, and we also had a visitor (Flavia) from Romania, who loved her time at Pymble.
This year we are working with our girls to develop more opportunities to build connection and understanding with young men at other schools in Sydney. Our joint Residential Program with Riverview provided an excellent opportunity for Year 10 to develop healthy and respectful relationships, and we have recently engaged in focus groups with Knox and Shore to ideate more opportunities for late 2023 and into 2024.
Please enjoy Mika Naito’s beautiful reflection on Dr Andrew Browning’s talk in chapel:
Listening to Dr Andrew Browning’s talk was an absolutely incredible experience. As an Obstetrician and Gynecologist working in some of the most remote areas of Africa, he shared his journey as one of the first senior fistula surgeons in the world. His dedication and passion for helping women in less fortunate situations left a profound impact on not just me but many of the girls in my cohort. Dr Browning’s honesty and openness about the struggles faced by these women truly shocked us. It confirmed once again how fortunate we are to live in Sydney and attend such an amazing school. One of the most inspiring aspects of his talk was when he emphasised that even as 15/16-year-old girls living in Sydney, we can contribute significantly by spreading awareness or donating to the Barbra May Foundation. It reminded us that no matter our age or background, we all have the power to create positive change in the world. Dr Browning is a truly remarkable and inspiring individual. His dedication to his work and his genuine concern for the well-being of others left a lasting impact on all of us. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to him speak and to be reminded of the importance of making a difference, no matter how big or small.
Lastly, I have received numerous applications for work experience in Year 10 and encourage all of our families to consider this as an option for your girls. It is a wonderful way for our students to see what the world of work looks like, to collaborate with adults, and to begin to think about their future pathways. Please do visit the Futures section of the newsletter for a simple ‘how to’ flowchart, and enjoy Erin Porter’s reflections from her time at SBS:
During my week of work experience at SBS, I was lucky enough to experience the fast-paced environment of the news and media industry. I had the chance to explore all of the different jobs within SBS, such as marketing, production, sales and language translation. I found it so interesting to learn about all of the teamwork and time it takes to form a single news segment.
I took part in multiple different activities such as watching the live filming of the news, recording a radio ad, practising reading news scripts and going behind the scenes in the busy production studio. The camera crews took me along to a range of filming locations such as the city and Bondi, where I was able to watch them interview and film reporters.
I learnt so much about the SBS brand and the media industry – I really enjoyed this week and I am very grateful for this opportunity that I hope I will get to pursue into the future!
Steps to Uni for Year 10 Students UAC Guide
Year 10 students received a physical copy of the UAC Steps to Uni guide this week. To access a digital version, please click here.
From the Upper School Parent Group
Save the Date: Mother and Daughter Day at Vision Valley
Year 10 Zoe Green bzgreen@bigpond.net.au
Pamela McPherson bruceandpam@bigpond.com
Year 9 Monika Surana monsisurana@yahoo.co.in
Christel Vigne vignechristel@gmail.com
Social media community groups:
PymbleLC Parents Class of 2025 (Facebook for year 10)
PymbleLC Parents Class of 2026 (Facebook for year 9)
PymbleLC USPG 2023 (Facebook for all Upper School parents)
Or please contact us for an invite to a WeChat group or Dads WhatsApp group.
Key Term 3 Dates
Monday 7 August – YSafe talk to Year 9
Friday 11 August – YSafe talk to Year 10
13 to 19 August – Year 8 National Exchange
Wednesday 16 August – Music Scholars Concert in Chapel
Friday 25 August – Year 7 to 12 igsa Athletics Carnival
Friday 1 September – K-12 Father’s Day Lunch
Wednesday 6 September – Year 9 Subject Selection for 2024
11 to 15 September – Year 8 Outdoor Education
Saturday 16 September – Garden Party
Wednesday 20 September – Year 10 RYDA Excursion
Thursday 21 September – Year 10 Drama Showcase
Friday 22 September – Last day of Term 3
Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School