Language Arts
DEBATING
ISDA and FED
Round 4 Week 6 Last Friday 7 March
Our FED teams attended Round 3 at Tara last Friday where they won three debates. Our ISDA debaters had home debates last Friday, with Scots visiting. Our teams won seven out of eight debates. Well done coaches and students.
Conflicting Rowing and Robotics commitments, along with illness, certainly impacted teams last week. Thank you to all girls who subbed in or debated up. Our mantra continues to be Pymble never forfeits! Thank you again to our ISDA mums who provided surprises for supper that were gratefully received. Thank you for your care. It means a lot.
Round 5 Week 7 This Friday 14 March
Tomorrow, our FED teams will travel to Sydney Boys’ High School (SBHS). Girls heading to SBHS are to meet at the flagpole by 3.30pm.
A bus to SBHS will be available for FED girls, however, tickets must have been purchased through Co-curricular Administration. Return buses will NOT be on offer and parents are required to arrange collection for their daughter(s). Girls will NOT be permitted to take public transport home, unless accompanied by an adult. SBHS’s venue information and parking details have been sent out through Co-curricular Administration. We are delighted to have Ning Cao taking charge of FED on Friday evenings. Ning is a past Language Arts parent and Pymble staff member.
Our ISDA teams will host Roseville in Pymble’s Kate Mason building for Round 5. Parents are welcome.
Please note, due to the Year 11 formal, all Year 11 debaters will have their Round 5 debates pushed back to make up rounds. Make up dates will be announced through Co-curricular Administration for ISDA and FED debaters. Enjoy your evening Year 11.
A reminder that those attending the UN Youth state conference are still expected to attend debating on Friday.
Week 8 Round 6 FED and ISDA Venues for Friday 21 March
FED will host MLC next Friday at Pymble. For ISDA Round 5, Pymble will visit Shore. Please book bus tickets in advance through Co-curricular Administration and note that parents must arrange transport home following their daughter’s debate.
Year 7 campers are still expected to attend Debating, and buses should be back in time for the bus to Shore.
Chinese Debating
More details have arrived and at this stage, we can only enrol Secondary students. We are looking for one team. Please email Mrs Hubbard, bhubbard@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au, ASAP if you interested.
Organisation: NSW Chinese Debating Association
Dates: Formal opening – Saturday 22 March. Competition starts – Saturday 12 April.
Form of debate: Prepared debate. One match per week – three rounds (Weeks 1 to 3) – half (Week 4) – final (Week 5)
NSDC
NSDC is Australia’s premier school debating competition and brings together the most talented young debaters from across the country, fostering excellence in critical thinking, persuasive communication and civic engagement. This year NSDC is coming to Sydney for a week in mid-May. Details and opportunities can be found on the NSDC events page.
Further Debating opportunities
- An externally run Debating camp is being offered in the April holidays. Please click here for more information and the form to enrol.
- Harvard School Australia New Zealand Debating Championship is once more open for registrations. Click here to register. Please direct any questions to competitions@speakerscornerau.com or phone on 02 8091 7946.
Public Speaking
Auditions
Thank you to all our public speakers who presented at auditions over the past few weeks. The standard was high. Over 120 students signed up for these auditions. Results and feedback was offered in Jobson Lecture Theatre KM building yesterday. Congratulations to all progressing.
Rostrum
Pymble is hosting a heat after school in lower Kate Mason Building and the library classrooms, on Wednesday 19 March. All are welcome. Mrs Hubbard is also looking for Language Arts girls in Years 7 to 12 who would like to chair/ time heats. Please email her if you can assist.
Another speaking opportunity
Pymble’s very own Autumn Festival will be held on Thursday 1 May from 4.30pm to 8.30pm. Language Arts will run a fun Soapbox event. Soapbox is where students get to present a three to four minute, less formal, fun speech about a pet peeve. What bugs you? Here is your opportunity to present it in a funny way. Auditions will be run at lunch and after school on Tuesday 8 April. Please email Jenny Xu, Captain of Public Speaking, Jixu@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or Mrs Hubbard to register your interest Bhubbard@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
DELO launch
Pymble is pleased to have been involved in the planning and March 2025 launch of DELO – The Dame Enid Lyons Oratory award.
Sonia Berry, IGSA’s Executive Officer, wrote,
“I just wanted to thank you all for supporting this, our first Oratory Competition. It has taken many years of planning, and we are delighted that finally, there is a competition to rival the Lawrence Campbell Competition.”
Lawrence Campbell is the 90-year-old oratory competition run for boys attending independent boys’ school and it has been noted,
“The Lawrence Campbell Oratory is widely regarded as the most prestigious, and difficult of the New South Wales Public Speaking Competitions.
Not anymore! DELO is for the girls!
Ms Berry thanked the committee which is made up of two representatives from the NSW Department of Education, two external speaking coaches, three school speaking coaches, and herself.
The DELO final will be held in the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday 21 May.
Model United Nations (MUN)
Harvard MUN
Harvard MUN in Australia – Pymble is sending a delegation. Thank you to those girls and parents who registered interest. Registrations were completed on Friday 7 March. We look forward to receiving news about our allocated delegation. Late registrations are open if anyone would still like individual entry. Please let Mrs Hubbard know if you are attending. Click here for information.
NSW UN Youth State Conference
We know those attending will have a wonderful time on Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March, as this is often a MUN calendar highlight. Please note debaters will need to arrange transport to the venue following your debates.
Pymble Model UN Club (PMUN)
PMUN runs each Monday lunch in DK06. Come along. Everyone is welcome! Learn how to prepare for a MUN conference. We will hold our own Winter conference later in the year.
Mock Law
Bond Mooting – Training will commence soon.
Mediation – We are hoping to open Mediation experiences to a broader audience. Stay tuned. We are in contact with the Law Society regarding some changed opportunities. These will be announced shortly.
Bronwyn Hubbard
Head of Language Arts