Learning from amazing women – join us for breakfast with Gladys Berejiklian!
We are looking forward to hosting a very special event next week – a first for Pymble, in fact. Our inaugural Centre of Excellence Breakfast is the first in a series of free before-school events hosted under the banner of our new Centre of Excellence, and we are thrilled to welcome the former NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, as our inaugural guest speaker. Currently the Managing Director, Enterprise and Business, at Optus, Ms Berejiklian will be interviewed by our Academic Prefects, Eloise Kinchington and Caitlyn Tan in Year 12, who have an impressive list of questions ready to pose.
The Centre of Excellence and its associated events and programs are designed to inspire and enhance learning opportunities for all students across the College. While still very much in its infancy, the centre aims to nurture students’ unique gifts and talents to enable them to reach their full learning potential. In recognition of the diverse faces of learning, there will be multiple entry points for interested students, along with a research-based Talent Development Program to sufficiently challenge students and equip them with the knowledge, training, support and skills they require to develop expertise in their chosen field.
Tickets to this event are booking quickly and the booking link will close when the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts reaches capacity, so be sure to reserve your tickets today.
On the topic of events, please accept my heartfelt thanks to all the parents and carers who have supported College events during the past week or two – and there have been several big ones, including our Mother’s Day morning tea, the Junior School Family Fun Day and our flagship Alumni Networking evening at KPMG last week. It is a source of enormous pride that our Pymble family always shows up with positivity and joy to ensure our events are successful and continue to do what they are designed to do, which is to give back to our community and support the wholistic development of our girls. Events such as these are also a wonderful way to connect and learn more about one another.
I am delighted to say student attendance was also up for our Secondary Athletics Carnival today and, for those who did not come, there is always next year to lean into the best version of yourself and turn up to support your peers.
Real-world learning on campus
Real-world learning is an important component of the educational experience at Pymble, combining with our robust subject curricula to provide engaging and memorable lessons about how different communities live, work and function. So, when we take our strategic intent to increase STEM learning across the College, multiple it by an on-site example of engineering and construction, and then raise it to the power of an experienced Project Director, the result is unlimited new opportunities to broaden our girls’ learning and understanding of the world.
Our new Junior School Administration Hub is now five months into the building phase and on schedule for the grand opening in September, which is very exciting. The building sits between our K-2 precinct and our current Junior School Administration building and Years 3 to 6 classrooms and will become the central hub of our combined K-6 Junior School in just a few months.
As work progresses, our Junior School girls are benefiting from hands-on lessons in engineering and construction from our Project Director of Master Planning and Property Development, Mr Greg Hastie. Mr Greg, as the students call him, started with us in 2022, bringing to Pymble 25 years of experience as a Quantity Surveyor along with a vision to involve our students in this important phase of our history by using the works-in-progress as real-world classrooms and lesson-planning inspiration.
This year, Mr Greg has led a three-part project with our Junior School STEM club (for girls in Years 3 to 6) to help them understand how construction projects work, the properties of concrete and how to mix their own. Other lessons in the field include speaking to Year 2 about water collection, conservation and drainage for their STEM project in Term 1, helping Year 4 investigate the properties of materials used in construction as part of their Science learning, and collaborating with Year 5 students undertaking their Mathematical Association of NSW enrichment project to calculate the area of the Year 5 roof as they consider solar energy as a sustainable option for the College.
The concrete made by our STEM club students is now being turned into a sculpture by these girls to represent their interpretation of inclusivity, and our Head of Junior School, Mrs Brown, is hopeful this collaborative artwork can ultimately be installed outside the new Junior School Administration Hub.
More than a little bemused by the ‘rock star status’ he has in the Junior School for his engaging and interactive lessons, Mr Greg is impressed with the girls’ curiosity and questions in the field.
“The girls are so engaged and so bright – they ask me questions about things I haven’t thought about in years, such as why is there a depression at the top of each brick?
“Everything about this build is being done with the students’ safety, learning and benefit at top of mind. If we can get one student from Pymble to go into the construction industry as a result of these hands-on learning opportunities, that’s a win,” Mr Greg says.
Thank you, Mr Greg, for giving your time and sharing your expertise with our students on top of doing a stellar job of overseeing the construction of our buildings of the future. It’s wonderful to see the innovative and varied ways our specialists and teachers continue to build exciting new learning opportunities at Pymble.
PS. For those who are wondering, the depression in each brick holds more mortar to lock it in securely and also makes it easier for bricklayers to pick up and hold each brick while they work. 😊
Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal
From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
As we continue to focus on inclusivity, we shared a wonderful story Can I join your club? by John Kelly with our girls during assembly. This story talks about the many clubs and interests there are within a community and how sharing opportunities brings a community together.
It’s interesting, and impressive, to see how many of our girls are involved in so many diverse co-curricular activities both on and off campus throughout the school term. It’s important and exciting for us to find moments for the girls to share these passions as we hope our girls will see how they can connect with one another in so many different ways. We have Junior School girls who train and compete in Latin dancing, fencing, equestrian, ballet, sailing, speech, music, singing, drama and so much more. Many of these girls don’t get to showcase their dedication and talents during the school day or get cheered on at Saturday sport or get recognised in our Junior School Sport newsletter which is part of the College Compass each week. As a result, we don’t know all the passions and talents we have among us in our Junior School community. For this reason, we have, this year, begun to hold Grade assemblies for Years 3-6 in addition to our weekly K-2 and 3-6 assemblies so we increase our capacity to learn about and from one another.
More and more girls are volunteering to share their musical talents at our weekly assemblies, performing as we come together to share our weekly news, and this always sets a beautiful tone for our community sharing in assembly. We’re looking for more co-curricular activities to be showcased in upcoming assemblies if girls are willing to volunteer to share their passion and skills.
This challenge of how we can connect with one another in different ways is also one I posed and chatted about in our JSPG Term 2 meeting yesterday. Having watched this powerful video ‘Don’t put People in Boxes‘, I asked our community to think about the many things we share. Often, we don’t realise how many commonalities we share and if we can spark conversation with people we don’t necessarily see we have things in common with at first glance, we may build the most beautiful friendships. Some of the questions I posed include:
Do you have a hobby that you make time for on a regular basis?
Do you play a musical instrument?
Do you speak more than one language?
Have you ever had to show courage in trying something new?
Have you lived outside your birth country?
Have you ever worried about social media’s impact on your daughter?
Have you ever struggled to get your daughter to eat her veggies!
Have you ever felt lonely?
Each of us share many similarities despite the wonderful differences we also have through the journeys we have walked. Each of you have chosen Pymble as the community for your daughter to spend her formative years as she learns and grows. Each of you want the best for your daughter. Each of you are doing all you can to support your daughter. The more we chat and the more we listen to one another, the more we learn and the more friends we will make and the stronger our community will be as we collectively raise the girls.
Family Fun Day – a celebration of community
A huge thank you to all involved in our Junior School Family Fun Day. Events like this take an enormous amount of planning and set up, so a very heartfelt thank you to all of you who dedicated hours of your family time to create such a special event for our families to share. Autumnal sun shone almost as much as the girls’ smiles. What a glorious celebration of our community.
Our debating team is off to the semi-finals
After a hotly contested debate, our Primary B team won their debate last week and have progressed to semi-finals tomorrow. The girls debated the topic ‘Parents should pay their children pocket money’ and argued the negative with some compelling points:
Children are not mature enough to receive pocket money and will waste it
If children only receive $5 a week this is too little and won’t enable them to develop meaningful skills of managing money
Not all families can afford pocket money and this causes social division and inequity.
Congratulations to this team and good luck for the semi-final debate tomorrow against Aloysius which is being hosted Joey’s.
A message from Nerissa Davey – Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations
Student voice
Since the start of the term Reverend Bent has invited our Year 3 to 6 girls to share something that speaks to their heart or a challenge during our Chapel time. Last week we welcomed four courageous girls to share their talents and voice. We had Amelia Hardas, Bella Xu and Zoe Alphandary leading the hymns, they sang beautifully and kept everyone in time and in tune! Tanvi Raniga shared a beautiful poem/mediation with us, which was truly inspiring and created a sense of calm for us all. Yenyu Chan shared her very thought provoking poem called What a wonderful world.
What a Wonderful World
Our sapphire seas, our emerald Eden,
Are on the verge of demise,
What is left of Eve’s Garden,
Now begs for mercy and pardon.
Let’s start with the sapphire seas,
Schools of fish and coral reef,
Once swam in symphonies of silver,
Now beaten, bloodied and bruised.
The colours of the rainbow, now fade into black blues,
Leaving us forlorn, like a kitten without a clue,
Earth as once our only treasure,
But now we leave it unsteady and frail.
Emerge from the shadows,
Restore our earth, with bandages instead of bulldozer’s,
Oh, what a wonderful world that would be,
We must sing the praise of nature’s grace,
A place where we all belong.
Written by Yenyu Chan (Year 6)
A Guided Mediation
Make you mind clear,
Imagine bubbles travelling through your body,
No bad thoughts in your head
Don’t forget to breathe in and out,
Fill your lungs with air slowly,
Understand your mind and body.
Like a graceful swan, glide through the river of your imagination
Never forget you are new and unique to the world.
Even though your mind might be wondering, just stay calm
Slow and calm thoughts
Stay lying down as long as you want.
Written by Tanvi Raniga (Year 5)
Careers Day
Our annual Careers Day was held last week and was once again a resounding success. A big thank you to all of you who gifted your time to share your stories about your career adventures with our girls in Years 4 to 6. This now annual event inspires our girls to be curious, to wonder and dream big, to question and think creatively about the many wonderful opportunities they can explore as they grow up.
It’s also a special experience for the girls to see and hear from you about your ‘world’. Your time to support our girls’ learning is much appreciated. We look forward to this event again next year and invite more of you to come along and share.
Bowden Brae Aged Care visit and Volunteer Week news
We are very proud to say that our girls have been featured on the Uniting Church website – Insights. What a lovely article showcasing the wonderful difference our girls are making through this service initiative. Click here to view the article.
Kindness Day – Call for help!
On Wednesday 14 June we are celebrating our Kindness Day in Junior School which will centre around service. Each year group will be taking part in an activity that will involve giving back to others. We would love to invite following members of our community to assist on the day:
Year 4 – We need knitters and anyone who is able to crochet and assist in putting together the squares our Year 4 girls have knitted this year for the charity – Wrap with Love.
Year 6 – We would love to invite any Grand adults to assist with sewing hearts. The girls will be stitching around felt hearts and we would love some assistance with teaching them how to use embroidery thread. This will be in support of 1000 Hearts Charity.
Year 1 Excursion: Clifton Gardens – Michelle Cook, Year 1 Co-ordinator
Last Wednesday on a crisp, autumnal morning, Year 1 excitedly boarded the buses bound for Clifton Gardens for our first excursion of 2023. As part of our Term 2 Integrated Inquiry Unit on people and places, we were met by Ranger Harry and his talented team of scientists who had arranged an action-packed day of practical experiences to help us learn more about the environment and how to best care for it and its creatures.
Ranger Harry introduced us to a Lace Monitor called Lacie, an Echidna named Tilly, a Fruit Bat called Peanut and an owl called Tony. We learnt about their characteristics, their habitats and the food that they eat.
We then looked at how the products that we use in our daily lives; detergent, oil, paint, and sunscreen, can affect our waterways and wildlife. We discussed the different types of landscapes that we have in Australia; desert, snowy, rainforest and aquatic.
Next, we eagerly ventured down onto the jetty to experience fishing from a reel. Sadly, we can report that although we were most excited to spot many schools of fish, stingrays and jellyfish, the fish were definitely not biting!
After lunch, we thoroughly enjoyed sculpting stunning sea turtles and their habitats in the sand whilst learning about the effects on global warming on our ocean environments.
Our final activity saw us carefully scouring the surrounding bush on a scavenger hunt for a variety of different bugs. We found Bull Ants, Cowboy Beetles, Australian Cockroaches and wriggly worms.
Absolutely blessed with periods of sunshine and the sounds of happy laughter, Year 1’s exciting adventures at Clifton Gardens were ones that we’ll all remember.
“I liked the Waterways experiment because we learnt to care for the sea in lots of ways. I noticed that chemicals like soap and oil can damage the ocean”. – Audrey Yu
“I loved making homes for the turtles and fishing with my friends. It takes lots of hard work and patience. I loved fishing because it was so much fun to catch fish with my friends. It was interesting to make homes for the turtles because we were doing experiments like scientists”. – Kitty Mae Ruiz del Portal Greene
“We learnt that if we put oil, detergent and paint into our waterways, it can hurt all our sea animals”. – Flora Wu
“We saw a flying fox or fruit bat and Ranger Grace told us that it is nocturnal and eats fruit”. – Lyanna Xue
“My favourite activity at the Clifton Gardens excursion was the bug catching because I could see different bugs and that means the environment is healthy for the bugs. I saw big ants and wriggly worms!” – Viola Li
“I really enjoyed fishing on the jetty with a reel. We didn’t catch anything, but we saw two stingrays, a jelly fish and a puffer fish”. – Kelly Ni
National Simultaneous Storytime 2023 – Josephine Laretive, Librarian K-2
On Wednesday 24 May, Kindergarten to Year 3 participated in National Simultaneous Storytime an annual event run by the Australian Library and Information Association. This special event promotes the value of reading and literacy, the enjoyment of books, and picture books written and illustrated by Australian authors and illustrators.
The event began with a slow-motion running race by our very own Junior School staff team. Georgia Farthing and Kaymi Madugalle Wijeratne (Year 2) shared fascinating facts about Sloths. We viewed the story The Speedy Sloth by Rebecca Young and illustrated by Heath McKenzie read by a zookeeper at Singapore Zoo, with resident Sloths ‘Indigo and Bubba’ enjoying their lunch hanging in a tree in the background.
To end the event, we were led by the wonderful Miss McGeoch to dance moves to the track ‘I Like to Move It.’ We had a magnificent time and are proud to have joined the National Simultaneous Storytime event!
Sustainability in the Junior School
In the Junior School we are working to be more sustainable. The Junior School sustainability club have been working with Sarah Shields, the College Horticulturist to learn more about the use of worm farms. A huge thank you to Maddie Burns in Year 5, who was determined to make a difference to the Junior School environment so raised money to purchase a worm farm for use in the Junior School. Thank you Maddie!
K-2 Travel Term 2
Please email juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au with your daughter’s full name and class if you have any travel changes for Term 2 before 2.00pm.
Uniform and Appearance
All students are expected to wear their uniform correctly and with pride. Uniforms cannot be mixed with each season (please refer to page 33 of your daughter’s school diary correct uniform appearance details). Junior School has a strict ‘no hat no play policy’, please ensure your daughter has her bucket play hat at school every day. During the cooler months please ensure that your daughter is wearing the correct uniform.
As the weather becomes cooler, I know many parents worry about keeping their daugther warm during the day, particularly in her PE tracksuit. Sports hoodies are not allowed to be worn to and from school or with winter uniform. IF your daughter has PE and is in her full PE uniform she may wear a Pymble sports hoodie whilst she is at school. Please make sure that your daughter’s uniform is named.A white marker is recommended for dark clothing items.
Absent, Late Arrivals/Early Departures, Vacation
A reminder if you daughter is absent from school please enter your daughter’s absence through the MyPymble App or email Junior School Administration Office juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au . For any changes to your daughter’s travel, late/early arrivals please email the Administration Office.
Exemption from Attendance Application form can be found on the Portal, please ensure if your daughters is away for two days or more to complete the application form two weeks in advance from the start of your daughter’s absence.
Lost Property
Please ensure your daughters full name is clearly labelled on all items of clothing including socks, hats and lunch items so it can be quickly returned to your daughter if it is found.
JSPG Term 2 Meeting
Thank you to all the parents who attended yesterday’s JSPG Term 2 Meeting either in person or online. If you weren’t able to attend, please click here to view the full recording of the meeting.
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
Welcome to Week 5. We are nearly halfway through the term!
We had a fabulous day on Saturday enjoying our JSPG Family Fun Day and Movie Night. Thank you to everyone who attended, we had over 850 students and family members from the Junior School. We were so honoured to receive such a fantastic representation and such a great amount of interest. We hope our families enjoyed the afternoon and evening and what was on offer.
The girls had a lot of fun with the giant inflatable obstacle course, crazy hair, karaoke, glow products and old-fashioned games. The barbecue dinner, crepes, popcorn and fairy floss were also a hit. Thank you for all our parent helpers that participated in the lead up and on the day, as you can imagine a huge amount of effort goes into the day and we were also lucky with the beautiful weather. We will post photos of the day next week.
Our Year 6 families are looking forward to the parent-daughter dance this Saturday night at Killara Golf Club. We have around 230 attendees so it is very exciting that it will be a special celebration of their final year in the junior school. There will be lots of food, drinks and entertainment and an event not to be missed.
We are asking all our junior school families to register for the PPA Trivia Night on Saturday 3rd June at Hornsby RSL. Don’t worry if you don’t know anyone, you will be allocated to other tables in your year group. It’s such a fun, fabulous night. This year’s theme for dress up is “Movie Characters”. You can win a variety of prizes including a Gucci handbag. To register, please click here.
Key Dates
Friday 26 May
Year 6 Windows into Learning
Saturday 27 May
JSPG Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance – Mrs Brown and Mrs Davey will be in attendance.
Monday 29 May – Friday 2 June
Reconciliation Week
Wednesday 31 May
Year 2 Outdoor Education day
Wednesday 31 May
Year 6 to Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview – STEM
Friday 2 June
Mothers and Grandmothers (Ex students) Morning Tea
Monday 5 June
ySafe for Years 3, 4 and 6
Tuesday 6 June
ySafe for Years 1, 2 and 5
Tuesday 6 June
ySafe Parent Information Evening (online) 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Wednesday 7 June
Year 2 Taronga Zoo
Thursday 8 June
K-2 Athletics Carnival
Friday 9 June
3-6 Athletics Carnival
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School
From the Middle School
We have had a wonderful week in Middle School so far, having provided the girls with rich opportunities to immerse themselves in narratives from multiple perspectives. On Monday as part of the College’s Sharing Stories Festival, Year 7 and 8 students were invited to hear from Leanne Yong, author of Two Can Play That Game.
On Tuesday, as part of our Combined 7-12 Assembly, Dr Grace Barnes shared insights into Australian Olympic Swimmer and feminist Mina Wylie from her book, In Search of Mina Wylie. Mina’s connection to Pymble lives on through her namesake Wylie House. As an extension of this focus on sharing stories, we sent 20 Middle School students to the Sydney Writers’ Festival Schools Day at the Chatswood Concourse. Please enjoy the student reflections on these experiences.
Sydney Writers FestivalStudent Reflections
On Monday, we were given the opportunity to attend the Sydney Writers’ Festival which is held annually every May. This event was a packed day which held four sessions from four acclaimed authors. These guest speakers talked about a variety of different things, ranging from their experiences and their books, as well as providing tips for us when writing and developing our own creative stories.
Each author explored their books of different genres ranging from fantasy to fiction to poetry, and each one of them had a different story to tell. It was interesting seeing each presentation and how their styles differed, giving us insight into how that reflected on them as both a person and an author with varied writing styles.
Our personal favourite was Jason Reynolds, a highly acclaimed American author of many novels and poems such as ‘Oxygen Mask’ (Fun fact: He is also the creator of Marvel’s ‘Miles Morales’). His presentation was the concluding one (evidence of the fact the organisers saved the best till last) and was conducted in an interview form which allowed us to better understand his experiences and personal viewpoints that helped shape him as an author.
We found that the way he verbalised his thoughts in response to the questions asked was expressive and lyrical as if he was performing slam poetry in front of a crowd which we believe is the main part of the reason why his talk in particular was so attention grabbing. The advice he gave promoting authenticity- not writing because others want you to but for yourself, as well as the importance of maintaining one’s integrity throughout the writing process is something we think to be incredibly relevant and inspiring for those who aspire to take related paths.
Overall, this was a great experience which we were fortunate to have and which gave us an incredible insight into the lives of authors and their worlds intertwined with the work they produce.
Mia Chan and Jemma Hung (Year 8)
Sharing Stories Festival Student Reflections
On Tuesday Year 7 and 8 were lucky enough to hear from the great Asian-Australian author Leanne Yong in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts (GMCPA) as part of the sharing stories festival. She talked to us about the process of writing and publishing books, especially her latest one Two Can Play That Game.
The process Leanne Young told us of what it takes to get your book on the shelf is to first make a draft copy and edit it to your desire. After this you must seek out a known agent so you can send out a couple of chapters and a summary for them to proofread. The agent will have access to many publishing houses, so once it is edited through, they will send it to the publisher.
A thing to remember is publishers have many authors to go through, so it will take a while. A reminder that this does not mean your writing is good or bad. If you are lucky, the publisher will collaborate with you, and you will work together to edit and create cover designs. After this stage you will complete a contract and have other authors read and comment on your book so you can make your final edits to be able to print your spectacular ideas. There you have it. Your book is now on the shelves! This is the most exciting part for authors.
An interesting thing that we learnt was that authors have to go by a certain word limit for particular age groups when writing their books. Leanne Young may have not liked English at the start of her learning journey but that didn’t stop her from being the amazing author she is today. She inspires us all to follow our dreams by persevering through the toughest times. Using her own personal experiences, we were all really engaged while listening to her stories and learning many new things that could help enhance our writing journeys.
Written by Emma Koorey and Annika Sriram (Year 7)
On Monday, we had a special assembly in the GMCPA during Mind Body Spirt as part of the ‘Sharing Stories Festival’. Leanne Yong, author of the rom com Two Can Play That Game visited us. She came to talk about the exhausting but exciting process you must go through just to see your book on the shelves of a bookstore. Hint: It has a lot of edits.
First, you write a draft, and then edit it. Then, you must go through the painstakingly long wait to get a literary agent, a person who can help you to get to a publisher, and if they like your book, they’ll do so. Then you have to edit again, and so on. Apparently, her book was the seventh one she had written but the first to get published. The assembly was funny and intriguing as we got to listen to a first-hand experience of a writer going through the jittery process of publishing her book.
Written by Devishi Malla (Year 7)
When Leanne Yong came to Pymble to conduct the workshop, I was extremely excited because I had been reading her debut novel Two Can Play That Game. During the workshop, she shared valuable knowledge about expressing true thoughts in a story, which can help readers connect more deeply with the narrative. She made me realize that stories don’t always have to be serious; you can write them in a relaxed manner. After finishing her novel, I truly enjoyed it, and it made me wonder if I would have enjoyed it less if the story had been set in a more serious tone. Ultimately, she taught me the importance of expressing my true thoughts on paper and being proud of them I am grateful to her for this valuable lesson, one that I will forever cherish within my heart.
Written by Saisha Golani (Year 7)
This Monday, we had an author visit with the guest speaker Leanne Yong talking about her new book Two Can Play That Game. Leanne also talked about how a book was made and the process. We could tell that she had enjoyed her writing career with her passion and confidence when talking to the students. Leanne also talked about the process of making a book, we all found out that the process is quite long as there are quite a lot of difficulties along the way, but Leanne was able to push through and accomplish the difficulties which shows that she has a strong sense of determination and resilience.
Leanne shared her personal experience, challenges and achievements which inspired students to pursue their own creative endeavours. Leanne gave us a message: write what you love, it doesn’t have to be serious. You can make a story with the one idea you had in your head. Overall, us students all enjoyed Leanne Yong as she inspired us with her story.
Written by Cecelia Zhou (Year 7)
On Monday Leanne Yong came and taught the Middle School about how she wrote her book Two Can PlayThat Game. Leanne explained the process of getting her book published and what a long process it is. We learnt she wrote seven books before this and not always the first book you write can be a best seller. Leanne spoke about how long it took her to create the book.
We absorbed the information on how many words are expected for the different types of books and all the different stages of editing. She helped the middle school to understand how we can make a book, for example we heard that once you write your book there is a long process of waiting and sending it to a publisher to see if it is worthy to be put on the bookshelves of shops.
I, and the whole of Middle School, now understand what real courage and patience it takes to create a book. This tells us that you need to work hard for your dreams, and you will get there.
Written by Georgina Curtis (Year 8)
Attendance Matters
Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best.
The Importance of arriving on time
Arriving at school and class on time:
Ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day
Helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine
Give students time to greet their friends before class ظ
Reduces classroom disruption
Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents.
A reminder regarding Leave Applications
Leave is only granted for illness, bereavement, elite sport or work experience. Vacations should be restricted to the prescribed holiday periods. Where possible, leave to attend medical appointments should be minimised. Students are expected to participate in whole-school activities and should avoid making appointments on these occasions.
Applications for special leave should be completed on the ‘Exemption from Attendance’ form found on MyPymble via the College website and signed by a parent or carer. Forms are to be sent to the respective school office as soon as possible or at least fourteen days in advance of the intended period of leave.
From the Year 7 Parent Group Leaders
Year 7 Coffee Meet Up – Friday 2 June
A Year 7 coffee meet up will be held at a favourite local café, Brick Lane Expresso, in West Pymble shops from 8.00am on Friday 2 June. This is a great opportunity to catch up with other parents, immediately after drop off and before you continue with the rest of the day. We look forward to seeing you there.
PPA Trivia Night – Saturday 3 June
The 2023 Trivia Night for parents (K to 12) will be held on Saturday 3rd June at Hornsby RSL. This is a hugely popular event with a ‘movie character’ fancy dress theme to add to the fun!
You can sign up to be allocated to a table and meet new people (request to be seated with other Year 7 families during the booking process), or get a group together to make up a table of 10.
We would love to see as many Year 7 parents attend this event as possible. Tickets are $75 each ($750 for a table of 10). Please click here to register.
Year 7 Dinner – Saturday 17 June
As we rapidly approach the half-way point of the year, we would love to invite all parents to the first Year 7 Dinner. This relaxed dinner event will be held in the beautiful surrounds of The Rooftop at the Governor Hotel, just down the road in Macquarie Park.
We are currently holding a booking at this hugely popular venue and need to provide an indication of numbers to confirm the venue. If you are interested in joining us for this dinner, could you please complete the ”Expression of Interest” voting poll by Friday 26 May. The voting poll can be found in the “Yr 7 Parents Class of 2028” WhatsApp group. To be clear, the poll is to quickly gauge the likely numbers. It is not a firm commitment and booking details will follow at a later date. This event will be for parents only.
Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School
From the Upper School
A message from Mr Riley, Head of Upper School
It was so lovely to see our Year 9 Adventurers return triumphantly from Vision Valley last Friday and to then honour their journey in Chapel. I am sure it was quite an emotional moment walking through the welcoming crowd and we now look forward to having all of Year 9 back on campus for the first time since mid-Term 1!
A quick plug for the leadership workshops that our Upper School Liaison Prefects (Year 12s Rose Haran and Jessie Qin) are running over the coming weeks. This is in response to feedback that guidance from those who have experienced the roles and been through the selection process would be beneficial.
Last week I also had the opportunity to attend our student-led research conference and loved seeing some of our Upper School students in action. Please enjoy Kitty He’s, Catherine Shi’s and Alice Mao’s reflections:
The Future of Space Pollution and Kessler Syndrome– Kitty He (Year 9)
Kessler Syndrome refers to a scenario in the low Earth orbit where the extent of space pollution is great enough that collisions between objects cause a cascade effect in which each collision generates more debris, increasing the likelihood of further collisions. With the growth of the commercial space industry, an increasing amount of literature details the promises of space appropriation but also the environmental harms. However, the majority of these focus on the environmental impacts on Earth. Thus, this essay aims to discuss the environmental consequences of space appropriation, focusing on the growing issue of space pollution and specifically Kessler Syndrome – the climate change of Space.
I am thrilled to have participated in the research conference. It was my first time presenting my project in an academic setting, so it was a great experience to learn from the guest speakers and the older students. The wide variety of topics was interesting, and I would definitely do it again next year.
AI Powered Technology – Alice Mao(Year 9)
As AI-powered technology enters widespread international use for applications like face recognition and crime detection, issues have arisen regarding the transfer of human biases onto these systems through the data selection and machine learning processes.
From experimentation, Stable Diffusion’s diffusion model has taken on bias such that 100% of people generated under the prompt ‘a hardworking engineer’ are male. To prevent harmful real-world outcomes such as criminal justice systems that target ethnic minorities, global collaboration for impartial datasets and increased human intervention in AI learning may prove necessary. This is something that I am continuing to look into, as part of my research process.
The opportunity of the student conference has given me many enjoyable experiences with presenting my passions to an audience. Also, learning from other students committing to similar projects has opened my eyes to new issues or phenomena I wasn’t previously aware of.
I am very excited to be presenting my final project later in the year, alongside other students.
What makes Shakespeare, Shakespeare? – Catherine Shi(Year 10)
Last Tuesday, I had the incredible opportunity to present at my very first research conference. It proved to be an invaluable experience, allowing me to share my ideas and research while also learning from fellow students and industry professionals. For my own presentation, I delved into the topic of ‘What makes Shakespeare, ‘Shakespeare’?’
It aimed to provide students, staff, and parents with a comprehensive overview of Shakespeare’s life, historical context, and the techniques he employed in his works, which have contributed to his enduring popularity, influence, and timelessness. To support my speech, I incorporated a slideshow that included insightful pie graphs depicting the various ways Shakespeare’s characters met their demise (someone got baked in a pie!), a breakdown of his body of work, as well as visual representations of Shakespeare’s house and family.
While I must admit that I felt most nervous during the seven minutes of questions at the end, it also provided a valuable opportunity to practice impromptu speaking and reflect on my presentation and findings.
Overall, participating in the conference was an incredibly fun and stimulating experience, leaving me eagerly anticipating future Pymble research conferences. It allowed me to not only share my own research but also gain valuable insights from others in the field.
Year 10 also enjoyed lunch and a talk from Your Choicez on Monday. Thank you Maddy Taylor for your thoughtful reflection below:
On Monday Year 10 got to listen and participate in the respectful relationships seminar for young people by YourChoicez. The seminar provided us with a different outlook into what relationships can be like and what we should expect from them.
We heard stories of people just like us who had been in bad situations or relationships and got to hear first-hand what they wish they had done and what we can do should we ever be in this position. Consent and what is it was the main theme throughout this seminar, and we discovered the social norms of boys and girls in different situations, how hard it is to just say no.
Overall, the seminar was extremely informative and I’m sure everyone in Year 10 went through a wave of emotions as we listened to experiences and learnt how to better navigate relationships in the future.
A big well done to our students who trialled for the Swans Academy over the break, two of which (Aimi Jenkin and Emily Visser) are pictured below!
Elective Geography visit the Sydney Science Park
On Friday 19th May, our Elective Geography students from Years 9 and 10 travelled out to Luddenham for an exhilarating day of field work at the Sydney Science Park. The event, organised by our partner Celestino, offered the chance for our students to visit 8 ‘challenge zones’ – water management, circular economy, energy conservation, transport and mobility, urban development, smart cities, urban agriculture, health, and heat. At each zone, students were challenged and empowered by industry experts to envision how a sustainable city of the future might look in Luddenham. Throughout the day, our Geographers engaged with enthusiasm as they learned about cutting-edge technology, such as solar powered cars and augmented reality, as well as networked with professionals about future careers and university pathways. We also planted a native tree as a symbol of our personal commitment to growth and sustainability.
The motivated Geographers will now embark on a journey to harness the inspiration from the fieldwork to research and develop a potential solution to a real-world challenge facing the developers of the Sydney Science Park. Students will receive a unique opportunity to pitch their project to industry partners at the learning celebration event, being hosted in Conde Library after school on Thursday 15th June. We are excited to see what the talented students will accomplish.
The Geography, Business and Economics (GBE) department is committed to showcasing how our subject area opens doors for future university courses and careers. We are always on the lookout for opportunities to provide our students with experience and skills they need for their future careers. If you would like to contribute to this in any way, please contact Liam Hume (GBE Partnership Lead and Geography Teacher) at lhume@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
From the Upper School Parent Group
Dear parents and guardians of Year 9 students, please save the date for our Year 9 parent / guardian social evening to be held on Saturday 17 June. Details and the link to book will follow shortly.
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 Dates
Monday 5 June – Year 10 into 11 Subject Selection Launch to Students
Tuesday 6 June – YSafe Parent Online Event – Details on Parent Portal
Monday 12 June – King’s Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 13 June – Year 10 into 11 Subject Selection Evening (6.45pm to 8.30pm) – To be held in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts (GMCPA), Main Hall and Colonnade classrooms
Tom Riley
Head of Upper School
From the Senior School
Winter is really making itself felt, with the mornings providing a crisp and cool start to the days! We all enjoyed a wonderful Combined Assembly this week, displaying the tremendous work of our highly successful Robotics team, with a live action display of their robot. We also were entertained by our dancers as they prepare for some upcoming competitions. Congratulation to all the students involved in these performances – your skill and commitment are genuinely infectious and inspiring.
Over the past couple of weeks the Year 12 students have been participating in car maintenance workshops, learning how to safely change a tyre. This is a great life skill and I would encourage you to practise this with your daughters, so that they remember the process. They might be able to pass on some tips to you! My sincere thanks to Deputy Head of Senior School, Ms Patricia Gallardo, for organising these important workshops for the students.
We have had a great response from Year 11 students, applying to be involved in the Pymble-Knox Connections group. We had our first meeting this week and will be meeting our Knox counterparts in the coming weeks. The ais of the group include to assist in building respectful and positive relations between students of the two schools, through social activities and planned events. We had a fantastic Athletics Carnival today – the Senior students led with passion, determination and a great sense of fun. Look out for photographs in next week’s newsletter.
Year 11 Drama Showcase
Year 11 performed a showcase entitled “Herstory,” a celebration of the diverse perspectives and experiences of women throughout history.
Herstory aimed to inspire and inform its audience of the amazing contributions these women have given the world in the fields of science, exploration and social justice. This showcase was the culmination of original self-devised group works, that focused on the truthful and courageous stories of remarkable women such as Melita Norwood, Grace O’Malley, Yeonmi Park, Kalpana Chawla and Junko Tabei.
Term 2 Key dates
Monday 12 June – King’s Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 20 June – Senior School Knit In
Thursday 22 June – Last day of Term 2
Nikki Wyse
Head of Senior School
From the Boarding School
Yes, we know Boarders’ Week is over but it was such a happy week, I ask that you indulge us for just a few more days!
I couldn’t let the opportunity go by without thanking our wonderful day school staff for all their support of our Boarders. This was clearly evident in their efforts to decorate their offices as you will see below. Congratulations to competition winners, Middle School on their stunning display, perfectly reflecting the theme of a “patchwork of boarding”, including images of every Boarder. Upper School came in a very close second, who could go past the fabulous Farmer Dave scarecrow and the little lamb?
It was time to pay it forward on the last day of Boarders’ Week and our Boarders were out in full force for a fund-raising sausage sizzle. And, what could be better to wash down a barbeque lunch than a bottle of Bourke’s very own Splashe Cola? Our thanks to our Bourke friends for their generous donation and for bringing a bit of North West New South Wales to Pymble. We raised over $700.00 which will be donated to the Country Women’s Association. Thank you again for our Day School friends for their support.
As a final celebration of Boarders’ Week, we reflected on the diverse yet harmonious group of girls that live here on site. Year 12 Boarders, Georgina Pechan and Catrina Kong represented this perfectly in their art works that were displayed on the final day of Boarders’ Week.
Red Shield Appeal
Congratulations to Hannah Thornton, Charis So and Vanessa Yiu who gave up their Saturday to collect money for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. The girls raised $570.00 for this very worthy cause.
Love It – Mrs Katie White, Deputy Director of Boarding
Last weekend was an action packed one. On Saturday evening, we headed to Allianz Stadium to watch the Wallaroo’s take on Fiji followed by the Waratahs take on the Drua. With two big wins, the Boarders had a wonderful time. They even managed a photo with Georgie from the Wallaroos and two Boarders were lucky enough to get a signed boot. The fun continued on Sunday with a trip to Luna Park with eight other Boarding schools to celebrate National Boarding Week. As you can see form the photos, a great time was had by all.
This weekend is an important one in the life of the College, especially for our First Nations Boarders. Our Indigenous round of sport celebrates the role that sport plays in the lives of all Australians, but particularly our First Nations People. Many of our Boarders will be representing the College in Basketball, Rugby and Football this weekend. The Boarders will be invited to attend these matches if not playing and take part in the Smoking Ceremony. On Saturday evening we will be having our first fire pit of the year down in our Yarning Circle. The girls can look forward to some quality time, stories and smores.
On Sunday this week we have over 20 Boarders lining up for the Balmoral Burn. We are so excited to participate in this wonderful event and raise money for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.
As the Boarders start to plan for the June Long Weekend, we encourage families to invite other Boarders and Day girls out to their homes. This has been a long-standing tradition and one that all the girls look forward to.
View From My Window
Hi everyone, I’m Erica Williams and currently a Year 11 Boarder. I live with my mum, dad, sister (Maggie), dog (Frieda) and a cat (Simpkin). I live in Goulburn, or as it’s better known as the place with the big sheep, which is two and a bit hours from Sydney. My family is very lucky as my grandmother owns our family holiday house on the South Coast which is where we spend half of our holidays.
Typically, when you look out my window you see a tree in the side of our yard, which is the pet’s part of our yard. When you look out of the window at the beach house you see a gravel garden and the outdoor shower, however if you look at from the kitchen you can see the ocean through some trees on the headland.
In my spare time at home, I spend time with my family and catch up with some of my friends, we go for walks along the river, stand up paddle boarding and sometimes adventuring around trying to find new things to do. When I’m at home I get to work for the small café near Maccas called Grit Café, which I spend a lot of my days at. At the coast we spend a lot of time with our friends there who are mainly from Sydney and some from Melbourne, we go on walks, swims, surf, explore the island, kayak, stand up paddle board, tan and so on during the day and have bonfires and barbecues some nights.
As much as I love being at home, I enjoy coming back to boarding as it means I get to see my friends and have many opportunities available.
Boarder of the Week
Jemma joined Pymble Boarding from Forbes at the start of this year and is lively presence in Goodlet House. Over the course of Boarders’ Week, Jemma actively encouraged her Boarding sisters to make the most of the celebrations and as always, was an excellent ambassador for our Boarding family. Jemma was also instrumental in decorating Goodlet House in the lead up for Boarders’ Week, helping Goodlet House to win the ‘best dressed House competition, with the enviable prize of a pizza dinner! In House, Jemma’s smile and friendly nature never fails to lift spirits or provide a laugh. She is always willing to assist staff or support her Boarding Sisters, which makes her a well-deserved recipient for Boarder of the Week.
Jersey Day Commemoration Chapel Service
Save the Date
Friday 26 and Saturday 27 May – Pymble in Wagga Wagga
Saturday 27 May – Pymble in Young
Saturday 27 May – Indigenous Round of Sport
Tuesday 6 June – Jersey Day Commemoration Chapel Service
Wednesday 7 June – Jersey Day
Friday 9 June – Boarders’ Long Weekend Travel Day
Monday 12 June from 5.00pm – Return to Boarding
Friday 16 June – Boarders’ Parent Group Meeting (online)
Thursday 22 June – Boarders’ End of Term Travel Day
Monday 17 July from 2.00pm – Return to Boarding Start of Term 3
Friday 4 to Sunday 6 August – Boarder Parents Regional Weekend in Mudgee
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding
From the Chaplains
The last few weeks at the College have been frantic, and we find ourselves at the midway point of the term. How quickly it seems to pass! A couple of Saturdays ago, I attended a Classical Indian Dance concert (Bharatnatyam) where one of our teachers Mrs Hamsa Venkataramanan and her daughter Vishakha (Year 12) presented their recitals. Dr Sarah Loch was also there with a few other teachers, and we had a lovely evening where I donned my Indian attire and felt very much at home. I was also pleasantly surprised with a warm greeting in the foyer by a few Pymble Junior School students.
It is such a wonderful experience at work to connect with various cultural backgrounds, and when you can find someone who resonates with your own culture, it is truly a precious gift. Hamsa and Vishakha took me back to my childhood, where I experienced Classical Indian dancing of the two genres, Kathak and Bharatnatyam. I learned Kathak but always admired Bharatnatyam with its reflections on Hindu spirituality, which is no doubt the religion of my ancestors.
Mrs Pearl Thomas (Philosophy and RE Teacher), who sat by my side, felt the enrichment of this experience, and even though it had been a hectic day, the evening brought with these performances a serenity and sacredness that I feel so indebted to Hamsa and Vishakha. The theme of their piece was the complexities of parent/child relationships and an interpretive dance of the Indigenous dreamtime story of the origin of the kangaroo’s pouch.
As we walk towards National Sorry Day on May 26 and the beginning of Reconciliation week, what does it mean for us to be Australians in this time, honouring First Nations people and acknowledging the dark history we feel awkward speaking about, and the truth-telling is the only thing that will set us free. Stan Grant’s exit from the most recent Q+A on the ABC network is enough of a window into the suffering of a First Nations media presenter.
May blessings and peace be ours today as we seek to build a life of justice and equity for all, respecting elders, past, present, and emerging, recognising these lands were, are, and always will be sacred to First Nations people.
Reverend Punam Bent
From the Futures Team
Futures in Focus Podcast – Episode 2
We are #PymbleProud of our next guest on the Future in Focus podcast, Paris Zhang . She graduated and ventured off to the US on a swimming scholarship to study at Tulane University. Our student hosts, Amy and Indianna interview Paris about her decision to study overseas, ask her for advice on her experiences studying under a sporting scholarship and about her next steps (P.S. She is currently studying Medicine at Sydney University). Listen to the interview here at the Futures@Pymble Youtube Channel.
New NSW Portfolio Entrance Scheme
UNSW have introduced a new Portfolio Early Conditional Entrance Scheme. This is open for a number of their Art, Design and Architecture Degrees and Engineering Courses. All details about the dates and the requirements for entrance can be found by clicking here.
Key dates:
Opens 15th May 2023
Closes 21st July 2023
We had Codie Wem, Undergraduate Student Recruitment Manager, from UNSW to discuss the new portfolio entrance scheme to specific university courses. You can view the video here.
Kim Maksimovic
Director of Futures and Partnership (K-12)
From the Community Engagement Team
Events Calendar
College and community events can all be viewed in the calendar tab in the MyPymble app. We suggest parents and carers check the calendar regularly to keep up to date with the larger College schedule, including community events. This week we are gearing up for the launch of the Centre of Excellence.
Centre of Excellence Breakfast
Next Wednesday 31 May, we are launching the Centre of Excellence in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts, and are delighted to invite students and parents to join our Academic Prefects, Caitlyn Tan and Eloise Kinchington, along with our Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen, to join us at the first in a series of Centre of Excellence breakfast sessions.
Our guest speaker at this event is former NSW Premier and current Managing Director, Enterprise and Business at Optus, Gladys Berejiklian. Tickets for this event are free, but registration is essential. To secure your tickets, please click here.
Alumni Networking Event
Last Thursday 18 May Pymble and the Ex-Student Union (ESU) hosted the annual Alumni Networking Event at KPMG in Barangaroo. It was a fantastic evening with almost 300 attendees who were given the opportunity to engage in a Q+A with our panel and participate in a mentoring experience within their industry of choice.
I’d like to thank all the parents who took time out of their busy schedule to attend the evening and mentor the younger members of the Pymble community. We are also grateful for the support of the ESU in facilitating the event.
PPA Trivia Night
This year’s trivia event promises to be bigger and better than ever. With the theme of ‘Movie Characters’, the ticket includes a sit-down two-course meal, welcome drink and trivia entertainment. The raffle and auction prize listing boasts several high-value, money-can’t-buy items, such as:
A private lunch for one secondary student and ten of her friends with our Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen, during term time.
A private lunch for one Junior School student and three of her friends with Kate Brown, Head of Junior School.
A three-night stay at a beach house in Avoca Beach.
Vintage Cold Stream Hills Reserve Vertical Series Pinot Boir – set of three.
The Enrolments tour of regional NSW continues this week with trips to Griffith, Wagga Wagga and Young, while back on the Pymble campus our Kindergarten to Year 11 Open Evening is on the horizon. We look forward to welcoming prospective families on site and giving them an opportunity to witness first hand the extensive facilities and stunning surrounds that comprise a Pymble education.
Kelly Mancey
Director of Community Engagement and Advancement
From the Co-curricular Sports Team
The shortcode only works for newsletter articles
First Nations Round of Sport
Please click here to view the information on First Nations Round of Sport happening on Saturday 27 May 2023.
Opportunity to purchase photos
Co-curricular photos are now available to purchase online from our College photographer, Anthony Khoury Photography. Simply scan the QR code in the attached brochure or see log in details below:
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
In the performing arts, student achievements are founded firmly upon the prodigiously powerful processes of creativity. Across the year, Pymble Performing Arts students in both individual and collaborative contexts employ creativity to bring to fruition performance projects wrought in integrity, discipline and passion.
Best of PAC!
It was a great pleasure to be a part the judging panel (also comprising Dr Kate Hadwen and Mrs Sarah Turner) for the Best of PAC in the GMCPA last night.
The creative work of the 17 student entries in dance and also vocal and instrumental performances was truly outstanding.
Warm congratulations to the following:
1stGrace Louw and Saskia Nicholson Wrecking Ball
2nd Charlotte Allen and Lucy Bell Wish You Were Gay
3rdSarah Boland and Zarina Nurlanov Pur ti Miro
And also to all of the performers who passionately gave so much of their talents to the highly appreciative and supportive audience.
Applause and plaudits to Piper Markson and Claire Oslington (Performing Arts Prefects) who were the inspiring and visionary leaders of this event in every respect. Thanks also to the Music staff and production staff as well as Year 11 VET students.
The creative excellence of Speech and Drama students
Students in Speech and Drama courses, expertly led by the wise and wonderful Mrs Vicki Clancey, continue to achieve excellence through their creative endeavours. The students below, for example, achieved exemplary results in examinations held at the end of last year: a tribute to their commitment to, and sheer love of Speech and Drama
CSPA Certificate of Speech & Performance, Australia
Rachel Johnson Honours
CVCA Certificate of Voice & Communication Australia
Tilly Morgan High Distinction
Shubhi Sethi High Distinction
Yi Ning Jin Honours
Jessie Yo Yo Xie Honours
Georgia Stuart Credit
Chantelle Wu Credit
We will post other results for Speech and Drama as the year progresses.
The Junior Capella, Pymble Chorale and Humming Song Choirs in the Pymble Chapel
On Saturday May 20, it was a privilege to witness and hear the brilliant contributions of 60 Pymble choristers and 120 adult members of the Humming Song Choirs in a fabulously rich and diverse program of choral music. The collective performances of these choristers enchanted and mesmerised the audience of over 450.
Sincere thanks go to Kurt Schweinberger (Deputy Director of Performing Arts K – 6) for his leadership of this epic choral event which was ultimately of immense and long lasting value to the Pymble choristers
All the very best to students participating in Dance and Drama eisteddfods and students in Language Arts competitions both tonight and over the next week!
Michael Griffiths
Director of Co-curricular Performing Arts
Co-curricular Administration
End of Term 2 Registration Period
The End of Term 2 Registration period will allow families to register their daughters for Term 3 and Semester 2 programs as well as Term 4 2023 Saturday Sports. Registrations will open via the online registration system at 12.00pm on Wednesday 7 June. Please access the online registration via the Co-curricular pages on MyPymble by clicking here. A parent/carer log in is required to be able to register. We recommend families check they can access the system well in advance of the opening date to avoid any technical issues on the day as registrations CANNOT be processed via email or phone.
A notice will be posted on the MyPymble App prior to registrations opening to all families as a reminder of the opening date and time. All program information will be finalised on the Co-curricular pages of MyPymble by Wednesday 31 May.
Term 3 Saturday Sport Registrations
Registrations for Term 3 Saturday Sports closed on Friday 12 May at 12.00pm. To request registration into an available Saturday Sport for Term 3, you will need to complete a registration request by clicking here. Requests will be sent to the Co-ordinator for approval, and you will receive an email of the outcome.
Co-curricular Registration Requests
The cut-off date for Co-curricular Registration Requests was Monday 8.00am of Week 3, Term 2 (Monday 8 May). This is a reminder that all registration requests received are subject to the updated 2023 conditions of Co-curricular registration which can be found by clicking here.
Monique Zahra
Head of Co-curricular Administration
Language Arts
Public Speaking
Congratulations to Leahara Wijesuriya and Jenny Xu who progressed to Rostrum Regionals and competed at Abbotsleigh last week Wednesday 17 May. While they did not progress to state level, their speeches were thoroughly prepared and well delivered. Congratulations girls!
FED Grand Final this Friday!
Congratulations to our 7A, 7B, 8B and Year 9 teams who were FED Semi-finalists last Friday.
Warm congratulations to 7B, who are continuing their finals journey. Lara Blair, the 7B Coach will meet girls at this Friday’s venue, Sydney Boys’ High School and parents are welcome. All the best 7B! CCSA will send venue details to relevant teams and parents. Commiserations to those who have now ended their FED journey for 2023. We look forward to seeing you again.
Parents are reminded that the school does not provide transport to and from any finals debates.
ISDA Debating
Congratulations to Primary B ISDA Debating team who will debate again this week in the semi-finals! This is a most commendable achievement. Parents are reminded that the school does not provide transport to and from any finals debates. Best wishes girls.
Eliminated ISDA and FED Debaters
Thank you to all debaters who competed in the seven preliminary FED and ISDA rounds and were part of a FED or ISDA team. Thank you to all parents who supported their daughters in this valuable co-curricular activity.
Archdale
The Archdale Debating comp started on May 16 at Roseville with R1 and 8 teams. This Tuesday we debated SCEGGS at Pymble. Results to follow. Next Tuesday we will debate at PLC Sydney. Bus transport is available to this debate. Please ensure transport permissions are completed.
Virtual Archdale
A virtual Archdale competition will now run alongside the traditional Archdale competition. This new competition will allow country schools to participate. Pymble is entering a Year 7/8 team, a Year 9/10 team and an 11/12 team. This is open to ISDA debaters in the first instance. Our Junior team is full but please contact Mrs Hubbard if interested in a place in the Inter or Senior team. All debates will run from Pymble, online, on a Tuesday evening.
Social Debating (SSD)
This competition started on Friday 5May. SSD competition will run each Friday, at Pymble, from 3.30pm to 6.30pm. Please meet in C10 again this week. We are pleased to offer this developmental level comp to our girls in Year 7 to 12 this term. Thank you to our student coaches and our adjudicators – Becky Huang, Kayleigh Li and Mr Daniel Judd.
House Debating
A new House Debating comp started last term. Thanks to Isabella Cameron, our LA prefect for resurrecting this initiative. Finals are to be held in Term 2.
Sydney University Debating Day
Thank you to those who have registered interest for the Sydney University Debating Day on 2 June. Co-curricular Administration will send through registrations.
Mock Law
Our Mock Law coaches and teams had a successful start to their season last term. It has been a busy week of competitions for our Mock Law teams and coaches. Thank you to all for the preparation which goes into these competitions.
Mooting Round 1 was held on Tuesday 16 May, in the Senior Library, from 12.30pm.
Mock Mediation Round 2 was held from 8.00am on Wednesday 17 May, in C02
Mock Trial Round 2 was held from 3.00pm on Thursday 18 May in C07. Results to be released.
Evatt
We currently have six teams interested in Evatt next term. Girls will be contacted and have the opportunity to attend at UTS. Apologies for confusion over dates.
Students can register themselves using the registration link provided. We ask that registered students inform Mrs Hubbard that they will attend.
UN Youth NSW provides students a unique chance to develop as individuals and refine their knowledge of world issues. They provide supervised events and have a trained welfare offer on site. Transport to and from this Saturday event is the responsibility of parents.
Farewell to Year 12 Language Arts High Tea
This has become an annual event at Avondale for Language Arts girls in Years 10, 11 and 12 and Year 12 parents. This year it will be held on 21 June from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Save the date!
Bronwyn Hubbard
Head of Co-curricular Language Arts
Music
Congratulations to the Junior Capella and Pymble Chorale on their simply divine performance on Saturday evening. The girls collaborated with Hummingsong Choirs, a community choir directed by Anna Humberstone, and proved themselves very worthy of singing with a group of adults. What was so wonderful to observe was the pure and simple joy on all the performers’ faces. The audience gave a rousing applause which was so well deserved. Thank you to Mr Schweinberger for preparing the girls and conducting a magnificent performance.
Thank you too to the Junior School girls from Grainger band and Junior Jazz Ensemble along with their conductor, Mrs Goodman, for performing at the Junior School Movie night.
Photos were taken this week. If students were absent or missed the timeslot, they will still be acknowledged.
Wednesday 21 June – Concerto Competition finals and Ensemble Concert
Paul Dyer, AO (Artistic Director of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra) returns to the College to adjudicate the finals of the Concerto Competition. There will be an audience vote as well after the performances from Ashleigh O’Young (Year 12) on Clarinet and Gabrielle Zhong (Year 12) on cello.
Girls from String Orchestra, School Concert Band, School Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Stage and Jazz bands, and Chorale are performing. The concert will commence at 6:30pm and there will be a short interval.
Sarah Turner
Head of Co-curricular Music
Badminton
On Sunday 21 May, 30 Pymble Badminton Players competed at the NSW Badminton Inter Schools competition held at Sydney Olympic Park.
With close to 100 competitors and either Schools competing, three Pymble teams placed 1st in their Divisions:
Pymble 1- 3rd (Division 1)
Pymble 2- 1st (Division 1) Pymble 3 – 3rd
Pymble 4 – 1st
Pymble 5 – 1st
Well done to our Pymble Badminton Players!
Laura Verlinden
Sports Co-ordinator – Badminton
Basketball
Pymble 1 continued their undefeated streak with a double header win against Meriden and St. Catherine’s. Sophie van Kerkwijk (Year 12) encouraged her team to drive forward in the first game with numerous steals and layups. Ariana Ziolkowski (Year 9) battled through the second game making numerous layups, steals and hitting some great shots even after getting a black eye in the first game.
Lucy Pennington (Year 11) was the leader of Pymble 2, making sure everyone knew what they were doing and being the vocal captain of the floor.
Diana Attinger (Year 10) scored a game-high 10 points to lift Pymble 3 to victory.
Sophie Livingstone (Year 11) had fantastic steals, blocks and layups in Pymble 4’s first win of the season! Congratulations Pymble 4!
Genevieve Hartin (Year 10) had great defensive pressure and effort keeping the team together for Pymble 5.
Emily Herbert (Year 12) was the team rock for Pymble 6 being a great playmaker, threading assists all over the court.
Lavan Cardo (Year 10) played hard with some great runs never giving up even though it was a very physical game and Pymble 7’s first loss.
Shanya Parti (Year 11) had great energy and intensity for Pymble 8.
Pymble 9 played a double-header with Matilda Harrison (Year 9) bringing lots of energy on offence and defence. She worked hard to get up the court on offence and created lots of scoring opportunities.
In Pymble 9’s second game, Scarlet Olesen (Year 9) was great around the rim and had a couple blocks on D.
Pymble 10 unfortunately had a loss, 12 to 30, however, Alannah Tang (Year 8) had great effort and was an awesome teammate.
Ellie Pointon (Year 8) was all over the court, fighting for the ball the entire game for Pymble 11.
Angelina Attinger (Year 8) played with determination for the entire game, always kept her head up and fought hard for the ball and was a great team player for Pymble 12.
Mea McBurney (Year 7) was really strong dribbling and attacking the basket and didn’t give up the entire game for Pymble 13.
Sasha Paris (Year 7) for Pymble 14 did her best to run the point, call the shots, and control the game.
Nicole Fan (Year 7) had great transition and defence and went hard driving at the basket for Pymble 16.
Annie Chen (Year 7) was such a team player and always ready to support her team. She had so much courage and grit and chased every loose ball for Pymble 17.
Basketball results for Saturday 20 May are below:
Team
Opponent
Result
Score
Pymble 1
Meriden 1
WIN
56 to 22
Pymble 1
St. Catherine’s School Waverley 1
WIN
55 to 8
Pymble 2
Ravenswood 1
LOSS
32 to 38
Pymble 3
St Vincent’s College 2
WIN
14 to 11
Pymble 4
Queenwood 3
WIN
29 to 23
Pymble 5
Brigidine College 3
LOSS
14 to 25
Pymble 6
Kambala 2
WIN
46 to 1
Pymble 7
Loreto Normanhurst 14
LOSS
20 to 23
Pymble 8
Loreto Normanhurst 16
LOSS
16 to 22
Pymble 9
PLC Sydney 7
LOSS
16 to 31
Pymble 9
Frensham 7
LOSS
20 to 24
Pymble 10
St. Catherine’s School Waverley 3
LOSS
12 to 30
Pymble 11
Roseville College 12
LOSS
11 to 34
Pymble 12
Loreto Normanhurst 25
LOSS
14 to 27
Pymble 13
PLC Sydney 13
LOSS
40 to 16
Pymble 14
Wenona School 13
LOSS
6 to 20
Pymble 15
Meriden 15
LOSS
12 to 14
Pymble 16
Roseville College 19
LOSS
8 to 37
Pymble 17
Roseville College 20
LOSS
5 to 18
Rachel Maenpaa
Head Coach – Basketball
Diving
2023 NSWIS Talent ID Testing Day
The NSW Institute of Sport is looking for the next generation of divers in an upcoming free testing day.
Girls and boys aged 8 to 12 are encouraged to attend the event at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday 4 June.
A background in trampolining, sports aerobics, gymnastics or similar are preferred but not essential, and no diving experience is necessary.
NSWIS requires dedicated, hard-working athletes with a commitment to be involved in the NSWIS talent pathway and a desire to compete for Australia.
Those identified may be offered an opportunity to train in an NSWIS Talent Squad working with Australian Olympians Melissa Wu, Brittany O’Brien, Nikita Hains and Sam Fricker.
Please click here to be directed to the NSWIS website for information regarding the event and how to register.
Please note that NSW Institute of Sport is an external provider and is not associated with any College sporting program. For any further questions please contact NSW Institute of Sport via details provided in the link.
Chris Lang
Head Coach – Diving
Football
Round 4 of igsa Football on Saturday 20 May resulted in Pymble coming away with 8 wins and 2 losses. Although it was a quieter morning at Pymble with only five games being played on home ground, the goals didn’t stop flowing with 60 goals scored over 10 matches. Saturday’s results saw Pymble 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7 remain undefeated after four rounds.
Pymble 3 backed up last weekend’s win, with a 4 to 1 win against Danebank’s Senior 1st, with only 10 players on the field – impressive!
Our Senior 1sts and Junior 1sts travelled to Maroubra and came away with two big wins. Both teams stay at the top of the ladder, with our Junior 1sts yet to concede any goals all term.
Pymble 6 team came away with the biggest win of the weekend, after scoring 14 goals against Roseville College!
Pymble 4 came away with their first win of the term. Well done Pymble 4 for keeping faith with one another and working hard on getting that first win!
Team
Opponent
Result
Score
Pymble 01
Ascham 1
WIN
7 to 0
Pymble 02
Danebank 1
WIN
4 to 1
Pymble 03
Loreto Kirribilli 2
WIN
4 to 2
Pymble 04
Abbotsleigh 4
WIN
3 to 0
Pymble 05
Ravenswood 3
WIN
3 to 1
Pymble 06
Roseville College 4
WIN
14 to 0
Pymble 07
Ascham 4
WIN
5 to 0
Pymble 08
Loreto Kirribilli 4
LOSS
0 to 7
Pymble 09
Wenona 6
WIN
3 to 2
Pymble 10
Wenona 7
LOSS
0 to 4
Team of the week
This week’s team of the week goes to our Senior 2nds, Pymble 2!
Here’s what team captain, Aimee NG (Year 12) had to say:
“Early on Saturday 20 May, the Pymble 2nds Football team competed in a high intensity match against Danebank. The team played with determination and courage making sure to win this exciting match on our home ground. Losing so many girls due to injury over the season, we were left with only 10 players on Saturday, meaning each girl had to play a full match, but spirits were high, and we continued to push on. The game started and a massive shoutout to Ines Danziger (Year 10) who volunteered to play the goalie for the first half, thank you so much! She did an amazing job at saving so many goals and had a vital contribution to the game.
In the first half Pymble 2 team were up 2 to 1. Madeleine Short (Year 11) had an incredible game, always getting in front of the opponents to reach the ball first with opponents unable to get around her. An amazing job to all goal scorers; Victoria Apachou (Year 10), tackling to get the ball and assisting the many goals. The team worked very well together, always communicating, playing quick passes, which made the other team work harder. The defenders played like a brick wall; any opposing player was not getting through them. Pymble 2nds won 4 to 1, an incredible result as we played without subs and were down a player. A good job by everyone in the team.”
Senior 1st Match Report by our Football Captain, Kaitlyn Chan (Year 12)
“Our Pymble Senior 1sts team travelled to Maroubra this weekend bright and early. Heading into their final weeks of the igsa competition, Pymble 1 remain undefeated with a great win on Saturday 20 May, defeating Ascham 7 to 0. It was also great to see our Pymble 1 players wish the Junior 1sts best of luck and a Guard of Honour for their game!”
Bill Turner Trophy
Our 15s and Under Bill Turner Trophy Football team took on NBC Mackellar last Friday down at Cromer Park. Mackellar were last year’s runners up in our region, so our players knew they were in for a tough game. Mackellar started on the front-foot but our Pymble team slowly settled into the game and started to assert our dominance.
Four first half goals meant we took a commanding lead at halftime. Three more goals followed in the second half, which gave us a 7 to 0 lead. The only downside to the game was that we couldn’t keep a clean sheet, as Mackellar managed to get onto the scoresheet with the final score being 7 to 1.
It was a great overall experience for our young side, who will now face the winner of Cheltenham Girls v Hunters Hill.
Well done to the following goal scorers: Ariana Ziolkowski (Year 9) with four goals, Grace Townsend (Year 10) with two goals, and Amelia Bicego (Year 8) with one goal.
Chris Wood
Sport Co-ordinator – Football
Hockey
Congratulations to Amalia Patterson (Year 12), our Hockey Captain, and Eloise Clare (Year 12) who were selected into the Open CIS Hockey Team.
They will compete at the NSW All Schools Hockey Championships to be held on Tuesday 18 July, at Newcastle International Hockey Centre.
Good luck Amalia and Eloise!
Laura Verlinden
Sports Co-ordinator – Hockey
Junior School Sport
Netball School Cup Regional Finals
Congratulations to our Year 5 and 6 Pymble AFL team that played at the Paul Kelly Cup on Wednesday 17 May. Our Pymble team played extremely well and came 2nd in their Pool, which qualified them for finals. They had a very strong win in the semi-finals but narrowly lost in the grand final. Such a great effort – well done to our Pymble AFL players.
NSWPSSA AFL
Congratulations to Eloise Lawry (Year 6), who was selected for the NSWPSSA AFL team last week. She played some amazing footy and displayed great skill, courage and determination to be selected in the team. Well done Eloise!
Matt Tyson
Head of Sport – Kindergarten to Year 6
Rugby Sevens
Over the weekend, over 20 Pymble Boarders attended the double header Wallaroos v Fijiana and Waratahs v Fiji Drua. This was an amazing experience for our Pymble Boarders, capping off a massive week celebrating Boarders Week. Both Wallaroos and Waratahs won against their respective opposition and it was a spectacle for our students, especially those that had not attended a live match before.
Some of our students managed to engage with the players. Sienna Melton (Year 8) and Madeleine Gaden (Year 7) were able to secure halfback Layne Morgan’s boots! Wallaroo outside centre Georgie Friedrichs was also kind enough to get a photo with all the girls!
Jack Garrad
Sports Co-ordinator – Rugby Sevens
Surfing
Congratulations to our Surfing team, consisting of Sophia Slater (Year 10), Riley Atkinson (Year 8), Maya Atkinson (Year 10) and Tessa Newitt (Year 10) who competed at the Lifeline High School Surftag Championships last Friday 19 May. Our Pymble Surfers competed in a Surftag format where they had to surf two waves each to make up our team total. Each team had five surfers, however, we were a surfer down and managed to still finish 2nd overall. An amazing effort in very heavy surf conditions. Well done to our Pymble Surfers!
Matt Tyson
Sport Co-ordinator – Surfing
Swimming
On Sunday 21 May, 32 Pymble swimmers competed for Knox Pymble Swim Club in the 13 and Under Invitational meet held at the Braith Williams Aquatic Centre, Pymble Ladies’ College. Our Pymble swimmers achieved personal best times with many qualifying for the upcoming Sydney Metro Northeast District Championships in June.
Thank you to Duccio and his team for their hard work setting up the pool, ensuring the event ran smoothly.
Thank you to our Pymble swimming parents/carers for their continued support, not only helping with the club, but the support to your children.
Thanks to our coaches, Steven Qu, Leanne Speechley, and Michelle Thomas for their continued help and support to our swimmers to achieve their best.
Well done to our Pymble swimmers who competed for Knox Pymble Swim Club at the 2023 NSW Short Course Qualifying Meet on Saturday 20 May and Sunday 21 May at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
Our Pymble swimmers have been working very hard to improve their starts, underwaters and maintain good technique throughout the race. The coaches have enjoyed seeing these skills develop and improve in competition.
The next stop on the race calendar is SMNE Short Course Championships. To our Pymble swimmers, we encourage you to have fun and work on what you have learnt at this meet, maintain focus and enjoy the preparation towards the Championships.
A huge thank you to all of our Pymble swimming parents that helped over the weekend.
Our Pymble swimmers achieved 94% personal best times which is an excellent way to start the SC season.
Rafael Rodrigues
Coach – Swimming
Tennis
Congratulations once again to our Tennis star Ashlee Narker (Year 12) for her recent success at the Tennis Pizzey Cup in Canberra. Ash was undefeated at the event in all of her singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles matches in the State teams event, in which New South Wales was the overall winner. Ashlee also went on to win the individual singles event in the 2023 Girls Under 18 Australia Cup. This is a huge achievement!
Jufri Foss
Sports Co-ordinator – Tennis
Water Polo
Pymble Water Polo continued into Round 4 strong. Our Pymble Opens water polo team came away with a great win against St Andrews Cathedral, 14 to 0 on Friday 19 May in the Northern Suburbs Competition at Warringah Aquatic Centre.
Our Pymble Intermediate teams also had one win and one unlucky game on Monday 22 May. Pymble Blue won against Pittwater House, 14 to 1 and Pymble Red unfortunately went down to Stella Maris College – RED, 9 to 1.
Brigette Moore
Head Coach – Water Polo
Vision Valley Winter Holiday Camps (Years 3 to 8) – Registrations now open
Pymble girls, their friends and siblings (girls only) in Year 3 to 8 are invited to attend the Vision Valley Winter Holiday Camps. There are two camps in the holiday break: the first camp from Monday 26 June to Friday 30 June, and the second camp from Monday 10 July to Friday 15 July.
The holiday camps will offer both two nights/three day ($385) and four nights/five day ($710) options and will feature a full activity program, including outdoor adventure activities, nature play and recreational games, all supervised by our experienced Vision Valley staff.
Please click here to register. Please note places are limited and will be allocated in order of receipt of payment. Registrations will close on Friday 9 June or when we reach capacity.
Rebecca Pearce
Operations Manager – Vision Valley
From the PPA
I hope you have your costumes ready – there are only two more weeks to go till the Trivia Night for parents! If you haven’t booked your tickets, click here to purchase them now. It promises to be a fun night!
These are a couple of the prizes that have been kindly donated so far:
Private lunch with the Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen.
One lucky Secondary School Student and ten of her friends will enjoy a private lunch with Dr Hadwen during term time. This is an exclusive experience that money (normally) cannot buy.
Private Lunch with Mrs Brown, Junior School Principal
One lucky Junior School student and three of her friends will enjoy a scrumptious lunch with Mrs Brown. You‘ll enjoy lunch in Mrs Brown’s office and learn all about what Mrs Brown does every day, leading the Junior School.
Other prizes include:
Gucci Handbag
Three-night stay at the Avoca Beach House
Vintage Cold Stream Hills Reserve Vertical Series Pinot Noir set of three
We depend on your donations to make this a successful evening and raise money to fund the Vicki Waters Prize, further development of two teachers/staff and the Teachers and Staff Thank You Lunch on International Teachers Day in October.
There are buckets allocated at each school office for you to drop the items.
In addition to all the fun of the trivia, there will be raffles and silent auctions on the night.
AND… there will be winners for best dressed and best table decorations!
Power of Kind Words
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me.”
The phrase sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me, and its variants, were originally used by children to express or encourage an attitude of indifference to taunts, insults or other verbal abuse. (World Histories)
With increased access to social media platforms at a young age our children are bombarded with a wide range of emotions and words spoken across these medias. When they start to take some of this negative behaviour and words as being the norm, they then subconsciously or consciously use these types of words without thinking in their own social circles.
However, we know when a child hears negative words directed against them over and over again, they will start to believe in the negativity and often this leads to emotional feelings being hurt. We can endeavour to help them become resilient by ignoring these negative words, but it is important to replace these negative words and images with positive words and images.
It may be providing them access to movies and books with positive role modelling and words or at times removing their access to social media for some positive down time with family and friends where there is no access to IT. Of course, this is hard to do but all we can do is keep trying 😊
Being kind with our words does take effort but the more we use positive words around our children it will eventually sink in. We are all human, and so are our teachers and our children. And words do hurt even if we choose to ignore it.
There is an old saying that goes “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Let’s continue to teach our children that words do matter and to be that one person who speaks kind words to others even when at times the other person doesn’t deserve them.
The Great Return
We have gone into full swing in Term 2 with the final group of Year 9 girls completing their residential program and adventure. Was it an easy feat? For some it was a breeze, for others it was challenging on so many fronts; emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Was there significant or insightful change? The short answer is yes. The girls learnt so much about themselves, how to live with other students whom they don’t usually spend time with, with many learning to follow routine and day to day instructions.
Some key take aways for us is how our daughter came back appreciative of her home and comforts, how she helped another student with her laundry, her increased ability to articulate her feelings and thoughts, verbally and in writing, memorable stories about the Riverview boys on their treks. Each student will have her own journey of revelation and change, but with all its challenges, highs, and lows, would I encourage other parents to give the Residential Program and adventure a go? I would firmly say yes.
Sunny Hres
President of the PPA
Contribute a recipe for the Pymble Cookbook
As part of the College’s Pymble Gives Back initiative, the 2023 Food Technology captains are creating a cookbook from the recipes of the Pymble community, with all proceeds donated to Dignity.
Dignity is one of the three chosen Pymble Gives Back not-for-profit charities for 2023. The organisation empowers Australians experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness by providing a range of innovative services. These include providing emergency guest home accomodation, home cooked meals, new clothing and support workers. Dignity’s aim is to end homelessness through prevention and changing attitudes within society about those experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
To support this chosen charity we are asking students from Kindergarten to Year 12, parents and staff to contribute a recipe that has meaning to their family. In submitting the recipe, please provide a short explanation about what makes it so special. Feel free to also upload a photo of the recipe you wish to submit.
Details about purchasing the cookbook will be released once it is complete. If you would like to contribute to this initiative, please complete this short survey and upload your treasured family recipe here.
2023 PPA Trivia Night
Thinking of a career change? Think Pymble!
At Pymble, you will be wrapped in a culture of care, community and commitment to educational excellence. You’ll also enjoy all the benefits of a big and beautiful working environment. For more information about working at Pymble, click here.
Job of the week:Junior School EAL/D (English as a Second Language/Dialect) Teacher | part-time
With our culture of kindness at the heart of our progressive Junior School, we have the rare opportunity for an experienced EAL/D Teacher to join our energetic and exciting team on a part-time (0.70 FTE) permanent basis from Term 3 this year.
You will be a kind and patient person, holding appropriate teaching qualifications and post-graduate credentials in TESOL. In working with our Junior School students, you’ll display your strong passion for teaching and supporting the academic and pastoral needs of your students. An open and high-level communicator, you will be able to liaise with key academic and wellbeing staff across the College to enhance the student’s individualised outcomes. These attributes will also contribute to your success in upholding our co-teaching model to provide additional support to mainstream classroom teachers.
Taking on this amazing step in your career, will afford you the opportunity to hone your specialist skills in a vital program. Furthermore, you will be encouraged with the chance to enter mentoring programs and have professional development support.
Our kind of teacher
You will display the following skills and capabilities:
Current NESA accreditation with at least three months of validity on your maintenance period.
Be professional and discrete at all times in relation to confidential matters.
Have experience in the use of Information Technology.
Be a positive and collaborative contributor to a successful department committed to improving educational outcomes.
Be confident in differentiating the curriculum in the classroom.
Have a strong understanding of the application of technology to enhance learning.
Be a reflective professional engaged in ongoing development and research in relation to your practice.
Be committed to supporting student wellbeing.
For more information or to apply, click here to head to our Pymble Career Opportunities page.
Reminder: Term 2 Pymble bus service – register now!
A reminder to parents to register your daughter for the Pymble private bus service for travel during Term 2 if you have not already done so and check that your daughter has her current student ID card to tap on and off each trip.
In Term 2, the bus service will operate from Wednesday 26 April to Thursday 22 June 2023.
Please note the addition of a new stop at Mosman (bus route 2) and new location for Stop 1 at Avalon (bus route 4). Check thebus stops and timesfor your preferred bus route. This will also be attached to your registration confirmation email as per normal.
Registration for the Pymble bus service is offered on a term-by-term basis, in two formats:
Term registration enables the student to access the bus service every day in the morning and afternoon. The charge is currently set at $430.00 per term.
Flexible registration enables the student to register for specific day(s) with a choice of morning and/or afternoon runs. The charge is currently set at $7.50 per trip.
While face masks are no longer mandatory on Pymble buses or all public transport options as per the updated COVID-19 rules in NSW, students are encouraged to wear one when travelling on Pymble buses. Existing government guidelines for household contacts/positive cases remain in place.
Please contact College Services via collegeservices@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au if you have any further questions about transport to and from Pymble Ladies’ College.
Jersey Day Commemoration Chapel Service
Scholarship registrations open to current Year 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 students
Pymble offers a number of scholarships each year to girls seeking a Performance Scholarship – Sport or All-Rounder Scholarship starting in 2024. These scholarships are open to all students who are currently in Year 6, 7, 8, 9 or Year 10.
Registrations close on 4 August 2023. The examination will be held at the College on Sunday 13 August 2023.
Information about portfolio requirements and how to apply can be found online through the Scholarship webpage.
Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal
