From the Principal

Every year in May, it is our great pleasure to dedicate a week to celebrating a wonderfully diverse group of individuals, our fabulous Pymble Boarders. Our 128 Boarders predominantly hail from Australia (NSW, ACT, NT, QLD and Thursday Island) as well as Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Dubai, South Korea, Qatar, Singapore and Hong Kong, and each student brings their own unique set of gifts and talents to our Pymble family.

Boarders’ Week shines a light on these very special girls as well as the people who help them thrive in their home away from home. Having been a Boarder from Year 6 onwards, I know how important it is to have this support. I was fortunate to attend an incredible school, not dissimilar to Pymble in many ways, with amazing opportunities. My two sisters’ and my experiences of being Boarders not only inspired my doctorate in transitioning challenges faced by Boarding students and their families but defined my leadership in this space throughout my career. Of course, Boarding in the 1980s was quite different than it is now (thank goodness for that!). The Boarders and I thought it would be a bit of fun to highlight a few of these differences, warts (or green liver) and all…

Boarding life Q&A: That was then, this is now  

Q. How did the school help your transition from living at home with your family to living in a Boarding House?

That was then

Dr H: I don’t remember any transition program whatsoever, but I had an older sister who was one year older than me and the first of the three of us to go to Boarding School. She was terribly homesick, which was painful to see, but I was desperately keen to be a Boarder like her, so even though there wasn’t much of a transition, I was really excited about going.

This is now

Victoria Burton, Year 11: Orientation Day tours around the school helped me to explore my environment and meet some new and familiar faces before I started Boarding in Year 7. Our Year 7 Marden House sleepover is one of my most memorable experiences. This was a great chance to meet all the girls and become more comfortable in our new environment. Coming from a country town, meeting other girls and parents from surrounding areas at Boarding events prior to starting at Pymble also helped me to adjust to Boarding life and form connections with my Boarding sisters. This was where I first met Dr H!

Q. What do Boarders do on the weekends?

That was then

Dr H: We had sport on Saturday mornings, although not every term. There was nothing organised other than mandatory attendance at Church on Sunday morning. Once a year we had a ‘social’ with one of the boys’ schools and we were not allowed to exit the campus unless we were on leave.

This is now

Alexandra Reardon, Year 8: Weekends are loads of fun. You can go out with day girls or family, hang out in the Boarding House, or you can join in on the special ‘Love it’ program of weekend activities for Boarders. ‘Love It’ events happen every weekend and include activities such as going to Taronga Zoo or Luna Park, watching live NRL or Super Netball games, going to markets, and so much more. There is never a boring weekend in the Boarding House as there are so many options you can choose.

Q. What’s the food like?

That was then

Dr H: To this day, I cannot eat any form of offal due to the Wednesday breakfast menu for Boarders when I was in Years 6 and 7. We had no choice as to what was on our plate, and we were not allowed to leave any uneaten scraps. We used to wrap up our delicious (not!) portion of green liver, hide it in our uniform pocket and smuggle it out that way. We really needed an Archie or Turi to help us dispose of the evidence!

This is now

Sophie Laing, Year 10: Our breakfast is a standard continental breakfast and another dish planned and prepared by the catering company. All recesses include crackers, cheese and fruit. During recess, lunch and dinner, we have access to a salad bar which is such a great addition to the recently renovated Dining Hall. Lunch and dinner are usually hot dishes, and the best dinner is chicken schnitzel – a crowd favourite among all the Boarders!

Q. How do you deal with homesickness?

That was then

Dr H: There were no mobile phones, of course, and we had to book phone calls two weeks in advance. We had a little phone booth to make our calls, and the matron would sit inside the booth while we were talking. I remember one time being terribly homesick and the matron tapped me on the shoulder and told me to stop crying. That’s just how it was back then (let’s face it, it was a long time ago).

We were only allowed out for the weekend with our parents once a term. If they came to pick us up at any other time, we were not allowed to leave with them. One day, my friend Roberta’s mother arrived unannounced and just took Roberta with her. She said to the Matron, “She’s my daughter and I will take her”. We were all gobsmacked; we just couldn’t believe she would be so bolshie!

This is now

Sasha Paris, Year 7: We can contact our family when we get our phones back in the morning before school. We can also contact our family before evening prep and before we hand in our tech for the night at 8.00pm. There are some exceptions for Boarders with family overseas as the Boarding staff realizes how the different time zones are difficult to deal with. We can see our family almost every week if we would like to but most of the Boarders see their family a few times each term.

Mia Lorimer, Year 9: When you feel homesick, there are heaps of people you can go to for help. It’s really good to talk to the Boarding staff because they comfort you and can refer you to Pymble’s counsellors if you need more help. Your friends in Boarding are also helpful to talk to because they understand exactly what you are going through and so we support each other.

Q. Who helps you with homework or studying?

That was then

Dr H: We would go back to our classrooms for prep every night at an allocated time. There was no homework help program as such, although we did have Boarding staff around, of course. Really, we Boarders looked to each other for help with homework. The school I went to had a robust academic program so while we didn’t have homework help I did feel that I had access to an excellent education.

This is now

Sophie Laing, Year 10: Prep is from 5.00pm to 8.00pm, with a half an hour break in the middle for dinner. It’s completed in classrooms within the Senior School Centre, which is a great study environment. During this time, we have access to tutors that specialise in different subjects to help us when we are struggling with homework, assignments, school organisation or study.

Indi Tishler, Year 12: As I am in Year 12, I study in the house, either in my room or the quiet room. The quiet room is a productive space, where you can collaborate with other girls and study together or study independently. However, there are always tutors available in the Senior School Centre. We book our specific subject tutors online through the ‘Learn it’ program based on what subject you need help with, and the tutors are always so helpful.  

Q. Are there opportunities to socialise with Boarders from other schools?

That was then

Dr H: We attended a dance with our one ‘brother school’ once a year and a formal in Year 12 – that was it!

This is now

Victoria Burton, Year 11: We regularly mix and socialise at Trivia Nights and termly socials with both girls’ and boys’ Boarding schools, including Riverview, Knox, Shore, Abbotsleigh, Wenona, and Ravenswood. This brings together a sense of community and atmosphere and enables us to make lasting friendships and meaningful connections with other kids our age.

Q. Finish this sentence: Because I am a Boarder, I…

Victoria Burton, Year 11: …am part of a wide, diverse community of people I can trust. Whenever it gets hard, or I feel isolated from city life, I find that I can always rely on the sisters I have grown up with. I have independence and resilience to better myself, my education and my future.  

Well said, Victoria, Indi, Sophie, Mia, Alex and Sasha! Despite the huge differences between my time as a Boarder in the ‘80s compared to our girls’ experience now, I feel incredibly privileged to have been a Boarder and continue to be enormously grateful to my parents for the sacrifices they made to ensure I had an excellent education. Because I was a Boarder, I am in the position I am in now. Boarding has taught me the value of hard work, the importance of family and relationships, and how to be self-sufficient. It has also helped me to deal with difficulties in my life and become a more resilient person, and for that I remain grateful. My best friend, Lavinia, continues to be my best friend from our Boarding days, and I’m so blessed to have had her in my life for all this time. She knows me inside and out!

I know I speak for all our Boarders and their families when I say how extremely grateful we are for our Boarding staff, the rarest kind of people who go above and beyond the call of duty to nurture the young people in their care at any time, day or night. At Pymble, our Boarders are also fortunate to be supported by our Boarding Family Friends (aka BFFs) who stand in on weekends for mothers, fathers and siblings who can’t be there, ferrying our girls to sport and activities and opening their hearts and homes to them. These are just some of the enduring gifts of Boarding that will never change, despite the passage of time. Happy Boarders’ Week to you all!

Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal

From the Boarding School

Boarders’ Week is always a highlight in our calendar and this week has been no exception. The traditional decorating of the houses did not disappoint with each house carefully ‘dressed’ by our Boarders and swathed in our signature pink. Our special thanks to our School Offices who also went all out to celebrate our Boarders. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement of these wonderful people, not just in Boarders’ Week but every day.

Our Year 12 prefects began a new tradition and unveiled the artwork for their theme for the year: “You’ve got a sister in me”. These amazing young women embody the Boarder spirit, modelling excellent behaviour and looking out for all their Boarding sisters with great kindness and care. The artwork will be displayed above the Dining Room steps as a reminder of the Boarding Sisterhood.

We have been kept busy throughout the week with the various day girls verses Boarders sporting competitions, presentations at assemblies and a ‘thank you’ bacon and egg breakfast on Marden Lawn. On Tuesday night, we were delighted to share a meal with our Knox ‘brothers’, with Pymble hosting the Year 11 and 12 Boarders while our younger Boarders visited Knox.

None of this would have been possible without our fabulous Boarding staff. I am grateful every day for their commitment and care and for the joy the share so generously. My special thanks to Mrs Katie White, our Deputy Director of Boarding, who has worked extra hard to ensure this week was such a success.

While Boarders’ Week is an opportunity to celebrate all things Boarding, it also provides another way in which we can recognise and thank the broader Pymble family who make living at Pymble so special. Our heartfelt thanks go to our day school staff, students and families who go out of their way to make living at this beautiful College so special.

MMG Survey

Just a reminder for our Year 8, 10 and 12 parents to complete the MMG survey. Your feedback assists us in building on our processes and programs, all with the view to making your daughter’s time at Pymble the best it can be.

Pymble Goes South!

Next week our Deputy Director of Boarding, Katie White, along with our Enrolments team team will be at the Boarding School Expo in Griffith on Thursday 25 May and Wagga Wagga on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 May. Please do pop in and say hello if you are in the area.

Pymble in Young

We are also looking forward to a special gathering at the home of Edwina and Michael Beveridge on the evening of Saturday 27 May and hope you can join us. Please use the link below to RSVP.

Love It – Mrs White

Boarders’ Week continues into the weekend. On Saturday night we have tickets to the Australian Women’s Rugby team – The Wallaroos vs Fiji at Allianz stadium. On Sunday we will be heading to Luna Park with our boarding brothers and sisters from PLC Sydney, Abbotsleigh, Wenona and Scots. This is sure to be an exciting day for the girls.

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, I’m Ilana! I am in Year 11 and started at Pymble in Term 1. I live in Mittagong, one of the towns in the Southern Highlands which is just over 1.5 hours south of Pymble. I’ve lived in the highlands since I was six years old with my brother Joel (who is in year 8), Mum, Dad and of course Louie the Labradoodle. My grandparents also live nearby in Bowral, the largest town in the highlands.

When we first moved from Sydney, we lived on a small property and whilst I would love to live on a farm again, we live closer to town in a cosy home. The area is known for its natural beauty, with lots of national parks surrounding it on all sides where I do a lot of bushwalking with my family. The area has a distinct Scottish/English feel, with rolling countryside, sheep and cattle farms, as well as vineyards and lots of lovely, quaint historic villages to explore.

The area is well known for the Bradman Oval and Museum in Bowral, a tribute to cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, who grew up and went to primary school in Bowral. Bowral is also famous for its annual Tulip Gardens in Spring. In Robertson, you can find the Big Potato, the largest in Australia.

I had never boarded before starting last term, so it was an adjustment being away from home and starting a new school. I have really enjoyed Boarding, living with your friends is especially fun. At home, I love to cook and I miss this when I am at school. On the weekends when it is warm, my friends and I often venture to the local water holes or rivers for picnics and to swim. I also enjoy spending time outdoors on friends’ properties, in town or going to one of the local shows or markets.

The South Coast is only an hour away and as a family, we spend a lot of time there beaching and camping. From my window, I love seeing the range of beautiful sunsets behind Mount Alexandra and Mt Gibraltar. So far, living in Sydney at Pymble has been an exciting change. I’m enjoying meeting new people and trying new sports, as well as having everything on my doorstep. I am looking forward to seeing what is to come over the next two years, being at school at Pymble.

Jersey Day Commemoration Chapel Service

Save the Date

Sunday 14 May to Friday 19 May – Boarders’ Week

Thursday 25 May – Pymble in Griffith

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 Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

As one of our College values, courage is always at the forefront of our minds as we plan learning activities for our girls across Kindergarten to Year 6. This week we are focusing on our Kindness to Others Fact #2 which is ‘I can be inclusive’. Next week’s core value is ‘Courage’ which aligns so well with our focus on inclusivity. It takes courage to make new friendships and to explore new cultures. Over the next couple of weeks as we focus on this Kindness to Others fact, we will be challenging our girls to embrace their courage and take steps towards a friendship from a group outside their existing friendship groups, perhaps to make a friend from a different culture.

For us as adults, perhaps we should ask ourselves, how do we model this courage and inclusivity to our children? Would we join an activity if we didn’t know anyone else there? As a natural introvert, I know I would find this challenging. Yet on the weekend as I supported our girls at Saturday sport, I chatted with one mum and learnt that her daughter challenged herself to join the Hockey team as it’s not a sport traditionally played in China and she was keen to learn a sport unfamiliar to her culture and to try and make friends beyond her current social group. #Pymbleproud! 

Would we, as adults and role models to our children, start a conversation with someone we don’t yet know, and in a language that is not our mother language? Do we seek out conversations with people we don’t know? When watching sport on Saturday, do we check that there is no parent standing alone, and if there is, invite them to join our group of friends? I am not sure I am as brave as many of our girls and I am constantly learning from them and being inspired by them.

It’s hugely courageous to invite someone we don’t know to come and sit with us, chat with us, play with us. Yet this is precisely what we ask of our girls at school. As educators we do this because it’s so important that our girls grow up knowing they are global citizens and being comfortable listening to, chatting with and collaborating with anyone, from any demographic. According to the OECD Compass 2030 some of the top skills graduates will need are social/emotional skills of compassion and collaboration.

Over the last week I have been humbled by three stories shared with me by some of the extraordinary women in our community. Their stories are not mine to tell, but I was in awe of the courage they have shown through their personal journeys. Each of these women have faced significant changes in their lives, whether family or cultural changes, and as I listened to them sharing their stories, I felt the power emanating from the courage each of them has shown throughout their adventures so far. Sadly, each of these women have felt judged at some point along their journey and they shared with me the hurt they felt, and which still sits within them many years later. As a global society we have much to learn about including all equally and treating one another with kindness and respect. We must be braver at seeking to understand one another before judging and learning to accept each other for who we are and what we bring.

I know that this focus on strength through diversity and inclusion is something our Pymble girls are leading. Last week a group of courageous Year 6 girls spent a couple of hours at United Bowden Brae Gardens aged care home getting to know some of the elderly residents there, many of whom suffer dementia. Our girls showed courage in introducing themselves to these elderly residents and then shared stories, favourite books, language and even some music, all with patience and respect. Hearing the girls joy at the things they learnt, and seeing their pride in themselves for being part of this social collaboration was inspiring and I look forward to seeing how these new friendships develop over the coming weeks.

This week a group of our Robotics girls from Year 5 attended St Lucy’s School Wahroonga to share their robotics skills with the pupils at that school and again showed courage and respect in their collaboration with the students at St Lucy’s who face many varied learning and physical challenges. I am very proud of these girls.

Good luck to our Primary B debating team who are representing Pymble tomorrow in the quarter finals. This is a significant achievement and the first time one of our Junior School teams has qualified for the quarter finals. A huge thank you to Mrs Martha Itzcovitz and Miss Cordelia Itzcovitz who have mentored the debating teams this year.  Our girls will be debating against Roseville College at Monte on Friday, and we wish them lots of luck for this exciting challenge. Whatever happens, we’re immensely proud of them and the courage and commitment they have shown all season.

A huge thank you to all of you who attended our Year 3 and Year 5 Windows into Learning last week and then the Mother’s Day morning tea. A special thank you too for all our Dads who helped set up this event on the morning. None of these College events are possible without a dedicated team of volunteers who work behind the scenes and so I hope you know how much we appreciate your efforts.

A personal challenge and test of my courage: The Sydney Half Marathon

As someone who has lost a parent many decades ago to cancer, and who knows many currently facing, or who have loved ones facing, a battle with cancer, I want to do something to honour their courage. I am therefore challenging myself to run the Sydney Half Marathon in September this year. For those in our community who are natural distance runners or who have lots of time to train this may not seem much of challenge. I can assure you it is! I have limited time to train, and I know I will have moments of self-doubt  as I contemplate running 22km (I’ve already had some!). However, as I hear the stories of those in our community who are courageously facing cancer I am determined to succeed.

I will be running wearing a ‘Kilometres of Kindness for cancer research’ t-shirt to continue to raise awareness and conversation around the power of kindness to others and perhaps inspire others to do something in support of cancer research. I am not seeking donations from our community but if any of you would like to join me running, please let me know. Imagine if we could have a small community of kindness runners from Pymble who are all committed to showing support for those in our community who quietly face this disease within their families.

Butterfly Body Bright – Mrs Rachel Kingsell, Head of PDHPE

It’s so important for our young girls to grow up celebrating their bodies and all the amazing things our bodies enable us to do. In 2022, we became a Butterfly Body Bright Junior School, meaning we follow an evidence-based body image program that is strength based and run by the Butterfly Body Bright Foundation.

This program promotes positive attitudes and behaviours towards the body, eating and physical activity. Early research into the program has shown positive improvements in children’s body image. We are excited to have registered for Butterfly Body Bright again this year and look forward to working towards being more Body Bright as a school community so that together we can support our girls to feel confident and bright in their bodies.

This program is primarily led by our PDHPE team in the girls’ Years 3 to 6 Health lessons, but all our staff support the aim of the foundation which is to empower our girls to celebrate who they are. The idea is that there is a new focus each week from the Body Bright areas: Brave, Resilient, Inclusive, Grateful, Happy and Thoughtful. Year 3 and 4 have begun the Body Bright program in PDHPE lessons this term. Year 5 will begin during their Health lessons from Week 5 and Year 6 will be re-introduced to the program in Term 3 prior to their Health unit on Puberty.

MMG Survey Reminder

A friendly reminder to all Year 3 and Year 5 families to complete the MMG Survey before Tuesday 23 May. Thank you to those that have participated, we appreciate your feedback.

National Simultaneous Storytime 2023 – Josephine Laretive , Teacher Librarian K-2

On Wednesday 24 May, Kindergarten to Year 3 will participate 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.

Look out for photos of the staff getting very involved in the book we will all enjoy reading! This year, the book The Speedy Sloth by Rebecca Young and illustrated by Heath McKenzie will be read simultaneously across Australia and beyond. To celebrate this event the Library is running a colouring-in competition and each class in Kindergarten to Year 3 will be involved in art and craft activities linked to the story.

Click here for more information.

Junior School Parent Group (JSPG) Term 2 Meeting

We invite you to attend the JSPG Term 2 Meeting on Wednesday 24 May from 7.45am to 8.45am where you will hear from committee members, Sunny Hres – Head of Pymble Parent Association (PPA), Kate Brown – Head of Junior School, Lara Bird – Deputy Head of Junior School Academic and Nerissa Davey – Deputy Head of Junior School Students.

The event will be held in the Junior School Library and you are welcome to attend either in person or via Microsoft Teams by clicking here.

Please click here to view the agenda.

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.

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.

From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

• Family Fun Day & Movie Night – Saturday 20 May

We are very excited to see everyone this Saturday from 3.00pm to 7.00pm for our JSPG Family Fun Day & Movie Night. We have over 800 families from our Junior School attending and we cannot wait to celebrate this special day with everyone and enjoy catching up with our existing families and meeting our new families. We are fortunate that the weather is looking very sunny with a top of 19 degrees.

Just some housekeeping information:

Please bring your own seating for the movie (including any rugs, cushions, bean bags, low chairs etc). For small children (three and under), please pack a small meal or otherwise there are food items to purchase at the crepes truck.

• Year 6 Parent Daughter Dance – Saturday 27 May

Our Year 6 Dance Committee has prepared an absolutely sensational night at Killara Golf Club for our girls, an event not to be missed! The theme is “Springtime in Paris” and the last opportunity for our girls to celebrate their very last event together in the Junior School. Please ensure that you buy your tickets by tomorrow as the event will shortly closed, please do not miss out!

Please click here to purchase tickets.

Key Dates

Kate Brown

Head of Junior School

From the Middle School

This week in Middle School we have gone all out to celebrate our wonderful Boarders for Boarders’ Week! The colonnade is awash with symbolic pink and a patchwork collage of images of the girls. We are very fortunate to have 12 Year 7 Boarders and 18 Year 8 Boarders who each enrich our community.

I wanted to share where the girls are from so that we can all acknowledge the diversity of their experiences and celebrate their courage and maturity living away from home: Dubbo, Dunedoo, Moree, Obley, Walcha, Alice Springs, Bilpin, Willoughby, Temora, Quandialla, Bourke, Narromine, Young, Rouchel Brook, Forbes, Walgett, Bentley Park (Qld), Bilpin, Wee Waa, Byron Bay, Forbes, Mount Frome, Red Hill (ACT), Hoing Kong, Reids Flat, Moulden (NT) and Moss Vale.

We kicked off our Boarding Week celebrations with our Year 7 Compass teachers visiting Boarding for afternoon tea on Friday 12 May. It was a great opportunity for the Compass teachers to get to spend some one-on-one time with our Boarders.

 On Wednesday we held our Middle School Boarders Morning Tea where the girls were invited to share stories and celebrate achievements. This sat beside dedicated time in Year assemblies in which the girls were interviewed and an interactive quiz about boarding was launched.

Thank you to our Boarding families for sharing your daughters with us during term time. It is an honour to walk beside them.

Pymble wins prestigious igsa Cross Country

Congratulations to the Pymble teams who competed at the Annual IGSA Cross Country Carnival on Friday 12 May.

Well done to all of our Middle School competitors, each of you performed extremely well and represented the college with pride. A special mention to our individual Gold Medal recipient: Eliza Lawton (13 Years)

And well done to the Bronze Medal recipients: Gemma Dixon (13 Years)

Our top athletes will now prepare for NSWCIS Cross Country which will take place on Thursday 8 June.

Congratulations to all of the Year 8 Music students who wooed the crowd with their entertaining and professional performance of Madagascar. Your commitment as cast and crew members was a demonstration of your talent and integrity. The show was so well received and refreshingly entertaining. Middle School has done it again!

Well done to all our students who received their Colour awards in assembly this week.

MMG Survey Reminder

A friendly reminder to all Year 8 families that you still have time to complete the MMG Survey. Thank you to those that have participated, we appreciate your feedback.

Athletics Carnival – Thursday 25 May

The Secondary School Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 25 May at the Sydney Olympic Park Warm Up Arena. The carnival will begin at 7.30am. Students are required to wear their House sports uniform and are permitted to wear this to and from the College.

Students competing in the Seeded events will need to be at Kelso Field no later than 5.55am for roll call. Remaining Year 7 and 8 students will need to be Kelso Field 7:00am for roll call.

The Athletics Carnival is a compulsory School event that aims to promote house spirit and participation. Girls who are unable to participate or attend, should provide a note via the Middle School Office by Monday 23 May. In the event your daughter is unable to participate due to injury, her attendance at the carnival is still expected. It should be noted that the College does maintain a record of student attendance for these important days in the calendar.

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.

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

This week, we have loved celebrating our wonderful boarding community. Being a boarder once myself, I know only too well the ups and downs of living at school 24 hours a day. Indeed, I enjoyed sharing a few pictures and stories of me from school but those won’t be appearing in the newsletter!

It was fabulous to see Tilly and Jaidey lead our Year 9 assembly and for all of our Year 9s Boarders (minus those currently on The Great Return back from Vision Valley) share pictures from home and what they love about Boarding. Celeste spoke beautifully to Year 10 about her home and her peers loved seeing the photos of life on the land. We too have had a bit of fun with our Upper School Office decorations and are very much hoping we can beat the Middle School!

Elsewhere, our first Year 10 Exchange students jetted off to England and our partner schools Wrekin College and St Joesph’s College, Ipswich. We look forward to sharing news from Tully, Tully, Alanah and Lara in due course and wish them well on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Next week, Year 10 will enjoy a BBQ lunch and a talk on consent and healthy, respectful relationships from industry leaders Your Choicez. David and Katie Kobler have been a consistent feature of Upper School programs in recent years and do a wonderful job of empowering our girls to understand their rights in preparing them for the realities of dating and safe partying. Whilst a heavy topic, it is imperative that we consistently revisit this conversation sensitively and we look forward to sharing information with you to continue it at home.

Finally, a reminder for families to please complete the MMG Survey recently circulated. We like to delve deeply into the results of these surveys to improve stakeholder experiences and thank you in advance for your considered feedback.

Year 10 Futures Interviews start next week

Students will begin meeting with the Futures@Pymble team to discuss their Cliftons Strength Profiles and understand how they can turn their strengths into talents. This information will be handy to help them with subject selection and for looking for future opportunities for service learning, leadership and overall growth.

How to book a session

All of Year 10 have been emailed information on how to book their session for this term. Interview opportunities will also continue into Term 3. Prior to the session, students are required to complete a pre-meeting survey to provide information on their current understanding of their profile and other areas of interest they may want to pursue. We encourage families to help students to fill in this survey as it addresses the following questions:

1. What activities are you naturally drawn to?
2. What activities do you seem to pick up quickly?
3. In what activities did you seem to automatically know the steps to be taken/what to do?
4. During what activities have you had moments of subconscious excellence when you thought ‘How did I do that?’ or “I’m good at that!”
5. What activities give you energy, either while doing them or immediately after finishing them, and you think, “When can I do that again?” or “I really enjoyed that”.

Our team look forward to meeting with the students to understand their exciting ideas for the future.

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.

Year 10                Zoe Green                        bzgreen@bigpond.net.au

                             Pamela McPherson         bruceandpam@bigpond.com

Year 9                  Monika Surana                monsisurana@yahoo.co.in

                              Christel Vigne                 vignechristel@gmail.com 

Social media community groups:

PymbleLC Parents Class of 2025 (Facebook for year 10)

PymbleLC Parents Class of 2026 (Facebook for year 9)

PymbleLC USPG 2023 (Facebook for all Upper School parents)

Or please contact us for an invite to a WeChat group or Dads WhatsApp group.

Key Dates

Thursday 18 May – Year 10 Meningococcal Vaccinations

Friday 19 May – The Great Return (2B)

Thursday 25 May – Athletics Carnival

Tom Riley

Head of Upper School

From the Senior School

This week the students in Years 11 and 12 came together for our Senior School Assembly. Our special guest was Reverend Karen Mitchell – Lambert, from the Gordon-Pymble Uniting Church. Reverend Karen spoke to the students about opportunities to get involved in serving our local community and invited them to participate in a range of activities offered through the Uniting Church. Interested students are invited to join a meeting next Tuesday in the Chapel at lunch time.

The Year 11 Senior School Leaders also launched our annual Wrap with Love service project. Senior School staff and students (and their families) are invited to knit woollen squares which will be sewn into blankets. These blankets are provided to those in need both in Australia and overseas.

If you are able to contribute, you will need: 8 ply wool (any type) 4.00 needles (size 4.00 (8). The pattern is a square of 50 rows X 50 stitches. All the details can found at the Wrap with Love website. Many thanks to Julie, Ellie, Saskia and Abby for leading this initiative.

We have enjoyed celebrating Boarders’ Week with the Boarders, it has been lots of fun and competition.

Athletics Carnival

Next week we have our annual Athletics Carnival at Homebush. This is wonderful day of competition, House spirit and community. As the oldest in the school, the Senior girls are wonderful leaders across the Houses, engaging with the younger students and leading the way. As a school event, attendance is compulsory.

Year 12 Futures Updates

The Futures@Pymble team have introduced a new series of weekly videos to keep our Year 12 students and their families informed about updates related to university and other post school pathways. It is important for students to note deadlines and events in regards to the application processes for early entry and UAC university as well as scholarships. View the Week 3 Update here.

You can view past updates at the Futures@Pymble Youtube account.

GBE Department collaborates with Ku-ring-gai Council

The GBE Department have begun collaborating with Ku-Ring-Gai council to further provide real world learning opportunities for our students. Initially, the relationship will involve small groups of Year 11 Geography students conducting council led research projects as part of their Senior Geography Project.

Megan Wood will be conducting a business climate study in Pymble and Alicia Slobodian will be investigating the liveability in Pymble. Working alongside councillors, students will receive mentoring (see image below) and gather useful data for the council. Students will have the opportunity to present their findings to a panel of local councillors at end of the project.

Other opportunities involve developing a process by students, for students, to offer a platform for having a say with local issues. Through this collaboration, we are providing more opportunities for our students to learn about future Geography related career pathways, as well as building student’s transdisciplinary skillsets to prepare them for their future.

Term 2 Key dates

Thursday 25 May – Athletics Carnival

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 Chaplains

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’

As humans, we love to plan. We have amazingly powerful brains and we can use our brains to predict, prepare and plot.

Because life here at Pymble is so busy, we try to teach our students to be prepared, to manage their time effectively, to not be caught out by the next assignment due date.

It’s good to plan, and to think of the future.

But what I’m learning more and more as I get older is that God has a vast, eternal, cosmic plan that was conceived before I even existed. While I may have a certain plan in my head; for my own life, for my children, for my husband, for students here at school … God may have a different, and even better plan for us.

I find this extremely reassuring. The God of the universe, author of creation, has everything in hand.

While sometimes we want things to happen in human time – that is, now! – our lives are in fact part of a great, extended timeline.

But that does not mean that God is remote and far away from us. In chapel last week the students were learning that the Scriptures promise that the God of the universe, incredibly, has a plan for each one of them.

Jeremiah 29:11 says:

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

While the prophet Jeremiah was writing from Jerusalem around 600 BCE to the exiled priests, prophets and others in Babylon, the words are also for us now in 2023.

A couple of verses later is another promise from God:

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So if life is wearing you down, if you are holding on tight to certain plans and feel frustrated, powerless or angry that work/family/friendships/life is not working out the way you think it should, I pray that you can seek God with all your heart, trust in the author of creation and relinquish your hold on those plans a little. And know that God has wonderful plans for each one of us, if we can just trust in that.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. – Hebrews 13:20-21

Edwina O’Brien

Assistant Chaplain

From the Futures Team

Celebrating National Careers Week

We’re excited to launch our new series of podcasts produced by the Futures@Pymble team and hosted by our own Pymble students. We will be releasing an episode a week via our Futures@Pymble Youtube channel. Check out our first episode here with Georgia Lovell, Pymble ex-student who went onto study at Harvard University in the US hosted by Samadhi (2022). These episodes are hosted by current and past students to research potential post school pathways to share with the Pymble community.

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 15^th May 2023
• Closes 21^st 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.

Year 12 Futures Updates

The Futures@Pymble team have introduced a new series of weekly videos to keep our Year 12 students and their families informed about updates related to university and other post school pathways. It is important for students to note deadlines and events in regards to the application processes for early entry and UAC university as well as scholarships. View the Week 3 Update here.

You can view past updates at the Futures@Pymble Youtube account

Year 10 Futures Interviews start next week

Students will begin meeting with the Futures@Pymble team to discuss their Cliftons Strength Profiles and understand how they can turn their strengths into talents. This information will be handy to help them with subject selection and for looking for future opportunities for service learning, leadership and overall growth.

How to book a session

All of Year 10 have been emailed information on how to book their session for this term. Interview opportunities will also continue into Term 3. Prior to the session, students are required to complete a pre-meeting survey to provide information on their current understanding of their profile and other areas of interest they may want to pursue. We encourage families to help students to fill in this survey as it addresses the following questions:

1. What activities are you naturally drawn to?
2. What activities do you seem to pick up quickly?
3. In what activities did you seem to automatically know the steps to be taken/what to do?
4. During what activities have you had moments of subconscious excellence when you thought ‘How did I do that?’ or “I’m good at that!”
5. What activities give you energy, either while doing them or immediately after finishing them, and you think, “When can I do that again?” or “I really enjoyed that”.

Our team look forward to meeting with the students to understand their exciting ideas for the future.

Kim Maksimovic

Director of Futures and Partnership (K-12)

From the Community Engagement Team

Events Calendar

The College community events calendar can be viewed in the MyPymble app from the calendar tab. It is worthwhile for all parents and carers to check this regularly to keep up to date with all the events taking place at the College.

Tonight, we are excited to be seeing more than 250 community members at our 2023 Alumni Networking Event in Barangaroo. A big thank you to the Ex-Students’ Union for sponsoring this event.

Mother’s Day

We love the opportunity for the whole school to come together on campus with the parent body. Last Friday we welcomed 850 mums for a special morning tea for Mother’s Day where, thanks to your generous donations, we raised $2,410 each for Costumes for Cancer and Wayside Chapel which will be greatly appreciated and put to good use.

These large events aren’t possible without the help from wonderful volunteers, and this time around it was the dads in particular who stepped up to give our mums a nice relaxing Mothers Day treat. A big thank you to all who contributed.

PPA Trivia Night

One of the highlights of the PPA calendar each year is the Parent Trivia Night. This year’s theme is ‘Movie Characters’ which offers plenty of scope for creative costumes. Bring your friends and a make a table of ten or come solo – everyone is welcome! There will be prizes for the best-dressed table and overall winning team, as well as raffles and gold coin games. Tickets include a sit-down two course meal, welcome drink and trivia entertainment, with further drinks available for purchase at the bar. To purchase tickets, please click here. 

2023 Inaugural Cultural Festival – Dragon Boat Dinner

The College community is warmly invited to the inaugural Cultural Festival on Friday 21 July from 5.30pm to 8.00pm in Main Hall. Each year we will acknowledge a different cultural community, and in 2023 we are celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday.

There will be plenty of activities for children, with craft tables including Chinese paper folding, colouring and calligraphy, as well as fun and whimsical story cards detailing the tale of the Dragon Boat festival. Guests will be treated to entertaining musical items, storytelling and a yum cha style cocktail dinner including delicious zongzi as well as other traditional Chinese dishes.

We look forward to welcoming all families from across our Pymble community to this event. To book, please click here.

Garden Party

The biggest annual event on the Pymble calendar is not far away! One of the key aspects of Garden Party is the community coming together, whether by convening a stall, volunteering to help out or just being present on the day. In the lead up there will be plenty of ways to be involved, so keep a lookout! This year the chosen charities are the Smith Family and Dignity. Watch this space for more information.

Kelly Mancey

Director of Community Engagement and Advancement

From the Co-curricular Sports Team

First Nations Round of Sport

Please click here to view the information on First Nations Round of Sport happening on Saturday 27 May 2023.

2023 Pymble Secondary School Athletics Carnival

The Secondary School Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 25 May at the Sydney Olympic Park Warm Up Arena. The carnival will involve all students from Years 7 to 12, who will be transported to and from the venue by bus.

The carnival will begin at 7.30am. Program will be posted closer to the event.

Students are required to wear their House sports uniform and are permitted to wear this to and from the College. The girls may only apply face and body markings, as well as House decorations, once they are at the venue and will be required to clean off any markings before they leave for home in the afternoon. Students are required to wear a Pymble sports hat and sunscreen and have a water bottle for use throughout the day. Students are also encouraged to bring a towel or similar to sit on.

A very limited range of food choices is available at the venue’s canteen. We ask that the Day students bring their own healthy lunch and refreshments. Boarder’s lunches will be transported to the venue and collected on the day.

The Athletics Carnival is a compulsory School event that aims to promote house spirit and participation; therefore, all students are encouraged and expected to compete in the 100m Sprint, Shot Put, Long Jump, House relays and Novelty events. It is also a selection for our Pymble Athletics Squad. The Hurdles, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m, Discus, Javelin and High Jump are Championship events only. To nominate for the Championship events please click here. Nominations for championship events close on Monday 15 May.

Students who are unable to participate should provide a note via their School Office to their respective Head of School by Monday 23 May. In the event your daughter is unable to participate due to injury, her attendance at the carnival is still expected. A letter explaining your daughter’s unexpected absence on the day should be forwarded to the Head of School via the School Office upon her return. It should be noted that the College does maintain a record of student attendance for these important days in the calendar.

Departures

Athlete Departure: 6.00am sharp from Kelso Bus Stop

This bus will take the students competing in early SEEDED (Championship) events (800m, hurdles, javelin, shot put, discus and long jump), the House Captains and Prefects. All competitors in these events will be notified in advance via the student Portal. Students should assemble at James Kelso Field no later than 5.55am to have their names marked on the roll.

Year 7, 8 and 9 Departure: 7.00am from Kelso Bus Stop for a 7.15am departure.

Middle School students are to assemble at James Kelso Field under the correct Compass Group sign. Students must arrive by 7.00am to have their names marked on the roll and then be escorted to the bus departure point by their Compass Group teachers.

Year 10,11 and 12 Departure: 7.45am from Kelso bus stop for an 8.00am departure

Senior and Upper School students are to assemble at James Kelso Field under the correct Compass Group sign. Students must arrive by 7.45am to have their names marked on the roll and then be escorted to the bus departure point by their Compass Group teachers.

The buses will return directly to the College by 3.15pm.

Pymble School Buses: Please note, students that catch a Pymble school bus to and from school, this will still occur.

Girls will board a bus once they arrive to school at 8.00am, and then will board their usual bus in the afternoon.

Medical

Students who require asthma medication, EpiPens or other medications are expected to bring them to the carnival. One of the College nurses will be present at the carnival to assist with any injuries and illness.

Balmoral Burn Fundraiser – Sunday 28 May

On Sunday 28 May 2023 the famous annual Balmoral Burn will be run up the 420m hill of Awaba Street in Mosman. Please click here to view the information sheet. To register your team please click here.  Registrations are required by 12.00pm (Midday) on Friday 19 May. Parents and siblings are also welcome to participate and register through the event provider by clicking here.

Katie Edwards

Head of Sports – Years 7 to 12

From the Co-curricular Performing Arts Team

As leaves turn golden and deep red and the weather becomes, as Keats described, “a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,” the performance ensembles of Music, Drama, Dance and Language Arts continue to flourish and resonate.

Please see the current reports presented below of the areas of Language Arts and Music in the Senior School and the myriad of events that ensue in these thriving areas.

A triumph of student leadership in the Performing Arts has been the ongoing Performing Arts Competition (PAC) which will culminate in the Best of PAC performance event in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts on May 24 from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. Piper Markson and Claire Oslington have been the passionate and inspiring leaders of this now iconic event in the Pymble Performing Arts calendar.

All are welcome to this event to witness the celebration of students from the Senior School who have been selected from last week’s fabulous PAC preliminary performances before enthusiastic and supportive student audiences in the amphitheatre. Please note that entry to Best of PAC is free of charge!

The program for the Best of PAC is as follows:

I strongly encourage you to attend this brilliant celebration of student performance in the Performing Arts. All are welcome to enjoy the extraordinary quality of these outstanding performers.

Michael Griffiths

Director of Co-curricular Performing Arts

Co-curricular Administration

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.

Susan Lindsay

Acting Head of Co-curricular Administration

Language Arts

Public Speaking  

Congratulations to Leahara Wijesuriya and Jenny Xu who have progressed to Rostrum Regionals. They competed at Abbotsleigh last night Wednesday 17 May. Results to follow. 

FED Quarter and Semi Finals   

Congratulations to our 7A, 7B, 8B and Year 9 team who were FED finalists last Friday. Warm congratulations to 7B, 8B and Year 9 who are continuing their Finals journey. Year 9 will debate at MLC on Friday this week and 7B and 8B will debate at Knox. Coaches will meet girls at venues and parents are welcome. 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 who are still in the comp and will debate again this week at Monte.  Our Senior A Team competed in an important finals round last Friday, at Ravenswood, where they faced St Aloysius’. It was a fierce and furious debate and unfortunately, our girls lost. Thank you to Alyssa Yee, Angie Wang, Christine Hur, Isabella Cameron, and Christy Xue. You have been a formidable team and thank you for your enormous contribution to Debating over many years. We look forward to farewelling you at our High Tea in June.

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 with Round 1 and 8 teams. We hope all enjoyed the start of the season. Results to follow. 

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 5 May. 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, Lara Hogan and Mr Daniel Judd. Last week many teams were buoyed by their wins!  

7 White – Pymble won  

7 Red – Won 

7 Blue – Lost 

8 Red – Won 

11 – Won 

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. Co-curricular Administration will send registrations and details. 

Discover MUN

Discover MUN day will be held at UNSW on Thursday 25 May. This is only for Senior Students. 13 girls have been registered. 

Mother’s Day stall 

To all mums and grandmothers, we hope you had a delightful day on Sunday! We sold our beautiful Language Arts Mother’s Day, double walled, heart mugs again this year. Money raised is yet to be totalled between Junior and Senior Schools’ sales and will help fund our 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

Thank you to the wonderful students from Junior School Choir, Capella, Year 8 Elective Music and the Stage Band who performed at the Mothers’ Day morning tea last Friday. The weather was superb, and the girls provided a suitable accompaniment to the joy that our mothers provide to our girls.

Tonight, the College String Quartet will provide a wonderful backdrop of music for the Alumni Event at KPMG in the Barangaroo. Thanks to Mr Rossman for preparing Annie Luo, Claire Lee, Charlotte Wykes and Sitian Chen for this event.

On Monday 22, Tuesday 23, and Wednesday 24 May we will having Ensemble Photos. Girls are to change into their Performance Uniforms (red jackets and black pants) with hair ribbons.

Instruments are also required for these photos. I apologise if this clashes with other activities. Please note the following times for the ensembles.

Monday 22 May

12:50          String Orchestra

1:05            Chamber Strings

1:20            Symphony Orchestra

1:35            SWE

1:55            College Quartet

2:05            Artemis Trio

Tuesday 23 May

12:50          School Concert Band

1:05            Middle School Concert Band

1:20            School Choir

1:35            Chorale

Wednesday 24 May

12:50          Jazz Ensemble

1:00            Stage Band

1:10            Flute Ensemble

1:15            Clarinet Ensemble

1:20            Brass Ensemble

This coming Saturday: Choir Performances 

The Junior Cappella and Pymble Chorale vocal ensembles have been invited to perform at a special concert with The Humming Song Choir. This event will be held in the College Chapel on Saturday 20 May, 4.00pm to 5.30pm.

All members of the College community are warmly invited. Please see the poster below for booking details. This is a ticketed event, and all proceeds will go to supporting the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Woman’s Shelter. Both vocal ensembles need to arrive at 2.20pm to rehearse the combined and individual items.

I hope you can join us for this exciting performance opportunity.

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.

Our ensembles will also be performing for you. The concert will commence at 6.30pm and there will be a short interval.

Sarah Turner

Head of Co-curricular Music

Artistic Gymnastics

Congratulations to Maya Atkinson (Year 10) who recently represented NSW in the 2023 National Gymnastics Championships on the Gold Coast.

The NSW State team placed second overall. Maya won the individual overall gold medal for the over 15 years age group.

Maya also placed in the following events:

•           5th Vault

•           4th Bars

•           1st Beam

•           2nd Floor

Well done Maya!

Alison Gestier

Head Coach – Artistic Gymnastics

Athletics and Cross Country

56 of our Pymble athletes had a very early, chilly start on Friday 12 May, travelling to beautiful Frensham, Mittagong to compete at the annual igsa Cross Country Carnival.

Having won this event in 2022, our athletes were well prepared with consistent training under their belts, injury-free and eager to compete. 

Multiple highlights of the day were team results, which displayed depth across multiple age groups. Congratulations to 16 years, 17 years and 18 years age groups for taking out the gold medal and to our 12 years and 14 years for coming away with a silver medal.

A special mention to our individual gold medals awarded to Eliza Lawton (Year 7) (13 Years) and Abigail Ballhausen (Year 12) (17 years) and individual bronze medals which were awarded to Gemma Dixon (Year 7) (13 years) and Georgia Phillips (Year 11) (17 years).

Congratulations to all of our competitors, you performed outstandingly, and we are all so very proud of you. Pymble won by over 100 points – what a result!

Our top athletes will now prepare for NSWCIS Cross Country which will take place on Thursday 8 June.

We wish all our athletes the best of luck.

Laura Verlinden

Sports Co-ordinator – Athletics and Cross Country

Basketball

Pymble 1 competed against a competitive Roseville team, ultimately resulting in a win. Izabella Ziolkowski (Year 10) played well on both ends of the floor, creating steals in the full press and knocking down some shots.

Ruby Thomson (Year 12) hit two crucial three pointers for Pymble 2 keeping them in the game.

Billie Fisher (Year 11) worked hard and fought for every ball and had some great fast breaks for Pymble 3.

Olivia Ogg (Year 12) had great scoring and defence for Pymble 4.

Caitlin Pridmore (Year 11) had some dependable dribbling under pressure and really hustled after the ball for Pymble 5.

Pymble 6 showed a great team effort again with all players showing aggression and determination on both ends of the court.

Sahara Lemon (Year 10) played hard with a great attitude, never giving up for Pymble 7.

Shanya Parti (Year 11) showed great effort and enthusiasm with defensive pressure and intercepts for Pymble 8.

Isabelle Burke (Year 8) was all over the court with intensity and her effort was outstanding on defence, getting the ball moving on offence for Pymble 9.

Ruby Watson (Year 8) came up with a lot of 50/50 balls, her game being highlighted by an offensive rebound for Pymble 10.

Imarni Woodroffe-Mulholland (Year 8) brought the energy and enthusiasm for Pymble 11.

Pymble 12 had a tough game against Ravenswood but still fought hard and ran the court well.

Bella Legge-Hughes (Year 7) had great defensive pressure and intercepts, spacing on offense for Pymble 13.

Savannah Lorimer (Year 7) chased down every loose ball with many intercepts to turn the game around for Pymble 14.

Claudia Sherlock (Year 7) was great in transition, especially with her shot selections for Pymble 15.

Sarah Foo (Year 7) was always first for a rebound or taking a shot for Pymble 16.

Valerie Zhao (Year 7) had so many amazing intercepts and worked hard for the entire game for Pymble 17.

Yvette Volk (Year 11) and Abigail Tyler (Year 12) represented Pymble at the CIS Basketball Tournament Selections. Abigail played in the Opens and was on fire from the 3-point line, helping her IGSA team finish runner-up to ISA. Yvette was crafty with the ball, played great defence, and was dependable In her shooting successfully being selected for the CIS team!

Basketball Results

Rachel Maenpaa

Head Coach – Basketball

Football

Round 3 of igsa Football was held on Saturday 13 May with Pymble coming away with seven wins and three losses. It was also Pink Sports Day, an event that supports the Breast Cancer Network Australia. It was wonderful seeing so many pink socks being worn on the day.

There were 56 goals scored over 10 matches. Saturday’s results saw Pymble 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7 remain undefeated after three rounds. Pymble 3 competed at Frensham College, Mittagong to get their first win of the term with a solid 6 to 2 scoreline. With an inspirational halftime team talk, Pymble 5 kept their winning streak alive with a 2 to 1 win. Pymble 7 put their winning streak on the line against Brigidine, with only 11 available players. They were up 7 to 0 before the game was cut short by lightning. As the win is counted, this sees Pymble 7 level with PLC Sydney at the top of the Junior First Division.

Team of the week

This week’s team of the week goes to our Junior Seconds, Pymble 8!

Here’s what team captain, Sophie Webster (Year 8) had to say:

Pymble 8 had an amazing game against Queenwood with a great overall performance adding to last week’s win, meaning we have two wins in a row. Well done to our scoring players: Annabelle Nosworthy (Year 8) x 1, Dasha Stusenko (Year 9) x 2, Hannah Willert (Year 9) x 1, and Hayley Browne (Year 8) x 1. All these goals were amazing, but Queenwood were a hard team to beat, they had very good midfielders and defence players, but we got there in the end. The result kept getting better as time went by. We worked as a team by working on our defending. An outstanding effort by all players in Pymble 8 and good luck next week.

Well done girls! Riley ball in full effect!

Round 1 MVPs

Pymble 1 – Jasmin Robinson (Year 11)

Pymble 2 – Ines Danzinger (Year 10)

Pymble 3 – Erin Porter (Year 10)

Pymble 4 – Erica Williams (Year 11)

Pymble 5 – Georgia Lyster (Year 11)

Pymble 6 – Sarah Oppenheim (Year 12)

Pymble 7 – Elisa Cui (Year 8)

Pymble 8 – Charlotte Ruscio (Year 9)

Pymble 9 – Ainsley Alexander (Year 8)

Pymble 10 – Abigail Mohajerani (Year 7)

Senior First Match Report by Head Coach Shervin Adeli

Our Senior Firsts took on Roseville College in a top of the table clash this past Saturday. With both teams having a strong representative at the igsa football trials, it led to a mouth-watering tie. With a few key injuries to our team, Madi Gabila (Year 7) and Willa Pearson (Year 7) once again stepped up to help.

Two goals from Sophie Watson (Year 12) and a goal from Jasmin Robinson (Year 11) meant our seniors went into halftime with a strong lead. In the second half, Jasmin completed her brace by adding a wonder goal that definitely deserved a spot in ESPN’s top 10!

Another clean sheet from our solid backline and goalkeeper means we also have the stingiest defence in the competition.

Our Senior Firsts next face Ascham who currently have two wins and one loss.

Bill Turner Trophy

Good luck to our students competing in the Bill Turner Trophy on Friday 19 May at Cromer Park. The Bill Turner Trophy is a competition for all schools in NSW, Queensland, ACT, and Victoria for students 15 years and under. Our Pymble team will be facing NBC Mackellar Girls.

CIS Football Cup

Our CIS Football Cup team will be facing Loreto Normanhurst on Wednesday 24 May. The game will be played during lunch time on Pymble’s Main Oval. The winner of this match will have a spot in the semi-final which will take place at Football NSW, Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood.

Chris Wood

Sport Co-ordinator – Football

Junior School Sport

Netball School Cup Regional Finals

Congratulations to our Year 5 and 6 Netball Schools Cup team that played at the NSW Netball Schools Cup on Monday 15 August. Our Pymble netballers played extremely well and won their division. They have now qualified for the Regional Finals to be played later in the year.

Such a fantastic effort at this level of competition. Well done girls. Special thank you to Mrs Gin Welsh (Head Coach of Netball), Kate Irvine (Netball Coordinator) and Megan O’Keeffe for all your hard work and preparation leading up to and during the event.

Matt Tyson

Head of Sport – Kindergarten to Year 6

Snowsports

It is with great pleasure that we announce Hilary Eyers (Year 6) as the winner of the 2023 Snow Australia Interschool Snowsports Scholarship. Congratulations, Hilary!

This year the competition was fierce with many talented young athletes vying for the scholarship. However, Hilary stood out for her dedication, passion, and hard work. She has proven herself to be a true champion, and we are thrilled to award her this prestigious scholarship.

The Snow Australia Interschool Snowsports Scholarship is designed to support and encourage young snowsports athletes to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential. Hilary exemplifies everything that this scholarship stands for, and we have no doubt that she will make the most of this incredible opportunity.

Hilary will receive a grant which can be used to further her snowsports training, purchase equipment, or attend competitions. We look forward to seeing how she will use this scholarship to continue to develop her skills and achieve her goals.

Once again congratulations and we are excited to see where your snowsports journey takes you in the future!

Megan O’Keeffe

Sports Co-ordinator – Snowsports

Swimming

NSW Selection Squads

A huge congratulations to Bella Zhang (Year 12) and Jaya Lilienthal (Year 10) who have been selected for the NSW Swimming Squads based on their performances at the Australian Age Championships held in April 2023.

Jaya has been selected for the Sharks Squad and Bella has been selected for the Transition Squad. To be selected, you must achieve a certain time in a final at the Australian Championships.

Bella and Jaya will attend group training sessions and complete Swimming Australia testing protocols over the course of the next 12 months. They will enjoy training with those at their level and use their time to improve, learn and grow both technically and physically.

Sydney Grand Prix, 12 to 14 May 2023

Congratulations to Piper Gregory–Reid (Year 11), Hayley Johnston (Year 12) and Jessica Munk (Year 12) for competing at the recent Sydney Grand Prix meet. Our Pymble swimmers competed against the Australian Dolphins and many university students. Piper swam in three finals for Knox Pymble Swimming Club.  This competition has helped Piper improve and learn so much which she will implement in future competitions.

Engine Squad Coach – Rafael Rodrigues

Congratulations to our Engine squad coach Rafael Rodrigues and one of his external multiclass athletes, Declan Budd. Declan is now an Australian record holder and categorized as S14, holding the 50m backstroke record for Australia in the 14/15 years age group.

Raf has been coaching Declan at Pymble since 2016. Declan and his family are loyal and committed and bring so much energy, care and drive to our Pymble swimming community.

Rafael Rodrigues

Head Coach – Swimming

Term 2 Pymble Mini Meet 1

On Wednesday 10 May, the termly mini meet was held.

The meet was a huge success with over 60 swimmers from Tiger Shark, Mini squad, Star squad and Cadet squad attending. For some swimmers, it was the first experience at a swim meet.

Our coaching team thank and acknowledge our Pride squad and Engine squad for their amazing job helping teams, keeping spirits high and helping and supporting new swimmers throughout the meet.

The mini meet is always fun and exciting for our swimmers where, along with having the chance to race, they also get to know swimmers from the other squad levels. The swimmers were split into eight teams mixed between all squad levels.

Highlights of the meet were the macarena dancing challenge, noodle kicking relays, team cheering and individual swimming duels. 

Sara Petronzio

Swimming Coach – Cadet Squad

Tennis

Congratulations to Ashlee Narker (Year 12) for making the finals of the J100 Mornington ITF 18U singles. Ashlee is also competing this week representing NSW in the Pizzey Cup in Canberra. Good luck Ash!

Congratulations also to Gabrielle Chan (Year 6) for her recent performance at the NSW PSSA Tennis Championships. Gabrielle was undefeated in her matches representing the NSW CIS team, which finished in first place in both the girls and combined teams’ events. Gabrielle made it into the playoff matches for a spot in the NSW Bruce Cup team, but narrowly missed out. Well done Gabby!

Pymble Slam Saturday Hot Shots Match Play

Our Pymble Slam Saturday match play sessions run every Saturday from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. Hot shots are for all Pymble Kindergarten to Year 6 students involved in the tennis program to experience competition in a positive and welcoming environment.

Our Hot Shots program will use smaller courts and low compression balls to facilitate longer and more enjoyable rallies between players of similar abilities.

Students will play their matches on the correct stage that they are training on. The lessons are a great way for students to practice and showcase the new skills they have learnt during their weekly tennis lessons.

This term we will be running red and orange Hot Shots only and will be running green and yellow ball UTR tournaments later in the term.

All Hot Shots programs are supervised by our very own qualified Tennis Academy coaches.

If you are interested in joining our Hot Shots on Saturdays, please contact the tennis co-ordinator, Mr Jufri Foss.

Parents Tennis Clinic

Come and join in the fun of our Parents Tennis Clinic.

When: Thursdays 8.30am to 10.00am weekly

Where: Secondary School Tennis Courts (enter through Gate 3)

Cost: $35.00 per session (paid via EFTPOS at each session attended)

Level: We cater for all levels of players from beginners to advanced players.

Coaches: Academy Coaches – Tennis Australia Certified

Who: For our Pymble tennis community – families and friends are welcome!

Fun: Get to meet new people and learn the great game of tennis.

How to join: Come along to the session on a Thursday or contact Mr Jufri Foss, Sports Co-ordinator – Tennis via email: jfoss@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or Miss Tyra Calderwood, Head Coach – Tennis via email: tcalderwood@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au for more information.

Jufri Foss

Sports Co-ordinator – Tennis

Water Polo

Our Pymble Intermediate teams had one win and one unlucky game on Monday 15 May in the Northern Suburbs Competition at Warringah Aquatic Centre. Pymble Red won against Stella Maris College – Green, 9 to 1, and Pymble Blue unfortunately had a loss against Brigidine College – Maroon 8 to 6.

Also, at lunchtime on Tuesday 16 May, Pymble Water Polo participated in the annual sports battle of Boarders vs Day Girls. It was a fun-driven game with players across all year groups from Year 7 through to Year 12.

The atmosphere in the aquatic centre was exhilarating with lots of sportsmanship, laughs and smiles all round.

Congratulations to our Pymble Day Girls team, who came away with the win!

Sarah Middleton (Year 12)

Ava Yates (Year 12)

Samantha Lever (Year 12)

Paige Gram (Year 11)

Melijah Dwight (Year 11)

Kiera Mironova (Year 10)

Lucinda Middleton (Year 10)

Tessa Gregory-Reid (Year 9)

Georgia Buttling (Year 8)

Isabelle Younger (Year 8)

Gemma Dixon (Year 7)

Ellie Rowe (Year 7)

Brigette Moore

Head Coach – Water Polo

Robotics – FIRST World Championships – Houston, Texas

Our Pymble Robotics team, 6510 Pymble Pride competed in the FIRST Worlds Championship (Worlds) against 600 teams from around the world in Houston Texas from Wednesday 19 April to Saturday 22 April.  This event is the most technical and competitive Robotics competition in the world. The Worlds experience allows Pymble students to work and learn from teams mentored by NASA, tech giants in Silicon Valley and other experts in industry from around the world. The team were immensely competitive and came away with many lessons and inspiration for the future. The team took themselves and their robot to the limit.

The Worlds has been our greatest season, built on the experience of teams from the years before and with visions of teams for the future. Pymble Pride were the lead team in an international regional before one small event took us off course. We won two Excellence in Engineering Awards across the globe. In the end, we ranked 51st at the World Championships, a solid result in what was a very competitive field in 2023.

Our drivers and pit crew are the visible stars, however, it takes the team of 40 students to allow us to perform at the best level possible. The team is built on the spirit of hard working, committed students who seemingly do ‘small things’, laying important foundations for the team.

Scouting is an important part of the process. Our Pymble team spend hours collecting data from matches, collecting scores and observations that allow our drivers and team to make strategy decisions based off this data without question. Any small scouting error could throw off the entire team, yet our Pymble students push through the fine detail of scouting allowing our team to shine.

Thank you to our mentor Oscar Chevalier, Manni Lin (Year 12) and Amelie Muir (Year 11) for developing an app that allowed our team to collect match data and turn this into data defined strategy which we could share with teams that play with us. Thank you also to every Pymble Robotics student who spent time at a laptop screen focussing on every point scored, every robot movement to create what was, without doubt, one of the best systems we have ever seen.

Thank you to: Emma Du (Year 10), Charlotte Ford (Year 10). Aysel Gupta (Year 10), Samantha He (Year 10), Jasmine LI (Year 10), Annie Luo (Year 10), Ollisha Muthukuda (Year 10), Erika Nakamaru (Year 10), Aria Patel (Year 10), Teresa Sun (Year 10), Lisa Wang (Year 10) and Sophie Wang (Year 10) among others for their commitment.

Thank you also to our media team who documented our progress and amazing team and culture via Instagram, allowing thousands of teams to recognise and follow Pymble’s journey to, and at, Worlds, showcasing our amazing team. Thank you to: Allison Wang (Year 10), Isabella Nguyen (Year 10), Rachel Chan (Year 10) and others for documenting this so well.

Our team took their robot as far as it could go in competition, constantly making improvements. The wonderful team RoboSpartan hosted us every evening and on some days at their high-tech facility in Katy, Texas.  This allowed us to make improvements, test code and practice driving. Thank you to our lead coders: Mulan Xu (Year 11) and Sophia Chen (Year 10) for coding a camera to automatically aim at a target during driver operation and doing so while on tour. This hard work gave our robot the best chance to perform and set up knowledge for future coders.

During competition, matches were won and lost. Our Pymble Robotics team displayed amazing feats of manoeuvring and scoring. We balanced a 45kg robot with three other similarly weighted robots on a balance board. Although we toppled over once, Pymble resilience and determination kicked in. Our final result may not have shined statistically, but the Pymble approach, recognition and attitude did.

Each member of our team was asked to assist with dismantling the robot to transport it back to Sydney. Every Pymble student, no matter what their role, took responsibility and charge for taking this complex machine apart, without direct mentor and coach instructions, showing impressive technical skills. 

We left Worlds with respect, recognition and international interest. Pymble Pride is a team made up of a culture where passionate, committed students lead the way; demonstrating Pymble’s core values throughout. What an amazing platform from which to keep on growing.

Please thank and congratulate all of our Pymble students for representing future engineers from Australia on the Worlds stage and for all their hard work and commitment:

Samantha He (Year 10)

Jessica Wang (Year 10)

Sophia Chen (Year 10)

Mulan Xu (Year 11)

Sabrina Rolinek (Year 11)

Manni Lin (Year 12)

Rachel Moon (Year 10)

Ang-ya Koo (Year 10)

Emma Du (Year 10)

Teresa Sun (Year 10)

Isabella Nguyen (Year 10)    

Charlotte Ford (Year 10)

Allison Wang (Year 10)

Thinara Siriniwasa (Year 10)

Isabella Xu (Year 10)

Aria Patel (Year 10)

Aysel Gupta (Year 10)

Olivia Clifford (Year 11)

Sophie Wang (Year 11)

Jasmine Li (Year 10)

Amelie Muir (Year 11)

Emma Eaton (Year 10)

Ziqi Lisa Wang (Year 10)

Erika Nakamaru          (Year 10)

Ashley Chow (Year 10)

Grace Beck (Year 9)

Sophia Chang (Year 10)

Annie Luo (Year 10)

Dan Brown

Robotics Co-ordinator

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.

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 the bus stops and times for 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:

1. 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.

Vision Valley Winter Holiday Camps (Years 3 to 8) – Registrations opening soon

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 to Friday 30 June, and the second camp from Monday 10 to Friday 15 July.

The holiday camp will offer both two night/three day and four nights/five day 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.

Bookings will open soon and there will be limited places available. 

Rebecca Pearce

Operations Manager – Vision Valley

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: Boarding Administrative Officer | part-time

Due to an internal promotion, and with an ever-growing and tight-knit Boarding community, we are looking to engage a positive and proactive individual to support the administrative and day-to-day working functions of our Boarding team on a part-time (0.47 FTE), permanent basis.

You will work 20 hours across the week, primarily during school term times, with additional attendance during non-term periods including the week preceding the start of the school year and days at the end of each term break. This role is an integral part of the Boarding team, working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders and contributing to a strong and connected Boarding community. Central to the role, is the ability to provide flexible support for the operational aspects of the Boarding House, including managing our Boarder’s leave requests and transport requirements, supporting the administrative needs of the wider Boarding team, facilitating a strong wellbeing focus, and assisting to provide a safe, consistent, and home-like environment.

As someone with passion and experience in supporting or mentoring young people, you will bring your excellent coordinating and multitasking skills to ensure you provide exemplary care, and support the facilitation of the physical, emotional, spiritual, academic, and social wellbeing of our Boarders. 

Our kind of team member

You will display the following skills and attributes:

• Passion for working with students in a residential setting and dedication to supporting their physical, emotional, spiritual, academic, and social needs.
• Willingness to support the ethos and values of the College.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, standards and practices relevant to boarding.
• Commitment to attain and maintain boarding specific qualifications including Provide First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Duty of Care and Boarding Fundamentals.
• Ability to develop positive and supportive relationships with Boarders, families and staff and demonstrate interpersonal skills that will sustain quality relationships.
• Understanding of the requirements implicit in Duty of Care and ability to support the expectations of the College in relation to the care of Boarders.
• Previous experience in supporting and mentoring of Boarders or young people is an advantage.

For more information or to apply, please click here.

Jersey Day Commemoration Chapel Service

2023 PPA Trivia Night

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.

Clair Stock

Enrolments Manager

Read the 2022 Pymbulletin

Pymble in Young

You and your family are invited to meet our Deputy Principal, Ms Lamia Rockwell and Director of Boarding, Mrs Carolyn Burgess along with other members of the Pymble community to connect and celebrate our proud history.