From the Principal
Congratulations and a big Pymble Pulse shout-out to all our students who have represented the College at key events in the past week or so. This includes our IPSHA Swimmers and Divers, our Cattle Team who are off to compete at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in the coming week after achieving fantastic results at the Castle Hill Show last weekend, our Tildesley Tennis team, our Head of the River Rowers and so many more.
And a standing ovation must go to our incredibly talented cast, crew and musicians of The Addams Family Musical for their brilliant performances last week. It’s hard to believe these are school children but, then again, they are led by incredible staff, who are seasoned theatre, music and industry professionals. Such an outstanding effort all round, and wonderful to see the theatre packed with Pymble Pulse supporters at each show.
Meanwhile I’m excited to be going along to support our Secondary Robotics Team compete at the FRC Southern Cross Regionals this weekend where, hopefully, they qualify yet again for the World Championships at Houston in April. Best wishes to our girls for a great weekend of collaboration, problem-solving and forging those all-important alliances – we know you have worked hard right through the Christmas holidays to prepare for this event.
Safety first, and always
The big news at Pymble is that building work commenced this week at three sites on campus – so exciting! The locations are: Grey House Precinct towards the back of the campus; the upper level of our Administration Centre (formerly our Main Reception), which is being turned into classrooms; and the lower Colonnade classrooms looking over the Amphitheatre, which will become a beautiful new home for Upper School students and staff in just a few months.
Minimising disruption and ensuring our girls come first, all day, every day, is our focus during the building program, which included a ‘stop work’ period this week while the girls undertook NAPLAN testing in the gym.
Please click through to our Masterplanning update for a summary of temporary changes to the campus and our comprehensive safety plan in place during this time. Students and staff are reminded to use our safety reporting website to report any safety issue or query, and the same applies for families as they move around campus.
It was great to see our first safety report from a student arrive via this system earlier in the week. The student reported a spider that was allegedly one metre in diameter – naturally, the facilities team swooped in to locate and remove the not-so-gigantic spider promptly (phew!).
Thank you in advance for adhering to the measures that will keep our Pymble family safe as we enhance the College facilities for our girls.
Changing the world through Science
This week we were also delighted to welcome to Combined Assembly one of our Pymble parents, who also happens to be the 2024 Co-Australian of the Year. Professor Georgina Long AO is just as proud of her title of ‘Mum’ as she is of her recent award and her professional titles, Co-Medical Director of the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), and Chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research at MIA and Royal North Shore Hospital, The University of Sydney. She spoke to students about the important lessons she learned as a child – those ‘aha’ moments when she realised she could do anything if she applied herself and was prepared to try and fail – and how they led to her pioneering work in melanoma treatment that is saving lives around the world today.
“I realised that the extraordinary is only achieved when we think big. We’ve got to think outside the box, we’ve got to take big risks,” she said.
Prof Long offered two ideas for our girls who wish to make the world a better place:
1. Reconsider tanning and use your influence to reverse what her colleagues in melanoma research have dubbed ‘the Kardashian Effect’, where tanning is seen as a sign of beauty, health and success.
2. Consider Science as a career
You are probably familiar with the story of Prof Long and her co-Australian of the Year, Professor Richard Scolyer AO, who have worked in partnership for many years to make melanoma a curable disease. When Prof Scolyer was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer last year, the duo put their heads together to develop a series of world-first treatments for Prof Scolyer, who became Patient Zero. The ground-breaking treatment has already prolonged Prof Scolyer’s life and has enormous implications for brain cancer patients in the future.
“I’m incredibly grateful that Richard is still here with me so that we are still changing the world together,” Prof Long told our girls.
“Besides tanning, I want to leave you with something else to think about today.
“I hope that my story has justified why you should consider science as a career. Not only do we need more smart women doing more smart things to make the nation a better place, but when faced with a life-defining moment, and you will, Science will give you the courage to change the world.”
Thank you to Professor Long for taking the time to share your inspirational story and for being a wonderful role model for all our girls.
Windows into Learning
Hopefully you are enjoying a weekly peek inside a random selection of classrooms to gain an insight into teaching at learning at Pymble, with thanks to our caring, sharing staff.
Year 4 English and History
“In History lessons this term, Year 4 students have been exploring global celebrations, commemorations and festivals, and investigating how individuals and communities mark these significant events. The students researched various celebrations independently and collaborated to create informative posters showcasing their findings.
“In a cross-curricular approach, girls combined their History and English skills to advocate for the inclusion of lesser-known festivals in school celebrations. Using persuasive language techniques, they crafted speeches to convince their English teachers, Mrs Brown and Dr Loch, of the value of embracing diverse cultural traditions. This term has been a journey of discovery, empowering students to appreciate the richness of global heritage and advocate for inclusivity in our school community.”
Mrs Shaira Musico
Year 4 Classroom Teacher
Secondary School Munch ‘n Music
“This week in Music we commenced our series of fortnightly lunch time concerts in the Music Gallery, fondly named Munch ‘n Music. This is a wonderful opportunity for elective music students to perform repertoire they are working on in front of a live audience, with the College accompanist, in the space where their performance assessments are held.
“Practicing in front of friends and staff in the audience is a great way to learn to perform – and a different experience to practicing in front of the wardrobe at home. It also helps to build our music community. Elective Music students, if not performing, are expected to be part of the audience and support the performers. Lunch time concerts are held every Tuesday in Week B and all students and staff are welcome to attend.”
Mr Marcus Stafford
Head of Learning Area – Performing Arts, and Head of Bands
