From the Principal
Our Upper School Office has been showered with hearts this week in honour of International Women’s Day (IWD), which is celebrated worldwide tomorrow, Friday 8 March. The paper hearts were created by Year 9 and 10 Compass Groups in an activity designed to acknowledge and honour a woman they admire and who has positively influenced them or the world.
One name dominates the tributes. That name is ‘Mum’, handwritten with love and thoughtful messages outlining just what it is that makes each one so special. What a wonderful thing to see mothers (and several grandmothers and sisters, too) recognised as exemplars of compassion and influence by so many of their daughters.
Count her in: Invest in women. Accelerate progress.
As always, the theme for IWD this year reflects our aspirations and our ongoing work towards ensuring Pymble girls have every opportunity to realise their full potential and build better futures – for themselves, and for us all.
While our focus will always be on delivering an education that sets each student up for life, our vision and work extends to impact the workplace they will eventually enter. We continue to establish pathways, partnerships and opportunities for students to participate in all businesses, professions and industries, and to strengthen their capacity to learn, earn and lead in whichever field they choose, including emerging areas and those where women are still underrepresented.
This year, once again, we have partnered with the Australian Financial Review to promote the proven benefits of investing in women in the workplace and accelerating the progression of their careers: increased profitability, performance and productivity. Girls don’t change the world features contributions from Pymble students, staff and alumni who are leading the way in sport, AI, STEM and a range of other professions, while simultaneously lifting up others around them. It is also our platform for continuing our Chairs For Change campaign encouraging corporate Australia to replace the word Chairman with the gender-neutral term Chair. I’m especially proud of our students Iyla (Year 1), Jahle (Year 10) and Georgia (Year 12) for sharing how they are harnessing our College values of Care, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility to make the world a better place for others in our community. #PymbleProud
Next week we look forward to introducing students to another inspirational female role-model, Pymble parent and joint 2024 Australian of the Year, Professor Georgina Long AO. Prof Long will be guest speaker at our slightly belated IWD assembly, where she will talk to students about her pathway to success, women in Science, and the impact she hopes to make as Australian of the Year for her pioneering work in melanoma treatment.
Professor Long has also kindly agreed to be a mentor at our annual Alumni Networking Event, which will be held on Thursday 16 May at KPMG Barangaroo and attended by Event Ambassador and keynote speaker for the evening, Vanessa Hudson, CEO of Qantas Group and Pymble Alumna. The aim of the event is to help accelerate the careers of our young graduates by introducing them to mentors who can offer invaluable advice and professional networking opportunities across three specific stages of their careers: Career Establishment, Career Advancement, and Board Transition.
Every year, we invite mentors from within our community to attend this event, including Pymble parents, carers, alumni, and friends and partners of the College. I warmly encourage all parents and carers to consider gifting this invaluable career support to Pymble graduates, which will one day include your daughters too. Our continuity of care and support throughout our girls’ lives post-school is yet another ongoing benefit of a Pymble education.
Please keep an eye out for your invitation to attend this event as a mentor, coming to your inbox very soon!
Windows into Learning
Speaking of women of influence leads us beautifully into this week’s Windows into Learning section celebrating more of our amazing teachers at the College and the inspired work they do with your daughters.
Kindergarten STEM
“Our youngest learners were given the task of creating a 3D Duplo town map that also served as an obstacle course for their Bee-Bot robots. This experience was designed to introduce the girls to basic coding and encourage critical thinking and creatively as they designed and navigated their courses.
“The activity allowed for play and exploration of the Bee-Bots, resulting in the girls mastering their coding process independently, a truly empowering experience. The girls then applied their newly acquired skills to navigate their Bee-Bots through their town. Successes were celebrated loudly, and challenges (Bee-Bot collisions!) were met with good humour and solution-based thinking.”
Mrs Heidi Lynch
Kindergarten Co-ordinator
Year 11 Modern History
“History at school is no longer just engaging with facts and events, but looking at the way History is constructed around us. In their unit called Representation and Commemoration of the Past, Year 11 students explore the ways history is constructed through public memorials, films and historical fiction. During an excursion to the Anzac Hyde Park Memorial, students viewed a monologue performance of War Horse and were asked to respond by spending 10 minutes writing a fictional piece from the perspective of another character referenced in the monologue. Please see below for one of the pieces of fiction written on that day.”
The Woman who sent the White Feather, by Annabel Charnock (Year 11)
They say there is no wrath like a woman scorned, yet they have not seen a woman mourn. My husband passed with courage and pride, leaving me nothing more than an angry bride. My thoughts were led to Frank and Bruce, a pair at home with a truce, ‘we will stay safe for we have too much love, for the life we have and your mother up above’. But they are nothing but cowards full and through as they hold themselves at a higher value. So I wrapped up one morning a feathered gift, with a goal of nothing more than giving my vengeance a lift. Selfishness was not a question, for my values had perished along with my husband. Bless him. My plan did work, they set off soon after, it was not less than a month before Frank lost hist father. Guilt could not consume me as I was an empty vessel, couped up at home with nothing more than my mind and this pencil.
Ms Caragh Warth
Head of Learning Area – History, Society and Ethics
