From the Principal

Good evening and welcome to the second-last Newsletter for this term – one that has flown by at a rate of knots, except when we’re sweating through our 3,249 push-ups in The Push-up Challenge for Term 2. Only eight days of the challenge left to go now and, collectively, our students and staff have logged 105,618 push-ups to date, raising $6,252 to support mental health awareness and education in the process. What a great community effort for a great cause.

Last week, I mentioned that we would continue our discussion on AI with our Director of Innovative Technologies, Mr Anthony England, following the official launch of our new student and staff portal earlier this month. Who better to answer your questions about this new tool than the man himself. Over to you, Mr England…

Q. Why do we need a new portal?

A. It’s no secret that Pymble is committed to leading the way in Digital Intelligence – it is written into our Strategic Direction, after all. We are teaching and learning in the digital age and have a responsibility to build our community’s skills and understanding of how to be intentional, responsible and wise users of current and emerging technologies to enhance the teaching and learning experience for our students. The new platform has been five-plus years in the making and is a complete technical upgrade of all the practical features you would expect for students and staff – such as their timetable, assessments, co-curricular commitments, notices, and storage of academic reports – in addition to some bespoke bells and whistles.

Q. What do you mean by ‘bells and whistles’?

A. This is where AI comes in. At the heart of the new portal is a suite of AI tools or ‘assistants’, including: a meeting transcript summariser; Maisy, to help students learn about sustainable farming; a debating buddy; and an academic report editor. We have more than 20 of these assistants now and each has been designed to help teachers pinpoint student challenges, identify effective learning strategies to overcome these challenges, and ultimately create a more personalised and impactful educational experience for our girls.

Q. Who has access to these AI tools?

A. Initially, the AI tools will be given to staff and select groups of pilot student classes – this is part of our strategy to be intentional and wise in the way we use them. AI can’t, won’t and should never replace great teaching; however, when used correctly, it can amplify learning, streamline administrative tasks, offer insights, and facilitate better student/teacher interaction. We’re excited for our staff to have the opportunity to create new teaching and learning opportunities that didn’t exist before. And we’re excited for students to be supported by AI that is aligned with the intentions of their teachers and not outsourced to big tech companies.

Q. Not outsourced to big tech companies? Please explain.

A. We need the teacher-student relationship to be at the centre of learning. We have built our AI assistants so teachers can see and guide how students engage with them. You simply can’t do this with the public tools. We also can give access to the best quality AI tools, but at a fraction of the cost, and safely too, because all our data is stored within our own protective ‘bubble’ on Microsoft Azure.

Q. So the portal is live. What next?

A. We will continue to assess student and staff engagement and feedback about the effectiveness of our AI tools, and look to introduce future functionalities – potentially, detailed lesson plans and homework assignments for parents to access, too. We know the best results happen when we work in partnership with students, staff and families. To this extent, we will be hosting an online exploration session of our AI tools for families in Term 3 . Stay tuned for more details.

Mr Anthony England
Director of Innovative Technologies

With huge thanks to Mr England and our IT Team in the Hub for leading the way in this space.

Windows into Learning

This week’s snapshot of teaching and learning in both the Junior School and Secondary School share a common denominator – the power of books and reading for pleasure to bring joy, connection and benefit to our lives.

Year 2 Compass Buddies

The Year 2 girls love spending time with their Kindy buddies during Compass lessons. Special friendships which extend into the playground develop, and the Year 2 students take on a leadership and ‘big sister’ role in this space.

This term, the girls have shared their favourite picture book with their buddy, showing courage by independently reading and talking about the ideas in the text. Some of the words in their books were quite tricky but the girls showed persistence and did a wonderful job. ‘Give it a go’ is our motto so the girls did exactly that and the shared reading experience brought joy to all involved. After reading their books, everyone drew a picture of their favourite part of the story and they were so proud of their efforts.

Ms Cindy Anderson
Junior School Co-ordinator (Year 2)

Safeguarding Reading Culture in the Digital Age

Over the last few decades, much has been written about the importance of sustaining young people’s commitment to reading and supported by evidence from researchers worldwide. The new NSW K-10 Syllabus for English (2024) has also recognised the continued need for students to read widely and deeply to improve literacy, challenge thinking, promote enjoyment and prompt personal response.

English and Library staff at Pymble have set combined goals to address the need for deep and sustained reading for students across Years 7 to 10. We are encouraging the girls away from their screens to pursue a deeper focus on the books that can take them into complex literary worlds which will build literacy skills, empathy and perspective. (Kozak and Recchia 2019). We would love for parents to talk at home about the books your daughter is reading and share in the joy that comes with a good book. What will you be reading these holidays?

We also invite Middle School students and carers to sign up for our inaugural Pymble Family Book Club, organised by the Conde Library. Families and friends can come together to read common books and attend a book club event with renowned author, Maryam Master.

Mrs Mandy Reynolds
Head of Learning Area – English

From the Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

This year we are, as a Junior School, focusing on noticing the little things and celebrating them in a myriad of ways. Each week our Junior School staff team reflect on the joy and pride they find in leading the learning of our girls. One of the many highlights of my week is reading these reflections as each one I read reminds me of the exceptional professionalism, care and dedication of the Junior School team. Your daughters are very lucky to have these phenomenal adults guiding their learning and emotional adventures. Here are some of the moments of joy of the teaching team from the last couple of weeks:

“Seeing students pop like a bag of popcorn as they realise they know new things.“

“Hearing students shout for joy when I say we are doing science.”

“Witnessing that lightbulb moment in a child’s learning.”

“Seeing the sense of belonging amongst the girls and being part of the positive and supportive learning environment.”

Noticing our girls’ passions

This week I am very proud to formally announce our Junior School Bike Mechanics crew who now proudly wear their official vests as they work with Mr Justin Raymond, Deputy Principal Students and check the operational effectiveness of our bikes and scooters. As they work, these girls are being trained in basic bike mechanics and growing skills and confidence as mechanics and leaders.

Our Junior School bike mechanics crew are Bhuvika Bhatia, Maddie Dreverman, Sasha Fairclough, Olivia Hedley and Isabel Khattar.

Noticing and honouring student voice

I am proud of the way we encourage and foster student voice across the College. Each weekend I enjoy reading the many letters and pictures girls deliver to me via our fabulous Frank Green inspired post box. Each week there are ideas and requests for ways to improve our Junior School and I value each one.

This week I have had a polite and measured request from Sooin (Year 5) to consider pants as part of the winter uniform and as with all such ideas, I write back to the student and, for many of those ideas, I do what I can to bring them to life. I am proud of how many ideas we have enabled this year which include:

Art club led by a group of Year 3 students
A weekly wellbeing/mindful club led by Aisha and Maya (Year 5) in our new calm zone
An environmental initiative in learning how to make paper led by Mia F (Year 5)
A Drama workshop, an initiative of Maisie (Year 4)
Our very own Swifties club, an initiative of Savannah (Year 6).

In Term 4, we will be introducing an idea for Year 6 which Alice Jiang is currently working on with Ms Davenport, Mrs Giles and me. I am so proud of the way our girls think of initiatives which will bring joy to others and have a positive impact on our community rather than things for themselves. The future is in very safe hands with our Pymble girls.

A message from Mr Robinson – Acting Deputy Head of Junior School – Operations

STEAM Festival and Windows Into Learning

The countdown is on to the STEAM Festival and Windows into Learning on Friday 28 June, with a special premiere of our stage performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for parents from 6.00pm on Thursday 27 June.

Please indicate your attendance to any of the event by clicking here.

Detailed schedules of the day have been sent to parents via the MyPymble parent portal, which outline the activities that each grade will undertake during the day.

8.35am Event commences in the Gymnasium
9.45am Hourly rotations in the Junior School commence
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- STEAM Alley
- Marketplace (Years 2 to 6)
- STEM Craft (Year 1)
- Build-a-Bear (Kindergarten)
12.45pm BYO Picnic lunch in the playground, with the ability to pre-order lunch through Flexischools
1.15pm Windows Into Learning commences, with parents invited into learning spaces
2.15pm Event concludes. Students may depart with parents if they sign out with their Compass teachers.

Marketplace

Students in Years 2 to 6 will be able to visit and make purchases from the STEAM Marketplace on Friday 28 June during their rotations. All purchases cost no more than $2, but students must pre-purchase tokens throughout the week. Students are invited to bring no more than $10 in during the week, and the equivalent number of tokens will be provided to students on Friday morning.

Special note: a special marketplace will occur on Thursday afternoon where students will be given tokens to make purchases before their performance.

Afternoon Departure Procedures

It is vitally important that students are well supervised in the afternoon and that the College is aware of student movement, so we can support students and ensure their safety.

Grey House Walk: Students who exit the campus via Grey House Walk must do so with a parent or carer. If they are meeting the parent on the street, or walking to a nearby house, they must carry an authorised Grey House Pass provided by the Junior School office. Students who do not have a pass, will need to wait with the teacher or at the Junior School office for later collection.
Collection via Grandview Street: Students in Years 3 to 6 who wish to be collected from Grandview Street or walk home to a nearby residence will from Term 3 be required to carry a Grandview Street Pass. This will be shown to the Junior School teacher on duty at the station overpass. Students without a pass will return with the teacher to the Junior School for later collection.

Wellbeing Weekly – Kate Giles, Head of Wellbeing K-6

Junior School Service Challenge

I am excited to share that the Junior School girls have surpassed the target of 2,000 acts of service completed collectively this term! The girls have completed almost 2,600 acts of service, which have included helping at home by making their bed, looking after pets, teaching someone something new, planting a tree, taking part in the Lindfield Fun Run or donating items to charity. As a result of this, the girls decided to set a new challenge of 3,000 acts of service for the term! As we enter the final weeks of Term 2, please encourage your daughter to continue these small acts of kindness to be of service to those around her.

Y Safe

Thank you to those parents who were able to attend the ySafe presentation last week. This session covered important information such as online safety, social media, gaming, screen time recommendations and step-by-step instructions on how to set up a cyber safe home for children of all ages. For anyone who was not able to attend, please click here to view the recorded session. This recording will be available for the next two weeks.

Parent Wellbeing Series

In Term 3 we will be holding two workshops in our Parent Wellbeing Series. The first of these will be held on Thursday 1 August at 7.45am in the Junior School Library. The session will focus on supporting your daughter with her friendships, particularly in a digital world where girls are interacting with each other online. I will be leading this session with Emma Davenport, Year 6 Coordinator. Parents of all students from Kindergarten to Year 6 are welcome to attend. Please sign up by clicking here.

A message from Kurt Schweinberger – Head of Creative and Performing Arts K-6

Year 5 Showcase

The Year 5 Showcase, titled “What Do You Call Your Grandma,” was a spectacular event where over 160 talented students performed on the GMCPA stage. Through music, drama and dance, the students shared their rich cultural stories, celebrating the unique ways they call and honour the members of their family.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Year 5 Performing Arts teachers, Mrs. Maria Lee and Ms. Ellen Buckley, whose dedication and hard work made this showcase possible. We also extend our gratitude to the theatre staff for their invaluable support. It was an unforgettable performance that highlighted the creativity and diversity of our Year 5 students.

 Week 9 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Our student performance, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will be a highlight of the STEAM Festival for audiences of all ages to enjoy. This will take place in John Reid Hall and showcase the STEAM mindset of one of the most ingenious inventors of confectionery. This performance is a collaboration between students with help from teachers. As you watch, we know you will be proud that your girls have created choreography, set backgrounds and props for their own performance.

 As we enter the final stage of our rehearsals, the excitement within the cast is building. The students are looking forward to sharing this special event with you and I am confident you will be amazed by the talent of our young performers.

 The performance will run for approximately 45 minutes and will be held in the Junior School John Reid Hall. Below are the performance dates and times. Confirming members of the Pymble community may attend any of the performances listed below. As part of your attendance, audience members are asked to complete the RSVP form:

Thursday 27 June, commencing at 6.00pm (Family and friends’ premiere, with parents who cannot attend on Friday invited to join)

Friday 28 June, commencing at 9.45am

Friday 28 June, commencing at 10.45am

Friday 28 June, commencing at 11.45am

Junior School Digital News

Term 2 2024 Key Dates – Week 8 and 9

Tomorrow Year 1 Nature Play 1.00pm-2.00pm (girls to wear PE uniform and bring gumboots and raincoats)

Saturday 22 June IPSHA Saturday Sport

Saturday 22 June PPA Trivia Night – Mrs and Mr Brown, Mrs Bird and Mr Robinson will represent Junior School staff at this event

Monday 24 June Year 2 showcase recording

Thursday 27 June Steam Festival Charlie and Chocolate Factory parent preview

Friday 28 June STEAM Festival

Friday 28 June JSPG Build a Bear Kindergarten

From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

Trivia Night – Final Details

The Pymble Parent Association (PPA) Trivia Night is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to see you all on Saturday night. With over 260 people attending, it’s shaping up to be the biggest Trivia Night since 2018!

Important details

Location: Miramare Gardens, 48 Myoora Road, Terrey Hills

Please note: Entry is via 48 Myoora Road only, as there is no access from Mona Vale Road.

Parking: Ample parking is available on-site at Miramare Gardens

Doors open at 6.30pm for welcome drinks, table decorating and photos.

Trivia starts promptly at 7.00pm.

We have a full and exciting program planned, so please arrive on time to ensure we can kick off the festivities as scheduled. Now, let’s talk prizes!

We have fantastic prizes lined up for:

– Trivia winners

– Best individual costume

– Best group costume

– Best-dressed table (please note: no confetti permitted)

We also have an incredible array of raffle prizes and live and silent auction items generously donated by local businesses and the Pymble community. Come ready to support the fundraising efforts, and don’t forget to bring plenty of gold coins and small notes for the 50/50 and heads/tails rounds.

We hope you’re putting the finishing touches on your costumes and table decorations – we can’t wait to see your creativity shine.

The Trivia Night Committee is excited to share this wonderful event with you.

We’ll see you on Saturday!

Build A Bear – Kindergarten on Friday 28 June

The JSPG is hosting a ‘Build-a-Pymble-Bear’ fundraiser on Friday 28 June during the Let’s Get Creative Festival. Girls will make their own beautiful plush toy, give it a heart and choose which of the College Core Values it will represent: Care, Courage, Integrity, Respect or Responsibility.

Students will get to take their bear home at the end of the day as a memento of their first year at Pymble. Funds raised will be donated to Bear Cottage.

Thank you Kindergarten parents for your support. We hope the girls have fun doing this activity as part of the STEAM Festival next week.

Please contact us with any questions at pymblelcjspg@gmail.com

Kate Brown

Head of Junior School

From the Middle School

This week we celebrated all things Middle School during our termly assembly in the gym. Congratulations to all our leaders who planned and led the event so professionally. The theme was ‘What can one girl do?’ and throughout we showcased a variety of amazing students and their achievements. One such student was Arden Liceralde (Year 7).

This term, Arden, one of our Community Service Leaders, demonstrated how one person can make a difference by starting a plant exchange and a street library in her local community. Arden’s plant exchange raised much-needed funds, and the library supported the local community by providing free access to books.

The money raised was shared with a range of local initiatives, such as the Blackbutt Community Garden. Community gardens help people learn to grow their own food, encourage neighbours to work together and provide fresh, healthy produce to those that need it most, for example the Hornsby Women’s Shelter. They also promote physical activity and wellbeing, offer educational opportunities for kids and beautifies our neighbourhood.

Overall, community gardens strengthen our community and support a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. A huge congratulations to Arden on all her hard work and dedication to her projects.

Congratulations to all of the Jacaranda Award recipients for Term 2 who were recognised during assembly. I was so proud to read out the individual comments shared by Compass teachers that celebrated how our girl lives the College values in a unique way.

Compass Class	Year 8	Year 7
Bennett A	Tia Pillai	Lilian Ahlenstiel
Bennett B	Lauren Harding	Yenyu Chan
Goodlet A	Isabelle Thomson	Adele Cassidy
Goodlet B	Ruby Shepherd-Smith	Duola Lin
Hammond A	Emma Roberts	Zahra Hindmarsh
Hammond B	Emma Chen	Jessamy Facer
Ingleholme A	Shreya Mahendra	Gawon (Kayla) Kim
Ingleholme B	Haylee Lam	Mia Lam
Lang A	Akshara Bhattacharya	Farah Ahmad
Lang B	Abigail Hung	Julin Zhu
Marden A	Tsz Yang (Gianna) Pang	Olivia Hicks-Duncombe
Marden B	Emma Rose Wang	Mia Zhu
Thomas A	Rielle Mouton	Summer Zhou
Thomas B	Weijia (Summer) Shen	Chloe Saya
Wylie A	Claire Feng	Lyann Shih
Wylie B	Annika Sethuram	Georgia Friedel

Well done to Autumn Adler (Year 8) who entertained and wowed us with her hip-hop performance on Tuesday. Autumn is also to be congratulated on being invited to display her talents at the Best of PAC this year.

Our Term 3 service launch and welcome sign project update where we will be constructing 29 signs, each in a language representative of the many cultures in our community, were also shared with the girls this week. We are so excited to celebrate the cultural diversity of our Middle School community and make it visible. Next term will also be busy as we roll out our happy box commitment.

On Wednesday, a number of girls had the opportunity to attend a performance by Bangarra at the Opera House. Next week I look forward to sharing some student reflections. Thank you to Ms Ventura who accompanied them.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and thank a very special member of our team who will be leaving us at the end of next week: Mrs Volonakis, Middle School Administration Receptionist.

Ruth has been supporting the Middle School girls and the team from the front desk for over seven years and throughout that time has won the hearts of so many. Her warmth and dedication to ensuring all needs are met has never gone unnoticed. Ruth has built our culture of care and contributed to the success of so many Middle School initiatives. She will certainly be missed! We wish you every happiness as you hark out on a new journey.

Key Dates

Friday 28 June – Last day of Term

From the Middle School Parent Groups

Trivia Night – Final Details

Important details

Location: Miramare Gardens, 48 Myoora Road, Terrey Hills

Please note: Entry is via 48 Myoora Road only, as there is no access from Mona Vale Road.

Parking: Ample parking is available on-site at Miramare Gardens

Doors open at 6.30pm for welcome drinks, table decorating and photos.

Trivia starts promptly at 7.00pm.

We have a full and exciting program planned, so please arrive on time to ensure we can kick off the festivities as scheduled. Now, let’s talk prizes!

We have fantastic prizes lined up for:

– Trivia winners

– Best individual costume

– Best group costume

– Best-dressed table (please note: no confetti permitted)

We hope you’re putting the finishing touches on your costumes and table decorations – we can’t wait to see your creativity shine.

The Trivia Night Committee is excited to share this wonderful event with you.

We’ll see you on Saturday!

Mother Daughter Day at Vision Valley

Thank you to all the mums and daughters who attended the Vision Valley Day last Sunday!

It started off chilly but warmed up to a magnificent sunny day and the perfect weather to be outdoors.

We were split into teams and completed two different activities during the day such as canoeing, high ropes, crate stacking and archery. The final activity was a great race challenge with all groups competing, starting with a team chant/war cry and an obstacle course. Congratulations to the Pink Koalas for winning the race!

During lunch, we asked the mums and daughters to complete a more sedate type of activity – a quiz. A special thank you to Pam MacPherson as it had been used at the only previous mum-daughter Vision Valley day before.

As you can imagine, there were some hilarious and incompatible responses to “How much weight did mum put on during pregnancy?” and “What is the most annoying thing mum does?”

Overall it was a great day for Year 7 to come together, for mum-daughter bonding and to enjoy some fabulous food. A big thank you to Rebecca and Steph at Vision Valley for putting together such a great day. Another big thank you to Briar for being our Year 7 organiser.

Jenny O’Donnell

Head of Middle School

From the Upper School

A message from Mrs Victoria Harrison, Head of Upper School

Upper School Service – Days for Girls and Undies Drive

It was wonderful to have our Upper School parents join us on Wednesday for our Days for Girls lunchtime workshop. These weekly workshops provide an opportunity for students to contribute towards the development of washable, reusable menstrual health products for women around the world in underprivileged communities.

Thank you to the parents who joined us for this special occasion, and for the wonderful contribution from our Upper School students. It was lovely to have Jennie Beeston join us from Days for Girls to present an example of the finished product and share the difference these products can make in the lives of young women around the world.

We still need many more pairs of underpants to be donated to supplement the products made in these workshops. We are working towards being able to donate at least 1,000 pairs of underpants. This small contribution will be highly valued by women across the world.

Guest speaker from The Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia

Empowering young women to be knowledgeable about their health is crucial for their overall wellbeing. Earlier this week, Year 10 participated in the Periods, Pain, Endometriosis Program (PPEP) talk, which focused on raising awareness about women’s health issues and the impact of menstruation on their lives. The PPEP talk, a government-funded initiative, provides early intervention and supports girls experiencing severe period pain.

The presentation aims to help girls develop a better understanding of these health aspects and encourages them to proactively seek support if pelvic pain negatively impacts their lives. We hope that your daughter found this helpful. More information about this program can be found by clicking here.

Student Exchange Program

This week, we are excited to invite Year 9 girls to express their interest in joining the 2025 Cultural and Language International Exchange Program. The initial survey responses indicate a high level of enthusiasm among the girls and keen interest in experiencing an exchange to the UK, USA and Scandinavian countries in particular! We will share more details about the program later this year. The Vision Valley Residential Program will serve as an excellent foundation, inspiring and preparing the girls for their upcoming adventures far from home.

Eloisa Hunt and Natalie Barclay have been warmly welcomed home from their exchange to St Anne’s School in South Africa. We look forward to sharing a reflection of their exchange soon and hope that you enjoy hearing from Phoebe Roberts and Johanna Ricketts who recently returned from Wrekin College in Shropshire.

On the Saturday 13 April, Jojo and I set off on our exchange to Shropshire, England. We attended Wrekin College which was in the countryside of the UK. School started at 8.20am and finished at 5.30pm, long days which we were not used to but as the weeks went on, we got into a routine. We were boarding at the school during the week and would stay with our exchange student on the weekend. Throughout the six weekends we were there we visited Ironbridge, Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury, Attingham Park Mansion, Liverpool, Stoke, Whitmore, Birmingham, London, Bristol, Bath and Oxford.

One week we also went to Chester Zoo with the biology students in our year group. Wrekin is a co-ed school, so we definitely noticed a difference compared to Pymble. We were in an older year group and the education system is very different in England compared to Australia. They don’t do the HSC, instead they do GCSEs and A-Levels. On Wednesdays, sixth form (our year group) could get a town pass after 3.00pm and go into town for the afternoon.

The best part of the exchange was probably meeting all our new friends and being able to go on the train and explore on the weekends. Cricket is a huge thing at Wrekin, and everyone would go and watch the boys and girls teams out on the field, which was really nice. Something we learnt about ourselves is that we really do love Australia, and we both said to each other during the last week that while we didn’t want to leave, we couldn’t wait to get on the plane home and touch down on Aussie soil. We are looking forward to welcoming our exchange sister to Pymble next term.

Written by Phoebe Roberts (Year 10)

Student Achievements

Well done to:

Sarah Tian who recently completed at the Australian Olympic Swimming trial at Brisbane.
Jenny Xu competed in the state semifinals of the PESA- Plain English-Speaking Awards in Martin Place. Jenny has made it through to the state final to be held on 28 June.
Year 10 girls Kiki Chen, Kitty He, Rosa Kim, Alice Mao and Jenny Xu on winning the shield in their division in the ISDA Debating Grand Final on Friday evening.
Year 9 and 10 girls participated in the All Schools Touch Football tournament last week.
Year 10 Drama students on a wonderful performance of Girl Asleep last week.

Key Dates

Tuesday 25 June Secondary School Ensemble Concert

Friday 28 June Boarders travel day and last day of Term 2

Monday 22 July Boarders travel day

Tuesday 23 July Term 2 begins

From the Upper School Parent Group

Trivia Night – Final Details

Important details

Location: Miramare Gardens, 48 Myoora Road, Terrey Hills

Please note: Entry is via 48 Myoora Road only, as there is no access from Mona Vale Road.

Parking: Ample parking is available on-site at Miramare Gardens

Doors open at 6.30pm for welcome drinks, table decorating and photos.

Trivia starts promptly at 7.00pm.

We have a full and exciting program planned, so please arrive on time to ensure we can kick off the festivities as scheduled. Now, let’s talk prizes!

We have fantastic prizes lined up for:

– Trivia winners

– Best individual costume

– Best group costume

– Best-dressed table (please note: no confetti permitted)

We hope you’re putting the finishing touches on your costumes and table decorations – we can’t wait to see your creativity shine.

The Trivia Night Committee is excited to share this wonderful event with you.

We’ll see you on Saturday!

Victoria Harrison

Head of Upper School

From the Senior School

From the Head of Senior School

Girl Asleep

Heartfelt congratulations to the extraordinary cast and crew of Girl Asleep. This Australian play by Matthew Whittet follows 14-year-old Greta Driscoll as she faces the challenges of adolescence. Set in the 1970s, the story takes a surreal turn when Greta falls asleep at her 15th birthday party and enters a fantastical dream world. Through whimsical encounters, Greta confronts her fears and insecurities, ultimately learning to embrace her identity and the changes in her life. The play uses humour and imagination to explore themes of growing up and self-acceptance. It was such a wonderful performance with every aspect shining – from performances, dancing, music, costume, set design, sound and lighting.

Wrap with Love Knit In

Many thanks to all the parents, grandparents and friends who attended our annual Senior School Knit In last week. It was lovely to catch up with so many of you and enjoy a cup of tea over our knitting and I thank all of you for creating such a warmth of community.

Our very special guest was the Chair of Wrap with Love, Ms Alexis Lander, who gave us a history of the service group and spoke to us about where our wraps will go to support others – to local homeless people and victims of domestic violence, to overseas zones of conflict and refugee camps.

Ms Lander asked all of us to remember a time when we felt comforted and loved by the wrap of a warm blanket and reminded us of how much love really goes into each square we knit. We will be collecting squares until Week 8 in Term 3. If we have any helpers who can help sew our blankets into wraps, please contact the Senior School to offer your assistance.

Cafe at Lunch

Many staff had the pleasure of being served lunch by our wonderful Year 12 Hospitality students this week. We enjoyed a warm roasted vegetable salad or a smoked salmon bagel and a delicious warm apple cider, spiced with cinnamon. Congratulations to all students and staff involved in preparing and serving such a great meal.

Acting Head of Senior School

I will be on leave for the last eight days of Term 2. My thanks to Ms Patricia Gallardo who will be Acting Head of Senior School, Mr Michael Stern, who will be Acting Deputy Head of Senior School, and Ms Gabrielle Zolezzi, who will be Acting Head of Year 12, alongside Mrs Karen Michie.

There are a number of teams competing in sports finals this weekend – best of luck to all those students taking the field and congratulations to all who have played hard this season!

Term 2 Key Dates

28 June – Term 2 concludes

From the Secondary School Parent Group

Trivia Night – Final Details

Important details

Location: Miramare Gardens, 48 Myoora Road, Terrey Hills

Please note: Entry is via 48 Myoora Road only, as there is no access from Mona Vale Road.

Parking: Ample parking is available on-site at Miramare Gardens

Doors open at 6.30pm for welcome drinks, table decorating and photos.

Trivia starts promptly at 7.00pm.

We have a full and exciting program planned, so please arrive on time to ensure we can kick off the festivities as scheduled. Now, let’s talk prizes!

We have fantastic prizes lined up for:

– Trivia winners

– Best individual costume

– Best group costume

– Best-dressed table (please note: no confetti permitted)

We hope you’re putting the finishing touches on your costumes and table decorations – we can’t wait to see your creativity shine.

The Trivia Night Committee is excited to share this wonderful event with you.

We’ll see you on Saturday!

Nikki Wyse

Head of Senior School

From the Boarding School

It has been a quieter time with the Boarders busily completing assessments and readying themselves to head home this time next week. Across all year groups, the girls have been working hard to ensure they are all set for whatever comes their way. It was particularly lovely to find our Year 8 Boarders working away on a Sunday afternoon with Senior Boarding Assistant, Caitlin as their private tutor.

Pymble Independent Girls’ Schools Association (IGSA) Athletics Squad

Congratulations to the following Boarders who have been selected to represent Pymble in athletics. It is terrific to see such a large percentage of the squad being filled with our talented Boarders: Isabelle Burke, Madeleine Gaden, Cleo McLaughlin, Leander McLaughlin, Quinn Parry-Okeden, Grace Peters, Lana Pike, Eleanor Ramsay, Grace Townsend, Hannah Weber and Xyla White.

Pymble goes South

A final reminder that Pymble will be in Wagga Wagga on 21 and 22 June at the Boarding School Expo. If you are in the area we would love you to call in and say hello. Better still, if you are available on the evening of 22 June, it would be great to see you at the Temora home of Pymble Parents, Jo and Mark Brennan for a gathering of Pymble friends. Please click the link to see the invitation and RSVP.

Supporting our wider Boarding family

In previous weeks you will have read about Amy’s efforts to support her young cousin Jack in his battle against neuroblastoma. Please make a note of 3 August when Amy is organising a bumper sausage sizzle to raise funds for this most worthwhile cause.

Eat like a Boarder

We would love you to join us for dinner on Monday 22 July at 6.00pm when you return your girls from the term break. This will be a ‘real’ experience where you will be able to enjoy the regular dinner service, just as the girls do each evening. If you would like to join us, please rsvp to boarding@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au by no later than Friday 28 June.

Love It, Mrs Katie White – Deputy Director of Boarding

Last weekend we had a first for the Boarders – a trip to the ice hockey! Thirty-five girls took up the opportunity to head to the Macquarie Ice Rink to watch this thrilling sport. The Boarders were also lucky enough to meet the players after the match, collecting autographs and pictures. This will need to be a permanent addition to the program! On Friday evening, the Year 11s gathered for a pizza night and enjoyed the time together, watching and singing along to music videos.

This weekend we are heading to the AFL to watch the Swans play the Giants. We are then heading into The Rocks to go to the markets on Sunday which is always a treat.

View From My Window

Hi, my name is Sophie Laing and I have been a Boarder here at Pymble Ladies’ College since starting in Year 7 in 2020. I am now in Year 11 and have loved every minute of being a Pymble Boarder. I come from a rural town, Tullamore, in Central West New South Wales (NSW). Tullamore is situated right in the heart of NSW approximately six hours west of Sydney. My property is called Rosehill and is roughly 15 minutes out of Tullamore and 45 minutes from Condobolin. My family have lived in this area for many years and our properties, totalling to around 20,000 acres, are based all around it.

I live with my dad (Greg), mum (Carmel) and brother Tristan who is a Year 8 boarder at Riverview. I have three pets: my dog, Duke, and two cats, Batman and Bec, as well as all the MANY sheep and cattle. My dad is a farmer, and my mum is a teacher at the local Central School in Tullamore where there are roughly 50 students.

When I look out the white French window in the kitchen, I can see the front paddock that is usually crawling with sheep. In the distance is one of the property’s main dams. This dam holds many memories, with numerous Christmases and Easters all spent there kayaking, fishing and yabbying. I love this place on the property, it is one of my favourites. Outside the windows on the left side of the house, I can see the young barley and wheat crops, green and full of life. The back section of the house paddock is where most of the machinery is, the trucks, chaser bins, tractors and more. My cousins and myself have always had the best time climbing them, even having picnics on top of the mother bin.

While being at home I love to ride my motorbike, go on runs, hang out with my friends from the area and help dad out on the farm. Moving sheep, driving tractors or even the dreaded task of fixing fences are all a lot of fun, especially after being at school for the term, unable to do those tasks often.

Although I do miss home whilst at school, over the last four and a bit years I have learnt that a person can have more than one home and although the view outside my window at Rosehill is pretty spectacular, so is the view from my window in my room in Boarding. Marden Lawn, the library, and the chapel are all incredible spaces that I am fortunate enough to call my ‘backyard’ during term time.

Boarder of the Week

Joanna has been a delight since joining our Boarding family in 2023. She has a gentle presence and demonstrates care and kindness toward her Boarding sisters. Joanna is independent, hardworking and keeps a busy schedule. She is a talented musician and this along with her quiet yet strong leadership is reflected in her appointment as Captain of Choirs.

Joanna recently competed at two Sydney Music Eisteddfods, receiving highly commended in both Classical Singing – Art Song and Operatic Aria.

It has been a pleasure to see Joanna flourish and we are proud to call her a Goodlet Boarder!

Save the Date

28 June Last day of term and Boarders’ Travel Day

22 July Boarders return to Boarding from 2.00pm

22 July Eat like a Boarder, 6.00pm

3 August Fundraiser for Jack Schofield

4 August Boarder Community Day (all Boarders required to be in attendance)

25 August Father, Daughter event

20 September Boarders and their Families event

21 September Garden Party

Term 4 TBA Mother-Daughter Lunch

Boarder Parent Group Meetings

20 September – 2.30pm onsite

24 October – 7.00pm Microsoft Teams meeting

Carolyn Burgess

Head of Boarding

From the Chaplains

Refugee Week 2024

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Hebrews 13:1-2

I have recently made some new friends.

They are five women – a mother, let’s call her Bibi, and her four adult daughters, aged in their 30s. Let’s call them Asal, Benesh, Esin and Hesther.*

Bibi’s husband, the girls’ father, was killed in ethnic conflict in Afghanistan. Their brother is missing.

Bibi is a smart woman; quiet, sharp and observant. Her first language is Farsi. She doesn’t speak any English. She’s a good communicator.

Asal is the spokeswoman for the family – her English is good, she is determined to lead her family out of the circumstances in which they find themselves. She has a sweet and generous nature, always putting others first.

Benesh speaks a little English, as well as Arabic and Farsi. Her dearest hope is to work and contribute to Australian society.

Esin is very quiet. She has not been well; her medication ran out some months ago and she has not been able to access anymore because until recently she was not linked into the Medicare system, despite having been in Australia for seven months.

Hesther, the youngest daughter, is a bit of a firecracker. She talks a lot, has a lot of opinions and is quick to jump to the defence of her family if she perceives a potential problem. She loves to chat and laugh.

All four daughters are well educated and have been attending English classes at TAFE NSW ever since they arrived in Sydney. Their biggest hope is to have their qualifications recognised in Australia and be able to work and continue their study.

The family arrived in Australia legally from Afghanistan via Iran and then Pakistan last December, on humanitarian visas. The subclass humanitarian visa that they were granted is “available to people who are outside their home country and are subject to substantial discrimination amounting to a gross violation of human rights.” 

A friend and I have been trying to support this family to navigate the overwhelmingly complex bureaucratic labyrinth of Centrelink, Medicare, the Department of Immigration and other departments.

This experience is like being trapped in an absurdist Kafka novel – my first phone call to Centrelink went like this:

E: Hello, I would like to please make an appointment on behalf of a family of five refugee women who need to be linked into the system.

Centrelink: Yes, sure, can I please have their reference number?

E: Well, they don’t a reference number, because they are not in the system yet. That’s why I’m calling.

Centrelink: I’m sorry, you can’t make an appointment without a reference number.

…

Despite having been in Sydney for seven months, they are still not receiving the support their visa entitles them to, including medical support, because of complications with their sponsor family, who were meant to have been supporting them but have not been.

They had to leave the apartment they were living in, and are now living altogether in one room of a friend’s house.

The four daughters are trying as hard as they can to find work, any work. So far they have three part-time jobs between them. Their goal is to earn enough collectively to be able to pay rent on their own cheap apartment, so that they don’t need to rely on their friend any more.

A friend of mine gave them two column heaters. They switched them on for the first time last week, as they could not afford the electricity bill. Rent took priority.

This is just one story of one refugee family in Sydney, Australia.

There are thousands of other stories.

This week is Refugee Week.

The Scriptures, both Hebrew and New Testament, are full of exhortations and commands to care for the stranger, to show hospitality and seek justice for the foreigner. As it says in Micah 3:5, to not “deprive the foreigners among you of justice”.

The Uniting Church in Australia has a proud history of advocating for refugees and asylum seekers; some of the most voiceless people in our society. We as a church prioritise this because Jesus specifically tells us to do so.

In fact, Jesus connects the matter of eternal life itself (our ‘inheritance’) to caring for the stranger, as we see in this parable from the gospel of Matthew:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

So what we do for the stranger, the homeless, the refugee, the voiceless; we not only do for those brothers and sisters – we also do for God.

*These are not their real names. The women still fear persecution from elements of the Afghan community. They are fearful to go out much, even here in Sydney. For the same reason, I cannot show their photos.

In the chapel this week, to recognise Refugee Week, we have set up a tent. We want the students to understand the importance of simple human rights such as shelter, safety from persecution, dignity and hope for the future.

We want our students to grow into the kind of people who treat the ‘least’ as the greatest. The ‘last’ as the first. We want them to know that any love they show to the homeless and the voiceless, they show also to God.

I will end with a beautiful prayer, written a few years ago by a Palestinian Muslim woman and Israeli Jewish woman. It paints a picture of the future we long and hope for. God of justice, may it be so. 

A prayer of mothers for life and peace – by Sheikha Ibtisam Maḥameed and Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum.

God of Life

Who heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds

May it be your will to hear the prayer of mothers

For you did not create us to kill each other

Nor to live in fear, anger or hatred in your world

But rather you have created us so we can grant permission to one another to sanctify

Your name of Life, your name of Peace in this world.

For these things I weep, my eye, my eye runs down with water

For our children crying at nights,

For parents holding their children with despair and darkness in their hearts

For a gate that is closing, and who will open it before the day has ended?

And with my tears and prayers which I pray

And with the tears of all women who deeply feel the pain of these difficult days

I raise my hands to you please God have mercy on us

Hear our voice that we shall not despair

That we shall see life in each other,

That we shall have mercy for each other,

That we shall have pity on each other,

That we shall hope for each other

And we shall write our lives in the book of Life

For your sake God of Life

Let us choose Life.

For you are Peace, your world is Peace and all that is yours is Peace,

And so shall be your will and let us say Amen.

You can read the prayer in Hebrew, Arabic and German here here.

Edwina O’Brien

Assistant College Chaplain

From the Futures Team

Pathway to study in USA

Ms Fiona D’Souza presented a Masterclass to students on Friday last week about how to start thinking about studying in the USA.

Undergraduate Course Guides 2024

Date	Title
9^th July, 2024 8.30- 2.30 pm UTS Broadway Vicki Sara Campus		Discover Forensic Science at UTS: https://www.uts.edu.au/node/369631
18^th July, 2024 5- 7.30 pm 235 Jones St. Ultimo	Discover Nursing at UTS: https://events.humanitix.com/discover-nursing-uts-july-2024?_gl=11heejmq_gaOTI1OTg2MDMyLjE3MTAyODM5OTc._ga_9HXJVYQLGJ*MTcxODE3MTkwOS4xNS4xLjE3MTgxNzI2NDIuNTIuMC4w

University and TAFE Open Days 2024

Attending open days is an important step towards making decisions about your future education and training. Open days allow you to find out about an institution’s courses and programs, explore campus facilities and speak with current students about their experience.

Prepare for an Open Day: https://myfuture.edu.au/career-articles/details/preparing-for-an-open-day

Date	Institution Registration Links
30^th June On site	University of Western Sydney: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/openday
10^th August On site	Macquarie University: https://event.mq.edu.au/open-day#/
17^th August On site	ACU (Australian Catholic University) Strathfield” https://www.acu.edu.au/student-life/experience-uni-before-you-start/open-day#/
26^th August On site	TAFE Ultimo Campus: https://www.tafenswevents.com.au/event/ultimo-campus-open-day
31^st August On site	ACU (Australian Catholic University) North Sydney: https://www.acu.edu.au/student-life/experience-uni-before-you-start/open-day#/
31^st August On site	University of Notre Dame. Broadway: https://www.notredame.edu.au/events#/
31^st August On site	University of Sydney: https://openday.sydney.edu.au/
31^st August On site	UTS (university of Technology): https://www.uts.edu.au/study/open-day
31^st August Open Day	University of Newcastle: https://www.newcastle.edu.au/
7^th September On site	UNSW (University of N.S.W): https://www.unsw.edu.au/openday#/

Events Calendar

From the Co-curricular Sports Team

The shortcode only works for newsletter articles

Co-curricular Administration

2024/2025 Co-curricular Captains

We congratulate all incoming 2024/2025 Co-curricular Captains – please click here to view the list of our appointed leaders.

Registrations are open!

The next round of registrations for Term 3 and Semester 2 programs opened at 12.00pm on Wednesday 12 June. This round of registrations will close at 11.59pm (midnight) on Wednesday 10 July. Please access the online registration via the Co-curricular pages on MyPymble by clicking here. A parent/carer log in is required to be able to register. A reminder that registrations CANNOT be processed via email or phone. Reminder notices will be posted on the MyPymble app prior to registrations closing.

Term 4 Saturday Sports will open for registration on Wednesday 24 July at 12.00pm and close at 12.00pm (midday) on Friday 9 August.

Co-curricular Registration Requests

Registrations for Term 3 Saturday Sports closed on Friday 17 May, with many sports already having completed their trials. If you missed the registration period and would like to request registration into a sport, please click here to complete our registration request form. A reminder that late registrations are NOT guaranteed.

Registrations for Term 2/Winter Semester/intake programs are now closed and the cut-off date for registration requests has now passed as per our conditions of registration. What this means is that any late requests submitted after Monday 13 May will not be approved and any withdrawals after this date will be subject to the charge as indicated in the conditions. Requests submitted prior to the cut-off date are currently being processed and will adhere to the conditions of being submitted prior to the cut-off.

Monique Zahra

Head of Co-curricular Administration

Artistic Gymnastics

Winter Wonderland NL5-7 – Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club

Congratulations to all Pymble Level 5 to 7 gymnasts who competed in the Winter Wonderland competition on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June – an extremely cold weekend indeed.

Even though the Winter Wonderland is only the second competition of the season, our Pymble gymnasts held their nerves to achieve some outstanding results. Well done to all of those who took part!

Level 5

Miranda Wu (Year 7) – 3rd Vault, 4th Bars, 2nd Beam and 6th overall

Hayley Nguyen (Year 6) – 4th Beam

Alice Liu (Year 6) – 2nd Beam, 5th Floor, 5th overall

Michelle Shi (Year 7)

Crystal Gui (Year 6) – 6th Bars, 1st Beam 3rd Floor 2nd overall

Nouvelle Nicholson (Year 5)

Autumn Wang (Year 7) – 6th Vault, 5th Bars, 4th Beam, 4th Floor, 3rd overall

Isabella Niu (Year 6) – 3rd Vault

Lia Sloane (Year 4) – 1st Vault

Charlotte Elliott (Year 5)

Ava Azizmohammad (Year 5) – 2nd Vault

Sophie Ahn (Year 6) – 6th Bars, 4th Beam

Rayna Wang (Year 4)

Celine Chen (Year 9) – 3rd Vault

Summer Zhou (Year 7) – 1st Vault, 2nd Floor, 4th overall

Level 6

Claire Ni (Year 7) – 1st Vault, 3rd Floor, 5th overall

Sydney Zhou (Year 7) – 1st Vault, 5th Bars, 2nd Floor, 4th overall

Stella Pieterse (Year 7) – 3rd Vault, 3rd Bars, 1st Floor, 4th overall

Level 7

Vivienne Eaton (Year 10) – 3rd Vault, 3rd Floor, 6th overall

Emma Baikie (Year 10) – 2nd Beam, 2nd Floor, 4th overall

Sasha Clark (Year 10) – 3rd Vault, 3rd Bars

Alison Gestier

Head Coach – Artistic Gymnastics

Athletics and Cross Country

Oceania Championships – Suva, Fiji – Tuesday 4 June to Saturday 8 June

We were proud to see students, alumni and staff representing Pymble and Australia at the Oceania Championships in Suva, Fiji.

Sarah Baker (Year 12) competed for the Australian u18 team in the 800m and 1500m, becoming the Oceania Champion in the 1500m and earning a silver medal in the 800m. Sybella Warton (Year 11) represented the Australian team in the 100m and 200m para events and had two exceptional races securing a silver medal in both. Jocelyn Blair (Year 10) competed for the Regional Australian Team in the 100m (placed 8th), 100m hurdles (placed 4th), 200m (placed 9th) and 4x400m. Lana Pike (Year 11) also represented the Australian Regional Team in the 400m (placed 10th) and 800m (placed 7th).

It was fantastic to see Mackenzie Little (Pymble alumni 2014) win the javelin, likely securing her spot for the team for the Paris Olympics, and Kailyn Joseph (Pymble alumni 2021) win bronze in the para long jump.

Three Pymble staff members also attended and achieved some outstanding results: Samantha Dale (Sports Coordinator) representing Australia, won the long jump. Sharyn Dickson (Throws coach) served as coach for the regional team and Deb Walsham (Athletics and Cross Country Head Coach) served as team manager/coach for the Australian u18 team.

Congratulations to everyone for their outstanding achievements, Pymble pride in representing the College and Australia.

Athletics Championship Carnival

On Tuesday 11 June the Athletics Championship carnival was held at Sydney Olympic Park. It was a fantastic day showcasing the talents of all our athletes across all events, with two records broken.

Amalia Bond (Year 8) competing in the 14 year long jump, leapt an incredible 5.36m, beating the previous record, set by her sister Sienna Bond (Pymble alumni 2022), by 11 centimetres. Sarah Baker (Year 12) also set a new record of 2.14.03 in the 800m, taking an incredible four seconds off the previous record. Congratulations!

Please click here to view the full results of the carnival.

Congratulations to the age champions and runner’s up.

Age Champions	Runner up
12 years Isabella Deane (Year 7)	Marley Titley (Year 7)
13 years Quinn Parry-Okeden (Year 7)	Gemma Dixon (Year 8)
14 years Claudia Wyatt (Year 8)	Amalia Bond (Year 8)
15 years Leander McLaughlin (Year 9)	Matilda Harrison (Year 10)
16 years Grace Townsend (Year 11)	Grace Beck (Year 10)
17 years Sophia Slater (Year 11)	Lana Pike (Year 11)
18 years Georgia Phillips (Year 12)	Phoebe Berglund (Year 12)

Deb Walsham

Head Coach – Athletics

Basketball

Pymble 6 – Captains Report: Catherine Nacher (Year 12) and Manon O’Donnell (Year 12)

It was the game we have all been waiting for against an undefeated Loreto Normanhurst. It was a physical game, with five fouls in ten minutes! By half-time, Pymble 6 were ahead by only two points, despite constantly scoring goal for goal with Loreto. Hopes were high for the second half and teams were level for 35 minutes. With five minutes left on the clock, Annabel Taylor (Year 11) and Ashira Thapa (Year 11) were substituted on to play. Loreto managed to draw with only two minutes left on the clock. In the last 20 seconds, a foul on Georgia Phillips (Year 12), resulted in 2 free shots. The court went silent, both teams tense, ready for Georgia Phillips (Year 12) to make her first shot. Seconds later, we had won 31 to 30!

Results

Team A	Team B	Result
Pymble 1	Monte Sant’ Angelo 1	45 to 21 Win
Pymble 2	Monte Sant’ Angelo 2	35 to 22 Win
Pymble 3	Frensham 3	41 to 22 Win
Pymble 4	Ravenswood 3	24 to 27 Loss
Pymble 5	Meriden 5	28 to 18 Win
Pymble 6	Loreto Normanhurst 15	31 to 30 Win
Pymble 7	Loreto Normanhurst 19	23 to 27 Loss
Pymble 8	Meriden 9	35 to 25 Win
Pymble 9	BYE
Pymble 10	Meriden 12	12 to 42 Loss
Pymble 11	Brigidine 18	43 to 10 Win
Pymble 12	Wenona 11	23 to 10 Win
Pymble13	Wenona 12	12 to 34 Loss
Pymble 14	Loreto Normanhurst 30	17 to 29 Loss
Pymble 15	Tara 14	22 to 24 Loss
Pymble 16	Meriden 16	15 to 17 Loss
Pymble 17	BYE
Pymble 18	Ravenswood 19	10 to 22 Loss

Best and fairest

Each week our basketball coaches and Head Coach, Rachel Maenpaa, nominate students who show Pymble pride, sportsmanship, and courage both on and off the court. Congratulations to all students below who have nominated by their coaches this week:

Team	Player
Pymble 1	Scarlet Olesen (Year 10)
Pymble 2	Matilda Gilmour (Year 11)
Pymble 3	Bella Walker (Year 12)
Pymble 4	Giaan Jackson (Year 12)
Pymble 5	Alice Beveridge (Year 11)
Pymble 6	Georgia Phillips (Year 12)
Pymble 7	Allison Wang (Year 11)
Pymble 8	Isabelle Burke (Year 9)
Pymble 9	BYE
Pymble 10	Emma Koorey (Year 8)
Pymble 11	Bonnie Hebblewhite (Year 9)
Pymble 12	Olivia Pragassen (Year 8)
Pymble 13	Katy Jung (Year 8)
Pymble 14	Jade George (Year 7)
Pymble 15	Giselle-Sophia Jones (Year 7)
Pymble 16	Alina Kharbanda (Year 7)
Pymble 17	BYE
Pymble 18	Yuxi Zhao (Year 7)

Grand Finals Weekend – Saturday 22 June

As we head into the last week of igsa Basketball, our Senior First and Junior First teams will be playing in the Grand finals. Both teams have worked hard and shown great commitment, dedication and sportsmanship. Wishing both the Senior First and Junior First teams the best of luck on the court on Saturday!

For those who would like to attend and watch, details are as follows:

Senior Firsts

Time: 11.00am
Venue: Kincoppal Rose Bay Indoor Court 1

Junior Firsts

Time: 8.00am
Venue: Pymble Ladies’ College Indoor Court 1

Maddi Scott

Co-ordinator – Basketball

Diving

Open Nationals and Olympic Diving Trials

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Open Nationals and Olympic Trials in Adelaide as a technical official (judge and referee).

The championships showcased the best of Australian Diving with divers, officials and volunteers working to present the very best in Diving. It was a privilege to witness the most elite divers in Australia competing for Olympic representation.

Pymble had several representatives at the Championships including myself as a Level 6 Technical Official, alumni Brittney O’Brien (Pymble alumni 2016) and Kennedy Cooper (Pymble alumni 2021) and newly appointed Head Coach of Diving, Kurtis Matthews.

Congratulations to all competitors, it was an exceptional experience to watch the best in Australia. This included now five-time Olympian Melissa Wu, a coach and presenter at Pymble, Brittney O’Brien (Pymble alumni 2016) who narrowly missed Olympic selection, Kennedy Cooper (Pymble alumni 2021) who continues to dive with the greatest of skill and Kurtis Mathews, our own incoming Pymble Head Diving coach, whose incredible diving placed him as Men’s 3m competitor on the Australian Olympic Diving Team. We will be cheering you on!

NSW Interclub

Congratulations to our junior divers who competed on Friday 15 June and Saturday 16 June at the final interclub for this competitive season. All divers gave of their best.

Congratulations on the following results:

State Skills Water 11/u

Amelie Berg (Year 5) – 4th water skills and 4th Overall including the Dryland Skills.

11 & u Springboard

Zara Ware (Year 5) – 1st

Jasmine Smith (Year 4) – 2nd (qualified for 11 and under nationals)

Emma Ware (Year 4) – 3rd

Pathways 4

Emma Ware (Year 4) – 2nd

Nouvelle Nicholson (Year 5) – 3rd

Chris Lang

Head Coach – Diving

Fencing

2024 Intermediate Schools Championships – Melbourne

Well done to sisters, Alexandra Hargraves (Year 9) and Penelope Hargraves (Year 7) who travelled to Melbourne on Saturday 15 June to compete at the 2024 Intermediate Schools Championships in Melbourne. Alexandra and Penelope represented Pymble in exemplary fashion

Both students competed brilliantly to tie for Bronze, congratulations! In addition, Penelope was one of the youngest fencers at the competition. In her semi-final, Penelope was not distracted in the Semi-final by her opponent who argued with the referee on every point – a great lesson in sportsmanship. Competing Interstate is challenging and Alexandra and Penelope did well to coach each other on tactics between bouts.

Alexandra was also awarded by NSW Fencing recently for her exemplary sportsmanship.

Well done to Alex and Penelope for representing Pymble in exemplary fashion and for your achievements! They will now return to training to get ready for more upcoming competitions.

Well done!

Lewis Gray

Acting Co-ordinator – Fencing

Hockey

On Tuesday 18 June and Wednesday 19 June, our Mollie Dive Hockey teams competed in the Semi finals.

On Tuesday 18 June, our incredible Pymble 1 team won their Semi-final and progressed to the Grand final, played on Wednesday 19 June. The team are aiming to beat last year’s result by taking out the Division 1 title!

On Wednesday 19 June, Pymble 3 were ready to for their play-off match but, unfortunately, their opponent Roseville, forfeited. Therefore, Pymble 3 were placed 5th overall.

This was followed by Pymble 2 competing against a strong Monte side for their play-off match. Unfortunately, Pymble 2 lost their game butstill showed Pymble grit and determination right to the final whistle!

We are Pymble proud of all our Mollie Dive Hockey teams and hope you have enjoyed the season while learning new and improving your Hockey skills.

Results

Team	Opponent	Result	Final Placing
Pymble 1	Roseville College A	6 to 2 Win	To be confirmed
Pymble 2	Monte Sant Angelo College	0 to 5 Loss	6th
Pymble 3	Roseville College B	Forfeit	5th

Congratulations to the following students who received best and fairest for their match last week!

Pymble 1 Isabelle Johnston (Year 11)

Pymble 2 Lucy Chapman (Year 8)

Pymble 3 No match

Shellie Davis

Co-ordinator – Hockey

Pymble Elite Sportswomen’s Program

I am delighted to offer the following workshop: ‘Female Athlete Health and Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle’ on Tuesday 27 August from 3.45pm until 5.00pm in the Kate Mason Lecture Theatre.

The workshop will be facilitated by Lizzie Welborn, one of the youngest competitors to qualify for the professional Ironwoman series at the age of 16. She has been competing professionally for 9 years. Lizzie has placed in the top 3 of the Nutri-Grain Ironwoman Series and Summer of Surf series on multiple occasions and is known as one of the best board paddlers in the country. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree and is the co-founder of KaMana. KaMana is a program designed to educate and empower female athletes to build confidence so they can reach their potential in sport and life. For more information, visit https://www.kamanacommunity.com.

The workshop will explore:

Understanding female physiology (we are different to men)
What it means to be a healthy athlete
Understanding your menstrual cycle
Tracking your cycle and using this to support training, performance, and recovery
Tips for training in different phases of your cycle

This valuable presentation and workshop is open to any student-athlete who represents Pymble in a sporting team in Years 7 to 12 and their parent/carer. Staff are also strongly encouraged to attend.

Students, staff and parents are also encouraged to complete the following AIS education modules from the Female Performance and Health Initiative prior to the workshop presentation:

Female Performance & Health Initiative: The Normal Menstrual Cycle https://static.ausport.gov.au/fphi/module-2/#/
Female Performance & Health Initiative: Menstrual Cycle Abnormalities 1 https://static.ausport.gov.au/fphi/module-3/#/
Female Performance & Health Initiative: Menstrual Cycle Abnormalities 2 https://static.ausport.gov.au/fphi/module-4/#/

We look forward to seeing staff, students, and parents/carers in attendance for this valuable and informative workshop.

Please only RSVP if you intend on attending as the College is being charged based on the numbers attending the workshop. RSVP’s are required by Friday 16 August to assist with final numbers. Unfortunately, late RSVP’s will not be accepted.

Click here to book your tickets for Female Athlete Health

Skye Halliday

Co-ordinator – Pymble Elite Sportswomen’s Program

Swimming

Well done to Sarah Tian (Year 10)

Sarah participated in a very special event last week – the 2024 Australian Swimming Olympic Trials. Competing at this prestigious level is a remarkable achievement and a testament to Sarah’s dedication and talent.

Sarah performed at an exceptionally high level, demonstrating her skills and determination. Participating in such a high-stakes event required her to maintain exceptional control over her nerves, showcasing impressive composure and mental strength.

We are incredibly proud of Sarah’s accomplishments and look forward to seeing her continue to excel in her swimming pursuits.

Rafael Rodrigues

Swimming Coach

Water Polo

On Wednesday 14 June, Zara Cooke (Year 10) and Kiera Mironova (Year 11) had their final training session in Brisbane before travelling to Europe to compete in the World Aquatics Women’s U16 Water Polo Championships 2024.

At the conclusion of the training session, the Junior Australian Team were presented their Australian cap by the Ord Minnett Australian Stingers team.

The team will train in Greece with the Greek national team, then travel to a training camp in Hungary followed by the World Aquatics Women’s U16 Water Polo Championships to be held in Manisa, Turkey from Friday 28 June to Thursday 4 July. We wish these athletes the best of luck.

To follow “The World Aquatics Women’s U16 Water Polo Championships”, please click here.

Our Pymble Intermediate water polo team are currently sitting in third position after round 6 in the Northern Suburbs Competition and we are more than halfway point of the season. Well done to all players!

Brigette Moore

Head Coach – Water Polo

From the Co-curricular Performing Arts Team

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Dance

Extreme Eisteddfod 2024

Pymble Dance showcased their talents at the Extreme Eisteddfod on Saturday 15 June and Sunday 16 June. Both our Junior and Secondary dancers represented Pymble Ladies’ College with grace and excellence, demonstrating their hard work and dedication.

The Extreme Eisteddfod was an inspiring event, offering our students the chance to see the incredible talent and passion from all participating schools. We are immensely proud of our girls’ outstanding performances, where they not only delivered captivating routines but also exhibited exceptional sportsmanship throughout the competition. The teamwork displayed in the lead-up to the event, especially with the many student re-blocks, is commendable.

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the family and friends who supported our dancers. Your presence and encouragement created a positive and energetic atmosphere that truly made a difference.

Our deepest thanks to our dedicated staff who worked tirelessly to prepare our dancers for this competition. Their expertise, guidance, and passion for dance have been integral in shaping our students into the talented performers they are today.

Congratulations to all dancers who participated in the Extreme Eisteddfod. Your dedication, skill, and sportsmanship made us proud.

Looking ahead, we are excited about the upcoming Sydney Eisteddfod competition on Saturday 22 June.

Extreme Eisteddfod 2024 Results:

Primary School – Jazz Year 5 and 6 Troupe Section

Second – Junior Jazz

Primary School Modern Troupe Section

First – Junior Lyrical

Open Age High School Contemporary Troupe A Section

First – Contemporary White

Open Age High School Contemporary Troupe B Section

Second – Contemporary Scarlet

Open Age High School Jazz Troupe A

Highly Commended – Jazz White

Open Age High School Jazz Troupe B

Third – Jazz Scarlet

High School Hip Hop

Second – Hip Hop Crew

Katrina Cluff

Head of Dance

Drama

On Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 June, the GMCPA stage was transformed for three performances into a whimsical and vibrant world as Year 10 to Year 12 Drama students brought Matthew Whittet’s captivating play, Girl Asleep, to life. Originally performed at the 2014 Adelaide Festival, this production is a fast-moving and imaginative take on the rites-of-passage narrative, employing a rich blend of narration, horse puppetry, disco dancing, and special effects.

Rehearsals for this ambitious production began with an intensive bootcamp during the April holidays. This week-long session was a whirlwind of creativity, where students fully immersed themselves in their roles, embodying the quirky, crazy, and whacky characters of Whittet’s world. It was during this bootcamp that the retro-styled vision of Australian suburbia began to take shape. Mahika Swamy (Year 10) skilfully and tenderly portrayed the central character, Greta Driscoll. With Darcey Hawkins (Year 11) capturing the delicate balance between embarrassing and adorable as Greta’s best friend, Elliott.

Aashna Rana (Year 12), Demitria Volos (Year 12), and Genevieve Hartin (Year 11) delivered standout performances as Greta’s family. Their portrayals were both heartfelt and humorous, providing a relatable backdrop to Greta’s journey and grounding the fantastical elements of the play in a recognisably real and tender family dynamic.

As rehearsals progressed, the surreal world of Greta’s subconscious began to emerge. The students embraced the challenges of bringing this complex world to life, with captivating performances by Claire McPherson (Year 11), Madeline Taylor (Year 11), Madeleine Watson (Year 11), India Wells-Lister (Year 10), Indianna Joyce (Year 11), Murphy Scott (Year 12), and Elizabeth Tang (Year 11) as the haunting ‘nightmare’ characters. This eerie realm was further enhanced by the spellbinding violin of Jasmine Tran (Year 10) and evocative piano accompaniment of Scarlett Wu (Year 10).

Meanwhile the dynamic school duos and disco dancing scenes were a dazzling display of energy and retro flair, evoking the playful spirit of the 1970s. Our stella ensemble cast included Verity Haslam (Year 10), Jemima Groves-Berry (Year 10), Chloe Brown (Year 10), Sophie Lin (Year 10) and Sara Joung-Nguyen (Year 10). Special mention also goes to Aaisha Suresh (Year 5) who seamlessly navigated both the eerie realm of Greta’s subconscious and the emotional warmth of young Greta.

It was an absolute thrill to work with such a talented and dedicated group of students, both in the cast and the incredible backstage crew. Special recognition is owed to Sarah Macpherson (Year 12), Anaïs Vander (Year 10), Livia Armstrong (Year 10), Phoebe Paleologos (Year 11), Finley Saghaie (Year 12), and Nina Uehara (Year 10) for their work behind-the-scenes as our stage magic, trapdoors, and special effects crew. Their hard work and passion were integral to the success of the production.

Congratulations to all the cast and crew for their hard work and dedication. We eagerly anticipate your next production!

Melinda Pedavoli

Head of Drama and Theatre Production

Language Arts

Debating

ISDA Debating – We won! Year 10 ISDA Grand final!

Congratulations! Year 10 were successful in their Grand final debate against Knox at Cranbrook last Friday 14 June. Bravo Kiki Chen (Year 10), Kitty He (Year 10), Rosa Kim (Year 10), Alice Mao (Year 10) and Jenny Xu (Year 10) and coach Lara Hogan.

Archdale – Shield and Invitational

Archdale Shield Round 4 was hosted by Meriden on Tuesday 11 June, however, an unexpected area power outage threw plans awry and the whole round will now be a makeup, with the date to be advised. Well done to Pymble teams for staying calm and thanks to parents who carpooled to ensure all students returned home safely.

Archdale Invitational, based at Pymble, had the advantage and successfully completed Round Four.

On Tuesday 18 June, Round 5 Invitational debates run again from the new IH classrooms. In Archdale Shield, Pymble hosted St Vincent’s in the Kate Mason Building. The topic area was ‘The Government’s Role in Society’. Results to follow.

Parents are welcome to watch debates and are reminded to collect daughters from venues.

Social Debating (SSD) – Sydney Social Debating

Bravo to our six teams of SSD debaters who debated online in the SSD competition last Friday 14 June. This Friday 21 June, there will again be Training, Preparation and Online Debates from 3.30pm to 6.30pm

All debates will be held in the KM (Kate Mason) building at Pymble.

We are pleased these new debaters are honing their critical thinking, communication and teamwork skills as well as developing Public Speaking skills and keeping up to date with current affairs issues. Thanks to all debaters and coaches.

Absences

Debaters must inform Mrs Hubbard, their coach and team, in advance, if they will be absent for a Debating round. We do not forfeit, and subs can be arranged.

Public Speaking

PESA – Congratulations to Jenny Xu!

Jenny Xu (Year 10) has progressed to the State Finals of the Plain English Speaking Awards, following a successful morning last Friday, at the State Semi-finals. Congratulations and best wishes Jenny! The state final will be held on Friday 28 June, in the city.

MUN – Model United Nations

Evatt

On Tuesday 18 June, Maya Garg (Year 11) and Catherine Shi (Year 11) progressed to the Evatt State Final which was held at NSW state Parliament House, Macquarie Street.

Congratulations Maya and Catherine. Results to follow.

UN YOUTH National Conference

Congratulations to Jenny Xu (Year 10) who has been selected to attend the UN Youth National conference to be held in Brisbane in July.

57th Session of THIMUN – The Hague, January 2025

The Pymble Language Arts International Tour group have been accepted as the first Australian school to attend THIMUN at The Hague. Tour details have been provided by Travel@Pymble. The tour will depart Sydney on Friday 17 January 2025 and travellers will commence Term 1 2025 on Monday 3 February 2025. We are excited for this wonderful travel experience!

Mock Law

Mediation

Mediation Round Three will be held in C07 on Friday 21 June, during periods 1 and 2. Our score average to date is 93/100! Bravo team and coaches.

Mock Trial

Mock Trial Round Three will be held at Pacific Hills School, Dural, on Monday 24 June. Results are due by 25 June. A minibus has been organised and girls will leave Pymble at 10.30am and arrive back at approximately 2.30pm. CCSA will send details.

Upcoming Programs and Events

Farewell to Year 12 High Tea

This much anticipated annual event will be held on Thursday 27 June from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts (GMCPA) for Language Arts students in Years 10 to 12. Parents of Year 12 students are also welcome.

We hope to honour every Year 12 student who has debated this year! Parents are working hard to make this a lovely event. There will be personalised presentations, a delightful array of treats and fun games organised by our Language Arts Captains.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here. (Please contact ccsa@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au for ticket purchase codes for Year 12/Year 12 parents and staff).

IDC Debating Term 4

Staff v Student debate – stay tuned for this forthcoming highlight. The date will now be at the start of Term 3.

PMUN Winter Conference – Saturday 27 July

New programs for Term 3!

Language Arts is pleased to offer two new Co-curricular programs. Please click on the links below for more information:

High Level Bootcamp; and
TEDx.

Registrations for Term 3/Semester 2 programs are now open – please register your daughter through the registration portal (parent log-in required).

Bronwyn Hubbard

Head of Language Arts

Music

Congratulations to our talented Pymble musicians

Many of our students performed at Eisteddfods recently. The JS Hindson Strings received 3rd place, JS Capella received Highly Commended, Aurora Trio received a Highly Commended, Senior Chamber Strings Highly Commended, and Pymble Chorale also received Highly Commended. I am so proud of all our students, particularly those in the smaller groups who received very high marks and positive feedback.

Jessamy Facer (Year 7) has been accepted to perform in the Australian Opera’s performance of Tosca. This is a wonderful accolade for Jessamy and her family. We are all enormously Pymble proud and can’t wait to see you on stage with all the wonderful Australian Opera.

Congratulations to students who sat their AMEB exam:

Muse Tang (Year 4) – Prelim Comprehensive A+

Kaymi Madugalle Wijeratne (Year 3) – Prelim Comprehensive A

Emily Dao (Year 3) – 1st grade Comprehensive B+

Sophie Woo (Year 3) -1st grade Comprehensive A

Nadya Faheem (Year 4) – 2nd grade Comprehensive A

Lily Dao (Year 7) – 2nd grade Comprehensive A

Stephanie Port (Year 6) – 3rd grade Comprehensive B

Rachel Shi (Year 4) – 3rd grade Comprehensive B

Aarna Ashwin (Year 6) – 4th grade Comprehensive B

Lily Still (Year 10) – 8th grade Comprehensive B

Michelle Shi (Year 7) – Grade 6 comprehensive – A

Charli Conn (Year 8) – Grade 8 comprehensive – A

Emma Popli (Year 6) – Certificate of Performance – A

Annabella Bayfield (Year 8) – Grade 3 Comprehensive – A

Rose Craig (Year 7) – Grade 1 Comprehensive – A

Annabella Deng (Year 8) – Grade 2 Piano for leisure – B+

Nadya Faheem (Year 4) – Grade 2 Comprehensive A

Verity Haslam (Year 10) Grade 2 piano for leisure – A+

Li-Ya Koo (Year 3) – Grade 2 Comprehensive – A

Evelyn Lee (Year 2) – Grade 1 Comprehensive – A

Jianing Li (Year 4) – Grade 4 Comprehensive – A

Annie Liebmann (Year 10) – Grade 3 piano for leisure – A

Nichole Ma (Year 10) – Grade 5 Repertoire – B+

Amrita Marwah (Year 9) – Grade 8 Comprehensive – B+

Celeste McDermott (Year 11) – Grade 4 Repertoire – A

Annabelle Moore (Year 3) – Preliminary Comprehensive – A

Malaika Rasheed (Year 8) – Grade 1 Comprehensive – A

Rachel Shi (Year 4) – Grade 3 Comprehensive – B

Lisa Sze (Year11) – Grade 6 Leisure – B+

Evelyn Zhu (Year11) – Grade 6 Comprehensive – A

Adele Cassidy (Year 7) – Grade 4 comprehensive – A+

Madison Pearce (Year10) – Grade 6 Comprehensive – A+

Sarah Quan (Year 8) – Grade 4 Comprehensive – A

Eleanor Zalewski (Year 6) – Grade 1 Comprehensive – A

Kimberley Zhao (Year 4) Grade 1 Comprehensive – A+

Lily Ikawa (Year 11) – A.Mus.A

Olivia Xu (Year 11) – A.Mus.A

Cindy Zhou (Year 10) – L.Mus.A

Secondary School Ensemble Concert – A Night at the Oscars

Join us for an evening to celebrate our Year 12 ensemble members as we farewell and thank them for their commitment to the Ensemble program. The concert will commence at 6.30pm in the GMCPA – keep an eye on your socials for the flyer to book a free ticket. Everyone is welcome to dress up in formal attire. All music performed will be from films and we will also have a special performance from the Year 12 cohort, which promises to be a highlight.

Soundchecks: Tuesday 25 June

Time	Group
7.00am	MSCB
12.50pm	SCB
13.10pm	String Orchestra
13.30pm	SWE
15.30pm	JE/SB
16.00pm	Choir
16.20pm	Year 12
16.45pm	Symphony Orchestra
17.15pm	Chamber Strings
17.30pm	Chorale
17.45pm	Combined Chorale/Chambers

If you’d like to help the Music Support Group, please contact Liz Toh on Elizabethtoh@gmail.com

Tour group

Communication has been sent out via MyPymble regarding changes to rehearsals for Terms 3 and Term 4 to accommodate the tour group.

Please read this notice carefully to avoid any clashes for your daughter:

TOUR SINGERS – Monday evening 6.00pm to 7.00pm

TOUR STRING PLAYERS – Thursday morning 6.50am to 8.00am

TOUR BAND PLAYERS – Wednesday morning 6.50am to 8.00am

STAGE BAND – Thursday 3.30pm to 5.00pm

COMBINED REHEARSALS – Friday afternoon 3.30pm to 5.30pm

All non-tour members will attend their respective large ensemble rehearsals as follows:

STRING and BAND players: Monday String Orchestra, Monday Concert Band

JAZZ musicians: go to Tuesday Jazz Band

Singers: attend choir or chorale

Friday morning Orchestra: still on at the same time for the same students

Support our Annual Appeal

Once a Pymble girl, always a Pymble girl.

The Pymble community is large, inclusive and proudly diverse, and our students, staff and families all play important roles in making our College a place where we all belong and support each other to thrive.

Your support of the Pymble Foundation will be felt across the entire Pymble family, whether by increasing the number of needs-based scholarships for girls who would otherwise be unable to attend the College or contributing to the development of our grounds to provide vital and innovative educational spaces.

Our Pymble family continues to grow and cultivate meaningful ways to connect with one another for life, and with your support, together we can make a difference in bettering the College and the lives of our students for years to come.

Click here to donate to our Annual Appeal.

People, Places and Programs

Since 1916, our students have benefitted from the generosity of those who came before them. Today, the Pymble Foundation provides an opportunity for all in our community to support the People, Places and Programs that will ensure that our much-loved College remains at the forefront of a world-class education for current and future generations of changemakers.

We warmly invite our Pymble community to partner with us to change the world, together, for our students.

Join the Pymble Family Book Club

We are writing to announce a very exciting opportunity for Pymble families with the launch of The Pymble Family Book Club.

With this initiative, we are offering families the chance to read great stories together, share ideas, and attend events to connect with authors and fellow readers.

The first author we will be showcasing is Maryam Master. Her books Exit Through The Gift Shop and No Words have been celebrated by critics and readers alike. We are very pleased to announce she will be joining us for the first ever Pymble Family Book Club on Wednesday 28 August at 5.00pm.

We invite you to come along to spend time with your family and friends, discuss Maryam Master’s books, led by the author herself, and connect over literature. You can see Maryam talking with Pymble students earlier in the year about her books in this video.

How the Pymble Family Book Club works:

Check out Maryam Master’s books and discuss with your carer/student if there is one (or both) you wish to read, and if you’d like to attend the Family Book Club together. You could even get a reading group together. Reach out to other carers and students in the year and organise to make it a social event!
RSVP to attend the Family Book Club on Wednesday 28 August. Please RSVP via this form. There is no cost to attend the event.
You are welcome to obtain a copy of Maryam’s book/s through a library or borrow from a friend. For those who wish to purchase the books, we have organised an easy way for you to source Maryam’s books through a supplier. Please see the order form attached or click on this link to order one or both of Maryam’s books. These will be available for collection at the College in the last week of Term 2.
Both carer and student read the book/s prior to the event on Wednesday 28 August.
Put the event in your calendar and come along on Wednesday 28 August to the Conde Library at the College to have a great time.

If you can’t make the event but still want to read some Maryam Master, you are still welcome to order the books through us and please email us at library@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au for some ideas about what we will discuss on the night.

We look forward to you joining us for this special opportunity to connect over some incredible stories and ideas. If you have any questions, please reach out to library@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Kind regards and happy reading!

Transport survey for Grey House Precinct

Construction of Grey House Precinct is well underway and we are looking forward to the purpose-built educational and co-curricular spaces it will offer our students.

Due to the significance of this development, the College is required to conduct a transport survey of all Pymble students and staff.

This survey will be used to develop Pymble’s Green Travel Plan which will allow us to manage traffic flow more effectively and accurately determine parking requirements within the College. It will also help us to promote more sustainable and efficient travel choices for students, staff and visitors to the College whist recognising the unique context of travel planning for Pymble families.

Surveys have been sent to all Junior School parents via MyPymble to complete on behalf of their daughter/s. Secondary students will complete the survey themselves and time has been set aside during Compass to do this.

The survey will take five minutes to complete and all responses are anonymous and confidential. Surveys must be completed by Friday 21 June. If you have any questions, please contact Community Engagement at communityengagement@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Thank you for your support of Pymble’s Master Plan.

Northern Beaches Bus Trial to continue next term

We are pleased to announce that the trial of the two additional Northern Beaches bus services in the early morning and late evening will continue in Term 3.

This is a shared and co-branded bus service between Pymble, Barker College and Abbotsleigh.

The continuation of these bus services is dependent on continuing demand throughout the year so please register your family’s interest in this service for Term 3 at collegeservices@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Times

The early AM bus departs Avalon at 5.50am and arrives at Pymble at 6.41am

The evening service departs Pymble at 5.00pm (departure from Pymble at 5.10pm on Monday evenings) before making its way to Avalon via Abbotsleigh and Barker College. It is scheduled to arrive at the last stop at 6.30pm (or 6.45pm on Monday evenings). This is also a co-branded bus.

Please refer to our website for more information.

Join us for TASFest 2024!

Join us for TASFest, our annual festival dedicated to celebrating the incredible talents of our TAS students. Experience the brilliance of our Design and Technology students’ creations, be captivated by our remarkable HSC Major Works, indulge in delicious snacks crafted by our Food Technology students, savour hot and cold beverages prepared by our Hospitality students, and conclude the evening in grand fashion with our captivating Textiles on Parade. We’re showcasing TAS and you won’t want to miss it!

Tickets on sale from Monday 24 June.

Pymble in Tamworth

Scholarship opportunities for Year 5 students

The College offers a number of scholarships each year to girls starting in Year 7 including current Pymble students moving into Year 7. Registrations for Year 7 2026 Rosalie Ramsay Academic Scholarship and Year 7 2026 Performance Scholarship – Music are currently open to our Year 5 students.

Registrations close from 24 July 2024 depending on the scholarship. The examination will be held at the College on Sunday 11 August 2024.

Information about portfolio requirements and how to apply can be found on the Scholarship webpage.

Year 12 HSC Winter Study Camp

The Pymble HSC Winter Study Camp is on during the first week of the holiday break!

The camp is a five-day (non-residential) program that provides you with a structured study environment free from distractions in the lead up to the Trial Examinations.

Fabulous features of study camp:

Teachers available daily for individual or small group tutoring
Dedicated absolute quiet study space
Allocated rooms do a practice exam or collaborate in small groups
Academic advisors will be available daily for ATAR estimates and study planning assistance
The Futures Team will be onsite. Students will be able to book a time with a member of the team.
Unlimited tea, coffee and fruit

Students who are working on a major project will be able to visit their respective classrooms/spaces during this time to work on their projects if staff are available.

Camp Details: Monday 1 July to Friday 5 July 2024

Time: 8.30am to 4.30pm

Cost: $345.00 (5 days) – morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea will be provided daily

Location: KM Building

Click here to register.

Registrations close: Friday 14 June 2024.

It is recommended to register ASAP as the number of teachers for tutoring is matched to the number of students attending. Last year over 70% of the Year 12 cohort participated.

For further questions, please contact: Mrs Jenny Olsen jolsen@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au (Head of Extended Learning).

Important message from the Healthcare Centre

The peak of the cold and flu season is upon us. To prevent widespread flu in the College, we recommend that your child stay home from school if experiencing flu or cold symptoms. To decide whether or not to send your child to school, please consider the following guidelines:

Consider keeping your child at home for an extra day of rest and observation if she has any of the following symptoms:

Very stuffy or runny nose and/or cough
Mild sore throat
Headache
Stomach ache

Definitely keep your child at home for treatment and observation if she has any of these symptoms:

Fever (greater than 38 degrees and your child may return to school only after her temperature has been consistently below 38 degrees, for a minimum of 24 hours)
Vomiting (even once)
Diarrhoea
Chills
General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches
Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough

To help prevent the flu and other colds, teach your children good hygiene habits:

Wash hands frequently
Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth
Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing by using your elbow or a tissue, throw it away and then wash hands
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Colds are the most contagious during the first 48 hours. A child who has a fever should remain at home until “fever free” for a minimum of 24 hours. Often when a child awakens with vague complaints (the way colds and flu begin) it is wise to observe your child at home for an hour or two before deciding whether or not to bring to school.

Your child should be physically able to participate in all school activities on return to school. Keeping a sick child at home will minimise the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom. That includes not attending co-curricular and/or the Uniform Shop.

Thank you in advance for helping make our College as healthy as possible.