From the Principal
Ask any teacher why they choose to work in education and the answer invariably references the joy of connecting with students and making a difference in their lives. This is something our professional services staff value, too, regardless of whether they have always worked in a school environment or have joined us from the corporate sector. The day-to-day interactions we share with our girls, whether in the classroom, on the sports field, in school offices and departments, or through College events all contribute to our deep sense of purpose and understanding that the work we do here truly does make a difference.
This week saw the official induction of two very important members of staff, who certainly play an influential role in the lives of our students and indeed our entire Pymble family. Tuesday night’s Chapel service for Rev Cass Blake and Rev Danielle Hemsworth-Smith was a very special occasion shared with members of our Board, the Uniting Church in Australia, and our wider community, as well as the families of our new Reverends, and our Boarders. I was particularly proud of our Boarders, who, following a free dress day, showed up in full uniform and ready to take an active part in this service. They were especially excited when I gave them permission to sneak out the back door after Chapel so they could get to dinner quickly!
At the dinner following the service, the Rev Dr Chris Goringe and I had the great pleasure of dining with some of our Year 8 Boarders. The girls had a ball grilling me about the big issues, including exactly what it might take to become acquainted with our student suspension and expulsion policy. Hilarious! In turn, we asked our own tricky questions, including what could be “even better if..” at Pymble. As staff and Board members, we continue to learn from our students, and that is another wonderful byproduct of working with curious and engaged young minds.
Reconciliation Week: Now, more than ever
This week is also Reconciliation Week, an important event in our calendar for many reasons, including our enduring relationship with the Uniting Church in Australia, which is committed to building relationships with our First Nations brothers and sisters and working together for a reconciled future. In addition to various activities and assemblies held across the campus, our Head of Social Impact, Mrs Julie Shaw, hosted the Term 2 Reconciliation Action Plan group meeting for those interested in hearing about the origins of our First Nations Scholarship Program, which began back in 2007.
Our wonderful MC for the session was Dezi Magann-Jones (Year 11), one of our First Nations Scholars. Jenny XU (Year 11) led the panel discussion with our Indigenous Education Leader, Miss Kate Howie, Latiah McMillan (Year 11), and our former Principal, Mrs Gillian Moore AO, and former Chair of our College Council, Mrs Kate Mason, the dynamic duo who set this life-changing program in motion.
It is a pertinent story to share at any time, and especially this week.
In a nutshell, one of our Council (now Board) members at the time, Peter Sjoquist was involved in the popular Rock Eisteddfod dance and drama challenge for high school students. Keen for remote schools to experience the joy of participating in something similar, he launched Croc Festival in locations ranging from Moree (NSW) to Aracun (QLD) and Thursday Island, where Pymble girls attended as volunteer “Croc Angels”.
As connections continued to build between Pymble and students and families in these remote areas, Mrs Moore, Mrs Mason and the Board had already made the decision to take on our inaugural First Nations student, Jessica Ah Chee in 2007, an elite sportswoman in both netball and tennis, who was introduced by our now program patron, Mrs Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE.
A second First Nations student followed in 2008, Kieryn Lenoy, who teamed up with Jessica and two other Pymble girls to win the National Schools Championships and go onto represent Australia at the World Schools’ Tennis Championships in Belgium – a great source of pride for the College and a long way from home for our sports stars! Our third First Nations scholar, Ella-Maree Merritt, joined us in 2009. Our generous Board members personally contributed to make these scholarships possible, long before we formally partnered with the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) to extend the program into the success it is today.
Today, we have 20 scholars who bring great richness and learnings to our community, and we are a founding member of the Waratah Project, where schools openly share practice and strategies that positively impact on educational outcomes for our First Nations students. Our students from all walks of life, across the College, now have the opportunity to learn more about our First Nations people and culture, and to share unique on-Country experiences such as participating in the Traditional Indigenous Games in Goodooga, the Connected Communities Program in Brewarrina, the GARMA Festival and cultural immersions in Arnhem Land, NT.
Mrs Moore and Mrs Mason were early pioneers in this program, travelling to remote areas to get to know students and their families, and establishing Pymble as a school that values each First Nations student for who they are and what they bring to our community. Now, more than ever, we are grateful for our Pymble staff, past and present, who choose to take those first steps to make a difference in all our students’ lives.
Windows into Learning
Thank you to our amazing teaching staff for continuing to provide these snippets of teaching and learning at Pymble.
Junior School PDHPE
Learning what motivates each of our students helps us plan our lessons to suit all learners and provide movement opportunities for both competitive play and recreation. PE lessons try to meet the point of challenge of each student and give all our girls the opportunity to apply their fundamental movement skills to a wide variety of sports and activities; hopefully giving them to confidence to become involved in the wide selection of co-curricular options available at Pymble.
Across Years 3 to 6, we have taken advantage of our indoor spaces to begin our Dance unit. While we have some very talented dancers amongst our girls, we also have girls who are hesitant about dancing and are working on building their confidence performing and learning set choreography. The highlight of our Dance lessons is seeing our students working to the best of their ability, collaborating with their group, learning how to adapt the choreography to suit the skill level of their team members and, most of all, having fun. It is wonderful to see the joy on the faces of our girls when they are performing their dances and enthusiastically showcasing their achievements with their peers.
Mrs Rachel Kingsell
K-6 PDHPE Co-ordinator
Year 12 Visual Arts
As the current round of NESA exhibition invites popped into my email this week, I am reminded of the prominent place of Pymble Visual Arts students in this year’s ARTEXPRESS. It is always a joy to share the excitement of students selected for this well-known and much-loved exhibition of outstanding works from the HSC course, the opening night buzz, proud parents beaming and students seeing their works on the walls of such iconic spaces as the Art Gallery of NSW. This is an end point worthy of celebration – and celebrate we do! But what is of greater importance and is even more joyful is the value gained by all our students through their study of the Visual Arts curriculum.
Mrs Brigiat Maltese
Head of Learning Area, Visual Arts
Celine Hu (2023) celebrating her selection in ARTEXPRESS, 2024 with her work Sun and Moon, Mythic Duality.
This year, the excitement is building as students work hard to complete Body of Works using a range of techniques and materials. Enjoy these works in progress.
Tiffany Choi: A series of oil paintings on wooden palettes explores the relationship between the artist and the “muse” – in this case, members of her own family.
Thenuki Jayasekara: A series of watercolour works on paper explores the impact of culture on forming identity.
Vivian Dong: A series of acrylic paintings examines the nature of food scarcity through the lens of classical Still Life painting and “memento mori”.
