From the Principal
Well, it’s nearly showtime, with the first performance of A Chorus Line, our Co-curricular Music and Drama production starting at 7.00pm tonight. If you haven’t booked your tickets yet, hurry! You might still find some available at our online GMCPA Box Office. To our multi-talented cast and crew, have a wonderful opening night tonight. I can’t wait to be there in the audience tomorrow night, cheering you on.
It’s been a huge, exciting week in the world of co-curricular at Pymble – and there’s more to come tomorrow and on the weekend, which I’ll get to in a moment. But first, this photo! It paints a thousand words about the joy of being part of a team, camaraderie and how success is best enjoyed as a shared achievement.
Certainly, teamwork made the dream work for our Tildesley Shield Tennis Tournament players last week. An enormous amount of time, effort and expertise has gone into improving outcomes of our Pymble Tennis Academy since it was officially relaunched a year ago, so it was a dream come true to see beautiful Ashlee Narker (Year 12) winning the singles final and the entire team placing second overall. This is the first time Pymble has won the singles in 11 years and the first time since 2016 that we have placed second! Ash’s victory is all the more remarkable, given she was down 4-0 in her semi-final. She came back to win every game bar one to win the match. This fighting spirit showed up again in the final where she was down 3-0 before winning a game. Congratulations to Ash, our fabulous Tennis team and our brilliant coaches for digging deep to take Tennis at Pymble to a new level of excellence.
In the words of our amazing Pymble Pride Robotics team, “teamwork also made the machine work” at the Southern Cross Regional robotics tournament on the weekend – so well in fact, that our girls were in the Alliance that won, which of course qualifies them for the FIRST World Championship in Houston. Again! The girls also received the Engineering Inspiration Award for designing their magnificent robot, which received international write-ups for its construction and grace. It is thrilling to see our Robotics program and participants continue to go from strength to strength; we’re so proud of their learning journey and all the hard work along the way.
On that note, please join me in wishing our igsa Swimmers and Divers all the best for their big meet at SOPAC tomorrow, as well as smooth waters for our Rowers competing in the Head of the River event on the weekend. The girls have all been training so hard for these championships and are as prepared as they can be. All that’s left to do – and say – is go team Pymble!
Leaving a ladder
Being part of a team is such a great way for our young people to learn the value of supporting and being supported by others. In last week’s Newsletter, and in the Secondary School assembly this week, I outlined a new challenge for Team Pymble, inspired by an event I attended with some students and their parents on International Women’s Day. The challenge is to think about how we can “leave a ladder” to lift up others around us or those who are following in our footsteps.
It’s been heartening to see so many thoughtful responses already, especially from our Year 12 girls who helped to launch the concept.
“Leaving a ladder for someone else is creating an environment around you that will always unconditionally support others. If you think about it, we’ve always been told kindness is contagious, right? So, it’s kind of like that. Wherever I go, or whoever I’m with, I always strive to be someone that people can come up and talk to. I find that creating this aura, this environment of continuous support for the people around me, not only makes them feel better but it also makes it easier for them to do the same for someone else.” Tilly Morgan
“I want to leave a ladder of authenticity and presence. To me this means staying true myself and my values. I value, courage, empathy, sleep, food, and my friends and family. Moreover, being present to me means being aware of the people around you and giving them not only your time but your undivided attention. It’s about supporting them and actively engaging in their ideas, so they don’t feel like they are talking to a brick wall. In a room full of shy awkward people, I will start the conversation, get engaged and show who I am first. Hopefully, in doing so, I will encourage people to also come out of their shells, get involved and make those situations, which seem really awkward, a little less awkward.” Senu Edirisinghe
Next week I will be speaking about this concept at the Junior School assembly. In the meantime, our Kindness Leaders for Term 1, both in Year 6, have offered some thought starters for our younger students.
Eden Ni has decided to draw on her memories of being a new girl at Pymble several years ago, when she was unsure where to go and “every path looked the same. I’m going to ask other girls who are new or look lost if they need help to find their way.”
Melanie Xu was thinking about schoolwork that she and some Junior School girls found tricky at first and has decided to support younger students with their learning. “I will encourage them to do their best by helping with reading or an equation.” Great job, girls!
We also reached out to our Pymble Parent Association (PPA) for their thoughts – a huge thank you to Sean and Susan for generously sharing their experiences of having received and extended support for others during their time at Pymble.
Sean is Dad to Josie in Year 10 and recalls being introduced to a lovely Pymble family in the early years – the older student became Josie’s Buddy and the parents also connected and formed a supportive friendship that continues today. When Josie took up Fencing – a sport the family knew little about – they were looked after by experienced families in the program. However, when Josie signed up for Sailing, it was Sean’s turn to ‘leave a ladder’. Knowing that parents can sometimes feel a sense of abandonment when their daughters sail off out of eyesight during training sessions, he began inviting them to share that time together, out on the water on his own boat. Through this experience, he connected with a past Pymble parent and commodore of PLC’s sailing club, who loved the concept and generously shared his experience and another boat with the group.
“My message would be, don’t think that you have to invent the ladder. The ladder already exists. Reach up, wave your hand and say ‘can someone grab hold of me because I need a hand to help someone who is one rung down’,” said Sean.
Susan is Mum to Vanessa in Year 11. Volunteering at events gave her the opportunity to meet new people with similar aged children and to connect with parents of older students at the College who shared their experiences of the different ages and stages of schooling. During her 11 years as a Pymble parent, Susan has been able to scale up or down her volunteering to fit in around her own work and her three children’s commitments. She has loved being part of a range of working groups at the College – everything from Easter Bunny decorating to co-running the Pancake Stall at Garden Party and various roles within the PPA and Parent Support Groups.
“I really enjoy being part of this community. I have not only made lifelong friendships and had a lot of fun, but it’s been great to share experiences of raising our girls with other Pymble parents,” Susan said.
Our PPA is a warm and welcoming parent body with many ‘ladders’ to support our Pymble families, including our annual New Parents’ High Tea which will be held next Thursday 23 March. All new parents and carers at the College are warmly invited to RSVP here and to learn more about our wonderful parent community via the PPA column in this Newsletter.
Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal
