Thank you very much for your generous support of Garden Party 2023.
It was a beautiful day, and Pymble spirit was out in full force, much like the sun! Special and heartfelt thanks go to our incredible parent and staff volunteers. Your hard work and commitment made this year’s event an incredible success, raising $26,000 for our nominated charities: Dignity and The Smith Family.
Garden Party Survey Planning for 2024
Planning is already underway for Garden Party 2024, and we need your input!
To go in the draw to win one of four Gold Class movie vouchers for two people at Event Cinemas, we invite you to complete our Garden Party planning survey to help us create a bigger and better event in 2024.
We want you to tell us what you liked, what you didn’t and, in your opinion, how we can do things better. Please click here to complete the survey.
Please note that the survey will close on 22/12/2023. Winners of the movie vouchers will be drawn in the second week of January, and will be notified by Community Engagement.
We really appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey and help make Pymble, and the events which we hold, a better experience for all.
Available scholarships in 2025
Sport and All-Rounder Scholarship registrations are now open for current Year 5, 6, 7, 9 and Year 9 2023 students
Pymble offers a couple of scholarships each year to girls seeking a Performance Scholarship – Sport or All-Rounder Scholarship starting in 2025. These scholarships are open to current or external students who will be in Year 6, 7, 8, 9 or Year 10 2024.
Registrations close in the first weeks of February 2024.
Please note that this is an earlier timeframe than in previous years. The application process for each scholarship is also different next year.
Please review the scholarship webpage for specific information on each scholarship.
Applications for 2026 Academic, Music, Boarding and Ex-Students’ Union Scholarships open in Term 2 on 30 April 2024.
Paul Dillon: Drug and alcohol presentation
Parents and carers are invited to attend a presentation by Paul Dillon, owner of Drug and Alcohol Research Training Australia (DARTA), on Thursday 1 February 2024.
Paul has been working in the area of drug education for almost 30 years, and continues to work with many school communities to ensure they have access to quality information and best practice drug education.
Paul is doing three presentations for Years 10, 11 and 12, and will base his presentation at the parent event on the same topics:
Year 10: Young people, alcohol and risk taking: Looking after your mates
Year 11: Alcohol and cannabis: What do you and your friends need to know?
Year 12: Last year at school: What do I need to know about alcohol and other drugs?
This is a free event, however, numbers are limited.
Date: Thursday 1 February 2024
Time: 6.00pm to 7.00pm
Location: Jobson Lecture Theatre, Kate Mason Building, Pymble Ladies’ College
We understand this is a busy time of year, so we will send out reminders about this event in the New Year.
From the Principal
And so that was 2023. My Christmas wish is that each student will look back on their year at Pymble and recall many moments of joy – as a learner, as a valued member of our College family, and as a unique individual with a growing understanding of her own special gifts, talents and passions.
When I look back on the year that was, I feel an immense sense of gratitude for our Pymble family. Term 1 started with a call for all students, staff and families to consider how they could be of service to others in our year of Pymble Gives Back. I’m incredibly #PymbleProud to report this has been a roaring success, with students from K-12, staff and families all contributing to a multi-faceted year-long program built around supporting causes that make a difference in our world and helping communities in need. In addition to performing thousands of acts of service towards others, our Pymble family raised $53,562 to distribute among more than 40 charities ranging from Asylum Seekers Centre to Write a Book in a Day.
Thank you to our big-hearted students for embracing their inner ‘giver’ and going above and beyond to be kind and caring towards each other as well as people and places in need of a little TLC.
Thank you to our wonderful parents, Pymble Parent Association and all the Parent Support Groups for contributing to a multitude of donation drives and fund-raising initiatives, and for gifting their time as volunteers supporting our co-curricular programs and College events. Special shout-out to those parents and carers who also stand in as readers and writers in examinations; this means so much to our students who need practical learning support, and their families.
Thank you to our incredible staff who work tirelessly to give your daughters the very best educational experience possible, in addition to role modelling the joys of being of service to others. Tomorrow, approximately 350 of our executives, academics and professional services staff will spend the day working at one of 34 locations supporting multiple charities, including food kitchens, local aged care facilities, charities, schools for children with special needs and more. If you see us out and about in the community in our Pymble Gives Back shirts, please stop and say hello, we’d love to see you.
And, of course, our Year 11 students will take on the role of carers of children with disabilities at our annual Sony Camp, co-hosted by Pymble and Shore, which commences on Sunday. Another big heart-felt thank you to all the staff members and parents who will be providing additional and specialised support at the camp, which, for some parents, is the first time they have had a few days of respite from the demands of caring for a child with special needs. What a wonderful gift to give and receive.
We end the year grateful for having shared time working alongside a few forever members of our Pymble family, including our beloved Rev Bent, who I paid tribute to in last week’s Newsletter. I hope you find time to read Rev Bent’s parting message in this edition. Our outgoing Chair of the College Board, Mr James Hunter, has been a guiding star in every imaginable way, including in our adorable Kindergarten Nativity play on Tuesday. It was wonderful to celebrate James’ significant contribution to our College in all our Speech Day events and Celebrations of Learning this week. We also give thanks for our College Board, and our Foundation Board, who gift countless unseen hours and professional brain space to ensure Pymble is the best educational experience for your daughter, along with our incoming Chair of the Board, Mr Chris Fydler OAM, who takes over from James in January 2024.
Mr Stuart Clark leaves his spiritual home at Vision Valley to take on a new adventure in Experiential Learning at Knox Grammar School; thank you Stu for 10 years of dedication to all things Pymble and Vision Valley. Just between us, I can tell you that we have appointed a new Director of Campus – Vision Valley, and this announcement will be made early in 2024 so watch this space! Speaking of the Valley, I can also finally announce what has possibly been the worst-kept secret at Pymble this term – yes, in 2024, a group of Year 9 boys from Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) will be joining our residential program. We are very excited about this partnership and delighted that 66 boys from Churchie signed up almost overnight to experience life at ‘the Valley’ in Term 2.
We look forward to revealing many more exciting initiatives for students in 2024, including one that stems from a group of our Year 12 students who came to me with a great idea to amplify Pymble spirit next year. Keep your eyes out for the Term 1 2024 launch of a College-wide campaign to support our girls as they play, compete and perform in the sports and activities that make their hearts sing.
For now, I sign off with a full heart and all best wishes for a wonderful Christmas surrounded by the best gifts of all, your family, friends and loved ones.
From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
It’s hard to highlight special moments from a year when there are so many! This year has been action packed and our girls have given their Pymble best to all their learning and their co-curricular activities. It’s now time for some well deserved rest so they can come back rejuvenated and hungry for another year of learning challenge in 2024.
As we reflect on the year, I hope this video which we shared with our community at Speech Day helps showcase some of the wonderful co-curricular achievements of our girls this year.
As you all know, the Junior School team created a video for the girls as our way of thanking them for their dedication to their learning and their passion for Pymble throughout this year. This video was lots of fun to make, and we’re thrilled it brought joy to you all as you watched it.
As I sign off for the year, I want to thank you for your support and kindness to our Junior School team this year. As we head into the holiday season, I wish you safe travels and a wonderful summer break. I look forward to hearing all your daughters’ adventures when we come back together as a community in 2024.
Happy holidays!
A message from Lara Bird – Deputy Head of Junior School – Academics
Congratulations to Lakshi Rajeev, Athena Wu, Gabrielle Guo and Lily Zhang who have been awarded writing excellence by the Australian Children’s Literary Board and had their work published in the Oz Kids in Print Magazine. We are very Pymble proud. Well done!
A message from Kate Giles – Lead Coordinator K-3
The Kindness Leaders spent time this week sorting and packing the large amount of toys generously donated by our Junior School families for HARK Refugee Clinic at Westmead Hospital. Thank you for your thoughtful and kind donations, they will be delivered to the Hospital this week.
Throughout the year we our Junior School have donated over 80 toiletry packs, over 70 stationery packs and eight boxes of toys which is amazing! We look forward to continuing our partnership with the HARK Clinic next year and know that these items have made such a difference to the patients and refugee families they see.
End of Year Assembly
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School
From the Middle School
Wishing all of our Middle School families a very safe and merry Christmas. Thank you for all of your support across 2023, and congratulations to all our girls on their achievements across the year. Their contribution to our Middle School community is always appreciated. Well done to the award recipients at yesterday’s Speech Day.
I would like to thank the Middle School team for their ongoing support and enthusiasm across the year: Sarah Budd, Gina Ventura, Steph Attley, Theresa Mimmo, Andy Heggie, Steph Sibug, Ruth Volonakis and Amy Bastes.
Congrats to our winners of the grand final of the International Debating Championships last Friday: Averie Sun, Jemma Hung, Nicole Zhang and Sophie Guo. These girls did an exceptional job and were undefeated across the competition!
We look forward to welcoming Year 7 back next year and wish Year 8 all the very best as they journey into Upper School.
Jenny O’Donnell
Head of Middle School
From the Upper School
A message from Mr Tom Riley, Head of Upper School
And just like that, another year passes! It has been a fabulous, if somewhat hot, end to the school year with both Year 9 and 10 getting into the festive spirit.
Year 10 finished their Future You Festival with days off campus visiting a series of workshops at Macquarie University, cooking for the homeless in Darlinghurst with Kids Giving Back, and making chocolate Santa’s Sleighs to share with local nursing homes. We also bid them farewell in an exciting final Year 10 assembly on Tuesday.
We also bid a fond farewell to our beautiful Rev Bent. Jasmine Economou in Year 10 created the most fabulous triptych of our very own Chapel and jacaranda flowers for her to hang at home, and it was fitting that she gave it to Rev in our final assembly.
Our Year 9s also had their final Year Assembly on Tuesday and it was fabulous to celebrate students who had achieved outstanding efforts across all subjects in Semester 1 and 2, together with our Semester 2 Jacaranda Award recipients.
Elsewhere, I had the honour of judging Year 10s Patricia Burguoyne Public Speaking Competition. The quality of speeches was outstanding, with Emily Abadee just beating Pippa Barney to the top prize.
I would also like to thank Emma Pattison who baked endless bags of delicious gingerbread cookies for Sony Camp hampers that are given to the parents of students attending.
Congratulations to Katherine Hart who recently competed at the Australian Figure Skating Club Nationals competition for synchronised skating and her team won the Junior level! Katherine will now travel to Switzerland in 2024 to represent Australia – how amazing!
Congratulations also to Sophie Laing in Year 10 who has been selected to join the Sydney Academy Netball Program.
Finally, I would like to thank our Upper School Staff for their tireless efforts. We will certainly miss Mr Levin and Mrs Richter in the Upper School as they move with our Year 10s to pastures new, together with Mrs Gray who has been such a powerhouse in supporting Future You in her short time with us this term.
I hope all our Upper School families have a fabulous Christmas break and look forward to seeing your girls refreshed and rejuvenated in early 2024.
Tom Riley
Head of Upper School
From the Senior School
From the Head of Senior School
Last week the Senior School farewelled Reverend Bent in her final Senior School Chapel Service. I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of all students and staff in the Senior School, to sincerely thank Reverend Bent for the care, wisdom and love that she has shown to all of us over so many years and to wish her all the best in her future endeavours.
Robotics
The Robotics team recently competed in the FTC (First Tech Challenge) in the Wollongong Qualifier. Our Pymble team won the competition and also won the Innovate Award, allowing the team to proceed to Nationals occurring on the 9 – 10December. The team members from the 2024 cohort consist of Mulan, Jasmine, Amelie, and Sabrina. Congratulations to all involved and best of luck in the Nationals!
Best wishes to Ms Foley and Mrs Beaumont
Best wishes to Ms Cara Foley and Mrs Dylan Beaumont who will be taking maternity leave shortly. On behalf of the Senior School community, we all wish you all the best and cannot wait to meet your new babies early next year.
Secret Santa
All Year 12 students and Senior School staff enjoyed the warmth and good cheer of our annual Year-wide Secret Santa last week. Santa visited us all and we enjoyed a lovely Christmas story from Ms Michie.
Sony Camp
Best wishes to all Pymble and Shore students who will be working hard at the annual Sony Camp, this year being held at Shore. The students and staff involved have worked hard to prepare for a wonderful camp, which provides such great experiences for the campers and a welcome respite for many families, as they prepare for Christmas.
Finally, best wishes to all Senior School families for a safe and happy summer break. To those who are touring away from Sydney, safe travels, and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2024. Sincerest congratulations the students recognised at Speech Day this week and to all the students who have worked so hard and seen so much personal growth this year.
Nikki Wyse
Head of Senior School
From the Boarding School
What a fabulous way to end the year! Speech day was a wonderful celebration of the achievements of 2023. Every one of our Boarders deserves to be congratulated on the manner in which they negotiate the challenges of living away from home. They consistently demonstrate tenacity, courage, compassion and kindness, usually with a smile on their faces!
It was delightful to see so many of our Boarders being publicly recognised for their commitment, hard work and community spirit. Given the size of our Boarding cohort, it was wonderful to see them so well represented in the pool of awards. Congratulations to the following Boarders who were awarded Speech Day and Leadership awards.
Year 7
Poppy Fox-Ashwin – Year 7 Improvement Award
Madeleine Gaden – Citizenship Award
Alice Gall – Hammond House Award
Selina Kerin – Marden House Leader
Savannah Lorimer – Endeavour Award
Eleanor Ramsey – Lang House Leader
Year 8
Evie Farr – The Vicki Waters Award
Alexandra Reardon – Religion and Ethics Award
Year 9
Livia Armstrong – Year 9 Improvement Award
Year 10
Charlotte Craig – Bronze Medallion Award
Boa Kim – Academic Distinction Award
Evie Leahy – First in Subject – Mathematics
Alethea Levy – First in Subject – PASS
Celeste McDermott Buzolic – Citizenship Award and Student Communications Leader
Sally Payne – Subject Captain, Agriculture and First in Subject – Geography and History
Lana Pike – Bronze Medallion Award
Nandika Singh – Subject Captain, History
Lisa Sze – Subject Captain, Modern Languages
Grace Townsend – Upper School Outstanding Effort Award, Bronze Medallion Award and Year 11 House Leader, Goodlet.
Year 12 2024
Alisha Fung – Academic Distinction Award and Citizenship Award
Charlotte Leung – Academic Distinction Award
Our House Cups
I had the great pleasure of awarding the following our Boarding House Cups at Speech Day and I congratulate the winning Spirit Houses.
The Angus Cup was first introduced in 1929 with points being awarded for sport, singing, drama, debating and essay writing. We have been a little more liberal with additional points for beautiful bedrooms, lots of board game championships and even some just dance. Our winning House in 2023 is Hammond House ably lead by Spirit House Captains – Evie Leahy and Jemma Hodder.
Dating back to 1960, the Boarders’ House Cup for Excellence in Physical Education is awarded to the Spirit House who scored the highest points for representation in sporting teams. Our 2023 winner is Goodlet House lead by Spirit House Captains Celeste McDermott and Alice Beveridge.
It’s no surprise that the Boarders’ House Sports Cup is all about interhouse sporting and team events. Congratulations again to Goodlet House.
The Foundation Shield records the winners of the Day School verses Boarders competitions since 1927. This year our Day Girls have been triumphant in (just 😉) defeating the Boarders. We look forward to contesting the shield again in 2024.
Boarder Parent Group
Our Boarder Parent Group (BPG) is an essential component of our Boarding family. Under the leadership of our President, Edwina Beveridge, the group provides connection, feedback and funds to support our Boarders. They meet formally four times a year and also arrange a number of social occasions, the next of which is on Monday 29 January 2024. Please make a note of the BPG meeting commencing at 3.30pm follow by the BPG Welcome Drinks at 5.00pm.
You can read the minutes of our last BPG meeting by clicking here.
Get Ready for 2024!
Speaking of important dates, please find attached the Important Boarding Dates for 2024. Extra special dates for make a note of include:
28 January – New Boarders arrive and Year 12 return
29 January – All Boarders return from 2.00pm, BPG Meeting 3.30pm followed by BPG Welcome drinks at 5.00pm
Please add the following Community Days to your calendar. All Boarders are required to be in attendance on these days.
2-4 February – Boarders’ Community Weekend
3-5 May – Boarders’ Community Weekend
28 July – Boarders’ Community Day
4 August – Boarders’ Combined Chapel Service
26 November – Boarders’ End of Term Chapel Service and Christmas Party
A huge thank you
Lastly, and most importantly, my heartfelt thanks for sharing your beautiful girls with us. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of their lives and watch them grow and develop into the caring, giving and capable young women they are.
Every good wish for a happy, safe and family filled festive season.
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding
From the Chaplains
“The nativity story is replete with theological, familial, and political lessons about rest that quietly proclaim God’s goodness to this weary world. With exhaustion rampant in the church — perhaps especially so at Christmastime — we would do well to hear notes of rest sounding from the manger.” – Julian Davis Reid
I am very grateful as I write my last article for the Pymble newsletter. It has been a privilege and honour to serve as Chaplain here for eight years and do so with the support of all in the community. We have been moving office as well so have been packing up and as we go through this exercise, I have come across numerous handwritten notes and cards sent with love and gratitude. I take this moment to thank God for bringing me to this beautiful place, where I have encountered so many precious people, especially the student and staff community.
One of the articles I have been reading (All is calm: Scripture’s Radical Call to rest during Advent by Julian Davis Reid) during the holy season of Advent speaks about resting during this busy time before Christmas. It picks on the line from the famous Christmas hymn, Silent Night, focusing on the words: All is Calm.
As we hustle and bustle moving from one end of year celebration to the other, the Word of God reminds us of the shepherds who were watching their flock by night and taking turns to do so. Some of them were probably sleeping when the angel of the Lord appeared to them.
Joseph was warned in a dream to take a detour via Egypt to keep Mary and the holy child safe. The Wise Men were warned in a dream to follow Plan B and escape… While he was sleeping God was speaking to him. How often are we so worried about the next day that we deprive ourselves from sleeping? Perhaps we need to sleep more to heal and restore our spirits especially at the end of a busy year.
During the break whatever your story may be, I hope you can find pause filled moments of gratitude and splendidness. Bushwalks and cuppas, travel maybe, and preparing for a family celebration, whether it be Hanukkah or Christmas.
May the God who brings peace to our chaos, grant us energy to give ourselves permission to rest, sleep and participate in the dreams of God.
As I leave your service as College Chaplain, I will continue to pray for you. I am thankful for all the support I have received from all of you and what a privilege it has been to serve at Pymble.
Thank you and God bless.
Peace out.
Reverend Punam Bent
College Chaplain
From the Community Engagement Team
College Christmas Celebration
Thank you to everyone who came along to the College Christmas Celebration last Sunday night. This event is always one of the most special of the year, and it was fantastic to see another great turnout in 2023 to ring in the festive season.
Secondary School and Junior School Speech Days
Thank you also to all the parents who took time out of their busy schedules to attend the Secondary and Junior School Speech Days. Your support at these events means so much to your daughters, so we were thrilled to see such a large turnout.
Updated Uniform Shop Trading Hours
The Uniform Shop has officially closed for the remainder of 2023.
The shop will re-open in our new demountable building opposite Goodlet House (next to the famous mulberry tree) on Wednesday 17 January. During the holidays, we will be open weekdays from 9.00am to 3.00pm until Thursday 25 January. The shop will then be closed on the Australia Day public holiday on Friday 26 January.
It will then reopen on Orientation Day, Monday 29 January, from 9.00am to 4.30pm.
Normal trading hours will resume at the start of Term 1. Uniforms can be ordered online from the beginning of 2024 during the holidays and will be available for collection during our opening hours.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
As 2023 draws to a close, I’d like to say a massive thank you to the entire Pymble community for once again showing such amazing support for not only our events, but the College as whole over the course of the year.
From the entire Community Engagement team, we hope you and your family have a happy, healthy and relaxing holiday period, and enjoy Christmas and New Years with your loved ones. We can’t wait to welcome you back in 2024!
Kelly Mancey
Director of Community Engagement and Advancement
From the Futures Team
REACH Academic Summer Program in Cambridge, England
Please note this is an external provider advertisement and not a program endorsed by Pymble Ladies’ College.
Registration is open for 2024 Reach Summer programs, taking place in July and August,
Students live & learn in the historic setting of the University City of Cambridge and our programs provide the perfect balance of academic classes, fun activities, excursions across the UK and an evening lecture & workshop series.
With 20 years of experience in providing academic excellence, and an exceptional group of teachers from world-class institutions such as Cambridge, Oxford and London universities, we are confident that this is an exceptional opportunity for students to prepare for the future.
We are also delighted to share that we are currently running our autumn scholarship essay competition for those eligible students. To find out more, please visit: www.reachcambridge.com/scholarship
Finally, it may also be helpful to pass on the following link to any families that would like to arrange a meeting with us at a time that suits them: https://calendly.com/reach-cambridge/callback.
Overseas Medical Experiences for High School Students
Please note this is an external provider advertisement and not a program endorsed by Pymble Ladies’ College.
For any students keen to pursue studies in medicine and healthcare, Projects Abroad is an organiser of service and volunteer programs overseas.
These programs are designed for students in years 10, 11, and 12 (11-13 in NZ) and run in our summer holiday and over the mid-year break. They are ideal for individuals or groups of friends.
Projects Abroad has been running these programs for over 15 years. They are very popular with students from across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America.
Our most popular High School Special Medicine option is the Nepal program. You can download a leaflet outlining this project by clicking here.
Students will spend time in hospitals, community health settings, and workshops with local doctors. These projects are a fantastic first step into a career in healthcare within a group of likeminded students. Full 24/7 supervision and care is provided by the Projects Abroad local staff.
From the Co-curricular Sports Team
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Athletics
18 Pymble athletes will fly to Perth for the Australian All Schools Championships and National Schools Challenge to be held Saturday 9 and Tuesday 12 December.
The following athletes competing individually over the weekend are Amalia Bond (Year 7), Matilda Harrison (Year 9), Eliza Lawton (Year 7), Eloise Stewart (Year 8), Samara Bond (Year 10), Grace Townsend (Year 10), Sarah Baker (Year 11), Sophia Slater (Year 10), Georgia Phillips (Year 11), Abigail Ballhausen (Year 12) and Sybella Warton (Year 10).
The team will regroup on Monday 11 December for the National Schools Challenge. With Pymble boasting 14 years of experience in this event, we are excited to see our Pymble athletes run, jump and throw against schools nationwide. Gabriella Taylor (Year 12), Rhedyn Wong (Year 12), Phoebe Berglund (Year 11), Sarah Lovell (Year 10), Louise Lovell (Year 10), Grace Peters (Year 10), Lana Pike (Year 10), Claudia Wyatt (Year 7) and Bethany Carruthers (Year 7) will compete in teams in junior, intermediate and senior divisions.
Congratulations to Sybella Warton (Year 10) who has been named as NSW All Schools Team Captain. It’s a tremendous honour, and we are immensely Pymble proud of this achievement for Sybella.
Good luck to our Pymble athletes!
Deb Walsham
Head Coach – Athletics
Artistic Gymnastics
Artistic Gymnastics Christmas Display – Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 November
What a way to finish the year!!
With over 350 gymnasts taking part in two shows held over two nights, it was wonderful to see our Pymble gymnasts in action. What a spectacle of talent from our Kindergarten gymnasts starting their Artistic Gymnastics journey through to our senior Year 12 gymnasts. Our new program for 2023, Aerial Circus, was also showcased for parents and carers.
Finishing the successful display was a celebratory disco and barbecue after Thursday’s show.
Congratulations to all Pymble gymnasts for an inspiring 2023 with many gymnasts learning new skills or making significant improvements to their skills through the year.
We wish all our families a restful and safe holiday and look forward to another big year in 2024.
Alison Gestier
Head Coach – Artistic Gymnastics
Basketball
Last week our Pymble Basketball team travelled to the Gold Coast for the annual Nationals tournament. This year our Pymble basketballers were placed in Division 1 competing against some of the best schools in the country.
In 2022, the team played six matches over five days; this year’s team played six matches in three days. This placed pressure on our Pymble basketballers, however through resilience and fitness, they were able to recover quickly and always perform at their best. After two tough losses on the first day the team pushed through, only losing one match and winning the remaining three. Congratulations to all in the team – to be moved up a division and finish the tournament with three wins and three losses is an amazing achievement.
Thank you, girls, for an amazing week. All students in this team should be commended for their inspirational performances and I look forward to doing it all again in 2024.
Jack Garrad
Sports Co-ordinator – Basketball
Cricket
Thank you to all Cricket families this year for their support of the Pymble Cricket program. Although it is a small program, it is a passionate one. I am excited to see that in 2024 Term 1 we have 30 students registered to play!
I look forward to meeting our new cricketers and welcoming back our current players.
Have a fantastic summer break and remember to train at your local cricket nets to keep those skills in check!
Jack Garrad
Sports Co-ordinator – Cricket
Duke of Edinburgh
As we bid farewell to an extraordinary year in the Duke of Edinburgh program, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all participants at Pymble for their unwavering dedication and hard work. It has been a joy to witness your individual journeys unfold, and I am immensely proud to have supported you throughout.
A special shout-out goes to our exceptional Dignity Dishes students. Since our collaboration began in the latter part of Term 3, you’ve contributed to the community by preparing over 340 meals for charity. Your generosity and commitment are truly commendable—keep up the fantastic work!
In recent weeks, we’ve seen a surge in registrations from our Year 8 students gearing up for their Vision Valley residentials in 2024. Our Year 9 Vision Valley program, with its three immersive bushwalks/hikes, serves as an outstanding platform for students to commence their journey toward achieving the Bronze Award. These experiences are not only unforgettable but also fulfill the Practice and Qualifying Adventurous Journeys, essential components of the Bronze Award.
Participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award means more than just embarking on a personal growth and adventure; it means becoming part of a global community of young achievers. This program is an excellent opportunity to challenge themselves, build character, and acquire valuable life skills that will serve them well in the present and future.
A friendly reminder: all students attending the Vision Valley Residential must register for the Duke of Edinburgh program in advance.
For all other students interested in exploring more about the Duke of Edinburgh program or registering, please click here or reach out to Mrs. Chris Boland via email at dukes@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.
Lastly, let’s celebrate the outstanding achievements of our Duke of Edinburgh participants who have earned their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Awards. Congratulations to each one of you; your dedication is truly commendable.
Here’s to another year of growth, adventure, and success in Duke of Ed!
Bronze
Mary Cottrell (Year 10)
Josephine Green (Year 10)
Annika Lee (Year 10)
Maddy Taylor (Year 10)
Tully Black (Year 10)
Anais Rodwell-Burnicle (Year 10)
Lucy Miller (Year 11)
Madison Van Cleef (Year 10)
Talia Luo (Year 10)
Madeline Arrage (Year 10)
Rebecca Zhao (Year 10)
Emilia Massaro (Year 10)
Phoebe Cooper (Year 10)
Zoe Lupton (Year 10)
Shirley Xu (Year 10)
Genevieve Hartin (Year 10)
Isabella Yu (Year 10)
Sonya Zlatanovic (Year 10)
Iris Wang (Year 10)
Anji Ritchie (Year 10)
Aria Patel (Year 10)
Marissa Zhou (Year 10)
Lydia Martin (Year 11)
Alice Beveridge (Year 10)
Madeleine Watson (Year 10)
Isabelle Huang (Year 11)
Evelyn Gal (Year 10)
Caitlyn Bilney (Year 9)
Charlotte Curruthers (Year 9)
Ella Van Horen (Year 10)
Silver
Ella Jones (Year 11)
Caiyi Wang (Year 11)
Isabelle Reed (Year 11)
Ashna Rana (Year 11)
Manon O’Donnell (Year 11)
Arya Kalantri (Year 11)
Maiya Foster (Year 11)
Lauren Carruthers (Year 11)
Isabelle Huang (Year 11)
Milla Black (Year 12)
Victoria Burton (Year 11)
Carolina Yemma (Year 11)
Anna Ward (Year 11)
Lucy Miller (Year 11)
Linh Pham (Year 11)
Sophia Grindlay (Year 11)
Arabella Sherlock (Year 11)
Elizabeth Hart (Year 12)
Dimity Muller (Year 11)
Arabella Smithyman (Year 11)
Bella Walker (Year 11)
Amber Conlon (Year 11)
Caitlyn Tan (Year 12)
Nilan Esmaeili (Year 12)
Annalise Martin (Year 12)
Lydia Martin (Year 11)
Alexandra Hyett (Year 11)
Lisa Davison (Year 10)
Gold
Charlotte Hartin (Year 12)
Jessie Xie (Year 12)
Milla Black (Year 12)
Sarah Oppenheim (Year 12)
Samantha Lever (Year 12)
Bianca Auld (Year 12)
Claire Oslington (Year 12)
Mia Marinovic (Year 11)
Isabella Watson (Year 12)
Maya Partridge (Year 12)
Charlotte Wykes (Year 11)
Caitlyn Tan (Year 12)
Ayesha Bhalerao (Year 12)
Elizabeth Tyson (Year 12)
Phoebe Mason (Year 12)
Rhedyn Wong (Year 12)
Becca Peters (Year 12)
Senuli Edirisinghe (Year 12)
Yuki Wang (Year 11)
Chris Boland
Co-ordinator – Duke of Edinburgh
Junior School Sport
Congratulations to all Junior School students who competed in the Kindergarten to Year 2 Swimming Carnival on Thursday 23 November. A special thank you to Mrs Amy Anderson, Mrs Stephanie Gentle, our Aquatic Centre Manager, Duccio Petri and team, our Learn to Swim Co-ordinator, Kate Johnstone and Learn to Swim teachers, who assisted and made the day such an enjoyable experience for all involved.
Matt Tyson
Head of Sport – Kindergarten to Year 6
Rowing
Senior Rowers become ‘Sand Hill Warriors’
The Pymble Rowing Senior Squad travelled to Palm Beach on Saturday 2 December to take on the dunes with legendary fitness trainer Rob Roland Smith (aka ‘The Sand Hill Warrior’). This is a tough session that builds not only strength and fitness, but also fortifies the mental skills required for success in rowing and life. Well done to all Pymble Senior rowers who completed the session!
Intermediates, Juniors and Learn to Row
The Learn To Row, Junior and Intermediate squads had a productive training session on Iron Cove, finishing the day with an intra-squad race which produced some exciting finishes! During the week, the Junior squad tried ‘sweep’ rowing for the first time – a taster for what is to come next season in the Intermediate squad.
We congratulate the team on a strong term of training and racing by all squads. Solid foundations are being built for an exciting Term 1 of racing. As we reflect on 2023, our Pymble rowers achieved some impressive results and have improved tremendously. Looking to 2024, we encourage rowers to continue their training over the term break, ready for Rowing camps in January 2024, before our big push to Schoolgirl Head of the River on 3 March 2024.
It is never too late to join the Rowing team. If your daughter is interested in joining Rowing, please email Mr Lewis Gray at lewis.gray@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.
Lews Gray
Sports Co-ordinator – Rowing
Swimming
Christmas Mini Meet – Wednesday 29 November 2023
On Wednesday 29 November, the Christmas Mini Meet was held for our Pymble swimming competitive stream. Over 80 swimmers participated from Tiger Sharks, Mini, Star and Cadet squads. The senior squads of Pride and Engine were the team leaders for each lane and helped our younger swimmers with relays and team spirit. There were Santa sack relays, reindeer relays, sleigh ride relays and much fun to be had by all swimmers. A surprise visit from Santa Claus was the highlight of the meet, handing out bags of lollies to swimmers. It was a great way to finish our swimming year as our mini meets always bring great energy, happiness, and learnings.
The coaches would like to thank all swimmers and parents for their support throughout the year. We hope you all have a wonderful safe Christmas with your families and friends wherever you may be.
Michelle Thomas
Swimming Coach
Tennis
Congratulations to our tennis team that competed at the Gallipoli Youth Cup – School Teams Tennis Nationals, last week in Brisbane. Our team faced off against the strongest teams in the country and finished in 7th place. Well done to our Pymble tennis players:
Susannah Su (Year 12)
Giselle Kawane (Year 12)
Claudia Offer (Year 12)
Isabella Su (Year 7)
Sophia Kawane (Year 8)
Jufri Foss
Sports Co-ordinator – Tennis
From the Co-curricular Performing Arts Team
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Language Arts
Thank you to all the Language Arts family for another successful year in Language Arts. Thank you to Sophia Fang, Amy Hoang and Sam Yee who were the key players in our Language Arts parent support team. Your help has been invaluable. Thank you to all our support parents and to our wonderful captains, both incoming and outgoing and our team of coaches. Thanks to Co-curricular Administration for all their support and finally, thank you to our wonderful students. 2023 has been another great year. I hope you all have a safe and restful break. Good luck to those who are still competing in the holidays!
International Debating Championship Winners! (IDC)
We won the Junior Grand Final of IDC! Congratulations Averie Sun, Jemma Hung, Nicole Zhang and Sophie Guo. Not only were they winners, they were undefeated all season!
ZONTA
The goal of the Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Award Program is to encourage young women to participate in public affairs by recognising the candidate’s commitment to the volunteer sector, evidence of volunteer leadership achievements and a dedication to building a better world for women and girls through service and advocacy. This competition will be open to girls aged 16 to 19 years on 1 April in 2024.
Girls who demonstrate evidence of the following, are eligible to apply.
Active commitment to volunteerism.
Experience in local government, student government, or workplace leadership (paid or unpaid).
Volunteer leadership achievements.
Knowledge of Zonta International and its programs.
Support for Zonta International’s mission of building a better world for women and girls.
Please note that a Conference is being planned for early February. MUN students will be emailed in the holidays. Pymble Model UN will continue to run in DK05 and DK06 every Monday lunch time – all welcome!
Pymble MUN Tour
We are planning a January 2025 Language Arts tour to London, Bruges, Amsterdam and The Hague. We plan to attend THIMUN at The Hague. Details can still be obtained from Travel@Pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
Thank you to all who have submitted their letters of application.
UN Voice of Youth Public Speaking – Four State finalists!
Congratulations to Katherine Pan, Isis Lee, Nikita Serban and Catherine Shi, who were all selected to progress to the finals of this competition, to be held at NSW Parliament House on 15 December.
Public Speaking Auditions
These will be held on Wednesday 21 February 2024 after school. Please see the Rostrum Voice of Youth NSW website for topics and timings.
Secondary School Debating Auditions
Debating auditions concluded this week and teams will be released during the break. The ISDA season will commence on Friday 16 February and FED will commence on the 23 February. Draws will be sent once registration has been completed.
Junior School Debating Auditions
Please see Ms Itzcovitz in Junior School regarding any issues relating to Debating in Year 6 for 2024.
Bronwyn Hubbard
Head of Language Arts
Music
WHAT A WEEK IT HAS BEEN! My goodness me, our girls are SUPER TROOPERS. The last week has seen choir girls sing at the 4 All Earthkind Climate event. This involved 31 students giving up their time on Saturday to attend a rehearsal and filmed performance in the Wharf 2/3 space at Dawes Point. A beautiful venue with superb acoustics, Pymble girls performed alongside Sydney Childrens’ Choir, Sydney Philharmonia choirs, and accompanied by the Australian Youth Orchestra. There were other girls in attendance from Abbotsleigh and Meriden, and it was a great source of pride to Mrs Bruce and I to see that our girls were the only students who had memorised their parts, and were the largest contingent of school children. Well done to our School Choir, led by the patient and brilliant Mrs Karen Bruce.
Carols – What a beautiful service. Every year I am brought to tears at Pymble through our annual Carols service. Led by our very own divine Reverend Bent with the 9 Lessons of Carols, it was so simple to embed music to accompany the Joy of Christmas.
Congratulations to our Pizzicato, Piccoline, Junior School Choir, Capella, Hindson Strings, Symphony Orchestra, School Choir, Pymble Chorale, Junior Jazz, Senior Jazz and Stage Band for always rising to the occasion and surpassing our expectations. Thank you to Mr Stafford, Mrs Colbey, Mr Schweinberger, Mrs Bruce, Ms Farlow, Ms Buckley, Ms Lee, Ms Ashton, Ms Zeltzer, Mrs Purvis, Mrs Hare, Mr Ison on organ, and our very own Santa Claus (I wonder how many children he visited?). It is such a privilege to lead such an amazingly talented team so I can just enjoy the music and know that all will work on the night. I can’t thank you all enough.
For those who were unable to attend, our IT department did record the evening which can be found here. Please note the sound comes on at 5:54, but you will hear how wonderful the music is from here on.
Don’t forget to return jackets by 9.00am on Friday 8 December if you wish to receive a refund.
Congratulations
Annie Xiao (Year 7) Piano ABRSM Diploma in Music Performance
Sarah Turner
Head of Music
Vision Valley Summer Holiday Camps – Bookings closing soon!
Bookings for the January Holiday Camp will close Wednesday 13 December at 4.00pm.
The camps are open to Pymble students, their friends, and siblings (girls and boys) who are in Years 3 to 6 in 2023 and 2024.
Camp 2 – Monday 15 to Friday 19 January
We have lots of great activities planned including our new archery tag, and outdoor cinema, our nocturnal nature walks and myo pizza in our new pizza oven.
Bookings are strictly limited and allocated on receipt of payment.
A few months ago, Community Engagement put the call out to the Pymble community to submit your favourite recipes to feature within a College cookbook, and after an enthusiastic response and outpouring of contributions, we’re thrilled to announce The Pymble Pantryis now available to download for just $9.95!
Inspired by Lucinda Woodfield (Year 11), the 2023 Food Technology Captain, The Pymble Pantry is a crème de la crème, digital collection of over 100 recipes, crafted with passion and brought to you by the talented students, staff and parents of Pymble Ladies’ College.
Within these deliciously curated chapters, you’ll embark on a journey through the kitchen of our talented, cooking-savvy contributors, with each recipe a testament to the rich tapestry of flavours, techniques and cultural influences that shape our vibrant community. From classic comfort foods to exotic masterpieces, you are sure to find something to make your taste buds tango.
But this cookbook is about more than just good food – it’s about making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. As a part of the College’s 2023 Pymble Gives Back initiative, every cent generated from the sale of The Pymble Pantry will be divided evenly and donated to two amazing charities: Dignity and The Smith Family.
So, whether you’re a seasoned chef, an aspiring home cook or simply someone who loves enjoying a good meal, through The Pymble Pantry, we invite you to open your own pantry and experience the tastes of Pymble for yourself – all while contributing to the betterment of the lives of those doing it tough.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Pymble Pantry today!
