From the Principal

How liberating would it be if we viewed ourselves first and foremost as learners?
And…what if we were actively aware of ourselves as learners and could adjust our approach for success accordingly? How much could we achieve then?
Dr Shyam Barr, author of ‘Educate to Self-regulate: Empowering Learners for Lifelong Success’

Before we launch into this week’s topic of Learning Discussions, the first of which commence next week, there are a few key – very exciting – sporting events coming up that I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge.

Firstly, congratulations to our fabulous Rowers, whose collective hard work and dedication earned them the Champion School Point Score Trophy at last Sunday’s IGSA Sport Rowing Regatta. The girls showed up in highly spirited and ever-respectful Pymble style, much to the great pride and joy of their parents, supporters and two Pymble principals in the crowd (me, and our former Head, Mrs Gillian Moore AO). The teams now have their sights set firmly on Head of the River on Saturday 8 March and we can’t wait to cheer them on in their season’s grand finale.

Our sensational Swimmers and Divers are also training their hearts out for the annual IGSA championships at SOPAC on Friday 14 March and, of course, Tildesley Tournament begins on Wednesday 19 March for our ace Tennis team – I am loving hearing the thwack of tennis balls every morning from my home as they practise, practise and practise some more! It was very special to witness our Secondary girls sing the Pymble war cry with great pride as our Year 12s formed a guard of honour at assembly this week to celebrate our athletes and wish them the best for these upcoming events.

And now, back to Learning Discussions…

Learning Discussions are an important part of the academic feedback cycle at Pymble, in addition to semester reports, NAPLAN and Allwell (AAS) testing, and ongoing formative assessment and feedback given to students by their class or subject teachers throughout the year.

This year, based on feedback from parents, we have made some changes to the Learning Discussions in the Secondary School, including the re-introduction of face-to-face sessions for Years 7 and 12 parents and students, along with online options, which remain the format for all other year groups (8 to 11). Junior School families can choose either online or face-to-face interviews in Week 8.

These sessions have been carefully designed to give parents and carers feedback on four key measures of your daughter’s learning: her Knowledge, Skills, Character as a learner, and her Motivation to learn. Our Deputy Principal – Academic (K-12), Mrs Christine Kenny, says parents can expect to hear feedback along the following lines:

Knowledge and skills – what your daughter knows about each subject, her depth of that knowledge, and the connections she can make between different facts gleaned from a variety of sources.

Character as a learner – the unique dispositions that make your daughter an effective learner; someone who approaches learning opportunities with resilience, persistence and curiosity.

Self-evaluation – her ability to reflect on what she is doing well, her motivation for learning, and what could be “even better next time”, across all subjects.

Our aim is to nurture each child into a young adult who graduates with a strong sense of ‘Learner Identity’ – someone who understands their unique learning process and who also has a set of tools to help them adapt to each new learning experience, whether that’s in the classroom, at tertiary study level, in the workplace, or in everyday life scenarios.

Dr Shyam Barr, who is quoted at the start of this column, explains the importance of understanding Learner Identity in this 15-minute TEDx talk based on his book, Educate to Self-regulate: Empowering Learners for Lifelong Success, both of which are well worth diving into if you have the time.

So, as we head into Learning Discussion season, Mrs Kenny, along with our Deputy Head of Junior School – Academic, Mrs Lara Bird, share their advice to help parents gain the most from their session(s):

Before the interview

Talk to your daughter and ask her how she is feeling about school, what she enjoys and any challenges she faces.
Write down questions or points to discuss, such as her academic performance and the skills she is developing (communication, critical thinking, organisation, etc), as well as her wellbeing and friendships.

During the interview

Teachers and parents all share a common goal of supporting each student’s learning and personal growth with open minds and mutual respect.
You know your daughter best, so if you are new to Pymble, please share information on her academics, wellbeing, skills, strengths, passions and interests to strengthen your partnership with the College.
Discuss strategies and solutions together. Your daughter will have developed an academic goal (Junior School) and be working on specific tasks (Secondary School), so this is a great opportunity to discuss next steps for her.

After the interview

Share and celebrate positive feedback with your daughter! The girls love to know that their parents and teachers are cheering for them as they grow as learners through their years at Pymble.
And, if there are areas that could be “even better if…” or “even better next time…”, give your daughter lots of encouragement to better understand her learner identity and take the next step in her learning journey.

Meet our superstar staff member of the week

Given 2025 is the year of Respect at Pymble, each week this space will be devoted to honouring a staff member for demonstrating this important value in action. This week’s superstar was an easy choice.

Ms Lucy Macaulay teaches Design and Applied Technologies to Years 7, 8, and 9, is the Co-ordinator of Vertical Wellbeing 7-12 (better known as our House system), and delivers co-curricular cooking classes after school. She is also a Design and Technology HSC Marker for NSW Education Standards Authority, otherwise known as NESA.

Ms Macaulay was the subject of several emails that landed in my inbox this week highlighting the numerous ways she shows Respect towards students, staff and our broader community. She voluntarily shares her Design and Applied Technologies skills in her release time to co-teach states of matter to a Year 3 class – the same class she ‘book bounces’ with by reading to them in her spare time. She has also been helping to prepare different machines for student-led fundraising events and working with the leadership team to track respectful uniform wearing and pilot new uses of the portal. But wait, that’s not all! Earlier in the week, Ms Macaulay stepped in to assist members of our community who had been involved in a minor accident, offering her comfort and support until the situation was managed and everyone was feeling okay.

If you see our superstar around the grounds, please don’t hesitate to say what we are all thinking: we are so grateful to have her as a role model and educator in our community.

On that uplifting note, wishing you all a wonderful end of the week.

From the Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

Going Green!

This week I’m handing over my newsletter to our 2025 Sustainability Leaders and our Formula Goblin team – so we’re going green!

A message from our Sustainability Leaders: Scarlett Qiu, Aurora Lin, Harper Chen, Mia Farthing

Composting

This term, our theme for Sustainability is composting. Every class in Years 3 to 6 will receive a small bucket used for collecting scraps from Crunch and Sip. It will be the role of each class Sustainability Captain to collect the food scraps and empty them into the worm farm at 2.55pm each school day. We chose this aspect of sustainability as we have noticed there has been a lot of fruit wasted every day. We hope that with composting and worm farms in use, there will be minimal waste each day. Worm farms contain worms that feed on food scraps, and their waste becomes very nutritional fertiliser for the flora on our campus.

Clean Up Australia Day

With Clean Up Australia Day coming up on Sunday 2 March, we are leading a College clean up. Years 4 and 6 will be working together on this mission to clean up the College. We hope that this initiative will help create a greener school environment while bringing people together with one project.

Sustainability Club at St Ives Village Green

This year, some of us will be participating in the St Ives Village Green Clean Up Australia Day, an initiative by the St Ives Towards Sustainability organisation. This event will take place on Sunday 2 March between 9.00am and 11.00am at the St Ives Village Green. For more information please click here. We would love for families to join us at this event as it will raise awareness of the environment and shine a light on our mission for a cleaner community for us all to enjoy. As this is not a College event, it will not be supervised by Pymble staff and any girls attending will need to attend with a parent/carer.

This beautiful artwork is by Camilla Yan who has designed a sustainable environment of the future. “My artwork is a perspective drawing of a leafy city made with watercolour. The buildings are all blue, and it has an environmental focus. There are no people, but there is an aquarium, pool and a park.”

A message from our Formula Goblin team – Future Force Racers

Our car is now built and the motor works! We had a special launch as we tested the motor for the first time with Dr Hadwen there to support us. We are looking forward to having our first test drive in the coming weeks.

We have now named our car ‘Solar Flare’ and have registered to race in three events in the UK in June 2025. We are very excited to be the first Australian team and we’re thrilled by the support from our community for our team. Whilst we’re excited to be leading the way with our STEM learning and making history as the first Australian team, we are proud of the way we are also shining a focus on the need for cleaner, greener energy.

Tomorrow is our first team fundraiser with our ‘wear it green for our team’ mufti day. We ask that girls who are wearing green please bring in a gold coin donation to give to the Compass teacher at roll call in the morning. Girls can also purchase a green ribbon and a Zooper Dooper, a gold coin donation for each. Thank you for supporting our mission.

Over the coming weeks we will be really courageous in making pitches to potential sponsors in the hope of partnering with mentors and corporate supporters as we drive ahead towards a greener future!

As our team slogan says, we are: Unstoppable, united, unbeatable!

It’s very exciting that we also now have a driving simulator in our STEM room. I think the Junior School staff are as excited as we are about this! We know that there is now a competition between the Junior School staff to find out who can hold the fastest lap. At this point, it’s still Mr Brown but competition is fierce!

Pedalling ahead for a greener world

As you know, a much-loved feature of our Junior School is our bikes and scooters. This week, I wanted to give a well-deserved shout out to one of our girls who has shown her formidable Pymble spirit by learning to ride a bike from scratch at lunchtimes over the last 18 months. Elise Makar (Year 6) does not own a bike so only has access to cycling whilst at school and on her lunch break. Elise has been determined to master the skill of cycling and with much support from the teachers on this duty and her friends, she can now cycle laps unsupported. We are very proud of you, Elise.

It’s lovely to see girls using the bikes and a shout out to Ivy Dao (Year 2) and her dad who ride their bikes to and from school each day.

Bogtrotter building in Kindergarten this week

This week our Kindergarten girls have also been connecting with a green character, Bogtrotter who learns to be brave and step outside his comfort zone and make new friends. The girls then used their creativity to explore making homes for their own Bogtrotter and it’s evident we have lots of future engineers, architects and designers in our midst.

Thank you for your messages of hopes and dreams

We now have over 136 hopes and dreams for your daughters submitted by members of our community. Thank you! Your messages will help us convey a strong, positive message of hope and empowerment for our girls as we celebrate International Women’s Day. I am always so grateful for your support and partnership with these sorts of projects. This is our second year of inviting you to create a collaborative video and this year we have many more messages than in 2024 which is very exciting!

A message from Mrs Victoria Aikman – Kindergarten Co-ordinator

Our Kindergarten students embarked on an exciting incursion, Exploring Pymble, where they discovered new spaces and experiences across our school. They stepped inside the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts where they explored the grandeur of the performance space, visited the chapel and engaged in a hands-on STEM activity that sparked their curiosity.

In the Year 3-6 Library, they listened to a fascinating story called Nature’s Toy Box by Wenda Shurety, immersing themselves in storytelling. A special treat was having recess in a new part of the Junior School, adding to the sense of adventure. To conclude the day, our horticultural team shared their expertise, deepening our students’ appreciation for nature and the beautiful green spaces around them. It was a day filled with wonder, learning, and exploration!

Student Quotes

“I enjoyed building different things out of Lego with Mr Brown.” – Amelia Cui (KO)

“I saw my first snail in real life today.” – Alice Fu (KT)

“I loved having recess in the valley playground and walking underneath the theatre.“ – Mabel Li (KD)

“I loved playing with the Beebots and building our Lego city.” – Sara Sidhu (KA)

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

Critical medical information

As part of the College’s commitment to keep all students safe, it is vital that we have all requisite information and medication relating to allergies and medical conditions. It is imperative that information shared with the school is complete and up to date for our staff and nurses to ensure optimal care is provided for your daughter/s when they are on campus. If your daughter suffers from anaphylaxis or asthma, please register the action plan with the College and provide all the necessary medication. Further information can be obtained from our health care team or from Junior School administration.

Car line procedures and traffic management

The College continues to look at how it can best manage the traffic that enters the grounds during peak times. We thank parents for working with us as we make adjustments and urge everyone to ensure respectful communication is maintained when speaking to campus security and other staff. We apologise for any inconveniences caused while we ensure student safety is always prioritised, along with clear access ways for vehicles.

Junior School canteen helpers

On Wednesdays and Fridays in Term 1, Junior School allows students to purchase (through Flexischools) cold drinks and frozen desserts (special menu item). Once their order is placed your daughter will have a brown paper bag, where she will go to the Junior School Canteen (lunch tub room) to collect her cold treat.

Please click here if you can volunteer your time. For the care and safety of your daughters, all volunteers must have a current Working with Children Check (WWCC). If we do not already have your WWCC on file, please email your WWCC number to juniorschool@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au along with your date of birth so it can be verified.

Living Library storytellers and mini workshops – Expressions of interest

Our Junior School is once again holding our popular Living Library event as part of the College’s Sharing Stories Festival throughout the year.

We’re inviting families in our Pymble community to “tell a story with their hands” and share what they can make or do in mini workshops for our Junior School girls.

We are looking for participants who have an interest/hobby that can be demonstrated to our girls in a mini 30-minute workshop.

This could include calligraphy, how to wear a hanbok/sari/kilt, how to braid hair or how to knit, to name a few.

We are looking for a diversity of participants from our Pymble families so that we can showcase the richness of the cultures within our community.

To register your interest, please complete the form by clicking here.

Term 1 Key Dates (Weeks 5 and 6)

Friday 28 February – Clean up Australia for Years 4 and 6

Monday 3 March – Cross Country Carnival (Years 1 to 6)

Tuesday 4 March – IPSHA Swim and Dive (Years 2 to 6) – Mrs Brown will be there to cheer the girls on

Wednesday 5 March – Kindy Incursion on Campus

Thursday 6 March – Year 4 and Year 6 Windows into Learning

Thursday 6 March – Academic Series (K-2 Maths) 4.00pm to 5.00pm

From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)

Year 5 Parents – Sip & Supper

📅 Date: Wednesday 5 March

⏰ Time: 6.30pm

📍 Location: The Greengate Hotel, Killara

Join us for a relaxed evening of great food, good company, and friendly conversation. This is a wonderful chance to connect with fellow parents and unwind.

All parents welcome! Let us know if you can make it.

RSVP: Leah Deutscher (0410 188 464) or Veronia Sherrah (0418 434 827)

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

KD Class’ First Playdate – Run, Climb, Slide and Play

📅 Date: Sunday 2 March

⏰ Time: 1.00pm

📍 Location: Bicentennial Park, West Pymble

Join us for a fantastic time with the little Pymble girls! It’s a great opportunity for kids to run, climb, slide, and play while parents connect and socialise.

All families welcome – we’d love to see you there!

Let us know if you can make it.

Year 2 EPIC Playdate!

📅 Date: Sunday 16 March

⏰ Time: 2.30pm to 4.30pm

📍 Location: Wahroonga Park (Coonanbarra Rd, Wahroonga)

All Year 2 families are invited to a fun and casual playdate where kids can play, and parents can connect.

🧺 Bring: A picnic rug and some snacks to share.

A great opportunity to meet and enjoy the afternoon together!

Save the Date: Kindy Easter Egg Hunt

Hop on over for some Easter fun!

📅 Sunday 23 March

📍 Bicentennial Park, West Pymble

Please see the flyer for details and RSVP to your Year Coordinators.

Year 3 to 6 Market Stall Opportunity

At this week’s assembly, it was announced that students will have the chance to host a market stall at the start of Term 2. This event, which was originally planned for Term 1, will now provide students with more time to prepare.

The stall theme is linked to a world culture that the student identifies with or is interested in. Students can participate individually or in small groups (up to 5).

To participate, students need parent permission, as the cost to produce items will be at their own expense. All proceeds from the sales (items priced at $1 or $2) will be donated to the Junior School charity, The Dish.

If your child is interested, please complete the permission form. More details will be shared closer to the event.

This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their cultural identity and entrepreneurial skills.

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

Kate Brown

Head of Junior School

From the Middle School

Last Friday’s Icebreaker was a great success despite the weather. Thank you to all who attended! The Middle School team enjoyed catching up and sharing stories.

It was wonderful to see so many of our Middle School girls involved in our Cookie Decorating Gloucester Gathering activity on Tuesday. Please encourage your daughters to get involved in the variety of activities run on Tuesdays and Thursdays across lunchtime to build connections and community.

Thank you to all our families who responded to the student phones survey. The data collected from both parents and students has been very helpful. On Friday this week, we will be working with the Year 7 cohort to help the girls better understand phone usage at the College based on the shared feedback.

Year 7 Outdoor Education Experience

Tuesday 18 to Friday 21 March: Bennet, Goodlet, Hammond and Ingleholme (Mr Stern’s POD)

Tuesday 25 to Friday 28 March: Lang, Marden, Thomas and Wylie (Mrs Michie’s POD)

Last week, all of our Year 7 families would have received the information regarding their daughter’s Outdoor Education Program which is scheduled for later this term. All the necessary details are within the documentation but if you have any questions, please reach out to the Middle School office or Vision Valley directly.

I encourage everyone to please complete the forms as soon as possible so that we can confirm arrangements with Vision Valley. You will need to ensure that the Vision Valley waiver form and the medical consent form are both submitted. The optional gear order form is only if you need to purchase items.

I have had a couple of questions about the travel bag in which the girls will pack all their items. This can be whatever you already have; a soft duffle bag is easiest to load and move between camp sites. The girls will not be carrying this bag on the expedition – it will be transported for them. They will only need to carry a small day pack over the four days containing water, sunscreen, EpiPen (if needed) etc.

Next week, the staff from Vision Valley will be presenting information to the girls about the whole program, and there will be plenty of time for students to ask questions at the end.

Year 8 National Exchange Program

Dates: Saturday 17 May to Sunday 25 May or Saturday 24 May to Sunday 1 June, (One-week exchange across host school and Pymble)

We are excited to have now launched our Year 8 National Student Exchange Program taking place in Term 2. This year we are hoping to have partner schools across all states and territories providing an opportunity for the girls to experience school and family life elsewhere.

This is a reciprocal exchange program where participants will stay with a host family for the first five days at a school in another state, and then four days back home and at school here in Sydney. The exchange develops independence and confidence in our girls, inviting them to be representatives of the College nationwide.

Our application process involves an initial letter of interest with scaffolded questions provided, from which a selection of students will be shortlisted for interviews. We hope to send approximately five students to each partner school with one accompanying Pymble teacher.

Please encourage your daughter to read through the information which has been provided to her via email and follow the application link. We have also posted information about the program on MyPymble.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Aaliyah Khanche and Stella Pieterse of Year 8 who both participated at the national finals for aerial circus in January. What an achievement and incredible skills!

From the Year 7 Parent Co-ordinators

Dear Year 7 parents, we hope your daughters are settling in well to Term 1. If you have any questions or need any help please feel free to reach out to us, your Year 7 parent Co-ordinators: Edwina Burns (0419 580 580) and Maria Guo (0414 379 688).

You are invited to join other parents from Year 7 for drinks on Thursday 20 March at Killara Golf Club. This will most likely be the only social event we organise for this year so it would be wonderful if you could join us. There is plenty of parking on site. Please see the invitation below, and click here to purchase your tickets.

Jenny O’Donnell

Head of Middle School

From the Upper School

A message from Victoria Harrison, Head of Upper School

This week marks the final week of our Term 1 program at Vision Valley. We have missed having the students on campus and know their families are eager to welcome them home on Friday afternoon. For parents of our Term 1 adventurers, we are excited for you to be reunited with your emerging young adults at the honouring ceremony tomorrow at Vision Valley.

I am confident that during their time at Vision Valley, the girls have built new friendships, embraced new learning opportunities and deepened their appreciation for Australia’s natural environment.

Sharing stories is an important part of the Vision Valley experience. At Pymble, we’re always exploring new ways to help our students transition back into their school routines, lessons, and friendships. We look forward to each new group of girls sharing their Vision Valley experience with teachers and friends.

For families, your daughter may be full of conversation on the way home, or she may take some time to open up. Here are a few questions you can use to help spark a discussion at home.

What is something new you learned about yourself that surprised you?
Can you share a moment when you felt proud of what you accomplished?
Which activity challenged you the most, and how did you handle that challenge?
Did you develop any new friendships? What made these connections meaningful?
How do you plan to use the skills or lessons you learned back home or at school?
Is there a memory you can’t wait to share with friends or family?

Uniform Reminders

We are so impressed to see that most Year 9 and 10 students are wearing their uniforms with respect and pride. Thank you for working with your daughter to ensure her uniform is worn properly each day. We have been working actively to remind your daughters to ensure that:

• Their hat is worn to and from school every day;

• Their dress length is no more than five centimetres above the knee;

• Only one stud in each earlobe is worn if their ears are pierced, with no other jewellery permitted;

• They are wearing no makeup, false eyelashes or painted nails; and

• Their hair is neatly tied back with a red, white, navy or Blackwatch ribbon.

We appreciate your partnership and support in maintaining our high uniform standards.

International Student Exchange

It was with great excitement that we welcomed our first visiting students from Havergal College, Toronto to Pymble. With a 30-degree change in temperature to adjust to, Elina, Emily, Taylor and Ainsley are settling into life in Sydney. We hope they have a wonderful time experiencing school at Pymble and exploring our wonderful city.

Thank you to the Brown, Gregory-Reid, Lyons and Hawkins families for hosting the girls over the next month. We hope that this is the start of a long partnership between our schools and that the girls forge lifelong connections.

There is lots of work continuing behind the scenes to expand the exchange opportunities for Year 10 students. We hope to be able to confirm more places later in the year.

Cross Country Carnival

A reminder that the Pymble Cross Country Carnival is on Monday 3 March. Students may wear their PE uniform to and from school on the day. It will be great to see Year 9 and 10 getting involved and supporting their house.

Key Dates – Term 1

Monday 3 March – Cross Country Carnival

Thursday 13 and Friday 14 March – Year 9 NAPLAN

Saturday 5 April – Pymble Foundation Gala Ball

Thursday 10 and Friday 11 April – Year 8 to 10 Learning Discussions

Friday 11 April – Boarders’ Travel Day

Friday 11 April – Pupil-Free Day

Key Dates – Term 2

Monday 28 April – Boarders’ Travel Day

Monday 28 April – Year 9 Residential Program Parent Workshop with Dr Rubenstein

Tuesday 29 April – First Day of Term 2

From the Year 9 Parent Co-ordinators

It was great to meet some of the parents at Icebreaker on Friday. Thanks to everyone who made it despite the weather.

We are also organising an end of term catch-up up for our Year 9 parents – a poll has been published on the parents WhatsApp group – if you are able to make it, we would love to know your preference.

For any help or assistance, please feel free to contact your Year 9 coordinators – Ira (0415 112 575) and Jenny (0422 716 808).

Victoria Harrison

Head of Upper School

From the Senior School

From the Head of Senior School

As the term progresses, our Year 11 and 12 students continue to balance their academic studies with co-curricular activities, leadership roles and social events. Learning to manage competing priorities is an essential skill, and we are committed to supporting them as they navigate this important stage of their schooling.

Year 12 Social

For our Year 12 students, a highlight of the year is fast approaching – the Year 12 Social at Doltone House. This is a wonderful opportunity for the girls to come together and celebrate in a special setting. To help them balance their commitments, students have been given the privilege of an academic half-day, allowing them to leave at 12.45pm. This ensures that all scheduled classes can run effectively while also giving the girls time to prepare for the evening. Any requests for leave before this time will require appropriate documentation, such as a medical certificate.

We appreciate your support in encouraging the girls to approach this busy time with a sense of responsibility and balance. We look forward to celebrating with our Year 12 students and hope they enjoy this memorable occasion.

Icebreaker

It was wonderful to see so many parents at our annual Icebreaker event, sharing in the warmth and connection that make our school community so special. Events like these provide a valuable opportunity for families to meet, reconnect and build relationships as we begin another busy year. A heartfelt thank you goes to our Year 11 and 12 student assistants, who generously gave their time on a Friday night to support the event. Their willingness to contribute reflects the leadership, community spirit and generosity we value so highly in our students.

Tips for effective study

As the term progresses and the assessment program becomes more crowded, it is worth considering some techniques to keep motivated and on track. Situations can become stressful when the workload increases and the most effective way to manage this is to get organised.

Some strategies include going on a ‘media diet’. Clear your mind of social media and TikTok or Instagram clips and let your focus be on the work in front of you. Time is precious, so if you’re committing to study or work, ensure that you are using that time wisely.

Don’t wait until you feel entertained by the subject matter to begin your work. The truth is that we become interested in what we know more about, and deeper knowledge and understanding of a subject will make the content more engaging.

Working collaboratively is also motivating. Teaching your peers and listening to their perspective will challenge and enrich your understanding.

Try to establish routines of studying and then take time to relax. This opportunity to recharge will allow the brain to sort and manage information and be more receptive to further work.

Key Dates – Term 1

Friday 28 February – Year 12 Social (academic half-day)

Wednesday 5 March – Year 12 Learning Discussions (onsite)

Thursday 6 March – Year 12 GPs In Schools

Thursday 6 March – Year 12 Food for Thought

Thursday 6 March – Year 11 Immersion Day

Friday 14 March – Year 11 Formal (academic half-day)

Thursday 10 April – End of Term 1

From the Year 11 Parent Co-ordinators

We would like to invite all Year 11 parents to a coffee morning on Thursday 6 March at Bricklane Espresso, West Pymble. This is a casual catch up at the café for parents after the morning drop-off time.

We meet from 8.00am for about an hour and a half to two hours, but please feel welcome to arrive late or to come along for just half an hour if that is all you can spare.

Additionally, please save the date for a parent cocktail party on Friday 27 June which is the last day of Term 2. We are hoping by choosing this date that our Boarding parents may find it easier to join us! Further details to follow.

Julie (0404 197 139)

Xiejihong_68@yahoo.com.au

Kate (0438 987 825)

Katehart.2025@gmail.com

Nikki Wyse

Head of Senior School

From the Boarding School

Icebreaker is always a great way to come together and I am delighted to report that we had more than 50 Boarding families in attendance! It was a great chance to catch up and make new friends. The highly successful Icebreaker ‘afters’ at Pymble Pub followed and by all reports a great night was had by all.

Just to make the evening extra special, it was wonderful to have our Boarders assisting with the service of food throughout the evening. They certainly did us all proud with their professional service and friendly banter.

Welcome to our BFFs

While our parents were enjoying a night together, our Boarders took the opportunity to invite a day girl friend for dinner and fun. It was a lovely chance for our Boarders to show off their Boarding home, and a great opportunity to strengthen friendships.

Our talented Boarders!

We are never short on news about our Boarders’ achievements and this week I am pleased to highlight the achievements of some of our Year 12 cohort.

Congratulations to our swimming superstars Lily and Hannah who competed in the 2025 NSW Senior Metropolitan Championships over the weekend. Both girls enjoyed great success with Lily earning gold medals in the 400m freestyle and 800m freestyle and bronze in the 200m freestyle and Hannah winning a silver medal in the 50 m backstroke. Lily placed in the top ten in the 50m butterfly, 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke and Hannah placed in the top ten in 100m breaststroke, 50m breaststroke and 100m backstroke.

On dry land, farm girl Hannah has qualified for the Sydney Show Junior Judging Championships in merino fleece, grains, fruit and vegetables and also merino sheep. Stay tuned for the results when Hannah competes at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in April.

Live It, Love It, Learn It – Ms Theresa Mimmo, Deputy Director of Boarding

It was a very busy Friday night in Boarding with day girls coming to visit some of the houses – Avonmoore Boarders welcomed about 25 friends! There was pizza, laughs, games and lots of noise, particularly with the karaoke machine.

On Saturday evening after dinner, a group of Boarders fine-tuned their golfing skills by travelling to the driving range for some evening exercise. With the return of fine weather, Sunday’s activity to Barrenjoey Headland for a walk was well timed, although several Boarders described it as a trek rather than a walk! They were rewarded for their efforts with a swim and ice cream afterwards.

A View From My Window

Hi everyone, if you don’t know me, I’m Phoebe, a Year 12 Boarder. I have boarded here at Pymble since 2019 when I was in Year 6, making this my seventh year here.

I live on the edge of a very small town called Quambone, with a population of less than 100 people. Quambone is about seven to eight hours away from Sydney, the closest proper town – Coonamble – is half an hour away, and the closest city – Dubbo – is a two hour drive.

Quambone has a shop (which is also a post office), a park, a pub and a public school, with a total of just nine students. I live on around 50,000 acres of land that we use to feed up to 12,000 cattle, in a good year. My family has lived, owned, and worked the land since long before I was born. I have an older brother, who turns 23 this year, and I live with my parents, 13 working dogs, seven puppies, about nine cats, and just one horse.

When I look out my window, I see the lawn that my mum looks after religiously – you’d think she lives on the mower, with the amount of time she spends out there. I see the old pepper trees, which have somehow survived thousands of dust and lightning storms, and I see our lagoon, which lays just beyond our dog kennels. In the afternoons, after I have fed and watered the dogs, I like to watch the sunset, the birds flying overhead to their nests for the night.

I love being home – the peace and quiet that you can never truly get whilst living in the city. The night skies, the sunsets and sunrises, and the interesting people.

Though I do leave this behind to return to Boarding, I love being able to reconnect with people that I would never have had the privilege of getting to know had I not come to Pymble. Although it has been a long seven years, I don’t think I would change a thing.

Boarder of the Week

Zoe has been a delightful addition to our Year 7 House, Avonmoore. Despite being a long way from her family and home in Rankin Springs, Zoe is successfully navigating new routines, living arrangements and a much bigger school environment. She is a terrific housemate, always ready to offer a helping hand to both her Boarding sisters and staff.

Her kindness to others is a standout and Zoe has been a beautiful friend to her peers who have been missing home. Zoe has shared her experiences on the land with her classmates and they have enjoyed hearing about her life away from Pymble. It is lovely to be greeted by Zoe’s beautiful smile and wonderful to see her taking on new opportunities.

Save the Date

Friday 28 February – Year 12 Formal

Sunday 2 March – Mother and Daughter Lunch event – The Fernery, Mosman

Friday 14 March – Year 11 Formal

Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March – Year 12 Boarder and Day Girl Parents’ regional weekend

Saturday 8 April – Boarders’ End of Term Chapel Service and Dinner

Monday 10 April – Face-to-Face Learning Discussions for Boarding Families

Tuesday 11 April – Boarders’ Travel Day

Carolyn Burgess

Head of Boarding

From the Chaplains

This week I want to invite you to come along to Pymble’s Ash Wednesday service.

All members of the Pymble family, including students, staff and parents are welcome.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent – the time that Christians prepare for Easter. Lent lasts 40 days, not counting Sundays and ends on Easter Saturday, which this year falls on Saturday 19th April. During these 40 days, Christians commit to being more intentional about their faith.

During our time together we will pray, hear from the scriptures, spend some time in silence and be marked, either on the hand or forehead, with ashes.

Why ashes you may ask?

Ashes are an ancient symbol associated with repentance or ‘re-turning’ to God. We believe that this physical act of placing the very dust of the earth on ourselves helps us open ourselves us to God. The ashes speak into the cycle of life. They are physical proof, if you like, that everything ,including ourselves, grows from dust and eventually returns to dust and begin again.

When we take on the ashes we are symbolically beginning again in our relationship with God. We are letting go of the things that distract us from God’s presence, and committing to giving more space to acknowledging where God is in our lives. We believe that this physical act of placing the dust of the earth on ourselves helps us open ourselves up anew to God’s presence in our lives. This openness precludes the intentionality that we commit to during lent that I mentioned before.

How we are intentional about faith during Lent is up to us.

For some of us this may mean giving something up. The hope is that each time we would normally do the thing that we have given up and don’t we are drawn into God’s presence by the space that is left from the not doing.

For others this may mean taking something up. Doing something we don’t normally do. Perhaps making time for prayer each day. Perhaps taking time each day to name and record the love we have seen each day. Perhaps taking up a service initiative. If you want suggestions for what to do during Lent, please have a look at the suggestions given by Uniting World.

Unitng World are challenging each of us to ‘Stand with people fighting on the frontlines of climate change’ by participating in ‘40 days of faith-filled action for God’s creation’. The campaign recognises that the only way to tackle poverty, inequality, injustice and Climate Change is by doing it together. Each one of us has a part to play. This could include

However ever you step along your Lenten journey, my prayer is that your act of devotion fills your cup and returns you to God.

We look forward to seeing you on Ash Wednesday at 7.30am, Wednesday 5 March in the War Memorial Chapel.

Reverend Danielle Hemsworth-Smith

College Chaplain

Events Calendar – Term 1 and 2

From the Futures Team

Immersion Day

Year 11 Students will attend a University Immersion Day on Thursday 6 March. Each student will visit one university campus to explore the culture of the institution, offerings of clubs and societies, a campus tour and experience university teaching through various workshops and activities.

University Information

Bachelor of International Studies

Where: University of Sydney

Date: Wednesday 5 March 4.00pm

Ever dreamt of making a global impact? In Sydney’s Bachelor of International Studies you will dive into the world’s most challenging issues and gear up for a career that knows no borders – be it in business, diplomacy, policy-making, or advocating in a global civil society. Register: Webinar Registration – Zoom

Join our webinar and discover how our degree can help you navigate the global arena. Don’t just watch the world change – be the change!

Aviation Info Session

Where: UNSW

Date: Thursday 6 March

Time: 8.00pm to 9.00pm

As air traffic continues to increase, the industry needs more airline pilots and aviation professionals to meet demand. Hear from UNSW Aviation staff and students and find out how you can kick start your career in this important industry. Discover the exciting world of aviation at UNSW as our speakers delve into their personal experiences and share their insights into the broad range of career opportunities in the aviation sector.

Study Medicine at UNSW

Date: Wednesday 12 March

Time: 6.00pm to 7.00pm

Start your medical career at one of the top medical schools in the world. Studying the Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine at UNSW will provide you with the theoretical understanding and practical experiences you need to launch your career as a medical professional.

UNSW’s Medicine Information Evening, for current year 12 students, will provide insight into the dynamic blend of hands-on clinical experiences and research-focused learning that you will be immersed in as a UNSW Medicine student. You’ll also find out detailed information on the application and admissions process for 2026 entry, including special entry schemes such as Rural, Gateway and Indigenous Entry Schemes.

Join us online where you will hear from our expert panel of academic staff, current students and advisors, and get all of your UNSW Medicine questions answered.

Find out more and register

ANU Open Day

Date: Saturday 29 March

Get ready to explore a world of possibilities. ANU Open Day is your chance to discover new passions and world-class teaching and research. Immerse yourself in our supportive community and learn how we’ll prepare you for exciting careers.

What to expect:

Dive deeper into degrees at information sessions.

Connect with experts and students at the Study Options Expo.

Take a campus tour.

Explore student accommodation.

Wander around the campus and discover our welcoming community.

Find out more and register

External Opportunities – Upper and Senior Schools

Projects Abroad: Overseas Medical Experience

Date: Tuesday 4 March

Time: 6.30pm to 8.00pm

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. The programs run in countries such as Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Tanzania, and our most popular program, Nepal. Register here.

ADF Gap Year

Date: Tuesday 4 March

Time: 6.00pm to 8.00pm

Where: Rhodes Business Centre

Wondering what to do with your time after finishing school? Consider doing a Gap Year with the Australian Defence Force (ADF)! Spend 12 months with the best of the best as you get paid to experience life in the Navy, Army or Air Force, having unique life experiences and making lifelong friends along the way. Come along to an info session where you can speak to military personnel about what an ADF Gap Year has to offer you.

Work Experience – Year 10: UNSW Sydney Civil & Environmental Engineering

The School of Civil & Environmental Engineering will be holding a work experience program to promote engineering career options to high school students. The program will be run from Monday 26^th to Friday 30^th May and will be available to Year 10 students across NSW.

The program will allow students to experience engineering projects firsthand across six areas of the civil and environmental engineering field: 

Coastal and Port Infrastructure, Structures and Design, Construction and Project Management, Water, Wastewater and Environment, Road, Transport and Geotechnical Engineering, Surveying and Geospatial Engineering

Daily field trips to a range of engineering sites across Sydney, followed by an afternoon debrief and short report writing session at the UNSW Kensington.

Students selected for the program will be required to meet daily at 8:45am, at Central Station, with each day of the program finishing at 4:00pm at UNSW Kensington. Students must be available to attend the full five-day program.

To be considered, students must be self-motivated, reliable, punctual, and have a strong mathematical ability. Importantly, students must have an interest in pursuing a career in engineering.

Apply: Please complete this form and return to futures@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au by 7 March 2025 to apply. The College will select two students to put forward to UNSW for consideration.

Co-curricular Administration

Co-curricular Registration Requests

Registrations for Term 1/Semester 1/Yearly programs are now closed, and the registration request cut-off date has passed (Monday 17 February). For any enquiries, please contact Co-curricular Administration at ccsa@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. Please click here to view the conditions of registration should you request any changes.

Term 2 2025 Saturday Sport Registrations

Registrations closed at 12.00pm on Friday 14 February for Term 2 Saturday Sports. If you missed the registration period and need to request a late registration for your daughter, or if you need to withdraw or transfer programs, please click here to complete a registration request. Please check the conditions of registration for the request cut-off dates.

Sally Davidson

Head of Co-curricular Administration

From the Co-curricular Sports Team

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2025 Cross Country Carnival

The 2025 Cross Country Carnival will be held on Monday 3 March. The carnival is for all students in Years 1 to 12. All students should go to their normal Period 1 to be marked on the roll. Teachers will then bring students to the Main Oval for the carnival.

Students can wear their PE uniform for the whole day, including when travelling to and from school. The race timetable is shown on the poster below. Students will return to class for Period 3 at 11.00am, with Period 3 and 4 running to a slightly reduced timetable.

Please ensure you bring your water bottle, recess, and hat to the Main Oval as students will not be able to return to their bags or lockers during the carnival.

In 2024, Goodlet won the House Trophy, Rowing won the Sport Trophy, and Swimming won the Handicap Trophy. Who will be the winners in 2025?

AFL

AFL Team of the Week – Pymble 2

Well done to Senior Pymble 2 who took down Loreto 2 last Friday evening on Main Oval. In what was a very wet affair, and the girls handled the conditions perfectly.

Notable mentions to Lily Jones (Year 12) who was great in all areas of the park, and who did not stop working hard all match, Ella Mitchell (Year 11) who was a brick wall in defence, her ability to clear the ball from the ruck allowed our girls to move the ball up the field with ease, and Isabelle Short (Year 11) who showed her off blistering speed making some great carries down the wing to setup our forwards with goal kicking opportunities.

A reminder for Pymble 2 that due to the regrade, you will now be placed into Division 2 and you will now have a match this weekend as opposed to the original BYE fixture. Fixture details will be updated shortly on the PLAYHQ website.

In addition, a huge shout out to Junior Pymble 6 who recorded their first win of the season. With most of these girls having never played an AFL match before, and it was awesome to see them put on such a great performance.

AFL Round 3 Results

Pymble 1 defeated Loreto 1 (75 to 15)

Pymble 2 defeated Loreto 2 (37 to 14)

Pymble 3 defeated by Loreto 3 (3 to 11)

Pymble 4 defeated by Loreto 5 (20 to 62)

Pymble 5 defeated St Catherines 3 (65 to 1)

Pymble 6 defeated Loreto 7 (29 to 3)

Jack Garrad

Co-ordinator – AFL

Cricket

NSWCIS Cricket Trials

Good luck to Willa Pearson (Year 9), Varada Vinay (Year 10), Eleanor Dinnie (Year 11), and Elizabeth Yates (Year 11) who will be attending the NSWCIS U19 Girls Cricket trials next week!

Jack Garrad

Co-ordinator – Cricket

Rowing

Pymble becomes igsa Rowing Champion School

The Pymble Rowing team put on a blockbuster show at the Sydney International Regatta Centre last weekend. Starting on Saturday 22 February, the team showed some promising results at the PLC/Kings/RNSW Regatta as crews tested out their race plans and crew combinations in preparation for the igsa Rowing Regatta on Sunday 23 February. The team pulled off an incredible team effort at the igsa Regatta to become the igsa Rowing Champion School, winning the Overall Point Score Trophy.

Senior Squad (Years 11 and 12)

The Senior 1st Eight continues to progress, being at the centre of an exhilarating showdown with St Catherines’ on Sunday finishing just a second away from the title. Congratulations to Tilly Goddard (Year 12), Annabel Shanahan (Year 12), Erin Porter (Year 12), Mika Naito (Year 12), Summer Phillips (Year 11), Scarlet Olesen (Year 11), Millie Cullinane (Year 11), Leander McLaughlin (Year 10), and Isabella Stalley (Year 12).

The Senior 2nd Eight and 3rd Eight had strong races finishing fourth and fifth respectively, continuing to build their technique and synergy towards Head of the River. It was fantastic to see three Senior eights on the water for the first time this season, all contributing valuable points towards the Champion School win. Well done Seniors!

Intermediate Squad (Year 10)

The Intermediate 1st Eight became igsa Champions, winning the Year 10 Eight division for the first time in Pymble history in a blistering time of 7:00.79, with more than an 11 second clear lead over the nearest competition from Loreto Kirribilli. Congratulations to Emily Bartrop (Year 10), Olivia Norton (Year 10), Georgina Curtis (Year 10), Zara Kinniburgh (Year 10), Allegra Taubenschlag (Year 10), Saskia Alexander (Year 10), Lucy Simpson (Year 10), Erin O’Kane (Year 10), and Harriet Murphy (Year 10).

The Intermediate 2nd Eight again performed excellently, coming fourth in a field of 1st crews and in the process, finishing faster than the 1st crews from St Catherines’ and Loreto Normanhurst. This is no mean feat and a testament to their hard work. The crew now looks forward to Head of the River where they will compete in their own 2nd Eight division. Well done Intermediates!

Junior Squad (Year 9)

All Junior Quad crews received a medal at igsa by placing on the podium. This is an incredible achievement.

The Junior 1st, 2nd and 6th Quads all became igsa Champions, with tremendous displays of courage and grit. Congratulations to the Junior 1st Quad of Emma Wang (Year 9), Claudia Wyatt (Year 9), Madison Landgrebe (Year 9), Cleo McLaughlin (Year 9) and Madeleine Gaden (Year 9), the Junior 2nd Quad of Phoebe Hutton (Year 9), Siri Taubenschlag (Year 9), Rose Jones (Year 9), Gemma Thiel (Year 9), and Bella Legge-Hughes (Year 9), and the Junior 6th Quad of Eden Connors (Year 9), Poppy Fox-Ashwin (Year 9), Alexandra Ritchie (Year 9), Bethany Carruthers (Year 9), and Isla Polites (Year 9).

Congratulations to the Junior 3rd Quad who achieved a silver medal finish, and the Junior 4th and 5th Quads who achieved a bronze medal finish. The Junior Double raced really well to come fourth in a very competitive final. Well done Juniors!

Learn-to-Row Squad (Year 8)

Congratulations to the Year 8 2nd Quad, winning their race in an impressive time of 3:51 (the fastest Year 8 2nd Quad time in igsa history) to become igsa Champions. Congratulations to Jessica Pickford (Year 8), Lillie Oldfield (Year 8), Emma Lloyd (Year 8), Skye Mitchell (Year 8), and Lucy Woodbridge (Year 8).

Well done to the Year 8 1st Quad who navigated both a heat and a final on the day, securing a bronze Medal finish at igsa. Well done to the Year 8 3rd, 4th, 5th Quads who finished fourth, and the Year 8 6th Quad who finished fifth.

Congratulations to all crews. We will see you all on Saturday 8 March for Schoolgirl Head of the River. Go Pymble!

igsa Representative Rowers

Congratulations to Pymble rowers Mathilde Goddard (Year 12), Mika Naito (Year 12), and Summer Phillips (Year 11) for gaining selection in the igsa representative eights, which raced on Saturday 22 February in the Representative Schoolgirl Race. Summer and Mika won the race in the igsa 1st Eight, with Tilly coxing the igsa 2nd Eight, all girls beating both ACT Schools eights. Well done girls!

Lewis Gray

Co-ordinator – Rowing

Softball

Week 3

Round 3 of the Invitation Independent Schools Softball Competition took place this past Saturday with Pymble having three teams competing.

We started off bright and early Saturday morning with our Senior Firsts team playing a tough double header against Brigidine College and Loreto Normanhurst 1, managing to win both games. In a tough battle against Brigidine College, we had a strong pitching performance from Zoe Bloom (Year 10) and two critical catches from Madeline Taylor (Year 12) at second base that secured the seven to three win. With a tight turn around, the girls then played against Loreto Normanhurst winning 15 to two. We had excellent defensive plays from Gabriella Nutman (Year 10) who had a great double play and Sasha Shyamsundar (Year 8) who displayed some great outs at first base. Both games were a positive outcome that showed the hard work that our Senior Firsts girls are putting in.

Then we had our Pymble 2 team, who despite losing their game against Central Coast Grammar 13 to three, played a game that was a lot closer than the score indicated. Pymble 2 rallied late in the game, scoring seven runs in the top of the third innings. Unfortunately, the game reverted back to the original score of three to 13. With a home run from Sophia Altorf (Year 11) and a massive hit from Sophia Wu (Year 11), as well as an important double play by Sienna Phair (Year 11), the team fought back hard.

Pymble 3 played a close game at Oxley Collage in Bowral only losing by one run with a score of 11 to 10. The team welcomed new player Ariana Ziolkowski (Year 11) who had two massive hits into the outfield as well as securing a two-base run for her first ever softball game. Fielding wise, the team fought extremely hard with amazing catching by Varada Vinay (Year 10).

Team of the Week

Our Senior Firsts are our team of the week as they had two strong victories over both Brigidine College and Loreto Normanhurst 1, that showed a great display in both offence and defence.

Next week we see all four of our Pymble teams playing here at Pymble. Good luck to everyone!

NSWCIS Softball Trials

We are wishing Gabriella Nutman (Year 10), Verity Haslam (Year 11), and Zoe Bloom (Year 10) good luck as they attend the NSWCIS Softball trials on Monday next week, as they fight for a position on the NSWCIS softball team that will play both the public and catholic schools at a later date.

Round 3 Results

Team	Opponent	Result	Score
Pymble 1	Brigidine 1	Win	7 to 3
Pymble 1	Loreto Normanhurst 1	Win	15 to 2
Pymble 2	Central Coast Grammar 1	Loss	3 to 13
Pymble 3	Oxley College 3	Loss	10 to 11

Kandra Lamb

Softball Coach

Tennis

Recent Success on the Court

The Pymble Tennis teams have had a fantastic run recently, with some standout performances across both school and external competitions.

A huge congratulations to our igsa Pymble Senior First team who secured an impressive victory over the defending champions, Meriden Senior First team, winning six sets to two. A special mention to Ariel Gunawan (Year 10), Ayeesha Dowerah (Year 10), Elona Thorne (Year 8), and Lizzie Bull (Year 12) for their outstanding efforts, each winning their singles matches and leading the team to victory.

In external competitions, Chloe Morrison (year 7) and Vedha Choudhary (Year 7) claimed the Girls 12 and Under Doubles title at the NSTA Championships—a fantastic achievement for our young players! Meanwhile, Isabella Su (Year 9) shined in the NSTA Championships Open Mixed Doubles, taking home the title alongside her partner, Bart.

Well done to all players on these incredible results. We are so proud of your hard work and dedication both on and off the court!

Rafa Nadal Camp at Pymble Ladies’ College – A Rare Opportunity to Train Like a Champion!

We are thrilled to announce that registrations are NOW OPEN for the Rafa Nadal Academy Camp at Pymble Ladies’ College!

The camp is open to everyone – not just Pymble parents and students! Whether you’re an adult or junior player, you’re invited to join us from Monday 7 April to Friday 11 April.

This is your chance to experience world-class coaching from one of the most prestigious tennis academies in the world – right here in Sydney!

Designed for all ages and skill levels, the program ensures every participant is placed in an optimal training group to maximise development, challenge limits and elevate their game – all while having an unforgettable experience.

Spots are limited, so don’t miss out! Register now and take your game to the next level!

Dates: Monday 7 April to Friday 11 April

Location: Pymble Ladies’ College

Early Bird Discount Code: PYMBLE

Junior price: $1,000.00

Schedule: 3.00pm to 7.00pm (Ages 7 to 18)

Adults price: $800.00

Schedule: 12.45pm to 2.45pm (Adults)

Click here to register for the Junior camp. Click here to register for the Adult camp.

Jufri Foss

Co-ordinator – Tennis

From the Co-curricular Performing Arts Team

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Drama

Drama Skills: Why are they important?

Getting to know some of our classes!

As we approach the midpoint of our first term back in Co-curricular Drama classes, we would like to take this opportunity to share more about the exciting range of classes available to our students.

One of the core offerings within our program is the Drama Skills class, available for students from Years 3 to 12. This inclusive class is open to all students, regardless of their experience or skill level. Whether your child is a complete beginner or has prior drama experience, Drama Skills provides a supportive and encouraging environment for growth.

In this class, our experienced teachers work closely with students to refine essential drama techniques. Key areas of focus include voice projection, confidence-building, and body language. These fundamental skills are critical not only in Drama but also in various aspects of everyday life, such as public speaking, leadership, and self-expression.

Drama Skills serves as the foundation of all other Drama classes offered in the Co-curricular program. By mastering the basics, students will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of more advanced drama concepts like movement, characterisation, and narrative building. As students progress through their drama journey, these core skills will empower them to tackle more complex performances, characters, and techniques with greater ease.

Our program provides a diverse range of opportunities for students to explore different aspects of drama, from acting and improvisation to stagecraft and performance. Each class is designed to engage, challenge, and inspire, fostering both individual growth and teamwork.

We believe that every student has the potential to shine on stage and in life, and our Drama Skills class is the perfect place to begin that journey. We are excited to see the progress that our Drama Skills classes will make over the year.

Rebecca York

Co-curricular Drama Co-ordinator

Language Arts

Debating

ISDA and FED

Wow! Thanks to our Language Arts parents who hosted an amazing afternoon tea and supper for both FED and ISDA last Friday. You are indeed superheroes! Our FED teams won five from eight debates against Trinity, and our ISDA debaters won six out of eight debates against Queenwood. Well done coaches and girls.

Tomorrow, our FED teams will travel to Newington and our ISDA teams will travel to Barker for Round 3. Parents are welcome. Girls are to meet at the flagpole by 3.30pm. Buses to venues will be available for girls, however, tickets must have been purchased through Co-curricular Administration. Return buses will NOT be on offer and parents are required to arrange collection for their daughter(s). Girls will NOT be permitted to take public transport home, unless accompanied by an adult.

Please note that Senior A ISDA and Primary A and B ISDA will have rescheduled Round 3 debates. The Senior A make up for Round 3 will be held at Barker on Friday 4 April and the Primary A and B make ups will be on Friday 2 May.

Week 6 Round 4 FED and ISDA Venues for Friday 7 March

FED will travel to Tara. Please ensure bus tickets are purchased through Co-curricular Administration. Be at flagpole at 3.30pm.

For ISDA, Pymble will host Scots in the Kate Mason building. The topic area is Health and Medicine.

Chinese Debating

Pymble has committed to a new initiative, Chinese (Mandarin) debating. We are looking for one team. Please email Mrs Hubbard, bhubbard@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au, ASAP if interested.

Trials for the NSW State Team are open to ISDA and Archdale Debaters

We encourage eligible ISDA and Archdale debaters in Years 9 to 12 to trial for the NSW State Team, which will represent the state at the National Schools’ Debating Championships (NSDC) this year. Applications can be made on the NSW State Team trials page. Entries close at midnight this Friday 28 February, so get in quick to register! The trials will be held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March at Knox Grammar School.

NSDC

NSDC is Australia’s premier school debating competition and brings together the most talented young debaters from across the country, fostering excellence in critical thinking, persuasive communication, and civic engagement. This year NSDC is coming to Sydney for a week in mid-May! Details and opportunities can be found on the NSDC events page.

Public Speaking

Thank you to all our public speakers who presented at auditions this week and last. The standard has been high. We have one more week of auditions. Over 120 students have signed up for these auditions. Great show girls!

Model United Nations (MUN)

Harvard MUN

Are you interested in Harvard MUN in Australia? Pymble plans to send a delegation. Please note the early bird registration cut off has been extended until Friday 7 March. Please email BHubbard@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au if interested. Expressions of interest for our Pymble delegation close on Monday 3 March. More information can be found by clicking here.

NSW UN Youth State Conference

Applications to state conference closed this week. We know those attending will have a wonderful time on Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March, as this is often a MUN calendar highlight! Please note debaters will need to arrange transport to the venue following your debates.

Bronwyn Hubbard

Head of Co-curricular Language Arts

Music

On Monday 24 February, students from the Year 11 and 12 Music courses were given the opportunity to attend an excursion to the Sydney Opera House to experience a performance by the standout musicians of the 2024 HSC. Encore features a select group of HSC performers who achieved top marks, returning to the iconic stage for a special showcase.

This year’s performance was arguably the best I’ve witnessed in all my years of teaching. The diverse range of instrumentation was remarkable, with highlights including bagpipes, bassoon and tuba, alongside familiar acts like vocalists, rock guitarists, pianists and classical musicians.

Our students were inspired by the impressive skill of these young performers, drawing motivation from both their stage presence and their work as composers. I am looking forward to seeing what the 2025 Music 1, Music 2, and Extension cohort put together – no matter the result, we all believe they are amazing musicians.

Private Music Lessons

The College offers private music lessons in an array of instruments and lessons occur on a rotating basis within school time. Preference is given to students in Year 12 to fit around their free periods.

A reminder that all students who have lessons at the College must be in one of our ensembles. Singers can attend choir on Wednesday mornings and piano players are also welcome to join the choir. Playing in an ensemble is good for our neurotransmitters as we learn to work together with music being a common goal.

Dates for your diaries

Monday 7 April – Secondary School Music Ensemble lunch. The Music Support Group host this lunch for the students in an ensemble. More details will come about how to order.

Wednesday 9 April – Outdoor Secondary School Ensemble Concert from 5.30pm. Bring your picnics. In the event of wet weather, we will move to the GMCPA.

Tuesday 24 June – Term 2 Ensemble Concert in the GMCPA.

Sarah Turner

Head of Music

2025 Pymble Foundation Gala Ball

Please join us for a very special evening at the Pymble Foundation Gala Ball on Saturday 5 April.

The Gala Ball celebrates community, philanthropy and Pymble Spirit. Your presence and generosity will assist the Pymble Foundation Bursary Program, including supporting young girls facing adversity, displaced by war, or impacted by other catastrophic events.

Since its establishment in 2022, our community has helped the Pymble Foundation transform the lives of four young girls, gifting them the power of a Pymble education.

With your support, we can achieve our mission to elevate and empower young women, break down barriers and strive for equality.

Please join us at the 2025 Pymble Foundation Gala Ball to make a real difference and help redefine futures for girls facing adversity.

Date and time

Saturday 5 April, 6.30pm to 11.30pm

Venue

Doltone House Hyde Park, 181 Elizabeth St, Sydney NSW 2000

With

Celebrations, auctions and prizes to support the Pymble Foundation Bursary Program

Master of Ceremonies

Melissa Doyle AM (Pymble 1987)

Auctioneer

Peter Mochrie

Tickets

$300 per person | $3,000 per table of 10

Dress code

Black Tie

Tickets

$300 per person | $3,000 per table of 10

Click here to purchase your tickets today!

2025 Alumni Networking Event

Every year, the College hosts an Alumni Networking Event designed to support our graduates at key stages of their careers. The event includes a keynote address, a series of 15-minute coaching sessions between Mentors and Mentees, career-stage-specific workshops and informal networking opportunities for our graduates to establish connections with members of our Alumni who are willing to share their professional expertise and advice.

We are seeking professionals and leaders from our parent community to attend this year’s event as Mentors.

Click here to register as a mentor today!

Date: Thursday 22 May

Time: 6.00pm to 9.00pm

Venue: Qantas Head Office, 10 Bourke Road, Mascot NSW 2020

The venue is a five-minute walk from Mascot Train Station via Bourke Street. There is also a parking station nearby.

Meet our 2025 speakers

Dr Rowena Ditzell (1986), Master of Ceremonies
Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney
ESU President
Fiona Ellis-Jones (2001), Keynote Speaker
Head of News and Information, Australian Radio Network
Li-Enn Koo (1991), Keynote Speaker
Founding Partner and Head of People & Culture, Barrenjoey Capital Partners
Pymble Board member
Chris Fydler OAM
Chair of the Board, Pymble Ladies’ College
Dr Kate Hadwen
Principal, Pymble Ladies’ College

The College is grateful to Vanessa Hudson (1987), Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, for providing the magnificent venue for the evening.

Be a mentor on the night!

Upon registration, you will be asked to upload a professional head shot and a short biography, and/or share your LinkedIn profile, which the College will include in the event app to be used on the evening.

Closer to the date, each registered Mentor and Mentee will receive all the information they require to ensure the event is engaging and beneficial for all involved.

Hopefully, you are excited about the prospect of supporting our outstanding Pymble graduates. We know you will make a valuable contribution to mentorship at our 2025 Alumni Networking Event and hope to see you there.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Community Engagement team at communityengagement@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Secondary Innovation Precinct Survey

A Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is an objective independent study undertaken to identify and assess potential positive and negative social impacts associated with a proposed development, in this case, the Secondary Innovation Precinct (SIP) and Campus Commons. Social impacts can be understood as the consequences that people (individuals, households, groups, communities and organisations) experience when a new development brings about change.

A SIA considers social impacts in relation to people’s way of life; community; accessibility; culture; health and wellbeing; surroundings; livelihoods and decision-making systems.

About this survey

This survey aims to gather insights from key stakeholders and community members, including the Pymble Ladies’ College community (students, teachers, staff and families) and the surrounding community (e.g. residents, workers, business owners) about how this project may impact them in positive and negative ways.

Survey responses will also help to identify mitigation and enhancement measures and initiatives that could be implemented during the design, construction and/or operation of the proposed development to reduce negative impacts and enhance positive impacts.

The survey should take approximately five to ten minutes to complete, and all responses will be kept anonymous.

Please click here to complete the survey. Your input will be much appreciated.

The survey closes at 5.00pm on Friday 28 February.

Expressions of interest for Portobello Road Markets and convenor

Portobello Road Markets

We are delighted to invite our College community to express your interest in holding a stall in Portobello Road Markets at this year’s Garden Party. You can help make this the best Garden Party yet!

Please note that Portobello Market allocations are limited and as such registering your interest today does not confirm a position.

To find out more please contact us at events@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

To send an expression of interest, please click here.

We look forward to seeing you at Garden Party 2025!

Convenor

We’re looking for a dedicated parent to help coordinate our much-loved Portobello Road Markets at this year’s Garden Party on Saturday 20 September. If you have some spare time in the weeks leading up to the event and would love to get involved, please contact events@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

Parent information sessions on how to use MyPymble

Anthony England, Director – Innovative Learning Technologies, will be hosting two online information sessions on how to use the MyPymble parent portal, the College’s app and central point of truth for everything that happens at Pymble.

Session 1 had a great turnout with many new parents, and Session 2 next Monday evening will be a refresher with time allocated for questions and answers. New and existing parents are both welcome to join Session 2.

Session 2 – Refresher and Q+A

Date: Monday 3 March

Time: 6.30pm to 7.30pm

Location: Online (Microsoft Teams meeting)

Meeting link: Click here to join.

We hope to see many parents at Session 2! If you are unable to attend, we will distribute a recorded video of the session in the days after the event.

Invitation: Careers Expo 2025

Term 1 Bus Registrations are now open!

This is a reminder to register your daughter for the Pymble private bus service for travel during Term 1 if you have not already done so.

Registration for the Pymble bus service is offered on a term-by-term basis with two options:

Term registrations are valid for a whole term.
Flexible registrations enable students to register for specific day(s) with a choice of morning and/or afternoon runs.

Students must use their student ID cards to tap on and off the bus service. Students who are new to the College will receive their student ID cards in the coming weeks. If your daughter has lost her card, please get in touch with College Services for a replacement form.

Green Travel Plan initiative

In line with our Green Travel Plan initiative, we will be trialling a new, lower full-term registration fee for students using stops within a 5km driving distance to the College.

Students who catch the bus at a stop within a 5km driving distance to the College will be charged a term registration of $250. The term charge outside the 5km driving distance will remain at $430 this term. The flexible registration charge remains at $7.50 per trip.

The $250 term charge will apply to the following stops:

New stop: Yarrara Road before Lachlan Avenue, West Pymble (Hunters Hill Bus Route 1). Please note, this replaces our Yanko Road stop
New stop: Ryde Road opposite Wyuna Road, West Pymble (North West Bus Route 3)
New stop: Ryde Road opposite Kiparra Street, West Pymble (North West Bus Route 3)
Existing stop: Birdwood Avenue before Koola Avenue, East Killara (Lower North Shore Bus Route 2)
Existing stop: Mona Vale Road opposite Memorial Avenue, St Ives (Northern Beaches Bus Route 4)

Safety of our students on the Pymble bus service

The safety of our students is paramount to us and the following measures are in place to ensure their safety.

Registering to use the service allows us to ensure that all students can get a seat on the bus. By knowing who is catching our buses, we are also able to communicate to the relevant parents any delays or changes.
Our Junior School students are walked to and from the James Kelso Field bus drop-off zone by a member of the Junior School staff in the morning and afternoon. Students are always supervised by a Junior School staff member and our trusted bus drivers.
The buses now have an additional safety feature to ensure that no child is left behind on a bus after it has finished its run. Drivers will need to check all rows of seats and push a button at the back of the bus at the end of each run. An alarm will sound if the driver does not complete this step.
All students are required to wear a seatbelt at all times on the bus. Moving between seats while the bus is on the move is not allowed.
All students must tap on and off the bus. This allows us to know who is currently on the bus should there be an incident while on the road.
All our buses are tracked via the TransportMe app in real-time. This is available for free on Android and Apple devices.
All our drivers are trained, experienced and hold a current WWCC.

Please do not hesitate to contact College Services if you have any further questions about transport to and from Pymble Ladies’ College as we are always happy to assist.

College Services

E: collegeservices@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

T: +61 2 9855 7447