From the Principal It was with pure delight and pride
Pymble continues to partner with
thing inside us that insists, despite
that the College formally launched
leaders in the field of wellbeing to
all evidence to the contrary, that
our Pymble Institute in October this
support best practice.
something better awaits us if we have
year. Congratulations to our Director of Research and Development, Dr Sarah Loch, for her contribution to the development of our research-
We thank our partners who generously give their time and continue to inform our practice.
the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it. Hope is the belief that destiny will not be written for us, but by us, by the men and women
centre and for the way she has
As I write this, Sydney has emerged
who are not content to settle for the
engaged with all stakeholders – most
from a 107-day period of lockdown and
world as it is, who have the courage
importantly, our students – to establish
Melbourne has been released from its
to remake the world as it should be”.
a centre of true excellence.
sixth lockdown and a world-record-
The Pymble Institute has already significantly enhanced our community, with 15 staff actively engaged in their own research and 30 staff undertaking postgraduate studies to complement their skills and knowledge. Possibly two of the most exciting additions have been our College Ethics Committee, with a large number of students involved, whose lens on ethical research is impressive, and our Junior Journal Club (JJC). It’s fantastic to see our girls learning new concepts and looking forward to applying these in their own lives. One of my favourite comments came from a JJC member who wrote in the Microsoft Teams chat during a recent meeting, “It was great to learn about what should be included in
breaking total of 262 days in lockdown since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Undoubtedly, this has been a very challenging time for many, a time of deep distress, increased family violence and financial stress – certainly a time most would not want to repeat. You only need to look at the constant media trail of all the challenges of lockdown that are presented in a neverending stream for our consumption to appreciate the impact of the pandemic – and yet most conversations I have had with colleagues and young people point to the benefits gained from this chapter of history. Family relationships were cemented and there was time to ride pushbikes, build cubby houses and go for walks in the afternoon.
an abstract since I had never heard
As this is our second edition of
of them before”. These students are
Illuminate to focus on wellbeing,
our researchers of the future and
I wanted to offer a view that moves
watching them engage so fully in this
away from the body of knowledge that
space is providing them with exciting
focusses on all the concerns regarding
opportunities to change their world in
the wellbeing of our young people and
meaningful ways.
move to a place of hope.
Congratulations to our Pymble staff
I’m a fan of former President Barack
who have contributed to this edition of
Obama’s take on hope:
Illuminate. While our students are busy
“ Hope is not blind optimism. It’s not
asking big questions, exploring solutions
ignoring the enormity of the task ahead
and challenging the status quo, our staff
or the roadblocks that stand in our
are engaged in translating their research
path. It’s not sitting on the sidelines
into practice.
or shirking from a fight. Hope is that
There is a great deal of research on the importance of hope, which is defined by the Australian clinical psychologist, Andrew Fuller, as “the anticipation that good things will happen in the future and that we have the power to make some of those good things happen”. For me, the addition of the Pymble Institute to the College’s already outstanding offering provides a strong sense of hope for the future. Hope that our students will continue to ask big questions, hope that this research eases the pain that is present in the lives of so many, hope that research continues to enrich our educators and refine their skills, and hope that, in big and small increments, Pymble continues to change the world in positive and productive ways.
Dr Kate Hadwen B.ED, GRAD CERT ED LEADERSHIP, M.ED, PHD PRINCIPAL
Pymble Ladies’ College
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