Pymbulletin, Issue 1, 2020

‘Team Pymble’: How we moved learning online – and flourished!

Find out more on page 6

PYMBLE LADIES’ COLLEGE ISSUE 1, 2020 VOLUME 48

Contents

Pymbulletin | Volume 48 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

Principal’s Message .........................................3

International Women’s Day........................ 29 Fame the Musical .......................................... 30

NEWS

Our Aspiring ‘Edu-preneur’........................ 32

Welcome back, beautiful girls! ................... 4

Australian Mathematical Olympiad Selection ..................................... 32

‘Team Pymble’: How we moved learning online – and flourished! ................6 Live cooking class ...........................................7

Front cover Year 3 students Fiona Wu, Orla Cottrell and Cate Luxton About Pymble Ladies' College Celebrating 100 years of education in 2016, Pymble’s history has been marked with excellence. The College has gained a reputation for offering extraordinary opportunities with outstanding teachers and facilities. Pymble students aspire to the College motto, ‘All’ Ultimo Lavoro’ – Strive for the highest, graduating with confidence and maturity to embrace the challenges that lie beyond the College gates. A school of the Uniting Church in Australia, Pymble welcomes girls of all faiths in Kindergarten to Year 12 and Boarders from Year 7.

Italian Language Immersion Tour ............ 33

Pymble Online Sport ..................................... 8

SUSTAINABILITY

Dance at Home ................................................9

Pymble Gives Back ....................................... 35 Face Shields ................................................... 35

PERSONALISED LEARNING

The Future is in Safe Hands ........................ 36

Hospitality Students Showcase their Skills ....................................11

Amazing Year 7 Writers ............................... 37

Year 9 Urban Challenge ...............................12

Bushfire Relief Variety Concert................. 37

Authors Inspire Junior School Girls..........12

SPORT AND ACTIVITIES

Happy Campers .............................................13

Secondary Swimming Carnivals ............... 39

Year 4 Excursion ............................................14

Victorious Swimming and Diving ............. 39

Sufferance Path and Gateway Opening ..14

Acrobatic Gymnastics .................................40

Principal’s Project..........................................15

Record Number of Swimming Rankings . 40

Massive Open Online Courses ...................15

NSWCIS Awards for Pymble Girls ..............41

Back in Time ...................................................16

Kurt Fearnley Scholarship Recipient........ 42

Virtual Writing Workshop ............................17

Cricket Star..................................................... 42

COMMUNITY

History Made! ............................................... 43 Junior School Cross Country Carnival ...44

Anzac Day ........................................................19

Secondary School Cross Country ............ 45

Jersey Day ...................................................... 20

Rafael Nadal Masters Win ........................... 46

facebook.com/pymblelc

Day School Comes to Boarding.................21

NSW Swimming Championships 2020 ... 46

instagram.com/pymblelc

Pymble Social Media

Foundation Day............................................. 22

Rowing to Victory......................................... 47

twitter.com/pymblelc

New Parents’ Luncheon.............................. 23

Flying High ..................................................... 47

bit.ly/youtube-pymblelc

Icebreaker 2020 ............................................ 24

History of Rowing......................................... 47

bit.ly/linkedin-pymblelc

Preparatory Family Fun Day ....................... 26

Acknowledgements

JSPG Parent Morning Tea .......................... 27

BLACK WATCH TIES

This edition of Pymbulletin was prepared by the Community Engagement team, Pymble Ladies’ College.

USPG Parent Breakfast................................ 27

Black Watch Ties........................................... 49

SSPG Parent Breakfast ................................ 27

Notices ............................................................ 50 Reunions ......................................................... 53

Contact Us

Events .............................................................. 53

Pymble Ladies’ College PO Box 136 North Ryde BC NSW 1670 Pymble NSW 2073 AUSTRALIA

Upcoming Reunions and Events .............. 54 From the Archives......................................... 55

Telephone +61 2 9855 7799 CRICOS Provider Code: 03288K www.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au Follow us on social media

Principal’s Message

Welcome to the first issue of Pymbulletin for 2020. We hope you enjoy this snapshot of life at our College and the many achievements of our girls in the first two terms of an extraordinary year.

It’s fair to say the global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 stopped the world.

Seemingly overnight, nations were shut down, borders were closed, and previously unthinkable restrictions were placed on people and organisations all around the world.

We all were forced to radically change how we live and interact with one another in order to stop the spread.

For Pymble, and so many other schools in Australia, the potential threat of COVID-19 meant that our teaching and learning needed to move online. After extensive consultation with health and education officials, the medical community, parents and neighbouring schools, we made an early call to replace face-to-face learning with Pymble Online. From mid-March, our staff and students had the choice to stay at home or come to school to continue remote online teaching and learning while maintaining social distance.

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Transformations in times of duress are never easy, however our wonderful Pymble family rose to the occasion in fine style. Our aim was to create connected virtual classrooms that replicated the face-to-face learning experience as closely as possible. At the core of every decision was the drive to continue to deliver a world-class education for our girls while keeping our Pymble family out of harm’s way.

Thanks to the unwavering passion, ingenuity and commitment of our leadership team, College Council, teachers, staff and, of course, our incredibly flexible students, we achieved what we set out to do – and more. Pymble Online is widely regarded as an online learning program of excellence. Following the launch, Pymble Online was complemented by a suite of cocurricular programs including Sport, Health and Fitness, Dance, student-led extension projects and community service. Our girls had an impressive array of choices to fill their hours in isolation, including Pymble Gives Back activities, which not only served to keep our own community feeling connected but the broader community as well.

Throughout this journey, we have been buoyed by our wonderful parents, who continue to trust us to place the wellbeing of their precious daughters at the forefront of all we do.

It is with great pride that I sign off now by sharing a handful of the many messages I received in gratitude for the decisions we made and the quality of education we delivered during this challenging time. We are eternally grateful for this support.

“We are very thankful that Pymble has yet again demonstrated what a world-leading education institution should do during this challenging time by proactively acting on the emerging crisis. Being the first to do so in NSW is not easy, it shows strong care, responsibility, leadership, cohesion and courage. We would like to extend our appreciation to all teaching staff at Pymble for making online learning happen with such short notice to plan, prepare, and execute. We know you have been working tirelessly to make this a reality.” – Year 4 parents “Your forethought in preparing for online schooling has provided the students with a significant advantage over many of their peers”.

– Year 10 parents “I am so proud to say that my daughter is attending such an incredible school…a school that has again shown the world how to seek first to understand and then act wisely and definitively. You and your team have truly made the most beautiful lemonade from the most challenging lemons!” – Year 9 parent

Dr Kate Hadwen PRINCIPAL

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News

Welcome back, beautiful girls!

Ivy Dimovski,

Kindergarten

We were very excited to welcome our girls back to campus from Week 3 Term 2 with most students returning full-time from Week 4. It was such a joy to see the girls back – they are the heart, soul and spirit of the College. While Pymble Online kept us connected and learning so well, nothing can replace the experience of being in each other’s company and teaching and learning in the same space.

The voices of the girls have never been so important and who better than the girls to tell us about how they were feeling as they returned to campus: • “ It’s nice to be back, it’s not the same on my iPad. I’ve missed my friends and my teacher.” – Charlotte Ma, Year 2 • “ It’s great being able to meet with friends, I’m enjoying being outside in the warm sun.” – Misaki Nakakoji, Year 2

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Olivia Hicks-Duncombe, Molly Liu, Hilary Eyers and Emma Lloyd, Year 3

Blair Elliott, Year 4

• “ I get to talk with my friends, I’m enjoying the fresh air and all the space.” – Isla Huang, Year 2 • “ I get to see all my friends and my teachers, and I get to do stuff like I used to do.”

– Freya Holland, Kindergarten • “ We can smash rocks and we can do more fun things all together.” – Tiffany Ma, Kindergarten • “ I felt excited about meeting all my friends again in person. I just wanted to hug everyone, but I couldn’t. I felt a bit nervous when Dad dropped me at carline, it felt like the first day of school again! My favourite part was sitting in Valley playground and making a little book for my teacher – that was so fun to be outside together.” – Melanie Xu, Year 3

Caitlin Stoodley, Year 4

• “ It felt great coming back to school because we got to see our teachers and our friends.”

– Chloë Lenane, Year 3 • “ It felt a bit weird because we had been away for so long I had forgotten what school looked like.” – Orla Cottrell, Year 3 • “ I thought it was great so I could see all my friends and I felt a lot more comfortable.”

– Olivia Hicks-Duncombe, Year 3

Lakey Boyes, Year 1

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News the children of emergency and critical workers who needed to remain on campus,” Mr England said.

“Our students got the same learning experience, whether they were on campus or at home.”

Co-learners together Mr England said the whole school worked hard to adopt the new tool.

“We were all co-learners together, from teacher to student,” he said.

“Taking a team approach made all the difference. We didn’t just have remote learning, we had complete remote classrooms.”

‘Team Pymble’:

Staff undertook many hours of professional development, and students volunteered to be part of live performances broadcast to the rest of the school to test out the video classrooms.

How we moved learning online – and flourished!

“Everyone was putting their hands up to be part of it,” Mr England said.

Pymble Ladies’ College was one of the first schools in New South Wales to implement online learning amid the outbreak of COVID-19 – a transition two years in the making.

“From day one, (we said) good online learning looks like connected learning, where we replicate the in-class experience that our teachers and staff have face-to-face,” said Mr England.

“We set up our online learning environment so that it mirrors a normal classroom as much as possible, so we could maintain those essential connections between our students and our staff,” Pymble Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen, said of the innovative move.

“Our online transition was two years in the making. When COVID-19 happened, we spent two weeks on intense implementing, so we could roll out a top-quality remote learning platform that covered students from Kindergarten to Year 12, and also catered for co-curricular needs,” he said.

Dr Hadwen worked with Mr Anthony England, Pymble’s Director of Innovative Learning Technologies, to shift the school online.

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“We were able to deliver all of our learning remotely which supported both those learning from home and

Pymble had the technology in place already, Mr England said, adding that Microsoft Teams was instrumental in enabling the school’s transition to online learning, with the program breaking down walls and extending connections outside the classroom.

As well as running lessons with students contributing, watching and listening in, teachers were also able to invite experts to participate and share their knowledge in ways that had not been done before.

“We also enabled chat functions and social groups so that we have a digital playground, where girls can safely keep up those critical social connections,” Mr England said.

News The College made use of a range of different digital tools to enhance learning.

These included Canvas (an online textbook where official assessments are completed), OneNote (a digital student notebook accessible to teachers), Seesaw (a Kindergarten to Year 6 learning journal and activities platform) and Digital Toolkits (a support site for students, teachers and parents developed by Pymble staff, outlining key information and necessary resources).

Practical magic Mrs Kim Maksimovic is the Deputy Head of Learning (Years 7 to 12) and teaches Design and Technology at Pymble. She said that the COVID-19 era helped everyone in the school realise how important human connection is for learning.

“Video made a massive difference, being able to see and hear the girls and for them to engage with me was lovely,” Mrs Maksimovic said.

The Deputy Head of Upper School has also found creative ways to keep students engaged in practical projects.

“Year 7 and Year 9 Technology students were making jewellery, something we usually do in a workshop, experimenting with materials,” she said.

Live cooking class with Dr H and Mr Bell What a fun night we had on Tuesday 7 April! The Pymble community had the opportunity to learn how to cook a delicious pasta meal with our Principal, Dr H, and her husband (and very good cook) Mr Bell.

Our students and teachers joined a cooking class over Microsoft Teams, and were able to talk to Dr H, ask Mr Bell cooking questions, post photos as they cooked and show their cooking in action, live, with our community.

Students used Adobe Illustrator to design the jewellery, sending their designs to their teacher, who had it printed using the laser cutting technology in the workshop, and would later send the prototypes out by post.

Major feat “Gearing a school up for online learning is no mean feat,” Dr Hadwen said.

“Our priority was to make sure that all of our beautiful girls continued to feel like important members of Team Pymble.”

Dr Hadwen said that each day, teachers across the school made it their priority to connect their students to the school, whether they were learning from the campus, or learning from their bedrooms.

Dr Hadwen said that students and staff were co-learners in new ways to deliver education as they prepared to move much of their learning offsite. “At Pymble, we were completely all in this together,” she said. “It takes a team effort to stay connected – and our students and our staff were very much up to the task.”

Above: Harriet Wykeham-Fiennes, Year 10 and opposite page: Emily Rothery, Year 7

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News

“Our head of AFL emailed some different programs to do each week, and the health and fitness co-ordinator created personal training plans and schedules so I could do workouts at home when I couldn’t use the school gym,” she said.

“I also dialled into some online fitness sessions in the afternoons.”

As part of Pymble Online Sport, our Coaching Development Director, Mr Simon Pennington co-ordinated the production of Pymble’s live online fitness sessions.

Julia O’Neill (Fitness Coach) and Jack Pennington (Health and Fitness Co-ordinator)

Pymble Online Sport Staying home to stay safe during the early days of COVID-19 lockdown didn’t mean exercise went out the window for our Pymble family. Thanks to an innovative online sports program led by our Director of Sport, Mr Greg Meagher, our girls and their families were able to have fun and stay active in their own backyards.

“Our aim was to keep Pymble moving,” Mr Meagher said. “We collaborated with our head coaches and sports co-ordinators across 25 different sports and busily put together – and published live – programs for the girls to do while they were at home learning remotely via Pymble Online.”

Pymble Online Sport was rolled out across the whole school in March, using Microsoft Teams, which is the same platform the girls used for online academic learning.

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Each sport had a dedicated section with a range of resources including activities, notes and videos covering physical training, skills and technical training and, in some sports, tactical training.

“Some of our programs also included mental and psychological skills training exercises,” Mr Meagher said. The programs are designed to cater for the limited resources in home-based training. “If you have a basketball at home but no basketball ring, there’s still lots of things you can do.”

Emma Sullivan, Year 11, plays AFL for the College and for her local club. Emma was thrilled Pymble Online Sport provided access and support from school staff to help keep her motivation and fitness up during isolation.

The sessions tapped into different areas to maintain strength and fitness, focusing on muscle strength, core stability and stretching and static holds as well as aerobic fitness.

The sessions weren’t just for Pymble students; siblings and parents joined in from home too, Mr Pennington said, and sessions attracted hundreds of participants.

“It was important to keep moving at this time because when you’re at home you miss out on a lot of incidental exercise. At school, our girls usually average 4,000 to 5,000 steps each day just walking between classrooms and engaging in active play,” Mr Pennington said.

Being at home and spending more time in front of a screen can also lead to poor posture, he added.

“Our stretch classes were designed to address some of those issues.”

Attending online sports programs with the instructors girls knew from school added another level of connectedness with the College during the time of isolation, Mr Pennington said.

News

Dance at Home There are more than 1,000 dance students at Pymble – and all of them had access to a unique ‘Dance at Home’ program devised to help girls at different levels continue their dance exercises and sequences remotely.

Another advantage of the innovative program was to the College’s elite athletes, who compete at State, National and International levels.

“For our high-level sports people, it was important to maintain that level of fitness and strength so that they can hit the ground running when the world does get back to our normal competitions,” Mr Pennington said.

Christina Yang, Year 1

With a number of high-level speciality coaches, Pymble was able to offer extra training for our girls via Pymble Online Sport, he added. “We had Australia’s most successful female runner, former Olympian Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, doing some special online live running masterclasses for all of our students, teaching different aspects of sprinting,” he said.

These techniques proved beneficial to athletes in a number of sports, including tennis, netball, basketball, hockey, football and soccer.

When Pymble’s Head of Dance, Miss Katrina Cluff, completed her Master of Educational Psychology degree in 2019, little did she know that her final project on the use of video demonstrations in the process of learning dance would become so relevant to students at the College during the COVID-19 pandemic. “ I could never have imagined we would be rapidly moving to use the research to replace our face-to-face teaching for a little while to ensure our girls can continue to be engaged by their dance teachers and lessons,” Miss Cluff said.

Her first step was to prepare a ‘Safe Dance from Home’ guide for dancers and their families, to make sure that girls were able to continue their lessons safely.

“Pre-recorded video dance classes were popular for many students, including a number of girls enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dance Ballet stream, who were able to continue their regular afterschool dance sessions at home,” she said.

The Pymble dance team created new videos of each ballet exercise, demonstrated by Pymble Ballet staff, to help the girls practice their exercises weekly and see a familiar face.

The Dance at Home program was rolled out across Kindergarten to Year 12 at the end of Term 1 and supplemented by holiday solo, duo and trio challenges that the girls could submit to dance staff.

Year 7 dance student Samara Bond said that the dance program allowed her to continue to work on her group routines during isolation. “I had dance videos for each week, with some of the combinations and segments of our whole group dance so we could practice,” she said.

“I checked my moves in front of the mirror compared to the video, and if they looked the same, I knew I was doing well.”

Samara said that Dance at Home allowed her to keep working on her technique but was relieved to return to classes.

Samara Bond, Year 7 and Sienna Bond, Year 10

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Personalised Learning Community

Lauren Duncan, Ashleigh Wedlock and Madeline Warden, Year 12

Personalised Learning Personalised Learning experiences value students’ voices, needs, aspirations and passions in authentic ways, because their purpose is to empower those learners to become self-directed and independent. Our Personalised Learning Framework places at its heart the learner attributes of passion, scholarship and self-assurance; its intention is to foster young women who can delight in their successes and failures because these experiences contribute equally to ongoing learning.

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Personalised Learning

Hospitality Students Showcase their Skills Julia Parkinson, Year 12

The Hospitality Dinner is a showcase of the skills and talents of our Year 12 Hospitality students.

Sara Royle, Year 12

Year 12 students have been studying commercial cookery for nearly two years and have developed a range of food preparation skills which meet industry standards. The Hospitality Dinner is an opportunity for the girls to showcase these skills to their parents and other VIP guests.

At the event, guests were served canapés on arrival, (chosen by the students), then a main course, dessert and petit fours. The main course was a fillet of beef tenderloin on buttered spinach with sautéed mushrooms, black garlic and mushroom foam, with Paris mash and roasted Ras el hanout spiced cauliflower. Dessert choices were flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse or caramel ice cream with fresh raspberries. Those who could fit it in finished with coffee and lemon friands.

A key element of the dinner is the opportunity the girls have to work with a professional chef, Jeff Turnbull, who is head chef of Dunes restaurant at Palm Beach. This industry partnership is a valuable opportunity for the girls to further their skills and simulate a commercial kitchen. The Technology and Applied Sciences balcony was converted to a beautiful restaurant which created a lovely ambiance for guests to enjoy their meal. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of the event and are to be congratulated on the exceptional standard of food they prepared.

Special thanks to the staff who facilitated the event – Miss Heather Cusiter, Ms Susan McCorquodale and Mrs Kathryn Wiedemann – who kindly volunteered their precious time, support and expertise to act as mentors to the students along their personalised learning journey.

Mrs Susan McCorquodale (Technology and Applied Studies Teacher), Chef Jeff Turnbull, Miss Heather Cusiter (Food Technology and Hospitality Co-ordinator)

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Personalised Learning

Authors Inspire Junior School Girls Our Junior School girls have had the wonderful opportunity of hearing from authors of some of their favourite books.

Year 9 Urban Challenge Year 9 students bravely faced the many unknown challenges of the Urban Challenge held in Term 1. The Challenge is designed so students follow clues and collect point for tasks as they make their way from one location in Sydney to another. The day was capped off by the Pymble-famous ‘Masterchef Challenge’ on Cockatoo Island, where each team delivered a three-course meal which they budgeted, planned, prepped and cooked from scratch. New friendships were created and the girls learned how to work both independently and with their peers in unknown situations.

Following the Urban Challenge, the Year 9 girls were asked to respond to several questions regarding the program, the challenges they faced and what they learnt about themselves.

“I learnt that having to navigate a group of 14 teenage girls is not easy, especially when everyone just wants to get to the destination as quickly as possible. I realised that I am a lot more social than I thought and made a bunch of new friends as well as tried many new activities.”

“I’m patient, I took up other roles when needed and I made some kind friends.”

“During the Urban Challenge, I learnt how to deal with different dietary requirements as well as improving my negotiation skills when dealing with the budget and when looking for places to eat. I also learnt that I can manage money and understand how to make better decisions when shopping for lunch at a supermarket or finding a place for dinner.”

Author Tim Harris visited Year 3 in the Library in Term 1. Tim is the best-selling author of several laugh-out-loud series for kids including Toffle Towers, Mr Banbuckle’s Remarkables and Exploding Endings. As well as keeping the girls in fits of laughter over his funny stories and impromptu slips into character, Tim took us on a journey through his writing process, highlighting in particular that ideas can be found everywhere and showing us people and events that have influenced his writing.

The girls loved hearing him read from his latest book and bombarded Tim with insightful questions about his concepts, characters and love of reading and writing.

Tristan Bancks entertained our Year 4 girls with a special online visit with tales from his books and life. The girls laughed about nits, warring grannies and how childhood trauma helped inspire his writing in a positive way.

Beloved author Jacqueline Harvey needed no introduction when ‘meeting’ our Year 5 girls, who love her Alice-Miranda and Kensey and Max series. The students had a wonderful time chatting online to Jacqueline and hearing about her favourite books, inspirations and writing tips.

“It is easier to make friends than I thought.”

“I learnt that I had enough physical and mental power to finish the camp without being too exhausted!”

“I was really surprised at the extent I would go to benefit my team and encourage team spirit and success. There were many occasions where I put myself out of my comfort zone to win extra bonus points from bonus challenges. I’m so grateful that I discovered my team spirit through camp and my determination to win by taking one for the team from time to time.”

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Tim Harris

Happy Campers In Week 4 of Term 1, three of our year groups in the Junior School left the comfort of their homes and our campus to explore new horizons – Year 4 for two nights at Chowder Bay, Year 5 for three nights at Lake Burrendong, and Year 6 for four nights at Jindabyne and Canberra. Our girls threw themselves into these outdoor education programs designed to stretch them physically, mentally and socially. The girls approached activities with an open mind, courage and a sense of fun. The girls came back to school buzzing with the excitement of all the things they had learnt – and learnt about themselves – while on camp.

Year 4 “It is cool and the food is yummy. I was happily surprised with the partners for my tent.”

– Lera Dubrovina

Elizabeth Liu, Zara Sandham, Caitlin Stoodley, Abby Pisani, Sophia Irwin, Eyleen Zhou, Celine Cai, Annelise Cusack, Aria Cheng and Brielle Humphreys, Year 4

“It is even better than Year 3. I loved sleeping in the tents with my friends.”

– Leahara Wijesuriya “I enjoyed washing our own dishes and going to the bathroom in a group of four to care for each other.” – Eyleen Zhou

Year 5 “I liked the night games because I learned new games and enjoyed challenging myself to do new things. I liked the excitement and entertainment in the hall. The grass skiing challenged me as I fell over but it was fun to give it a go.” – Charlotte King “I enjoyed the grass skiing as it was something different that I hadn’t done before but I was able to go fast and even go backwards. I found the mini Olympics challenging as I found some of the games tricky to do but it was fun working in a team.” – Abby Lim

Megan Chia, Kathy Wang, Ellie Zhao and Celine Cai, Year 4

“I loved all the night activities as everyone was so excited and the games were fun.

I was challenged when trying to sleep as I missed home but I just thought of all the fun things we were doing and fell asleep.” – Amelia Carlan

Year 6 “My great grandfather fought in Singapore in the war, so visiting the War Memorial helped me step inside my family history.” – Aarushi Devgan “I had so much fun at Questacon and with my friends in our cabin. I found that I had to keep on trying even when I didn’t get something at first, as the next time I found I could do it.” – Ariana Ziolkowski

Dr Kate Hadwen (Principal), Scarlett Wong, Celine Soo and Emily Woods-McConville, Year 4

“When I was hanging on to the monkey bars on the giant slide every part of my body was telling me not to do it…then I let go and had the time of my life! I loved it and did it over and over again.” – Delaney Burke “I loved going canoeing even though I capsized twice at Lake Jindabyne. I was soaked but it was epic and I wish I could do it again. It was the best thing ever!” – Eloisa Hunt

Eloise Fisher, Charlotte King and Jemma Hung, Year 5

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Personalised Learning

Year 4 Excursion In Term 1, Year 4 visited the Museum of Sydney as part of their History topic ‘First Contacts’ and to gain a deeper understanding of colonisation in Australia. Looking at the models of the ships from the First Fleet and interpreting artworks around their arrival was a highlight.

“I was surprised to learn that the Museum of Sydney is actually on the exact site of the first Government House.”

– Nicole Fan “I was surprised to learn just how small the ship the Friendship was from the First Fleet. They spent eight months on a really small ship.” – Jamilla Soo “I was surprised to learn that if you were a female on the ship you were likely to have had your hair shaved off and been bald.” – Silka Czyniewski All of Year 4 was surprised at how many different Aboriginal languages (more than 250) there were at the time of the First Fleet and how hard it would have been to communicate.

Ayla Gortan, Brielle Humphreys, Blair Elliott and Abby Pisani, Year 4

Sufferance Path and Gateway Opening Over the 2019 Christmas break, the College refurbished the pathway and entryway on the Sufferance entrance to make it easier for our girls to safely enter the grounds. It was officially opened on the first day of Term 1 2020.

Imogen Margaret Goh, Year 11, Georgia Stuart, Year 9, Mia Croker, Year 7, 7 Hawkins, Year 8, Dr Kate Hadwen (Principal) and Sophie Laing, Year

Sufferance gate c 1927

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Massive Open Online Courses

Principal’s Project The Easter school holidays were unusual for students across the country, as Australians stayed at home to stay safe. Holiday dreams of travel, visiting friends and family, playing sport and going camping were on hold for a while and many families were scratching their heads about what to do with endless hours at home.

Pymble’s Principal, Dr Hadwen, launched the Principal’s Project at the end of Term 1, with a long list of ideas to get a creative project underway – and a couple of big incentives for girls to submit their project by Friday 24 April.

“We were conscious of keeping girls positive and connected during the holidays when they were homebound and missing that all-important daily interaction with their teachers and classmates in our online classrooms,” Dr Hadwen said.

She said that the Principal’s Project was an exciting opportunity designed for the girls to “use the weeks to sink their teeth into a hobby or passion project that inspired them to create, think, learn and grow.”

Dr Hadwen offered a reward that was bound to inspire take-up: a private online viewing of her impressive shoe closet for girls who completed every aspect of the project, including incorporating the six global competencies of Communication, Creativity, Citizenship, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Character into their submissions. One winning project in each year group will also win a muchcoveted prize at the College’s annual Speech Day/Night presentation.

“2020 has turned out to be a pretty unique year so far, so it’s only fitting that the reward for taking on this voluntary project should be unique too,” Dr Hadwen said.

“I thought long and hard about something fun to offer and decided to put my shoe collection out there, as I have bonded with many of the girls over some of my more out-there pairs of shoes!”

Girls signed up to take part in the Principal’s Project via a private Microsoft Teams group and submitted their work online for assessment. As this was an open project, students could work individually or collaborate with others, including family members, external experts, or a group of friends.

Year 11 student, Mackenzie Watkins, launched a private Facebook reading group where she posted videos of her reading for five minutes, followed by colouring and activity sheets for each story. Year 7 student Phoebe Cooper held a Virtual Dinner Party for her family and grandparents.

Phoebe prepared an extensive Thai banquet including table decorations for her family at home and also delivered some to her grandparents. They then ate dinner online as a family.

We were very excited to launch our Challenge by Choice: Pymble MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) at the beginning of Term 2 2020.

Pymble’s MOOCs, were optional, open to girls in Middle School (Years 7 to 8) and Upper School (Years 9 to 10) and an exciting chance for participants to take up the challenge of learning in their own time.

The wide array of course options included coding, robotics, food technology, photography, leadership, public speaking, problem solving, first aid, astronautical engineering and even designing a new MOOC. Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal, and Mrs Julie Shaw, Deputy Principal, facilitated the courses on Leadership Development and MOOC Makers.

To participate, girls accessed a Pymble Online site and studied during a spare period or outside school hours. The courses, like university or professional development courses, have set start and end dates.

Head of Middle School, Mrs Jennifer O’Donnell, said the MOOCs were part of the new ‘Challenge by Choice’ initiative and the program was on Microsoft Teams – the same program used for Pymble Online.

“The driving purpose of this optional initiative was to promote active, studentcentred and personally relevant challenges for our girls during the time where students attended school via Pymble Online,” Mrs O’Donnell said.

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Personalised Learning

Back in Time On Wednesday 19 February, Year 2 stepped back in time and visited the NSW Schoolhouse Museum.

There we found a school dating back to the 1800s!

The girls danced around a maypole, played quoits and conducted military style drills (very different from playing in our Riverbed). Inside the classrooms there were many artefacts. The girls wrote with quills and ink and practised their handwriting on slate boards.

There was a great discussion on how schooling has changed and how the evolution of technology has transformed our classrooms and the way we learn.

Katelyn Gu, Year 2 AmĂŠlie Rahme and After a fabulous day learning about the past it was great to get back to the Back Row: Abigail Wu, Ivy Pan Front Row: Kavya Surana, Riyanna Sawhney, Year 2 present at Pymble!

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Personalised Learning

Virtual Writing Workshop During Week 1 of Term 2, the English Department welcomed Writer-in-Residence Emily Maguire to host a virtual craft of writing workshop for our Year 12 students. Emily’s workshop was both rigorous and engaging.

She explored Nam Le’s text “Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” which is one of the HSC prescribed texts for the Craft of Writing module and shared some tips and insights into the writing experience. Full of rich insights, the workshop successfully stimulated the creative writing impulse and the students shared meaningful and mature reflections via the Padlet.

Viveca Tang, Deputy Head Prefect Year 12, shares her experience of the workshop: “Creative writing has always been a passion of mine. I take pleasure in watering my seeds of inspiration, in watching them grow before my eyes to emerge from the soil bed as young saplings.

So, when Pymble once again welcomed esteemed novelist, Emily Maguire, as our Writer-in-Residence, I was thrilled to hear that we’d been afforded the privilege to hear from her via a Live Event on Microsoft Teams. s a Year 12 English Advanced student, I eagerly awaited the insights that Ms A Maguire was to share with us, anticipating what she might illuminate of Nam Le’s autobiographical short story, “Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice.” Unsurprisingly, I was not disappointed in the slightest.

Ms Maguire’s lecture was in turn, captivating, didactic and rousing. It prompted me to reconsider the way in which I viewed the story as a whole, and challenged me to examine at greater length the text’s genre, audience and stylistic features.

Over the course of the two-part lecture series, we were afforded the opportunity to engage with Ms Maguire in real-time, through the digital interface, Padlet, which enabled us to share our responses to the questions she posed, in a meaningful and personalised manner. Being invited to reflect on the question, “Would it make a difference if you knew that the story was true or not?” was a venture into the realm of Postmodernism that I readily took on; it was an aspect of the text I had not thought to consider before, and something that shed light on the very intricacies embedded within it. n the whole, I found the experience to be highly rewarding as both an O extension of in-class discussion and as a source from which I could draw upon to inspire my own creative works in future. With thanks to Mrs Reynolds and the English Department for facilitating this incredible learning opportunity, I look forward to sowing some more seeds of inspiration, very shortly.”

Mrs Mandy Reynolds (Head of Learning Area - English) hosting the Virtual Workshop

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Community

Jade and Danielle Reed, Year 9

Community As a community, we value the relationships we have with each other and we stand together as global citizens, included and valued. Connecting and engaging with members past and present ensures our rich learning community extends through generations to build Pymble bonds that endure.

Together, we acknowledge and commemorate our past and present achievements. At home and internationally, community members are committed, loyal and proud to be a part of Pymble.

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Community

Anzac Day Our College Anzac Day Service would normally be held on Gloucester Lawn with the whole school gathered. This year, each element of our Anzac Day ceremony was supplied via photos, video, graphics and audio, compiled and streamed online via Microsoft Teams for our girls, staff and families to watch together, albeit alone.

Our community also honoured our heroes from their home turf in a very special way, standing at the end of their driveways as The Last Post rang out through several neighbourhoods.

As our History Captains, Priya Mehra and Danielle Cheung, Year 11, said, this year’s Anzac Day ceremony was even more important in the context of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emma Peters, Year 11

“It’s an opportunity for each Australian to take a step back and appreciate the values that tie us together as a community,” Danielle said.

“Please take this time to forget, however briefly, your immediate surroundings and stresses. Think of the courage and mateship, the grit and determination that the Anzac Spirit has instilled in Australia’s fight in the battles of the past, the present and the near future.”

Lest we forget.

Sophie Corcoran, Year

10

Lara Davis, Year 10

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Jersey Day Wednesday 3 June was a special day for our Pymble family. Jersey Day celebrates the lives of our three Pymble Boarders – Alanda Clark, Year 11, Jane Gay, Year 9 and Prudence Papworth, Year 8 – who lost their lives when travelling home for the June long weekend in 1993. Each year, our Boarders, Senior School girls and staff wear a jersey to honour their legacy and help raise funds for our Boarding Scholarship, which was named in their honour.

Madeline Warden and

Isabel Wilson, Year 12

Alexandria Johnson and

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12

Front Row: Eleanor Buchanan, Winnie Cheng, Alexandria Johnson, Isabel Wilson, Madeline Warden Back Row: Annabelle Richens, Tess Orton, Georgia Richens, Year 12

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Day School Comes to Boarding It has become a much-loved annual tradition for our Connect teachers to pay a visit to our Boarders at their Pymble home.

Early in Term 1, our Years 8, 11 and 12 Connect teachers enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea with the girls, a short presentation by our House Supervisors and tours of the Houses. The teachers always appreciate the insight into the routines, opportunities and joys of Boarding and the girls welcome the chance to show them around their home.

A huge thank you to our teaching staff, Year Co-ordinators, and Heads of School for finding the time to visit us. Aside from a lovely afternoon of fun banter, it provides all of us with an excellent opportunity for us to leverage our skills and expertise to deliver the best possible opportunities for our Boarders.

Mrs Lu G eddes (H ouse Su Ms Debo pervisor) rah Ander , Grace A son (Coun shford, Ye sellor) ar 10 an d

Ms Shelley Xie (Modern Languages Teacher), Imogen Hawkins, Year 8, Ms Mami Izuishi (Modern Languages Teacher), Mrs Katie White (Head of Year 8), Chiara Calvani, Year 8, Ms Anne De Fraine (Science Teacher), Mrs Mary Anne Jones (English Teacher), Victoria Burton, Year 8 Front Row: Mr Bryan Morrison (Mathematics Teacher), Giaan Jackson, Year 8

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Community

Foundation Day Pymble’s 104th birthday was celebrated on 12 February in a Combined Assembly for Years 7 to 12. Together, we took a trip down memory lane with our Archivist, Mrs Enid O’Carroll, by exploring our museum items and images. We also celebrated our longestserving teacher, Mrs Narelle Moylan, who shared her memories of Pymble through the years and reflected on what has changed during her 38 years at the College.

Head Prefects Annabelle Richens and Viveca Tang, Year 12

Mrs Narelle Moylan (Business Studies teacher) and Dr Kate Hadwen

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Community New Parents’ Luncheon Wednesday 11 March 2020

Ms Ella Li, Mr Dean Christofis and Mrs Despina Christofis

Ms Jane Stewart and Dr Kate Hadwen (Principal)

Mrs Sonia Sapra, Ms Joanne Winston and Mr Michael Gal

Mrs Fleur Taylor, Ms Susan Ma and Mrs Ingrid van Loon

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Community

Icebreaker 2020 Thank you to the 500-plus parents and carers who attended the PPA Icebreaker on Friday 21 February. This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for new parents to meet and for returning parents to catch up with friends and College staff. We are fortunate to have such an engaged community who make the most of these opportunities to build relationships with other parents and staff and celebrate the special bond we share.

Mrs Melissa Boyd (Head of Upper School), Ms Ning Cao and Ms Siv Edirisinghe

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Tara Narayan, Year 11

Community

Mrs Samantha Yee, Mrs Monique Hardas and Dr George Hardas

Mr Andrew Castle, Mr Nick Luzar, Mrs Sonya Luzar and Mrs Bronwyn Castle

Mr Jin Wang and Mrs Huichun Su

Mrs Priscilla Macpherson, Mrs Kristen Faahan-Smith and Dr Kate Hadwen (Principal)

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Community

Preparatory Family Fun Day On Sunday 1 March, our Preparatory School community came together for a morning of games, entertainment and joy at the Preparatory School Parent Group (PSPG) Family Fun Day. The morning provided our girls with a time to connect beyond the school day and to share the friendships and relationships that mean so much to them with their extended families.

Parents, grandparents, siblings and superheroes joined our girls in ball games, on the jumping castle, in the farmyard and for magic shows. The choices made at the face painting booth told us a great deal about each girl. From selection of rainbow unicorns and fairies to spiders and snakes, our girls’ personalities were on display. The competitive nature of some was also evident during team tug of wars and egg and spoon races.

However, the day would never have become a reality without the tireless work of our PSPG Leaders, Mrs Lalenya Waterhouse and Mrs Jennifer Sproull. Each activity was carefully planned with the girls in mind, ensuring the success of the day.

Our thanks also go to Mr Ray Waterhouse, Mr Darren HandleyGreeves and Mrs Priscilla Macpherson, President of our Pymble Parent Association. We would also like to thank the army of pink-hatted Senior students who volunteered their time to assist with activities.

Olivia Wang, Year 2

Zara Ware, Year 1

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Community

JSPG Parent Morning Tea Friday 14 February 2020 Mrs Kate Hart, Mrs Christel Vigne and Mrs Monika Surana

SSPG Parent Breakfast Tuesday 3 March 2020

Ms Happy Zhao, Mrs Danielle Scott, Mrs Heidi Elliott and Dr Tanya Selak

Ms Ning Cao, Mrs Karen Harding and Mrs Sophie Vander

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Ms Jane Stewart, Mr Brian Miller, Mrs Katie Oslington, Lucy Miller (Year 9), Ms Cara Foley (Head of Year 9), Mrs Suz Miller and Mrs Melissa Markson

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People and Culture

Zoe Ababio, Kindergarten

People and Culture We are committed to ensuring every student is known, valued and encouraged. Professionally, we nurture a learning culture that celebrates creativity, engagement and critical thinking.

Our professional practice is deeply embedded in worldwide research and best practice, and we actively seek to share our expertise, facilities and resources to create a vibrant global educational community. Together we make a difference, within Pymble and beyond.

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People and Culture

Ella Liu, Emily Rothery and Maya Garg, Year 7

Pymble Celebrates International Women’s Day An equal world is an enabled world and Pymble staff and students enjoyed celebrating the #EachforEqual theme for International Women’s Day.

Karena Lu, Jessica Wang and Gisele Whitehead, Kindergarten

A group of our Secondary School girls were invited to Knox Grammar School ahead of International Women’s Day for an impactful assembly headlined by journalist, former Sunrise and Sunday Night host and ex-Pymble student Ms Melissa Doyle AM. Ms Doyle spoke about the importance of ending the gender pay gap, educating others to change their behaviour and thinking about equality.

Pymble also hosted The Australian’s Women in Education Forum, moderated by The Australian’s associate editor Ms Caroline Overington and including presentations by Principal Dr Kate Hadwen, Oncology Researcher Dr Jessamy Tiffen, and UBS Managing Director of Communications and Marketing Ms Caroline Gurney. Ms Gurney reminded the girls to be true to themselves for the greatest chance at success and Dr Tiffen encouraged them to be gutsy and lean into opportunities.

Dr Hadwen said in leading Pymble, her ultimate goal was “promoting and supporting women and girls, helping them to understand their inner beauty and power, what’s special about being a woman and a girl and how to use those strengths to achieve their goals.”

“I’m super passionate about girls and girls’ education and women in the workforce and that’s what drove me into girls’ education. It’s my home base, it’s where I feel most comfortable, it’s where I want to be for the rest of my life.”

Dr Hadwen said to help them on their way, she is thinking about the future beyond the school gates. “The biggest challenge I think now is actually getting a job. It’s not getting into university. It is that transition from university to the world of work. So how do we give Pymble girls an edge up? That’s the sort of thing we’re thinking about in the future.”

Viveca Tang, Year 12, Ms Melissa Doyle AM (1987) and Annabelle Richens, Year 12

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Fame the Musical Fame the Musical was performed from 11 to 14 March at the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts and starred girls from Years 8 to 12, as well as boys from Barker College, Knox Grammar School and Killara High. Fame the Musical follows the lives of the final class of high school students at the New York School of Performing Arts through their struggles, fears and triumphs.

The show was sensational and received rave reviews from many of the audience members. The energy, enthusiasm and skill of all the performers was captivating and the quality of their performance was a testament to their hard work and the wonderful direction and teaching that they received through the process.

An enormous and heartfelt congratulations to the whole Fame team; the cast, crew, orchestra and of course the magnificent producer, Mrs Sabina Tuner, brilliant director, Mr Kurt Schweinberger, amazing choreographer, Mrs Sally Dashwood and superb musical director, Mrs Patrice Goodman. Sincere thanks also to all the parents, staff and friends who helped in so many ways behind the scenes and with the catering.

We were so fortunate that we managed to get the full season of four performances in before the COVID-19 restrictions were put in place!

Back Row: Da mien Hempste ad, Laura Hedle Year 12, Sarah y, Foster, Year 12 , Stephanie Vo Year 12, Mega los, n Buson, Year 11 Front Row: Benj Schrode r, Caitlyn Minn ey, Year 12, Eth Harry Fitzgera an Ang, ld, Felix Staas

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Kelly Wong, Ale xandra Luxto n, Freya Carmod y, Year 9 and Sophie Smith Year 11 ,

People and Culture

Izzy Ryan, Lili Wymond, Madeleine Morris, Amy Jarvis, Year 11

Sarah Foster,

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Year 12 and En

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People and Culture

Our Aspiring ‘Edu-preneur’ Lucy Fang, Year 12, is an aspiring ‘edu-preneur’ who envisions introducing a unique Reading Assistance Program (RAP) to schools around the country, helping the disadvantaged rural and remote primary students with their reading. Lucy and her team member, Heidi Flood, worked over the January holidays to put together a Final Pitch for RAP, which they submitted to Final Pitch Competition ‘Make It Happen in 2020’ co-hosted by Venture Café Sydney and City of Ryde.

It was the only high school entry. The audience was very impressed by RAP as were the panel of judges (which included the Mayor of Ryde).

RAP received the Special Commendation and was one of six finalists.

The Mayor of Ryde was keen to pilot RAP and lead the way. Things are set in motion and hopefully RAP will take off in 2020!

Venture Café Sydney invited Lucy back to present on RAP in early February. Lucy highlighted the inequities that exist in relation to education and literacy especially for Indigenous children, before calling on guests to help brainstorm ways that the program could become a reality.

Dr Kate Hadwen (Principal) and Lucy Fang, Year 12

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Chloe Hoang, Year 10

Australian Mathematical Olympiad Selection Congratulations to Chloe Hoang, Year 10, on being invited to participate in the Australian Mathematical Olympiad (AMO).

It’s a wonderful achievement as only 130 students are invited each year. The contest is used to select students to the March Selection School and the four team members of the Australian European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) team.

People and Culture

Arousha Soltany, Jennifer Huang and Lauren Geddes, Year 11

Italian Language Immersion Tour On 28 December, 18 Year 11 and Year 12 students accompanied by Mrs Sorina Cepraga and Mrs Mami Izuishi travelled to Italy on the annual Pymble Italian Language Tour. As a Beginners Language Course offered in Years 11 and 12, this tour is an opportunity for the girls to explore the Italian culture and to practise their language skills.

Mrs Sorina Cepraga (Modern Languages Teacher), Jessica Luo, Alyssa Kwan, Claire McMahon, Year 12 and Mrs Mami Izuishi (Modern Languages Teacher)

The group visited many attractions of the country including Venice, Verona, Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca, Rome and Assisi. In between the pizzas and gelato, they toured monuments, art galleries, cathedrals, museums and immersed themselves in fascinating history, architecture and art of the Italian culture.

The highlight of the tour was the wonderful opportunity to extend their language skills with daily Italian lessons at the University for Foreigners, (L’università per Stranieri di Perugia) in Perugia.

This was indeed a unique experience for our Italian Language girls!

Charlotte Rosewarne, Claire McMahon, Livia Clubb, Alyssa Kwan and Jessica Luo, Year 12

Back Row: Amelia Hill, Year 12, Heidi Flood, Year 12, Charlotte Rosewarne, Year 12, Laura Papworth, Year 11, Lauren Geddes, Year 11, Livia Clubb, Year 12, Alyssa Kwan, Year 12, Jessica Luo, Year 12, Claire McMahon, Year 12, Sreya Vt, Year 12, Arousha Soltany, Year 11, Lilian Jones, Year 11, Jennifer Huang, Year 11 Front Row: Haylee Turner, Year 11, VOLUME 48 | PYMBULLETIN | PAGE 33 Zoë Janssen, Year 12, Madeline Zagorski, Year 11, Lucia Laszok, Year 12, Georgia Degotardi, Year 11, Mrs Mami Izuishi (Modern Languages Teacher)

Sustainability

Ella van Horen, Year 7 and Rosanna van Horen, Year 10

Sustainability We embed high-level sustainable practices in every area of Pymble life – in educational, operational and wider community settings – as the way to protect and guide our future.

Social and personal responsibility, as well as economic and environmental initiatives are evident throughout the College, influencing others to make positive changes.

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Sustainability

Pymble Gives Back

Anaïs Vander, Year 6

Care, integrity and responsibility are three of the values Pymble girls demonstrate in all they do and a commitment to others is part and parcel of these.

“Our community service programs are essential components of our girls’ learning during the best of times and even more important when times are tough.”

In that spirit, while the community practised self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pymble Ladies’ College launched the Pymble Gives Back program to engage students, staff, alumni and parents in a range of activities to help the vulnerable in our community.

Director of Development for Women’s Community Shelters, Sallianne McClelland, was overwhelmed by deliveries of meals, treats and groceries, thanks to Pymble Ladies’ College students, staff, parents and alumni who turned self-isolation and social distancing into an opportunity to help women seeking shelter from domestic abuse.

Activities in the program included sending videos and letters to residents in aged care facilities, sewing fabric hearts to comfort newborn babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Westmead Hospital, knitting squares to turn into blankets for the Wrap with Love charity, becoming an online reading buddy to support younger students practising their reading and volunteering for doorstop deliveries and wheelie bin duty for the disabled and elderly.

‘Cook up Some Comfort’ was one of eight community service activities Pymble family members were invited to engage in during the school holidays as part of the Pymble Gives Back program. It called for home cooks and bakers to make and deliver treats and meals to be distributed among the network of Women’s Community Shelters, ahead of an expected influx of women and children during isolation.

The aim of Pymble Gives Back was to keep the community feeling connected during a time when people have never felt more apart, according to Pymble Ladies’ College Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen.

Face Shields Our Information Technology (IT) and Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) Departments put our 3D machines to good use in April by producing up to 30 face shields per day for medical workers. Each mask took approximately three hours to print, before a clear plastic screen was cut by hand and assembled. When the shields were completed, they were cleaned and sent to hospitals in need of extra protective equipment. Creating face masks for medical workers was a project of our Pymble Gives Back initiative.

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Sustainability

Diya Dha

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The Future is in Safe Hands Early in Term 1, 2B became budding engineers as they participated in a wonderful STEM project-based investigation. Taking into account media coverage of the extreme devastation being felt by Australian families and the Australian wildlife due to drought and bushfires, the students responded to a brief to design a sustainable drinking device for drought-affected farmers to use with their livestock. Their design was required to be suitable for both farming livestock and Australian native animals to share, to conserve water and to make the farmer’s job easier. After being set their task, the girls were off and designing. It was so wonderful to hear the negotiations occurring within the groups as they discussed various aspects of their devices and then tried to identify what problems that they may face when trying to build their invention. Following two design sessions, it was time to build.

2B was very lucky to have Dr Sarah Loch, Pymble’s Director of Research and Development and Dr Phil Lambert, an Educational Consultant from Phil Lambert Consulting, in the classroom on building day. The students used recycled materials to build their inventions and were able to explain the process along the way. The skills displayed by all students during this STEM project were exceptional with the girls recognising that they needed to modify their original designs as they encountered problems. Inspiring work from our brilliant young minds!

Ashlee-Rose Saba, Ashleigh Yip, Wendy Pan and Trisha Viswanathan, Year 2

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Prokop, Ye ar 2

Sustainability Amazing Year 7 Writers Well done to all our Year 7 girls who submitted an entry for our Year 7 Writing Competition. Students were asked to submit either a short story, prose or poem on a topic of their choice with chosen students to then attend a workshop at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. Unfortunately, the workshops were cancelled due to the pandemic. The following entry, entitled Rebuild by Allison Wang provides a beautiful message of hope.

Jazz White

Rebuild

Bushfire Relief Variety Concert

The photograph is a little grainy. It shows my five-year-old self being sprayed with a hose. The droplets are frozen in mid-air, the moment captured perfectly. I stuff it back into my pocket as I gaze at the blackened trees and burnt earth. A little water would have helped.

Following the devastation Australia experienced from the bushfires, our girls were eager to help in any way they could. This took the shape of a student-led Performing Arts concert on Thursday 27 February in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts to help raise funds for those impacted by the bushfires.

It was three days since the fire, but the ground still resonated heat. Everything was in ruins. I rocked on my heels, to and fro, still shaking in denial. Tears were streaming down my face, but I ignored them as I stared down at the charcoal black remains of the bush.

Entitled Phoenix, the concert was a triumph of music, dance and drama talent and initiative!

The standard of all items across Performing Arts was outstanding.

Alana Gao, Year 8

I could remember the days when I ran around the small clearing behind the house, revelling in my freedom, the days when I could turn my head to the sky to catch falling raindrops on my tongue.

The clearing used to be surrounded by eucalypts, silver giants that gave shade from the beating sun. There used to be banksias which bloomed pink and red, yellow and orange, and frangipanis that I weaved into my hair.

There used to be the smell of apple that lingered in the air, mixing with the thyme that Mum used to plant in her little herb garden. When she asked me to go check up on our old house, I don’t think this is what she expected me to see. This used to be my childhood home. Now it’s all gone. But as I turn around to leave, a green sprout catches my eye, struggling to push through the dirt and ash. I scoop it up, and carefully move it to where the front door of the house once stood. It stands tall, a spark in the midst of the darkness. I take a photo and text, ‘Mum, 48 | PYMBULLETIN | PAGE 37 I’ve started toVOLUME rebuild’.

– Allison Wang, Year 7

Sustainability Sport and Activities

Amelia Hinrichsen and Margaret Williams, Year 10

Sport and Activities Pymble is balanced in its passions, demonstrating to students that true success comes from a holistic approach to education – this approach equally values academic success, music and cultural pursuits, sporting achievements, community service and personal wellbeing.

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Sport and Activities

Secondary Swimming Carnivals Years 7 to 9: Monday 10 February, Years 10 to 12: Tuesday 11 February JUNIOR CHAMPION INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION SENIOR CHAMPION OVERALL HOUSE POINT WINNER

Grace Gerreyn Isabella Lee Claudia Neale Wylie House

Records 14 YEARS 50M FREESTYLE 14 YEARS 50M BACKSTROKE 14 YEARS 50M BREASTSTROKE 14 YEARS 50M BUTTERFLY 17 YEARS 50M BACKSTROKE 18 YEARS AND OVER 50M BACKSTROKE 15 YEARS 50M BUTTERFLY 16 YEARS 50M BUTTERFLY

Grace Gerreyn, 27.40 Ellie Beck, 30.81 Bella Zhang, 34.58 Hayley Johnston, 29.86 Elizabeth Gan, 29.79 Claudia Neale, 30.57 Isabella Lee, 29.55 Chloe Small, 29.40

Victorious Swimming and Diving Teams SWIMMING

Emily Pearson, Year 9, Mikaela Ward, Year 12 and Kennedy Cooper, Year 11

Congratulations to the entire Pymble IGSSA Swimming Team on a stunning result on Friday 6 March at the IGSSA Carnival. Pymble walked away victorious for the third year in a row. All swimmers stepped up and swam their hearts out. We had a total of 23 wins, 22 second places and one third place. Congratulations to Elizabeth Gan, Year 11, Ellie Beck, Year 8 and Hannah Morton, Year 8 on their records in the 50m backstroke. Our Captain Claudia Neale, Year 12, was awarded overall Senior Champion, and Hannah Morton, Year 8, Bella Zhang, Year 9 and Annika Lee, Year 7 shared the Overall Junior Champion of the carnival. The College was awarded the Lorraine Crapp Shield for the able-bodied point score and the Mary Webster Cup for the combined able-bodied and multiclass point score.

DIVING

Ellen Lockhart, Claudia Neale, Alannah Webster and Mikaela Ward, Year 12

The IGSSA Diving Carnival was also held on 6 March and it was a nail-biting experience with the Overall result not decided until the final dive of the last event!

The pressure of this competition brought out the very best in our team with spectacular results that surpassed expectation. Pymble placed first, second or third in every event and all 11 CIS triallists qualified for CIS Championships. Congratulations to Kennedy Cooper, Year 11, and Emily Pearson, Year 9, who were awarded Platform Champion and Intermediate Champion respectively. For the ninth year in a row Pymble was victorious in being awarded as the Overall Point Score, Division 1 and Champion School and is a credit to the consistent hard work and most importantly the courage of all our divers.

Congratulations to all girls on your participation, sportsmanship and camaraderie throughout these events.

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Sustainability Sport and Activities

Acrobatic Gymnastics Congratulations to Shennei Barber, Year 12, and Sophie Watson, Year 9, who have both been selected on the Australian Team for the 2020 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Age Group Competition in Geneva, Switzerland which was to be held in May. Both girls were selected with their partners to represent Australia in the 12 to 18 years category.

Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, the Championships were postponed. However, it is still very exciting for Pymble to have two students selected to represent Australia in this competition.

Record Number of Swimming Rankings Congratulations to our amazing Pymble swimmers.

We have a record number of girls ranked in the top 25 in Australia for their age group with some swimmers having multiple events where they are ranked. This is an outstanding achievement given the number of people that compete in swimming in our country. Congratulations extend to our incredible coaching team who helped place these girls on this prestigious list.

Girls Australia Top 25 Leaderchart: 1 December 2019 to 31 March 2020 • G race Gerreyn (Year 8) 13 years 50m Freestyle – 2nd, 50m Breaststroke – 14th, 50m Butterfly – 14th, 200m Individual Medley – 22nd • Hayley Johnston (Year 9) 13 years 50m Freestyle – 25th, 50m Butterfly – 5th, 100m Butterfly – 5th, 200m Butterfly – 8th • B ella Zhang (Year 9) 13 years 100m Freestyle – 15th, 200m Breaststroke – 5th, 14 years 100m Breaststroke – 19th, 200m Breaststroke – 22nd • E llie Beck (Year 8) 13 years 200m Freestyle – 23rd, 400m Freestyle – 7th, 50m Backstroke – 1st, 100m Backstroke – 1st, 200m Backstroke – 1st, 200m Individual Medley – 12th • P iper Gregory-Reid (Year 8) 50m Breaststroke – 17th • I sabella Lee (Year 10) 14 years 50m Freestyle – 9th, 100m Freestyle – 10th, 100m Backstroke – 16th • A driana Fydler (Year 11) 16 years 200m Freestyle – 18th, 400m Freestyle – 25th, 100m Backstroke – 13th, 200m Backstroke – 10th • A lannah Webster (Year 12) 16 years 100m Backstroke – 15th, 200m Backstroke – 22nd, 100m Butterfly – 23rd • C hloe Small (Year 11) 16 Years 50m Butterfly – 10th • K atherine Gibson (Year 11) 16 years 200m Individual Medley – 25th • E lizabeth Gan (Year 11) 16 years 50m Backstroke – 4th, 100m Backstroke – 7th, 200m Backstroke – 8th • C laudia Neale (Year 12) 17 years 50m Freestyle – 9th, 100m Freestyle – 19th, 200m Backstroke – 5th, 50m Butterfly – 3rd, 100m Butterfly – 13th • E llen Lockhart (Year 12) 17 years 400m Individual Medley – 21st • I sabella Riley (2019) 17 years 50m Backstroke – 7th, 100m Backstroke – 12th, 200m Backstroke – 13th, 50m Butterfly – 16th

Sophie Watson, Year 9 and Shennei Barber, Year 12

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• C laudia Fydler (2019) 18 years 50m Freestyle – 19th, 100m Freestyle – 20th, 50m Butterfly – 3rd, 100m Butterfly – 6th

Sport Sustainability and Activities

NSWCIS Awards for Pymble Girls On Friday 14 February, the NSW Combined Independent Schools Awards Presentation Evening was held to celebrate the outstanding sporting achievements of Primary and Secondary students throughout 2019.

Congratulations to the following four Pymble students who were recognised for their contributions to sport.

Scarlet Thomas, Year 12, was awarded a Blue for contribution to Football. Scarlet demonstrated attacking flair and combinations at the CIS Championships. This resulted in her selection into the NSW team, which competed at the School Sport Australia Football Tournament. Scarlet scored a goal at these championships and unselfishly featured in many of the goals scored throughout the tournament. This fabulous contribution resulted in a win for NSW at the Championships. Following her participation at the SSA Championships, Scarlet earned a place in the Australian Schoolgirls team.

Claudia Neale, Year 12, was awarded a Blue for her achievements in Swimming, which included some outstanding results at the NSWCIS and NSW All Schools Swimming Championships. These achievements culminated in Claudia being selected into the NSW Swimming team, which competed at the School Sport Australia (SSA) Swimming Championships. Claudia had a phenomenal SSA Championships achieving Gold in the 17 Years 50 metres Backstroke, Silver in the 50 metres and 100 metres Freestyle and 200 metres Backstroke and Bronze 17 Years Individual Medley.

Ruby Nicholas, Year 10, was awarded a Blue for her contribution to AFL in 2019. Ruby was considered one of the two top CIS players at the NSW All School trials in AFL. This resulted in her selection into the NSW team, which competed at the School Sport Australia AFL Championships. At the Championships, Ruby proved to be an explosive player who spent time in the midfield, wing, half and backline. She was a tough competitor who was aggressive on the ball and could break the line. She was a well-respected member of the team.

Tribeca Liu, Year 6, was awarded a Red for her contribution to Swimming in 2019. Tribeca had an outstanding NSWCIS Swimming Championships, which resulted in her selection to compete at the NSW All Schools Swimming Championships. Tribeca achieved some fabulous results at these Championships including Silver in the 50 metres Backstroke and Freestyle and Bronze in the 200 metres Individual Medley and 50 metres Butterfly.

Following these Championships, Tribeca was selected to represent NSW at the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships.

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Sustainability Sport and Activities

Kurt Fearnley Scholarship Recipient Commonwealth Games Australia and the Carbine Club of NSW have again joined to present the Kurt Fearnley Scholarship program targeting talented individual para-sport athletes in NSW. The initiative receives program support from the NSW Institute of Sport and is also fully endorsed by Paralympics Australia.

The Scholarship is designed to support para-sport ‘future talent’ athletes who receive limited support elsewhere and fast track their development to achieve success at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Kurt Fearnley Scholarship holders receive financial support as well as assistance with performance planning and access to NSWIS facilities and most importantly, mentorship from the dual Commonwealth Games and three-time Paralympic gold medallist.

Kailyn Joseph, Year 12

A big congratulations to Kailyn Joseph, Year 12, who was a recipient for Athletics. After winning a World Para Athletics Junior Championships bronze medal at the age of 14, Kailyn made her Senior team debut with a fifth place finish at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at just 15 years old. Kailyn holds the Australian record at Under 16 to Under 18 and Under 20 level in the T38 cerebral palsy category. Well done Kailyn, what an amazing achievement.

Cricket Star Shines at National Championships Congratulation to Shivani Mehta, Year 11, who represented NSW Metro at the U18 Cricket Australia Female National Championships in Tasmania during the Summer holidays. Shivani had a fabulous tournament and was the highest non-wicketkeeper catcher for the event taking ten catches in the cover from nine matches.

Shivani also contributed significantly with the bat, with top scores of 34 not out, 30 and 27 not out, helping to win the game for NSW on a couple of occasions. Well done Shivani!

Shivani Mehta, Year 11

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Sport Sustainability and Activities

History Made!

Online Athletics Carnival On Wednesday 6 May 2020, we made history with our Junior School girls participating in the first Virtual Junior School Athletics Carnival. Girls downloaded an eBook and were guided through five events: 1. Sock Put – As the name suggests, shot put but using a sock.

2. M indful Platter Challenge – Each grade was given a specific mindful activity based around kindness.

Mea Shires, Year 6 and Chloé Shires, Year 3

3. Standing Long Jump and Vertical Jump – Girls measured how far and high they could jump.

4. Create your House Mascot Challenge.

5. O bstacle Course – Girls had to jump over something, crawl under something, zig zag around something, do ten star jumps and some form of animal walk.

They competed for speed (how fast they could do the course) and distance (how many laps in ten minutes).

The aim of the day was to participate and have fun, so no winning Houses were announced, but all girls who submitted their eBook gained House points for the overall House Winner on Speech Day. By all reports the Sock Put and Create your House Mascot were the most popular events of the day. A number of dressed up pets made appearances as new House Mascots!

Thank you to our fabulous Sports Captains, Tribeca Liu and Ruby Scarf, Year 6, for helping Mr Tyson host this exciting day.

Louisa Heritage, Year 6

Emma Baikie, Year 6

Chloé Shires, Year 3

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Sustainability Sport and Activities

Junior School Cross Country Carnival Tuesday 25 February 8 YEARS CHAMPION

12 YEARS CHAMPION

Yuan Hui Chen, Year 3

Grace Beck, Year 6

9 YEARS CHAMPION

JUNIOR CHAMPION

Gemma Dixon, Year 4

Amalia Bond, Year 4

10 YEARS CHAMPION

SENIOR CHAMPION

Amalia Bond, Year 4

Grace Beck, Year 6

11 YEARS CHAMPION

WINNING HOUSE

Maya Ostapenko, Year 5

Mackellar Grace Beck, Elizabeth Yates and Sachi Smith, Year 6

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Sport Sustainability and Activities

Secondary School Cross Country Tuesday 25 February 12 YEARS CHAMPION

16 YEARS CHAMPION

Grace Townsend, Year 7

Annabel Maple-Brown, Year 10

13 YEARS CHAMPION

17 YEARS CHAMPION

Tessa Newitt, Year 7

Livia O’Dea, Year 12

14 YEARS CHAMPION

18 YEARS CHAMPION

Abigail Ballhausen, Year 9

Imogen Gardiner, Year 12

15 YEARS CHAMPION

Caitlyn Tan, Year 9

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Sustainability Sport and Activities

Rafael Nadal Masters Win We had an exciting start to the year with Ashlee Narker, Year 9, winning the Under 14 Rafael Nadal Masters Event in Melbourne. The event ran from Tuesday 14 to Saturday 18 January at the Australian Open in Melbourne Park and the winners’ trophies were presented by former number one Spanish tennis player, Carlos Moya.

The competition for this event was tough with one player in each age group from each state being selected to participate. The winner was awarded an all-expenses paid trip to Majorca, Spain to train at the Rafael Nadal Academy.

Ashlee won her final against a player ranked 254th in Australia. Well done Ashlee!

Congratulations also to our Head Tennis Coach, Ms Christina Horiatopoulous, who has been selected for the Tennis Australia Level 3 High Performance Coaching Certificate alongside Alicia Molik and Casey Dellacqua.

Twelve coaches are chosen nationwide every two years to participate in this two-year course. The criteria for selection are based on highest world ranking as well as coaching and tournament experience. An exciting year lies ahead for Pymble Tennis!

NSW State Swimming Championships 2020 Congratulations to the Pymble girls who competed at the NSW State Open Championships. This competition was a great opportunity for our students to compete against some of the best swimmers our country has to offer, with many Olympians using the competition as a final hit out before Nationals. Our Pymble girls competed with great composure, recognising distractions and challenging themselves to stay present to apply their individual race plans. Congratulations to the following girls who competed: Ellie Beck, Year 8, Adriana Fydler, Year 11, Elizabeth Gan, Year 11, Katherine Gibson, Year 11, Grace Gerreyn, Year 8, Piper Gregory-Reid, Year 8, Hayley Johnston, Year 9, Isabella Lee, Year 10, Samantha Lever, Year 9, Ellen Lockhart, Year 12, Aspen Moore, Year 8, Hannah Morton, Year 8, Claudia Neale, Year 12, Chloe Small, Year 11, Alannah Webster, Year 12, Margaret Williams, Year 10, Saskia WilloughbyWinlaw, Year 9 and Bella Zhang, Year 9.

Congratulations to the following girls who qualified for finals: Ellie Beck – 200m, 100m and 50m Backstroke Adriana Fydler – 200m and 100m Backstroke Elizabeth Gan – 200m, 100m and 50m Backstroke Katherine Gibson – 200m Individual Medley Hannah Morton – 50m Backstroke Claudia Neale – 200m Backstroke and 100m Butterfly Special mention to Claudia Neale, Isabella Lee and Adriana Fydler who won Gold medals as members of the Knox Pymble Swim Club 4x100m Freestyle Team; Claudia Fydler (2019), Claudia Neale, Isabella Lee and Adriana Fydler.

Congratulations to Bella Zhang and Claudia Neale who won a silver medal as members of the Knox Pymble Swim Club 4x100m Medley Team; team members included Claudia Neale, Bella Zhang, Claudia Fydler (2019) and Cate Campbell.

An outstanding result for Ellie Beck who broke the NSW State Record for the 13 Years 50m Backstroke, not once but twice. Congratulations Ellie!

Thank you to all our wonderful parents for their efforts over the weekend – without your support our girls would not be achieving such great results.

Ashlee Narker, Year 9

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Sustainability

Rowing to Victory

History of Rowing

The Pymble Rowing Team competed at the IGSSA Championships on Sunday 23 February at the Sydney International Rowing Centre. There were many podium finishes, with wins for the Senior Second Eight, Year 10 Second Quad, Year 9 First Quad and Year 8 Fourth Quad.

The Senior First Eight gallantly led their race until the final 200 metres, however they were unable to hold off a strong finish from the Queenwood crew, eventually finishing as silver medallists by a very narrow margin. Overall, the team performed wonderfully and was able to win the IGSSA Overall Point Score Trophy for the champion school.

Congratulations to all girls whose performances contributed to the point score.

Pymble is renowned for sporting excellence and our Rowing program is no exception. Commencing in 1993 under the inspirational leadership of Gillian Campbell, who represented Australia in Rowing in the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, the program quickly gained momentum among our girls, and success was soon to follow. It was with great excitement in 1995 that an Ausrowtec eight was purchased and christened ‘Blackwatch’ by ex-student Barbara McWilliam (Pennington, 1964). Hard work paid off in 1998, when the crew won the coveted NSW Schoolgirls’ Head of the River for the first time and ‘Blackwatch’ continued its winning run with five consecutive Head of the River wins, four consecutive NSW State Championships and the first of five Schoolgirl Eight National Championship wins in the year 2000, on the Sydney Olympics course.

A successful Rowing program doesn’t happen without considerable dedication from the girls, their parents and the coaches. Special mention must be made of Gillian and her husband, Mark Campbell, who headed this extraordinary period of success, right through to 2015. In addition, the exceptional strategic support of the College, led by thenPrincipal, Mrs Gillian Moore AO, saw the development Isabel Matosantos, Bella Walker, Ella Jones, Caitlin Cho and Sally Cooper, Year 8 of a long-term partnership with Leichhardt Rowing Club that endures today. The outstanding legacy laid by the girls rowing in ‘Blackwatch’ continues to this day, with more than 120 rowers enjoying the benefits. In the past After finishing an impressive 13th three seasons, Pymble has placed at the Youth Winter Olympics, Kyra in the top three in the country Wheatley, who is in Year 11 and one and fittingly, Gillian and Mark’s of our Pymble Elite Sportswomen daughter Allyson steered the program members, continued on her n, Year 12, erso And 2018 1st VIII to victory at the NSW ia Oliv 12, ly Hall, Year Isobel Clift, Year 12, Hol Caitlin Jones, successful international Snow Sports Alice Walker, Year 11, 11, Schoolgirls’ Head of the River, Year our, Seym a Georgin , Year 12 and Year 11, Sophie Wickins path. During March, Kyra competed the NSW State Championships Year 12, Mikayla Arthur, 12 Isabelle Hudson, Year in several Open Snow Sports events and the Australian National in Europe. On Friday 6 March, Kyra Championships. competed in the European Cup ‘Blackwatch’ was used by the Pymble 1st VIII until 2003. in Crans Montana, Switzerland in Thanks to the generosity of Mrs Moore’s husband, David the Ski Cross. Kyra finished in 12th Moore, Wade Hewitt and Geoff McWilliam, ‘Blackwatch’ place which was a phenomenal has been hoisted above the trophy cabinet in the achievement for someone so young.

Centenary Sports Precinct in its final resting place.

She defeated a number of the top Ski The official unveiling will occur on a Saturday afternoon in Term 4. A date will be communicated in due course.

Cross athletes in the World as well as being the highest placed Australian athlete. On Saturday 7 March, Kyra competed in the Open Switzerland National Ski Cross Championships.

Kyra finished an impressive 13th overall and was once again the VOLUME 48 | PYMBULLETIN | PAGE 47 highest placed Australian athlete.

Congratulations Kyra!

Flying High

Black Watch Ties Sustainability

ESU President’s Report

In November 2019, Principal Dr Kate Hadwen, Head of Boarding Mrs Carolyn Burgess, and our Community Engagement staff visited Moree and Gunnedah to catch up with ex-students and current families

Black Watch Ties With a long and prosperous history, we have always celebrated and enjoyed the ever-strengthening relationships with our alumni as we continue to grow as a College community. Together, the College and the Ex-Students’ Union (ESU) have continued to focus on ways to engage with past-Pymble girls from across the generations. In 2019, we were able to connect with so many of you at our many events and reunions.

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Sustainability

Black Watch Ties These are unusual times we have been in recently with the pandemic and each of us has been affected in some way. From our newest graduates who are missing out on all that university has to offer, to the new mums who can’t share their joys and challenges with their mother’s group, to those whose work situations have been affected, and to Pymble girls of all ages who are feeling the absence of company, friends and loved ones.

Even though we now face the challenges of a ‘new normal’, please know that the College and your Ex-Students’ Union (ESU) are available to support you at all times. Naturally, the pandemic has also affected College Alumni and ESU events. We would also like to take this opportunity to advise you of the following changes to events previously scheduled for 2020: • C hair of College Council’s Alumni Mentor and Networking Event: This important annual event is co-hosted by the College and the ESU to help accelerate the careers of Pymble alumni aged 18 to 35 years. Originally scheduled to be held in May this year, the event has since been postponed until 2021, when it will return, bigger and better than ever.

• I ndustry Networking Events: Following our successful ESU Legal Industry event in February, we are hoping to be able to hold more of our popular (and smaller) industry-specific networking events later in the year, so please stay tuned for more information.

• C ommemoration Day – Sunday 26 July: The Commemoration Day Service is the most important day on the ex-student calendar, where we gather to mark the 1919 dedication of our College. The service looked a little different this year and was held online, as we worked together to keep everyone as safe as possible, while acknowledging this important occasion. The Commemoration Day service can be viewed on our Facebook page: facebook.com/pymblelc.

• Fortunately, we have been able to hold our most recent ESU Committee Meetings over video conference.

TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC We are incredibly proud of how the College has responded to keep girls safely learning through the COVID-19 pandemic. Pymble was one of the first schools in the country to deliver a fully online syllabus for all students on 19 March.

This history-making day saw most girls stay at home to continue their learning via Pymble Online. Rolls were marked in virtual classrooms and lessons were delivered via Microsoft Teams – the girls were even able to participate in online assemblies, athletics carnivals and co-curricular sports and activities.

Update your contact details – go to the Ex-Student section of the College website www.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au/community/ex-students-union

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Black Watch Ties Sustainability

Notices Despite the success of Pymble Online, it was with great delight that staff began to welcome girls back to campus in Week 3 of Term 2 – after all, school is not school without the girls. Congratulations to all the Pymble teachers and staff behind the scenes who worked so hard to seamlessly switch from learning on campus to remote online learning and then back to face-to-face learning again, all while implementing and communicating the extensive health and safety measures necessary to protect our Pymble family.

CARING AND SHARING IN ISOLATION You might have seen the launch of Pymble Gives Back on the Alumni Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ groups/PymbleESU/). This program was launched during the peak of the pandemic by the College to engage students, staff, alumni and parents in a range of activities to help the vulnerable in our community during isolation. Pymble Gives Back activities included sending videos and letters to residents in aged care facilities, sewing fabric hearts to comfort newborn babies in intensive care, making origami hearts to say ‘thank you’ to healthcare workers in hospitals and cooking meals for women seeking refuge in Women’s Community Shelters. We are so proud to report that the response to this program was overwhelming; we give our grateful thanks to all those who helped keep our community feeling connected during a time when people have never felt more apart. Remember, we may be physically isolated, but we are all joined by our common link – once a Pymble girl, always a Pymble girl.

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Julia Stanistreet (2001) and Dan O’Brien

Laura Matich (2007) married Maxwell McNamara at Snapperman Beach Reserve in Palm Beach, followed by a reception at The Boathouse Palm Beach, on Saturday 7 December 2019.

The wedding was attended by exstudents Jane Horsley (Milat, 2007), Jessica Cale (2007) and Samantha Rivett (2007).

Weddings Julia Stanistreet (2001) married Dan O’Brien on Saturday 7 December 2019 at St Stephen’s Church in Sydney.

The bridal party consisted of Pymble girls; Gina Stanistreet (Buckle, 1972), Georgina Birrell (Stanistreet, 1998) and Madeleine Birrell, Year 3.

Jessica Cale (2007) married Joel Titmarsh on 11 January 2020 at Balmoral. The reception was held at The Bathers’ Pavilion, Balmoral.

Jessica was attended by her sisters, Emily Rees (Cale, 2005), Alicia Cale (2010) and friend Sarah Powell (2007).

Laura Matich (2007) and Maxwell McNamara

Katrin Sjoquist (1996) married Andres Reith in the College Chapel on Saturday 23 November 2019.

Following a honeymoon in the Maldives and Singapore, they have settled in Potts Point. Also in attendance at the wedding were Katrin’s mother, Megan Sjoquist, who previously taught in the Preparatory and Junior Schools, her cousin Philippa Sjoquist (2002), and uncle Peter, a former member of the College Council.

Jessica Cale (2007) and Joel Titmarsh

Black Sustainability Watch Ties

Deaths Mrs Patricia Burgoyne 5 March 1927 – 23 April 2020

Katrin Sjoquist (1996) and Andres Reith

Births Laura Walsh (Coleman, 2000) and husband Simon welcomed their third daughter, Camilla Audrey, on 11 January 2019, a sister for Juliet and Isabelle.

Emily Rees (Cale, 2005) and husband Chris are thrilled to announce the birth of their son, Liam Walter Rees, on 26 August 2019 Phoebe Ashe (2004) and Ryan Bondar welcomed their first child Daisy May Bondar on 6 April 2020 in Sydney.

It is with much sadness that we acknowledge the death of former Pymble teacher and Deputy Principal, Mrs Patricia Burgoyne, who passed away at 93 years of age on 23 April 2020.

Mrs Burgoyne joined Pymble in 1958 and served at the College until 1990, proving herself to be a popular teacher. Mrs Burgoyne was appointed First Assistant (Deputy Principal) to Miss Jeanette Buckham, with her major responsibility being the Director of Studies.

For the 32 years of her involvement with the College, Mrs Burgoyne had great influence on the girls as an English teacher, inspiring girls to achieve brilliant English results, as a trusted colleague, a friend to exstudents and those who were still at the College.

Following her retirement, Mrs Burgoyne moved to Tallebudgera to be with family, and most recently lived at Heritage Lodge in Murwillumbah.

Mrs Burgoyne was the beloved wife to her late husband, Dudley. She is survived by her children, Susan and David, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

May Mrs Patricia Burgoyne rest in peace and be fondly remembered by many staff and ex-students.

Karen Galland-Rourke (McInnes, 1973) passed away peacefully on 18 March 2020 with her family, Phil, Andrew, Sara and Nick, beside her after a long and brave battle with cancer. Karen was a well-loved Boarder in Marden House and remained friends with many all her life. She was a regular at our Reunions. Her laughter and joyful spirit will be missed. Our sincere condolences to her family. There will be a gathering to celebrate the life of Karen when we can once again meet in groups. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page: ‘PLC Ladies who Lunch – 1973’ for further information.

Sally Gulson (Sherman, 1973) Jennifer Williams (Low, 1957) sadly passed away on 14 July 2019. She will be missed greatly by husband, David and daughters Lindy, Cathy and Susie. Jenny treasured seeing her granddaughters, Hannah Green (2016) and Claudia Green (2018) board at Pymble. Jenny always fondly recalled her five years of Boarding with her friends, as did her sisters that followed; twins Meg Kierath (Low, 1958) and Helen Duff (Low, 1958), Sandra Sippe (Low, 1961) and Jeanie Walker (Low, 1962) and their daughters and granddaughters. Jenny’s mother Katie Low (Hammond) graduated in 1935. Jenny enjoyed hockey and running while at Pymble. The Low sisters resided in Goodlet and still hold the record for the most boarding attendees at the one time. You can see a photo of the five girls in the Heritage Centre in their Black Watch tartan uniforms in 1957!

Susie Williams-Green

Mrs Burgoyne and Miss Buckham in 1987

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Black Watch Ties Sustainability

Nancy Elizabeth Townsend (Hirsch; Kemp-Bruce, 1938) died in January 2020. Her two daughters, Margaret Walker (Hirsch, 1962) and Anne Hayes (Hirsch, 1965) both sadly predeceased her, Margaret in 2018 and Anne in 2019.

Nan’s older sister, (Edith) Margaret Carr-Boyd (Kemp-Bruce, 1926) also predeceased Nan by many years.

Nan trained as a nurse at the Children’s Hospital and enjoyed relating many stories of her experiences. She married John Hirsch and they lived in Roseville where Margaret and Anne were born.

John’s health deteriorated and he died while the girls were students at Pymble Ladies’ College. Nan had known Norman as ‘one of the family’ since he arrived from England as a teenager, so they decided to marry. Their marriage took place in the Pymble Chapel in January 1966.

Nan and Norman became very interested in Australian native plants and developed an expertise in this field. They played an important part in the development of the Katandra Bush Sanctuary at Ingleside. They moved to Bayview Gardens Retirement Village in 1994.

Nan always kept in touch with former Principal, Miss Dorothy Knox, and they had several mutual friends. In later years when Miss Knox was blind, Nan would visit her often, drive her about and take her to the Marion Street Theatre.

Nan’s knowledge of native plants was outstanding and some of us at Bayview Gardens wanted to record her knowledge. Despite her lack of sight, she had an amazing memory of where certain trees were located and, together with Norman, we walked

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around the Village on three occasions scribbling down everything she said, taking photos and trying to learn as much as we could. A Wollemi Pine has been donated by the residents in memory of this remarkable and very funny lady.

Helen Grant (1955)

News Laurene Leclerc (2016) knew her passion for Biology in Secondary School was where her future lay. Since beginning her Bachelor of Advanced Science, majoring in Microbiology, her laboratory has focused on coronavirus – in its detection, and hopefully, how to find a solution.

“It was at Pymble that I went into my first science laboratory. I distinctly remember placing different metals in the Bunsen burner flame and watching them emit an array of vibrant colours: that was the moment that my interest in science sparked,” she said.

After departing Pymble in 2011 to move overseas with her family, Laurene’s career trajectory became clear.

“I have always wanted a career with impact that can help people. As a researcher, I believe that I can help prevent and cure diseases as well as help the environment.”

She is one of seven researchers in the White Lab – a virology lab – focusing on molecular virology, antiviral drug discovery, viral evolution and paleovirology.

Laurene Leclerc (2016)

“We have two ongoing research projects for the coronavirus (SARSCoV-2). The first is identifying antivirals preventing the virus from replicating by inhibiting its polymerase enzyme,” she said.

“The lab has a strong track record for the development of antivirals for viruses that are similar to the coronavirus (those that have positive sense RNA genomes such as the Zika virus and hepatitis c virus) since 2013 so we are hopeful to find a drug against the virus.”

Coronaviruses, the family to which COVID-19 belongs, are primarily spread through respiratory droplets from people’s mouths and noses. But there is evidence to suggest that there are other forms of transmission.

Laurene said another of the White Lab’s projects analyses wastewater for the detection of coronaviruses excreted by urine and faeces.

“This allows us to estimate the total number of infections in a community, as many people do not get tested. It also allows us to track the increase of the virus over time, its diversity and evolution as well as identify it in the future if it returns to the community.”

Black Sustainability Watch Ties

Events “After my PhD I want to continue researching and working on impactful projects. This either includes curing or preventing diseases, or helping protect the environment. Further, as a strong advocate for women in STEM and having run numerous outreach events, I will also continue encouraging young women to pursue scientific careers.”

Reunions Laurene said it was at Pymble where she gained leadership skills and confidence at an early age – both of which have been beneficial in her career.

“I also built the foundations of my public speaking skills through theatre and presenting in class.

As a researcher presenting their findings, a teacher at UNSW or through my science outreach involvements, effectively communicating ideas and talking to large audiences are possibly the most important aspects of my career.

Canberra We had a lovely group of ex-students attend the Canberra Reunion in February with ex-students from many different leaving years ranging from 1960 to our most recent 2019 graduates. We even had an ex-student mother and daughter attend together.

While attendance was lower than usual this year, the vibe in the room was still very enjoyable and we all connected through our Pymble ties.

ESU Legal and Law Networking Event In February, the Ex-Students’ Union (ESU) Committee held a successful networking event. The theme for this event was the Legal and Law Industry with approximately 25 to 30 alumni attending of varying ages and stages in their careers. The fireside chat with our three ex-student guest speakers Judge Jane Culver (1982), Jennifer Macourt (Degotardi, 1982) and Chloe Sevil (2008) was extremely engaging and they drew in a lot of interaction with the attendees when it came to question time. Thank you to Jennifer for hosting the event at her city office, K & L Gates. The overall feedback was extremely positive with many saying that they would be interested in attending a similar networking style event again! Stay tuned for the next series of networking events.

Evie Murdoch (2012) and Angelique Wan (2014)

“Further, with science and biology becoming increasingly digital, I consider myself very lucky to have been exposed to state-of-the-art technologies here at Pymble from a young age. By learning how to use a computer and researching since Year 5, I gained strong foundations for using technology which I continue to use and build upon in my career.”

Laurene is a champion of girls and women in the world of STEM.

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Sustainability Upcoming Reunions and Events 2020 Reunions 5 Year Reunion (2015) Date and venue TBA (possible plan to hold January/ February 2021) Amelia Jang E: amelia.jang1@gmail.com Olivia van Veen, Bianca Martinolli, Alix Leighton 10 Year Reunion (2010) Date and venue TBA (may consider at the end of 2020) Dreem Qin E: dreem.qin@gmail.com 15 Year Reunion (2005) Date and venue TBA (convenor needed) 20 Year Reunion (2000) Cancelled (was scheduled for Saturday 20 June) Melissa Mason (Grounds) E: mella_red@hotmail.com M: 0416 855 818 25 Year Reunion (1995) Date and venue TBA (end of 2020 or early 2021) Nadia Gibson E: nadia246@hotmail.com Felicity McVay (Carr) E: felicity.mcvay@gmail.com Kate Blanchard (Glasson) E: kateblanchard77@gmail.com 30 Year Reunion (1990) Postponed to 2021 Suzanne Miller (Fozzard) E: suzmiller5@icloud.com Allison Simons (Evans) E: allisoncsimons@gmail.com 35 Year Reunion (1985) Saturday 5 September, Firehouse Hotel, North Sydney Sally Shepherd E: sheppi@live.com Nicole Gaupset (Warren), Prue Wedlock (Johns), Kate Bradbury (Thornely) 40 Year Reunion (1980) Saturday 7 November, The Treehouse, North Sydney Catherine Thompson (Booth) M: 0425 259 350 E: ccthomo@bigpond.com 45 Year Reunion (1975) Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November, Binalong Jan Giles (McDonald) M: 0427 272 112 E: jangiles57@gmail.com 50 Year Reunion (1970) Saturday 24 October, Killara Golf Club (going ahead) Josephine Beverley (Buckle) E: jo@mjblaw.com.au 55 Year Reunion (1965) Cancelled (was scheduled for Saturday 26 September) Elspeth Hodge (Loewenthal) E: elspeth@amaze.net.au M: 0414 439 500

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60 Year Reunion (1960) Saturday 24 October, Afternoon Tea, David Macfarlane Centre, Pymble Ladies’ College (going ahead) Barbara Fieldhouse (Dickson) T: (02) 6553 2467 E: barbara.fieldhouse3@bigpond.com Bronwyn Harvey (Lamy) M: 0402 141 480 E: bronwynharvey44@gmail.com 65 Year Reunion (1955) Date and venue TBA (convenor needed) 70 Year Reunion (1950) Sunday 26 July, 12.00pm, Commemoration Day, Heritage Centre (TBA), Pymble Ladies’ College Beth Kannegieter (Tierney) E: kanneg@bigpond.net.au Dorothy Oag (Cathels) E: dotoag@bigpond.com

Regional Reunions in 2020 Darling Downs and Northern New England All ex-students in the area are very welcome Date (2021) and venue TBA Helen Gibson (Colton, 1963) T: (07) 4683 5229 M: 0418 194 375 E: research2@hotkey.net.au Melbourne All ex-students in the area are very welcome Date TBA, 2.00pm High Tea Norman Brookes Room, Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club, 310 Williams Rd North, Toorak Sally Totman Marshall (1993) M: 0409 710 066 E: sally.totman@deakin.edu.au Perth All ex-students in the area are very welcome Date TBA, PLC Perth Katrina Corcoran, Alumni Relations Manager T: (02) 9855 7304 E: alumnirelations@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

2021 Reunions 50 Year Reunion (1971) Venue and Date 2021 TBA Barbara Herden (McLellan) E: 303herden@gmail.com Merran Davidson E: merrandavidson@outlook.com Janice Brabin (Martel) E: brabingwjl@gmail.com 68 Year Reunion (1953) Sunday 25 July 2021 (Commemoration Day), Heritage Centre, Pymble Ladies’ College Meg Darling (Henderson) T: (02) 9899 7090 E: megh1@tpg.com.au

Black Sustainability Watch Ties

From the Archives A halfpenny and its journey through time What can an object tell us about the past? Award-winning Australian journalist, Amanda Hooton explores this topic in a beautiful article titled, It’s a thing to behold – and it might just have a secret life.

It is well worth a read!

We have certainly enjoyed imagining the secret life of a 1913 halfpenny that our College painting team found wedged beneath a window that had been painted shut.

The painters, who were in the process of restoring the historic Colonnade windows facing Gloucester Lawn when they discovered our little treasure, suggested it may have been used to level the window or as a packer.

The halfpenny is now preserved in the Heritage Archive along with other objects that have found their way home.

These items include the Dedication Program and class photos for 1919, slipped into the back of magazines donated by a current Pymble mother, who is also the great-niece of the original owner of the photos, Janet Edgar (1919). We also have a collection of Prize books, which belonged to Joan Upward (Somers, 1936), all kept in wonderful condition and clearly a source of pride, treasured for a lifetime.

The original plans for College buildings are also preserved in the Heritage Archive. The 1915 preprospectus describes the Colonnade building as “ten class-rooms, a library, a large assembly hall, lavatories, cloak-rooms, and eight music-rooms. The assembly hall may be used as an atelier and art-studio, as there are no shadows in this room.”

These items, along with our newfound halfpenny, which was most likely slipped out of a pocket and wedged into place by a builder in 1914 before being discovered by tradesmen of a different century, all contribute to the story of Pymble Ladies’ College.

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We set up our online learning environment to mirror a normal classroom as much as possible to maintain those essential connections between our girls and their teachers.

Dr Kate Hadwen PRINCIPAL

Avon Road, Pymble NSW 2073 PO Box 136, North Ryde BC NSW 1670 Australia Tel: +61 2 9855 7799 Email: communityengagement@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

www.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au A school of the Uniting Church in Australia for girls from Kindergarten to Year 12, with Boarding available from Year 7

‘All’ Ultimo Lavoro’ – Strive for the highest

CRICOS 03288K

CRICOS 03288K

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