“ I am who I am. I’m good with it.” Kamala Harris First female Vice President of the USA
Principal’s message Now is an exciting time to be teaching and learning at Pymble. This year marked the first year of implementation of our new Strategic Direction, which you can read about on page 11. Watch Us Change the World takes over from our previous strategy, Towards 2020: Striving for the Highest, building on our solid foundation of educational excellence and honing the 21st Century skills and attributes that will equip our students for the futures they desire. For any school, let alone an all-girls’ school, ‘Watch Us Change the World’ is a bold statement, intentionally so. It highlights our belief in the power of a Pymble education to develop the academic, emotional, social and digital intelligence of our girls to be the change they want to see in the world, starting in their school days and ending who knows where? At the start of each year, I think carefully about a message to share with students to help them move into their next stage of learning with positivity and purpose. This year, my message was to ‘Have a Go’, something that sounds simple but is not always easy to achieve.
Extend yourself. Try new things. Embrace falling forward (metaphorically!). Accept the challenge. Find the joy. Across the College, we encouraged our students to adopt Kamala Harris’ powerful statement, “I am who I am. I’m good with it”, and to use that confidence to ‘Have a Go’ at something new – even when it made them feel a bit uncomfortable and especially if there was a risk of failing. Our girls learnt that the growth, discovery and change that occurs from trying, failing and then trying again can bring a profound sense of joy. As a community, we continued to be tested by the change and challenge brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. We are grateful to have had two terms of on-campus learning in the first half of the year, followed by a term-anda-half of Pymble Online in Terms 3 and 4. To have the ability to transition almost every offering at the College to a quality online format is a testament to the incredible professionalism, innovation and dedication of Pymble staff. Our girls and their parents – who we consider to be partners in their daughters’ education
– were equally committed to ensuring that the highest level of teaching and learning continued, on or off campus, throughout a tumultuous year. At all times, our focus as a community has been on moving forward with positivity and purpose – and finding joy. I could not be prouder of Team Pymble. While it is critical to stay positive, it is also important to acknowledge the great sadness and hardship that has been experienced around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My hope is that you and your family are safe and well and that you have the supports you need to sustain you during this challenging time. We look forward to having many more opportunities to connect with you in person in 2022. For now, please enjoy this snapshot of life at Pymble and an insight into what makes our College such a special place for our past, present and future community, our Pymble family.
Dr Kate Hadwen Principal
