From Mr Coppin
Guiding a Confident Step Forward: Supporting the Transition to Senior School
The move from Junior School to Senior School marks an exciting and transformative chapter in a student’s journey — filled with new possibilities, growing independence, and a world of learning ahead. At Kambala, we are committed to ensuring that this transition is supported with care, clarity and confidence.
Across Term 2 and Term 3, we begin laying the foundations for this important shift, starting with House Morning Teas with the Principal in the Tivoli Drawing Room. These morning teas will take place on the following dates
- Gurney House - Tuesday 17 June 2025
- Hawthorne House - Wednesday 18 June 2025
- Roseby House - Tuesday 29 July 2025
- Wentworth House - Wednesday 30 July 2025
These gatherings provide our Year 6 students with a warm introduction to Senior School life in the company of their House peers. It is a time to foster a sense of belonging, engage in open conversation, and build early connections with school leadership and the House system that becomes such a cornerstone of life in the Senior School.
Looking ahead, a range of transition experiences have been thoughtfully designed to gently guide Year 6 students into their new environment:
- In late July, the Year 6 students will participate in “taster” Latin, Mandarin and French with members of the Senior School Languages Faculty in the Senior School Languages Classrooms. Families will then receive a Year 7 survey to indicate preferences for foreign languages (Latin, French, Mandarin). This information will inform the 2026 timetable.
- Shadow a Sister Days will take place across three dates in Week 6 of Term 3 (Monday 25, Tuesday 26, and Thursday 28 August 2025). On these days, Year 6 students will "shadow" their Sisterhood Circle peers in Year 7 through a morning of Senior School classes. In the afternoon, they will come together for a dedicated transition workshop, designed to reflect, connect, and prepare our students for what lies ahead.
- Test & Quest Day on Friday 31 October 2025 offers a full day of orientation for all continuing and new students. This special event is a highlight of the transition process, offering Year 6 students the opportunity to meet future classmates, explore the Senior School environment, and engage in a range of interactive activities designed to build confidence and excitement.
- Throughout Term 4, students will continue their exploration of Senior School through “taster” lessons in subjects such as Science, Art, Design and Technology, and Library with specialist teachers.
To support families, key Year 7 information including the Senior School Handbook, curriculum overviews, uniform and book lists, sport and co-curricular options will be published on Sundial to coincide with Test & Quest Day. Parents of Year 6 students are invited to attend the information morning component of this exciting day.
The new year will begin with an Induction Session on Thursday 29 January 2026, followed by the official start of classes on Friday 30 January 2026.
As always, we remain deeply committed to ensuring that your daughter’s transition to Senior School is a positive, supported, and joyful one. This journey is not simply a change of location — it is a rite of passage into the next stage of learning and life at Kambala.
Student Free Day - Friday 6 June 2025
Friday 6 June is a Student Free Day, and our Teaching Staff are excited to be spending the day working with Academic In Residence Dr Ron Ritchhart from Harvard’s Project Zero Classroom.
Please also note that Monday 9 June is the King's Birthday Public Holiday.
Communicating with Parents and Carers - Semester 1, 2025 Academic Reports
Our Kindergarten to Year 6 teachers are busy at present preparing student progress reports.
We anticipate reports will be distributed via email on the penultimate school day of Semester 1 (Wednesday 25 June, 2025). You may also access past Academic Reports via Edumate. Please see the steps on how to access your daughter’s past reports at this link. Please note: to access reports via Edumate, please log in using a tablet or laptop.
Preparation students will also receive a Learning Portfolio at the end of this term. Please check your daughter’s Sundial Learning Moments.
The NSW Curriculum is structured in stages, with each learning stage spanning two years:
- Early Stage 1: Preparation and Kindergarten
- Stage 1: Year 1 and Year 2
- Stage 2: Year 3 and Year 4
- Stage 3: Year 5 and Year 6
As students progress to a new learning stage, they encounter a fresh set of learning outcomes and have two years to master these. It is common for grades to initially stagnate or slightly decline during this transition. For example, a student who earned an A in English at the end of Year 2 might receive a B at the beginning of Year 3, and a student with a B in Mathematics at the end of Year 4 might initially receive a C in Year 5 due to the increased rigor of the new stage’s curriculum.
Please be reassured that students have two years to thoroughly understand and excel in the teaching and learning outcomes of their new stage, and they typically become stronger as they progress.
In Kindergarten, the first formal year of learning in the NSW Curriculum, A-E grades are not awarded due to the individualised pace of learning. The NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA) advises that A-E grading should commence from Year 1.
Parents of students in Years 5 and 6 receive feedback through Progressive Reporting on Sundial throughout the semester. As such, the Year 5 and Year 6 academic reports are streamlined. Year 5 and 6 Parents are reminded to take the time to check their daughter’s profile at regular intervals throughout the semester to view students’ most recent annotated learning samples. Please click on the ‘Feedback’ button to view your daughter’s assessments.
At Kambala, we are committed to realising each student's academic potential and are proud of the comprehensive nature of our reports. However, it is important to remember that our view of the students is multifaceted and extends far beyond words or grades on a page.
ICAS Assessment Competition
Kambala is pleased to offer our students in Years 3-6 the opportunity to participate in the ICAS Assessments, which will take place in Term 3. Our students can nominate to sit the English, Science and/or Mathematics assessments. The assessments are designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. Please consider carefully before choosing this enrichment opportunity for your daughter. It is a rigorous competition with many questions set beyond grade level. Participants are required to demonstrate a deeper, integrated and thorough level of learning. Please note that most schools only enter their most capable students, so the averages are very high. More information about the assessments can be found at ICASassessments.com
Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. All students receive a certificate and an individual student report with their score and achievement level. Top performers are eligible for an ICAS medal.
The dates for each competition are as follows:
English - Monday 11 August
Science- Monday 18 August
Mathematics- Monday 25 August
Each of these will be completed at Kambala.
If you would like to register your daughter, please complete THIS FORM.
Registrations close on Friday 25 July, 2025 (Term 3 Week 1).
Year 3 Term 3 Saturday Sport Registration
Please click here to access all the information in regards to the Year 3 Saturday Sports offer for Term 3 2025.
The girls will have two Saturday Sport options to choose from – Netball or Minkey Hockey. Girls can only register for ONE sport, as they will both take place Saturday mornings.
Please note that the final day for registrations is Friday 13 June. The Google Registration form can be found at the bottom of the letter.
Extra Curricular - Pupil Free Day (Friday 6 June 2025) and Holiday camps
The extra curricular department has you and your daughters covered for pupil free day on the 6th June.
We will have 2 camps running :
MUSICAL THEATRE WIZARDS AND WITCHES THEMED : PREP - YEAR 2
Step into the magical world of wizards and witches! This camp, inspired by magical worlds like Harry Potter and Wicked, will have kids singing and dancing their way through enchanting stories. They’ll create their own magical characters, perform spells through song, and explore the world of wizardry on stage.
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS : YEAR 2 - YEAR 6
Nastic Gymnastics will focus on teaching and enhancing skills related to rhythmic gymnastics, which combines elements of ballet, dance, acrobatics, and apparatus handling such as ribbons, hoops, balls, and clubs.
Skill Development will include
Basic Technique: Emphasis on building flexibility, strength, and coordination, which are crucial for rhythmic gymnastics. Apparatus Training: Sessions where participants learn how to use different apparatus (ribbon, hoop, ball, clubs, and rope). Dance Elements: Introduction to dance routines and how they integrate with gymnastics. Choreography: Teaching simple routines to music, improving timing, and spatial awareness.
Learning new skills and incorporating them in leaps, acrobatics and balances, culminating in a performance at the end of the day!
It’s basically the Olympics at Kambala!
To enrol, go the usual way, through Sundial
Click the Enrol & Pay tile.
When you sign into the Clipboard Portal, click on 'Sign in with SSO' rather than entering your email and password.
Looking forward to seeing your daughters here at the Camps !
Juan Renshaw
Extra-Curricular Manager
(02) 9388 6747
0417260310
juan_renshaw@kambala.nsw.edu.au
Extra Curricular Activities Terms 3 and 4, 2025
Enrolments for Semester 2 open next MONDAY 9 JUNE at 8PM.
Log through Sundial, using the link here
Click the Enrol & Pay tile.
When you sign into the Clipboard Portal, click on 'Sign in with SSO' rather than entering your email and password.
As we have had a slight issue with the Clipboard update, could you please go online to make sure your account is working before Monday night. If you are getting an error, please clear your cache/cookies, and then reload your browser.
Reach out to me if you are still having troubles.
Remember, when you enrol your daughter, they are enrolled for both Term 3 and Term 4 (until the end of the year).
VIEWING WEEK
We are very excited to announce our viewing week for all extra curricular activities:
Tuesday 17 June
Wednesday 18 June
Thursday 19 June
Friday 20 June
Monday 23 June
If your daughter does an after school activity on these days, please feel free to turn up to watch them 10 minutes before their class finishes.
(So if your daughter's class finishes at 4.10pm, please turn up at 4pm).
Do not be any earlier than that, as we are getting the girls ready to perform, and it can be distracting if they see you any earlier.
Please make the time to come.
It really is the perfect time for them to be seen, celebrated, and valued.
All your daughters activities are on their calendar, with the times and rooms.
There will be a timing and rooms guide at the Massie House Reception every day for the Viewing Week for your perusal.
WINTER HOLIDAY CAMPS
Winter Holiday Camp Timetable is out next week!
Lots of days available for your daughters (and their siblings / cousins / friends) to book into!
Friday 27 June (school finishes Thursday 26)
Monday 30 June – Friday 4 July
Monday 7 July – Tuesday 8 July
Monday 14 July – Wednesday 16 July
Monday 21 June (school starts Tuesday 22)
We have all the usual camps, with some new ones also on board, all to be announced next week.
Spoiler alert, Disco Roller Skating …. 🛼
As always, if you have any queries about any of the above, or any extra curricular question, please reach out by email, text or phone call.