From Mr Coppin

Kambala Academic Transition Day: A Glimpse into Senior School

On Tuesday 1 September, our Year 6 students stepped into the world of Senior School as part of Kambala’s Academic Transition Day, enjoying an immersive and engaging glimpse into Senior School life. Designed in response to student feedback, the day encouraged students to build confidence and curiosity, reflect on who they are becoming as learners, and consider the exciting opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Through interactive sessions exploring self-awareness, self-authorship, reflection and dispositional learning, students began to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Senior School learner. They also enjoyed sharing recess and lunch with their Year 9 Sisters, creating opportunities for connection, conversation and reassurance in familiar communal spaces. The day continued with an exploration of Senior School learning opportunities, including Global Mindedness, Future Problem Solving and STEM, giving students a taste of the rich and diverse experiences awaiting them in Year 7 and beyond.

Following the recent language taster sessions, the KAT Day provided another valuable step in our transition journey, helping students feel prepared, supported and excited for the next chapter of their Kambala experience. This program will continue through our upcoming Parent/Daughter House Afternoon Teas with Ms Danvers and the Year 7 2027 Test and Connect Day on Friday 30 October.

Co-Raising Our Daughters: Partnering with Parents

Our girls are growing up in a world of extraordinary possibility and also one of increasing complexity. As parents and educators, we have a shared responsibility to understand the landscape they are confronting so we can equip them with the knowledge, confidence and discernment to thrive within it. Co-Raising Our Daughters: Conversations that Matter is a parent education series designed to bring this work into the open, sharing the research, thinking and programs that shape our approach to supporting girls, and strengthening the partnership between home and school as we work together to raise women of consequence.

Our first conversation, Co-Raising Our Daughters: Growing Up in the Age of AI, will explore what current research is telling us about young people and AI, what this means for girls in particular, and how we can help our young women understand this new landscape. We will consider both the opportunities and emerging risks of AI, and share AI: The Kambala Approach, to provide practical knowledge and language that support conversations at home.

This will be followed by our Term 4 conversation focused on Respectful Relationships targeting families in Year 5 to Year 12, recognising the enduring challenges facing young women navigating consent, safety, and healthy relationships.

We look forward to sharing these important conversations with our Kambala parent community.

SAVE THE DATE

Co-Raising Our Daughters: Growing Up in the Age of AI

Online via Zoom, details provided later

6.00pm - 6.40pm Wednesday 9 September 2026

Spotlight on Public Speaking: The Ingrid Holden Cup Competition (IHC)

This term, our Year 2-6 students are stepping into the spotlight as they have embarked on their journey for the Ingrid Holden Cup public speaking competition. Designed to help girls learn to 'communicate for impact,' this initiative combines speech writing and public speaking to sharpen persuasive communication skills learned in the classroom. In honour of Mrs Ingrid Holden, a former Deputy Head of Junior School at Kambala, we will be holding our annual Ingrid Holden Cup public speaking finals in Term 4.

The Preparation

The girls’ are learning effective oral presentation skills, such as posture, eye contact, gestures and the 5Ps for voice: projection, pace, pausing, pitch and pronunciation. When presenting their speeches, they will be assessed on their Manner, Matter and Method.

What to Expect

In the Classroom: As part of their English writing curriculum across Terms 3 and 4, students will draft two persuasive speeches based on topics provided by their class teachers. Students in Years 3-6 will also create an impromptu speech, with just 20 minutes to prepare once given the topic.
The Pitch: The girls are encouraged to apply a range of persuasive devices to convince the audience of their opinion on the topic.
Practice at Home: Rehearsals can be completed as part of homework, though speech content should remain unchanged once finalised in class.
Classroom Presentations: All students will present their speeches in front of their own class.

The Finals

Once all speeches have been presented, class teachers will select two finalists from each class- these will be announced in Term 4. Year 2 students will present one of their prepared speeches during a Massie Assembly in Term 4. Years 3-6 students will present an impromptu speech based on a topic given to them on the morning of the final. Parents of the finalists will be invited to attend and celebrate their achievements.

Encourage your daughter to embrace the process, express her ideas with confidence, and enjoy finding her voice!

Curriculum Overviews and Homework, Kindergarten to Year 6

Parents can now view a detailed Curriculum Overview for each subject on their daughter’s Sundial page. This feature provides clear visibility into the specific learning areas scheduled for each term. You can also check your daughter’s weekly homework tasks to ensure she is completing set tasks.

To explore what your daughter is studying and locate her weekly Homework tasks, simply log into Sundial and navigate to the following tiles:

Preparation - Year 6 Semester 2 Parent Teacher Zoom Interviews - Monday 15 Thursday 17 September 2026

Junior School Parent-Teacher Interviews

Parent-Teacher interviews with Class and Specialist teachers will be held during Week 9 of Term 3 (Monday 14 September - Thursday 17 September). Specialist teachers available for interviews are:

Year 2 - French, Music, Science

Year 3 - Drama, French, Science

Year 4 - Drama, PE, Science

Year 5 - Mandarin, Music, PE

Year 6 - French, Mandarin, Music

Interview times with your daughter’s teachers will be offered both before and after school hours. Most parents find 10 minutes sufficient time for interviews with their daughter’s Class teacher, plus 5 minutes with Specialist teachers and if their daughter’s Maths teacher is not their class teacher. If you feel that more time is necessary, please contact your daughter’s teacher to arrange a convenient time and date for a longer meeting. You may request interviews at other times throughout the year by contacting teachers directly.

How will these interviews work?

We will continue to utilise Zoom for our interviews as feedback indicates this works best for our busy parents and carers. Parent-Teacher interview bookings can be made using our online booking system at https://kambala.meettheteacher.com/ Once you click on the link you will be directed to the online booking system to schedule your appointment/s. The booking portal will be open from 4pm on Thursday 20 August and will close at 4pm on Thursday 10 September.

A Parent-Teacher Booking Appointment Guide has been created to assist parents with their bookings. Please click here to access this Guide. Once you have made an appointment time, confirmation of your appointment time will appear on your screen. A confirmation will also be sent to your parent email address. If you need to amend your booking time, please do so via your confirmation email.

On the day of your Appointment

You can access Zoom links for all teachers on your daughter’s Sundial class page. Teachers will be alerted that you are in the virtual waiting room and will admit parents to begin the appointment at the scheduled time. Every effort to keep to the schedule will be made and we encourage parents to access the Sundial class pages ahead of the scheduled meeting times to support timeliness. Please note if you are running significantly late, you will need to reschedule your appointment as teachers must follow their pre booked interview times with other families. We kindly ask that you respect our teachers’ time and notify them in advance via email if you are unable to make your scheduled appointment time.

IT support

Should you experience technical difficulties during the event, please access ICT support by clicking on the ICT Support tile on the Sundial homepage. While we are doing all we can to prepare for a smooth experience, we appreciate your flexibility should there be any disruptions.

Year 3 Sport Registration for Term 4 - Soccer

Please click here to access all the information in regards to the Term 4 Sports Choice for Students in Year 3.

Read the letter carefully as it contains information regarding the key dates for next term.

In Term 4, Year 3 will play in a Soccer competition alongside Ascham and SCEGGS Darlinghurst. All games will be held on the Moore Park Synthetic Field, located on Lang Road Moore Park.

Please note that registrations are due on Tuesday 15 September. All registrations received after this date will go on a wait list and will not be guaranteed a position in a team.

Hampshire House Elevator Upgrade

Kambala is investing in some important upgrades to better serve our School community.

Over the past months, we have been upgrading the elevators at both of our elevator sites, replacing each with a brand new installation. The Tivoli Lawn elevator has now been completed and is back in service.

Hampshire House Elevator - elevator out of service from 24 August to 19 October 2026

Junior School Events

Please see the next page for exciting Junior School Events and Dates for your Calendars!