The Solstice

Senior School 

A Message from the Deputy Principals, Senior School

As Term 3 draws to a close, we pause to reflect on a season filled with learning, activity and achievement. For our Year 12 students, the final formal classes have now concluded, and at the time of this publication we are in the midst of a joyful Graduation Celebration Week, sharing these special moments with families.

 

We warmly congratulate our students on their many accomplishments this term. Kambala has enjoyed outstanding results in Sport, with numerous teams reaching finals and achieving excellent outcomes. Our Future Problem-Solving students continue to shine, with four teams progressing to the National Finals, and our Year 10 Debating Team proudly claiming the Archdale Competition title. Each of these successes reflects not only talent, but also the commitment and effort behind them.

 

These highlights, alongside countless others, have characterised a busy and rewarding term. We thank our students for their vibrant energy and hard work and wish all families a restful and refreshing break.

 

Samantha Gooch Deputy Principal - Pastoral Care

Carolyn Gedling Deputy Principal - Academic 

 

Year 7 - Courage in Embracing Challenge Day - 17/9/25

On Wednesday afternoon, Year 7 gathered at Strickland House for a pastoral care program themed around “Courage to Embrace Challenge.” With the harbour as a picturesque backdrop and the spring weather on their side, students embraced an afternoon designed to strengthen teamwork and connection by exploring four key themes: Agility, Perseverance, Risk-Taking, and Ambition.

 

After arriving by foot, students were welcomed with a briefing before rotating through four unique activities. Each rotation gave the girls an opportunity to test themselves in different ways:

 

Agility – Dare Box and “The Mind” Students took on playful dares and then worked together in the cooperative card game The Mind, which relies on silent communication and instinct. The activity challenged them to think quickly, adapt to one another, and trust the strength of their group connection.

 

Perseverance – Archives: Journeying Through Exploring Kambala’s archives, students discovered a story of resilience and determination from the past. Working in groups, they created freeze frames to bring the story to life, highlighting moments of struggle and triumph. This encouraged them to reflect on how perseverance has shaped the school community and how they can apply the same spirit when facing challenges of their own.

 

Risk-Taking – Creating a Mythological Being In this activity, students embraced creative risk by inventing their own mythological creature. Using their name as inspiration, they crafted a new identity, wrote a short backstory, and identified the creature’s key strengths and unique “moves.” Each student then illustrated and shared her design with peers. The task encouraged courage, imagination, and self-expression, while also helping students recognise the strengths they can channel in their everyday lives

 

Ambition – Grow Your Goals Students began by reading a letter of encouragement written by a peer within their mentor group, before moving into a creative goal-setting task. Using a symbolic image as inspiration, each student designed an Ambition Card to capture their personal goals. 

 

At lunch, the groups came together to share games and conversation before being surprised with a special treat, Dr Dough Donuts. The afternoon was a celebration of connection, courage, and sisterhood. Year 7 embraced the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, drawing inspiration from each activity and carrying forward lessons that extend far beyond the program.

 

Bronte Foster 

Head of Year 7

 

We've Got Spirit, Yes, We Do!

Connection and sisterhood are key elements of a Kambala education. Our students' sense of belonging is vital, and research informs our practice as we know that students who feel well, function well. In the Senior School, students' sense of belonging is strengthened through our House system. Throughout the year there are a variety of events, fundraisers and moments where healthy competition and comradery connect peers within and between cohorts. For the first time in 2025, the Kambala Senior School has a new moment of connection and sisterhood, the House Farewell Afternoon Tea! 

 

On Friday 19 September, led by 2025/26 House Prefects and organised by Year 11 students, each House celebrated their Year 12 ‘sisters’ and farewelled them in style with a range of games, a flash mob, gifts and cupcakes. Kambala was awash of House colours of Friday afternoon as each cohort accessorised with their House colours, bringing the Ra Ra and energy as they celebrated the Class of 2025. What a joy it was to witness sisterhood in action and kick off our farewell celebrations to our Year 12 students with fun across the school.

 

Huge thank you to the House Prefects for their enormous effort and setting the bar high for a new school tradition. Gurney - Ruby Jones and Kate Wu, Hawthorne - Morrison Elliot and Coco Manovel, Roseby - Lyla Hyder and Isabella Hupfau, Wentworth - Bella Dixon and Frankie Johnston. The students were supported by their House Patrons, Gurney, Mr Petrucco (standing in for Mr Rollston), Hawthorne, Mr Azzapardi, Roseby, Ms Selinger and Wentworth, Ms Galpin. 

 

Ms Julie Laytham

Head of Student Life

 

Holiday Reads

The upcoming school holidays provide a perfect opportunity for Kambala students to slow down, recharge, and explore new worlds through reading.

 

Extensive studies highlight the value of regular reading, both as a tool for learning and as a source of relaxation and escape. Sustained reading develops vocabulary and comprehension while also sharpening concentration and analytical thinking. It is also linked to lower stress levels and improved mental wellbeing, offering a calming counterbalance to the demands of the school term. Importantly, reading enables students to journey into other worlds, encounter different perspectives, and cultivate empathy and creativity.

 

With over 100,000 items in our collection, Kambala’s Junior and Senior School Libraries play a vital role in nurturing reading journeys. Guided by our dedicated Teacher-Librarians, students are encouraged to explore texts that inspire, challenge, and expand their interests.

 

While libraries continue to adapt and evolve, Kambala is proud to foster a strong reading culture. Our libraries blend tradition with technology, offering both physical books and digital resources, while remaining places of connection, creativity, and exploration. 

 

Through BorrowBox, students have instant access to a wide collection of eBooks and audiobooks, perfect for travel or quiet holiday afternoons. For those engaged in research or independent learning, the library also provides access to trusted academic databases such as JSTOR, ensuring high-quality information is always within reach.

 

Benjamin Farr

Head of Library and Information Services

 

Our Top Reads This Term

Junior Library:

  • Murder Most Unladylike -Robin Stevens
  • Laughter is the Best Ending - Maryam Master
  • Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger
  • The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks - Katie Kirby
  • Greenwild: The Forest in the Sky- Pari Thomson

 

Senior Library:

  • Whisper – Lynette Noni
  • One of Us Is Lying – Karen M. McManus
  • The Summer I Turned Pretty – Jenny Han
  • Five Survive – Holly Jackson
  • The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion

R U OK? DAY - 2025

On the 11th September, the Senior School (aided by the Wellbeing Committee) celebrated R U OK? Day. R U OK? Day is an Australian mental health charity that encourages people to stay connected and have conversations to help others during difficult times. In the Senior School, we promoted the importance of asking someone ‘are you okay?’ to foster wellbeing and connection. The Wellbeing Committee organised a fun lunchtime full of art activities including writing a kind note to a peer, colouring in as part of promoting downtime to aid mental health, and an exciting, multi-year group Dodgeball Game. Students were incredibly excited to take part in the Dodgeball game, which aided relationships and Sisterhood across year groups in a fun game. The Year 11s in particular enjoyed the ability to ‘let off some steam’ in a fun environment. 

 

R U OK? Day is not just a day, it is a constant facet of our school life where checking in on our peers in difficult times is vital to aiding mental health. 

 

Amelia Fleming

Wellbeing Patron

 

Future Problem-Solving Qualifying Problem and Nationals

In August, the Future Problem-Solving teams competed in a Qualifying Problem event. Future Problem Solving is a co-curricular program that encourages collaboration and critical thinking to solve practise future problems. Kambala participates in the Global Issues Problem Solving division, where students research global topics, this year being Agriculture, and use a six-step proves to solve an imagined situation in the future. 

 

This year, the Qualifying Future Scene was set in Australia, 2045, where bees have become extinct, and the government have created AI-prompted ‘Hummies’ to help pollinate crops. The students had to brainstorm potential negative effects of the Hummies to create a better solution. Our Problem Solvers thoroughly enjoyed this activity and showed great strengths in collaboration and creativity. 

 

This Qualifying Problem produced great pieces of work and had great results. Four teams qualified to the National Competition, one of which being a Year 7 team who had never participated in Future Problem Solving before, and a team with 3 members instead of 4. Where students did not qualify, their teams achieved very highly, with most teams ranking 1-2 out of 6 in their marking.

 

Strength in Sisterhood

The annual battle of the court between Year 12 Kambala and The Scot’s College students took place at lunchtime on Tuesday 09 September.  This friendly netball game has become tradition for Year 12 students in their final weeks of Senior School on the ‘Fair Hill’.  

 

Thank you to the players for their energy and skill, the student umpires and the enthusiastic cheer squad complete with drums and the Kambala Koala. Congratulations to the winning Kambala team who were victorious  in a close game. A big shout out to students in Years 7 - 11 who showed up and cheered loudly with every goal that was scored. 

 

Julie Laytham

Head of Student Life

 

Year 8 Mandarin Experience

During July, a Mandarin excursion took place in Chatswood. 

 

We went to The Dumpling House to learn how to fold dumplings in different ways. After the dumpling workshop, we left for the Taiwan Cultural Centre. There, we learnt about the famous 9-person dragon dance.  It was called the 9-person dragon dance because there are 9 people in charge of the dragon and 10 people if you include the person holding the ball on the stick which is used to guide the dragon. We learnt about the significance of the dragon dance and then had the chance to try it ourselves. It was a fun and collaborative activity that required rhythm, coordination, and cooperation.

 

After the dragon dance, we moved on to an art-focused activity where we created our own masks. We learned that colourful and expressive masks were used in traditional ritual performances, each representing different characters, emotions, or animals. This inspired us to design our own, using bright colours and bold patterns.

 

Overall, the Mandarin excursion was a memorable and educational experience. It helped us appreciate the richness of Chinese and Taiwanese traditions and gave us a fun way to engage with the language and culture outside the classroom. We not only learned about food, dance, and art, but also developed a greater understanding of how culture can be expressed in many different ways. This excursion helped us connect what we’ve been learning in class with the real world, and we returned feeling inspired, enriched, and excited to learn even more.

 

Emily Wu and Ava Gruber

Year 8

 

Year 11 Recital

On the 29th of August, the Year 11 Recital was held in the Performance Theatre in the evening. Year 11 Music 1 and Music 2 students performed challenging pieces on a wide variety of instruments, including Isabella Hupfau on the Trombone playing ‘A Wily Bossa’, Coco Monovel singing ‘Maybe This Time’, and Elsie Paton on the piano playing ‘Oiseaux Tristes’. The recital was extremely exciting and enjoyable, and it was a great opportunity for students to showcase the effort they've invested in learning and polishing their pieces in preparation for their Year 11 performance exams later this term. 

 

Congratulations to all students who performed on the night, and thank you so much to the audience, private music tutors and music department staff for your dedication, hard work and unwavering support! The night was spectacular, and every student performed extraordinarily.

 

Chloe Carman

Year 11

Notes from Around the World

On Thursday the 4th of September, the Scots College Coote Theatre came alive as the audience was taken on a cultural journey with “Notes from Around the World”, organised by the Year 12 Scots Prefects. Students from both Kambala and Scots shared performances that were inspired by composers and traditions from across the globe, highlighting the rich diversity of international music. The evening opened with ‘Recorda Me’ performed by Impulse! (Scots Band) which had a strong bossa nova feel, blending jazz and samba. Laura Halley took everyone to France with her rendition of Barbara Pravi’s ‘Voilà’ performed with passion and emotion. 

 

Moving south, we were transported by Coco Manovel’s Spanish rendition of Pablo Beltrán Ruiz’s Sway, accompanied by Alicia Lincoln-Smith on guitar and Bianca Wong on drums. We were then transported to Asia with ‘海闊天空’ (Sky) showcased by Below (Scots Quartet), followed by Cacharelle Dan and Marie Hori, who captivated the audience with a flute and violin duet of Joe Hisaishi’s Howl’s Moving Castle theme. The intermission featured a variety of snacks and drinks from around the world, including Baklava from Turkey, Almond Crescent Biscuits from Italy, Senbai Rice Crackers from Taiwan and more. 

 

Following the intermission, a combined Scots and Kambala Band performed “Like the Movies” by Laufey, and then the Kambala Year 10 Jazz Quartet took us back to France with a lively, playful performance of Veloce by Claude Bolling. Gisele Correa followed with a graceful flute solo of ‘Sentimentale’ also by Bolling. Chloe Carman also delivered a flute solo, but of Astor Piazzolla’s ‘Étude No. 3’, bringing notes of Argentine tango to the stage. 

 

A highlight of the night was the ‘Dance of the Yao People’ performed by the Scots International Band, featuring a diverse range of instruments the guzheng, woodwind and strings, which impressed the audience. Another performance that stood out was Ian Chou’s (Scots student) rendition of ‘‘Bell Sounds of the Zen Monastery’ by Fok Wai-Lam in Cantonese which was intense and captured the audience’s attention greatly. 

 

Congratulations to all the performers for creating such an outstanding evening. Thanks to the Scot’s prefects for their wonderful compering between each performance and for organising this event. Special thanks to Ms Mitchell, for her efforts and hard work, and always ensuring our participation in these events run smoothly. And of course, thank you for the ever-supportive audience and parents.

 

Bianca Wong

Year 11

 

Altius Global Study Prep Program - Community Service Highlighted

During the Year 9 Altius program, two houses (Wentworth and Hawthorne in Semester 1, Roseby and Gurney in Semester 2) combine every two weeks for global studies preparation. Organised by Future Pathways Advisor Mr Pettit, Ms Howell and Mr Farr, these sessions include interactive games, guest speakers, and tasks to help us prepare for life after Kambala.

 

A key part of the program is the Global Study Prep activities, which help us develop career plans, explore interests using the MyFuture website, practise interview skills, and build confidence for work experience, volunteering, and part-time jobs.

 

Community service was a major focus this semester. Guest speakers Emily and Tali from Kids Giving Back introduced us to their volunteering app, explained how to log hours through a digital passport, and ran activities such as the “backpack challenge.” They shared examples of service opportunities including Bushcare, PCYC holiday camps, and Plates 4 Mates.

 

We also heard from Year 11 students Amelia Darke and Edie Lyons, who spoke about their own community service experiences. Their presentation highlighted the benefits of volunteering and offered advice on getting involved.

 

Overall, Altius has deepened our understanding of career pathways, volunteering, and communication skills. Thank you to Emily and Tali from Kids Giving Back, Amelia and Edie from Year 11, and Mr Pettit for organising this valuable program.

 

Annabel Li and Olivia Dan

Year 9

 

Term 3 Soiree

On Wednesday the 3rd of September, the Term 3 soirée was held in the performance theatre in the evening. Many girls from years 1 - 11 performed many challenging pieces on a wide variety of instruments. Some of the highlights included Nicola Scarlis performing Irish Tune from County Derry from Grainger and Romanian Folk Dances by Bartok on the piano, Chloe Carman playing Romance Op. 94 No. 1 by Schumann and Bali Moods by Boyd on the flute and Serena Liu playing Spring on the guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument. 

 

The recital was very impressive and enjoyable, providing a fantastic opportunity for the students to highlight the dedication and hard work they put into learning and perfecting their performances. Congratulations to all performers, and thank you so much to the audience, private music tutors and music department staff for your dedication, hard work and unwavering support. A special thanks to Mr Sagar for accompanying the amazing pieces and Nicola Scarlis for compering the event.

 

Emily Carman

Year 8