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 educational journey, one filled with new opportunities, growing independence, and the promise of new experiences. At Kambala, we are committed to ensuring that this transition is approached with care, clarity and confidence, enabling every student to feel supported as they take this important next step.
Over the coming months, Year 6 students will participate in a range of thoughtfully designed transition experiences that will help them become familiar with the Senior School environment, build connections, and develop confidence for the year ahead.
This term, students have begun participating in language "taster" lessons in Latin, Mandarin and French, taught by members of the Senior School Languages Faculty in the Senior School classrooms. Latin lessons have already taken place, with Mandarin and French to follow. Families will subsequently receive a Year 7 language preference survey, allowing students to indicate their preferred language for study. This information will assist with planning and timetable construction for 2027.
A key milestone in the transition program will be the Kambala Academic Transition (KAT) Day on Tuesday 1 September. Designed to nurture confidence, courage and curiosity, and a morphing of last year’s highly successful “Shadow a Sister” day, this initiative will immerse students in a variety of experiences focused on study skills, thinking skills and personal organisation. Students will also engage with Senior School subjects including Design Technology, Future Problem Solving and the Altius program. A panel of Senior School teachers and students will provide an opportunity for Year 6 learners to ask questions and gain valuable insights into life in the Senior School. Throughout the day, students will be encouraged to reflect on two important questions: Who am I now? and Who am I becoming?
Another highlight of the transition journey will be Test & Quest Day on Friday 30 October 2026. This full-day orientation welcomes both continuing students and the 25 new students joining the cohort. The day offers a wonderful opportunity to meet future classmates, explore the Senior School campus, and participate in engaging activities designed to build familiarity, excitement and a sense of belonging.
Throughout Terms 2 and 3, Year 6 students are also participating in the University of Technology Sydney's Combined Schools Science Initiative (CSSI), supported by 24 dedicated Year 10 student mentors from Kambala. This unique partnership brings Junior and Senior students together to investigate real-world environmental challenges through collaborative scientific inquiry. The projects will be showcased at the Junior School Open Day, where students will present their findings to the school community and invited guests. Judges from the UTS Faculty of Science will evaluate the projects and award a prize to the winning team. Beyond the scientific learning, this initiative provides valuable opportunities for students to form connections, build relationships and become familiar with the Senior School Science laboratories.
During Term 4, students will continue exploring Senior School learning through a series of subject "taster" lessons in areas such as Mathematics, English, Art and Library Studies, taught by Senior School staff.
To support families throughout the transition process, key Year 7 information — including the Senior School Handbook, curriculum overviews, uniform and book lists, as well as sport and co-curricular opportunities — will be published on Sundial in conjunction with Test & Quest Day. Parents of Year 6 students are warmly invited to attend the information morning component of this special event.
The transition will culminate with a Year 7 Induction Session on Thursday 28 January 2027, followed by the official commencement of classes on Friday 29 January 2027.
As our Year 6 students prepare for this exciting new chapter, we look forward to supporting them every step of the way. Through these carefully planned experiences, students will enter Senior School feeling connected, confident and ready to embrace the opportunities ahead. We are excited to welcome them into the next stage of their Kambala journey and to see them continue to grow, thrive and flourish.
Increased Truck Movements - New South Head Road (Gate 4) - Major Build
There will be increased truck activity for the Major Build via New South Head Road, outside Gate 4, on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June.
We expect this to occur throughout the day, including drop-off and pick-up times.
As a result, there may be minor traffic delays.
Tamara Lang
Deputy Principal - Strategy, Operations and Development
Extra Curricular Winter Holiday Camps
Dear Parents and Carers,
The Winter Holiday Camp Timetable is out!
Remember, to enrol your daughter, you need to go through Sundial, which links you to our extra curricular portal:
Click the Enrol & Pay tile.Click on 'Sign in with SSO' rather than entering your email and password.
We LOVE to have siblings / cousins / friends at our camps. Please get them to fill out this form and email it back to juan_renshaw@kambala.nsw.edu.au:
EXTERNAL STUDENTS : WINTER CAMPS
2026 Creative Showcase
Dear Parents and Carers of Year 5 - 6 Students,
we invite you to the upcoming 2026 HSC & IB Creative Showcase where our Year 12 students get to display their outstanding talents in Music, Drama and Art.
Please click here to RSVP to individual showcases.
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 10 August
Science - Tuesday 18 August
Mathematics - Monday 24 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 24 July, 2025 (Term 3 Week 1).
Before School Care
Earlier this year, we advised families that our Before School Care provider, OSHClub, was reviewing the viability of the service due to low enrolment numbers and that the service could only continue if enrolments increased to an average of at least three students per day.
As we approach the end of Term 2, enrolment numbers have unfortunately not increased significantly and remain below the level required to sustain the program. As a result, OSHClub has confirmed that Before School Care will conclude at the end of Term 2, 2026.
We understand this news may be disappointing for families who have utilised the service and thank those who have supported the program. Before School Care will continue to operate as normal until the final day of Term 2.
Homework Club Plus
Designed to dovetail with those later Extra Curricular activities, we are piloting Homework Club Plus which will be available for students in Years 3 to 6 and provides a supervised environment where students can engage in independent learning activities or independently complete homework tasks after school in the Junior School Library.
The program operates in the Junior School Library from 4:00pm to 5:30pm, Monday to Thursday, offering students a quiet and structured space to focus on their homework and learning tasks. The charge for this service will be $15 per afternoon.
Students enrolled in Extra Curricular activities will be collected from the Junior School Library and escorted to their respective activities.
We encourage families of students in Years 3 to 6 to consider taking advantage of this valuable after-school opportunity. For further information regarding enrolment and attendance, please contact Mr Juan Renshaw. A booking link will be forwarded to parents in the coming days.
- To enrol, please go toSUNDIALEnrol & Pay tile, log in with SSO, and you will find Homework Plus in Activity Selection (left hand side bar)
- For further information regarding enrolment and attendance for Homework Plus, please contact Mr Juan Renshaw.
Please note our usual Homework Club will continue to operate for Year 3 to Year 6 students from dismissal time to 4.00pm Monday to Thursday - free of charge.
End of Term 2 Church Services - St Michael's Vaucluse - Friday 26 June, 2026
We appreciate our diversity and take the opportunity to honour our Anglican Heritage.
Girls in Kindergarten - Year 3 will walk up to St Michael’s Church on Friday 26 June 2026 at 1.30pm to attend end of term church service and out Year 4 - Year 6 girls will walk up at 2.15pm to attend their end of term service.
As a mark of respect, girls are to wear full Winter Uniform on the day including Blazers and Panama Hats. If students have a timetabled sports or PE lessons on Friday 26 June they are to bring their sports uniforms in their Kambala Sports bags.
We do work from the premise Kambala girls don't melt in the rain. We will press ahead with optimism unless the rain is torrential.
Please ensure your daughter has adequate wet weather protection.
Kambala and Hampshire House Elevator Upgrades
Kambala is investing in some important upgrades to better serve our School community.
Over the coming months, we will be upgrading the elevators at both of our elevator sites, replacing each with a brand new installation.
As part of this process, each elevator will need to be temporarily decommissioned during its upgrade period. We want to make sure everyone has plenty of notice so you can plan accordingly:
- Tivoli Lawn Elevator - elevator out of service from 22 June to 10 August 2026
- Hampshire House Elevator - elevator out of service from 11 August to 19 October 2026
To ensure everyone can continue to move around the school with ease, please refer to the Sundial notification posted to parents earlier this week.
Junior School Events
Please see the next page for exciting Junior School Events and Dates for your Calendars!