No Images? Click here Dear friend of PLC Thank you to all members of our community for the richness you add to the breadth and depth of our PLC family. This year has been alive with accomplishments, albeit with some challenges. Over the Christmas break, spending time with family is almost always a delight, and is almost always filled with a dash of challenge. With this in mind, I’m reminded of the words of Frank A. Clark, an American lawyer who sat on congress for 20 years – “If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere!” Best wishes and our sincere thanks to the following staff who will be leaving PLC, whose contracts have ended with us or who are taking leave next year: Staff LeavingNeesha Flint - Director of Learning Mark Thomas – Director of Music Jason Boron – Music Teacher Jenny Hetherington - VET Co-ordinator and Careers Counsellor Cath Sinclair - English Teacher Melissa Cummins - IB Administrator Hannah Vermeersch - Boarding House Year Group Co-ordinator Lyndsay Brookes - Health Centre Co-ordinator Clare Hall - LOTE Teacher Tess Barritt - Junior School Teacher Sarah Robey - English Teacher and Deputy Head of Boarding Diann Kerr – Psychologist End of ContractCharles Porter - ILT Integrator Macarena Rubio - Pastor LOTE Teacher Mike Kostera – Junior School Teacher Year 6 Sarah Ghossein - Media Technician Eliza Keet – Junior School Teacher Rosemary Allitt - Education Assistant Junior School Amanda Bahen – School Psychologist Staff Taking Leave in 2018Hannah Barnsley - Teacher – Physical Education Geetha Nair - Head of Department - Humanities Emily Riddell – Dance Teacher Skye Hegarty – Dance Teacher Alana Brentnall – Science Teacher Sarah Saunders – Piano Teacher and School Accompanist Jo Gray – Boarding House Thank you for your continued support in 2017, have a safe and relaxing Christmas and I look forward to welcoming you back to PLC in 2018. - Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal Thursday 7 DecemberTerm 4 finishes School Speech Night, arrival time 5.30 pm for a 6.00 pm start, HBF Stadium. Years 7 - 11 parent information - download email here Monday 29 January 2018Welcome Morning, 8.30 am - 12.30 pm. All new students from Years 1 - 12 and current Year 6 students entering Year 7 in 2018 are invited to attend. Tuesday 30 January 2018Term 1 commences Thursday 1 February 2018Parents' Committee Meeting, 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm, Scorgie House Boardroom Friday 9 February 2018Parents Sundowner, 6.00 pm - 9.00 pm, PLC Quad, Tickets $35, Book now This year, it is 500 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses, or statements, to the door of the University Chapel in Wittenburg. While this may seem strange today, the church door was the traditional billboard of the middle ages. Luther’s central statement - "Salvation by faith alone" - was a challenge to the corrupt practice of indulgences, where the faithful could buy forgiveness. Luther’s teaching spread like a wild fire through Europe, leading ultimately to the Catholic/Protestant split in the Christian Church. Sadly, as so often happens in fall outs, all sides claimed the moral high ground, demonising opponents, leading to the persecution of thousands. As we approach Christmas, we celebrate Luther’s courage in proclaiming the love of God for all, but instead of focusing on what divides, we celebrate the essential solidarity of the human family because of God’s love for all, whatever we believe or do not believe. - Rev Gary van Heerden As this will be our final Links for the year, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our Junior School families for the warm and generous welcome that you have extended to me this year. I feel that I have made a wonderful decision in moving west, and I feel privileged to hold the position I do at PLC. I would also like to thank the Junior School staff. I have worked in a number of independent schools across Australia and the energy, passion and commitment of our Junior School staff is awe-inspiring. I have been astounded at how well they know our students, and how they cater for each individual according to the child’s needs. I have also been incredibly impressed by their curriculum knowledge and expertise and their passion for the PYP. I thank them and commend them on their professionalism. Thanks and a fond farewell is extended to Mike Kostera, Eliza Keet and Rosemary Allitt who have taken on fixed contracts this year and will be leaving us at the end of 2017. Thanks also to Jason Boron, who will taking up the position of Director of Music at All Saints' College, and to Diann Kerr who is taking up a position as Psychologist at Seton Catholic College. We wish all of you well in your future endeavours. Finally, I wish to extend my thanks to our wonderful students in the Junior School. They inspire me, give me joy, make me think, encourage me to be balanced and take time, and remind me every day that, while the job can sometimes be challenging, they are our future leaders and I want the very best for them. I wish those students who are leaving PLC all the best, and I look forward to catching up with the Year 6 students as they move to the Senior School. I wish you all a safe and joyful Christmas. - Louise Peyton, Head of Junior School Student AchievementsBallet and Dance teacher, Emily Riddell, would like to give a special mention to Lucy Neervoort (Year 4) who gave up her Wednesday afternoons for the entire year to assist with the Pre-Primary/Year 1 Ballet classes. She has done a wonderful job in this role and should be congratulated. Genevieve Kessey (Year 5) and Lily Macliver (Year 8) have both been successful in auditioning for the WA Opera Children’s Chorus for 2018. Both girls will be performing in Carmen. Music Events Calendar 2018Please refer to the Music Events Calendar 2018 for the main Music Department performances, camps and events for next year. Speech & Drama @ PLC 2018 (Years 4 - 11)Speech & Drama @ PLC is a fun, exciting and challenging Theatre Arts co-curricular programme. Many senior students in leadership positions at school have used the communication and performance skills developed in Speech & Drama for oral presentation, public speaking, auditions and in their interpersonal relationships. The programme caters for both accomplished performers as well as shy girls who would like to develop vocal and communication skills to improve their confidence. Download the flyer for more information. School Holiday Programme - all children welcomeWe are excited to be offering School Holiday programmes for all children during the December and January school holiday period. Partnering with Camp Australia, the programme is open to boys and girls, from any school, ages three to 12. The programme will be run at PLC Perth and includes a wide range of fun, exciting and educational activities including;
Summer is here, holidays have started and everyone can breathe a sigh of relief! It has been an action-packed year and the girls are on the cusp of seven weeks of blissful relaxation; a luxury of spare time. In what is undoubtedly a busy world, many young people have difficulty just being still. They are so used to a constant stream of stimulation and of busyness. Studies have found that having down time or being ‘bored’ can actually be a good thing. In fact, psychologists say that over-scheduling – providing a constant stream of organised activities - could ultimately keep young people from discovering what really interests them. There is also a strong connection between boredom and imagination, and Dr Teresa Belton from the University of East Anglia says that: "if we can engage in some low-key, undemanding activity… the wandering mind is more likely to come up with imaginative ideas and solutions to problems." Boredom can also provide an opportunity to "contemplate life rather than rushing through it" (Adam Phillips, 1993). Being bored can also act as a stimulant to address boredom itself – and motivate one to get things done. Belton says that "children need time to themselves – to switch off from the bombardment of the outside world, to daydream, pursue their own thoughts and occupations, and discover personal interests and gifts." If your daughter claims to be bored during her holiday break, remind yourself (and her) that it’s okay – because her creative juices might begin to flow by being unplugged and daydreaming for a while! - Sharon Anderson, Head of Senior School Student AchievementsCarina Collins (Year 7) has been selected for the WA State Team for Ice Skating and will compete in the National Championships in Brisbane. Genevieve Kessey (Year 5) and Lily Macliver (Year 8) have both been successful in auditioning for the WA Opera Children’s Chorus for 2018. Both girls will be performing in Carmen. Lily will also be performing in the Opera in the Park La Bohéme which was highly selective. PLC had teams in Years 7, 8 and 9 entered in the Have Sum Fun Term 4 Competition. Congratulations to one of our Year 9 teams who finished in 3rd place. The girls in the team were Clara Chen, Tahlia Hanikeri, Eloisa Malet and Stella Vanderzanden. Music Events Calendar 2018Please refer to the Music Events Calendar 2018 for the main Music Department performances, camps and events for next year. Expressions of Interest - New Course (Years 10 – 12)The purpose of the course is to present a meta-narrative of Western/Occidental Culture through a study of the epochs that make up the cultural history of the West:
The course is designed to introduce students to the major works of art, literature and philosophy that define the culture of each era, and to see the links in the narrative of Western Culture. The course focuses on key excerpts from relevant literary and philosophic texts, with the hope and expectation that students might be interested in following up by reading the complete texts and investigating further the history of each period studied. The lessons will run for 30 - 45 minutes and will be offered during morning and lunch times to accommodate the students’ programmes. If you are interested in this course, please contact Mr Duncan MacLaurin, Duncan.Maclaurin@plc.wa.edu.au for more information. Science NewsPLC and Scotch Students Learn about Gravitational WavesOn Thursday 30 November, 23 Physics students from PLC and Scotch College attended a seminar at UWA University Club, sponsored by UWA Institute for Advanced Studies. The main presenter was Physics Nobel Laureate, Professor G M Smoot from UC Berkeley, who outlined new discoveries in the technology for gravitational wave detection and gravitational wave data analysis. They also discovered how gravitational wave technology is already being applied in many other areas of science. Perkins Profs Academy GraduationThis term, the Science department organised for a group of 15 students to attend the Perkins Profs Academy at the esteemed Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research every Thursday after school. Their “graduation” took place last Thursday 30 November. This course offered the girls a unique opportunity to work alongside medical research scientists and be challenged to question, explore, think, collaborate and discover solutions to one of the most complex health issues facing the nation - cancer. PLC will continue to be involved with this course in 2018, and Year 11 and 12 students will be invited to apply. Speech & Drama @ PLC 2018 (Years 4 - 11)Speech & Drama @ PLC is a fun, exciting and challenging Theatre Arts co-curricular programme. Many senior students in leadership positions at school have used the communication and performance skills developed in Speech & Drama for oral presentation, public speaking, auditions and in their interpersonal relationships. The programme caters for both accomplished performers as well as shy girls who would like to develop vocal and communication skills to improve their confidence. Download the flyer for more information. Career NewsDownload this week's Career News below for some great links and workshops being held during the holidays. Boarding House NewsOn Saturday, the Year 9 cohort completed their leg of Quay2Quay. For more photos from the walk and the Boarding House Christmas Dinner and Sarah Robey's farewell dinner, please download Boarding House News below. Parent Group Review - UpdateIndependent facilitator, Martin Kirkness’ review into the current structure of PLC parents’ groups has now been considered by the School Council. Mr Kirkness found that, overwhelmingly, PLC parents were of the view that there should be just one representative parent body in the School. The Council has decided to consider the report and its recommendations as part of its own overarching review into all sub-committees of the School Council. This review is due to report back to Council mid-2018. Parent Sundowner 2018The PLC Parents' Committee invites you to the Annual Parent Sundowner on Friday 9 February 2018. Tickets are $35 each and include wine, beer, soft drinks and canapés. Date: Friday 9 February 2018 |