No Images? Click here Dear friend of PLC Many are familiar with the famous quote from philosopher Lao Tzu: “Watch your thoughts, they become words; Words matter. Research has explored the impact of positive and negative phrasing across many domains, with one particularly interesting study by Lee et al (2014) finding patients who used positive phrases when unwell, needed less medical treatment and had better coping skills. Book titles are often an interesting reflection of this, both good and bad. Amy Morin’s book on developing mental strength proposes 13 things mentally strong people don’t do. It’s an interesting exercise to flip this into positive phrasing as the message is arguably even more powerful. Here is a selection of her recommendations, both original and flipped.
The same philosophy can apply to us in our everyday interactions with our children, family members and friends where, ‘don’t forget your lunch box’ becomes ‘remember your lunchbox’ or perhaps ‘have you done your homework’ turns into ‘thanks for getting onto your homework now’. We all hunger positivity in our lives and are drawn to those around us who provide this source of strength. It might be an interesting exercise to conduct a personal audit into how you are using your words and if they can be ‘flipped’ to be positively focused. The outcome might be surprising. - Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal Tuesday 15 AugustCabaret at the End of the World, 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm, Hazel Day Drama Centre. Tickets on sale now. Wednesday 16 AugustLighthouse Leaders - Dr Amy Finlay-Jones on Self-Compassion, 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm, Senior School Auditorium. Book online. Cabaret at the End of the World (School Musical), 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm, Hazel Day Drama Centre. Tickets on sale now. Thursday 17 AugustFounders' Day Friday 18 AugustMid-Term Break (please note the School will be closed) Monday 21 AugustMid-Term Break (please note the School will be closed) Sunday 27 AugustPerth City to Surf, Dads@PLC are leading Team PLC in the City to Surf. Find out more and join the team here. Wednesday 30 AugustSpring Concert, 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm, Hazel Day Drama Centre Friday 1 SeptemberDads@PLC Father's Day Breakfast, 7.30 am - 8.30 am, PLC Cafeteria and Deck "Do what you can with the means at your disposal and leave all the rest calmly to God." - Mary MacKillop Australia celebrated our first saint, Mary MacKillop, with a feast day on 8 August. What a remarkable person she was. The eldest of seven children, her family were very poor, but her Scottish father was determined to educate all his children. At age 14, Mary went to work in a stationery store in Melbourne and later as a governess. Having experienced poverty, she was set on helping the poor wherever possible. Being passionate about education providing opportunities for betterment and breaking the cycle of poverty, she founded the Order of the Sisters of St Joseph (commonly called the Brown Joeys) in 1866, the first religious order to be founded by an Australian. She started her first school in Yankalilla, a small town in South Australia, and within a few years there were 40 St Joseph schools and charitable organisations, many in the isolated outback in South Australia and Queensland. In a sense, Mary MacKillop typifies a realist, no nonsense, Aussie approach to life. Often misunderstood by the church hierarchy, at one stage she was excommunicated. Impatient with members of her order who thought themselves more spiritual for having seen ‘visions’, hers was a grounded, ‘roll up your sleeves’ kind of spirituality. And in the midst of the everyday struggle, she saw signs of hope. We draw inspiration from St Mary MacKillop as we seek to inspire young women and to expand their horizons here at PLC. - Rev. Gary Van Heerden Book Day 2017On Tuesday 22 August (during Arts Week) Junior School students are invited to come to school dressed in costume for Book Day. The children will have an opportunity to see each other’s costumes during an informal Book Day parade in the Swim and Recreation Centre. The parade will commence at 9.40 am and parents are welcome to come along to see all of the wonderful costumes! Languages WeekThere has been an international buzz around the Junior School this week, as we celebrate all things languages! The girls have been busy learning some German with Austrian Exchange Students, they’ve competed in a Poetry Recital Competition and the Early Years have been treated to a special French story time, led by one of our wonderful native French parents. In addition to this, a selection of students from Years 1 – 6 have had the opportunity to sample a typical French breakfast, take part in some delicious Chinese cooking, as well as make a German ‘Schultüte’, which is a large decorated cone, filled with stationery and small treats that celebrates the start of school. The Grand Finale on Friday will bring all students together to celebrate with a languages disco, languages busking and some Chinese crafts. Seven of our girls have so far won prizes and a trophy for PLC in the WA-wide Languages Week competition. Congratulations to Saskia Lehmann (Year 2), Améline Ng (Year 2), Elise Wright (Year 4), Felicity Psaltis (Year 4), Natasha Playford (Year 5), Annabella Davies (Year 5) and Angélie Ng (Year 6). We nervously await the results of Friday’s award ceremony. - Louise Peyton, Head of Junior School STEM in Schools Virtual ClassroomAs part of PLC's participation in National Science Week this year, PLC will be joining over 300 schools across Australia for a virtual classroom forum with CSIRO. The virtual classroom will involve in-depth discussions with scientists working in the international space industry. All students with an interest in science and/or space are invited to attend this exciting opportunity to speak with real-life scientists. Date: Friday 18 August (during Mid-Term break) Any questions for the scientists or queries about the event can be submitted to Michelle Clayton, Gifted & Talented Co-ordinator Michelle.Clayton@plc.wa.edu.au. Year 5 General Excellence Scholarships 2018PLC is committed to offering a number of scholarships remitting up to 50% of tuition for girls entering Year 5 2018 and will continue through to Year 6. The successful recipient(s) will be selected based upon evidence of academic ability, a commitment to the community and participation in co-curricular activities. Candidates who are already attending PLC, are confirmed to attend PLC, or not yet on the waiting lists are encouraged to apply. For further details along with the application details can be found on the website. JUNIOR SCHOOL KEY EVENTSTerm 3 Week 4 Parent BulletinDownload the latest Parent Bulletin Chapel Years 3 - 6Date: Monday 14 August Pre-Primary Learning JourneyDate: Wednesday 16 August Lighthouse Leaders - Dr Amy Finlay-Jones on Self-CompassionDate: Wednesday 16 August STEM in Schools Virtual ClassroomDate: Friday 18 August (during Mid-Term break) Mid-Term BreakFriday 18 August - Monday 21 August Junior School Arts WeekBook Day Celebrations - Tuesday 22 August, parade at 9.40 am From the Head of Senior SchoolIt has been an exciting week as we lead up to the elections for our 2018 student leaders. Yes – we are only in August, but as our current Year 12s are into their final ‘official’ term at school before the real business of their final exams, preparations are underway for election of new office bearers. I was thrilled to have so many constructive suggestions from our current Year 11s about improving our processes and was pleased to implement our first ever ‘Speaker’s Corner’ event. Applicants for Head and Deputy Head Prefect positions took to the stage on the Quad last Friday and spoke to the girls about their particular qualities and aspirations. The main impetus was two-fold; one – to enable the girls to share a little about themselves as people and potential leaders so that the voters could have a greater sense of who they are voting for; and two, to provide an opportunity to demonstrate their confidence and ability to speak publicly. The latter is a skill that our Everest Programme student reference group identified as essential to successful leadership and I was very gratified to find that the majority of Year 11s felt it was a positive initiative. Feedback from all applicants has also been very positive and this, being our first foray into such an event, will no doubt pave the way for future changes as we build and refine the election process. I know that over the next few weeks, there will be some girls feeling very happy and others will feel a sense of disappointment and we all know that is a bitter pill to swallow. As someone with a background in sport, I have always thought it is fairly easy to be a ‘good’ winner, but much more difficult to be a ‘good’ loser. It is important, as announcements are made, for girls to keep in mind the feelings of others – to share in the joy of those who might be successful, but to also spare a thought for those who are not. In reviewing the student leadership roles across the School this week, I was staggered by the vast number and array that we have. With this in mind, girls must also remember that there are numerous opportunities to lead. I hope that our new student leaders will see leadership as much more than a badge and a title, and come to the realisation that leadership is not about the self, but about the selfless pursuit of what is good for the ‘team’. - Sharon Anderson, Head of Senior School Student AchievementsSaskia Thomas (Year 11) has been successful in securing a place in this year's Fogarty Futures Conference. Lara Tovich (Year 8) will be competing in the School Sport Cross Country Nationals in Tasmania from 10 - 14 August. Annie Pfeiffer (Year 7), Ariana Papandroulakis (Year 8) and Eloise Rosser (Year 8) have all made it into the U13 State Hockey team. Congratulations girls! Defining Project UpdateThank you to all of the Year 9 parents who attended one of our workshops on the new Year 9 Defining Project last week. For parents who were unable to attend, a recording of the information part of the session can be found here. Year 9s will be allocated supervisors this week, and should be commencing work on their projects now after spending last term planning. The student's exhibition will take place on Monday 27 November from 5.30 pm - 7.30 pm. Please note that this is different to the time advised in the PLC trifold calendar. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Please save the date – all students must attend, and family and friends are welcome. Cabaret at the End of the WorldLadies and gentlemen. Boys and ghouls. Step right up! The Year 10 - 12 musical, Cabaret at the End of the World is on Tuesday 15 August and Wednesday 16 August so come down and join the cabaret! Tickets available now. Senior School Art ExhibitionThe Visual Arts and Technology & Enterprise Departments invite all Year 7 - 12 art students and their parents to the 2017 Senior School "Embodiment" Exhibition Official Opening Night with Tessa McOnie (2008). Opening Night The exhibition will be open to the PLC community on the following dates: Community & Service Learning2018 Tanzania TourStudents interested in joining the Tanzania expedition team are encouraged to read the information package (available here). If you would like further information, please contact Matt Donaldson at Matt.Donaldson@plc.wa.edu.au. Year 10 Family Social Evening – Scottish Dancing & Pizza for CambodiaPut on your kilts and kick up your heels for a fun night of Scottish dancing in support of 2017 PLC Cambodia House Building. View the poster for full details. Date: Friday 11 August 40 Hour Famine this weekendThis weekend ‘Team PLC’ invite our community to join in this year’s 40 Hour Famine (Friday 11 - Sunday 13 August). Many students are committing to living out of a backpack for 40 hours to raise funds for refugee and displaced children.
Career NewsThinking of applying for University in another state? Download this week's Career News for all the key dates and websites you will need to lodge your application. Boarding House NewsArts Day may seem like a distant memory, however, now seems like a great time to share some photos from the day. SENIOR SCHOOL KEY EVENTSPrincipal's AssemblyDate: Friday 11 August Year 9 Tenpin Bowling SocialDate: Friday 11 August Cabaret at the End of the WorldDates: Tuesday 15 August and Wednesday 16 August Year 12 Father Daughter Dinner DanceDate: Thursday 17 August STEM in Schools Virtual ClassroomDate: Friday 18 August (during Mid-Term break) Mid-Term BreakFriday 18 August - Monday 21 August Year 12 Boarders FarewellDate: Sunday 27 August Senior Music ShowcaseDate: Saturday 2 September Meet the Teachers - Ye Tian, Language AssistantIn celebration of our amazing teaching staff, we are showcasing a staff member each week. This week we feature Ye Tian, one of the Language Assistants at PLC who assist girls from all years. This extra help for our students from the Language Assistants is made possible by funds raised through the Parents’ Committee Fees Draw. Ye Tian is a native Chinese speaker and is a PhD candidate at the Media and International Culture College of Zhejiang University. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Zhejiang University and studied Social Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the USA. Ye Tian loves teaching and has previously taught Chinese classes at the Confucius Institute at UWA. Parents' Committee School Fees DrawCongratulations to Mark Zagar and Rebecca Grace, parents of Eliza Zagar (Year 8), who are the lucky winners of the Term 3 Parents' Committee School Fees Draw. They will have $6,588 credited to their school fees account. Thank you to all who participated. Proceeds will be used to help pay for the services of specialist language assistants (like Ye Tian featured above) in French, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish for the benefit of all PLC students. Parents’ Committee ScholarshipsApplications are now closed for the annual Parents’ Committee scholarships for one Year 9 and one Year 11 girl in 2018. The Committee would like to thank the 44 current students who spent a considerable amount of time applying for the scholarships. The difficult task of working through the applications is now underway. The scholarships honour students who uphold the School’s values, who are an inspiration to others, who consistently give their best and make a positive contribution to the PLC community. The scholarship covers the cost of academic fees for one term. Lighthouse Leaders - Dr Amy Finlay-JonesDr Amy Finlay-Jones is a clinical psychologist and specialist in compassion research and training. At this Lighthouse event, Dr Finlay-Jones will introduce the concept of self-compassion, discuss its benefits for parents and young people, and present practical strategies for practising self-compassion and supporting its development in your child. Date: Wednesday 16 August Dads@PLC City to SurfDads@PLC extend a warm invitation to all parents, daughters and siblings to join Team PLC for the 2017 Perth City to Surf on Sunday 27 August. Team PLC t-shirts are available for purchase from the PLC Uniform Shop and are encouraged to be worn on the day. Find out more information and join the team here. |