No Images? Click here Dear friend of PLC It’s not only marks that matterWe know our PLC graduates possess far more than great academic outcomes. As a School, we come to know the girls for all the gifts they possess; yet we operate in a system where, at the end of all the school years of toil, entry into University continues to be predominantly based on one number. However, perhaps the tide is changing. In WA, we have seen a definite shift towards early entry offers. Notre Dame and ECU have long used this as a methodology for attracting and securing students. Perhaps it was the deregulation of the University sector a few years ago, inspired by the 2008 Bradley Review which resulted in numbers no longer being capped, that has finally led to most universities now offering early placements. I note with interest the recent announcement by NSW universities to offer early placements to International Baccalaureate students. This week, we received notification that two of our Year 12 girls, Emily Bradley and Kathie Li, have been invited for interviews at the prestigious University of Cambridge; how exciting! I’ve long been impressed with the enrolment process employed by top American and English universities where an interview is a critical component of entry requirements. Harvard University in its selection criteria states ‘What sort of human being are you now? What sort of human being will you be in the future?’ as one of the qualities they are looking for in their students. Imagine if all Australian universities moved away from the, arguably somewhat lazy, system of relying on a number as the dominant entry requirement, to investing in ensuring they had the right students for the right courses. Perhaps the first year drop-out rate that continues to challenge this sector would be less of an issue? While our PLC graduates are competitive based on a number, the broad nature of the education we provide would certainly make them even more attractive to a university that considered the whole person in their process. - Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal Saturday 25 NovemberParents@PLC "Jingle and Mingle" Christmas Party, 7.00 pm - 12.00 am, Claremont Football Club, tickets $70. Tickets still available - Book now. Tuesday 28 NovemberSuzuki Christmas Concert, 5.30 pm - 8.00 pm, Heather Barr Memorial Chapel Tuesday 5 DecemberJunior School End of Year Assembly, 6.00 pm - 7.00 pm, Junior School Swim & Recreation Centre Thursday 7 DecemberTerm 4 finishes (Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12), 1.00 pm Senior School Speech Night, 5.45 pm - 9.00 pm, HBF Stadium. Year 12 students must be in the main foyer at 5.00 pm sharp. 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 Six simple words‘To you is born this day’ (Luke 2:10-11). The angel’s proclamation are words that could be said to any new parent. But the angel had done some homework. The words are the same words used to celebrate the birthday of Caesar Augustus. The Romans greeted ‘the most divine Caesar’ with ‘good tidings’ ‘for the whole world’. Romans said Caesar was ‘a saviour who put an end to war’, ‘born for the common benefit of all'. The beautiful poetry of the angel’s message echoes the self-serving praise of an emperor who thought of himself as divine. It is good to remember that Jesus was born at a time similar to ours – with posturing politicians, power struggles, tensions between people and uncertainty about the future. ‘To you is born this day.’ Six simple words which contain a profound challenge for us in a world where ruling powers serve the interest of too few. Six simple words that invite us to receive God’s promise of hope as it comes to us in the newborn Christ and then the challenge to do something about raising that hope in our generation. ‘To you is born this day.’ As the voice of the people has been heard and a self-serving ruler has been deposed in Zimbabwe, may the hope that the angel speaks about come to pass as Zimbabweans seek peace and the new tomorrow they have been yearning for. - Rev. Gary van Heerden Pre-Primary Nativity PerformanceCongratulations to our Pre-Primary actors for the wonderful contributions they made towards the Nativity performance this week. It was a special way for us to begin the Christmas season. The singing, costuming and acting demonstrated great commitment and joy. Sincere thanks to Miss Sophiya Wallace, Mrs Natalie Lucioli and Mr Jason Boron for their preparation of the girls. Thank you also to our Kindergarten parents for organising a lovely morning tea for the Pre-Primary parents to enjoy afterwards. Junior School End of Year AssemblyOnline bookings are now open for the End of Year Assembly - book here. We encourage you to book online as soon as possible, as we anticipate a high demand for ticket allocations. A reminder that the ticket limit is three per family. Bookings will close at 4.00 pm on Friday 1 December, unless the seating allocation is exhausted prior. The End of Year Assembly is an official School function and, as such, all students in Years 1 to 6 are expected to attend. If you know that your child will not be attending, please email me (Louise.Peyton@plc.wa.edu.au) and your child’s class teacher, as soon as possible. Early Years students and their families are very welcome to attend the assembly, however, it is not a requirement. - Louise Peyton, Head of Junior School PLC/Scotch Joint French LessonSharing knowledge and working together will always enhance relationships and produce better outcomes for all. This was certainly evident on Tuesday when the Year 3 Scotch boys crossed the train tracks and visited the Year 3 PLC girls to be a part of a French cultural lesson. Students worked together to produce a fact cube related to six key Parisian monuments and shared their knowledge with lots of excitement to all students. On leaving, the boys could recognise and name many of the famous monuments and recount key information about them. Très bon effort Année trois! - Kelly Barron, Junior School French Teacher Uniform Changes 2018 - New Blouse Try On TimesFurther to the Principal’s announcement about uniform changes in 2018, we now have a sample set of blouses for trying on, and will be providing advance opportunities for girls to be fitted next week. The Uniform Shop ladies will be in the Junior School on Thursday 30 November from 8.00 am until 4.00 pm for parents who may wish to bring their daughter to be fitted. Please take direction to the fitting room via Junior School Reception. You will also be able to pre-order your blouses for collection during January or when they become available. Lego Christmas AppealA big thank you to all the families who have donated boxes of Lego or Duplo to be distributed at Christmas time to children who are less fortunate than ourselves. You are making a difference to the lives of children in WA. UnitingCare West will be collecting the boxes on Thursday 30 November, so if you would like to bring something in, there is still time. Instrumental and Vocal Music Lessons 2018All instrumental and vocal music lessons will conclude on Friday 1 December. Congratulations to all students on their musical development and achievements throughout the year! Students who wish to continue with their instrumental or vocal tuition in 2018 do not need to re-enrol. Current enrolments will automatically roll over to next year. Parents are asked to notify the Music Department at music@plc.wa.edu.au by Friday 8 December if they do not wish to continue lessons in 2018 or need to change their current enrolment details. New enrolment applications for 2018 are welcome by completing the 2018 Music Enrolment Form and sending it to the Music Department by Friday 8 December. JUNIOR SCHOOL KEY EVENTSTerm 4 Week 8 Parent BulletinDownload the Latest Parent Bulletin Year 6 Final AssemblyDate: Friday 24 November Year 6 Farewell PicnicDate: Friday 24 November (after the Year 6 Final Assembly) Parents@PLC Jingle & MingleDate: Saturday 25 November Junior School End of Year AssemblyDate: Tuesday 5 December Last day of Term 4Date: Thursday 7 December It is so fantastic to be back at School after my recent long service leave. I have to admit that my break for my daughter’s wedding was fantastic, but there really is something about the buzz of the School - primarily stemming from the energy of the girls - that invigorates me. We have just two weeks left at School, so it is a busy place at present, and when I spoke to the Year 9 and Year 10 girls last week at their assembly, I reminded them to be kind to themselves – and to each other. It is when we are very busy and tired that we sometimes say things that we wouldn’t normally, so now is the time to take that extra breath and think. An analogy I heard recently was to imagine you're a pilot and you can't do anything until you've cleared it with the control tower. Psychologist Arlene K. Unger recommends using the FAA model:
You’ve all heard of the ‘five second rule’ when you drop a chocolate on the floor – I always think of the FAA model as providing you with those five seconds. That little bit of time gives you the opportunity to re-channel your reaction. - Sharon Anderson, Head of Senior School Student AchievementsCongratulations to Annabelle Muir (Year 11) and Poppy Evans (Year 11) who finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the 1.25 km Open Water Swim at Coogee on Saturday. Congratulations to Kirsty Wong (Year 7) who was also selected (alongside Annie Pfeiffer, Hana Yusoff and Sienna Hanikeri) to compete in the 2017 Australian All School Athletics competition. Tahlia Hanikeri (Year 9) has been selected (along with Bryzlyn Sin, who we congratulated last week) to compete at the Senior State Final of the 2017 UN Youth Voice Public Speaking Competition on Saturday 25 November, 6.00 pm. I would like to make special note of Year 11s Jacqueline Morley, Portia Quenby, Selena Ballesteros and Chloe Dew who assisted at the Juveniles Diabetes Foundation walk last Sunday. This is something dear to me as my nephew was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes two years ago, when he was 14. It was terrific to have them helping to co-ordinate the day and also to hear our lovely Pipe Band 2 providing inspiration to walkers along the course. Well done, girls. Everest Student Leaders’ WorkshopWe are excited to be running our inaugural Student Leaders’ Workshop next Friday and Saturday for the larger group of our Year 12 2018 leaders. You may not be aware that we have close on 70 leadership positions for Year 12 students and this workshop is designed to provide training to them all. We are very grateful to Sam Kronja, Director of Finance, who has very kindly offered to lead part of the workshop and to our Chair of Council, Emeritus Professor Tracey Horton AO who will join us for part of Friday as well. This is a terrific opportunity for the girls and we look forward to working with them. - Sharon Anderson, Head of Senior School Music BreakfastA music breakfast for students in our Years 7 - 12 School music ensembles will be held on Tuesday 5 December from 7.30 am – 8.20 am in the Cafeteria. Registration Forms should be completed and returned to the Music Department by Friday 24 November. Instrumental and Vocal Music Lessons 2018All instrumental and vocal music lessons will conclude on Friday 1 December. Congratulations to all students on their musical development and achievements throughout the year! Students who wish to continue with their instrumental or vocal tuition in 2018 do not need to re-enrol. Current enrolments will automatically roll over to next year. Parents are asked to notify the Music Department at music@plc.wa.edu.au by Friday 8 December if they do not wish to continue lessons or need to change their enrolment details. New enrolment applications for 2018 are welcome by completing the 2018 Music Enrolment Form and sending it to the Music Department by Friday 8 December. Uniform Changes 2018 - New Blouse Try On TimesFurther to the Principal’s announcement about uniform changes in 2018, we now have a sample set of blouses for trying on, and will be providing advance opportunities for girls to be fitted. Senior School girls will be able to try on sizes on Friday 1 December and Monday 4 December in Room SG3. Fittings will be supervised by the ladies from the Uniform Shop, however, parents are welcome to attend. You will also be able to pre-order your blouses for collection during January or when they become available. Pastiche - On Sale NowThe Creative Writing Club has been busy, not only writing imaginative stories and elegant, lyrical poetry, but they have also delved into the publishing world with their very own revitalised Pastiche. We are offering you the opportunity to purchase a copy. The print run is small, so please get in quickly. There are great short stories, poetry, artwork and photos, written and created by students in both the Junior and Senior Schools. You will be impressed by the quality of the work and of the publication. The cost of the magazine is $9.95. To purchase your copy, please complete the Pastiche Order Form - Luciana Cavallaro, Creative Writing Club & Pastiche Co-ordinator Year 9 Vietnam Service Tour 2018Download the Vietnam Tour pack for all the information relating to the Tour. If your daughter would like to join the Vietnam Service Tour, please return the Consent Form and the Payment Slip within the pack to PLC Accounts or View Street Reception by Thursday 30 November. Find out what other tours, exchanges and Outdoor Education programmes are on offer during 2018, 2019 and 2020 here. Expressions of Interest - Abrolhos Island ExplorationDuring the second week of the April holidays in 2018, PLC and Scotch College are hoping to run a SCUBA Exploration Adventurous Journey to the Abrolhos Islands. This programme is for Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award participants only. There will be nine places for PLC students and nine places for Scotch. Download the letter with more information. We are asking for expressions of interest to be emailed by Wednesday 29 November to Liam.Sullivan@plc.wa.edu.au. Please note, students do not have to be currently enrolled in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, but will need to do so in order to secure a place. Tanzania Service Tour - Wine Fundraiser for Matipwili VillageIn conjunction with Howard Park Wines, PLC and Scotch College are selling Mad Bay wines as a fundraiser for the 2018 service project in Matipwili. These are good quality Margaret River wines at exceptional prices! All wine ordered by Sunday 3 December, will be delivered to you by Friday 15 December just in time for Christmas and the summer festive season. To order wines, please complete the order form and return it to Liam Sullivan by Sunday 3 December. Thank you for your support of Matipwili Village! Community & Service LearningUnite Against ViolenceFriday 24 November is United Nations Ending Violence Against Women and Children Acknowledgement Day. The UNiTE Campaign is committed to working towards a world free from violence for all women and girls. In support of this, staff and students are invited to wear a flower of any description on Friday 24 November. Guest speaker Margaret Muntinga from UnitingCare West’s Wyn Carr Womens Refuge will also be addressing our assembly. Boarding House NewsWe wish Hannah Vermeersch the best of luck as she pursues her rowing dream. To read about her journey and see photos of the Year 11 Quay2Quay, download Boarding House News below. SENIOR SCHOOL KEY EVENTSPrincipal's AssemblyDate: Friday 24 November Parents@PLC Jingle & MingleDate: Saturday 25 November Boarding House Christmas DinnerDate: Sunday 26 November Year 9 Defining Project ExhibitionDate: Monday 27 November Last Day of Term 4Date: Thursday 7 December Senior School Speech NightDate: Thursday 7 December Jingle & Mingle - This Saturday Night!Date: Saturday 25 November Bookings are still available online, so we hope to see you there for a fabulous night! Parents 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 |