No Images? Click here Dear Friend of PLC Junior School Adventure PlaygroundWhile our families and staff are taking a well-deserved break during December and January, we have some exciting building works and development happening on campus ready for the new School year. Arguably, the most anticipated addition to the School will be a new Junior School adventure playground to be located on the tennis courts in front of the temporary Music Village. Dr Hadwen has shared the playground design with some Junior School students already and they will know it is certainly very unique and will provide a great play space for the girls across all years of the Junior School. The architecturally designed three-storey playspace, devised in consultation with KidSafe, features enclosed slides, climbing netting for upper body strength, layered play spaces and a fireman’s pole. It is for all age groups because it can be as challenging as the students make it and can accommodate up to 100 students at once. Budget for the playground was approved by the PLC Council as part of the first stage of the School Master Plan, which also includes the temporary Music Village, the refurbishment of Finlayson House for an additional 23 boarders and the new Music Centre. Finlayson HouseDuring the Christmas holidays, work on the upgrades to Finlayson House will be completed, ready for its first occupants – our new Year 7 boarders joining us in 2019. Having been privy to the design and interior fit-out of the new facility, I am extremely confident our newest boarders will love their new home away from home. The facade of the Boarding House will be rendered so the exterior of all of the new works tie in and the changes look seamless. Behind the scenes we have also started working with the School Architects – Parry and Rosenthal – on the design of the new Music Centre and we are looking forward to sharing this with you next year. Car Bays - Boarding HouseAs a result of works and upgrades being undertaken at the Boarding House and Finlayson House, the car bays in front of the Boarding House will be dedicated for boarding parents only on Thursday 6 December. We respectfully ask that you please take note of the signage and not park in this area to allow the boarding parents to pick up their daughters and their belongings on the last morning of term. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation. - Dr Andrew Cousins, Deputy Principal Tuesday 4 DecemberJunior School End of Year Assembly, 6.00 pm - 7.00 pm, SRC Thursday 6 DecemberLast day of Term 4
Thursday 6 DecemberSenior School Speech Night, 5.30 pm arrival time, HBF stadium. Sunday 16 DecemberPeppermint Grove's Carols by Candlelight, 6.00 pm, Manners Hill Park Students in Service LeadershipPLC offers a range of Service-Learning opportunities and it is often hearing some of the student-initiated and planned community experiences that provide a glimpse into some of the extraordinary contributions students make to others in the community. I encourage all students to document their service experiences, to complete the reflection questions that aim to reinforce the learning processes and then submit their award application to Lighthouse reception before the end of the year. - Chonny James, Director of Wellbeing Thank you to families for joining last Friday to celebrate the Year 6 students and staff at their final assembly. Suzuki Strings Christmas ConcertOn Tuesday evening, family and friends enjoyed the Suzuki Strings Christmas Concert. It is always a joy to observe the delight of students when performing and the sense of achievement their many hours of work have afforded them. It was a wonderful evening, appreciated by all. Teachers and students must feel proud of what they have accomplished and we thank them. UnitingCare West Christmas AppealThe generosity of families in supporting our annual UnitingCare West Christmas Appeal has also been appreciated. The contributions have been many and we are pleased that we are able to support others at this time. Guess the Lollies in the Jar” FundraiserWe would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Year 3 students, Britney Savill, Zahra vanden Driesen, Sara Kestell and Lulu Davies, for their "Guess the Lollies in the Jar” fundraiser. The girls will be donating all funds raised to help the Salvation Army support the homeless. An important component of IB is service, thinking of others before self. Congratulations and thank you to the many students and members of the community who have provided service in one way or another this year both in and out of school. 2019 Class ListsPlanning for next year is well underway. 2019 class lists will be circulated to Junior School families via email prior to the end of term. Staff consider many factors when they build classes. These are finalised after consultation with leadership, specialists and our support staff who all have the best interest of your child in mind. Additional information regarding next year, inclusive of school commencement, Term 1 co-curricular activities and Term 1 events will be emailed to families prior to Christmas. End of Year ExcitementA lot of energy and excitement pervades the School as the students prepare for the final events of this year. A number of celebrations are occurring at class level, Year Group level and school wide in this final week. We look forward to seeing all parents and students from Years 1 to 6 at the Junior School End of Year Assembly on Tuesday 4 December. - Jennifer Rickwood, Deputy Head of Junior School - Teaching and Learning Places available - 2019 Arrowsmith Cognitive ProgrammeIn 2015, PLC implemented a pilot Arrowsmith Cognitive Programme in the Junior School. We currently have students participating in the programme in full-time or part-time capacity during their school day. The Arrowsmith Programme is based on neuroscience research which demonstrate that it is possible for students to address learning difficulties by strengthening their weak cognitive capacities and enabling them to become effective, confident and self-directed learners. A limited number of places have opened up in the programme for 2019. If you are interested in finding out more please visit the Arrowsmith Programme website and read the flyer. Contact the Junior School Learning and Enrichment Centre if you have any questions. JUNIOR SCHOOL KEY EVENTSJunior School End of Year Assembly Date: Tuesday 4 December Last day of Term 4 – Thursday 6 December Kindergarten: 12.30 pm As a school, we are focussed quite heavily on the leadership development of our girls. Our recent Everest workshop included, for the first time, all Year 12s, not only our elected leaders, because we want all girls to have the skills to lead themselves confidently through life – as well as to lead others should they choose to do so. This was in fact the message in a TED Talk that I showed the Year 11s this week. The presenter’s message was that the smallest actions can have the most profound effect on others and that sometimes we don’t even realise the impact we have had. He referred to these moments as ‘lollipop moments’, something small and sweet, challenging the commonly held view of leadership as being something enormous – like changing the world. It’s not that at all – it’s about changing our understanding of our own capacity; it’s about changing the perception about how much other people care for us; it’s about understanding just how powerful we can be as change agents by doing seemingly small things. Every one of us can be catalysts for a lollipop moment and maybe we don’t even know it! Author and activist, Marianne Williamson, said “Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light and not our darkness that frightens us.” Drew Dudley, the presenter of the TED talk says that ‘we need to get over our fear of how powerful we can be so we can start to see the impact we can have on each others’ lives. He asks “What if we re-define leadership as ‘lollipop moments’ – how many of them we create, how many of them we acknowledge, how many of them we say thank you for.” As we come to the end of the year and with Christmas upon us, I challenge our girls to embrace their ‘power’ as everyday leaders – to think about who has given them a ‘lollipop moment’, to thank that someone who has changed their life… because in doing so, they are demonstrating leadership and they may just change someone else’s life for the better. - Sharon Anderson, Head of Senior School Apple Distinguished SchoolPLC have again been recognised by Apple as a Distinguished School for innovation, leadership and educational excellence. Globally, only 400 schools are recognised in this way. As part of the process, over 90% of PLC teachers demonstrated their proficiency by achieving their Apple Teacher Badges. PLC also submitted an iBook which captures and showcases our innovation, leadership and educational excellence. It is vailable on the iBooks Store to anyone who is interested in reading more. Aviation@PLC to launch in 2019PLC Perth will add Aviation to the list of student offerings from 2019, after more than one third of Senior School students surveyed said they would be interested in learning to fly. We are very excited to announce that PLC is partnering with the Royal Aero Club of WA and Heliwest to offer girls fixed wing and rotary theory classes on campus next year. There is currently a critical world-wide shortage of pilots with a 2018 Boeing survey finding 790,000 pilots were needed across the world in the next two decades – of which 261,000 pilots would be required in the Asia-Pacific region. Girls enrolling in Aviation@PLC would undertake the theory and practical courses outside of their regular schooling, however, would be strongly supported by PLC with the theory elements being taught at school in the Science and Innovation Centre. An information evening is planned for next year to provide more details for families with girls who are turning 15 next year and who are interested in participating. The information evening will be held on Wednesday 6 February 2019, 6.00 pm – 7.00 pm, PLC Perth. Students wanting to participate are also encourage to attend the providers’ Open Days on Saturday 23 February 2019 at Royal Aero Club of WA (Jandakot Airport, 41 Eagle Drive, Jandakot) and Heliwest (2 Harvard Road, Jandakot). Classes are scheduled to start at PLC on Tuesday 5 March 2019. Abrolhos Island Dive TripIn 2019, PLC and Scotch will once again run an Abrolhos Island dive trip in the April school holidays. The trip is targeted at those undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, but places may be given to others if not filled by Duke of Edinburgh Awardees. There is only a small window of opportunity to secure a place in the trip. Scotch already has a waiting list. If you are interested, please complete the two attached forms and return to PLC by Monday 3 December. The payment slip needs to go to PLC Accounts and the consent form to Outdoor Ed (emails are on the forms). 2019 BooklistsThe Year 7 to Year 10 Booklists for 2019 have been published. On home.plc.wa.edu.au there is a link for each of the booklists on the booklists tile. The booklist outlines the requirements for each subject and explains the process for purchasing the resources. This can be done entirely online and the materials will be delivered to your doorstep. Lists have now been published for all Year levels. Student AchievementsTahlia Hanikeri (Year 10) recently competed in the State Final of the United Nations Youth Voice Public Speaking competition. She was a runner-up and has been selected to compete in the National competition next year! Bryzlyn Sin (Year 8) has been shortlisted for the UN Voice National Finals which will be held in April next year. Carina Collins (Year 8) was part of the state team attending National Championships for Ice Skating in Sydney yesterday. Well done, girls! Career NewsBoarding House NewsLast night, the Year 11 cohort held a surprise baby shower for their much-loved Year Co-ordinator Katherine. Read more in Boarding House News. SENIOR SCHOOL KEY EVENTSAdvent Service and Awards Assembly Date: Monday 3 December Christmas Assembly Date: Thursday 6 December Speech Night Date: Thursday 6 December Introducing PLC ParentsIt is with great pleasure we introduce our newly-merged parent group, to be known as PLC Parents, and its executive members to the PLC community. The inaugural meeting of PLC Parents was held on Tuesday evening and office bearers for the executive positions of the group were appointed. Michelle Barrett, a member of the PLC Council and boarding parent, is the inaugural Chair of PLC Parents. Many families will know Michelle from her efforts in organising the successful Farm2Fork event which has been held over the past two years. Michelle said she was honoured to be representing the PLC parent community and encouraged families wanting to reach out to her, to contact her by email. Other office bearers are: A full list of all event organisers, class representatives and their contact details will be circulated in the new school year. The first meetings of PLC Parents will be at 9.00 am and 6.00 pm on Tuesday 19 February 2019 in the PLC Lighthouse Community Room and all parents are warmly invited to participate.
New students 2019 – Uniform Fitting AppointmentsA reminder to all our new 2019 families that Uniform fitting appointment times are still available. NovemberMorning time slots: 9.00 am – 11.30 am on Monday 26 November through Friday 30 November. DecemberMorning time slots: 9.00am – 11.30am on Monday 3 December through Thursday 6 December (last day of term). JanuaryMorning time slots: 9.00am – 11.30am on Monday 21 January through Thursday 24 January. Please contact our Uniform Shop Manager Emma Young on emma.young@plc.wa.edu.au or 08 9460 6243 |