Links - Term 2, Week 2 2020 Dear Friend of PLC A Message From The PrincipalThere is an old Irish proverb that says, “we live in the shelter of each other”. What a wonderful image this is, especially for a school community. Teachers in schools are constantly challenging students to look out for each other in the school community. I was reminded of this on Thursday morning as I was interviewed by two of our Year 7 students who asked me (amongst other things) what had been my greatest challenge while the school was online? My response was quite simple, maintaining connections and relationships. I have never met a teacher who became a teacher to sit in front of a computer and teach their students in a virtual world. We became teachers because we wanted to make a difference to children and young people in front of us. Schools are built on connections and relationships. Caring for each other is what strong school communities do. Indeed, I believe the quality of any community can be measured by the care it provides its members when they are at greatest need. One of the greatest challenges in any community though, is that we do not always know when someone is in need of support. People are reluctant to say that they need help. My grandmother was a very strong influence in my life. That person with a level of wisdom that left me in awe, and at times, confused. One of the things that did confuse me when I was very young, was her philosophy that you should presume that every person would benefit from some help, that every person you meet has a struggle or a pain you might not understand or see. She would tell me that if you presumed that every person had a challenge and you behaved in a way that resisted showing judgement, that people would trust you and feel that they could open up and share their concerns with you. She taught me that being vulnerable is what would make others feel that they could be open and vulnerable with you. I didn’t really understand this as I young child, but I have certainly come to understand it as an adult. I was reminded of her words this week when listening to All Blacks Head Coach, Steve Hansen, talk about mental health. He said:
I sometimes wonder how much more simple a place the world would be if people were not so concerned about fear of judgement or failure. If people felt more able to say when they are struggling and might need some support, and this were viewed as a normal part of life rather than an exception. If more people thought it was ‘ok’ to be vulnerable. I think that sometimes we forget that it is normal for any person to need support at some time in their life, it is normal to face challenges and difficult times. Right now, is a time when it is more important than ever that we give others license to be vulnerable and allow our community to “live in the shelter of each other”. Right now, the strength of our community is more important than ever, and I have seen so many incredible examples of this in the last few weeks. One of the wonderful things about having most students back at school with us this week, has been the opportunity to connect and re-establish relationships. I look forward to reconnecting with all students as they return, in particular our Boarding students who we hope to see back at school in the near future. As we continue to navigate our way through COVID-19 as a community, I am grateful for many things, but nothing more so than the community I have the opportunity to walk this journey with. As TS Elliot said:
As school returns to ‘normal’, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our teachers and staff for the work that they have done (in particular over the holidays) and their flexibility in moving between different operational modes. I would like to thank our girls, for doing their best to remain positive and continue to engage with their learning, their teachers and their peers. I also thank our parents for their patience and understanding as we have worked through changing directives and scenarios. It has been a wonderful week at school and hopefully we will have another relatively ‘normal’ week ahead of us. As things return to normal for us as a school, I also appreciate that there are many in our community for whom life is still far from normal and it may be a while before things do become normal. To all of those families, I hope that you know that you are surrounded by a community who care. Please reach out if we can support you in any way. As our Years 11 and 12 girls commence their Semester 1 exams tomorrow, I wish you all well. Despite a challenging environment over the last couple of months, you are an incredibly strong group of young women and I know you will know you have each worked hard and will do your best. Remember that you are surrounded by teachers and staff ready to support you, please just ask for help if you need it. Have a lovely weekend and I wish all of the mothers in our community a fabulous Mother’s Day for Sunday. - Cate Begbie, Principal A Message From Academic Captain, EviAs I began the ominous task of preparing for the upcoming exams, my sister quoted from Albert Einstein, “Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.” It made me reflect on the relativity (excuse the pun) of the difficulties we can each face at different stages in our learning. For every big thought Einstein had, once it had be solved, he was challenged to think about the next big question. As we each feel challenged by upcoming exams, assessments, or the next chapter in maths, it is so important to remember that with your hard work and persistence, you have already concurred the hurdles that were once difficult. We must have faith that what we find challenging today, will become second nature tomorrow, and acknowledge that we once dreamed of being where we are today. Good LuckGood luck to all Years 11s and 12s on your exams, and Year 10s on your upcoming assessments! You’ve all put in the hard work, and I assure you that you know more than you think, so don’t doubt your ability. I am super impressed and proud of the resilience, adaptability and grit every one of you have shown during this unusual time. Stay strong and stay connected with friends and family for support, get a good night’s sleep and take three deep breaths. Top TipsBe sure to visit the updated Homework Help Site on the Library and Innovation homepage, where you will find links to study guides, support resources and an up-to-date homework help timetable for teacher and student tutor sessions. I have also created and uploaded infographics on exam day tips and advice for learning at home. While this is designed for students, there may be some tips that are useful for parents who are currently working from home. All the best - Evi Bell, Academic Captain Back to SchoolI know the students are so happy to be back at school and the staff have been refreshed by their return. It is impressive how fast students, staff and parents have adjusted back to school life. Thank you to the parents who have made the return to school a smooth process for our girls. Online Learning StudentsOur staff are working hard to make sure that those who still need to work from home are getting the support that they need. If you have any concerns with your daughter’s online learning, please contact me. Year 6s Leading The WayOur Year 6 Leaders have jumped right back into action, working closely with Mrs Jaques in various activities and acts of service around the School. They have been helping our littlest students make their way from the door to class (no mums and dads being there can be daunting), organising ‘touchless’ games, making videos, holding modified meetings, being involved in Chapel services, holding smaller House meetings and planning art competitions. Again, all within our ‘new-normal’ expectations. Junior School SlipwayCould parents and care givers make sure that they stay in their car and keep the slipway moving. Please do not park in the slipway. Happy Mother's DayWishing all the PLC Mum's a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday! - Richard Wright, Head of Junior School Back-To-School ExcitementOur Senior School campus feels alive this week with the sounds of laughter, squeals of joy and excited chatter filling the corridors. It has been lovely to have so many of our Senior School students on campus. Our staff are also working hard to make sure that those who still need to work from home are getting the support that they need. If you have any concerns with your daughter’s online learning, please encourage her to contact her Learning Co-ordinator for assistance. Year 10 InformationWith subject selections approaching for Year 10 students, parents will soon be provided with more information and a timeline of how this process will look. To help students and parents make their decisions, we will be holding our Year Parent Teacher Student Interviews this term. We currently are not able to have parents on campus, therefore these interviews will be taking place virtually. More information on this process will be provided to parents in the near future. For our Year 10 parents, I would also like to confirm that the Innovation Project will be continuing, and that Curtin University are looking at some exciting prospects for how this project will proceed for this year. Hygiene Practices and Additional MeasuresI appreciate the way our students have taken on board the hygiene practices and additional measures that we have put in place to help ensure that the School is a safe environment. One of these measures has been to limit the use of locker rooms, as these are an area where large numbers of students gather in close proximity to each other. Our students have been asked to utilise their school bag and to minimise the number of materials that they are bringing to their lessons. Advice has been provided to students about utilising electronic textbooks where available and only bringing one file with the work for all classes in it. Despite this, I know that there are some students whose bags are still very heavy. We definitely don’t want to compromise student’s safety in this respect and have made arrangements for those students where needed. This includes our Year 7 students accessing their House Tutor Group rooms to store their belongings, as well as students with particular needs utilising storage areas located at the McNeil and View Street Reception areas. As our Years 8 and 9 students have their lockers spaced out along the corridors, they have been able to access these as normal. I am sure that very soon we will be able to return to normal use of the locker spaces and thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate through our current requirements. If your daughter is having difficulties with her school bag and requires assistance, please speak to her Year Co-ordinator. ExamsOur Year 11 ATAR students and our Year 12 ATAR and IB students begin their examinations tomorrow. Information regarding the examination timetable, venues and rules have been provided to the students. You can find a copy of the rules for ATAR examinations here, and IB examinations here. I know that this year has been a challenging, but I also know that our students have prepared as best they can despite the interruptions that have been caused by COVID-19. I encourage students to focus on doing the best they can and to focus on those elements that they can control. Term 2 Assessment Schedules - Years 7 to 10Below you will find the Term 2 Assessment Schedules for Years 7 to 10. These schedules are a great way for the girls to remain on track with their studies and I would encourage them all to copy their assessments into their diary. - Rebecca Watts, Head of Senior School A Message From the Chair of PLC ParentsWhilst many of the functions and events overseen by PLC Parents and our Year Representatives have been on hold due to restrictions surrounding COVID-19, we have been thinking of our parent community and looking at ways we may be able to provide support in the coming months. We know a number of our families are experiencing trying times. Where possible, we encourage you to support the businesses of our PLC community members which can be found listed on the PLC app. If you would like your business or service added to this app, please complete this online form. Our Pastoral Care Co-ordinator, Jackie Lee is also available to assist in arranging support and assistance to members of our PLC community where possible. Jackie can be contacted by emailing service@journeyrecruit.com.au. The PLC Parents Committee Executive recently met (via Zoom) to discuss PLC Parent activities. Given the current restrictions, the decision was made to postpone the term three PLC Parents meeting which was to include the deliberation of the PLC Parents Fund. Once restrictions have been lifted we will consider a new date and timeline for the meeting and funding deliberations. All PLC Parent activities for this term, including Year group activities are also postponed. A decision is yet to be made in regards to Open Garden Day and if, or how, it will proceed. Co-ordination is currently on hold. This will be re-assessed following the mid-term break. We wish all our PLC families the very best during these unique and challenging times. We look forward to finding new, creative ways to support each other through our PLC community. Take care Michelle Barrett |