Dear valued member of the PLC community,

As we return to Term 3, I hope that families have had a relaxing holiday break. From conversations with students and family members, in many cases, the three-week break was being utilised to finally catch up with family and friends. Whether this meant travelling or having others travel to see you, I do hope that it was a time to spend quality time together and make memories that will last through until those next visits. 

As we return to school next week, we do so fully aware that cases of COVID-19 are rising in the community and new sub-variants are leading to reinfections for people who have already had COVID-19. 

While we will speak with students next week, I would very much appreciate your support in ensuring a safe and healthy environment for everyone within our community. In keeping our community healthy we can achieve our goal of maintaining continuity of learning for your children and the ongoing provision of all services and opportunities. 

As schools, we have been asked to communicate this letter being sent to families in all schools in WA. As included in the letter:

As endorsed by National Cabinet as part of a nationally consistent approach, wearing masks indoors is strongly encouraged and we fully support this across our three school systems. We ask that your child wears a mask to school to keep our schools as safe as possible. Staff have also been strongly encouraged to wear a mask while at school.

We ask for your support to please explain to your child the importance of wearing a mask to reduce the risk of transmission in schools and the community.

We would also ask that parents and visitors to campus wear masks indoors when visiting the school. 

We will communicate further information specific to our Boarding House families prior to returning on Monday 25 July. 

COVID-19 has produced a situation that requires everyone to play their part so that we can protect ourselves, each other and our school community. Throughout Term 2, we successfully navigated the challenges of COVID-19 and I do believe that this was related to everyone playing their part. It was a reflection of the strength of the community and the culture that has been built over the last 106 years.  

While preventative measures are necessary to protect us from catching COVID-19, the opposite is required for ‘catching’ positive feelings and attitudes from others. Research on culture has shown that people ‘catch’ feelings from others. We know to create a positive emotional culture, we need to model the emotions we wish to cultivate. Encouraging supportive behaviours in others such as being inclusive, welcoming, and approachable goes a long way to developing the desired cultural capital of being a member of the PLC community. 

As we start a new term, I draw on the assistance of Dr Seuss to share some suggestions as to how we can all consider our feelings, attitude and behaviours and the impact they have on everyone around us.

Hint 1. A person’s a person, no matter how small.

Demonstrate courtesy and respect for every person you meet.                

Hint 2. Step with care and great tact. And remember that life is a balancing act.

Focus on quality before quantity.

Hint 3. From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.

Look for funny things and respectfully celebrate them.

Hint 4. Think and wonder. Wonder and think.

Your world is full of mystery with amazing people and things. Keep an eye out, notice them and appreciate them.

Hint 5. Today I will behave as if this is the day I will be remembered.

Let everyone see the very BEST version of you every day.

And the final word from Dr Seuss:

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

As we start a new term, may we all care an awful lot about the power of spreading – and catching – positive feelings, attitudes and behaviours.

New Weekly Communications

Following feedback from parents, we are excited to announce that over the coming weeks, we will be transitioning to a new way of communicating the content in our weekly Links e-Newsletter. We will transition from one all-encompassing newsletter to a Junior School Notices, Senior School Notices and Boarding House News. You shall only receive the communication relevant to your family. 

Whilst information applicable to each of these sections will be communicated here, information specific to particular year groups only will be communicated via the PLC App, therefore it is imperative that you download the App. 

Please download it via your Apple Store or via Google Play for android devices. 

To receive notifications and newsletters relevant to you only, please update your subscriptions by clicking the settings cog (circled below) and then click Subscriptions and deselect/select areas of relevance to you. 

Logging in is no longer required for the PLC App, however, certain functions within the App such as the Gallery are still protected by logging in for privacy reasons. 

Slipway Access Reminder

Please be reminded that no right turns are permissible into the Slipways when heading East along McNeil St. This applies to both the Junior School and Senior School Slipways. 

- Cate Begbie, Principal 

Welcome Back

It will be wonderful to see you on Tuesday and catch up with your news. I particularly wanted to welcome our new students and their families who will be joining the Junior School. We are excited to have you and look forward to meeting you and embracing you into our community.

I would also like to welcome back our Visual Arts Teacher, Colleen Garland who was away for Term 2. Debra van Dongen, the Junior School Library Technician returns from an extended mid-year break.

Term 3 Junior School Highlights

I certainly hope that your holiday provided time for rest and re-connection as we are about to enter an exciting and busy time. Over the course of this term, we have several activities across a variety of disciplines: sports carnivals and competitions, the Festival of Science, Speakers Challenge (for Years 3 – 6), Grandparents and Special Friends Day, Book Day, JS Arts Day and our Year 6 PYP Exhibition. In addition to this, we will run Parents as Learners sessions, and the children will be involved in conducting Assemblies and hosting Chapel services.

Your child’s teachers will keep you up to date about all events related to the classroom, and the weekly e-newsletters will provide you with timely information about what events are happening in the Junior School.

Should you have any questions or require any further information regarding school occasions, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs Kerry Martin at the Junior School Reception.

- Meredith Beer – Acting Head of Junior School

Welcome Back Assembly

On Tuesday morning, students are asked to head to their House Tutor Group and then a brief 20-minute Welcome Back Assembly will begin the day at 8.35 am. Parents and guardians may attend the Assembly but will be asked to wear masks. 

We would also like to make a special mention and welcome our new students and their families starting this term. 

Prioritise Your Health 

We look forward to welcoming students back after a much-deserved break on Tuesday, but we would like to remind families that if you are unwell, please stay home. Please contact the Pastoral and Academic Care Co-ordinator to allow learning to continue. 

Uniform Reminder 

Please be reminded that students are to continue to wear their full winter uniform. Permissible jewellery and what to wear for formal occasions can be found in our Uniform Policy Handbook. 

Service Opportunity

As a part of a CAS project, Year 11 students Sophie Hardcastle and Brinya Wakefield are hosting an after-school service opportunity. This service opportunity involves the packaging of Sunshine Packs on Thursday 11 August 3.45 pm to 5.00 pm. 

Sunshine Packs are backpacks that go to foster children in Western Australia through an organisation called Operation Sunshine WA. Sunshine Packs are delivered to Child Protection offices, out-of-home care organisations, and crisis accommodation organisations across WA, with the aim to enhance the mental and emotional health and wellbeing of the recipient. They do so by creating a sense of self-worth, preserving dignity, providing comfort, showing the recipient they are cared about, and helping to alleviate the sense of isolation and negative impact the displacement has on the children and young people.  

After a successful initiative in the Junior School, where a donation drive was hosted, Senior School students are going to package these backpacks with the supplies that are needed. 

If your daughter is interested in participating in this event please:

• Complete and return this permission form
• Pay the fee of $25 plus the booking fee here

Applications close next Friday July 29. 

There are only 30 spots available, on a first come first serve basis, so if your daughter is interested please get her application in as quickly as possible.

Music Bursary Applications Now Open 

Music Bursary applications are now open to students from Years 7 to 11. 

- Rebecca Watts – Head of Senior School

PLC Karratha Sundowner

PLC is travelling up to Karratha in July for a Meet and Greet Sundowner, along with our friends from Scotch College. Director of Boarding, Susie Edwards and Registrar, Molly Atterton, invite the Pilbara community to join them in bringing together PLC and Scotch Old Collegians with current and future parents. We will also be at the Karratha FeNaCING Festival on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 July, so pop by our stand and say hello! We would love to see you at one of these events.

• Date: Saturday 30 July 2022
• Time: 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm
• Venue: The Tambrey, Lot 4227 Tambrey Drive, Karratha WA

We warmly welcome you to pass this invitation on to family and friends who may be interested in catching up and hearing about the future direction of PLC.

Whole School: Term 3 Commences
Tuesday 26 July

Junior School: Inter-House Cross Country Carnival (Year 1 - Year 6)
Friday 29 July 

Junior School: Festival of Science
Wednesday 10 August

Whole School: PLC Parents' Ball 
Saturday 13 August 

Senior School: Arts Day 
Wednesday 17 August

Whole School: Founders' Day
Thursday 18 August

Whole School: Mid-Term Break 
Friday 19 August – Monday 22 August inclusive 

Junior School: Book Day 
Tuesday 23 August

Whole School: OCA Art Exhibition
Friday 26 August – Sunday 28 August

Junior School: Grandparents & Special Friends Day
Tuesday 20 September

Junior School: Arts Day
Thursday 22 September

Whole School: Last Day of Term 3 | 1.00 pm finish
Friday 23 September 

Whole School: Open Garden Day
Friday 21 October