Links eNewsletter - Term 4 Week 8 Dear valued member of the PLC community, A Message From the Deputy PrincipalTransition, heading out, and change have all come to my mind when reflecting on this penultimate week of Term 4. The corridors in the McNeil Street Building that were so charged with anxious energy during the Year 12s' final exams have seemingly let out a deep breath of relief and are sitting silently. The season has finally transitioned to summer and the mood around the campus has changed to a balmy sense of fun. Our Year 6s have celebrated their Final Assembly in the Junior School and the Year 7s have departed on their Outdoor Education Programme. It has become a tradition for Year 6 to be piped into the Senior School by our Pipe Major after the Year 6 Final Assembly as a rite of passage on this momentous occasion. For every young person, the transition to Senior School is one of the first big landmarks on the road to growing up and, while bigger landmarks towards adulthood may lie ahead, it’s important to reflect on this early turning point and all the changes it signifies. We look forward to welcoming these students as our new Year 7s in 2022. Our current Year 7s also headed out on Monday, this time to the RAC Nature Park in the Wooditjup National Park in Margaret River on their Outdoor Education Programme. The combination of the beautiful weather and the exciting line-up of activities – bushwalking, surfing, mountain biking, and camping – promises to make it a successful programme. This year, the whole of Year 7 ventured out as one year group; this is a special opportunity for the students to interact with others outside of their friendships groups and to form shared bonds as one interpersonally healthy and mutually supportive cohort. The programme is designed to promote beneficial habits and practices such as co-operation, consideration for others, and organisational skills, as well as fostering greater independence and understanding of self. Nature-based learning also models how students can limit their impact on the land whilst appreciating and interacting with it, helping to create the much-needed environmentalists of the future. Perhaps, most importantly, Outdoor Education Programmes are about supporting students to build resilience and viewing risk and adversity as opportunities for positive learning experiences. Challenges are an important part of life and Outdoor Education encourages “challenge by choice” whereby students willingly step outside of their comfort zones and navigate challenges in their own way. - Chris Robinson – Deputy Principal Instrumental and Vocal Music Lessons 2022Students who wish to continue with their instrumental or vocal tuition in 2022 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 tomorrow, Friday 3 December if they do not wish to continue lessons in 2022 or need to change their current enrolment details. New music enrolment applications for 2022 are welcome by completing the below button by Friday 3 December. Early Finish on the Last Day of SchoolPlease be reminded that school will finish on Thursday 9 December at 1.00 pm. End of Year AssemblyWe look forward to the entire community coming together to celebrate 2021 for the Junior School End of Year Assembly. The ceremony begins at 6.00 pm in the Junior School Swim and Recreation Centre. FarewellsIt is with sadness we farewell a number of staff from the Junior School at the end of this year. French Teacher, Mrs Hoffman and Year 6 Teacher, Miss Sawle, will leave us for new career opportunities. Ms Tara Holmes, PA to the Head of Junior School, leaves us after eight years of service to three different Heads of Junior School. Ms Holmes has also been responsible for ensuring events and staff were organised and communication flowed from the Junior School – whether emails, notes or App messages. Her sense of humour will also sorely be missed by the staff. Mrs Deb Barnaby, Junior School Receptionist, leaves us after 14 years of service to the Junior School community. Mrs Barnaby’s joyful greetings, messenger duties, and wonderful first aid (band-aids and ice packs) have been a special part of the community for so long. I would like to thank her for the assistance she has provided to everyone for the past 14 years. Mrs Rosalea Wallace leaves us after 16 years in Junior School. Mrs Wallace has held many roles in early learning and guided so many children through their early years of education and PLC. Mrs Wallace has worked hard to ensure the classes and playgrounds are exceptional early learning environments. We wish her all the best for her life in retirement. Inter-house Athletics CarnivalWhat a wonderful day we had for our rescheduled Inter-house Athletics Carnival on Monday. It was amazing to see everyone show their House colours with the new House hair accessories from Year 5 students. Congratulations to all the athletes on the day and especially Carmichael House for their victory on the day. Chocolate Stocking DriveEveryone has the ability to spread joy and kindness this festive season and that’s exactly what our Junior School Administrator, Deb Barnaby, has done with calling for Chocolate Christmas Stockings! Deb reached out to PLC staff to ask them to purchase and donate a Cadbury Chocolate Stocking which Care Bags will then distribute to children in foster care this Christmas. A HUGE thank you to our generous staff who have given so far and our parents who are joining in this initiative. If you’d like to participate, purchase a Cadbury Christmas Stocking from Woolworths, Coles or Kmart and drop it off at the Junior School Reception by COB Friday. Year 6 Final AssemblyLast Friday, we were fortunate enough to enjoy the Year 6 Final Assembly with fabulous performances and reflections from each Year 6 student of a Junior School highlight. The students were then piped across to the Senior School, through a guard of honour and onto the Quad before performing their first 'Team in a Huddle'. Suzuki Strings Christmas ConcertOn Tuesday night, our talented Junior School musicians filled the Chapel with festive melodies at the Suzuki Strings Christmas Concert. It was a wonderful showcase of their musical learning this year and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. Well done to everyone involved. Resource ListsThe Years 1 to 6, 2022 Resource Lists are now live on home.plc and accessible via the ‘Booklists’ tile. When placing orders with Campion, parents and guardians are reminded to please enter their daughter’s email address in the format student_number@student.plc.wa.edu.au This will ensure that any e-texts purchased are correctly provisioned to your child’s Campion MyConnect eBook reader. - Richard Wright – Head of Junior School End of Year Assembly – Years 1 to 6
Term 4 Concludes
Early Finish on the Last Day of SchoolPlease be reminded that school will finish on Thursday 9 December at 1.00 pm. The Kookaburra will be distributed to students at the end of the day or can be collected at the start of the school year. Please also note that the traffic warden will not be attending the Stirling Highway crosswalk at this time, however, PLC staff will help direct students across the road. As staff are not able to stop traffic, your assistance where possible with stopping to allow them to cross would be greatly appreciated. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Christmas break. PLC Talent ShowTomorrow, we have our annual PLC Talent Show on the Quad with staff and students all encouraged to wear their best Christmas hats to help them get into the holiday spirit. Dodgeball Match FunWe ended last week with the staff v Student Council dodgeball match. While the Student Council looked amazing in their sporting costumes, the staff were the victors. Last Friday, it was also wonderful to see our Year 6 Junior School students walk through the guard of honour of Senior School students as they crossed the road. They then joined our Year 12 students in their first official ‘Team in a Huddle’. Friendship BraceletsOn Wednesday, our Senior School students were joined by the current Year 6 cohort in making friendship bracelets as part of Wellbeing Month. We have enjoyed a number of activities throughout Wellbeing Month and we thank Wellbeing Captain, Mimi Poll, for driving this. Science Week SpeakersAt PLC, we aim to encourage students to be curious about the world around them in order to become knowledgeable and informed global citizens. Last week, we had the pleasure of celebrating science with a variety of activities planned throughout the week to engage students in the many wonders of science. A highlight of the week were the guest speakers at the Principal’s Assembly. Our first guest speaker, Old Collegian Emily Ford, a recent graduate of a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at Curtin University, invited students to engage in the amazing world of science and to ignite their imagination by being curious. There is a lot of research on the power of inspiring curiosity in the science classroom, with curiosity being said to be one of the most important attributes of a scientist. According to academic von Strumm, “Teachers have a great opportunity to inspire curiosity in their students, to make them engaged and independent learners. That is very important” (von Stumm, 2010). The second guest speaker was Paige Maroni, a PhD Researcher for the Centre for Evolutionary Biology at UWA. A highly motivated individual, Paige studies the incredible diversification, evolution and chemical ecology of a marine mollusc using phylogenomics. She is also part of the Australian Barcode for Life Project that Year 10 PLC students have had the privilege of being involved in as a pilot school. Paige further engaged the audience with the ideas of inspiring students to inquire about their environment and to follow their dreams. Both speakers were able to show students very different examples of pathways that they can follow as a career in science. What a successful way to end a week’s celebration of science. Performing Arts ShowcaseOn Friday night, our students wowed the audience at their Performing Arts Showcase. It was a brilliant display of artistic ability across the whole spectrum of the performing arts! Resource ListsThe Years 7 to 10, 2022 Resource Lists are now live on home.plc and accessible via the ‘Booklists’ tile. When placing orders with Campion, parents and guardians are reminded to please enter their daughter’s email address in the format student_number@student.plc.wa.edu.au This will ensure that any e-texts purchased are correctly provisioned to your child’s Campion MyConnect eBook reader. Speech Night PrizesSpeech Night prizes for students in Years 7 to 11 will be announced after our Advent Service today. Following this, prize winners and their parents will receive more information about rehearsals for the evening which will occur next week. As our Year 7 students are currently away, we will re-announce the Year 7 Prize Winners at their Academic Assembly on Tuesday. Speech Night is a wonderful way for our community to connect and celebrate the year. All students are expected to attend and House Tutor Teachers will be taking attendance. All students should be in formal summer uniform (panama not required) including their blazer, polished black shoes and the normal school rules surrounding jewellery, nail polish, and natural coloured hair. We know it will be a fabulous evening with everyone looking their best. Speech Night Information - ReminderDate
Venue
Timing4.45 pm - Senior Pipe Band students to arrive. We strongly recommend leaving plenty of time to make it to HBF Stadium. Year 12 Student SeatingThe most convenient entrance for Year 12 girls is the main doors at the Stephenson Avenue end of the building where the fountains are. Deborah McPhee and I will be waiting to greet the Year 12s who will gather in the Lecture Theatre at the bottom of the stairs near this entrance. At the commencement of the evening, students will process into the stadium in their House led by Monet Edwards and Dimity Andrews. There is no need to book a ticket for students as Year 12s' seating is allocated as a group on the northern side of the arena. Seating Years 7 – 11
Parking - Access from McGillivray RoadThis year, to ease traffic congestion on Stephenson Ave, the back entrance to HBF Stadium (off Brockway Road) will be open. We strongly recommend leaving plenty of time to make it to HBF Stadium to allow for traffic delays. UniformFormal summer uniform must be worn by all students. This includes tie, blazer and hair ribbons. Please note that girls are not required to wear their panama. - Rebecca Watts – Head of Senior School 2022 IGSSA Rowing2022 Years 8 to 12 students received information on how to register their interest for the 2022 IGSSA Rowing season. Interested students have been asked to complete an online Expression of Interest. On receipt of a student’s expression of interest, parents/guardians will be emailed seeking approval for their child to participate. Once approval is received from the parent/guardian, the student's name will be added to the 2022 IGSSA Rowing attendance list and a confirmation email with further information sent to the student. We ask that students register their interest as soon as possible, allowing time for us to seek parent/guardian consent in readiness for the 2022 IGSSA Rowing season. Who Can Row?All students currently in Years 8 to 11 (Years 9 to 12 in 2022) are eligible to participate in IGSSA Rowing as either a rower or coxswain and no prior rowing experience is required – Learn to Row is not a pre-requisite. Current Year 7s (Year 8 in 2022) are able to register for the coxswain programme, however, are not eligible to be a rower. At a date to be advised, all participants will be required to complete a 100m river swim. Rowing fees for the 2022 season will be $600 per student for both rowers and coxswains. This fee does not include breakfast however the PLC cafeteria has a great assortment of food available for purchase. An additional fee of $100 will be charged for students who nominate to attend the January Rowing Camp. Rowing fees will be charged to student accounts in January 2022. Coaching staff and purchase of resources are based on rowing registrations, therefore refunds will not be given. If you require further information regarding Rowing at PLC, please contact Ms Chonny James, Director of Wellbeing/Head of Rowing. 2022 Years 7 - 8 IGSSA Team Sport Trials2022 Year 7 and 8 students (current Yr6 and Yr7 students) received an email on Wednesday 1 December, with information on how to register for IGSSA sport trials commencing Term 1 2022. Registrations will remain open until next year, allowing time for current students to consider their 2022 co-curricular commitments and providing new students the opportunity to register. Years 7 - 8 IGSSA AFL Trial Dates:
Years 7 - 8 IGSSA Volleyball Trial Dates:
2022 Years 7 - 12 Swim Training2022 Years 7 - 12 students are welcome to attend swim training sessions being held during the January school holiday period, in preparation for PLC’s 2022 Years 7 - 12 Inter-house Swim Carnival being held on Monday 7 February at HBF Stadium. The IGSSA Swim Squad will be advised after the Inter-house Swim Carnival and the remainder swim trainings will be limited to the IGSSA Swim Squad. The final IGSSA Swim Team will be announced prior to the IGSSA Swim Carnival being held on Friday 11 March. If you have any questions in relation to Sport at PLC, please contact Ms Nat Medhurst, Head of Sport – nat.medhurst@plc.wa.edu.au. Boarders of the Week:
Room of the Week:
BuddiesThere was an electric atmosphere in the Boarding House last Thursday as the boarders were writing their welcome letters to our new boarders for 2022. The girls put so much love and care into their letters and were so thoughtful about what they wrote. I imagine it will be a pleasant surprise for the new boarders receiving them. The girls have left email addresses as well so they can write to each other over the school holidays. Next year, we are encouraging additional year groups to get involved with our buddy programme with the Year 10s pairing with the Year 7s, the Year 11s with the Year 8s and the Year 12s with the Year 9s. This way, the new Years 7s and 8s get three years with their buddy, whilst the Year 9s get one year’s practice in before they become a buddy themselves. The prefects running the programme plan to hold fortnightly training sessions with the buddies in Term 1 to equip them with the skills to be a good mentor and friend, as well as fortnightly catch-ups between the buddies and new boarders. Catch-ups will vary from activities and outings to longer chats about boarding and school life. The current boarders are very much looking forward to the responsibility and getting to know our new boarders. For our final weekend in the Boarding House, Santa will be paying a visit for our very special annual Christmas Dinner on Sunday night. This is a big event for our girls to mark the end of the year. The girls can also look forward to late-night shopping this Thursday, a viewing of the Christmas lights on Friday, beach trips, a Christmas movie on Saturday, and an all-years picnic at the Fremantle ferris wheel. We hope that our girls make the most of these final events for the year and cherish the special time with their boarding family. - Katherine Hazlewood – Deputy of Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Student Textbook Swap & Stationery Drive Supporting Give WriteIn the final week of Term 4, Senior School students will have the opportunity to swap current textbooks and to donate stationery for Give Write, an organisation that provides stationery to WA children in need. Textbook drop-off in exchange for one token per book will be held on the Quad next to Bev’s Café on Monday 6 December during Recess and Lunchtime and again before school on Tuesday 7 December. The textbook exchange will take place on the Quad Tuesday 7 December during Recess for token holders and then at Lunchtime for all students for a gold coin donation. Senior school textbooks should be in good condition and listed on the current 2022 booklists which can be found here. Items requested for the stationery drive include red, blue, and black pens, sharpeners, lead pencils, coloured pencils, erasers, glue, crayons, highlighters, calculators, Artline markers, rulers, pencil cases, coloured marker pens, paper or whiteboard markers new or used. Any unclaimed textbooks will be offered for a gold coin donation on Seqta under Student Forums. Request to Help Migrant and Refugee Families this Holiday Season – Years 7 to 10 Families (Closing Friday)PLC Senior School students in Years 7-10 are being asked to donate and support 15 migrant and refugee families to celebrate this holiday season, through the St Vincent de Paul Society. St Vincent de Paul Society has a long history of helping migrants and refugees, and this year like most charities, they have been inundated with requests to support those in need. Through each House, students will be provided a member of one of the 15 families and asked to buy a gift to be donated to the family box. Some gift ideas include hand or body lotion, shampoos, aftershave, bag, candle, purse, sports equipment, stationery, games, arts and craft kit, skincare, perfume, jewellery, sunglasses, or makeup. Non-perishable foods are also welcomed – tinned biscuits, rice, beans, etc. The gifts should be delivered to the individual family box which will be in the View Street Senior School Reception for the next two weeks. Please kindly deliver all gifts by tomorrow, Friday 3 December. Thank you to AK Ostergaard (Year 11 IB student) for her leadership of this service initiative. Share the Dignity 'It’s in the Bag' – Years 11 to 12 Families (Closing Friday)Years 11 and 12 families are being invited to support women and girls in need for Christmas through Share the Dignity. #Itsinthebag is Share the Dignity’s annual event that asks for new or good quality handbags to be donated along with essential items for women and girls experiencing period poverty. Essentials for Bags
Donations can be made at McNeil Street Reception of the Lighthouse in the pink Share the Dignity boxes until tomorrow, Friday 3 December. We hope to see everyone in our generous PLC community getting involved with these initiatives. - Chonny James – Director of Wellbeing PLC Parents Committee Term 4 Meeting MinutesThank you to everyone who attended the PLC Parents Committee Meeting in November. For the minutes, please click here. |