From the Principal

On behalf of the MLC Community, I would like to wish a Happy New Year to our readers and their families.

Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the annual Round Square International Conference (RSIC) with five of our senior students and staff members Xavier Maling and Kylie Bickerstaff.

Round Square is one of our most important networks, comprising of ‘250 like-minded schools in fifty countries on six continents that connect and collaborate to offer world-class programmes and experiences, developing global competence, character, and confidence in our students. We are like-minded in our shared understanding of the link between character education and academic success. We also agree that to equip our students for positive, active, and engaged global citizenship we must offer them more than academic knowledge and qualifications.’ Round Square schools have many opportunities to collaborate with other schools across the network, ranging from academic endeavours to conference participation, from language learning to cultural trips or exchanges, from art competitions to science experiments, and everything in between.

As one of the first Australian schools to be admitted to Round Square almost 20 years ago, and the only Sydney girls’ school member, we are able to offer unique opportunities for our students to network and connect with other student leaders from around the world.

The 2023 annual student conference was hosted by Brookhouse Schools in Nairobi, Kenya. Students spent a busy week listening to inspiring guest speakers, discussing issues of global importance with their peers from across the world, collaborating in service to local schools, experiencing Kenyan life through homestay and enjoying an adventurous evening under the canvas in Nairobi’s National Park which provided the opportunity for morning and evening safaris where the wildlife did not disappoint – seeing lions, zebra, rhinoceros, giraffes and a wide range of monkeys and antelope in the wild is an experience we will not forget.

The conference theme was ‘The New Africa’ and we learned that Nairobi, often referred to as ‘Silicon Savannah,’ has become a hub for technology and innovation in Africa. It has seen the growth of numerous tech start-ups and has a vibrant entrepreneurial culture. This is being supported by significant infrastructure development, including the construction and expansion of roads, railways, and airports. There is nothing like being immersed in an environment as a way of having your preconceptions dispelled.

2024’s conference will be held in Bogota, the capital of Colombia in South America, once again providing our students the opportunity to visit an area of the world that has changed rapidly in recent years, and I encourage senior students to consider applying to be part of the MLC School delegation. However, conferences are just one of the many opportunities for students to become involved in Round Square. We are currently piloting a new program ‘Heroes of Discovery’ in the Junior School and our senior students can join the IDEALS society and participate in zoom collaborations, language, and academic online labs. Exchange opportunities are also being reintroduced.

These are just some of the exceptional experiences open to students at MLC School. Every day is different but extremely busy. We provide opportunities for a wide range of learning, interaction and safe, supported risk-taking to enable girls to explore and find their interests and indulge in their passions.

– Lisa Moloney
Principal