From the Principal

How lovely it has been to hear the chatter and excitement of our girls as they reconnected in the last few weeks of term. From ABBA sing-a-longs outside my window to sharing photos of the pets left at home and lots of talking and laughter, they were clearly happy to be reunited with their friends and the staff and relishing in being back in this familiar, welcoming environment. They are very much at home. Over the years I have taught in many schools and rarely have I experienced such a strong sense of ‘coming home’ amongst the students. While I sense that this feeling has been amplified by the COVID-19 enforced absence, I see that same connection in our Old Girls when they visit the School.

The ability to be themselves, regardless of how silly or difficult that might be at times, to learn in an environment where being female and celebrating all that entails is the norm in the story of MLC School and one that we share with girls’ schools around the globe. It was for this reason that I was alarmed to see data that indicates that over the past 20 years there has been a slow but steady decline in the percentage of Australian girls attending single sex schools. If we truly believe in the empowerment of young women and their right to be as assertive and confident as their male peers, we must continue to buck this trend.

“Studies have repeatedly shown that single-sex schools build girls’ confidence and self-worth — they are confident about speaking up and participating in and out of the classroom, they are not compliant or quiet and their teachers have high expectations in this regard.”

“The proponents of co-education argue that our world, and specifically our workplaces, are mixed gender and therefore our schools too should be mixed gender. Unfortunately, the reality for women is that our world and workplaces, while mixed gender, are a long way from being gender equal. The World Economic Forum (2017) ranked Australia 35 on its gender equality index, below New Zealand (9), Canada (16), Nicaragua (6) and Cuba (25). It also estimated that the workplace gender gap will not close for 217 years — that’s not until the year 2234. Workplace inequality, coupled with uncertainty about the future of work and the skills needed for career and life success, means that we need to ensure our girls reach their potential and are prepared for the world after school.

Vitally, girls’ schools provide a safe space for girls to learn to combat the gender bias and sexism that still exist within universities, workplaces and our broader communities — so that when girls leave school, they know they are absolutely equal to their male peers and will accept nothing less.”

Source: https://www.agsa.org.au/

Further information regarding benefits of a single-sex education for girls compared to co-ed is outlined in a recent video in which Loren Bridge, Executive Officer at the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia, is interviewed on the topic.

You can watch a preview here or watch the full interview here.

I also acknowledge and thank all our teachers for their remarkable dedication and commitment to our girls and their profession in general. These last two years, in particular, have certainly tested teachers and ours have shown outstanding flexibility and resilience (much like our students and our parents). I know I am thankful every day for the quality of teachers we have at MLC School.

As we see 2021 out, I wish you all the joy and peace that Christmas brings. I hope you relax and enjoy your family, emerging in 2022 with renewed energy to face whatever the New Year might bring our way. Happy Christmas!

– Lisa Moloney
Principal

Merry Christmas from MLC School

We wish you and your family the peace and blessings of Christmas.

May the coming year be filled with much happiness and joy.

– The Principal and Staff at MLC School

School Tour Days for 2022

The MLC School girl is fearless and brave. She is focused on learning.

The next MLC School tour day will be held on Tuesday 1 March 2022 from 10.30am. We will advise in time if it is a virtual or on-campus tour. Numbers are limited and registration is required. To register your attendance click on the button below, scroll down the page and please note which tour you would like to attend. There’s no need for you to miss out on the chance to secure a place for your daughter at MLC School.

We now have waiting lists for many of the year entries, so it is recommended that application be made by your daughter’s first birthday or at least three years prior to the nominated entry level. The School is currently undertaking interviews for girls who will commence in Pre-K to Year 7 in 2024. If you would like to apply for the few limited places available please follow the link to our online application form here.

Applications for all years are processed in the order in which they are received. For updated information, please view our online prospectus package.

If you have other enquiries about the enrolment process, please contact Nerida Coman, our Registrar, by email or phone 02 8741 3165.

Tuesday 1 March 2022 at 10.30am. Click here to register.

Other tours will be held later in the year:

• Thursday 26 May 2022, 10.30am
• Tuesday 16 August 2022, 10.30am
• Thursday 10 November 2022, 10.30am

Have you moved recently?

Have you recently moved, changed your email or mobile phone numbers?

Please let us know so that we can continue to keep in touch. 

Update here

Immersive Learning and Adventurer’s Program

At the end of 2019, as part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, we determined that it was timely to review our Immersive Learning programs and evaluate if they still met our students’ needs as they entered the third decade of the 21^st century. Little did we know that our review would become, effectively, a cancellation of all external activities, including our much loved international tours. We have used the time to consider how our world has changed and the impact this will have on students as they continue their education. This has informed the development of the next phase of our unique Immersive Learning Program. The OECD defined the skills needed by young people for successful navigation of the 21^st century as: Learning and Innovation Skills; Information, Media and Technology Skills; and Life and Career Skills. These break down into:

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Creativity and Innovation
• Communication and Collaboration
• Information Literacy
• Media Literacy
• ICT Literacy
• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Self-Direction
• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills
• Productivity and Accountability
• Leadership and Responsibility

At MLC School, I consider us ahead of this particular curve with our long association with the International Baccalaureate and Round Square organisations and the skills the Diploma Programme and the Round Square Framework incorporate. Our reviewed Immersive Learning program will take these 21^st Century skills and build upon our previous programs, originally designed to challenge our students’ perceptions of how and where they learnt. Moving forward, we want the girls to have the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills developed in the classroom to real world contexts, helping them deepen their understanding and thus making any time off campus more meaningful. Our focus will move towards integrated curriculum approaches, student agency, character education and holistic wellbeing, mapping our new learning outcomes back to Stage 4 and Stage 5 NESA syllabus outcomes.

Of course, we also have to take our new global post-pandemic reality into consideration. All future experiences must be sustainable with regard to travel and possible health restrictions and we are aiming to do more in Australia, and in New South Wales. To this end, we are finalising the first stage of our return to immersive learning and also developing our very own Adventurers’ program, giving all our girls the opportunity to take part in outdoor education. At the start of 2022, we will introduce some experiences in immersive learning for Year 8 and Year 10, and in the adventurers’ program for Year 7 and Year 9; this latter will also build in access to the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

The education theorist, Kurt Hahn, whose philosophies are the backbone of both the Round Square organisation and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and who was a pivotal influence on the service and community aspects of the International Baccalaureate, believed that students could only really understand life by experiencing it in many exciting and challenging ways. By testing themselves, students would develop courage, generosity, imagination, principles and resolution. Ultimately they would develop the skills and abilities to become the guardians and leaders of the future. We want to place the MLC School girl firmly at the heart of her own future and believe that the integrated and adventurous approach we are developing will allow each girl to shine and make her own contribution to the world.

– Frances Booth
Deputy Principal

Speech Day and Speech Night at the ICC

Annual Speech Day for Junior School and 136th Annual Speech Night for Senior School was held at the International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. With many restrictions lifted, parents and family members were able to attend their first major school event in nearly six months.

The occasions were an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the girls for their hard work throughout 2021. All MLC School girls dared to be more and should be extremely proud of what they accomplished this year. Congratulations to the prize winners on their academic achievements.

Photos from both events can be found on the MLC School Facebook page.

Please click on the gallery below to view full size photographs.

New Sports Fields in Action

During lockdown, work on replacing and upgrading the hockey/sports fields at the School was undertaken. The former synthetic hockey/sports pitch was originally built as a training field for the Sydney Olympics 2000. The new fields were officially handed over at the end of October 2021 with full access now available for students for all sport and activities.

The new sports field covers 5,800m2 and due to the need for the fields to be marked to cater for a large variety of sports, the builders deemed the project one of the most complex they had ever completed. During the upgrade, 90 tonnes of sand was removed and recycled for use on a golf course, the original synthetic turf and rubber underlay was relocated for reuse in a skirmish centre, saving it from going to landfill.

The use of only Australian Made products was a significant factor in the School’s choice of company to undertake the works. The courts are made from 100% Australian Made Poligras H2Oz COOLplus turf with permanent linemarking for hockey, 9 x tennis courts, 3 x netball courts and 3 x basketball courts. Poligras was recently used for the Olympics in Japan and has received rave reviews for its Green Technology.

In the midst of the project, NSW’s lockdown halted all construction work for some time, interstate logistics were delayed and adhering to the NSW Health Orders meant extra safety measures had to be enforced.

In the end, MLC School has an outstanding new facility to benefit the entire student body.

– Ross Kirby
Head of Finance Systems and Administration

Click on the image gallery to view full-sized images.

G Block Classrooms Upgraded

The maintenance and renovation never stops at MLC School. Our Maintenance crew was exceptionally busy during lockdown and whilst the sports field was the major project, there were plenty of other tasks undertaken.

One of the challenges of updating and renovating an historic school is to sympathetically retain the history and architectural features throughout the decades, whilst bringing a modern feel to new generations of MLC School girls.

In the middle of the year, G Block classrooms received a much needed refurbishment. The beautiful windows in this block have been highlighted to play a starring role, whilst new carpet, fresh paintwork and mirrors (dance) have been added to give a contemporary feel.

Rainbow Handprint Collage Celebrates Everyone in the Junior School

In December, we unveiled our Junior School Collaborative Artwork – Rainbow Handprint Collage.

Everyone in the Junior School – students and staff members – created a handprint for the collage. Each grade was given one colour of the rainbow as their theme, while staff members used silver card. Students and staff members decorated their handprint with a design unique to them. They captured themselves on their handprint with lines, shapes, patterns, symbols and images meaningful to them.

Everyone enjoyed creating their handprints and the designs drawn are beautiful, unique and special. A common theme across all handprints, students and staff members alike, is a love for their families, represented with symbols like love hearts and family members’ initials. Many others captured interests and passions such as a love for art, sport and nature.

Our Rainbow Handprint Collage is a celebration of each and every person in the Junior School. It captures our diversity and individuality while representing our connection and unity as a school.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” – Aristotle

– Victoria Bradshaw, Lesley Snelgrove, Liane Simpson
Junior School Visual Arts Department

Santa Visits Pre-Kindergarten

1 December is symbolic as it marks the beginning of the Advent Calendar, counting the days leading to Christmas.

On Wednesday 1 December 2021, Santa made a visit to the Junior School, surprising our Pre-Kindergarten girls in the playground. Santa spoke to the girls and did remind the girls to eat well, get enough sleep and to leave him milk and cookies on Christmas Eve as he does get hungry travelling around the world. The girls sang ‘Jingle Bells’ as Santa left to return to the North Pole. Thank you, Santa, for visiting us!

– Gina Zucco, Rachel Barakat, Eleonora Monda, Vicki Liubinskas
Pre-Kindergarten Team

Click on the image gallery to view full-sized images.

 

 

 

The Places You Should Know About According to Year 1

Year 1 girls are getting excited about their move to Year 2 and have been thinking about what it’s like to be new at a school. To help all the new students coming to MLC School in 2022, Year 1 students have expressed their opinions about the most important places to know about at MLC Junior School.

The Places You Should Know About At MLC Junior School

‘The playground is awesome because it’s amazing when I’m upside down on the bars. There is a slide and it is fantastic to slide on. You should try it!

‘The kitchen garden is amazing because you can plant fruits and vegetables. I hope you can try it out and eat some when you’re here!

‘The Daphne Line Hall is special because we can do assemblies only on Thursdays though. I like it when the assembly is funny because it makes me laugh. I also like singing the songs.

‘If you come to MLC School it will be awesome because MLC School is an amazing school.’
– Cailtin (Year 1)

‘Do you like learning interesting things? Well MLC School totally suits you. I like MLC School.

‘I think I love the playground because you can make so many new friends. I feel happy in the playground because I love playing with my friends.

‘I feel calm in the kitchen garden because of all the greenery. I like the kitchen garden because I like looking at all the kinds of plants. You can use the kitchen garden too!

‘I like the Daphne Line Hall because the view is so pretty. It makes me feel calm because you can see lots of different places.

‘Isn’t MLC School the best place to explore interesting places? Some of the places at MLC School like the kitchen, the playground and Daphne Line Hall are great places to play. I believe that you should come here and look at these amazing places!’
– Leanna (Year 1)

MLC School takes 1st and 2nd Place at RoboCup Junior NSW Open

On Tuesday 14 December 2021 there was a virtual presentation for the RoboCup Junior NSW Open and the two MLC School teams placed 1st and 2nd in the OnStage Division!

For the competition they were required to submit a 1-2 minute performance using robots they had designed, built and programmed and a student interview explaining the technical aspects of the performance. RoboCup Junior is open to all primary and secondary students in NSW (so its even more exciting that our two junior school teams placed 1st and 2nd).

The girls worked so hard to complete their entries for the virtual competition despite the challenges of lockdown, we are so proud of them to have come away with 1st and 2nd Place! We will receive the trophies and medals in the new year.

1st Place:
Year 6 Team – ‘Dare to be Robots’ (the girls named the teams 😆)
Nicola, Nectaria, Violet, Cheylene, Isabelle
Mentor : Marie Cassar

2nd Place:
Year 5 Team – ‘The Mad Scientists’
Ada, Caydence, Ethelia, Catia, Rithika
Mentor: Bede Schofield

– Marie Cassar, STEAM Lab Coordinator

Please click on gallery below to see full size photographs

Years 6 Study Chemical Reactions

7A Debaters Take Out Archdale Grand Final

The Grand Final of the Archdale Debating Competition was held during the week starting 22 November 2021. Congratulations to our 7A team (Amelia, Umaiza, Anna, Harriet and Elena) which was victorious over Kambala to take out the Grand Final.

Our eight teams began debating back in April 2021, so it’s been a long haul to get to the end.

Most of the competition has been conducted online this year and for the finals our teams were able to prep together in a room at school. Our 7A team defeated Pymble to make it through to Tuesday evening’s Grand Final.

The Grand Final started with a coin toss to decide sides and then topic selection. Teams have a choice of three topics they can list in order of preference. Our team took the Negative side debating the topic, “Political parties should not be able to advertise on TV” against Kambala. It was a lively debate with excellent speakers on both sides, a panel of three Adjudicators gave the win to MLC School.

In the overall points tally for the Archdale shield, MLC School came in second, just one point behind the winners for 2021, SCEGGS. Congratulations on an outstanding season to all our debaters.

– Dr Andrea Rowe
Debating Coordinator

Australian Mathematics Competition

Despite the challenges of remote learning and the demands of onscreen time, MLC School students once again showed their tenacity with 134 girls taking the opportunity to compete in Australia’s oldest Mathematics competition, the Australian Mathematics Competition.

I am pleased to announce that 91 of our students achieved a Credit, Distinction or High Distinction award. Notable mention goes to one of our Year 8 students, our Best in School and High Distinction Award recipient, placing her in the top 3% of the Junior Division.

Students in the following years received Distinction awards: 

Year 7 –  Six students
Year 8 – Seven students
Year 9 – Two Students
Year 10 – Two students
Year 11 – Two students

Four Year 9 students also braved the Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad, a four-hour examination attracting 1600 talented Mathematics students from Years 9 – 10 across Australia. Two MLC School girls received Credit Awards in this gruelling examination.

Opportunities such as the Australian Mathematics competition, the Mathematics Challenge and Enrichment programs give our students exposure to Mathematics outside the classroom and a taste of the work mathematicians in university and scientific organisations (such as NASA) do daily. We hope that in the future more of our students take up the challenge of these external competitions. This year a student from Year 8 was awarded a High Distinction in the Maths Challenge and another achieved a Certificate of Distinction.

To further encourage our talented students to pursue the beauty that a problem offers in its complexity and solution, we will be introducing a Mathematics Club in 2022 dedicated purely to solving the seemingly unsolvable and giving the girls the opportunity to immerse themselves in a problem for a sustained period of time. 

– Penny Pachos
Head of Department – Mathematics

What’s New In Science?

The Big Science Competition is a 50-minute multiple choice competition testing science knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. During May 2021, 20 students from Year 7 to Year 10 participated in the Big Science Competition with some outstanding achievements:

• High Distinctions – Achieved by one Student in Year 9 and three students in Year 10.
• Distinction Certificates – Achieved by two students in Year 10 and one student in Year 11. 
• Credit Awards – Achieved by two students in Year 11, two in Year 10, one in Year 9 and one in Year 8. 

The Australian Science Olympiads are a national enrichment program for secondary science students. The Australian Science Olympiads provide rewarding opportunities for students to extend themselves way beyond school science through challenging exams, stimulating extensions and enrichment programs and international competitions.

In July 2021, 14 students from Year 7 to Year 12 sat the Australian Science Olympiads for Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Junior Science. Some of these students will go on to compete in international competitions. The following results were awarded:

• High Distinctions – Year 12 2021 student for Biology and Chemistry
• Distinctions – Year 12 2021 student for Chemistry, Year 12 2021 student for Physics, and two Year 11 students.

Five students received Credit awards in the Junior Science Olympiads, one from Year 9, three from Year 10 and one from Year 11.

Two Year 12 2021 students also achieved Credit awards for the Chemistry Olympiad.

We also started a STEM Club in Science, called “Girls for Science” (pro scientiae). We have 18 girls from Year 7 to Year 11. We started by using an online light generator to look at light and colour and build a digital production to music. Students have been creating holiday lights using biology and phosphorescent bacteria, chemical reactions that create fluorescent lights and assembling and coding LED lights using physics principles.

The girls showcased their productions week commencing Monday 6 December 2021 as we celebrated the end of the year and the start of the holidays!

The photos show “Girls for Science”, using chemistry and playing with fluorescein to create fluorescent paintings!

– Mora Soliman
Assistant Head of Department – Science

Click on the image gallery to view full-sized images.

MLC School Cadets Continue to Excel

MLC School cadets have had a busy time leading to the end of this year. On Friday 19 November 2021 we travelled to Newington College to parade as a whole Unit for the first time in Semester 2. We welcomed 48 new recruits and three new staff, our new RSM* Jacqueline lead the unit of over 500 with her loud strong voice across the field and we welcomed back an old MLC School Student, LT Riley Bradford to virtually present the Long Tan Award for Team Work and Leadership.

The ADF Long Tan Youth Award recognises students who demonstrate leadership and teamwork within one’s school and local community. It is named after the Battle of Long Tan, which took place in 1966 and was one of the most significant engagements between Australian forces and the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. At Long Tan, Australian soldiers supported by New Zealand artillery found themselves exchanging fire with a force approximately 10 times their size.

– LT (AAC) Maling
Cadet Coordinator

*Jacqueline is the first female Regimental Sergeant Major of the Newington College Cadet Unit, which is the longest running cadet unit in Australia. This is one of the highest student leadership positions in the unit.

**Above reference to Battle of Long Tan (Wikipedia)

Enrol Now for Uniting OSHC Vacation Care

Special SchoolTV Report – Respectful Language

In today’s world, it is common to hear socially offensive language on the streets, on social media channels, streaming services and in some forms of modern music. While swearing is becoming more common and less taboo, the use of derogatory language or the act of swearing at someone, or about someone, is a form of verbal violence. It transgresses the usual rules of social interaction by impinging on an individual’s self-image and sense of dignity.

It is becoming apparent that some young people are being influenced by the language they hear. Proliferating the use of swear words can sometimes normalise, glamorise and desensitise their impact for kids who may misunderstand the true meaning of some derogatory terms. Whilst some students may use swearing or derogatory terms as a misguided attempt at belonging, others may use it simply because they are still learning how to moderate their language and are not accustomed to making adjustments to suit different situations.

Although many schools enforce a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to swearing and derogatory language, parents need to also play an important part in enforcing this approach. Parents and carers can be proactive in monitoring what their children are viewing or being exposed to. Discussing the use of words or the origin of some derogatory terms and gaining insight into the reason behind their child’s use of such language can help prevent inappropriate or disrespectful language filtering into the classroom or the school yard, which in turn helps to build more tolerant, safe and connected communities.

This Special Report offers a number of guidelines to help manage a suitable approach when discussing the importance of respectful language. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special SchoolTV report.