From The Principal

Annual Sapphires’ Luncheon

Thursday 13 October saw the return of our much loved Sapphires’ Luncheon. Sapphires are those Old Girls who graduated from MLC School more than 51 years ago.

After several years of not being able to reunite, the event was filled with laughter, conversation, and joy. Following a Chapel service led by Rev Viniana Ravetali, our Sapphires gathered in the Senior School building for lunch. Many of our current students welcomed our visitors and acted as guides and hosts for the event. The performances by the Chamber Choir were thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance, and both the Chapel service and lunch concluded with heartfelt renditions of the School Song, sung collectively by both current and past students.

Without exception, every Sapphire that I spoke to remarked on how welcoming and friendly they found our current students and how lovely it was to see how happy our girls are as they go about their school day.

The cutting of the cake is an honour reserved for our oldest Sapphire. This year, Joan Bell (nee Parr) who graduated in 1943 (and who just happens to be the grandmother of Rev Sally Yabsley-Bell’s husband!) had that honour. Our oldest Sapphires were acknowledged through the presentation of flowers from some of our youngest students. Those students presenting the flowers were daughters of Old Girls, once again emphasising the depth and breadth of connections within our School community.

Please click here to view the full facebook album of photographs

Here’s what some of our Sapphires had to say after this special day.

“Thank you and all your team for such a wonderful day. Catching up with all our 1965 girls was just fabulous as was the food and itinerary for the day.

I feel so glad I spent my senior days at MLC School and I know the girls who are there now are truly blessed to have a similar education they are in very good hands. I look forward to the next Sapphires’ Luncheon and continued friendship of my peers.”
Thanks again
Kerrin Gray (Hocking) 1965

“I just want to say thank you to everyone involved in the Sapphire’s luncheon and chapel service. Once again it was a most enjoyable occasion. I continue to look forward to it every year.
Kind regards”
Jill Dixon (Ritchie) 1960

“Many thanks for such a wonderful event. As my first Sapphire’s I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was so well organised. My thanks to everyone involved
Best wishes”
Rosemary Royer (Simpson) 1970

“The Sapphires lunch was delicious and a very special occasion especially after the Covid pandemic!   I think we all agreed the facilities that the girls have access to today are outstanding and leading edge!  These facilities will give the girls opportunities to compete in our competitive world, reach for the stars and achieve their personal best.
Very proud to be an MLC School Sapphire!”
Merryl Raffell (Gover) 1965

“I recently attended the Sapphires Luncheon at MLC School.  There were 15 from my year and six of these were boarders – so it was a very enjoyable gathering.  Thank you for providing these opportunities for Old Girls to be involved with the School.”
Elizabeth Symons (Bradley) 1968

“The Sapphires service and luncheon was a great day.  Viniana’s sermon on joy was so appropriate because it was such a joyful occasion. From the minute we drove towards the School we were warmly welcomed, shown around  and ushered  to where we needed to be.
Many thanks to you, your staff and the girls for a wonderful day. I look forward to next year.”
Robyn Triglone 1968

Thank you to everyone involved in arranging and running this special event.

– Lisa Moloney
Principal

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

 

 

 

Save the Date – Old Girl Events in 2023

2023 looks to be another busy year of events. Please save the date for all the following events. These events provide the opportunity for Old Girls to reconnect and share stories of days at school and their lives beyond.

Sapphires Chapel Service and Lunch

Thursday 12 October 2023
MLC School
​Rowley Street, Burwood
11am–2pm
$40, incl. 2 course lunch and drinks

School Tour Days for 2023

The next MLC School tour day will be held on Tuesday 28 February from 10.30am. 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.

Old Girls are given priority in our interview program, as long as applications have been received at least 2 years before date of intended entry.

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 interviewing girls who will commence in Pre-K to Year 11 in 2025  If you would like to apply for the few 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 28 February 2023 at 10.30am. Register here

Thursday 26 May 2023 at 10.30am. Register here

Other tours will be announced later in the year:

• August 2023 date to be confirmed
• November 2023 date to be confirmed

Last Newsletter for 2022!

2022 is drawing to a close – this is your last Old Girls’ newsletter for the year!

MLC School will be closed from Thursday, 22 December 2022 to Wednesday 4 January 2023, re-opening on Thursday 5 January 2023.

On behalf of Lisa Moloney (Principal) and all School Staff, we wish you a very Happy Christmas and safe Holiday Season.

See you all in 2023!

We Will Remember Them

On Friday 11 November, MLC School staff and students paused to remember all the courageous men and women who have served Australia. We particularly reflected on the contribution of the MLC School Old Girls who served: 11 in WWI and 60 in WWII, plus the countless other Old Girls whose service at home supported the efforts of those overseas.

Our Old Girls served as nurses during World War I as nursing was the only service role available for Australian women at that time. It was not until World War II that women were asked to serve in non-nursing roles.

The lives of Australian women changed dramatically between 1940 and 1945 when young women were compelled to participate in the WWII war effort, particularly in the armed services. Women were employed in the armed services so that servicemen in non-combatant roles could be released to combat units.

Recruitment posters encouraged young women to join up and more than 66,000 of them enlisted, about 7% of the nearly one million Australians who served.

Thousands of young Australian women left home to join the new women’s auxiliary services: the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF), the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) and the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS). Nurses joined the two new nursing services: the Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service (RAAFNS) and the Royal Australian Naval Nursing Service (RANNS) as well as the existing Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS). In December 1942, the Australian Army Medical Women’s Service (AAMWS) was established, and members served as nursing aides alongside army nurses. Amongst them were 60 MLC School Old Girls.

The honour boards pictured below, name the past students who served our country and the role that they played in the war efforts. These are permanently displayed in Potts Hall.

My thanks and congratulations to our Cadets and the Cadet Officers for their contribution to our Remembrance Day service. Their presentation, discipline and respect added an appropriate solemnity to the event.

– Lisa Moloney
Principal

* With thanks to Barbara Hoffman, MLC School Archivist.

 

 

 

HSC Selections for Dance and Drama

OnSTAGE (Drama)

We are proud to announce the selection of 2022 year 12 students for OnSTAGE, a collection of the best drama works presented at the 2022 HSC examination.

Congratulations to Amelia Jubelin (Year 12, 2022) for her performance of The Countess, a self-devised work in the style of Restoration Comedy. Amelia was selected from approximately 3000 students and only a handful perform at the live exhibition.

Congratulations to our group who performed The Death of Theatre, a devised piece which was clever and sophisticated. The girls are the ‘reserve’ group in case any of the 8 groups pull out or experiences sickness. They deserve their success for their hard work.

Pictured left to right: Juliette Beattie, Anna Gough, Layla Hare, bottom right: Amelia Jubelin,  not pictured Sophie Ciesielski).

CALLBACK (Dance)

Our wonderful success was also replicated in Dance as Madison Clemens (Year 12, 2022) has been selected for CALLBACK, the performance of outstanding works from the Dance HSC Examination 2022. Madison’s Core Composition was excellent and its inclusion was well deserved.

OnStage Nominations

Congratulations to the following students who have been nominated for OnStage for their HSC Drama projects. This is an outstanding achievement and recognition of the high standard of their work.

Rather than performing, these girls chose a project which accounts for 30% of their final HSC mark. The students and their projects are:

• Anna Gough (Year 12 2022) – Critical Analysis Research
• Tara Grasso  (Year 12 2022) – Design Poster and Promotion
• Layla Hare (Year 12 2022) – Critical Analysis – Theatre reviews
• Indianna Miller (Year 12 2022) – Design Lighting
• Kirsten Moller (Year 12 2022) – Design Costume
• Sophie Reid (Year 12 2022) – Design Set
• Sarai Rollason (Year 12 2022) – Design Lighting
• Lola Whittaker (Year 12 2022) – Critical Analysis Research

– Lisa Jinga
Head of Department – Dance, Drama and Entertainment (DDE)

Outstanding Musicians recognised in HSC

Year 12 students Jade Di Girolamo and Ruby Scott-Wishart have been recognised for their musical talent by being selected for Encore for HSC Music 2022.

This means that their performance programs were outstanding. The Encore showcase concert is a celebration of the best performance works in the State. 

Jade Di Girolamo – Encore Selection for Performance – ‘Gothic Carousel’

Ruby Scott-Wishart – Encore Selection for Composition – ‘Soliloquy for Winter Solstice’

In addition, Jacqueline Flett received a nomination for her performance and has been accepted into the Conservatorium of Music. 

To have two students selected and one nominated for Encore is extremely rare and speaks to the strength of the MLC School music program. 

– Elizabeth Gilberthorpe
Assistant Director of Music

Exceptional HSC Works Gain ArtExpress, Shape and InTech Selections and Nominations

It is with great pleasure that we are able to congratulate the following students for their nominations into the following Exhibitions and Showcases that highlight the outstanding quality of work being produced across the State and in our exceptional students. The nomination itself is the highest honour with those appearing in the exhibition being a wonderful bonus.

ArtExpress Excellence in Visual Arts Nominations and Selections

Caitlin Hartnett for her photomedia and time based work ‘Confined by the Clock’ was nominated.

Zoe Brase for her printmaking work ‘Feathered Phobia’ on her fear of birds was nominated and selected and will be appearing at two locations in rotating exhibitions at The Armory, Sydney Olympic Park SOPA and the Hawkesbury Regional Art Gallery.

Jacqueline Flett for her printmaking work ‘Accepting Purple’ was nominated and selected and will be in the Glasshouse Regional Gallery in Port Macquarie.

Shape exemplary major projects by Design and Technology, Industrial Technology and Textiles and Design students nominations

Design and Technology

Evie Gallagher for her product design of a bespoke casing for computer gaming

Industrial Technology Multimedia

• Amelia Bresolin for her 3D modelling and 3D Animated mystery game trailer
• Alicia Ding for her 2D Platform Pixel Style Game
• Evie Gallagher for her 3D modelling and 3D Animated short film

InTech, the annual exhibition of outstanding Major Projects developed by HSC Industrial Technology students nominations

Industrial Technology Multimedia students were also nominated

• Amelia Bresolin for her 3D modelling and 3D Animated mystery game trailer
• Alicia Ding for her 2D Platform Pixel Style Game
• Evie Gallagher for her 3D modelling and 3D Animated short film

Please join me in congratulating these dedicated students on their recognition and success.

– Sally Marks
Head of Department – Design, Art and Technology (DART)
Visual Arts

Click on the image gallery to view full sized images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mathematics Achievements

Just before the end of Term 4, we acknowledged over 40 students who received a Distinction or High Distinction in either the Australian Maths Competition (AMC), Maths Challenge or Maths Enrichment Program.

The AMC is Australia’s largest maths competition, with hundreds of thousands of students across the country taking part. The 30-problem paper demonstrates the importance and relevance of maths in everyday lives. MLC School students received outstanding results in this year’s competition, with extra congratulations going to:

• Jocelyn Su (Year 8) – High Distinction
• Nitya Nimalan (Year 10) – HIgh Distinction

The Maths Challenge was a four week competition run by the Australian Maths Trust where students worked independently to complete a set of six complex problems. Both:

• Haegan Sitou (Year 9)
• Nitya Nimalan (Year 10)

were awarded High Distinctions for their sophisticated and logical entries – well done girls!

Throughout the year the Mathsketeers have been working hard to complete the Maths Enrichment Program. Students were introduced to challenging concepts such as Number Theory, Combinatorics, the Euclidean Algorithm and Sequences & Series, and were then tasked with independently solving a problem related to each concept. The students showed great dedication to completing the program and are to be commended on their resilience and enthusiasm! Congratulations to all that participated, and special mention to:

• Carina Chu (Year 8) – Distinction
• Sophia Hu (Year 8) – Distinction

Finally, a big congratulations to ALL students who took part in a Maths competition this year. We had more than 250 entries across the Senior School in the various competitions, and it’s exciting to see student interest and participation in Maths growing. Please keep an eye out for future newsletter announcements about 2023 opportunities!

– Alex Schroder
Teacher – Mathematics

Don’t Wait To Apply To Enrol

Old Girls of MLC School are given preference for their daughters to be offered a place at the School whenever possible. 

However, as many years are now moving to long waiting lists, such preference cannot be guaranteed, especially if you leave it late to complete an application.

To ensure your daughter can progress to an enrolment interview, it is highly recommended that your application be made by  her first birthday or at least three years prior to the nominated entry level. Putting in an application the year before your desired starting year is likely to mean that we will be unable to find a place for your daughter.

Enrolment interviews start 2.5 years before starting year. For example, interviews for daughters of Old Girls have started for 2025. Families with applications for 2026 will start to be contacted by mid-2023. It is vital that an application has been received before the commencement of interviews for that entry year at the very latest. 

For information on enrolment entry levels and enrolment steps please click here.

Should you wish to apply for your daughter you can now do so online here.

The enrolments team are always available to answer your questions, please contact either:

• Nerida Coman, Registrar by email or directly on 8741 3165, or
• Fadia Aoun, Enrolments Administrator by email or directly on 8741 3116

All applicants must observe the School’s enrolment procedures.

White Ribbon Day at MLC School

MLC School Captains hosted a discussion during the morning of 18 November for White Ribbon Day. The panel of MLC School students and Newington College students focused on raising awareness about domestic violence issues in Australia.

Let’s Be the Change and do what we can to contribute to a nation free of all forms of gendered violence, harassment, and disrespect. #letsbethechange #mlcschool

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recognising 2022 Sports Achievers

On Friday 18 November the 2022 Sports Awards were held. This was an evening where students and parents gathered together to acknowledge the commitment to sport and the achievements of our student athletes.

The guest speaker was Kai Sakakibara. Half Japanese, half British and following a childhood being raised in both Japan and Australia, Kai Sakakibara’s great international success in the world of BMX racing is hardly a surprise. The eldest of the Sakakibara duo, Kai was the first to get into BMX as a sport. Right from the get-go, Kai has prided himself on giving BMX his absolute all, which has resulted in Kai finding himself within the top 10 of World Rankings.

Kai in 2020 had a horrible accident in attempting to qualify for his First Olympic Games. He suffered brain damage, was in a coma for eight weeks and had to be told what COVID was when he woke up from it! His story is like something out of a movie, he has rebuilt his life and worked his way back to be a mobile person taking on the world. His story will have you laughing, crying and wanting to fight for the best life possible. 

As far as human beings go, they do not come much more inspirational than Kai. 

Click here for the 2022 Sports Awards Facebook album.

Debating and Public Speaking Wrap up for 2022

It was a busy year with almost 200 MLC School students participating in one or more of the many co-curricular events and classes related to Debating and Public Speaking. What a year it was! 2022 is the School’s most successful year with the Friday Evening Debating (FED) team placing first out of 14 schools, our Independent Schools Debating Association (ISDA) team coming third out of 32 schools and the Archdale team placing first out of 23 schools in competitive debating.  he School had students get through to Regional finals and Semi-finals in several public speaking competitions; and placed third overall and first in the Junior division of the Festival of Speech.

Eighty students participated in the last rounds of the Interschool British Parliamentary Debating Tournament and they had some challenging topics to address. There was a lot of lively parliamentary debate from Year 6 students through to Year 11 students. 

These accolades are only a part of what has been achieved by the students.  More important are the skills that every student has been able to work on throughout the year with the help of our coaches.  Communication skills, ability to solve problems, tenacity and teamwork skills are just some of the areas where significant focus has made a tangible difference.

– Andrea Rowe
Oratory Coordinator

Festival of Speech 2022

A team of 25 MLC School students participated in the Independent Girls Schools Association (IGSA) Festival of Speech, held this year at Pymble Ladies College. This was a live event after two years of holding an online festival and energy levels were high to be able to interact with students from 27 other girls’ schools in person.  Over the two days MLC School’s students performed in 10 different sections including debating, drama, readings, poetry, public speaking and team events. This is a tough competition with 25 other students from each school in most sections. It is extremely difficult to achieve a top 5 place is an achievement let alone win your event.

Our Junior team (Year 7 to Year 9) were unstoppable and won the whole Junior division overall with MLC School first out of 27 schools.  

• Junior Readings 1^st Place – Anna (Year 8)
• Junior Poetry 1^st Place – Nitya (Year 9)
• Junior Public Speaking 1^st Place – Harriet (Year 8)

Our Senior students (Year 10 and Year 11) were equally impressive against some high-quality competition.

• Senior Poetry 3^rd Place – Dalia (Year 11)
• Current Affairs 2^nd Place – Selena (Year 11), Sylie (Year 11), Isabel (Year 11)
• Religious & Ethical Questions 5^th Place – Elizabeth (Year 11), Chloe (Year 11), Alannah (Year 11)

In the overall tally MLC School came in a very close 3^rd place, our best result in the Festival of Speech for many years. Thank you to our dedicated coaches who trained our teams and came along to support them at the festival. Special thanks to our Principal Lisa Moloney who was at the Festival all Saturday and tirelessly attended events, supported students, and celebrated our successes.

– Andrea Rowe
Oratory Coordinator

Featured image shows the Current Affairs Team, please click on the gallery below for full sized photographs.

 

 

 

 

Lucis Spring/Summer 2022 Issue

The Spring/Summer issue of Lucis reflects on the steps MLC School has taken to gain greater insight and understanding around Indigenous Recognition and Reconciliation.

Performing Arts is also a focus with performances and creative displays now back on the School calendar.

The digital version can be viewed here.

The next issue will be sent around Easter, keep your eye on your mailboxes.

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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