From the Principal

Welcome back to Term 4. Although the calendar may have indicated that it was ‘school holidays’ we have had a busy few weeks on both the academic and co-curricular front.

Our Year 12 students made the most of the expertise and time provided by their teachers, with workshops, collaborative study groups, timed practice exams, one on one coaching, and tutoring seeing exceptionally strong attendance. Thank you to all staff who so generously gave of their time to ensure that our girls were as well prepared as possible.

Our students have also been busy representing the school nationally and internationally. 

• One of the priorities of our Strategic Plan has been to increase student engagement with STEM and the growth in our Robotics program is testament to the remarkable progress that has been made in this regard. Marie Cassar, Bede Schofield, and Julia Lindblom took 11 students across four Junior and Senior Robotics teams to the RoboCup Nationals in Canberra, and our girls represented MLC School beautifully. Their success is especially significant in an area where girls and women remain underrepresented. It is a clear example of the confidence, capability and ambition that grows when girls are encouraged to see themselves as innovators, engineers, problem-solvers and leaders in STEM.

Congratulations to:

• MLC Scrambled Eggs who achieved 3rd Place in Open OnStage: Fedra Nikolakopoulos (Year 8), Victoria Cassar (Year 7) and Remy Pereira (Year 7).
• MLC Bin Chickens who achieved 2nd Place in Novice OnStage: Peita Nikolakopoulos (Year 6) and Henrietta Britton (Year 6).
• MLC Impending Doom who achieved 1st Place in Open OnStage: Ethelia Cassar (Year 10), Indi Hannah (Year 10), Emily van der Westhuizen (Year 10) and Bonnie Li (Year 9).
• Our national champions Ethelia, Indi, Bonnie and Emily will go on to represent MLC School and Australia at the World Championships in Germany next year.

• Congratulations also to Marie Cassar, who received the University of Canberra Outstanding Teacher Award. This is a fitting recognition of her work inspiring students through STEM, robotics, and creative problem-solving. It also reminds us of the critical role teachers play in shaping girls’ confidence and helping them recognise that their ideas, skills, and leadership matter.
• Thank you to Lisa Jinga, Amy Murphy, Kelly Cogin, Jenna Skepper, Kate Drady and Jess Dyson for the DDE Dance Drama tour to Paris and London. What an extraordinary opportunity for our girls to experience dance, drama, culture, and performance in two cities so rich in the arts. In these settings, our students are able to see themselves as artists, storytellers, performers, and creators, developing both skill and confidence in their own voices.
• Thank you also to David Posker Hill, Antonella Accurso, John Purcal, Louise Piggott and Ashley Leck for the History tour to Germany and Italy. For our students, this was a powerful way to encounter history in context and connect their classroom learning with places and stories that continue to shape our world. These experiences help form young women who are thoughtful, informed, and able to engage with complexity.
• We also thank Robyn Langford, Bryce Lyndstrom and Marian Guerra for the WOW tour to New Zealand, where students explored textiles, art, and design in a vibrant creative setting. Our girls were encouraged to look closely, think differently, experiment with ideas and materials, and understand the role of design as both creative expression and problem-solving.
• I would also like to recognise Henry Wijanto, and Sarah Jauncey for supporting the international Round Square Conference in Hornsby. Special thanks to Henry for facilitating the North Queensland post-conference trip for international guests. Round Square experiences continue to broaden our girls’ understanding of leadership, service, global citizenship, and experiential learning. They demonstrate that girls’ education is not only about academic achievement, but about developing young women with courage, responsibility, and a commitment to others.

Finally, thank you to Sarah Jauncey, Florence Christou, Mel Bye, Marie Cassar, Michelle Wyatt, Angela Renwick, Bridget Kovats, John Clear and Dijana Mastronardi, who gave up their Sunday to facilitate Sony Camp training and avoid any impact on learning time. More than 100 Year 12 students left the training with a deeper awareness of the positive impact they can have in the lives of others simply by giving their time, care, and attention.

Sincere thanks to every staff member who continues to create these opportunities, and to those who support them behind the scenes. Together, you are giving life to the purpose of a girls’ school education. You are helping our students grow in confidence, character, and capability. Most importantly, you are helping them understand that there is no field, no challenge, no stage, no conversation, and no future in which they do not belong.

We would like to hear from you

– Lisa Moloney
Principal