From the Principal
2025 has been a year of remarkable achievement and progress at MLC School underpinned by our 2025–2027 Strategic Plan, which reaffirmed commitment to developing the whole girl within a rich and challenging academic environment.
It is my pleasure to share a snapshot of our progress and achievements with you:
Learning and Teaching
Achievements include a comprehensive mapping of current teaching practices leading to the establishment of Professional Learning Teams in the Senior School that focus on evidence-based approaches and research specific to girls’ education.
The Junior School has strengthened curriculum consistency through team teaching and curriculum modelling, and all Junior School staff have received extensive training in reading instruction. Instructional coaching for all teachers has also been introduced. The introduction of the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programs at Pre-Kindergarten has resulted in exceptional growth in literacy for our youngest learners. Our NAPLAN results confirmed the strong growth in learning as students’ progress through the School, with the students in the ‘Exceeding‘ category recorded as two to three times the state average and evidence of learning growth being ranked ‘higher’ or ‘significantly higher’ than like students in other schools.
In the Senior years, academic support initiatives, such as mandatory study periods, the Study Hub, and Study Camps, have been introduced, alongside pilot programs to assess student engagement and progress conversations. Enhanced student tracking systems are now in place for Year 12 students and will be rolled out across the School.
The School has also prioritised attracting and retaining outstanding teachers, expanded subject offerings – such as accelerated mathematics opportunities for selected students and the introduction of Engineering for 2026 – and improved enrichment opportunities and support structures for students, including EAL/D groups, parent support meetings, and Individual Learning Plan reviews.
The appointment of new leaders in High Potential Learning, Learning Enrichment and STEM has been received positively, and we are celebrating the significant increase in participation in STEM and Senior Science.
You can read more about the remarkable work being done in the Teaching and Learning space by clicking here.
Spiritual Life
The successful re-establishment of the JIST (Jesus in School Time) club, which fosters a strong sense of community and spiritual engagement among students, has been very effective in providing an opportunity for interested and committed Christian students to meet. The School has also continued to acknowledge and celebrate its diverse community, ensuring that Chapel services and other celebrations of faith are inclusive and welcoming of all.
The Chapel Captaincy, announced in 2024, has continued to thrive in 2025, with the Captain’s respected and effective leadership contributing to a positive chapel culture. Ongoing refinement of the Chapel schedule and encouragement of student involvement have further strengthened participation in spiritual activities.
The School’s commitment to engagement with the Uniting Church (UC) has been demonstrated through regular meetings with the UC Schools Relationship Manager, student participation in forums led by the Moderator and the strengthening of connections with our Tongan sister school, Queen Salote College.
Pastoral Care and Wellbeing
Significant enhancements have been implemented to strengthen student pastoral care and wellbeing. The introduction of My Mind Check for Year 9 students enables proactive, regular tracking of student wellbeing, while across the Junior School and Middle Years, Trust Mapping is used to ensure that changes in student connection are proactively monitored.
Comprehensive reviews and further development of pastoral programs in both the Senior and Junior Schools – particularly with a focus on inclusivity in 2025 – reflect a commitment to supporting all students.
Junior School parent engagement has been enhanced through the restructuring of Junior School workshops, which now align with other onsite events and have received positive feedback. Plans are underway for a social media workshop targeting Year 5 or Year 6 parents.
Moving to more face-to-face parent/teacher interviews and Luminary meetings in the Senior School has helped to build stronger connections between teachers and families.
For the first time, reflection on achievements against the graduate attributes was incorporated into the selection of school leaders and they are also being used as part of the refresh of Adventure and Immersion programs, ensuring that there is a consistent understanding of why these programs and developing the attributes are important.
Co–curricular and Service
Significant enhancements have been made to the co–curricular and service programs, with a focus on broadening student opportunities and increasing engagement.
Following feedback from the community, Sport has been an area of focus this year and we have been thrilled with the improvements in participation and quality of performance across the school. At this week’s Sports Awards, over 500 people gathered to celebrate the success of individuals and teams from across the School.
Co-curricular offerings now include greater STEM and Art choices, such as the introduction of VEX Robotics in the Senior School which has led to significantly increased participation and successful competition performance. Our Junior STEM Academy and Co-curricular STEM programs saw record enrolment, with over 95 students in Year 1–Year 6 and 125 students across Year 1–Year 12.
There is more excitement ahead for our STEM and Robotics programs with the 2026 opening of a new senior STEM laboratory in the Senior Centre, supported by an Alumna’s donation, to enhance advanced STEM learning.
Service learning has also been strengthened, with additional community initiatives like supporting elderly residents and ongoing contributions to Loaves and Fishes and Sony Foundation Camp and the introduction of service activities as part of all immersion experiences. New partnerships are being explored to offer service opportunities both locally and internationally, while efforts are underway to make service learning more purposeful for younger students through the IPSHA Social Action team. Feedback mechanisms, including surveys after adventure and immersion activities, have been introduced to measure program impact and enhance quality.
Staff
Our teaching, professional and operational staff are our most important resources and rightly, there has been ongoing investment in their development and wellbeing. The Staff Senior School common room was redesigned to provide a comfortable gathering space and is encouraging staff connection and a place in which to relax and refresh.
As described above, professional learning for teachers has been completely reviewed and in addition, we have a large number of staff undertaking further study, chosen as HSC and IB markers, involved in professional research collaboration and attending and presenting at conferences nationally and internationally.
Professional and Operational staff reflection processes to identify training needs and foster professional growth. The introduction of a Psychosocial Hazard survey and the development of a related policy, along with scheduled Psychosocial Training for 2026 are also noteworthy.
Community
Community events such as the Parent Welcome Evening, Multigenerational High Tea, Alumnae Awards, Reunions, Sapphires, International Night, Parent Forums and the MLC School Colour Run supporting Sony Foundation Camp provided our community with a range of opportunities to connect and celebrate. NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week events confirmed our strong focus and commitment to Indigenous education and our Reconciliation Action Plan.
The School has implemented a range of strategies to strengthen connections with its community. A new Parent Code of Conduct designed to promote positive engagement was launched after consultation with parents and staff.
Parents have been actively involved in a variety of committees, such as the Uniform Committee, and benefited from enhanced communications through Omnia, which has seen strong uptake of the parent portal in conjunction with the MLC School app. Parent workshops and seminars have been conducted for various year levels, with further sessions under development; and the Coffee with the Principal mornings are always well attended.
The Old Girls’ Union (OGU) Choir and a podcast series featuring alumni experiences have fostered intergenerational connections.
Stewardship
The School has made significant strides in risk management, cybersecurity, and data management, ensuring that our approach to student and community safety, operating efficiencies and governance are of the highest quality.
Student Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) was introduced for Year 7 to Year 12, designed to operate without reliance on mobile phones, further strengthening security protocols. The launch of Microsoft CoPilot AI for all staff and the work of the AI Taskforce in deploying AI agents are streamlining administrative and pedagogical processes.
Data-driven decision-making is being supported by initiatives such as data cleansing and the development of trial dashboards. The selection of the new Student Information System, Compass in 2026, will be critical in enabling further use of data in decision making and tracking.
The School has continued to invest in improvements to facilities and grounds to ensure that our students have the best possible learning and outdoor spaces.
I welcome your feedback on our progress on these key initiatives through the survey that was sent on Thursday.
Thank you and farewell to the following teaching staff, who are moving onto new opportunities in 2026.
- Elisa Scala, Deputy Head of Senior School – Academic
- Priscilla Quintaina, IB Coordinator
- Jamie Castrisos, Head of Bands
My thanks to everyone for their involvement and support again this year. I am incredibly proud of the progress that has been made, the commitment and hard work of our teachers and the joy that is evident as our students make their way through the day.
Wishing you a safe and restful break.
I look forward to seeing everyone again in 2026.
– Lisa Moloney
Principal
PS: In exciting news, we launched the new MLC School mascot, Millicent, the bear to all students today – isn’t she gorgeous?! See the header image.