From the Principal
On Tuesday evening, the House of Lords was alive with the chatter and energy emanating from the 140th Anniversary reunion in London. The event was graciously hosted by Old Girl Baroness Natalie Bennett (1983) of Manor Castle. Natalie served as the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2012 to 2016. During her tenure, she focused on social justice, environmental sustainability, and democratic reform and she remains active in the House of Lords, advocating for issues such as universal basic income, and climate action.
As well as hosting our event on Tuesday evening, she busily dashed back into the House to debate and vote on an important issue before returning to address us all. Natalie described the importance of the ‘old boys network’ when it comes to having bills passed within the House and noted that as women, we need to build our own networks in order to have that same influence. She emphasised that MLC School reunions provide the perfect opportunity do just that and thanked the School for making such an opportunity possible.
Those in attendance ranged from Ros Coulson, who graduated in 1955 through to members of the classes of 2023 and 2025 who are studying or taking a gap year in the United Kingdom.
I never cease to be impressed by our Old Girls, they are such extraordinary women. Whether they graduated 30, 40, 50 years ago or in the last few years, they share common character attributes that span the generations. These include a quiet inner strength; a commitment to making a difference and working hard to achieve it; and a willingness to say what needs to be said. In my conversations, many also emphasised how the skills that they developed by being involved in co-curricular activities had later translated into opportunities beyond school.
We can sometimes lose sight of the ‘long game’ – the purpose of education. These women remind me that what really counts cannot be simply measured by an ATAR, a prize, or a leadership position while at school – it is who we become and how we make our way in the world that determines our success. Hence the importance of ensuring a well-rounded education that provides the right amount of challenge for our girls across a range of pursuits.
In the coming months we will host our annual reunions for the classes of 2016, 2006, 1996, 1986 (and so on) and welcome everyone back on our 140th Anniversary Back to College Open Day and our Boarders for lunch on Friday 1 May 2026 – please spread the word to any former or prospective staff, students, parents and family members.
And finally, I hope that you have had a chance to see the fabulous Creative Types episode featuring MLC School Old Girl Andrea Lam (1999) on ABC iView.
As part of the episode Andrea returns to MLC School to reflect on her journey to becoming one of Australia’s most highly respected concert pianists and to share her expertise with current student Sylvia Li (Year 8) in a lesson filmed in our Music Centre. It is inspirational and yet another example of just where an MLC School education could take a student.
– Lisa Moloney
Principal
Click on image gallery for full size images.
Episode 11 | Building Character Through Debating
This week I attended the UTS Welcoming Ceremony and Awards Night for students in the Bachelor of Accounting Co-operative Scholarship. It was a memorable evening and a pleasure to see the continued presence of MLC School Old Girls within such a competitive and long running program of 36 years.
To be the very best teachers they can be for our girls, at MLC School we are interested in growing our teachers as learners. We encourage them to embrace further study opportunities and we provide a vibrant professional learning community that empowers teachers to experiment with pedagogy in a collegial and safe environment. We want our girls to know that learning involves productive struggle and sometimes, failure. By modelling positive risk-taking and challenge as learners, teachers create a space for students to tackle the challenges of learning head-on.
Thank you to our Year 3 parents who attended the Year 3 assembly this week. It is a lovely opportunity for the girls to showcase some of their learning. 
All the best to Year 9 and Cadets 
Japanese cultural exchange with Senzoku Gakuen
As we approach the end of Term 1, it has been a timely moment for Year 7 to pause and reflect on experiences of Senior School so far. It is completely normal at this stage for students to feel tired, overwhelmed, or perhaps unsure about friendships as they settle into routines and expectations become clearer.
Week 9 has been another busy week for our Year 8 students as they continue to balance learning, wellbeing and end‑of‑term routines. Across the week, students completed several assessments, including Languages and Mathematics, and were encouraged to use effective study strategies to support their preparation and organisation. In Luminary, students engaged in independent, screen‑free study time and an end‑of‑term reflection.
The time has come to go on camp! Next week Year 9 will either head off on Cadet camp or will be exploring Sydney on the Urban Challenge camp.
Welcome to the last two weeks of term – Week 9 has been busy with cadet camp preparation; co-curricular finals and the end of term wrap up of activities. Congratulations to our Year 10 Tildesley Tennis representatives: Liesl Wong and Harlow Elsibai for their participation in IGSA Tennis last week. Read the 
This week, Melissa Boyd, Deputy Principal and Sarah Jauncey, Director of Experiential Learning, officially launched Sony Foundation Camp 2026 with Year 11. The Sony Foundation Camp is an absolute highlight of the MLC School calendar, and it is incredibly exciting that it is now the Year 11 girls’ opportunity to step into this meaningful and rewarding experience.
Congratulations go out to all of Year 12 on reaching the end of their two-week block of half yearly examinations! We are all incredibly proud of their hard work, determination, and the positive spirit shown here at school over the past fortnight. 
