From the Principal
Beyond Exams – Celebrating Our Broader Success
Over the past two weeks, the air has been punctuated with squeals of joy and relief as one by one, each of our Year 12 girls completed her last exam. I want to acknowledge the determination and resilience of our Year 12 students. These exams are important milestones and are the culmination of many years of study and academic focus, yet they represent only one part of the rich educational journey at MLC School. Throughout her time at MLC School, each one of our graduates has been offered a wide range of opportunities to test and challenge herself, to serve others, to take risks in learning and physical pursuits, to lead and collaborate as required, and these students have fully embraced the opportunities provided for them.
Our vision has always been to nurture well-rounded, courageous, and capable young women who are prepared to navigate the complexities of the future with confidence and integrity. Academic growth and achievement are important, but it is not the sole measure of success. We strive to develop learners who are collaborative, curious, and compassionate – qualities that will serve them well beyond the classroom, and I see these very qualities in our newest graduates.
This year, our commitment to holistic education has been reflected in many ways. Beyond academics, our students have excelled in co-curricular pursuits, leadership initiatives, and service programs. Whether through immersive learning experiences, creative arts, or sporting achievements, they have embraced opportunities to lead, collaborate, and innovate. These accomplishments speak to the heart of our mission: to empower students to become agents of change in their world. Our graduates are well equipped to take on the challenges of an evolving global landscape – to think critically, collaborate effectively, be adaptable and resilient.
Academically, our NAPLAN results are a source of pride, with MLC School students showing impressive performance across all domains. NAPLAN results for 2025 indicated the phenomenal achievements and remarkable growth demonstrated by our students.
The School maintained strong performance across the middle years, avoiding the typical dip between Year 5 and Year 9.
- The Year 9 cohort demonstrated exceptional proficiency in numeracy, including advanced algebraic reasoning and problem-solving, while literacy results highlighted excellence in reading comprehension and writing structure.
- In Year 7, 94% of our students were identified as Strong or Exceeding in Reading and 91% in Numeracy. It is also particularly pleasing to note the growth in achievement for students who were tracked from Year 5 at MLC School to Year 7 at MLC School with significantly more students “exceeding expectations” in Spelling (41% to 50%) and Numeracy (34.6% to 47.4%). Equally pleasing was the fact that many students who were rated as “needing support” or “developing” in Year 5 have progressed significantly in their achievement and are now meeting the Year 7 benchmarks.
- Similarly, Year 3 and Year 5 cohorts achieved high proficiency standards, with most students greatly exceeding benchmarks in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
MLC School students achieved two to three times the state proportion of students in the “Exceeding” category. Further in this newsletter, you can read about the excellent performance of our Junior School students in the ICAS competitions, which are known for their degree of difficulty. These outcomes reflect the School’s explicit instruction, differentiation, and strong engagement strategies. Importantly, this bodes well for our students’ future academic achievement, since it indicates that the fundamentals are strong.
As we celebrate these successes, let us remember that education is not a race to the finish line but a lifelong journey. The end of exams is not the end of learning; it is a stepping-stone to new challenges and opportunities. Thank you to our dedicated staff, supportive families, and, most importantly, our students for making this term a testament to what can be achieved when we work together with purpose and passion.
– Lisa Moloney
Principal
As Head of ICT, I am delighted to share an update on MLC School’s strategic journey with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and our commitment to integrating this transformative technology responsibly, ethically, and effectively across the entire school community.
Friday 21 November 2025
At our school, we know that what students bring to the table, their effort, participation, and sense of agency, predicts achievement more powerfully than any other factor. That’s why our focus on student engagement sits at the heart of our learning and teaching approach.
As part of our ongoing commitment to educational excellence, staff at MLC School recently engaged in a professional learning session titled Confronting the Gordian Knot. Drawing on his postgraduate studies in Gifted Education at the University of Oxford (St Hilda’s College), James guided colleagues through the evolving paradigms of gifted education, highlighting the shift from traditional identification models towards the current “talent development” model. This approach emphasises the need for teachers to challenge gifted students to help them reach their full potential. The session also unpacked the need for robust teacher training, public misconceptions around giftedness, and the importance of research-based practices in the classroom going forward.
Being Online at Home 
ICAS Results 2025
Mobile Phone and Devices at School 
Empowering Future Leaders: Student Leadership Development at MLC School
This week in our Year Meeting, I reminded Year 7 of what they were doing one year ago. And that was, attending their MLC School Orientation Day! 12 months ago, they wrote postcards to their future selves, with names of the people they met and what they were looking forward to. This week, I gave those little postcards back to Year 7. Their reactions were priceless. Shock, laughter and squeals filled the room as they realised how much they have changed in one year. Year 7 then reflected on that growth and wrote about it for me which was wonderful to read.
This week was a busy and exciting one for Year 8! With Ms Schurch away on Year 10 Camp, we, Amara and Aditi, the 2026 Middle Years Leaders for Mooramoora and Leawarra, have stepped in to help write the newsletter this week. 
This week, we celebrated the achievements of some Year 9 students who demonstrated Growth and Courage. Congratulations to Melisande Pitman, Caydence Sumantri and Hemani Ramesh, who all achieved their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and were awarded their certificate and pin during our Year Meeting.
This has been an amazing week on the Year 10 Camp! The students have been fantastic. They have thrown themselves into every activity, from snorkelling and surfing to yoga, sound baths, and even aqua golf. One of my favourite moments was seeing the joy and teamwork as they shopped together at Woolworths to purchase all their food for the week.
This week has been a reflective and meaningful one for our cohort.
