10 PLC i n Pri nt | D e c e mbe r 2 0 2 1
Maths Week
Senior School
The two highlights of Maths Week were the talk by Dr Sam Blake and the modified House Maths Competition. Dr Sam Blake is a young Australian mathematician who very recently decrypted a secret code that had baffled police investigators and other mathematicians for over 50 years. Sam’s talk was fascinating and thoroughly enjoyed by the large audience of students and staff. Over the five days of Maths Week an average of more than 400 students participated in the daily Maths Quiz, which replaced our usual House Maths Competition. The success of this competition far outstripped all expectations. Mr John Taylor Head of Mathematics
Gifted and Extension Program
Melbourne High Event
This term, a variety of PLC students have participated in invitational programs such as Tournament of the Minds and the Ethics Olympiad. Indeed, our recent success in the Ethics Olympiad program culminated in our senior team making it through to the international final. Four of our students experienced great success in the University of Melbourne’s School of Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition, focusing on the intricacies of ethical fragments. Chloe and Sinasta made the final in the Junior Division. Liah and Yunaa repeated their 2020 feat of winning first prize, sharing the honours with two NSW students.
During the Term 3 remote learning period, PLC collaborated with Melbourne High School to offer our Senior students a remarkable series of public speaking events related to Law, International Studies and Politics. A significant number of our students participated in discussions with eminent academics including Professor Eric Heinze (Queen Mary University of London) and Professor Timothy Lynch (University of Melbourne). PLC extends its thanks to Rajas and Benjamin, the MHS students who organised these events. Dr David Treeby Program Coordinator for Gifted and Talented Students
Year 11 Formal In the last week of Term 3, Year 11 students came together to celebrate our Formal. Considering our in-person Formal was cancelled, we instead met on Zoom to play games and sing songs – our teachers even dressed up for the occasion! We were also able to split up into breakout rooms to show off our outfits and interact with the friends we had been separated from since July. It was a huge success, thanks to all the hard work of the formal committee and Ms Renney. Tarini, Faria and Margot Year 11
