Senior School

Maths Week

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

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.

Melbourne High Event

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

Joan Montgomery Award for Public Speaking

In Term 2, we celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Joan Montgomery Award for Public Speaking (JMAPS), a House competition that commemorates the contribution to PLC of Miss Joan Montgomery, Old Collegian and former College Principal (1969–1985).

The final was held in the Doris Daniel Theatre on 23 June before a Year 7 audience. Each of the Houses was represented by a Junior (Years 7–9) and Senior (Years 10–12) competitor. As well as enjoying the speeches, Year 7s were interested to hear about the history of the competition and Miss Montgomery’s influence on our College.

Competitors were challenged to craft a memorable and distinctive speech on a topic of their own choosing, giving the audience a wonderful insight into the political, social and cultural issues concerning them. In this era of #MeToo and #BLM, many of the students chose to speak about how culture and gender intersect and affect the lives of women. Students examined their topics in an engaging and inspiring way and delivered their speeches with great confidence and flair.

We congratulate the winners of JMAPS 2021: Junior Secondary runner-up, Ishara (Atholl), and winner, Zara (Rosslyn), and Senior Secondary runner-up, Kartiya (Leven) and winner, Emma (Rosslyn).

Thank you to the House Captains who selected the representatives and to members of the English Department who judged the final speeches. Thank you to the Old Collegians’ Association for providing the awards.

Mrs Patricia Shiel Head of English

House Virtual Melbourne Marathon Marvels

In Term 3, 248 Senior School students and staff responded enthusiastically to the challenge to run, ride, walk and dance their way around a virtual Melbourne Marathon Course, accumulating a massive 42 kilometres worth of exercise and earning points for their House. Students showed incredible creativity in the ways in which they earned their kilometres and their generosity of spirit was evident in the inspiring messages of encouragement. The House pages were populated with pictures of smiling students exercising solo or with friends, family members or pets. With a total of 226 points, Atholl were worthy winners; congratulations go to all the students and staff who took part. Particular thanks go to Mrs Jen Rivett and Ms Amanda Bryant who masterminded this activity and to the fantastic 2021 House Captains who promoted this competition and led by example, encouraging the girls in their Houses by their own contributions.

Ms Jennifer Thomson House Co-ordinator

The Tempest

This year’s production was Shakespeare’s darkest comedy, The Tempest. Our group of over 75 PLC students spent time both in person and online rehearsing for over six months. We had girls involved as actors, dancers, choreographers, co-directors, composers, costume designers, stage managers, lighting operators, sound operators, make-up and hair artists and crew members all working in collaboration and with great resourcefulness and creativity. We were lucky to be able to film a performance to share the work with our community – we hope you enjoy our story of betrayal, revenge, redemption and love on our island of wonders.

Ms Cath Garrett Head of Drama

Celebrating the Year 12 Class of 2021

The Year 12 students of 2021 are a group who love to celebrate together and they have found many ways to do so as their year has drawn to a close. After enjoying a surprise delivery of cupcakes to their homes, everyone gathered on Zoom for an enjoyable morning tea before the term holiday break.

Once back on site for Term 4, the long-awaited Year 12 hoodies were ready for collection; the students loved the original design created by classmate Naho Takeuchi. The dress-up days in the last week of the term showcased their creativity and imagination, culminating in the students transforming their school uniforms into fashion statements – with the icon Barbie as the theme – for their final Celebration Day.

The filmed presentation of Graduation boxes was a formal occasion and the live Zoom family session of what would have been the Leavers’ Assembly gave parents the opportunity to acknowledge and treasure their daughter’s PLC journey in a wonderful photo compilation of highlights over their years. The Year 12 students of 2021 have been resilient, adaptable, innovative and independent learners. We thank them for their contribution to the PLC community and wish them every success.

Mrs Annette Hall Year 12 Co-ordinator

Farewell to Hui-Ling Yeo

Hui-Ling Yeo was a student at PLC and after graduating from school, continued on to study dentistry at university. However, her strong love of music prevailed and she returned to study music before joining the staff as a piano teacher at PLC in 2002.

Teaching across both Junior and Senior campuses, HuiLing will be particularly well known to students and parents in the Junior School as she has played a huge role there, both teaching piano and accompanying students for their many assembly performances, exams and concerts over the years. In addition, she has accompanied a number of choirs in the Junior School for their rehearsals and performances.

We will certainly miss Hui-Ling when she leaves us at the end of the year. Her excellent teaching and accompanying skills and her caring nature meant that many students requested to learn piano from her, and she willingly took on additional tasks within the department with alacrity and grace. A valued colleague, Hui-Ling leaves us with our very best wishes as she embarks on the next chapter of her life

Music Scholars’ Concert

In a stroke of good luck, the Music Scholars’ Concert took place on Wednesday 4 August, in between lockdowns! Although we were unable to have an audience present, the girls relished the opportunity to perform in the PAC Auditorium. For those who would like to enjoy the wonderful performances from our Music Scholars, the concert recording is available in the online edition of PLC in Print.

Mr Richard Squibb Director of Music

Neno Girls Secondary School

Here in Melbourne we have had our lockdowns, press conferences, remote learning and ongoing disruptions for students, staff and our wider school community. It’s been hard, but bear a thought for the staff and students at our sister school in Malawi, whose lives have been turned upside down too. Only more so.

Here is a snapshot of what has been happening at Neno Girls Secondary School over the past year and a half.

In March 2020 the COVID-19 global outbreak escalated and Neno was closed until October, with no remote learning due to a lack of resources, and no income for staff salaries. PLC was able to help with an allowance for staff to assist them with rent and food during this time.

On October 1 2020 the girls were back at school, with all the usual COVID-19 precautions in place: temperature taking; mask wearing; hand sanitising and washing; and surfaces being cleaned. PLC provided the funds for 50 desks and 20 mattresses to enable the school to try to implement social distancing. It is not unusual at Neno for two to three girls to be crowded around a single desk in a classroom and for some to share a bed.

The school year usually starts in September but as the Form 4 girls (like our year 12s) were catching up on their lessons, the new Form 1 students could not start until January 2021. This was a problem as the Form 4s still hadn’t completed their examinations and there were too many girls to fit into the boarding houses. So, the Form 1 students slept in the multipurpose hall, sharing mattresses.

On January 19, the Principal, Esther, reported that 142 girls and two staff had tested positive for COVID-19. The school was turned into a clinic. Health workers were on site to monitor the situation and care for the sick. The school was closed yet again. PLC students raised money to buy more COVID-19 supplies for Neno.

The school reopened on February 22, and in March 2021 the Form 4 girls finally completed their final examinations (carried over from July 2020), achieving a 99% pass rate. This was an incredible result with all the disruption the students had to their schooling over the past year. We congratulate them on this achievement.

The latest news from Esther is that this year’s Form 4 students are now sitting their final exams. We wish them well. Enrolments have increased to 361. Neno Girls Secondary School is a wellrespected school in Malawi and we are thrilled that more girls will have the opportunity to be educated there.

Our sister school relationship continues to be important even without the annual trips to Malawi; our thoughts and prayers are with the Neno community at this time.

Here are some messages from our friends in Malawi:

‘We are always grateful for the support PLC renders to Neno Girls. May God bless you and PLC. Stay safe!’

Esther Kwambiri, Principal, Neno Girls Secondary School.

‘Thank you so much for the support and please convey our heartfelt thanks to management, staff and students of PLC.’

Moses Kasitomu, Education Secretary for the Blantyre Synod.

Connecting Past, Present and Future in the PLC Melbourne Archive

As part of the CAS (creativity, activity, service) element of the IB Diploma Programme, four IB students volunteered in the PLC Melbourne Archive. Along with Archivist, Jane Dyer, the students made a video which is a beautiful demonstration of how they enjoy connecting with our PLC community’s past, present and future. It shows how they are proud of the College’s heritage and how they are proud to contribute to that heritage.

I wish to acknowledge Jane’s hard work and dedication in offering the girls positive, creative and enriching experiences within the Archive. I know the IB girls always find these experiences most enjoyable and rewarding.

Mrs Stéphanie Fourquet-Moylan French Teacher / IB CAS Coordinator