Principal's Report

At the beginning of 2022, the whole PLC community was hopeful that the isolation, anxiety and severe difficulties of the previous years would not be repeated. How fortunate and relieved we were at the year’s end that after a very full and successful year, PLC was definitely back in action!

While some members of the PLC community unfortunately still suffered from the impact of COVID during 2022, daily life returned with enormous energy to its busy, reassuring daily routines and much-loved traditional celebrations such as House Concerts, student camps, year level parent gatherings, the Prayer Breakfast, Connect Night, Music Roundabout and the Year 12 Graduation Dinner, to name but a few.

How pleased we were in January to welcome back our first boarders from overseas, followed by others during the year, as they obtained flights and access after the years of COVID travel restrictions.

It was also heart-warming to see the talented PLC Pipes and Drums performing in the ANZAC Day march in Melbourne after a twoyear break. PLC was also able to host the Victorian Drums and Pipes championships which were in person for the first time in three years.

With time – and while adhering to any initial restrictions around COVID – parents and Old Collegians were able to return to the campus for concerts and special lunches. The government continued to supply the College with rapid antigen tests throughout much of the year, and positive cases of COVID had to be reported to the Department of Health until October 2022. We were grateful that masks were no longer required to be worn from late April. By September, isolation for those testing positive to COVID reduced from seven to five days.

Together, staff, parents and students worked very hard to rebuild our community across the entire College. The recordbreaking attendances at events during the year showed how much people wanted to connect with other members of our wonderful PLC family.

I sincerely thank all those volunteers on the various parent Committees and our staff for their huge contributions to the success of all our events this year. The Mother’s and Father’s Day celebrations and the Hethersett Christmas luncheon in particular were huge successes. Our parent groups have been cohesive, harmonious and very positive.

We learnt many positive lessons during the COVID years, including the usefulness of Zoom in not only enabling learning from home, but in facilitating greater communication for parents and staff at parent interviews. Old Collegians who lived away from Melbourne or were previously unable to attend meetings were also now able to participate, and the hybrid attendance at meetings has continued for many groups. It was also marvellous for boarding parents to join in the Boarders’ Parents’ Association meetings online and this option has continued, alongside inperson attendance by others.

Even our special speaker for the Foundation Day Assembly in February, Old Collegian Professor Ruth Stewart, a former boarder from the Class of 1977, was able to address us from her home in outback Queensland where she continues to work as a doctor with remote communities. Ruth is a National Rural Health Commissioner and a passionate advocate of better and more equitable access to medical care in country areas.

I was very proud of the way the PLC Graduating Class of 2022 embraced their Year 12, with confidence and energy after the disruptions and uncertainty of the previous two years. Their leadership at both a personal and collective level was impressive as they reignited excitement in all our traditional, much-loved House events, raised funds for important social action projects such as for Neno Girls’ School, and participated in the truly outstanding staging of Seussical or the massed choral singing at the very special Gala concert or in many other musical, theatrical and sports events.

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the Class of 2022 on the outstanding results that they achieved in both the VCE and IB. I would very much like to acknowledge and thank our dedicated and committed staff, parents and families who supported and encouraged the girls throughout their years at PLC. We are very much aware that it is a team effort, and all who have been involved in the development of these young women are to be congratulated.

Of the 173 students who completed VCE and IB:

13% achieved an ATAR of 99.5+ placing them in the top .5% of Australia

22% achieved an ATAR of 99+ placing them in the top 1% of Australia

30% % achieved an ATAR of 98+ placing them in the top 2% of Australia

7 girls achieved an ATAR of

99.95

46% achieved an ATAR of 95+ placing them in the top 5% of Australia

69% achieved an ATAR of 90+ placing them in the top 10% of Australia

94.15 the median ATAR was

89% achieved an ATAR of 80+ placing them in the top 20% of Australia

Our IB girls once again achieved excellent results, with 47% of our IB candidature obtaining an ATAR of 99 or above and 94% of IB students achieving an ATAR of 90 or above.

Almost every girl in Year 12 2022 received a tertiary offer in Victoria. Additionally, some girls were offered tertiary places interstate and overseas.

As you can see from the summary of PLC’s ATAR ranking in this report, the Class of 2022 have performed exceptionally well as a cohort and these results place PLC amongst the very top academic schools in Australia. However, as we warmly congratulate the girls in the Class of 2022 on their fine academic achievements, it is important to highlight that academic success is only one measure of the quality and success of a student and a school. The characters and personal qualities of the graduating students are of much greater importance. Their capacity to thrive in the next stages of their life, in their studies and careers and personal lives, their resilience, emotional intelligence, their capacity to care for others and their desire to use their education to contribute to the lives of others and the betterment of society, are far more important indicators of the quality of the education we offer. Developing and nurturing young women of character and substance with a Christian world view continues to be at the heart of our mission at PLC.

PLC is a very long-standing member of the IB community and we had the pleasure of hosting the 2021 Victorian and Tasmanian IB Awards Ceremony at Federation Square in February. The guest speaker, Nicole TJ from the Class of 2008, spoke of her journey since completing her IB studies, first as a classical pianist and co-founder of a chamber music ensemble alongside her career as a highly-regarded digital and innovations strategist.

We look forward to hearing of the journey of our IB and VCE students from 2022.

Both the Old Collegians’ Association and the Lampas Society continued to foster close links with past students and staff. I had the pleasure of speaking at the AGM luncheons of both groups and was able to outline the strategic vision of the College and how we are working very consistently, with a whole-school approach, to make our girls ready for the challenges and opportunities of life after school. While ATAR scores and formal qualifications are still very important, and we are so proud of the wonderful academic results and competition successes of our students, we as educators and parents, know this is not enough in the new global world of study and work.

We fostered and continually emphasised the mental and emotional wellbeing of all our staff and students, especially post COVID, through especially designed wellness and confidence-building programs across the whole College.

It is vital that students feel part of the bigger world picture where they are aware of international issues and can celebrate the wonderfully diverse cultural backgrounds of their families and friends. What a privilege it is for students and staff when our Indigenous students share the enormous richness and longevity of their precious and unique culture.

Through participation in our International Week and Harmony Day, with the theme in 2022 of ‘Come Together in Peace’, PLC girls were given a hopeful view of what contribution we can make as individuals or with others, in encouraging world peace and the prosperity of underprivileged citizens both here and abroad.

In June, students, staff and other special guests attended the official unveiling of the portrait Yvette Coppersmith, the 2018 Archibald Portrait winner, painted of me as the twelfth Principal of PLC. I sincerely thank the artist and the College for the honour of having my portrait join the impressive portraits of past Principals which grace the walls of Wyselaskie Hall.

One of the most exciting events at PLC during 2022 was the launch, at a wholeschool assembly, of our exciting new PLC Uniform Collection. This memorable event in our College history showcased a stylish, contemporary, transeasonal uniform which allows our girls to show greater individuality by choosing from a range of items.

We have commenced planning for the 150th Anniversary in 2025 when all girls will be wearing this impressive new uniform which honours past uniforms, with the much-loved school colours echoed in the bold new tartan.

We were very happy to finish the year by announcing one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by PLC, the construction of a state-of-the art Sport,

Aquatic and Fitness Centre (SAFC), due to open in 2025. This exciting development, with works starting in 2023, will provide new opportunities for all our students.

We thank the School Council for their unwavering commitment, conscientious work and forward thinking in the provision of new facilities and the ongoing updating of existing buildings, such as the major refit of the Doris Daniel Theatre and Foyer and the Hilda McKay Hall and the refurbished staff rooms and student facilities in the Senior School.

Our beautiful garden campus is being constantly developed with a strong emphasis on using native plants and creating special places where students can relax together outdoors. The establishment of a picturesque native garden opposite the entrance to the Senior School provided a soft and inviting space for girls to sit together and enjoy nature.

Development of the PLC 2023-2027

Strategic Plan commenced in 2022 which saw Council members, College leaders, parents, staff, students and Old Collegians participate in a thorough consultation process. This plan will be launched in July 2023, with much of the work over the next three years building on the achievements already delivered through our Towards 2023 and Beyond strategic plan.

We thank everyone who has contributed to shaping this new plan thus far, and look forward to your ongoing support to ensure we achieve our goals and are successful in our efforts to form empowered women of character whose contributions change the world for the good.

I sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the richness and depth of our wonderful College and its supportive community during 2022. We are indeed blessed to be part of this dynamic centre of education for young women.

Cheryl Penberthy Principal