4 PLC in Pri nt | Nove mbe r 2 0 2 0
Reaching Out Looking forward, looking back This is certainly what many of us have been doing during this pandemic. In a way, it has been a welcome escape from the clutches of Covid-19, and it seemed far more optimistic to plan for a time when Zoom and Teams were no longer needed, when masks could be put aside, and when we could enjoy the benefits of social interaction. Looking back over the 145-year history of the College gives us the perspective of those who have gone before and we are inspired by how they have also dealt with difficult periods and risen to the unique challenges of their times. At the same time, there has been much to celebrate in the present. We may only have Zoom photos to share but this has not been a time to stand still at PLC. On-site there has been continued gains in the completion of building works and the opportunity for such special times in the Boarding House, particularly as Mrs Anne-Marie Williams (Deputy Principal – Staff and Students) and I moved in for Stage 4 lockdown to support students and staff through this unique time. The joy of living within the boarding ‘hub’ and witnessing the resilience of this community and the leadership shown by students and staff has been wonderful. The Junior School and ELC were quiet, but attentive staff continuously provided care for students who have benefitted from being at school so that their parents were able to work in their important and essential roles. Of course, Distance Learning has been running continuously for our students and we have celebrated their learning and commitment to ongoing improvement every day. We have all learnt so much about technology, new ways of teaching and learning, online assessments including practice examinations, but more importantly, we have learnt we can adapt not just to survive, but to thrive. I hope you enjoy this edition of PLC in Print in which we look at the past, the present, and some of our plans for the future. We have particularly focused this edition on honouring those who have contributed so much to PLC and the wider world, and we acknowledge the importance of the various groups within our community supporting one another both this year and throughout our long and significant history. Lisa Saffin Deputy Principal Curriculum, Learning and Administration
This year, our school celebrates its 145th anniversary. We were hoping to focus on celebrating 145 years of the work and play of the every day living and learning in our community at PLC. However as we all know, this year has presented us with unexpected obstacles and trials. The recent months have been challenging partly due to being isolated from our school community. We have had to forego contact with our friends and teachers. But what if we didn’t even have our online classes and didn’t have teachers staying in contact with us, trying to keep things as normal as possible? In Junior School, we wanted the PLC Old Collegians to know that we were thinking about them in these times and were hoping that they remained healthy and happy. The Student Representative Council, with the help of Mrs Phillips and Ms Scoby-Smith, decided to create a video to reach out to our Old Collegians. The project, titled “Reaching Out”, included snapshots of how we were ‘thriving in isolation’ and the things that we were doing during this unique year. The PLC String Quartet recorded Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique which was used as the backing track for the video. During a brief period whilst we were allowed to be onsite at school, we managed to take snapshots of a typical school day. We also retrieved some memories of distance learning and collated them. Throughout the video, we included little messages from the Junior School Captains who wanted to send their best wishes to the Old Collegians. I would like to send a huge thank you to Mrs Phillips, Mrs ScobySmith and Mrs Schroeder for their encouragement and support and feedback, and to Miss Bramble and Mr Smith for filming the quartet. As the Chair of the Student Representative Council, I also take this opportunity to recognise the innovation and dedication of our SRC Representatives. They have encouraged their classes to contribute ideas and material for firstly, our inaugural Junior School newsletter, and then our video. We hope that our Old Collegians continue to thrive wherever they are and we also hope that they know that we are thinking of them. Katherine Year 6
Reaching Out Video
