Towards 2030:
Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Towards 2030:
Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
01
Comments by the Principal
04
School Mission, College Values
05
College Aims
06
Our Vision for Forming each Young Person
08
Developing a Curriculum to Achieve our Aims
11
Specific Aims
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Towards 2030 Fulfilling the College Aims
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Faith and Our Values
16
Learning and Teaching
24 Well-Being 28
Strong and Sustainable Organisation
31
PLC Sydney Masterplan 2019
32 Glossary 34 Acknowledgements
From our community comes a
ca ll f or students to be ready to enter a world which is changing rapidly.
Introductory comments DR PAUL BURGIS PRINCIPAL, PLC SYDNEY
It is difficult to claim with certainty how the various stakeholders are going to view education in the future. From our community comes a call for students to be ready to enter a world which is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, automation, and disruptive business practices are making us rethink the types of courses we need in schools. At the same time, businesses are highly valuing students with strong public speaking skills, the ability to think on their feet, the capacity to work hard, and the emotional intelligence to relate well to a large number of people in empathic and ethical ways.
“131 years of history. PLC Sydney is a school with strong foundations and much to look forward to in the future. Our strategic direction towards 2030 builds on our past and embraces the future. The Christian framework informs all that we do, from teaching, administration, pastoral care, governance and to the interpersonal. At PLC Sydney we are bold, not followers. We deliver on what we say. As chairwoman, I am excited by our future plans and look forward to the years ahead.” Mrs Leah Russell, Chairwoman of College Council The NSW Government decided in 2018 to completely review the curriculum in NSW, for the first time in almost three decades. It is likely they will frame their new documents around the current concepts of ‘Equity’ and ‘Excellence’, but little else is known. Online assessment structures that are built on the premise that the student’s previous answer should determine the next question she receives, and the possibility of continual assessment rather than an end of course examination, are both being made possible by changes in technology. Are these useful changes? Are they desirable? A recent emphasis on so-called 21st century skills – on learning how to learn, how to think critically, and how to collaborate and problemsolve – has led some commentators to call for a less crowded curricula with an emphasis on skills and not content. The Carol Dweck led drive for schools to replace a ‘fixed mindset’, where the student is counted as more intelligent or less intelligent, with a ‘growthmindset’ with its emphasis on the learning trajectory of each child, is increasingly popular. Universities are just starting to move away from the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) as the only means to enter their institutions. Whilst Sydney University and UNSW Sydney still rely on it heavily, Macquarie University and Wollongong University are both strongly engaged in early entry programs and in asking students to submit portfolios.
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world
“To make the a better place, and life a worthier thing”
Macquarie University enrolled only 15% of its entry-level students via the ATAR pathway in 2017. The remainder came via early entry, mature-age entry or portfolio submissions. Many overseas universities, especially in the School Hymn USA, already highly value a student’s perceived economic and social goals academic, co-curricular and sporting for education. Commentators like record from Years 9 to 12. They are the Frenchman, Jean-Claude Michea, looking for all-rounded individuals write in a critical fashion of our rather than students who perform current society’s desire for a ‘realm well in one examination. of lesser evil’, the idea that it is possible to have a world solely of From astute authors in the churches personal preferences rather than of such as Milbank and Pabst, MacIntyre, moral and ethical choices. Michea and Robinson, there is a call for an holds that this amoral approach education based on the primacy negatively impacts the society and of human formation, above the
THE TRANSCENDENT – ULTIMATE CONCERNS
What is True? What is Good? What is Just?
How am I my Best?
THE IMMANENT – MINUTE BY MINUTE CONCERNS
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environment and young people. ‘Progress’ needs to be critiqued. The impact of this on young people, it is claimed, ranges from the growing number of students facing anxiety through to the crisis Charles Taylor identifies, as he asks, ‘What is the meaning of meaning?’ As a Presbyterian College, PLC Sydney strives to base its education on the personhood, the givenness, of each individual; and to grow young people who understand themselves and have the capacity to understand and contribute to their world. PLC Sydney therefore builds its future education on its Christian grounding, and seeks to be a College that educates students not only to aspire to the immanent goals of equity (What is Just?) and excellence (How am I my Best?), as per the NSW Government, but to teach about and explore also ‘the transcendent’ (What is True? What is Good?) questions of the purpose and meaning of life.
“Much education goes wrong because it fails to recognise that
people cannot
improve themselves by becoming
someone else: all that is genuinely open to them is to become
better versions of themselves, which is always something unique.” John Milbank and Adrian Pabst The Politics of Virtue: Post-Liberalism and the Human Future, p264-5.
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SCHOOL MISSION PLC Sydney is a ministry of the Presbyterian Church. As such, its mission is: To be an authentic Christian College To be a College offering an excellent education
COLLEGE VALUES Our values are based on a Christian worldview and expressed through four core ideals. We strive to provide an environment where all endeavours and relationships in the College are underpinned by the following values:
GRACE The underlying framework for our College is that each student realises that there is a givenness to life that is beyond their control for which they are truly grateful. They have a life, and they are who they are because of the grace of God, the love of their families and the support and enabling of others.
AN ATTITUDE OF REVERENCE
THE PURSUIT OF WISDOM
PARTICIPATION IN SERVICE
Deep respect tinged with awe for the Word of God and the beauty and wonder of the natural world and humanity. With this attitude we view the world with inspiration and hope, undertake our endeavours with passion and base our relationships on respect for ourselves and others.
Which begins with a spirit of inquiry for knowledge and truth and through discipline and challenge leads to well-considered judgement. Wisdom is humble, not conceited.
To make a difference in the world. Contributing to communities in this way builds personal character through understanding and compassion and fulfils the obligations and responsibilities of citizenship.
COLLEGE AIMS PLC Sydney welcomes all girls to a caring Christian environment, which encourages the pursuit of excellence in all areas of life. We seek to enable each girl to be accomplished and fulfilled in her learning. Our College aims help us to establish what it is that we wish to achieve in the future. They guide our strategic intent.
We have listed our College aims under four broad frameworks, to give more context about our intentions. We continue to strive for excellence in all that we do through:
FAITH AND OUR VALUES
LEARNING AND TEACHING
WELL-BEING
STRONG AND SUSTAINABLE ORGANISATION
Our aims are that it will be possible for each student to:
Faith and our Values A. Develop a Christian faith B. Develop the school values of reverence, wisdom and service, underpinned by grace C. Deeply respect others, herself, and the environment D. Actively contribute to the well-being of her family, community, nation and world.
Learning and Teaching E. Become accomplished in all areas of endeavour with which she engages F. Learn how knowledge is formed, and to consider the ethics of its uses G. Achieve proficiency and confidence in communication H. Grow in confidence and develop her academic abilities towards excellence I.
Read widely and thoughtfully
J.
Write clearly and genuinely
K. Calculate with elegance and accuracy L. Develop a keen and lifelong pursuit of learning.
Well-Being
Strong and Sustainable Organisation
M. Learn how to make sense of life, how to think logically and empathically, and how to relate well to others
T. Be part of a College with high-quality facilities that support excellence in learning; where the College leadership:
N. Create with a sense of beauty and joy
i.
O. Understand life as a gift and work as a vocation P. Develop the capacity to rest and to use leisure in a fulfilling fashion Q. Live a purposeful, grateful, courageous and other-centred life
Always maintain and, where possible, extend the extensive gardens, prioritising the beauty of nature
ii. Create sustainable practices that limit waste iii. Build a College that is desirable and affordable.
R. Learn how to love with integrity and compassion S. Appreciate the intrinsic value of personhood.
Our Strategic Plan is set in place to assist us to achieve our College aims. 5
PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Our Vision for Forming each Young Person
We seek to assist students to develop the personal characteristics required to be a lifelong learner. Our emphasis is on helping students learn to be the best they can be. PLC Sydney Learning Virtues Our teaching and learning framework is as follows:
2. INQUIRY & DISCIPLINE • Question • Investigate • Create
3. COURAGE & PURPOSE
• Discuss
• Goals • Engagement • Understanding • Optimism • Accountability • Persistence
• Reflect LEARN TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE
1. RESPECT & INTEGRITY • Gratitude • Self-awareness • Honesty • Empathy • Relationships
No learner can really become another person, no matter how much they admire them. They must work on becoming the best version of themselves that they can be. These characteristics align with our values. 1. If we have reverence for God and the Universe, we will also seek to have Respect & Integrity: Respect for the beliefs of others. Integrity is the making of and following through on promises and in the completion of academic work in an honest manner. 6
In our learning, we will value and foster: • Gratitude: thankfulness for the capacity and opportunity to learn, for a universe that is ordered such that learning can occur, for a mind that is able to comprehend, and for the capacity to communicate and collaborate with others. • Self-awareness: understanding that my choices impact others and my environment.
• Honesty: including a capacity to recognise what still needs to be learned, as well as the commitment to tell the truth about our own academic contributions, ensuring we do not claim ideas we did not create or work we did not do.
3. If we desire to serve through our learning, we will be looking for practical outcomes that benefit others. We will develop our ‘Courage & Purpose’
• Empathy: recognising the value of the work of others from our own and other cultural backgrounds.
• Goals: we will set our own goals to improve our own individual learning, and set goals to contribute our learning for the good of the community.
• Relationships: that others have assisted us in our learning and that we can assist them; that we ‘stand on the shoulders’ of those that preceded us.
2. If we desire wisdom in our learning, we will demonstrate this through our ‘Inquiry & Discipline’ Specifically, we will develop: • A sense of Inquiry: epistemic humility, recognising that there are many mysteries, and much to learn. • A commitment to investigate: to think about how to systematically find out, to be thorough in our studies, to read widely and fully, to develop taxonomies of thinking. • A commitment to create: to consider other options, to problem-solve, to take a risk in our thinking, to challenge current answers. • A commitment to discuss: to work alongside others, to listen to their answers, to be aware of how an ego can derail learning, to collaborate. • A commitment to reflect: to stop and think, to read deeply, to deracinate in one’s reading.
Specifically, we will grow:
• Engagement: we will focus in our classes, and be disciplined in our learning, we will undertake the most challenging learning even though we might not grasp it easily, we will always support the learning of others. • Understanding: we will aim to understand matters fully, recognising that good intentions are not enough to ensure good outcomes, we will rethink matters once we become aware of unintended consequences. • Optimism: we will undertake learning positively, even if we have faced disappointments, we will not allow errors or failures to impede learning. • Accountability: we expect to report to others, and to allow them to have a dissenting view. We expect academic contention, even over our most tightly held beliefs. We engage in this process with respect. We recognise that our ideas will not always be the best. What matters in not that our particular ideas are valued but that the best ideas are valued.
• Persistence: we do not give up. We seek the potential good in our own learning.
Working with Staff towards this vision Over the next decade PLC Sydney will seek to positively build this Learning Virtues model into our classroom practices by: • Exploring its possibilities with staff through professional development each year • Building it into our Induction • Developing it in our teacher education model • Building it into the consciousness of staff and students: • At assemblies • Through classroom interactions • In Executive decision-making processes • By keeping it before ourselves in our classrooms • The Principal and selected guests explaining it to parents, visitors and our broader community of staff and students.
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Developing a Curriculum to Achieve our Aims
Before analysing how we will achieve each College aim, it is important to alert the community to our discussions regarding the curriculum providers. Our learning virtues influence how we learn in our College. They impact the tone and quality of our interactions. Seventy percent of the substance of our actual curriculum is set by the NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA). All credentials in Australia need to fulfil the aims of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). NESA organise the Higher School Certificate and all of the curricula that lead up to it. Their courses fulfil the aims of ACARA. Other Internationallybased curricula such as the International Baccalaureate® (IB) and Cambridge International Assessments (Cambridge) are 8
accepted as part of schooling in Australia only if they fulfil the standards set by ACARA. As an independent and Presbyterian school we can also set some of our own curriculum. This includes courses like Christian Studies, Philosophy and Theology (PaTh), Careers Education, Sport, Clubs, Assemblies, Chapels and sessions connected to student well-being (friendship development, drug and alcohol education etc). We currently offer the Higher School Certificate (HSC) for all students and NESA courses from Pre-K to Year 12. In order to add a degree of rigour and enrichment, we also offer Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) courses to Years 9 and 10.
PLC Sydney has chosen to integrate ‘A’ level studies, predominantly from Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE). Cambridge courses align in two main ways with our vision of education for the future. 1. They allow easier access to a broader range of courses.
The Higher School Certificate is a worthy credential in that: • It allows students to access any major university in the world • It tests on a broad base of knowledge, skills and understanding • It is culturally appropriate to Australia • It is rigorous It is compulsory in NSW that we have students every year completing the HSC. Like all credentials, the Higher School Certificate has limitations: • It is a ‘dot-point’ curriculum. This can suggest to students that knowledge is a utility that helps them achieve goals and status rather than something to use to understand the universe and contribute towards it.
Other options, like Cambridge International courses and the IB, have an advantage in that: • They are more open-ended about the nature of learning • They provide academic results that are less granular, yet which allow access to universities across the world • They allow for more realistic final assessments. No student, for example, who scores an ATAR of 97.25 is reliably and validly better than a student who scores 97.10. It would be better to label each student A* students as Cambridge does.
• In 2017 to achieve entry, for example, into Medicine at Oxford University requires Cambridge grades of A, A, A*. That is, marks of 80%, 80% and 90% in Cambridge examinations. We estimate that this is within reach of at least 10% and possibly 20% of our students. By way of comparison, entry into Medicine at Sydney University using the ATAR requires a rank of 99.95. Only about 50 places are available across the state. It is possible to enter Sydney University currently with A*, A*, A* grades in Cambridge. • NSW universities are currently reviewing Cambridge entry scores to align them with international standards. Macquarie University, Wollongong University and UTS have already changed their entry scores to make them align with Oxford and Harvard (i.e., to allow easier entry). As we look towards 2030, we expect Sydney University and UNSW to align themselves.
• The ATAR system provides a ‘rank order’ for each student which is specified to two decimal places. It is not possible to rank students validly to such a degree, and the rank order is not the only means by which they should validly be able to show a university that they are fit to attain a particular course. 9
PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
2. The methodology for gaining university entry is changing. • In the United Kingdom and the USA entry to university relies upon academic results and commitment to learning over time, engagement in service learning, and an interview. • In NSW the regime for many years has been that all university entry is determined by a set of marks. • Wollongong and Macquarie Universities have already moved to more of a portfolio approach. They allow early entry and include interviews in many courses. 2018 was the first year that Sydney University explored some early entry options.
• Whilst we cannot presume that Sydney University and UNSW will shift to a portfolio approach, we do wish to prepare our students for the new world of university entry. Thus, PLC Sydney has chosen NESA and Cambridge courses as part of a broader philosophy: • To assist students to achieve the best possible access to tertiary education
• To prepare students for the growing emphasis on portfolios • Alongside our strong emphasis on public speaking, co-curricular breadth and service learning • As part of our PLC Sydney Futures program. 3. A key final element is time. The Cambridge structure provides much more time for teachers to mentor students and for students not to feel stressed.
We want students to be ready for the future. Able to attend university anywhere. Academically prepared. Personally skilled. Having undertaken a range of
challenging, engaging and interconnected courses.
SPECIFIC AIMS
A
By 2023 we aim to offer ‘A’ level and/or ‘Pre-U’ Cambridge courses, or similar, for Years 11 and 12.* Cambridge Investigations Cambridge International Education is the largest global provider of international education. 11 000 schools undertake Cambridge. This compares to 4 000 that do the International Baccalaureate®. Between 2019 and 2023 we aim to: • Conduct a thorough investigation into the best practices in the United Kingdom and South-East Asia in teaching ‘A’ levels • Plan to start Cambridge ‘A’ levels in 2023. We may also offer courses from other international providers
• Communicate with Australian Universities. All Australian Universities currently welcome international and Canberra-based Cambridge students. In league with CIE, we will lobby all NSW universities of note to accept an influx of NSW locally-based students
• Select appropriate courses for offer • Educate our community in both the HSC (NESA) and Cambridge options • Ready our teachers to succeed in teaching these courses • Be ready to adapt to unforeseen changes.
* Cambridge Pre-U is a school-leaving-qualification from Cambridge Assessment International Education. We are also investigating other similar courses such as EdExcel (provided by Pearson, UK’s largest organisation offering academic, vocational and workbased learning qualifications).
B
Set up PLC Sydney Futures Centre PLC Sydney Futures is a centre for leadership within Careers Education and Extension, incorporating what was previously termed ‘The Extension Centre’. The position of ‘Head of PLC Sydney Futures’ was established at the commencement of 2019. The aims for this programs are: • To provide excellent education to assist students to access relevant future tertiary pathways
• To communicate closely with NSW and all Australian universities regarding entry requirements
• To lead the traditional Extension Centre programs and adapt them to suit future needs
• To provide current information on the changing nature of university education globally
• To develop programs to ready PLC Sydney students for their work futures
• To meet with each student to help her craft her own way forward
We have also employed a specialist overseas advisor to assist us in assisting graduates to access overseas universities. 11
PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Fulfilling the College Aims Our key strategies for fulfilling each of our College aims are noted below under the four frameworks for excellence. FAITH AND OUR VALUES
• Develop a Christian faith • Develop the school values of reverence, wisdom and service, underpinned by grace • Deeply respect others, herself, and the environment • Actively contribute to the well-being of others
LEARNING AND TEACHING
• Become accomplished in all areas of endeavour with which she engages • To learn how knowledge is formed, and to consider the ethics of its uses • Achieve proficiency and confidence in communication • Grow in confidence and develop her academic abilities towards excellence • Read widely and thoughtfully • Write clearly and genuinely • Calculate with elegance and accuracy • Develop a keen and lifelong pursuit of learning
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WELL-BEING
• Learn how to make sense of life, how to think logically and empathically, and how to relate well to others • Create with a sense of beauty and fun • Understand life as a gift and work as a vocation • Develop the capacity to rest and to use leisure in a fulfilling fashion
STRONG AND SUSTAINABLE ORGANISATION
• Be part of a College with high quality facilities that support excellence in learning • Always maintain and, where possible, extend the extensive gardens, and green spaces prioritising the beauty of nature • Create sustainable practices that limit waste • Build a College that is desirable and affordable • Creating a first-class environmentally sustainable and aware College
Faith and our Values A. Develop a Christian Faith Through to 2030 we will seek to continue to develop our Christian framework so that students might be able to understand the Christian faith and grow in it. We will: • Review and Refine our Chaplaincy and Christian Studies program, ensuring our services, assemblies, chapels and lessons offer these benefits to all • Actively teach the Peacemakers program to staff and students. The goal of this program is to learn how to resolve conflict honestly and respectfully, not allowing manipulation by others whilst understanding our own capacity to be manipulative • Provide professional learning opportunities for our staff and student leaders in these areas • Enable Executive reflection on our programs to ensure we stay focused on this central vision • Conduct a review of our approaches • Represent our beliefs and values in physical representations (iconography, signs) on the College Campus • Grow the size of the audience at the annual Pamela Nutt Address
Within our voluntary Fuel group we will seek to: • Develop an Alumni leadership group who actively support the current students of Fuel • Provide further opportunities for connection with students from our brother Presbyterian school – The Scots College • Review our annual camp for Fuel students • Provide connections to major external events that support this vision • Provide links to local churches for relevant students • Develop links with the PLC Armidale Fuel group In order to develop academic rigour within our program we will seek to develop the PaTh program. The PaTh program aims to become a global structure over the next decade. Its goals include:
• The establishment of a business model for other schools joining the program • The creation of an extensive series of short videos covering the history of Western thought in line with PaTh curriculum, beginning with Athens and Jerusalem, and extending through to the contemporary period • The embedding of an annual scholarship program for PaTh, connected to an enrichment in this area • The embedding of a biannual international student-led PaTh Conference at PLC Sydney • Connection of the program to either the Cambridge ‘A’ Level Philosophy and Theology course, or to the Cambridge ‘A’ level Classics course, should the College decide to engage with ‘A’ level studies
• The finalisation of the PaTh curriculum as a published document • The finalisation of the Teacher Education Program as a published document • The creation of a website
B. Develop the school values of reverence, wisdom and service, underpinned by grace The framework for this program was noted earlier in the section on THE LEARNING VIRTUES. See Page 6.
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Faith and our Values
C. Deeply respect others, herself, and the environment Environmental issues are challenging. PLC Sydney has been undertaking a review of its practices and seeking to change them. We have a committee that includes staff and students helping us plot a course for the future. We aim to: • Reduce our global footprint • We have recently removed the capacity of students to purchase plastic water bottles from the College and have installed a fresh water fountain
• Lead in environmental management • Through the Ambassadorship of the Eastern Long-necked Turtle as part of the Parramatta River, Our Living River Program and through the Genome Project • Breed endangered invertebrates
• Regenerate the environment
• Within our Invertebrate House we currently breed and maintain insurance populations of a variety of invertebrate species that could be used in the event of catastrophic decline
• Teach and model excellent practices
• Actively teach students how to live in harmony with Nature
• Reduce our waste • Our students conduct regular waste audits and initiate changes • Encourage and enable green technologies • Create green buildings • Are our buildings green? Do we encourage green technologies? And if so, what are they and which of our new developments will incorporate green elements?
D. Actively contribute to the well-being of her family, community, nation and world We support service, cultural understanding and international interaction. As our school size increases we will also bring on further Sister Schools, pursuing possible relations with new schools overseas: • USA • Mexico • Spain • India We are seeking entry to a major global schools network. The growth in certain programs has consequences. We need to integrate the Cambridge examinations with the Exchange Program and Speech Day needs. We will therefore review
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“Doctrine is grace and ethics is gratitude and something is wrong with any form of Christianity where this is not the case.” J. I. Packer, Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Term 4 processes to establish a sustainable plan.
Service Learning is integral to the Christian faith of our College:
In regard to overseas curriculum tours we are seeking to combine some tours to achieve goals across subject areas.
The opportunities are significant.
A further aspect of service is the commitment of the private self to causes. We each need to decide which causes we will support in our lives and which we will not. In the Bible in the book of James we read: ‘I will show you my faith by my works’.
PLC Sydney already has a very strong Service Learning Program. Each year group from PreKindergarten to Year 12 focuses on one or more projects, learning about the needs of the community involved and organising fundraising activities and initiatives.
The Junior School are led by Community Service Captains who work with the teachers and year groups to select, promote and support a variety of service learning opportunities and charities such as raising funds for The Red Cross through the annual Red Cross Bumper Day. Specific year group projects and support include:
E VA NDA LE
YEAR 3
YEAR 4
( P R E - K I N D E R G A R T E N T O Y E A R 2)
WUNANBIRI PRE-SCHOOL SERVICE
YEAR 5
YEAR 6
YEAR 7 TIMOR LESTE PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOLS
YEAR 8
YEAR 9
Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Home
Organising the annual Pet Show plus engage in environmental service
Y E A R 10
BA VI ORPHANAGE
Y E A R 11
Y E A R 12 International Justice Mission
Service Learning Service in the family home is important. We will look for ways to support parents to enable their daughters (and even their sons) to contribute to the functioning of the home. In the future, we will add further visits to Aged Care and similar facilities for our Junior School. We will create a form of service learning program of notation. We will also explore links with global medical missions such as the one run by Duke University. We will seek to link our faith and service learning programs with our scientific research programs. Thus we act out our aim: • Develop a Global Awareness program that connects students to important international news and enables them to respond positively. 15
PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Learning and Teaching E. Become accomplished in all areas of endeavour with which she engages If we set our goal to assist each student to become accomplished we need to both note our orientation towards learning, and to identify how we will support the teachers to support each student’s learning. Accomplished students take on the primary responsibility for learning. To find joy and meaning in learning they need to be able to own their learning. They discover that learning is not primarily the parents’ responsibility, or the teacher’s, but the student’s. As the adults who seek the student’s betterment we can unintentionally cripple their learning by:
• Taking on the role of constantly telling them to complete their responsibilities • Doing work for them • Not allowing them to learn from their errors Thus, our attitude towards the learner will be to allow them to have the responsibility, joy and engagement with their own learning.
All such claims require a counterbalance. It the responsibility of the teacher to prepare students well for all learning by: • Providing a warm classroom climate • Teaching with a high degree of effectiveness • Seeking to differentiate • Scaffolding early learning
We will encourage this through:
• Removing scaffolding to bring about independence
• Principal’s communications with parents
• Challenging the independent learner
• Assemblies • Staff professional learning • Incidental discussions with students
• Linking learning to the real world.
In order to ensure that our students understand that knowledge is not refined to specific subject areas, rather that all areas of knowledge interact and draw from each other. PLC Sydney will be deliberate in developing its cross-curricular frameworks. This will involve:
Their particular goals include:
• Professional learning programs that also count towards registration maintenance (a NSW government accountability)
• Consistent and dedicated EAL/D and LE support for all senior school and junior school students, across all subjects including in-class support
• Teachers watching other teachers apply their trade
• Consideration of the process of integration for new EAL/D students and LE students, with staging as a preferred methodology
Specific academic support for Indigenous Students is led by the Indigenous Student coordinator. Her particular goals include:
• Raising the profile of the ELLE club
• Continuance of current and developing programs involving celebration, cultural expression and academic support
• Teachers reflecting collaboratively on what makes learning successful • Teachers researching the learning capacities of their own classes • Students providing feedback to teachers as to how they best learn • Further use of the Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority (ISTAA) research pathway to enable high quality teacher reflection • Ongoing faculty-led/Junior Schoolled analysis of how to achieve excellence in each area. There are also particular groups that require further consideration. They are: • EALD (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) • Learning Enrichment Specific academic support for EAL/D and LE students is led via the Learning Enrichment Department
• Development of a protocol around the languages to be spoken in class Overseas Students Specific academic support for overseas students is jointly led via the Overseas Student Coordinator and Head of Learning Enrichment. Their particular goals include: • Review of the interview and induction process • Compulsory testing for all incoming overseas students in order to gain an understanding of their level of English and allow for preparation to best support them
• System for attraction of students from United Kingdom, who are already studying Cambridge courses. Indigenous Students
• Development of an Indigenous Languages club • Growth of indigenous student leadership program. Transition Students Our Transition students are a strong part of our community. Our aims for them are: • Connection with PLC Sydney Futures for growth in post-school opportunities
• Encouragement of early enrolment at PLC Sydney
• Renewal of Literacy and Numeracy studies
• Building on the 2017 and 2018 Professional Learning for staff to embed understandings of culture and learning patterns for Asian students
• Development of further financial skills. • Stronger connections with day girls.
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Learning and Teaching F. To learn how knowledge is formed, and to consider the ethics of its uses In order to ensure that our students understand that knowledge is not refined to specific subject areas, rather that all areas of knowledge interact and draw from each other, PLC Sydney will be deliberate in developing its cross-curricular frameworks. This enables students to better understand the ethical applications of knowledge.
One of the main contested areas is ‘Nature versus Nurture’. As a broad (and by no means complete) principle, the sciences tend to support the idea that life is heavily influenced by one’s genes. The humanities tend to emphasise one’s experiences. Therefore, we need areas of interaction in the College between these fields so that students can learn to see how they contest one another.
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To achieve this aim, PLC Sydney will seek to include initiatives. • Introduce subjects that combine different disciplines: • For example, in 2019 Cambridge Business and Entrepreneurship combine with the NESA Design and Technology course to create a program whereby students learn not only to design but how to market designs • A further example being considered is Cambridge Biology and NESA Design and Technology
• Create an Agora in the new Alpha and Omega Centre as a space that promotes debate and discussion • Develop connections with Alumni who work in these frames • Introduction of medical mission opportunities in cooperation with Australian and overseas universities. A further aspect of this work is the development of research skills. Macindoe Research Centre and the Faculties of History and Science lead in the development of student research skills.
The humanities tend to
emphasise one’s experiences
A further area of connection is technology. Technology challenges our understanding of how knowledge is formed and how it is useful. There are new technologies that may require investment in the future. To select the right technologies the College will: • Send key staff to events that highlight new technologies
Some recent areas of technology that are of interest are: • 3D printing • 3D imaging • 3D virtual reality video • Technologies that enable people with disability to function with greater ease • Technologies that enhance learning
• Receive reports on these conferences
Some technologies that will be watched with particular care are:
• Assess these reports and select technologies that enhance learning according to our vision and values
• Human augmentation towards cyborgs
• Ensure all new technologies are integrated into the College in a manner that means they are used pragmatically, but are not encouraged uncritically to be icons.
• Entertainment-based technology that is easily addictive • Transhumanism PLC Sydney will seek to provide students with opportunities to develop a deep understanding of the complex moral, ethical and practical questions that underpin
these areas. They do connect not only to what is technologically possible but quite deeply with notions of how terms and definitions are constructed. For example, Transhumanism (that technology will enhance the human body and mind) sets itself up in opposition to what is called Presentism (adherence to current attitudes) and Anthropocentrism (belief in the central importance of the human being). We must educate students in how ideas are contrasted against each other as well as in technological possibility – its benefits and costs. Christian teaching about the ineliminable value of the human being is helpful in providing a basis for the use of technologies. Technology is a tool, not a god.
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Learning and Teaching G. Achieve proficiency and confidence in communication Public Speaking is very important at PLC Sydney. We seek to enable each student to be a capable communicator. Since the mid-1950s every student has given a public speech every year. Lyons House, the College’s Centre for Speech, is very important.
What is Lyons House?
We will continue to extend students via national and international competitions. We aim to remain the largest school provider in Australia of training in public speaking.
The Centre for the Spoken Word.
H. Grow in confidence and develop her academic abilities towards excellence Our academic results indicate the following: • Each year a significant number of PLC Sydney students achieve at the highest possible level in their areas of endeavour, resulting in selection in teams, receipt of prizes and commensurate academic results • Each year the performance of students who achieve results in the middle section of each Year 12 grade is of a very high standard. • Each year students in the lowest deciles achieve sound results, including our Transition students, who have high employability rates.
We will review our cohorts to establish if and where there are areas where students are not heading towards their personal best. We will review the factors involved, including: • School related causes • Personally related causes We will review possible responses to the factors that are uncovered. We will seek to use our teaching and learning framework and Home Room framework to strengthen identified strengths, and to address weaknesses.
We will also introduce some new areas of learning such as: The Senior Life Skills Program PLC Sydney senior students are on the brink of entering the world of tertiary study and work. We currently hold a ‘practical life skills program’ at the close of Year 12. We will seek to expand this to include: • Tax • Superannuation • Home Budgeting • Looking after a car • Organising living spaces • Other required skills
I. Read widely and thoughtfully It is critical that students read and think, and that they read and think beyond the curriculum.
and to have a strong general knowledge. This will be led by the ‘I read to understand program’.
matters of faith as well as to student studies, based on the Regent College model in Vancouver.
Over the course of the Strategic Plan PLC Sydney will implement a new reading policy and program, from Pre-K to Year 12. The aim is to provide incentive and direction for reading, to enable students to enjoy reading, to develop a broad vocabulary,
This program will be developed in league with the Macindoe Research Centre and will be central to its Strategic Plan over the next decade.
Evandale will have its own library reading space which will operate as a subset of Macindoe. This saves younger children spending time walking to their library lesson.
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We will also seek to create a bookshop that provides the capacity to purchase books connected to
The Junior School Library workbench will be remodelled.
J. Write clearly and genuinely Reading and writing has changed significantly since 2000, when a raft of new syllabuses came in. We saw a phenomenon occur which we are not entirely comfortable with: students were asked to read and write in ways that reflected the kind of theoretical engagement that we would expect of a university student studying French philosophy. Consequently, what we saw was an upswing in rote learning, tutoring colleges, and students who struggled with any element of surprise in a written examination.
theoretically and philosophically on their own terms, so that their writing is authentic. Good writing always seeks to engage with an unanswered question. At PLC Sydney, we will always privilege genuine questions from students, teachers, and historical figures, allowing our students unfettered access to wonder, query and work through the questions that they themselves pose. This is the birthplace of good writing, such that each girl develops a voice of her own.
What we seek to do at PLC Sydney is to allow our students to engage
Pulitzer Prize Winning author Marilynne Robinson describes
the process of writing fiction as a very human affair. Her characters are complex. Excellent writing pays attention to the nuances of being human.
We will review how we teach writing across the College to ensure that our style and influences have rich historical, theological and philosophical resonances that extend beyond a recent trend. We will introduce specific programs that enhance student writing in both the Junior and Senior Schools.
“I think a character is complex or not worth pursuing. People are complex — that’s the whole centre of interest. I don’t make my characters complex. I have a feeling that I know a character, and one of the aspects of that is knowing that they are complex. I never have the feeling of putting a character together from a selection of qualities.” Marilynne Robinson, acclaimed novelists of Housekeeping (1980), Gilead (2004), Home (2008), and Lila (2014).
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Learning and Teaching
K. Calculate with elegance and accuracy The employment of ‘in residence’ positions is part of a plan to connect learning to the real world. Education can become a mechanical process. Teaching can become a pattern of safe practices. In order to encourage our teachers and our students to take risks, we employ in-residence roles.
Some are part-time (one day per week). Others come for blocks of time. In order to enable students to have their thinking challenged, such that they value accuracy, we will continue to support such frameworks. We employ a Philosopher to teach PaTh for the same reasons.
In 2019 we will have: a Mathematicianin-Residence, a Nuclear Physicist-inResidence, a Scientist-in-Residence, a Composer-in-Residence and an Artist-in-Residence.
L. Develop a keen and lifelong pursuit of learning STEM
Arts
• Embed the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Tours in the International Program
• Introduce Dance
• Create discussions between STEM subjects and PaTh
We do have some significant individual initiatives in mind for the future in individual faculties. They include:
• Connect Arts performances with Service Learning opportunities
• Create real world research links to universities
• Increase the emphasis on Musical Composition
• Introduce NESA Engineering as a distinct subject
Languages
English
• Introduce a finishing course in Technology
Lifelong learning is an attitude we need to model and develop. One way we do this is by regularly reviewing our programs. We do not rely on the past. We seek to develop the future.
• Create a Literature Festival • Introduce a ‘Poetry and Prose Gallery’ for celebration of student work • Develop the PLC Sydney Great Books Program PaTh • Create a globally accessible program for teaching Philosophy and Theology
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• Further develop Robotics in the senior school • Ensure the Science Summit is an international event Humanities • Create the aforementioned Reading, Writing and Speaking Programs • Create a Humanities Awards Evening • Develop the ‘Women in Enterprise’ Program
• Integrate Arts performances so that the entire show is interconnected
• Consider a different language as ‘A’ level Cambridge studies are introduced • Create stronger connections with the local German School – held in the adjacent church Outdoor Education and PDHPE • Increase the number of students undertaking Duke of Edinburgh awards • Review ‘Body Education’ in order to make sure we are teaching students with the greatest level of effectiveness how to understand and care for their bodies
Outdoor Education, Sport and PDHPE
Our Junior School infrastructure has now been renewed
• Continue to develop each Sport program to seek to ready students for competition and to further improve sports participation, sportsmanship and competitiveness.
Our philosophy of classrooms that should both be intimate (for close, direct teaching) and open (for collaborative learning) has been completed from Pre-K to Year 6.
• Develop a strong positive personal health and sex educational framework • Develop a means to expect higher levels of personal fitness From 2019 - Business Studies and Design Technology • To assist young women to both design products and create a business model Introduce at a future point a similar subject • For example, Business Studies and Biology – to assist young women to create environmentally friendly science-based businesses
We have specialist Science, Technology, Speech, Art, Music, Theatre, Language and Community programs. We teach English and Mathematics thoroughly. We will complete our Year 2 classrooms in 2019. We will continue to review our pedagogical developments in these spaces. Mentoring with Alumni
We are also seeking to ensure future generations join PLC Sydney in Evandale Our targets are as follows: • To create a series of PLC Sydney Preschools across Sydney, including Ashfield, Petersham, Abbotsford, Lane Cove and on our own campus. We aim to secure places for future PLC Sydney students through a high quality, flexible and creative preschool program • These pre-schools will offer a range of services to the community including programs that run 2 days per week and 3 days per week.
It is our goal to pair each HSC student with an Alumni for her HSC year. The expectations must be specific: • Sustainable encouragement • Opening up to post-school networks
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Well-Being M. Learn how to make sense of life, how to think logically and empathically, and how to relate well to others Many activities in school life do not directly relate to the academic curriculum but to life skills. PLC Sydney seeks to grow the ‘whole person’: spiritually, physically, socially, emotionally, mentally. Current activities supporting this program include: • Chapel talks • Assemblies • Special guest speakers • Gym- individual fitness programs • ‘United’ days – focusing on positive student friendships • Home Room programs • Drug and alcohol education • Girl Power days • Parent sessions • Counselling • Mental health awareness events These programs are led by the Deputy Principal, Junior School Head of Well-being, Head Teacher – Positive Student Care and Engagement, Head of Boarding, and our Chaplains and Counsellors. Many of these programs are ongoing and are reviewed annually. We will further target for development: The Home Room Program PLC Sydney sets out to deliberately be a College where each student is known and understood, and where each student can make a contribution.
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The Inner West is growing. Demand is growing. Governments asks us to share the load. PLC Sydney is a school that is prepared to serve our community. As a result, over time PLC Sydney will become a school of approximately 1500 students. Increasing our numbers will allow us to align our structures in a manner that will further improve the quality of the education we provide. In particular the College can align its House and Home Room programs. The College’s House and Home Room programs play a vital role in the WellBeing Program and Pastoral Care that we provide to all students. The House structure (we have six individual Houses: Anderson, Ferguson, Harper, Kinross, Pickard and Wilkie) provides a sense of identity and belonging, fun, and friendly competition at events such as Sports Carnivals, House Choir nights etc. All students from PreKindergarten to Year 12 belong to and take an active part in House activities, which provide many opportunities for leadership training and participation. In the Senior School, students are also placed within Home Rooms. Year 12 students run the Home Room Program. Currently they are divided into ten home rooms. When we increase our school numbers to 1500 this will allow the Home Room and the House Program to be more closely connected.
With maximum year groups of 170, this will correspond to our current six Houses and allow us to increase our Home Rooms to twelve, thus working more effectively. Together, the House and Home Room structures allow us to care for each student. She is known by her Home Room teacher, who follows her throughout her schooling. Each Home Room teacher will only have 14 girls (with 28 girls in each House each year). This structural change enables us to develop the quality of each Home Room. The Head of Year looks after all of the students and staff in one year. The Head of House looks after the students in her House across six years. The size and structure of the Junior School does not increase under this new model. A strong emphasis in the College continues to be placed on understanding how to embrace others, to limit rivalry, to avoid bullying and to offer forgiveness and renewal.
CURRENT SYSTEM
890
Students in Year 7 – 12 14-15 Students Per Home Room
NEW SYSTEM
1050
Wilkie
Pickard
Students in Year 7 – 12 14-15 Students Per Home Room
Anderson
Harper
Ferguson
Kinross
All 6 year levels represented in each Home Room, approx 14 from each year
1
14
Teacher Students (each year level)
6
6
72
Head of Year
Head of House
Home Room Teachers
PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Well-Being
N. Create with a sense of beauty and fun Our programs are overlaid to create opportunities to appreciate beauty and to have fun. Some current examples are: • Junior School children dress up to come to the musical
• Mathematics Week includes a strong theme of aesthetics
• We have a large mural in our Junior School
• Our musical groups play pieces of great beauty and energy, and some light and happy pieces
We will continue to foster this spirit and to look for opportunities to offer these.
• We grow beautiful gardens
• Our Junior School playgrounds have creeks and special play spaces.
O. Understand life as a gift and work as a vocation The value of working hard has already been stated. As a Christian College we actively support the notion of work as contribution; as vocation. Work is a fulfilling life activity whereby one makes a contribution as a citizen. The other options are firstly, pragmatic – work as a ‘job’ for the earning of money.
This is sometimes a necessity, and it is important for older teenagers to learn to work in mundane fields.
We seek to assist students to understand some of the challenges these moral conflicts bring.
It is not our ultimate goal for work – and secondly, aspirational – work as a ‘career’ to gain power. In a career a person’s values are challenged by their desire for impact and power.
The task of assisting students to see work as a vocation will be led by PLC Sydney Futures and our Chaplains.
P. Develop the capacity to rest and to use leisure in a fulfilling fashion PLC Sydney students work hard. We need to encourage and enable rest and recreation.
We will also support cultural endeavours. As well as our current program we will add:
We strongly support sport and exercise and will continue to develop our suite of sports as community opportunities change. For example, by 2022 we aim to have commenced AFL as a sport.
• Bird photography
We will continue to support a wide range of programs including: • Duke of Edinburgh • International friendlies
• Quiz games As our School Hymn states: ”may thy wisdom guide and prosper our work and games that we may grow in the love of all that is true and honest and of good report”... Students have many opportunities throughout the school year to engage in ‘games’ and leisure activities such
as attending a school dance, or taking part in one of our many co-curricular activities: Junior Art, Chess, Movies in the Macindoe and many more. We recognise that we still need to consider how we develop each student’s capacity to rest. This will be included as part of our Well-Being program and a Home Room remit. We wish to ensure students learn how to rest well.
Q. Live a purposeful, grateful, courageous and other-centred life Through our Learning Virtues Framework and Home Room Program, students are encouraged to set meaningful goals, both personal and academic. These goals have a defined pathway and obstacle
identification process. These goals are intended to ‘stretch’ the students’ capacity and help them take learning risks. Students are encouraged to see classrooms as learning spaces rather than performance spaces. Students
are encouraged to journal in Home Room, reflecting on gratitude and beauty. Further our Service Learning Program to offer the opportunity to be of service others and help in the community.
R. Learn how to love with integrity and compassion To love is a choice we make every day. Modelling kindness, compassion and forgiveness to our students is a powerful tool in helping students learn to love. Our Learning Virtues Framework focuses on helping
students grow selfless relationships with their peers as they learn. Our Heads of Year, Home Room teachers and Heads of House understand the importance of dialogue and coaching to help students grow in love.
Heads of Year and the Well-Being team are learning the skills of coaching. A Coaching Program for Year 10 is planned from 2020.
S. Appreciate the intrinsic value of personhood and recognise equality for all We teach our students that before all else they are created in the Image of God and therefore have intrinsic value. We use our Respect for Others Policy to resolve conflict. We encourage students to play a role
in resolving inequality in the world around them, through hearing from guest speakers, holding forums and becoming informed with social and political issues in their community and around the world.
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Strong and Sustainable Organisation T. Be a College with high quality facilities that support excellence in learning The physical structure of the campus undergirds the learning that we offer at PLC Sydney. High quality learning requires high quality facilities. One of the defining aspects of a Strategic Plan is its Master Plan. The infrastructure we build helps to create the school of the future in a profound way.
Boarding House upgrade
Our target areas between now and 2030 are as follows. This list does not necessarily reflect the order of construction:
Many of the Boarders’ needs relate to a program of ongoing updating of the facility. This is one of our main priorities and will include:
A new Alpha and Omega Centre housing both STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and PaTh (Philosophy and Theology) classrooms; an Agora (debating, discussion and parliamentary space) and a possible Senior Student private study area. Within this facility we would seek to: • Create a culture of discussion about the big questions of life and the process of how we learn about life • Hold conferences and forums • Increase the role of the Student Representative Council within the College and host its meetings • Hold high quality lessons in each area represented • Connect to tertiary learning • Introduce Engineering as a subject • Teach NESA and Cambridge courses
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• Have a fourth dedicated space for senior students to study that would be open extended hours • Let the Walls Speak’ – present significant discussions on the walls
• Redevelopment of the Food Provision area next to the Boarders’ Dining Room to allow healthy food to be presented in an appetising way • Remodelling Year 12 Bathrooms/ Laundry • Renewal program of furniture and furnishings • Addition of a new Recreation Area Building of walkways around the third storey level of the College • With the construction of the Alpha and Omega Centre we would create a network of third floor pathways joining The Croydon, The Alpha and Omega Centre, The McKeith Arts Centre, The Macindoe, The Freda Whitlam Buildings, and the top floor of Thompson Hall. • Students would thus save travel time and further connections could be made between subject areas
Addition of a Dance Studio to the McKeith Performing Arts Centre and commence a full Dance program Create a Women in Enterprise Centre in order to: • Host retail outlets that reflect the student business enterprises we are starting • Host ‘start-ups’ and incubators • Teach Business Studies, Entrepreneurship and Commerce • Model excellent practices in business A new facility to house a new Teacher Education Program, in order to: • Meet the needs of South-East Asian teachers to learn western pedagogies • Create a new income stream for the College, and thus seek to reduce the pressure on raising school fees over time • Lead in offering professional development to local teachers in Cambridge and NESA courses Development of further Gymnasium spaces in the Senior and Junior Schools in order to: • In a smaller Junior School space hold PDHPE lessons in all weathers • Enable our growing Senior School to continue to provide excellent facilities for our students • Accommodate student numbers in major events
High quality learning requires high quality facilities. One of the defining aspects of a Strategic Plan is its Master Plan. The infrastructure we build helps to create the school of the future in a profound way. Further development of ‘The Croydon’ • Create new classroom spaces and Year 12 Studio • Add a lift to allow access for disabled students
Continue to renew classrooms and facilities in the Freda Whitlam Buildings Continue to grow the gardens and green spaces of our College
Continue to maintain all facilities to a high level Creation of a HSC Art storage and working area
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
RO
Alterations and additions to Freda Whitlam Courtyard
BIN
PARRAMATTA ROAD
SO T NS
AN TH O N Y
RE
LYONS HOUSE, CENTRE FOR THE SPOKEN WORD
ST RE ET
ET
EVANDALE (PRE-K TO YEAR 2)
PLC SYDNEY FUTURES CENTRE
JD OATES AQUATIC INSTITUTE
(FORMERLY THE EXTENSION CENTRE)
TRANSITION HOUSE
GLENCORSE, UNIFORM SHOP
BO
UN
D
Y AR
ST
RE
ET
COLLEGE HALL BOARDING HOUSE
TENNIS COURTS
SHUBRA HALL HARMSWORTH MCKEITH PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
MARDEN THE STABLES, STUDENT WELL-BEING CENTRE
SENIOR SCHOOL OFFICE
AUDREY KEOWN THEATRE
EL MCQUEEN
YOU NG STR EET
THOMPSON HALL GYMNASIUM
MACINDOE RESEARCH CENTRE
I
B ZA
30
COLLEGE STREET
MET A STR EET
Possible new staff common room with atrium courtyard and extension of Drummond Field tiered seating
ET
THE CROYDON, CENTRE FOR ART, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
HAMILTON, JUNIOR SCHOOL (YEARS 3 TO 6)
HE NN ES SY ST RE ET CROYDON STATION
H
RE
ALPHA AND OMEGA CENTRE
PLC SYDNEY RECEPTION GATEWAY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING DRUMMOND FIELD
ET
ST
ADELAIDE PERRY GALLERY
EDWIN STREET NORTH
FREDA WHITLAM SCIENCE AMPHITHEATRE
PLC Sydney Masterplan 2019 Under construction 3x classrooms with breakout space and tuition room
Hamilton Junior School (Years 3 to 6) PLC Sydney Reception Gateway Administration Building The Croydon, Centre for Art, Design & Technology Adelaide Perry Gallery Macindoe Research Centre McQueen Senior School Office Thompson Hall Gymnasium Freda Whitlam Science Amphitheatre Marden College Hall Boarding House Shubra Hall The Stables, Student Well-Being Centre Evandale (Pre-K to Year 2)
13 x new state-of-the-art laboratories, new Agora, 4 x PaTh classrooms, interactive learning space, senior research area, senior study area, staffrooms with associated amenities and breakout.* New lift New studio spaces
Glencorse, Uniform Shop Lyons House, Centre for the Spoken Word JD Oates Aquatic Institute PLC Sydney Futures Centre (Formerly the Extension Centre) Transition House McKeith Performing Arts Centre Harmsworth
Possible site acquisition Women in Enterprise
Audrey Keown Theatre Alpha and Omega Centre Tennis Courts Drummond Field
*Note: If we purchase private property, the building will inhabit this entire space. We have an alternate plan that fits for our current property.
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Glossary
ACARA: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Anthropocentrism: belief in the central importance of the human being
Foundation: now incorporated within the College Council, the Foundation was originally set up in 1987, to provide fiscal support and safeguard the financial independence of the College
Agora: debating, discussion and parliamentary space at PLC Sydney
Fuel: Christian co-curricular group at PLC Sydney
Alpha and Omega Centre: facility that will house both STEM and PaTh classrooms; an Agora and Senior Student Study Area
Genome Project: Australian and International scientists, led by PLC Sydney Alumni, Professor Katherine Belov, at the University of Sydney, completed the world-first full sequencing of the koala genome and PLC Sydney is supporting their work with another local mammal
ATAR: Australian Tertiary Admission Rank Audrey Keown Theatre (AKT): part of the McKeith Performing Arts Centre, PLC Sydney’s state-of-the-art performing arts venue Boarding House: catering to students in Years 7 to 10 from country NSW to overseas, it is situated in the centre of the Senior School grounds Cambridge: Cambridge International Assessments CAIE: Cambridge Assessment International Education Croydon, Centre for Art, Design and Technology: Formerly the Croydon Hotel, it was purchased in 1997 with a vision to developing a centre of excellence for creative and technological pursuits EAD: English as an Additional Language EALD or EAL/D: English as an Additional Language or Dialect
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ESU: PLC Sydney Ex-students’ Union Girl Power days: Junior School students in Years 3 to 6 attend events run by renowned Canadian Teacher, Friendship Expert, Dana Kerford HSC: Higher School Certificate IB: International Baccalaureate® IGCSE: International General Certificate of Secondary Education ISTAA: Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority JSA: Junior School Auxiliary LE: Learning Enrichment Lyons House: Speech Centre at PLC Sydney Macindoe Research Centre: contains the College Library, the Macindoe Café, classrooms and seminar spaces
NESA: NSW Educational Standards Authority P&F: Parents and Friends’ Association PaTh: Philosophy and Theology Course for Years 9 and 10 PLC Sydney Extension Centre: founded in 1989, the Centre offers one of the longest running extension and enrichment programs for gifted and talented children in Australia PLC Sydney Futures Centre: a centre for leadership within Careers Education Presentism: adherence to current attitudes PLC Sydney House Program: each student is allocated to one of six individual Houses during their schooling: Kinross, Harper, Ferguson, Anderson, Wilkie and Pickard. Houses are named after: • Kinross: Rev. Dr John Kinross (1833-1908), founding Chairman of PLC Council 1888-1906 • Harper: Rev. Dr Andrew Harper (1844-1936), Chairman of PLC Council 1907-1913 • Ferguson: Rev. John Ferguson (1852-1925), Chairman of PLC Council 1913-1923 • Anderson: Mrs EO Anderson (1885-1985), attended PLC from 1898-1902; foundation member of Ex-Students’ Union; member of PLC Council 1932-1958
• Wilkie: Dr Helen Wilkie (1895-1984), Principal of PLC Sydney 1942-1946 • Pickard: Miss Marion Pickard, founding resident teaching governess (1888); Lady Superintendent (1894-1907); elected first president of Ex-Students’ Union (1905) STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics The Stables: PLC Sydney’s Wellness Centre and Senior Heads of Year offices Transition Program: academic, independent living and social skills for PLC Sydney students with mild or moderate intellectual disability Transhumanism: technology will enhance the human body and mind United days: Senior School year group based seminar and workshop days, building relationships. The activities and events vary according to year group
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PLC Sydney
Towards 2030: Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
Finally
Towards 2030:
Vision Statement and Strategic Directions
PLC Sydney wishes to acknowledge the generous support it has received and continues to receive from our various partners: PLC Sydney Parents and Friends’ Association (P&F), The Junior School Auxiliary ( JSA), the PLC Sydney Foundation (now incorporated within the College Council) and the Ex-Students’ Union. Our deepest appreciation goes to all our partners for their ongoing commitment and support. Their work, together with donations from our PLC Sydney community, enable us to contribute to the future of our student’s education. We thank them all for their passion and dedicated service. We recognise the Gadagal people as the original custodians of the land, given by God, for us to live and learn.
We love educating girls and young women and look forward to the future.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in PLC Sydney’s Towards 2030 document is a statement of our intent and not a binding promise. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents at their time of publication, PLC Sydney reserves the right to change its mind should circumstances arise that are unfavourable to continuing with a particular initiative.
1 Meta Street Croydon NSW 2132 Phone (+612) 9704 5666 Fax (+612) 9744 0519 enquiries@plc.nsw.edu.au www.plc.nsw.edu.au All material appearing is copyright. Reproduction is not permitted unless otherwise authorised.
