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.
