Boarding

Every year, the Boarding House holds a Photos From Home Competition. Here are some of this year’s entries.

Shining A Light on Languages

Buenos dias, bonjour, ni hao, buongiorno, apa kabar, guten tag, goei dag, bom dia, gode dag and g’day... In celebrating the linguistic diversity in our PLC community and showcasing the benefits of language learning, in Term 3 PLC participated in Languages Week. Two live Taiko Drumming performances, a talent show with distinct international flavours, a special assembly, and many in-class activities were enjoyed throughout the week-long celebration. Acting Head of Junior School, Ms Meredith Beer commented that research shows significant cognitive benefits of second language learning. “Bilingual children demonstrate greater problemsolving, critical-thinking, and listening skills, in addition to improving memory, concentration, and the ability to multitask. Children proficient in other languages also show signs of enhanced creativity and mental flexibility,” Ms Beer said.

A Goal for Diversity

These are important findings for parents and students who seek rich educational experiences; knowledge of languages and intercultural understanding have a core role to play in education. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, PLC embraces this.

As NAIDOC Week officially fell during the school holidays, PLC celebrated NAIDOC Week in Week 2 of Term 3. In celebrating the NAIDOC Week 2022 theme of ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!,’ students across all year groups participated in several activities that encouraged learning more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. As one of the activities, PLC’s Gorna Liyarn students challenged Scotch College to a game of netball. It was a tough-fought contest with PLC coming out on top with a 14 to 11 victory. In an interview with The POST, Year 12 Reconciliation Captain, Montanna Reidy, said PLC only had two Year 8 indigenous students when she started Year 8 in 2018. This year, there are 49 in total. “NAIDOC Week gives me a chance to celebrate my culture and share it with other people,” Montanna said to The POST. The netball match helped celebrate the contribution First Nations students make to PLC and the wider community. It was a fun and thought-provoking activity geared toward inspiring action for all Australians to advance their knowledge of First Nations cultures and histories.

CELEBRATING

CULTURES Inspiring Indigenous Leaders of the Future

Michelle Ninyette is a proud Noongar Yorga woman and since September, she has taken the reins as PLC’s Indigenous Programme Co-ordinator. Ms Ninyette oversees the 49 Indigenous students at PLC – a group known as Gorna Liyarn. This name is derived from the Kimberley region, where the scholarship programme has its roots. In the Bardi and Yawuru languages, Gorna Liyarn translates to ‘strong heart’ or ‘strong spirit’. It is on these strong hearts and spirits that Michelle hopes to build a focus on leadership and empowering Indigenous students to be changemakers. As well as her connections to the Wilmen and Ballardong area, Michelle brings extensive experience working with and for Australian Aboriginal children and their families in various capacities including Community Engagement Facilitator, Aboriginal Education Officer, and as a Youth Development Officer. Michelle is also currently completing her Bachelor of Applied Science at Curtin University. “I am all about empowering our young Aboriginal girls. I have just attended the Oxfam Straight Talk event in Canberra which empowers Aboriginal women to be change-makers. If I can transfer that knowledge over to these young girls and get them to see the strengths that lie within them, they will be unstoppable,” Ms Ninyette said. “The biggest thing I would like to achieve is for the girls to see all the possibilities and to believe in their potential as changemakers of tomorrow; to fuel their confidence that they can be whatever they put their mind to. I want the girls to look deep within themselves and find out who they are and what their passion is, not be who society expects them to be. I want the girls to truly honour themselves and for them to see that we are all here to support them on their journey.” Every Gorna Liyarn student, whether they are from Perth or beyond, must board at PLC to be eligible for this scholarship and Ms Ninyette’s own four daughters are all Gorna Liyarn girls so she knows the value of PLC’s boarding community. Jada Reidy (Year 7), Mia Reidy (Year 9), Bella Reidy (Year 10), and Montana Reidy (Year 12) have flourished at PLC.

“I am very fortunate to be able to work in the same school as my daughters. We have such a good bond and healthy respect for each other. It is also nice to be able to share special occasions and events with them. It means I can see more of my girls and their school lifestyle than I would if I was working elsewhere,” Ms Ninyette said. “At times, it’s hard for me to go home and leave the girls in boarding but the benefits of the Boarding House far outweigh my sacrifice. They have the support they need from the staff and lean on each other for strength. It’s tremendously difficult for these girls to be away from Country, but they draw strength from each other and from within.”