Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne

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For other schools of the same name, see Presbyterian Ladies' College.

Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Melbourne

Lex Dei Vitae Lampas "The law of God is the lamp of life"
Established	1875
School type	Independent, Presbyterian, Day and Boarding
Known As	P.L.C
Principal/Headmaster	Elaine Collin
Chairman
Location	Burwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Campus	Urban parkland
Enrollment	1400
School colours	Blue, black and Gold
School song	"The Blue, the Black and the Gold"
Area	16 hectares
Homepage	www.plc.vic.edu.au

Presbyterian Ladies' College (P.L.C), Melbourne, is an independent girls school in Burwood, Victoria, Australia. P.L.C is Victoria's and one of Australia's oldest girls schools. Founded in 1875, P.L.C is associated with the Presbyterian Church of Australia. As of 2006, the Principal is Mrs Elaine Collin.

1 History
2 School departments
3 Academic curriculum
4 Extracurricular activities
5 Scholarships
6 Boarding
7 Notable alumni
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

The Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria set up an Education Committee in 1869 to look into establishing a Ladies' College. At this time the Church owned two acres in Albert Street, East Melbourne, opposite the current Fitzroy Gardens, and not far from the original site of Scotch College. A school building and a teacher's home were already built on the site and were rented to a teacher as a primary school. The committee resolved to build the college and provide advice and support, but the college would be self-supporting.

Joseph Reed drew plans for a building that would house 30 boarders and 150 day students at an estimated cost of £12,000. The Assembly could provide only £5,000, so they decided to draw a line down the middle of the plans and build one section only.

The building was completed in time for the school year of 1875. The first Principal was Charles Henry Pearson who served until 1879, when Andrew Harper took over.

By 1938, the East Melbourne buildings were at maximum capacity, and the College Council began a search for a new site for the school. In 1939 they bought a property in Burwood, Melbourne, called "Hethersett".

The Junior School was moved in 1939, but the complete move was delayed by the outbreak of the Second World War. On the 29 September 1956, Lady Brooks, the wife of General Sir Dallas Brooks, the Governor of Victoria, laid the foundation stone for the new school buildings at Burwood, and the Senior School moved in 1958.

[edit] School departments

P.L.C is divided into four school departments. The Early Learning Centre educates girls and boys from 6 months to 5 years using the Reggio Emilia approach. A new Junior School was completed in 2005. The Senior School incorporates Years 7-12 in one ‘whole-school’ program designed to minimise transitional gaps.

[edit] Academic curriculum

In Year 7, students are allowed to pick two languages to learn and participate in a curriculum of English, Geography, History, General Science, Art and Physical Education. By Year 9, Art is no longer a mandatory subject, and students may drop one language (although it is compulsory to take at least one language until Year 11). Therefore, students in Year 9 and 10 may pick elective subjects to include computer-based classes and theatre or may choose to continue their art and language subjects. In Years 11 and 12 students choose either the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or International Baccalaureate (IB). Some form of Religious Education is mandatory at all levels.

PLC teaches the following languages:

Chinese
French
German
Indonesian
Japanese
Latin
English (as a first and second language)

Science and Mathematic subjects include:

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematical Methods
General Mathematics
Further Mathematics
Specialist Mathematics

Humanities include:

Accounting
Classical Studies
Economics
Geography
Health and Human Development
History
Legal Studies
Literature
Information Technology
Information Processing and Management
Information Systems
Physical Education
Texts and Traditions

Art and Music subjects include:

Visual Art
Music Performance Group
Solo and Music Styles
Studio Arts
Theatre Studies

[edit] Extracurricular activities

[edit] Sports and outdoor education

P.L.C’s sporting program includes specialist sports such as fencing, triathlon, rowing, taekwondo, surf-lifesaving, cheer leading and equestrianism. P.L.C also participates in the full range of sports on offer by Girls' Sport Victoria: athletics, basketball, badminton, cricket, cross-country, diving, golf, hockey, netball, soccer, softball, swimming, indoor cricket, tennis, volleyball and water polo.

The sequential Outdoor Education program begins with a Year 3 ‘teddy bears’ sleep-over, and carries through to the Year 11 Leadership Camp. From Years 4 to 12 there are a wide range of outdoor, adventure, curriculum and special interest camps including art, biology, Christian Convention, The Duke of Edinburgh Award, IB, geography, music, physics, leadership, astronomy, skiing, rowing, surfing and more.

[edit] Performing arts

In 2005, girls participated in productions including the College’s own staging of The Getting of Wisdom – The Musical as well as Oliver! and Les Miserables, both produced in conjunction with boys from Scotch College. In 2006, senior students took part in Scotch College's A Midsummer Nights Dream, and the College also staged Seussical. In 2007, P.L.C will stage Hamlet, also in conjunction with Scotch college. Interestingly, all male roles in the play will be played by females in this production, and vice-versa.

The College also encourages girls to explore their love of music, whether it is singing in choirs, playing in their own rock band or jazz group, composing music, performing in orchestras or simply perfecting their skills on one of many musical instruments of their choice. Students perform in major concerts, and recitals are held throughout the year for the school and the wider community. In 2005, 60 musicians from PLC orchestras, choirs and P.L.C’s Pipes and Drums took part in Asia Music Tour. In December 2007, P.L.C will be taking part in Europe Music Tour.

[edit] House system

The Junior School and Senior School have two separate house systems, with different colours representing each House.

The Junior school has four houses, named after the various buildings in the school, which are in turn named after the founders of P.L.C:

Hethersett - Blue
Koorinya - Silver
Woolahra - Yellow
Wyslaskie - Pink

The Senior school has six houses named after Scottish castles:

Atholl - Blue
Balmoral - White
Glamis - Green
Leven - Purple
Rosslyn - Red
Stirling - Orange

In the Senior School, the houses compete in all areas to gain points in order to win the House Cup at the end of the year. Notable "big" house events include house concerts, house athletics and house swimming. However, small-scale activities range from house maths to house debating to house chess. If a student makes a valuable contribution to her house, the house captains (chosen from Year 12) may choose to award house colours to that student.

[edit] Scholarships

P.L.C offers scholarships for girls entering at Years 4 and 5 in Junior School and at Years 7 to 11 in Senior School. Scholarships on offer include academic and music with some being specifically reserved for daughters of Old Collegians. The College also offers boarding bursaries from time to time.

[edit] Boarding

The P.L.C Boarding House provides accommodation for 106 girls. Boarders have access to the College’s recreational and sporting facilities as well as computers for study needs.

P.L.C will open a major new extension to the Boarding House in 2007. The extension will add 60 individual bedrooms for senior girls, new bathrooms, recreational facilities and more space for quiet study.

[edit] Notable alumni

Jeanette Buckham - educator, Principal of Presbyterian Ladies' College, Goulburn, and Pymble Ladies' College
Catherine Deakin - sister of Alfred Deakin
Enid Derham - poet
Constance Ellis - first Victorian woman to become a doctor of medicine
Ethel Godfrey - Victoria's first female dentist
Vida Goldstein - suffragette and first woman to stand for election to the Federal Parliament of Australia
Flos Greig - first woman admitted to the Victorian Bar
Helen Mitchell, who would be known as Dame Nellie Melba
Ida Rentoul Outhwaite - artist
Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson - author, published as Henry Handel Richardson

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Presbyterian Ladies' College official website

Presbyterian Church of Australia Schools

Members of Girls Sport Victoria, Australia

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