sitrateg c plan the future of plc sydney

THE FUTURE OF PLC SYDNEY

STRaTEgiC PLaN

As 2017 draws to a close, I am pleased to report that the vast majority of our goals, as noted in our Strategic Plan document, have been achieved.

MESSagE FROM THE PRiNCiPaL

I hope you find it an engaging and helpful document on the future of our college.

Dr Paul Burgis Principal

Our goal is to set up the structure for strategic and master plans to take us through to 2030, with an eye to 2050.

In this document, I will therefore:

1. Outline the goals we have reached over the past seven years

2. Note our plans for 2018 as a single year

3. Highlight some of the questions we are asking as we plan for the future

It is such a privilege to lead PLC Sydney. Each day it is a joy to come to work with so many bright young faces and to converse with staff and school families.

In this document, I wish to cover not only the important topics of learning and teaching and future emphases, but also the trickier ones of traffic and school fees.

College CounCil, the SChool exeCutive and Staff will therefore begin a review proCeSS in 2018.

THE FUTURE OF PLC SYDNEY | 1

YOUNg WOMEN OF iNTEgRiTY aND PURPOSE

2 | PLC SYDNEY

It can be seen as a description of our graduates. It is our definite goal that our graduates would be deeply honest and would set themselves goals in their lives in line with their beliefs and values. We are very proud that the vast majority develop into fine young women at school.

In saying this, we recognise that each of us – adults, teenagers and children – is flawed and that our daughters, like ourselves, can both make poor choices or even lose their direction. We are only one public indiscretion away from the statement ‘Young women of integrity and purpose’ sounding hollow. Even the teenage girl who leaves rubbish on a train or who thoughtlessly barges through a door could make the phrase not ring true in the eyes of a member of the public.

Yet this should not dissuade us. We do recognise human frailty and aim to be the best we can be.

The phrase is based on the College’s motto ‘Be holy wisely’. This phrase emerges from the Christian Pietist tradition that was very influential in the Presbyterian Church in the 1880s. Our founders did not believe it was enough to receive God’s grace in the forgiveness of our failings, but that students and staff should seek to live lives

that honour God, and respect and love others. The main purpose of education is not to gain power or wealth or status, but to be of good character. We translate the phrase as ‘Young Women of Integrity and Purpose’ to remind ourselves and our students of this goal. The end of the school song states that students should seek to ‘make the world a better place and life a worthier thing’.

Thus, the phrase ‘Young Women of Integrity and Purpose’ serves a number of purposes:

• It reminds staff that our goals are about the whole person, the soul of the girl or young woman, before and above any other goal – academic success, sporting prowess or cultural engagement

the phraSe ‘Young women of integritY and purpoSe’ Can be underStood in different waYS.


• It reminds students that the big questions of life are those which consider why we are here and how we can develop our own consciences and actions, how we can use the things we learn to benefit the common good

• It reminds us all that in Christianity ‘Doctrine is grace and ethics is gratitude’ (J.I. Packer): we are agentive and purposeful but not autonomous. No person is an island and no one can find fulfilment alone. ‘My soul cries out for God’, said Augustine

• It enables us to build our teaching and learning documents and our well-being programs around these goals; it enables us to articulate them into practice; and to seek to really develop young women with integrity and purpose.

The most common compliment I hear about our College is about its tone. I believe the Christian gospel is the basis of this tone. We are positive hopeful and respectful because of the infusion of faith.

Not all in the College share our faith, but our view of the human person, as made in the image of God, flawed, yet forgiven, shapes how we organise ourselves and enact our education.

We welcome you to support us in this endeavour. If we make it a goal of our parenting and our education, we have a better chance of giving our girls and young women the basis to life beyond the green gates that they need.

This document will outline some of the ways we seek to achieve this.

4 | PLC SYDNEY

“it iS SuCh a privilege to lead plC SYdneY. eaCh daY it iS a JoY to Come to worK with So manY bright Young faCeS and to ConverSe with Staff and SChool familieS.”– dr paul burgiS, prinCipal


aCCOMPLiSHMENTS OF THE PREviOUS STRaTEgiC PLaN

Over the past seven years we have:

CHRiSTiaN WORLD viEW • Introduced and established The Pamela

Nutt Address, allowing students to consider issues of faith and culture

• Rewritten our Christian Studies programs

• Grown Fuel (Christian group) to the extent that one in thirteen students attends these groups

• Introduced a Year 11 camp

• Developed our service learning program as follows:

{ Years K-6 Service to Red Cross, the Salvation Army and various causes

{ Year 7: Strengthened our relationship with Wunanburi Pre-School

{ Year 8: Renewed our program with Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Home

{ Year 9: Continued to run the Pet Show for the Guide Dogs Association – this program is in need of review to ensure we support the cause well

{ Year 10: Continued to serve the schools of Timor Leste

{ Year 11: the Vietnam program in Ba Vi is booming with a transformation of the facilities and services

{ Year 12: Introduction of a strong relationship with the International Justice Mission

{ Continued to support the 40 Hour Famine

{ Continued to run Staff Morning Teas for worthy causes

{ Supported individuals in hard circumstances

• Organised student and parent programs on:

{ Alcohol and drugs

{ Health, diet and exercise

{ Making friendships blossom

{ Keeping a healthy mind

6 | PLC SYDNEY

{ Keeping on top of school life

{ Conflict resolution

• Developed a strong staff well-being program

• Introduced PaTh (Philosophy and Theology) as a subject

• Strengthened our connections with our brother school, The Scots College and have sent our students to their camps and programs

• Developed a leadership program for Fuel and other interested students, including access to well-run Sydney-wide programs

• With the support of the Presbyterian Church, welcomed a part-time chaplain who focuses on helping students to think through the challenges of their teenage years

a gLObaL PROgRaM • With the support of the College

Foundation, increased the number of overseas sister schools from 12 to 15 and the average number of Year 10 students on exchange from 42 to 70. We welcome a similar number of overseas students to our school each year

• Developed regular overseas educational tours in Science, English and Mathematics to those already existing in the Arts, Languages and Sport

• Supported our sister school, PLC Armidale, in the establishment of PLC International Pathways – providing opportunities for Asian students to learn in Australia and for students with a burgeoning English to become expert in the English language

• Introduced Cambridge International Examinations in:

{ Physical Sciences

{ Physics


{ Mathematics

{ Global Perspectives

{ History

{ General Studies

• Achieved two ‘Top of the World’ awards in Cambridge examinations, that is, first place in the examination worldwide

STEM (SCiENCE, TECHNOLOgY, ENgiNEERiNg aND MaTHEMaTiCS) • We introduced the Cambridge Physics

and Physical Sciences courses

• For the past three years, we have been the top performing school at the STANSW Science Awards

• We introduced permanent teachers in Science and in Technology to our Junior School

• We built specialist Science and Technology rooms in the Junior School

• We introduced a Mathematician-in-Residence

• We increased the amount of support time to enrichment activities substantially

• We introduced a robotics club

• We entered into numerous competitions

• We expanded the number of STEM classes

• We invested heavily in robotics

• We made links with past students who are working in STEM

• We developed significant awards nights in Mathematics and the Sciences

• We developed overseas tours

• We offer the UNSW first year Computing Studies course

ENgLiSH LaNgUagE aND LiTERaTURE • We planned the writing of the

Cambridge English course

• The strength of the English program is in the interconnection between different parts of the College: building on the excellent work by teachers is the role of librarians and Lyons Speech House

• We have developed our language and literature programs across 7-10 to include positive feedback on work

• We have added a literature tour to the UK

• We have made an investment in public speaking and debating, leading to us winning the AHIGS Festival of Speech on 64% of occasions since its inauguration in 1998 and 67% of occasions in the past three years. We won the ISDA Firsts Debating, the Macquarie Cup, the ROSTRUM Voice of Youth this year

• Four of the twelve students in the Australian Student Public Speaking team are from PLC Sydney. We have had an average of three students in the team each year for the past four years

8 | PLC SYDNEY

HiSTORY, gEOgRaPHY aND THE HUMaNiTiES • Introduced Cambridge courses in

History and Global Perspectives

• The introduction of a ‘Women in Enterprise’ program has been very positive this year

{ We have introduced a breakfast to the Year 11 program and a special market based event in Year 9

{ We have an excellent committee of mothers who hold high ranking positions in business

• We now offer the University of Sydney American History course

aRTS aND DESigN • The Croydon is one of the most popular

places in the College, due to its strong creative program

• The AKT is similarly popular

• We have built a new Junior School Art classroom

• We planned the writing of a combined Entrepreneurship and Design course

• We have renewed the Food Technology room

• Our Artist-in-Residence program is very productive

• Our Composer-in-Residence program stretches across Years K-12

• We have expanded our Pipes and Drums Band

• The foyer of the McKeith Performing Arts Centre and the upstairs orchestral room were both enlarged in 2017

• We have introduced a full Symphony Orchestra and a Baroque Ensemble

• Our Pipes and Drums Band has increased to over 50 students from 25 in 2011

• We have introduced a Tattoo

• We have introduced the Shakespeare competition, an All Girls Theatresports evening and two Drama Ensembles

• We now offer the full range of programs, excluding Dance – see later in this document

LaNgUagES • We maintained education in five

languages

{ Chinese

{ French

{ Japanese

{ Latin

{ Italian

• We maintained a huge variety of classes at various levels

• We run an extensive range of immersion programs, including, with the support of the P & F, a native speaker program

PDHPE • We introduced Community and Family

Studies to the HSC curriculum

• Reviewed our sex education program

• Employed a Head of Junior School Sport


ESS • Educational Special Services (ESS) enrich

the learning of students. They also run the highly successful Transition Class

• We have expanded the staffing in this area

• Expanded the level of support so that transition students can be fully integrated

• Increased the allocation of classroom spaces

• Built a new ESS room

STUDENT WELL-bEiNg • Created the House Competition to

be a fun and student-led program

• Run leadership training for student leaders

• Fostered the Student Representative Council

• Run Peacewise seminars on solving conflict

• Created a new Executive position – Head of Positive Student Care and Engagement to track student well-being, in particular in regard to academic performance. This can cause anxiety in students and we want to be positive in this regard

• Developed the learning virtues to make the emphasis on character development and understanding rather than academic competition

• Supported the Heads of Year, Chaplains and Counsellors in their roles

• Added a mentor to the chaplaincy team

• Emphasised student-led solutions to conflict

• One marker of our success in student well-being has been student retention in the middle-years. Seven years ago we had the highest number of students leaving in Year 9. Today the graph is flat – few students leave in the middle years of school

STaFF WELL-bEiNgPLC Sydney is very grateful for the expertise of our staff. We are very pleased with the work that they do and their positive attitude towards our students. We enjoy an excellent staff retention rate. It is primarily pregnancy and retirement that leads to any changes in staff. To foster this over the past seven years we have:

• Under the leadership of the Deputy Principal and the Head of Junior School, created a staff well-being program, including:

{ Professional development focusing on staff well-being

{ A well-organised school

{ Peacewise training

{ Access to chaplaincy support

{ Access to school facilities for fitness

{ Involvement in community activities

{ Recognition of staff accomplishments

• Funded a strong professional development program

• Sought to inform people properly about changes

• The principal writes to staff and addresses them every week

10 | PLC SYDNEY

CaPiTaL WORkS • We have developed the school facilities

in significant ways, including:

{ The renewal of the Hamilton section of the Junior School

– 14 new classrooms

– 4 large breakout spaces

– Numerous smaller support rooms

– Specialist STEM rooms

– Amphitheatre

– Turtle pond, bee hotel, vegetable gardens and Arthropod house

– Play equipment

– Large green spaces

{ A new ‘Gateway’, including

– Reception

– Entrance

– Restoration of the wrought iron gates

– Administration centre

• We have extended the size of the fitness gym

• We have extended the size of the orchestral room, and the foyer to the AKT

• We have built the new Food Technology room

• We have refurbished:

{ Senior School Office

{ Educational Special Services staff room

{ Thompson Hall

{ Macindoe undercroft to allow direct access for students to computing services and the Careers Advisor

{ Counselling rooms

{ Year 12 Common Room

{ ESS classrooms

{ Macindoe Level 2

• We have attained heritage listing on Shubra Hall and College Hall. This enables us to apply for grants to assist us to maintain these fine older buildings


CO-CURRiCULaR • The co-curricular program at PLC Sydney

is second to none

• We run a huge number of programs, including

{ Fuel Christian group

{ Sport (over 20 sports)

{ An annual House Competition

{ A Talented Individual Performer program

{ Lyons House – the largest public speaking program of any school

{ A very large music program, including

– Symphony Orchestra

– Chamber Orchestra

– Bands

– Bells

– Pipes and Drums

– Choirs

– Percussion

– Various ensembles

{ Debating

{ Drama

{ Art and Photography

{ Various Science clubs

{ Robotics Club

{ Future Problem Solving

{ Chess

{ Juvenilia

{ College Crow

{ Swimming Club

{ Gymnastics Club

{ Green Group

{ International program

{ Peer Support

{ Service programs in Transition class

• We continue to expand our programs and to refine them

12 | PLC SYDNEY

DiRECT PaRTNERSHiPS • The Parents and Friends Association

provides over $100 000 of support towards the College each year. This funded the following in 2017:

{ Support for staff costs on tours

{ Native Speakers program

{ Rowing equipment

{ Maths Week

{ Musical instruments

{ Technology

• The Parents and Friends Association also provided $500 000 towards the Gateway Project. This generous support funded:

{ Interactive televisions in the Junior School

{ Playground equipment

{ Science and technology, including robotics

{ Some furnishings

• The Foundation raised $2 000 000 towards the cost of the new Junior School at Hamilton. This wonderful support helps us to build the College effectively. They also:

{ Support our Exchange and Service Learning program

{ Support scholarships

{ Provide assistance to students who have achieved a notable success and require help with travel

ExTERNaL PaRTNERSHiPS • The Presbyterian Church supports

all activities of the College

• College Council oversees both PLC Sydney and PLC Armidale. We benefit from working closely together

• PLC International Pathways assists with our welcome of international students to our College

• We partner with the University of Sydney, University of NSW and Excelsia College on various programs

• Made in Tuscany Academy accepts our students who wish to develop their qualifications in fashion and design

• 15 sister schools support our Exchange program

• Amgen Science enables us to connect with biomedical science

CaREERS aND ‘REaDY FOR LiFE’ PROgRaMS • We have reviewed and renewed our

Careers program

• We offer market days for universities

• We teach Year 12 skills in a range of things from car maintenance to financial literacy

• Our Transition class aim towards independent living


gOaLS FOR 2018In 2018 we will build on our current program and look to complete our 2020 vision.

In summary we will:

1. CONSULT REgARDINg, WRITE AND REFINE THE STRATEgIC AND MASTER PLANS FOR 2030

College Council and School Executive will lead the process of deciding what our vision is for 2030. Council have framed some key questions, regarding:

• Our vision and mission statements

• Who our College is for – we are a school that is seeking to enable girls and young women of all academic abilities to flourish

• Our curricula

• The size of our College

• Any diversification we might undertake

• How we ensure our school is affordable

• How we ensure each student at our school flourishes

• How we enable our staff to flourish

• Future capital projects

2. FURTHER DEvELOP THE SCHOOL ExECUTIvE

With the retirement of Ms Anthony at the close of 2017 and the imminent retirement of Mrs Smyth, PLC Sydney is looking to recognise their tremendous contributions, and to build for the future.

Ms Anthony will be replaced by Dr Sarah Golsby-Smith, currently the Dean of Humanities at The Scots College. Mrs Smyth’s role will be advertised soon.

With Dr Golsby-Smith looking after the quality of the classroom experiences of the students, we welcome Mrs Maria Halkidis to be Head of Positive Student Care and Engagement.

In 2018 we will be melding our new team to lead in student learning and well-being exceptionally well.

14 | PLC SYDNEY

3. CREATE A SERIES OF ‘HUbS’ IN THE COLLEgE

We already have the following ‘hubs’. Hubs enable staff to converse casually as well as formally about school vision, students and programs:

• Evandale, for younger students

• Hamilton, for primary-age students

• The Croydon, for visual arts and design

• The McKeith Arts Centre, for the performing arts

• The Boarding House, for residential students

• The JD Oates Aquatic Centre, for water and dry-land training

• The Freda Whitlam Amphitheatre, for academic subjects

• Thompson Hall and Drummond Field, for PDHPE/Sport

• Macindoe Research Centre and the History faculty – for learning how to research

• Macindoe Student Services – Library/IT assistance/Careers

• Marden Heritage Centre – to tell the story of our school

We are further refining and adding to these:

• We now have a new PLC Sydney Reception on Meta Street

• The Gateway building houses our key administrative functions:

{ Reception and Junior School Hamilton Office

{ Enrolments

{ Bursar

{ Communications

{ Archives

{ IT infrastructure

• In 2018 our Heads of Year will be moving to The Stables. This will enable them to have easy access to the playground and will keep them together as a team

• In 2018 our Languages Staff will be moving to the Courtyard Offices, close to their classrooms


• In 2018 ESS will take over the Courtyard room, so that their work is all in one area

• In 2018 our International Office will house all staff in one location

• English will return to the Senior Office Staff Room

3. WE HAvE SOME CAPITAL WORkS TO COMPLETE IN 2018

We are very conscious that in 2017 many students spent time in portable classrooms. Thus we are planning future works to limit impact on or College.

• Macindoe undercroft: We plan to put glass electronic doors on both ends and to carpet this area. We will:

{ Create a walkway of banners celebrating great women from history

{ Create a space where parents can wait when they are at school after hours

{ Carpet this internal space

{ This is a ‘holiday job’

• Renew one section of the Boarding House bathrooms

{ This will be done over the Christmas period

{ It is the start of a refurbishment of Boarding facilities

• Build four new Science laboratories and a break out space

{ We have a slab above the current IT rooms that can hold four new classrooms and a break-out space

{ This is not a major building project

{ With the advent of Cambridge science courses Science is now a very popular elective as well as core subject at PLC Sydney and we need to provide time in laboratories

{ We will build four new laboratories. Ultimately they will probably become the Enterprise Centre. For the next few years, however, they will be science spaces

5. FINISH THE gATEWAY PROjECT

Over Christmas the finishing touches to the Gateway Project will be made. They will include:

• The addition of soft fall and shade to the top floor of Hamilton

• Installation of solar power

• Completion of the playground

• Renewal of Drummond Field

• Completion of the car park on College Street. This will house over 20 cars each day plus visitors

Our opening is on Sunday February 11 at 2.00 pm.

4. PLC SYDNEY TRAFFIC PLAN

One goal in 2018 is to create a traffic plan. Burwood Council have not really assisted us adequately in regard to this critical subject. We must keep everyone safe. Therefore we aim to publish a new plan in 2018.

16 | PLC SYDNEY

“the Co-CurriCular program at plC SYdneY iS SeCond to none. we run a huge number of programS.”


boundary St Croydon NSW 2132

Phone (+612) 9704 5666 Fax (+612) 9744 0519

Email [email protected]

www.plc.nsw.edu.au

All material appearing in this document is copyright. Reproduction is not permitted unless otherwise authorised

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