MLC School Burwood

MLC School represents a life of faith and spiritual journey, as it is lived in the Uniting Church in , within a school context. The School actively promotes Christian ethos by leading worship, undertaking pastoral care, nurturing discipleship and teaching. All of these aspects contribute significantly to the faith and spiritual journey of our School community and of every individual within it.

Worship at MLC School is based on the Lectionary cycle or biblical series as our whole school community comes together for a weekly devotional assembly, and chapel services. The Godly Play program continues as the core of the Early Years study of Religion. The liturgical year in Junior School is enhanced in Chapel and our Godly Play room for Years 1 and 2. Pre- and Kindergarten attend Chapel fortnightly. Years 3–5 attend Chapel every Monday, Middle and Senior Years 6-12 gather at Devotional Assembly with individual year groups attending Chapel regularly through the year. Significant liturgical events, Ash Wednesday, Easter, Pentecost and Advent are shared in student and family gatherings. Sunday Services focus on our House system bringing families together, and students display leadership in creating the liturgy for these Services, working closely with the Chaplains for guidance and support.

The spiritual needs of staff and students are met by the Principal and Chaplains who serve and support through special Assemblies of prayer in times of need, whether they are local or global. Devotional Assemblies led by our Chaplains focus both on national themes such as Reconciliation Week and International Women’s Day and on specific issues in our school community in the area of pastoral care. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated at the end of every term, and a whole School approach is embraced. Taking part in the Sacrament is optional, and students often come forward to receive a blessing as an option. These are valuable times for building our sense of community.

A number of fellowship groups meet at lunchtime for prayer, bible study and contemporary worship and there is an annual fellowship camp. Students are mentored as they take on leadership of whole school liturgies as well as voluntary fellowship groups. Many students make significant faith commitments as a result of their participation in these lunchtime groups, and see their worship and discipleship at School as central to their expression of faith.

The MLC School Religion Program from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12 is an academically rigorous approach for students to study the Scriptures, Church History, Liturgical Tradition, Ethics, Philosophy of Religion and World Religions. The most recent trend towards ‘Godly Play’ in our Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2, has offered a great opportunity for MLC School to be involved in an approach towards Religious Education (RE), which has been endorsed by the Uniting Church. The Chaplains are directly involved with the Head of HSIE in evaluating the RE throughout the school.

Ecumenism, aboriginal rights and issues, environmental issues and Social Justice Advocacy are some of the vital areas we support in different ways, including intentional prayers and raising awareness through worship services. Once a term, we have a prayer breakfast where members of the school community come together and are invited to pray for the school, the church, the world and others.

MLC School founded in 1886 embraces a Mission to educate young women to be fearless thinkers with moral courage and compassion, to be agents of change in their own lives and in the lives of others. Our Mission goes hand in hand with our School motto which is, ‘Walk as Daughters of the Light.’ Current enrolments are steady and set to rise in the years ahead with healthy growth opportunities for the future. We celebrated our 130th anniversary in 2016 with a number of events that brought together current and former students and other members of our community.

Support for the students is emphasised through the role of Heads of Year in the pastoral care structure in the school, where they have responsibility for pastoral programs and welfare management of girls. This allows our Heads of House to work more closely with the girls in the areas of community, spirituality, leadership and service. Each House works to build a sense of community within the House, with the other Houses and with the wider world through their Social Justice initiatives and their advocacy and support for charities and welfare organisations, such as Sailvega, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, Youth Off The Streets, Starlight Foundation, CanTeen, Chris O’Brien Lighthouse, the Hamlin Fistula Foundation and Triple Care Farm.

The House system provides opportunities for students to grow in their awareness of their own identity and areas of strength. Each student is given the opportunity to work with their House Luminary (mentor) and their Head of House to find opportunities to lead within the House system, assisting with House Chapel services, participating in service groups, JIST (Jesus in School Time) and other school committees and groups.

The International Baccalaureate Organisation’s (IBO) Middle Years Program framework continues to formalise Social Justice in Years 6-10 as a compulsory component of the academic program for all students embracing education for a better world. The annual Year 10 service trip Chiang Mai sees the girls participate in service in a global context, allowing them to bear witness to serving humanity outside their usual domains.

MLC School Council, with the Principal and Chaplains, works closely in relation to the Synod of NSW and the ACT. Our Principal builds on the mission and intention of the MLC School founders in modelling good stewardship of the resources with which God has blessed us.

The School community is also served through Chaplaincy at funerals, weddings, baptisms, celebrations such as special birthdays, as well as services for staff, students and Old Girls. School Ministry is unique in that it brings the Church to the Community, continuously striving to keep the dialogue going, and therefore continuing the work of Christ in ushering the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. http://www.mlcsyd.nsw.edu.au/page/public/about-mlc-school/annual-report