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Annual Report 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Education and Finance Annual Report mlcsyd.nsw.edu.au ANNUAL REPORT 2017 03 Foreword: Pauline Johnston, Chair, MLC School Council 04 Foreword: Louise Robert-Smith, Principal, MLC School 05 MLC School Vision, Mission, Values 06 2017 Educational and Financial Reporting 07 Summary of Financial Information 08 Evidence of Compliance 08 Key School Bodies Reports 10 Contextual Information about MLC School 21 Student Performance in National and Statewide Tests and Examinations 28 Senior Secondary Outcomes 29 Professional Learning and Teaching Standards, Attendance and Non-Attendance 30 Workforce Composition 31 Student Attendance and Retention Rates 32 Post School Destinations Year 12 2017 Cohort 33 Enrolment Profile, Policy and Procedures 35 School Policies 38 School Determined Improvement Targets 41 Initiatives Promoting Respect and Responsibility 42 Parent, Student and Teacher Satisfaction 2 2017 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT FOREWORD 2017 PAULINE JOHNSTON | Chair, MLC School Council How wonderful to celebrate At Speech Night, we experienced both the sadness of yet another extraordinary farewelling our Principal, Mrs Louise Robert-Smith, and the joy year of achievement from of celebrating all she has brought to MLC School over the last MLC School girls. two years. In 2017, once again, Louise was nothing short of a gift from God Himself to MLC School girls have MLC School. During her time with us she gave us incredible excelled at the highest love, support, dedication, ability and insight. Under her level in academia, sport leadership, our staff, students and entire community flourished. and the arts. In sport we Although Louise always knew that her time at MLC School had national, regional and would be short, she gave of herself fully from the first day to competition champions. the last day, and much was achieved under her principalship. We wowed audiences with She became a much-loved member of our community and will our Sydney Opera House be greatly missed. We thank her from the bottom of our hearts and Town Hall concerts. We continue to reign as the best girls’ for the time she spent here at MLC School and wish her the school in debating, and our dance program is second to none. very best as she embarks on the next phase of her journey. We Our girls achieved this whilst still delivering academic results hope that wherever life takes her, she will always take with her that are the envy of the world. a little piece of MLC School as we will always have a little piece of her here with us. We achieved all of this because we walk together as a community of the light with one common objective – to provide I would like to thank all members of the school community for the best possible education for our girls as a platform from their efforts this year in making MLC School the special place which they can achieve all they desire in life, and make the that it is. Thank you to all of our staff; I am constantly in awe world a better place for their contribution. of how far you go above and beyond to give our girls every opportunity and support. Thank you to our parents for your At the heart of MLC School, since its humble beginnings in support of your daughters, the staff and the school. Thank you 1886, is a belief that holistically well-educated young women to all the volunteers for your selfless service. can, and do, change the world. We take pride in being at the forefront of girls’ education in all its dimensions. In this regard, And particularly, thank you to the girls for simply being in 2017, it has been particularly pleasing to see our new Senior awesome. Seeing their achievements and the women they School building rise out of the ground. This state-of-the-art re becoming makes me so proud to be associated with this facility will mean that, at long last, our physical infrastructure great school. Each and every student has had a wonderful gift, will be as fit for the 21st century as our learning programs the gift of an MLC School education. Cherish it. I encourage and educational approaches. I am pleased to report that the all students to be all that they can be, because this world building project is going well so with continued luck and fine needs you. weather, our senior girls should be enjoying this facility in early 2019. MLC SCHOOL 3 FOREWORD LOUISE ROBERT-SMITH | Principal, MLC School It has been such a privilege for our students. While the content in their courses may be to have been your Principal different, the pedagogy is often the same. Our teachers are for the last two years. generally accredited to teach both, but obviously teach their Certainly these have been subjects in separate classes. Students who wish to specialise in, interesting times for our say, humanities or sciences, will probably choose HSC, while our school, and if it proves generalists will go for IB. We are proud to be one of a handful one thing, it is that great of elite schools that offers both courses. organisations endure and While challenging and rigorous academic programs remain are so much more than the the central axis of what we do, a full menu of co-curricular individuals that are part of programs is also essential for the growth and development of their fabric at any given time, our students. MLC School offers 18 sports and is renowned no matter how prominent for its swim school and Gymnastics program. The Duke of they are. It is a salutary lesson for us all. Edinburgh Award scheme is well established. In Music, there are Our school has values at its core that carry it through the 21 different ensembles, including orchestras, bands and choirs, winds, indeed sometimes tempests, of change. At this core is as well as the opportunity to study a wide variety of different respect. Good, old fashioned respect, preserving each other’s instruments, in addition to choral tuition. Dance and Debating dignity, even in stressful situations, is vital to the emotional are also significant programs and attract large enrolments. Our health of any community. MLC School seeks to demonstrate leadership opportunities work through our Houses, Student this respect on all levels. As a Uniting Church school, we Representative Council and Prefect and Captaincy structures, practise inclusiveness, and that extends to embracing all of with the unique MLC School recognition of every girl in Year 12 our members from all faiths, from all social and philosophical as a Prefect, carrying with it obligations as well as kudos. groups. Our girls are the champions of this; their passionate Across all of our programs, be it Music, Sports, special interest defense of minority groups is a mark of their humanity and or leadership, the enthusiasm and generosity of spirit in our generosity of spirit. In the classroom, or the playground, we girls is lovely to behold. But the reality is that not everyone expect kindness and acceptance, in meetings with parents we thrives in these endeavours. will always seek to find solutions that embrace all perspectives. We are not perfect. Indeed, sometimes we will not all walk Awards for academic, creative and sporting achievement and away from a situation feeling that our ideal solution has been recognition in the form of elected leadership positions are part signed off, but we all need to respect the process and the and parcel of school life, and it is, of course, totally appropriate intent behind these outcomes. This has been another year of to celebrate effort and excellence as well as the personal enormous vitality and progress at our school. The most tangible qualities which result in these awards. However, while they are sign of this is, of course, the new Senior School building, which a cause for validation and satisfaction for the minority, awards is rising up to its full four storeys, and will be transformative may not be so great for everyone else. in terms of its facilities and learning spaces when it opens for business at the beginning of 2019. How do we deal with the disappointment, especially if there are no bright spots to celebrate, and it seems as though our In the Senior School, we have worked to reaffirm our own sincere efforts are being continually overlooked? How commitment to both, the Higher School Certificate (HSC), as do we counter the performance anxiety and drive towards well as to the International Baccalaureate (IB), as pathways in perfectionism that is becoming a worrying trend, particularly Year 11 and Year 12. Both courses offer rigorous credentials, with adolescent girls? recognised internationally and both open doors worldwide 4 2017 ANNUAL REPORT Young children are generally shielded from any sense of falling I shake many hands and award many prizes, and while I short; there are prizes for all at many events from sports days to sincerely congratulate all the recipients, I am also very aware birthday parties. Eventually though, real life kicks in and we all that their fellow students may well outshine them in the years have to accept that we may not always, or even ever, be on the ahead. podium receiving the award. The ultimate prize, and what I wish for you all, is good, old In my parents’ day, they tended to be more pragmatic about fashioned contentment. And that comes from the quality of our this. My father was always saying such disappointments were, relationships – both social and spiritual – and the capacity to ‘character building’. These days, our expectations for ourselves be comfortable with who we are.
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