Time to Shine

The Junior School community came together in the Astra Arts Centre on Thursday, 23 November, to celebrate the achievement of our Kindergarten to Year 6 girls.

As their parting gift to Junior School, Year 6 gave more than $600 to upgrade the Poultry Palace with money raised by them throughout the year.

As well as celebrating every girl's achievement throughout 2023, we enjoyed performances by Silver Strings, Junior Strings , K-2 Choir, 3-6 Choir and the Bel Canto ensemble, and all were spectacular!

We also paid tribute to the face of PLC Armidale Junior School - Mrs Emma Young, who will leave us at the end of the year after more than a decade. Thank you, Emma, for everything you have done, your work ethic, your efficiency, your genuine love for PLC Armidale and the girls and the support you have given us all.

The Taylor Routley Memorial Prize for Fiction  was presented to Lola Ferguson by Mrs Kylie Alcorn

Armidale Regional Council Citizenship Award  was presented to Georgiana Ballard by Mr Tim Catterall

2023 has been an extremely busy and exciting year in Junior Music, full of new opportunities and learning experiences.

The Effort and Achievement in Choir Award, was awarded to  Sophia Craig who has shown exceptional commitment and effort to all Junior School choirs, this year.  She is a dedicated singer who has been involved in the Treble Makers Vocal Ensemble, has private singing lessons, has had success at the Armidale Eisteddfod and was awarded a solo role in 3-6 Choir for Eisteddfod and in Treble Makers for Time to Shine. Sophia has also shown gentle leadership in 3-6 Choir and Treble Makers.

The Alexandria Ada Lam Prize for Choir in the Junior School was awarded Edith Clynch who is a dedicated musician, and is committed to all choral activities at PLC armidale. This student is a member of our PLC Treble Makers, PLC 3-6 Choir and NECOM Cantilena Singers and sings Soprano and Alto with ease. She was also awarded a solo role in 3-6 Choir for Eisteddfod and in Treble Makers for Time to Shine and has been selected for the Gondwana Choirs National Choral School in Sydney for the January Holidays.

The Head of Junior School Award for Excellence in Music was presented to Harriet Minter who has demonstrated exemplary talent, commitment and excellence in all areas of Music and exceptional contribution to the musical life of our school and the community. This student has enjoyed an exceptional musical year. She has completed Grade 5 AMEB for Violin and is a valued member of our school ensembles; 3-6 Choir, PLC Treble Makers, Junior String Ensemble and Senior String Ensemble. On top of that, she participates in the NECOM Armidale Youth String Orchestra. To top it all, this student has performed in all the In-House Concerts at school this year, played a major solo with Senior Strings at Starry Night, took out many places at the Armidale Eisteddfod for solo violin, received a special award at the Eisteddfod Gala concert and was asked to play a violin solo at the Gala Concert. She is an outstanding violinist, and we wish her all the best in her future musical endeavours.

The Junior School Sports Achiever for 2023 was Evie Donaldson

This award is based on merit, and is awarded to the student who has demonstrated a solid commitment to sporting endeavours and has shown outstanding achievement and participation throughout the year. They will have displayed a positive attitude and be a role model for their peers. 

Evie Donaldson accumulated the highest amount of points on the sports awards application form for the following:

• Age champion for swimming, athletics and cross country at the whole school carnivals

• Represented PLC in swimming, athletics and gymnastics at the IPSHA carnivals in Sydney 

• At the IPSHA gymnastics, she placed 3rd in the vault and beam in Division 3

• Member of the PLC U11s Lions hockey team who were the runner up champions in the local HNE competition

• Member of the U13s hockey team who placed fourth in the local HNE competition

• Member of the PLC Year 5 indoor hockey team, playing in the HNE competition in terms 1 and 4

• Broke the long jump record for her age group at the schools athletics carnival - this had been held since 2008 (15 years)

•  Recently competed in two PLC teams at the schools triathlon challenge placing first and fourth. 

• Represented HNE at the Kim Small Shield hockey competition in Tamworth 

• Represented Armidale at numerous gymnastics events throughout the, with her achievements qualifying her for the state championships (Level 4) where she gained an overall bronze medal.

The Presbyterian Church of Australia NSW Trustee Award for Christian  Leadership  was awarded to Bella Wysel by Mrs Tessa Repp

The Oorala Indigenous Achievement Award was presented to Stella Thomas by Mrs Fiona May.

This is your daughter's Time to Shine Ad Astra girls!

You will find a photo gallery of the evening and for each Year Group with the citation for each girl's 2023 achievements on our parent portal HERE. 

Senior School News

The Year 8's have been designing and constructing houses to suit different demographics and in a range of locations. They are in the process of being tested for different criteria - temperature regulation, rainwater collection, sturdiness and aesthetics and demographics.

On Friday in P2 we conducted the water testing outside the Pathways classroom and in P3 testing was on to sturdiness and the remaining categories. 

The prize winning group was announced at the end of P3. 

The Year 10 Celebration Dinner was held on Saturday, November 11 at Petersons Guesthouse & Winery. 

The weather was perfect, and a lovely evening was had by all.  Congratulations to the committee members who organised the event: Bronwyn Grills, Maria Guiance, Emma Jeffreys, Caroline Lee, Judi Sheedy, Erica Smith, Annabelle Toms, Caroline Touhey, and Julius van de Werf.  Thank you to Mr Clendinning for being Master of Ceremonies for the evening and special guests: Mrs. Ballard, Mrs. Westermarck, Mr. Patrick and Mr. and Mrs. Jacometti.

String Soiree

Congratulations to all our advanced classical musicians on presenting a fine String Soiree on Wednesday, November 15. 

The tradition of fine classical music performance at PLC Armidale extends back over many decades, and to have so many high-level players in a relatively small school is quite extraordinary and reflects the culture of encouragement and high achievement in the College. Highlights of the evening were the Year 1-3 Silver Strings ensemble of beginning cellists and violinists, Bridie O'Neill and India Smith's solo performances, the Year 10 class presentation of Mr Minter's composition Solidarity, a work dedicated to the people of Ukraine, the chamber music performances from the Advanced Chamber Ensemble, the Piano Trio and the Senior String Trio, the vibrant and highly accomplished performances by the Senior and Junior String ensembles and the extraordinary rendition of The Erl King presented by the Cello Ensemble. 

Congratulations and thank you to all the staff and peripatetic tutors involved, especially our ensemble leaders Joanna Fairs-Wu, Robert Jackson, Li Ling Chen, Robert Manley, Mrs Georgie Ostenfield and Mr Minter.

Find the gallery of photos on our Parent Portal HERE

Judi Sheedy 

P&F President

Guild Drama - Afternoon Tea Fundraiser

We will  be selling afternoon tea treats on the day of Guild Drama. Please bring a plate of either savoury or sweet goodies to sell on the day. Your Parent Liason contact will be in touch to remind next week.

Term 4 PLCA P&F - We need your help!

The recent AGM was suspended as we were unable to fill the vacated President's role.  

Please consider giving back to PLCA in this way. Nomination forms are attached.

Duties of the President (extract from the PLCA P&F Constitution)

The duties of the President and, in the President’s absence or inability, the Vice President,  include: 

Chairing and convening all meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee;

Approving the Minutes of each meeting, as prepared by the Secretary, prior to their  issuing; 

Acting as the point of contact between the Association and the Principal, College Council,  staff, students and members of the Association; 

representing the Association at meetings of the PLC Armidale Foundation and Old Girls’  Union; 

Liaising with the Principal and College Council on any matters that involve the Association  and providing feedback to the College on issues and comments received from parents; 

Promoting the Association, its aims and activities to parents new to the College and  identifying ways to increase parent participation; 

Providing written reports and articles for College newsletters and periodic and annual  publications; 

Providing an annual written report to the Association at the annual general meeting.

Rescheduled 2023 AGM 

Date: Term 4 Week 8 Monday, 27 November 2023

Time: 7:30pm - please note the meeting is expected to take 15 minutes at the most. It is essentially just to elect the new Exec Committee.

Venue: Zoom

https://plcarmidale.zoom.us/s/89159031702

Passcode:  919789

Can you make a regular financial contribution to the PLC Armidale Scholarship Fund?

In 2022, the College made a considered decision to restructure fees for students in Kindergarten to Stage 4 to expand accessibility to a PLC Armidale education.

The provision of scholarships on merit will extend the opportunity for even more young women of character and purpose to receive an outstanding education at PLC Armidale, the region’s pre-eminent school for young women.

The PLCA Foundation Committee is focusing its efforts on raising funds for scholarships, with the intent of raising $130,000 for the school to allocate immediately in the next round of scholarship assessment.

As many families within our community have directly benefited from the recent fee restructure, we ask that you consider making a contribution to support the PLC Armidale Scholarship Fund. 

Your gift will help the PLC Foundation Committee to offer these scholarships. We require significant and ongoing funding to ensure there is a continual capital base to support the program.

Donations will provide scholarships from as early as the 2024 school year. In addition, gifts over $2 are tax deductible. You can also subscribe to make a small regular automatic donation which will quickly add up over the years.

The generosity of the PLC Armidale community has enabled us to maintain and provide an excellent learning environment for generations of young women.

Giving makes a real difference to every student who attends PLC Armidale now and into the future. We thank you for your continued support as we foster and build a community that stands together. 

If you would like further information about the PLC Armidale Scholarship Fund or know of a young girl who you believe would benefit from this opportunity, don't hesitate to call us on (02) 6770 1700 or email us at enquiries@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

A gift to the PLC Armidale Scholarship Fund will open the door for many more exceptional young women to attend PLC Armidale and be equipped to lead a life of significance. 

You can make a difference by donating today.

Donations can be made by clicking here.