Congratulations to ...

Determining the Quenching Mechanism of a Coumarin Fluorophore by Ascorbate: Experimental Confirmation of the Inner Filter Effect...

... our da Vinci Decathlon Teams

We had a Stage 3 team and a Year 7 Team attend the annual da Vinci Decathlon along with 17 other schools at TAS in 2025 and our Year 9 Team scored a FIRST in both Art & Poetry and Creative Producers. 

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students.

Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy.

Well done to all our teams for representing our College so well.

...India Smith and all those who performed in the Sounds of Autumn Concert 

As part of the Sounds of Autumn event at 4.30pm, our Creative Arts Captain, India Smith had a masterclass with Dr Evgeny Sorkin then was Associate Concert Master alongside Dr Sorkin, the Master, and the Sydney Conservatorium Violins in the NECOM concert hall. 

Dr Sorkin is a Russian-born violinist who is a Lecturer in Violin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is the first person in the history of the University of Sydney to be conferred a Doctor of Musical Arts degree.  His exceptional violin virtuosity has ensured he has been in demand as a performer from a very early age. 

India later joined another 17 of our talented students in the Armidale Youth Orchestra as they performed with Dr Sorkin and the Sydney Conservatorium Violins in Civic Park.

In total more than 25 of our students participated in the spectacular concert in Civic Park wich was coordinated by the New England Conservatorium of Music to showcase the talent of our region’s finest musicians. 

Our girls  featured in Armidale Youth Winds, the Cantilena Choir, New England Singers and the Armidale Youth Orchestra.

... everyone who took part in our Autumn Festival walking float

... our girls who participated in the cultural floats and performances

You can see all our Autumn Festival photos HERE

Anzac Day 2025

As with every year, the annual commemoration of Anzac Day is an event to look forward to, and PLC Armidale have again been invited to participate. 

Although this event falls before our students return to the College for Term 2, we would like there to be a strong representation of students participating in the march and service this year.

A number of our alumnae were active in the armed forces, and it would again be an appropriate tribute to them to have a strong representation from the PLC Armidale community, particularly from our 2025 student leadership team.

The march commences at 10:30am followed by the Commemoration and Wreath Laying Service in Central Park. PLC Armidale will be laying a wreath as part of this service.

Students are asked to assemble on Faulkner Street adjacent to the Post Office by 10:30am.  

The full College winter uniform, including the summer straw hat and polished school shoes, is to be worn, which will add to the sense of ceremony and presence. 

Should the weather be inclement, the service will be conducted in the Town Hall. Such changes will be announced over the local radio stations.

Premiers Reading Challenge

The 2025 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) has commenced! This year we encourage all PLC Armidale girls from Kindergarten to Year 10 to participate in the Challenge.

The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.

The Challenge  runs until Friday August 22 and any books read this year from January 1 can be included in your “books read” tally.

Students in Years 7-10 will be provided with a username and password for the PRC site to record the books they have read. They will be given information on how to choose books for the PRC in their English class and will need to read 20 books to meet the requirements of the challenge.

More information on the Challenge can be found at here: https://online.education.nsw.gov.au/prc/home.html

SAVE THE DATE: 

Our Whole School Mother's Day morning will be held on Thursday, 8 May. This is always a wonderful occasion for the girls together with their mums and each other in our Dining Hall and gardens. More details will be in the first issue of Term 2.

You can see all the photos from our 2024 event HERE

The final Guild Gathering for Term 1 was held last Friday - thanks for hosting Junior School!

See more photos HERE

Junior School News

Mrs Fiona Wake

Head of Junior School

Junior School Sport Wrap-Up

Congratulations.....

... to Isabella Wyatt, who travelled to The King’s School in Sydney to represent PLC Armidale in the IPSHA Cross Country on Wednesday, April 2. Isabella ran well, and we are sure it was an enjoyable and memorable experience for her.

... to Isabelle Scanlon, who attended the IPSHA Touch Football trials and was selected to play in the IPSHA Touch Football team—what an incredible achievemen

What a wonderful term of sport it has been! Our students have thrown themselves into every opportunity with enthusiasm, showing great teamwork, resilience, and school spirit. From the courts to the pool, it’s been a term filled with fun, new friendships, and personal growth as students pushed themselves to try new things and develop their skills.

During our tennis sessions, students focused on building their hand-eye coordination, mastering basic strokes, and learning the rules and strategies of the game. It was fantastic to see students grow in confidence as they rallied with their peers and demonstrated fair play on the court.

In swimming, we saw incredible commitment as students braved the early morning starts to dive into their training. With a focus on stroke development and endurance, students made pleasing progress throughout the program. 

It was also a joy to have a touch football team back together after such a long break from team sport. Stage 3 girls embraced the opportunity to try something new, and it was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and growing teamwork. We hope to continue this again in Term 4.

Our indoor hockey teams enjoyed the challenge of competing against other schools while building on their individual and team skills. A big thank you to our senior school coaches who gave up their time each week to support and coach our teams—your guidance and encouragement have been so appreciated.

Across all sports, our coaches and supervising teachers have commented on the outstanding behaviour of our students during sessions. Well done, girls, on showing such integrity and representing our school community with pride.

We’re looking forward to the start of winter sport in Term 2.  

Keep an eye out for new sports contracts, which will be sent home soon. In the meantime, we wish all our students and families a restful and relaxing holiday break.

Ms Emma Pracy

Stage 2 

Spotlight on Learning

The 2025 Stage 2 class has had a fantastic start to Term 1! 

We have been exploring the meaning of community and developing a strong sense of belonging within our class and the college. A community is a group of people who share common attitudes, expectations, and values and may live or work in the same place. We are a community of learners, working together to strengthen connections and support one another in achieving success.

A highlight of this term was collaborating on a large-scale collage artwork representing our Armidale community. We were thrilled with how it came together and even prouder when it received a Highly Commended Award at the Armidale Show!

One idea that has resonated with us this term is how interconnected everything in our world is. This realisation has led to some exciting integrated learning experiences. Did you know that what we learn in Mathematics and English is incredibly useful in everyday life—especially when solving problems creatively? In Stage 2, we are constantly posing questions, collecting data, testing ideas, and applying our addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills.

Young chefs were also busy at work in the Hospitality Centre earlier this term. Stage 2 is learning about living things, life cycles and food production this year. They could watch the growth of fresh apples right here on campus, which they then harvested, and researched how to clean and prepare their fresh produce before designing and modifying their recipe to meet the class's needs. The end product was delicious!

Our Stage 2 detectives have been busy uncovering the mysteries beneath their feet, solving the Addition Detectives case using addition strategies, and exploring Place Value Houses to read and write very large numbers. Perhaps the biggest highlight for our detectives was reading our mentor text A Clue for Clara by Lian Tanner. This entertaining narrative recount follows a plucky chicken who works undercover as a detective. Navigating the world isn’t easy—especially if you're a chicken! Clara had to find innovative ways to communicate, and her story has inspired us to think more about our chickens at PLC. Could they be secretly intelligent and in need of more mental stimulation?

Motivated by this question, students have closely observed the Junior School chickens’ behaviour, caring for them, cleaning and modifying their coop, and designing creative enrichment activities. Currently, we are working on designing toys to keep our feathered friends mentally stimulated.

Other mentor texts we have enjoyed this term include Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up by Sally M. Walker, Australian Geographic Deadly Science: The Solar System, and Meanwhile Back on Earth… by Oliver Jeffers.

We are excited to continue strengthening our connections at the upcoming Year 3-6 camp at the end of the term!

Mrs Robertson and Mrs Woods

Ad Astra Awards

Each week in our Junior School Chapel Service we award our students for achievement in academic, leadership and service pursuits.

Congratulations girls!

See more photos HERE

Mrs Kate Clynch

Head of Senior School

Congratulations to ......

...all our inaugural Academic Award recipients

At PLC Armidale, one of our four key pillars is Academics. 

In 2025, Senior School teachers will be asked twice a term to nominate one of their students to receive an Academic Award to acknowledge that student’s commitment to their academic pursuits. These awards acknowledge those who demonstrate diligence and sustained efforts, and are valued as recognition that academic success is an individual pursuit and includes effort, curiosity, engagement, persistence, improvement and achievement. 

The following students received the first set of Academic Awards for 2025.

Khushi Aila (Yr 12) - English, Olivia Barnes (Yr 7) - Maths, Emily Blake (Yr 12) - Modern History, Laura Butterworth (Yr 8) - PDHPE, Teya Catterall (Yr 12) - Drama, Rebe Cunningham (Yr 11) - English Extension 1, Ellie Donaldson (Yr 7) - Science & Mathematics, Evie Donaldson (Yr 7) - HSIE, Sophie Hardin (Yr 12) - Visual Arts, Kithmi Jayaratne (Yr 9) - Mathematics Core Plus, Mem Lay (Yr 10) - Psychology, Alana Marshall (Yr 10) - Science, Poppy McLaren (Yr 12) - Design and Technology, Rachel Mungall (Yr 11) - Mathematics Advanced, Ava Notley (Yr 10) - PASS, Angel Ou (Yr 8) - Pathways, Asha Sharpe (Yr 11) - Agriculture, Holly Sheedy (Yr 12) - Biology, Binudi Vithana (Yr 11) - French, Zoe Webb (Yr 12) - Maths Advanced

Year 10 Explore Serve Journey

Following on from their epic 28-day residential experience in 2024, our Year 10 girls are currently enjoying their 2-week Explore Serve Journey Experience (ESJ). 

Travelling from Australia's highest city (Armidale)🇻🇦 to Australia's highest mountain (Mount Kosciuszko) 

So far, they have climbed Sydney Harbour Bridge and sailed on Sydney Harbour before helping to prepare food and sort clothing at Kid's Giving Back and Thread Together.

They then departed for Canberra to take in the National Gallery and War Memorial and visit the old and new Parliament House before heading to mountain bike in Jindabyne and scale Mount Kosciuszko!

Our ESJ experiential learning program uses character-building rites of passage to unite service, leadership and outdoor education, empowering girls to reach their full potential.

See the all the latest Year 10 ESJ photos so far HERE

Year 7 HSIE

In Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) our Year 7 students have been studying Mesopotamia, the historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Part of their hands-on approach to research was making a map of the region with playdough!

UNE Agricultural Innovation Industry Insight Day

Our Stage 5 Agcruculture and Commerce students attended the University of New England (UNE)'s inaugural Agricultural Innovation: Industry Insight Day recently. 

This was a fantastic opportunity for our girls to meet industry experts, see presentations by business founders working with the UNE Smart Region Incubator, and tour UNE's potting shed and berry farm facilities.

This industry insight day was the initial event in a series of Agricultural Innovation Days where students compete to design and pitch ideas for innovative technologies, practices and business ventures in agriculture - exposing them to potential career options and complexities of running a small business. 

SAVE THE DATE

Our Livestock Team will be hosting another wonderful parade and dinner on Saturday, 24 May 2025. Mark your calendar and keep an eye out for details in the first issue of Term 2.

Key Senior School Staff

Head of Senior School - Mrs Kate Clynch

Academic Leadership Team: Director of Studies - Mrs Julie Flanagan; Head of Humanities - Mr Mitchell Clendinning; Head of STEM - Mr Jonathon Shumack ; Head of Creative and Performing Arts - Mrs Joanne Wysel ; Director of Music - Mr Matthew Minter; Director of Sport - Mrs Lucy Donaldson.

Senior School Administration - Mrs Stephanie Fahy

Pastoral Care Staff

The purpose of the Pastoral Care model at PLC Armidale is to ensure that every girl is known and nurtured and that parents have a member of staff they can contact regarding any well-being issues that may arise. Wherever possible, our Year Patrons remain with students on their journey throughout Senior School. In addition, a Year Specialist has been allocated to assist students in each year group. Patrons and Specialists are also ably assisted by their PC team.

Year 7 - Patron: Sophie Westermarck; Specialist: Jennifer Leahy; Team: Aaron Creamer

Year 8 - Patron: Mitchell Clendinning; Specialist: Grace Welch; Team: Marilyn Faithfull

Year 9 - Patron: Emma Schaeffer; Specialist: Amanda Burney; Team: Roxanne Shumack

Year 10 - Patron: Jo Wysel; Specialist: Matthew Minter; Team: Josh Tuohy

Year 11 - Patron: Kate Fittler; Specialist: Jonathon Shumack; Team: Greg Cotterell, Margarita Perez

Year 12 - Patron: Yvette Ballard; Specialist: Julie Flanagan; Team: Ruth Patrick

Pathways - Angela Priebbenow

You can also find more information on the Parent/Carer Intranet via CONNECT HERE

The Senior School Handbook also contains details of requirements for stationery for students, as well as details for uniform, IT requirements and general information about life in the Senior School. You can find the Senior School Handbook on the Parent/Carer Intranet via CONNECT HERE

Boarding News

Sam and Amy Jacometti

Heads of Boarding

Our boarding community came together last weekend around the fire pit, where girls enjoyed toasting marshmallows and sharing stories while basking in the warmth of the crackling flames.

We had a tasty BBQ dinner that we cooked ourselves before settling in around the fire. It was an enjoyable moment of connection highlighting the family atmosphere we cherish in our boarding house.

We're delighted to announce our new extended morning program launching in Term 2. This service is designed specifically for parents whose daughters participate in early training sessions or co-curricular activities before school. Following these commitments, day girls will be welcomed back to the boarding house where they can prepare for the day ahead, with full access to shower facilities and a delicious hot breakfast to fuel their learning. The form for this program is available in the Parent Portal on the Connect page HERE. 

Behind the scenes, we've been collaboratively redesigning our Term 2 menu. The feedback provided by boarders and parents has been instrumental in creating balanced, nutritious, and appealing meal options that everyone will enjoy.

As we conclude a productive but lengthy Term 1, we encourage all boarders to return with warm pajamas and appropriate bedding for the cooler months ahead. Winter arrives quickly, and we want everyone to be comfortable and cozy.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership with our boarding community. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for another wonderful term. Next term we'll be out and about at some of the boarding expos (specifically Dubbo and Narrabri). If you are around, please come and say hello. 

As always, we do encourage our boarding community to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns. 

See more pics in the Boarding Life photo gallery HERE

Creative and Performing Arts      (CAPA) News

Mrs Joanne Wysel

Head of Creative and Performing Arts. (CAPA)

Congratulations to everyone who took part

and to our girls going to the next level ...

We are thrilled to be defending two state titles from last year’s State Shakespeare Carnival, and with the strength of this year’s contenders, we are hopeful for another outstanding season.›

Mark your calendars: the Regional Shakespeare Carnival will be held at PLC Armidale on Thursday 15 May, with one item from each category representing our school. We are proud to host this inspiring event for the second year running, and parents are warmly invited to attend and share in the celebration of student achievement.

Congratulations to all involved — your dedication, imagination, and courage to reimagine Shakespeare continues to inspire!

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE

InHouse Concert - Wednesday, 26 March

Our first In House Concert for the year was held on Wednesday, 26 March. 

As well as featuring nearly 60 performances across two programs, it was also the world premiere for the latest composition by our Director of Music , Mr Matthew Minter.

He said the piece 'Horizons' was inspired by marking HSC students, teaching HSC students and trying to write something suitable for the HSC topic - the last 25 years of Australian  music .

"I feel like this is one of the proudest achievements of my life," Mr Minter said.

In addition to this spellbinding performance from Mr Minter on piano and Dr Robert Manley on Cello, there were a range of vocal, string, woodwind, and brass performances during the evening, ranging from beginners to those completing their high-level AMEB exams.

The talent of our girls is amazing to experience in the intimate and informal environment of our music auditorium, which has exceptional acoustics.     YOU CAN SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE

A reminder from Mr Matthew Minter, PLC Armidale Director of Music

There are In House Concerts once every term. These are a fantastic opportunity for students to perform for supportive audiences and provide a goal and a milestone for often a first performance before the Eisteddfod and the AMEB exams. The Term 1 2025 In House Concert will be on Wednesday March 26. There are some guidelines and expectations around In House Concerts that we would like to remind our students. 

• Students may perform more than one instrument/voice in a concert, however only if there is vacancy. 

• Except for Stage 6 Music students, performances should not exceed 5 minutes, unless by prior arrangement. 

• All students should aim to perform their pieces from memory, or have their performance fluently prepared

• An accompanist is provided for the In House Concert and the cost of the performances are covered by the College. Students are responsible to cover any costs of rehearsals. The accompanist must be given the music at least two weeks prior to the performance (this is facilitated by the google form students complete to apply for performing).

• Students are required to wear full school uniform and introduce their piece. 

• Students and their family are respectfully requested to stay for the duration of their concert to be a supportive audience for the other girls playing. 

• Performing in an In House Concert is a privilege available only to students who support the College Ensemble Program, with the exception of guitarists, recorder players and pianists. 

Art in the Afternoon – Starting Next Term

Art in the Afternoon will be starting next term during lunchtimes with Mrs Schaeffer and our Visual Arts Captains, Daisy Donaldson and Sophie Hardin. Keep an eye out for more details, and come along to get creative!

Celebrating Our Student Successes

We love celebrating our students' achievements! Whether you are excelling in Drama, Dance, Music, or Visual Arts, we want to acknowledge your incredible efforts and share them with the wider school community. Please let us know about your successes so we can recognise them at assemblies and in our newsletters. 2025 is already shaping up to be an outstanding year in Creative and Performing Arts, and we can’t wait to see what our talented students achieve. I

We love seeing students embrace their creativity, challenge themselves, and support each other.

If you have any questions or want to get involved, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s make this a year to remember! 

Armidale Eisteddfod 2025

Our many CAPA ensembles along with Armidale Community are preparing for the next Eisteddfod which starts on Wednesday, 14 May and ends with a Gala Concert on Sunday 15 June  We are proud that our College has always strongly supported this event and we encourage families to watch the many amazing performances throughout the Eisteddfod.

Speech and Drama Eisteddfod - 18, 19 and 20 May

There will be an opportunity for students to compete in some Space Jump groups. These will be on Tuesday 20 May at 6:30pm. If you would like to be in a group this year, please contact Mrs Wysel. The program will be coming out soon.

Dates for your Diary:

Regional Shakespeare Carnival - Thursday 15 May at PLC Armidale

PLC Performs - Whole School - Friday 16 May.

Our PLC Armidale Bel Canto Choir will be performing in this production which promises to be an extraordinary event to commemorate the significance of Easter- click below to book.....

SPORT News

Mrs Lucy Donaldson

Head of Sport

Congratulations to .........

... Georgia Scanlon 

who was selected to try out for the IGSA Representative Touch Football Team in Sydney last week

... Lillian Meredith

who has had a fantastic show season competing in equestrian events with her horses.

Tamworth Show: 1st handler, 2nd ashla, 2nd youth hack , 2nd working gelding, 3rd youth working 

Guyra Show: 3rd junior hack, 3rd junior working

Barraba Show: Phil - 2nd youth hack, 2nd youth working, 1st gelding working; Jimmy - 1st 2yo led, 1st 2yo hack, 2nd 2yo working. 

Glen Innes Show: Phil - 2nd youth working, 4th station horse; Jimmy - 1st hack 4 and under, 1st novice hack, 1st 4 and under working, 2nd novice working

Guyra Branch Show: 1st handler, Champion Handler, 1st youth rider, Champion Youth Rider, 5th youth hack, 1st your pleasure, Champion Youth Pleasure, 1st youth working , Champion Youth Working, 4th gelding led, 1st gelding working, 1st junior judging, 1st junior ashla, Supreme Youth of the Show

Bingara Show: 1st gelding led, Champion Gelding led, 1st youth hack, 1st youth working, Champion Youth, 1st gelding hack, 1st gelding working

.... everyone who participated in the Whole School Cross Country

Despite some not ideal weather conditions, our PLC girls showed their grit and grace and participated in the Whole School Cross Country Carnival last Thursday. Congratulations to everyone who took part and a big thank you to all of the staff for their assistance on the day and to the parents, friends and grandparents who were able to come along and cheer.

See all the photos from the day HERE

It has been a busy but fantastic Term 1 of sport. Well done to all girls for your participation, effort and achievements throughout the term

PLC Representative Netball and Hockey Trials

Following very competitive netball and hockey trials I would like to congratulations our Junior Netball and Hockey Representative teams:

Junior PLC Armidale Rep Netball: Tahlia Burney, Laura Butterworth, Darcie Finlayson, Grace Kelso, Piper McLaren, Sophia Marchant, Xaphyn Petuha, Veja Lee Petuha, Lilah Tate and Sharni Webb.

Junior PLC Armidale Rep Hockey:  Georgie Blake, Anna Blake, Evie Donaldson, Lily Donaldson, Lola Fergsuon,  Poppy-Grace Newton, Ava Greatrex, Camilla Grills, Bec McMahon, Evie Matthews, Brianna Marshall,  Mary Notley, Pippi Notley and Lucie Stephen.

Our Junior Representative teams have commenced their training program this term. The squads are focusing on developing their combinations and building teamwork skills in preparation for their upcoming fixtures.

We look forward to sharing more updates on both teams' progress throughout the season.

Our Netball Opens Team Starts Season Strong

The PLC Opens team has kicked off their 2025 season in the UNE competition with impressive results. The team secured a hard-fought victory against St Albert's (16-13) in their season opener, followed by a convincing win over Robb College (26-18).

Regular training sessions are now underway, with the team showing great commitment as they prepare for the challenges of the 2025 season.

Congratulations to our 4 Touch Football Teams on a fantastic season!

Two of our teams made it through to the Grand Final and one of the won!!

The touch grand final games were very exciting but very wet. Having two teams, the Dominators and Raptors played two tough matches against the Pink Ladies and the TAS 14s. Sadly the Dominators lost in a Drop off 5-4 but the Raptors ended victorious 8-4. 

The PLC Armidale spectators had the most impressive cheer squad, as the Raptors came over to the Dominators game to cheer them on in their final minutes. 

Outstanding playing from all of the touch teams in the finals and congratulations to the Raptors for winning the Grand Final!

See all the photos from the trip HERE

As always, if at any stage you are unsure of anything or need clarification, send me an email at ldonaldson@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au and I will endeavor to get back to you as soon as possible. 

Alternatively, Mrs Stephanie Fahy at the Senior School Reception will be able to assist as well. To assist with knowing what’s on when, here is a snapshot of the Junior and Senior School sports for Term 1, 2024.

Dates for Diary: Term 2

Whole School Athletics Carnival: Thursday 8 May (half day) & Friday 9 May

IGSA Cross Country: Frensham School, Mittagong Friday 16 May

Health News

Immunisation Statements

Just a friendly reminder to all parents: if you haven’t already, please remember to send through your child’s most recent immunisation statement as soon as possible. This is important for ensuring their school records are up to date. Thank you for your cooperation.

EDUMATE MEDICAL DETAILS

If your daughter has an updated treatment plan, new diagnosis or medical needs, it is important that parents update the Edumate Health Conditions of your daughter to ensure that the school is providing the best care.

The Parent Portal can be access through the CONNECT page at connect.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au 

The Health Centre is contactable via 

Email: health@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

Phone: 02 6770 1741

You can find the Spring/Summer edition of the Green Tartan HERE

Send us your news!  

We love to hear about what our alumnae have been doing - so please let us know what has been happening in your life. 

Births, deaths, marriages, milestone celebrations - whatever you feel like sharing with the other Old Girls, please tell us so we can include it in this section of the  Lion's Roar each fortnight.

Our PLC Armidale alumnae are a stellar group of women who excel in a diverse range of areas, leading lives of significance.

Success looks different for everyone, and we like to celebrate it all - not just that which is in the public eye.

Email your news to: communications@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

Want to get together with your class?

If you are interested in joining or organising a milestone reunion group during the Reunion Weekend on 22/23 August 2025, please get in touch with us at enquiries@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

General News