MLC School | |
---|---|
Address | |
Rowley Street , , 2134 Australia | |
Coordinates | 33°52′14″S151°6′5″E / 33.87056°S 151.10139°E |
Information | |
Former names |
|
Type | Independent single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day school |
Motto | Latin: Ut filiae lucis ambulate (Walk as daughters of the light) |
Denomination | Uniting Church |
Established | 1886 (as Wesleyan Ladies’ College) |
Educational authority | New South Wales Department of Education |
Chairman | Pauline Johnson |
Principal | Lisa Moloney |
Chaplain | Vanessa Williams-Henke and Viniana Ravatali |
Staff | 142 teaching staff (2014) [1] |
Years | Early learning and K–12 |
Gender | Girls |
Enrolment | 1,161 (2014 [1] ) |
Colour(s) | Blue and light blue |
Website | www |
MLC School (previously Methodist Ladies' College) is an independent Uniting Church single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day school for girls, located in the inner western Sydney suburb of Burwood, New South Wales, Australia. The school enrols students from early learning, through kindergarten to year 12. [2]
MLC School was founded in 1886 to prepare students for entrance to the University of Sydney, which had only admitted women to degrees four years before. [3] With the view that much more could be expected of girls’ skills and talents during their school education, MLC School was one of the first schools in Australia to offer girls the same level of education as boys. [4]
In 1889, a kindergarten was introduced, placing MLC School in the forefront of educational practice. Founding principal Charles John Prescott believed in the education of very young children and persuaded the college council to establish a co-educational kindergarten. It is believed that MLC School was one of the first to establish a purpose-built kindergarten building. In 1890, Miss Scheer became the MLC School kindergarten teacher. Scheer had received her training in Germany in the methods developed by Friedrich Fröbel. Miss Scheer, and her training under in the principles of Friedrich Fröbel are mentioned in the school history Walk In The Light but unfortunately her Christian name is not recorded. [5]
MLC School has a long tradition in science education. The school's first science laboratory was built in 1924 and chemistry and physics were promptly added to the curriculum. MLC School became the first school in the state to present girls for the Leaving Certificate in physics. [6]
MLC School was also a boarding school until 1977, when a fire destroyed the sleeping dormitories, dining room, offices and some classrooms. When assessed, it was decided that a significant portion of the affected buildings would have to be demolished. Due to falling demand for boarding accommodation, the school council decided not to rebuild the boarding quarters and to phase out the boarding school, which closed at the end of 1979.[ citation needed ]
In June 1977, when the Methodist Church was incorporated into the new union of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches, the Methodist Ladies College Burwood became known officially as MLC School. Today, MLC School is a day school that forms part of the Uniting Church of Australia.[ citation needed ]
In 1886, founding principal Prescott [7] and MLC School's drawing and painting teacher Miss Douglas[ who? ] designed the MLC School crest. The crest depicts the book of learning and the star of knowledge on the cross of Saint George.
The MLC School motto, chosen by Prescott, is from the Vulgate: Ut filiae lucis ambulate ('walk as daughters of the light').[ citation needed ]
Prescott also chose the MLC School colours to honour his alma mater Oxford and its rival institution Cambridge: two bands of dark blue (for love of Oxford) with light blue inserted (for love of Cambridge). [8]
The MLC School song is Here In This House with music written by Australian composer Lindley Evans [9] [10] who was a visiting music teacher at MLC School from 1930 until 1946 and lyrics written by English poet laureate John Masefield. [11]
A number of recent facilities at the school have been designed and constructed by architects Ed Lippmann and Associates, starting with the MLC School Aquatic Centre, which was opened by Dawn Fraser in 2003. The Junior School was completed and opened in 2009 by the Governor-General of Australia Quentin Bryce. The facilities available in the junior school include flexible learning spaces, learning studios, small group areas, wet areas, a literature and resource hub, outdoor learning and play spaces, the piazza, the kiss and drop, and the welcome wall.[ citation needed ]
MLC Burwood, particularly the main school site bounded by Rowley and Grantham Street and Park Road, is listed on the local government heritage register. [12]
From 1886 to 1972, MLC School operated under a dual control system with the principal connecting the school to the church and performing religious instruction, and the headmistress administering the day-to-day running, general education and discipline. In 1972 the system changed to single control with the Principal overseeing all the leadership duties. MLC School's principal is Lisa Moloney.
Principal | Headmistress | ||
---|---|---|---|
1886–1899 | Charles John Prescott | 1886–1887 | E. Shiels |
1900–1914 | E.J. Rodd [13] | 1887–1909 | M.F. Wearne [14] |
1915–1922 | L.H.Kelynack | 1909–1912 | [15] |
1922–1933 | T. Frederick Potts [16] | 1912–1940 | Miss M.H. Sutton |
1933–1939 | H.C. Foreman [17] | 1941–1959 | Gladys Wade [17] |
1940–1947 | W. Deane [18] | 1960–1972 | Alice Whitley [19] |
1948–1959 | R.B Lew | ||
1960–1964 | Winston D'Arcy O'Reilly [20] | ||
1965–1969 | E.A. Bennett [21] [22] | ||
1973–1989 | Kenneth Cornwell [23] | ||
1990–2011 | Barbara Stone [24] | ||
2011–2016 | Denice Scala [25] | ||
2016–2017 | Louise Robert-Smith [26] | ||
2018–present | Lisa Moloney [27] |
MLC School is registered and accredited with the New South Wales Board of Studies, and therefore follows the mandated curriculum for all years. In Year 12, the Higher School Certificate (HSC) or the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum are followed.
MLC became an IB World School in August 1999 and offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) to all students in Years 11 and 12 [28] as an alternative to the HSC.
Students undertaking the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in their final two years at school select one subject from each of six core study areas, ensuring a breadth of subject choice through humanities, experimental sciences, mathematics, arts and compulsory language study. The IB Diploma also requires a CAS component (hours dedicated to creativity, action and service), Theory of Knowledge classes and an Extended (5,000 word) Essay in a subject area of the student's choice.[ citation needed ]
The International Baccalaureate is offered as an international / global alternative to the NSW Higher School Certificate. It has been offered at MLC School since 2001 and is chosen by 30% of MLC School's graduates.[ citation needed ] MLC School's 2010 IB Diploma results included four perfect scores, converting to the maximum Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) of 99.95. The School's IB Diploma median rank was 98.80.[ citation needed ] The combined 2010 HSC and IB Diploma scores also resulted in 55% of candidates receiving an ATAR of 90.00 or above, with 14 candidates scoring 99.00 or above.[ citation needed ]
Primary school students may partake in competitive sport through MLC School's membership of the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA). These competitions are usually held on Saturday mornings and include sports such as: tee-ball/softball, tennis, netball, cricket, minkey/hockey and soccer.[ citation needed ]
Secondary school students compete against 28 other similar type schools in the Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association (IGSSA) competition. These competitions occur on Saturday mornings or in the form of carnivals and include sports such as: netball, softball, swimming, diving, cricket, tennis, athletics, fencing, cross country, rowing, hockey, soccer, water polo, basketball, touch football and gymnastics.[ citation needed ]
Students who perform well at JSHAA or IGSSA level may be invited to compete in NSW Combined Independent Schools' (CIS) competitions.[ citation needed ]
From its inception, MLC School has valued academic and co-curricular achievements equally. MLC School was the first school to give girls equal access to sports when on 3 November 1906 the first Athletics Sports Carnival for girls in Australia was held at MLC School. “At first other schools seemed to wonder if it was quite the correct thing, but next year some of them followed suit, and eventually all who had held up hands of horror, put them down and joined in too.” [29]
MLC School offers instrumental music lessons in over twenty instruments to both current MLC students and external students. Lessons are conducted by professional musicians. Students interested in music are offered the opportunity to perform on a number of levels, including at studio concerts and smaller groups. Performance opportunities are available every year in the Sydney Town Hall and biennially at the Sydney Opera House.[ citation needed ]
From the beginning, music has held a special status at MLC School. The school's founding principal Prescott wanted his students to achieve tangible recognition for their achievements through examinations in music theory. MLC School was integral in the establishment of the Trinity College (London) musical theory examinations in Australia – the first board to examine candidates in music in Australia. The first MLC School Trinity College results are noted in the School's Examination Results in 1887, just one year after the School was established.[ citation needed ]
MLC School's senior school has ten houses. Four were created in 1942, and the other six were added in 1992.[ citation needed ]
MLC School's primary school still utilises the original four houses.[ citation needed ]
Each House has a staff Head of House and House Tutors. Spirited inter-House competition takes place every year as Houses vie for honours in debating, chess, literature, athletics, cross-country racing and swimming to take out the Spirit and Points Trophies on Speech Night at the end of the year.[ citation needed ]
The first four houses were established by Headmistress Dr Gladys Wade in 1942. [30] The House names were chosen from Aboriginal words commencing with the letters MLCB to fit the first letters of Methodist Ladies’ College Burwood, and their emblems were drawn from the MLC School Crest.
These house colours, when combined with the indigo and light blue of the school colours, create white light, which echoes the school motto: "Walk as daughters of the light".[ citation needed ]
In MLC School's 1986 centenary history Walk in the Light, G. Wade (in 1942) described the aims of the original house system as: “giving students interests wider than those of their own class or age group and creating a greater feeling of belonging to the school as a whole. It also allowed more students to become involved in organising and decision making... The system would permeate almost every aspect of school life, providing a basis for friendly, but nevertheless intense competition”. [31]
As the school population grew, Wade's vision began to erode as each of the four Houses grew to over 200 students. At this level, the house system had little meaning other than as a convenient way of dividing the school for sporting and debating competitions.[ citation needed ]
In 1992, the addition of six new houses was an attempt to restore the system to its original intent. Expanding the house system strengthened the pastoral care program, [32] [ failed verification ] and provided students with more leadership opportunities and greater encouragement for participation in the wider life of the school.
With ten houses, each student was able to operate within a unit of about eighty students and participation becomes a necessity rather than an option. The impact of this was immediately evident with greater involvement in swimming, sports and gymnastics competitions held during Term 4 1992.[ citation needed ]
The six new houses introduced in 1992 were named after people and places of significance in the history of MLC School.
This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(October 2016) |
Sarah Eliza Lester moved her ladies’ college (for the fifth and last time prior to her retirement in 1885 when she moved across the road to 47 Park Road) to a large two-storey house on the Park Road / Rowley Street corner called ‘Kent House’ which stood on part of the ‘Burwood’ estate of 750 acres granted to Thomas Rowley by Governor John Hunter in 1799. (Until 1886, Park Road was known as River View Terrace and Rowley Street was known as Rowley Place.)
The Kent House estate consisted of 2.5 acres, about 1 acre being grassland on the opposite side of Park Road from the school. (Separating this field from Burwood Park was ‘Abbeythorpe’ which was built by the Starling family in the mid 1800s and acquired by the school in 1923 to be used as the Junior School.)
On 22 May 1885, the Wesleyan Conference Committee considered Lester's school at the Park/Rowley corner as a possible site for the Wesleyan Ladies College that they wished to establish to complement Newington College.
The main building consisted of four ground floor rooms and several bedrooms upstairs. A cottage (where Schofield Hall / the Chapel now stands), a stable, a coach house, a fowl house and a paddock on the other side of Park Road were included, bringing the area of purchase to one hectare. The Sydney Morning Herald advertisement on the 23 January 1886 stated that “the premises (Kent House) have been occupied as a school by Miss Lester for many years past and are consequently well-known.”
As student numbers rose, plans were made for a significant extension to the buildings. The Kent House cottage, which had been used mainly for sleeping accommodation, was to be demolished and replaced with a two-storey building with dining hall and suite of bedrooms above.
The early days of MLC School were plagued by financial problems. Unlike other schools at the time, it had not started with a personal endowment. Prescott appealed for donations, stating that the school “started in faith, perhaps in the hope that some generous friend might come forward and do something to lighten the debt incurred by the buying of the College.”
The first ‘generous friend’ was Ellen Schofield, the wealthy widow of W. Schofield, a Wesleyan minister. Schofield provided the sum of £2,000 (approx $1 million in today's money) to the new Wesleyan Ladies College (as MLC School was then known), to build the Boarder's dormitory hall and dining room.
The new Boarder's dormitory hall and dining room (foundation stone laid in 1891) was named Schofield Hall. It was designed by Harry C. Kent (a leading Sydney architect who was President of the NSW Institute of Architects for two terms) who also made provision for two towers. Years later Schofield donated another £800 towards the construction of the northern Tower Wing.
In 1977 a fire destroyed the upstairs sleeping dormitory of Schofield Hall. The ground floor survived and is now the MLC School Chapel.
The Tower Wing (foundation stone laid 1918) was designed by Alfred Newman in a Tudor Gothic style to harmonise with the existing architecture of the Schofield Hall which it adjoins. A prominent feature in the new building was the large tower, 24 feet square, and four stories in height. This tower, which was fitted as the residence of the Principal, was covered with a flat roof that was utilised as a promenade.
The Tower Wing provided four additional large classrooms and eight music rooms, as well as bedrooms and sleeping-out balconies for the staff and boarders. Provision was also made for servants’ quarters, and ample shower and other facilities.
The Tower Wing once extended the length of what is now the Cornwell Building. Most of it was demolished in 1989 to make way for the Cornwell Building. Remaining from the original structure are the Tower, Sutherland Rooms and Deputy Principal's office.
In late 1923 Abbeythorpe, a residence that stood between the school's playing fields and Burwood Park, was purchased from Mrs Starling. Abbeythorpe was used from 1924 for the kindergarten and primary classes with accommodation for Boarders on the upper floor. The property not only had a large two storey Victorian Italianate house, but also contained a small tennis court.
It had four classes, two on the ground floor and two on the second floor. It had not been renovated to look like a school though, the original rooms just had desks placed in them and a blackboard installed at the front.
Abbeythorpe was demolished in 1972, and in 1978 the Gymnasium (still located within the Aquatic Centre) was built on the site.
By 1925 the growth in student numbers made it clear that a new hall was desperately needed. It was resolved to go ahead and build a new hall on the site of the original kindergarten building on the corner of Rowley and Grantham Streets.
The new block was to have a tower to balance the Tower Wing and was to incorporate a gymnasium and art room as well as new classrooms. The building was opened in June 1926 complete with hall which seated 1,000 people.
The gym on the ground floor was fitted out with money raised at a fete in the previous year. Funds raised by the Old Girls’ Union provided furnishings for the new Hall.
Initially called the Assembly Hall, the building was renamed Potts Hall in 1933 on Potts’ death.
On 29 April 1929 the Parents’ and Friends’ Association was established with the objective of assisting in “any way possible the promotion of the interests of the College, and to supplement school equipment”. The original members chose as their first objective “the provision of a swimming pool in the College grounds”.
The Great Depression and WWII meant that fund raising was a challenge, but on 9 March 1957 the P&F had their “fulfilment of a dream” and the first MLC School pool was officially opened.
In August 1949 a two-storey house, Youngarra, located on the corner of Rowley and Gordon Streets was purchased by the school. Youngarra contained fourteen rooms on a quarter of a hectare of much needed land. The building was renamed Kent House, in memory of the original school building. It was occupied by the kindergarten and lower primary school.
Youngarra was demolished in 1966 and replaced by a new and larger building which brought all the kindergarten and primary school under the one roof. This was to become the third building on MLC School premises to be named Kent House. In 2009 when the junior school relocated to its new premises on Park Road and Kent House became the MLC School Art and Design Centre.
In 1936 Cartreff, a two-story house at 36 Grantham Street was purchased and rename Sutton House in honour of the former student and long standing Headmistress, Mabel Sutton. It was to provide additional classrooms and was purchased with a view to future development.
In 1949 the grand Sutton House was completed. Its first floor housed the contents of the former Fiction and Reference Libraries. The new combined library retained the name Wearne Library (in memory of the former MLC School headmistress, Minnie Wearne), and for the first time a full-time trained Librarian was employed. It occupied most of the first floor of Sutton House and contained shelving for 8,000 books.
The construction of the new Sutton House also provide new science laboratories, a geography room and two senior rooms. The new ‘Wearne Library’ was noted for its simple and light finishes and spaces and was for use of the entire school. The Old Girls’ Union had donated the furniture.
In 1962 extensions to Sutton House were made at a right angle to Sutton House along the then northern boundary of the school.
The tennis court on Grantham Street between Potts Hall and Sutton Hall was replaced by Wade House in 1961, a modern two storey brick building which featured façade panels highlighting the architectural fashion of the day. The building was noted for its contemporary internal finishes and provided a bright and roomy art room, five large classrooms on the first floor as well as several smaller rooms, domestic science and well appointed staff room on the ground floor.
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy.(May 2019) |
Ravenswood School for Girls is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for Prep to Year 12 girls, situated in Gordon, an Upper North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Abbotsleigh is an independent Anglican early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Wahroonga, on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Croydon is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) west of the Sydney central business district. Croydon is split between the two local government areas of Municipality of Burwood and the Inner West Council.
Burwood is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Municipality of Burwood.
Newington College is a multi-campus independent Uniting Church single-sex and co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1863 at Newington House, Silverwater, the college celebrated its sesquicentenary in 2013. The college is open to boys of all faiths and denominations. Newington has been governed by an Act of Parliament since 1922.
SCEGGS Darlinghurst is an independent Anglican single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Darlinghurst, an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Methodist Ladies' College is a non-selective, non-denominational private day and boarding school for girls, located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The school has two additional outdoor education campuses known as "Marshmead" and "Banksia".
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, is an independent, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, situated in Peppermint Grove, a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
Santa Sabina College is a multi-campus independent Roman Catholic, single-sex, early learning, primary and secondary day school for girls from Year 5 to Year 12; and a co-educational day school from early learning years through Prep to Year 4. Located on eight hectares in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney; and on 97 hectares in Tallong, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia; students are educated in the Dominican tradition. Established in 1894, Santa Sabina has a non-selective enrolment policy and as of 2007 catered to approximately 1,400 students.
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne (PLC), is an independent, private, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls, located in Burwood, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent early learning, primary and secondary school for girls, located in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school has a non-selective enrolment policy, and caters for approximately 1,500 girls from age 4 to 18, including day students and 65 boarders. Established in 1888 by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of NSW, PLC Sydney is the oldest continuously running Presbyterian Church school in its state.
The Australian International School Hong Kong is a private co-educational international school in Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. Established in 1995, the school provides education for children from Preparatory to Year 12 plus a Reception (K2) kindergarten class.
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls. The school is located in Armidale, a large rural town with a population of 28,000 in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia.
Tara Anglican School for Girls is an independent Anglican single-sex, early learning, primary, secondary, day, and boarding school for girls, located in North Parramatta, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Marist Catholic College North Shore is an independent systemic Roman Catholic K–12 coeducational precinct, located in North Sydney, Australia.
Charles John Prescott was an English born Australian army chaplain, Methodist minister and headmaster.
Woodcourt College was an independent Anglican single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Wardell Road on the boundary between Marrickville and Dulwich, inner western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school was also known as Dulwich Hill Ladies College and Kindergarten. The school opened in 1905 and closed in 1935; its records are held by the State Library of New South Wales.
Dr Alice Whitley was an Australian chemist and educator. Whitley focused on the science education of women and was for 50 years a faculty member at her alma mater Methodist Ladies' College. She worked as a science teacher and headmistress. Whitley served as president of the Australian Science Teachers Association and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools.
Shubra Hall is a heritage-listed former semi-rural suburban estate and mansion residence and now administration building for school purposes at Boundary Street in the Sydney suburb of Croydon, Municipality of Burwood, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Albert Bond and built from 1869 to 1888 in the Victorian Second Empire architectural style. It is also known as Presbyterian Ladies' College, PLC Croydon and Hordernville. The property is owned by the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 19 December 2014.
Gertrude Amy Roseby was an Australian Congregationalist lay leader as well as school teacher, principal and co-owner of a school with her sister (Sarah) Mabel Roseby.
{{cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (help){{cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (help){{cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (help)