With a world view

The world for the PLC student of today is very different from that of previous generations. Change is her constant; the world will be her neighbourhood, whether she is living in Melbourne or another country. Travel and life in different cultural settings are likely to be realities for the majority of our students, whether temporarily when they travel for pleasure or employment or at a more personal level through friendships. To prepare a young person to thrive on the challenges of a cross-cultural life is an important piece in the jigsaw that represents an education for the future.

The PLC curriculum offers students the opportunity to develop a broad world-view. The study of languages has been highly regarded from the school’s earliest days and is a feature of the curriculum from Year 3 to Year 12. Students may undertake extended language study tours to France, Germany and Japan; in recent times, students and staff have undertaken study visits to Ge Zhi High School in Shanghai, Classics tours to Italy, Greece, France and England, a History tour to Paris, St Petersburg and Moscow and a Music tour through Asia. And for the student who does not undertake such travel, there is the opportunity to host, or share classes with, the many exchange students who visit PLC. Within the broader curriculum, an international perspective is developed across a range of subject units with the International Baccalaureate, an option for senior students.

Of course, the PLC Community itself, with almost eighty international students and many others who have family ties with, or who have lived in, other countries, provides the ideal opportunity to develop an understanding of cultural diversity and contribute to our world-view. Similarly, our boarders, a group of 110 students from rural Australia and many other countries, bring a range of perspectives and understandings that enrich College life. They have the opportunity to move well beyond national boundaries and form friendships that can envelop entire families.

An orientation program for overseas students and families aims to ease the transition to life in a new country with a different culture. Our cross-cultural connections program aims to bring all staff and students to an understanding of the difficulties experienced when someone makes such a transition, whether in adolescence or adulthood. This is a transition many of our students will make.

In 2005, PLC consolidated its position as a school that is committed to preparing students for the world in which they will live by successfully undertaking the rigorous accreditation process for membership of the Council of International Schools.