Principal's Post
Dear Parents,
On Wednesday Evening the parents gathered as part of the Parents and Friends Association. The social event enabled an opportunity to introduce a number of key figures in our Governance Structures at the College. Fr Harry Dyer OMI was introduced to the group as our eighth College Rector. Fr Harry has been welcomed on several occasions to date at the respective Information Evenings and he is quickly realising the full calendar of events that exist as we are returning to our conventional programmes. We also introduced our newly elected Chair of the Schools Advisory Council, formerly referred to as the College Board. Dr Eugene Fredericks was introduced and is now the 4th Chair in the College’s 54-year history. We also formally introduced Dr Matthew Fyfield to the parents and friends. Matt is an addition to our Leadership Team at the College and is Deputy Principal of Learning and Innovation. I have included excerpts from their bios as presented on the evening.
Dr Eugene Fredericks - Chair of the Schools Advisory Board
Eugene brings to the position a wealth of experience and expertise. He has a background across the international corporate sector, local not-for-profit sector, and the higher education sector. He is currently working as the Chief Operating Officer on the Management Team in the Faculty of Medicine at Monash (last 6.5 years). His previous position was in the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne (8 years).
His experience in operations: financial management; capital planning and refurbishments; research management; OHS management; HR; strategic planning and recruitment; liaising with externals stakeholders in hospitals and research institutes; and involvement in numerous committees, working groups, and selection panels will be such an asset to our strategic planning and operational needs.
Eugene’s educational background is a PhD in molecular biology (Monash University) and an MBA (RMIT University).
Eugene’s family are members of St Justin’s Parish. Eugene and Dale have a son in Year 8 and Mitchell’s younger brother will join us in 2026. Eugene is also associated with the Old Collegians Cricket Club and is currently Captain of the Veterans.
Mr Michael Curtis – Vice-Chair of the Schools Advisory Board
Michael is a former student of the College graduating in 2006. Michael and Anna have four sons ranging from the ages of 1 to 7 years old. In no time they will be wearing the Mazenod blazer as they embark on their secondary education pathway.
Michael has extensive experience in the area of Finance. For the last 12 years, he has fulfilled senior finance roles in large organizations. This includes involvement in Group Board functions, Company Secretary roles and sub-committees such as Audit Committees.
Outside of work he has led the VFL Umpires Association as the President for many years which involves leading over 200 umpires, managing stakeholder engagement, developing 5-year strategic plans, re-writing constitutions, negotiating EBA agreements and dealing with fair work legislation.
Dr Matthew Fyfield – Deputy Principal Learning and Innovation
Matt Fyfield has spent the last four years completing a PhD in Education through Monash University. His work focussed on teacher knowledge development and educational technology. He also has research published on human-software entanglement and algorithmic platforms. In other words, he likes to talk about how YouTube works.
During this time at Monash, Matt also worked on high-level projects concerning learning analytics and high impact teaching strategies for Monash Education Innovation and the Victorian Department of Education.
Prior to his work at Monash, Matt worked at Mazenod for nine years, mostly as the Religious Education Coordinator, and more recently as a Digital Coach. Prior to Mazenod, Matt spent a year teaching in Tanzania, and when a young teacher worked at Our Lady of Sion College in Box Hill.
Matt is drawn to Mazenod because of his deep love of the Oblate Charism that calls us to walk closely with people, leading them to see themselves through the loving eyes of God. It was working for this aim that drew him back from academia.
On Wednesday evening Sam Warner was presented with The Colin McCormick Memorial Scholarship for 2020. Sam’s parents, Mrs Noone and Ms Cranston attended the evening and were very pleased that it was noted Sam is the third Mazenod College student to receive this Scholarship. Sam is continuing his studies as part of his undergraduate studies.
The Year 10s enjoyed their Activities Week which included an overnight Outdoor Education Experience, Driver Education and classes in Personal Development. One of the workshops presented during the week was from the organization Elephant ED who focussed on the topic of Pornography vs Reality as part of our overall Respectful Relationships Programme.
Finally, our Year 12 students addressed Assembly launching our 2021 Mission Action Day schedule and Fund Raiser. For many reasons, including COVID-19, there has never been a more important time to provide resources to those around the world that are economically vulnerable. We are also very sensitive that for many families and for many sponsors, who have been so generous in the past, times are quite complicated at the moment. Students are expected to be part of the Mission Action Day festivities and are expected to contribute to whatever extent they can. They have been encouraged to make their own contribution if possible and to be sensitive when requesting sponsorship. Mission Action Day remains our major way of offering both moral and financial support to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and their remarkable work across the world.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Tony Coghlan
Principal