A Message from the Principal

Term One

We have seen an outstanding first term with students showing real appreciation for face-to-face lessons and the opportunity to reconnect with teachers and friends and using these to engage with their learning across the year levels. Apart from the five day lockdown which occurred mid-way through the term, the current level of COVID restrictions presents very little impact on the way that the school operates, however we all know that we need to remain vigilant and follow health and hygiene practices carefully. Our students and staff are to be congratulated for the way they have returned to onsite teaching and learning and the successes they have achieved in their work this term.

Progress reports have been provided for all students via Compass and parents/carers who have been able to attend the Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences yesterday and today will now have the most up-to-date information available about their child/children's progress. If it was not possible to attend the conferences and you would like to speak to your child's teacher/s, please contact them directly via email to arrange a time when school resumes next term.

Improving wellbeing through healthy eating

Healthy eating is key part of overall wellbeing and contributes to students' physical and mental health in the short and long-term. The college encourages students to eat healthily not just because of the long term benefits of a healthy diet, but because of the negative effects which poor diet has on students' ability to engage in learning during the school day. One of the most common examples of unhealthy choices are frozen soft-drinks which contain up to 30 teaspoons of sugar. When consumed first thing in the school day this amount of sugar causes a rapid increase in blood-sugar levels which leads to poor concentration levels and students feeling hungry again a very short time later. Over time, excessive sugar consumption has been linked to serious illness including type two diabetes. The Healthy Eating Advisory Service provides information about what a healthy diet should contain.

Our morning Breakfast Club is open on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 8.30 am and is free for all students to drop in and fill up before lesson start. The school canteen is open for recess and lunch (see the General Information section for the menu). Both of these services offer a range of healthy and delicious food and the college aims to minimise the availability of sugary or fried foods.

Most students pack their own lunches and bring food from home each day. If you are looking for some great tips on healthy food options to include in the lunch box, check out the Pic'n'Mix 1-6 poster which can be found here. If students find themselves without any lunch during the school day, they should contact their sub-school team who will provide a nutritional snack.

Parents/carers and students are advised that ordering takeaway food to be delivered to the college is not permitted. If students wish to contact parents, they may use the telephone at Student Reception.

Sexual Consent, Assault and Gender Equity

There has been much in the media recently about issues relating to consent, sexual assault, and gender inequality and the role that schools can play in partnership with parents in educating young people about these significant social and personal issues.

At Melton Secondary College we stand firmly against all kinds of violence including gendered violence. The testimonies provided in the media, by current and former school students across the country, reinforce the need to support students to build and manage safe and respectful relationships.

This year, our college will begin implementing the Respectful Relationships initiative. Respectful Relationships is a whole school approach that supports our school to embed a culture of respect and gender equality across our entire school community.

We also teach respectful relationships education as part of the Victorian Curriculum, which focuses on building students’ social and emotional skills by supporting them to recognise and regulate emotions, develop empathy for others and build and manage safe and respectful relationships (including understanding consent). Our school provides sexuality education as part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Our school takes sexual assault allegations very seriously. We respond to any disclosures in an appropriate and supportive manner. Any allegations are acted upon quickly by following our procedures for responding to allegations of abuse and assault. We report allegations of sexual assault to Victoria Police, and Child Protection and the Department of Education and Training as required.

We will provide support to any students who are victim-survivors of sexual assault. Students can receive support from our Student Wellbeing counsellors, or Principals.

If you have any questions or concerns, or wish to discuss something that has happened, please contact Stacey James (Counsellor), Kathryn Sobey (JSS Principal) or Alan Devine (SSS Principal).

As a parent or carer, if you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault and needs support, please contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au.

You can also access help through:

Students can access help through:

Year 6-7 Transition Information Evening

This Tuesday more than 200 parents/carers and students attended the college Year 6-7 Transition Information Evening to learn about the exciting opportunity for students to engage in and accelerate their learning when they start high school at Melton Secondary College. Each of our tour groups was led capably by two student leaders and presented with information by our wonderful staff about Year 7 subjects. It was fantastic to meet so many parents/carers (and many past MSC students) and so exciting to be helping next year's Year 7 students in their first step of transition to high school. We can't wait to see you all again at Orientation Day in December!