Principal's message

Dear MGSC community 

The warm weather has finally come to Mentone and we are making the most of it! The gardens are looking spectacular thanks to the combination of sun and rain and the care of Tammy, our gardener. 

The school is a very busy place as numerous activities take place throughout the grounds. We have had the years 7 to 10 Public Speaking competition, Year 9 CASAA Community Market Day, Year 10 THRIVE – Share the Dignity Drive, Year 7 Shark Tank project, Outdoor Education camps and excursions. These events do not happen spontaneously but are undertaken by our wonderful staff in collaboration with our students.

In addition to these activities, the classrooms are buzzing as students gear up towards Headstart, that will commence on Monday  21 November. The Year 11 Exams commenced on Wednesday 9 November and the year 9 and 10 exams will commence on Monday 14 November. These exams are a way for students to gradually build their skills in sitting their exams in year 12.  Every experience assists our students to mentally prepare themselves for the final year of school. 

College Captains

The Student Leadership application and interview process has been taking place since last week. I wish to congratulate Candice Prior and Georgie Grubb who have been elected as the College Captains for 2023. I was impressed with their speeches and look forward to working with them next year. I thank every student who has put themselves forward for a leadership position. Even though there will be some disappointment along the way, it is important to remember that every time that we put ourselves forward and don’t succeed on winning a position, that we build resilience and learn from that experience. This is another form of winning so I want every student to know how much I appreciate them going through the process of applying for a leadership position.

Headstart

Teachers are working very hard at the moment to get commence the final stage of writing their reports whilst also looking ahead to taking their 2023 classes during Headstart.  

Dylan Reeves, the Director of Curriculum & Enhancement sent out a Newsfeed to let students and parents know that we will be switching over to the five period day on Monday 21 November. My thanks go to Nicole Merlich and Nick Evans who have been working on the changes to the timetable that need to be put into place for this to happen.

Finally, you will read further on in the newsletter, that we will be launching our school values at the beginning of Headstart. My thanks go to Jenny Connolly, the Director of Pedagogy and Professional Learning, on the enormous amount of work involved in gathering feedback from students, parents and staff in order that we could have a shared commitment to the values of Empowerment, Inclusivity, Achievement and Creativity.  These are terrific values for us to identify with and will shape the way in which we move forward as a school community.

Best wishes

Linda Brown

Principal