Principal's Report
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Welcome back to the start of a fabulous new year of learning at Mortlake College.
I hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer break. It was great to hear of the sporting and performance successes of many of our students during the holidays and to hear about some of the exciting adventures families and staff had in their time away from school. Hopefully everyone is feeling the positive vibes of the multitude of opportunities that the start of a new year brings.
It was great to come back to school and find it in tip top shape. Many thanks to Dot Jenkins and Brad Tanner for making it possible for several maintenance jobs to take place in the holidays. Thanks also to our Admin team for providing a smooth process of fee paying and uniform and supplies collection.
As communicated during the holidays, Sean has been appointed as the Acting Principal at Brauer College for first term and we wish him all the best with that challenging endeavour. In his absence, I will be the Acting Principal and Michelle Carmody and Nathan Jones will be the Acting Assistant Principals. I am already very grateful for the way all our staff have been prepared to step up and help me and I’m excited by the opportunity to take the helm for a term.
In other staffing changes, Dianne Britton joins us in the 3/4 classroom. Di is a very experienced teacher who will make a great addition to our primary area.
Jeffrey Nicol is our new 6- 10 Art teacher. Jeffrey has done some great work with us in the past and we look forward to his creative input. Liz Harper is returning to school from Family Leave. Liz will spend two days in the primary class rooms teaching Respectful Relationships and Numeracy. In a climate of severe teacher shortage across the state, we are fortunate to have a full component of well qualified and enthusiastic staff on board.
Brooke Baker, our new Business Manager is now onsite full time, being ably supported by Dot in the transition of our Finance & Facilities management.
We’ve also welcomed many new families to the school, with 14 Foundation students and 11 new students across other year levels joining us this year. Thank you for choosing Mortlake College as your children’s educational home. I look forward to meeting you personally, if I have not already done so.
First term is already shaping up to be a busy one with swimming and athletic sports, Naplan and the start of Production rehearsals all crammed in to a short term. Please keep an eye on the calendar for important dates and don’t hesitate to check in with your child’s teacher or advocate, or with the office if you’re uncertain about anything.
Our VCE/VM students have started the year with an adventure, spending 2 days in Melbourne last week looking at further education opportunities. Thanks to Mr Jones, Mr Le and Jenni Goddard for facilitating the camp.
A couple of particular dates to note are our P-6 pupil free day on Feb 14th, (school as normal for 7-12) and our parent/teacher interviews on March 25th (no classes that day).
Our new School Council will be elected in March. We have several vacancies for parents. Please consider nominating for this group. It is not an onerous task but a vital one for the operation of the school and it is a great opportunity to have a say in decisions that affect your child. Nomination forms are available at the office or you can contact me directly to discuss the role.
Please also note the after school pick up procedures that has been added to the newsletter today. The Activity Centre carpark is a space that requires us all to carefully follow procedures to keep our young people safe.
This week we have our House Swimming Sports on Wednesday at the town pool. It’s our first big school even for the year and we look forward to seeing lots of spectators.
Anne De Manser
Acting Principal
