From the Principal
Dear Parents, Carers, and Members of our School Community,
On Tuesday this week, we gathered for our Remembrance Day Service, a moving and meaningful occasion that reminded us of the importance of honouring those who have served and sacrificed for our country. For the first time, we held the service in our Rob Herbert Gym, and I was incredibly proud of how our students adapted to this change with grace and respect.
Our special guests and dignitaries joined us in commemorating this important event and a particular highlight was Jackson Sweatman (Year 8) performing The Last Post on the bugle—an incredibly poignant and memorable moment. Our students demonstrated exemplary behaviour and deep respect throughout the service, reflecting the values we strive to uphold as a community.
As we move deeper into the term, our students are busy with end-of-year exams, showing determination and commitment to their studies. At the same time, we are excited to welcome members of our community to participate in our Year 7 Portfolio Presentations and Year 8 Shark Tank Panels—events that showcase creativity, critical thinking, and authentic learning in action.
Looking ahead, our Fast Forward Program will commence on 24 November. This is always an exciting time for students, as they get a glimpse into their 2026 curriculum and experience the opportunities and challenges that await them in their next year level. The enthusiasm and sense of renewal this program brings is wonderful to witness each year.
Thank you for your continued support of our students and school community. Together, we are building a culture of respect, resilience, and growth.
Warm regards,
Denise Leggett
Acting Principal
Important Dates
Senior School
To students and families of the Mornington Senior School,
And just like that, all our senior school students have finished classes until the start of the Fast Forward program on November 24th. Our Year 10 and 11 students were commended on their attitude to their English exams on Wednesday, with supervisors noting how settled and quiet they were, while working consistently throughout writing time.
Our Year 11 VM students have been working through their end of year presentations as well, with the staff noting that the standard has improved again on previous years. This is no doubt a reflection of the practices for which we were awarded recently in the Peninsula Applied Learning (PAL) awards.
2026 Elective allocations (Year 9-12)
By the time of printing all 2026 subject allocations should have been released, with Year 10s (2026) being made available on Friday 14th November. Students are not expected to have textbooks ready for the Fast Forward program but should bring exercise books, pens and a charged laptop to each class to be used as directed by the teacher.
Fast Forward Timetables on Compass
The timetable for Fast Forward will become visible in Compass during the next week. Running a future timetable using current staff is always a little challenging from a logistical point of view but Ms Collins and I are working hard to have it ready to go. Class staffing for Fast Forward is not always indicative of 2026 staffing.
Subject Change Requests
The next window for subject changes will occur in the Fast Forward period from the 24th November, with students all expected to complete at least a week of schooling prior to any application for changes. We have a rigorous course counselling process which students have been through during this year so we expect a minimal number of subject change requests, and any applications will need to go through a series of steps.
- Any changes will be requested through the relevant year level teams.
- Any approved subject change applications will generally take place for the start of the 2026 school year and only if there is space in the relevant class and the change has been recommended by the Careers team (for Years 11 and 12), the Year Level team and the relevant Assistant Principal.
- In the case of VCE subject changes, students may be expected to complete the coursework from the fast forward program prior to being dismissed for the year. So, students may need to attend on Dec 8th and 9th to ensure they go into the holidays being up to date.
Key Senior School events for Term 4 2025
Kind regards,
Nick Evans
Senior School Assistant Principal
Acknowledging Our Education Support Staff – The Unsung Heroes
At Mornington Secondary College, our school community thrives because of the commitment, skill and quiet dedication of the people who work behind the scenes every day. While teachers and students are often the most visible part of school life, our support staff are the steady hands that keep the College running smoothly, safely and positively.
Across the school, our integration aides work tirelessly alongside students who need additional support, helping to build confidence, independence and a sense of belonging. Their work—often subtle and always student-centred—makes a profound difference to learning outcomes.
Our office and administration staff are the frontline of the College, assisting families, enrolling new students, coordinating communication and ensuring the everyday logistics of a busy school continue without interruption. Their professionalism and calm approach anchor the entire school community.
Behind the scenes, Pathways, Lab Tech, Food Tech, ICT team, Grounds and Maintenance Crew, and Canteen staff each play a vital role in creating an environment where students can learn, explore and succeed. Whether it’s preparing resources, maintaining safe spaces, troubleshooting devices, their contribution shapes our students’ daily experience.
As we head toward the end of the year, it is important to pause and recognise the collective impact of our support staff. Their dedication exemplifies our College values of Achievement, Respect, Community, and we are deeply grateful for everything they do.
On behalf of the entire MSC community—thank you.
Mike Parker
Assistant Principal - Curriculum and Student Wellbeing
Students of the Week
Year 7 Mia Zonneveldt
Favourite food: Mexican
Hobbies out of school: Swimming, seeing friends
What sports team do you follow? Hawthorn
Favourite movie/TV show: Outer Banks
Do you have any pets? A dog named Chilli
What do you enjoy most about being at Mornington Secondary College? I like art and I liked camp
What career do you wish to follow when you finish school? Not sure yet
Year 7 Xavier Motherwell
Favourite food: Chicken
Hobbies out of school: Basketball & Footy
What sports team do you follow? Geelong
Favourite movie/TV show: Home Alone
Do you have any pets? A dog named Hazel a cat named Mittens
What do you enjoy most about being at Mornington Secondary College? Interschool sport & friends
What career do you wish to follow when you finish school? Not sure yet, maybe a tradie.
Art Show
We are proud to celebrate and share the work of Semester 2 Art, Media, Photography & Textiles Year 7-10 students. Please join us on Wednesday November 19th, between 3.30-6pm in the Gallery in M Block. Click on the image to RSVP.
End Of Year Activities Week: 16th - 18th December
We still have some spots available for end of year activities week. The activities offer a range of off-site and on-site supervised fun in the wind down to school holidays, and include, but aren't limited to:
- Tree Surfing at Enchanted Adventures,
- Le Mans Go Karting and Laser Tag,
- Learn to Surf at Phillip Island, and
- Gravity Zone Jump and Laser Tag.
To view options and book tickets, please use the below link.
Bookings for the End of Year Activities Week close on Sunday 23rd November, unless sold out.
Emma Kirkos
Activities Week Co-ordinator
Remembrance Day
Tuesday November 11 saw our school and greater community come together to commemorate and honour armed force members who have died in the line of duty. Due to the weather, we moved our service indoors this year, and it was a proud moment to watch our Drum and Flag Corp adapt so well to the new, last minute, setting.
Acting Principal Denise Leggett and our outgoing 2025 College Captains ran a beautiful service, and afterwards welcomed special school guests to a morning tea. Our school leaders, across a range of year levels, were fantastic ambassadors to our school throughout the morning and received many well deserved compliments from our visitors on the day.
Special mention also goes to to Rebecca Waring who performed the National Anthem and Jackson Sweatman, who was accompanied by Head of Music Joe Tobias, in performing the Last Post on the bugle.
Ink vs Algorithm: Science Gallery (The University of Melbourne)
On Wednesday November 12 I had the privilege of taking a great group of students from our current Year 9 Advanced Maths and next years Year 9 Advanced Maths to The University of Melbourne’s Science Gallery for a session on evading AI.
Students were shown how AI recreated a drawing of a cat based on 9 pictures drawn by humans. Sentence prompts were provided for students to try creating original sentences that AI could not predict. They all created some very original sentences that AI did not manage to predict. The next stage involved training AI to recognise a series of drawings for an object, a feeling and a nonsense word. Students learnt that AI relies on data to create answers, and hence the more data and the more accurate the data the more accurate the answer. If AI is provided with inaccurate or limited data, the results are questionable. Students really enjoyed trying to trick and outwit AI with their drawings and creative sentences.
Thanks to Alex Healey for her assistance on the day.
Some of our students provided this insight on the day:
On Wednesday, the 12th the Advanced Year 8 and 9 Math classes ventured into the city to participate in the Ink vs Algorithm Melbourne University Science Gallery Workshop. It was a great opportunity as we got to debate about the ethical side of AI. Is AI creative? Should a robot get the credit for their work or should the people that program the AI get the credit? We worked in groups of three to test out different AI programs and try to not let the AI guess what we were trying to say or draw. After we successfully trained a basic AI to recognize words we walked to Lygon Street. We walked up and down taking in the many different foods. We then stopped at a park and were able to go get food. It was a great day because we got to ask challenging questions. Chloe Smith, Year 9
The Year 9 and Year 8 Advanced Math classes went to the Melbourne University Science Gallery on the 12th of November to take part in the Ink vs Algorithm excursion. The Ink vs Algorithm excursion was a combination of art and science and how we can evade AI. We learnt how AI learns to recognise drawings and how AI takes inspiration from what we show it to make its own piece. By using this information we learnt how to evade AI. It was such an interesting day, spending time learning about science, art and AI with our friends and our teachers. We all had so much fun and would definitely do it again. Grace Estcourt, Year 9
Dana Lamb
Head of Science
Year 9 Japanese Restaurant Experience
On Wednesday November 12th Year 9 Japanese students attended an excursion to Pika Sushi on Main St Mornington. Our students have been learning how to order at a restaurant as well as many Japanese phrases that are used by both customers and wait staff. Many students were ONAKA GA PEKO PEKO DESU (I'm starving) when we arrived, and enjoyed a lovely meal; trying sushi, bento boxes, ramen and mochi among other things. Students remembered to say ITADAKIMASU (Let's eat) and GOCHISOUSAMADESHITA (I have finished eating, thank you) at the beginning and end of our meal. We are very proud of how they conducted themselves in this excursion.
Mel Brindle
Japanese Teacher
Year 7 and 8 Lunchtime Basketball 3x3 Competition
John Walker
College Sport
Thank-you to MSC AFL Trainees- Kobi and Rory
Last week MSC AFL Trainees Kobi Lawson and Rory Wagner-Watts lent a hand in the set up and running of the Mount Martha Primary School's Colour Run. MSC received the below praise from the MtMPS PE Teacher, Cameron Sweatman.
Can I start by saying how much assistance both Kobi and Rory were today for our school with the colour explosion. From the moment they arrived at Mt Martha PS they were straight into preparing for what is a huge event on our community calendar.
This not only a credit to them as individuals and students but also a credit to the opportunities they have been given by Mornington Secondary College. They joined in with every aspect of the day and both assisted until 4pm with the huge clean-up/pack up.
Again – I can’t thank them and your school enough for their assistance today and throughout the year.
Free Public Transport
From 1 January 2026, people aged under 18 can travel free on all Victorian public transport services using a new youth myki card. This includes trams, trains, buses and coach services.
To access free travel, they must tap the myki card on and off each time they travel. For areas that do not use myki cards, they must show their myki card to travel free.
More information about the youth myki card will be available later in Term 4, 2025 – refer to the myki types webpage on the Transport Victoria website.
For more information about other travel options to school, and support for eligible students, refer to the Travelling to school webpage on the Victorian Government website.
Body Safety Education - Free Parent Information Session
On Monday 17th November, SECASA (South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault) will be running a parent information session focused on Body Safety Education. Benton Junior College have generously extended an invitation to MSC parents to participate.
The session will cover topics including:
- the prevalence of sexual abuse online and in the community,
- identifying harmful behaviours (online and in person),
- understanding disclosures from your child,
- how to respond, and
- how to access supports after disclosures.
To register, please click on the below link.
Year 7-12 2026 Resource List
Campion is the school resource supplier for Mornington Secondary College. To receive first choice of school needs and FREE delivery, orders must be placed online by Wednesday 17th December 2025. Please find links to the Year 7-12 Resource lists at the bottom of this newsletter article. Note: 2026 subject confirmation for Year 9-12 will be communicated mid November, date to be confirmed.
To order, please head to: https://order.campion.com.au/
Your school resource code: VVRH
Your order-by date is 17th December 2025
The How to Order flyer is below.
The Campion Parent Hub includes How to Order video & How to Order PDFs in 11 languages https://campion.com.au/parents/how-to-order/
Family help:
FAQs: https://campion.com.au/support-help/support/
Email help@campion.com.au
Tel 1300 433 982
2026 Aerobics Squad Sign Up
All current students interested in joining the Aerobics Squad in 2026 are invited to our Come & Try Session on Wednesday the 19th of November, from 3:15-4:30pm in the Herbie Gym. Please ensure you submit your interest through the below link prior to the session.
Indie Jowett
Aerobics Squad Coach
Hands on Learning
HoL Friday November 7th
A big thank you to Ailz Pedder (Bunnings) and Kyle Docherty (Dulux) who came to the cottage and ran a painting skills workshop. Our HoL students learnt the correct way to “cut in” and how to use rollers to paint interior walls. In line with Bunnings tradition, we had sausages for lunch!
HoL Wednesday November 12th
Due to our Beach Clean-up Day excursion next week, today was officially our last
Wednesday HoL session, and as Mr Pirrie said, it was a chance “to do up some buttons”. The team got busy cleaning up the garden, finishing off our projects and putting final touches on the fence mural. We had home-made pancakes for breakfast and under Mr Pirrie’s guidance, first time visitor Declan cooked them. Not a bad effort for the first time he has ever made pancakes! Speaking of first times, it was my first time eating home-made roast beef sandwiches with horseradish and I’m a new fan and advocate. We may have to get Mr. Pirrie to give us some more of his secret recipes. Time in the pool, a game of cricket and art therapy topped off a fun and productive day.
Anastasia Maragakis
Hands on Learning Assistant
Remembrance Day Thank You
Thank you to Palamara Village Fruits, Prime Cuts, and Woolworths Mornington Central who generously donated food to 'fuel' our Drum and Flag Corp during Remembrance Day service preparations.
Community News & Opportunities
Kingswim Mornington
Kingswim Mornington are currently recruiting for their Swim Teacher Training Program that is running in January 2026, relevant to Year 10-12 students looking for part time work.
myLearners Free Driving Lesson
The myLearners free driving lesson is funded by the Transport Accident Commission and delivered in partnership with the Department of Transport and Planning to provide learner drivers and their supervising driver a free lesson with an accredited professional driving instructor.
The myLearners Free Driving Lesson program offers a FREE 60-minute Lesson with a professional driving instructor for learners aged 16–19 who have completed 10–30 hours of driving practice. The lesson is taken alongside their supervising driver, helping both the learner and supervisor build safer, more confident driving habits together.
This program supports families by making the learning experience more positive and less stressful. It aims to reduce crash risks for young drivers, strengthen supervising skills, and encourage safer driving behaviours early on all at no cost to participants.
To learn more, click below.
Holiday Drama Workshop Program with Peninsula Performing Arts
This January, Peninsula Performing Arts is bringing their Holiday Drama Workshop Program to the Rosebud beach foreshore.
Willum Warrain Cultural Youth Night
Details of an upcoming Youth Night are below, to be held at Willum Warrain, 10C Pound Rd, Hastings.
Community Dinner Nights for Young Adults - 6 week program
To learn more or to reach out to us