MECS Matters
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Dempsey's Digest

Hello! Wasn’t it great to have a long weekend to enjoy the sunshine and then the very generous amount of rain. I don’t know about you, but my family ended up camping with friends for a part of the weekend which was wonderful. It was great to be out in creation and enjoying the colours of spring and the hints of summer. It is sobering though, to realise that Christmas is definitely on the horizon. Let’s leave that thought there and focus on what’s happening at MECS in this exciting term! 

 

Year 12’s Last Day and Final Assembly

It was so special to celebrate with our Year 12 students on their final day and final assembly. What a roar when the students entered the gym in their costumes, from Miss Piggy to Mario, Sporticas to Hans Solo, the costumes were a lot of fun and got the students excited. The assembly was full of words of encouragement, fun stories, video memories, worship songs (one even written and shared by Noah Pirie) and games! Well done to Mrs Payze and the Year 12s for putting this together. 

 

The Year 12s were able to spend the rest of the day together, out for lunch and on to Hijinx Hotel for some final fun to finish their days at MECS. 

 

Year 12 Exams

Year 12 Exams for MECS students commenced on Thursday 16th October (the Hakha Chin exam) and will finish on the 18th November (Indonesian exam). We are very pleased that we are able to host our exams on site and appreciate all of the efforts that staff and students go to, to ensure that the areas remain quiet whilst the students are sitting exams. You might be interested to know that a number of our students don’t sit exams, as they have chosen either a Vocational Major (VM) pathway, or they have opted for an unscored VCE pathway. MECS and Ranges TEC are able to provide incredible pathways for our students towards their chosen careers. 

 

Year 11 Formal

What a night of colour, pzazz, music, dancing and community. The Year 11 formal is a wonderful event on the MECS calendar and remains a special evening of celebration and fun. The students learn formal dances (this year it was the Rhumba, Tango and Chicago Swing) and the students present themselves in formal attire. What I love, is the way that students choose beautiful outfits that really reflect their style and personality. As staff, we were delighted to spend the evening with these wonderful young people, on the verge of their Year 12 year.

 

Infrastructure Planning Committee

You might be interested in knowing that our board has a number of sub-committees that meet to act as advisors to the board for major decisions and information. These sub-committees include…

  • The Risk and Finance Committee
  • The Association Committee
  • The Infrastructure Planning Committee 

 

Each of these committees meets at least once per term, or prior to a board meeting. Last week we had an Infrastructure Planning Committee meeting after school, where we had the chance to look at various projects that need to be priorities at MECS in relation to infrastructure. This is the group that brought us the new pathway to the lower car park and are currently looking at some other minor projects that need attention. Don’t worry, the car parking conundrum that comes with most schools, is also on the list, though as you can imagine, that will be a very big one to overcome! 

 

The committee and the board remains in close contact with our architect, Stanton and Dahl, who continue to give us great support and help us map out the next priorities, including the navigation of our MECS Master Plan. Watch this space, as this will become more of a focus and priority during next year as we map out the best ways forward for MECS into the future, in relation to buildings and upgrades. 

 

World Teacher’s Day

It was great to celebrate our staff on World Teacher’s Day last Friday. Even though the day is dedicated to teachers, here at MECS, we believe that teachers can’t do their jobs without the support of the dedicated teams around them. So, we celebrated together with a coffee cart and cookies! I am so thankful to the Lord for his provision of outstanding staff here at MECS.

 

NICE studies 

As part of their contracts, our staff must commence study with the National Institute of Christian Education within the first 3 years of employment. Don’t worry, we do give them support to do this! I have been meeting with staff who will be commencing this study in the new year and I’m excited for the learning they have ahead of them. Whilst this is challenging for staff, the learning is definitely valued by most. I am grateful to the board’s commitment to this being a priority here at MECS. 

 

Staffing

We have some further staffing news this week, to add to some of the changes that are taking place, across the community. 

  • Laura Reimer, our Learning Support Teacher for Year 8 has finished up, as a number of family events take up her time and attention. Laura is wonderfully organised and a caring support to our team and we will miss her. 
  • Amelia Koole has been working at both Ranges TEC and MECS this year and from next year will be only at Ranges TEC as she supports the VET courses under the RTO (Registered Training Organisation). Ranges TEC attracts many VET students from the Yarra Valley Cluster on Wednesdays and Thursdays and Amelia’s skills are a much needed asset. Amelia has served at MECS for decades so we don’t want her to transition without honouring the incredibly faithful service she has poured into MECS, right across secondary for 27 years. Thank you, Amelia! 
  • Sarah Piesse – Sarah has been a beautiful asset to our primary team over the past 11 years. Sarah is the epitome of joy and hope in one package. Although we are sad to see her go, and her students and colleagues will miss her greatly, we are delighted that Donvale Christian College will be able to enjoy her gifts. We wish you well, Sarah! 

  • Julie-Anne (Jules) De Vincentis – Jules has been a warm and capable contributor to the kinder over 7 years. Though she has resigned from her position, she will be available for casual replacement work so we will still get to see her from time to time! Thanks Jules for your years of service to MECS.

     

Well, that’s it for another Dempsey’s Digest, enjoy the short week! 

 

Michelle Dempsey

Principal