Principal's Report

Welcome to Term Four

Term Four is certainly the most eventful term of the school year and the past three weeks have shown that this year is no exception. Students and staff returned from the September vacation with a strong focus on learning informed by Progress Reports and the Parent-Teacher-Student conferences which occured at the end of Term Three. Our Year 12s have spent the last days of their scheduled classes finalising VCAL assessments and preparing for VCE Exams while our Year 7 to 11s have focused their attention on the term four curriculum. Sub-school assemblies were held in week one to welcome students back and outline expectations for learning behaviours and our College Values. It is clear that students and staff are gaining strength and stamina in their learning as we put the disruption of the past two years behind us. 

Cultural Diversity Week

Week two saw us all take part in the excitement of Cultural Diversity Week. For many years, the start of Term Four has seen a week-long celebration of the many cultures and rich diversity in our community. The event started with a whole school assembly with guest speakers and student cultural performances. This year's assembly and activity week stood out for the variety and high quality of the activities and a huge thank you is due to Max Beliniak, Robert Aduer, the Community Engagement Team and the many students and staff who wore costumes, took part in dancing including the wonderful Haka, shared cultural foods, decorated the school with chalk drawing and brought such colour, culture and respect to our school.  There was involvement from a huge range of community organisations and leaders including our Mayor, Mr Goran Kesic, Commisioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission Ms Vivienne Nguyen, and Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner, Mr Andrew Crisp. 

Cultural Diversity Week is an opportunity for celebration but also for learning. In the speech I presented at the Assembly, I posed two challenges facing our community. 

The first was: There can be no limits to the respect we show towards each other and our unique differences. If we are a school which respects cultural diversity,  we must be a school where all human differences are respected: the right to hold different beliefs, have abilities, colour, identities, and gender are all equal and deserving of respect. If we can show respect towards diversity during Cultural Diversity Week, we must show this respect every day of the year. If we can show respect when we are at school, we must show respect for each other outside of the school, in our family homes and in our community.

The second was: It is our actions we are judged by, not our beliefs. I referred students to the situation reported recently in the media where an ALF football club rejected a candidate for the position of CEO because of his religious beliefs and association with a community church. I reminded students that in our school, we all have the right to hold our own faith, or religious beliefs without judgement, a right to share our views and beliefs, but we all carry an over-riding responsibility not to hurt, persecute or exclude other people. 

While Cultural Diversity Week was a wonderful celebration of diversity, we know we still have work ahead of us before we can call ourselves a school and community where everyone feels included and respected all of the time. The results from our own Student Attitude to School Survey, tell us that many students at MSC continue to experience behaviour which is not respectful of their diversity. Racist comments are still heard and some students choose violence instead of respect as a way of settling differences. Our school is not unique in this challenge. 

While Cultural Diversity Week is full of fun activities, eliminating racism, prejudice and discrimination and treating everyone with genuine respect takes a conscious effort from all of us every day of the year. We should draw confidence from this year's Cultural Diversity Week that our community understands what respect for diversity looks like and we are heading in the right direction. 

Year 12 Farewell

This week, our amazing 2022 Year 12s were farewelled in grand fashion, with streamers, silly-string and glitter, by the whole school. They stunned us with their hilarious costumes and their excitement at having reached the end of their secondary schooling (at least with formal classes). Year 12s at MSC have always impressed with the respect they display on their last school day. We wish all of our 2022 Year 12s all the best for their exams and final assessments and look forward to celebrating with them and a final farewell at the Year 12 Valedictory later this term.

Attendance at School

Attending school every day remains the most important expectation the school has for our young people's learning. Across the state, many families and young people have found attending school more of a challenge following the pandemic, however this is changing as students and parents understand that regular attendance remains the most important indicator of success at school. Families play an enormous role in getting students to school every day. If you are a student finding it hard to attend every day, or a parent/carer finding it hard to get your student to school, please contact your Team Leader, or the Wellbeing Team and ask if there is anything we can do to help - when we work together we get the best results. Further information about Student Attendance can be found later in this edition of Melton Mail.

Appointing a new Principal

At the last whole school assembly I let students know that this term will be my last at Melton Secondary College and I will be leaving the position at the end of this year to move onto new adventures.  I've enjoyed the past eleven years at the college enormously. The Department of Education have let me know that they will work with our School Council to appoint a new Principal for the start of the 2023 school year. More information about this process will be provided later this term.

David Reynolds

College Principal