From the Principal

This week I received an email from a member of the public. It was titled, ‘What beautiful students’. After reading the email, I thought I would share it with you.

‘Good afternoon,

I am sending this email to commend the beautiful students from Mornington Secondary College who came to the aid of an elderly lady who had fallen at Benton’s Square this afternoon.

Just after 3:30pm, the elderly lady was crossing the pedestrian crossing as she was leaving the shopping centre but fell hard on her hands and knees right in the middle of the crossing. A lovely young man (in his Mornington Secondary College uniform) closely followed by a number of his females friends (also in Mornington Secondary College uniforms), walked out to her and helped her up.

I was in my car, approaching the crossing so I pulled over and ran to assist. Your beautiful students had picked up her bag and her shopping and were helping her to the side of the road. The lady had fallen really hard and had done some damage to her knees so I settled her and went to move my car (still blocking traffic) and grab my first aid kit.

What was really lovely was that as I was treating her the students came back to check on her again. These students are to be commended on the care and compassion they showed to this lady. They were kind, thoughtful and a credit to themselves, their parents and to their school.

I don’t know the names of the students involved, I wish that I did, but I was thoroughly impressed by their actions.

The lady was eventually able to drive herself home. She was somewhat embarrassed by all the attention; however, she was very grateful to the young man and his friends that initially came to her aid.

I wish these beautiful students a wonderful Christmas and hope that they enjoy their summer holidays’.

Thank you to these students and the many others who would do exactly the same thing.

We are a great school, and we have great people within our community.

Linda Stanton

Principal

Important Dates

DECEMBER

11/12/23 | Presentation Evening

12/12/23 | Orientation Day 2024 Year 7 students

19/12/23 | Last Day of formal classes for 2023

JANUARY

30/01/24 | Professional Development Day (Student free)

31/01/24 | 2024 First day of school for students

FEBRUARY

02/02/24 | Swim Trials Year 7

05/02/24 | School photos

08/02/24 | Whole school college swimming carnival

15/02/24 | Parent Numeracy Evening

15/02/24 | Catch up photo day

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Middle School

Recently, members of the Curriculum and Principal team attended a professional learning day on Artificial Intelligence. As AI has evolved into many parts of our lives such as the way we work, communicate and access information, we need to consider responsible use of AI tools especially in education.

It was a fascinating conference because it posed the idea that AI is now part of our lives and what does responsible use of AI look like in education.

Leaders from schools around the country were present. There was discussion about charting a path for AI which included the case for AI optimism, the importance of training students to use AI, using cases within the classroom to determine the planning and process of AI use.

Presenters also discussed how can you authenticate student work and there was considerable agreement about acknowledging use of generative AI. To help prove authenticity of student work, students would need to keep all draft versions of work to show how they developed ideas which included students keeping any planning notes like mind maps, workbook notes and the AI prompts. As you can imagine there are strengths and challenges associated with the use of generative AI.

Using ChatGPT it states that AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans.

We are excited about new AI tools and we will navigate how best to integrate this to enhance learning experiences and educational outcomes for our students.

Wishing you a great week.

Denise Leggett

Middle School Assistant Principal

Senior School

To students and families of the Mornington Senior School,

The start of summer is here, which signifies the end of 2023 for our VCE students in Senior school and our new Year 10s who have just one week to go. The positive attitude and approach towards their studies has been noted by each year level student management team and will stand each student in good stead for 2024. Start as you wish to finish.

Our Year 11 and 12 students will now have a well-earned break before returning on January 31st. Each teacher will have set some holiday homework tasks and those tasks will be due on the first class back for each subject.

I look forward to welcoming our students back in 2024, seeing them strive to achieve their personal best, showing respect for self and others in all interactions and being part of the Mornington Secondary College community by wearing their full school uniform.

Good luck to class of 2023 who receive their VCE results on Monday morning and I’ll see many of you at the MSC awards night on Monday evening.

Kind regards,

Nick Evans

Senior School Assistant Principal

Senior school Edrolo information

2024 Edrolo subscription access is being paid directly to Edrolo this year by families of VCE students. In prior years, this cost was included with the College contributions. Please follow the link for more information Edrollo

Reflections

With the start of the 2024 academic year there have been a few changes, one of which for me personally has been a journey back into the classroom, taking on VCE systems Engineering. It has made me reflect on the fantastic work that our teachers do working with such a wide range of students trying to cater for all their individual needs and interests. Sometimes we forget about the little things, we wait for the exam results or feedback on a major assignment, but the really important work happens everyday in the classroom, where teachers build positive relationships with their students and help them discover new ideas and skills. Watching students wrestle with complex topics and that moment when the fog clears and they can see and answer or gain that critical understanding is what we all come to work for.

I’ve been thinking about our teachers and a rough “back of an envelope calculation” we have over 1000 years of combined teaching experience. If you think about this year Mornington Secondary teachers have taught over 50,000 lessons, assessed over 43,000 performance tasks and marked 8000 examination papers, its been a busy year!

You should have by now received a bunch of emails from your child’s 2024 teachers, feel free to send them a reply with a pat on the back for a fantastic 2023 and an even more exciting 2024 ahead.

Kind regards,

Mike Parker

Assistant Principal

On Wednesday 15th November Instrumental Music students went on a Mystery Music excursion with Pirate Pete following the completion of their end of year assessments. Students went to the Mornington Park where they had an open air rehearsal/performance in the Rotunda, performing to locals in the park. This was followed by an ‘Amazing Race” around the park sourcing out the history of Mornington and the parks artwork. Lastly it was a “cruise” on the good ship “Ruby Loo”!!!

It was great to get out and about performing again and gel as a team and we look forward to more opportunities to perform in 2024.

2024 Contributions

Contributions for 2024 can now be found on Compass in the Payment Centre. These contributions are used towards subsidising the cost of classroom consumables and resources. An example of these are:

Art supplies eg paint, paint brushes, papers, crayons, clay and general art and craft activities
Food Technology ingredients – flour, sugar, fruit, vegetables, etc
Science experiment supplies and equipment used in practical classes
Woodwork and Technology materials – wood, robotics, nails, glue and associated consumables
Photocopying for all subjects
- Handouts, samples of texts, tests, exams
Class sets of books and resources used in subjects such as English and Maths

For a complete breakdown of all parent contributions please see our 2024 Parent Payment Information, available from our school website. Booklists for 2024 can also be found on the website.

We continue to welcome your other voluntary contributions which support non-curriculum items and activities that relate to the school’s functions and objectives. You can make a general voluntary contribution that goes towards all of our school’s important priorities for 2024 as well as providing additional activities and services for all students.

E.g., College Building Fund, Wellbeing Fund, First Aid Equipment Fund, Sports Equipment & Squads Fund, Student Services.

Mornington Secondary College offers a range of items and activities that enhance or broaden the schooling experience of students and are above and beyond what the school provides in order to deliver the Curriculum. These are provided on a user-pays basis and are also available for payment on Compass.

Examples of this would be:

Extracurricular camps or excursions – charged for closer to the activity
Music Lessons
VCE Software (Edrolo which is paid for via the Edrolo website. Instructions emailed to families)
Other software that enhances the experience – see each year level for details

Payments can be made on Compass either in full or by payment plan. You can find the plan details in the Parent Payment Information booklet on the website.

Please do not hesitate to contact the office in writing, by telephone or in person if you have any questions about the above.

Year 10

It seems our new Year 10 cohort is settling in fairly well and coming to understand our high expectations in the Senior School. It has been great to see so many kids jumping into their classes and looking to engage with new teachers and curriculum.

Students looking for subject changes must complete a subject change form as soon as possible so that these can be looked into before the 2024 year begins in January as there will be no changes made once we return to school.

We are also excited to be offering Connect Clubs that will run 3 times per term in the 2024 school year in our Connect lesson timetable, we have Sports Club, Arts Club, Mindfulness Club, Music/DJ Club, Board/Card Games Club and more on offer for our students to sign up for that will be run by our fantastic and dedicated Connect teachers. If your child has not yet signed up for one of these clubs, please encourage them to do so.

Classes for the new Year 10s finish next Friday with the Alternative program running the week that follows until the official end of term.

Year 11

Well done to the 2024 Year 11 cohort! You have all settled down so well into the start of your VCE journey. The Year 11 Coordination Team have been pleased with the positive, respectful and pleasant attitudes from our lovely students.

We have been following up on uniform, and are happy to see a big improvement from the first week of Fast Forward to the second.

We wish our students and their families a safe, happy and restful holidays. Hopefully you have all been good for Father Christmas!

Year 12

A huge congratulations to the class of 2024 for their work during Fast Forward. It is no mean feat to finish a year levels worth of work, then turn around and commence the next year levels work the following week.

The group have done this brilliantly.

It can be overwhelming for students learning about the demands of Year 12 at this stage of the year. We ask that families keep the dialogue positive and remember that students are about to commence a break from school for 7 weeks. During this time they will be able to complete their holiday homework, establish their game plan for 2024 and recharge the batteries. We anticipate that many students are tired at this stage of the year but the information and expectations being shared with them before the break will allow them time to reflect and set themselves goals for their Year 12.

The Year 12 team will be sending an email to parents next week. In this email we will include some take away information related to holiday tasks that need to be completed prior to return in 2024, uniform expectations, special provisions and a few other small house keeping items to keep you in the loop.

The greatest success that our students can have in their Year 12 will be through collaboration between students, teachers and families. We will aim to be as communicative as possible with families to keep them updated on student progress. We in turn, always appreciate communication from families to update us on information that can help us support their child in their Year 12. Please do not hesitate to email or call if there is pertinent information that you feel the school would benefit from knowing during the year.

Mobile Phones in School

A reminder that the Department of Education has in place a mobile phone ban that requires students who bring mobiles phones to school to have them switched off and securely put away during school hours.

The department is requiring all schools to ensure this ban is in place and enforced from the start of the 2024 school year.

The ban applies equally to all government schools right across the state.

This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions.

By ensuring mobile phones are kept away at recess and lunch times, students can interact with each other face-to-face, without the distractions and social pressures that mobile phones can cause.

I ask for the support of all our families, staff and students in continuing to support the implementation of this policy in our school.

Further information

Exceptions: For a small number of students with particular health needs, an exception to the policy may be granted. Please contact the relevant year level coordinator if you would like to discuss this.

Emergencies: In the event of an emergency or if you need to immediately contact your child, I ask that families contact the school office who will pass on a message as required.

School mobile phone policy: A copy of our school’s local mobile phone policy, which implements the government’s mobile policy in line with our local context, is available here: Mobile phone policy

Parent support: The Mobile phones in schools webpage provides links to resources for families to help them balance their children’s time using mobile phones.

If you have further questions, please contact the administration office.

Shire Immunisation Information

Information from Mornington Peninsula Shire regarding Child Immunisation

Catch-ups

Secondary school immunisations are provided to students to reduce their risk of contracting preventable diseases and some cancers. Health advice regarding immunisations recommends students receive the following:

Year 7

· Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine (one dose)

· Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (one dose).

Year 10

· Meningococcal A, C, W, Y vaccine (one dose).

There are a number of students in Years 7 to 12 who may have missed these important vaccines. This puts students at an increased risk of illness.

If your child missed out on their school-based vaccinations, please speak to your GP or local council immunisation service about how they can catch up. To check if your child is due for any vaccines, refer to their Immunisation History Statement on the Australian Immunisation Register, using your MyGov account. If your child is aged over 14, they may need to access their immunisation history statement themselves, through their own MyGov account or the Medicare mobile app.

New HPV vaccination resources to assist young people with disability:

Young people with disability should have the same access to preventive healthcare and immunisations as everyone else. Vaccinations can be stressful, and there are sometimes unique barriers for people with disability.

Cancer Council Victoria, in consultation with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Scope Australia, has developed the following resources for parents and carers to improve the vaccination experience for young people with disability: · Help your child with disability get the HPV vaccine (fact sheet) · Supporting your child with a disability with vaccination (videos) · Preparing for school vaccinations (social story).

Mornington Secondary College School Tours

2024 School tours will commence on Wednesday 7th February from 9am.

Please follow the link to book a time Book a tour

Wellbeing

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