From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, Students and Community

Welcome Back to Our School Community

Welcome back to a new school year. I hope everyone has enjoyed a restful break and is feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead. A warm welcome to our new students, families and staff—we are delighted to have you join our school community.

Yesterday marked the first day back for students, and it was wonderful to see such a positive vibe across the school. Students were happy, engaged and enthusiastic in their learning, setting a fantastic tone for the year ahead. Our Year 7 students began the day with some nervous anticipation, which is completely natural, but they quickly settled in and learned so much about their new school and the people within it. It was a pleasure to see their confidence grow throughout the day.

At the heart of our school are our shared values of Respect, Achievement and Community. These values guide our work each day and shape the inclusive, high-expectations culture we are proud of. Most importantly, our students are our number one priority—their learning, wellbeing and success underpin every decision we make.

Our Focus for the Year Ahead

This year, we remain strongly committed to providing a safe, supportive and engaging learning environment where every student is known, valued and supported to achieve their best. Our key goals are:

• To maximise the achievement and learning growth of every student, ensuring all learners are challenged, supported and empowered to reach their full potential.
• To improve the engagement and wellbeing of all students, so every child feels connected, respected and ready to learn.

These goals reflect our belief that strong learning outcomes are built on positive relationships, student voice and a sense of belonging.

Coming Together as a Community

Next week, we will officially welcome our Year 7 students into our wider school community at our whole school assembly. Families and carers are warmly invited to join us for this special occasion.

📅 Whole School Assembly 

🕙 10:00am 

📍 School Stadium

This will be our first assembly for the year and a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community. If you are free, we would love you to join us.

Working Together

We know that the best outcomes for students are achieved when schools and families work in partnership. We value open communication and the active involvement of families and carers as we work together to support every student.

Thank you for the trust you place in us and for being an important part of our school community. We look forward to a positive and successful year of learning, growth and achievement, and to celebrating the many successes—big and small—along the way.

Warm regards,

Linda Stanton

Principal

Important Dates

Middle School

Dear parents and carers,

Welcome to the start of a new school year. It has been wonderful to see our Year 7, 8 and 9 students return to school so positively and ready to learn. The beginning of the year is an important time to set clear routines, focus on learning, and encourage students to reflect on how they can continue to improve and make the most of the many opportunities our school provides.

Today, students attended year level assemblies where we revisited school rules, reinforced our high expectations, and outlined upcoming events for the term. These assemblies are an important way to ensure all students are clear about our shared expectations around behaviour, effort, attendance and uniform, as well as the support available to help them succeed.

We are also looking forward to our whole-school assembly on Monday 2 February, Period 2. We warmly welcome all Year 7 parents and families to attend and join us as we officially come together as a school community for the year.

As the warmer weather continues, we remind students to come to school prepared by wearing a hat when outdoors and bringing a refillable drink bottle each day.

We would like to sincerely thank our parents and carers for your ongoing support. You play a vital role in your child’s success, and simple actions such as encouraging regular attendance, supporting homework routines, discussing school goals, and maintaining open communication with the school all make a significant difference.

It is truly great to see everyone back and settling into the year so well. We look forward to working in partnership with you to ensure 2026 is a successful and rewarding year for all our students.

Kind regards,

Denise Leggett

Assistant Principal

Senior School

To students and families of the Mornington Senior School,

Welcome to 2026. I am excited to be working with you all during 2026 to achieve the best possible outcomes for our senior school students.

Changes to Senior School in 2026

Checklists

• Students will all receive checklists outlining work that must be completed to achieve an S in each unit/area of study/topic. Parents will also receive a copy and be able to see required work through COMPASS. 

VCE VM and VCE ATAR attendance and instructional hours

• Year 11 and 12 VM students will only have scheduled classes up until lunchtime (if they are up to date with their work and attendance is above 90%) on their school days. The aim is to increase opportunities for students to become more work-ready by picking up additional shifts or training courses. This privilege exists only for students who remain up to date with course work and have good attendance (90% and above).
• All VCE ATAR classes will now have 9 hours of face-to-face instruction per fortnight (up from 8 per fortnight in previous years).
• Year 11 and 12 ATAR students will have Wednesday period 5 free unless they have a scheduled SAC, catch up SAC or support session booked by coordinators. All this information is outlined in the VCE agreements that students have been given during Fast Forward.

Uniform

The Victorian State Government have changed the rules regarding the requirement for school students to wear logos on uniform below the waist. Please see the updated policy here as there are certain styles of pants and shorts that are acceptable and those that are not.

Senior school key contacts for 2026 

Nick Evans - Assistant Principal Senior School

Year 12 Leader – Jo Reeman

Year 12 Coordinator – Jo Dixon

Year 11 Leader – Dr Jasmine Keough

Year 11 Coordinator – Mick Williams

Year 10 Leader – Jake Uhlenberg

Year 10 Coordinator – Tyler Foreman

Careers & Pathways Coordinator – Kylie LeBrasse

VET Coordinator – Fi Cornwall

Senior School Student Support & Administrator – Alli Betts 

All staff can be contacted by calling the school on 5970 0200 or by emailing them through Compass.

What is coming up this term in the Senior School? 

Kind regards,

Nick Evans

Senior School Assistant Principal

Checking-in!

As part of our teaching and learning program this year we have asked all teachers to identify essential learning tasks and communicate these to students via a check list. 

Essential Learning tasks are activities which are seen as pivotal to students mastery of the topic they are learning. Generally they will be classwork which will be marked off by the classroom teacher and will occur a couple of times a week in each subject. This will allow students to be clearer about what the expectations are for each topic and allow us to intervene in a more timely manner if a student starts to fall behind.

Students were provided with hard copies of their first topic checklists yesterday. As a parent you can help support this work by talking to your child about the check list and keeping an eye on COMPASS.

Mike Parker

Assistant Principal - Curriculum and Student Wellbeing

Don’t Miss a Moment at MSC!

Follow Mornington Secondary College on Facebook & Instagram for news, events, and more so you never miss a moment of your student's learning journey.

First Day at MSC

This week we were delighted to welcome many new faces to the Mornington Secondary College community, including a group of nervously excited Year 7 students beginning their secondary school journey.

Their first day included a year-level assembly, a guided tour of the school, introductions to lockers and secondary school technology, and plenty of activities designed to help students get to know one another and feel connected to their new environment.

Over the coming days, our Year 7 students will be further introduced to the many additional aspects of life at MSC, including school squads, instrumental music, and our Drums and Flag Corp programs.

School Photos 2026

Annual school photos including sibling photos will be taken by Arthur Reed Photos on Monday 9th February 2026 for Year 7 to 11 students. Year 12 photos will be taken on Photo Catch Up day, date to be confirmed.

Reminders:

• Full and correct school uniform must be worn - no PE uniform.
• You must register for sibling photos before photo day. Please click the below link to register. 

There is no need to return any forms or money to school.

Unique image codes will be issued to all students on / after photo day so families can register online to view images when they become available in the Arthur Reed Web Shop. Once registered, please wait for a SMS notification that 2026 images are online to view and make your purchase.

Please contact Shellie in Student Services if you need assistance.

AFL Traineeship 2026

The school is delighted to have Shine Schwarz and Amelia Vecchi assisting the school this year as AFL Trainees. The Traineeship program run by AFL SportsReady provides opportunities for people to develop industry related skills while completing a Certificate III in Sports, Aquatics & Recreation. 

Our AFL trainees assist the school to run PE, Sport and Outdoor Education programs as well as assisting more broadly in school operations including year level activities, school canteen and integration. Our AFL trainees provide invaluable assistance to both students and staff. 

Welcome aboard to Amelia and Shine, who are both past students. We hope you have a great year ahead.

John Walker

College Sport Coordinator

Amelia Vecchi

Hi everybody! I am Amelia, one of your 2026 AFL Trainees! I am super excited and can't wait to be involved in the 2026 school year! In my spare time one of my favourite things to do is play volleyball. I have been playing for three years and this season will be my second season playing competitively! Another thing I love doing is going to concerts with my friends; Taylor Swift and The Kid Laroi have been a few of my favourites I have seen so far. This year I am most excited to go along to the camps, as well as help coach teams for interschool sports. I am looking forward to a great year, working alongside amazing people!

Shine Schwarz

Hi everyone! My name is Shine and I’m so excited to be one of your 2026 AFL trainees! I have a big passion for playing volleyball and can’t wait to assist with any students wanting to give it a go this year at MSC! My favourite thing to do in my spare time is going to concerts and festivals with my friends; nothing compares to being able to hear your favourite songs live with people you love! I hope I can be an inspiring role model to the students in the school community. I’m so thrilled to see where this year takes me and all the memories I’ll get to make along the way! 

Year 9 2026 Cairns Camp Reminder

In 2026 MSC has re-introduced the Year 9 Camp. Our Year 9's will have the opportunity to enjoy a 5 day / 4 nights camp to Cairns, enjoying the Daintree Rainforest, Great Barrier Reef, Crocodile & Wildlife Park, and more! 

Reminder to parents/guardians: consent and payment for the Cairns Camp deposit is due 11:59pm Tuesday February 3rd. 

Whole School Assembly

Parents / guardians are warmly welcomed to attend our Term 1 Whole School Assembly. The assembly includes the MSC Drum and Flag Corp performing and leading our Year 7s and Year 12s into the stadium, speeches and musical performances from our students.

If attending, please proceed directly to the Basketball Stadium for the duration of the assembly.

House Swimming Carnival

A reminder to parents to please consent and pay for the House Swimming Carnival, which will be held on Thursday February 5th at the Pines Forest Aquatic Centre. Consent is due 11:59pm Tuesday February 3rd. Students without consent will be offered alternative curriculum at school.

The House Swimming Carnival is a fun filled day. Students are encouraged to dress in their House colours and can compete is as many or as few events as they wish. There are competitive races, with top place getters proceeding to Divisional Swimming, but also fun events including surfboard relays. Also on offer on the day is a water slide, water games and basketball fun in the shade. MSC supply tunes throughout the day via our resident DJ Mr Alex Malligan, and the Pines Forest Aquatic canteen is open for purchases.

There really is something on offer for everyone, so don't miss out. 

Aerobics Squad Sign Up

All students interested in joining the Aerobics Squad in 2026 please submit your interest through the below link.

Our first training session will be held on Friday 6th February 7:15 to 8:30am at the Herbie Gym.

Indie Jowett

Aerobics Squad Coach

2026 Local Australia Day Award

Congratulations to Mornington Secondary College alumnus Thomas Taylor (pictured far right), who was awarded a Commendation for Emergency Service at this year’s local Australia Day ceremony.

We are proud to see Thomas’s dedication and service to the community recognised and congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.

Wellbeing

Community News & Opportunities

OUT LOUD on the Ninch

On the 7th of February Mornington’s first ever Midsumma pride event: OUT LOUD on the Ninch is being held. The evening will be a sunset event at the Peninsula Community Theatre, bringing together live queer performers and musicians alongside stalls offering resources and connections for the local queer community.

The evening will also feature an exhibition from the You&I intergenerational photography project, with one of the exhibitors being a Mornington Secondary College alumni.

The event is open to everybody so feel free to pass the invite on to any friends or family!

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1475734 

To learn more or to reach out to us