School Leadership Update

School Council

At the start of this term I had the honour of being re‑elected as School Council President of Melbourne Girls College. It is a privilege to continue serving our college community in this role, and I am very much looking forward to working alongside both our returning and newly elected council members over the year ahead.

Melbourne Girls College holds a special place for me, not only as School Council President, but also as an alumni. It is incredibly rewarding to see the college continue to grow, evolve and thrive while staying true to its commitment to girls’ education. I am passionate about supporting the college as it builds on this legacy.

The College Council works in partnership with school leadership and the community to support the strategic direction and development of the school. We are committed to ensuring Melbourne Girls College continues to grow as a supportive, inclusive and high‑performing learning environment.

I want to acknowledge the challenges currently facing public schools across Victoria. The College Council is aware of the current and past protected industrial action our College staff have participated in. As a Council we understand the concerns raised by staff regarding resourcing and sustainability, and we support their advocacy for full and fair funding for public education. Adequate funding is essential to ensuring students have access to the support they need and schools can attract and retain dedicated, skilled staff.

Parents and carers who wish to do so are encouraged to make their voices heard by writing individually to government representatives about the importance of properly resourced public schools. Personal perspectives from families play an important role in highlighting the real‑world impact of funding decisions on school communities.

Thank you to our College Council members, past and present, for their time and commitment, and to our families for your ongoing support of Melbourne Girls College. I look forward to the year ahead and to working together in the best interests of our students.

Kristina Popova

School Council President

Student Leadership Team

This term has been a busy and exciting one, filled with both our Student Leadership Conference and interschool activities with Melbourne High School.

Organised in collaboration with the Melbourne High School SRC Captains, two events for Year 12 students were held across two weeks, with a netball tournament at MGC and trivia at MHS. The atmosphere during the netball tournament was incredible, with the gym bleachers packed from top to bottom at lunchtime. The matches were intense as teams went head-to-head, with MHS bringing fierce competition and ultimately finishing the day on top. Trivia, meanwhile, tested everyone’s general knowledge, pop culture and movie expertise as students competed in mixed teams. Both events were a fun opportunity to socialise with MHS students and unwind from the pressures of Year 12.

The Senior School Executive also organised MGC’s Annual Student Leadership Conference on 13 May. Centred around National Careers Week’s theme, ‘Own Your Future’, the conference explored student voice, leadership, and the role young people play as the leaders of tomorrow.

With 12 schools attending and students representing a wide range of leadership portfolios, the event was a massive undertaking that required months of preparation, from contacting schools and planning activities to organising catering and logistics.

The day started with us welcoming the student leaders, introducing the theme and reflecting on how leadership can take many different forms. The conference was an opportunity for us all to build connections with peers from other schools, exchange ideas and explore what leadership truly means. We encouraged other schools to bring posters that showcased their own initiatives to spark conversation and inspire peers through the impact of their projects.

Following the icebreakers run by our Wellbeing Captains, Alyssa and Scarlett, students had the opportunity to hear from our alumni guests, Kimmy Nguyen and Louella Breach. They spoke about backing yourself in professional spaces, overcoming adversity in university and the workplace, and the important role young people play as the leaders of tomorrow. As students preparing to navigate life beyond school, it was incredibly valuable to hear about their experiences and insights.

During the morning tea break, students had the opportunity to explore a plethora of MGC’s own initiatives, from an impressive Virtual Reality set-up from our STEAM Club and their Captains, Vivien and Gemma, to the crowd-favourite pedal-powered fairy floss machine from the Enviro Club and our Environmental Captains, Coco and Tamsin. The break also provided students with the chance to network with captains of the same portfolios from other schools and build on conversations sparked throughout the morning.

Later in the day, students participated in ‘Middle Ground’, an activity run by the Humanities Captains, Ro and Eugenia. Through prompts surrounding moral dilemmas, students were encouraged to challenge one another’s perspectives and think critically about complex issues we face as leaders today, as well as the leaders of tomorrow. The activity was engaging, and prompts such as whether humans are inherently selfish sparked a lot of thoughtful discussion.

We then introduced the group project component of the conference, where students were presented with a range of real-world scenarios. Working collaboratively in their mixed-school teams, students explored issues such as conflict within group projects, irresponsible social media posts, and how to approach difficult situations as leaders with care and consideration.

To conclude the conference, each group performed their scenario resolutions as skits, which was a fun twist to finish off the day and an entertaining way to showcase their ideas and reflections.

As a whole, the conference was an incredible occasion which gave us the opportunity to connect with student leaders from a wide range of schools that we would not have interacted with otherwise. It also allowed us to inspire one another and collectively, as young people, reflect on what we can do in the present to shape the future.

A massive thank you to the whole Senior School Executive, Ms Nicholls, Mr Edis, the PR and Communications Captains, Alycia, Kate, Amari and Myra, as well as everyone else involved in making the conference happen! Coordinating and delivering such a large-scale event was an incredibly rewarding experience, and it was amazing to see it all take shape over time, thanks to a lot of collaboration and dedication!

We look forward to what the rest of the term has to offer.

Nova, Annie and Anna

MGC College Co-Captains