Principal's Message
Dear MGSC Community
As we reach the end of another very busy term, I have been reflecting on just how much has happened at Mentone Girls’ Secondary College over the past few weeks.
One of the most significant undertakings has been our Strategic Review, which has provided us with an important opportunity to reflect on our achievements, examine our current practice and consider the future direction of the College. I would like to thank our students, staff, families and School Council members who contributed to the review process, and particularly our teachers who welcomed members of the Review Panel into their classrooms.
Our students have also continued to embrace the extraordinary range of opportunities available to them beyond the classroom. Book Week brought our library to life with author presentations, the book doof, book swap, book buy and trivia quiz activities. Our annual Spring Concert at Kingston Arts Centre was another wonderful celebration of our Instrumental Music program, with around a quarter of the College performing across our ensembles. The scale and quality of the evening was a tremendous credit to our students and Instrumental Music staff.
We have also celebrated some outstanding individual and team achievements. Madi Ryan was invited to attend the 2026 Under 18 Women’s National Squad Camp in Canberra as part of the selection process for the FIBA Under 18 Women’s Asia Cup.
Our Aerobics and Dance students represented the College at Nationals, while students have continued to participate in interschool sport, outdoor education, music festivals, performances and many other activities.
Among all of these achievements, however, one of the most significant milestones for our College this term has been the completion and opening of our new Wellness Studio.
A lasting investment in our students – the Wellness Studio
On Thursday 10 September, we officially opened our beautiful new Wellness Studio.
The Studio has been designed as a dedicated space for yoga, meditation, movement, health and physical education activities, drama and dance, placing the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of young women at the heart of its purpose. Students are already beginning to use the space, starting with our Dance students and HPE classes.
What makes this project particularly special is that the Wellness Studio has been completely funded by our College community, without government capital funding.
For many years, our School Council has supported the College in setting aside funds so that we can continue to improve the facilities and opportunities available to our students. The Wellness Studio is a wonderful example of what can be achieved through that long-term commitment.
I want to extend my sincere thanks to every family that has contributed to our Building Fund and every family that has paid the College’s voluntary contributions. Your generosity matters. Collectively, those contributions enable us to invest directly back into the school and provide facilities and opportunities for our students that would otherwise simply not be possible.
This building is, therefore, much more than a new physical space. It represents the generosity of generations of MGSC families and a shared belief that our students deserve contemporary facilities that support their learning, wellbeing and development
Your support has continued with our recent MGSC MEGA Raffle, which raised an extraordinary $28,000 towards the fit-out of the Studio. Thank you to our Parents and Friends Association, our Office Team and everyone in our community who purchased tickets, promoted the raffle or supported the fundraising effort. These funds will assist with items such as yoga mats, blackout curtains and landscaping.
Thank you to our School Council
I would particularly like to acknowledge the MGSC School Council for its endorsement and unwavering support of the Wellness Studio project.
Major projects such as this require vision, careful financial stewardship and a willingness to invest in the long-term future of the College. Successive School Councils have supported the College over many years in saving and investing funds in facilities designed to improve the experience of all MGSC students.
At our official opening, I was delighted to be joined by some of our School Council members, President Mark Murray, Treasurer Rosa Ferrari and parent member Aoife McCann, together with Assistant Principl Hayley Dureau, student members, Anuskha Pradham and Emily Adams, and past student member Gemma Ong as we cut the official ribbon. Their presence was a fitting acknowledgement of the partnership between our School Council, staff, families and wider community that has made this project possible.
Main photo - Council members Mark Murray, Rosa Ferrari, Aoife McCann and student Gemma Ong, Emily Adams and Anushka Pradhan join Linda Brown at the opening of the Wellness Studio.
I am incredibly proud that, as a school community, we have been able to create something so significant for our students. The Wellness Studio will be used by thousands of young women in the years ahead, and I hope our families feel a genuine sense of pride in knowing that they helped make it possible.
As Term 3 draws to a close, I would like to thank our students for the energy and enthusiasm they bring to our College, our staff for the extraordinary breadth of opportunities they provide, and our families for their ongoing support of MGSC.
I wish everyone a safe and relaxing term break and look forward to welcoming our students back for Term 4.
Best wishes
Linda Brown
Principal