Sketcher's Scoop

Staffing for 2023

Elsewhere in this newsletter, Janet Anderson has provided a comprehensive list of staffing for the Primary School next year. Staffing is also nearly finalised for the Secondary School as well, with only a few appointments still to confirm. We look forward to sharing these with you shortly. This is very exciting, and we thank God for the provision of all our new staff across our school.

Three departures that I would like to highlight are those of Allan Long, Wendy Mason and Mic Dempsey.

Allan leaves at the end of this year after serving this community for over 24 years in various stints. We are having a special staff Farewell Afternoon Tea on Thursday 7 December to thank him for his work as a teacher, Middle School Coordinator and Deputy Principal at MECS over the years. He has also served as Principal of two other Christian schools. In all these roles, Allan’s unwavering commitment to distinctive, Christ-centred education, has been a hallmark of his service. He has had a great influence on so many colleagues and students over this time, here and in other communities. Allan is heading into retirement and so we pray for God’s blessing over him and his wife, Jude, as they head into this exciting new season of life.

Wendy has been part of the MECS community for 19 years, firstly as a Primary teacher, and then as our Kindergarten Director over the last ten years. She is a leader with a commitment to excellence, empathy and understanding of her young students and she established and subsequently, led the Kinder with great distinction. She has made a significant impact on many and will be greatly missed. Wendy is heading into semi-retirement... but we know that God will find new ways to use her gifts and talents in the future.

Finally, Mic leaves us after 17 years of service in various roles across the school. Beginning his time at MECS as a Primary teacher, he has always brought strong IT skills to his work, and so in recent years, he has been our e-learning Officer as we have up-skilled our staff and students with on-line learning and the effective use of our digital learning platforms across our school. He has also brought to life many of our school experiences with his video-making. Mic will continue to support Christian schools into the future as he freelances and provides support as required.

New Families at MECS in 2024

Next year, we presently have 50 new families and 99 new students joining our community from K-12. Not only does this represent a huge amount of work from Beth Matthews, our Enrolment Manager, it also gives our present community a huge opportunity to welcome these families warmly and enthusiastically into the MECS family. We are thrilled that so many new families are finding their way to MECS. It is such a joy to meet with them in enrolment interviews and through tours and hear their eagerness for Christian education.

Montrose Community Carols

You will see that we are publicising the Montrose Community Carols on Sunday 10 December. Our Primary choir will be participating once again, and we will also be responsible for the Sausage Sizzle. We look forward to seeing some familiar faces at this local event.