Principal report

Welcome to Week 7. Can you believe that we only have 5 weeks of this term remaining! Just a reminder as we near the colder months, that if your child is going to be absent, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school. Students cannot provide a reasonable explanation for their absence. Thank you for your support in this matter.

School Review- Day 1 Thursday June 5th

The first day of our 3-day school review will begin this week. The review team will speak with staff, students and our families. This is a great opportunity for us to celebrate everything amazing at our school. It is also a great time for reflection and improving. Please note that all conversations that take place are confidential. The review team are here to collect feedback to formulate a review of our current practices and make suggestions for future improvement.

We invite all families and community members to join us for afternoon tea and a reflective chat on Wednesday June 11th at 2:45pm. Please contact the office (5599 2204) if you can join us for catering purposes.

Mid-Year Student Reports

All student mid-year reports will be available to families via the Sentral App on Wednesday July 2nd. I also want to take this opportunity to let you know about the changes to student reporting for mathematics in Victorian government schools. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) recently published its revised mathematics curriculum (Mathematics curriculum 2.0).On your child's previous report, the teacher reported against the 3 strands of the achievement standard for mathematics (Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability). Under the Mathematics curriculum 2.0, your child’s teacher will report against the achievement standard as a whole, providing a single, aggregated score. As the achievement standards reported on have changed, the first time you receive a report under the Mathematics 2.0 curriculum, it will only show achievement and not progress. For all reports after this, progress will be shown against the single achievement standard.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact to me.

The Push Up Challenge

Our School Captains, Jack and Molly, have organised a fun challenge that helps raise awareness for better mental health. Your PUSH is your POWER! This will take place between June 4th to 26th, and will help improve our physical and mental fitness, while having fun and raising important funds to make a difference to mental health in Australia. So please support this amazing challenge and help us push for better mental health.

Mortlake P-12 College Presents SPAMALOT

Tickets are now on sale. Please join us for a hilarious and memorable time. The show offers a comedic take on the Monty Python and the Holy Grail film. It’s a fun and engaging experience for those who enjoy irreverent humour, catchy songs and a touch of nostalgia for classic Python comedy.

Shows Dates: Friday June 20th (7-9pm), Monday June 23rd (12-2pm), Wednesday June 25th (7-9pm) and Friday June 27th (7-9pm). Ticket prices range between $5-$20 with VIP seats available.

2026 Student Enrolments

Yes, it is that time of year when we start to prepare for next year’s Prep/Foundation and Year 7 enrolments.

We are currently holding private Foundation/Prep 2026 and Year 7 2026 school tours and information session for all families via appointment. Please promote this to friends and family members you know who have a student’s starting in these year levels in 2026.

Private personalised school tours can be made by calling the College on 5599 2204.

If you have a child starting school next year, please come along, we love having current and new families join us. You are welcome to collect an enrolment pack from the office and return this as early as possible, as this assists us with sorting our numbers nice and early.

Reconciliation Week.

Reconciliation Week is a week never to forget.

This year’s Reconciliation Week theme, “Bridging now to next,” is an essential call to action, especially after events in recent years. This week is not just something to pencil in on the calendar. It is not just an excuse to roll out the black, red and yellow decorations for seven days. It is, instead, an important reminder of the consistent movement that Australians all around the nation are getting behind: “Now, more than ever,” we must move beyond this symbolism; we must now learn the truth and adapt to it.

At Mortlake College we are incredibly grateful to the Kirrae Whurrong People and to learn and share many memorable memories on the traditional lands of the Eastern Maar people.

At Mortlake College, we raise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags high and with pride. And while these are important traditions, they alone cannot carry the weight of our reconciliation efforts. For us, reconciliation efforts are not just symbolism; they amount to something so much more. We must confront history honestly in an ongoing, active effort towards change. This isn’t just a responsibility; it is a shared gift that we have been granted. We’re a nation, growing in empathy and growing in truth and acknowledging the true nature of our heritage.As we celebrate ‘Reconciliation Week’ we hope to further deepen our understanding as there is a vast difference between just recognising culture and fostering a true connection with it.

Reconciliation week is a period of reflection and action focused on strengthening the relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples and other Australians. Reconciliation Week provides an opportunity for individuals, organisations and communities to take concrete steps towards reconciliation, whether through learning other languages or showing everyone the same respect.

This time is for all Australians to learn about our shared history. We also honour the children of the Stolen Generation, some who never returned home to their families.

Every day we should focus on respecting everyone with different backgrounds and celebrate our differences.

That’s why this week matters. That’s why it’s so important to be together — walking towards the change as one. Because reconciliation is about unity without uniformity. We don’t all have to be the same. But we all must move forward…….. Together!

Year 5-6 First Nations Leadership Day

On Thursday June 5th, three Year 5 students will enjoy Day 2 of an amazing leadership opportunity that takes place each term. These opportunities provide positive and inclusive experiences that promote reconciliation and recognise the enduring cultural and spiritual connection of First Nations People to the land.

At Mortlake College continue to embed Aboriginal perspectives in our classrooms and to develop the voice of our young Aboriginal leaders.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

Applications are open for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) to help eligible families cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

Eligibility

Families are eligible to apply for the CSEF if they have a valid means-tested concession card.

Foster parents and students aged 16 years and over who are considered mature minors and hold a valid concession card are also eligible to apply.

A reminder to families, that to receive funding, you must complete an application form by the end of Term 2, 2025 (Friday 4 July 2025).

Payment amounts this year are $154 for eligible primary school students and $256 for eligible secondary school students.

All Year 3 to 6 students took an opt-out form home and will need to return the signed and completed form back to their classroom teacher, if families wish to opt-out of the study.

Drought Support Package

The following link contains Drought Support Package information from the Department of Agriculture.

Drought support package | Grants and financial support | Dry seasons and drought support | Farm management | Agriculture Victoria

2025 Student Attitudes to School Survey

The 2025 Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS), is administered to all government school students in Years 4 to 12 throughout this term. The AtoSS is a voluntary annual student survey offered by the Department of Education to assist schools and the department to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. We value student voice to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and will be asking your child about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.

This year, the survey will be conducted at Mortlake College between now and the end of term 2. We know that young people enjoy having a say! This survey has been running for nearly 20 years and is invaluable in helping us understand student views to plan programs and activities to improve each student’s schooling experience.

Students in Years 4-12 will be invited to complete the survey online during class time using a purpose built secure online survey tool. It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Please note:

Student participation in the survey is voluntary and students may withdraw at any time.
The survey is available in a variety of different versions to enable all students to participate.
The survey will take around 20-45 minutes to complete.

Parent Payments

Thank you to all parents who are up to date with Parent Payments or on a plan. Your contributions make a remarkable difference to our school and the programs/resources we offer. Please be familiar with the Parent Payment Policy as all extra curricula activities are offered on a user pay basis. We will ensure families are aware of all extra curricula activities well in advance to give you an opportunity to budget for these events and activities.

We would appreciate as many payments as possible finalising 2025 Parent Payments ASAP.

Important Upcoming Dates

Please continually check Sentral and the newsletter for important dates, student information, and highlights of events.

Semester 2 has now started for all VCE + VCE VM Students
Push up Challenge: June 4th to June 26th
Day 1 School Review: Thursday June 5th
Year 3-4 AFL 9’s: June 5th (Noorat)
Long Weekend: Public Holiday Monday June 9th (No School)
Secondary GWR Footy/Netball: Tuesday June 10th
Day 2 School Review: Wednesday June 11th
Parent Forum and Afternoon Tea - for the School Review: Wednesday June 11th @ 2:45pm
Secondary MWC Footy/Netball: Thursday June 12th
Primary Division Netball: Friday June 13th (at Warrnambool)
GAT EXAM: Tuesday June 17th
School Council: Tuesday June 17th
Day 3 School Review: Wednesday June 18th
Spamalot Performances: (June 20th, 23rd, 35th and 27th)

I look forward to continuing to work alongside all our families to lift our staff and students up to achieve the great learning that we know we are capable of

Linda Mooseek

Principal

Mortlake P-12 College

Welfare