CEO's Welcome
A new MITS teaching and learning space at 283 Church Street
As many of you know, at the end of this year we will temporarily move out of our Year 7 classroom at Tigerland, as the Club prepares to start their redevelopment of the Jack Dyer Stand. This redevelopment will include the creation of the William Cooper Centre, a space that will house purpose-built classrooms for our Year 7 and 8 students along with offices and breakout spaces.
At the same time, after two great years running our Year 8 classroom from Richmond High School, we must leave that space as RHS continues to grow into 2025. So, through the course of this year we have been working to find a great classroom space for our Year 7 and 8 students for at least 2025 and 2026, and possibly longer if the RFC redevelopment takes longer than planned.
I’m very pleased to let you know that MITS has acquired use of 283 Church Street, the former Access Health clinic, for our classrooms from 2025 and beyond. This property is a very short walk from our boarding houses, and strengthens our connected community for students across Richmond Hill. Our students are very familiar with the property, which has been the headquarters of Access Health (our valued community health partner) for over 150 years. We are thrilled that the building will continue deliver on Access Health’s legacy of social purpose and impact in the Richmond community.
Over the coming weeks we will commence works to 283 Church Street to convert the ground floor spaces into two classrooms, with breakout spaces, teacher offices and staff and student bathrooms. These works are about making the spaces function well as a learning environment, and also about ensuring that the building complies with current regulatory requirements around things like disabled access, fire, hazardous materials and so on.
Over the coming years we will consider our strategic priorities beyond our current 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, and consider the possibilities that 283 Church Street offers to MITS and our students once our new classrooms are completed in the William Cooper Centre and Tigerland.
Celebrating our Students
It has been a wonderful start to Term 4 as we’ve celebrated our extraordinary cohort of thirteen Year 12 graduates. We have loved having so many family members visiting Melbourne for valedictory events, and it was particularly special to celebrate our Year 12s at our Gala Dinner, alongside 400 MITS supporters and guests.
At the Gala Dinner we shared a video of two of our Year 12 graduates – Ruby and Adam – which you can watch here. What a joy to witness their journeys over the past six years!
We are now preparing for our MITS Student Celebration Dinner at the MCG on Wednesday 4 December. At this dinner we will celebrate our Year 8 graduating class of 2024, Year 12 graduates and the many other students achieving milestones at MITS.
Guest tickets are priced at $75, covering a two-course meal and soft drinks. If you would like to join in this celebration of our MITS students, you can purchase tickets here. Current MITS families do not need to purchase tickets separately – if you have questions, please speak to your House Manager.
We’re excited to share the achievements of our students with you during these final weeks of 2024!
Edward Tudor
CEO