Principal Team Report

Dear MC Community,

Welcome to our penultimate Links for 2024!

Term 4 is a period of recognition, celebration and conclusion. We commenced the term by both recognising and celebrating the fabulous talents of our many and passionate art students with our annual Art Show. The quality and range of works was yet again outstanding and as I sit in my office enjoying the sight of a corridor full of vibrant student art work, I often reflect on the importance of having such diverse learning programs is for students to explore their many interests and talents. Congratulation to the Arts faculty on such a successful show. If you happened to have missed it this year, please take a look at the corridor of art works when you are next visiting the college.

Immediately following the art show has been a period of celebration and conclusion for our ‘Class of 2024’. The school community took a moment to celebrate with our Year 12 students at a whole school assembly on their final day. We shared some great images and stories of their secondary school journey from the four school captains as well as recognising the handover of leadership to our incoming school captains. Congratulations to Abbey Dixon, Aya Elkhishin, Vanessa Nhoung and Angus Pappas on their selection as school captains for 2025 and we thank our graduating school captains, Alexia Anemikos, Camryn Dixon, Jack Fortington and Keira Pontefract for their dedication and leadership throughout the year. We wish the ‘class of 2024’ all the best with their final exams and we look forward to again celebrating their success when they return for their alumni assembly and afternoon tea in the new year.

Exam mode continues for the college once the Year 12 examination period concludes as students across all year levels undertake end of year exams. The college has designed a scaffolded approach to exams that prepares them for Year 12 by developing skills in revision, exam preparation, sitting an exam in a formal environment and then reviewing the outcome with their teachers following the exam period. For students in Years 7 and 8 the focus is on Maths and English and in Year 9, other core subjects such as Science and Humanities are included. From Year 10, students undertake end of year exams in all subjects as this replicates the requirements of VCE studies. Exam revision has already commenced in many classes and all exams will appear as an event on Compass.

HeadStart is coming

With the end of year looming, we wish to remind you of the critical dates to come, especially the expectations around full school attendance for our HeadStart program, which is the start of the 2025 school year i.e. it is NOT ‘just busy work’ etc. It is a chance for students to transition to the next year level, meet their new teachers and classmates, and prepare for the new schoolwork and expectations.

Cup Eve Monday – Staff learning

Our teaching staff prepared for the HeadStart program last Monday, when they worked individually and in teams to plan the curriculum for 2025, starting with the work for our HeadStart program in December.

Staffing and Leadership appointments

We would like to announce some key staffing decisions for the 2025 school year. New staff joining us in 2025 include:

Tess Hill – Food Technology
Sandeep Goswami – German
Tegan Dockeary – Humanities
Isobel Kiefel – English & Humanities

Stephanie Sloan has resigned from the Department of Education and her position at Mullauna to pursue her studies and a new career pathway. We wish her well in her endeavours.

Nathan Hughes will continue his work as an Education Improvement Leader (EIL) in the Outer East Area.

Joining the Mullauna Leadership Team in Learning Specialist roles are:

Anthony Cotton as the Learning Specialist - Literacy & EAL (Naomi Jallais will be on leave for 2025)
Anastasia Ruuska as the Learning Specialist - Differentiation & Engagement (a new role)

Daniella Taglieri will return from leave to the revised Leading Teacher – Head of Wellbeing & Engagement role, which Nik Smith has most admirably undertaken in her absence. Nik will continue in the critical Careers & Pathways Leader role. Together with Jeff McMillin, Daniella will oversee the Wellbeing & Engagement School Improvement Team

We welcome Flora Moraitis as the Leading Teacher – Head of Junior School. She will lead the Junior School Year Level Coordination team of:

Year 7 – Anthony Lam
Year 8 – Laura Chiappa
Year 9 - Adam Verrell

Working with Kim Watson (Leading Teacher – Head of Senior School) will be:

Eric Yeap – Year 10
Alister Graham – Year 11
Amanda Leahy – Year 12

Our sub-school teams have embraced the ‘looping’ model, where the Year Level Coordinator will move with their cohort of students through the sub-school, building on their relationships with students and their families.

Jacquie Brush will continue in the Leading Teacher – Head of Learning & Teaching role, overseeing our team of Heads of Faculty and all the core business of learning that we undertake at the college. Together with Michael Bray, Jacquie will oversee the Learning & Teaching School Improvement Team.

Rebecca Kimm will join this team as the Head of Faculty, Health & Physical Education. Our thanks to Jordan Perree, who took on this role for 2024. He will now focus on Sport Education.

Our full team of Heads of Faculty and Learning Leaders is:

Tamsin Davidson – Leading Teacher – Head of Literacy (Head of Faculty – English)
Trevor Barkla – Leading Teacher – Head of Numeracy (Head of Faculty – Mathematics)
Rebecca Holmes as Head of Faculty - The Visual Arts (Art, Media, VCD)
Laura Durham as Head of Faculty - German
Rebecca Kimm as Head of Faculty - Health & Physical Education
Aaron bear as Head of Faculty - Humanities
Miriam Pepper as Head of Faculty - Science & Technology
Peter Brodie as Head of Faculty – The Performing Arts (Music / Drama)
George Ng as IT Leader

We will publish further Positions of Responsibility in the final Links for the year.

Minister’s Message

At the end of October, the Victorian Minister for Education, Benn Carroll MP, sent the following message to schools. We were pleased to note this aspirational message that demonstrates the ongoing commitment to support and build our supportive state school system; we endorse it and are keen to share it with our Mullauna community:

Victoria is proud to be the Education State. Over the past 10 years, we have laid the foundations for an outstanding education system. Now is the time for us to build on this success and set out our aspirations for Victorian schools in the coming years. Today, I am pleased to share with you my vision for the Education State in the document I have released today: The Education State – Excellence in Every Classroom. It sets out aspirations and priorities for our schools informed through consultation with Victorian students, teachers, school leaders and communities.

It also reflects on the achievements to date. I want to pay tribute to our dedicated teachers, leaders and all school staff who have worked so hard and bring such deep professional expertise to the work of making Victorian schools such great places for children and young people to learn and grow.

Our vision for the Education State is to deliver excellence in every classroom in every corner of the state. Working in partnership with schools and our communities, we will bring the following priorities to life:

Excellence in teaching and learning

We know there is excellence in every school, and we are committed to making sure the best, evidence-based teaching methods reach every classroom. We have an excellent and skilled teaching profession in Victoria and we want to do more to make sure teachers have the best evidence-based resources and support they need so that every student can master the basics at school as well as build knowledge across all areas of the curriculum.

Every student matters

We all want to ensure that every student feels welcome at school, is supported to learn, and feels that they belong. We will do this by continuing to deliver our nation-leading investments in wellbeing, mental health and inclusion, as well as building on the rollout of Respectful Relationships and School-wide Positive Behaviour Support programs to ensure schools are safe for everyone. And, working with First Nations students, families and communities, we will prioritise self-determination and lift outcomes for First Nations students.

Lift secondary school student engagement and achievement

Secondary schools are the gateway to the future for all Victorian students. We have some of the best secondary schools in the country here in Victoria and can be proud of the work across all secondary schools to strengthen senior secondary pathways for all students. The opportunity is in front of us to reshape the secondary school experience – including in years 7-9 – to meet the needs of today’s learners, and ensure young people are engaged, happy, and well at school so that they can learn and reach their full potential.

Expand, support and recognise our school workforce

A focus of our vision for the Education State is you – our hardworking teachers, principals and education support staff. Each of you undertake highly valuable and complex work, and our mission is to expand, support and recognise our school workforce. We will continue to reduce the administrative burden on our school leaders and teachers, and free-up teachers to do what you do best – teach.

Schools at the centre of communities

We have already made great strides in this regard, and I’m proud that Victoria is home to more than half of the new government schools built across Australia in the past five years. Our vision is about continuing this growth, and about ensuring our schools are connected to community, so that life is easier for families. Where possible, we will continue to build kindergartens on school sites, strengthening transitions and making drop-off easier for families.

I invite you to read about The Education State and I look forward to working with you to bring this vision to life.

As educators, you know better than anyone that education has the power to change lives.

Thank you for your dedication to our students and communities. I look forward to working with you to deliver this vision.

The Hon. Ben Carroll MP

Deputy Premier of Victoria

Minister for Education

P&CA Bunnings bbq

‘Well done’ to our fabulous team of parents and staff who raised just over $2,000 for our school at Nunawading Bunnings last Sunday. Our thanks to Adam Kliska, Anne Schafer, Belinda and Hayden Blake, Dave Woolley, Elliot Gwynne, Florian Michel, George Ng, Kathleen Robinson, Liesl Coulthard, Melanie Bray, Nicole De Lacy, Sam Oxley, Florian Michel, Simon Huppatz and Susie Petris Nicol.

Reminder – Term 4 student-free days:

Friday 29th November is a student-free day for our HeadStart Planning & Preparation Day.

The HeadStart program provides students and teachers the opportunity to undertake a week of classes with the 2025 timetable. This assists students to understand the expectations and requirements of each new subject and determine what preparation is required over the break to enable them to ‘hit the ground running’ in the new year. This is especially important for our senior students but relevant to all students.

Year 7 welcome night

It was great to welcome our new Year 7 students & their families. An overview was provided of the college, including hearing from the school captains, parent reps and members of staff. Year 7 camp plans were presented as well as hearing from representatives from Primary School Wear (PSW) uniform and LWT laptop lease suppliers. We now look forward to welcoming back all new Year 7s returning to Mullauna College for the statewide Orientation Day on Tuesday 10 December.

End of year program

Further detailed information regarding the end-of-year program will be published progressively through Compass and the weekly MC Community Updates.

Final day of formal classes and compulsory school attendance for Senior School students (current Year 9, 10 and 11) is Friday 6th December. Students must clear their locker by this day.

Final day of formal classes and compulsory school attendance for Junior School students (current Years 7 and 8) is Wednesday 11th December. Students must clear their locker by this day. Year 8 students will attend an adventure camp from Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th December in preparation for their Skillz @ Mullauna program in 2025.

The optional Bounce excursion for students in Years 7 and 9 is on Monday 9th December – refer further details on Compass.

HATS HATS HATS

During Term Four, students are required to wear a hat during the majority of PE and Sport Education classes which are held outdoors. Students are encouraged to bring a hat to school and leave it in their locker to have available for these classes.

Thunderstorm asthma

There is an increased risk of seasonal asthma, hay fever and epidemic thunderstorm asthma during seasons with increased grass pollen levels. This typically occurs between October and December. Epidemic thunderstorm asthma events are triggered by a combination of higher grass pollen levels and a certain type of thunderstorm. People with a history of asthma, undiagnosed asthma or hay fever are at an increased risk under these conditions.

This risk is increased further for people who have poorly treated hay fever and asthma. The best way to reduce and prevent symptoms of asthma or hay fever and reduce unnecessary absences from school is to follow an up-to-date asthma action plan or hay fever treatment plan, provided by a general practitioner (GP) or specialist.

We ask that families:

· ensure all students diagnosed with asthma have an up-to-date asthma action plan, a student health support plan and student medication, including relievers (puffers), on hand

· ensure students with a history of seasonal hay fever symptoms see a GP if they don’t have a hay fever treatment plan · consider downloading the VicEmergency app and create a ‘watch zone’ for epidemic thunderstorm asthma advice and warnings

· keep asthma medication accessible

The VicEmergency app forecasts thunderstorm asthma risk between 1 October and 31 December for 3 days at a time (today, tomorrow and the day after) using a coloured scale from low risk (green), moderate risk (orange) to high risk (red). While not a formal warning, this information can help you manage risk and prepare. On a high-risk day, the VicEmergency warning platform will issue warnings and advice.

Michael Bray, Jeff McMillin and Harry Ruff

The MC Principal Team

Coming dates:

Term 4

2024-25 Headstart program:

Senior classes (current Years 9-11) – Week 9 (2nd to 6th December)
Junior classes (current Years 7-8) – Weeks 9 and 10 (2nd to 11th December)
Year 8 Camp (current Year 8s) – Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th December

Summer Program (current Years 7 & 8) – commences Week 10 (Thursday 12th December)

Staff Professional Learning and Time in Lieu acquittal – Weeks 10 and 11

Final Day – Friday 20th December (student-free)

2024 Term Dates 

Term 1 - 29 January to 28 March 

Term 2 – 15 April to 28 June 

Term 3 – 15 July to 20 September 

Term 4 – 7 October to 20 December 

Recommended Reads

08 November 2024

Books! Reading!