Principal Team Report

Principal Team Report

Dear Mullauna Community!

Welcome to our final edition of Links for the 2025 school year!

It has been another eventful and positive year, with many highlights across both our curricular and co-curricular programs. We hope you have taken the time to read over our 2025 MSC Magazine, beautifully presented as always by our staff editor, Wayne Howell. We have included below my principal’s report from the magazine. 

A disappointment has been the ongoing delay in appointment of a building contractor for the Stage 2 Capital Works Project, our long-awaited STEM Centre. We hope to be able to share some positive news soon.

We are also aware of the positives and challenge presented by the federal government’s new and long-awaited social media ban for our under 16s. While there are many opinions about this, we feel it is a generally positive move, reminding us of the risks involved with uncontrolled access to and unconsidered contributions to various virtual environments. The summer break presents the ideal opportunity for families to discuss these changes and to plan for alternatives.

Class of 2025 – another great effort!

Our wonderful Year 12 Class of 2025! Whether they were undertaking a scored or unscored VCE, or the VCE Vocational Major, they have done us and themselves proud. Together, they have faced and overcome extraordinary challenges over their years of secondary education at Mullauna. Each and every one of them has faced the challenges in their own way to make it through to the end of their Mullauna experience, and now stand on the threshold of the exciting start of ‘life after school’. As we teachers looked through the individual class results, read each student’s name and their associated results, and replayed their stories in our conversations, we were reminded of the trials and tribulations that our students (and their families and friends) had faced, the hurdles on their personal paths, their highs and lows, and their successes. For some, success is the high ATAR that we celebrated publicly yesterday; for others, the success is simply being there to the end and achieving their personal best. We know that this is not always acknowledged and celebrated in the same way, but we also understand that it is no less worthy. We applaud all of our graduates, and we hope all of our families have done so at home. 

One highlight that comes without an ATAR is the successful progress of our VCE Vocational Major course. The graduating students and their teachers Tamsin Davidson, Michael Bray, Laurene O’Conner and Amanda Leahy, along with Head Start coordinator Michael Harvey, have led the school in the ongoing refinement and development, delivery and completion of this new option for students to pursue a more vocational pathway while remaining a Mullauna student. 

While we appreciate and applaud the efforts of all of our Year 12 teachers (along with the Year 7, 8 , 9, 10 and 11 teachers who laid the foundation for the critical final year), and the Wellbeing, Inclusion and Pathways teams, it is the significant personal relationship with Year Level Coordinators and Sub-school Heads that keep the cohort working together. For the Class of 2025, their three years in the Senior School, including the final two years, the critical VCE ones, were guided by Amanda Leahy, supported by our Head of Senior School, Kim Watson. Amanda Leahy’s work in this space and with this cohort in particular has vindicated our decision to introduce the three-year looping appointment of Year Level Coordinators in our two Sub-Schools.

We look forward to catching up with all of the Class of 2025 at our Welcome and Alumni Awards assembly and afternoon tea on Tuesday 17 February 2026.

2025 – an excerpt from our Magazine

Mamma mia, here I go again, reflecting on another year at Mullauna, and what a year it was! Like our toe-tapping ABBA-inspired production it was full of energy and was a heady mixture of outstanding individual ‘stars’ and impressive teamwork – in the spotlight and behind the scenes. A massive production like Mamma Mia brings out the very best in our community. It draws in students from all year levels, enabling and developing a broad range of their interests and skills. It also requires intense staff, parent and outside support, including one of our staunchest supporters, Peter Lyons, an alumni parent who remains a critical part of the tech crew. The joyful enthusiasm of the production’s cast and crew inspires and invigorates us. It’s therefore appropriate that this magazine cover captures it.

Our community has continued to grow, with a large Year 7 cohort being joined by a steady flow of new enrolments, increasing our population to around 650 students representing 510 families. In 2026, we expect to be joined by 140 Year 7s - one of our largest intakes. This growth has allowed us to further expand our staff team, including our Leadership Team, with the addition of Flora Moraitis as Head of the Junior School team and Gary Vear as Head of Design & Digital Technology. Part of Gary’s role will be to prepare us for the new STEM Centre, funding for which was confirmed in the 2025 state budget. This new building will provide an extra eleven much-needed teaching spaces, including five Science laboratories and three Technology classrooms. This building and many other projects around the college, have been monitored by Assistant Principals Jeff McMillin and Michael Bray. We have also renovated our Administration area and main foyer; it now proudly displays our Wominjeka wall, the student and community highlights posters, and a brand-new honour board to recognise the annual School Captains and Duxes.

While we are excited at the prospect of new teaching spaces, it is the learning and teaching work that occurs within them that is most reflective of the year we have had. Hot on the heels of the excellent 2024 VCE results (including a 99.2 ATAR Dux, and both a Top Arts and a Top Designs award), came the announcement that our VCE successes made us the fourth most improved state school in this regard over the last ten years. Keeping us firmly on this path of improvement, our Year 7s achieved outstanding results in the annual NAPLAN assessments and our Year 9s achieved excellent growth in both Literacy and Numeracy, reflecting the positive impact of our teachers’ work in the classrooms. To support the teachers in their work on students’ learning and wellbeing, we have employed our first Alumni Mentor, Camryn Dixon, to support our Literacy program and to help engage our Year 7 students. Similarly, our Instrumental Music program continues to hit the high notes, adding new events like the Contemporary Showcase, and new ensembles, like the Jazz Combo and the Show Band. The latter was selected to perform at North Eastern Victoria Region Spotlight Concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre. This, along with eight of our students being selected to participate in the State Schools Spectacular, indicates the strength in our Performing Arts program. Thanks to Jordan Perree and Rohan Spong, we had an outstanding year in interschool sports, with amazing participation and success for our students. Our German program kicked three big goals: further funding for a Language Assistant (shared with Rangeview PS), places in all three year levels in the AGTV State Poetry Competition (including two firsts!), and the resumption of the annual exchange program with our sister school (shared with Vermont SC) after a five-year Covid hiatus.

On School Council, Elisabeth Waycott took on the presidency and four new parent representatives joined us. Our Parents and Community Association grew and hosted or supported more events. Pleasingly, our school community parents gave us a 90% General Satisfaction rating in the annual survey. We continue keep our parent community well informed  and to provide them the opportunity to share in the education of their children.

Staff we are farewelling include: Michael Kyrkou, who is retiring after over 40 years of dedicated service to state education; Tanya Alderton, who is taking on a Teacher Librarian role at Mount Waverley SC; and Ana Ruuska, who is moving to Box Hill HS. Both Naomi Jallais and Harriet Smitheram (both on extended leave this year) have decided to pursue other options and have resigned from the Department. We thank them all and wish them well! 

This year of continued growth and success through learning together has as always been due to many factors, but mainly to the efforts and quality of the people of our community: the students, their families, and the staff (both teaching and education support). I will miss working with Abbey Dixon, Aya Elkhishin, Vanessa Nhoung and Angus Pappas, this year’s four highly engaged School Captains, and look forward to working with their successors in 2026, Caitlyn Fankhauser, Lucy Gordon, Victoria Halpin and Teiva Levy. My thanks as always to those who took on challenging leadership roles as Year Level Coordinators guiding our students or Heads of Faculty leading learning. Particular thanks must go to the Leadership Team, the Administration Team, and my three closest confidants, Business Manager Nat Rieger and Assistant Principals Jeff McMillin and Michael Bray. Finally, thanks to Wayne Howell for once again ensuring our year is captured in the magazine.

We now look to 2026 and the critical work of the four-yearly school review process.

Harry Ruff

Mullauna Secondary College Principal

School Council

Last Tuesday, we held our final School Council meeting for 2026. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated team of parents, student and staff who make up this critical governance body of our college. Their dedication, insights and support are critical to the smooth functioning of our college. My thanks to:

• Parents - Elisabeth Waycott (President), Jeff Gordon (Vice-President), Fiona Allen, Sharna Booth (resigned), Adam Kliska, Silvia Vogel, Yeng Ling and most recent coopted parents David Scott and Veronica Chamberlin.
• Students - Caitlin Fankhauser and Teiva Levy, with School Captains Abbey Dixon, Aya Elkhishin, Vanessa Nhoung and Angus Pappas.
• Staff – Alister Graham, Michael Bray, Jeff McMillin and Nat Rieger

Semester Two reports

Our students’ Semester Two reports will be published on Friday 19 December via Compass.

Preparation for 2026

Enrolments are strong, with six classes of Year 7s and a total student cohort close to 700 for the first time in many years, including almost 30 International Students on site for the start of the school year. 

As a college, we are preparing our 2026 Annual Implementation Plan with new improvement targets, to ensure continued success for all of our learners at Mullauna, both student and staff! 

We are also preparing for our four-yearly (quadrennial!) School Review, to develop our next School Strategic Plan. We have been informed that the Review process will be undertaken in Term 3, 2026.

A reminder to students to prepare themselves thoroughly for 2026 by: 

• Firstly, having a relaxing break – enjoy your well-earned summer holiday – stay safe and well! 
• Completing any tasks set for the holidays, especially for VCE – a reminder that work not submitted at your first class will lead to an accountability session on a Wednesday afternoon. 
• Reading – your set texts and also for enjoyment! 
• And in the week before school starts again: 
• Ensuring your uniform, books and laptop are ready to go for your first day back. 
• Looking over your notes from this year to refresh your 2025 learning. 

Uniform and Dress Code – jumper colour update

The Student Dress Code policy will be uploaded to a separate Compass Newsfeed prior to start of the new school year. 

As part of a uniform update, we are planning to phase out the current royal blue jumper and replace it with the black one, currently only warn by VCE students. This distinction has become somewhat redundant since the 2022 introduction of the Year 12 jacket for the full academic year.

We will propose this change to School Council early in the new year, so please forward your feedback to us at the college asap.

Student medical conditions and medication – please organise these over the break

 We work hard to maintain up-to-date action plans, health support plans and response procedures for all of our students with chronic health conditions. We ask that all families ensure that up-to-date medications and health details are provided to the school at the start of the next school year. 

And finally, we take this opportunity to thank our students for their engagement and hard work, our parent community for your support, our staff for their commitment, and to wish you all a very merry Christmas and joyous festive season, a safe and relaxing summer, and a great start to the new year! 

Harry Ruff, Jeff McMillin and Michael Bray 

The MSC Principal Team 

Coming key dates: 

Friday 19 December 2025 – college closes for the summer break 

2026 Term dates

Term 1  Tuesday 27 January to Thursday 2 April

Term 2  Monday 20 April to Friday 26 June

Term 3  Monday 13 July to Friday 18 September

Term 4  Monday 5 October to Friday 18 December

Term 1  - 27 January (students start from 28 January in government schools) to 4 April

• Monday 26 January – Australia Day public holiday
• Tuesday 27 January – all staff return / General Office re-opens
• Wednesday 28 January - Year 7s and Senior School students (Years 10, 11 and 12) commence.
• Thursday 29 January - Years 8 and 9 students commence 
• Thursday 29 & Friday 30 January - Year 12 study residential
• Monday 02 February – Instrumental Music lessons commence
• Wednesday 11 February – first Parent & Community Association meeting – 6.30pm 
• Friday 13 February – combined Welcome to Country assembly with Mitcham PS
• Tuesday 17 February – Welcome and Alumni Awards Assembly / School Council
• Thursday 19 & Friday 20 February – Yr 7 Camp at Toolangi 
• Tuesday 24 February – School photos
• Thursday 26 February – whole school House Swimming Carnival
• Thursday 05 March – Yr 7 Family Welcome BBQ & Instrumental Music Night, 6pm start 
• Monday 09 March – Labour Day public holiday
• Wednesday 11 to Friday 20 March – Year7 & 9 NAPLAN
• Tuesday 24 March – SkillZ Presentation evening
• Thursday 26 March – German exchange departs
• Friday 27 March – Presentation Ball
• Tuesday 31 March – Student Learning Conferences
• Thursday 02 April - final day of term 1
• Friday 03 April - Good Friday public Holiday