Leadership Report
Joseph Hess - Assistant Principal &Maths Learning Specialist
VHAP
Congratulations to the following students for their participation in the Victorian High Abilities Program (VHAP) for Numeracy this term: Andreas Daskalov, Arthur Van Copenhagen, Calvin Davis, Evie McLeay and Orlando Ortalizio.
Through their participation in the primary maths VHAP, students have explored a range of
numeral systems, bases and ciphers. This has enabled students to deepen their
understanding of the way symbols are used to express numbers, mathematical concepts,
operations and sequences.
During the program, students formulated, examined and refined mathematical conjectures. They were introduced to the idea of evaluating mathematical strategies and solutions through the lens of the 3Es, by asking whether a solution is Effective, Efficient, and / or Elegant. Students engaged in a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning, as they compared and contrasted the features of Hindu Arabic, Egyptian, Roman, Chinese, Babylonian and Mayan numeral systems.
They learned to convert numbers expressed in bases other than 10 to base 10, and were given the opportunity to create their own numeral system. The final three sessions of the program were devoted to cryptography. Students learned about substitution and transposition ciphers, and collaborated to crack increasing difficult encoded secrets. For the final session, students created their own ciphers, and celebrated their participation in the VHAP by uncovering the secrets their peers had encoded.
Tutoring
Congratulations to all of our students who participated in Numeracy tutoring this year! We have been so impressed with every student’s effort and commitment as they developed their fluency. It is wonderful to see the progress made across all tutoring groups. We would also like to extend a big thank you to our amazing tutors, Natasha and Ollie!
Tristan Kelly - Literacy Learning Specialist
VHAP
Congratulations to the following students for their participation in the Victorian High Abilities Program (VHAP) for English this term: Sathya Chandra-Pithie, Roisin Crawford, Asher Drew, Maddie Brown, Olive Owzcarek, Maude Ridge and Marcel Wright.
In the course, The Power of the Pen, students explored the history of writing and developed
insight into the power of the written word. They studied ancient narrative structures, including the Hero’s Journey. Students explored literary devices including metaphor, symbolism and personification. They wrote their own story of a hero’s journey, where they creatively applied all of the literary concepts that had been explored throughout the course. The shared journey into creative writing provided a powerful learning experience for students, as they had the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers to extend their English skills.
Tutoring
Congratulations to all of our students who participated in literacy tutoring this year! We have been so impressed with every student’s effort and commitment as they developed their phonics knowledge through the Little Learners Love Literacy program. It is wonderful to see the progress made across all tutoring groups. We would also like to extend a big thank you to our amazing tutors, Pia and Holly!
End of year wrap up
Thank you to all teachers and students for your effort, commitment, and enthusiastic participation in literacy learning throughout this year. It has been inspiring to see the engagement in deep discussion and analysis of mentor texts, the progress in phonics and morphology knowledge and the high-quality writing produced across all year levels. We would also like to acknowledge the willingness of all teachers to engage in coaching, reflect on practice, and continually focus on the needs of all students. We are excited about the next steps for literacy learning at MPS in 2026!
Literacy - Tristan and Bianca
Michelle Carland - Disability Inclusion Leader
Dear Merri-bek Families,
Please refer to the following information about procedures for submitting questionnaires and allied health reports that may be required by external professionals, over the school holiday period.
If your child’s psychologist, paediatrician, speech therapist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, or any other allied health or medical professional has requested that the school complete a questionnaire or provide information, please email these forms directly to michelle.carland@education.vic.gov.au and bianca.hudson@education.vic.gov.au.
If your family wishes to share recent reports, assessments, or updates from allied health providers—such as psychological evaluations, speech or occupational therapy reports, developmental assessments, or paediatric reviews—please email copies to michelle.carland@education.vic.gov.au and bianca.hudson@education.vic.gov.au.
Having access to these reports supports our ability to understand your child’s needs and plan appropriately for them in the new year. All documents will be managed confidentially and in line with school privacy requirements.
We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain clear communication with the professionals supporting your child. We wish all families a safe, restful, and enjoyable holiday break.
Kind regards,
Bianca Hudson (Assistant Principal) and Michelle Carland (Disability Inclusion Leading Teacher)