Acting Principal Update

Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

School Review and Parent Survey: Last Chance to Contribute!

Thank you to those families who have shared their opinions about what they feel we need to Stop, Start and Continue as regards Teaching & Learning, Communication, Behaviour, and Engagement. 

If you have not managed to join in with our Parent Opinion Survey, can I encourage you to spend fifteen minutes sharing your ideas as, your feedback will be used as a part of our School Review in Term 3.

The survey will close at the end of Semester 1 (Friday 14th June).

Each family can easily complete the form via this link: Parent Opinion Survey; please, only one form per family so that we get a fair range of opinions that represent our whole school community.

End of Semester – Reminder of Key Dates

As we creep ever closer to the end of Semester 1, here are some key dates that you will find useful to support your child with their organisation: 

• Monday 27th May to Friday 31st May: Revision week (Years 10 - 11) 
• Friday 31st May: End of Unit 3 (Year 12)
• Monday 3rd June to Friday 13th June: Exams (Years 10 - 11) 
• Friday June 14th: Semester 1 ends.
• Monday June 17th: Semester 2 starts (new bell times)
• Tuesday 18th June: GAT (All Year 11/12 studying a VCE 3/4 subject and all Year 12 VM)

All senior students have a copy of their exam timetable and you can also find the Exam Navigator here. I hope you will be able to make good use of this document; I know that currently in my house, my fridge is decorated with my own children’s exam timetables!

Year 10 and Year 11 students have also recently been involved in the Elevate sessions that our current Year 12 had in 2023. Elevate sessions are research-backed seminars that help students improve their study techniques, increase motivation, and lift exam skills so that student confidence in their exam technique is improved.

Please, use the Elevate website as a catalyst to  speak with your child about what you can do together to alleviate some of the stresses that examinations might bring.

Year 10 and 11 students have classes cancelled during the examination fortnight, but must remain at school if they have more than one exam on any one day; the Hub and Senior School Centre will be available for their private study during this time.

If students only have one exam on a day, they should be at home for the remainder of the day, engaging in home study in preparation for their next exam.

Our Year 12 students will be starting Unit 4 work from Monday 3rd June. 

Please note we have a pupil free day on Friday 14th June as our designated Professional Practice Day for staff. All staff will be onsite for the day, finalising Semester One reports and preparing for the beginning of Semester Two. 

On June 18th, the General Achievement Test (GAT) will run for all students studying a Unit 3 and 4 sequence in Year 11 and 12, and all students studying Year 12 Vocational Major. Students have received information about the arrangements for this from our Director of Senior School, Susan Cochrane.

Marrung Education Scholarship Award Ceremony 

On 26 May 2024, Jack Hayes was formally awarded his Marrung Education Scholarship at a ceremony in the city to celebrate recipients. 

At the start of 2024, Jack was informed he was one of 31 recipients across Victoria of the Marrung Education Scholarship. Marrung Education Scholarships support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to complete years 11 and 12.

A panel of representatives from the Department and the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI) select who is awarded. The scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate a high level of: 

•        involvement in the Aboriginal community

•        year 10 results

•        school reports

•        potential to succeed in a chosen pathway

•        references from school and community representatives.

In attendance at the ceremony was Aunty Geraldine Atkinson, a proud Bangerang and Wiradjuri woman and President of the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc.  (VAEAI) and the Hon Ben Carroll MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education; who both spoke to the significance of the day, how this is the beginning of great things for them as Indigenous young people and how much strength and resilience there is and continues to be in the “future leaders” being awarded there today. 

We are so very proud of Jack, and also extremely grateful to Mel Raike and Kodilee Strahan who accompanied Jack to the event.

Punctuality and Getting to School On Time

It is definitely a challenge trying to navigate the buses that are replacing trains during these level crossing works; I fully understand that sometimes, getting to school late is not your fault.

However, we do have students who regularly arrive late and, as we get closer to examination time, please can I ask everyone to be mindful of punctuality, and why it is so important.

• We continue to put a lot of effort into improving the design of our lessons, this includes creating impactful starters. If your child is late, they may miss this crucial part of the lesson.
• Constant disruptions spoil the flow of lessons for everyone. If your child is late, they disrupt the lesson for their peers.
• We run strict examination timetables. If your child arrives late to an examination, they will lose important reading time for that exam.
• If your child arrives too late for an exam, they may not be allowed to  sit that exam. If your child misses an exam, they will only be offered one chance to resit.

As well as texts, we will soon be rolling out emails to families whose children arrive late to school; the hope here is that if needed, you will then be able to have a conversation with your child about ways to get to school on time. This may mean getting an earlier bus, arriving at school a little earlier than normal, but then being provided with the opportunity to work quietly in the Senior Centre or in the HUB.

Rachael Stone

Acting Principal

Mordialloc College would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land – the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin nation, and pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. 

As a school and community, we are committed to a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture.