From the Principal

Good morning, a short week but a good week. The annual Athletics carnival was held on Tuesday, followed by the School Council AGM and the first council meeting for the 2025 school year. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce and welcome members of School Council.

Parent Reps – Rachel Singleton, Kristian Keily, Cushla Fretwell, Janine Davies, Jane Ivey

Student Reps – Carter Nicholson, Chloe Smith

Staff Reps – Jo Reeman (Treasurer), Sarah Walker, Sian Jones

Community Reps – Col Mason (President), Jenny Mason, Trudy Mason

School Council meets 8 times throughout the year. I look forward to getting to know and work with our Council to continue to lead MSC into the future.

NAPLAN for students in Years 7 and 9 also began this week and will continue until 24th March.

Next week is Neurodiversity week, and Autism Acceptance Month is in April.

These are great opportunities to celebrate the strengths of our autistic students and other diverse learners, recognise challenges they may face and learn more about how we can support them.  Our school is committed to understanding, including and celebrating our diverse learners and value the contribution they and their families make to our school.

About Neurodiversity Celebration Week

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that celebrates the strengths and talents of people who think and learn differently. It also reminds us of the importance of being kind, accepting and inclusive of everyone.

About one in 5 children has variations in their brain development. These variations include those seen in autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and dyscalculia. These children can be described as ‘diverse’ learners.

Autism Acceptance Month

Autism Acceptance Month in April is a chance to celebrate, support and include autistic students. It is an offshoot of the United Nation’s sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on Wednesday 2 April 2025.

To mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week and Autism Acceptance Month, we would like to share some resources that support inclusion that have been developed for the Department of Education by autistic-led organisations and lead researchers in autism and neurodiversity:

Resources

• I CAN Education has tips for becoming a champion for neurodivergent students and a graphic novel to help students navigate high school
• Yellow Ladybugs’ All Brains are Different program introduces the concept of neurodiversity in an affirming way 
• AllPlay Learn’s Inclusive School Communities: Monash University’s AllPlay Learn team has developed resources on how to create inclusive school communities where everyone feels welcome and supported 
• Amaze has produced videos and fact sheets for parents on how to include families of autistic children 
• Positive Partnerships runs webinars and has practical tools and information sheets to support autistic students’.

Thankyou for your continued support. I hope to see you 25th March at our Open Night/showcase. Come and join in the fun and grab a free sausage.

Linda Stanton

Principal

Important Dates

Term 1 2025

March

Mar - Wednesday 12th to Monday 24th Naplan

Mar - Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st Year 12 Murray River Paddle Camp

Mar - Tuesday 25th College Open Night

Mar - Thursday 27th Morrisby Profiling - Year 9

Mar - Monday 31st to Wednesday 2nd April Year 10 Outdoor Education Camp Otways

Mar - Monday 31st Year 7 Grandparents Morning Tea

April

Apr - Wednesday 2nd Year 7 Disco

Apr - Thursday 3rd Parent and Teacher Interviews - face to face

Apr - Friday 4th End of Term 1 - 2:30pm finish

Term 2 2025

April

Apr - Tuesday 22nd Term 2 commences 

Apr - Thursday 24th College Anzac Day Service 10:15am 

Apr - Friday 25th Anzac Day Public Holiday

Apr - Monday 28th to Wednesday 30th  Year 10 Outdoor Education Camp Otways

Middle School

Precision, Tenacity, and the Pursuit of Excellence

This weekend, Melbourne plays host to the Formula 1 Grand Prix, bringing the world's best drivers to Albert Park. These elite athletes embody discipline, precision, and determination—qualities that can mean the difference between a podium finish or a crash. Similarly, our students, particularly those in their final years, understand the importance of focus and perseverance as they prepare for exams. Success is built on strong skills, a positive mindset, and a determination to do their best - attributes that are valuable not just in racing or academics but in all aspects of life.

We saw these same qualities on full display during our recent Athletics Day, where students demonstrated commitment, resilience, and enthusiasm in every event. Athletics Day provides an opportunity for students to push themselves to achieve their personal bests while supporting their peers.

Currently, our Year 7 and 9 students are undertaking NAPLAN testing. As educators, we value these assessments because they provide valuable insights into student learning. The data helps us identify strengths and areas for growth, allowing us to refine our teaching and personalise learning experiences to support every student. By analysing the results in detail, we can determine which concepts need further reinforcement and how best to tailor our teaching to ensure the strongest possible outcomes.

Meanwhile, our Year 8 students recently returned from camp, and by all reports—from both students and staff—it was a fantastic experience. A huge thank you to Adam Pirrie and Kim Rattue, who did a magnificent job overseeing the camp. Their leadership ensured the students had an engaging and memorable time. We also extend our appreciation to all the staff who contributed in some way to making the camp a success. Experiences like these provide students with opportunities to build resilience, teamwork, and independence—all skills that will serve them well in the years ahead.

Whether in the classroom, on the track, or in life, success comes from hard work, resilience, and a commitment to improvement. We are proud of our students for continually striving to do their best.

Denise Leggett

Assistant Principal

Senior School

To students and families of the Mornington Senior School,

I trust everyone enjoyed the long weekend, with some very warm weather. The irony of celebrating the introduction 8-hour working day is the fact that many of us now need to cram the missed hours of productivity into the remaining days. Imagine they had campaigned for a 4-day work week and society would like quite different. Perhaps an issue for our future leaders to take up.

Passing VCE versus achieving a high ATAR

Obtaining a VCE certificate is deliberately quite easy. The certificate has been designed to ensure that almost all Victorian students can achieve it under normal conditions. It is this approach which makes obtaining an ‘S’ in a VCE unit very easy. All students need to do to pass is:

• attend classes (more than 90% of the time, and bring in medical documentation to explain absences)
• complete work during class time (which can be authenticated) and independent learning tasks (homework, preparation, such as Edrolo, practice SACs etc)
• Attempt all school-based assessments as scheduled (School Assessed Coursework (SACs) and School Assessed Tasks (SATs)

Achieving a high ATAR is my definition, much harder. The ATAR is a rank, comparing year 12 students against all others in Victoria (and is used across Australia although each state has their own ranking system within their jurisdiction). This is where the scores in SACs, SATs and VCAA exams are used.

Subject-based attendance

In VCE classes, each student is required to have 50 hours of face-to-face instruction per unit. This VCAA requirement is where school’s base their attendance requirements policy. MSC is the same and we have a 90% class attendance policy per subject, per unit (semester-based). By meeting the attendance requirement, students will provide ample opportunities to produce work during classes and assessments that teachers can authenticate and be counted as evidence of satisfactory understanding of the unit outcomes. 

Where students are at risk of not meeting one or more of the above criteria, students and parents will be notified. For subject-based attendance, year level teams will periodically send at-risk-of-N Compass posts (and automatic emails are generated) prompting students and families to improve their attendance. The first attendance report has been run this week (I look at all VCE subject-based attendance in the Senior School) and students at risk will be notified within a week. There is plenty of time to turn it around, with approximately 8-10 weeks remaining in the semester one units (8 for Yr 12, 10 for year 11) but every period of attendance really does count.

In the coming weeks I’ll explain more about the academic progress and how students can intentionally improve their scores without spending more than the recommended 15-18 study hours per week.

Senior School students at the MSC Athletics Carnival

I wanted to congratulate the Senior School students for their efforts and attitude during some tough conditions at the athletics carnival on Tuesday. While the students weren’t able to beat the teacher relay team at the end (after we cleverly manipulated the race to prove that experience is valuable 😉) I was proud of the efforts I saw throughout the day. In 20 years of athletics carnivals across multiple schools, I’ve never seen as many 18-20 year olds compete in the long jump (where I was a marshall/judge). While there were many great performances across the carnival, I’d like to single out the efforts of Eleanor Wright and Charli Holcombe who had a magnificent duel in the long jump. Also a shout out to Charlotte Davies in Year 8 who had the best jump of the day in the long jump – well done!

What is coming up this term in the Senior School? 

Thurs 3rd Apr – Parent Teacher interviews – no classes

Kind regards,

Nick Evans

Senior School Assistant Principal

Progressing well

Last Friday we released Term1 Progress Checks for all students. These checks can be found by clicking on the academic reports link on your child’s compass page. Scroll down to the colourful graphs. These checks are rated on a 4 point scale with 4 being awarded to a student who demonstrates the area 95%+, 3 points for 75%+, 2 points for 50%+, 1 point for 20%+ and zero for less than 20%.  When you have a look at the report with your child this gives you a measure of how well they are “putting” in at school.  We would encourage you to discuss areas where your child can make improvements and to come up with a joint plan for how this can happen.  The points students receive from their progress checks in each term go towards them receiving a STRIVE award, which recognises students efforts in their learning. An average score of 3.75 in the two cycles in each semester will give the student a STRIVE award.

Parent Teacher Conferences

By the time you are reading this Parent Teacher conferences will have opened for bookings. Parent Teacher conferences will take place on Thursday 3rd of April from 12noon until 7pm. We encourage all parents to come, along with their child, to meet with teachers to discuss progress so far and strategies for further growth.  Based on feedback from last year we have decided to make this years conferences face to face, in the Learning Centre. A reminder that parking onsite is limited so parents should allow time for parking.

Mike Parker

Assistant Principal

Open Night 2025

Please spread the word, or better still, please come and join us at our 2025 Open Night Showcase.

On Tuesday 25th March from 5-7pm, we will be hosting an Open Night for prospective Mornington Secondary College students and families.  The night will be filled with an assortment of activities and entertainment across all of our key learning areas. It will be a fun night, with food options available for visiting families. 

House Athletics 

Our House Athletics carnival was held on Tuesday 11th March at the Ballam Park athletics track. The conditions were quite difficult with hot weather and fairly strong winds blowing down the track making keeping the hurdles upright a real challenge. It was fantastic to see so many students dressed in their house colours with many making a big effort to be strong contenders for the best dressed competition. 

The music was pumping thanks to Mr Malligan, the sausages were sizzling with special thanks to our local Lions Club and all the events were happening every 30 minutes thanks to the staff working hard to keep everything moving. The results kept flooding in from all the events keeping the presentation and computer recording teams very busy indeed. In the centre of the track, we had the novelty events team running tug of war, egg and spoon races, sack races as well as the epic gum boot toss which will surely be a demonstration sport at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games! 

The best dressed competition was hotly contested with some great imagination and team work on display. Each entrant or team paraded their way down the catwalk in front of the presentation area to be expertly judged. Congrats go to team KFC for taking out the grand prize just in front of the Teenage Ninja Turtles who scored highly for their choreographed performance and then the Bananas in Pyjamas teams in third.

The final event of the day was the staff versus students’ relay which was held down the main straight. The crowds gathered to watch the showdown which was eagerly anticipated. The teachers were gifted a slight (large) advantage or handicap to compensate for advanced years. As it turns out some of the teachers can actually run, putting on a great display and taking out the win, which they were very excited about. There will be a reduction in the teacher handicap in the 2026 event!

At the end of the competition all the event points are calculated with the all-important House results are as follows:

1 Tuerong         1178

2 Beleura          987

3 Coolart           933

4 Balcombe     800

Congratulations to all the Tuerong Sharks who are the now the official 2025 House Athletics champions!

Event Records Broken

We started recording new athletic event records in 2024. The table below indicates the 2024 records that were broken this year. These students will now be the new record holders for that event moving forward.

John Walker

College Sport Coordinator

Hands on Learning: Public Space Artwork Project

In conjunction with local artists, our Hands on Learning crew worked together, over several days, to create a mural to help beautify the local community. With brushes in hand, our students worked hard and painted a gigantic mural on the side of the Op Shop on Robertson Drive, Tanti. They were a positive and wholesome influence on the local community, and a great example of what MSC students can accomplish. 

Matt Butcher

Hands on Learning

Year 8 Phillip Island - Camp 2

Last Friday the 2nd Year 8 Camp returned, and they were lucky enough to have the long weekend to recover from their action packed time at Phillip Island.

Camp 2 photos:

Adam Pirrie

Year 8 Team Leader

Year 12 Vocational Major RSA incursion

On Thursday the 6th of March, Year 12 Vocational Major students completed their Responsible Service of Alcohol and Food Handlers certificates. 

Students participated in a range of engaging activities run by EduClick, including making chocolate truffles and using a UV light to check for bacteria. Students were informed about hygienic practices for food safety as well as the responsibilities and legal requirements surrounding the service of alcohol. 

These certificates are nationally recognised and provide students with the opportunity to enter the workforce with qualifications to promote work readiness. 

Students had a fantastic day and I would like to thank EduClick and all the staff that allowed it to be a success.

Kate Wilson

Head of Department - Vocational Major

Year 11VM Assembly

The Year 11 VM students had a celebration assembly Thursday 13th March.

Students were nominated by their VM subject teachers for Achievement, Respect, Community, Improvement, Leadership and Positive Attitude.

The Year 11 VM students have had a successful start to their VCE journey. It was wonderful to see how their teachers acknowledged their good work and attitude.

Dr Jasmine Keough

Team Leader Year 11

Students of the Week

Year 7 Alba Nicholls

Favourite food: Pizza

Hobbies out of school: Circus at Soul Circus 

What sports team do you follow? Collingwood 

Favourite TV show: Task Master 

Do you have any pets? A dog named Nessie 

What do you enjoy most about being at Mornington Secondary College? There’s more subjects - I like the variety 

What career do you wish to follow when you finish school? A plastic surgeon or another type of surgeon

Year 7 Keanu Khosravi

Favourite food: Homemade Burgers

Hobbies out of school: Basketball, going to the gym and hanging out with mates 

What sports team do you follow? The Lakers and The Panthers

Favourite TV show: The movie Grown Ups 

Do you have any pets? A dog named Jigg

What do you enjoy most about being at Mornington Secondary College? Seeing all my friends, the variety of classes and teachers

What career do you wish to follow when you finish school? Something in the area of sport

Year 11 Fletcher Cook

House: Tuerong

My favourite subject: Systems Engineering Units 3 and 4

Hobbies out of school: Basketball 

What do you enjoy most about being at Mornington Secondary College? seeing friends and learning interesting things

Dream job: Billionaire

Immunisation Program 2025

Please find attached important information from Mornington Peninsula Shire relating to the Year 7 and Year 10 Immunisation Program planned for Monday 26 May 2025. The letter details the Shire's request that the college sends parent contact details to them so they can follow-up any student who has missed their immunisation.

Please read carefully.

Please consent or decline for your child to take part in the Immunisation Program using the following links: 

Year 10 Immunisation 2025 Consent Link

Year 7 2025 Immunisation Consent Link

A help sheet from the Shire is attached.

Shellie Farnill

Education Support - Student Services

Doctors in School

Nurse Fiona has been a nurse for many years and specialises in mental health. Fiona is a mum to three teenage children and has a dog called Freyer. Fiona works for the Doctor in Schools Program at three other schools, as well as working at Mornington Secondary College with Dr Steph on a Thursday each week. Fiona will look after students prior to seeing Dr Steph and complete a registration form if it is your first time at the clinic. 

Dr Steph has been the doctor at Mornington Secondary College since 2018 as part of the Doctor in Schools Program. Doctor Steph has four grown up children, a cat called Derek and a rabbit called Bunns (who is a bit of an escape artist). The Doctors in Schools service covers all areas of medical practice that your community GP would, such as physical health, mental health, sexual health, blood tests, referral for x-rays, and other investigates and letters to specialists can be organised.  Normal GP rules of complete confidentiality are assured, and the service is totally free.

Our Facilities

Mornington Secondary College have totally dedicated facilities for our Doctor in School program, with a GP room, a nurse’s room, a comfortable warm waiting room and bathroom. This building was purposely built for this service.  See pictures below.

The Doctor in School Program

The Doctors in School program is a government initiative that funds general practitioners (GPs) to attend up to 100 Victorian government secondary schools up to one day a week. The GPs provide medical advice and health care to secondary school students.

The objectives of the program are to:

• make primary health care more accessible to students

• assist young people to identify and address any health problems early

• reduce the pressure on working parents.

Headspace Frankston provides a nurse and GP to Mornington Secondary College every week on a Thursday. As mentioned above our regular nurse is called Fiona and our regular GP is Dr Steph.

An appointment can be booked three ways:

1. Email shellie.farnill@education.vic.gov.au

2. Students can send a Teams message to Shellie Farnill

3. Ask for an appointment at Student Services (Shellie)

Participating schools, students and their parents/carers will not incur any out-of-pocket expenses for student consultations with the GP. The service is completely free of charge.

Consistent with Australian common law, the program recognises that:

• any student who wants to see the GP will be permitted to book an appointment

• the GP will decide whether the young person is mature enough to consent to medical treatment or whether parent/carer consent is needed - as is the case with all GPs in the community

• the right for a young person’s health information to be kept confidential will be respected unless the disclosure is with the consent of the young person or it is otherwise permitted by law – as is the case with all GP practice in the community.

For more information about the program, consent and confidentiality please see link below:

• https://www.vic.gov.au/doctors-in-secondary-schools

Shellie Farnill

Student Services - Extra Curricula

2025 New Staff

Hi, I’m Kellie Fallon and this is my 18th year as a teacher, having previously worked at Cranbourne SC, Gleneagles SC and Cranbourne East SC.  Because 1 job isn’t enough, for the past 8 years I have also worked in various roles with the Dandenong Stingrays, currently I am the Wellbeing Coordinator for the girls team.  A big passion of mine is travelling- I love visiting and exploring new countries (32 countries ticked off so far!).  

I also love my sports- I grew up playing basketball, am a massive AFL fan (go Bombers!!), tennis, cricket, basketball… you name it, I’ll watch it.  Other bits and bobs about me: I am an absolute Suduko nerd, love keeping fit and active, reading, music and my favourite “role” in the whole wide world is being aunty Kellie.

Kellie Fallon

HPE Teacher

Hi, I’m Josie Salter and I am returning to Mornington Secondary College in the role of science teacher. I have been on leave for the last few years in which I have been raising my daughter Amelia and teaching ballet, tap and jazz to young children.  I am excited to get back into teaching my favourite subject science, particularly psychology and biology.

Josie Salter

Science Teacher

Greetings, I’m Kaiyuan (Kai) Zhang, and I am delighted to embark on my first year of teaching mathematics—a profession I am deeply passionate about. My goal is to inspire students to develop analytical thinking and a genuine appreciation for the beauty of mathematics. Beyond the classroom, I have a keen interest in swimming and table tennis. As a newcomer to the Peninsula, I am eager to explore its rich landscapes and vibrant community. I reside locally with my partner, Kate, and we are thoroughly enjoying immersing ourselves in this wonderful new environment. I look forward to connecting with students, colleagues, and the wider community—please feel free to reach out!

Kaiyuan Zhan

Mathematics Teacher

Hi, I am Shay Zhang, and this is my first year teaching here as a physics and mathematics teacher. Prior to this position, I have been working as a numeracy tutor while I was still at the uni. Last year, I graduated from Monash University with a Master of Teaching. Outside of work, I enjoy playing video games, watching movies, and reading books. I am also a big fan of motorsports, which involves a lot of physics there, such as aerodynamics, tyre dynamics, and energy recovery systems.   

Shay Zhang

Mathematics and Physics Teacher

Being a MSC mum, initially it was a little strange to be on the other side of the front office counter, but the advantage was that I didn't get completely lost in the school grounds and some staff faces were already familiar! My role here is Reception and Marketing which allows me to be involved with all aspects of the school and every day is different, which I love.  Outside of work, I live locally with my family and fill my spare time watching and playing local sport and going on the odd caravan holiday, which I also love!

Emma Coatsworth

Reception and Marketing

I’m Kylie Lebrasse, the new career practitioner at your school, with extensive experience working with youth in numerous school and community roles. My main role is to ensure career education activities and career programs for young people are utilised, to better understand themselves, build their experiences, achievements and develop their capabilities. Currently I’ve been updating the careers website, promoting Year 9 “My Career Insights Morrisby” program, promoting the new pilot program “Enhanced My Career Insights” program, planning career expos for different year levels, planning for the Australian Defence Force to attend on site for presentation,  promoting students to complete their career action plans, and career counselling all year levels especially our Year 12 Cohort who are set to transition the end of the year. 

Kylie Lebrasse

Career Practitioner

School ANZAC Day Service 

ANZAC day is a significant event for our College. We will be holding an Anzac commemoration for our students on Thursday 24th of April from 10am and we extend an invitation to all members of our school community to attend this event.  If you would like to attend please RSVP by Thursday 3rd April, 2025  via email mornington.sc@education.vic.gov.au.

For more than 100 years, RSL Victoria has supported veterans and their families who have been impacted by their service and sacrifice. Generously supported, this special fundraising campaign enables Victorians to give something back to those who give and have given so much for us all.  Your donation will help veterans in need gain access to crisis accommodation, emergency financial help, physical and mental health support, and so much more. 

Mornington Secondary College proudly support this fundraiser and currently have a variety of ANZAC APPEAL badges available for purchase at Reception.

Additionally, you can donate to the ANZAC Appeal through donating securely online.

Youth Off The Streets Scholarship

Youth Off The Streets is a not-for-profit youth services organisation that supports 12–24 year-olds experiencing or at risk of homelessness and complex disadvantage. It is Youth Off The Streets belief that education is the key to breaking the cycle of disadvantage and poverty that traps so many of the young people they work with. Their National Scholarship Program is a way in which young people in Australia are offered an opportunity to achieve their best. 

Every year, over 35 young people throughout Australia are awarded Youth Off The Streets scholarships. These scholarships are valued at $6,000, allowing the recipient to pursue further education or training and work towards a positive future. In addition, each recipient receives an individual who provides guidance and support during their scholarship.

More information surrounding eligibility criteria can be found on the below link. Nominations close 4pm on Friday 16th May 2025.

Mornington Rotary Club Comedy Fundraiser

Vaping Fact Sheet

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