From the Principal

Good morning, 

This week began with many families joining us for our annual Open night. I believe the night is always about celebration. Mornington Secondary College has excellent programs with excellent facilities. It is an opportunity to learn about the curriculum offered to all students by our very experienced staff. Many students also gave up their time to assist in various domain areas or answering questions whilst walking with families on a tour. To see the College in operation, tours are also available during the school day. Please don’t hesitate to make an appointment to attend a tour.  

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending the State Education Forum with the Honourable Ben Carroll, Deputy Premier, Minister for Education and Minister for Medical Research. The Forum was titled, ‘Strong Foundations and Future Opportunities’. Workshops and discussion centred around 3 areas: 1. Schools for families and communities, 2. Making work in our schools attractive and flexible and 3. Celebrating excellence in government schools. Strengths and areas to consider formed part of the discussion. Minister Ben Carroll participated in all 3 workshops.

I would like to share with you where our 2023 student cohort have gone. Last year 116 year 12 students applied for a tertiary course via VTAC, with 107 receiving an offer. Close to half of these students were offered their first preference, and 10 students received more than 2 offers, with 2 receiving 5 offers.  

RMIT and Monash topped the list as the desired destination for most students, followed by Deakin and Latrobe. Deakin has launched their Guaranteed ATAR program and our 2024 Yr 12 students may benefit. Please see Teena in the Pathways office for more details. 

I would like to conclude my report this week by thanking staff and students. I continue to walk around the school and pop into classes, only to see a calm environment conducive to learning as we all expect. Great learning and engagement is occurring. 

Thankyou also to families for your continued support. 

Linda Stanton

Principal

Important Dates

Term 1

March

Monday 4th to Friday 8th March - Year 8 Camp - Phillip Island

Monday 11th March - Labour Day Public Holiday

Tuesday 12th March - College House Athletics Carnival

Thursday 14th March - School photos catch up

Wednesday 13th to 25th March - Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN

Monday 25th March - Year 7 Grandparent Morning Tea

Wednesday 27th March - Parent Teacher Interviews - Hybrid online and face to face

Thursday 28th March - Whole School Assembly

Thursday 28th March - Last day of Term 1, 2.30pm dismissal

Friday 29th March - Good Friday Public Holiday

Follow us on

Don't forget to look on compass for sport sign ups, excursions and any other information sent to students and parents. 

Below is a link to help guide you in your use of compass.

https://mornsc.vic.edu.au/for-parents/compass-parent-guide/

Middle School

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Yesterday evening we had our Open Night. Our staff and students were passionately espousing the school programs and subjects on offer.

It was a great evening and the school grounds looked fantastic too! It makes one feel very proud of belonging to such a great school. It reinforces a conversation I had a couple of days ago with a Year 7 girl.

I asked her “how you are enjoying secondary school?” and she replied enthusiastically “I just love it!”. I then asked is there something in particular that you really like, and she said “no – it’s just everything”. Her positivity and honest appraisal were truly uplifting.

Today I visited Ms Rattue’s Year 8 Humanities class, while the students were studying criminal and civil law. There was some modelling from Mr Papettas’ Year 10 Legal Studies class. The students were researching criminal law cases. Mr Papettas  popped in to see how the class was going as he had been invited to speak to the class about Legal Studies. The students are familiar with other teachers coming to class as they view each other’s teaching practice. 

I then went to Ms Romage’s Year 7 English class and the students were working on digital story boards and were using Canva or Google Docs. The lesson focus was using descriptive words. Each student was given three words and they had to describe it using digital imagery. For example: One student used the image of a fireplace for the word 'cozy' and one of the boys’ used images of mountains for the word 'awe'. I also visited Mr Jones VET class. All the students were quiet and concentrating. Mr Jones commented on what a great bunch of students he had. 

On Monday, I visited Ms Gilbert’s Year 12 Art class where the students were totally focused on their work. It is such a lovely environment in the Art room and such a privilege to see amazing learning taking place.

And over at the Cottage, our Hands on Learning students were working with great enthusiasm. The digger was working tirelessly to remove the hard soil and old grass.  The students watched on and were very excited about having a piece of machinery in their space and of course, they all wanted to have a go. 

This is just a glimpse of some of the everyday work in a school. 

Denise Leggett

Middle School Assistant Principal

Senior School

To students and families of the Mornington Senior School,

It’s hard to believe but we are already more than halfway through Term 1. There are only 16 school days for students left in the term (with two additional dates booked for the athletics carnival and parent teacher interviews). Therefore, it is critically important for our Senior School students to make the most of every learning minute they have over the next month.

Over the weekend, I’ll be running attendance reports for Years 10-12 and Year Level Teams will be analysing the data, intervening with those at risk of disengagement, and with those not meeting the minimum attendance requirements for work authentication, recognising, and acknowledging those students with excellent attendance. Parents and students may receive emails and/or phone calls and some will even be required to meet and develop an individualised attendance improvement plan.

What is considered ‘at risk’ when we talk about attendance? The Department of Education considers 20 or more days in an academic year to be chronic attendance. 20 days a year over 13 years of schooling is equivalent to almost one and half years of missed learning. Any time a student misses 5 or more days in a single term, we become concerned, particularly if we haven’t been provided with a valid reason (i.e. a medical appointment or medically diagnosed illness). The longer and more frequently students are away the harder it is for them to come back to school, with longer absences increasing anxiety about returning to school, concerns with feeling behind in class and discovering gaps in their learning and often being more likely to exhibit either disruptive or disengaged behaviours when at school.

If you have concerns about your child’s attendance, please contact the appropriate year level team and we can work with you to implement a range of strategies to help re-engage your child. In VCE, there are quite often consequences for poor attendance that can result in students receiving Not Satisfactory (N) results for one or more units which can have an impact on whether they obtain their VCE certificate inside the usual two years or not.

Finally I’d like to thank the students who volunteered at the MSC Open Night on Tuesday. Our students are the best example of why Mornington SC is a great place to receive an education and our volunteers did an amazing job showcasing the school. 

Enjoy the weekend,

Nick Evans

Senior School Assistant Principal

21st Century Gear for a 21st Century World

There was once a time where we had to have discussions with families about why a computer might be a useful part of a students kit at school. Those days are in the past, no one seriously argues that computers don’t have a pivotal role to play in educating students for the future.

So why am I telling you this?  Its probably the right time for you to check in with your child about how their technology is travelling.  Teenagers do not necessarily look after their things the way we might like them to, so a visual inspection and a discussion about how their laptop is going would be a good idea.  If your child needs a technology refresh, especially a senior student with a part time job, then maybe its time for them to contribute! The College website has information about the types of devices that are recommended for students.

For more information, please visit our College website

Kind regards,

Mike Parker

Assistant Principal

Spotlight on Year 12

2024 Year 12 Student Management Team. 

Scott Kirkby 

Year 12 Team Leader

Victoria Milner and Jo Dixon

Year 12 Coordinators

A big start to the year for the Year 12 students. Good signs coming from the cohort with many having just completed their first round of assessments and getting amongst the excitement at swimming sports. 

The school sponsored the Elevate guest speaker event for the Year 12 ATAR cohort which saw high achieving students from across Victorian schools come and speak to the current class of 2024 and discuss strategies for achieving their personal best in their studies. 

ATAR and VM students have completed their career action plans in Roadmap and Connect sessions. These are used as a foundation for pathways planning meetings over the next few weeks. Each student will spend 20-30 minutes with the Careers Practitioner and discuss their proposed pathways and explore options for them post Year 12. 

With much focus of the year looking at post Year 12, it is a good opportunity for families to continue these conversations at home. Universities and TAFE institutes will be holding open days to promote their programs, visiting these will help to explore options. For those looking at work post Year 12, discussions with people within the area of interest is also encouraged as well as work placement and work experience options. 

Attendance has been solid for the start of the year. We remind all families that any absence at Year 12 requires medical certification. This is essential for assessments. If your child is having challenges with attendance, we are available to support, so please feel free to contact via phone or email to the coordination team. 

Special provisions applications are closing this week. Documentation must be completed internally to allow the school to meet the VCAA deadlines. If you are planning to apply for special provisions for your child, please ensure that contact is made with Scott Kirkby by the end of this week. 

We are here to support our class of 2024 and build their accountability to achieving their goals. We plan to work closely with you with regards to this. If you feel your child needs additional support, please communicate this to the coordination team and we will work together to assist. 

Careers/Pathways

Mornington Secondary College's Careers website aims to provide students with all the latest information that will help them make decisions about their future career and their life beyond school.  Students can use this site to locate University, TAFE and any other type of course across Australia, get information about the VCE and VCE VM, apprenticeships, emergency services, defence forces, search for job vacancies, and much more.

Over 200 students across Years 10 to 12 commenced their VET program earlier this month.  Some of the 31 programs include Cyber Security, Laboratory Skills, Sport & Recreation, Patisserie, Active Volunteering, and Music Industry along with a variety of trade focused programs.   To meet student demand, VET Electrotechnology and VET Building & Construction (Carpentry) have been offered on campus for the first time this year.

The Year 10 Work Experience program is now open. Work Experience is a short-term placement that provides students with the valuable opportunity to develop employability skills and explore career options.   Our Careers website has detailed information on the program which includes a guide for students.  Opportunities students may be interested in which are now accepting applications online include –

• GTAC (Gene Technology Access Centre) Science Immersion Research Experience
• Defence Force (Navy, Army Trade, STEM Immersion, Engineering)
• JMC Academy (Audio Engineering & Sound Production, Design, Film & TV Production, Game Design)
• University of Melbourne Faculty of Science (Biosciences, IT, Geography, Engineering, Food & Ecosystem Sciences)
• Peninsula Health (Administration, Pharmacy, Nursing, Human Resources, Allied Health)
• Parliament of Victoria

International Visitors from Japan

Mornington Secondary College was thrilled to host some international visitors from Japan.

On Thursday 14th and Friday 15th February, 35 Senior High School students from the city of Nara visited for a one-day incursion.

During their short stay, the students were allocated a buddy from our Japanese classes, and they participated in a fun-filled day of activities.

The Nara students gave a musical performance, had a tour of our school, ran a Japanese art workshop, and had a sausage sizzle BBQ lunch.

Each student received a small gift, and presented our school and students with a souvenir from their city.

We were so proud to hear the Mornington students speaking in Japanese, and many international friendships were formed during this program.

Thank you to everybody who assisted the Japanese department to make these special days so successful. 

Art Club

Art Club students have been working away, busily creating clay discs that will be apart of a giant wave mural that will be displayed outside of the Art classrooms.  All students are welcome to attend Art Club every Tuesday and Wednesday at lunchtime with Ms Lea in M8.

Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery

New Wave 24, our annual showcase of incredibly talented local VCE and VCE VET students, is an important platform to support our next generation of emerging artists. In our foyer gallery we present the work of Flinders-based weaver Emma Shepherd of Sundance Studio.

Year 12 student, Isabelle Majc has been chosen by the gallery to showcase her wonderful work of art.

Year 9/10 Girls Volleyball

On Thursday 22nd February our Year 9/10 girls’ volleyball team competed in the 2024 Southern Peninsula Division volleyball championships. The girl’s represented the school admirably and were very competitive placing second in their pool. The girl’s skill level improved throughout the day with many very exciting rallies. 

The team comprised of the following students: Edie Baard, Seren Chespey, Lucy Ferlazzo, Alice Hoffmann, Evi Irving and Sophie Van Der Meer (coach Mr Walker)

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club is run by the Wellbeing Team and Youth Workers on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8am. We often have a variety of foods available, ranging from toast, cheese toasties, and spaghetti and bean jaffles. We also have on offer different cereals and cater to gluten free on request. During the cooler months we are fortunate to have hot Milo available to students as well.  

In addition, if students do not have food for the day, we have a small range of lunch items and fruit available to ensure they are energised throughout the day.  

Canteen News

Parents and students are able to order food via the canteen via spriggyschools.com.au or download the Spriggy Schools app through your applicable App store.

This allows parents and students to pre-order their lunch which will not only provide them with what they want but will also allow the students to access their lunch straight away and avoid the queue. 

You will find our regular items online, along with our daily specials. We also cater for vegetarian and halal students serving fresh onsite cooked food daily from local suppliers.

Once again we thank you for your ongoing support.

Positive Quotes from Open Night

• I love the way the staff are so friendly to each other and to the students. It feels like you really like each other. 
• Those technology teachers are so passionate – I could not leave.
• I love the food. I love the frog in the pond.
• I really liked the math's popcorn game.
• Thank you so much – it was great. I have been here for two hours.
• You have lovely grounds here.
• My tour guide was awesome- it seems like a great school.

Community News

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram