Message from the College Principal.
Launch
Welcome to the very first edition of iNewsletter.
We are pleased to be able to deliver you a truely online, multi-page newsletter.
It is our intention to use this new platform to provide monthly Whole College iNewsletters as well as regular Junior School, Middle School and Community updates.
Farewell
Recently we said Farewell to Rialda Alagic, 5/6 teacher. Rialda is expecting her first child in the next few weeks. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Rialda and her husband the best of luck on the birth of their little one in the coming weeks.
As the term comes to an end we say farewell this Friday to Laura Nardi, who is also going off to start her family. We wish Laura every success as she embarks on the very important job of parenting.
Due to growth in student numbers we have decided to appoint additional staff in the 5/6 area. Our goal is to keep class sizes small.
We have appointed an experienced 5/6 teacher, Andrew Naughton, to cater for the growth. Andrew has worked locally and overseas and specializes in the 5/6 area. Andrew will join us as a Learning Specialist.
We are very pleased to announce that Adam Oakley will be joining the 5/6 team next term. Adam is a founding staff member of MCC and has taught many of the 5/6 students when they were in 3/4. His expertise in the area of Mathematics and his training as a certified Google Educator will add great value to the team.
We would like to take this opportunity to say farewell to Adam King. Adam is returning to Ireland at the completion of his working holiday. It has been a pleasure hosting Adam in our college. We wish him every success as he returns home.
Finally, Vanessa Certoma, will be taking leave for the remainder of the year. Vanessa has secured a role at Whittlesea Primary School. We wish her well in her new setting.
Laura Heim is also moving on. We wish her well as she takes up a position at The Lakes P-9 College.
Lockdown.
We implemented our first Lockdown drill for the year earlier this term.
What is a lockdown procedure?
Although most people use the term ‘lockdown’ to refer to getting everyone into a safe place and sealing the exits, it’s actually one element of a wider practice known as ‘invacuation’.
‘Invacuation is the process of getting everybody inside and safe, and securing the building,’
In most cases, pupils will be able to stay in their classroom during an invacuation, and the school day can continue as normal, just with everyone staying indoors.
Lockdown goes a step further, in that everyone on the premises – staff, pupils and visitors – are moved away from the potential danger to a place where they can’t be seen from outside the building.
‘Lockdown would only be used in more extreme circumstances where there is a serious and current threat to the safety of those in the building,’
When might invacuation or lockdown be necessary?
Most of us automatically picture terror incidents or unprompted attacks when we think about lockdown.
It’s true that this sort of incident would necessitate invacuation or lockdown, but there are other situations in which it might also be implemented.
Invacuation might be required if:
- There is local air pollution due to a nearby fire or chemical release.
- There is a dangerous animal (usually a dog) in the grounds.
- There is an incident or civil disturbance in the area that might affect the school.
Lockdown might be implemented if:
- There is an aggrieved, disturbed or intoxicated person trying to gain access to the school (this could be a parent or a stranger).
- There is an intruder on the site.
- There is an internal threat from a student.
We would like to assure our families that when ever we implement a lock down or evacuation we will inform parents via compass of exactly what is occurring at the college.
College Council Election
Nominations for the Mernda Central College Council elections are now closed. At the close of nominations, the following were received:
Parent Member Category – 4 Positions
- Trent Harris
- Con Shalevski
- Sarah Bourke and
- Luke Doherty
As the number of nominations equalled the number of vacancies, the above named people are declared as elected to the Mernda Central College Council.
DET Member Category – 2 Positions
- Mandy O’Mara and
- Tracy Peters
As the number of nominations equalled the number of vacancies, the above named people are declared as elected to the Mernda Central College Council.
Nominations for the Student Membership Category of the Mernda Central College Council elections closed at 4.00pm tonight. At the close of nominations, the following were received:
Student Member Category – 1 Position
- Zoe Razzi
As the number of nominations equalled the number of vacancies, the above named student is declared as elected to the Mernda Central College Council.
At this time we would like to thank outgoing Councillors Jennifer Haarsma, Arpan Patel, Kate Rigoni and Laura Heim for their time and efforts on our College Council.
Congratulations to everyone named above for being elected to our College Council. We will be in touch regarding our first meeting.
Community Member Category – 1 Position
Mara Novembre has been nominated as our Community Rep.
Term Highlights
There have been many highlights to the term, but the two that stand out to me are :
The Colour run: thanks to all those who sought sponsorship we raised in excess of $17 000. these funds will be used to purchase out door seating and additional library books.
Multicultural Day: thanks go to the fabulous Year 8 students and their teacher Rebecca Mitchell for organising a great day where students had the opportunity to share and appreciate the different cultures and backgrounds of our college community.
In the news
http://www.starweekly.com.au/news/mernda-central-college-students-open-school-cafe/