Myrniong and ELC

Monday, February 17th - Year Six House Captain Badge Assembly at 2.30 pm    

                                        Under 14 basketball matches commence at H.I.L.A.C

Thursday, February 20th – State Schools Victoria Tennis Tournament

Friday, February 21st - U10s and U12s basketball competitions commence

Notes Sent Home this Week

*Year Five Cape Bridgewater Camp

*Year Five and Six Compass Award

*SSV Tennis

*Year Six Leadership Assembly

2020 House Captains

Thank you to all Year Six students who presented speeches for House Captaincy last Friday afternoon in House meetings. On Tuesday, votes were tabled at a staff meeting and the relative merits of all candidates were discussed at length.  Congratulations to the following 2020 House Captains;

Berry House - Sarah Crowle and Matilda Whitehead

Laidlaw House - Harriet Nicholls and Darcy Fleetwood

Learmonth House - Sophie Spence and Charlie Hawthorne

Young House - Sophie Rouse and Dougal White

House Captains will be presented with their badges at our Week Four Assembly, next Monday at 2.30 pm. All Year Six students will be presented with a Myrniong pin to recognise their final year of Junior School.  Parents are most welcome to attend.

Intensive Swimming

As our second week of Intensive Swimming concludes with House Swimming on Friday, I would like to thank Mrs. Louise Patterson for her excellent organisation and coordination.  Whilst the summer weather gods did not always play ball, the swimming lessons have been seamless.  Thank you also to the supervising teachers and organised and supportive parents.  Lastly, well done students on your exceptional attitude and aptitude in the swimming pool.

Staff 'Balance' at Myrniong

Nikki Gemmell’, in her opinion piece in last weekend’s Australian newspaper, ‘Goodbye Mr. Chips’, wrote about the changing landscape of staffing in Australian primary schools.  ‘For young Australian men, teaching as a career is no longer the lure it once was. The number of male teachers in our primary system have been steadily declining since the early ‘80s, when about 30 per cent were men. Researcher Kevin McGrath conducted Australia’s first longitudinal study of teacher numbers.  His conclusion: “Our schools are set to run out of male primary school teachers in the next 30 years.’ Gimmel argues ‘Schools are a microcosm of society, they tell students a lot about the role of men in society.’  

The Junior School has a terrific balance of excellent male and female teaching, administration and maintenance staff.  This provides for outstanding role modelling opportunities and is a point of difference to many other schools.

Stephen Nelson

Head of Junior School