Principal's Message 

Welcome to 2020

I am delighted to welcome you back and welcome to the new members of our school community. Mornington Secondary College is a great school and I am proud to be the Principal.

Last year was a very successful year with Abbie McPartland achieving an ATAR of 97.5 and becoming the DUX of Mornington Secondary College. Congratulations Abbie. We wish you well and all Year 12 students of 2019 the very best for their future. More than 100 students received 1st and 2nd round offers from a tertiary institution. This is a fantastic result and our Pathways team are working with other students to ensure they also have a solid pathway for their future careers.

2020 began yesterday for our students.  Year 7 students began their year in the Learning Centre, learning about what it means to be a Year 7 student. They met many of their teachers, learnt how to use combination locks for their lockers and how to read their timetables. Whilst this was occurring students in other year levels were actively engaged in their learning. A great start to the New Year.

We also welcomed the Year 7 students into our community during the whole school assembly. They were ‘piped’ into the stadium by the Police Pipe Band and our very own Drum Corps. Our Year 12 students were also recognised and welcomed into the assembly.

Our new timetable began during Headstart 2019, and this has created more subject choice for students at Year 9 and 10 and less interruptions to class time in the senior school. Year 12 students are better prepared for learning through the study tutorials. All Year 12 students are required to attend all study tutorials and work on pre-learning tasks assigned by each subject teacher. Year 11 and 12 students will complete many of their SACs during the designated Assessment block, allowing teaching and learning to occur during class time.

All study tutorials and all classes at Year 12 will be supervised. If a teacher is absent and they have a Year 12 class, this class will be covered by another teacher. This is a different process from last year. For many years, if a teacher was absent, the Year 12 class was not supervised and the students were expected to work independently.

Our new timetable has meant our bell times have changed during the day. I have included a copy of the bell times for your information. You will notice, there is no homegroup at the beginning of the school day. All classes begin at 8.50 and it is essential all students arrive to class on time, with all the required materials.

It is not okay to be late to class. Imagine missing the first 5-10 minutes of a movie. You miss the introduction and you have to play ‘catch up’ to understand what is going on. This is no different to missing the first 5-10 minutes of a lesson.

Equally so, ‘It is Not Okay to Be Away’. Some absences cannot be helped due to illness. All other absences should be avoided. Research shows:

0-6 days per semester

This is within normal range.  A student with this attendance rate is able to take full advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities available to them.

7-10 days per semester

This attendance range is below average.  A student with this attendance rate could miss over one year of schooling between prep and Year 10

11-20 per semester

This is a very poor attendance rate.  A student with this attendance rate could miss over two and one half years of schooling between prep and Year 10

Students with long term absences are disadvantaged and this can lead to:

• Social isolation
• Gaps in their learning of knowledge  and basic concepts
• Feelings of insecurity in the school environment
• Leaving school early
• School refusal further in their education
• Placing themselves at risk of harm while absent
• Becoming involved in socially unacceptable and / or illegal activities

Please make personal appointments where possible outside of school hours. All students are expected to be at school for the entire day, everyday.

Response to Intervention

Many members of our College community participated in an activity last year where the College values were identified. Three values were considered the most important. They are Achievement, Respect and Community.

To support all students achieving their best and being successful, all students are required to complete performance tasks in every subject. To support students in submitting performance tasks on time, the College has introduced a ‘Response to Intervention’ process. The teacher informs students of due dates for performance tasks and all students are expected to submit this task on time. If a student does not submit the performance task, they are required to attend a lunchtime session to complete the task. These sessions will be held 3 times per week and in the learning centre. The process for Year 11 and 12 is slightly different and includes Friday after school. All students have been informed of the process and will begin Week 3 of Term 1. Please encourage your sons/daughters to complete their work on time.

Student Mobile Phone Ban

Yesterday also saw the enforcement of the Mobile Phone ban for students. The ban is a Ministerial Policy formally issued by the Minister of Education under section 5.2.1(2)(b) of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006.

“The Victorian Government takes the safe and responsible use of digital technologies, student safety and wellbeing, and the development of social skills and positive behaviour, very seriously. On this basis, the Hon. James Merlino MP, Minister for Education, announced that a new mobile phone policy would take effect from Term 1 2020”.

Students at Mornington Secondary College are required to place their mobile phones in a locked locker. All students have been issued a lock and are expected to place this on their allocated locker. As students enter the school grounds, they are to go straight to their lockers and place their phones in the secure locker. The phone is to remain in the locker until the end of the day. This includes recess and lunchtime. If families wish to communicate with their son/daughters, please ring the General Office and the message will be communicated to the student. The mobile phone policy can be found on our website https://www.mornsc.vic.edu.au/

Coronavirus

There has been much information on various media sites about the Coronavirus. It is important to be keep informed.

The advice for schools is also to remind the College community about good health hygiene, therefore:

• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing with a tissue, or cough into your elbow
• Dispose of the tissue into a bin and then wash your hands afterwards
• Wash your hands regularly, after using the toilet, and before eating.

The attached document below is a fact sheet developed by the Department of Health and Human Services

Bushfires

The school holidays were also very challenging for many families. The recent bushfires have impacted on many lives. If any student requires support, please don’t hesitate to contact the school and ask for assistance via the Year Level Coordinators to Student Wellbeing.

Year Level Coordinators

Annual Privacy Reminder

I am required to remind families of the School’s Privacy Policy, developed by the Victorian Government. The policy outlines how school’s collect, use, disclose and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law. I have included the policy for your information. 

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/schoolsprivacypolicy.aspx

School Council Elections

ll Victorian Government schools have a school council. The membership of council consists of Department of Education employees, parents, students and community. Elections occur every year and appointments are made for 2 years. For 2020, Mornington Secondary College school council has 3 Parent vacancies and nominations are called for. I have included a fact sheet with this newsletter for interested parents. If more than 3 parents are nominated and election must take place. Nominations and notice of election will occur 13th February. For more information please speak to Geraldine Carter - PA to the Principal.

Open Night

Open night for Mornington Secondary College is on Tuesday 25th February from  5-7pm.

Linda Stanton

Principal