Principal Team Report

Principal Team Report 

The holidays are here – for those lucky enough to have them! We wish our students, staff and families an enjoyable and relaxing two weeks, and encourage everyone to ensure they take time out for themselves. It may be a holiday away, or just doing those things special to you, like special time out with family and friends, indulging in reading or hobbies, long walks in nature, time in the snow, cooking and baking, gardening, a little retail therapy, or even helping out a friend or loved one. 

A reminder that Term Three commences on Monday 10th July. 

Staffing update – periods of leave 

Our thanks to staff who stepped into expanded leadership rolls or new classes to help cover staff on leave. As our community will be well aware, staffing has been particularly challenging in the last two years, and we ask you to be mindful of this. 

Particular thanks to: 

• Jacqui Brush, as Acting Assistant Principal 
• Aaron Bear, as Acting Leading Teacher overseeing Learning & Teaching
• Meredith Harding, as sole Head of Science & Technology 

Our best wishes to Jaclyn Baldry, as she commences Long Service Leave, and especially to Simon van der Westhuizen (Mr Van!) as he and his partner Molly prepare for the arrival of their first child! 

Semester One Reports and the holiday break 

While the holidays provide the opportunity to rest and refresh, for our senior students, they provide the time to undertake critical revision and preparation, like organising notes (especially Unit 3-4 VCE students) and work on portfolios. For all students this is a chance to reflect on their achievements from Semester One, and to consider what needs to change for improvement. We urge all families to read students' reports carefully (together with the students), acknowledge and celebrate highlights, and discuss how to focus on addressing gaps and identify areas for growth. 

Our assessment and reporting for Semester One is complete and reports will be published today. Mullauna College’s continuous reporting system aims to provide both students and parents/carers timely feedback on students’ progress and assessments via the Compass portal. At any time during the year, you are able to see the assessment tasks, the due date, the criteria for marking, and the achieved result. This information is accessed via the Learning Task module for each individual subject. 

So, if parents have been monitoring their child’s progress on their learning tasks, there will be no surprises when viewing their end-of-semester report. The semester report collates the learning tasks outcomes for each subject so they can be viewed on the one page. New information provided on the semester report is feedback about students’ work habits, the Victorian Curriculum Standard levels for Years 7 to 10, and Victorian Certificate of Education outcomes for students undertaking a VCE study. 

Our reports will look a bit different this semester as we have made some adjustments to emphasise student performance results. To view feedback on Learning Tasks, please access the task through Compass. During your well-deserved break, make sure to rest up. In addition, Junior students should get a head start on Semester Two work by reading your English novel. Senior students should make sure they are clear about any holiday homework requirements. Remember to revise, organise notes and take advantage of those Edrolo accounts if you have access to prepare for upcoming outcomes and units of work. All students should take the time to consolidate the skills and knowledge gained in Semester One, and hopefully return from the break feeling energised and ready to tackle Term Three. 

Wellbeing Support 

Some students may feel stressed or anxious over the upcoming school holiday period. If you are experiencing distress we would encourage you to reach out to trusted adults in your world. If you are struggling to talk to a trusted adult at home there are a number of community supports available via phone services and online chats. Please find attached a summary of supports available. Some of these supports offer 24/7 phone counselling and/or online counselling options to speak to trained mental health professionals. We hope you find some time for rest and relaxation during the break, ready to come back refreshed and ready for Term 3. For more information, please refer to the attached document in Bernie O’Halloran’s Newsfeed today. 

Semester One staff priorities 

Throughout the semester, our staff have engaged in Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) focusing on Literacy in our classrooms and providing students with more opportunities to write using a variety of writing styles. During our PLC meetings, staff shared and analysed writing samples to determine what was happening for our learners in this area and to inform the learning and teaching sequences they were undertaking. This work culminated in our Heads of Faculty presenting in a staff meeting, sharing the strategies they will continue to use and develop in future. As we begin Semester 2, our PLC focus will be on assessment practices, ensuring we are providing our students with stimulating learning opportunities. 

OPTIONAL DONATION – Open now on Compass 

We wish to remind the Mullauna Community of the opportunity to donate to the Mullauna College Building Fund, especially before the end of the financial year, and that all contributions to the Mullauna College Building Fund are tax-deductible. The School Council, staff and the wider Mullauna College community are sincerely appreciative of all donations to the Building Fund. With your continued support, we can ensure Mullauna College continues its tradition of excellence, in facilities that are well-maintained and well-equipped. Our thanks to Jeff McMillin and our Facilities Manager, John Powson, for their tireless efforts in maintaining our grounds and facilities. 

Over $700 raised for mental health and the Push-Up Challenge in today's Casual Clothes Charity day 

Thank you to the Mullauna Community who raised over $700 for today’s end-of-term Casual Clothes Charity day. Special thanks to Keira Pontefract, who created our community for the Push-up Challenge; it’s not too late to contribute: https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraiser/mullaunacollege 

Building Works 

Building works are progressing well, with window installation commencing this week. Next week should see the scaffolding erected around the entire building for the cladding to proceed. 

Careers and Pathways 

It’s been a busy last few weeks for Nik Smith in the Careers and Pathways office, especially with Year10 Work Experience – please refer to the many photos in this Links.

Our thanks for the feedback received through your survey completion – we are crunching the data. 

Course Counselling 2024 

A reminder to all families as we move into our 2024 Pathways and Course Counselling program of this next vital work undertaken by Nik Smith, Daniella Taglieri and the subschool teams. This program will commence early in Term 3 and will involve: numerous resources on Compass newsfeeds; year level assemblies; a parent and student subject expo for Years 9 and 10; and some individual course counselling for certain year levels. Year 9s have already undertaken preparatory work through their SkillZ classes. Choosing a course and subjects for 2024 is an important part of high school and enables students to develop an academic program that best suits their needs, interests and abilities. Parents and students are strongly encouraged to engage fully in this process, to ensure the best outcomes for all students. 

Coles MasterChef Cookware Donation Drive 

Our thanks to the many families that responded to Lisa Larmour’s shout-out for support throught this program. And there’s always room for more, so please send in any further items at the start of next term. 

Lateness to School 

We continue to be concerned by a worrying trend in students arriving late to school. 

As Period 1 classes start at 8:45 a.m. every day, we recommend that students arrive by 8:30am. This will allow them to be at their Period 1 class, with all required materials, by 8:45 a.m. so that they can start their lessons promptly. 

It is essential that parents ensure that students arrive at school on time to prevent disruption to their child’s own learning and that of others. Children who arrive late are greatly disadvantaged because: 

1. They miss starting the day with their peers. 
2. They are unable to prepare effectively for classes. 
3. They miss the beginning of lessons, meaning that they are often unsettled and confused about the learning intentions and class tasks. As the class is already working, their teacher will not always be able to re-explain work. 

It is also very important that high school students establish good routines and habits in preparation for the rest of their lives. Punctuality is a life skill that they need to develop whilst they are young. 

We understand that there may be rare occasions when students are unavoidably late due to unforeseen circumstances. On these occasions, please make sure that you provide a written note for your child, or entry on the Compass portal, prior to arriving at school, to inform us of the reason for the lateness. 

Uniform Reminder 

School uniform has again been a topic of debate in the news media. We love to see our students wearing the correct uniform with pride, including when they are out in the community. As we continue through the winter months, students and families are reminded that our College uniform is compulsory and must be worn to school each day. Recently we have been having some cold winter days and we recommend students layer up their uniform to stay warm. Students are welcome to wear additional white undergarments beneath their polo shirt or school jumper as long as they are not visible.

Uniform passes are available for students who require a short-term exemption for their uniform. If a student is unable to wear an item of uniform at any time, please send your child with a note of explanation to the Year Level Coordinator before school, where they will receive a uniform pass for the day. Students will need to keep their uniform pass on them at all times and show it when requested. 

If there are financial barriers that are preventing families from purchasing uniform items, we would encourage you to reach out to our Wellbeing Team. We would like to thank families for their support in ensuring that students wear the correct uniform each day.

2022 MC Annual report to the School Community 

Mullauna's annual school report is our evaluation of the school, its teachers, students and the school community during the year. The report details statistical information about the school, such as how our students have performed in the VCE, against national standards for reading, writing and numeracy in the NAPLAN tests and details of the learning outcomes of students, drawing from the school's internal assessment programs. The report also summarises the school's initiatives, targets, achievements and aspirations. 

It can be found on the college website: https://mullauna.vic.edu.au/annual-report 

All the best for the break – stay well and safe! 

Michael Bray, Jacqui Brush & Harry Ruff

the MC Principal Team