PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents/Staff/MESC Community,

I would like to congratulate Lynn Swannell on an extraordinary accomplishment of being in the Education Department for 40 years! Lynn started here at MESC in 1988 and her daughter Megan was a student and Dux in 2012. Lynn is a beloved member of our school to both staff and students. Lynn is a proud Librarian who has been responsible for providing an enriched and safe environment for hundreds of students in her 40 years. Lynn is passionate about young people reading and learning, also spending much of her time building leadership skills amongst Library Student Leaders. Lynn was the creator of the MESC Lit Festival, where students are exposed to well-known authors and illustrators, while having an exciting and interactive experience. The Library is always a fun place to be with displays enticing the young people and the old people in the school to pick up a book and borrow it.

Lynn is an integral member of our Senior School team, managing VCE and VCAL administration, including the organisation and running of year 12 exams. This is a huge amount of work to orchestrate timetables and supervision staff, again to ensure our students have a well-oiled machine as they enter the exam centres.

Lynn helps run our social media, including the oversight of the Proteads Group. I believe she is an integral member that keeps the group alive and interacting – including the presentation of the Protead Award presented at Valedictory.

While doing all of this, Lynn has been known to puppy sit a vivacious Bulldog of Mrs Vaughans!

It is always difficult to express the gratitude we have for someone on paper, I hope you have some insight into the great work Lynn does and all that she has achieved.

Congratulations Lynn.

STAFFING UPDATE

I would also like to congratulate Celeste Lombardi and Micah Davis on being appointed as Substantive Assistant Principals of the college. Both Micah and Celeste are exemplary leaders, who through the recruitment process demonstrated their passion and commitment to the Mount Eliza Secondary College community. As a Principal Team, we are so excited to be leading the college and its community. It is a great moment for our school, to have some stabilisation of leadership, ready and willing to continue developing our college.

Sarah Hayes, Laura Zimmerling and volunteering staff, VCAL students and families have been busy in recent months, including weekend- rehearsing for the much anticipated ‘MATILDA- THE MUSICAL’. This is another example of staff, students and families collaborating to offer students an inclusive and rewarding experience. Sarah and Laura have been spending hours to make this show one of the best we have produced. Tickets are already selling out fast- so be sure to buy your's now!

Thursday 21st of July 7:30pm

Friday 22nd of July 7:30pm

Tickets available to purchase via

Trybooking:

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/906404

It is hard to believe we are at the end of another term. While it has only been 9 weeks, I’m not sure teachers and students could have persevered through another 1 or 2 weeks. There has been so much illness and absence amongst our students and staff. I would like to sincerely thank staff for the flexibility and support they have given students while they have been away, and catching them up when they have returned, in particular our Senior Students. Staff have been taking on extra roles and responsibilities, to make sure the student experience at MESC is engaging and resourced appropriately. I would like to thank our families and students. While there have been frustrations, you have all been accommodating and supportive in understanding the overwhelming struggle we have experienced to maintain a healthy and consistent staff.

I wish all students and families a safe and relaxing break. I hope many of you are heading off to find warmth and sunshine, or the exciting slopes and blue skies of the snow fields. Many of you, may be like me and happy to not do a whole lot at all!

Danielle Vaughan

Principal