Principal

Mr Chris Grimmer

2021 Merbein P-10 College Council Election

Nominations for the 2021 Parent Category vacancies have been extended until next Friday 19th March. We still have 2 parent vacancies available so I would encourage any interested parents to complete a self-nomination form, which is available at the front office. 

IMPORTANT - Merbein P-10 Facebook Page

Just a reminder that the College Facebook page was created so that we could share the wonderful work our students complete and the activities and events that they are involved in on a daily basis. We love and appreciate the many positive comments that are made on the page by family and friends, however I would remind everyone that this forum is not the place to ask specific questions relating to your child or make negative comments relating to students or school operations. If you have questions or comments such as this, please ring or email the school. This will ensure our Facebook page continues to be a place of celebration that everyone can access and enjoy!!

Year 7 Grampians Camp

The following update was also provided to families via Compass - As many of you would have heard, or seen in the media, a group of our Year 7 campers took the wrong track on the way down from their group’s Pinnacle walk on Tuesday. The group and their teacher became disorientated and some of the students were struggling with the challenging walk. As a result, the teacher contacted emergency services who located them and escorted them back down the correct track to the home base. All students who were in this group were taken to the hospital for a medical check-up, as a small number of students were dehydrated, but after a quick detour to Maccas they returned to the camp site!

Rob Morgan, our Assistant Principal, and I were provided with a list of the students who took the wrong track down the mountain and we personally rang each of their families. We let them know that their child was safely down the mountain, with the assistance of the SES, and had been taken for a medical check. All families were fantastic in the way they supported the actions of our teachers and the College, which was greatly appreciated. Not all students on the camp completed the walk on Tuesday (their group was allocated another day) and many who did, completed the walk successfully.

I would like to thank all of our staff involved, as well as the emergency services who supported our students during the afternoon. I’m sure the remainder of the camp will go without incident and our students will return safely from an exciting, fun filled adventure!

Estimated return time for the campers on Friday is 3:00pm, however updates will be provided to families on Compass and our Facebook page from Friday lunchtime.

Planning for final building phase - updates for families

• The tender process for an architect for the Capital Works Project was completed recently with Energy Architecture appointed as the successful applicant. Energy are based in South Australia and also have an office in Mildura, so we will be working with the local team of architects.
• I was involved in the Start-Up Meeting, chaired by our VSBA Project manager, Tony Caruana and I have had two meetings onsite with the team of architects to work out the initial scope of works. We are hoping that the majority of the old main building will be replaced, with any remaining elements refurbished to create bright, modern spaces.