Time to Say Goodbye

Our thoughts are with those who have been directly impacted by the devastating flood crisis. There are many schools across Victoria that are currently not able to open and operate and we ask our community to keep them in front of mind at this difficult time. We were extremely fortunate to have avoided any significant damage, although we nearly lost our rowing pontoon.

This year, World Teachers’ Day is on Friday 28 October. It is an opportunity to say thank you for the incredible contributions teachers make to our community. We will recognise the passion teachers have, and how teaching has extended beyond the classroom to maintain connections through flexible learning. You can get involved by sending a message of thanks to a teacher who is making, or has made, an impact on your life using #thanksvicteachers on social media. 

Over the holiday break several Year 12 practice exams and revision lectures were offered, and I would like to thank the significant number of dedicated Year 12 teachers for providing this opportunity to our students.  We would like to wish our Year 12 students all the very best for their upcoming exams and for their future direction in 2023 and beyond. They have been a year level that has showed us how to be united and they have done this with class and determination.   

Every year, more and more emphasis is placed on achieving good results in exams causing many students to feel extraordinary pressure and having unrealistic expectations. This month on SchoolTV, parents and carers can find advice on how to help your child cope with the pressure of exam preparation and how they can work smarter to achieve the results they desire.

Please find the link to the Exam Jitters edition of SchoolTV https://mgc.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/exam-jitters

We marked the final celebration day for our Year 12’s on Monday 17 October. The day began in the Yarra Bank Reserve where the Year 12 Level Leader Team and Year 12 Teachers shared a special BBQ breakfast with Year 12 students.  The sausages and bacon were sizzling, the eggs were cracking, and the vegie burgers were in demand. It was a lovely way to launch into the day.

For the first time in three years, the college came together to celebrate the Year 12 students with a whole school assembly.  It was a joyous event that was full of celebratory moments, reflections, performances, lots of laughs, and the prize draw of the Parent Fundraising Group raffle. The assembly ended with the Year 12 students running through a Year 7 to 11 student guard of honour.   

The day was ended with a wonderful Valedictory celebration at San Remo Ballroom. It was such a special night that allowed us to celebrate the achievements and journey of the class of 2022, along with 700 of their family and friends. I would like to publicly acknowledge the work of our staff in supporting the class of 2022 and particularly Year 12 teachers who have worked tirelessly to support our students.

I would like to recognise and acknowledge with a special thanks to Jade Nebbs, Monique Selcuk and Hannah Benhassine for the magnificent role they have played as our College Captains in 2022. They were incredible representatives for their year level and more importantly fantastic ambassadors for Melbourne Girls’ College.  Throughout the year Jade, Monique and Hannah exemplified our college values beautifully and represented themselves and the college in the best possible way. Congratulations and thank you for your leadership. 

As we look towards next year, it is my great pleasure and pride to announce the College Captains for 2023. They are Louella Breach, Ashna Sharma and Clem Warren-Smith and we are excited for what they will bring next year.

For Semester 2, 2022, the Department of Education and Training has provided schools with the option to hold each teacher’s allocated professional practice day on the same day for all staff. This is to enable the most effective and efficient use of this day. As a result, we have scheduled our professional practice day for Monday 31st October, the day before the Melbourne Cup Day public holiday. Students will therefore not be required to attend school on this day.

The Department of Education and Training have scholarships that are available for eligible students in Grade 4 to Year 11, and for Year 12 students planning to undertake tertiary studies in 2023.  Applicants for these scholarships will be evaluated on their:

• participation in school activities
• community involvement
• academic record for the current year.

Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course or annual study.

Many of these scholarships have specific eligibility criteria so please refer to individual applications for more information. Applications are open and close on Wednesday 1 February 2023. For more information and a list of available scholarships, see the 2022 Student scholarships for Grade 4 – Year 12 fact sheet.  For information on how to apply, refer to  Student scholarships.

With not long to go before the end of the 2022 school year, I look forward to celebrating what has been another challenging but successful year at the Melbourne Girls’ College.  For now, we need to continue to work together, support and challenge each other each and every day.

Tamy Stubley

Principal