Welcome to the start of spring! As the final days of term three draw to a close, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of many of our students, staff, parents and carers across our school community and I would like to wish everybody a safe, happy and restful holiday break. Congratulations to all students and staff for the extraordinary amount of learning, energy and effort which has taken place this term.

Book Week is one of the longest running children's festivals in Australia. Each year, many schools, and libraries from all over Australia spend the week celebrating books, Australian authors, and illustrators. We joined in the celebrations with the theme of “Dreaming with Eyes Open”. Over the week, activities were in full swing and a number of guest speakers provided unique stories and perspectives that highlighted the importance and power of reading, writing and all things literary.

Our Year 8 to 11 students have finalised their elective subject selections for the 2023 school year. This time of the year is exciting because this is where we start to see student preferences and passions take form and come to life. The transition journey begins to take place across the entire college, including rolling out the welcome mat for the new 250+ Year 7 students joining Melbourne Girls’ College next year.

On behalf of the MGC community, I would like to congratulate Brooklin Bouphasavanh, who has been selected to play in the orchestra for the 2022 Victorian State Schools Spectacular. Brooklin is currently rehearsing for two performances at John Cain Arena on Saturday 10 September which will be followed by a 90-minute broadcast of the show on Channel 7. This year's production will showcase over 3,000 Victorian government school students in a performance of music, song, dance, and circus arts. We wish Brooklin all the best and are very proud of their efforts and contributions.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the 2023 production of “Mamma Mia”. Together they told a hilarious story of a young woman's search for her birth father on a Greek island paradise. It was a privilege to see the costumes, music, and choreography. Thank you to our talented students from cast one and two and staff who brought the characters to life and gave us a glimpse of life on that Greek Island. We not only watched incredible performances from the cast, but the leadership and direction from the backstage crew made everything run like clockwork. It was a wonderful performance.

In recognising that parents and carers face a multitude of challenges in raising happy, well and resilient young people, we have invested in SchoolTV. The SchoolTV platform provides an extensive range of additional wellbeing resources for parents and carers, so together we can strengthen our partnership to ensure better outcomes for the young people in our care. Our aim is to launch SchoolTV at the beginning of term four and it will be available to our families via the MGC website. We encourage our families to take the time to explore the topics, themes, apps, books, websites, podcasts, videos and various other tools and resources.

It was wonderful to have so many families come together to celebrate the return of our Annual Father’s Day Breakfast on Friday 2 September. The sun was shining over the Yarra River and the view from the balcony of the Gillard Centre was stunning. Dads, grandparents and other significant male role models came together to indulge in freshly cooked egg & bacon muffins, fruit salad and delicious pastries. A huge thank you to our Parents Association for their support and organisation of the Father’s Day breakfast.

Next Tuesday we have our second Parent, Student, Teacher Conference for the year. This occasion will provide invaluable opportunities to explore and discuss individual student progress and provide real time feedback for future growth. In preparation for the day, we highly encourage parents and carers to sit down with your child, review their academic achievements and feedback provided through continuous learning tasks reports. Conversations on effort, growth mindset, habits and dispositions which are powerful and critical ways to support student learning and will form the basis of many discussions next week.

Lately, we have needed to remind students more often about the DET Mobile Phone Policy and have experienced a ‘spike’ in confiscations that result when students are found to be accessing their mobile phone during the school day. While we understand that many students may bring a personal mobile phone to school, particularly if they are travelling independently to and from school. In accordance with the Department’s Mobile Phones Policy issued by the Minister for Education, personal mobile phones must not be used at Melbourne Girls’ College during school hours, including lunchtime and recess. Therefore, it is the expectation that all students who choose to bring a mobile phone to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours. When emergencies occur, parents or carers should reach their child by calling the office. Repeated situations where a student is found accessing their mobile phone in school time will result in parents and carers being asked to attend a meeting to make a plan for how the phone will be managed at school moving forward. We appreciate you working in partnership with us to ensure that the college, and students, following this legislative requirement.

Finally, to our senior students who have just completed the GAT will also be undertaking VCE practice exams and revision lecturers over the school holidays. Please ensure you take the time to rest and recharge but do not let go of the opportunity to get a “feel” for the upcoming exam experience.

Please enjoy the break and I look forward to seeing everyone in term four.

Tamy Stubley

Principal

Melbourne Girls’ College

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