Principal Team Report

Principal Team Report 

Dear MC Community,

Welcome to the end-of-term edition of Links for Term 1, 2023. Today at recess we farewelled Josephine Samuel, who is taking up a position at another school, and Helen Duncan, who is retiring from Mullauna and the Department of Education after serving our college and the PSD students since 2007. We wish them both well.

We also welcomed our German Language Assistant, Josefine Schneider, who will commence with us on Monday 24th April, working Mondays and Tuesdays.

We are also very happy to announce that we have appointed Laura Durham from Brentwood SC to the vacant German teacher position. We will welcome her early in Term 2.

Events

One of my Assistant Principal roles within the college is to approve all the events that students participate in throughout the year. It is a privilege to review the many great opportunities our students are able to participate in across a broad range of areas from the academic to student leadership, music, sport and other areas of interest. I thought I would share with you a snapshot of the events that teachers have organised and run throughout the term.

Camps:

Year 7 transition camp and Year 12 study camp.

Assemblies:

Leadership assembly, Year 12 2022 alumni assembly and regular House assemblies.

Excursions/incursions:

VCE – Drama (Nosferatu performance), Physics (Luna Park study), Legal Studies (Ringwood Magistrates Court) and Art (Gallery Viewing Experience)

Year 10 – Amazing Maths Race and Drama (The Mousetrap Performance) 

Year 8/9 - Environmental Science (Yarran Dheran fieldwork)

Year 8 – Medieval Day

Sporting events:

Whole School Swimming Carnival and District Swimming Competitions 

Mullum Division Interschool Sporting Competition:

Senior volleyball and cricket

Intermediate volleyball and tennis

Junior baseball, volleyball and tennis

Music:

Music Appreciation Concert and Year 7 Introduction to Mullauna Music

Other:

Year 7 Welcome BBQ, Rotary International Women’s Day Breakfast, Year 9 Career Insights Program (including Morrisby testing Interviews), Year 9 SkillZ@Mullauna Presentation night, Wellbeing Team Workshops and Weekly Lunchtime Activities.

Whilst many of these events are directly related to enhancing an academic program, there are many other cocurricular events for students to opt into and we actively encourage all students to take advantage of these opportunities.

Participation in co-curricular activities and events are a valuable way to enhance both academic and personal development.  They provide opportunities for students to explore interests and passions, and to discover new ones, they help develop skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership, creativity, problem-solving, etc. that are useful for academic and career success and they foster a sense of belonging and community, and promote positive relationships with peers, teachers, and mentors.  According to research, they also boost one's self-esteem and confidence, and encourage a growth mindset and resilience and can enhance one's physical and mental wellbeing, and reduce stress and boredom.

Planning is underway for even more exciting events and opportunities in Term 2 and just a gentle reminder that to assist the successful organisation and management of events, please ensure that consent and payment is made through Compass by the published deadline. 

Bradman House Casual Clothes Charity Fundraiser

Well done and thank you to all our students that contributed towards Mullauna's Bradman House fundraiser for Autism Australia. We raised $680, which will go towards supporting a very worthy cause.You can find out more about autism and ways to support this initiative by going to: https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/ If you wish to make a further (or larger) donation as a family, the link is:https://www.initforautism.org.au/.  Angus Pappas, one of our Bradman House Captains, found the following YouTube clip that explains autism very clearly and simply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk4qs8jGN4U.

Student Learning Conferences – thanks for your active participation

Our end-of-term Student Learning Conferences were held on Wednesday 5th April. 

The conferences are an opportunity for parents (and your child) to meet with your child’s teachers and discuss their learning progress as well as identify any issues or concerns that may impact on their learning and wellbeing at school. Of course, you don’t need to wait until Learning Conferences to communicate with a teacher. We encourage parents and carers to contact a teacher, or Year Level Coordinator, to share information and discuss issues that you feel we should be aware of at any time. 

In Term 2, we will forward a survey to parents to seek feedback on a range of matters, including our recent Student Learning Conferences and the model of on-site and on-line meeting options. 

More opportunities for parents:

There is also a lot on offer for our parent community, especially with regard to supporting and/or understanding the college and its programs for our students.

Parent Association: At our last school council meeting, the parent representatives presented our principal, Harry Ruff, with the required letter to request a meeting to discuss the formation of a Mullauna Parents Club. Look out for more information from Harry early next term.

Annual Reporting to Community meeting: At 6pm on Wednesday 26th April (Week1 of Term2), we will hold an open School Council Webex meeting to present and accept the 2022 Annual Report. All college community members are welcome to attend via the link below:

https://eduvic.webex.com/eduvic/j.php?MTID=me724cc74b142b0ecc97a12cf63c21d8c

School Council report from Council President Liesl Coulthard

School Council held the first meeting in its new term on Tuesday 21st March. It was great to welcome four new parent representatives - Yeng, Lisa, Sharna and Rebecca.  We were also fortunate to have the voices of four thoughtful, articulate young people - Leroy, Mykhael, Angus and Andrew - representing the student body.  As this was an Annual General Meeting, we elected office bearers for the next 12 months.  I'm pleased to be serving as President alongside Jacqui Pontefract as Vice President and Jeff McMillin as Treasurer. 

At the meeting, the Councillors completed some important training around the Victoria's Child Safe Standards. The training addressed the new standards, policies and procedures, reporting obligations, and how a culture of child safety is promoted in our school community. Child Safety is a 'standing' item on every School Council meeting agenda and our councillors have individual and collective responsibilities to help ensure the school is a safe and secure environment for all students.

Another standing item was the approval of school's financial statements for the previous month.  Each month a smaller group (the Resources subcommittee) meets to discuss the school's operating statement, balance sheet and other financial statements. This group takes the time to go through these reports in detail and everyone has the chance to ask questions and share their thoughts. It's a great opportunity for the parent representatives to gain a better understanding of the school's finances and make sure that everything is in order.  These statements are then presented to the full School Council for approval.

As a parent it is always really eye opening to have insight into the school's revenue and expenditure. There was some discussion around this at this week's meeting.  Did you know that unlike independent schools, government schools like ours only receive State funding (and nothing from the Commonwealth)? This funding works out to be about $11.90 a week per student, which is less than the price of three take-away coffees! It's really not that much when you think about it.

As you can imagine, the school relies heavily on every extra dollar it receives through voluntary contributions.  The number received has a really significant impact on our school's bottom line. I would like to encourage those families who have the means to do so, to make these voluntary contributions.  Every bit helps and you will be ensuring that all our children have access to the best possible education.

Family Curriculum Contributions - $495 for 2023

As ever, a large part of our discussion at council revolved around school funding and finances. While these remain voluntary, we do rely heavily on your financial contributions and ask all families to consider carefully their ability to support the school through this payment. Every dollar received allows us to improve the educational experience of our students.

To pay your full contribution, log in to Compass and select the appropriate green box in the upper right-hand quadrant. Once in the Payments section, you can see the various contribution amounts and what they provide for. 

To arrange a payment plan or part contribution, please contact Laura Steel in our General Office.

Building program – optional tax-deductible donations

With the construction of our new building progressing rapidly, it seems a good time to remind all MC community members 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. 

You can make your optional (tax deductible!) building program contribution via the Compass payment portal. For any queries, please contact our General Office on 9874-3422.

The holiday break and learning

Breaks from school can have a negative impact on learning, especially on the retention of material studied over the course of the term. For this reason, while it is important that all students have a break from schoolwork and recharge their ‘batteries’, it is also important that some time be given over to revision and study, especially for students in the Senior School (Years 10 to 12).

We recommend that Junior School students take the opportunity to exercise, connect with friends and pursue hobbies etc., but also to ensure they read a book.

Senior Students should develop a study plan for the two-week break, to ensure they complete all tasks set by their classroom teachers, to revise key materials, and then to prepare for the return to classes on Monday 24th April.

Year 12 students need to complete set revision tasks and make good use of their Edrolo. For English, they must: 

• complete one or two (at least) of the revision tasks set by their English teachers (they have four to choose from);
• prepare for their next Outcome in Week 1 of next term;
• read their set text ‘Women of Troy’ in preparation for Term 2’s work.

Student Wellbeing support - Term 1 school holidays

Some students may feel stressed or anxious over the upcoming school holiday period.

If you are experiencing distress, we 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. Attached to Mr McMillin’s Newsfeed is 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.

Some phone support is available from our Wellbeing team over the school holidays. The number to call is 9874 3422. You will be asked to press 2 to speak with our Mental Health Practitioner - Bernie. Please note that Bernie’s standard work hours apply, so he will be available Wednesday – Friday between 9am – 3:30pm. Please leave a message if the phone is not answered. Limited internet coverage for Bernie may impact on this phone support.

We hope you find some time for rest and relaxation during the break, ready to come back refreshed and ready for Term 2.

We wish our MC Community a happy Easter!

Michael Bray

Assistant Principal

For the MC Principal Team