Principal's Message
Dear parents and families
A warm welcome back to our school community and a special welcome to our new families.
The holidays are still fresh enough in our minds that we are all feeling energised for the term ahead. Whilst our staff and students enjoy the holidays we have continued to update and enhance our facilities over the break. The canteen courtyard and the path leading up to the administration have been landscaped and we have set up the large chess pieces in the courtyard so the students can play a game of chess in their breaks. It is terrific to see various students playing a game of chess at lunch time.
We continue to make improvements to the school facilities because I believe that an education is enhanced by the surroundings in which this takes place and nurtures school pride and a collective identity. That collective identity, in simple terms, is being able to articulate what is means to be a Mentone Girls’ Secondary College student. Our school motto of Virtute et Labore (Courage and Work) signifies that the path we choose to take may not be an easy one and reward does not come without effort. But if we do not choose the socially and environmentally responsible path who will?
We are a community at MGSC and this year I am hoping that, as a community, we can focus on being more socially and environmentally responsible. At last week’s assembly I asked the students: “How many of you believe that we have an issue with pollution and excessive waste that impacts on our environment?” and “How many of you would be concerned to know that hundreds of thousands of birds mistake gum or plastic waste for food and as a consequence die a slow and often painful death every day from starvation or asphyxiation because their stomachs and airways are full of plastic instead of food?”
Research suggests there are as many as 580,000 pieces of plastic polluting each square kilometre of the ocean at any one time. And there have been increasing reports about it being found in the guts of marine organisms including turtles, fish, dolphins and seabirds. Then I asked them: “How many of you would like to do something about this?” I was pleased to see that the majority of the students indicated that they would like to do something.
So, the challenge I gave to all students was to be mindful of the rubbish that is constantly left around the school each day. All they would need to do is to walk to the nearby bin to dispose of it. Better still, if they reduced the amount of disposable plastic wrap and opted for a re-usable container to bring their lunch in this would have an even greater positive impact. By doing these small things as individuals we can make a greater impact as a school community.
I ask for the support of parents in reinforcing the notion that we can all make a difference and that every step we take to reduce our waste and thoughtfully dispose of our waste contributes to a positive outcome. To have environmental and social responsibility as an integral part of our collective identity would be something to be proud of. I have noticed on my walks at lunch time and recess that there has been a reduction in the rubbish left behind but there are still improvements to be made. With everyone’s support we can make a real difference.
In my last newsletter message of 2018, I mentioned that many of our staff would retire, move to another school or take leave to have a family. We are appreciative of their contributions to MGSC and they will be missed, but the flipside is that there are opportunities that are created for new staff when we farewell others. I would like to welcome our new staff members to the college who are listed below.
Kind regards
Linda Brown
2019 new staff
Tristan Barry - English Teacher
Kattina Bowell - English and English Language Teacher
Anne-Claire Brunet (returning) - French Language Teacher
Jocelyn Chang - EAL & Literacy Learning Specialist and ELC/EAL Coordinator
Teagan Dixon - PE/Health and Outdoor Education Teacher
Jessica Elloy - English Teacher
Karen Garton - Careers Coordinator
Diana Gilbert - STEAM Learning Specialist and Science & Digital Technology Teacher
Emma Holman (returning from Leave) - Director of Junior School, Science and Psychology Teacher
Stef Jager (returning from leave) - PE/Health Teacher
Mary Lawler - English, Humanities and Legal Studies Teacher
Holly Lee - Science & Biology Teacher
Nicole Merlich - Mathematics Teacher
Claire McGann - Instrumental Music Teacher
Philipa Purser - Art & Visual Communication Teacher
Suzanne Reinhardt - Maths & Numeracy Learning Specialist and Maths Domain Leader
Sian Sharpe - English Teacher and SRC Leader
Samantha Sleep - English and Literature Teacher
Alisha Smith - Sociology and Humanities Teacher
Angela Xu - Art & Technology Teacher