Principal's Report

International Women’s Day Celebrations

On the actual International Women’s Day, 8 March, we welcomed Governor Linda Dessau and Mr. Anthony Howard to a Year 12 assembly and morning tea. It is fitting that such an outstanding woman visited Melbourne Girls’ College to celebrate the key role women have played and are playing in modern Australia. The Governor’s message was about hard work, initiative and breaking down the barriers women still face today.

The Honourable Linda Dessau was sworn in as Victoria’s 29th and first female Governor in 2015. Governor Dessau’s career has centered on the law as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and Judge of the Family Court of Australia. In 2017 the Governor was made a Companion of the Order of Australia for "eminent service to the people of Victoria through leadership roles in the judiciary, to the advancement of economic ties and business relationships, and as a supporter of charitable, sporting and arts organisations."

Congratulations to our School Council President and Alumni, Maya Narayan, who addressed over two hundred students and staff in Queens’ Hall, Parliament House on Monday 6 March. Maya symbolises all that we aspire to for our students. She is a prominent lawyer, committed to social justice and an excellent role model for current and past students of Melbourne Girls’ College.

Thank you to our fantastic Parents’ Association for hosting the MGC International Women’s Day event – an evening with Maude Davey, actor, writer and director on 7 March. Over 70 parents, students and staff enjoyed the laughter and stories imparted by Maude in reflecting on her life story. In response to having the longevity Maude has achieved in a difficult industry Maude made excellent points about trusting your intuition, being organised, knowing your craft and not complaining - just get on with it!

Young women in Leadership

Mella Pescos (Careers Coordinator) and Emma Frankenberg (Accounts Officer) were chosen to appear in the BASTOW educational leadership bulletin. The article is in reference to aspiring leaders who have a significant impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of schools. Kudos to their hard work and leadership development

School Review

On 13 February and 1 March a respected school reviewer, Mr. Mike Rowland; Challenge Partners, Dr. Toni Meath of MacRobertson Girls’ School, Mr. Ian Wallis of VASSP; our College Captains, Nell Crossett, Ashleigh Hammond and Courtney McKenzie along with key staff, oversaw the School Review Process.

We are very grateful to a number of parents who attended a key section of the Review on 1 March about “Where to next for Melbourne Girls’ College?” As professionals and community members themselves our parents have perspectives on the skills, knowledge and experiences their daughters need developed at MGC to take them on to success in the wider world beyond school. Mr. Rowland is preparing the Report at present which will inform our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan.

Members of the 2017 School Council

Congratulations to our new School Council member, Elanthendral Ramasamy and returning Council colleagues Geoff Coates and Paul Webber. Congratulations also to new Staff Member, Shaunagh O’Connell and returning colleague, Laura Arney. We are very fortunate to have outstanding Community members including Pam St Leger who has served on Council for 12 years and continues to do so with wonderful advice.

Enormous thanks are extended to Dr. Alison Young who has served on Council for the past two years. Alison’s wise counsel was always caring and inclusive of every student. Equally enormous thanks to Sefija Demirova whose staff member tenure has come to an end. Sefija has guided Council kindly, wisely and well from 2015.

Thank you to all members of the Melbourne Girls’ College community who nominated for positions and voted. Your interest in and care for MGC are very much appreciated.

The 2017 College Council Members are:

College Captains: Nell Crossett, Ashleigh Hammond, Courtney McKenzie (share a position)

Parent Members: Geoff Coates, Gary Funston, Rose Lucas, Elanthendral Ramasamy, Sonia Sharpe, Paul Webber

Community Members: Caroline Milburn, Maya Narayan, Pam St Leger

Staff Members: Laura Arney, Shaunagh O’Connell and Karen Money

Gabriella Dawson, another successful MGC delegate to the 22nd National Schools Constitutional Convention

In the last newsletter we reported on Lilian Gonzalez attending the convention. We now have details on a second Melbourne Girls’ College student, Gabriella Dawson being selected as one of the 120 Year 11 and 12 students participating in the National Schools Constitutional Convention, being held at The Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in Canberra from 15 - 17 March 2017.

Gabriella is very interested in politics and the National Schools Constitutional Convention programme will provide both her and Lilian with an opportunity to become better informed about how Australia's Constitution provides a democratic framework and encourages them to take an active interest in the operation of government.  The topic of the 2017 Convention is ‘Indigenous Australians and the Constitution’. In becoming national delegates, Gabriella and Lilian were selected from around 4,000 students from government, independent and Catholic schools. Gabriella took part in feeder a convention in Melbourne.

Facilitated by Emeritus Professor John Warhurst AO, Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University, the students will consider a range of arguments relating to Indigenous Constitutional recognition. This will include input from a panel of experts, group discussions on the issues and the opportunity to persuade other delegates of particular approaches. Students will participate in a mock referendum to determine the outcome of their deliberations.

Enrolment Provision at MGC 2018-2020

The media reports about the new inner city high schools coming on line in 2018 and 2019 have engendered some inquiries about our  enrolment processes, including what constitutes the “closest neighbourhood school”.

The area maps on our website http://www.mgc.vic.edu.au/Enrolment/YearSeven.aspx were determined and produced by the Department of Education and Training (DET). As a State school we answer to the DET and the Minister for Education. As the maps indicate MGC is perched on the edge of the Yarra very close to Hawthorn, South Yarra etc (for whom we are the closest State school for some families). Our Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) curriculum ground was determined with DET in 2016 after consultation with our School Council. We take all local girls, concurrent siblings, then if any places are left over 50% of next closest student home addresses to MGC and 50% STEAM. Modelling for 2020 indicates all girls living in Richmond will gain a place at MGC.

Head of School Girls Rowing Regatta

We wish our Rowing girls the very best of luck for the Head of School Girls Regatta on the Barwon River Geelong from 17-19 March. We are proud of our rowers, no matter where they place, as hard work and determination are part of training alone. Race success is wonderful but not essential to satisfaction in a job well done.

Already so much is being done behind the scenes by Head Coach Stephanie Burgess, Rowing Committee President, Shelley Anderson; Treasurer Ian Ferguson; and the great support team. Thank you!

Launching our Performing Arts Center Fundraising Appeal

During our 22-year history, Melbourne Girls’ College has continued to offer outstanding opportunities for our students. In the spirit of our desire to offer students the opportunity to ‘Lead and Achieve’, we are excited to announce our appeal for assistance in the building of a modern and professional Performing Arts Center.

As our Dance, Music and Drama programs continue to grow and flourish, the Instrumental teaching studios and rehearsal spaces are no longer able to accommodate the multitude of activities students can participate in.

Our Theatrette is now too small for our growing enrolments, with the space unable to accommodate an entire year level of students for assemblies and guest speakers. In short, our current facilities no longer allow us to provide the best practice learning and teaching in the Performing Arts that our students deserve.

We have already saved $800,000 towards this goal, and although we are seeking government funding there is no guarantee we will be successful or be granted sufficient funds for this much-needed building project. In the past we’ve been able to build marvellous new facilities with the help of our incredible parent community, so we once again ask for your generous assistance.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to our fundraising appeal you can do so via https://www.trybooking.com/OVWF or please contact me at any time if you would like more information.

Stay tuned for more news as we develop plans for this project.

Sustainability Collective - Moonlight Cinema

Congratulations to the Sustainability Collective under Andrew Vance’s leadership who provided an inclusive and fun event on 24th February, not only for MGC but for the Yarra City area. Finding Dory was much fun for young and old alike

Regards,

Karen Money

Principal