Principal’s Update

Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

Welcome back for Term 2. It is very important that all students settle quickly into the daily routine of lessons as well as our expectations of home study.

School Council

At the AGM held on 22 March, the following parents were elected to the Council Executive:

Council President – Ian Fox

Vice President – Amanda de Boer

Treasurer – Tracey Gabell

I thank them for the extra commitment they are prepared to make to the College in taking on the responsibilities involved in these important roles.

Update on Staffing

Jen Roep is continuing at Melbourne Girls College as Acting Assistant Principal for the rest of the year. Therefore, Jo Greenhalgh will continue as Acting Assistant Principal here. Robyn Wilson is now the Acting Director of Senior School and Dylan Piubello is our new Year 11 Co-ordinator. Andrew Fisher also joins the Senior School to team with Rachael Pierce as Year 10 Level Co-ordinators. Jo Greenhalgh will be the Assistant Principal overseeing the Senior School and Andrew Moffat is the Assistant Principal overseeing the Middle School.

We have welcomed two new staff this term. Dominic Newsome has joined the College as our new Language Centre Co-ordinator and EAL teacher. We are opening an International Students Language Centre mid-year and Dominic will lead this, along with teaching in the new arrivals language program. Catherine Boulton joins us on Reception, replacing one of our long serving staff members, Gloria Bendit, who has recently retired. We thank Gloria for her dedication and service to Mordialloc College over the past fourteen years.

Open Events

We look forward to meeting prospective students and their parents at our Open Events over the next week. This Wednesday we are holding our SEAL information night at 6.30pm in the PAC. On the evening of Thursday 26 April, the whole school will be open for our annual Open Night. Please note, this will be an early dismissal day to allow time for staff to set up displays etc. Students will be dismissed at 2:30 pm on this day. They will still have their normal four periods of classes, they will just be shortened. There will be a formal start to Open Night at 7:00 pm in the Year 7 Learning Centre with our School Captains hosting this occasion. I will address the audience followed by our School Council president, Mr Ian Fox. Then two of our Year 7 students, Jye Hollway and Amelia Davidson, will provide an overview of our Year 7 program. Attendees will then have the opportunity to be taken on a guided tour of the school to see the various learning areas in operation, to meet teaching staff and current students. Thanks to the many students who have volunteered their time to attend the night to act as guides. We also run tours of the school during the day for prospective students and their parents to see the College at work. People are able to book in for our weekly tour on Fridays at 9:30 am by contacting Reception.

Gnurad Gundidj Campus of the School for Student Leadership

In 2016 we had two Year 9 boys attend this school located in Glenormiston near Camperdown in Victoria's Western District during Term 2 and we were offered and took up four places last year. This year we have seven students taking part in this student leadership program. Congratulations to Meike Berg, Lauren Ditchfield, Matt Grice, Hannah Grieve, Rose Patel, Christopher Rodas and Matthew Wade. The School for Student Leadership is a Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) initiative offering a unique residential education experience for Year 9 students. The curriculum focuses on personal development and team learning projects sourced from students' home regions. Thanks to Daniel Williams, Director of Middle School, for organising this fantastic opportunity for our students.

House Athletics Sports

On the last of Term 1 the College Athletics Sports were held on a very pleasant autumn day. The event was really well supported by students and staff who enthusiastically engaged with the busy program and it was a very successful day. Congratulations to Sport Coordinator Cory Watters for his excellent organisation of this event and to all students and staff for their wonderful work and positive involvement on the day. The final points and winners on the day, along with the age champions are announced later in this newsletter. Please read on!

Ms. Michelle Roberts

Principal

House Cross Country Event