Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 4. In the last three weeks there has been plenty of activity around the College. Our Year 12 students have been revising and sitting practice exams which provides a genuine opportunity to experience the exam conditions while gaining valuable feedback. Students attended GWR Athletics, competed in a number of Clay Target competitions, cricket and much more that you will encounter later in this newsletter.

On Wednesday we farewelled our Year 12 students at their final assembly. In my address I congratulated our Year 12 cohort on the leadership they have displayed this year and the collective pride we have with the way they have carried themselves. Importantly, I reminded them throughout their lives, how they hold themselves in the moment, how they perform as individual people in the multitude of moments that constitute their lives, the values that they hold and display, the courtesy and kindness they extend, the MSC qualities that guide character and our actions, must surely be the critical, if not defining outcome of an educational journey through Monivae. ATAR score and personal accomplishments in their future lives will be worth little if the quality of character and the life they lead is inconsistent with their now well-formed understanding of our MSC way of being.

2023 Senior Leaders

At the same time as we farewelled our current Year 12 group, it was an opportune time for the investiture of our school leaders for 2023. Family members of these students were invited to come forward to stand behind their child. Relationships are at the heart of what we do at Monivae and in fact at all MSC schools, which is why we ask family members to be part of this special Investiture Ceremony.

School Captains: Klay Collins and Harrison Hein

Vice Captains: Charlotte Cook and Marcus Matuschka

Ffrench House Captains: Molly O’Brien and Indyana Sparrow

Glenelg House Captains: Chloe Foster and Sienna Maddocks

Lonsdale House Captains: Abbey Hill and Bella Manson

Mitchell House Captains: Fraser Hill and Ella Shelden

Arts Captain: Felicity Shaw

Adjutant: Adriene Dawson

Boarding Captains: Tom Allan and Emma Robinson

Sports Captain: Bailey Cooper

Staffing 2023

At this time of the year staff movement and appointments are close to being finalised. I am very pleased to announce the appointment of staff to their new roles:

Mrs Jane Nankivell will move from Year 7 Coordinator to English Faculty Leader
Mr Tyler Feshler will take up the role of Year 7 Coordinator
Mrs Lia Mailes has been appointed as Religious Education Coordinator
Mrs Nicky Riddle has agreed to take on the role of NCCD coordinator

We farewell Mrs Louise Lonergan who has accepted a role at Baimbridge College in 2023.

Joining our Student Services team in 2023 are Mr Matthew Crane and Mrs Belinda Carroll, who will be working alongside our newly appointed Director of Student Wellbeing, Mrs Kate Couchman.

The Arts

This week I have attended two wonderful VCE Performance and Visual Arts events. I was extremely impressed by the solo performances of our talented students on Monday evening and our Visual Art and Technology student’s exhibition Tuesday evening was a showcase and opportunity for these extremely creative individuals to shine. It has been a few years since we have been able to properly acknowledge and celebrate the Arts and the creative talent of our students. I recently came across this quote by Developmental psychologist Howard Gardner “an education without the arts is a half brain kind of education”. I think we all agree students require all types of learning experiences.

I extend my thanks to the Performing and Visual Arts Staff who have put in an extraordinary amount of time into supporting our VCE students and preparing exhibitions and performances.

Cadet Ceremonial Parade reminder– Sunday 23 October

This year marks the 60th Cadet parade at Monivae. A remarkable achievement. I would like to remind all families of the importance of this day and that it is also a compulsory school day. Rolls will be taken and any student who is absent will be required to attend school on Monday 31 October.

Covid-19 changes

The Victorian Government has announced the end of the pandemic declaration and associated pandemic orders. New settings apply from 11.59 pm on Wednesday 12 October 2022. Requirements for close contacts, like continually testing negative on a rapid antigen test (RAT), will not be mandatory but will become strong recommendations.

It is strongly recommended that students:

Who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for five days.
Should not attend school after five days if still symptomatic.
Who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school.

Where students become symptomatic at school, they should:

Be collected by their parents/carers.
Undergo testing for COVID-19.

Community

Our prayers go out to the Jones family, especially for past students Jesse and Olivia, who were severely burnt in an accident recently.

We also extend our condolences and keep Samantha, Chloe and Holly Langley in our prayers after their beloved mother Kylie passed away following a battle with MND.

May she rest in peace.

This week we are reminded again of the impact climate change is having on our weather and how this is affecting people in communities with severe flooding. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time.

We remember in our prayer:

Those whose lives have been devastated,

Those who are feeling vulnerable and weak.

Those who are stranded,

Those who are facing both long-term and short-term needs.

Those who are homeless in this crippling time.

We pray also for all those who are meeting needs at this time:

Volunteers and community workers

Those working to rescue people who are stranded and feed the hungry.

Those supplying food, water, equipment, money and urgent supplies

Those working to clear roadways and homes that have been damaged

Police officers, emergency personnel, medical and social welfare responders

Those seeking to offer protection from theft and fraud.

We pray that each of us will play our part in responding to the overwhelming conditions of this time, and particularly in reaching out to those who are struggling to rebuild their lives.

We pray too, that we will continue to urge the Government to play its part in strengthening structures that will heal our land, restore creation, and relieve those suffering homelessness and poverty.

We make all our prayers in the name of Jesus, who reached out always to those most in need.

Amen.

Jonathan Rowe

Principal

English Legacy State Final Speaking Competition

Lia Mailes