PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents/Students/Community Members

It is fair to say that as a community we have faced another challenging year. In amongst all of this challenge however, I am so proud of the way all of our students, staff and families have supported one another and had patience with one another. It says a great deal about a school community when a principal can speak positively about the relationships they have with families and the support we receive as a school to maintain high expectations and success in many contexts.

Our students have demonstrated great resilience and commitment to their studies, with the college attaining outstanding results compared to similar schools in Numeracy, an extremely positive teaching and learning culture where staff and students feel safe, students’ positive attitude to being at MESC and parents happy with the way our staff and leaders care for and encourage their children.

Thank you to our College Council:-

Parent members - Stephen Baker, Lisa Ingerton, Georgina Blennerhassett, Tony Walker, Bill Di Blasio, Hanna Swaffield

Community Member - Andrew Gill

DET Employees - Angela Banfield, Marcia Claringbold

Student Representative Mylo Maciver

Principal support – Celeste Lombardi and Micah Davis.

Our council are an amazing bunch with great expertise in many industries. All members have been integral in the changes implemented this year and continue to have your students at the forefront of any decision we make as a leadership team.

We have worked very hard this year with the support of 360 South, to begin the redevelopment of our school yard and website. Students are loving the new seating space at the front of the school, adorned with tree planting and the renovation of ‘fish sculpture’. We are in talks with a Landscaper to re invigorate the entrance to the school, to enhance the already beautiful garden and gum trees. The design team continue to support our very talented students in designing and creating further sculptures that will soon feature in gardens across the campus. Over summer we will have a fence installed to allow students to play and feel safe from traffic on Canadian Bay Road. We have started to install new signage across the college, including the wrapping of the entire basketball courts by the end of summer. This year we were successful in receiving a DET Government grant for half a million dollars to upgrade a couple of our 1974 bathrooms. This should be completed by 2024. As a part of our Disability and Inclusion funding, we have had an outdoor exercise park installed on the oval, to support resistance training for regulation and stimulation. The exercise park has also been very popular at break times and the local community outside of school hours.

I am very proud of the students that have completed year 12 this year. These students have endured a difficult 2020 and 2021, like all other students, however the expectation of coming into year 12 like it was 2019 was particularly challenging. They have been such an amazing cohort, all the way from year 7. They are calm, friendly, and supportive of ach other. The teachers and ES that have supported this year and prior have done a sterling job in maintaining morale, putting in an effort above and beyond their 38 hour week, all with a smile and humility.

DUX 2022 - ABBEY BRADLEY

A big congratulations to Abbey Bradley who is our DUX for 2022. Abbey achieved an ATAR of 93 and has been successful in receiving a scholarship from Melbourne University.

If you are a family that is travelling this summer, please remain safe. I hope that all students and their families and friends have an exciting summer and Christmas, and we look forward to a bright and successful 2023!

Danielle Vaughan

Principal