Thank you to those who read and enjoyed our last newsletter. The feedback from families and the local community has been fabulous, so we are pleased to be able to continue this new format and see how we can best utilise it moving forward. Please don't hesitate to drop us a line to share your thoughts.

Another busy few weeks here at Macleod College, with plenty of opportunities to Achieve, Respect and Connect.

Year 7 Camp

Last week saw our intrepid year 7 cohort head out to Valley Homestead in Ovens as part of our Year 7 Transition Program. The camp is designed to challenge and build confidence in our young people and to help foster new friendships in a fun and positive environment, and by all reports, the students had an amazing time.

I am sure that the year 7 team will have a lot more detail later in the newsletter, but I would like to note the hard work of year 7 leaders Jasmine Collins and Andrew Angelopoulos, supported by Assistant Principal Michelle Wallis and our fabulous office staff. Thanks also to Claudia Lavins, Matthew Bentley, Kasi Bird, and Ben Zanin who went to camp also - it is a huge commitment from staff to go along on these types of experiences, and it is greatly appreciated by our students and families.

International Women’s Day

Macleod College students and staff participated in a range of activities for this year's International Women’s Day, the theme of which was “Break The Bias”, calling on our community to imagine a world free of gender bias.

Imagine a gender-equal world.

A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Together we can forge women's equality.

Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Some statistics;

At our current rate of progress, it will take 108 years to close the gender pay gap
Only 6 countries in the world give women equal legal work rights as men
For every female film character, there are 2.24 men
Women are 47% more likely to suffer severe injuries in car crashes because safety features are designed for men
33,000 girls become child brides every day, and
Women make up more than two-thirds of the world's 796 million illiterate people.

Our values of Achieve, Respect, and Connect link perfectly with the ongoing work to #BreakTheBias, and it is brilliant to see the advocacy of our students and staff in working towards this goal.

School Council

The first meeting of our 2022 school council was held on Wednesday the 23rd of March, with new and existing members meeting ready to help our school be the best it can be.

Our 2022 council are

Parent Representatives

Mark Lipman - Council President

Anna Hacker - Council Vice- President

April Stock - Treasurer

Wayne Richards

Kevin Picton

Kim Wiley

Student Representatives

Caleb Lipman

TBC

DET Representatives

Michelle Wallis

Karen Butterworth

Simone Hale

Sarah Barrand

Andrew Arney - Acting Executive Officer

I would like to extend a massive thanks on behalf of our community to outgoing members of the 2021 Council;

Stephen Guest (Parent)

Adam Ingham (Parent)

Donna Morante (Staff)

Their expertise and care for the College was evident in all of their contributions to our school, and we send them all gratitude for being so giving of their time and energy.

Parent, Student, Teacher Conferences

Last year we collected feedback from parents about how we should run Parent Student Teacher conferences in 2022. The feedback in response to running the conferences via Google Meet was positive, with this approach offering greater flexibility to our parent community. In response to this, our Semester 1 Parent Student Teacher conferences will again be conducted online via Google Meet, allowing students and families to meet with teachers while ensuring a COVIDsafe environment.

The interviews will be held on Tuesday 5 April from 10am to 4:30pm, with parent bookings opening on 29 March at 4pm.

It is important to note that students should be in attendance during these interviews, giving them a valuable opportunity to seek further feedback and discuss strategies with both Parents and Teachers. This will also assist with goal setting, give students a voice on ways we can assist their learning, and as always celebrate the growth students have made.

Growth Mindset and Reflection

The work of Dr. Carol Dweck on "Growth" versus "Fixed" mindset links up nicely with current research on brain plasticity, showing how connectivity between neurons can change with experiences. With practice, neural networks grow new connections, strengthen existing ones, and build insulation that speeds the transmission of impulses. These neuroscientific discoveries have shown us that we can increase our neural growth by the actions we take, such as using good strategies, asking questions, practising, and following good nutrition and sleep habits.

In short, people who understand that the brain can get smarter—who have a growth mindset—do better because they have an empowering perspective on learning. They focus on improvement and see effort as a way to build their abilities. They see failure as a natural part of the learning process.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Macleod College would like to celebrate the achievements of Zane Arapoglou of year 12.

Zane has been training and competing in Gymnastics events for 11 years, and this week was selected for the Victorian squad for the National Gymnastics Championships held in May.

He will be competing in the Horizontal bar, P bars, Pommel and ‘all round’ events. If he places in all of these he could potentially be headed to the World Championships, so let’s throw our support around Zane as he prepares for this huge moment!

So as the end of the term draws to a near, it is important to take a moment to reflect on all the wins that our students have had this term; whether it is academic growth in any subject, reaching the finals of your preferred sporting event, meeting new friends or persevering through any other challenge we face on a day to day basis. Walking into school every day with a firm belief that "You Can" is quite a challenge - albeit one I know our students are up to, so please take a moment to consider all you have achieved, set yourself some goals for next term, and come back refreshed and ready to learn.

Now if anyone has some research showing how you can win Tattslotto by forming a belief that you can, please forward it on……..

Have a great week!

Andrew Arney

Acting Principal

English/Humanities