Principal's Update

Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

Farewell to the Class of 2022

We were delighted to be able to return to our live Year 12 Final assembly in the gym on Tuesday 18 October to celebrate the achievements of our Year 12 students, with most of our Year 12 parents in attendance to recognise this significant occasion – the conclusion of six years of secondary schooling. Given the size of our College now, instead of it being a whole school assembly, we could only make it for Senior School, to allow for enough room for our parents to sit. However, the event was filmed which will provide the opportunity for Years 7-9 students and/or families to watch this event if interested. 

The Year 12 cohort started here in 2017 as Year 7 students and this year has been their first year onsite full time since 2019 when they were in Year 9. After two years of transitioning into and out of remote learning during Year 10 and 11, it is wonderful to be able to congratulate all students who have stayed the distance to complete Year 12 VCE or VCAL this year. They have worked to the best of their ability with our emphasis on high expectations in everything we do, with the support of their fantastic teachers. The final year of school is challenging, even more so post remote learning and with the ongoing impact of COVID; and it has required students to be resilient and to persevere over the journey, no matter what challenges have been presented to them, and they have all demonstrated that it is achievable, responding in a positive way and we are all proud of them.

On behalf of the whole College Community, I would like to wish all Year 12 students every success for the examination period, which will begin on Wednesday 26 October, with the English exam. I am confident they will all achieve the VCE or VCAL results they deserve and have worked towards all year with much persistence. No matter what their pathway on leaving Mordialloc, if they continue to strive to achieve the best they can, while pursuing something they are truly passionate about, they can be satisfied. 

I would like to congratulate all our Year 12 leaders who were part of the inaugural Mordialloc College Student Council this year. Emma and Daniel as School Captains, Jeneya and Aston as Vice-Captains, Bronte and Stephen for performing arts, Aaliyah for visual arts, Luke and Jeneya for sport, Alessia, Isabella and Aston for promotions and fundraising, Rhi for community and wellbeing, Ronan and Jade for Facilities and Environment, Tim for Curriculum and our house captains, Chantelle, Rhiane, Max, Mariah, Marnie, Laura, Emily and Ryan. They have all been proactive leaders for our school formulating and following through on their respective action plans focused on greater student connectedness and student voice for improvement and have worked to the best of their ability in managing the challenges of combining Year 12 studies with the responsibilities of student leadership. 

We held a morning tea with parents and students after the assembly, and then all Year 12 students attended a celebration excursion at gravity zone for the afternoon. Normal classes continue for Year 12 students for the rest of this week and on next Monday with a study day at home on Tuesday before the English exam. Students are having a PJ day this Wednesday and a dress up day as their future career on this Friday, however, we expect all students to be in their normal classes on these days. 

Another big event, the Valedictory night is to be held this year after the final exam period on Wednesday 16 November at the Southern Golf Club. This night will be an opportunity for parents, teachers, and students to get together in a formal setting to reflect on the past year and recognise the achievements of our Year 12 students. The class of 2022 have made a wonderful contribution to our school, and we are proud of each and every one of them. I would like to thank Acting Director of Senior School Tim Randell, Year 12 Coordinator James Nicklen, VCAL Coordinator, Krystle Woodbridge, Pathways Coordinator Emma White, Assistant Principal Andrew Moffat for Semester one and Assistant Principal, Tracey Bastin for Semester 2, our Wellbeing team, and all of our Year 12 teachers who have all worked tirelessly to support our Year 12 students this year. 

We also look forward to celebrating the achievements of the graduating class for 2022 at this year’s awards night on Wednesday 7 December, when all students will be presented on stage in academic gowns in front of the rest of the College Community. This also allows the community a final opportunity to wish them well for the future.

Art Show

It was so exciting to see the EZ absolutely packed on Tuesday 11 October for the opening of our Annual Art Show, back live after two online events during restrictions due to COVID. It was sensational to see so many students and parents interested in the talents of our students and staff, reinforcing the value the community places on such an event. An incredible amount of work went into the preparation and the Art and Technology team deserves the highest praise for their commitment to the college and dedication in ensuring the delivery of this quality event where over 600 pieces of student and community work were framed by our staff and exhibited. Our local MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Schools, Mr Tim Richardson attended the event and officially opened the night, and he also appreciated the level of talent on show. Thanks to the City of Kingston Youth Services for their generous sponsorship of student prizes for various awards announced and presented on the night. The award winners are listed in an article later in this newsletter. 

Special thanks to Leah Bright for coordinating this event, with our assistant coordinators Alex Trevisan and Megan Furphy. They were supported by the rest of the Arts/Technology team in Peter Adams, Aaron Davis, Demis Danoudis, Kathryn Bevan, Nigel Maas, Kelly-Ann Ferguson, Simon Cummins, Adelle Stevenson, Jason Liacos, Damian Maughan, Liz Scott and Jesse Sibly.

Congratulations Megan Furphy

Congratulations to one of our Art teachers, Megan Furphy for winning the Carlton Football Club competition for designing the AFLW Pride jumper worn by the Blues AFLW team against Richmond on October 14. Please click this link to read more about this and see the jumper and Megan’s interview. https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/1235451

New Mordialloc College Student Leadership Council

Congratulations to all students in Years 7-11 who have submitted their application letter applying for one of the student leadership roles for next year. The new leadership team will be launched in Headstart in our whole school assembly on Monday 21 November. Students in Year 11 applying for School Captains and Year 12 leadership roles for 2023 delivered their speeches in an assembly on Monday to all current Years 9-11 students and will be interviewed in Week 4. Students applying for Middle School captain’s roles will be delivering their speeches in an assembly next week with Years 7 and 8 students in attendance, with interviews following in week 5. Students applying for the house captain’s roles or to be a member of one of the six sub-committees (mentioned in my last newsletter article) do not need to give a speech, only an application letter. Thanks to Director of Student Engagement, Simon Cummins for organising the application process. Joining me on the Year 12 leadership selection panel will be Mr Randell, Mr Cummins, and Ms Wilson; and joining me on the Middle School selection panel will be, Mr McFarland, Mr Cummins and Ms Hockey or Ms Davey. Our new Year 7 students for 2023 will have the opportunity to apply for Year 7 house captain roles in the first half of Term 1, 2023 and select their sub-committee of interest. 

Staffing Update

This week we have welcomed Tori DeGroot an additional integration aide for student support in the classroom. Next week, we are welcoming experienced teacher Kate Denham coming from the private system to take over the teaching load of Janni Newson. Kate teaches Accounting, Business Management and Humanities and is delighted to have secured an ongoing position at our school. We also have another integration aide starting with us, Cassandra Dmytrenko-Bird. 

Exam dates and Study Tips for Success – How to make your memory work for you

All students in Years 9-12 will be sitting exams in November and have received or will be receiving their exam timetable soon. Year 12 exams begin on Wednesday 26 October, Years 10 and 11 on Wednesday 9 November and Year 9 for some of their core subjects in the week of Monday 7 to Friday 11 November. Please note: Year 9 students have their normal classes around their scheduled exams during this week. Most students have participated in Elevate Study sessions during the year highlighting the need for study to be a continuous process not something you cram in at the end just before the exams. The following article is about memory and how you can best activate the three main memory structures (sensory, short term/working and long-term memory to enhance how you study). http://theconversation.com/studying-for-exams-heres-how-to-make-your-memory-work-for-you-124586. Within the article there are further links to other articles about study tips.

Michelle Roberts

Principal