Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

Reporting to Parents and Parent Teacher Student Interviews

Last Friday, our latest round of progress reports were released on Compass for student and parent access. Please make sure you check to stay informed about your child’s progress.

A reminder about our arrangements for our online Parent Teacher Student interviews for Years 7 - 12 to be held on Thursday 25 August from 10.00 am - 6.30 pm. Classes will not run on this day as students are expected to attend the online interviews with their parent/s. Bookings opened last week through Compass. Please contact the General Office if you have any issues or need assistance in making the bookings. Assistant Principal Tracey Bastin has sent out instructions to parents and students regarding how the online interviews will work on the day utilising your child/ren’s Google account for a Google meet interview.

Homework Policy

The College believes that to promote student engagement with their learning, some homework should be set and done regularly, coordinated by the teacher. The work completed at home by a student is a vital and necessary extension of the class lessons to enable them to consolidate and reinforce the work covered during the day. This is best done some hours after the lesson and when the student is alone. Students’ work at home is divided into two categories:

HOME STUDY - students should independently follow-up on class work to ensure that work is understood, and relevant facts are committed to memory as a foundation for future learning, and

HOMEWORK - which is a task set by the teacher or the completion of work not finished in class.

Please find attached here our Homework Policy for further information about our expectations for each year level, holiday homework and our shared expectations and responsibilities as a College including teachers, students, and parents/carers.

Work Submission Policy

At Mordialloc College we are focused on high expectations in everything we do. We want every student to achieve their highest potential. It is important that every student demonstrates a sense of pride in their academic work. As such, we expect every student to aim for his or her personal best in everything they do and demonstrate self-respect for and pride in their work. Each student is responsible for completing every task on time and to the best of his or her ability. In line with our emphasis on high expectations, we have a Work Submission Policy for all year levels, and I have included a link to this here. Directors of Sub-Schools, Year Level Coordinators and teachers regularly reinforce this with our students, and I ask that you emphasise this at home as well.

Impact of COVID and Flu

Unfortunately to date this term, as in Term 1 and 2, we have continued to be significantly impacted by COVID and flu, with a higher than normal staff absence rate, either from getting sick themselves or having to look after young children who are ill. This has resulted in the school continuing to utilise Casual Relief Teachers to cover classes at a more frequent rate than in previous years. It is important that we all continue to test regularly with our allocation of RATs (more available from Reception if needed) and, if an identified close contact, even though students can still attend school, they must conduct a RAT each morning before coming to school and wear a mask while at school. We have masks to give to students if needed. Students can ask their Year Level Coordinator or collect one from Reception. Please continue to report to the school if your child does have COVID and/or is an identified close contact. My daily updates via Compass of possible cases onsite will continue for all reported cases.

Masks have been recommended for all students and staff, and we encourage everyone to wear one during the winter months. However, it is not mandatory if not symptomatic or a close contact.

Student Numbers 2023

Endorsing our reputation as a leading education provider in the area is the continued growth in our student enrolments. We are accepting 225 Year 7 students next year however, we have now exceeded our built capacity. Unfortunately, we did have to knock back a high number of out of zone applications and this will now continue in subsequent years given we have exceeded our built capacity. Our total student population next year will be approximately 1250 students, and we need to bring this back to around 1200 students in the future.

We have completed our SEAL selection process for Year 7 in 2023 (test and interviews) this term and this was only open to primary school students who selected Mordialloc College as number one on their secondary selection form and were accepted into the College. Families will find out the outcome of the selection process this week.

Parent Opinion Survey

The use of opinion data to monitor school performance is a very important step towards making our school the best it can possibly be. Annual and anonymous opinion surveys for staff, children and parents are conducted and the information gained is used to drive school improvements and shape the future direction of the College. Over the next few weeks, it is the parents' turn to tell us what they think. Randomly selected families generated by the Department's platform will receive information about the online parent opinion survey and we ask that these families please take the time to complete the survey. The survey is conducted online by ORIMA Research Pty Ltd and only takes 15 minutes to complete. It can be accessed from Monday 15 August to Friday 16 September. The survey will help our school gain an understanding of how you view our school climate, student engagement and relationships. Results will be sent to the school by the start of next term.

Production

The excitement is building in anticipation of this year’s school production “Matilda the Musical” to be held in the Performing Arts Centre over four nights this week – Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 August. We also held a matinee performance for some of our feeder Primary Schools on Wednesday and the final tech run in front of staff and families occurred on Tuesday afternoon from 4.00 - 6.30 pm. Thanks to all members of our community who are supporting our students with their attendance at one of the performance nights. There may be a few tickets left for some of our shows if you are keen to attend and are yet to purchase tickets.

I would again like to congratulate and give my sincere thanks to my staff producing the show and supporting our students - Bella Barker, Cameron Young, Claire Bruce and Mara Sears. We also have two former students who have been assisting with rehearsals - Lorenzo Mortimer, and Tahlia Peacock. I congratulate all students who are involved whether in the cast, crew, or band for their dedication throughout the year in preparing for this showcase event.

Facility Development

We are very excited to now have our new Wellbeing Centre on track to be completed this week. We are aiming to officially move in, all going well, next week, with it being open for students to access the following week. These new spaces include a sensory room, four individual private consultation rooms, pleasant waiting area, wellbeing staff office spaces and a meditation/relaxation and/or class conferencing room.

I am still awaiting the new scope of works and costings and the revised construction program for our four new outdoor courts. We will hopefully get an update this week on the revised completion date. Our PE staff and students are really looking forward to having access to these new plexipave courts and I thank them for their patience.

High Energy Drinks

A reminder that the College does not recommend the consumption of high energy drinks due to the high caffeine and sugar content of several popular brands in the market. Some contain the same amount of caffeine as two to three cups of coffee and as they are drunk cold, deliver caffeine faster that a cup of coffee would. This can lead to sudden peak in energy followed by a crash that can leave you feeling worse than before. The short-term effects of energy drinks include alertness, stimulation of the nervous system and an increased heart rate, while excessive consumption can aggravate symptoms like anxiety, cause insomnia, nausea, vomiting and heart palpitations. As such we seek parent support in not allowing their child to bring high energy drinks to school, and this includes when students are on an excursion.

Subject Celebration Weeks

Thanks to VCAL, Humanities and Science Learning Areas for running their respective subject celebrations weeks to date this term, with Maths and English to follow in the next few weeks. All students participating in the various lunchtime activities not only get to have some fun, they also earn house points!

Whole School Professional Learning Day - Friday 12 August

Our whole school professional learning day last Friday was most valuable in continuing with our whole school writing focus (6 plus 1 Traits of Writing) with our Leader of Literacy Improvement leading this session, along with three other staff presenting as part of the morning session. All learning area teams then had the opportunity to meet, and after lunch we had a staff wellbeing focus. Staff selected from yoga, painting, meditation, cooking, sports in the Gym, or they could continue with their own planning. Thanks to Daniel Williams for organising the outside facilitators for the afternoon wellbeing sessions which were much appreciated by staff.

Professional Practice Day 9 September

All teachers are entitled to a professional practice day this term. Like last term schools have been given the option to have all teachers completing this on the same day together to minimise the disruptions to classes and the need to employ more casual relief teachers throughout the term on top of covering staff absences, staff on sport, excursions and camps. School council has endorsed Friday 9 September, for this pupil free day.

Michelle Roberts

Principal

Year 12 VCAL Carnival Day

Monday 15 August 2022