Principal's Message
Dear parents, families & guardians
The work to prepare the oval for the all-weather running track, high-jump pit, triple-jump pit and the soccer and football goals went into full swing over the holiday break. Bronwen Peterson, our Facilities Manager, has been a pivotal person in relation to the project management of the oval. When finished this will be an outstanding addition to our Physical Education facilities and will promote a healthy lifestyle.
We are moving closer towards commencing the renovations to the current Technology and Art buildings which, when completed, will create the new STEAM Centre. The STEAM Centre will include spaces for robotics/digitech, resistant materials (metal/wood/plastic), non-resistant materials (textiles/fabrics), smart tech (laser cutters, 3D printers, etc), visual communication, art and collaborative spaces. A very keen and passionate group of staff and students from various domains has met with our architects approximately every two weeks for the last term to provide input into the design of the spaces. The team comprises of teachers and education support staff from the Art, Technology and Science domains, IT staff and students. I would like to thank Stefanie Cappuccio, Lauren Caridi, Carol Duggan, Diana Gilbert, Sam Haines, Jonathan Hall, Bronwen Peterson, Suzanne Reinhardt, Amy Willett, Suzanne Thornley, Phil Pearson, Casey Boswell (student) and Katie Barnshaw (student) for volunteering their time. We are at the point where we have a shared understanding on the layout of the rooms, right down to the positioning of doors, benches and plant equipment. The next stage will be mapping the utilities and approving the final design. Work will commence just after the VCE Exams finish. We will share the final design with you all as soon as we can. My thanks go to the families who have donated to the building fund. If you feel that you would still like to help us to raise funds to make this the best STEAM Centre it can possibly be, there is still time. Remember, it is tax-deductible.
On Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 July we held information evenings for students moving into Years 8, 9, 10 and 11. These are very important event for families as they navigate the subject selection process and the career pathways process as they move up into the school. These events were well attended by our families as well as prospective families who are hoping to join us next year in Years 8 to 12.
As an integral part of the pathways program, the Year 10 Course Counselling day was also held on Friday 2 August. On this day students attended an interview with a staff member trained in course counselling along with one or both of their parents. I extend my thanks to Karen Garton, our Careers Manager, who organised all of the information packs for the staff members on duty, greeted parents and provided additional support for complex issues on the day. I make special mention of one of MGSC’s long standing staff members, Michael Warden who whilst on long service leave came in for the day to assist with this process.
On the evening of the Year 10 course counselling, we held the annual Year 10 Social. This is overseen by the SRC Leader, Sian Sharpe, Year 12 Leaders and Year 10 students. The evening was well attended and there definitely was excitement in the air. Our students brought along a guest or came solo on the evening. The DJ kept them moving on the dance floor and there were photos being taken throughout the evening to mark the occasion. Sian and the social committee did an outstanding job in decorating the space as well as organising the catering.
Last week the Languages Domain organised a range of interactive experiences for our students. Over the week students were treated to French and Japanese films at lunchtimes, bamboo wishes, martial arts workshop, Japanese food at the canteen on Tuesday, Crepes for Change on Thursday and a national dress/costume parade Friday lunchtime.
Science Week commenced this Monday with the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Science Breakfast held at Mentone Girls’ Grammar for Dahli Briedis (Science Domain Leader) and seven of our students. Other lunchtime events were a Kahoot! challenge, maths quiz, Florey Institute guest speakers, dry ice experiments and elephant toothpaste experiments, to name a few. My thanks go out to the Dahli, the Science staff and student leaders. There will be a full report in the next newsletter.
The VCE Parent Teacher evening was held on Wednesday 14 August. This is a terrific opportunity for the students and their parents to converse with the VCE teachers about how the year is going and what adjustments or improvements would enable their daughters to manage the workload ahead. My thanks go to the parents and students for taking advantage of this opportunity and to the teachers who prepared for and attended this important event.
Kind regards
Linda Brown