Principal's Update

Dear Families, Students and Community members,

Farewell to the Class of 2019

To celebrate the achievements of our Year 12 students, on Tuesday 22 October we held our whole school farewell assembly in our gym with the majority of our Year 12 parents in attendance to recognise this significant occasion – the conclusion of six years of secondary schooling. The Year 12 cohort have been wonderful ambassadors and have contributed so much to our College, having represented us in countless sporting, cultural and academic events. They have worked really hard this year with our emphasis on high expectations in everything we do 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 30 October. 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, as long as they continue to strive to achieve the best they can be satisfied. I would like to congratulate all of our Year 12 leaders. Levi and Elizabeth as School Captains, Ben and Sarah as Vice-Captains, Liam, Alex and Hunter for performing arts, Ella for visual arts, Charlie and Caleb for sport, Zoe and Albert for special events, Lochlann for environment, Billy for ICT, Toby for International Students, Cailiosa for VCAL and our four house captains, Adnan, Jasmine, Lucy and Camille. They have been proactive leaders for our school and have worked to the best of their ability in managing the challenges of combining Year 12 studies with the responsibilities of student leadership. Another big event, the Valedictory Dinner is to be held this Friday night at 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 2019 have made a wonderful contribution to our school and we are proud of each and every one of them. I would like to thank Director of Senior School Jo Greenhalgh, Year 12 Coordinator Tim Randell, Pathways Coordinator Emma White, Assistant Principal Andrew Moffat and all of our Year 12 teachers who have all worked tirelessly to support our Year 12 students this year.

We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the graduating class for 2019 at this year’s awards night on December 12, 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

Held on Tuesday 15 October as part of our Arts Celebration week, this was a true community event with the talents of Mordialloc staff and students, our local primary school students and community members on show in the EZ. We had a huge attendance on the night 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. Special thanks to Emily Court and Leah Bright for coordinating this event. They were supported by the rest of the Arts/Technology team in Megan Furphy, Stuart McIntyre, Aaron Davis, Demis Danoudis, Kathryn Bevan, Nigel Maas, Kelly-Ann Ferguson, Simon Cummins, Adelle Stevenson, Drew Cook and Jesse Silby; and Catherine Boulton for the program and labels.

Having Positive Conversations about School with your Child

Parents in partnership with the College can have a significant impact on a child’s achievement. Do you ask your child the following question “How was school today?” and get the following answer “OK?” A real conversation stopper! Another way to ask the question is “What have you learned today that might be useful for a lifetime? Your child will have to think more deeply about this question if they are going to be polite and answer you. It will also help them see the way their learning can be applied to “real life”. Other questions you could ask include:

What have you done today that makes you feel particularly proud?
Can you think of a time today when you went out of your way to be helpful to someone?
What is the most demanding or challenging experience you had today?
Can you think of a time today when you were especially enthused?

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

All students in Years 9-12 should have received their respective exam timetables, with Year 12 beginning on Wednesday 30 October, Year 10 and 11 on Wednesday 6tNovember and Year 9 on Monday 11 November. 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.

Ms. Michelle Roberts

Principal