Principal's Update

Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

School Production

Congratulations to all students (cast and crew) who were involved in this year’s school production, “The Addams Family”. I am sure everyone in our school community would agree with me that it was an outstanding show of the highest quality and so professional in every sense of the word (we even had the actual sets from Broadway in our very own Performing Arts Centre) and showcased our wonderful talent pool at the College. The production this year was held over four nights to assist in meeting the demand for tickets. Special thanks must go to our former school captain (in 2011), Josh Mulcahy, who returned to the College for the sixth time to direct the show the show in partnership with our wonderful teachers: Mara Sears – Production Coordinator and Producer, Demis Danoudis – Music Coordinator, Adelle Stevenson – Assistant Producer, Ariana Nickou – Stage Manager, Kelly Ferguson – vocal training, Andrew Fisher – technical direction, Liz Evans – rehearsal supervision, Stuart Mcintyre  - set construction and design, Jennifer Wunderle and Leah Bright - set painting. Highlighting the sense of community that prevails at the College, a number of former students returned to assist. They were Natalie Wood and Imogen Kane as Assistant Directors, Hannah Blavo as Assistant Choreographer, Finn Mc Henry assisting with the crew, and Rhian Wheel and Gemma Benci as part of the “pit singers”.

Stan Alves returns to the College

I invited former student, Stan Alves, to the College to speak to our Year 12 students on Tuesday 21 August. Stan played 226 games for Melbourne and was captain for four years. He also played for North Melbourne and coached St. Kilda in the 90s. Stan is well known on the public speaking circuit and as a commentator on radio. It is a critical time in the year as our Year 12s complete final assessments before preparing for the final exam weeks in Term 4. Stan spoke to students about getting the best out of themselves no matter what their career aspirations are and having no regrets - “If it’s to be it’s up to me”. It was wonderful to have Stan reconnect with the College and offer his services as a way of giving back to a great school that supported him many years ago. The students were highly engaged during his presentation and found it most worthwhile.

August is Education Support Staff Recognition Month 

On Monday we held a morning tea for all staff to formally thank all of our Education Support staff who work across the school in a variety of roles to support teachers, students and parents and thus are a vital part of our school community. The contribution they make is invaluable and without them the school would not run effectively!

Queen's Scout Award

Congratulations to Year 12 student and School Captain, Sabrina Berg, for achieving a significant milestone in a youth member’s scouting journey, the Queen’s Scout award. To attain this top award reflects initiative in tackling this challenge (including training courses, service to others, major expeditions), sustained effort over hundreds of hours, plus self-discipline, teamwork and leadership. Only a small percentage reach this level and represent the top achievers among scouting’s 47 million members globally. Well done Sabrina!

Student Led Conferences

As we come towards the end of this term, all students should be preparing for their Student Led Conference to be held on Wednesday 19th September between 2.00pm-6.30pm where they will have the opportunity to showcase their learning to their parents and mentor teacher/home group teacher. All students should be preparing a rich learning portfolio on which to base their conference around. It is also a great opportunity to practise their presentation and interview skills that will be so important when going for a job interview in the future. This will still be a four period day with an extended recess. Lunch will be at 1.00pm. Information about making appointment times through Compass from this week, has been sent home via an email to parents last week and a letter has been given to each student. As this is a compulsory component of your child’s program at Mordialloc College, we encourage parents/guardians or another significant adult to attend the conference. If you or another adult are unable to attend, please ensure that your child registers and attends regardless. If there are any issues logging into Compass or if you have misplaced your parent password, please contact the General Office for assistance.

Year 10 Camp

On Monday half of our Year 10 cohort (75 students) headed to Queensland - with Year 10 coordinator, Andrew Fisher, and Year 10 teachers, James Sadler, Georgia Davey, James Nicklen, Kim Lenc, Laura Gorman and Simon Cummins - and will return Friday night. Learning to surf and visits to a number of theme parks are bound to be highlights for our students and, of course, the beautiful 20 plus degree weather!! The rest of Year 10 this week have been involved in their normal teaching program with a couple of excursions running on Friday for students to select from – Tree surfing on the Peninsula or into the city to the movies.  Thanks to Andrew Fisher and Rachael Pierce, our Year 10 coordinators, for their excellent organisation of both programs and all staff involved in supporting the respective programs.

Encouraging Gratitude

Gratitude plays a key role in our happiness and wellbeing. Gratitude is a selfless act. Gratitude acts are done unconditionally to show to people that they are appreciated, not because people are looking for something in return. Read the following article to learn more about the importance of encouraging gratitude with kids and young adults and how this can be done in five simple ways.

https://www.thepathway2success.com/5-ways-to-encourage-gratitude/

Michelle Roberts

Principal