From the Principal

Hello everyone, 

I hope you have had a wonderful week. Earlier this week I was asked to state two words that I was feeling at that moment. It was an interesting activity because it made me really stop and think about how I was feeling. The instructions were, ‘think of 2 words and say them out loud to someone else. The words could be positive or negative or one of each’. Not as easy as you would think. The activity put me right in the moment and made me reflect. It also told others how I was feeling at the time. My words were ‘positive and proactive’. Perhaps you might like to try it with your family or work colleagues. The words could guide where your conversation will go next.

As you are aware, Assistant Principal Mr Jim Papas has been on leave since the beginning of the year. Mr Papas informed me last week, he has made the decision to retire at the end of this term. Mr Papas has had an exceptional career within the Department of Education and has worked tirelessly to provide educational opportunities for all students. I would like to publicly acknowledge the enormous commitment and dedication he has shown to Mornington Secondary College for the last 20 years. I write on behalf of the College community to thank him and wish him best wishes for the next stage of his life.

For some time I have been in consultation with our uniform supplier PSW to discuss changing the school dress. Last year, we were provided with samples and consultation took place with the All Captains Council and students from each year levels. School Council members and all staff were also consulted. The final design was a mixture of samples and a dress was developed using all of our suggestions. Last Tuesday, I presented the dress at school council and at a staff meeting. All Captains Council have also viewed the dress. I am pleased to inform our community of the overwhelming support for the introduction of the new dress.

The dress will be on sale at PSW early November to December ready for our new Year 7 students commencing 2024. The change will be gradual, as each new year begins, the old dress will be phased out and the new one in. If students in other year levels wish to purchase a new dress for the 2024 new year, they are more than welcome. Please see the picture below.

A new shirt will also be introduced for the beginning of the 2025 school year. This shirt will be white with our logo on the collar.

Thankyou for your ongoing support and I appreciate you taking the time to read my newsletter every week.

Linda Stanton

Principal

Important Dates

MAY

24/05/23 - 26/05/23 | Year 7 Camp - The Summit

29/05/23 | Year 10 Vaccination

JUNE

01/06/23 - 2/06/23 | Exams and PAT testing

08/06/23 | Year 12 Fancy Dress

09/06/23 | Staff assessment and reporting - Student free day

12/06/23 | Kings Birthday Public Holiday - Student free day

15/06/23 | GAT day

20/06/23 | Course Information Evening

23/06/23 | Last day of Term 2 - School ends at 2.30pm

JULY

10/07/23 | First day of Term 3

Note:  As you will be aware the 9th of June is a student free day to allow staff to complete assessments and write reports. The front office will also be closed on this day as we are performing a network upgrade which will disable phones and the internet for the day.

Middle School

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I have had the opportunity to visit many classrooms this week and I found it so interesting to listen to student responses to teacher questions. When students understand the topic or concept, their answers are confident and clear. This is why when teachers ask questions on a topic, they are listening for understanding and guiding the lesson to meet its learning intention. 

From the classes I have visited I have been learning about lexemes, persuasive language, and the themes from the text “Looking for Alibrandi”.  I have also had the opportunity to listen to students speak about preparing a resume and completing OHS online modules. I have been viewing students working in small groups and working quietly completing entries in their workbooks. I have seen students up at the board working on a problem. It reminds me that school life is such a hub of activity and that everything we do is with a commitment to provide the best educational opportunities for our young people to learn, and to develop their skills and knowledge to reach their full potential. It is such a privilege being part of the learning process.

Yesterday, Mrs Reeman and I walked the cross-country course with the Year 7 students. They started with great enthusiasm, running at record speeds, however, it waned a little towards the end. The students cheered each other on especially as they watched their peers put on that final burst before the finish line. 

We have had incursions on bullying and cyber safety for Year 7 and 8. It always important to revisit these themes which link with our college values Respect, Achievement and Community. Quite a few of the students I spoke to said it was a good incursion.

There is a focus on career action plans across the college and this is fitting as early next term, course selection for Year 9 and above takes place. Year 9 students will be informed about the different opportunities and courses available at Year 10. 

We also have the students complete the Attitude to School survey; this is an opportunity for students to voice their opinion.  This will take place in the next couple of weeks.

Can I please ask that your child brings their laptop to school charged and that they take to each class their workbook and pen. Thank you – your reminders have already made a difference especially in regard to the charged laptop.

Wishing you a great week.

Denise Leggett

Middle School Assistant Principal

Senior School

To students and families of the Mornington Senior School,

Over the last two weeks, the Year 12 team and I have held assemblies with students to reinforce the expectations around behaviour and respectful engagement in the school community. We strive to ensure that Mornington Secondary College is an environment in which everyone can feel welcome, safe, and respected. I will be meeting with Year 10 & 11 cohorts to provide them with similar information. We hope that these messages can be something that can be reinforced at home and that continued discussion about positive contribution to community through our college values of Respect, Community and Achievement can be something that our cohort regularly reflects upon.

I will also take this opportunity to remind any Year 11 or 12 VCE VM students, who have still not finalised their required structured work placement (SWL). This could be one of the following scenarios;

1. Students who have organised placement, but not handed paperwork in.
2. Students who are attending placement, but have not handed in paperwork (student not insured).
3. Students who have not organised any work placement.

All students need to have handed paperwork in to the office with Principal, Parent and Employer signed off prior to commencing the required structured work placement.

If we do not have the correct paperwork, students may not be meeting the MSC requirements for obtaining their VCE VM certificate. 

We will be mandating support sessions for any student who have not finalised it by the end of this week to ensure they can obtain their VCE certificate. These sessions will occur on Fridays until the placement has been organised.

Course Counselling for 2024 is not that far away, with an information night likely to be run in week 9 for parents and families. Information about VCE ATAR and VCE Vocational Major (VM) programs will be presented and will include vital steps about the application process for students wishing to complete a VCE VM pathway in 2024. It is worth noting that attendance, learning task completion & achievement levels, exam and behaviour data are all factored into the decision-making process for course-counselling.  

Highlights/upcoming events for each year level in the last week:

Year 10

On Friday 5th of May, our cohort of Year 10 students travelled out to Caufield Racecourse to attend the Careers Expo. At this event, our students were able to be exposed to the great myriad of options awaiting them after their time at Mornington Secondary College, from university courses, TAFE programs as well as other training opportunities. It was great to see so many of our students engaging in such a positive manner with the wider community and we hope it was a worthwhile experience for all.

We hope that this event will be a catalyst for discussion around future pathways as we head towards Course Counselling for Year 11 and 12, and that the brochures collected will allow students to understand the requirements and expectations of their choices. Please be on the lookout for further information regarding Mornington Secondary College’s VCE-ATAR and VCE-Vocational Major programs.

Year 11

The Year 11s had their first voting session on the new ARCLOW awards (our version of the Brownlow including our school values of Achievement, Respect and Community) and had HeadStart present to them about the opportunities that exist in the applied learning space. Students and families should contact the Year 11 team for more details if they are interested in exploring HeadStart further.

Year 12

It was great to see so many of our students out for senior sport this week. Year 12 is often seen as a year of academic intensity, but it is also the last year many students have a chance to participate in events such as school sports. I hope to see students continue to get involved and bond with their Mornington Secondary College community. The expectations are that when a student is out for the day, they will make sure they catch up on the work missed that day and that may mean touching base with teachers before attending the event.

Have a great week and stay warm!

Nick Evans

Senior School Assistant Principal

Staff Profiles

Adam Pirrie

My name is Adam Pirrie. I have now been at MSC for 4 out of my 19 year teaching career. I am a passionate Student Manager with 10 years experience and currently lead Year 8. I believe my role extends out of the classroom in mentoring and aiding in life skills for my students. I live in Mornington with my three boys (9, 6 & 4 years old) who keep me very busy. My goal in the short term is to continue to add programs in Year 8 to keep students engaged and continuing to learn new life skills. I love my job and gain satisfaction from aiding in the development of well rounded students at MSC.

Kim Rattue

My name is Kim Rattue and I have been a secondary school teacher for over twenty years. I began at Mornington Secondary College six years ago as a Casual Relief Teacher, moving into an ongoing position once all three of my children had entered kinder and/or school. 

I am Humanities trained and teach VCE Business Management, with three awesome classes this year. This is my third year coordinating Year 8 and each year we look at improving the program and adding new events for our students. 

I have always wanted to be a teacher and I love my job, challenges, rewards and all. I love sport and only recently stopped playing netball and basketball. I, no doubt, am a familiar face to many of you as a Mt Martha local with my children involved at South Mornington Football Club, Mornington Breakers and Frankston Blues basketball clubs and I regularly walk my jack russell and mini-foxy chihuahua.

Shaun Doherty

My name is Shaun Doherty and I am a PE teacher of 15 years, having taught in numerous schools around the state over my career and beginning my time here at Mornington in August of last year. 

I am currently a Year 8 Coordinator and teach PE, Humanities and VM Personal Development. I love coming to work at Mornington and value my role in student management, where I enjoy working with and supporting students both in and out of the classroom. 

I recently led a team in redesigning and refurbishing our school gym ‘Fit Club”, which we open to students and staff to help promote healthy and active behaviours.  

I am a Mornington local along with my wife and two young children and love being part of our wonderful community. My passions are health and fitness and enjoy spending my spare time with family, running, swimming and all things outdoors. 

Parent Financial Contributions

We would like to remind parents that the College still relies on voluntary financial contributions from parents so we can offer your child the best possible education and support.

Your contributions make a huge difference to our school and the programs we can offer your child. 

Your support has allowed us to subsidise the cost of classroom consumables and resources for example, 

• Art supplies eg paint, paint brushes, papers, crayons, clay and general art and craft activities
• Food Technology ingredients – flour, sugar, fruit, vegetables, etc
• Science - experiment supplies and equipment used in practical classes
• Woodwork, Textiles and Technology materials – fabrics, wood, robotics, nails, glue and associated consumables
• Photocopying for all subjects
• Handouts, samples of texts, tests, exams
• Class sets of books and resources used in subjects such as English, Maths, Humanities.

To make a contribution please log into the Compass Portal.

Textiles

Year 7

Last term our Year 7 students made character cushions. 

Year 10

This term our Year 10 textile students are working hard constructing garments, dolls and bear.

Hands on Learning

Last week our Hands on Learning group volunteered at St Marks Uniting Church in Mornington and Mornington Community Information and Support Centre. They were able to learn about the SecondBite Program offered and helped the volunteers make lunch for the community.

Our students enjoyed learning about the fantastic services provided by St Marks Uniting Church along with sharing lunch with members of the community.

Thank you to the volunteers who spent time with our students and all that help to make this service available for our community.

Food hampers are available from Mornington Community Information and Support Centre 320 Main Street, Mornington Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.

Free fresh food from SecondBite every Thursday from 10am at St Mark's Uniting Church Hall, 50 Barkly Street Mornington.

Year 7 and 8

On Wednesday our Year 7 and 8 students watched an interactive stage performance from Brainstorm Productions called "The Hurting Game".

The performance discusses issues such as teen peer pressure, bullying and cyberbullying. It helps to give students the skills to build resilience to deal with issues and make better choices in life.

Aerobics

On Sunday 7th May, all four of our aerobics teams competed at the School Aerobics Regional Competition at Patterson River Secondary College. The day was full of smiles and enthusiasm from not only our competitors, but parents and staff that came along. 

We were lucky enough to have three of our teams qualify for the State competition being held in June. Boultify placed first, with a grand score of 89.90, followed by Electric Boults in second place scoring 84.10 and a close third with Lightning Boults who scored 83.90. 

We couldn't be prouder of every single one of our girls who took the stage on Sunday and have been working tirelessly since Term 1. A big thank you to all the staff members who have been supporting our girls and helping out at training this year, we are so grateful for the time and effort you dedicate to this amazing bunch of students! 

We can't wait to work through the next three and a half weeks before another big competition on Saturday 3rd June.

Indie Jowett and Kate Atkinson

Division Athletics Championships at Ballam Park

On Thursday 4th May, our amazingly talented Athletics team of 78 students competed at the Division Athletics Championships at Ballam Park. All participants represented the school proudly and it was great to see so much support across the year levels for each-other competing in events. 

A big thanks to Jenny Vanin, Rob Horwill, Tyler Foreman and our pre service teachers for helping out on the day running events. Also thank you to Johnnie, Indie and Andy for all your assistance on the day and in the lead up to the event making sure the day ran as smoothly as possible. 

We had a very successful day out with many medals and ribbons across the board and 5 of our relay teams winning to progress through to SMR finals (12-13 boys and girls, 14 girls & 18-20 boys and girls teams). 

Senior Boys Soccer

On Monday 27 May, Year 11 and 12 students participated in Senior Boys Soccer at Mornington Civic Reserve. 

The Year 12 team won their first game against Dromana Secondary College 2-0 before beating Rosebud Secondary College 9-0 in their 2nd game. The Year 11 team won their first game 4-0 against Rosebud Secondary College before drawing with Dromana Secondary College 1-1. 

This meant the Year 11 and 12 Mornington Secondary College teams played off against each other to see who was going to win the Division title with the Year 12 team who won 4-0. 

Thank-you to Mick Surridge (parent) for helping to coach on the day.

Rob Horwill

2023 School Production - Be More Chill

2023 MSC School Production - Be More Chill by Joe Tracz and Joe Iconis

Mornington Secondary College students of 2023 are buzzing about the new production for this year, Be More Chill by Joe Tracz and Joe Iconis.

This modern, relevant, pop rock musical is the story of a high schooler Jeremy Heere, who swallows a tiny supercomputer in order to raise his social standing and win the girl of his dreams. But what is he willing to lose in the process? Hinting at a range of social issues faced by teenagers and young adults as they “survive” the day, Be More Chill explores what it means to be proud of your unique self and that life is better when it’s “a two-player game”.

Blindly cast, Mornington Secondary College is so excited for this group of students to wow you again this year. With Mamma Mia favourites returning and new juniors stepping up to shine as leads, we hope to produce another fabulous show for you again. 

Keep an eye on this space for updates on rehearsals! 

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