From the Principal

Hello everyone, I trust many of you had a fantastic break, despite the weather being a little disappointing.

As I reflect on Semester 1 and the plan moving forward to achieve our goals:

‘To maximise the achievement and learning growth of every student’

‘To improve the engagement and wellbeing of all’

I began to list all our achievements. They include:

A literacy improvement plan
A numeracy improvement plan
Safe and orderly learning processes
Staff working collaboratively within a professional learning community to develop differentiated lesson plans
Staff using student feedback to improve learning
Curriculum audits to ensure a guaranteed and viable curriculum
Teams around learner meetings
Using data to inform excellent teaching and learning
Continued use of our instructional model, STAR
Learning walks with the leadership team visiting more than 140 classes
Celebrating success via school assemblies, with approximately 200 students eligible for a STRIVE award and more than 100 students will receive a gold star
Focussing on the importance of attendance and student wellbeing
Continuing to develop positive relationships with families and the wider community
The implementation of a weekly newsletter to inform our community of the amazing work and opportunities we have at MSC.

I am extremely proud of this work, most of which occurs outside the classroom during staff meetings and planning time. I have provided a link to the powerpoint I presented to staff this week outlining these achievements. You are welcome to click on the link . The collective efficacy and collaboration with staff is to be commended. I look forward to continuing this work, so all students achieve and feel happy and safe.

The education plan to address racism is well underway. This week, I asked the College Captains to ask students to be part of a working party to look at the curriculum provided by the Centre for Multicultural Youth. The curriculum will be used during CONNECT classes later this term.

NAPLAN results will be released 17th July. I have included an article in this newsletter outlining some changes. Please don’t hesitate to contact the college if you require clarification.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Linda Stanton

Principal

Important Dates

JULY

20/07/23 | Year 11 into Year 12 2024 Course Counselling

21/07/23 | Year 9 into Year 10 2024 Course Counselling

25/07 - 27/07/23 | School Production "Be More Chill"

28/07/23 | Year 10 into Year 11 2024 Course Counselling

AUGUST

11/08 - 14/08/23 | Aerobics Final in Adelaide

28/08/23 | Parent Teacher Interviews 12pm - 7.00pm - REVISED DATE

SEPTEMBER

7/09/23 | Year 7 2024 Parent Information Evening

11/09 - 14/09/23 | Year 11 Outdoor Education Gariwerd Camp

15/09/23 | Last day of Term 3 (2.30pm Finish)

OCTOBER

02/10/23 | First Day of Term 4

Don't forget to look on compass for sport sign ups, excursions and any other information sent to students and parents.

Below is a link to help guide you in your use of compass.

https://mornsc.vic.edu.au/for-parents/compass-parent-guide/

Upcoming changes to NAPLAN reporting

Ahead of NAPLAN results for students being released from Monday 17 July 2023, I’m writing to inform you of some changes to this year’s reporting. These are changes being introduced nationally by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

NAPLAN will continue to measure student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation but the results will now be presented in 4 proficiency levels:

These are:

· exceeding

· strong

· developing

· needs additional support.

This change will give schools, parents and carers clearer information that details student achievement against new proficiency levels.

Students’ NAPLAN reports will continue to show how they are tracking against their peers and provide an indication of their skill levels against national averages and where we would expect them to be in order to get the most out of schooling. This provides valuable information to teachers about how we can continue to support your child.

Each set of NAPLAN results is an important milestone but it’s also important that students know that one result does not define them – these results are about making sure every student gets the support they need so they can continue to get the best from their learning.

When we provide you with your results, you will also receive information about what the new proficiency levels mean.

Middle School

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to Term 3. I hope you had the chance to have some holiday time with your children. Talking to our students some of you had short breaks away and some travelled to Queensland in search of some sunshine.

The students I spoke to were happy to be back and looking forward to the term ahead. It is such a pleasure to have the opportunity to chat with our students as they are witty, polite, and good fun. It is these positive interactions that make teaching such a great job.

Today, we held year level assemblies for Year 8 and Year 9 students. It was wonderful to see so many students receive an award. Award categories included recognition for 100 per cent attendance, academic learning growth and community awards. Our college values of Respect, Achievement and Community underpin our assembly focus.

I love visiting the classroom to observe the learning that is taking place. On Monday, I was able to visit several classes and I really enjoyed the Year 8 Science class. Being an English and History teacher, I find it fascinating to attend classes where I become the student. The class I attended was the students first lesson in Chemistry. The students were learning about atoms, electrons, and chemical elements. They learnt subject specific vocabulary such as particle, nucleus and proton and that hydrogen is the lightest element. The students were paying close attention and were able to provide some good answers to the questions posed. I asked Ms Kirkos if I can attend the next class as I really enjoyed learning about Chemistry! And talking to parents, I know I am not the only person who loves learning something new.

Numeracy is a priority of the college. Each week, I would like to be able to inform you of a framework or process that is used at school especially in Literacy or Numeracy. In Mathematics, one of the areas that Year 7 students are working on is the Order of Operations – we use the acronym BIDMAS.

The order of operations are the rules that tell us the sequence in which we should solve an expression with multiple operations. The calculations in brackets must be made first, followed by calculations involving indices, then multiplication and division (working from left to right) and lastly addition and subtraction (also in order from left to right) This example is from the Australian Curriculum.

The division is performed first, and the expression becomes 5-3+7 = 9

If the convention is ignored and the operations are performed in the order they are written the INCORRECT result 6.5 is obtained.

B - Brackets

I – Indices

D - Division

M- Multiply

A – Addition

S - Subtraction

Chatting with our Numeracy Leader Ms Stacee Reddy, we thought we would like to see if you would like to have a go at using BIDMAS to solve the following:

Please email sre@mornsc.vic.edu.au with your answer.

The first correct response will receive a $10 school canteen voucher.

And of course, this is open to all parents! I would love to hear from you!

Please see below work and piece by Choe Smith in Year 7

Why I Love MSC

If someone said to you, what was the greatest high school experience that you had, what would you say? Having only been at high school two terms, I do not have much to go off. Yet, I still know that I will not be able to choose my favourite memory. Already this school has given me so much joy, and I love coming to school every day to see my old friends and the new ones that I have made. There are so many new opportunities that come with high school like our amazing Drum Corp program (which I take part in) and all the amazing clubs we have. I have only met a small portion of the teachers here but all of them are so kind and generous with their time. They are caring and think about you as an individual. My favourite subject is math. There are lots of people throughout the community that do not really like maths and to be honest sometimes I do not like it either, but maths has a way of surprising you. You may learn something that you think you will never use in the real world, and to be honest you may never use it, but I promise you that there is at least one person out there that needs that information. So that is why teachers, teach us these things. So next time you are about to ask your teacher why we need to learn this, think about that one person that will benefit from learning it. This applies with any class you are in. Mornington Secondary College is such a great school and I hope that you can see that as well.

Wishing you all a great week.

Denise Leggett

Assistant Principal

Denise Leggett

Middle School Assistant Principal

Senior School

To students and families of the Mornington Senior School,

Welcome back to school and the start of Term 3. This term is arguably the most important term in the Senior School as Year 12s finish up their schooling, Year 11s have their last full term to develop their skills and effective learning behaviours before they become Year 12 students, and Year 10 students start to mature educationally and start increasing their learning output having a clearer picture of their future.

This term really is about all students focusing on their work output. At the end of every class, students should be able to confidently say they have met the success criteria for that lesson. Each class provides an opportunity for students to develop or reinforce effective learning behaviours. For Year 10 students moving into VCE, this is the last full term they must build effective habits before the quantity and quality of work output really ramps up in VCE. For Year 11 students preparing for Year 12, they need to use this term to further develop their in-class learning behaviours and out of class study habits before the pressure of Year 12 starts. My analysis of learning outcome data over many years has shown that generally, where students start in Year 12, is quite close to where they finish, so these next few months are critically important for our 11s. They need to reflect on what works and what doesn’t (using exam and SAC data as evidence) and then make necessary adjustments. Our Year 12 students will feel as though this term is a hectic one, as all subjects will attempt to finish Unit 4 coursework before the end of term, providing a really thorough exam preparation window.

To help our students have the best chance of maximizing their Term 3 learning opportunities, please speak with your child about the pre-conditions for successful learning at MSC.

Do they arrive at every class on time?
Do they take their laptop, multiple pens, exercise books and textbooks (where they are required) to each class?
Do they sit in a position or with people in classes that allows them the best opportunity to learn?
Do they know how to seek assistance when they need it? Do they know how to do without putting their hand up?
Are they checking Compass to view lesson plans prior to classes?
Are they reviewing and embedding the learning after school each day to maximise retention and understanding? Can they explain it to you?

I ran some data on Tuesday and over 400 of our families had logged into Compass since June. We have over 700 families in the Senior School and I encourage you all to log in to Compass (through the improved mobile app or website) to see how your child is going each day or each week. Ask questions of teachers when you need to about how your child can improve. We know that effective 3-way partnerships result in better learning outcomes for our students.

Although some of the Year Level Leaders have spoken about course counselling in their contribution below, I wanted to highlight the importance of having all 2024 subject selections completed in the selection program by Wednesday 19th July. There will be opportunities to confirm these choices at Course Counselling Interviews for year 10s (28th July) and for Year 11s through a review process, but in order to plan effectively for 2024 and create timetables that best meets the learning requests of our students, we need all data in by the 19th July.

Highlights from this week include:

Year 10

We would like to welcome everyone back to Semester 2.

Our focus will very soon be upon Course Selection and interviews.

We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to complete and submit our VCE-VM application forms and we wish everyone who applied the best for their upcoming interviews and conversations. Information regarding these is soon to come.

For those selecting our VCE-ATAR pathway we hope you have taken the time over the break to consider the choices available to you and have made decisions tailored to your own interests and eventual pathways, we hope to provide each of you with the opportunity to succeed and achieve your goals in Years 11 and 12 at Mornington Secondary College.

As always, we would encourage anyone with questions to always feel free to contact us for any clarification.

Year 11

Year 11 student in ATAR and VM programs received course counselling information this week (link to video recording) and have access to the subject selection portal on Edval. Student login codes are printed on stickers attached to their course selection booklet.

Students have now been asked to login to Edval and start putting in their 2024 subject preferences with their families. Any student who wishes to study a Unit 3&4 (Year 12) subject in 2024 that they are not currently studying the Unit 1&2 (Year 11) version, will need to complete an application form. These forms are available from the Year 11 Coordinator office or can be downloaded from Teams, in the Course Counselling Channel. An expression of interest via Microsoft Forms is also to be completed. The link is in Teams.

It is widely expected that students will remain in their existing program (ATAR or VM) given the extensive course counselling completed in Year 10, however if there is a desire to switch pathways, there is an application form for that as well, also found in the Year 11 Teams Course Counselling Channel.

Any student who wishes to continue with a VET subject (a requirement for all VM students but also an option for ATAR students) will need to complete and submit a VET application form by the 2nd August. These forms have been given to VM students but are also available from, yes, you guessed it, the year 11 Teams in the course counselling channel!

Course counselling selections close on Wednesday 19th July and the Senior Team will review all selections over the following 2-3 weeks. Students with a changed program may meet with the review team to confirm their 2024 program.

Year 12

It is crunch time for Year 12. The final term of study and the completion of Unit 4 for both VCE ATAR and VM student. For many students, this can be the most challenging term of their tenure at Secondary School. Please keep an eye on your children and ensure they have a healthy balance of study, sleep, exercise, and social activities. It is important that students stay up to date with their study to avoid stress and burnout trying to cram work in at the last minute.

The Year 12 team is available for support if you notice any concerns. Please do not hesitate to email or call.

Year 12 timeline

Coursework will be completed by end of Week 9 of Term 3 for Unit 4 VCE ATAR student (Week ending Friday, September 8).
Coursework will be completed by end of Week 10 of Term 3 for VCE VM students.
If VCE VM students have completed all their work and been signed off by their teachers, they may conclude classes at the end of Term 3. Those needing additional time and support may return for the first two weeks of Term 4 to complete required tasks.
Trial exams will be completed in Week 10 of Term 3 (Week starting Monday, September 11).
Term 3 holidays and the first two weeks of Term 4 are very revision focussed and it is essential that students use their holiday period to complete practice exams and prepare for the exam period.
Celebration Day for Year 12 students: Tuesday, October 17.
Valedictory Dinner: Tuesday, October 17 from 6:30pm.
Written exams commence: Tuesday, October 24 (Exam timetable)

Welcome back and kind regards,

Nick Evans

Senior School Assistant Principal

Reward for Effort

So it’s the start of Semester 2 and what a massive Semester 1 we had. Students have completed in excess of 42,000 learning tasks including 13,778 Performance tasks with over 4,000 being graded at distinction or high distinction. Well done to our students.

Over the coming weeks we will be distributing a range of awards to students to celebrate their achievements in Semester 1. These will include:

Endeavour Awards: Awarded to students for outstanding effort in individual subjects.
Excellence Awards: Awarded to students for outstanding academic results in individual subjects.
GOLD stars awarded to students for overall academic excellence
STRIVE awards: awarded to students for overall effort, based on their progress checks.

The kids have worked hard this year and its time to celebrate their success and set goals for areas of improvement for Semester 2. This is a great thing to do at home, download your child’s report and talk to them about why they have done well in some areas and what things they can do to achieve better results in Semester 2.

If you haven’t had a look at your child’s report yet, have a look on compass now.

Kind regards,

Mike Parker

Assistant Principal

Staff profiles

Wendy Parkinson - Business Manager

I have been at Mornington Secondary School for five years after being at a Prep to 12 College. I am passionate believer that all students deserve the best and we are all lifelong learners!

My role at the College involves managing all Education Support Staff, managing all the financial aspects, and managing the Human Resources needs across the College.

Education Support staff are vital to any school, and we have some of the best staff. We all have diverse roles, including the following teams: Garden and Maintenance, IT, Office, Attendance, Inclusion, Pathways, Wellbeing, Food Technology, Technicians, Student Programs and all other Education Support Staff within the school.

It is a challenging and busy role which I love.

After hours, I love playing golf, bike riding, walking, cooking, caravanning and playing with my two wonderful grandsons.

Alesha Boon - First Aid

I have been working at Mornington Secondary College since 2021 as the Senior First Aid Officer. I also assist with Administration.

I started as a qualified Education Support (Teacher’s Aide) and worked with students in the classroom. I have worked with both primary and secondary students.

I love the interaction I have with the students and any advice or assistance I can give them in first aid.

At home I have four children ranging from 10 to 17 years of age and when we have spare time aside from sports, dancing, and part time jobs we spend our time taking the caravan and 4WD out on adventures.

Did you know that I can store any medication your child may need to take during school hours. If you would like to discuss your child’s medical concerns, please give me call.

Course Information Evening

Last term on Thursday 20th June, Mornington Secondary College hosted a Course Information Evening for all students progressing to Year 9, 10, 11 or 12 in 2024.

We had a good number of parents attend for the two sessions. The Robert Herbert Gym looked fantastic with the subject leaders creating displays showcasing our students work. Parents and students were able to have any queries answered and loved seeing what would be expected work next year.

Koorie Emerging Leadership Day

Koorie Emerging Leadership (KELIS) Day was held last term at Carrum Downs Secondary College.

A group of our Indigenous students attended and had a fantastic day with students from other schools in the area. They watched a movie called "In my blood it runs" then discussed the highlights together. They planted Indigenous edible plants and finished the day with a Smoking Ceremony.

A fantastic, meaningful day had by all staff and students.

Looking forward to the next one at Monash University.

Good Luck and Congratulations to Campbell Duthie in Year 7

Campbell Duthie in Year 7 is travelling to the United States for an International Inline Hockey Tournament.

He is representing the Australian U15 Aussie Roos Inline Hockey Team.

Cross Country

Last term 21of our students participated in the SMR Cross Country at Cruden Farm. All students ran really well and represented MSC outstandingly.

We had a very successful day with two teams winning overall (U16 boys and 12/13 boys) and a total of 8 students who will be heading through to State Cross Country.

Results as follows:

Team winners

Under 16 boys

Andrew Turver (1st place)

Cian Andrews (21st place)

Jackson Linskill (5th place)

12/13 Boys

Ethan Sheen (1st place)

Rafael Merchan (13th)

Jackson Ablett (16th place)

Bailey Barrett (30th place)

Individual through to state: Baylin Wilcox (3rd place)

Hands on Learning - New Garden for the college cottage

A huge thank you to Bunnings Mornington, particularly Jenny Mann, for their constant support of our school. Thank you for the donated plants and pebbles for the college cottage.

Year 11 and Year 12 Music Incursion

Our students were lucky enough to have a music incursion that showed potential pathways and careers available in the music industries by industry professionals, DJ's and recording personnel who brought along their expertise equipment to demonstrate and teach their skills.

It was a pleasure to watch our students participate in the lessons and get excited about creating music. Thank you to the music department for making this happen and the awesome team that came in to teach our students.

Breakfast Club - Free Service

Breakfast Club is available for students on;

Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings

Tuesday and Thursdays at recess times.

All welcome for to come along!

Stay well this winter

Stay well this winter

In Victoria, Influenza (Flu) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection numbers are high among children aged 5 to 11 years, particularly in those in their first few years of school. The Victorian Department of Health expects more respiratory infections over Term 3.

Most children with flu or RSV have a mild fever, runny nose or cough. Some children, particularly babies and children with underlying medical conditions, may have more severe illness.

Keeping our school community well

Parents, carers and students are encouraged to:

· wash and sanitise their hands regularly

· avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

· cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing · stay at home if unwell and consult a general practitioner (GP) or NURSE-ON-CALL as needed

· stay up to date with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

Our school has masks for staff, students and visitors if they want to wear them.

Flu vaccinations

Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your family from getting the flu.

Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and older. As part of the National Immunisation Program, it is free for:

· Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and older

· children aged 6 months to under 5 years

· people aged 6 months or older with underlying medical conditions.

Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs, pharmacies or your local council immunisation service.

Find out more

For more information about staying safe this winter, refer to:

· Stay well this winter on the Better Health Channel, translated into 16 languages

· Influenza and immunisation on the Better Health Channel

· Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) on the Better Health Channel

· Getting vaccinated against influenza.

Compass tips

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