Principal's Report

Proposed Performing Arts and STEAM Centre

On 25th August and 31st August School Council members Geoff Coates, Paul Webber, Brent Houghton, Nancy Sandilands, Andrew Arney, Lindy Mumme and I visited East Doncaster Secondary College, Wellington Secondary College, Gladstone Park Secondary College and Quantum Victoria. Quantum is one of the six State Science Centres and the design innovations lead by Director Soula Bennett will certainly inform our thinking for the new facility. We will provide architects with a brief for the proposed MGC Performing Arts and STEAM Centre based on providing spaces for combinations of approaches including collaboration, problem based learning and individual study.

S.T.E.AM.

There is a collective buzz in the STEAM area of the school as students finalise their VCE School Assessment Tasks. The tasks currently requiring a great deal of energy, thought and design are evolving in the Technology, Visual Art, Media and Visual Communication areas of the school.

Each project is ably taught and mentored by Jo Jepsen, Harriet Turnbull, Roger Dunscombe, Fiona Storrie and Oliver Hull.

Of course the other buzz in the world of S.T.E.A.M. is the upcoming Space Camp to NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, USA https://www.spacecamp.com/ which is less than two weeks away.

On Wednesday Catherine Walkear alerted the girls to a great opportunity at the Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton on Sunday 8 October , 9:30 am – 5:00 pm. Free bookings are available at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/australian-synchrotron-open-day-2017-tickets-37298561000?aff=erelexpmlt

The Synchrotron shines an intensely bright light on objects so humans can see them in atomic detail. “The light created at the Australian Synchrotron is about a million times brighter than the sun. This brilliant light can be used to assemble tiny machines that would fit into the eye of a needle, improve cancer detection, and develop new drugs to fight malaria.”

Our collaboration with the National Australia Bank Women in Technology project continues with Year 9 students supported by Mella Pescos and Emily Shaw attending immersion sessions, led by a female NAB “champion” in Security / cybercrime; Business analysis / CX design; innovating with technology and pitching ideas; agile software development / user testing and data analytics.

Critical and Creative Thinking

We are working towards incorporating Victorian Curriculum Capabilities into our work with students at Melbourne Girls’ College. The Critical and Creative Thinking Capability is one where our students refine and build upon understanding in their time with us. The skill of responding effectively to environmental, social and economic challenges requires creativity, innovation, enterprise, adaptability, motivation and confidence. These skills have always been central to the MGC ethos. The capability also demands explicit attention to and application of thinking skills so students “develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the processes they can employ whenever they encounter both the familiar and unfamiliar, to break ineffective habits and build on successful ones, building a capacity to manage their thinking.” Our Strategic Plan work on student agency for their own learning is encapsulated in the goal,

To establish a consistent level of excellence in teaching and learning across the college
“That the college teaching and learning framework has whole school agreement of its essential elements, including the use of data, to be implemented consistently in all classrooms”
To ensure we are equipping Global Citizens with the values, attitudes, skills and knowledge that will enable them to appreciate and respect cultural diversity and to be able to fully contribute and lead locally and globally.

As always thank you for your support in the important work we do with your daughters every day.

Kind regards,

Karen Money

Principal