Principal's Update
Principal's Update
Term One has been extremely busy. Students have participated in the Sea to Summit camp on Phillip Island, Year 9 BHP students learnt to surf at Lorne and Year 11 Outdoor Education, students camped at Wilsons Promontory. Many students have also participated in sporting activities. The swimming carnival and athletics carnivals saw students enjoy fun filled days whilst earning points for their house. Rehearsals for the school production ‘Footloose’ are also well underway.
Our website is now live and full of information about Mornington Secondary College. The new strategic plan; setting the direction for the next 4 years has recently been uploaded to the site. The strategic plan was produced after the school completed a review of the last 4 years. All Victorian schools complete a review every 4 years.
Last week Mornington Secondary College hosted 20 students from Osaka, Japan. The students had a wonderful time with staying their host families and enjoyed a variety of activities which included visiting Baluk Arts in Mornington where the students learnt about indigenous culture and also enjoyed the great Australian tradition of a barbecue and a game of beach cricket. The students made great connections with their host families and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing life as part of an Australian family and also as students of Mornington Secondary College.
One of the goals for the next 4 years is to increase the learning growth for all students. A team of staff have been working to establish an action plan to assist all students in this area. A professional development day has been organised, 2nd April, 2019. No students will be required at school on this day. The theme for the day is ‘Growth Mindset’ for learning. Staff will be refining their skills in the following areas: NAPLAN for all Year 7 and 9 English and Maths teachers, VCE teachers will unpack previous exam papers and refine their teaching practice, others will join neighbouring schools to develop their skills in reading and writing for students, with acclaimed educationalist Misty Adoniou.
Many strategies have been identified to improve the learning growth for all students, including student/teacher conferences. All Year 9 students will begin these conferences, 3-4 April. Each student will work with their English and Maths teachers to set individual goals. Students are required at school during these days and will be timetabled for an individual conference. When they are not conferencing, they will be in class. Students in other year levels will participate in student/teacher conferences later in the year. Research has determined this is an extremely effective method for improving learning growth and we are very pleased to be able to implement such an important strategy.
Next term, the school community will be asked to consider its values and vision. Our values STRIVE are currently a focus at every year level assembly and displayed in every classroom. Our work is to determine if the values are still relevant. A vision for Mornington Secondary College will be developed and will drive the direction of the school. More information will be forthcoming.
Term 2 will also see a return to cold weather. Please take the time to read the uniform policy and ensure all of our students wear complete full school uniform; this includes to and from school. Our uniform supplier PSW is located on Watts Road, Mornington. Please see our website for more information. Uniform now includes long sleeve shirts, trousers for all students and non-woollen jumpers, so they do not itch. The jackets are of high quality and are very warm.
The uniform policy has been endorsed by school council and there has been slight changes to the makeup, jewellery and hairstyles sections. Makeup should only be worn lightly. Jewellery should be small and should not be considered unsafe. Hairstyles are not to be extreme. A skullet is extreme. Please abide by this school rule. School uniform enables students to identify with their school and when wore correctly provides a very positive message to our local community. The message is one of pride for the school they attend.
Hayden Young
Our very own Hayden Young is tracking to possibly be the AFL's Number 1 draft pick in 2019.
Hayden believes that consistency needs to be his main focus this year with as he "Dares to Dream" to be selected in the first handful of draft selections in 2019.
Below is a link to a "Fox Sports" news article regarding Hayden and his future within the AFL
Have a lovely and safe break and we look forward to term 2.
Linda Stanton
Principal