Welcome Assembly 

Until advised, the wider community is unable to attend our college assemblies. A report on each assembly will appear in the following newsletter. There are two all-school assemblies per term and each has a theme.  The first of the year is the Welcome Assembly. Some highlights: 

2021 Year 7 students arrive

College Captains' address

Hi everyone, I’m Lily and this is Nisha and we are your College Co-Captains for 2021.

Dear 2020 … you were awful. Not only was there a global pandemic - that is still going on - but we had to suffer through remote learning, follow an actual curfew and have our only entertainment be when teachers don't realise that they are not presenting their screen on Google Meet. 

Not only that, but Lily and I didn’t get to go to our annual St Kilda v Carlton match. For the record, St Kilda won. And worst of all, Harry Styles’ concert was cancelled. 

Now that the days of checking your microphone is off every 5 seconds on Google Meets are behind us, we can finally move on to a better 2021. Hopefully this year will take us to new heights - literally, ideally by the end of this year Nisha and I will be at a height where we can actually see over this podium.

Now that we can finally have everyone together for a college assembly. A welcome to what we hope will be a year better than the last. Although, that won’t be very difficult.

It feels like only yesterday we were running through the gym for our first college assembly as the 2021 year 7s have done today. Although it may seem daunting starting high school, we can assure you there’s a lot to look forward to. Whether it’s the year 7 &12 fancy dress, year 7 camp or your first swimming carnival. Within weeks you will all feel like you’ve been at MGSC forever.

Unfortunately, you’ll never know what it’s like to legally have your phone out during recess, but the memories you make will stick with you long after you leave MGSC.

And to the year 8s, you’ve finally stepped up from the bottom of the food chain. You’re not the newbies anymore, but there’s still a lot of stuff to learn and people in your year level to get to know so make the most of your last year in junior school, have fun and don’t stress too much. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time to stress down the line.

And now the year 9s, you’re finally in middle school, you have freedom in choosing your electives and some of you may have actually grown into your blazers, though I’m not one to speak. You’re almost at the halfway mark so stick in there because before you know it you’ll be doing your first exams at the end of the year. But again, don’t stress because this is the time to get to know yourself and what you enjoy before the rollercoaster of VCE begins.

Year 10s, what a year you’ve got in store for you. I’m sure many of you have already started planning what you’re going to wear to year 10 Social, if you’ll be taking a date and practising your fake tan in advance, because let’s be real- mistakes happen. Some of you may be accelerating a VCE subject but don’t worry because this is your chance to figure out what works best for you before VCE begins next year. You’ll make so many memories this year- especially at work experience, wherever you may choose to complete it.

And to our fellow VCE students, the year 11s. Now that the VCE marathon has begun, remember it’s not a sprint so pace yourself and don’t stress because this is your last year to experiment with how you study before you get to year 12. If you’re doing a unit 3 & 4 this year, it’s not as bad as you think. We all survived even if it was just by the skin of our teeth. However, you will make a new personal enemy this year and her name is VCAA. I can promise you- she’s pure evil. But all jokes aside, don’t worry you’ll all be fine.

And now to the ones who may not be fine the Class of 2021. We’ve finally made it. It may have taken us a while, it may have taken a lot of tears, some cringey YouTube videos in year 9 and a lot of snapchat memories of us crying, but we’re here. We’ve survived. So far.

I speak for Lily and myself when I say we wouldn’t want to do this with any other people. We know that this year is going to be a rocky journey but we’ll get through it together and hopefully come out the other side in which we’ll have lots to celebrate, and when I say celebrate- you know what I mean. In the meantime, we’ve got the formal to look forward to in a few weeks which, let’s just say, we’ve waited a long time for.

It’s our last year so let’s have some fun, make the most of house events and make 2021 exactly what 2020 couldn’t be. This year’s going to fly past and before we know it, we’ll be getting ready for Valedictory and the struggles of year 12 will only be but a distant memory while we cherish the good times for the years to come. We’re really excited for the year ahead and we hope that 2021 is everything 2020 should’ve been and more. Good luck to everyone for this year and we’ll see you.

Nisha Makam and Lily West

2020 Dux - Ailish Byrne address 

Hi everyone, my name is Ailish and I graduated from MGSC with the class of 2020 just a few months ago. Let’s be honest, being a high school student in the middle of a pandemic was pretty rough, and I can definitely speak for the year 12s when I say that we didn’t get the ‘perfect year’ that we wanted. But, like every year, there are lessons we can take from the crazy year that was 2020. 

To the 2021 year 12s some specific advice. For whatever results you’re looking to achieve at the end of the year, know that the work starts now. I’m sure all of your teachers will tell you the same thing, but if you want the results, you’ve got to put the work in for the whole year, starting now. Set ambitious yet realistic goals for yourself and remind yourself of them in times of procrastination. Prioritise what is important to you, ask your teachers as many questions as possible, and strive to make yourself proud before anyone else. Although at the end of the day your ATAR is just a number, try as hard as you can this year, so that whatever your score ends up being, you won’t be left remorseful, thinking you could have done more.

To the new year 7s, I know this many people in one school may seem daunting or intimidating at first, but know that everyone else started exactly where you are right now. You might think that friendship groups are already fixed and organised, but trust me, things will change in the best ways, you will meet new people and find new interests and make new memories over the next few years that you will cherish forever-so how exciting that it all starts now.

And to all of you in between, every year here is significant. The more work you put in, the better the position you’ll be in when you reach year 12. Don’t justify to yourself that your year level is a boring year, or that your exams don’t technically matter, everything matters here and everything you do in between year 7 and 12 is a stepping stone to allow you to be the best possible version of yourself when you leave MGSC. 

Although many of my friends and peers from last year are happy with their high school experience and have created amazing friends and memories here, some have regrets about how they spent their six years here. It’s only been a few months since we finished, but leaving for good has made some realise that they should have done the things they wanted to do in high school, without the fear of judgement from others.

High school can feel like your entire world sometimes, but the biggest message that both I and the class of 2020 would want to share with you all is to take every opportunity. Join leadership, get involved, talk to that girl you’ve wanted to be friends with for a while, do lawn bowls with your friends, care about that assignment-even if your friends don’t. The more opportunities you don’t take simply due to worries about what others might think or say, the more regrets you will have in the next few years when you all graduate.

When I started here in year 8, I was from a completely different area and didn’t know anyone. In no way at that moment did I think that the first person I met would end up being my best friend, or that I would later become a school leader and have the nerve to speak in front of all of you. I definitely wasn’t the finest student in year 7 at my previous school, my report card would speak for itself, but taking advantages of opportunities here allowed me to turn it around and have experiences I never imagined would be part of my high school journey. 

You all have endless possibilities for greatness, you are given the tools and the support necessary to reach your own individual potential, regardless of what that looks like for you. All you have to do over your next few years here is take all the opportunities you can. Find your own strengths and skills, make mistakes and learn from them, sign up for all the athletics events and run cross country. Leave nothing behind when you leave here. MGSC is the perfect place to develop new skills and make lifelong memories, don’t waste your time here, because it will go by in a flash, trust me. 

Above all, 2020 taught us all how to be resilient, use this resilience to put yourself out there, try new things, and make 2021 your year. 

Thank you. 

Ailish Byrne 

2020 College Captain and Dux 

Ailish plans to study Art/Law at Monash University