Principal's Update
Dear Families, Students and Community Members,
Anzac Day Service
On Tuesday 26th April during our assembly timeslot, the College held a whole school assembly to recognise Anzac Day and to commemorate the 107th year of the landing at Gallipoli. The service was organised and led by our School Captains and Middle School Captains, including the schedule of service and all readings. We also had a guest speaker, Michael Weissenfeld President of the Longbeach RSL. They all did a wonderful job, and we thank them for their thorough planning and excellent leadership of this important event. Congratulations to Emma Schultz, Daniel Loza, Jeneya Tran, Aston Hewet, Liliana Bell, and Kyle McDonald. In addition, well done to Stephen Elkington who performed the Last Post in front of the whole assembly.
Richard Williams Scholarship
At the end of the service, we also took the opportunity to present our six successful recipients of this scholarship in its second year. Richard Williams was an unsung, local hero. He worked tirelessly for others, and always put other people before himself. After his passing in 2020, a few of his close friends, who he remained friends with since they were students together at Mordialloc College, got together to create this Scholarship Fund in his memory. Applications closed in March and the Scholarship Fund committee in liaison with me selected six students to be awarded this scholarship to support student’s studies and/or pursuing a particular interest. Members of Richard’s family were in attendance, including Lindy Langshaw (Richard’s partner) Steve Strange the Chair of the Scholarship Fund board, Paula McCarthy, and Ivor Donohue from the Mordialloc College Alumni Association. Steve spoke at the assembly about the scholarship fund and presented our six recipients with a framed certificate and scholarship funds.
Congratulations to Bonnie Blinco (Year 8), Jay Grasso (Year 11), Natasha Konisberry (Year 8), Lachlan Tomlinson (Year 12), Abbey Tregellis (Year 12) and Katie Tregellis (Year 10).
Parking Map for drop off and pick up of students
In my last newsletter article, I spoke about improving the traffic management at peak drop off and pick up times in front of the school in Attenborough Road and Pine Crescent.
The City of Kingston has now developed this parking map for our community, highlighting other drop off and pick up options for parents, instead of the front of the school. Click link here to see:
Unfortunately, the car park over the creek bridge at the back of our school, off Governor Road is currently closed until August, due to it being re-developed. Please see the attached information sheet about this:
It is timely that we now have some alternatives for parents considering this work, and other options rather than always utilising the front of the school.
Open Events
Last Thursday we held our Sports Excellence Program (SEP) and SEAL information nights for prospective parents and students in the Year 7 Learning Centre. Thanks to Andrew Potter, Andrew Fisher, and Andrew Moffat for their presentations on the night supported by the Principal Class team. Congratulations to our student speakers for SEAL on the night: Will Fleming (Year 7), Reema Ababneh (Year 11) and Daniel Loza (Year 12).
We look forward to meeting prospective students and their parents at our Open Night this Thursday. The whole school will be open for our annual Open night. Please note, this will be an early dismissal day to allow time for staff to set up displays etc. Students will be dismissed at 2.30 pm on this day. They will still have their normal four periods of classes this day, they will just be shortened (following Wednesday bell times).
The formal start to Open Night will be at 6.30 pm in the Gym with our School Captains Emma Schultz and Daniel Loza hosting this occasion. I will address the audience followed by our School Council president, Mr Ian Fox. Then two of our students, Ava McIntosh and Dylan Palmer will provide an overview of our Year 7 program and an insight into their experience of starting Secondary School. Attendees will then be taken on a guided tour of the school to see the various learning areas in operation, to meet teaching staff and current students. Thanks to the many students who have volunteered their time to attend the night to act as guides. The construction company will move the current fencing near the gym to allow for traffic flow both in cars parking onsite to the oval and in managing the movement of attendees entering and exiting the gym.
We also run tours of the school during the day for prospective students and their parents to see the College at work. People can book in for our weekly tours on Thursday’s and Fridays at 9.30 am.
School Zones
Since 2019, all schools are now provided with a zone. I want to reassure parents that all current students even if residing outside of our new zone will still have a place at the College, along with any siblings in the future. For new enrolments coming into Year 7, I anticipate that we will have sufficient capacity to be able to take students from outside of our zone following the department’s placement policy. However, we are limiting our intake to two hundred students in Year 7.
To view our zone click on this link: https://www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au/
Prospective parents who live out of the zone will need to fill in an “out of zone” application form available on our school website and submit this along with their secondary school preference form to their primary school, who then forward all applications to us.
Congratulations to Jake Ridley
Congratulations to Jake Ridley one of our Year 9 students who continues to excel in the pool. Jake recently competed in the School Sport Victoria (SSV) State Swimming Championships winning FIVE individual gold medals:
Boys 15 Years Breaststroke, 50m – 1st (32.74 secs)
Boys 15 Years Butterfly, 50m – 1st (27.22 secs)
Boys 15 Years Freestyle, 50m – 1st (25,98 secs)
Boys 15 Years Backstroke, 50m – 1st (29.51 secs)
Boys 12-15 Years Individual Medley, 200m – 1st (2:19.76 secs)
In addition, Jake competed at the Swimming Australian National Age Championships in Adelaide during the summer school holidays. Over six days of competing, he raced in sixteen heats/finals across 8 events and achieved a Personal Best in all of them, something that is extremely hard to do at a national companionship. An outstanding achievement that he can be so proud of after all his hard work training and the dedication required to compete at this level successfully.
Principal Preparation Program
This program is run by BASTOW for Assistant Principal’s aspiring to the Principal role or Leading teachers aspiring to the Assistant Principal role. I was asked to be a mentor for a Leading Teacher this term, Sulagna Monga, from South Oakleigh SC. Sulagna will be working here for the first four weeks of this term shadowing me and completing a project of her choice to support the school and also take back key learnings that can be applied to her own school. This is going to be focused on our Instructional Model and development of a self-assessment rubric for a section of our model around differentiation with student and teacher input; and working with our (professional learning communities (PLC) leaders across the school in the development of resources for differentiation. This includes leading some student focus groups with each year level. In addition, Sulagna will be attending all meetings I am part of and has identified some technical aspects of the role she wants to increase her knowledge in. At the end of the four weeks Sulagna is required to present to the leadership team on her key learnings from her placement here and will do the same back at her own school and to a panel from BASTOW.
Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
On Wednesday 6 April, our parent/teacher/student interviews were held, and we had a very positive attendance rate online. We hope that parents and students found these to be valuable in terms of the feedback received. If you were not able to attend the interviews and wish to discuss your child’s progress with a particular teacher or teachers, please contact them via email to organise a time to discuss on the phone. If you have any feedback regarding the interviews set up and process please complete this survey from Assistant Principal, Andrew Moffat. Click link here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MCPTI2022
House Athletics Sports
On Thursday 7 April, the College Athletics Sports were held on a very warm autumn day. The event was well supported by students and staff who enthusiastically engaged with the busy program, and it was a very successful day. Congratulations to Sport Coordinator Cory Watters for his excellent organisation of this event, all students and staff for their wonderful work and positive involvement on the day. The final points and winners on the day, along with the age champions were announced in last week’s newsletter. Congratulations to Iwala (Red) for winning on the day.
House Cross Country
On Tuesday, the College Cross country was held on a very pleasant autumn afternoon. Congratulations go to Iwala (Red House) 723 points on their great win, followed by Bunurong (Yellow House) 574 points ; and to each age group champion:
12-13 Female – Tia MacLaurin
12-13 Male – Alessandro Fidanza
14 Female – Jade Moore
14 Male – Jarvis Barr
15 Female – Celestine Debargue-Tamai
15 Male – Will Harridge
16 Female – Isabelle Vicendese
16 Male – Toby White
17 – 20 Female – Emma Schultz
17 – 20 Male – Thomas Toth
It was a terrific contest between the four houses with a high participation rate across the whole school and shows how important it is to participate to the best of your ability whether running or walking the course. Congratulations to Sport Coordinator Cory Watters for his organisation of this event, all students, and staff for their positive involvement during the afternoon.
Building Program Update
There was much anticipation and excitement from Year 7 and 8 students and staff with the move into the new two storey building and classes beginning in here from the first day of this term. Our processes for entering and exiting the building and accessing their lockers inside the building have been outlined to students. It certainly is a sensational building with vibrant flexible teaching and learning spaces with excellent acoustics throughout the building. Year 7s students are occupying the top floor and Year 8 students the bottom floor. We are still completing the landscaping at the back of the building which will become a Year 7 only area if they want their own space in the yard at recess and lunchtime. We are close to finishing the refurbishment of the previous Year 7 building into a Senior School learning hub and study centre. We anticipate moving students and staff in by the end of this week or start of next week at the latest. Landscaping across the school including new seating areas and shade sails will continue over the rest of the year.
We still have a building site and fencing set up around the four-outside basketball/netball courts. As previously communicated this whole area is being redeveloped with the complete resurfacing of the courts area to blue plexipave outside courts, with new posts, lines, and fencing.
We have met with the architects and building company for the development of our new Wellbeing Centre. Work will start on this later this term, and it will take up to 8 weeks to complete. We anticipate this will be ready for occupation by mid Term 3.
VCE Careers Expo
Last Friday our students in Years 10 and 12 attended the VCE Careers Expo held at Caulfield Racecourse.
This is the largest Career Expo in Melbourne and is the best opportunity for students to explore their options, in terms of possible future career, their future secondary school program and post-secondary pathways to ensure that their subjects meet the pre-requisites for their future career and course options. We have our Senior School information sessions and subject expo later this term, leading into course counselling interviews early Term 3 for subject selection for 2023 for Years 9-11 students entering Years 10-12 in 2023. Thanks to our Careers and Pathways leaders, Jane Jamieson, and Emma White for organising this event and all of the teachers who will be attending to help supervise our 300 students in attendance.
Michelle Roberts
Principal