Melbourne Girls' College

Principal's Report 

Paradigm Shifters - Entrepreneurial Learning at Melbourne Girls' College with Professor Yong Zhao

“The skills that students need to contribute effectively to society are changing constantly, but our education systems are not keeping up.”  – Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

 

On Tuesday 15th August two entrepreneurial Year 9 students, Lucy Vogel and Ophelia Murray, hosted a professional learning seminar at the Bastow Institute for School Leadership in North Melbourne. The seminar focused on secondary school entrepreneurial learning with Professor Yong Zhao, Dr Bronwyn Hinz of the Mitchell Institute and myself. The seminar asked the question, “Is Australian schooling growing students’ talents or do we need change?”

 

Professor Zhao’s research explores why young people need to be creative, curious, resilient and resourceful to thrive in a fast-changing world. Our role at the seminar was to showcase wider research, theory and the specific entrepreneurial action undertaken by MGC – our “Pay It Forward Week”. Lucy, Ophelia, Ally Bass and Hazel Campbell-Best initiated a plan to see greater student engagement in end of year activities. The girls surveyed all Year 7 and 8 students on areas of interest and compiled projects based around the key themes elicited. The entrepreneurial projects were based on:

  • Science and Technology;
  • The Environment;
  • Performance
  • Visual Arts.

Congratulations to the girls on their excellent work.

CSIRO: Dr Anita Hill

Continuing the theme of futurist and problem based learning we hosted the Chief Scientist of the CSIRO, Dr. Anita Hill in our STEAM Centre on Friday 18th August. Dr Anita Hill is an excellent role model for our students. She is the Executive Director of Future Industries at CSIRO which includes Manufacturing, Health and Biosecurity. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and former Chair of the Victorian Division. She is a current member of the Advisory Boards of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN University of Queensland), Australian Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science (ACES University of Wollongong), The Australian Synchrotron, Swinburne Industry Research, and Journal of Polymer Science: Polymer Physics (editorial board). She is a former member of Advisory Boards for the Victorian Centre for Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing (VCSCM), the Australian eHealth Research Centre (AeHRC), the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA), and the Institute for Frontier Materials (Deakin University). Dr. Hill’s research is in materials and process engineering and, more specifically, in transport of atoms, ions and small molecules in condensed matter.

 

Many thanks to Catherine Walkear, Wendy Keen and Anthony Keen for making Anita so welcome and to our STEAM Champions, Eleanor Eyers, Claudia Mountjouris, Veronique Villis, Scarlet Gregory and Lucy Skelton. Claudia demonstrated virtual reality to Dr. Hill, Scarlet 3D printing, Eleanor Lego EV3 with sensors and Veronique the Dot/DASH robots. Lucy conducted a tour of the MGC Environmental technology infrastructure.

Proposed Performing Arts Building

Thank you to our generous parents who have donated to the new Performing Arts Centre fund raising to date. Our School Councillors Paul Webber, Geoff Coates, Sonia Sharp, Pam St Leger and Gary Funston have formed a working party to investigate other Government school performing arts premises and projects. Tip Kennedy, Nancy Sandilands, Brent Houghton, Andrew Arney and I will also support our investigation and ideas for architectural briefings. Over the next few weeks we will be visiting East Doncaster Secondary College, Wellington Secondary College, Gladstone Park Secondary College and Quantum Victoria to gather design and pedagogical ideas. We are fortunate to have access to a range of professional reading on contemporary design through Dr St Leger’s guidance and that of her academic colleagues.

Library Refurishment         

The Library refurbishment anticipates a December completion. The spaces are designed around collaboration, problem based learning as well as quiet study. The interior design, furniture, electrical and external finish choices have been signed off. Photos and drone footage of the progress is available from Mr. Anthony Keen.

 

City Edge Network Professional Learning 16th and 18th August 

Thank you for supporting our student free day on Friday. It gave all of our staff an opportunity to work with pedagogical and “facilitative and enabling routines” expert Adjunct Professor Erica McWilliam and their City Edge colleagues.

As always, thank you for your support.

Kind regards,

Karen Money

Principal