Principal’s Update | June
Congratulations on another successful Term. Sue is on Long Service Leave, and we wish her a restful break. As we close out this semester, we are reminded of the strengths of our Mac.Rob school values:
Community
This semester, our students embodied what it means to be a community: “We are an inclusive community built on positive relationships, and a strong sense of belonging. We value diversity and appreciate those around us for their similarities and differences. We are internationally minded and value our place in our local and global context.”
Our students, staff and families came together in so many ways to help make our world a better place and connect as a community. From Multi-Cultural Week to the Year 12 Formal, our High Ability Outreach Camp to our Music Programs - together our school lived our community school value.
During this term, our students celebrated Multi-Cultural Week. The highlight was when students attended school in their cultural dress. As our SRC Co-Presidents said, the day was “a day for us to celebrate the amazing diverse student body that we are so lucky to be a part of.”
Another milestone event was the Year 12 Formal. Our students came together to laugh, since, dance and celebrate one another.
Our talented musicians and choirs shared their breadth with our family communities through events like House Music and Jazz Night. Music is so important to our school, and we were so pleased to share our talents with the broader community.
Mac.Rob hosted a High Ability Outreach Camp for primary school students around Melbourne. We were visited by 50 year five and six students from across the state. Maybe in the future they will join our community as students?
Our 2022 High Ability Outreach Camp mentors and participants.
Growth
Growth is at the centre of all learning at Mac.Rob. At Mac.Rob: “We seek challenges in order to grow, and are resilient in the face of adversity. We are curious, collaborative and passionate about learning. We celebrate success and aspire to be our best selves in all aspects of our life.”
Recently we sent home semester reports on Compass. Please use this as an opportunity to reflect on progress. Take time to celebrate success with your children this school holiday.
Our Year 10s are continually growing into young adults! This week marked a huge milestone: Work Experience. Congratulations to all of our year tens as they resiliently faced a week of on the job experience. From creches to chemistry labs, this opportunity also allowed students to be open-minded towards possible career pathways. Well done year tens!
Our Year 9 also faced an opportunity for growth this week. During Week 9, our students curiously, collaboratively, and passionately worked together during our Potens Sui Program to develop prototypes that benefit mental health from an app called MedBread (to link medical students to discounted healthy food), to a retreat called Octivities (an Octopus-themed, Squid Game spin-off, but for wellbeing), and a Virtual Reality Rage Room (where people could break things without actually breaking things).
Responsibility
As our students were deep in their learning this Term, there were many opportunities for responsibility. Specifically, exams and assessments became more frequent. All students this Term were offered learning supports through our Learning Mentor Program, which focused on helping our students build independent study and flourish with their learning.
At Mac.Rob, responsibility means: “We are agents of our own learning, and we foster leadership through action. We take responsibility for ourselves and each other, and we contribute to school life and our broader communities.”
Our staff have been working tirelessly to finalise the 2023 Course Guides so that our students could have ample opportunity to consider the courses they will take in 2023. We encourage all year nine and ten families to review the course guides together in preparation for Course Conversations on July 14th (Week 1, Term 3).
Our Year 9 finished their last round of NAPLAN this Term. We had 100% of our Year 9 students complete all of the NAPLAN tests. This was a tremendous effort and demonstrated great responsibility. Further, our Year 11s retook their selective entry test with EduTest. This test data will help us analyse the academic growth of our students. Similar to the entry exam for Mac.Rob, but geared to Year 11 students, this additional data will help us continue to differentiate your child’s learning.
This Term our students took the Attitude to School Survey, another opportunity for students to show their agency and responsibility. Our students’ voices are important as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality teaching and learning at Mac.Rob. This data will help inform our future strategic goals. Thank you to all students who to took the Attitude to School Survey and let their voices be heard.
We were also fortunate this Term to induct a number of Mac.Rob graduates to the Portrait Gallery, who each reflected on their responsibilities to inspiring and motivating the next generation of Mac.Robbians in their induction speeches. You can read more about our 2022 inductees here.
Portraits of the 2022 Mac.Rob Portrait Gallery inductees.
Compassion
At Mac.Rob, compassion is at the centre of our learning: “We are interested in the lives and perspectives of others. We value every member of our school and wider communities. We treat people with respect, and offer support to those who need it.”
Our students exemplify what it means to be compassionate to others. Significantly, we participated in whole school events and initiatives to build our compassion.
Our students did a great job with our whole school initiative, Hampers for Humanity. Hampers for Humanity is a philanthropic initiative to collect items and necessities that are donated to the homeless community. Thank you for your support helping others in need.
The school celebrated IDAHOBIT Day for the first time. IDAHOBIT day (International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination) is celebrated globally to uplift LGBTQIA+ voices, identities and experiences. We celebrated with performances, speakers, face painting and much more- all on the subject of LGBTQI+ identity.
Social Service Week was a huge success. This year our students focused on youth activism. We had guest speakers, former alumni panels, carnivals, pride walks, thrift stores, gold coin donations for important causes, scavenger hunts and even a beanie stall. As our Social Service Co-Captains said, “Get pumped and get involved.”
We also believe that being compassionate means being compassionate for yourself. During these school holidays, we strongly encourage our students to take a break to rest and restore. We recommend focusing on positive mental health during the school holidays. Students should:
Aim for lots of exercising, and make it fun!
Nourish your brain by eating healthily- this can improve your mood.
Prioritise sleep.
Explore relaxation techniques such as mindfulness or yoga.
Stay in touch with your friends.
Make time to do things you enjoy.
Best wishes,
Maddie Witter, Acting Principal