Principal’s Update | June, 2023
Significant events.
The school has been a flurry of activity over the past month with many important and meaningful opportunities for students, families and the broader school community, within the curriculum and beyond.
The Year 9 History students (and some of the Year 10s) attended the Holocaust Museum for a day excursion to explore the museum displays, listen to survivor stories and watch a Simone Veil film, A woman of the century. It was a moving and impactful experience for both students and staff. The other half of the Year 9 cohort will study History and the Holocaust in Semester 2.
We had a wonderful Reconciliation Week assembly on Monday 5 June with guest speaker, Aunty Gabby Gamble, who spoke about reconciliation, her life and the impact of being one of the Stolen Generation. We also had Bunurong man, Josh West, perform on the yidiki (didgeridoo). Thank you to Rehana Ziyad, our Community Partnerships Officer, for her great work organising the assembly and other activities throughout the week.
The Year 10s have recently sat semester exams in English and Humanities - these exams are designed to give them preparation and examination practice, so that they can become accustomed to performing in an exam situation and also develop stamina and handwriting skills.
The Term 2 Autumn Music Concert was an outstanding success with almost a full house. Our orchestras are now so large we had to reorient the performers along the length of the hall. Thankfully the new camera and screen allowed for us to project the performances so that the audience could see all performers. Well done to our stellar music team and to the students, who work so hard and collaborate so well, to show their talents and progress.
Inducting our 2023 alumni into the Portrait Gallery.
On June 8 we held the annual Portrait Gallery Induction. Thank you to the community members who were able to attend. It was a terrific evening, with moving and wise messages and life lessons from the graduates. The School Captain, Vice Captain, and SRC Co-Presidents did a great job of facilitating the evening. Congratulations to Naomi Gladman, Jack Richardson, Helen Theodorakis and our facilities team for making the hall look splendid and for organising such a wonderful event. This year there were more students and parents present than in past years, and all said it was a worthwhile experience and that they would return in future years.
Last week the Year 10s went out on Work Experience, the Year 9s participated in the Design Thinking Challenge - Potens Sui: City. Which involved them researching and exploring ways to enhance the city according to one of the City of Melbourne Goals. They had a wonderful day, showing independence, confidence and industriousness, in the City on Wednesday.
The Year 11s sat the developmentally more advanced eduTest, so that we can track their progress since the original test in 2020. This is important data for us to identify where we are doing great work and where we may need to provide additional support.
12IBDP VIsua Art Students at Melbourne Now NGV.
We also held the eduTest for 2024 applicants for places in Year 10 and 11. There were 207 applicants.
On Wednesday evening last week, five of our students performed music for the Beca annual dinner. We have formed a partnership with Beca, which is a local engineering company. It provides internships for students, work experience placements and other support to the school. Members of the Beca team attended our International Womens’ Day Breakfast. We are developing a real and meaningful partnership with their team. This is thanks to the great work of Rehana Ziyad, our Community Partnerships Officer.
The GAT ran on Thursday 15 June - in two parts across the whole day. 583 students sat the GAT. This essentially took up all of the gym, mezzanine, hall and most of the Lakeside building. Congratulations to the staff and students involved.
The Term culminates with the sensational student written, led and directed House Drama productions. Who will be the winning house?
11IBDP VIs Art Students at Australian Centre for Contemporary Art with Miss Dean and Ms Tobias.
Preparing for Course Selections for 2024.
Over the past few weeks, the students have been working on pathways planning and exploring what they might like to do in 2024 and beyond during Connect. We held two very successful course selection information evening sessions for Year 9 and Year 10 parents recently and had around 150 parents online in both sessions. These sessions were videoed and Q & A responses prepared, and they are now on the family portal. The IB subject expo was held during lunchtime for students to explore the IB in more detail. During P3 & 4 this week the students heard from the faculty leaders about the subjects on offer.
On Thursday 13 July we will run our Course Conversation Day with each student (and parents if they wish) having a 1:1 conversation to guide them through selecting their subjects. There will be some work for students to do to answer questions in preparation for this day and ensure the conversations are productive. Staff will have recommendations from staff for students with regard to Maths selections, VCE English selections, and whether they are recommended to complete one or two accelerated VCE units. We wish everyone success in this process.
School Review - Four Year Review.
Every four years the school participates in an external review, identifying how well we progressed on the strategic plan and identify the major work for the next strategic plan. The review takes place in two phases.
Phase 1 - VRQA Compliance and Governance
Phase 2 - Examination of the Strategic Plan achievements focused on Teaching and Learning, Engagement and Wellbeing.
On Monday 5 June we received notification from the Senior Advisor working with us on the VRQA compliance elements of the school review that we have satisfied all requirements for Phase 1. This is a very pleasing result, and a consequence of the hard work of many, including our School Council.
During Term 3 we will complete Phase 2. Thank you to the students, parents and staff who have contributed to the focus group discussions over the past month.
EOFY Fundraising.
Since opening in 1934 - almost 90 years ago - Mac.Rob has left an indelible mark on the countless students who have passed through our halls. We are a unique and important part of Victoria’s educational system, providing opportunities and enrichment for young women and gender-diverse young people, and our students become incredible contributors to their communities and leaders in their fields.
We help to shape these future leaders by creating a strong sense of belonging, fostering a love of deep, curious, and creative learning, and developing each student as a whole person through participation in diverse co-curricular and leadership programs. Many past students tell us that their lives were transformed through their experiences here.
As our historic campus nears its centenary, we are constantly seeking ways to ensure our learning environment enhances the learning and experiences of our students. As educators, we want to provide facilities that match the capabilities of our students. We are continually challenged by the costs of modernising and improving our ageing buildings and grounds. The heritage listing of the school leads to significantly higher costs than other schools.
To assist us with addressing this challenge, our School Council has formed a Buildings and Grounds Sub-Committee, focused on further enhancing the school environment to meet student needs.
We are starting with a small number of achievable targets for funds raised as part of the Building and Library Funds:
The new Library has more shelves than previously expected, and unused space that could be used for more study desks. We plan to use money raised in the Library Fund to expand the book collection to fill the empty shelves, and purchase more study desks so that more students have a quiet place to concentrate.
Inclement weather is a problem at Mac.Rob, as our beautiful gardens have few places for students to keep out of the sun and rain. We plan to use the money raised so far this year by the Building Fund (along with a co-contribution from the Parents’ Association) to upgrade the outdoor areas to provide more seating and shade to students.
Our new LRC study area has ample room for more resources and study spaces to provide a better learning environment for our students.
Our historic grounds, including our new buildings, don’t provide students with many sheltered areas to sit and learn during wet or hot weather.
To donate to either of our Building or Library Funds, please click the buttons below. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Holiday wishes
As the term draws to a close, we can be proud of what we have achieved. We have demonstrated our values, shown grit and determination, support and compassion for each other, learnt and developed and made progress.
I wish everyone a safe and happy break. Please make sure that there is plenty of rest and relaxation involved, and a good measure of fun and joy.
Sue Harrap | Principal