Principal’s Update | June, 2024
Welcome to Mac.Rob’s June newsletter!
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Reconciliation Week
During the week of May 27th - June 3rd, Mac.Rob celebrated Reconciliation Week. During Connect, our staff and students explored the daily actions and practices they could bring into their lives to aid Reconciliation. On the Tuesday we had a wonderful Reconciliation Assembly with guest speaker, Ganga, a proud First Nations man, who also performed for us with the didgeridoo. It was great to hear Ganga’s modern perspective about reconciliation, human kindness, connecting to people through story and connection to nature.
We also continued our ongoing focus on Reconciliation by meeting to discuss progress our Reconciliation Action Plan.
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The Mac.Rob Foundation Scholarships
After reading many high quality applications, I am delighted to announce, on behalf of the Board, the recipients of the Mac.Rob Foundation Academic Scholarship ($1500) and the STEM Scholarship ($1500).
Congratulations to Nandini S (Year 10) who received the Academic Excellence Scholarship, and to Siev K O (Year 11) who received the STEM Scholarship.
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Big Sing
The Chorale groups from both Melbourne High School and Mac.Rob had a lovely Thursday afternoon together here at Mac.Rob during the month of May. They learnt several new songs and then performed them at an informal concert in the afternoon. The hall is situated just above my office and I was immersed in beautiful music for the whole afternoon and evening. It is amazing what can be achieved in such a short period of time with outstanding cooperation and collaboration amongst our staff and students.
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Autumn Concert
The Autumn Concert was another fabulous event held in our school hall to an almost full audience. Our students, all the way from beginner through to advanced, demonstrated such talent and progress. Participation in the music program brings joy to those involved and so many in the broader community. We thank the music department - both students and staff for their great work.
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Entrance Testing & Other Exams
It has been a busy time for exams here at Mac.Rob. On Saturday, June 15th, ACER ran part of the Statewide Year 8 Entrance testing here with approximately 500 students sitting at Mac.Rob. Students sat the same exam in 7 other locations across Melbourne. This marks the start of the enrolment process for Year 9s in 2025.
On Monday, June 17th, eduTest ran two exams here at Mac.Rob:
Our Year 11s sat a similar but developmentally more challenging exam than the one they sat in Year 8, so that we can have an objective measure of growth and we can provide further support or extension to students who need it in their last 18 months of school.
Applicants for entry into Year 10 and 11 in 2025 also sat the exam, which starts the process for enrolment in 2025.
On Tuesday, June 18th, approximately 650 of our Year 12, 11 and 10 students sat the annual Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s General Achievement Test (GAT).
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SRC Week
It has been a big Week 4 with SRC celebrations during each lunch time. We celebrated our cultural diversity with a massive assembly and multicultural parade. There was K-Pop Dancing, an amazing Chinese Dragon Dance performed, and some terrific Bollywood Dancing that got the teachers involved too. A big thank you to SRC Co-Presidents, Danielle B and Grace T, and all of the student SRC representatives for their leadership of SRC Week.
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Work Experience
The Year 10s have had a great week out in the workforce during the second last week of term, developing their skills and understanding of employment fields they may be interested in. A big thank you to Amber Munro, Deepti Arora, Lucy Kutrolli, and Josie Phillips for all of your hard work to support the students into placements and throughout the week. Congratulations to the students, who have received positive feedback from their employers.
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End of Semester Reports
The image above indicates where you child’s report can be found.
We encourage all parents and students to login to Compass and download the end of Semester reports for their child(ren). The teachers have worked very hard to complete assessments and feedback and write reports. The report comments provide advice to students about their next steps in learning and are deliberately designed to enable them to continue to grow. Reports will be available on Compass on June 27th.
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End of Term Congratulations & Thanks
As Semester 1 for 2024 draws to a close, I thank and congratulate our students and staff for a wonderful semester of learning and leadership. Our school community continues to strengthen the relationships we have within, amongst students and staff, and beyond with supporters outside of the Mac.Rob community. We thank everyone for the part they have played in a successful year so far. We wish students and staff a safe and happy holiday.
We are looking forward to returning in mid-July, rested and refreshed, ready to continue the great work that happens within our classrooms and co-curricular programs every day.
Best wishes,
Sue Harrap | Principal
Support Mac.Rob this EOFY | Boundary Fence Project
We are excited to announce that after a significant investment of time and much hard work, Mac.Rob has secured all of the necessary approvals to proceed with the construction of a new boundary fence. Given our school’s proximity to Kings Way, one of Melbourne’s busiest roads, and the publicly-accessible Albert Park Lake, golf course, and sports centres, a boundary fence is long overdue. All we need now is to raise the $60,000 required to complete it.
As we approach the end of the financial year, we are asking our families, if they are able, to make a tax-deductible donation to our Building Fund, so that we can proceed with building the boundary fence as soon as possible.
We know that times are tough for many families at the moment, so we are only asking you to consider donating if you’re in a position to do so.
Many of our school’s facilities and resources are a direct result of our community’s contributions. One such area is the Library and student study space. Since we opened the Library Fund in 2022, our community has raised approximately $160,000, of which approximately $40,000 has already been spent on furniture and resources. We would like to sincerely thank the many parents who have donated to the Library Fund so far - your generosity has greatly enhanced the comfort and study ability of our students.
We would also like to thank the Mac.Rob parents and community members who have donated to the Boundary Fence Project so far. We have made a big dent in our fundraising target, but your support is still needed. Donations made before the end of this financial year can be claimed on your tax return for FY23-24, while donations made after June 30th can be claimed in 2025.
If you have the capacity to help us with a tax-deductible donation to the Mac.Rob Building Fund, now is the time to maximise the impact of your donations, both for yourself and for the school - and of course, for generations of Mac.Robbians to come.
Developing the Mac.Rob Learner Model
The Learner Model Development team has continued to meet regularly this term to collaborate on articulating a model of learning that addresses the specific needs of our incredible students. The team has now developed five principles of learning that articulate big picture ideas about how learning occurs, and a set of targeted strategies that students can use to enact these principles.
As we write these principles and strategies, the development team continues to reference the feedback from our community consultations about how Mac.Rob students learn best. The team also continues to delve deeply into the neuroscience of learning. To give you an idea of the sorts of material that we have been engaging with, this article from Berkeley University on the neuroscience of learning provides a good overview of a few fundamental ideas. In particular the article highlights the ideas that from the point of view of neurobiology:
Learning involves changing the brain.
Moderate stress is beneficial for learning, while mild and extreme stress are detrimental to learning.
Adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise encourage robust learning.
Active learning takes advantage of processes that stimulate multiple neural connections in the brain and promote memory.
We are excited to put the finishing touches on the model as we work towards launching it in Term 3.
Mr. Sam Crocket | Assistant Principal
Student Highlights
Learning Environment Australasia Awards
Nidhi B and Josephine B MC-ing for CHES at the Forum Theatre.
Two of our Year 10 students stepped into the MC role the Learning Environment Australasia Awards at the Forum Theatre in the CBD in late May on behalf of the Centre for Higher Education School (CHES).
CHES was asked to nominate 3 students to MC the entire event, including announcing awards, and the two students pictured – Nidhi B and Josephine B – were recommended by the CHES staff because they’ve taken up every opportunity during their short time with CHES. They did an absolutely superb job of MCing this major event (the Academy Awards for architects) with about 1000 people in attendance (a mix of architects and school leaders).
CHES also received an award at the event. They said they thoroughly enjoyed the experience (including seeing the autographs of Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeren on the walls of the green room backstage), and the Principal of CHES, Stewart Milner has expressed his great appreciation for the stellar job performed by Nidhi and Josephine.
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Sorry Day 2024 | Sorry Day Lunch
Mac.Rob students attend the Sorry Day Lunch for 2024.
A Meaningful Experience at the Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation Lunch
On Tuesday, June 28th, two students and two staff had the privilege of attending a Sorry Day Lunch hosted by the Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation. This significant event was organised to commemorate National Sorry Day, a day dedicated to acknowledging the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and promoting healing and reconciliation.
The event took place at the South Melbourne Community Centre, located at the corner of Ferrars Place and Park Street, South Melbourne. The atmosphere was respectful and warm, marked by a heartfelt Welcome to Country and guided by our Master of Ceremonies, Dennis Fisher, affectionately known as "Den the Fish."
Although we didn’t win any of the door prizes, we were thrilled to receive indigenous plants, which will soon grace our school garden. This gift will serve as a living reminder of our commitment to reconciliation and respect for Indigenous Australian culture.
One of the highlights of the lunch was the opportunity to engage with representatives from Albert Park Secondary College and many esteemed indigenous elders. We were particularly honoured to connect with Aunty Joice from St Kilda. Aunty Joice has graciously agreed to visit our school and support our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program, an initiative aimed at fostering understanding and respect for indigenous cultures within our school community.
Our students were exemplary representatives, confidently answering questions posed by both the Master of Ceremonies and the audience. Their participation demonstrated our school’s dedication to engaging with and learning from the indigenous community.
Overall, the Sorry Day Lunch was an enlightening and enriching experience. It reinforced the importance of acknowledging past injustices and working towards a future where reconciliation is a lived reality. We look forward to nurturing the connections we made and continuing our journey towards a more inclusive and understanding community.
Ms. Rehana Ziyad | Community Partnerships Manager
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Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Ed students on their overnight camp to Lake Mountain.
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” This phrase perfectly captures our Duke of Ed camp journey. We had heard stories about it, but only when we embarked on our first practice journey did we truly understand what it means to go beyond our comfort zones. The challenges we faced strengthened our friendships as we supported each other and preserved through challenging hikes, freezing nights and a surprise encounter with Sebastian the copperhead snake.
Preparing for the camp involved planning menus, itineraries, and routes, understanding environmental impacts, and completing risk assessments. Our first stop was the Healesville Sanctuary, where we enjoyed a spectacular bird show and saw a range of Australian animals and even dinosaurs! After naps and snacks, we set up our tents at the campsite and visited the Marysville Fire Memorial. The next morning, we cooked diverse meals in our Trangia circles, some meals more successful than others. The evening campfire, s’mores, and shared laughter brought us closer. After a late start and hot breakfast, we packed our hiking gear and headed up Lake Mountain. Despite the difficulty; multiple breaks, karaoke sessions, and peer encouragement helped us reach the top, where we enjoyed a breathtaking view and lunch before descending. We cooked, we cleaned, we slept on the cold, hard floor, but we all came out of the experience as evolved people, with much more gratitude for central heating and cushions.
Thank you so much Mr. Mclennan, Ms. Hobbs and Ms. Dewar for taking us out on our practice journey and for all your continuous support throughout. This experience taught us important life skills, responsibility, resilience and grew our respect for nature. Thank you so much for making this an unforgettable experience, we can’t wait for our Qualifying Journey!
Saathvika A (10K)
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Plain English Speaking Award
Congratulations to Reina and Ellen for representing Mac.Rob at the PESA.
The Plain English Speaking Award (PESA) competition for 2024 was held at Nossal High School, and was composed of a written speech and an impromptu speech. We had an unexpected audience of all the debaters at Nossal, and performed our speeches in front of the judges throughout the day.
“Overall the experience was incredibly enjoyable. I spoke on the topic of time as a non renewable resource and created an impromptu speech reflecting on my experiences to the prompt: follow your dreams. I enjoyed meeting people similarly passionate about public speaking and loved seeing and giving advice to all of the younger year levels who were aspiring to represent their schools in the PESA in the future.” - Reina C (10H)
“The day was filled with meaningful speeches and meeting like-minded students from other schools. The adjudicators, past winners and experienced speakers themselves, were a great example of how to be engaging and genuine in front of a crowd. I spoke about the dangers of climate apathy in the prepared section, and about the conflicting pathways of “following your dreams” in the impromptu. It was daunting crafting a speech in four minutes, but the day was a great learning experience that I really enjoyed.” - Ellen H (11K)
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Japan Trip
Mac.Rob’s Japanese language students pose in the bamboo forest.
Hi everyone, 皆さんこんにちは！15 of the Unit 1-2 Japanese students have landed in Japan for a jam packed three weeks of sightseeing, cultural exposure and reuniting with our host sisters!
So far, our highlights have been nightly trips to the コンビニ (convenience store), highly competitive swan boating, and drawing our fortunes at the local shrines and temples. We’ve encountered and turned our many mishaps and mistakes into learning opportunities: Remembering to not use a hotel room card to get on the train, sleeping on the plane surrounded by sneaky photographers, and ordering cheesecake, ice cream and fries at a Japanese sushi train, in Japan…
Splitting into 3 teams with 5 roles instilled a sense of responsibility within each of us, making the travelling process systematic and smooth. Our MVPs of the trip, our travel leaders, have shown great initiative by navigating the complex (often fear inducing) public transport system, and by providing much needed weather reports. Count leaders have been an unexpectedly demanding role, nonetheless valuable, ensuring our safety and that no one gets left behind. Wellbeing and communication leaders have been checking in on everyone and trying their best to gauge the team’s needs (aka where to eat lunch), while financial leaders have been a positive force boosting morale. Keep up the good work everyone, がんばれ！！
Our Mac.Rob teachers - Ibu, Dr. Matthews, and Sawaki sensei - have also been having the time of their lives. To quote some of their thoughts:
“The experience of the culture outside of tourism has been amazing.”
“It’s been the best dinner I’ve ever had at 4:30pm. I’ve been impressed with the determination of our students (especially when they need to shop).”
Though it has been tough travelling in the sweltering heat of Japanese summer, going through this experience as a class has made it bearable. Check out our photos at Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Yasaka Shrine!
See you! またね！(^-^)
Naomi Y (11J)
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Year 9 English - “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Incursion
Mac.Rob students perform as part of this interactive incursion.
Last month, the Year 9 cohort had the extraordinary fortune of being transported into the enchanting and whimsical world of Shakespeare's timeless comedy, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' On Wednesday, May 22nd, our very own (little dull) Hall was transformed into an enchanted Athenian forest, with dedicated performers from the Australian Shakespeare Company breathing life into the hilarious characters right before our eyes. These talented actors were so well-versed in their roles that we felt as though we had been transported back to Elizabethan England. They didn't just perform; they interacted with us, making the experience as educational as it was entertaining.
The actors demonstrated scenes from the play, then explained them in further detail, helping to deepen our understanding of the intricate plot and complex characters. Their humour had us all in stitches, cleverly intertwined with lessons that increased our appreciation of the play. They used tones and dynamics in their speech to convey the different characters' emotions, making the scenes even more engaging. The interactive parts of the incursion allowed students to participate in the performance, further enhancing our connection to the play.
The actors were genuine and open, sharing their own experiences with this one-of-a-kind play and inviting us to ask questions and engage with the text in ways we hadn't before. They patiently answered our questions, shedding light on the use of prose and the rhythmic beauty of iambic pentameter. This innovative approach kept us captivated, laughing, and learning simultaneously. By the end of the incursion, we weren't just students; we were budding Shakespearean enthusiasts, eagerly discussing Oberon’s schemes, Puck’s mischief, and the devious plot of the hilarious comedy.
This unforgettable experience left us all with a newfound appreciation for Shakespeare, proving that his works are not only enduring but also immensely enjoyable when brought to life with such passion and creativity. It showed that even centuries-old literature can be thrilling when presented with enthusiasm and humour.
Poshika P, Emily L & Aashini R (9L)