Principal’s Update | March, 2024
Welcome to our first Newsletter for 2024, coming to you just after the Lunar New Year celebrations. We know many in our school community celebrate it and we I hope it has been a time full of family and joy.
Professional Learning
The staff appreciated the first two days of professional learning to start the school year. The time was productive and effective in developing the consistency and setting the agenda for our work on the Annual Implementation Plan.
Welcome to Country & Smoking Ceremony
We had the honour of hosting Josh West and Mark, two proud Bunurong men, to conduct our Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. The two welcomed all staff and students to the opening of the school year on Bunurong land. They reminded us of the significance of land to First Nations people, and the importance of a Smoking Ceremony to cleanse and allow safe passage throughout. We learnt about the significance of each of the three plants used in a Bunurong Smoking Ceremony and they wished us well for the year ahead.
Official Opening of New Buildings
On Monday 12 February we held an official opening ceremony for our new buildings. Thank you to Richard Chan, our school council president, for attending. We welcomed back our local MP, Nina Taylor; representatives from JCB architects; the project managers from SEMZ; the building company, Renascent; our SEIL from the Regional office; and VSBA staff. We conducted a tour and showed off the new spaces in use, concluding the tour in the theatre.
Year 9s
The new year 9s are settling in nicely, and we are doing a great job of getting to know them. They are soon to head off to Camp at Lord Somers and also soon to complete the NAPLAN, so it is a busy time for them.
I.B. Programme Awards Ceremony
We are incredibly proud of our first IB Graduates and their teachers. Their results are outstanding. On Tuesday 6 February, Sam Crocket, Shungo Sawaki and I attended the IB-DP Awards Ceremony held at The Edge in Federation Square. On the night 5 of our 20 students were presented with certificates recognising their wonderful achievements. Since then, we have had two more students achieve a score of 40 or more through the IB-DP’s remarking process.
The IB-DP Comparative Data was published to the school community on Compass. The only update is the graph shown here.
The IB Schools in Victoria and Tasmania also opened a public art exhibition at the Glen Eira Council Gallery on Friday 9 February, and Shungo, Sandra Tobias, Edgar Wegner and I attended this event. It was wonderful to see our students works among works from across the state.
Many of our current IB students and Sandra attended workshops throughout Sunday 11 February to help develop their skills and understanding.
House Swimming
The Swimming Carnival at MSAC on Wednesday 14 February was a roaring success. The student and staff participation was exceptional and great fun was had by all. It was wonderful to see the House Spirit on display, and was a good induction for our new Year 9s. The Year 12s are to be commended for having the greatest percentage of attendance of any of the year levels, and for their leadership.
The results on the day were:
Dryads: 484
Naiads: 253
Nereids: 232
Oreads: 144
The Novelty Events were won by both the Naiads and Dryads (with a tie), the House Parade was won by Oreads.
A big congratulations to all students for their participation, and in particular to the age champions:
14 Years: Jianna M
15 Years: Jowdy M
16 Years: Olivia T
17 Years: Yeju L
18-20 Years: Ivy L
Galentines Day
The SRC leaders celebrated Galentine’s Day (a play on “Valentines Day”, but for gal pals) on February 15th with a range of activities including selling roses and chocolates. It was a great celebration at lunchtime and recess.
Portfolio Exhibition
The Student Leaders have held their portfolio exhibition to promote and celebrate the work they do, and to encourage students to sign up. The new building, pergola and deck is a great place for it. The students’ were pleased with the engagement of the student body.
Information Evenings
Over the course of the first few weeks we have been running various information sessions for families to help ensure they are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to support their children. These include the Year 11 and Year 12 Information Evenings, the Success in the Senior Years webinar, and the I.B. Diploma Information Evening. You can find video recordings of many of these sessions on the Student and Family Portals (links available through Compass).
Building Works
Outdoor Furniture & Grounds Upgrade: Only 10 months after planning for the upgrades, we are finally bringing it to life. The landscaping was completed at the end of the year, and late last week the tables arrived. The tables are being progressively put together by our wonderful facilities team, Stuart and Isaiah, and moved into place. The students are making great use of them and are very thankful.
We have delayed the purchase of umbrellas, because we think it poses too much risk of vandalism and theft at this stage. We are however being strategic about where we locate the tables to maximise the shade opportunities for students.
Facilities & Duke of Ed Storage: The shed is now complete and we await quotes on installing the shelving and security cage for the Duke of Ed equipment.
Lockers in Corridors: Over the break we have removed as many lockers as possible from the corridors to help ease congestion in key areas.
We have had a wonderful start to 2024 and are looking forward to all of the great things to come throughout the year.
Sue Harrap | Principal
The Mac.Rob International Ball 2024
We are delighted to announce the return of the Mac.Rob International Ball! Students and families of Mac.Rob are invited to attend an unforgettable evening of cultural experience, prizes, unity and fun.
The purpose of the International Ball is simple: to create a memorable experience for all. It’s an event where we celebrate the rich diversity of our school community, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Mac.Rob’s Parents’ Association is hosting this event to celebrate it all.
This event is organized by the Mac.Rob’s Parents’ Association in partnership with Interact Club, collaborating with Rotary and sponsored by the Council of Port Phillip.
Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Mac.Rob’s Parents’ Association, to help continue to improve our school’s learning experiences and facilities for all students, including sponsorship of student awards. A portion will go to the charity “Backpack 4 Vic Kids”.
We have great entertainment, a chance to win raffle prizes and to support worthy causes, the International Ball is a fundraising social event that’s not to be missed!
MAC.ROB INTERNATIONAL BALL | 2024
When: Saturday, March 16th | 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Where: St Kilda Town Hall, 99A Carlisle Street, St Kilda
Tickets: EARLY BIRD PRICE: $84 single / $79 group (per ticket in a group of 5). Early Bird ends Tuesday, March 5th. Regular full ticket price is $89 per person.
Please note this event is strictly for Mac.Rob students, families, and staff. No external community members are permitted.
Support Mac.Rob.
As our historic campus nears its centenary, we are constantly seeking ways to ensure Mac.Rob’s 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.