Edition 10 | 23 June 2016

Cnr Balcombe & Charman Roads (PO Box 52), Mentone VIC 3194 | (03) 9581 5200 mentone.girls.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au | http://www.mgsc.vic.edu.au/

PRINCIPAL’S REPORTAs a result of my appointment as Acting Principal there has been the need

to appoint a number of subsequent acting positions. Ms Gayle Steinfort has been appointed Acting Assistant Principal, Ms Lisa Kosack has been appointed Acting Junior Sub School Leader and Mr Anthony Bruhn has been appointed Year 8 Student Manager. There has been a reallocation of teaching allotments to facilitate these appointments.

I would like to thank Ms Anna Hawthorne, Ms Janine Gollant, Ms Melissa Appel and Ms Toscha Franklin for their work and commitment to the College and students whilst replacing staff on long service leave. Ms Jo Egan, Ms Nola Rees, Ms Judy Firestone and Ms Martine McLeod will return at the start of Term 3. Ms Toscha Franklin will continue at the College next term replacing Ms Leah Liakos initially and then Mr Bill Murray, and Mr Sam Kleiner will replace Mr Maurice Woolcock, whilst they take long service leave. We wish all staff taking leave a relaxing and enjoyable time and welcome back those returning.

A number of teams represented the College at the state aerobics championships on Sunday 5th June. Ms Tess Molina has worked tirelessly with the girls, practising often from 7.15am to hone their routines. The teams achieved personal best scores. Although this was not enough to qualify them for the national championships, the personal growth of the girls cannot be quantified with a win or a loss.

On Wednesday 8th June, through Primary Care Partnerships, the College presented a forum on Respectful Relationships. The forum discussed how girls can be vulnerable in a relationship, to recognise signs and symptoms of an unhealthy and abusive relationship and strategies that can be used to help address this issue. The attending parents were able to ask questions, give opinions and contribute to the discussion on a topic that is relevant to us all.

Semester 1 reports are now available via the Compass Parent Portal. Please ensure you save these either in an online folder or print a hard copy, and discuss with your daughter what needs to be done if results were not as expected.

In Term 3 all Years 9-11 students will be considering which subjects to study next year. Information sessions for parents and students leading up to the selection process will help students make informed decisions to ensure that selections are appropriate and as many pathways are kept open as possible.

I hope staff and students take time to relax and refresh over the holiday period. I advise students to balance their homework and revision time with family time and that they engage in fun activities, catch up with friends and relax. Even those in Year 12 need to set aside some time for recreation. My hope is that our students will balance their commitments throughout the two weeks and give themselves adequate down time so that they can come back to Term 3 refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the year with confidence and full engagement.

I wish everyone a great break.

Mr David RussellActing Principal

Available online at http://www.mgsc.vic.edu.au/newsletters

IN THIS EDITIONCollege Matters

ISP & ELC News

Senior School News

English

Science

Sport

Parenting Ideas

Key Dates

NEWSLETTERMENTONE GIRLS’ SECONDARY COLLEGE

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COLLEGE MATTERSReports

Semester 1 reports were made available electronically on Wednesday 22nd June at 3.30pm via the parent Compass login as per the Term 1 parent/teacher/student interview bookings. Please contact the College if you have any difficulties with this process. Previous reports for your daughter are also available here. We recommend developing your own secure file management process on your home computer or using cloud technologies to keep copies of these reports.

Last day of Term Bell Times (no period 4)8.30am Students may enter buildings 8.45am Warning bell 8.50am – 10.05am Period 110.05am – 10.45am Recess10.45am Warning bell10.50am – 12.05pm Period 212.05pm – 12.55pm Lunch12.55pm Warning bell1.00pm – 2.15pm Period 3

Mr David RussellActing Principal

ISP & ELC NEWSThe ELC class visited the Rippon Lea Estate to experience life in a house built

in the 1860s, and to walk in one of the largest ferneries in Australia. The class was fortunate to see the exhibition of the costumes worn in the film The Dressmaker and to try Devonshire Tea in a 1950s tearoom.

Ms Ekaterina XanthopoulosISP & ELC Manager

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWSTerm 2 has been particularly busy. We have been pleased with how our students have conducted themselves over

the SAC and examination periods in the last few weeks. Students should be planning their holiday break to include some rest and relaxation time. Students completing a Unit 3/4 subject have been advised to summarise the Unit 3 content and also complete study for the current Unit 4 content. Completing past VCAA examinations can be a great form of study for all subjects and these are all available on the VCAA website, including the examiner’s report which has answers and recommendations for each exam.

VCE Information Night/Careers ExpoTuesday 19th July at 6pm

This is an opportunity for students to discuss their courses for Year 11 and 12 in 2017 with specific subject teachers at the College, and find out the process of subject selection. There will also be a number of University and TAFE institutions present for students in Years 10, 11 and 12 to have discussions around their post-secondary pathways. Victoria Police and the Australian Defence Force will also be represented on the night.

Wishing the students and parents a safe and relaxing break over the Term 2 Holidays. Senior School Team

ENGLISHOver the holiday break it’s important that students enjoy some leisure and relaxation time. Nonetheless, it’s also

an opportunity to read the text which they will be studying in Term 3. Year 9 have a novel which we’re studying for the first time. Students should read and start to reflect upon it in terms of concerns and ideas, characterisation,

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setting, symbols and motifs. Year 12 English and Literature students may like to complete some extra practice essays to assist with the building blocks of their writing in preparation for the external examination at the end of the year. Happy holidays to all!

Ms Anne GambleEnglish Domain Leader

SCIENCEThe Rotary Club of Mordialloc - NYSF Presentation

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Mordialloc for their invitation to attend a National Youth Science Forum presentation from a past participant. The MGSC Year 11 students who are currently applying for a spot in the 2017 NYSF found the presentation most informative and inspiring. The first round of interviews are currently underway and we wish our students all the best in this process.

Science Club – Icecream Making

Despite the cold weather many students took part in the ‘Icecream making’ activity run by the Science Club at lunchtime during week 9. Next term look out for more fun with Chemistry and Physics.

Mrs Louise RienietsScience Domain

Leader

SPORTIn sport we have had the Year 7, 8 and

Intermediate soccer and netball teams make it through to the Southern Metro Regional (SMR) finals. Each team had to survive a round robin against 4 or 5 schools to come out as champions.

The next SMR rounds are:Intermediate soccer: 25/7Intermediate netball: 4/8Year 7 and 8 netball: 3/8Year 7 and 8 soccer: 27/7The Term 3 sports offered are hockey,

basketball, futsal, table tennis and touch rugby.Mr Phillip Hull

Interschool Sport Coordinator

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CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF)School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors, excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works and sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are part of a healthy curriculum.

CSEF will be provided by the Victorian Government

to assist eligible families to cover the costs of

school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or

are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible

for CSEF. A special consideration category also

exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The

allowance is paid to the school to use towards

expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting

activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

• $125 for primary school students

• $225 for secondary school students.

HOW TO APPLY

Contact the school office to obtain a

CSEF application form or download from

www.education.vic.gov.au/csef

MORE INFORMATION

For the CSEF application closing dates

and more information about the fund visit

www.education.vic.gov.au/csef

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCEINFORMATON FOR PARENTS

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FIVE WAYS TO KNOW YOU ARE OVER-PARENTINGBy Michael Grose

Here’s 5 tips to find a more balanced approach to over-parenting or helicopter parenting and encourage children to become independent young people. It’s a quirk of twenty-first century parenting that we need an objective measure to assess our parenting. Past generations were satisfied with more subjective measures such as whether their kids were happy; whether they got good marks at school; whether they were employable; and whether or not if they stayed out of trouble (read goal in extreme cases)! It’s safe to say the parenting waters were far clearer in the past than they appear to be now. But the parenting industry has come a long way in a short time so we now have stringent indicators that let us know what parenting track we maybe on. And that, for many people, would appear to be the over-parenting track.You know you are over-parenting if:

1. You take on all, or nearly all, of a child’s problems.Kids are good at handballing their problems to their parents. They’ll bring disputes with siblings for you to sort; expect you to take forgotten school lunches to school and pester you to organise their after-school lives. Mums and dads that over-parent invariably end up sorting out all their children’s problems which may make life easier in the short-term, but can mean kids become more dependent on their parents than children in the past. Point to remember: Leave some problems for kids to solve

2. You regularly do for a child the things he or she can reasonably do for themselves.It’s an irony of modern life that the busier parents get the more we tend to do for kids. In the race to get things done we dress young children; prepare children’s snacks and accompany them on trips outside the house even when they are old enough to do these activities themselves. If your child is becoming more rather than less dependent the older he becomes then it’s probably time to reassess your parenting.Point to remember: Never do regularly for a child the things they can do for themselves.

3. You take on too many of your child’s responsibilitiesLet’s see how you go with these questions! “Who’s responsible for getting your child up each morning? Who’s responsible for packing lunches and bags? Who is responsible for cleaning away children’s toys?” If you answered “My children, of course”, then congratulations; you shifted responsibility to where it rightfully lay: with kids. If not, then you guessed it. It may be time for a parenting reassessment.Point to remember: If you want a child to be responsible then give responsibility to him.

4. You know too much about your child’s lifeBeing an attentive parent of a small family invariably means that you know in minute detail every quirk and vagary of your child’s life. “He didn’t eat all his breakfast this morning. Hmm! That’s not good.” “She seems a bit grumpy after school. What’s wrong?” “ They left their jumper at home. I’d better take it to them.” Kids benefit from having some emotional and physical space from their parents. It gives them chances to rely on their own resourcefulness and develop the skills needed to get by on their own.Point to remember: A little bit of benign neglect can benefit children’s development.

5. You parent the individual and not the gangIf you are constantly trying to make sure life is smooth for each child then you are probably parenting the individual, rather than for the good of the whole family! I’m not talking about ‘playing favourites’, but having an intense focus on meeting each individual’s wants can often be at the expense of family life in general. For instance, you allow a child to go on a sleepover rather than attend the birthday of a sibling. Parenting the gang means that children need to fit into the patterns of family life and don’t always get what they want.Point to remember: Raise your small family with a big family mindset.

Most of the research indicates the authoritative approach as ‘parenting best practice’. Authoritative parenting is a mix of firmness and warmth; discipline and nurturance; high expectations and relationship building. It’s an approach that sits… surprise, surprise… somewhere between over-parenting and under-parenting. Yep, as always a balanced approach to parenting, as to most things in life, seems to be the best way to go. Who would’ve thought it!

KEY DATES | JULY 2016 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

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11First day of Term 3

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7-8pm English Parent Forum

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7pm Yr 9 into 10 Information Evening

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6pm VCE Info/Expo Evening

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7pm Yr 8 into 9 Information Evening

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25 269am College Tour

27Intermediate Round Robin

28 29Yr 10 Course Counselling/ Social

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HOLIDAYS

HOLIDAYS

Nakamura visitors arrive (til 6th August)

Year 9 Camp

KEY DATES | AUGUST 2016 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

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7pm English Parent Forum

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89am College Tour

9ICAS Maths CompetitionProduction Dress rehearsal

10Production - Matinee (selected audience)Production - evening performance

11 Production - evening performance

12Year 8 Round RobinProduction - evening performance

13Production - Matinee and Evening performance

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15 16Symphonic wind - VSMF excursion; Deakin Edge

17 18 NEWSLETTER #13 19 Girls' School conference; Mac.Rob

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22Yr 7 Immunisations

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Vocal Evening

259-2.30pm Yr 12 Physics excursion; SynchrotronP/T/S Interviews

26Yr 7 Round Robin

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Literacy festival (til 2/9)

Year 10 Camp (til 2/9)

Production Week

Numeracy week (til 2/9)

Unit 4 Outdoor Education Camp