Edition 6 | 28 April 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 REPORTThe start to Term 2 has been busy. Wednesday 16th April saw the running

of the House Athletics Carnival. It was terrific to see the level of enthusiasm as the students ran, jumped and threw in what was a perfect weather day. Congratulations to Kenny house for winning the carnival and to all students for the way in which they embraced the day.

On Friday 22nd April the College Assembly paid tribute to the service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. A commemoration was presented by Paige Patterson and Jordyn Nelson, the Anzac Ode was read by our College Captain, Shanon McKenzie and the Last Post and Rouse, incorporating a minute’s silence, was played by Rachel Butler. There was a wonderful air of respect throughout the student body. The College was also represented at the Mentone RSL service on ANZAC Day by Ms Deborah McKay and students Paige Patterson, Jordyn Nelson and Madeleine Salisbury.

Our Year 10 students were all on Work Experience last week. Teachers visited each student in their chosen workplace and many glowing reports were received. A major aim of the work experience program is to give the girls an insight into an area they may be interested in pursuing as a vocation in the future. For some the work experience reinforces this, for others it can change their thinking. Whichever the outcome is the girls are certainly wiser and more knowledgeable from the experience. Some work experience placements are difficult to obtain. Year 9 students should start thinking now about what they would like to do in 2017. Please seek advice from the Careers & Pathways Manager, Ms Rebecca Poulos.

The College Open Night is tonight at 7pm. Thank you in advance to Ms Carol Duggan for her work in organising and overseeing this event and to the staff and students who will be attendance to talk with prospective students and their parents. There will be two Open Afternoons next week while classes are in action for those who may be unable to attend tonight. The Open Afternoons will be held on Tuesday 3rd May and Thursday 5th May commencing at 2pm in the Lecture Theatre. Parents are most welcome to attend.

Mr David RussellActing Principal

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

IN THIS EDITIONCollege Matters

ISP & ELC News

Middle School News

Junior School News

English

Sport

Aerobics

Media

College Captain’s ANZAC Day Speech

Parenting Ideas

Key Dates

DATES for your DIARY!

Apr 28 – Open Night at 7pmApr 29 – Staff PD Day (pupil free)

Apr 29 – VCE BallMay 3 & 5 – Open Afternoons at 2pm

Check the Key Dates for more important dates!

NEWSLETTERMENTONE GIRLS’ SECONDARY COLLEGE

2 MENTONE GIRLS’ SC NEWSLETTEREdition 6 | 28 April 2016

COLLEGE MATTERSUniform

Congratulations to the majority of students for wearing the uniform correctly and with pride. Girls may wear summer or winter uniform until 1st June, but are not permitted to wear a combination of both. Please remind your daughter that she is not permitted to wear the sports jacket to and from school (unless she is wearing PE uniform in Year 7). Staff will keep jackets for two weeks if girls do wear them.

Ms Gayle SteinfortJunior School Leader

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM & ELC NEWSIt is great to see the international students being courageous, going

beyond the ELC to make friends in mainstream classes. The Sports faculty has been working with the ELC to bridge the gulf and support students so they feel they belong. Similarly, the English Conversation Classes with the Year 9s has been successful in fostering new friendships.

We are pleased when parents of our international students visit our College during their time in Melbourne. Recently, Xiaoli (Rebecca Fu’s mother) came on a school tour and was impressed with the warmth of the school community.

Ms Ekaterina XanthopoulosInternational Student Program & ELC Manager

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSWe welcome Year 10 students back from Work Experience. Hopefully they are feeling motivated and ready to work!Term 2 is well on its way. Students have completed worthwhile and wonderful work. The exams are just a few weeks

away, the 1st-3rd June. It can be a time of high stress. This should be seen as an opportunity to develop resilience and strategies for future VCE years. Everyone is encouraged to take good care of their health. Eat well, ensure time is spent in the fresh air and maintain an exercise regime that is enjoyable and also promotes fitness.

As usual, room 1 is open for Middle School students to use for study during break times and before and after school.Middle School Team

JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS New Students

We would like to welcome Mia Hartley 8B and Amelie Taphouse 7G to MGSC. We hope they enjoy their time here and make the most of the wonderful opportunities offered.

Year 8 CampYear 8 girls are becoming increasingly excited about the upcoming Year 8 camp to The Summit at Trafalgar East.

8A-D will attend 16th-18th May and 8E-H 18th-20th May. Many fantastic activities will be on offer which will challenge the girls to move out of their comfort zone in a safe environment.

Extra HolidaysTerm 2 is traditionally when a few families take an extended holiday outside of normal school holidays and ask the

school to provide work for their daughters whilst they are away. Given the extra workload this places on staff and the fact that we want girls to be at school, staff do not have to give extra work to girls who are absent due to holidays.

Year 7 & 12 Fancy DressYear 7s spent many lunchtimes working with Year 12 girls to learn a dance routine for the Year 7 & 12 Fancy Dress

Competition, held on Wednesday 23rd March. Excitement was high as each class performed in front of their peers and the Year 12 cohort. The judges found it difficult to choose, but 7D were awarded first place, 7F and 7C tied for second place and 7A came third. Thank you to the Year 12s involved and Ms Clare Selir and Ms Leah Liakos for their organisation.

3 MENTONE GIRLS’ SC NEWSLETTEREdition 6 | 28 April 2016

Year 8 Humanities ExcursionYear 8 girls will be travelling by coach into Melbourne on Wednesday 4th May to gather information on urbanisation

for an exciting Humanities project. A letter will be sent home shortly with all relevant information.Junior School Team

ENGLISHYear 7 and 9 students will be undertaking NAPLAN practice prior to the formal testing process. On Open Night we will recognise the 400 year anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare whose plays are

studied at various levels. All girls were asked to submit their favourite Shakespeare quote and articulate their reasons as to why. Many of the responses were thoughtful and indicative of lively minds.

Students will shortly begin preparing for the end of semester exams.Ms Anne Gamble

English Domain Leader

SPORTThanks to the students and staff who participated in Term 1 sport. Senior volleyball and tennis won the Beachside

competition, progressing to the SMR prelim finals. Year 8 cricket, softball and tennis, and Year 7 cricket and tennis also made it through to the SMR prelims.

Term 2 sports are AFL, netball, badminton, basketball, soccer, hockey, table tennis and handball. A total of 25 sporting teams will represent MGSC at the Beachside level, a number of which will progress to the next round. Sign-up sheets are in the gym for all girls interested. Sport is an important part of our culture at MGSC, so thank you to all the girls who try out for teams.

Mr Philip HullInterschool Sport Coordinator

www.mgscsports.comAll of the College’s sport updates and results can be found on www.mgscsports.com along with photos and this

week’s Sporting Star – Paige Price.Mr Anthony Bruhn

Carnivals Coordinator

AEROBICSOn Thursday 21st April the five aerobics teams had a dress rehearsal in front of family and friends in preparation

for the upcoming ‘Schoolaerobics’ competition in Geelong on 1st May and 5th June. The performances showed improvement in technical ability and confidence. Thank you to Anna Berlingeri, Carol Duggan and student coaches Rikki Andison, Holly Stosic and Ella Grapel for their assistance and support. All the best for the competitions!

Ms Tess MolinaAerobics Coach

MEDIATop Screen and Top Designs excursion

Year 11 and 12 Media students attended Top Screen and Top Designs last week. They watched 12 short films that were shortlisted from 311 entries. The girls saw the standard to aim for and were inspired by a variety of different genre films ranging from comedy to psychological thriller. ACMI also hosted the Daniel Crooks exhibit of video work and Screen Worlds, where the girls looked at interactive games and Academy Awards from notable Australian filmmakers.

Students read crucial Production Design Plans (PDPs) with photography and print students had the opportunity to engage with their chosen medium in the unique exhibition space. Students were given booklets to further investigate what the city has to offer in the way of creative mediums such as radio, print, film and photography.

Top Designs is free for students through the month of April and May.Ms Lisa Blumenstein

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COLLEGE CAPTAIN’S ANZAC DAY SPEECHLet’s talk about something for a few minutes. It’s something we hear time and time again, particularly in high school, when everyone wants you to be as good as you can. We hear the word all the time: “Leader.” To me it’s such an intimidating word, but I do believe that that’s all it is: a word. Today, being the Anzac day assembly, was the perfect opportunity for me to give a meaning to that word. And do it in a way of course, that we can all relate to. Because yes I’m standing up here in front of you, as your school captain, but having authority doesn’t necessary make anyone a good leader. When I wake up in the morning, I used to follow a routine. And basically, my morning routine consisted of sitting on my bed for around 20 minutes and thinking about how tired I was. After that I’d just rock up at school and I’m ready to learn… Whatever that means. But then I get to school and I realise: I Haven’t even eaten breakfast, my socks are inside out, and after 6 years of essentially living with 2 and half thousand other girls, I still don’t even know how to effectively use a hairbrush.Now, Inside-out clothing and messy hair are easily fixable but there’s another thing that I forgot to do. I have friends that actively look forward to waking up so they can eat their amazing vegan, all in one, healthy lifestyle breakfast, and then go their 6am run before they get to school at a reasonable time. That’s the dream.However, I have other friends, including myself, (because if I can’t be my own friend, then who will be,) that don’t even understand the meaning of the word breakfast, because it comes from the far off imaginary land of the morning where it doesn’t matter because nothing important happens before lunch time anyway.For those of us that fit inside the second category of people, let me tell you something, we are putting off two very important basic human needs: Sleeping and Eating.So let’s recap the day ever so quickly: No breakfast. What’s even is a textbook? And I’ve come to the realization, that at this late stage of my schooling career I need to make some drastic changes. And why am I telling you this? I’m telling you this because, I’m standing up here, as your school captain, as your leader. I’m telling you this because contrary to popular belief, I’m human too. But I’ve accepted that, I live a life of no regrets and I’m content. Because If Leonardo DiCaprio can win an Oscar. Just imagine what we are all capable of.But in order to achieve great things, we have to change what we do in every-day life, leadership is a lifestyle, not a title and one day, not only will we all be able to hand in our homework on time, but we will also be able to actually go to bed the night beforehand. It’s scary, I know. But we’re on this road of self-discovery together.So let’s take it back to before I started going on about my day. What makes a good leader? There are qualities that we talk about. There’s always a basic list of adjectives that everyone puts on their resumes. Organized. Resilient. Confident. Enthusiastic. Sound familiar? But what about eating breakfast? What about getting 9 hours of sleep a night? What about that one time that I handed all of my work in on due date? Because these should be things that I’m allowed to put on my resume. And it’s things like these that you should be proud of. Because they are so simple and yet I can guarantee that there are a lot of hungry, tired people in this room. But just imagine what you could do if you weren’t.So let me tell you what makes a good leader: A good leader is someone who is constantly evaluating what they do and seeing how they can make it better. See the potential in others, and work with them, in order to help them grow.Every single one of you in this room is destined for great things. This I do firmly believe. There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and honestly seems a little bit crazy to everyone else. Forget logic, forget the odds and ignore the complications. Nike told me to just do it, so this morning I changed something. I ate breakfast, I put on my matching black Calvin Kleins, and I feel un-stoppable.So Damn Daniel, tomorrow you can too. Thankyou.

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Why is it valuable to make teens feel older?By Michael Grose

It’s important for parents to find time and space to have conversations with their teenagers so they can find adult connection and acceptance.Recently I listened to fellow educator Bill Jennings, from Time and Space talk to parents about raising adolescents. (Bill assists parents to have great one-on-one conversations with their adolescent sons.)When asked about the impact of having a real one-on-one conversation with his dad a 15-year-old boy said: “I feel older!”That’s an incredible insight from a fifteen-year-old.I know kids always want to feel older. Increased rights come with age. You can stay up later. You can go out more often. You become less answerable to your parents. You have more FREEDOM.That’s the good part.The challenging part is that with MORE FREEDOM comes MORE RESPONSIBILITYThat’s what growing up is about. Freedom is easy. That’s the child part. Responsibility is scary. That’s the adult part.It’s really scary when you have to face it on your own, without adult assistance.Young people yearn for adult connection and adult acceptance. When they don’t get it they continue to act like children.Fewer rites of passageOur community has few rites of passage for young people that help them to feel older. Twenty-first birthdays have lost their meaning. The first real pay packet and the independence that comes with it comes much later these days. For some, Schoolies Week is their only rite of passage!It’s up to parents to help their young people feel olderOne way you can help your young person cross the bridge from childhood to adulthood is through holding personal conversations that reveal something of your own life to young people. Conversations about childhood and family memories; your life lessons; the hopes and dreams you hold for young people; your life as a young person; your personal ambitions; and what life is like for you as an adult can help your young person feel older.Personal conversations of these types show acceptanceThey are incredibly powerful, but you need to create the time and space for them to happen. Sometimes you can contrive situations for these important conversations by going away with your young person for a day or a weekend together.Other times you may just find yourself alone with your young person, uninterrupted and you are both in the mood to talk.Both girls and boys benefit from special one-on-one conversations with their mum, dad and mentors that help them feel genuinely older in the adult sense.You need to have the inclination, as well as the time and space for these conversations to happen. And I think it’s incredibly important that you do!

1

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

6 MENTONE GIRLS’ SC NEWSLETTEREdition 6 | 28 April 2016

You’re invitedto the

7ALL “Famous Australian Women in History” Expo

2016 @ MGSC

All members of the MGSC Community are cordially invited

to attend the Year 7 ‘Famous Australian Women in History’

Expo as part of the 7ALL (Active Links to Learning) studies.

Thursday, 12 May, between 5pm and 6.30pm

in the JLC (Junior Learning Centre)

Please come and celebrate the Year 7 student’s work—

it’s a fantastic display of their achievements and the school’s

exciting Year 7 ALL program.

We look forward to seeing you on the night!

BAYSIDE YOUTH SERVICES EVENTS

Pulse DJ event – we are currently looking for young local DJs who are

keen to perform at this event on May 20th. They will gain experience in playing to a crowd, and be given

valuable feedback from industry professionals. Register at http://

bayside.formstack.com/forms/freeza_dj_comp

Art Exhibition – Keep an eye out for the flyer and registration form for our

annual Young People of Bayside Art Exhibition. Artworks displayed from

July 13-August 9th

Full Spectrum – Bayside’s LGBTIQ social support program is looking for young people aged 14 and up who might be keen to meet like-minded

people, in a safe and supportive space. Keep an eye out for our brand new promotional material, coming soon.

Bayside Youth Committees – Join BYA to have your say about your

community, or Boombox Events to plan and run youth events. Register

your interest at https://bayside.formstack.com/forms/committee_

registration

MORDIALLOC NEIGHBOURHOOD

HOUSEDrawing and

SketchingThis drawing

class is designed to introduce the fundamentals of

drawing through a series of structured

exercises: line, tone, proportions & contours. Students

will be given the opportunity to

explore different mediums such as graphite, pencils, charcoal and pen.Monday: 1-3pm

May 2 – June 6 (6 weeks)

Cost: $75, concession $65

Materials list supplied upon

enrolment.For further

information or to enrol, phone:

9587 4534

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

Gold

Wee

k

1

Blue

Wee

k 2 32-3.30pm Open Afternoon; Nina Carr Hall

4 5 2-3.30pm Open Afternoon; Nina Carr Hall

6 7 8

Gold

Wee

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9House Music Assembly

10 Senior Round Robin (selected students)Yr 11 Legal Studies Excursion; County/Magistrates Court

11 12 NEWSLETTER #7 13 Yr 10 Inside the Hu-man Body elective; Monash ClaytonYr 12 guest speaker (P4); VCE Centre

14 15

Blue

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k 16 17 18VCE Recital

19 2010.30am-1pm MacbethYr 11 GAT familiarisation P4; Lecture Theatre

21 22

Gold

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23Beachside Cross Country (selected students)

249am College Tour

25House Music Assembly

26 NEWSLETTER #8House Music Competition (P2&3); GymPast Students’ 10 year reunion; VCE Centre

27 Cultural Divesity International program dayIntermediate Round RobinYr 12 GAT familiarisation P4; Lecture TheatreYr 8 Brainstorm incusion P4

28 29

Blue

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k 30 31

7 MENTONE GIRLS’ SC NEWSLETTEREdition 6 | 28 April 2016

Naplan Testing

Year 11 Exam week

Year 8 Camp week

Theatre Studies performance week

Music Camp; Camp Oasis

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

Blue

Wee

k

1Yr 7 & 8 Band Evening

2 3 4 5

Gold

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k

6Report Writing Day

7 GATSoverign Hill (ELC students only)

8Semester 2 commences

9 NEWSLETTER #9Yr 8 Round Robin

10 11 12

Blue

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13Queen’s Birthday Holiday

14 15College Assembly

16 9am School Tour

17Yr 7 Incursion P4; Brainsorm Productions

18 19

Gold

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20 21 22 23 NEWSLETTER #10 24 Last day of Term 2

25 26

Blue

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27 28 29 30

8 MENTONE GIRLS’ SC NEWSLETTEREdition 6 | 28 April 2016

Year 9 Exams

HOLIDAYS

Year 10 Exams

HOLIDAYS

Year 11 Exam week