PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Community,
It has been a sad week for Mooroolbark College with the loss of former student, Shannon Rigby. Our condolences are extended to his family and friends. Shannon was a keen participant in our music department. He was also an active sportsman, refereeing basketball and was a keen karate student. Shannon had a close group of friends at the College who will miss him, and his passing will affect the entire Mooroolbark College community. I would like to remind the College community that we have a range of supports in place for both current and past students. Please do not hesitate to contact John Nichol at the College if you would like support.

Thank you to the PTCA for supporting the College by running the annual Year 7 BBQ last week. The cool change came just in time to ensure we all had a great evening. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk to our Year 7 parents with their students. Many parents then took the opportunity to attend the ‘Compass Parent Training’. Mr Dane Keogh ran a very informative session for parents/guardians.

I would like to encourage any parents/guardians who may have misplaced their Compass login to contact the College. Compass is our main form of communication with both parents/guardians and students so it is essential that parents/guardians and students log on regularly. I also encourage parents/guardians to use their own login and not simply use their child’s login. The login provided to parents provides different functionality to student logins.

Last week we held our first General Assembly for 2017. General assemblies are an important opportunity to get the whole school together to celebrate student achievements, showcase the talent of Mooroolbark College students, communicate with the entire school population and provide further leadership opportunities for our students. The assembly started with a musical item by Kay Ova Vishnina-Atanasova, Principal’s Awards were then handed out along with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. It was a wonderful start to the new year.

On Monday 13th February, Mooroolbark College held its annual Swimming Carnival. Whilst the weather wasn’t as favourable in the morning as the afternoon, the students again enjoyed a wonderful day. One of the strengths of Mooroolbark College students is their willingness to participate in a range of events. Again Croydon Memorial Swimming Pool was a sea of red, green, yellow and blue. Once again our students’ behaviour was great. We received complimentary comments from the pool management and the community. I would also like to congratulate the student relay team which beat both the staff teams in the 4 x 50 meter relay race. Congratulations to the students who have progressed to the Division Swimming Competition to be held on Monday 20th February. I wish you every success for your upcoming events.

Ann Stratford Principal