Principals’ Report
Term Three is always a busy term and this year is no different. The first three weeks of the term have been packed with activities for both staff and students.
New beginnings, course counselling and 2020 Subject Selections
I hope the Year 7 and 8 students have enjoyed their new round of elective Art, Humanities and Technology subjects. Year 7 and 8 rotations provide a wonderful opportunity to experience the range of curriculum offerings before students begin choosing electives in Year 9. They have also just completed their counselling and elective selections for Year 9 2020. Sometimes the hardest part of this process is limiting selections to the required number, given there are so many exciting options available.
Year 9 and 10 students have also swapped electives at the beginning of this term and begun the course counselling process. I hope our current Year 9 students have considered the option of accelerating in Year 10 by applying for a VCE subject. Our Year 10 students have a very important choice in the next week to make: either VCE or VCAL. Both are great pathways. Please ensure you make the most of the counselling time provided.
Year 11 students are choosing their final year subject; this is often a difficult decision. It is essential that all students check prerequisite for possible university courses in 2021.
I would like to thank the House and Pathways staff who are working with our students to make sure they are making informed decisions.
Grease
The College’s annual production begins on Wednesday 7th August at the Karralyka centre in Ringwood. We are hosting 400 primary school students at the matinee session, and there are also evening performances on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. This is an exceptional opportunity to see our wonderful students step out of their comfort zone and perform in front of an audience in a professional theatre. Tickets are available via the College website. http://www.mooroolbarkcollege.vic.edu.au/
Debutante Balls
Many Year 11 students are spending their spare time practising for the 2019 Debutante Ball. They are definitely well on their way to perfecting their dances ready for the balls on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th August. I am looking forward to these two nights where many of our Year 11 students take part in this annual event.
Maroondah Billy Cart Marathon
We are very excited to announce that Mooroolbark College is being sponsored by ARB in the Maroondah Billy Cart Marathon on Sunday 8th September at METC, 112 Colchester Road, North Bayswater. Ms Denise Raven and Mr Andrew Dingey are working with a team of 40 students to build and race a billy cart in this event. Our billy cart will be revealed at the College at lunchtime on Thursday 29th August with a ‘mini race’ which will contribute to House Points.
Wujiang Senior School Visit
Our visitors from Wujiang Senior High School joined us this afternoon. This year we are hosting 15 students and two staff members. When they arrived there were many nervous Chinese students, but I expect they will quickly settle in as a result of the magnificent hospitality our students extend to both the staff and students. A particular thank you to the families that are supporting our sister school relationship by hosting students over the next few days.
Ann Stratford
Principal