Mooroolbark College Newsletter – May 2025

Celebrating Excellence and Community Connectedness  

Term 1 ended on a high note with two key community events—our annual Open Night and our Parent-Teacher Interviews. These events provide a chance to celebrate our student learning and build strong family partnerships, further building a sense of connection within our school community. 

We proudly hosted our annual Open Night, welcoming over 500 visitors from a wide range of primary school settings. The atmosphere had an energetic vibe as families explored our vibrant learning environment, met our passionate staff and experienced firsthand what makes Mooroolbark College such a special place.  

A key highlight of the evening was the outstanding displays and interactive sessions presented by our Key Learning Areas (KLAs). Each KLA created an engaging, informative, and inspiring showcase that reflected not only the depth of learning across the curriculum but also the creativity and dedication of our expert teaching staff. From Science experiments to Visual Art exhibitions, live performances to hands-on Humanities activities; the night was a true celebration of academic excellence supported by exceptional educators. 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the many students who gave up their evening to proudly represent the College as tour guides, performers, speakers, and demonstrators. Their enthusiasm, confidence, and pride in their school was evident throughout the night. 

I want to acknowledge and thank our staff who went above and beyond to prepare and present such a polished and welcoming experience for our visitors. Their professionalism and commitment to our community continues to shape a thriving learning culture within our College. Special thanks also go to the Mooroolbark College Parents Association, whose warm hospitality and volunteer efforts helped create a welcoming and community-focused environment. 

We began Term 2 with great pride in our students who represented the College with respect, integrity and a strong sense of community at the Lilydale ANZAC Dawn Service, Mount Evelyn ANZAC Day Service, and Mooroolbark ANZAC Day Service. Through their participation and the laying of wreaths, our students paid meaningful tribute to the service and sacrifice of others, demonstrating reflection, gratitude, and maturity beyond their years. In doing so, they embodied the College values of Respect, Resilience, Endeavour, and Compassion. We were also honoured to have our College Captains speak at the Bimbadeen Heights Primary School ANZAC Day service, where they represented our school with poise and thoughtfulness in front of students, staff, and local community members. 

Rachael Williams

ACTING PRINCIPAL

Open Night was a great success. We showcased the different English pathways available from Year 7 through to Year 12, including our Year 9 English electives, which offer students choice in their subject selection. It was wonderful to meet some potential future parents and students and to share with them the range of English options we have on offer. 

Our Year 7 students have made a smooth transition and are currently engaged in a creative writing unit focused on the theme of Resilience, aligning with our school values. They have been participating in a range of activities designed to build resilience in their learning and have explored how this concept is represented in various texts. Students then sat their first CAT where they wrote their own stories that focused on the theme of resilience. 

Our Year 8 and 9 students have made a strong start to the year. In Year 8, students explored the world of Microfiction — short pieces of fictional writing made up of 300 words or fewer. The unit focused on crafting complete stories that made an immediate impact, with students carefully selecting their words to ensure every one carried meaning and purpose. Meanwhile, in Year 9, students investigated the topic of fake news. They examined why fake news is created and learned about the different ways sources can intentionally or unintentionally manipulate audiences. To finish the unit, students created their own fake news pieces on a topic of their choice. 

Our Year 10, 11 and 12 classes kicked off the year with writing units designed to spark students’ creativity and develop their ability to write for different purposes: to Explain, to Argue, to Express, and to Reflect.  Students experimented with different types of writing, which allowed them to discover the styles and ideas they are most passionate about. For this unit, each year level explored their writing skills through a different theme. In Year 10, students studied Compassion, connecting their work to one of our school values. In Year 11, they looked at Power, examining the way that power dynamics shape the world we live in. In Year 12, students focused on the theme of Protest, challenging them to engage thoughtfully with current issues, reflect on the causes they feel strongly enough to stand up for, and find their voice.  

Our Year 11 English Literature class have been hard at work doing genre studies, and our VCE English Language classes had a great start to the year, delving in to Units 1 & 3 with enthusiasm. We are so proud of the effort that our senior students have put in during Term 1, and we can’t wait to see how it pays off at the end of the year!

Mikayla Cassidy and Natalie Mulligan 

ENGLISH KEY LEARNING HEADS
 

Welcome to Term 2 in Mathematics! 

This year we have welcomed some new staff to the college. I would like to officially welcome Mia Hannagan, Simone Ramage and Matt Maclarn to the team. What a team we have! 

This year we are continuing to refine our assessment in Mathematics. We are improving our use of Levelled Pre- and Post-tests to get an indication of student understanding and growth. Our belief is that all students are capable of achieving growth in Mathematics and we feel that celebrating this success helps to build positive thoughts and confidence in their learning. 

The Numeracy Program at Mooroolbark College is special! Numeracy provides a crucial bridge between formal mathematical knowledge and its practical application in everyday life, making mathematics more relevant and engaging. We have dedicated, timetabled Numeracy lessons where students are able to investigate different scenarios, using a range of problem-solving techniques. By developing these skills, we hope to better equip students with the knowledge, understanding and procedures they could use when they encounter numeracy problems in their day-to-day lives. The program also has a dedicated Numeracy Journal, which allows students to show their thinking and then reflect on the processes they have used to solve the problem.  

Did you attend our Open Night in March? In our Mathematics room we had a variety of activities on show, highlighting the range of resources and equipment we use for our Mathematics classes and our Numeracy lessons. 

If you missed our Open Night, come and visit us on a school tour so we can chat to you about our Mathematics and Numeracy programs and our strong VCE results. If you have any questions, please email kara.salmon@education.vic.gov.au 

Kara Salmon 

MATHEMATICS KEY LEARNING HEAD

2025 has been a year of changes in Science, as we start to veer into the new Victorian Curriculum and changes to PPE requirements. 

Whilst all students have focused on safety and techniques as well as exploring new concepts, our junior students have been provided with bookwork scaffolding; enabling them to use their books as a resource to allow ongoing consolidation of learning, as well as a necessary tool for them to complete their end of semester open-book CATs (Years 7-9). 

Across many of our science classes, across a number of junior year levels, students have explored a range of different chemistry aspects. 

 Our year 8 students have looked at a diverse range of elements, comparing their physical appearance with their chemical properties                 

 Our Year 11 chemistry students have looked at different bonding models, which included students growing their own metal crystals and observing these under microscopes.             

 Year 10 Biology have learnt about DNA and extracted DNA from a strawberry and made pipe cleaner DNA strands.                  

Science was buzzing with visitors on Open Night, and the Turtles were a huge hit as usual!     

Melinda Lori Pui

SCIENCE KEY LEARNING HEAD

In a world where critical thinking, understanding perspectives and learning from the past have never been more important, thus far in 2025 the Humanities faculty has continued to play a vital role in preparing students for the future. 

In year 10 economics, for example, the background of a federal election has added a valuable real world example to the importance of comprehending concepts such as inflation and GDP, to help educate our students on how essential it is to make sure that their vote is well informed. Meanwhile, our History teachers from years 7 through to 11 are helping our students realise how vital it is to understand how major events in the past occurred, to help provide them with the ability to work towards a world they will enjoy, rather than one where past mistakes are repeated. For all the subjects under the Humanities banner, producing informed, thoughtful students who are ready to enter the world with both eyes open and prepared to seize opportunity is their goal, and we continue to hard to achieve it! 

The 2025 Mooroolbark College Open Night was a memorable experience, providing us with the opportunity to showcase the wonderful work of our students and demonstrate the opportunities we provide, while also addressing the queries of interested potential parents. In addition to the showcased work, our History team set up interactive Ancient Chinese archaeological digs, while students visiting the Geography room had the opportunity to learn about contour lines through making sand mountains, or about livability through using Lego. It was a fantastic night, enjoyed by all who attended. 

This term, we look forward to a series of exciting excursions. The Year 11 History class will be visiting the Holocaust Museum, as part of their study into how the Nazi Party rose to power, while the Year 11 Legal studies class will visit Old Melbourne Gaol, to gain a greater understanding of the legal process present in Victoria. Year 7 and 8 Geography ASPIRE students will also be given the opportunity to trial a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens to do some fieldwork, an excursion that we hope to be able to provide to all Geography students in the future. 

It’s certainly been a busy Semester in Humanities, and it shows no sign of slowing down! 

Dane Keogh 

HUMANITIES KEY LEARNING HEAD

What a fantastic start to the year. Open Night was a great success and show cased our amazing resources and work our students are producing. We had students decorating cupcakes showcasing their skills and the choc-chip cookies were a smash hit. Visitors were able to see the rooms and the laser cutter was kept busy making small wooden rulers for our visitors.

We are so proud of our VCE Students undertaking studies In Product Design (Wood/Metal/Textiles), Food Studies and Systems Engineering. 

The Year 12 Systems students Learning about electricity, what it is and how to harness it into circuit boards. They are continuing to create an ethical solution to a problem by designing and creating a device/product. Recently they learnt about engineering career opportunities, design ideas and techniques at the Avalon Airshow. 

Our Year 11 Systems students have been working to develop their skills in electrical engineering and applying Maths skills to learn about a range of mechanical systems. Our Year 11 students have designed a simple mechanical display project and are starting to prototype and develop their systems to test and refine the coming weeks. Year 10 Systems students have used CAD to design and laser cut a dragster that they are gearing and wiring for racing. We can’t wait to see the Bluetooth speakers they will be designing next.  

Product Design students have had a choice of materials to work with including wood, metal and textiles. They have been working hard to develop a range of complex skills and the use of tools and equipment. Students have had a focus on applying design thinking to different situations. They have used different forms of research such as surveys, materials exploration, and design investigations, with a goal to develop a product that closely aligns to their design brief. 

VCE Food Studies students have been learning about the influences of a variety of factors that impact on healthy eating and the ability to prepare a healthy meal. For their most recent SAC, they prepared a stir fry with limited equipment and limited space, to replicate the difficulties of living in a small apartment with a tiny kitchenette. The reflected on the difficulties that they encountered during the practical component.  

Year 11 Food Studies students have been investigating the different flavours that Indigenous Australian ingredients provide and how they can be incorporated in traditional English recipes and more contemporary dishes such as British Bakewell Tart with Lemon Myrtle. 

They have also been learning about the factors that impact peoples’ connectedness to food, such as family and the community. People’s choices of food can have an influence on their mental health and can invoke feelings of happiness and nostalgia. 

Our Year 9 and 10 Foods students have been working to develop their technical skills and applying the design process to solve food related problems. They have investigated ethics and sustainability in the food industry and the impact of indigenous foods on modern cuisine.
Year 9 Product Design and Year10 Wood and Metal students have mastered the safe use of range of equipment to manipulate material to produce a range of products. Year 9 Wood/Metal  students have followed a mini design process in the creation of their toolboxes. Students were able to use a combination of timber types and advanced techniques in their toolboxes such as the use of the biscuit joiner. Students have had the opportunity to laser print designs onto their toolboxes to personalise them. 

Product Design Textiles has also run this semester in Year 9 and 10. They have experimented with fabric design and learnt how to use sewing machine and hand sew by making quilted pin cushions. Year 10’s were challenged to upcycle old clothing into a new product requiring them to deconstruct and reconstruct producing some creative results. 

Year 10 Product Design Jewellery: Students have engaged in different jewellery making techniques such as polymer clay, resin, laser printing and metal casting. They have explored the history of some jewellery making techniques and materials all in preparation for making their own piece of jewellery and jewellery storage. 

In Junior school we welcome our year 7 students to our College and faculty. This semester they have learnt how to cook in a safe and hygienic manner (including washing their own dishes!!) and making a range of yummy products like scones, Chicken fillet burgers and apple crumble. 

Year 7 Product Design students have learnt basic woodworking techniques during the creation of their tick-tack-toe game and are now developing their understanding of different tools in the woodwork room. Students have the opportunity to create detailed designs of the different tools and explain their purpose as well as their use.  

Year 8 Textiles students have learnt basic machine sewing during the creation of their pin cushion and developed an understanding of different textile designers. Students have currently been exploring different material manipulation techniques in preparation to create a stylised tote bag. Year 8 Digital Technologies students have just wrapped up their studies on the various levels of how a computer operates. They are now moving into learning about Microsoft Excel, developing basic skills on how to use it. 

Agapi Metaxas

TECHNOLOGY KEY LEARNING HEAD

We’ve had a great start to 2025 in the Health and PE department. A huge highlight of every year is our Peer Support Program. The program is run by Year 10 Peer Support Leaders for our Year 7 students as they make their transition into high school. The leaders are tasked with creating engaging lesson plans on topics and issues students will face as they commence high school. Students love having an extra face to look up to in the yard and maybe even ask questions they may not yet feel comfortable asking their teachers. Leaders are commended for their fantastic efforts so far, the lessons have included topics such as friendship, bullying, how to navigate Compass and Learning Tasks and even some core lessons on our school values of Respect, Resilience, Endeavour and Compassion. 

We can’t wait to see our leaders continue to flourish in supporting our Year 7’s to have the best year possible.  

Another huge highlight of the calendar was our Open Night held late Term 1. It was a fantastic night engaging with our parent community. The HPE team is passionate about sharing our specialist subjects and showcasing what our students get up to throughout the year. Our specialist subjects include; Advance Sports Leadership and Advance Duke of Edinburgh at Year 9, Talented Sports Program at Year 10 and our huge interschool sports program which runs from Year 7 through to Year 12. 

 It was another opportunity to showcase our new weights room which has received a huge upgrade with the support of ex-student Daniel Miller. We can’t thank him enough for providing such amazing equipment. The facility is available to students in Year 9 and above, who will get a chance both in their PE classes to use it but also once the weights room lunch time club is back up and running.  

Stephanie Reid 

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION KEY LEARNING HEAD

It has been a very busy and productive start to Term 2 in The Arts. Late last term, the College held its very successful Open Night for the year. Open Night was a huge success for the department, as curious parents and future students explored the possibilities we offer. Parents and students alike enjoyed participating in musical performances, ceramics, photography, painting and drawing. The Arts’ rooms all looked fantastic! Our Performing Arts department was also full of energy on the night with our talented Instrumental Music and Production students showcasing their talents. The energy and colour were wonderful and we are very grateful for the contribution from all of our students and staff.    

Inside the classroom, our senior students in visual arts subjects are deep in creative mode, working on their major productions and artworks, whilst our junior students in art, ceramics, media, photography and VCD, are busy working on their art pieces for the semester. Our Year 9s have just done a wonderful job on decorating their hands using the Elements of Art. In the Performing Arts, our students in drama and music are beginning to work on and perfect their end of semester performances.   

We can’t wait to see how all of their work turns out.   

This year has also seen the exciting introduction of a Photojournalism club held at lunchtimes in D5. Recently the Photojournalism students did a fantastic job photographing all of the happenings at the Swimming Carnival where they some amazing images of the action. 

Matthew Neil-Holland  

THE ARTS KEY LEARNING HEAD

Hallo & 你好 once again from the Languages Team! 

And it’s a warm welcome to Term 2 – the term that culminates with the highlight of the Languages year: The Year 8 cultural excursion on the 4th of July! More on that a little later…  

Back before the holidays, on the 25th of March, Mooroolbark College welcomed many, many visitors to our Open Night. It was very encouraging to see so many curious parents and happy young visitors. This year the focus was on Chinese and the introduction of Coding to Year 8. Perhaps you’ll see yourself in one of the pictures!   

If you missed out, you’ll have to make do with the photos of the event or safe in the knowledge that you’ll be able to enjoy the evening when it rolls around again with a few new features in 2026. See you then! Hopefully the waffles will be back then too! 

It wouldn’t be school if we didn’t say something about student achievement! We reward our top achievers and those who make a genuine effort to participate to the best of their ability. Recently we were able to present Merit Certificates to students who completed excellent Title Pages in their German workbooks. Don’t 7ADEF look proud of their Coursework achievements? While we’re on the assessment front, we need to remind students and parents that Term 2 heralds the conclusion of the Semester’s assessment process where Coursework and CATs need to be submitted to a satisfactory standard to pass the subject. Please check your CAT results which are visible two weeks after the due date. We have had a number of staff sick recently and there may be some slight delays, but we will continue to update Compass as soon as possible. Please feel free to ask if a result is missing or if there is another issue.  

As mentioned earlier, preparations are ongoing for the end of Term excursion as part of the Year 8 investigations of traditions, history and culture. Permission notes will appear very soon. Please be aware that there may be an increase on last year’s cost that is beyond our control and that all students will need a valid and charged Myki to travel. 

More detailed information will be posted as it becomes available. 

Jonas Bahlo

LANGUAGES KEY LEARNING HEAD

On April 25th, Anzac Day, marks the anniversary of the 1915 Gallipoli landing during World War I. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops fought alongside allied forces in a dreadful battle against the Ottoman Empire. Though ultimately unsuccessful, the soldier’s bravery, endurance and pride created a lasting legacy. Today, Anzac Day honours the Australians and New Zealanders who served and sacrificed their lives to protect our country. We commemorate by attending dawn services, marches, and holding ceremonies across both nations. At Mooroolbark College, we held a successful Anzac ceremony that reminded everyone to take a moment to think about the ongoing sacrifices made by the servicemen and women. We stood in silence not just to remember the past, but to recognise the courage that continues in those who serve today. The spirit of the Anzacs lives on, in our respect, our gratitude, and commitment to peace. As we move forward, let us carry their legacy with us, not just on Anzac Day, but every day we enjoy the freedoms they fought to protect. 

As a Year 9 Middle School House Captain, I was incredibly proud to be part of Ngawan House as we led our college’s ANZAC Day Ceremony on Thursday 24th April. Together with our fellow student leaders, we honoured the sacrifices of past and present servicemen and women with respect and reflection. 

Ngawan students helped organise and run the ceremony, with speakers sharing the history and significance of ANZAC Day, and our school pausing together for a minute of silence. It was a privilege to help lead such a meaningful event. 

Our student leadership team also took part in local community services. Wreaths were laid on behalf of Mooroolbark College at the Lilydale and Mount Evelyn Dawn Services, as well as the Mooroolbark Noon Service. It was a powerful reminder of the strong connections between our school and the wider community. 

Thank you to all students and staff who supported these events and showed such great respect in commemorating ANZAC Day. 

Amber Pickard

NGAWAN HOUSE MIDDLE SCHOOL CAPTAIN