Principal’s Report
Flying the flag
Each school day members of the Heritage Society put up the Australian flag, the Aboriginal flag and the School flag. Flying the flags maintains and strengthens important traditions and protocols. Flying the flags of our First Nations people also pays respect to the traditional custodians of the lands and waters of our continent.
This week the Federal Member for Higgins, Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah, addressed the Junior School Assembly and presented the School with a new Australian Flag and new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. (We have four flag poles so we can proudly fly these three alongside the Melbourne High School flag.) Three members of the Heritage Society, Tony Ho (9C), Arjun Shokeen (9L) and Nicholas Dracos (9D) along with Heritage Society President Ketav Shah (12M) accepted the flags on behalf of the School and had the honour of being the first to put up the new flags.
Education Chances 2023 Scholarship Recipient James Lao (11F)
We extend our congratulations to James who has been selected as one of the 2023 Victorian recipients. The Education Chances scholarship provides eligible students with up to $1,650 for new students and $1,100 for renewal students to put towards their education expenses. James’ father Leo was able to join us at the awards ceremony.
Encouraging young researchers
MHS Alumnus Dr Mark Ranasinghe (MHS 2011 – 2014) addressed the Junior School this week and spoke about his passion for research and its importance in the professions. Mark has demonstrated this passion and expertise in his chosen field of medicine. Although still in the early stages of his career, Mark has made considerable contributions and is a wonderful example to younger students. Mark has generously offered to provide two $500 prizes for Year 10 student research projects and will provide additional support (financial and mentoring) for an award recipient who subsequently chooses to study VCE Extended Investigation.
School Oval Lighting Upgrade
I wish to acknowledge the MHSOBA Football club for taking the lead on a project which has resulted in the upgrading of the lights on three of the four light towers on the main oval. (The fourth tower will require a more complex task as not only the lights and brackets need to be replaced but the pole as well.) The MHSOBA Football Club contributed $25,000 and they were also able to obtain a $25,000 grant through the AFL. Additional financial contributions of $2,500 each came from the Sydney Swans and Gold Coast Suns who use the oval to train when in Melbourne. This work will enable us to make much greater use of the oval after hours.
Congratulations Janet Devlin – Assistant Principal Appointment
I wish to congratulate Jan on her appointment and welcome her to the Principal Class team. Jan has been a long-serving member of staff and brings a broad range of experiences including school operations, student engagement and curriculum. Additionally, Jan has and continues to be a very committed member of the team who oversee the Cadet Program.
Coming events
Over the next few weeks, we have several community, extra-curricular and education events. These include: the launch of the Ray Willis Leadership Scheme on Monday 19 June, cadet camp next weekend and the GAT on Thursday June 15. You can keep up to date with all school activities through Compass.
GAT Thursday 15 June 2023
All students undertaking a Unit 3 / 4 VCE subject are required to sit the General Achievement Test on Thursday. Separate details will be sent out to them. This involves close to 700 students. On Thursday there will also be some senior students on site undertaking SACs. The remainder of the school will have an independent learning day with work set by their teachers. They will work from home.
Berry Street Training
Next Thursday, staff will undertake a full day of training on the Berry Street Education Model. This evidence-based model draws from neurobiological understandings of the impact of trauma on learning and development. Over the past few years our communities have been and continue to be impacted by a range of disruptions and issues. Having a trauma-informed lens helps to illustrate how life circumstances can impact our capacity to fully engage in day-to-day activities but also how to address the emotional impact with strategies that build resilience and emotional regulation.
The School commenced a formal program of professional development with Berry Street late last year. Over the next 12 months we will continue to build our knowledge and resources. I plan to begin rolling out the program in 2024. The appointment of Sam Dachs to our staff will help facilitate deployment. As noted in a message to the community earlier this week, Sam will join our staff in July. Sam is a Social Worker and family therapist currently working with Berry Street. He will be employed with the Mental Health Practitioner funding provided to schools. I wish to also acknowledge the MHS Foundation Ltd. for their generous financial support towards staff training. Their commitment to the deployment of this program is sincerely appreciated.
Dr Tony Mordini
Principal
News
- Army Cadets – Winter bivouac 16-20 June
- Subject Planning for 2024
- Holocaust Museum Visit
- Updating enrolment details: For all changes to telephone numbers, email addresses and home addresses, please email the changes to mhs@mhs.vic.edu.au. It is very important to keep these details up to date, in case of emergencies and for sending out information via Compass.
Kellie Porter - CSEF: CSEF is funds of $225.00 provided by the Department of Education to help financially with
paying for Camps, Sports and Excursions for your child at school. To be eligible for these
funds you need to have a health care card dated on or before the 30th January 2023. - MHS Annual Tax Appeal:
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