Principal’s Report

Dear MAC Community,

As the term comes to an end and I pause to reflect, I’m smiling with pride as I think about the myriad achievements of our students and staff, their ongoing positive contributions and continued development of our school. It has been a great term.

As a community we have so much of which to be proud. As you read this newsletter, I encourage you to also pause and reflect on all that is great about MAC.

Whenever I am showing visitors our school or during school tours, this is some of the feedback I hear: ‘It such a positive learning environment’, ‘the students seem so engaged in their learning’, ‘the students and staff are so enthusiastic’, ‘the school is calm’, ‘the students are lucky to have such a wonderful learning environment’. This feedback is testament to the effort we all make every day to make sure our school is the best it can be, being our personal best, because it matters, every day, in every class. Regular attendance matters. Completion of all coursework and major assessment tasks matters. Treating each other with respect, being kind and compassionate matters. Demonstrating the school values matters. Doing our very best matters.

The MAC newsletter is one of the many ways you can stay connected with the vitality and life of the school. This edition is filled with great examples which demonstrate why it is truly a joy to be here each day with our students, staff, and families.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the MAC staff for yet again another stellar term’s work with our students, their work is recognised across the Moonee Valley Network and Southwestern Melbourne Region. Our staff have been invited to speak about the work being done at regional and network events.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Grosberg and Ms Wiggs who leave MAC to pursue other interests, and sincerely thank them for their contributions to our school. You will be sorely missed. I would like to welcome Mr Kyle Tran (Maths/Science) and Mr Nicholas Hall (Media/Digital Arts) who are joining MAC in Term 3. I would also like to welcome Ladan Ibrahim who is working in the Community Liaison role alongside Warsan Tubea.

I would like to thank the students for their ongoing efforts and hope they have a restful break. I would like to encourage the Year 12 students and students undertaking a unit 3/4 subject to use their time wisely in the break and commence revision for unit 3 content in preparation for the end of year exams. Term 3 is going to be a busy term as all the content for unit 4 and assessments will need to be completed so getting a start on revision will be crucial in these holidays.

I am looking forward to working with you all in term 3 and as always thank you for your ongoing support.

Kind regards,

Dani Angelico, Principal

MAC wins Henry Bastow Award for Educational Architecture

Dear MAC Community,

You can read the full article from The Age here.

Whilst it is wonderful to receive this award, what really matters is our capacity to deliver the curriculum in bespoke and well resourced facilities that allow our students to learn and our teachers to work effectively with our students.

Kind regards,

Dani Angelico, Principal

MND Day – The Big Pour

‘The Big Pour’ on Friday 31 May saw over a dozen lucky teachers and students getting poured with a refreshing bucket of ice water in support of the MND (Motor Neurone Disease) fundraiser by Apollo house.

All funds raised will go to Fight MND. Motor Neurone Disease affects approximately 1 in 11,500 people. MND affects the nerves in the spinal cord and brain called Motor Neurones, which control muscle movement. MND leads to these nerves breaking down which leads to muscle weakness and paralysis. Every day in Australia, two people are diagnosed with MND and two people die from it.

MAC raised $400 for MND day! Well done, everyone.

End of Semester Music Concert

A massive congratulations to our hard working musicians who performed as part of the end of semester music concert in week 10. Our biggest audience yet experienced high quality performances from our concert band, ‘The Hypersonics’, instrumental students such as Fleur Forbes-Rolfe and George Phan, VCE bands and our first ‘MACPop’ band showcasing the new junior music class elective. Thank you to the families and friends who came out to support our incredible musicians for what was a memorable evening. Looking forward to our end of year music concert to again celebrate the hard work of MAC’s musicians.

Jordan Donnelly, Head of Apollo House, Music Teacher

Sport

Athletics Carnival

Click on any image for full screen and gallery viewing

Interschool Sport

State Cross Country

On a surprisingly sunny day at Brimbank Park, we pulled for regional cross-country and it did not disappoint. Mount Alexander College brought their A-game producing its strongest results to date. With 17 students set ready to race they put on a show, braving the hills and mud.

Some notable performances include the 14-year-old girls defending their championship and bringing home gold yet again. The 17-year-old boys took home the dub defeating their rivals Strathmore for gold. We also saw the 16-year boys finish a close second place. We are pleased to announce that eight MAC students will be representing the school at the state cross-country champs in term three: Florence Lamari (4th), Amy Morris (8th), Winnie Bell (10th), Francesca Portelli (team), Oscar Lichter (3rd), Jordy Walsh (3rd), Ayub Khalif (9th), and Javier Lama Chen (10th).

Huge thank you to Ms Langdon and Coach Drummond for taking us down. Congratulations to all who competed. Don’t forget to follow Xavier Huang on Strava.

Oscar Lichter, Above Entry 10

Entry Moonee Valley Divisional Interschool Netball

Netball was a fun experience and I would definitely go again. We sadly lost all of our games, but we all left with a sense of achievement.

Lucy Barbour, Entry

Above Entry 8 Moonee Valley Divisional Interschool Netball

The interest and enthusiasm for netball across the Year 8 cohort was enormous – we held trials across a number of weeks and ended up being able to take two strong teams to the inter-school competition, which was fantastic. The teams can be very proud of the way they conducted themselves on the day – they were competitive, determined, supportive, and brought a great sense of fun and camaraderie to the Altona Sports Centre courts. Thanks to all students for representing MAC so beautifully, including student coaches Elicia and Amelia, who also led training sessions in the lead-up to the event.

Belinda Crowe, Learning Specialist Pedagogy and Inclusion, English, EAL and Humanities Teacher 

The Year Eight netball A team had strong combinations of players around the court with great teamwork and communication. We had a great day, winning many matches, making it to the grand final. Everyone was determined to beat Strathmore, our rivals from the previous year. The final match was tough, and in the end we narrowly lost. Despite this, everyone had a lot of fun. Overall the netball day was a great experience, and we thank Ms Crowe, Amelia Kenny and Elicia Henok for making it possible. 

Sofie Hanafiah, Above Entry 8

Senior Boys and Girls Volleyball

VCE VM

The VCE VM students have had a successful block of Structured Work Place Learning where they were able to apply the skills they have learned during their VET course. Students complete a minimum of 160 hours of work placement over their two year qualification. This assures that they haave some job ready skills in their filed of choice by the time they finishing school, putting them at the front of employablity.

Wendy has now completed two blocks of work experience at the Sofitel Melbourne where they have made multiple offers of ongoing employment when she finishes her VCE.

Alison Lovett, Careers and Pathways Advisor

Science

Biomolecular Horizons 2024 Congress Tour and Public Lecture – September 2024

Who: Victorian students in levels 9 – 12, their parents, and their teachers
Date: Wednesday 25th September, 2024
Congress tour: 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Public lecture: 3:30pm – 4:30pm

Where: Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

Cost: Free

The evolving field of biomolecular science is re-shaping our understanding of the natural world and driving innovation in domains as diverse as medicine, genetics, nutrition, and agriculture.  Biomolecular Horizons 2024 is an international congress that will bring thousands of scientists from across the globe to Melbourne to discuss ground-breaking advances in this field.

Students, their parents, and their teachers are invited to join an exclusive behind-the-scenes Congress Tour where you will have the chance to meet scientists in the field and explore the exhibition hall to learn about cutting-edge technologies that are driving innovation.

You are also invited to a special Public Lecture featuring three internationally recognised molecular scientists. You will learn about their career path and research interests and see where a career in science can take you!

See the attached flyer for more details.

To express your interest in the Congress Tour go to:

https://gtac.edu.au/biomolecular2024/

To register to attend the Public Lecture go to: https://BiomolecularHorizons.eventbrite.com.au

Mission to Mars Excursion – Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC)

Students enjoyed the day at the Victorian Space Science Education Center (VSSEC) exploring Mars and the possibilities for life on our nearest planetary neighbour.

Brice Grosberg, Mathematics and Science Teacher

Elevate Scholarships to study STEM at an Australian University

 The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) currently has scholarships open for women and non-binary people who plan to study STEM at either an undergraduate or at a postgraduate research level at an Australian University, commencing in 2025! Elevate aims to address gender inequities in STEM, with scholars receiving a scholarship, access to events and networking, mentoring and wellbeing support during scholars’ university studies. Prospective students can apply here before Friday 30 August 2024.

Applicants are required to meet three eligibility criteria: 

• Identify as a woman or non-binary person 

• Be enrolling as a domestic student at an Australian University 

• Be planning to undertake a STEM degree or higher studies to improve business acumen, commencing in 2025.  

There are two upcoming online information sessions for prospective applicants: Tuesday 9th July from 12:30pm – 2:00pm (AEST) for undergraduate students, and Wednesday 10th July from 12:30pm – 2:00pm (AEST) for postgraduate and leadership scholarship applicants. The two sessions will help prospective applicants understand the program’s offerings and how to apply to the program. Both events will be accessible, with live captions and an Auslan interpreter. For more information and registration for these sessions, please visit: atse.org.au/events/elevate-boosting-women-in-stem-scholarship-program-student-information-session/.

ATSE is committed to providing inclusive and equitable access to all potential applicants. If for any reason an applicant is unable to submit written responses to the questions in this application form, ATSE will also accept alternative modes of submission. To discuss your options for alternative modes of submission, please contact ATSE at elevate@atse.org.au or call 02 6185 3240.

For more information, visit: https://atse.org.au/elevate/. For any questions, please reach out to the Elevate team at elevate@atse.org.au

Arts and Technology

Food Studies

Masterchef was an amazing experience, and is highly recommended by me and my peers. During Masterchef we were able to create an outstanding amount of dishes, all of which have made me feel exhilarated while being made. We have learned about sustainability, and how it can affect the way we cook. And have done a deep dive into the world’s cuisine. For my third Masterchef MAT, I decided to study Welsh cuisine because I’m Welsh, and that was probably the best MATs I’ve ever done. We had to create a presentation about that country, and then make one of their traditional foods. I made Welsh cakes as they remind me of my great grandmother. It was extremely exciting to make, and we all left with a sense of achievement. But overall my time in the MAC kitchen was truly an amazing time, and I was very sad to leave. But I’m hoping that I’ll be able to be back there in 2025!

Lucy Barbour, Entry

Photography

Students will experiment with creating collages both manually and digitally to create their final artwork. Students learn about different contemporary photographers who use collage and test out similar techniques. Students shot their own photos and then used this in their practical outcomes.

Nicole Beran, Visual Arts and Fashion Teacher

Pre-VCE Art

In the Creative Art Practice pre-VCE program, students delved into the art forms of painting and printmaking. They created unique artworks that reflected their personal projects, allowing them to express their individual visions and hone their artistic skills.

Nicole Beran, Visual Arts and Fashion Teacher

Art Attack

This unit focused on creating personal projects, allowing students to design and explore themes they were passionate about. They selected a medium to work with and experimented to enhance their skills further.

Students broadened their skills and knowledge by engaging with and responding to the creative practices of other artists. They learnt about and strengthened their understanding of art analysis, culminating in the creation of a homage piece inspired by selected contemporary artists.

Nicole Beran, Visual Arts and Fashion Teacher

Student Wellbeing

Pride Group: Rainbow Wall

A small but super friendly group of LGBTQIA+ & Allies meet in the Wellbeing Hub during lunchtimes each Thursday. For IDAHOBIT day on 17th May, students and staff contributed positive messages to our Rainbow Wall to show our support for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. All of our students deserve to feel safe and embraced at school, including our LGBTIQA+ students. Mount Alexander College is committed to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all. #InclusionMatters

A big thank you to Mr Grosberg for all of his support with initially starting up and supporting Pride group during his time at Mount Alexander College.

Resources available to support LGBTQIA+ students and their families include:

Minus 18: https://www.minus18.org.au

Headspace: https://headspace.org.au/

Kidshelpline: 1800 551 800

Rainbow Door 1800 729 367

QLife: 1800 184 527

Transcend https://transcend.org.au

Enjoy the holiday break! See you all in Term 3.

Sandra Harvey, Wellbeing Team

SchoolTV

SchoolTV is an online resource designed to empower parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies. You can access SchoolTV by either clicking the SchoolTV icon on the home page or this link.

In this edition of SchoolTV – Smokeless Tobacco Products

The evolving nicotine landscape requires parents and caregivers to stay informed to protect young people from these emerging threats. Snus and nicotine pouches are gaining popularity among young people as smokeless tobacco (SLT) products. Both products are discreetly placed under the upper lip, allowing nicotine absorption through the gums.

Health authorities are urging proactive measures to curb this growing trend and calling on regulators to implement controls before these products become as widespread as vapes. The high nicotine levels in these products pose serious health risks, including nicotine addiction, cardiovascular disease, gum disease, tooth decay, and even nicotine poisoning. Researchers highlight the detrimental effects of nicotine on developing brains, linking its use to depression, anxiety, ADHD symptoms, and an increased risk of addiction to other drugs.

The marketing of snus and nicotine pouches targets young audiences through social media influencers, raising concerns about their increasing popularity among school students. And like vapes, they come in various flavours and strengths, with unregulated nicotine levels leading to inconsistent and misleading labelling.  It is clear that SLT products contain not only nicotine, but also other chemicals with unknown long-term effects.

This Special Report will help you become aware of the potential risks of smokeless tobacco products and guide you in age-appropriate discussions with your child.

Click here for the Smokeless Tobacco Products edition of SchoolTV.

Resource Centre

Staff and students can use the Library Catalogue (login using the Single Sign On with your school email address and password) from school and from home. It’s a great way to see what books are on offer in the library and to reserve a book that you’ve been looking forward to reading.

A friendly reminder to anyone who has overdue books to please return them to the Resource Centre. Bringing books back by their due date ensures that everyone is able to enjoy our collection.

Do you know we have ebooks and audiobooks?

The Eplatform has over 2500 ebooks and audiobooks that you can read or listen to with new books being added every day. You can access it by downloading the app on your device and signing in with your school details in the Single Sign On (SSO). Find out more here: mountalexandercollege.wheelers.co

Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is in full swing at Mount Alexander College. The PRC application offers a range of exciting features including:

• access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
• a modern user-friendly interface
• rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
• the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review.

The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 8 September 2024.

Students from Year 7 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.

All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.

To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge

Remember

Students were given a physical copy of their login details during Mentoring. If a student needs to get these details again, they can contact Carla Iannarella in the Resource Centre.

To log in, visit the PRC website. Click the sign in button below ‘School Coordinator or Student’ and select ‘VPRC login’. Insert your login details.

We have already seen an enthusiastic response from students, but please note that 10 out of the 15 books read must be from the Challenge list. You can access this list on the VPRC website here.

Students can also find books on the Challenge list in our school Library Catalogue in the Quick Lists. There is a list for Years 7 and 8 and Years 9 and 10.

Carla Iannarella, Resource Centre, Communications and Marketing Manager

Community News and Advertising

We advertise and support local organisations that reside in our catchment area. These suburbs include Flemington, Kensington, Ascot Vale, Moonee Ponds, Maribyrnong, West Brunswick, North Melbourne, and Parkville.