Principal’s Update | April, 2024
Welcome to the April edition of our school newsletter. We trust that students and staff have had a relaxing break and have returned to school ready to immerse themselves in the vibrant life of learning and leadership and engaging in the full range of co-curricular activities on offer.
House Music.
We concluded Term 1 with the fabulous House Music Competition. The level of participation, enthusiasm, creativity, and formal and informal leadership was outstanding – from the solo performances through to the large group choral performances. I thank everyone who was involved for joining in with incredible House spirit. A big thank you to our Music Captains, Christine and Alex, and our wonderful our House Captains. It was a lovely way to finish the Term, demonstrating our values of community, growth and responsibility. Congratulations to the Naiads, who took out the trophy on the day.
Shinwa Girls’ High School Exchange.
We also finished the Term farewelling our guests from Shinwa Girls’ High School. The 17th Annual Exchange with Shinwa was another huge success, with strong friendships and the development of cultural and language understanding. The school received a beautiful gift of hand painted representations of our four school values in hiragana from the Shinwa delegation. These are now hung in the main hallway of the school.
We thank our students and their families, and our staff for their commitment to making this such a memorable and rewarding experience for our Japanese students. In particular, we thank Shungo Sawaki for his hard work, and Mirela Matthews and Sue Surmano for their contributions. These teachers will spend three weeks in Japan in June with a group of our students, who will enjoy reconnecting with their exchange ‘sisters’ and extending their language and cultural development.
Annual Report.
On Tuesday, March 26th, we held our Annual Report to the school community, where the 2023 Annual Report was presented and ratified by the School Council. The 2023 Annual Report will soon be published on our website. We discussed the continued high level academic success of our students, the improvements in wellbeing indicators, the outcome of our four-year school review, and the focus of our continued development. Unsurprisingly, the focus remains on continued growth for all students in academic achievement, their sense of wellbeing, and, crucially, of their agency in the learning process.
New School Council.
We also held the Annual General Meeting of the School Council on March 26th, and I can now announce the composition of the Council, and our new School Council President: Anand Agarwal. We look forward to his leadership and guidance. We thank and extend our sincere gratitude to the work of outgoing School Council President, Richard Chan, who has worked tirelessly to support the school during his time as President.
Connect Boards.
I also had the pleasure of pouring over all of this year’s Connect Boards during the last week of Term 1 to identify the 2024 winners. Each year, every Connect Class decide on their name and identity for the year, and sets about collaborating to creatively decorate a pinboard in their classroom that best represents their identity. We then have a friendly competition, judged by me to determine the best boards at each Year level. The sense of fun and excitement around this relatively simple activity is always highly amusing. I was very impressed by the sense of community, the creativity, and the commitment shown to deliver a board by the due date.
Congratulations to:
Year 9L - “Little Miss”
Year 10J - “Jolimont Station”
Year 11J – “Jesse James”
Year 12G – “Get Ready with Me Portal”
I am sure you will enjoy reading through the rest of the newsletter, which catalogues the significant events and achievements of our students and staff throughout the latter half of Term 1. I thank everyone for their significant positive contributions to a very enjoyable and successful Term, and wish everyone the best for Term 2.
Sue Harrap | Principal
The Mac.Rob Learner Model.
In Term 1, we were excited to begin working with our school community on the development of a school-wide learner model.
The Mac.Rob Learner Model will be a document that helps our community align our understanding of what learning is and how it takes place. This model will be informed by evidence based research and community consultation.
To help us develop the Learner Model, we have been conducting a series of focus groups and surveys with staff and students to gain an understanding of what our community thinks good learning looks like. Our staff have also engaged in academic readings and workshops that have explored the neuroscience behind learning and how this can influence our teaching practice.
We hope that, once developed, the Learner Model will be used by students to give them more agency in learning, by teachers to inform their practice and help empower students, and by parents to inform their support of their children’s education.
We know that there is an essential link between wellbeing and learning and we also hope to embed this understanding into the learner model as it is developed.
We will extend our focus groups to our parent community in Term 2 and look forward to hearing the valuable insights into how parents feel their children learn best. We hope to have written the first iteration of the learner model principles and strategies by the end of Term 2 and begin to introduce it to our school community in Semester 2. It has been exciting to start our work on developing this model and we look forward to seeing it develop and influence our school community.
Sam Crockett | Assistant Principal
I.B. Diploma @ Mac.Rob.
Mac.Rob is thrilled to announce that Expressions of Interest for the I.B. Diploma Programme in 2025 are now open!
The I.B. programme encourages students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. The I.B. Diploma Programme (DP) is offered at Mac.Rob as an alternate course of study to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). Students who elect to enrol in the I.B. Diploma at Mac.Rob complete the I.B. programme in Years 11 and 12 instead of the VCE.
Year 10 students who wish to be considered for Year 1 enrolment in the I.B. Diploma for 2025 are required to submit an expression of interest form. Submitting this form indicates to us that you are considering enrolling in the Diploma, and will assist the I.B.
If students or families have any questions about the I.B. Diploma or the enrolment process, please contact Mr. Shungo Sawaki, the I.B. Coordinator, or Ms. Shreya Rowe, the I.B. Administrator. More information is also available on the Student and Family Portal I.B. homepages pages, which can be reached through Compass.
Shungo Sawaki | I.B. Coordinator
Student Highlights.
VCE AME Top Arts Excursion.
In Art Making and Exhibiting (AME), students use their creativity to create art and explore diverse materials and techniques.It prompts students to be curious and learn as much as they can, share their own ideas and visual messages communicated through their artworks. Recently the AME students attended the Top Arts 2024 at the NGV
Not only did we get to see how their artworks were presented, we got to view a presentation by the Top Arts curator, who guided us through the selection process, exhibition design and themes of the exhibition. We were able to personally view the visual arts journals and get a glimpse at the materials, techniques and processes. We also viewed exhibition spaces and studios of the Melbourne CBD.
Overall a great eye-opening and inspiring experience!
Pictured below VCE AME students in Hosier Lane and at the Nicholas Building
We also were lucky to have VCE AME 2023 Macrob student Sharissa Pak share her tips on a successful Art Making Journey.
Rosey L (Year 12)
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Mac.Rob International Ball.
On the evening of March 16th, the St Kilda Town Hall sparkled with the vibrant energy of cultural celebration as it hosts “The Mac.Rob International Ball.” This spectacular event, a collaboration between the Port Phillip Rotary, Mac.Rob Interact Club, and the dedicated efforts of the Parents Association, was a testament to the spirit of unity and diversity.
Guests were treated to an array of student performances by Ann Philip, Molly Sharma, Dumini Manikku Wadu, Sara Kumar, Cici Zhuo and Evelyn Lam with a violin recital, a flute recital and Bollywood dancers, that showcased the rich tapestry of talent within Mac.Rob community. The MCs for the evening were the Interact co-presidents, Chloe and Kai Xunn. They were outstanding.
The dance floor came alive to the beats of the DJ, uniting attendees in joyful celebration. Delectable food offerings ensured that culinary delights from around the world were savoured and enjoyed by all.
One of the highlights of the evening was undoubtedly the photo booth and the prize giveaways, with attendees eagerly vying for the chance to win some truly magnificent prizes. The generosity of sponsors and organizers made sure that every winner left with a smile and cherished memories of the event.
After a pause of five years, The International Ball was a huge success. It was not just a celebration; it was a testament to the strength of community spirit and the power of collaboration. As the night ended, hearts were full, and memories were made, leaving everyone eagerly anticipating the next opportunity to come together in celebration of diversity and unity.
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Beachside Swimming.
On Tuesday, March 5th, twelve swimmers from Mac.Rob (Megan V, Linh V, Ria M, Olivia T, Ivy L, Yeju L, Ashveen K, Jowdy M, Cassandra N, Tiffany H, Katherine P and Valencia H), along with Ms. Power and Ms. Kutrolli, made their way to Oakleigh Recreation Centre to compete in the Beachside Swimming Division Competition.
The weather was a perfect day for swimming and everyone was excited and determined to do their best. The Mac.Rob school spirit was really displayed throughout the day with cheering and support from one another, especially during the relays, where Mac.Rob came first in all the relays we competed in!
Congratulations to the girls 18-20 year old 4x50m freestyle relay who broke the Beachside Division record by 2 seconds!
Thank you for all the helpers and well done to everyone who competed. A big congratulations to the swimmers who made it through to regionals. All the best!
Jowdy M (Year 10)
The Mac.Rob Portrait Gallery Induction 2024
Friends, families, and the wider community of Mac.Rob are warmly invited to join us for the 2024 induction ceremony of the Portrait Gallery, which honours outstanding Mac.Rob alumni.
Mac.Rob's Portrait Gallery is a growing collection of past students who have excelled in their field. This initiative was introduced in 2008 to honour our alumnae and inspire our students - to allow them to demonstrate that they can and will have the big lives they aspire to. Members of the Mac.Rob community - including students, families, and staff - are warmly invited to attend this induction of new portraits to the gallery, and to meet with inductees, Foundation members, and representatives of Mac.Rob's alumni association, the Palladians.
MAC.ROB PORTRAIT GALLERY INDUCTION | 2024
When: Thursday, May 2nd | 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Where: The Mac.Rob Hall, Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School
Tickets: Complimentary, but RSVP is essential to assist us with catering.
Support Mac.Rob.
As our historic campus nears its centenary, we are constantly seeking ways to ensure Mac.Rob’s learning environment enhances the learning and experiences of our students. As educators, we want to provide facilities that match the capabilities of our students. We are continually challenged by the costs of modernising and improving our ageing buildings and grounds. The heritage listing of the school leads to significantly higher costs than other schools.
To assist us with addressing this challenge, our School Council has formed a Buildings and Grounds Sub-Committee, focused on further enhancing the school environment to meet student needs.
We are starting with a small number of achievable targets for funds raised as part of the Building and Library Funds:
The new Library has more shelves than previously expected, and unused space that could be used for more study desks. We plan to use money raised in the Library Fund to expand the book collection to fill the empty shelves, and purchase more study desks so that more students have a quiet place to concentrate.
Inclement weather is a problem at Mac.Rob, as our beautiful gardens have few places for students to keep out of the sun and rain. We plan to use the money raised so far this year by the Building Fund (along with a co-contribution from the Parents’ Association) to upgrade the outdoor areas to provide more seating and shade to students.
Our new LRC study area has ample room for more resources and study spaces to provide a better learning environment for our students.
Our historic grounds, including our new buildings, don’t provide students with many sheltered areas to sit and learn during wet or hot weather.
To donate to either of our Building or Library Funds, please click the buttons below. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.