Principal’s Update | July, 2025
Principal’s Update.
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As Term 2 draws to a close there is much to celebrate. As you work your way through this edition of the Newsletter, I encourage you to reflect with gratitude on the depth and quality of experiences our students participate in; they do so with enthusiasm, engagement and commitment to each other and the school. We are so appreciative of the attitude and engagement of both our students and our staff.
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Premier’s Awards.
Each year the Premier of Victoria hosts an awards ceremony, recognising top performing students for their outstanding academic achievements in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). It is a significant achievement to be recognised at this event. The awards ceremony was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on July 2 2025, to recognise the achievements of 2024 VCE students.
I am delighted to announce that Mac.Rob had 10 students recognised:
Akshaya Karthikeyan was awarded a Top All-Round VCE Achiever. The Top-All Round VCE High Achievers Award recognises students who have achieved study scores of 46 or higher in at least five VCE studies in the most recent academic year and the previous years.
Harshitha Meenakshisundaram - for History Revolutions and Legal Studies
Dishika Ghosh - for Biology (current Year 12)
Srikriti Sheri - for Economics (current Year 12)
Abigail Martinez - for Indonesian Second Language (current Year 12)
Rithika Ramesh - for General Mathematics
Ananya Pradhan - for Media
Aimeely Ta - for Psychology (current Year 12)
Advika Bhatnagar - for Psychology
Gaeun (Elina) Heo - for Korean Second Language (undertaken externally) (current Year 12)
Congratulations to all students and to the staff of these subjects.
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High Level Sporting Achievements.
There have been several students who have been selected by School Sport Victoria to represent the State. Congratulations to:
Emmy W who has been selected to be part of the U15 Girls Hockey team.
Weylen T has been selected for Swimming.
Jo-Lynn L, who on April 30th, competed to represent Mac.Rob at the School Sports Victoria Diving Championships at MSAC. She won Gold for the Regional competition and Bronze for the subsequent State championships. Earlier in the year, Jo-Lynn qualified to compete and represent Team Victoria in the 2025 Australian Age Nationals Diving Championships. The championship was held on April 15-20 on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
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Melbourne Design Week: Design Technology Textiles Classes represented.
Congratulations to our Year 9 and 10 students and their teacher, Deborah Cordingley. Deb led the students to design new products through recycling and upcycling fabrics. The exhibition was open to the public from May 21–25 at the Fishermans Bend Circular Design Collective.
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Publication of a research article: MacKenzie L.
A hugh congratulations to MacKenzie who has had a research paper she wrote accepted for publication in two international science journals: The Young Scientist (run by Vanderbilt University, USA) and the Journal of Research High School. Both are selective, peer-reviewed platforms for student-led research.
MacKenzie’s paper came out of a biomechanics research project she was invited to join after receiving a scholarship. She worked under the mentorship of professors from the University of Chicago on a project exploring how the jaw and tongue move together during feeding in rats. The core aim was to understand how these structures coordinate — a crucial question, as rats are often used as models in medical research for human jaw conditions, especially temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
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Mac.Rob Foundation.
The Mac.Rob Foundation is a philanthropic body, established to enable education and advancement of young women and gender diverse young people in Victoria, Australia. The Foundation offers support to students by providing scholarships and bursaries, leading to educational opportunity and enhanced tertiary pathways.
It offers scholarships and bursaries across the student life cycle, starting at Year 9 with, Starting School Bursaries, then offering a variety of scholarships and bursaries throughout Years 10-12, continuing on with Starting Tertiary Studies Bursaries and then Graduate and Postgraduate Bursaries. Please refer to the 2025 Grants Calendar for more information.
The next round of bursaries on offer, which open on 8 September, 2025
Helen Turner Bursary, for Year 9, 10, 11s ($1500)
Starting Tertiary Bursaries for Year 12s ($800) which are designed to support Year 12s transition to university next year.
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House Drama.
On Thursday, June 26th, our school celebrated House spirit with the annual House Drama competition. Each year our four houses write, direct and act out four plays as part of the House Cup program. House Drama provides opportunities for student leadership and agency at multiple levels. Our students’ commitment to lunchtime rehearsals, creating streamlined props and effects and collaboration is truly phenomenal.
Thank you and congratulations to all of those involved. It was a lovely evening event, with parents, ex-students, staff and current students all enthralled by the performances, as well as a significant audience at home on the live stream. In particular, we thank our esteemed judge, Ms Natasha Herbert, our wonderful productions leader, Mr Edgar Wegner, and our House Leaders - Ms Jane Lewis, Mr Tim Davis, Ms Rochelle Day and Mr Robert Tran.
The quality of performances was amazing, demonstrating creativity, thoughtfulness, social commentary, humour, collaboration and tremendous acting, stage craft and directing.
The winners were the Oreads, with their piece called ‘Heaven Corporation’. Congratulations to Directors and Writers: Calina Shao, Isabel Baron Gonzaga, Riya Dhariwal and Anoshua Parizat, and congratulations to the best actor, Aadhya Shetty.
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Course Information and Selection for 2026.
It is hard to believe, but we are already well into beginning plans for 2026. Throughout the last part of Term 2 our Year 9s and 10s, in particular, have been exploring subjects and guidelines in readiness for making subject selections for next year. To a lesser extent, so to have our Year 11s, but their pathways are already fairly well planned and really require some minor tweaks.
There are a couple of key messages we want all students and families to take away from these preparatory activities:
Know what is on offer and the process and timeline for selection
Ignore subjects that scale up - do what you find interesting and then you will do well
Don’t try to rush to the finish line - one accelerated subject is great for students to complete, but two can often compromise the dedication and attention towards the subjects of your current year level. Only do two accelerated subjects if you can dedicate yourself to all of the subjects.
Choose the subjects you want to study, not the ones you think will run.
There is lots of information on the Family Portal in the Curriculum section for both students and parents.
The next big day is Thursday, July 24th, where each Year 9 and 10, and the Year 11s who need it, will have a Course Conversation appointment online with a staff member to help guide them through their selections.
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Student Reports.
As the semester closes each of our students will receive a semester report. We encourage students and parents/carers to access these online on Compass. The feedback on our reports is advice for future growth and development, rather than being a retrospective look at what they studied. Teachers take a lot of time to complete the reports and provide feedback to help our students continue to grow.
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Holidays - time to rest and relax.
We encourage both staff and students to take a break over the holidays. It is important to take time away from study and work, to socialise and have fun, to relax and unwind. This is really important for our Year 12s, who will be busy with revision in the next school holidays. This is the last opportunity for them to have an extended break. Please make the most of it.
When we take time away from our study or work, we return to it with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.
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Thank you.
Thank you to the whole school community for the many contributions you have made to another successful term at Mac.Rob. We look forward to returning in Term 3 for more learning, connection and fun, including hosting Adelaide High School in our Annual Prefects Cup competition.
Kind regards,
Sue Harrap | Principal
EOFY Fundraising Reflection.
On behalf of the Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, we would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to our end-of-financial-year (EOFY) campaign in support of our next major school-funded building project — the conversion of a classroom into a new Science Laboratory. Thanks to your generosity, we have raised $32,603, which will go directly towards the cost of this exciting project.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the families who have contributed to the Building and Library Funds through Parent Payments via Compass this semester.
Your continued support is truly appreciated. These contributions will help fund future building upgrades, and we look forward to sharing more about these plans once the Science Lab renovation is complete.
If you are in a position to donate, we warmly welcome and value contributions to the Building Fund.
We have a number of planned upgrades (pending funding) aimed at continually improving learning spaces for both current and future students — and we couldn’t do it without the incredible support of our school community.
Thank you once again for your contribution and the meaningful impact you are making on our school.
What’s On At Mac.Rob.
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Winter Concert | Monday, July 28th
Students, families, and friends of Mac.Rob and MHS are warmly invited to the annual Winter Concert on Monday, July 28th. Combining students of both Mac.Rob and Melbourne High School, the Winter Concert is the highlight of the musical year, and an outstanding showcase of the amazing talent across both schools. From Symphony Orchestras to Massed Choirs, Strings to Stage Bands, Symphonic Winds and Chamber Choirs - there's something here for everyone to enjoy, so don't miss out on this fantastic event!
Winter Concert
When: Monday, July 28th | 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Where: Hamer Hall, the Arts Centre Melbourne.
Tickets: $35 (Adult) / $25 (Conc.) / $100 (Family of 4)
Student Highlights.
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Diving - Australian Nationals, Regional & State Championships.
On April 30th, I represented Mac.Rob at the School Sports Victoria Diving Championships at MSAC. I won Gold for the Regional competition and Bronze for the subsequent State championships. It was overall a great experience and I was thrilled to be able to represent a select entry high school in diving.
Earlier in the year, I qualified in my home state and competed to represent Team Victoria in the 2025 Australian Age Nationals Diving Championships. The championship was held from April 15th-20th on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Diving outdoors was a unique experience and it was very exciting to be able to travel interstate to compete.
Jo-Lynn L (10H)
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SRC Week.
During Week 3 of Term 2, Mac.Rob was fired up and ready to go for SRC Week – a celebration of student voice.
Kicking off with Multicultural Monday, students wore traditional clothing, celebrating their cultural heritage and our vibrant diversity. From the Multicultural Parade to student performances, the energy cultivated a memory that will leave a legacy.
To keep the spirit going, Year Level Engagement Teams hosted lunchtime events to foster unity within cohorts. The Year 9s held ‘Mac.Rob’s Got Talent’, a lively showcase of creativity. Over in the Gym, Year 10s got active with ‘Toss, Tug, Trivia’. Meanwhile, Year 11s took a trip down memory lane with Childhood Games to escape a ‘Night at the Museum’.
On Thursday, we brought the cohorts (and teachers!) back together for the whole school SRC Game Show. Students battled teachers in Guess Who, What’s in the Box?, and Family Feud. In the end, students claimed victory.
To wrap up the week, the SAT Wellbeing Team hosted the Wellbeing Expo – a colourful celebration of mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. From karaoke and Just Dance to gratitude murals and beads with Headspace, there was something for everyone.
Khim O & Fizzy A | SRC Presidents
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Subject Expo.
On June 12th and 13th, SAT Classroom hosted the 2025 Subject Expo, a unique opportunity for students across the school to ask questions and learn about a variety of subjects on offer from teachers and student volunteers.
It was wonderful to see students having a platform to explore their interests — an opportunity for collaboration and open discussion between senior and junior students. Distinguishing between the three types of English and learning whether chemistry or biology is one’s jam, this helped students as the subject selection is fast approaching.
I hope that everyone received valuable insights from this experience that can help them in the subject selection process. For those who are interested in participating, opportunities will be available to you next year as well.
I would like to thank everyone including teachers, volunteers and the SAT Classroom team — contributing to the success of the Subject Expo!
Ayanna S (12D) | SAT Classroom Leader