Principal’s Report

Dear MAC Community,

The second half of the term has been a busy and vibrant one, filled with many wonderful events — including a sold-out music concert, the impressive student-led MAC Market organised by our Year 12 Vocational Major students, a successful Whole School Athletics Carnival, and a variety of student-led fundraisers and activities, to name just a few.

As we come to the end of the term, I’m reminded of the many wonderful qualities that make Mount Alexander College such a special place. One of our greatest strengths is the strong sense of community and the positive relationships we share. The vibrant culture at MAC doesn’t happen by chance — it’s the result of consistent effort, care, and the everyday actions, words, and expectations we uphold together.

Lately, we’ve been reinforcing with students the importance of the small things that make a big difference: arriving on time to class, bringing the necessary materials, using devices appropriately, keeping phones and bags in lockers, wearing the correct uniform, following instructions, and speaking respectfully with staff and peers. These habits don’t just support individual success — they help shape a positive environment for everyone.

Upholding standards like punctuality, preparedness, and respectful behaviour isn’t about enforcing rules for their own sake. It’s about developing strong learning habits and helping our young people grow into kind, responsible, and confident adults.

As we move into a new semester, I encourage all of us to continue focusing on the little things that matter. Talk at home about the importance of good habits. Encourage your children to approach expectations with a sense of pride and positivity.

Finally, I would like to remind the community of the second-hand uniform shop that operates the first Monday of every month 3.30pm – 4.00pm and the uniform shop which operates Monday and Thursday from 3.00pm – 4.00pm. Families are encouraged to contact the college if they need support in purchasing uniform. At MAC we believe that wearing a uniform promotes respect, unity, and pride. Wearing the school uniform helps create a sense of belonging and increases student connection. It also helps foster a sense of responsibility and discipline; these are all traits that matter at school and in life.

Thank you for your ongoing support. I would like to wish the staff and students a restful break and look forward to another successful term ahead.

Dani Angelico, Principal

School Council Meeting – President’s Report

Dear School Community,

School Council met for the fourth time this year on 24 June. Five matters for your interest are as follows:

Solar Savings for a Better Education – donate today

MAC’s Solar PV Initiative is in its final tender stage, with fundraising now underway. A public click-to-donate page is live on the school website. Every $100 donated helps reduce our energy costs by ~$25 per year—delivering $750 in savings over 30 years, indexed to electricity prices. Your support will bring lasting educational, environmental, and financial benefits to many generations of students.

Grounds master plan renewal underway

School Council has approved Kosloff Architects to fully renew the 2019 Grounds Master Plan, focusing on recreation and outdoor space to meet student growth and recent campus changes. Kosloff previously designed the school’s award-winning arts, science, and performance facilities, including the outdoor amphitheatre.

State Government school funding

School Council is concerned about the Victorian Government’s delay in fully funding public schools and will be writing to our local MP, Danny Pearson, and the Education Minister, Ben Carroll, to express the need for urgent action. We encourage all parents and carers to do the same. Refer to local media and AEU general advice.

PFA Fundraising organising

The PFA will be seeking volunteers for a Bunnings BBQ fundraiser supporting the school’s upcoming production of Mamma Mia!, with raffle prizes and other activities under discussion. Plans are also underway for a future social night, with details to be confirmed. You can keep abreast of PFA activities by joining the MAC Parents and Friends group on Facebook. Please stay tuned and get involved!

Student fundraising – success! 

The School Council extends its sincere thanks to the student leaders for their outstanding fundraising efforts. Through events like the Athletics Day bake sale and the Big Pour challenge, students raised vital funds for Doctors Without Borders and Fight MND. These contributions reflect a strong commitment to global health and community wellbeing—well done to all involved!

The next School Council meeting is on 18 August. Community attendance as guest-observers is always welcomed (except for any closed agenda items, which are rare). Please let the School know in advance if you would like to attend. 

For more information about the School Council, including membership, subcommittees, meeting dates and documents, see the School’s website here.

 Yours sincerely, 

Peter Hormann – School Council President 2025

School Saving Bonus – Update

The parent/carer online system closed at 11.59pm on Monday 30 June 2025.  Any funds remaining, including online voucher amounts that have not been redeemed, will become a school activities credit. 

The activities credit will be available on family accounts in late July or early August 2025. 

Please contact the General Office if you have any questions.

Peace Pole Ceremony

Recently, the Flemington-Kensington Rotary Club donated two peace poles at Mount Alexander College. These poles represent the need for peace, unity, and courage in times of uncertainty, while also highlighting the relationship between MAC and the Flemington/Kensington Community.

On 18 June, we held a ceremony attended by student leaders at MAC, representatives from the Flemington-Kensington Rotary Club, and the Mayor of Moonee Valley. We heard the stories of many speakers who highlighted the importance of striving for peace in a sometimes volatile world.

MAC Student Leadership Team

End of Semester 1 Music Concert

The end of semester soiree showcased the incredible talent here at MAC with performances from both the VCE class and younger year levels, along with MAC’s ‘Hypersonics’ and new string ensemble.

It was amazing to see so many more families and friends come out to support performers and it’s been so exciting to see the MAC music community continue to grow with each soiree night. To everyone that performed, you all did amazingly. I couldn’t have been prouder to share the stage with you all and can’t wait for the next one!

Hypersonics Performance

VM MAC Market Day

The MAC Market was held by the year 12 VM class, and there were a lot of activities and goods on offer such as a bake sale, 3v3 basketball, Buko Pandan drinks, bag customisation and a BBQ. Surprisingly, the our expectations were exceeded, since we had anticipated between 50 and 75 students to participate and make purchases during the day. However, students from all school levels came together to create a vibrant, community-building event that many had never seen before.  

Muhammad Ali, Graduate of 2025

Vocational Major Intergenerational Lunch Event – 1 July

Unit 1 Vocational Major students prepared two dishes for Ormond Street Kensington tenants in the last week of term. In partnership with Unison housing and Kensington Neighbourhood House, students served their prepared dishes to more than 40 guests and received positive feedback on their cooking skills, maturity and interaction with elder community members.

Above Entry 9 MACtive Aged Care Visit

Students visited the Mecwacare Gregory Lodge, residential aged care facility to experience the positive benefits of an intergenerational program. Students worked in small groups to develop activities to run with the residents. 

Students met with the residents and helped facilitate and run floral bingo, Q+A discussing life as a 14 year old vs now and enjoyed teaching the residents how to create a black out poetry, paint with watercolours, enjoy a game of chess and play musical instruments for the residents. 

‘I enjoyed playing bingo – everyone was interested in playing which really warmed my heart. I was very happy to play bingo with them, and I also enjoyed when Emily played the piano because it lightened the atmosphere.’

‘I played chess with a lovely lady, and she told me that I was a good player. Hearing that made me feel really good about myself. She was also a really good strategist player.’

Above Entry 9 student responses

 Australian eSports League

Mount Alexander College students Simeon Baker, Alexander Rolfe, Will Barelle-Scott, Angus Schindler, and Declan King win 1st place in AEL Minecraft CTF tournament.

Acrobatic Gymnastics

Limes Juniors Cup, Aalen, Germany (19 – 21 June, 2025) AND Rzeszow International Acro Cup, Rzeszow, Poland (27 – 29 June, 2025)

Congratulations to Above Entry 10 student Keziah Binnie and her teammates Allura Presti and Isabel Bainbridge of ‘Team Adrenalin’. They placed 2nd in Germany and 4th in Poland in the 12-18 Women’s Group during the 2025 Acro International Championships.

Languages and Humanities

Year 11 Accounting KFC Excursion

During the excursion, we explored how a business like KFC uses their assets to create revenue and serve customers. As we enjoyed our meals, we were able to utilise our knowledge to identify and grasp the different types of assets. This allowed us to better understand how KFC operates, and the types of debts and liabilities of the business. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate and apply our classroom knowledge to real world business financial management.

Ren Nguyen, Graduate of 2026

For accounting, our class went to the local KFC to learn about real-world examples of accounting and how it can be used in businesses. It was a good excursion and gave us a nice break from the business of school while still being educational. I had a great time talking with Sir (Mr Alderuccio) and my friends, and it further aided my confidence and understanding in accounting.

Harper Steinhardt, Graduate of 2026

 Year 12 Business Management Yakult Excursion

For year 12 business class we went to the Yakult Manufacturing Plant in Dandenong for an excursion to learn about Operations Management in action. We went through the factory, learning how each step in the production process led to the final product through different Operations Management Strategies that we learned in class. It was very interesting to see how what we had learned could be applied to the real world where it can help the business to work towards their business goals and objectives.

We were able to have a delicious sample of Yakult. It was a great experience and I’m thankful to Mr Alderuccio and Mr Conboy for organising.

Thomas Hormann, Graduate of 2025

Japanese and Chinese

MAC students embraced creativity to present their writing using a newly learned language. They will like to celebrate with you for their effort in writing in target languages.

Japanese students
Beginner group: self-introduction about themselves & family & pets
Intermediate group: Introduced themselves & family hobbies & likes & dislikes
Advanced group: Introduced their hobbies and skills at sports with more sophisticated language structure and Kanji

Chinese students
Second language learning group: Letter writing to pen pal
First Language group : Family, hobbies & friendship writing

Joseph Alderuccio & Ching Chan, Languages and Humanities Department

Semester 1 Chinese Writing

Semester 1 MAT Japanese Writing

Arts and Technology

Art and Textiles

Co-Create Art Installation

As part of their recent art project, students explored how artists from different times and cultures have represented key themes such as Identity and Belonging, Nature and the Sacred, Power, Rituals and Everyday Life, and Movement and Migration.

In small collaborative groups, students researched a chosen theme, analysed artist styles and art movements, and then worked together to design and create a group installation artwork. These final pieces showcased not only their understanding of artistic conventions but also their ability to communicate complex ideas through visual language.

Nicole Beran, Visual Arts and Fashion Teacher

Re-Use, Re-cycle, Re-Purpose

This project focused on ethical fashion practices by re-using, re-cycling, and repurposing garments. Students created a new piece of wearable art from recycled garments, emphasising sustainability and creative problem-solving. promoting critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and the exploration of sustainable design processes.
Students explored surface painting techniques, embroidery, machine stitching, patchwork and beading.

Nicole Beran, Visual Arts and Fashion Teacher

Ceramics Room News with Miss Matiszig

An interview with Leo Francis 

“What made you start modelling animals, Leo?”

“My first animal was a tiger, I don’t really know why it just popped into my head. So I thought I might try that.” 

“What did you do next?” 

“Well I searched up images and looked for the right one so I could know how they were shaped. Then I started sculpting and it turns out I was good at it.” 

“How did you know you were going to be able to do it? Have you modelled much before?”

“I didn’t, it just turned out that I was good at it.” 

“You’ve created quite a range of animals now Leo, so far you’ve also made a lion, a chimpanzee, a wolf, a giraffe and a crocodile. Do you think you’re going to make a whole zoo?” 

“I don’t know, maybe.” 

“How do you know what animal to do next?” 

“I don’t know, I just think of them and then I work out what to do next based on the time left.” 

“You’ve proven to be a pretty stellar designer and you’re good at drawing, do you think you might want to continue focusing on making sculptures in the future?” 

“I’ll think about it.”

Masterchef

When I chose this elective I thought it would just be cooking, but it is a lot more than that. We learned how to read and interpret a recipe, we learned about the five food groups and what food we should and shouldn’t eat, we investigated foods of the future and most importantly we learned how to be a good food citizen.

And then of course, we learned how to cook. This included learning how to hold and use a knife properly, how to measure correctly, how to turn on the oven and many more useful life skills. The best part was being able to eat everything you had made and it always blew my mind how good everything was.

The teachers were super supportive and catered to any dietary needs. Just don’t forget a container or set the kitchen on fire and the teachers will love you. Overall I think this elective is one of the best (it is the only one I’ve done so I can’t compare it to others) and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves learning new things or loves to cook.

Matilda Lacey, Entry

Something sweet  from the Masterchef kitchen to finish term 2 – Deli style Choc chip biscuit Recipe  

Happy Cooking!

Have a great break,

Ms Webb Johnson and Ms Chester, Food Studies Teachers

Student Wellbeing

Keeping Kids Safe – Free, Practical Course for Parents/Carers/Guardians

Keeping Kids Safe (KKS) is a free, practical course for parents and caregivers of Year 7 and 8 students. It helps you support your children to build healthy, respectful relationships and prevent sexual violence before it happens.

Across four workshops, you’ll get practical tools, clear information, and the confidence to have open conversations with your kids about consent, relationships, and sex. Topics include:

• What consent really means
• How to have positive, age-appropriate chats
• How to respond if something happens
• How to model respect and equality at home

By learning together, families, schools, and communities can help young people grow up safe, respected, and valued.

When: Tuesdays — 19 & 26 August, 2 & 8 September, 6–8:30pm
Where: Mount Alexander College
Extras: Free catering, materials & door prizes

Register for the program here: https://whise.org.au/keeping-kids-safe/

For more information, please contact: Laura Riccardi <lriccardi@whise.org.au>

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 – Celebrating NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to recognise and learn more about the history and culture of Indigenous communities.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced back to the Aboriginal rights movement, when on Australia Day 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney to highlight the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Today, it is a week-long celebration held in July that consists of range of traditional and contemporary activities.

NAIDOC Week is an important event that helps build positive relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It enables a deeper understanding of our differences and similarities and is a great opportunity for all Australians to eliminate bias and discrimination by reflecting and reconciling the wrongs of the past to facilitate hope and build a fairer future. Families are encouraged to join in and support young people in learning the significance of NAIDOC Week.

This Special Report offers suggestions on how families can celebrate NAIDOC Week together. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Click HERE for the Celebrating NAIDOC Week 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

2025 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 5 September 2025.

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.

Insight Creative Writing Competition

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.