MAC News 5 2025
Principal’s Report
Dear MAC Community,
What a busy and uplifting start we’ve had to Term 4! With just five weeks left, I’m so proud of the energy, creativity, and spirit shown by our students, staff, and families. Here are some of the wonderful moments we’ve shared so far:
Culture Week
We kicked off the term with a vibrant Culture Week. Student leaders did a fantastic job organising an assembly, traditional dress‑up, musical performances, a scavenger hunt, and trivia. The shared lunch was a highlight — thank you to all staff and parents who contributed.
Vocational Major Graduate Presentations
Our VM Graduates inspired us with heartfelt presentations about their journey in the Vocational Major Pathway. Held at the Djerring Flemington Hub, the event was well attended by family and friends. A big thank you to Tori Robinson Conlon and Julie Stephens for their guidance.
College Captain Assembly
Congratulations to Sienna Barrios-Seupule (AE10) and Elliot Mohummadally (AE10), elected as our 2026 College Captains! We also celebrate Ines Abood (Grad 11) and Seamus MacHale (AE9) as Vice Captains. Their leadership will be an exciting chapter for MAC.
Celebrating the Class of 2025
- Graduates Assembly: A joyful celebration hosted by Year 12 students — thank you to Julie Stephens and Duncan Hillier.
- Graduates Celebration Day: Fancy dress fun at Flemington and Kensington Bowls Club. Special thanks to Julie Stephens, Elizabeth Cassar, and Fiona Smith.
VCE Exams
Unit 3 and 4 exams began on 28 October with English and EAL. We wish all our students — including Graduates 11 — the very best as they continue their exams.
MAC Trivia Night
Our Trivia Night on 25 October was a huge success! Congratulations to the PFA, parent and student volunteers, and 2024 Graduate Lachlan Janeski, who was a wonderful MC. Thank you to everyone who donated, bid in the Silent Auction, and to our generous local businesses for their support.
Spring Arts Festival
Over 100 student works were proudly exhibited at the MAC Spring Arts Festival — a true showcase of talent and imagination. This event was a wonderful reflection of our community spirit — thank you to all staff and students for their tireless contribution
Year 12 Graduation
Our Year 12s have now completed their exams and are looking forward to the Graduation Cocktail Event and Awards Ceremony at the Clocktower in Moonee Ponds.
With five weeks left, we send our best wishes to the Above Entry 10 and Graduate 11 students as they continue their exams.
We are also excited for the events still to come:
- Whole School Awards Tuesday 25 November – a celebration of student achievement and leadership across all year levels.
- Orientation Week – welcoming our 2026 Entry students into our MAC community and helping them feel at home.
- End‑of‑Year Activities – some well‑deserved fun before the holiday for Entry and Above Entry 8-9 students.
Thank you to everyone — students, staff, and families — for making Term 4 such a memorable and community‑spirited time. Together, we’ve celebrated culture, creativity, achievement, and friendship.
Kind regards,
Dani Angelico, Principal
Uniform Updates
Starting in 2026, Victorian government schools will make uniforms more affordable by banning compulsory logos on certain items like shorts, pants, skirts, and socks, allowing families to buy cheaper generic alternatives.
- Policy Change: From 2026, school logos will no longer be required on uniform items from the waist down.
For MAC students this includes ONLY the PE uniform – sports shorts, skort and track pants.
- Affordable Alternatives: Parents will be able to purchase generic plain black PE clothing items from regular stores, significantly reducing expenses.
- Scope:
- Logos will still be permitted on items like jumpers, shirts, polo tops and jackets.
- There are no changes to the MAC grey pants and shorts, dresses and winter skirts
- Impact on Families: This change is expected to ease cost-of-living pressures by cutting back-to-school expenses, especially for families with multiple children.
- Government Position: Premier Jacinta Allan and Education Minister Ben Carroll emphasized that the reform is about fairness and reducing unnecessary financial strain.
You can download a reader compatible PDF copy of the Uniform Policy – Affordable Options here.
Administration Notices
Photographing, Filming & Recording of Students Policy
Annual Reminder
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.
If you have completed a form and would like to make changes, please complete the consent form and return it to the General Office in person or by email to mount.alexander.712@education.vic.gov.au
Parents/carers/guardians who are yet to complete a consent form will be contacted in the coming weeks. If a form is not returned, it will be assumed that students do not have media consent.
2026 Course Confirmation
Course Confirmation will go live on Monday 24 November 2025. Parents/Carers/Guardians will see the confirmed list of subjects their child will be undertaking in 2026. The Parent Payment Policy will be available along with the schedule of voluntary contributions.
After consulting with the Department of Education’s Policy & Advisory Library, the following agreements and policies are no longer required to be signed annually, however they are to be made available to students and their Parents/Carers/Guardians to read and understand. Click on the links below to view the documents:
- Student Agreement
- Mobile Phone Student Use Policy
- Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Acceptable Use Agreement
This year Parents/Carers/Guardians will provide consent to student attendance at local excursions through Compass. The event will also be available from Monday.
If you have any questions, please contact the school.
General Office Administration
MAC Trivia for Solar Night – A Huge Success!
You can download this report as a reader compatible PDF here.
On Saturday 25 October, Mount Alexander College was alive with laughter, friendly competition, and community spirit as families, friends, and staff came together for the annual Trivia Night hosted by MAC’s Parents and Friends Association (PFA).
Fundraising for a Brighter Future
This year’s event had a special purpose: raising funds to install 189 solar panels on the gym-hall roof. The tallied results have not yet been finalised quite yet, however we anticipate that it will be over $20,000 which will deliver >$160,000 of electricity savings over the 30-year lifetime of the solar panels! These awesome savings will go to improving the education outcomes of many generations of students.
Event Highlights
- The staring Trivia Newton John team took out the top prize, showing off their impressive general knowledge skills.
- The paper plane competition saw some creative engineering and enthusiastic launches. Mine crashed and burned.
- The darts contest was fiercely competitive, with the Canterbury Crew team leading from the start and securing victory with a very high score.
A huge thank You to Our Helpers
- PFA members: Sally for her tireless dedication and leadership, Aprilia for organizing the bar, and Kelly for the amazing silent auction. Also, all PFA members who helped set up and then pack-up the next day.
- School staff: Louise, Kate S, Dani, and others who gave their personal time to support the event.
- On the bar: Claire and Mason.
- Trivia masters: Lachlan (host – see photo) and Archie Martin (Quiz Wiz).
- Our Silent Auction Donors: As listed in the post script to this email – thank you for your generosity. Please support them in return!
- Everyone who attended – for their enthusiasm and fun (see photo below).
- Those who couldn’t attend but still donated or took part in the silent auction, your support is gratefully appreciated.
Trivia Fun!
The quiz kept everyone on their toes, with Quiz Wiz questions ranging from geography to pop culture and tech. Here are a few favourites from the night (answers down below):
- “In which state did Australia’s first international airport open?”
- “In what ocean is the Bermuda triangle located?”
- “In what year did One Direction release their last song?”
- “What has more caffeine; a shot of coffee or a can of coke?”
- “What delicious computer term did web browser programmer Lou Montulli coin, to refer to information sent from the browser to the web server?”
It’s not too late to Donate!
If you missed out or would like to support the solar project further, tax deductable donations can be made to the school’s Buildings and Grounds fund. To learn more about the solar initiative and donate visit MAC’s website:
https://www.mountalexandercollege.vic.edu.au/about-mac/solar-savings-for-a-better-education/ .
Thank you again to everyone who made the night a success. Here’s to a brighter, greener future for MAC!
Peter Hormann – MAC School Council President 2025
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Silent Auction Donors – thank you:
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Quiz favourite answers:
- NSW
- North Atlantic Ocean
- 2015
- A shot of espresso has significantly more caffeine than a can of Coke, with an average of about 60-100mg compared to around 46mg in a can of Coke.
- Cookie
Booklist Ordering
Student Wellbeing and Empowerment
Child Safe Standards
MAC is a Child Safe School. We have a commitment to uphold the Child Safe Standards and to embed a culture of child safety. Strategies that aim to prevent harm and neglect (including physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, racial and cultural or religious abuse) all contribute to a child safe culture. Therefore, it is essential that child safety is part of the everyday thinking and practice of all within our school community.
Protecting the safety and wellbeing of children at MAC is our priority. Families put their trust in the staff, volunteers and external providers to keep their children safe when they learn and play. We know students learn best when they feel they are in a safe and supportive environment.
One such environment is the online space. This Newsletter’s child safe standard focus is on standard 9 and creating a safe environment for all young people when in the online environment.
An effective way to protect your child is to be open and discuss what they are doing or accessing online. Regular smaller conversations will be much more effective than waiting or trying to provide all the information in one big conversation. Being open and regularly checking in with both positive and negative experiences and reminding them that they will not be in trouble for coming to you for help or assistance and you’ll help them recover if they make mistakes.
E-safety commission has provided some tips for communicating with your child around being safe online:
- The right to feel safe online, and to have a say in things like photos of them being taken and shared.
- The importance of consent in online situations. Children and young people can’t legally consent to sexual activity with adults.
- Who they can talk with about things that happen online, including sexual activity or relationships.
- ‘Red flags’ or warning signs that a situation online isn’t safe, including recognising online abuse. Unsafe situations can include being pressured to do things online or keep an online relationship a secret. You can also talk about body clues that we are feeling scared or uncomfortable.
- What to do if something is unsafe online, including knowing when and where to seek help. Let your child know that even if a person who makes them uncomfortable stops what they are doing or saying, they should still tell a trusted adult about what happened.
For further information regarding ways to support or advice for having conversations with your child around being safe online please visit Mount Alexander College website for School TV or E-safety commission. Additionally you can access Mount Alexander college Digital Learning Policy.
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions in relation to our child safe policies and practices, please contact Kate Stevanovic (Assistant Principal – Student Engagement, Inclusion & Wellbeing) or Clark Mitchell (Student Wellbeing Coordinator) or Dani Angelico (Principal).
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 – Social Media Regulations: What you need to know
From 10 December 2025, new laws will take effect in Australia to protect young people online by restricting access to social media for those under the age of 16. This important change reflects growing community concern about the impact of early social media use on children’s mental health, wellbeing and development.
Research shows that social media can expose children to unrealistic comparisons, online pressure and harmful content long before they are emotionally ready to manage it. While regulation is a positive step forward, real safety begins at home. Families continue to play the most powerful role in helping children build confidence, resilience and awareness in the digital world.
These new regulations provide an opportunity to talk openly with your child about their online experiences and what these changes mean for them. It’s also a chance to review family technology habits, reinforce healthy routines, and explore age-appropriate ways for young people to connect, learn and express themselves.
This Special Report explains what the new laws mean in practice and offers practical guidance to help families prepare for the upcoming changes.
Click HERE for the Social Media Regulations: What you need to know edition of SchoolTV.
Culture Week
Graduates of 2025 Assembly
Graduates of 2025 Celebration Day
Spring Festival
School for Student Leadership
Hear from a Gnurad Gundidj camp coordinator on how our students have been going so far:
“It was great to see Alina contributing confidently throughout the day. Josie jumped right in and was a positive contributor to all activities. Noah was helpful and contributed readily throughout the day. David is one of the Student Leaders today. His diligence and confidence is setting a great example for the community. Frances has settled in well and made good connections with her team over the day. Brodie has contributed well and has been a good role model of being authentic in how he approaches tasks.”
Community Garden
African Youth Conference
The African Youth Conference brought together 250 students aged 15–17 to discuss the importance of dreams, particularly for young people of colour. We also explored the vital role that resilience and opportunity play in helping young people achieve those dreams. It was a really fun experience being able to connect with others from other communities and sharing our stories with others.
Aisha Farah, Above Entry 10
Arts and Technology
Masterchef
Masterchef students make chocolate souffles
The bar has been set very high in Masterchef class this term making the very technical chocolate souffle. Well done students on another successful term. It is lovely to see the growth in skills and confidence.
TOP SOUFFLE TIPS
- Make sure eggs are at room temperature
- Collect all ingredients
- Measure accurately
“ The chocolate souffle was a fun dish to make. It had difficult parts like when we were adding in all the ingredients and trying not to scramble the egg yolks in the base and beating up the egg white and mixing it in. It was a delicious dessert and went perfectly with icing sugar and ice cream.” Josie Beer, Above Entry 8
Here is the recipe
PreVce and Grad 26 VCE Food Studies
In these few weeks before exams Pre VCE Food studies have been enjoying practical classes that are asking them to use all their skills learnt this year including pasta making! From measuring accurately to timing, these students will be sure to leave the Masterchef kitchen as confident cooks.
Have you ever wondered how some of your favourite food products have made it to supermarket shelves? The Unit 12 (Grad 26s) have been exploring the roles of food skills and the opportunities presented when food business transitions from small scale to commercial enterprises. Using the design process, Students were required to create a filled scroll that suited the requirements of their chosen brief. Students were able to deep dive into real problems food producers face such as costing of ingredients.
And that’s a wrap!
Our Unit 34 (Grad 25s) have completed their final examination this week! We wish them all the best as they head into the next chapter as great food citizens! Thank you to this group who worked hard all year.
Follow along out adventures on Instagram @macmasterchef
Happy Cooking!
Ms Chester and Ms Webb Johnson, Food Studies Teachers
Victorian Coding Challenge
I am Aidan, and I was one of the six people who participated in this year’s coding competition for Mount Alexander College.
In the coding competition, we were given many puzzles to solve, the first and second sections consisted around them. The only difference between the first and second sections was the first was physical and the second was digital. Solving the puzzles was fun, a real good brain twister, and I can definitely say, some of us wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without the help from our team mates! Most of the questions were coding related, which wouldn’t have helped someone who barely knew any code (aka. me), but the questions were fairly simple, and quick to solve, until we got to the second section, which was much harder than the first section. In the second section the questions were way harder, and we took much longer to answer them. The questions would get harder as we went along, but we managed.
The last section was the coding, we were told to edit a script of code to make our character better to beat the other teams, the rest of the code was already done for us. My team and I did pretty well, we came first the first time and second the second time, and you know what, our strategy I’d say was the best, we would just copy and paste the attack command, which did nothing, but somehow made our character 10 times better, our teacher was so confused.
At the end of the day we were all thrilled we could take part in this event, and even though copying and pasting code which did nothing was amazing, the best highlight was being chased by that kid in the park…
Aidan Gleich, Entry
Humanities and Languages
Japanese Class
Students learned mannerisms in Japanese dining and phrases. They learned how to order food independently and budget for their favourite bubble tea.
“I enjoyed learning about eating traditions before and after meals in Japan.”Ariadne Leong, Entry
“The broth was very nice in the ramen.” Patrick Harrison, Above Entry 10
Science
Unit 1 & 2 Zoo Adaptations Excursion
STEM Edge Program – Women in Science University of Melbourne
The STEM EDGE Program held on Friday 31 October was really cool. We listened to a talk from some women who worked there and heard about dog psychology and pure mathematics which was cool to hear about different jobs that sound unusual. We also learned about fluorescent dye and identifying paintings and had to look at a painting with a UV light to identify the dye colour. Then we did a forensics workshop and took fingerprints and tested ‘blood samples’. It was a fun day and I can’t wait for next year’s workshop.
Heidi Grunwaldt, Above Entry 8
Interschool Sport
School Sport Victoria
Sebastian Moore finishes in 1st place in the 800m run.
I wanted to let you know that Sebastian represented MAC at the Victorian All Schools Athletics over the weekend. He came 2nd in the 800m (with a new PB of 2.01.60).
I’ve attached a couple of photos. He ran the race really well (and featured heavily in the commentary as he was the fastest qualifier for the final!).
He’s off to the Australian All Schools next month (5 December).
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
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.
The myLearners Free Driving Lesson program offers a FREE 60-minute Lesson with a professional driving instructor for learners aged 16–19 who have completed 10–30 hours of driving practice.
The lesson is taken alongside their supervising driver, helping both the learner and supervisor build safer, more confident driving habits together.
This program supports families by making the learning experience more positive and less stressful. It aims to reduce crash risks for young drivers, strengthen supervising skills, and encourage safer driving behaviours early on all at no cost to participants.
Find out more go to – https://mylearnersdrive.com.au/
Brunswick Secondary College’s Twilight Market 2025!
Join us for an unforgettable evening at Brunswick Secondary College’s annual Twilight Market on Friday 28 November 2025, from 5pm to 9pm!
Enjoy a vibrant mix of live music, performances, food trucks, a bar, a silent disco, a BBQ, silent auctions, and an incredible selection of indoor and outdoor market stalls.
Plus, explore the school’s impressive Media, Art & Design Exhibition, showcasing the creativity of our talented students.
This much-loved community event brings people together while raising funds to enhance the school’s outdoor spaces. So come along, enjoy a fantastic night out, and support our students!
Brunswick Secondary College, 47 Dawson Street, Brunswick
Friday 28 November 2025
5pm–9pm
All welcome!
Enquiries: twilight@brunswick.vic.edu.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BSCtwilightmarket2025
Phone: (03) 9387 6133