Principal’s Report

Dear MAC Community

Dear MAC Community

It is good to have the students back in the school. First, I would like to thank the staff who have worked tirelessly as they continued to deliver their lessons and support the students during our recent lockdown. I would also like to thank the students who have shown astounding resilience and parents and carers who have worked hard to support their children.

A reminder to all that masks must continue to be worn inside and outside at school.

A huge thank you to Claire Runci and Michael Buckingham for running the online parent transition information evenings for Entry and Above Entry 10 students.

Course Counselling

I am involved in the course counselling with the Above Entry 10 and Graduate students over the next couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to working with the students to help them make these important choices for their future.

Course counselling is an important part of the way we do things at MAC and is a part of what makes education at MAC a unique experience for the students. The process involves us working with every student on an individual basis to help them work out what their interests are. We then help map out a learning pathway for the student so that they can achieve their learning goals by the time they leave the school. It’s through course counselling that we ascertain which students need to have some deeper learning or higher learning on certain subjects. I’m proud to be able to work with all staff involved in the course counselling process.

Building Update

During the recent holidays we commenced some early building works in preparation for the decanting of staff and classrooms in G Block over Term 3.  These works include partitioning in the RC and General Office. The MAC Lab has moved to A201. The Uniform shop will continue to operate at the school and will move to the RC over the course of the term. We will communicate with the school community as staff and services move throughout the term. Doctors in Schools will operate via Telehealth from the start of Term 4 until the completion of the building works.

Our main server room located in G Block will be relocated soon. Telstra have not confirmed when they will be completing the work, but when they do there may be an internet outage for the entire day. I will communicate how the school will operate on that day to you as soon as I know.

The students may have noticed the two new basketball rings adjacent to the cricket nets. These were installed as we are anticipating that we will lose one basketball ring from the full court during the building works.

The Parent Forum and the Ministerial Building Reveal have been postponed again. I will keep you informed on this.

Again, I wish you and your families the best through these trying times.

Kind regards,

Ms Dani Angelico, Principal

Inside this issue

• Student Leadership Team
  • Semester Awards Assembly
  • VICSEG Student Leadership
• Student Wellbeing
  • SPECIAL REPORT: COVID Fatigue and Youth Mental Health
  • Operation Newstart
  • Peer Support Program
  • Tips for getting and staying motivated
• Arts & Tech
  • Advanced Masterchef at Home
• English
  • Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge
  • Book Week
  • Resource Centre News
  • Upcoming Competitions & Opportunities
• Mathematics
  • ASX Sharemarket Game
  • Coding Challenge
• Sciences
  • STEM Professional in Schools Program
  • National Science Week Activities
• Careers
  • Stories from Work Experience Placements
• MAC Parents and Friends
• Community News and Advertising

Student Leadership Team

Semester Awards Assembly

On July 13, MAC celebrated the achievements of our students across Semester 1. This annual assembly recognises the achievements of our students in individual curriculum areas (English, EAL, Humanities, Languages, Arts, Technology, Science, Mathematics and Health and Physical Education). One student in Entry, Above Entry and Senior are awarded a curriculum award. Teaching and Learning Leaders (TALLs) presented each of the students with their award.

We also recognise students in each of our Houses who have demonstrated our College values in Respect, Community, Integrity, Engagement and Academic Excellence. Each of our Head of House (HoH) presented the House Awards along with the students who had received the highest number of positive points across term 2.

This year we also acknowledged the efforts of students who have achieved academic growth across all of the subjects they undertook throughout Semester 1 with the ‘Academic Growth Award’ being awarded to one student from Entry through to Grads 12. These awards were presented by our Senior School Academic Advisor: Michael Buckingham. 

We welcomed and thanked the families who were able to attend to see their child receive an award before closing the assembly with the VCE band who played PYT by Michael Jackson. 

Congratulations to all our students who received an award and to all staff involved in presenting the awards.

Humanities and Languages: Jonathan Sherlock (TALL)

Thomas (Senior), Charli (Above Entry) and Jack (Entry) for Humanities and Blue (Above Entry) for Languages

English and EAL: Jess Fridman (TALL)

Zakaria (Entry), Hindiya (Above Enty), Winter (Senior), Marcella (Senior), Bay (Above Entry) and Estelle (Entry), 

Arts and Technology: Didem Aydin (TALL)

Jarrod (Entry), India (Entry), Lola (Above Entry), Erin (Senior), Chantal (Above Entry) and Tahlia (Senior)

Science: Miriam Feldsher-Berkovich (TALL)

Eleanor (Senior), Ruben (Above Entry) and Harvey (Entry)

Mathematics: Justine Johnston (TALL)

Zoe (Senior), Carla (Entry), Solomon (Above Entry)

Health and Physical Development: Adriana Pejic (TALL)

Xavier (Entry), Toby (Above Entry) and Joshua (Senior)

VCAL: Lynn Bentley (VCAL teacher/Leading Teacher Student Engagement)

Ayane (Senior)

Apollo House Awards: Konrad Sosnowski (HoH)

Ella, Estelle, Hindiya, Dylan and Naef

Athena House Awards: Vivien Duong (HoH)

Charlie, Harvey, Syd, Claudia and Toby

Artemis House Awards: Stephanie Balaburov (HoH)

Lucia, Benison, Kipp, Rim and Phu

Poseidon House Awards: Erin Murphy (HoH)

Bilhah, Sienna, Maddison, Mark and Lachlan

Academic Growth: Michael Buckingham (Senior School Academic Advisor)

Brynn 9Above Entry 10), Fadumo (Grad 12), Noah (Grad 11), Reed (Entry), Rudy (Above Entry 9), Kipp (Above Entry 8)

Term 2 Positive Points Winner 

Apollo: Hindiya

Artemis: Nadine

Athena: Marcella

Poseidon: Mark

VICSEG Student Leadership

The Student Leadership Program which is being run by VICSEG have enabled students to set not only individual goals but also community leadership goals. This term the students involved in the program have created a community project aimed at supporting people living in our local community through creating and providing people who do not have food security with small food parcels. 

If you have are able to donate any non-perishable foods (canned and packaged goods) that are within their best before dates, please drop these in to Kate Stevanovic before the end of Week 7 (August 27) so that the student leaders can create their food parcels to distribute as part of their goals to be a leader in their local community.

Kate Stevanovic, Leading Teacher Student Leadership & Empowerment

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Student Wellbeing

SchoolTV SPECIAL REPORT: COVID Fatigue & Youth Mental Health

As the nation remains to be on alert and in various stages of lockdown, restrictions continue to be mandated. And we, as a society, persevere to do the best we can to navigate this post-COVID era. Whilst some of us quietly take comfort from the availability of vaccines, it does introduce new uncertainties for families and young people alike. We continue to remain in a state of suspended animation, wondering when “normal” will return.

The physical impact of the pandemic has mostly spared our young people, however researchers are now reporting that children and adolescents are paying a heavy emotional and developmental price, being affected by a range of psychological disorders. According to Kids Helpline, emergency interventions to protect young people have skyrocketed over the last 12 months.

Being a young person today is hard, but so too is being the parent of one. A recent international survey reported that parents are struggling to keep their child’s mental health afloat. Young people are feeling like they don’t have much control over their lives. Their developmental processes have been interfered with and their trajectory has been interrupted. Unfortunately the emotional blowback of the pandemic cannot be vaccinated away. Young people can’t choose what happens to them, but they can choose how to respond. Encouraging them to use programs such as Moodgym, will help them change their thinking.

If your young person wishes to talk to someone outside of the family unit, encourage them to call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 – anytime, any reason. Alternatively, they can chat online at kidshelpline.com.au

Kids Helpline has also created some resources specifically relating to this topic for young people who may be struggling during lockdown. Click here to find out more.

See more SchoolTV articles here

Carmel Nielsen, Student Wellbeing Coordinator, Student Wellbeing Team

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Operation Newstart

Hello, my name is Emily. I’m fifteen, I go to MAC and am currently in Year 9. I want to start off by saying thank you to Carmel for introducing me to Operation Newstart, and thank you Shane and Paul for everything we have done.

I remember being at school and Carmel called me out and into her office. I was kind of confused why but didn’t think anything of it. She then started to talk about Operation Newstart Western. I started to like it and got interested pretty quickly and later that day Shane came in and had a bit more of a chat about it and what we’d do. Then the first day came. I was really nervous and shy because I’m not the best with new people and didn’t know if they would like me or not. We had a chat about things and introduced ourselves and they were all pretty nice. We then went to the Footscray swimming pool and had a swim. I had a pretty good day diving off the diving board and just hanging with everyone. After a few sessions with everyone, I felt comfortable and I guess I could talk and relax a bit more.

I would like to tell you a challenge that I faced in the program. It was when we went to clip and climb – let’s just say I’m not too fond of heights and I would rather just like to stay on the ground! I was having a good time until it came to the leap of faith. I didn’t really want to do it but I was finally convinced, so I got harnessed up and I climbed up the ladder without thinking. When I got up to the top, I froze when I realized where I was. I then was telling myself I couldn’t do it, even when everyone that did it was encouraging me to do it. I finally gave up and was a bit disappointed in myself. Something that I achieved was canoeing and learning how to steer it because I’ve never been canoeing before so I was pretty proud of myself.

People I would like to thank is Jeremy from clip and climb, Ascot Vale Heights School for letting us come around to different classrooms and helping the children, Crystal, Hannah, Indi, for helping us with the activities and Carl and Michael for cooking at the Portsea Camp and finally Jeremie and Sabrina from the Moonee Valley Legal Team.

Emily Lawrance, Above Entry 9

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Peer Support Program

We are a group of Year 9 students who participate in the Peer Support Program, which entails visiting a primary school every second Wednesday. We work primarily with Grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 students to help them with their learning, as well as prepare them for high school by meeting older students. For kids who will come to MAC someday, this experience means they will have some familiar faces in high school. When we were invited into the program at Debney Meadows, we expected just to help teachers and assist with classes. However, we really interact with the students and make great connections. It feels great to be making a difference in these kids’ learning. Through this experience, we have learnt so much about leadership, working with younger people, patience and wisdom. We really enjoy our time, it has been a great experience. 

Kitty Rose Pardy, Natalia Tasominos, Eve Lomasney, Ella Burnell, Rashid Costa, Flynn Alphey and Aaron Hanley.

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Tips for getting and staying motivated

Motivation is what drives us to make the things we want happen – but staying motivated isn’t always easy. Get some tips on how to find (and to keep!) motivation, and suggestions for what to do if you just can’t get into gear.

Positive and negative motivation:

Motivation is what drives you towards a goal, gets you up in the morning, and keeps you working through a task, determined to succeed when things get tough. But motivation can be both positive and negative:

• Positive motivations focus on the positive things that will happen when you take action. For example: ‘Finishing this assignment means I’m only a step away from being qualified.’ 
• Negative motivations focus on the negative backlash that will occur if you don’t take action. For example: ‘If I don’t finish this assignment in the next few hours, I’ll fail my course.’

Negative and positive motivations can both be effective in different circumstances. However, it’s much easier to do something because you actually want to, rather than because you want to avoid a particular outcome if you don’t do it. If you don’t have a positive plan of action, using negative motivation can make you feel helpless and may even reduce your motivation.

How to become (and stay) motivated:

• Set goals. When you set a goal, you make a decision to act in a way that will help you achieve what you want. Goals give you a direction to focus on – one that’s measurable and has an endpoint. This can help you to stay motivated.
• Choose goals that interest you. You’re much more likely to stay motivated if you’re working towards something that you genuinely want to do or achieve, rather than what other people want for you.
• Find things that interest you within goals that don’t. Sometimes other people set goals or tasks for us that we don’t find interesting or want to do. So, try and find something within that task that does motivate you. For example: ‘I find maths challenging, but it’s going to help me become a builder, which I want more than anything.’
• Make your goal public. If you tell someone – or write down – your goal, you’ve essentially made a promise to keep your word.
• Plot your progress. When you’re working towards something, it can be really motivating if you can see evidence that you’re making progress. Draw or create a visual representation of how you’re coming closer to achieving the goal you’ve set yourself.
• Break up your goal. Start with easier tasks and work your way up to bigger challenges. Breaking up a task in your mind into achievable chunks helps build confidence.
• Use rewards. Promise yourself some sort of reward each time you complete a step/task.
• Don’t do it alone. Join a class or find a teacher or someone you can share the experience with. Other people’s encouragement to keep going can be a big boost to your motivation, particularly when you’re doing it tough.

If you’re really finding it hard:

If you’ve tried but failed to get motivated, then it might help to talk it through with someone you trust. Sometimes it can be hard to achieve things on your own, so having a good support network may help when you’ve taken on a big challenge.

You could also try talking to a counsellor, who can help you to work out which motivating strategies will work best for you.

What can I do now:

• Write down some goals for the coming year.
• Plan some rewards or treats to keep your motivation up.
• Tell someone about your goal, to keep yourself accountable.

References and further information: www.reachout.com.au

Michelle Hynson, School Health Promotion Nurse, Monday & Tuesday

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Arts & Tech

Advanced Masterchef at Home

The Advanced Masterchef class continued their focus on restaurant and café style menu items during remote learning. We have started this term with a focus on breakfast menu items. Students were able to explore a wide range of types of breakfast menus as well as common meals that appear on menus. Last Friday the class demonstrates some of the skills and techniques for preparing the perfect Aussie style café scrambled eggs as well as three types of restaurant quality omelettes using French, American and Japanese style techniques. 

Take a look at these examples of the high quality meals our students were able to prepare during remote learning. 

Thank you to all families during remote learning who have allowed your child to use your kitchens to unleash and refine their practical skills.

Kate Stevanovic, Leading Teacher Student Leadership & Empowerment

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Thank you to all the students and staff who have returned overdue books. There are still a number outstanding from last year and earlier this year. Please check your emails for correspondence from the Resource Centre and  bring them back or renew them ASAP.

Renew it yourself through the Library Catalogue or swing by the circulation desk before or after school or during recess.

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). It’s a great way to access books during uncertain times. Find out more here: mountalexandercollege.wheelers.co

Magazines

We have some great new magazine titles that we have subscribed to including: Wheels, Taste, Frankie, Teen Breathe, MAD Classics, The Big Issue, Double Helix, Australian Geographic, Slam Skateboarding and Street Machine. There’s something for everyone here! The magazines can be borrowed overnight (or over the weekends).

Upcoming Competitions & Opportunities

Meg Dunley, Resource Centre, Communications and Marketing Manager

Mr Morgan

2021 Coding Challenge

2021 registrations now open for the CODING CHALLENGE

MAV in collaboration with Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria is excited to be running 2 activities to be delivered across the state between Sept 2020 and Dec 2022.  Available to students 7-10, high ability students.

If students participated last year and they’re still in the same year level category as the year before (7&8 or 9&10) then they can still register for both stages. Stage 1 will still have the same 3 challenges as last year, we will be adding one new challenge over the September holidays for those students. Stage 2 will be completely new of course so you are welcome to do both.

Ms Johnston, Head of Mathematics 

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Careers

Stories from Work Experience Placements

Some Above Entry 10 students were able to do their work experience at the end of Term 2. Below are some stories from their placements

At the end of term 2 I participated in the work experience program at The Venny. This was such an enjoyable experience and I believe that I have learnt skills that will help me throughout my working career. I most enjoyed working with my community and being a role model for the children. – Cooper Eason

 

At the end semester 1 this year I, like many other above entry 10’s took part in the work placement program. I got placement at Evidence Based Architecture (EBD) and learnt about what day-to-day life is like being an architect. During the week I was asked to make a model of a disambiguous shape, for me it was a rectangular prism. From there I was asked to make several cuts and edits to the shape to eventually make a rectangle into a building. Though this task was enjoyable, it displayed to me that architecture isn’t as abstract as it seems. It predominantly revolves around computer based tasks and specifications. – Luke Vella

 

I spent my time at an audio engineering, audio to visual place in Port Melbourne and for me, work experience was honestly one of the best weeks of my life! I came in not really knowing what to expect or what I would really be able to do, but I quickly found my groove. Every day we would have clients and people coming in and out, all with their unique and interesting stories/talents. A lot of the time, we were recording audiobooks, recording voiceovers for ads, and even recording music for films so it never once got old. By the second day, I was even editing a podcast! The people I met and the experience and knowledge I gained was incredible, I even went back there for the second week of the holidays of my own volition because I couldn’t get enough. Overall though, it helped me gain insight into what I want to do with my life and helped me make contacts so I am able to do what I want to do, when you get the chance, I can’t recommend it enough. Ps. I even got a job out of it and edit a regular podcast now! – Arlo Pilley

 

During the last week of semester 1, A fellow classmate and I went to complete our work experience at RTR Productions, an audio visual company based in Keilor. We gained knowledge in both working out in the field, and helping out in the warehouse. The best part was when we built an audio rack by ourselves. I’ve always been interested in this industry but doing work experience and gaining training like this has definitely boosted my interest and confidence. – Ava Menard

Overall work experience has been successful despite only a small number of students going out in Term 2. Students still have the opportunity to undertake a placement in the September/October school holidays. Work experience is a great way to explore options for the future while gaining work related skills and building on independence and confidence. If you are interested in undertaking a placement at this time please come into the careers office to discuss it further.

Alison Lovett, Careers and Pathways

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MAC Parents & Friends

The next MAC Parents & Friends Association’s meeting is Monday 2 August at 6.00 pm. Contact the MAC Parents and Friends to stay in contact with them about what the format will be: mac.parents.friends@gmail.com

Join the conversation over on the PFA Facebook Group

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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.