Issue 7 - The Mac.Robertson Girls` High School

2015
Issue 7
Term 2
Wednesday 27 May
VCE Drama performance night
Thursday 28 May
Autumn Concert
Monday 1 June - 6 June
Multicultural Week
Monday 1 June - 2 June
Senior School Subject Re-selection
Wednesday 3 June - 4 June
Middle School Subject Selections
Tuesday 2 June
Visiting Authour - LRC
Maureen McCarthy
Monday 8 June
Queens Birthday Holiday
Wednesday 10 June
GAT - Years 11 & 12
Report Writing Day -Student Free
Day
Combined Winter Concert
Tuesday 4th August
The Melbourne Town Hall
Newsletter
Principal
The opening night of the annual combined Mac.Rob and Melbourne High musical,
‘The Addams Family’ on Wednesday 13th May will surely be a highlight of the 2015 year.
It was stunning and commendations must go to those acting the lead roles including
Ms Tulsi Kavar (Morticia), Ms Emily Pham (Wednesday), Ms Devinya Kugathas (Pugsley),
Ms Shenpaha Ganesan (Grandma) and Ms Eadie Pocock (Mai). The performance was
compelling and it was supported by an excellent standard of music from the combined
orchestra and technical crew. The choreography led by Ms Holly Bromley; combined with
amazing period costuming designed and created by Ms Amrita Parker, Ms Nicky Lieu and
their team; combined with brilliant stage and lighting design resulted in a highly professional
production. This musical was a true piece of student ownership and cooperation. Our young
women have been working tirelessly over the last few months and it was sensational to
see the resulting collaboration with our brother school. Thank you to our team of staff
who have supported this production, especially Mr Edgar Wegner (Director), Mr Sonny
Chua (Conductor), Ms Joanna Patocs (Vocal Director), Mr Karl Russell (Liaison), Mr. Luke
Francis (Make-up supervisor), Ms Jennie Wunderle (Photography), Ms Elisa Ryan (Costume
supervisor), Ms Jo Howe and Ms Frances Hansen (Front of House). Our sincere gratitude to
the supporting staff of Melbourne High School, especially Dr Janet Prideaux and Mr Nick
Fairlie (Liaison).
Chamber Voices
Our Chamber Voices performed in a live broadcast on 103.5 3MBS, on Wednesday, 20th
May. I eagerly tuned in and listened to the beautiful sound of our students. Both Ms Emily
Yang of 11A and Ms Betsy Ruscoe of 12D spoke with grace and clarity afterward. Thank you
to Ms Jo Patocs for leading this talented group and to Mr Rod Watson for arranging this
opportunity.
Congratulations to…
Ms Janet Zhong, 12C, who has been selected to represent Australia at the International Physics Olympiad, in Mumbai, India from 5th
to 12th July 2015.
Ms Simran Rajpal, 12H, who has been selected to represent Australia at the International Biology Olympiad, in Aarhus, Denmark
from 12th to 19th July 2015.
Ms Jennifer Hung, 12J, who has been selected to represent Australia at The International Science Summer School, in Heidelberg,
Germany from 19th July to 16th August 2015.
Ms Sonia Noronha, 12J, who has been selected to represent Australia at the International Youth Science Forum in London, United
Kingdom from 21st July to 6th August 2015.
Ms Lorah Park, 12E, 2014 Palladian, who has been awarded The University Of Queensland’s Vice Chancellor’s Academic Scholarship.
Sensei Shungo Sawaki, who has been awarded the 2015 Australian Council of Educational Leaders (ACEL) ‘New Voice’ in School
Leadership Scholarship for Victoria. This prestigious scholarship recognizes an impressive ‘new voice’ in school leadership from each
state and territory of Australia. As part of the scholarship Sensei Sawaki will attend the national ACEL Conference in Sydney in the
September school holidays.
Ms Mary Purcell, who is presenting at The International
Federation for the Teaching of English (IFTE) Conference
from 6th to 9th July 2015 at Fordham University, New York.
The conference title is: ‘COMMON GROUND, GLOBAL
REACH: teaching English for Global Literacies’. The title of
Ms Purcell’s presentation is: “Dialoguing identities: the
transnational space of the Australian Literature classroom.”
Ms Sue Yates and Ms Margaret Akins, who recently received
service awards for 45 years and to Ms Julia TrenchardSmith, who received an award for 35 years to the Victoria
Department of Education. On behalf of our community,
thank you for this fine achievement and dedication of service
to the government education system.
As the mother of two adult daughters I often wonder
about the impact of my career upon my family and I have
included in this newsletter an article which I found to be
a very interesting read in the most recent Alliance of Girls’
Schools Network online magazine. It is concerning working
mothers and the current Harvard Business School Gender
Initiative research that shows that working mothers have a
positive impact on their daughter’s future income and job
prospects. I hope you find it of value.
Yours in learning,
Dr Toni E. Meath
Working Mothers improve the
future prospects of their daughters
Issue 7: May 20, 2015
Working mothers improve the future prospects of their daughters
New research by the Harvard Business School Gender Initiative shows that working mothers
have a positive effect on their daughters’ future income and job prospects. Daughters of
working women complete more years of formal education, occupy higher-level positions and
earn more than their peers with non-working mothers. Researchers also found that sons of
working mothers grow up to spend more time caring for their children and doing housework
than sons of non-working mothers.
The Harvard study was based on data from the International Social Survey Programme’s
Gender Attitude Survey of 50,000 adults aged 18 to 60 conducted in 25 developed nations in
2002 and 2012. In order to capture all women who had worked when their children were
aged under 14 — from short-term casual work to permanent full-time employment — survey
participants were asked: Did you your mother ever work for pay, after you were born and
before you were 14? Lead author of the Harvard study, Professor Kathleen McGinn, said that
the issue was not how much or how often women worked, but whether survey participants
“had a role model who showed [them] that women work both inside and outside the home”.
The Harvard study found a large “working mother effect” in the United States, where adult
daughters of working mothers earn 23% more than those whose mothers had not worked
during their childhood, while 33% of daughters of working women held supervisory positions
compared to 25% of daughters of non-working women. In Scandinavian countries where
there is widespread acceptance of gender equality and working women are commonplace,
the “working mother effect” is smaller. Averaging the results across all 25 countries,
daughters of working mothers earn 6% more than those of non-working mothers, and 21%
work as supervisors compared with 18% of daughters of non-working mothers.
A comparable trend was not found for sons of working mothers. Sons of working women
earn comparable salaries and are just as likely to hold supervisory positions as sons of nonworking mothers. The Harvard researchers did find, however, that across all 25 nations, sons
of working women spend 8.0 hours longer per week looking after their children and doing
housework than sons of non-working mothers. In the United States, men raised by working
mothers spend 16 hours per week caring for their children and doing housework compared
with 8.5 hours spent by sons of non-working mothers. Putting this in perspective, however,
American women spend 30 or more hours per week on caring for their family and performing
domestic duties, regardless of whether or not they were raised by a working mother.
Earlier studies of gender and work have made a variety of interesting and important findings.
Professor Raquel Fernandez of New York University led a study finding that sons of working
mothers are significantly more likely to marry women who work. Fernandez told Claire Cain
Miller of the New York Times that if a woman wants to work, the best way to “find a
supportive environment … is to marry a man whose mother worked”. Previous studies have
also found that children’s attitudes to gender and work are greatly influenced by their
parents, while a meta-analysis of 69 studies from the past 50 years found that children aged
over one do not suffer any ill-effects from their mothers working (Lucas-Thompson,
Goldberg, and Prause, 2010, pp. 915, 938).
As noted in the New York Times article, these studies are “part of a shift away from focusing
on whether working mothers hurt children and toward a richer understanding of the
relationship between work and family”. Professor McGinn told Claire Cain Miller that the
Harvard research illustrates that parents serve as important role models, demonstrating to
their children ways to behave and ways to “cope with the various demands of work and
home”. The result, says Cain Miller, is that parents make “trade-offs” in choosing how to
allocate their time between work and home, deciding what works best for them and their
children.
Conclusion
Professor McGinn argues that there is no single policy or practice that can eliminate gender
gaps in society but that being raised by a working mother results in women who do better in
the workplace and men who contribute more at home. She told the New York Times that she
is confident that the Harvard study’s findings are “as close to a silver bullet as you can find in
terms of helping to reduce gender inequalities, both in the workplace and at home”. As Claire
Cain Miller writes, however, the Harvard research is not about working mothers being “better”
than stay-at-home mothers or reigniting the “mommy wars”. Instead, it is evidence-based
academic research showing that there are some social and economic benefits for the sons
and daughters of working mothers and, just as importantly, that parents have a powerful role
to play in influencing their children’s attitudes to gender equality in the workplace and at
home.
References
Cain Miller, C. (2015, May 15). Mounting evidence of advances for children of working mothers.
Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/upshot/mounting-evidence-of-someadvantages-for-children-of-working-mothers.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0
Harvard Business School. (2015, May 18). Having a working mother is good for you. Retrieved
from: http://www.hbs.edu/news/releases/Pages/having-working-mother.aspx
Lucas-Thompson, R., Goldberg, W., & Prause, J. (2010). Maternal work early in the lives of
children and its distal associations with achievement and behavior programs: A metaanalysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136(6), 915-942. Retrieved from:
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-136-6-915.pdf
Nobel, C. (2015, May 15). Kids benefit from having a working mom. Retrieved from:
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/7791.html
Pew Research Center. (2007, July 12). Few mothers prefer full-time work. Retrieved from:
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2007/07/12/fewer-mothers-prefer-full-time-work/
Entering Student Absence on Compass
Mac.Rob’s preferred method for entering student absence is via Compass. A how to sheet was
emailed to all new parents & will be attached to Compass Newsfeed.
If you have problems logging into Compass please email [email protected] or call the Compass Helpdesk on 98647740.
Please be aware that if you would like your username & password supplied to you, you will need to provide a CURRENT mobile
phone number with any request, for security reasons this information WILL NOT be emailed to you.
Frances Hansen
Compass Support
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DRILL
On Tuesday 19th May, the school held a lockdown drill. The purpose of the drill was to familiarise students and staff with our
emergency lockdown procedure.
The drill exposes the students and staff to a unique sound that alerts the school community that an emergency lockdown
is taking place and the importance of following instructions during the
emergency lockdown process.
Students and staff are to be congratulated for their immediate response and
the manner in which they ensured all the required steps were taken. This
allowed the student and staff attendance to be completed quickly and cross
checked against the school attendance records for the day.
The emergency lockdown is also an opportunity to evaluate the Emergency
Management Plan and ensure that adequate procedures are in place. The
school is required to conduct a lockdown and an evacuation drill each year
to familiarise our community with these procedures. The school will hold an
evacuation drill during Term 3 or 4.
NAPLAN 2015
All year 9 students participated in the NAPLAN testing on the 12th, 13, and 14th May, completing assessment in reading, writing,
language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. NAPLAN is the measure through which governments,
educational authorities, schools, teachers and parents can determine if students are meeting educational outcomes in literacy
and numeracy.
The test provides an understanding of your daughter’s performance at a point in time, and is only one aspect of the schools’
assessment and reporting process. NAPLAN is not a pass or fail type of test. A student’s performance is shown on a national
achievement scale for each test. The performance of an individual student can be compared to the average performance of all
students in Australia.
Individual NAPLAN report will be issued by the school later in the year. The school will notify you when the report is being
distributed to students. While the NAPLAN testing results are extremely useful and important data for schools in general, the
testing completed by your daughters to gain entry to Mac.Rob provides greater understanding evidence of your daughter’s
capabilities.
If you would like more information about NAPLAN, please visit www.nap.edu.au
Buildings & Grounds
Through the contribution of families to the School Building Fund we have continued to be able to provide magnificent facilities
that students benefit from in our school.
We are grateful to be able to provide such enriched Education; this has only been possible because of the generous support
from parents who have contributed to the buildings of the schools’ facilities from which we benefit today.
More recently we have developed school facilities to include a new bike shed for 27 bikes, these bikes are used during heath and
PE lessons, improvements to the classrooms throughout the school, an additional fire exit doorway on level 2 of the Lakeside
Building to reduce congestion, including the continued maintenance work throughout the school.
During the next school holidays, the Lakeside Building will be repainted, new blinds installed in four classrooms and new hand
dryers installed in all students toilets, in 2016 the student toilets blocks in the Kingsway Building will be refurbished.
With an ever increasing demand on school resources and the continuing need to maintain facilities, our family contributions
are essential to enable us to continue to provide the very best of facilities.
We are encouraging families to donate and benefit from the tax deductibility of contributions to the School Building Fund.
Your contribution to the school and the future of girls’ education in Victoria is extremely important and we sincerely appreciative
of your support and this helps us to provide for your daughter(s) and generations to come.
Mr Karl Russell
Assistant Principal
Learning Resource Centre
There has been a lot happening in the Learning Resource Centre over the past weeks.
One of the exciting developments we’ve recently initiated has been to create a new
collection in response to student interest and demand for contemporary modes of
reading. This has taken the shape of our new graphic novel collection, situated in a new
bookcase by the reading area. This collection encourages browsing by the students and
quick access, to easily view all the beautiful graphic books and try out something new.
In addition, we have expanded our “study free table”. Previously we had provided only
jigsaw puzzles, but now it includes a number of other quiet and relaxing activities that
stimulate the mind, while allowing students to take a break and be creative. Students
have been creating silhouette art made from magazine cuttings, as well as doing some
beautiful colouring in work. We have some 1000 dot-to-dots for students to complete
and have many more ideas that allow for mindfulness and relaxation time in between all
the hard study students are putting in. The LRC sees its role as not only a centre for study
and academic work, but a place for students to develop themselves as whole people
including socialisation and connection with the school, students and staff.
We have also created some interesting displays to encourage the students to cultivate
and diversify their reading interests. March was Women’s History Month, and this saw
a wide array of biographies of inspirational women being displayed and thoroughly
enjoyed.
The month of March also
enabled us to create a fun
display to celebrate Dr
Seuss’ birthday, including
games, trivia and a silly hat to try on! The works of Terry Pratchett were
also highlighted and the display has been a huge hit with the girls, with
one student telling us she was determined to read through all 40 of his
Discworld novels! With
the
announcements
of the Stella Prize and
Inky Awards, we’ve also
managed to show off
the wonderful books
on offer in the library
that were considered in
their long and short lists – leading to a large number of these books being borrowed.
We have many more exciting displays in store this year so make sure to come visit
us and see what new books we have for you all.
Remember – Knowledge is Power!
The LRC Team
Creating Conversations
As you may know, Creating Conversations is a new initiative at Mac.Rob. Inspired by the Vic SRC’s ‘Teach the Teacher’ program, it aims
to be a platform for positive and constructive discussion between teachers and students regarding the classroom environment, as
well as providing a unique opportunity for students to be involved and engaged in their learning
The program so far…
To begin with, we needed an idea of what students and teachers wanted discussed. We started with dedicating a Form Assembly
to finding out student opinions. They were encouraged to discuss what they liked currently about the school, and any spaces they
saw for improvement. Staff were also asked at a Staff Forum for insights and possible areas of discussion. After receiving a wealth of
ideas, the committee worked to find the 15 most common topics. In a second Form Assembly, Forms were asked to rank the topics
for discussion in order of most worthwhile, to the least. The four most highly ranked topics were then passed on to teachers to gain
their perspectives and opinions, after which they were narrowed down to our three main focal points of the year:
•
Communications, which explore ways of enhancement of communication between teachers and students both inside and
outside the classroom, as well as the convenience of various communicating platforms. This topic is also about looking at the impact
of communication between teachers on teaching practice practice and resources.
•
Student Independent Learning, which looks at the extent of teacher involvement in one’s learning, as well as individual student
choice in learning (for example: consulting tutors, having homework options, using resources from outside school).
•
Teaching Methods, which explores how we can enhance students' and teachers' understanding of various teaching techniques
as they apply to the learning styles of a variety of students.
While we had our main themes for the year, there was still the matter of gaining insight into these topics, so as to find out exactly how
students and teachers felt, what they thought, and what their preferences are. To do this, we sent out a survey to students across all
year levels exploring these three topics, to which the response was quite substantial. To complement this, the Creating Conversations
committee conducted teacher focus groups during a Staff Forum to gain teacher perspectives. It was incredibly interesting and
enlightening to hear teacher insights.
So what happens next? Well, by looking at the data collected over this semester, we hope to find areas of strength and perhaps
areas of possible improvement which we will include in our report to present to the Independent Review Panel in Term 3. So far, the
semester has been greatly productive and fruitful and we would like to thank the school community for your support and time.
The Creating Conversations Committee – Shenpaha Ganesan, Ira Malhotra, Rozanna Kelly-Gerreyn, Jessica Sumarno, Rachel Kim,
Gloria To, Vishwethaa Kugathas, Savi Alphonse, Raksha Hegde, Nushrat Sultana, Natalie Trang, Ariane Pietrzak
GRIP
National Leadership Camp 2015
Amazing leadership opportunity for 10s, 11s and 12s!
Would you like to develop valuable leadership skills whilst having enormous fun during the July school holidays? Well, for the first
time, GRIP leadership is offering a four day leadership camp designed especially for students in Years 10-12, to be held in Sydney
during the July school holidays. GRIP Leadership is well known for organising Australia's largest student leadership events and helping
students reach their potential as a leader. To find out more watch the video, download an information brochure, or go to the website
for more detail. You would be registering as an individual, not as part of a Mac.Rob school group, and you would need to cover the
cost of the camp yourself (around $500). If you'd like help with any part of the registration process, drop into the Student Leadership
office. Full details available at http://gripleadership.com.au/content/grip-national-leadership-camp/gjzix4
Miss Howe
Director of Student Leadership
Engineers Without Borders
A number of exciting workshops are taking place at Mac.Rob, run by Engineers Without Borders (EWB) members who are working
with high school students to educate them about international Engineering applications.
Floating homes
On the 27th of March, EWB from Monash University visited Mac.Rob and ran the first workshop for both year 9s and 10s Engineering
classes. The workshop was based on a dilemma facing many people living in countries with limited supplies where their homes
are flooded every year. We learned about the possible infrastructure of floating homes and floating schools, how engineers adapt
available technology to build safe homes in flooded regions and at a minimal cost.
Our challenge was to build our own floating house out of materials consisting of cups, string, straws, tape and paddle pop sticks which
when combined would be able to hold as many marbles as possible. We had to ‘buy’ all these materials with the little ‘money’ we
had available for our country.
We enjoyed working together as a group and seeing the different designs of all the other groups. The final testing was the most nerve
wracking as we saw some designs sink, whilst others floated even with many marbles.
We really enjoyed the workshop with EWB and we had a lot of fun. Thank you, EWB!
Malaika Sujeesh, 9C
Annual
SRC Raffle
PURCHASE TIX FROM SRC REPS DURING
FORM TIME, OR FROM OUR ROVING YR
9 SRC EXECS, NICOLE AND IBTISAM, AT
RECESS AND LUNCHTIMES!!!
The annual SRC raffle is on again! Money from tickets sold
goes straight back to the Mac.Rob SRC, which means it’s going
straight to you, the Mac.Robbian! The SRC uses the money to
fund projects in the school, provide grants to clubs, and to
run activities during Multicultural and Health Weeks. There’s
an amazing set of prizes to be won, all of which have been
generously donated from local businesses.
Prizes!!!
1.
LUSH GIFT BOX (valued at $80), bath set and perfume
2.
2 FREE PAIRS OF GLASSES from SPECSAVERS (valued at
$500) & eye make-up kit
3.
LUSH GIFT BOX (valued at $40), nail polish kit and
Kikki.K stationery
4.
LUSH GIFT BOX + bath set
5.
Movenpick, Trampoline, Froota, Umaido VOUCHERS
6.
FREE Strike Passes + Bath Set
7.
FROOTA FROZEN YOGHURT HAMPER
8.
SPORTS Hamper
9.
4 HOYTS Tickets + eye make-up kit
10. Pancake Parlour Hamper
11. Dymocks Hamper
Tickets can be purchased from your SRC Reps during form
time, or from our roving Year 9 SRC Execs, Nicole Ho and
Ibtisam Shahbaz, at recess and lunchtimes! Thanks for
supporting your SRC!
Indonesian News
VILTA Indonesian Speaking Competition
The Victorian Indonesian Language Teachers’ Association (VILTA) with the support of The University of Melbourne – Asia Institute
held their annual Sayembara Lisan (Speaking Competition) on Friday 8th May at Melbourne University. Around 800 Victorian school
students studying Indonesian participated in this competition from Prep to Year 11.
It is a rather daunting experience to participate in a speaking competition in general but to do so in another language challenges you
further. Every year the enthusiasm and confidence of our students is outstanding as they put their hands up to participate in this
competition.
Congratulations to the following students who made it through to the Sayembara Lisan Finals that were held on Saturday 23rd May
at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre, Melbourne University: Paula Kurniawan (9I), Angie Aulia (9I), Emily Hua (9I), Dervla McMahon (9I),
Briana Trang (9I), Caryna Ha (9I), Kaitlyn Bunyamin (10H), Janet Kwe (10I), Celene Wong (11I) and Gabriella Thang (11A).
The following students are commended for their hard work and efforts in preparing and participating in the Sayembara Lisan
competition from 9I - Anita Date, Ai-Van Huynh, Chethani Atapattu, Amy Kang, Heshankee Vithana, Ruwanya Atapattu, Sumana
Subramaniyan, Isra Abdullah, Alyssa Ng, Yianna Sakabetis, Beatrice Ciblis, Thanushri Shanmuganathan and Elysse Cassidy. From 10I Ruchika Bilagi Sandesh and Jasleen Kaur.
Bu Lisa/Ms. Hoang
Indonesian Teacher
Year 10 Indonesian restaurant excursion
On the 19th of May, my Indonesian class went to Garamerica, an Indonesian restaurant in South Melbourne. Although the weather
may not have been the best, the food definitely made up for it. Indonesian cuisine is so diverse and it really was amazing to be able
to taste some of the dishes. The restaurant had a really homely atmosphere and it was fun times with the class.
I ordered ‘Mie Ayam’ which literally translates to Chicken noodles and let me tell you, it was absolutely delicious. The minced chicken
and mushrooms alongside some blanched leafy vegetables was essentially perfect. A definite favourite was ‘Nasi Ayam’ which is rice
and deep fried chicken. Even though it was spicy, all the plates were left spotless. It was a really enjoyable excursion overall.
This is the beauty of Indonesian. You get the opportunity to experience not only the language but the culture and the food. This is just
the beginning and I can’t wait for what’s to come
By Ruchika Bilagi
Senior Soccer
Sports Round-up
The senior soccer team played in a cold and windy Elwood Park on
the morning of Monday 18th May.
Our first game was against Glen Eira Secondary College. Although
the team had never played on a soccer pitch before they combined
well to defeat Glen Eira 8-0. Our next game was against Mentone
Girls’ who had a strong team with several players who play regularly.
We went ahead fairly early in the first half but conceded a goal
shortly after. There was no more scoring resulting in a 1-1 draw.
Our third and final game was against Cheltenham. Our team was
fairly tired and although we scored early on we conceded a goal.
With guts, skill and solid team work we scored three more goals to
prevail in winning 4-1. Although undefeated we did not go through
to the next round, with Mentone having a goal difference of plus
12 to Mac.Rob plus 11.
Congratulations to the team on a fantastic performance in
teamwork, cooperation and skill. All players played to capacity
and supported each other in a great sporting and athletic effort.
Particular mention should be made of Felicity Zheng in goal and
Emily Clayton who played in attack, midfiel and defence as the
games required.
Mr Clarke (Coach)
Senior Basketball
Senior Basketball @ Dandenong (11 May). The competition consisted of 4 teams; Mac.
Rob, Cheltenham and 2 Mentone Girls’ teams.
Results:
Mac.Rob vs Mentone A: loss by 30 points;
Mac.Rob vs Cheltenham: won by 20 points;
Mac.Rob vs Mentone B: won by 15 points.
Best players for Mac.Rob: Sabine Cowley, Kaitlyn Lee, Jenny Cheng
Matches were played in great spirit and the girls never gave in.
James Richards Basketball Coach (Seniors)
Senior Badminton
Senior Table Tennis
Mac.Rob hosted the Beachside Senior Badminton Competition on 11th May 2015 and
were winners of both the A and B sections of this competition.
The A team captained by Teresa
Chan and Janice Au udefeated
Mentone and Elwood Secondary
Colleges 6-0 and the B Team
captained by Judith Cheuk also
had comprehensive wins 6-0,
5-1 and 6-0. The A team will
now represent Beachside in the
Southern Zone competitions to
be held at the Springers Stadium
on July 30th 2015.
Mr Webber(Coach)
Won Southern Metropolitan Region senior table tennis to the next round.
Mr Sawaki (Coach)
Simpson Prize
Gallipoli -Anzac Day 2015
Serra Mohamed was the Victorian winner of the Simpson Prize for 2015.
As the recipient of the Prize, Serra travelled to Gallipoli in Turkey for the
commemorations of the 100th Anniversary of the landing of Australian
and New Zealand Troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey on 25 April
1915. The following is an excerpt from her blog.
Day 8 and 9 - Gallipoli, Anzac Day
"One thing I can never forget about the day we attended the Anzac Dawn
Service is the complete serenity that engulfed the whole peninsula, harshly
contrasted with the events that had occurred there 100 years ago. A calm,
fluttering breeze replaced the bitter and icy winds that had constantly
swept through the peninsula, accentuating the harshness of the terrain
the Anzacs and Turks fought in. It was remarkable to sit fully awake and
absorb the peace of the environment, as it served as a sign of just how far
we have come as a unified and accepting nation in the past 100 years.
Simply being able to attend such a momentous occasion was an honour;
being able to deliver a reading to a crowd of 10,000 people was both a touching and exhilarating experience. I could feel a deep
connection with the piece by Sister Ella Tucker, a young nurse aiding her country in its time of need and exerting all of her energy in
order to treat hundreds of wounded soldiers. As I would someday love to benefit society by becoming a doctor, I could relate to her
slight sense of despondency when she was unable to help all of the soldiers who lined up for the services of nurses, of which there
were only seven. This bond eliminated any form of nervousness I could have felt; there were no shaky knees or chattering teeth just absolute peace. By the time I finished my reading, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes; the emotion further prompted by the
beautiful yet heart-wrenching readings delivered by Xavier Rui (St Joseph’s College, Queensland) and Winnie Lee (Pymble Ladies’
College, NSW).
After this, we proceeded to wait for the Dawn Service to begin. Cuddled up in my warm coat and sleeping bag, I could feel the sense
of anticipation in the crowd. We stayed awake and alert for the whole night and watched various informative documentaries and
beautiful musical performances by the Gallipoli Choir and many more groups. This gave us plenty of time to reflect and consider the
struggles of those involved in the battles, whether they were Australian, British or Turkish. People continued to enter the vicinity
at a rapid rate and soon the whole place was filled with those who wanted to commemorate the soldiers who had sacrificed their
lives for future generations. People sat in anticipation as night gradually transitioned into day and the Dawn Service started. It was
a remarkable experience to be able to hear the touching speeches of the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Australia, as well as
Prince Charles. Afterwards, the officials laid their wreathes shortly before the conclusion of the service.
We all then headed to Shell Green cemetery for some much needed rest and breakfast, which was a quaint picnic with delicious Turkish
snacks. After a long relaxation period, we began walking up to Lone Pine, although we had to stop as there was a long line of people
waiting to enter. This reminded me of just how important Anzac Day is for Australians, and also to me - and not just because its date
coincides with my birthday. Yes, I was born 16 years less than 100 years after the honourable Anzacs began their campaign in Gallipoli.
Therefore, the opportunity to be able to attend the commemoration services on the centenary of Anzac, and in the country of my birth
was truly incredible. The Lone Pine Service was similar to the Dawn Service as there were readings, musical performances and wreath
laying. However, this time all of this was accentuated by the brightness of the afternoon as opposed to the early morning. It was again
beautiful to see everyone; Australians
and Turks alike, commemorate such an
important event. The touching nature
of the service was further expressed
through speeches by officials and
readings by our very own Simpson
Prize crew. Being there was truly a
remarkable experience I will never
forget.
Back at the hotel, we rested and had
some free time before dinner. At
dinner, the crew surprised me with a
cake and a wonderful card which I will
treasure and keep as a reminder of
the amazing people I had the pleasure
of meeting on this trip."
This blogpost can be found on: https://
The Addams Family
The Addams Family 2015 was more than any of us could have ever
expected: in a whole myriad of ways. With a failed Broadway run and
poor reviews in its early days on tour in the US, we would be lying if we
said we were thrilled when we heard, late last year, what was planned
for the musical- and for the two of us, the one which would be our final
school musical. But just one week in, at the first rehearsal, the entire cast
began to get glimpses of how much potential this show had. Thankfully,
after its initial failings, the script and score were heavily edited into
the witty and clever comedic piece of theatre that it is now, which
we attempted to do justice to. As two of the performers, we're a little
biased, but quite frankly we (as well as the rest of the cast) consider what
we made a resounding success! Months of rehearsal standing around a
piano bashing out melodies, or getting sweaty in the Mac.Rob gym after
several hours of hard core dance practice paid off- although, our vocal
chords and muscles are still recovering. After working together for so
long the entire production team has become a tight knit family, and we
know we speak on behalf of everybody involved when we say that we
hope we all stay as close as we are right now! We definitely had our
ups and downs, most notably when our lead was hospitalised a week
before we opened, but there is nothing that could have stopped us, and
as they say, "The show must go on!" From our cast BBQ where we tried
to eat Mr Wegner's twin sausage dogs to drinking so many milkshakes
that we felt sick after rehearsal, to the insane withdrawal symptoms we
all felt the day after we closed, we loved every minute of it. To everybody
who came and saw the show, thank you for the support, and to those
who didn't, make sure you get along to the next one! Or even audition
- there is nothing more rewarding you could ever do in your high school
experience.
Eadie Pocock Drama Co Captain
The Combined Melbourne High and Mac.Rob School Musical is a muchanticipated event of the year, by both participants and viewers alike. The
initial response to the decision to perform The Addams Family in late
2014 was one of surprise and a little confusion - a much-loved 60’s TV
show turned Broadway? Who would’ve thought it? We danced and sang
our way through auditions and before we knew it our talented Director
and Vocal Director, Mr Wegner and Ms Patocs, had picked out a perfectly
well rounded cast. And so it began; we threw ourselves whole-heartedly
into full-cast Sunday rehearsals as well as additional lead-cast weekly
rehearsals, as we became The Addams Family. As a cast we encountered
two crises along the way, which only served to knit us into the tight family
we are now. This has been a defining experience in our high school years,
one that especially the year twelves will carry with them for a lifetime; to
end on such a high note has been a true privilege. The bonding between
year levels has been unimaginable, age was no barrier as we all joined
hands to create moments we will treasure forever. The level of student involvement that took place
during the course of The Addams Family production was outstanding, not only from the cast but from the backstage crew, to the
sound and lighting crews, and to the costume and makeup department, all of which were almost entirely student run, with various
teachers overseeing their progress when the need arose, except for set design and creation, credited Mr Stephens. Let’s not forget
the amazing orchestra, brought to life by Mr Chua, and Mr Frencham as we eagerly await our copies of the DVD and lastly Mr
Francis, who was kind enough to provide us with enough white paint sticks to look beautifully dead.
I would urge all my fellow students, who have latent dreams of being on stage or behind the scenes, to endeavour to participate in
such a creative and collaborative experience, and to persevere through any rejection they may encounter, with self-belief, because
it is the most fulfilling adventure I have ever been on .
Tulsi Kavar Drama Co Captain
Music News
It is an invigorating period for music at Mac.Rob with students and teachers preparing, performing and broadcasting left, right &
centre! Just fresh from the Chamber Concert, the Music Camp & a piano masterclass with a visiting pianist from London, term 2 rolls
along to the delightfully ghoulish Addams Family show, the sublime live performance by Chamber Voices on radio, the squawky Spicks
& Specks and the grand ensembles at the Autumn Concert. Our students have also been or will be involved with smaller performances,
including being guest performers at the International Ball, the Australian Combined Schools Music Festival (17-21 June), the Singer's
& String Soirees on the 1st and 4th of June, and pop-up lunchtime recitals.
We are now on track with putting together the program for the annual Combined Winter Concert with MHS. One of the really exciting
items of this event is the combined Winter Concert Chorus, which is open to any students in both schools to be involved in. If you
are interested in being part of this, please come to the rehearsals on Wednesday's from 1.45pm - 2.30pm, in the hall. For more
information, please come to the music office.
Addams Family orchestra
The Addams Family orchestra was made up of Year 9 -12 students, working well together and presenting a professional level of
orchestral backing for the combined school musical. Our students had a marvellous time working with MHS musicians in rehearsals
and for all 6 performances.
Chamber Voices
Chamber Voices, under the direction of Joanna Patocs, was invited to present a
short program for 3MBS, annual radio-thon with the assistance of Mr Rod Watson.
The girls performed with refinement and spoke gracefully. Well done to Ms Patocs
& the following girls from Chamber Voices that performed on the radio: Faith Bui,
Lisa Chen, Ethan Eva, Kathy Kim, Charindya Janakantha, Sana Panghal, Dominika
Pasztetnik, Betsy Ruscoe, Lucia Shen (Accompanist), Tajriaan Taiyus, Phoebe Taylor,
Piyumini Weerakoon Mudiyanselage, Rosie Wei, Emily Yang, Catrina Yao, Jennifer
Ye, Bobo Zhang.
The Music Captains and their
Student Music Committee put
on a great show in collaboration
with their counterparts at
MHS for the annual Spicks &
Specks. Please see below for their report on the event. The large ensemble of
Mac.Rob have been anticipating their first performance at Autumn Concert (see
the poster for more details) . The preparation for this event was galvanised at the
music camp at the start of the year and musicians are feeling confident about the
performance. It would be wonderful to see a healthy audience for this evening to
celebrate their work and our mutual love of music!
Mr Chua
Director of Instrumental Music and Performance
2015 Spicks & Specks
The bustling murmur of Memorial Hall was a stark contrast to the cold, wet evening of the 20th of May as students and teachers
gathered to compete in a night of TV/Film themed music trivia. Spicks and Specks welcomed our contestants with a brief parody of
the “Addams Family Musical” from the Mac.Rob and MHS Music Captains, before tuning into an evening of intense trivia.
This much anticipated event saw students and teachers from both schools, other schools and even ex-students come to play. The teams
puzzled over anagrams derived from the names of various artists, tried to identify songs that were played backward, pick out the most
obscure details from movie
clips and engaged in
buzzer rounds among
many other challenging
rounds. At the conclusion
of the evening, the
winning team were able
to take home a hamper of
miscellaneous prizes such
as shark and crocodile
pool noodles, inflatable
guitars, whistles the size
of a hand, and of course,
chocolate. The team
with the least amount of
positive points, (as we did
have a team who ended
up with negative points
after going double or nothing), had the satisfaction of sharing a wooden spoon (yes, a single wooden spoon).
We would like to thank Thanushri Shanmuganathan (Year 9) for performing a beautiful rendition of “You’re the one that I want” from
the musical “Grease” (accompanied by some pretty amazing guitar skills) as well as Amanda Nguyen (Year 11) for raising the roof with
the “Ghostbusters theme”. A big thank you to Dr Meath, Mr Russell, Ms Akins, Ms Howe, Ms Pride, Ms Jones, Ms Bormanis and Ms
Quenault for coming along to support the event (congratulations on 3rd place!). But most of all, we would like to express our sincere
gratitude to the members of the Student Music Committee for writing all the questions and setting up the event. Without them, the
night would not have been as spectacular as it was.
Overall, the evening was a success that exceeded our expectations and we are very thankful for all the enthusiasm and support the
school community has shown for music. Stay tuned for more music updates at musicatmacrob.blogspot.com!
Joanna Jin and Yan Tong He
COMBINED WINTER CONCERT – MAC.ROB & MHS
A wonderful showcase of talented musicians performing
Tuesday 4th August, 2015
Melbourne Town Hall
7.30 p.m.
Family & friends are most welcome to attend
Tickets to this event will soon be available on TryBooking
Autumn Concert
Music @ Mac.Rob warmly invite the school community to the Autumn Concert on
Thursday 28th May at 7 pm, school hall.
This concert features the following ensembles:
Symphony Orchestra
Symphonic Winds
Percussion
Chorale
String
Chamber Voices
Flute Quintet
Careers
Guest Speakers
On April 28 Marie Azuelos from the top university in France for social sciences spoke at
lunchtime. Sciences Po boasts most French presidents as well as Christian Dior amongst
its alumni. This is an option for those students who are interested in a multidisciplinary
approach to sociology, law, political science, economics and history. Study of at least
one language is compulsory and for Australian students this will be French – the courses
are taught in English. In 2016 Science Po and Sydney University are offering a joint Arts
degree – two years in France and two years back in Sydney and awarded degree from
each university. Cost of Sciences Po for tuition is around $14000 per year.
Vanessa Lea from Bond University
Sciences Po is a Grand Ecole (i.e. it selects its students on merit and other factors –
Gold Coast with Year 12 students
similar to the UK and USA system.) More details from its website: www.sciencespo.fr
Our guest speaker next Thursday will be from Bond University on the Gold Coast. Bond
offers degrees in medicine, law, commerce, psychology, biomedicine, journalism and many more. They provide both full and part
scholarships to cover tuition.
John Worthen (Commerce) and John Paul (VCA and Music)
Collins from Melbouren University presented to students
Charles Hornstra, Outreach Officer from New York Abu Dhabi
speaks with Year 12 students
Scholarships
St Andrew’s Scholars. $25,000 per annum from this Residential College to study at Sydney University.
Application forms at www.standrewscollege.edu.au/st-andrews-scholars. For exceptional students who will thrive academically, be
engaged in college life and have the potential to make a significant contribution to the College and in the future, the wider community.
If short listed you will be flown to Sydney University for Open Day and have an interview with the College Principal.
Bond University. Online application at www.bond.edu.au/scholarships. Closing July 31st. A range of scholarships both full-fee and partfee tuition. As a Bond scholar you will benefit from a wealth of opportunities designed to further your academic, personal and career
growth.
Engineering and Technology Cadetships. Go to www.etcad.com.au. Applications have opened and close on 12 June.
The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program.
Each year two talented Australian students are selected for the unique opportunity to complete an undergraduate degree at one of
the leading academic institutions in the United States; Duke University and the University of North Carolina. The scholarship provides
tuition, fees, room and board, three summers of domestic and international experiences and much more. To apply go to
www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au
The UNSW Co-op Program
The Co-op Program is a career development scholarship for high potential undergraduate students, set up by industry leaders and
UNSW. Co-op offers industry training, leadership and professional development, networking opportunities, mentoring and financial
support of $18,200 p.a. tax free for a minimum of four years. Programs include degrees in science, engineering, business and the built
environment. Online applications are now open go to coop.unsw.edu.au. Other UNSW scholarships can be accessed at scholarships.
unsw.edu.au.
Irene Serpless/Chris Kelly
Careers
Practice Exam Help Required
Very soon the Parents Association will be calling for volunteer invigilators to participate in the running of practice exams at the
school. Currently there is no opportunity for the students to experience ‘exam conditions’ prior to their actual VCE exams. With
the support of parents the school will be able to provide this valuable experience, which will help our girls to even greater success
in their results (and alleviate a bit of the stress involved in the process). More details will follow in the coming weeks regarding
training and time requirements, but if you are interested in volunteering some time please email [email protected]
to register your interest.
Entertainment™ Books are for sale both online and through school reception office. If you would like to make an Early Bird
purchase (with bonus vouchers) please contact [email protected] for details. Early Bird bonus offer purchases close on 15th
April. All purchases of Entertainment™ Book through Mac.Rob help with fundraising for the school.
If you would like any information regarding the Parents Association, or you would like to become a class representative, please
contact Madeline Getson on [email protected] or phone 0412 015
Reunion of Former Staff of MGHS
Try Booking (on line)
Go to www.trybooking.com/126356
Reunion
of
Former Staff of MGHS
Please note: If you have paid on line via www.trybooking.com you do not
need to complete this form.
For all other payment methods please complete the attendee information
included with your payment and return before the RSVP date.
By post to:
MGHS Former Staff Reunion
C/-MGHS
350-370 Kings Way
Melbourne Vic 3004
An email attachment to:
Margaret Webb
E: president@palladians,com
M: 0403 485 874
Subject: MGHS Former Staff Reunion
No of Tickets: _______
Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School
Name
Mobile
Years at
MGHS
Subject area
350-370 Kings Way
Melbourne
Saturday, 18th July 2015
2.00pm
2.30 - 4.00pm
RSVP with payment:
Friday, 10th July 2015
Cost: $20.00pp
Includes:
School tour & afternoon tea
School Tour
Afternoon Tea
Payment methods:
Try Booking:
www.trybooking.com/126356
Cheque / EFT / Credit Card
www.palladians.com
Credit Card
Visa
Mastercard
Name on Credit Card: ___________________________
Amount: $ ______
Credit Card No: ________________________________
Expiry Date: ________
Verification No: ________
Signature: ____________________________________
Cheque payable to: The Palladians Association Inc
Electronic Funds Transfer or Personal Deposit
Any branch of the Commonwealth Bank.
Account Name: Palladians Association Inc.
BSB: 063182 Account No: 00903895
Please ensure that your surname (or short form), initials and Staff are noted in
account description. Eg SmithJWStaff
DHHS STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS 2016
This year marks the 11th year of the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Student Scholarships Program.
This year the Department has 230 educational scholarships on offer worth $1,100 which will be awarded to
eligible students who are continuing their education in the 2016 academic year.
The aim of the DHHS Student Scholarships Program is to assist in improving school retention rates amongst
students at risk of not completing Year 11 or 12 VCE or VCAL studies in 2016. The scholarships may be spent on
any item that broadly assists educational achievement and school retention, for example, course fees, text books,
computer equipment, public transport, excursions, disability aids and other specialist equipment etc.
SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
•
Less than 21 years of age at 1 February 2016.
•
An Australian citizen or permanent resident.
•
Experiencing financial hardship.
•
Living in social housing (i.e. public or community-managed housing) or be at-risk of homelessness.
•
Studying Year 11 or 12 VCE or VCAL at a Victorian Government school or TAFE in the 2016 academic year.
•
Has the potential to achieve a good attendance record and a successful educational outcome in the 2016 academic year.
•
Supported within the school / TAFE community by an appropriate staff member (i.e. well-being coordinator, counsellor etc).
APPLICATION DATES
Open: Monday 4 May 2015 (9:00am)
Close: Friday 12 June 2015 (5:00pm)
Applications are accepted at any time between the closing and opening dates.
Please note: All applicants must meet the scholarship eligibility criteria.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A DHHS 2016 STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP?
Applications must be submitted online via the Kids Under Cover online scholarship application service, powered by SmartyGrants.
Simply create a SmartyGrants account, log-in and start applying. You can submit multiple applications through your account, and you can save partially completed
applications to complete and submit at a later date when you are ready. If you already have a SmartyGrants account you do not need to create a new account.
Please Note: Applications must be submitted by the student’s wellbeing coordinator, teacher, or alternative school / TAFE staff member. Applications submitted by the
student themselves will not be accepted.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
The DHHS Student Scholarships Program is administered in partnership with Kids Under Cover, an independent non-profit organisation that supports vulnerable
young people who are either homeless or at-risk of homelessness.
For more information about the program or to apply for a scholarship, please visit the Kids Under Cover website here.
Please direct all queries to the Kids Under Cover Scholarship Coordinator via phone on (03) 9429 7444 or email [email protected]
Heather Pettican
Scholarship Coordinator
Please note my office hours are:
Monday – Thursday
9.00 AM – 5.00 PM
PO Box 3038, Victoria Gardens, Richmond VIC 3121
T 03 9429 7444 E heather@kuc·org·au kuc.org.au