Dear Members of the MLMC community,

Welcome back and I am sure that we have all been eagerly waiting for this day.

Firstly, I want you all to know how proud you can be of our students, particularly our Year 12 cohort. This week saw our Year 12 students, the graduating Class of 2021, finish formal classes for their secondary education and for some leave our campus for the last time. It is an important milestone in their lives and a time in which we can take notice of the maturity with which they achieved it. The last day of school for any student is an emotional transition and for many it was obvious that they did not really wish to leave, just as we who have taught them would like to keep them just a little bit longer. The only analogy I make is that it is similar to a child leaving home. You never want them to leave, but you know it has to happen. 

So for our graduating class it did happen on Tuesday. They celebrated together, shared and created memories together and then one by one said their goodbyes. To complete Year 12 is an accomplishment in itself, but to do so through two years of a pandemic is colossal. Our Year 12 cohort started the day with Mass, then had an awards-type ceremony and prepared for next month’s graduation. Each Year 12 student was given a graduation parcel that contained some special gifts. It contained their graduation present, stoll, pen and 125 years Old Collegians’ badge. They also received a copy of the book created to celebrate the 125 years of the College. The book is yet to be launched because lockdown has caused us to cancel or postpone so much, but it was important that they received this gift. We will now start to distribute these books to all our families, although it will not be launched until next year. The students also dressed up and shared a COVID-safe long lunch outside under umbrellas on Catherine’s Way.

Within their package was a book Finding God’s Traces, and in the front of each, among other things, I wrote “Be courageous in aspiring to a life of service”.

We are proud of our graduating class, as they should be proud of themselves. They left with dignity and showed respect for their College, their teachers, their classmates and the community.

Let us continue to pray for them as they continue their journey to graduation and life as Old Collegians of MLMC. I dream of the adventures that are before them and look forward to hearing the stories of their successes, for I know they will impact the world and their presence will be a blessing.

So, too, we can be proud of the College community for the way in which we have travelled the path during this most recent lockdown and started the process to return to on-campus learning. Today, students started to return to ‘the Hill’ and as they walked up the driveway, laden with bags, books and laptops, it was obvious they were pleased to be back on campus, just as we are so pleased to have them back. Yes, there are some issues with hair and uniform and acclimatisation, remembering and understanding how we do things here at MLMC, but on the whole they are of little consequence and we will fix those things. We are just so happy to once again have a campus that is alive with the sound and joy of our students.

There still seems to be three areas of confusion for families:

(1) Who is to attend and who remains in remote learning?

From today, Friday 22 October, all Year 7 and Year 11 students have ceased remote learning and have resumed on-campus learning each and every day

Year 10 students have returned today to on-campus learning, but is a mixed mode. They will be on campus each Thursday and Friday, but remain in remote learning on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each week

Year 8 and Year 9 students remain in remote learning today and each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They will be on campus Tuesday and Wednesday.

This is the process until a complete return to campus by all students which is currently planned for Friday 5 November. Hopefully the government will bring this date forward.

Also, each year level must try to remain in their year level-type bubble. Year 10 students undertaking a Year 11 subject (VCE Units 1 and 2) may only attend campus with their Year 10 level and may not attend for VCE studies. These will still need to be conducted remotely.

In returning to campus, all COVID-19 restrictions remain in place: mask wearing, social distancing and personal hygiene. The College will maintain a strict cleaning regime.

(2) Do students need to be vaccinated and does the College require proof?

While we encourage all eligible community members to undertake the vaccination process, we understand that such decisions are family decisions and no mandate for students to be vaccinated exists.

There is certainly no mandate for MLMC to collect data about student vaccination and we have no intention of doing so unless instructed by the appropriate authorities.

Families who are not vaccinated can allay fears that their children will be ostracised or suffer discrimination. This is clearly not the case and not possible.

Families must, however, be assured that MLMC has a detailed COVID-19 safety plan which includes all the mandated processes concerning community members who test positive or who are deemed Primary Close Contacts (PCC). Masks must be worn while on campus unless a medical exemption is provided.

(3) Uniform

The third thing that seems be causing some distress is uniform. Firstly, in returning to campus students may elect to wear either the full College summer uniform or winter uniform until the Melbourne Cup weekend, from Wednesday 3 November the summer uniform is required. Hats must be worn outside from day one of return to campus.

Having stated the above, we understand that some uniform will be ill fitting and hair may not as yet be compliant and we will allow time for necessary adjustments to be made as students gain access to the uniform shop and hairdressers. We also understand that students and families will be doing their best to return to our community within College expectations.

We welcome the return.

In the Spirit of Catherine, may God bless each and every one of you.

Philip A Morison
Principal

Adapted from A Prayer for the End of the School Year (Anon)

As the Year 12 students finish their education with us

We give thanks to God:
For all the teaching and learning that has taken place in our school, both in and out of the classroom.

For the talents and gifts that have been shared and the challenges that have been faced;
For the burdens that have been lifted and the hurts that have been healed;
For the respect and care that has been given.

We give thanks for the friendships that have just begun and for those that have grown.
For the faith that has been lived in our daily struggles,
For the hope that has lifted our hearts on the dark days
And for the love that has kept us going.

We give thanks for the community that we are,
and we ask you Lord —

Bless our students as they sit their exams: may your Spirit inspire
them with confidence and calmness.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen

(1) Important dates

• Saturday 23 October — Resilient Kids Virtual Conference (see below for details)
• Monday 25 October — Year 7 2022 Parent Information Evening
• Wednesday 27 October — VCE written exams begin
• Monday 1 November — midterm break (student free day)
• Tuesday 2 November — Melbourne Cup Day (public holiday)

(2) 2022 College Fees

College Finance Office

The College’s school fees have been set for 2022. A letter from the Principal Mr Philip Morison is now available on the Parent Portal under docs for you to read. The 2022 College fee statements will be available via the Parent Portal from Monday 17 January 2022. You can view your statement and make payment on the Parent Portal from this date. Families that have chosen the option of having their statement emailed will also receive a copy via this method. Please note that no statements will be posted next January so if you are having trouble viewing your statement via the Parent Portal, please phone the College Finance Office. Once again, all current families will automatically continue with the same automatic payment plan that they have set up for the payment of fees in 2021. If you wish to change your current payment plan, please click HERE (or below) to access the form to be completed. Any changes must be made prior to Monday 6 December 2021.

(3) Resilient Kids Virtual Conference

Mrs Tina Tasiopoulos
School Wellbeing Coordinator

Parents and guardians are reminded that they must register in advance for the FREE tickets for Resilient Kids Conference being held from 8.30am to 4.30pm tomorrow (Saturday 23 October 2021). The conference organisers have set up a discount code for you to use.

To purchase a free ticket click HERE and please use the discount code “MLMC”. You will then be directly sent a link to the conference. The code will be available until 5.00pm today (Friday 22 October 2021).

Six speakers will cover a range of topics across the day. You can drop in and out of the conference as time or interest dictates. Michael Carr-Gregg will be presenting on supporting our children's mental health as we come out of lockdown.

(4) Recording from our online forum

Mrs Tina Tasiopoulos
School Wellbeing Coordinator

On Monday 11 October, the College's Counselling team hosted an online forum to discuss issues such as anxiety, self-harm and depression. Please click HERE to access a recording of this forum and use the passcode "957709".

(5) Level crossing removal update

Mr Louis Papadimitriou
Deputy Principal — Organisation

Works are continuing on the Maroondah Highway Level Crossing Removal Project in Lilydale and Mooroolbark. Workers will be on site with cranes, trucks, excavators, light towers and other large construction machinery in the rail corridor between Melba Avenue, John St, Maroondah Hwy and Beresford Rd. Buses continue to replace trains between Ringwood and Lilydale until further notice.

For full details of the works in the area and traffic disruptions, please look at the document below.

(6) 2022 Instrumental Music Lessons

Mrs Sharon Flint
Instrumental Music secretary

The Music department is now accepting enrolments for 2022 Instrumental Music lessons. Enrolment forms for 2022 can be found on the Parent Portal under ‘Forms and Information'. You can also send an email to me at sflint@mlmc.vic.edu.au to request a form. To secure a place in your preferred instrument please return your enrolment form to Student Reception OR to the Music department as soon as possible as music lesson vacancies are filling up quickly. Instrumental Music lessons will commence in Week 2 of Term 1.

To find out more about the Instrumental Music program at MLMC, take a look at the booklet below.

Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community,

Finally, at long last, there is a sense of normality returning to the College with the end of remote learning well within our sight. For many in our community they are ready and eager to return. For some, the prospect of another change may be daunting. With this in mind, the best advice I can give is to reinforce a routine with your children.

The College, very mindful of the wellbeing of our students will be focusing on getting things back to normal as soon as possible. Bells, uniform, classes and friends will once again make up their day as we settle back into the routines we have put aside during this last lockdown. I believe routines give us the predictability and structure we crave in times of uncertainty. If this has not already been a topic of conversation, I recommend revisiting, sleep and wake times, and the notion that dreaded homework will be needed as we head toward exams and end-of-year assessment tasks.

I mention sleep time quite deliberately here as transition and reintroducing a stricter routine can be exhausting. School requires a lot of self discipline and self regulation and I expect that a high percentage of our students will return home fatigued, needing some space to unwind and relax. Late nights that may have been a thing of lockdown will rob students of the precious hours to recharge and get ready for the next day.

During the lead up to returning to school, Year Level Leaders have been posting reminders on their Year Level (Google) Classrooms about the importance of routine. To ensure our full attention can be spent on helping students reengage with on-site learning, and concentrate on the things that really matter, we ask that the normal day-to-day nuts-and-bolts-type requirements are taken care of prior to returning. We aim to spend our energy on creating engaging activities, rather than having to correct uniforms, ask for masks to be worn correctly or address immature classroom behaviours.

Please support us to make the return to school as positive as it can be by ensuring uniform is not an issue. Piercings and the like should not be something we need to deal with. It is such a simple thing that all students can be responsible for.

During this reestablishment time, communication is a vital factor. If your child has any concerns about returning, please encourage them to talk to staff. All staff want the very best for our students and will work with them to help them overcome any feelings of anxiety as they adjust back to being on campus. The invitation for you as parents to let us know how things are going remains. Please reach out to us if you feel your child will not.

As always, I am only an email or phone call away.

Returning to school advice from our Counselling and Wellbeing team

COVID-19 has required everyone to make changes: how we live, how we socialise, how we learn. After months of lockdown in 2021, students will now begin returning to school rules, routines, classrooms, classmates, teachers and, in some cases, even new schools. For many, these changes can create a sense of anticipation and for some anxiety, especially given the ongoing threat of COVID-19 despite the College’s social distancing and hand hygiene measures.

Everyone has a remote learning story and, while there are similarities, our own story is unique. Some students found it hard, others may have been worried about how it will affect their progress and there have been other students who enjoyed it. Whatever the experience, know that it is normal to experience a wide range of emotions and for these emotions to have changed from one week to the next.

As we get ready to return to school, it is important for students to think about strategies that will help to prepare for the return, manage any worries they might have and re-focus their thinking.

Outlined in the attached document are some tips for families as students prepare for the return to on-site learning. Please remember we are here to support and assist students. You can contact your child’s Year Level Leader or our Counselling and Wellbeing Team if you have concerns about the wellbeing of your teen via email to: Counsellingwellbeingteam@mlmc.vic.edu.au

On Tuesday 19 October our Year 12 students celebrated their last day of school after 13 years. It was a day of mixed emotions for many. There was the excitement and the highs of reaching the end of high school but also the sadness and realisation that they were finishing their time at Mount Lilydale Mercy College.

The day was an opportunity for the students to celebrate finishing the school year with their classmates as well as staff who had helped to guide them through the challenges that 2021 threw at them. This day was no different to Celebration Days of the past as we celebrated Mass and College Colour presentations, but these were done via Zoom. Students also completed photo activities for their upcoming Graduation, to be held on Friday 19 November, and later they dressed up in costumes following either the ‘2000s’ or ‘When I grow up’ themes. One of the highlights was the video played at the end of the day recognising and celebrating their six years at the College.

It was fantastic to witness the excitement and enthusiasm of the students and it was a great celebration of their time at Mount Lilydale Mercy College. The students conducted themselves in an exemplary manner and were a credit to themselves.

Thank you to the many staff who contributed to the success of this day. We wish the students all the best with the next week of study followed by their final examinations.

To commemorate our much loved and admired Deputy Principal Mark Prest, who commenced at the College in 1996 and became Deputy Principal in 1997, the College Executive has named an annual award for an ‘educationalist’ in his honour.

Mark had a deep love for his God and was passionate educator who had a deep sense of the school community. He listened, accepted and embraced all the people he found in his life. Mark demonstrated strength during his own battle with illness and throughout his life he was willing to be a ‘shelter in a storm’ for others. He was a deep thinker and came to believe strongly in the stewardship model of leadership.

Below you will find a nomination form for the 2021 Mark Prest Award, which will be presented at our Night of Excellence to the staff member who most exemplifies our Mercy education philosophies, values and spirit. Each staff member can only win this award once. Staff members can be nominated by parents, students, other staff, or community members. Please consider this process.

The award is presented annually to a staff member who most exemplifies Mark’s educational philosophy and witness as judged by the following criteria which embody the spirit of Mark as an educator. It is expected that the recipient of this award will reflect many of these characteristics.

Mark:

• had a passionate respect for the dignity of each person
• set a public example of integrity, love, commitment and awareness each day
• showed empathy and concern for the welfare of others
• had a healthy sense of tolerance, acceptance and openness
• fostered genuine, honest, authentic, compassionate and just relationships
• was filled with the excitement of teaching
• was a courageous and committed learner
• aspired to and encouraged excellence
• exhibited a quality of teaching which opened up learning to others
• encouraged a love of learning in others
• was willing to take risks and learn from experience
• believed that teaching mattered
• fostered a strong climate of community involving students, teachers and parents
• had a sense of civic responsibility and pride
• contributed to the social and spiritual environment of the school.

The selection of the winner will be made by a panel which includes Principal Mr Philip Morison, an Advisory Council Member, two staff members and one student (a student leader).

Nominate by visiting HERE to fill out a nomination form.

Thank you to all students who entered the 2021 Kool Skools design an album cover competition. This is the first year we have run this competition at the College and we had some great entries. The judges have chosen the following finalists, with the artwork from Fletcher Stafford (Year 12 Silver), pictured above, being selected to be the cover for the 2021 Kool Skools album.

Finalists:
First: Fletcher Stafford (Year 12 Silver)
Second: Mason Cole (Year 12 Orange)
Third: Lara Mhanna (Year 7 Gold)

Congratulations to all of these students, who will each receive a gift voucher.

REMOTE > ONSITE: Reconnecting, Reestablishing, Reengaging

We are tremendously proud of our Barak Campus students who have carried themselves as well as they have during remote learning and we look forward to supporting them as they return to on-site learning. Over the last term, teachers and staff have made a tremendous effort with redesigning and facilitating remote learning and care for students. Teachers and Year Level Leaders have been communicating and keeping in touch and offering support with students and parents. And now, with student and staff returning to the campus, we are excited to have all our students return ‘up on the Hill’ together.

We have enjoyed hearing positive stories and examples of how some students would like for us to continue some elements and activities with our on-site delivery of lessons and assessment. But, we also know that some students have struggled with remote learning - whether due to accessibility issues or maintaining the discipline of attending each lesson and completing classwork and assessment. We encourage students to not feel any undue pressure to get ‘up to speed’ quickly. Our amazing teachers understand that after this last lockdown, students will need understanding and encouragement as we all reconnect, reestablish and reengage.

Reconnect: a key strength of our MLMC community is how we value relationships, which will be instrumental as we move both physically and relationally (students and teachers!) from being isolated by ourselves to being back on campus surrounded by hundreds. Learning to share the space together, sharing conversations and discussions, sharing study together and sharing care for each other.

Reestablish: helping students reestablish their pathway plans, goals and aspirations. For many the interruption of COVID-19 lockdown and isolation, and trying to process events locally and worldwide, may have been extremely difficult without having the normal support structures in place to share concerns, questions, and fears. This includes those questions on every young person’s mind about ‘What would I like to do with my future?’ and ‘What do I need to get there?’. It can be very hard to plan for ‘our next step’ when that possible path is interrupted by such extraordinary events and circumstances. We encourage our students to have conversations with their family members about recent months. This includes conversations about pathway plans they have had in the past, and after recent events — have they changed? Do they need to identify new goals, or reestablish old ones?  

Reengage: students are taking the opportunity from being back on site to build on the learning and work they did remotely. This includes using new methods, skills and tools to deepen understanding as they explore topics and their significance; embedding study habits and techniques for more effective preparation with assessment activities. Significantly, many students have tangibly expressed their appreciation and value of what they experience in their ‘normal’ learning environment.

I want to personally acknowledge and affirm the incredible work and care given to students by the Barak Leadership Team of Mr Greg Hysted, Miss Cass Poynter, Mrs Marie Prusac, Mr Thomas Warren, Mr Andrew Leaumont, Mrs Alison Schlueter and Mrs Tamara Rundle. As we continue to plan and deliver new timelines around new dates for exams and other end-of-year activities we will, of course, keep both students and families updated as we progress. And we thank you for your trust, patience and understanding.

The College’s Year 12 Visual Arts Exhibition will go live online from 6.30pm tonight (Friday 22 October) and it will feature the work of our Media, Visual Communication Design and Studio Arts students.

After last year’s successful online Visual Art exhibitions and with COVID-19 restrictions continuing this year, the Visual Arts Faculty is again showcasing our students’ artistic talents with the community via the Visual Arts website.

A separate exhibition which will feature works from our Year 7-11 students will be available online from Thursday 11 November.

VCE Media students have faced the challenge of planning, producing, filming and editing their own video productions and are hosting a special presentation night with their parents and families on the night. They will also be in the running for awards for best actor, best actress and best director as well as awards for best screenplay, best documentary, best sound and best lighting.

Studio Arts students have developed some amazing pieces of art in a medium of their choice, while Visual Communication Design (VCD) students have had to write about design problems in the fields of communication, environmental and industrial design, demonstrating terrific initiative and determination. The top students from these classes will also be sent a certificate and be recognised on the website for their exceptional work.

The exhibition is a tremendous showcase of the work the Year 12 VCE Visual Arts students have produced over the course of 2021.

To view the works, or even bookmark the exhibition website in advance, please visit: https://www.mlmc-visual-arts.com/

Remote learning has presented some challenges to both teachers and students, particularly in practical subjects like Physical Education and Outdoor Education. Teaching staff in the Health and PE Faculty have regularly adapted and even maximised learning outcomes during remote learning.

In Nutrition for the Athlete, students needed to design a challenge that can be completed at home with minimal or no equipment. This could be a single workout or one that takes place over a series of days/weeks. Some examples that students came up with included:

• completing a 24km walk (Madi Doran)
• walking a marathon distance over a week (Lily Hall)
• 600 push-ups in a day (Aashere Manoj)
• 45km mountain bike ride over three days (Rye Orme)
• completing 100 free throws every day for a week (Riley Trewin)
• running 25km over five days (Jesse Wade).

It was great to see the students find something they were interested in and challenge themselves.

To maximise the opportunities for our students, and to try and keep Outdoor Education from becoming ‘Indoor Education’, the Year 10 students were challenged to come up with a backyard adventure. Students were given some examples of people who had completed such adventures and were encouraged to follow the COVID-19 restrictions in place for metropolitan Melbourne but still go out and learn through experience. They had to think of an adventure, plan what gear they needed and then record their experience through a photo story. 

Below are some examples of what our Year 10 Outdoor Education students planned and photos (in the gallery below) of their adventures:

The goal for my adventure is to reach the top of the hill with my bike. At the very top the city is visible through the trees. My goal is to reach that point. Many obstacles such as logs and fallen trees, a creek, and steep muddy slopes are in my way.
— Harvey Cutler (10 Orange)

My goal is to camp in my backyard, to just sleep outside — which is a bit of a change since we haven't been camping in ages due to COVID-19.
— Ally Smart (10 White) (photo is above)

My backyard adventure is a bike circuit around my local park. My goal is to complete this with two of my friends. The circuit is roughly 900m around and we aim to do it three times each and timing each of our rides. The park is 11km from my house. Throughout the circuit, we must complete one task each: find a native bird, identify a deciduous tree, find another animal (not a bird). These challenges will allow us to become more in touch with the native flora and fauna that surround our houses.
— Ollie Tisbury (10 White)

My goal is to walk a marathon over the span of two days.
— Jordan Potts (10 Gold)

My backyard adventure involves camping out in the backyard. Even though I have slept in a tent many times before, I haven't slept in my backyard so this will be a new experience. I plan to observe and listen to the sounds.
— Oscar Lyons (10 Purple)

My goal is to slap that big green water tower at the top of Mooroolbark. To do this I have to search for an entrance to the area, spending a few days walking or running around that tower looking for a spot to let me in.
— Mitch Payne (10 Silver)

I'm trying to find a butterfly around my garden and notice where they usually are located.
— Olivia Spence (10 Bronze)

The Royal Adelaide Show hosts an important and prestigious school wine competition for schools, TAFE colleges and universities each year. The national school wine competition has several categories. These range from industry-supported production all the way through to Class 3 wine produced entirely by a school. This is a special category as it is only open to schools producing their wine entirely on site. MLMC has competed in this category in the past, winning silver and gold medals.

This year was a significant milestone for the program. As well as the 2018 and 2019 MLMC vintages picking up silver and gold medals respectively, our 2019 was also awarded the Programmed Property Services Trophy for 'best wine made by a school’. This is the top award in a wine show described by industry publication Grapegrower and Winemaker as the “most prestigious wine show in Australia”.

It is important to note that the wine is entirely made at our school, with students being as involved in almost all aspects of the process from pruning the vines, to harvesting and participating in ferment operations and bottling. I would like to take the opportunity to thank our major sponsor, Yering Station, for their ongoing support with sulphur analysis, advice and supply of oak barrels. I would like to thank our program patron Ms Suzanne Halliday and the wonderful students involved as well as my colleagues, who chip in and assist with the production of this wine. It is a credit to the capacity of our students to learn complex processes and adhere to strict quality standards.

This little program is kicking goals and most importantly inspiring students who take part to go on and explore related careers.

On returning to the campus, Year 12 student Sam Green was able to demonstrate a 3D printer he had constructed for his project for his VCE Systems Engineering class. Sam's project was exceptional and is extremely impressive considering the challenges due to the lack of practical classes during remote learning and the difficulty of sourcing electronic components to construct this project. He was highly motivated to complete this project on his own.

The Study Design for the subject says: “Students commence work on the creation of an integrated and controlled system using the systems engineering process. This production work has a strong emphasis on innovation, designing, producing, testing and evaluating. Students manage the project, taking into consideration the factors that will influence the creation and use of their integrated and controlled system.”

VCE Systems Engineering promotes innovative systems thinking and problem-solving skills through the application of the systems engineering process. Designers use 3D printers to quickly create product models and prototypes, but they are increasingly being used to make final products, as well.

Well done Sam on a terrific project.

If your child is a Year 11 student entering Year 12 in 2022, they may be eligible to receive the Old Collegians’ Scholarship. This scholarship from the MLMC Old Collegians’ Association is awarded to a Year 11 student who is involved in College activities, enjoys helping others and takes part in social justice activities. The scholarship will cover full tuition fees for one year.

If your child is interested in applying, please click HERE for the application form and selection criteria, or download the form below.

Applications close on Friday 19 November at 2.00pm.

The College has been fortunate to offer our students a real-life experience of using the language they are studying in that home country. For many years, the students at MLMC have been able to experience living in Japan, Italy, France and New Caledonia. Not only do they experience the country and its culture, but also their people and going to school. It is a wonderful opportunity for the students to immerse themselves in using the languages. We look forward to international borders re-opening and this invaluable life experience being made available to our students again.

2002 – Japanese and Italian Sister Schools

In 1995, MLMC Principal Mr John Goodfellow employed Ms Jan Russell as the first Japanese language teacher at the College. Ms Russell later wrote: “He gave me license to create a program in which learning a second language was a deeply meaningful experience for our students and developing a Sister School program was the core of that ideal.”

Through a mediation organisation, the College was put in touch with Katagiri Senior High School in Nara, Japan. It later became Horyuji Kokusai High School and designated a UNESCO school. Reciprocal visits to each school by the Principals paved the way for them to become Sister Schools and for their students to travel overseas to visit each other’s institutions.

The success of the program led to a second Sister School being established with Instituti Superiore Giovanni Lanza in Casale Monferrato in northern Italy and a similar exchange opportunity for students evolved. As LOTE Coordinator Mrs Diane Scukovic wrote in Coolock in 2000: “Links with Sister Schools overseas give language students the opportunity to experience another language and culture.”

Visits between the two schools have continued, while LOTE French students have also visited France and New Caledonia.

Above: students with Ms Jan Russell and Sr Madeleine Fox in Japan.
Below: students in Italy and Japan.

Auditions for the MLMC 2022 Instrumental Music Scholarships will look a little different this year. In the past we have held face-to-face auditions in the Music department, however, due to COVID-19 restrictions Performing Arts Faculty Learning Leader Ms Emily Cerra has devised a new plan.

Should students be interested in applying for a 2022 Instrumental Music Scholarship, they are asked to please send an email to me at sflint@mlmc.vic.edu.au to receive a shared Google Form. Students are asked to fill in this online form, attach a video of two pre-recorded contrast music pieces and upload it by 4.00pm on Wednesday 24 November 2021.

The Music department wishes all students the best of luck.

Recently the Eastern Football Netball League (EFNL) released its 2021 best and fairest award results for each age group and grade. The College has many present and past students featuring in the top five of their competitions and winning awards, including:

• Luke Ivanovic (Year 11 Purple), from Kilsyth FC, won the U13D best and fairest
• Luca Nunziante (Year 7 Green), from Croydon FC, finished fifth in U13B
• Jeremy Green (Year 9 Jade), from Kilsyth FC, finished third in U15C
• Rowan Tucker (Year 10 Orange), from Lilydale FC, was runner-up in U17A
• Jess Vukic (Year 10 Jade, from Vermont FC, finished third in U16A
• Hailee Stokes (Class of 2019) won the goal kicking award for the Division 3 women’s competition with 20 goals for Croydon North/MLOC FC.

We also must give a special mention to teacher Mr Dan Beard (pictured) for receiving the EFNL’s Field Umpire of the Year award.

It has been a huge effort from all the individuals listed above, especially with such a disrupted season that didn’t get completed and having no games in the 2020 season. Well done to everyone who won an award and everyone who played in 2021, creating a great future for Goats footy.

If you have any student achievements, please email them to me at: dwebb@mlmc.vic.edu.au

To celebrate the history of each of our six Houses at MLMC and to boost House spirit, through the year each House Prefect has hosted a celebration event. Most recently, Laura Fitzgerald hosted the event for O'Neill House. 

Here Laura writes about the celebration:

Despite the difficult circumstances of the latest COVID-19 lockdown, the O’Neill House Celebration for 2021 has still taken place. On Friday 8 October, O’Neill House staff and students came together via a Google Meet (pictured below) to celebrate our GREAT House! Here, O’Neill House members took part in a presentation on the history of O’Neill House, sharing photos, an update on points earned this year and we did a Kahoot quiz. It was so much fun! I’m so lucky to have led this great House in my final year of schooling, one which I will cherish forever.

We look forward to coming together as a community in 2022 to further celebrate each House and continue the tradition of friendly inter-House competition at our sports carnivals and House Challenges.