Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community

This week the College celebrated the many aspects of Semester 1 with a student led assembly, planned and overseen by the College Captains and Student Representative Council (SRC). It was pleasing to see the many aspects of our College celebrated by the student body itself.

As with all full College assemblies I was invited to address the community and in so doing I chose to reflect on three different ideas.

The first was a reflection about a great Australian and scientist Michelle Yvonne Simmons, whom I saw being interviewed on One Plus One recently. She inspired me to do some research about her and in my address to the students I discussed her. Much of what I said, I found in her acceptance speech as Australian of the Year in 2018.

My address to the students included the following extract:

Michelle was born in 1967 in London England and went on to study at Durham where she was awarded a PHD. She is a professor who has held appointments at the University of Cambridge (1992-1998) and at the University of New South Wales (1999-present). Most of her work has focussed on the design and construction of quantum electronic devices. This has resulted in the development of technology to fabricate devices in silicon at the atomic level towards the realisation of quantum integrated circuits and quantum computation.

Yes I know it sounds quite complex, and undoubtedly it is. I only understand some of the concepts so you may need to ask your Science teacher, but an important thing about Michelle is that she was the 2018 Australian of the Year, which is a huge accomplishment given that she did not become an Australian citizen until 2007.

In 2019, with the Queen’s Birthday, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.

What I like about Michelle is the story that she tells.

Why did she come to Australia?

She says she came to realise her dreams because she believed that in Australia as a woman working in a man’s world of physics, she would be given a ‘fair go’ and could somewhat fly under the radar. She said she believed that Australian researchers are unique and able to accomplish a great deal. Although they compete hard and are down to earth, they are able to compete across all boundaries and judge by results. She believes Australian researchers believe in what is real, can think for themselves and are able to give hard challenges a go.

Michelle came to Australia to work.

She stated that a negative belief can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if you let it, and so you should never listen to the detractors.

Michelle has achieved so much, but what inspired me to tell you about her, what inspired me to start to research her and what I want you to learn from her is that she lives by four basic mantras.

1. Do what is hard
2. Place high expectations on yourself
3. Take risks
4. Do something that matters

As you move forward, I offer you these four mantras as a focus for how inspiring they are. If you take them up, you will indeed,

‘Be your Best and then, Give your best.’

Michelle is indeed inspiring.

The second key point that I raised with the student body was the concept of change which I raised in the last newsletter with the wider community. Again, change in the context referred to in our upcoming mobile phone and portable devices policy. The text of my address is included here for you so that you know how I addressed this with the students.

The second thing I want to talk to you about is change. Change is a constant part of our lives and I ask you to embrace change. You may have read in the College newsletter or heard spoken around our College that the Policy on the use of mobile phones is changing from Day 1 of Term 3.

Essentially, devices, other than the portable electronic devices issued by the College (i.e. MacBook or Chromebook) or a BYO device agreed upon by the College, are not to be used or carried by students between the hours of 8.45am and 3.15pm.

This means from the start of Term 3, between 8.45am and 3.15pm you cannot use or be seen with your mobile phones. You cannot walk around the College listening to headphones. There is a lot more detail about this and I am sure your Campus Directors and Year Level Leaders will provide much of the required details.

For now I would like to make the following points.

1. This policy change has been made in your best interest
2. This policy change has been made for good educational reasons
3. Embrace this change as a positive
4. Do not let this change in policy be a thing that will cause a disruption to excellent relationships that generally exist between staff and students
5. Do not let this change in policy be a point of contention between staff and students
6. Do not put staff in a position where they are compelled to rebuke you for phone usage
7. This will be the policy from day 1 of Term 3 and there will be no grace period. Please embrace this change.

Since writing about this policy change, I have been contacted over the last two weeks by a number of parents and community members congratulating us as a College in making this policy decision and recognising that there was a need for change. I am grateful to all those who contacted us to indicate their support for the policy change. Furthermore, on the very day this issue was raised with the student body, James Merlino, Minister for Education announced a similar policy for all Government schools. Perhaps James, being an Old Collegian, is reading our newsletter. It is also of interest that Dan Tehan, Minister for Education in the Morrison Government, came out in support of the policy. I believe he would like to see it Australia-wide. Still, we will start the policy next term and hopefully it will not create unforeseen issues.

The third point that I made to the students was a simple one.

To thank them for their efforts over Semester 1 and I hope each and every one of them reaps the benefits of their good work. I hope they all enjoy the semester break and return to us in July readied for the semester to come. I wish each and every one of you that very same sentiment.

Please note — I will be taking a very short period of leave at the beginning of Term 3. Mr Louis Papadimitriou will be the Acting Principal for this period and I trust you will all offer him your support.

Finally, we continue to remember those within our community that suffer loss with the passing of loved ones. We remember and pray for Robert Roberts, grandfather of Emma Roberts (Year 11) and Nicole Roberts (Class of 2016). May he rest in peace.

God Bless

(1) School holiday and office closure dates

Week 1 — the office will be OPEN Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 4.00pm (Monday 1 to Friday 5 July).

Week 2 — the office will be CLOSED (Monday 8 to Friday 12 July)

Start of Term 3 — the Office will be CLOSED on Monday 15 July (the first day of term) for a staff professional development day.

The first day of term for all students is Tuesday 16 July.

(2) First aid update

There will be a new Student Medical Profile system introduced next semester that is based on SIMON. This means that all student medical information will be accessed and updated via PAM instead of the Parent Portal. By utilising the Medical Profile on PAM, teachers have quicker and clearer access to any important, relevant medical information through the student desktop, rather than needing to access it on a different system. We believe this is the most effective way in continuing to keep students safe at school.

New System – New Information Required
Please be aware that as this is a new system, all previous medical information cannot be transported across from the Parent Portal to PAM (including any management plans), therefore you will be required to complete the PAM online medical form, regardless of whether you have provided us with the information before. The College will contact you early next term with more information about when and how this will be implemented. Of course, we are available to assist you with any queries, concerns or support to access the system once it commenc

(3) Parent communication channels reminder

The College uses SIMON (Parent Access Module) as our Learning Management system and the Parent Portal as our administration system.

Parent Access Module (PAM)
The Parent Access Module (PAM) is your access to SIMON. This is where you access daily messages, student timetables, assessment tasks, reports, interviews etc.

Parent Portal
The Parent Portal is used for accounts/payments, excursions and camps, forms and information etc. This is also currently used for updating and viewing student medical information but will switch to PAM in Term 3, 2019.

(4) Fee payment reminder
The Term 3 Quarterly Tuition Fees are due and payable by 17 July 2019. Please refer to your annual statement, downloaded in January on the Parent Portal for your quarterly payment amount. If you require any assistance, please don’t hesitate to make contact with the Finance Office on 9237 1315 or 9739 2209.

(5) Bob Stewart uniform shop — holiday hours
The shop will be open Saturday 13 July from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Please note that we will be closed on the first Saturday in July due to school holidays. The first day of trading in Term 3 is Tuesday 16 July from 8.00am -2.00pm. Please note — regular Term 3 hours are Tuesdays only from 12:30pm to 4.00pm.

As we come to the end of another term, it is good to stop for a moment and reflect on the many blessings we have experienced. Sometimes these blessings are shaped in unexpected ways so we may not even realise at the time how precious they are.

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer."

1 Timothy 4:4-5

Gratitude

Thank you, God for the times You have said "no." They have helped me depend on You so much more.

Thank you, God, for unanswered prayer. It reminds me that You know what's best for me, even when my opinion differs from Yours.

Thank You, Lord, for the things you have withheld from me. You have protected me from what I may never realize.

Thank You, God, for the doors You have closed. They have prevented me from going where You would rather not have me go.

Thank you, Lord, for the physical pain You've allowed in my life. It has helped me more closely relate to Your sufferings on my behalf.

Thank you, Lord, for the alone times in my life. Those times have forced me to lean in closer to You.

Thank you, God, for the uncertainties I've experienced. They have deepened my trust in You.

Thank You, Lord, for the times You came through for me when I didn't even know I needed a rescue.

Source: From a prayer by Cindy McMenamin.

On Thursday 20 June, 28 Year 12 students and seven staff members gave up their warm beds in exchange for the concrete floors of the McAuley Quadrangle to raise money and awareness as part of the Vinnies Sleepout.

This event which runs annually requires students to raise funds through sponsorships that will go towards helping the homeless. The students and staff came together in solidarity to develop an understanding of what it's like to be homeless. This year, the money raised will be donated through Chris Christofi’s donation page. He is a successful businessman who participated in the CEO sleepout and for every dollar donated he will donate an additional 50 cents. Through sponsorship and generous donations from staff and students we raised over $1,600.

Below are some student reflectsion of this unforgettable experience.

Whilst the night was enjoyable to spend with friends and peers, it also provided a brief insight into the adversity faced by 1 in 200 Australians who sleeps rough without the comforts we all take for granted. — Matt Gamble

The Vinnies Sleepout was another amazing opportunity to continue building a strong comradery amongst our cohort, while offering a sobering reminder of the rough conditions some Australians must endure on a daily basis. I will always relish the experience so dearly, but most of all, I have developed a much deeper appreciation for the everyday necessities we tend to take for granted... especially my mattress. — Grace Staindl-Dymond

As a community, it’s good for us to spread awareness about the increasing homeless population in the Yarra Valley. My hope is to positively impact the amount of people sleeping rough and that we, as Mount Lilydale Mercy College community, can make a difference. — Jasmine McDine

Agriculture teacher Tim Thompson was awarded Sustainability Victoria’s Teacher of the Year (secondary) at the ResourceSmart School Awards 2019 held at the MCG last Thursday. MLMC was nominated among over 50 Victorian schools for these awards which recognise efforts that drive sustainable action in the community, reduce environmental impact and protect the environment.

The award is the culmination of work carried out in the agricultural education space, particularly around the development of sustainable practices in food production. Several initiatives and new programs over the past five years have spurred the popularity and profile of agriculture and environmental science among students. A more holistic approach to sustainability involving a number of different faculties has also been developed within the college. This increase in activity and engagement has resulted in MLMC being acknowledged as a leader within the local community in agriculture education. The College has earned this enviable position by tapping into major local industries such as wine, horticulture and animal production.

ResourceSmart Schools is a free program offered by Sustainability Victoria to encourage schools to embrace sustainability across the school facilities, community and curriculum, while saving resources and money for the school. The Awards are held to recognise the most innovative and outstanding sustainability programs and initiatives, and reward the efforts of Victorian schools for their leadership and positive contribution. The Awards are Victoria’s largest sustainability awards program for schools.

While the award recognises the efforts of Tim Thompson, he is keen to stress the tireless work of others within the College who have championed the aspirations of MLMC's young agriculturalists. “Without the vital support of faculty leaders, colleagues, maintenance and support staff, Mount Lilydale could not achieve these aims,” he says adding that, “I feel very privileged to have received the support of a number of colleagues, most notably Sally Wingett, whose tireless support of the students and programs in the school has enriched the lives of many.”

As a fitting end to Unit 3 in their final year of schooling, on Friday 21 June the Year 12 students celebrated with the Year 12 Formal held at Linley Estate in Kilsyth.

The evening began at 7pm with canapés on arrival, followed by dinner in the main ballroom. As expected, all students and staff arrived dressed in their finest and the night was a great opportunity to enjoy each other’s company.

During the evening, the Year 12 leadership team thanked the homeroom teachers as well as Mr Rodgers and Mr Russell, for their support during the evening and throughout the year.

A series of humorous awards were also presented and well received, along with a special presentation to Phillip Woedl, our Year 12 exchange student. Philip will be returning to his studies in Germany after a rich year of learning within our community.

Events of this nature make you realise how close our students are to completing their time at the College and how impressive they are as a cohort.

We wish them every success as they continue their studies into Semester 2 and we look forward to celebrating the completion of their school life at the Graduation in November.

Your son/daughter’s academic report for Semester 1 2019 will be available for download tomorrow via PAM.

This report provides an overview of student achievement for the current academic semester. The report aims to highlight student progress and achievement across the different curriculum areas and programs, whilst also providing feedback to your son/daughter to enable them to set goals as they progress to the next stage of learning.

The academic report is an integral part of the learning and teaching process. Report data is gathered using a range of assessment processes and practices such as teacher observations, annotated student work samples, tests, portfolios, exhibitions and presentations. The gathering of this data enables the regular monitoring of student learning and ongoing constructive feedback, with the explicit intention of improving learning outcomes over time.

We encourage all families to read through the report with their son/daughter and take time to discuss with him/her the successes and challenges they experienced in their learning during Semester 1. We ask all our students to use this information as an opportunity for reflection and setting new learning goals for Semester 2.

If you would like further information about your child’s Semester 1 Report please contact the following staff:

• Subject based questions, in the first instance please contact the relevant subject teacher or if unavailable, the relevant faculty learning leader
• General questions about overall academic performance, please contact the relevant Campus Learning Advisor or if unavailable, myself, the Deputy Principal – Learning and Teaching.

Semester 1 Award Ceremonies

The Semester 1 Award ceremonies will take place at the commencement of Term 3. The focus of these assemblies is to gather in year level groupings to acknowledge and celebrate academic achievement with the awarding of both Academic Awards for excellence in learning and Merit Awards for positive approach to learning and giving your best. An invitation is extended to all parents to come along to the relevant ceremonies on the following dates:

• Year 12 - Tuesday July 16
• Year 8 - Thursday July 18
• Year 9 - Wednesday July 24
• Year 11 - Thursday July 25
• Year 7 - Wednesday July 17
• Year 10 - Tuesday July 23

All assemblies will be held in Centennial Hall and will commence at 8.50am. Parking will be available on the green basketball courts.

Criteria for Academic and Merit Awards

Academic awards are awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, personal organisation, a positive contribution to the learning environment, enthusiasm for the subject, creativity and originality, and have achieved a subject average of 85% or above in a given semester. The 85% average is a weighted average. Each faculty determines how this average is calculated based on the number and a nature of assessments. Merit awards are limited to a maximum of four per class and are awarded to students who demonstrate enthusiasm to study, consistency in effort, punctuality, completion of homework, meeting task due dates, and a cooperative approach to others.

Subject Selection

The process of planning for 2020 will commence early in Term 3 when students currently enrolled in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 will be asked to select subjects for the following year. Letters about this process will be distributed to families via the Parent Portal during the Term 2 holiday period. However, in readiness for this process I would like to highlight the following important dates:

• Year 11 (2020) VCE/VCAL/VET Parent Information Evening – Tuesday 30 July
• Year 10 (2020) Parent Information Evening – Tuesday 6 August

Both evenings will commence at 7.30pm with venues to be confirmed via the letter to be uploaded to the Parent Portal.

On Thursday 6 June, 46 students brought out their best musical talents to perform live on stage during our mid-year Music Concert. The instrumental music program, senior A Capella ensemble, College choir, stage band, concert band, guitar ensemble, strings ensemble and the VET Music and VCE Music students put on an impressive show for an audience comprising parents, grandparents, family and friends.

The mid-year Music Concert officially opened with the stage band performance conducted by our very talented Mrs Tamara Rundle. They played two diverse pieces which captivated the audience followed by the senior A Capella with their rendition of Hallelujah. The night saw six solo performances ranging across voice, piano and saxophone, enthralling the audience with their precision and professionalism.

The program did not stop there, as the guitar ensemble, string ensemble, concert band and two student trio acts gave strong performances as well.

Our Music Prefect Sam Lees captured the essence of the night perfectly: "It was great to see so many students showcasing their incredible talent and ability at the mid-year Music Concert. We saw a significant growth in numbers not only in our various ensembles but from the music classes VCE Music, VET Music and Junior Music electives. Georgia McAleer and I thoroughly enjoyed being the MCs on the night as we riddled our dialogue with assortments of music puns. Some of the many highlights for me where the full sounding Stage Band lead by Mrs Tamara Rundle, the guitar ensemble directed by Emilio Kormanic, and soloists Joshua Mckinnon, Kirra Smark and Finn Reardon".

The Music department would like to our Instrumental Music tutors: Ms Caroline Dickason (piano and voice), Ms Qimeng Sun (violin), Ms Lauren Innes (brass, bass guitar and concert band), Mr Dean Cooper (drums), Mr Emilio Kormanic (guitar) and Mr John Barber (woodwind), for their dedication and time each week with our students. Last but not least, we'd like to congratulate our student MCs Georgia McAleer and Sam Lees and our technical crew, Tom Brucker and Beccy Snell, who made sure the night ran smoothly behind the scenes. Well done to all involved!

Over the upcoming weeks a number of our VCE STEM students and staff will be involved in preparing and launching a high altitude balloon (HAB) into the earth’s stratosphere. This event is planned as a part of the 2019 Science Week and is supported by the Melbourne Catholic Education Office’s Science and Innovation Project Office.

An HAB lifts to a region of the stratosphere known as Near Space, which spans between 20km and 100km above the surface. Sending sensors to collect data from the edge of the Earth's atmosphere will allow our MLMC students the unique opportunity to run experiments in some extreme conditions.

Students will be involved in planning the event, sourcing and setting up the equipment and coding computerised sensors to collect data for a series of student designed experiments. Mr Parlas and Mrs Faulkner have recently observed a group of researchers from the University of New South Wales sending an HAB into near space. They were privileged to spend a day observing the various steps involved in such a mission including launching, chasing and retrieving equipment.

Why is it exciting? Our HAB will be entering a region of space that no one reaches on a plane. The students will be recording data that is not readily available and collecting real scientific information just like NASA. They will apply their science, mathematics and technology skills to a real world scenario and in the process learn more about those discipline areas. They will also learn aspects of the important skills of time management, teamwork, communication, planning as well as critical and creative thinking.

To mark the end of Term 2 a full school assembly was held on Tuesday 25 June which opened with a prayer from Willow Thomas, the Faith and Ministry Prefect, and Liam Charles.

In his address, the Principal Mr Philip Morison spoke to students about changes to the Mobile Phone Policy. Effective from the first day of Term 3, mobile phones cannot be used between the hours of 8.45am and 3.15pm and there will be no grace period.

The College captains Grace Clinton and Matthew Gamble spoke about the the World’s Greatest Shave which raised $2227. Kobi Butcher, the Mercy and Justice Prefect spoke about the other major fundraising activities that took place this term including the Vinnies Sleepout which raised over $1600.

The Environment Prefect Hannah Steel briefed students on a new initiative being undertaken by the College Sustainability group. It involves collecting bottle tops from students and families to create a mosaic artwork to demonstrate the extent of plastic an average family uses.

The assembly was also treated to musical performances from the Peforming Arts Prefect Georgia McAleer who sang a song from the forthcoming College musical and the College band played a piece led by Ms Tamara Rundle.

(1) Student and Staff Achievements

Football

Congratulations to our very own Serena Gibbs who made her debut for VFL club Hawthorn over the weekend. We wish her all the very best with the remainder of the season.

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

(2) Cross Country Training

It’s that time of year again – cross country season! Training has begun with carnivals run in Term 3. Start training now. Commendations to be awarded for training milestones.

Cross Country training days and times are as follows:

• Monday afternoons 3.30-4.30pm
• Wednesday mornings 7.00-8.00 am (breakfast provided afterwards)

For details about Cross Country training, please contact Ms Webb at the Doyle Centre.

(3) EISM 5 a side

The 2019 5 a side soccer tournament was a great day out for many of the Year 10-12 students. It consisted of four matches each for both the boys’ and girls’ teams, both putting wins on the board against some tough competition. The weather was perfect and the day was lots of fun with students getting to challenge themselves against other top soccer schools while learning a few new techniques.

Thank you to Mr D for coaching on the day and Serena for being our Team Manager! – Mikayla Byrne (Year 12)

(4) EISM Reminders

With the Winter seasons of Year 8, 9 and Senior EISM Sport all well underway, please remember the following:

• Check the Sport plans up on the Doyle Centre window at the beginning of every week
• If you are unable to play in your team in a particular week, you need to let your coach know as early as possible
• Please be on time to the Doyle Centre on your sport day. All EISM Teams need to leave at the start of lunch to get to venues to play
• Your uniform needs to be 100% correct to ensure no forfeited games. For hockey, soccer and football you must wear long navy socks (available at the Doyle Centre) and mouthguards must be worn for hockey.
• NO CORRECT UNIFORM, NO GAME.

(5) Fixtures

Live fixtures for EISM matches can be found online at eism.org (click on ‘Weekly sport’, then ‘Junior’ for Year 8 and ‘Senior/Intermediate’ for Year 9 and Senior fixtures. E = Eastern division (MLMC are in this section)

(6) Results

Year 8 Results 18 June

Senior Results 19 June

Year 9 Results 20 June

The Young Farmer's Poultry Club has been meeting every Monday since the start of the year.

A focus for the students this year has been the task of preparing a small number of heritage birds for the Royal Melbourne Poultry Show in September. The breeds that they are preparing to show include Aracauna, Speckled Sussex, Rhode Island Red and Ancona. They will also show egg laying breeds including Isa Browns, Australorp x and Leghorns.

To enhance their learning about caring for poultry we were fortunate to receive a special visit from Dr Hamish Russell recently. Hamish is an accredited poultry judge and Co-Editor of the Poultry Standards book which is a highly regarded reference in the field.

The program is thriving and we recently received some wonderful feedback from one of our parents: "It’s amazing to hear my children talk about teachers who once taught me. Mr David Banfield taught me and is now running the Poultry Club which is a real highlight for the students along with Young Farmer's Club". — Laura Harrison

Semester 1 in the CSYMA Lounge has been busy but well worth it. We have been running the lounge activities, the implementation and inclusiveness of FUSE youth activities and the Conversation Cafe every Friday lunchtime. We have also been coordinating fundraising events and putting together different “themes of the week” all to help our students reflect on how lucky they are and to provide them with a space to explore their own faiths.

Students refer to the CSYMA Lounge as a very welcoming place with a great atmosphere where you can sit down and relax. It is a space that allows students to share their beliefs and a safe haven to talk about their faith in a very comfortable and homely environment with inclusive and relatable activities every lunchtime.

We would like to extend a big thank you to all the students who have helped in the lounge whether behind the counter serving or running an activity, it is really appreciated. The attitude of everyone involved in the lounge whether it's listening to each other when speaking or sharing, maintaining eye contact or even just taking a quick second to smile at one another really reflects our College theme of this year of ‘Compassion through us’.

The McAuley Library has been a busy hub during Term 2 with many of our students testing their researching skills using our library resources.

The Year 7 students learnt how to find bibliographic information from sources while researching on Ancient Egypt for Humanities and precious resources for Science. Our targeted print collection along with curated selections of online, visual and multimodal resources are available through LibGuides to our students for their research. As a result, we saw the Year 7 students grow into more confident library users and researchers during the term.

The Year 8 students delved into life in the Middle Ages. It was wonderful to see the students turn their research into supporting arguments to demonstrate their understanding of medieval society. The Year 8 Humanities classes consolidated their skills while researching an important historical figure from the Renaissance and Reformation period. They built on their referencing and citation skills while some students challenged themselves to use in-text citations for their slideshow images. There was some really fantastic work from our Year 8 students this term.

The Year 9 students demonstrated their advanced research and citation skills while using the Library’s print and digital resources to find primary and secondary sources on the 19th century gold rush period in Australia. Some students used the digitised primary sources from the State Library of Victoria and TROVE to find original maps of Victorian goldfields, newspaper articles on the Eureka stockade and diaries of people who lived at the diggings. It is exciting to see the growth of our students’ skills and abilities as they progress through the school.

During Term 2, Year 10 to 12 students have been utilising library resources, services and spaces to support independent, small group and whole class learning activities. Students applied their research and information skills to a variety of learning activities such as WWII and rights and freedoms history research, environmental management and developing countries geography investigations, point of view English oral presentations and Business Management proposals.

Every year a special Pastoral Care session is organised between the Year 12 homerooms and their corresponding Year 7 homerooms. The purpose of the session is to allow the Year 12 students to get to know the Year 7 students and to build relationships between the students across both Campuses.

This year the students from Year 7 and Year 12 have already celebrated their first assembly together on Thursday 31 January and the Class Captains Assembly on Tuesday 26 March.

The ‘Getting to Know You’ session allowed Year 12 students a further opportunity to meet and chat with the Year 7 cohort to cement the ties between the two year levels.

Initially, the conversations between the Year levels required some effort, but once they started chatting, the Year 7 students were able to ask the 12s about their experiences of the College, while offering some of their own insights about their favourite subjects or pastimes.

At the end of the session, there is a greater understanding of the joys and challenges at each year level and it is a positive experience for all. Special thank you to the Year 12 Class Captains for ensuring the Year 7 classes were well prepared for this event.

Following the release of Channel Nine’s competition show Lego Masters, Lego has once again gained popularity as a source of enjoyment, creativity and imagination for people of all ages, especially our students.

The College is looking to start a lunchtime Lego Club beginning in Term 3. Our intention is to use the Club as one more way to engage our students in creative and meaningful learning and socialising and further support achievement in the classroom. However, for this to be a success, we need Lego!

As such, we are asking our community for donations of Lego, should you have any at home that you no longer need. These donations can be dropped off at the Reception during the first week of the school holidays and anytime next term. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.

Year 10 Agriculture, Horticulture and Viticulture students continue to learn about ‘food miles’ through the Plot to Plate program which is run onsite at our McAuley Park Farm.

This term student have learnt about the seasonality of produce and the benefits of 'growing locallly' and 'eating locally'. Silverbeet, tomatoes, bok choi, pumpkins, lemons, apples, spring onions, stone fruit and basil are some of the crops the students have harvested so far this year.

Plot to Plate produce has been shared amongst teachers and students, used in Food Technology classes and donated to the Discovery Care Centre in Lilydale.

If your son or daughter has ever shown interest in learning an instrument NOW is the time to act on that interest. The Music department has vacancies in the following instruments for Semester 2: brass, cello, drums, guitar, piano, violin, ukulele, voice and woodwind

To register your interest please download a form from the MLMC Parent Portal or if you prefer, please email sflint@mlmc.vic.edu.au

On 6 June our Unit 1 Biology students braved the cold and wintry weather to attend an excursion to Healesville Sanctuary. During the visit the students explored the various adaptations and habitats of a number of Australian animals. They also learnt about the range of environmental impacts of human activity that affect a number of our Australian species and the conservation work undertaken by Zoos Victoria to protect our wildlife.

The students used various fieldwork techniques to conduct their own scientific research. They identified various animal behavioural, structural and physiological adaptations and learnt about their advantages as well.

The experience was a valuable way to put into practice what students have been learning about in class. We walked away with greater awareness on the environmental impact of our actions and what we can do every day to minimise our footprint on the planet.