Melbourne Girls Grammar inspires, engages and challenges our Grammarians today so they can think critically, act boldly and lead with confidence in the future.
The beginning of Term 4 has been about this very quote. From our first Assembly to House Dinner Celebrations, to the SEC Inauguration, our Celebration of Sports evening, Senior Drama solos, opening of the Annual Art Exhibition, to beginning to farewell the Class of 2023, our message has been one of encouraging our Grammarians to step forward into the future with confidence.
At this time each year, we pause to induct the incoming leaders of 2024 and our current leaders pass their leadership baton on. The 2024 Student Executive Council Inauguration was led by the Precentor, Reverend Canon Heather Patacca on 9 October. This was a warm celebration and rite of passage for our leaders of 2024. MGGS is proud to be a school with a rich history of student voice and a proud history of student leadership and agency. As Principal, I see student voice as a cornerstone of outstanding schools and recognise the importance of student voice front and centre of our practice. We should not do for students what they can do for themselves.
It is the intent of the SEC Inauguration that the community bears witness to the rite of passage of gaining a leadership mantle. Parents and families play a significant role in supporting young leaders. It is a generous commitment to be a Year 12 and a leader at the same the time. Our SEC were reminded that they are a voice for others and that their selection is because others see them as those who will listen openly, and that when a true leader does their work well, the students will say “we did it ourselves”. We wish them well in their leadership journey.
Our incoming 2024 students and their families will be warmly welcomed to MGGS with carefully planned information evenings and orientation events. This includes our Prep, Year 5, Year 7, and Year 9 intakes, as well as a few young women at Years 10 and 11. I understand it is often with great apprehension that many of our new Grammarians walk through the doors of our School for the first time. However, my experience informs me that it does not take very long for most to become settled as part of the rich fabric of our School’s culture. Reflecting on the last days of Year 12 for our departing Grammarians, it is easy to see the firm bonds of friendship that develop over the years here.
On Saturday 7 October, the School Council held its Annual Strategy Planning Day. On this day, the MGGS Executive team presented on how MGGS was implementing innovation in education across the School and our achievements to date in meeting the outcomes in our Strategic Plan 2020-2025. The day allowed us to showcase our ‘Now’ and our ‘Next’. 2024 will be a year of review as we begin to plan for our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan. We will shine a spotlight of scrutiny on our practice with a view to further improvement and we will develop a clearly documented Strategic Plan with actions and targets for the betterment of our School community. We will use 2024 to check our ‘continuing why’ and our vision, mission, and values. We will be dreaming large for the 2040 graduate, maintaining our innovative edge and ensuring we are at the forefront of girls’ education. The best and most innovative schools in the world embrace the idea that education is an investment in the future. Remaining relevant and purposeful means adapting to a constantly changing world. By engaging and investing in creating a strong Strategic Plan, we are devising a road map that allows us to chart the sharp course of all that we do to meet our Grammarians’ needs.
As we move into our next stage of growth and development, I am pleased to announce that in Term 1 2024, we will warmly welcome Ms Lynda Wall to the Melbourne Girls Grammar Leadership Team. Lynda will join our community as Deputy Principal, Educational Leadership – Academic. Lynda will bring over 20 years of experience in all-girls’ education to Melbourne Girls Grammar. She is currently Deputy Principal at Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, including Ipswich Junior Grammar School. She was previously Dean of Studies at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School, one of Queensland’s highest achieving girls’ schools. During Queensland’s trial of ATAR processes, Lynda was a Project Officer in the assessment branch of Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (English and History), Master of Education, and a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration.
Lynda’s educational philosophy is focused on engaging students with learning opportunities that extend the boundaries of how they imagine their futures, as well as deepening their understanding of themselves, others, and the situations they encounter. As a leader, Lynda is committed to developing people and organisational culture, she has contributed to professional publications including the Australian Educational Researcher and has presented research in the field of Institutional Logics and Curriculum at conferences for the Australian Association for Research in Education, and the Australian Teacher Educator’s Association. She is an accredited assessor of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers. She serves on the events committee for the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia, Queensland branch. Lynda is co-author of a series of Essential English textbooks published by Cambridge University Press. Lynda has a husband and three teenage children. As we continue to grow and develop our School, Lynda will work closely with Mrs Lynn Broadway and I. Together, alongside the Executive Team, we will lead the School and begin planning for the next Strategic Intent in early 2024. We look forward to the fine qualities that Lynda will bring to our community, and I will be sure to introduce you to Lynda next year.
In closing, the next few weeks are about Year 12 finishing well and our VCE exams commencing, and I know that you will join me in wishing them well. In the words of our 130th Anniversary song by Year 10 student, Michelle Mah:
As time goes by our lives are ever changing.
Full of memories we’ve made along the way.
We know these moments don’t last forever.
But we are here, and we stand together.
We are one.
I stand with you and you with me.
Yours in learning,
Dr Toni E Meath
Principal