“As the story grows and our history continues,
We’ll have played our part, been the best that we can be.
And when the time comes, we’ll remember.
The journey that brought us all together,
We are one, I stand with you and you with me.”
Michelle Mah, Brighter than Ever Before, 2023 

A warm welcome to Term 4! This is a big, busy and enjoyable term and I look forward to the many events of celebration and culmination that recognise the efforts of our Grammarians in 2026. From the 2027 SEC Inauguration, our Celebration of Sports evening, the opening of the Annual Art Exhibition,  and as we begin to farewell the Class of 2026, our message has been one of encouraging our Grammarians to step forward into the future with self-confidence and poise. At our first Assembly for Term 4, I spoke to our Year 5 to Year 12 Grammarians about the importance of critical and creative thinking and actively maintaining their capacity to think. I reminded them that their brains are precious and capable of much more than they realise and, with the increasing rise of agentic intelligence, it is more important than ever to maintain a sense of humanity in all that we do. I spoke about perception and perspective and how two people can view the same thing very differently. I shared with our Grammarians how we see this when books are translated and how they can take on different meanings. I shared with them how this is evident in the first female translation of Homer’s The Odyssey. Emily Wilson was the first woman to translate The Odyssey in 2017, and it reads with a feminine lens. Year 12 students are ready for their VCE exams which commence for most with English on 27 October. The term will finish with Speech Night on 2 December and our beloved Carols on 9 December. Please make sure these dates are in your diary, as both are compulsory for our Grammarians.

Two students achieved exceptional results in this year’s Australian Maths Competition and have been awarded a Prize by the Australian Mathematics Trust: Year 7 student Xinyu:Prize in the Year 9 Intermediate Division and Year 11 student Aayati: Prize in the Year 11 Senior Division. It is worth to noting that Xinyu sat both the Year 7 Junior Competition and the Year 9 Intermediate Competition. Her Prize the Year 9 Intermediate Division means she was a top achiever among older students. We also had a number of students achieve Distinctions and High Distinctions. Students have received certificates, and these results will be acknowledged at the 2027 Celebration of STEM. Prizes rank above Distinctions (top 20% of students in each year level) and High Distinctions (top 3%). Prizes are generally awarded to no more than one student per 300 students within a region and year group. Congratulations, Xinyu and Aayati!

Our Celebration of Sport Evening was a sensational and happy evening where we celebrated the sporting achievements of our Grammarians in 2026. Our 2026 Captains, Imogen and Alexandra have been brilliant leaders, who have led with exuberance and good grace. They have been inspiring leaders and spoke eloquently on the night about the powerful and optimistic MGGS culture. On the night, we celebrated our sportswomen and those who have made a fine contribution to our Sports Program in 2026. It is also an important rite of passage for our sportswomen of the Class of 2026, as we recognised their service to Sport at our beautiful School.

Currently, our Year 12 students are focused on being the best they can be for their VCE and beyond. This is a time of varied emotions for our senior students as they prepare for their final VCE examinations and begin to leave the School. The 2026 Year 12s have been a fantastic cohort; extraordinary Grammarian representatives in every way and fine role model for our younger students, and I thank them personally for their fine contribution to their School. I have observed them over the last term putting in the hard work required to achieve their personal best, and I know that their teachers and families have wrapped much support around them. They are a united cohort, and they have lived the values of the school.  Their Year 12 motto has been Nisi Dominates and they have championed inclusion and diversity with lots of domination and fun in their delivery. They have been out in front leading in Swimming, Athletics, STEM, The Arts, Drama, Debating, Social Service and Academia. They have actively participated, engaged our younger Grammarians and  been fine role models. Over the coming weeks, they will be studying hard with the support of their teachers so that they are well prepared for the upcoming examinations. I wish to thank the outgoing School Captain, Xanthe, and Vice-Captains Jemima and Katherine, the 2026 Student Executive Council and the entire cohort for their fine contribution and legacy to the school. We wish them well as they head into the VCE examination period, and I know that they are well prepared not only for the examination but for life.  

Our new Principal, Mrs Terrie Jones, visited MGGS last week and met with some key members of our School including the 2027 School Captain, Katherine, Vice Captains, Kelly and Piper and our brilliant Deputy Principals. Mrs Lynn Broadway and Ms Lynda Wall. I enjoyed walking her around the school and taking her to the Barbara Tolsen Early Learning Centre and to Morris Hall. Mrs Jones was able to see our School in action and was greeted warmly by staff and students.

I am enjoying this special moment in my career as I transition to retirement on the 21 January 2027. Schools are wonderful places and I have been honored to lead this wonderful School for 8 years. I reflect on all that we have collectively achieved and know that MGGS will continue to go from strength to strength as a leading girls’ School nationally and internationally.

Yours in learning,

Dr Toni E. Meath 
Principal