In our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, we speak of ‘In and for the World’ or most capably translated into Latin by our Year 10 Grammarians ‘In Orbe Orbique’. Our actions, ‘in and for the world’ imply an abundance, limitless feeling of our world – one that is whole, inclusive and alive in every sense! A world in which our Grammarians are active and exploring.
At MGGS, we talk about the pleasure of the rigour – inside and outside the classroom or ‘In Orbe Orbique’. Over the last three years, we have shone a spotlight on Outdoor Education across the whole School, from Early Learning to Year 12. Our Head of Outdoor Education, Rob Houghton has led the process of auditing our curriculum, camps and excursions to make sure they align with our SAGES Curriculum: Skills, Adventure, Growth, Environment, Service. Rob has been a strong advocate for getting our Grammarians outside into the environment and challenging them. We are in a very different and positive place regarding Outdoor Education than we were when I first commenced at MGGS. In 2025, every MGGS year level camp has an outdoor education component in it, instilling in our Grammarians confidence and resilience. We are strong advocates in our belief that outdoor learning is an important method of teaching, from the early years right through to VCE. And now for MGGS Outdoor Education 2.0!
We are excited to announce that in 2026 we will move to a deeper Outdoor Education curriculum focus by incorporating our Grammarian’s learning into the classroom in all Health and Physical Education (HPE) classes. HPE focuses on students enhancing their own and others’ health, safety, wellbeing and physical activity participation in varied and changing contexts. The curriculum is futures-orientated and underpinned by five interrelated propositions: focuses on educative purposes; takes a strength-based approach; values movement; develops health literacy skills; and includes a critical inquiry approach. HPE offers students an experiential curriculum that is contemporary, relevant, challenging, enjoyable and physically active. Our aim is for our students, within the HPE curriculum, to be able to choose Duke of Edinburgh as an elective subject in Years 9 and 10 and progress to VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies (OES) as an option from 2027. OES develops students’ understandings of outdoor environments, and the ways in which humans interact with, relate to and have impacted outdoor environments over time. ‘Outdoor environments’ encompasses landscapes, both local and further afield, that range in health from protected wilderness to those heavily impacted by human practices. The study enables students to make critically informed comments on outdoor environmental issues, including asking questions about environmental sustainability and human connections to Country, both past and present. Through studying outdoor education our Grammarians can understand the importance of change to environmental health from human or natural influences.
In 2026, our HPE Faculty will be working diligently on incorporating Outdoor Education skills into the scope and sequence of their subjects, aligned to the Victorian Curriculum. For our youngest Grammarians we will continue to look at opportunities for more outdoor play, and we are so fortunate to have the Royal Botanic Gardens at our doorstep. By regularly visiting the gardens, they are learning how to be safe in the outdoors through play in natural environments. We want our Grammarians to participate in play that promotes engagement with outdoor settings, including aquatic and the natural world. Our new Morris Hall adventure playground will provide opportunity for Prep to Year 4 students to show increasing control in using equipment for climbing, scrambling, sliding and swinging, and learning how to be safe in the outdoors through play in natural environments. We will continue to use Victorian and Australian peak bodies to provide experiential camps and learning. They are an invaluable resource in supporting teachers running year level camps. We will continue to provide bespoke and unique opportunities for our Grammarians and build on our current suite of offerings. We are excited by this expansion of our Outdoor Education Program – watch this space!
The Celebration of Sport event held on Monday 13 October was fabulous and highlighted our continued success in all things sporting in 2025. Top Snowsports Secondary School in Australia, top AFL School in the “world” and exemplary achievement and accomplishment in Netball, Swimming, Equestrian, Rowing and Athletics. Our talented Sports Captains, Zara and Edie changed the focus this year to be truly student-centered and captured a series of video vignettes of our Grammarians reflecting on their ‘why’ in sport.
Our 2025 Annual Art Exhibition was outstanding, and the quality of work from ELC through to Year 12 was exceptional. Our Art Captains, Chloe and Elektra were eloquent in their opening addresses to a very appreciative crowd. Thank you to our special guest Helen Newton-Brown, to our Head of Art Sheryle Allan and the Art department staff who made the event inspiring. I received a lovely email from an Old Grammarian who visited the Exhibition and said “The students’ work was beautifully displayed, and I am sure the students valued the experience of participating in the Exhibition. I particularly enjoyed reading the students’ accompanying statements. These were so well crafted.”
Our Valedictory Assembly at Hamer Hall on Tuesday 21 October was a special moment when we came together to celebrate the success and achievement of the Class of 2025. It was revealed, to much excitement, that Taylor had won the 2025 House Cup and our Taylor House Captains, Ana and Fosina led an energetic chant! The Wildfell Choir, composed of every Year 5 and 6 Grammarian, farewelled our Year 12s with a beautiful rendition of Salamuu Alaikum (Peace Be Upon You) and the Year 12 choir Ensemble 12 sang Somewhere Only We Know as angels. We sang our School Anthem and our 130th Anniversary song, ‘Brighter Than Ever Before’ written by Year 12 composer, Michelle, when she was in Year 10. The event was a fitting farewell to an impressive cohort of Grammarians.
Our Year 12 students are focused and paying attention to being the best they can be for their VCE and beyond. This is a time of varied sentiments for our senior students as they prepare for their final VCE examinations and begin to farewell the School. The Class of 2025 have been a fantastic cohort; extraordinary Grammarian representatives in every way and fine role models to 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 for 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 ‘It’s The Climb’ and they have demonstrated that they are fearless and ready to conquer any challenge put in front of them. They have been out the front leading in Swimming, Athletics, STEM, The Arts, Drama, Debating, Social Service and Academia. They have actively participated, engaged our younger Grammarians and have 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 exams. I wish to thank the outgoing School Captain, Stephanie and Vice-Captains Shuying and Amelie, the 2025 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 exams but for life.
Our Middle Years Production, Charlotte’s Web took place on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 October in Ross Hall. Ross Hall was transformed into a farmyard menagerie with hay bales and spider webs. The execution by our Middle Years Grammarians was brilliant. Fabulous costumes, and such fun, with high energy and over 70 students involved – I loved it! It was a great success and a product of many hours of work and effort from the Drama department and our talented Middle Years Grammarians. Special mention must go to our main characters who had so many lines to remember. Gratitude to our Head of Drama, Vic Page, Directors Cherie Hozynka and Lisa Thomas and the Drama department, and all involved in the Production. Heartfelt gratitude to our amazing parent volunteers from the Arts Auxiliary who stepped in to assist with costumes and keeping spirits high. Bravo!
World Teachers Day is on Friday 31 October, and at MGGS we hold our teachers in the highest regard. Let’s celebrate the amazing teachers at MGGS and across Australia who inspire, support and empower our children and young people every single day. If you have time, an email of gratitude from you or your daughter to a teacher saying thank you will be appreciated.
We are looking forward to our four-day exeat weekend, and I know that this will be a welcome reprieve for all. I hope that you can spend time with friends and family enjoying this wonderful Melbourne Spring weather.
Yours in learning,
Dr Toni E Meath
Principal