It is at this time of year when we support our Senior Years Grammarians in sitting of their final examinations. As I am writing this piece for the Messenger, our VCE students are preparing for their exams to commence. Over the past few weeks, I have been observing students working individually and in groups with their teachers preparing for the exams. Many practice essays have been written, past papers attempted, and all marked and returned with honest and accurate feedback. The trial exams ran smoothly and were great preparation and I am confident that our Class of 2024 are well prepared. My sincere thanks to our two new Chief Exam Supervisor, Caroline Manso and Noelene Duckett who lead a wonderful team of invigilators, setting a calm and productive tone for the exams. Additionally, our talented Director of VCE and Data, Meg Brydon, and the experienced Senior Years Team have worked collectively to ensure that there is composure to our exam centres, assisting our students to focus on the task in front of them. Many of our invigilators are former MGGS teachers who have been supervising the VCE exams for years. Good invigilators create a special sense of calm and order to the exam setting and create the right tone for exam sitting and the value of this cannot be underestimated.
It was a great joy to attend the Celebration of Sport in the Artemis Team Zone on Monday 14 October. Our guest speakers were Australian cricketing legend Belinda Clarke AO, and Olympians Claudia Hollingsworth and Jemima Montag. This is a special event for celebrating the sporting achievements of our Grammarians. Thank you to our wonderful Heads of Programs and Coaches for providing a strong season of participation and competition across many sports.
The Annual Art Exhibition opened on Wednesday 16 October, by special guest artist and Old Grammarian, Helen Kennedy. The artwork was beautifully curated and the quality was exceptional. Congratulations to all exhibiting artists from ELC through to Year 12. Congratulations to Year 12 students, Mia Minoski for winning the Principal’s Acquisition Prize and to Coco Missen-Brown for winning the Poly Winterton Boarding Prize.
Congratulations to Year 10 students, Xanthe O’Loan, Alexandra Duncan, Katherine Ye and Alexandra Chan for winning the C Grade Victorian State Debating Finals on Wednesday 23 October against Camberwell Grammar. The topic was “That museums should be required to return historical artifacts (e.g. Pharaoh coffins) to their place of origin.” MGGS were arguing the affirmative! Bravo Grammarians!

On 24 October we welcomed our new 2025 Year 7 students and their families to Merton Hall for their first orientation. I was pleased to see our Wildfell Grammarians mixing and mingling with an open and inviting spirit. Many new friendships were made on the day and we look forward to these flourishing over the next six years.
A healthy sign of an intellectual school is the number of teachers who are engaged in outside professional associations, who are invited as speakers to state, national and international conferences and who are examiners and assessors for the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA). This dedicated work complements their teaching, contributes to the professionalism of teaching, and enables them to be experts in their field. I am very pleased that we currently have 23 MGGS teachers who are assessing for VCAA this year. The VCE Examining staff in 2024 include:
2024 VCAA Assessors |
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Name |
Subject |
Oral/Written |
Jiwei Xu |
Chinese Second Language – Advanced |
Oral |
Jiwei Xu |
Chinese Second Language |
Written |
Fenglan Luo |
Chinese Second Language – Advanced |
Oral & Written |
Lucy Jongebloed |
VCAA Assessor Training: Revolutions |
Written |
Sarah Xu |
Chinese: Language, Society & Culture |
Oral & Written |
Jessica Priestley |
Latin (incl. Examination Dev Panel) |
Written |
Noemie Langlois |
French |
Oral |
Cecile Rouveyrol-Malod |
French |
Oral |
Bei Jiang |
Mathematical Methods |
Written |
Aleks Ballarin |
Biology |
Written |
Luke A Francis |
English Language |
Written |
Tara Ambrosio |
English Language |
Written |
Elisa Gennari |
Italian |
Oral & Written |
Allison Bray |
Geography (Assistant Chief) |
Written |
Anjelina Stojanoska |
Psychology |
Written |
Yvette Arnott |
Extended Investigation |
Oral |
Yvette Arnott |
Literature |
Written |
Olivia Wilson |
Drama |
Performance & Written |
Lenny Robinson |
Philosophy (Chief Assessor) |
Written |
Jessica Ashenden |
Latin |
Written |
Josphine Lim |
Chemistry |
Written |
Kirin Xie |
Accounting |
Written |
Jasmine Shih |
Physics |
Written |
Rachel King |
Health and Human Development |
Written |
Caroline Foster |
History: Revolutions |
Written |
In closing, the time of Valedictory is an important rite of passage for our Year 12 students. We always remind our Grammarians that as they graduate, they are part of something bigger than the individual, and that they belong to a large Merton Army that has existed since our founders; two strong women, Emily Hensley and Alice Taylor who started MGGS in 1893. The Class of 2024 are fortunate to have received a fine education, the very best teachers and the very best of care. Each year as Principal, I design a special memento as a keepsake in the form of jewellery for the graduating students. I think carefully about this and make my choice reflecting the cohort. This year, with the Year 12 motto being ‘24k magic’, I wanted it to be something whimsical, and special. This year, the necklace represents fortune and providence. It holds our precious MGGS crosslet, and a gold four leaf clover pendant. The four leaf clover is rare and symbolises faith, hope and luck, and it reminds us to look out for opportunity. The four leaf clover is believed to be a sign of God’s blessings and favour, reminding us to trust in Him and have confidence in His plan for our lives. The Class of 2024 commenced Year 7 when I first started at MGGS in January 2019. I remember my first day and the first student I met was Harriet Graham. I think Harriet and I were equally nervous as we walked through the gates of the red brick walls. We have shared many memorable adventures together. It has been an honour and a privilege over the last six years to observe this cohort flourish into the capable Grammarians they are. I have so many vivid memories of their time here over the last six years. They are well prepared for their exams and, more importantly, for life!
Enjoy your Grammarians and this exquisite Spring weather – the perfect time for a family bush walk or picnic!
Yours in learning
Dr Toni E. Meath
Principal