Here on the mountain, the air is clear, and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look when you meet them there.

– C. S. Lewis

The Middle Years Production, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, took place on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 October. Ross Hall was transformed into a wintery magical wonderland, with a huge MGGS-crested wardrobe resplendent with fur coats! The execution by our Middle Years Grammarians was brilliant – fabulous costumes, high energy, and lots of fun! Over 70 students were involved in what could only be described as a great success and the culmination of many hours of work. A special mention must go to our main characters who had so many lines to remember. Gratitude to our Acting Head of Drama, Olivia Wilson, Director, Cherie Hozynka, the Drama department and all involved in the production. Bravo!

As I am writing this piece for the Messenger, the VCE Biology exam is about 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 2023 are well prepared and will indeed live up to their motto, carpe diem! My sincere thanks to our Chief Exam Supervisor, Jenny Turner and her wonderful team of invigilators, as well as the very experienced Senior Years team who collectively ensure that there is calmness to our exam centres, assisting students to focus on the task in front of them. Many of our invigilators are former MGGS teachers who have been supporting MGGS in supervising the VCE exams over many years, providing familiar care to each set of students. Good invigilators create a special sense of calm and order to the exam setting and set the right tone for it; the value of this cannot be underestimated.

At MGGS we proudly adhere to the Victorian Curriculum framework from early years all the way through to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) which includes: The Victorian Early Years Learning and Developmental Framework (VEYLDF); the Foundation-10 Framework at Morris Hall, Wildfell and Merton Hall; and the capstone certificate (VCE) which most Grammarians commence in Year 10. The Victorian Curriculum and VCE are nationally and internationally recognised as being of exceptional quality and are global exemplars. Attaining the VCE enables our graduates access to all the top universities around the world and is highly sought after. 

At MGGS our curriculum is also tailored to carefully scaffold the Victorian Curriculum and is paired with formative and summative assessments that reflect the developmental progression of the learner. The Victorian Curriculum sits in bands of development rather than age and stage, supporting a fluidity of support and extension to meet the needs of all learners. We are very proud of our teachers’ understanding and implementation of the Victorian Curriculum. Many teachers lead in subject organisations and provide professional learning and share their practice with other schools and educators. The teachers of MGGS are highly trained and experts in their fields. Indeed, 20% of our teachers have attained their Masters or Doctoral qualifications, and many more are working energetically toward this. 

Three of our senior educators have been recognised by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) for the important role they have played in subject reference panels in developing, refining, and critiquing new curriculum. Representation on Curriculum Reference Panels are important in ensuring the Victorian Curriculum remains innovative, relevant and of the highest level, and I congratulate Ashley Pratt (History curriculum), Elenor Palacio (Languages curriculum) and Emma Donaldson (Civics and Citizenship curriculum) for the roles they assumed on these panels. Their advice, alongside that of other education experts and peers, has helped to revise the Victorian Curriculum Foundation-10, ensuring it will be more manageable for statewide dedicated teaching staff and offer young people the essential knowledge and skills they need to flourish in the future. 

A healthy sign of an intellectual school is the number of teachers who are engaged in external professional associations, who are invited as speakers to state, national and international conferences and who are examiners and assessors for the VCAA. This extensive 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 15 MGGS teachers who are assessing for VCAA this year. The VCE Examining staff in 2023 include: 

• Olivia Wilson (Drama)
• Eleonor Palacio (Spanish)
• Angelina Stojanoska (Psychology)
• Bei Jiang (Mathematical Methods)
• Yvette Arnott (Literature)
• Fenglan Luo (Chinese)
• Elisa Gennari (Italian)
• Lucy Jongebloed (History Revolutions)
• Luke Francis (English Language)
• Alison Bray (Geography)
• Caroline Foster (Classics)
• Aleks Ballarin (Biology)
• Cecile Rouveyrol-Malod (French)
• Monique Sharp (Physical Education)
• Nicole Kaladzoglu (Legal Studies)
• Giulia Iorlano (English)

These educators, who are leaders in their curriculum development and write or assess the relevant examinations in their field, contribute significantly to our School, but their impact is far-reaching, benefitting thousands of Victorian students and teachers who stand to gain from their expertise. 

Finally, thank you to all families for their generosity of payment towards our 2023 Annual Giving Appeal and to our 2023 Building Fund. These funds provide invaluable support for our Scholarship Program and the development and refurbishment of our campus. I can’t wait for our community to begin using the newly acquired Glenhope property. This refurbishment project is on track and on budget and we are so excited for the possibilities it has enabled to open up more learning spaces at Merton Hall.

I look forward to seeing you all at Speech Night on Wednesday 29 November. It will be a special evening to mark our 130th anniversary. Together as a community of life-long learners we will celebrate our collective affiliation as we recognise Grammarians who have achieved in service and academia. Please remember to save the date; invitations will be sent out soon. 

Yours in learning,

Dr Toni E. Meath
Principal