The last weeks of Term 2 have been busy and demanding for our students. I wish to congratulate all of the students for their hard work and dedication to their studies. Within the final weeks of term years 8 - 11 students were involved in examinations and across all year levels students undertook assessments to finalise their semester. Year 12 students completed School Assessed Coursework and Tasks along with the General Achievement Task.
Whilst examinations are a vital component of assessment and preparation for senior educational pathways, this is not the only measure of success or progression of learning. The Learning Management System (SIMON / PAM) is the space which provides progressive and up-to-date information around student assessment achievement and feedback. I urge families to continue to use the platform to obtain this information. This feedback is a starting point to conversations that can be undertaken with students. The most effective learners are those who are able to respond to feedback, thus encouraging students to follow up this feedback with their subject teachers to develop strategies they can implement in the second semester.
Semester 1 Reports
Semester 1 reports will be released to the school community at the end of Term 2. These reports can be viewed through the PAM portal. Reports contain subject based results and work habits as well as information from the Learning Mentor relating to student achievement and personal development.
There will be opportunities to meet with staff around these results in term 3 with Parent Teacher Student Conferences scheduled.
Subject Selection Information
During the final week of term, Year 10 students began the process of subject selection. The days focussed upon the dissemination of information around senior secondary pathways, subject based information and post school destinations. Students participated in assemblies, panel discussions, guest speakers, subject expos and self directed course and pathway planning. A Parent Information Evening was held on 2 July which allowed parents to gather information about senior secondary pathways, subject selections and subject offerings at MSJ.
On 6 August students are required to attend a compulsory 10 minute online subject selection interview with their parents and an allocated staff member. The session aims at reviewing the choices made by students for their Pathway and then their subjects. Interview bookings can be made via the TryBooking site. This information will be sent to parents during the final week of term. As the interviews are occurring from 2.00pm - 7.00pm, Year 10 students will be concluding their day at 12.20pm on this day. Interview confirmations and Links will be sent to parents in the days prior to the interviews.
Year 11 students have commenced their subject selections, currently obtaining teacher recommendations and entering their selections through the Web Preferences portal. Guidance can be sought from the Careers counsellors, or through lunchtime sessions.
Years 7, 8, 9 students will be involved in their subject selection process at the beginning of Term 3. It is important that students are fully informed about the subjects offered at the College and the process that is put in place for assistance. Information to students will be distributed at Year Level Assemblies
An integral part of the process is that parents discuss with their child the subject choices they wish to make for the following year. Subjects should be selected largely on the following basis and should be done in consultation with parents, teachers and the Pathways Leader:
The student’s personal interests
Known ability and past success in a particular area of study
Prerequisite and recommended studies for entry into Higher Education courses (Tertiary and TAFE)
Career aspirations
On Friday 16 June, seven of our Year 11 and 12 Legal Studies students; Niharika Arora, Marina Tomelty, Chloe Appels, Alexandra Fotopoulos, Isabelle Ali, Izzy Bannister and Charlotte Antoski, took part in the 2025 Melbourne Interschool Moot (Senior Division) at Deakin University. This competitive and challenging event gave students the chance to step into the shoes of barristers and solicitors, presenting legal arguments before a judge in a simulated courtroom.
MSJ entered two teams; one representing the Appellant and one the Respondent, who argued their case using real legislation and case law. Each student was required to respond to tough questioning from the bench, demonstrating their ability to think on their feet and apply complex legal reasoning under pressure.
In the lead-up to the competition, all the students committed hours of their own time during lunchtimes and after school to prepare their submissions, refine their advocacy skills, and practise courtroom etiquette. Their hard work truly paid off.
Judges commended the students on their clarity, professionalism, and poise, in particular their ability to respond to questions from the judges and to develop their arguments. It was an incredible learning opportunity and a memorable experience for all involved.
We are incredibly proud of how these students represented themselves and the College, with confidence, teamwork, and sharp legal thinking. We can’t wait to see where their passion for the law takes them next.
Kirsty Fealy - Humanities Domain Leader
Should Australia implement a tourist tax? Is it necessary to ban the use of herbicides and pesticides?
These are the questions the MSJ Year 8/9 debating team grappled with in the two rounds of the Victorian Schools Debating Competition this term. In both debates, MSJ was awarded the win, impressing the adjudicators with their strong logic and confident manner.
In the first debate, Hridhya Ganesh (Year 8), Akshara Anand (Year 8) and Allegra Whitmore (Year 9) defeated Bacchus Marsh Grammar School, with Hridhya named best speaker of the debate. In the following round, Year 8 students Akshara Anand, Jemima Sutton and Alannah Green secured a clear win against Mackillop College, with Akshara named best speaker.
The students have enjoyed meeting teams from other schools, appreciating the opportunity to hear the experiences and opinions of others. In both debates, Ms Kate Dishon, Ms Anthea Heiniger and Ms Bronwyn Milgate were excited by the students’ ability to respond thoughtfully to the complex arguments presented by the opposing teams, and their ability to remain poised and calm under pressure.
MSJ are currently undefeated in the competition, having won three debates from three rounds, which is a testament to their thorough preparation and excellent team-work. These students have regularly given up lunchtimes to work on planning cases, learning the structure and language of debating, and researching difficult topics.
We congratulate all of the speakers on their strong performance and look forward to the final round of this competition next term.
Bronwyn Milgate and Anthea Heiniger
The Learning Resource Centre’s focus in term 2 has been on STEM and reading. To encourage reading in year 7 & 8, we launched the MSJ Reading Challenge. English teachers were given a class star chart, a stack of colourful stars and encouraged to reward reading - it could be a block of time, a chapter or a book. The challenge runs until the end of Term 3. Best Reader and Highly Commended prizes will be awarded in every year 7 and 8 class.
Displays in the LRC this term have included Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC Week, the Premiers’ Reading Challenge, Pride Month and Disability Pride. We also created a fun Treehouse book display to celebrate the very generous donation from Andy and Jill Griffiths of foreign language Treehouse books. We now have Treehouse books in eight languages including French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Bulgarian, Hebrew, Swedish and Faroese. Inspired by this addition to the LRC, we are expanding our Languages collection, so we have a larger variety of foreign language titles available for students to read for pleasure.
The Year 8 STEM students transformed the LRC space into a robotics arena while learning about Robotics with our new Lego Spike Prime kits. Ms Milgate and the junior Science teachers led students through a range of activities which culminated in them designing their own dance or obstacle courses and coding their robots to complete the task.
Enjoy the holidays. Remember, to encourage your children to relax with a good book - or two.
Rebecca Green - Librarian
