CAMERON LANCASTERHEAD OF FROGMORE

MENTONE MESSENGER

FROGMORECAMPUS NEWS

WELCOME BACK Welcome back to all Frogmore students, staff and families for Semester 2 and, in par-ticular, a warm welcome to those students and families who are new to our School. I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing break. While many of our community enjoyed the opportunity for travel or restful time spent closer to home, there was a significant amount of activity undertaken both within the Campus during the three-week break from formal classes. I commend those students who took advantage of the VCE En-hancement Seminars, completed Trial Exams, attended Production Rehearsals, Cadets or Sport training sessions and I thank the staff who gave of their time and provided those opportunities.

It certainly promises to be another busy and exciting term and it has been pleasing to see the senior students embrace their learning activities with energy and enthusiasm during these first two weeks. I am hopeful that students also utilised the midyear break to reflect on their efforts and achievements throughout Semester 1 and have now re-established their learning and personal goals for the second half of the year.

The start of a new semester provides an ideal opportunity for students to review past practice and begin the implementation of work habits they feel are required to build on their academic results throughout the second half of the year.

ACADEMIC AWARDSAt our first Assembly for the Term we rec-ognised Frogmore students who, as a result of their academic efforts and achievements during the first half of the year, have met criteria and achieved Academic Awards for Semester 1 2018. Congratulations to the following:

FULL ACADEMIC COLOURSYear 12: James Bouwmeester, Peter Cotsopoulos, Jessica Ewart-McTigue, Charlotte Fryer, Lachlan Howe, Weiyu Li, Zhiyuan Li, Georgia Rowan, Alex Siedle, Meg Siedle, Isabella Svojtka, Hanbin Zhou.

HALF ACADEMIC COLOURSYear 12: Holly Adams, Nina Alston, Alexander Aridas, Ruby Athanas, Matthew Borys, Tia Botakis, Max Bull, Daisy Causer, Zixin Chen, Kate Derham, Matt Doyle, Quayd Duffin, Marcus Etheridge, Troy Flavell, Grace Goodman, Sarah Green, Owen Griffiths, Ella Hassan, Geordie Hore, Lily Horne, Bella Houlahan, Luke Huang, Trenton Johnson, Stephanie Kelly, Cayla Le Gear, Jiyeon Lee, Anna Lofthouse, Jude Lowe, Pinpin Lyu, Cal-lum Matthew, Mia McCulloch, Tyler Milburn, Jamie-Lee Munn, Conor Murray, Isabella Parker, Ziyin Pu, Olivia Pukallus, Wenjie Qiu, Arabella Scanlon, Luke Shi, Sam Song,

WHAT’S ONMonday 30 July AGSV Girls’ Representative TrialsTuesday 31 July Mentone StoriesWednesday 1 August AGSV/APSV Sport TrainingWorld Challenge Parent Information EveningThursday 2 August European Tour Parent Information EveningSaturday 4 August Final round AGSV Winter SportMonday 6 August AGSV Boys’ Representative TrainingSubject selections open for Years 10 and 11 2018Tuesday 7 August Athletics Season Launch Breakfast (Function Centre)Wednesday 8 August Parent-Student Teacher Interviews (4pm – 8pm)Thursday 9 August No scheduled classesParent-Student Teacher Interviews (1pm – 8pm)Saturday 11 August School Tours AGSV Athletics Trials commence

Looks like the pizza oven is nearly finished. Thanks VCAL team!

ISSUE NO 17 - TERM 327 JULY 2018

Alleisha Stephens, Benjamin Stone, Chloe Stone, Emile Tait, Reisha Thaker, Katherine Tsihlakis, Henry Wang, Brady Watts, Jiaxin Wei, Sasha Widelski, Wencong Wu, Xuhong Yan, Zhousihan Yuan, Eddy Zhou.

Year 11: Zachary Angus, Jefferson Bauer, Mekhala Bera, Olivia Dickson, Jeremy Miao, Charlie Officer, Ziqi Ou, Ben Pertich, Alexan-dra Richards, Samasidh Siva Ram, Jakob Sloan, Vincent Thai-Chan, Zixuan Wang, Mia Watkins, Edward Yang, Yiyun Zhou.

CERTIFICATE OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCEYear 10: Lily Bowles, Nelson Jaden, Josh Madden, Ella Mairs, Lauren Malby-Luke, Trent Meakins, Blake Rosenberg, Akul Saigal, Hannah Schmidt, Sarthak Singh.

CERTIFICATE OF ACADEMIC MERITYear 11: Jake Adderley, Lucas Armstrong, Torey Bernamoff, Charlotte Bratuskins, Grace Bunting, Oscar Clarke, Nicholas Collins, Joshua Cooley, Matt Corcoran, Jack Cullen, Cian Curley, Isabella Daddo, Imogen Davis, Qingyun Deng, Erica Dudek, Karly Geor-gantis, Hugo Gill, James Gold, Finlay Heath, Alanah Heidecker, Angus Henry, Lachlan Hiscock, Jonah Howell, Ellinor Humphreys, Blake Ibrhaim, Alana Jones, Zoe Lancaster, Abby Leonard, Fengyun Li, Yilin Ma, Jayde Maluga, Lachlan Milburn, Amelia Morris, Nicholas Opie, Elyssa Osianlis, Helena Papasimeon, Erin Porter, Bronte Reark, Gemma Reynolds, Hayden Richards, Jessie Rosaia, Matthew Scott, Alexandra Sheppard, Carl Simondson, Tarn Smith, Ethan Staggs, Holly Svojtka, Nicholas Thiele, Kegan Timms, Ruby Timms, Max Tulloch, Jesse Turner, Zhehua Wang, Jack Williams.

Year 10: Matilda Appel, James Bull, Mitchell Callahan, Jeremy Campbell, Adam Carnegie, Skye Carter, Simon Coubard, William Currey, Yasmin Duffin, Kieren Dyer, Annabelle Eustice, Hao Fan, Tayla Fox, Jessica Grant, Valdis Guppy, Adam Halliday, Oliver Hamilton, Kevin Helmerson, Xavier Hogios, Lachlan Howard, Yukan Ji, Haoyu Jiang, Alex Jones, Tayla Langenfelds, Adam Laws, Marcus Le Gear, Adam Marrow, Jiayin Meng, Ethan Murray, Nelvin Ong, Oscar Page, Oskar Phillips, Sarah Pontifex, Archie Rose, Joel Rotar, Thomas Shepherd, William Skinner, Claire Syme, Tighe Taylor, Sam Tucker, Kenny Zhang, Ziyu Zhen, Vito Zheng, Alex-ander Zhu.

PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT INTERVIEWS A reminder that Parent-Teacher-Student interviews are being held on:

• Wednesday 8 August, 4pm – 8pm • Thursday 9 August, 1pm – 8pm.

These interviews provide an opportunity to touch base with your child’s teachers, review performance and discuss strategies for moving forward in the second half of the year. Students are expected to attend these interviews with their parents and should do so dressed in full school uniform. A reminder also that there are no scheduled classes for Frogmore students on Thursday 9 August.

Parents will receive an email early next week providing information about how they can book interviews through the MG Par-ents Online portal (http://oscar.mentonegrammar.net/#parents). Please note that bookings will open from the time you receive the email and will close on Tuesday 8 August. All bookings for Parent-Teacher-Student interviews must be made within this time period. If you are unsure of your password to access MG Parents Online, then please contact the School’s ICT Department via email: itassist@mentonegrammar.net.

VCE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 2018Following a well-deserved break, the final Term for Year 12 students is underway. Our SAC calendars are the busiest yet, as we edge closer and closer to the end of our schooling journeys. This time, while slightly stressful, also provides an opportunity for students to showcase the hard work and effort they have put into their studies throughout the year.

Evidence of this effort was noticeable during our winter break, as students capitalised on the time away from school to revise content from Semester 1 and begin preparation for the end of year exams. One opportunity to do this was through this year’s VCE Enhancement program. Many Year 12s, joined by Year 11s completing a unit 3/4 subject, made their way to school during these past holidays to engage in a series of seminars to further enhance their understanding of their studies. Although optional, the VCE Enhancement program was wildly popular, with attendance rates extremely high, improving on previous years. These lectures provided students with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of content and gain resources that will prove extremely useful in preparation for the end of year exams.

Additionally, students undertook trial exams during the final weeks of the winter break. This enabled them to familiarise them-selves with the conditions of VCE examinations as well as begin to organise themselves in regards to study. These trials provided students with an indication of their strengths and weaknesses in specific subjects, whilst also initiating a transition into a revision mindset as the end of year exams approach. With less than 60 days of formal education remaining for the Year 12 students, it is vital that our time and effort dedicated to school maintains the momentum it has possessed throughout the year. It is now the

time for study skills developed throughout our past 13 years of schooling to be put to the test as we begin to prepare for our final exams.

In turn, the end of the winter break marks the beginning of the end for the Year 12s journey at Mentone Grammar. Despite the fear and ner-vousness developing amongst us as our end of year exams loom, there is an air of excitement as we approach the most important period of our schooling lives. This looming end should inspire us to harness our moti-vation and knuckle down, ensuring our final weeks at Mentone Grammar are spent productively as we work towards making our childhood dreams a reality.

Finally, many thanks are owed to those who organised and ran the VCE enhancement program and Unit 3 Trial exams throughout the holidays. Thank you all for donating your time to ensure we are best prepared for the end of year exams and future beyond Mentone Grammar. The final stretch has been started and the world beyond school is within reach, lets ensure we make the most of our remaining time at this great school and finish on a high.

Cayla Le Gear Academic Captain 2018

SUBJECT SELECTION SUPERMARKETStudents currently in Years 9 and 10, along with their parents, attended the Subject Selection Supermarket on Monday evening to gather information regarding subject choices for 2019. The evening consisted of a formal presentation from Mr Macdonald, Ms Muir and Mr Pate regard-ing options and processes for 2019 and the opportunity to move around the venue, meet with teachers and gather brochures and documents regarding potential subject choices. The Subject Selection Supermarket is another important step in the subject selection process, as it provides further information for discussion and consideration, and follows on from conversations and briefings from our Teaching and Learning team; feedback from the Morrisby Report; our Year 10 Success Day and meetings with our Careers Counsellors.

A reminder that the subject selection portal will open on Monday 30 July and that students currently in Year 10 will receive an email including a username, password and link to enter their selections. These emails are generated externally and it is important that students ensure they have space in their inbox to receive this email. If your email inbox is full then this email will bounce. Students are strongly encouraged to check their email inbox and ensure it is not full. The Subject Selection portal will close at 7pm on Sunday 12 August.

All Year 10 students have been briefed regarding this process and the importance of making informed choices prior to 30 July to ensure, as best possible, that their selections can be accommodated within the 2019 timetable.

To assist students and parents in their ongoing conversations regarding subject selection for 2019, I would direct you to visit the LMS, if you have not yet done so, to obtain information specific to Year Level Subject selection and to view Subject Flow charts which show the progression for subjects within our VCE offerings.

Students who wish to select Mathematical Methods 1/2 must have undertaken Year 10 Mathematical Methods. Students who are not currently enrolled in 10 Methods, but who may wish to pursue Mathematical Methods following meetings with our Career’s Counsellors, must meet with Mr McMenamin to discuss this choice.

Subject selection is always an important process and it was wonderful to see so many students and parents in attendance on Monday evening to obtain information from teachers and to hear from staff regarding the options and processes for 2019. Students and parents are encouraged to seek as much information as possible as they weigh options and consider their

courses for 2019 over the coming weeks. Should you require further information, or clarification on existing information, then please contact Mr Macdonald via our Teaching and Learning Office in the first instance. Mr Macdonald is best contacted via email: tdm@mentonegrammar.net - or via Main Reception on 9584 4211.

CAREERS CENTRE NEWS

Year 10Term 3 commenced with our Year 10 Success Day facilitated by Mr Darren Pereira, our regular motivational presenter. Darren encouraged students to explore their passions, talents and interests to find out what really drives or motivates them. He focused on helping students shape their own destiny within a careers context with some great outcomes. Here are some of the comments from students:-

“I realised the importance of understanding my passions and talents.” – Sophie “I learnt the importance of self-belief.” – Madeline “I realised that everyone can achieve in the right environment.” – Jack “I gained self-confidence and motivation for my future.” – Anonymous “I learnt that I should never doubt myself.”- Amy “This seminar has really opened my eyes to new career options that I have never con-sidered before.” – Anonymous “I gained insight on how I can determine my career path.” – Lucie

During the afternoon session, students were given an overview of the VCE from Mr Lancaster followed by course and career presentations from a range of universities.

Year 10 careers interviews have commenced with parents and students, to follow up on their Morrisby vocational assessment and to discuss VCE subject selection and possible career options. Please contact the Careers department if you have not yet made an appointment.

YEAR 12 COURSE AND CAREERS AFTERNOONOn Thursday 19 July, Year 12 students were provided with the opportunity to gain an insight into a diverse range of university degrees, and understand what post-school life is like from 20 of our Alumni. Students attended two sessions gathering valuable infor-mation and insights about courses and possible career options. We are most grateful to our Alumni for giving up their time and sharing their experiences with our Year 12 students and the Mentonians Association for providing afternoon tea.

“As one of the many anxious and perplexed Year 12 students, on the edge of figuring out our career paths, I found the information session on 19 July highly valuable and insightful. It was motivating and inspiring to hear our past students’ experiences and so kind of them to share them with us. During the Arts & Law information session I learnt that a double major does not entail more work but rather a more flexible choice. It was eye opening to see that even though some of them had no clue in Year 12 as to their degrees and unis, all of them seemed content about the courses they are doing and friends they’ve made. I can’t wait for uni and although I still haven’t made up my mind about where I am heading, I feel like I am getting closer”

Jessie Chen

Sue CareyCareers Counsellor

SPORT

AGSV/APSV SPORTA reminder that AGSV Winter Sport continues for our Boys’ and Girls’ teams this week, on Saturday 28 July. Game times, ven-ues and bus information continue to be available via the LMS and I encourage all students and families to check the LMS on Thursday or Friday of each week and ensure they have noted the details regarding that weekend’s matches. Please note that any alterations to game times or venues, and information in regards to extreme/inclement weather, or can be found on the Mentone Grammar sport twitter account @MGS_Sport.

Transportation is provided for most away matches with all buses departing from the Flag Pole on Venice Street - near the cricket nets on Frogmore Oval. No transport is provided for home games (incl. Keysborough). May I ask that parents please be prompt in both dropping off and when collecting your child after games.

Should you have any questions regarding sport then please address those via Mr Peter O’Gorman: ppo@mentonegrammar.net .

We wish our teams all the best for this week’s round of matches.

SAILINGFor the first time in six years Mentone qualified for the Australian Teams Racing Nationals. After a long summer season Men-tone earned a place to go to Nationals which was held at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron. Putting in the preparation over winter and facing a lot of cold morning trainings, the Team refined their skills to take on the nation’s best. Our preparation was less than ideal with the weather keeping us on shore for the weeks leading up to the competition. However, when we arrived all this was forgotten and in the short 45-minute training session the day before, everyone was in top form for the first day of racing.

An incredible first day, beating all interstate schools that we faced saw us sitting third at the end of Day 1, only losing to old rivals Brighton. With everyone fulfilling their roles and sailing cleanly, we were set up for a strong regatta for a very inexperi-enced team. Day 2 was a much different story with the conditions being less in our favour, we had some great races but didn’t capitalise on opportunities presented to us, which at the end of the day cost us as we joined the log jam on equal wins with eight other teams.

Knowing that we had to come top eight to secure a finals berth, we came to Day 3 focused and determined to right the mistakes we had made and climb back up the ladder. With missed chances at the end of the day, the team was still stuck in the log jam just sitting outside the top eight. Day 4 being the final full day of qualifying got off to a slow start with racing postponed due to a lack of wind, which did not bode well for us as we needed to complete as many races as possible to break into finals contention. Struggling with the light winds and strong tide, Mentone ended the day in twelfth position and relying heavily on the final half day of qualifying to qualify for finals.

The weather unfortunately did not work in favour on Day 5 with strong winds and waves forcing the race committee to aban-don the final qualifying races and run the finals series. Finishing Twelfth at the end of the regatta was, in large, credit to the sailors with Skippers Pat Distefano and Lachie Hughes learning a lot and building confidence in themselves to take the race head on. The assistance of our crews, Grace Phillips alongside Cam and Hamish Berry, kept our heads on straight during high pressure moments and eased the burden of information, relaying to us the vital points.

With Nationals being my final time representing Mentone Grammar on the wa-ter, I feel confident that the Mentone Grammar Sailing Team is in a positive po-sition heading into next season. Not only will Mentone be a hot favourite for the State Championship but will once again contest strongly for the National title. A big thanks to our Coach Lewis Duncan and Manager Max Marrow for organising the team and preparing us for this challenge.

Brandon Demura Year 12

Mentone Grammar School EST. 1923 | ABN 87 616 069 977 | CRICOS Code 00323C

T: +61 3 9584 4211 | E: enquiry@mentonegrammar.net