04 Jul 2024
Celebrating Student Leadership and Enhancing Educational Choices at Mount View High School
It has been another busy term at Mount View High School, capped off with four year-based principal assemblies. For the first time, our junior leaders took charge of running their own assemblies, providing increased representation and recognition of their elected leadership roles. I am pleased to report that they conducted themselves with the same professionalism typically seen in our senior leaders.
At Mount View High School, our student leadership elections occur each year at the end of Term 2. This allows for our school captains to be relieved of leadership responsibilities as they enter their final term of their leadership tenure. The new captains, along with all student leaders, will be inducted into their roles in a formal assembly that will be held on Tuesday the 30th of July. The following Year 11 students were voted into our senior leadership positions of school captains and vice captains - Trixta Fejsa–Brown - Captain, Tayah Koeford - Captain, Matilda Death – Vice Captain and Jack White – Vice Captain. Such was the strength of our Year 11 cohort that this year Kiara Walters, Grey Stainton, Ava Vickers and Marcus Holland were elected as senior leaders. Our Year 10 students will be represented by Alex McDonald, Kayla Jacups, Max O'Brien and Olivia Pollock. Year 9 by Fletcher Phillip, Izaya Manthorp, Violet Mansfield and Charlotte Mahony. Year 8 by Emily Pollock, Nick Sparks, Cooper Wing and Mia Bromage. Lastly, Year 7 will be represented by Sam Caban, Ellie Codd, Boston Morton and Jade Caban. In an effort to further strengthen our acknowledgement of student diversity I am pleased to announce that our KuNaar support faculty has elected Joshua Henry as their representative to the student leadership team. Our Aboriginal students elected Storm Collins, Indi-Rose Forsyth, Amelia Carr, and Charli Regent as leaders for the Mount View High School Junior Aboriginal Education Consultative Group as supported by the Korreil Wonnai AECG.
I would like to extend my gratitude to our parent community for their outstanding representation at each of the assemblies. These gatherings embody a culture of inclusion that reflects the richness and diversity of our wider school community. We share a commitment to school priorities that enable the success of every child.
The parent-teacher evening held in the last week was planned to provide an opportunity to touch base with teachers immediately following the delivery of Semester 1 reports. We have worked hard to create a timeline that promotes improved relevance, allowing students to set Semester 2 goals over the mid-year break. This year, I also encouraged parents to discuss 2025 elective subject selections with staff. Traditionally, these selections have been made during the first week of Term 3, supported by a subject selection evening.
To improve access and support for all students, we are launching a student-focused Subject Selection Showcase. This event, replacing the subject selection evening, is designed to provide our students with comprehensive and consistent information about elective subjects in an equitable, engaging, and interactive format. The event will take place on Wednesday, 24th July during school hours, minimizing disruptions to family schedules.
Year 10: Three-hour session with formal rotations through 10 subject presentations.
Year 8: Two-hour session rotating through faculty-based stands.
Year 9: One-hour session rotating through faculty-based stands.
We believe these changes will give our students a deeper understanding of their educational options, helping them make informed decisions for their futures. We appreciate your support and welcome any feedback. For any questions or further information, please do not hesitate to contact me or any member of our staff.
New policy implementation on student representation including a focus on wearing uniform
We would like to remind parents that the new “Non-Compulsory Excursion Policy” will be implemented at the start of Term 3. You can access the policy on our webpage under “About our school.” This policy ensures that students representing our school on excursions maintain high standards in uniform, attendance, and behaviour.
Key Points of the New Policy:
- Uniform Compliance: Students must consistently wear the full school uniform according to our uniform policy. To be eligible for non-compulsory excursions, students should have no more than four uniform infringements in the five weeks leading up to the excursion and must be in full school uniform on the day of the excursion. Wearing the school uniform consistently promotes pride, unity, and discipline, preparing students for future professional environments and fostering a cohesive school community.
- Attendance: Students must maintain a minimum attendance rate of 85%, excluding explained absences and those supported by medical certificates. Partial absences, including unjustified lateness or truancy, will be considered in determining a student's overall attendance rate. Consistent attendance reflects dedication and reliability, ensuring students do not miss important learning opportunities.
- Behaviour: Students must exhibit behaviour that aligns with the Department of Education Behaviour Code, demonstrating safety, engagement, and respect. Students with more than two negative behaviour referrals, or those who have been suspended or received a formal caution in the five weeks prior to an excursion, may not be eligible to participate. Adhering to behavioural expectations is vital for maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment.
We believe these measures will help our students develop responsibility and pride in representing our school. Students have been informed about these changes and understand that data collection started on June 3 to determine eligibility for Term 3 onwards. Students and families have the right to appeal eligibility decisions based on uniform, attendance, or behaviour. Appeals should be directed to the student’s allocated deputy principal using the provided appeal form.
I am aware that uniform monitoring can be contentious. So that we can all be on the same page and maintain transparency around uniform monitoring I am sharing the following information that our staff refer to in determining uniform infractions. Our staff respectfully ensure students are aware when they are wearing items of clothing that are not uniform and that this choice may impact on their ability to attend non-compulsory excursions. We also respectfully support access to the correct school uniform for any student who may not be in a position to afford it or whose situation at home has meant that uniform was unavailable on a given day.
Students MUST wear a MVHS shirt
● MVHS Jnr polo shirt
● MVHS Snr polo shirt
● MVHS Jnr blouse
● MVHS Snr blouse
Pant options
● Plain black short
● MVHS embroidered sport short
● MVHS rugby league short
● Plain black track pant
● Black stretch slack
● Junior or Senior skirt
Jumper options
● MVHS Hooded jumper
● MVHS Snr Jumper
● MVHS soft shell jacket
● Plain grey jumper
● Plain grey hooded jumper
Undershirts or jumpers in black, grey or white can be worn underneath a school shirt so long as no logos are visible.
Items that are NOT Uniform
Jumpers, shorts and pants with large logos even if the correct colour are out of uniform. Small discrete brand logos that can be covered by the palm of the hand and are otherwise the correct colour can be acceptable uniform.
Black tights (unless worn under a skirt or shorts), Goanna rugby league shorts, Black or Coloured jumpers, wearing jumpers only without a shirt and any item with a logo or brand name larger than the palm of their hand do not comply with being in uniform.