The MAG Issue 7

On the cover: Secondary leaders, Dylan Scoble and Grace Andrews-Burton with Primary Leaders, Toby Kennedy and Molly Webb, and Kinder students, Lachlan Wildes and Mackenzie Shinners.

On the back cover: Year 4 students Vivaan Shenai and Ryan Strahan working on bridge construction as part of their Deep Learning.

Co-ordinators: Yvette Height and Chelsea Leslie Photography: Yvette Height and Chelsea Leslie. Design: Esley Studio Printing: Revolution Print

Welcome to Issue 7 of The MAG

Welcome to the seventh issue of our bi-annual school publication, The MAG. We’re excited to share with you the diverse range of activities and events that have happened at school and across our community over the past 6 months.

The Purpose of Education

will continue as artificial intelligence improves and with set algorithms, improve their decision-making capacity but this is not inevitable as humans have the power to shape AI.

This is not a proposal suggesting that robots will replace teachers and all humans leaving us in a dystopian future world. This research paper is suggesting that with innovation in AI humans will also adapt to new areas of careers, particularly where humans differ significantly such as social intelligence, our capacity as a learner and relationship with others. The proposal is to rebalance education to nurture these “distinctive human intelligences” for human flourishing.

In a recent research article that references projects undertaken by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), author Michael Stevenson proposes that the purpose of education should be human flourishing while leveraging artificial intelligence in education.

This theory is based on research and changes in education in many countries. It examines how many schools have evolved significantly to place more emphasis on a broader curriculum, the inclusion of social and emotional skills plus teaching attitude and values. He argues that education can no longer prepare students for a certain future and therefore, we must ensure students graduate from school with reliable skills and strategies to navigate success in uncertainty.

We are already experiencing the impact of the use of artificial intelligence in the workforce. There are industries where robots have replaced humans, there are occupations where they have partially replaced humans leaving humans to focus on decision making elements of occupations. AI is also increasing in education with increased software particularly in mathematics and science tutoring systems. This trend

The concept of human flourishing is also about everyone flourishing rather than previous concepts of a small group who flourish while the opportunity is denied to others. Human flourishing is about everyone being the best they can be as established by Aristotle and reiterated by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943). Maslow referred to this state as ‘self-actualization’.

What I found appealing about this research article is the emphasis on the ethical decision making, co-agency (think and act with others) and aesthetic perception, that is the importance of recognizing and appreciating what is magnificent and beautiful.

The paper proposed that the future of education needs a focus on adaptive problem solving which is closely related to innovation, ethical decision-making and sensitive to what is beautiful. It suggests that a successful adult would be a person who is able to see what needs to be done and set about doing it.

Reference: “Education for Human Flourishing” Michael Stevenson. CSE Leading Education Series, May 2022.

MRS CARMEL SPRY PRINCIPAL

Endings and Beginnings

Carmel commenced as Principal in March 2018. During her 5-year tenure, she has made great progress and built stability across our school community, including through the COVID pandemic. Carmel provided calm leadership, supporting staff and students to adapt to a changing environment.

Early projects that Carmel oversaw were the opening of the TAS Centre and completion of the barn and sports shed. She was instrumental in moving the Year 12 Common Room to provide students more space. In 2020 Carmel endorsed the fitness centre and oversaw the delivery of two music pods in 2022.

Carmel managed the introduction of new subjects and the way they are taught. MAG now offers Construction as a VET subject, a mini-elective block at Year 8, sport has extended into Year 9 and STEM is delivered from Year 8. This year the School offered 3 Kinder classes for the first time. Carmel recently supported student-led changes to the uniform to promote gender equity.

We will miss Carmel’s sense of fairness and her composure during times of upheaval as our School’s leader. We wish her all the very best for her next chapter.

Scott is an experienced school leader and comes to us from Caulfield Grammar School where he has held the position of Head of Teaching and Learning, Secondary since 2017. Driven by values and purpose, Scott is people-first in his approach. An educational leader with 20 years senior leadership experience, his ability to foster respectful, trusting, and positive relationships allows him to build a strong sense of community where students, families and staff are known, valued, and heard.

An accomplished mentor and coach, Scott actively supports the growth and capacity building of others and has created a culture that encourages reflection, innovation, and evidencebased change.

“It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the fifth Principal of Moama Anglican Grammar School and a privilege to have the opportunity to join and serve this community whilst building upon the strong foundations that have been laid under the leadership of Carmel Spry. I very much look forward to getting to know the students, families, staff, and alumni of the Moama Grammar community. My wife, two daughters and I are most excited to join the school community and to relocate from Melbourne to live in the Echuca/Moama region”.

We very much look forward to welcoming Scott and his wife Kate into the Moama Anglican Grammar School community.

With sadness, we will farewell Principal Carmel Spry at the end of 2022.

As we farewell Carmel, we also offer a friendly welcome to our incoming Principal in 2023 – Scott Downward.

Staff Arrivals and Departures

Welcome to the new staff that have joined us since the beginning of the year:

Kate Griffin

Secondary – HSIE teacher

Marion Martin Secondary – Maths teacher

Rosalind Paterson

Elisha Johnson

Secondary – Visual Arts

Primary – taking over for Brooke Barber for Term 3

Blythe Jennings Primary – Year 5 teacher

Liz Smith Counsellor

Vinka Krunic Receptionist

Special Mentions

We have also said goodbye to the following staff members, and wish them the best in their new ventures:

Samantha Norris Secondary

Fi O’Shaughnessy Performing Arts

Chris Allen Secondary

Kirsty Turner Counsellor

Nick Iorianni Primary

After almost a decade of committed service, Craig Smith has stepped down from MAG’s Board. Craig received a Distinguished Service certificate from the school, and we are very grateful for all of the hard work he has put into making the school a better place for students and staff over the years.

15 Years Service Awardees

During our Foundation Day assembly, we showed our appreciation for our staff who have been with us for 5, 10 and 15 years. We recognised 15 years of dedicated service by:

• Tim Bowles

• Alan Davidson

Congratulations to both of you!

Foundation Day

At our Foundation Day ceremony on Thursday 5 May, accompanied by special guests and families, we reflected on the path the School has taken since 2004 when a group of parents first met and began planning for a new school in Moama.

Long term staff were celebrated with their service awards along with Craig Smith for his service to the Board for the last 12 years. He left the students with inspiring words to ‘dream big’, just like back in 2004, as anything can happen!

Emma Lewis (nee Perry) Class of 2011 spoke about her experience since finishing Year 12, encouraging students to find their passions and not be afraid to give things a go. “There’s plenty of opportunities waiting after school and you don’t have to be the best to make a difference; you just need to try or you’ll never know.”

We then had a fantastic afternoon of sports games and our annual MAG Gift – such a great way to celebrate the foundation of the school and build camaraderie. It was safe to say that the Year 12s came out victors in the Tug-o-War against the Teachers!

Congratulations to the winners of the Foundation Day Gift: Sophie Jardine Phoenix Wise Delaney Laffy Taj Elliott

And congratulations to all the members of Perricoota House, which was the winning house of the day.

MAG’s Inaugural CAPA Camp

Over a weekend in June, Moama Anglican Grammar was very excited to welcome 30 secondary school students across the region to our first Creative and Performing Arts Camp. The camp included 2 days of workshops across Music, Art and Drama subjects facilitated by staff and industry professional special guests. The camp was a huge success in its inaugural year and is now an exciting addition to look forward to in our school calendar.

Over the course of the camp, students selected from a range of workshops and participated in numerous activities from song writing classes, painting classes, theatre sports and more!

The music students were involved in band workshops, drama students worked on rehearsing a play in only 24 hours, whilst art students experimented with a range of art making mediums. The work produced by students in these sessions was then celebrated in an afternoon showcase where parents and families explored the pop-up art gallery and were entertained by music and drama performances. We’d like to thank the many parents, friends and community members who came to support these students at this event.

As the first camp of its kind in the area, CAPA Camp 2022 provided a wide range of rich and authentic learning opportunities which left students feeling inspired and motivated – they also had a lot of fun along the way! It was great to see so many new friendships forged from across schools as students bonded over common interests. The 80’s themed Zumba party was definitely a social highlight among students!

funny costumes.”

“The disco night was so fun – we all had such a good time hanging out with our new friends in our

With many people working tirelessly behind the scenes to make CAPA Camp 2022 such a success, we’d like to extend a huge ‘thank you’ to the many MAG staff and volunteers who contributed to the event. A very special thank you to our special guest presenters:

• Murray Ross (Art Workshop)

• Joanne Visca (Art Workshop)

• Eliza & Bethany (Dance Instructors)

• Francie Finn (Theatresports Workshop)

• Shane McGrath (Band Elective)

• Zech Walters (Song-Writing Workshop)

“The songwriting elective was inspiring. I liked the collaborative aspect and working with new people. I also liked learning from an industry professional musician.”

“I would 100% recommend CAPA Camp to other students, it was even better than I hoped it would be! Everyone should come next year.”

Camp will be returning in 2023! Save the date: Saturday 1 April to Sunday 2 April More details to come!

CAPA

Book Week 2022

Students appreciated the chance to hold a Book Week Character Parade again this year on Thursday 25 August.

Both primary and secondary students strutted their stuff in a range of creative costumes. This year’s theme, ‘Dreaming with eyes open…’ provoked some very mystical and magical themed outfits.

Well done to all who took the time to plan, create and wear these fabulous creations!

Da Vinci Decathlon

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy.

In early May a primary team of Year 5 and 6 students travelled to The Riverina Anglican College in Wagga Wagga to compete in the da Vinci Decathlon. After a 5am start, the team competed exceptionally well and enjoyed their day. The team were named overall Winners of the Year 6 divisions and were selected to go on to the NSW State Final!

The state final was run digitally, and the students had great fun creating art, acting, and demonstrating their scientific and mathematical skills, writing poetry and constructing bridges over Zoom. Congratulations to the Year 5/6 team on making the finals - no top 15 placings this year from 80+ teams, but lots of fun was had and lessons learnt. The students are excited to try again in 2023.

In the secondary school, many lunchtime sessions were spent with the secondary students preparing their map reading and problem-solving skills. The first secondary team, made up of Year 7 and 8 students, headed north to take on the Riverina schools in a fierce competition that challenged them on many academic and creative fronts. They created performances based on the ‘Butterfly Effect’, built a successful catapult and proposed and evaluated solutions to real world problems. At the end of the day, the students were tired but proud of their achievements, taking first place in the Ideation and Engineering competitions and third place in Art and Poetry and Code Breaking.

The next day dawned just as early for our Year 9/10 team, along with Mr Macey and Miss Douglas. They managed to reinterpret Romeo and Juliet dramatically, propose a strategy to improve mental health in schools and took on the extraordinary challenge that was the Mathematics paper. The day finished with a fun competition, trying to work out the identity of Disney characters and the timeless mintie wrapper challenge. Once again, they took home first prize in Ideation, along with second place in Art and Poetry and third in Engineering, Mathematics and Creative Producers.

100 Days of Kinder

Kinder students from Moama Anglican Grammar celebrated all things ‘100’ on Wednesday 27 July at their 100 Days of Kinder celebrations.

Following a parade past all of the primary classrooms in their 100-themed costumes, the kinder students enjoyed a wonderful picnic in the multipurpose hall decked out with picnic rugs, and featuring an amazing ‘100’ cake! We saw plenty of crinkled faces, clever costumes and giant smiles!

A big thank you to Jo from Hooley Dooley Cookies and Cakes for the colourful and delicious cake.

Creating Connections

We had a fantastic morning hosting our inaugural Business Connect event on Friday 10 June. This event was planned as a result of our Strategic Plan, “Creating Connections” goal, where we identified a key goal to strengthen relationships with key industries and community groups for the mutual benefit of students and businesses. We were delighted to have more than 20 businesses and over 30 people attend the morning.

Moama Anglican Grammar recognises the importance of developing strong, positive and effective partnerships between schools and business, particularly as this can contribute greatly to students successful learning and development.

It was a real pleasure to hear from two past MAG students. Thank you to our guest alumni - Connor Bacon (McDonald’s Echuca) and Isabella Lucic (Murray River Council), who shared their personal career pathways. We heard from Mark Pearce (N8 Health Echuca) why business connections with schools are so important including his personal experience with students entering the workforce. We also heard from Helen Fitzgibbon, general manager from McDonald’s Echuca.

We also had the opportunity to hear the impressive musical skills of the School’s Jazz Band and Junior Choir, all of whom were eager to perform in front of an audience.

Various employers in attendance expressed their strong interest in working with the School to provide opportunities for our students. We look forward to planning a similar event for 2023.

Linking Students and Business

At our Business Connect Morning, we welcomed representatives from businesses across the district with the aim to facilitate connections with the school, and importantly, our students. Former student Connor Bacon, who undertook a school-based traineeship, was a guest speaker at the event, and a great example of a successful relationship between student, MAG and business. (Read more about Connor’s experience on page 20)

Moama Anglican Grammar is committed to creating and strengthening mutually beneficial connections with key industries and community groups in Echuca Moama. Businesses can identify and nurture relationships with potential future employees who return to/stay in the region after finishing their studies. There is an abundance of opportunity for partnerships, including school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, industry and workplace visits, work experience programs and student award sponsorships.

If you would like more information please contact our Head of VET, Kim McFadden via email kmcfadden@moamagrammar.nsw.edu.au or phone 03 5480 5900. Or take a look at our ‘Get Involved’ brochure at: https://bit.ly/3axrprk

Young Performers Concert

On Thursday 2 June, Primary School families came together to celebrate the magnificent musical talents of our Primary students in the Young Performers Concert, and what a wonderful concert it was!

We enjoyed individual performances from students in Year 2 to Year 6 as well as performances by the Rock Bands, Primary Choir and String Ensemble. This was the first live performance for some of the Primary students and something that we have been looking forward to with much anticipation, after the need to cancel over the past couple of years.

It was wonderful to see evidence of the busy extra curricular Music Program at Moama Anglican Grammar. The students certainly did themselves and their dedicated tutors proud. Students pushed through any pre-performance nerves to perform confidently and participated with great enthusiasm.

Arrival of the Music Pods

Earlier this year we welcomed our newest arrivals to the school – our two music pods!

The pre-fabricated pods, which are built in Melbourne, will offer a range of opportunities to our students who need space to undertake music, drama and media activities. They have been set up in the secondary school area, across from the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Gardens and adjacent to the secondary music room. Installation was via a crane and the pods can be relocated in the future if necessary.

With their arrival, our students now have dedicated, separate music practice spaces, affording them flexibility and space – and without interrupting any other classrooms.

The pods are currently being used as break out rooms for students to practice individually or in small groups. One is also being set up as a recording studio for students to access when they have composition tasks or for school projects such as the MAG podcast, etc.

Look out for these striking, modern pods on your next visit to the School.

Deep Learning Update

Our students K-12 are diving into Deep Learning, participating in a range of activities, aimed at improving engagement and higher order thinking skills.

In the Primary school…

Students have participated in a range of teacher-led and student-framed activities. Driving questions have framed learning to uncover content that is authentic for our students. The use of digital technologies was embedded in their learning.

During Term 2 classes from Stage 2 showcased their learning inviting students, staff and families to enjoy what discoveries they had made. Year 3 students took part in a Deep Learning Science Safari where students were immersed in the safari environment with sounds and sights. They created bright animals of all shapes and sizes made from recycled products and created presentations on safari animals in their natural habitats. Regular classroom talking topics presented by the students also involved many aspects of Deep Learning.

Year 4 students had a focus on Maths to the new local Moama bridge which excited and engaged all our learners. Students used their knowledge to work collaboratively, take risks and creatively design and build bridges to solve many Maths related problems involving shapes, angles and money, just to name a few. The students learnt skills from each other along the way. They were encouraged to communicate their learning and reflect afterwards using Deep Learning language.

In the Secondary School…

In Term 2, Year 8 English sallied-forth into the works of the bard himself; William Shakespeare. Their major assessment was to explore the relevance of Shakespeare’s work in the twentieth century in an almost limitless amount of ways, from PowerPoint presentations to podcasts. During Term 3, Year 8 English students shared the burden of carrying full buckets of water around the school. This experience relates to their class novel ‘Parvana’ and aimed at increased global citizenship and empathy with people from around the world.

In Mathematics, Year 9 students in Mr Campbell and Mrs Paul’s classes designed tessellating patterns as a part of their deep learning. This helped students understand spatial awareness. Students in Year 8 STEM designed a parachute that would have a slow descent. This activity focused on gravitation and required students to problem solve their design and use of materials through collaboration and communication.

The Year 8 STEM class also used collaboration to build the tallest tower using marshmallows and spaghetti.

In Year 10 Science, students expanded their Individual Student Research Projects (SRP’s) by involving an authentic audience.

This included peers and MAG alumnus and Biomedical Sciences student, Alyssa Hunter. Students were able to pursue their interests through their projects, with research topics that included seed germination, measuring reaction rates, the effect of salt on yeast growth, and the effect of salt on the buoyancy of eggs.

Finding your own path

Moama Anglican Grammar alumnus, Connor Bacon started a school-based traineeship in Year 11, working toward completion of a Certificate III in Retail with McDonald’s Echuca. Connor, who graduated in 2020, recalls that as a relatively shy student, he didn’t always enjoy school as much as other students. So, he found doing a school-based traineeship really suited him, allowing him to undertake one day per week out of school, learning on the job at McDonald’s. The traineeship also contributed toward his HSC grades and ATAR.

Connor first started working at McDonald’s at 16 as a crew member. After commencing his traineeship, he was promoted to crew-trainer. Connor proceeded to move up the ranks at McDonald’s, picking up an award for School-based Apprentice of the Year at the 2020 VET Awards along the way, and is now a department manager.

Moama Anglican Grammar has a strong focus on Vocational, Educational and Training (VET) pathways; school-based apprenticeships and school-based traineeships are two of the many options offered to students to kickstart their careers early. School-based apprenticeships offer an alternative career option, allowing students to commence vocational training, earn a wage and get hands-on experience, all while completing their secondary education. School-based traineeships allow Year 10, 11 and 12 students to work part-time with a partner business and complete their formal traineeship training by the end of their HSC year.

Connor strongly recommends school-based traineeships to students who are looking for a different experience after graduating school, ‘It’s allowed me to work up the ranks and to enjoy and try a lot of different things in many different areas…all of this happened quite quickly; it would normally take someone quite a bit longer to progress and get the same qualifications”.

With more students considering alternate career pathways, school-based traineeships and apprenticeships are proving to be choices that build work-place skills and confidence that provide a solid foundation for future career pathways.

The MAG POD

In an ever increasingly online world, some of our senior students wanted to find a way to bring our students and teachers closer together and help them to get to know each other. Initially, students came up with the idea of a closed-circuit radio station –but instead settled on the idea of a podcast which offers more flexibility and convenience for our busy student population.

Inspired by Year 10 students, who made a podcast during the ‘Connect at MAG’ deep-learning day in late 2021, Charlotte Bowler and Jaymi Clancy put together the first episode of The MAG POD early this year with a plan to do regular episodes through the year. The idea was to keep it simple so that in future years, new students can pick up the project and run with it without too much difficulty. The students use google docs for planning the program, record interviews using their phones, and then edit it using Garage Band.

So far this year seven episodes have been produced and shared with the school community – all by Year 12 students except for one episode produced by Year 11s. The format for the podcast is similar each episode – featuring an interview with a teacher and a student report (focused on sport, music, drama and other student activities).

With rotating hosts and co-hosts, the podcast is kept fresh. Charlotte and Jaymi, Grace Grace Andrews-Burton and Dylan Scoble, Griffin Lias and Beau Metcalf, Charlee Amos and Bronwyn Macague have shared co-hosting duties so far. Jack Barber and Taj Elliott have helped out with production, whilst Charlotte has worked on designing the covers. And with Jaymi as a driving force, coordinating the planning, recording and editing, the podcast has gone from strength to strength.

Jaymi loves working on the podcast because it allows her to find out so much more about what’s going on in the school and to meet other students of all ages, ‘It’s all about building connections. Everyone has an interesting story – which helps to build relationships and connections between students. It also helps to build connections with teachers too.’ Feedback on the podcast, from teachers and students alike, has been overwhelmingly positive.

In Term 4, the Year 12 podcast team will be on the lookout for a new team to take over the podcast in 2023. They are looking for:

• Hosts

• Editors

• Guests who have a story to tell!

If you think you’d like to be involved, get in touch with Jaymi Clancy or with Mr Cadd.

MAG Community Spirit

Building and enhancing relationships with our community is a cornerstone of Moama Anglican Grammar’s strategic plan. It is an activity that both our staff and students love to do – over recent months we have actively participated in a range of community run events that allow us to develop deeper connections with community members, organisations and businesses.

Just a few of the events and activities that we’ve shared with our local community include:

ANZAC Services

Many of our students, staff and families proudly joined services and marches across our region in remembrance of all those who have served in wars and conflicts.

In Moama, Charlotte Bowler, Lucas Jettner and Ebbeny Jettner were flag raisers at the ANZAC service, while Ella Bowler laid the wreath and Lily Hillman recited the ANZAC requiem.

In Rochester, Thomas Gibson laid the floral wreath.

In Echuca, Chloe Richards created a beautiful floral wreath which was laid by secondary school leaders, Jaymi Clancy and Dylan Scoble, while other Year 6 leaders and students joined the march.

Bridge Opening

Our senior drumline performed whilst marching over a section of the new Echuca-Moama bridge on the morning of its formal opening, entertaining the thousands of locals walking over the bridge for the first time.

Coffee, Cake and Company

Year 10 students have been volunteering their time at the Moama Bakery to assist with Coffee, Cake and Company on the first Friday of each month – a recurring activity where senior locals can gather for complimentary coffee, slice and to connect with others in the community.

REBECCA LOCKE CLASS OF 2011

Since graduating in 2011, Rebecca Locke (nee Wright) has followed an unusual but exciting career path to get to her current position. Rebecca decided to follow her passion for golf, and after a gap year training and competing in tournaments around Australia, she set out to pursue her dream of combining golf and university in the USA. For four years, Rebecca juggled academic and athletic commitments; and was lucky enough to travel to tournaments around the USA – a once in a lifetime opportunity. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and was awarded Scholar Athletic of the Year to top it off.

Following graduation, Rebecca make the tough decision to pursue an academic career rather than an athletic one. She took a civil engineering role in the land development department for a private company in New York. Rebecca met her now-husband, Rob - an Officer in the US Marine Corps whilst in the USA. The couple relocated to Australia, and Rebecca took up work in a new field – mathematics.

Rebecca encourages students to always try new things, ‘At MAG I had the opportunity to be involved in extra-curricular activities which helped me discover some of my passions. Once you start a career, it is harder to find time and resources for self-discovery.’

Rebecca advises our students: ‘Finding your true passion can be overwhelming and you’re not necessarily going to find it straight away...it can take a lot of time and effort to find a fulfilling career path. Along the way you’ll discover what you like, and what you don’t …Don’t let yourself regret, what-if I had tried harder, applied myself or didn’t waste my time on futile distractions?’

MADDISON ZLATEFF CLASS OF 2019

Maddison Zlateff, Class of 2019, is in her third and final year as an Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) Trainee Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force in Canberra. The ADFA is a training establishment for the Army, Navy and Air Force which combines military training with a UNSW education. Maddison is studying a a Bachelor of Science majoring in Maths and Aviation which she expects will serve her well in her transition to working as aircrew after graduation.

Maddison says her love and commitment to mathematics as a student has carried over into her current studies at the ADFA, ‘Anyone who knows me will say I was a maths freak at school. I always did as much maths as I could, taking Mr Warren’s Year 10 maths enrichment elective and being the sole student doing Extension 2 Maths in Year 12. My commitment to practicing maths in the early high school years set me up to do more and more. Practice really does compound and I now find myself drawing from the concepts I learnt in Years 11 and 12 for my university degree.’

Maddison’s advice for our senior students is: ‘…try a bit of everything and once you find something you enjoy, really commit to it. Like having 2 periods of maths every day for a year or doing the full 5 years of Italian, you’ll look back and be pleased you put the effort in. It really sets you up for success in the future’.

Well done to Maddison on all her work so far – we can’t wait to see where her future work in the Royal Australian Air Force takes her!

Alumni News

Darcy Hall and Brooke Glennen (both Class of 2013) celebrated their wedding with friends and family at The Timbercutter in Mathoura on April 9, 2022. Darcy (currently Year 7 & 8 Year Level Coordinator at MAG) and Brooke were thrilled to have Greg Cadd (Head of Secondary) MCing their big day. Darcy said that ‘getting to marry my high school sweetheart was the best day I’ve ever had’.

Hannah McDonald (nee Martin), Class of 2010, and husband Haydn welcomed their first child - Henry James McDonald - in June 2022. Henry was born at Port Macquarie Base Hospital. Hannah said that ‘so far motherhood has been the greatest adventure yet filled with lots of love, joy and sleepless nights’.

Jessie Burgess (nee Naughton), Class of 2012, married Christian Burgess (attended MAG 2006-2011) earlier this year at The Valley Estate on the Gold Coast. The high school sweethearts are now settled in Yeppoon, Queensland. Jessie said that the special day with friends and family was ‘perfect and each minute was exactly what we had dreamt of!’.

Ingrid McDonald (nee Williams), Class of 2016, and husband Bryce welcomed their precious little girl, Philippa (Pippa) Sage in May 2022. Pippa was born at Warrnambool Hospital and the family are settled just outside of Hamilton. Both parents agree that the new arrival is their greatest blessing.

Looking back on 100 Days of Kinder, 2016

Parents and Friends

With visitors back on the school grounds this year, our Parents and Friends Committee have been busier than ever. We appreciate all of the work and commitment of the P&F members, and enjoy having such a fun way to connect within our school community.

The Parents and Friends committee appreciate any new members who are ready and willing to engage in the school community, help out at school events throughout the year and have some fun whilst doing it! Please get in touch via email: pfa@moamagrammar.nsw.edu.au

BBQ Lunch for Staff

Thank you to our wonderful Parents and Friends Association who cooked up a fantastic BBQ feast for all of the MAG staff on Wednesday 9 March. Thanks also to the Year 10 Tourism class for spending period 3/4 setting up and working with the Parents and Friends ladies. We enjoyed the delicious spread and celebrated some staff ‘special’ birthdays, new babies and weddings.

Family Night – Mini Golf

The Parents and Friends Association organised a great night out of family fun – playing minigolf and dinner at the Rich River Golf Club on 18 March. What a wonderful way for families to get to know each other in a fun and relaxed environment.

Easter Keep Cups

Our MAG Keep Cups full of chocolate Easter eggs were a sell-out, thanks to the Parents and Friends volunteers!

MAG’s Night Out – 21 October, 2022

The Parents and Friends Association are excited to once again be able to organise the annual MAG’s Night Out! This year it will be held on 21 October from 7pm at The Mill in Echuca. Don’t miss out on the fun event!