5 minute read
Parents’ Association update
From the President
Sophie Croft, President, MLC Parents’ Association
Connecting our community and continuing to engage in 2021 was always going to be a challenge in the context of the environment in which we currently live. Our calendar was planned with a breadth of interesting and diverse events, offering opportunity for our community to engage. So how did it unfold and how did we take the learnings of 2020 into the year?
Sophie Croft, President, MLC Parents’ Association Somehow, we have managed to hold events in person. Beef and Burgundy and Women Inspired were both sell-outs. We connected again with PA Live – an online initiative introduced in 2020. Skincare Starters, which combined a panel discussion on general skincare with Dr Sarah Hume (MLC parent) and a skincare tutorial with former student Ruby Vidor (2016), saw our biggest audience. Our AGM, Careers Expo and International Parents Update took place online too. We launched our inaugural Stars Day – a day for our students and their parents to give back by providing service in the community with charity partners. It was so pleasing to see this event resonate with our families, again a sell-out but now postponed due to Melbourne’s extended lockdown. While our schedule of events has been interrupted, postponed and changed, our wonderful community of parents reps, year level liaisons and Special Interest Group committees have risen to the challenge to evolve. What hasn’t changed is the enthusiasm of our community to connect and engage. And as we navigate our way through these times, our focus continues to be on providing a breadth of activities and opportunities for our community to do just that, by volunteering and getting involved. The pandemic has changed how we do things, but it won’t change our need for connection. So, as we look to 2022, we will again be planning to evolve and create diverse opportunities for the MLC parent community to connect.
The Women Inspired event went ahead in 2021. Pictured clockwise from top left: Past parent and ovarian cancer ambassador, Leone Flynn receives a standing ovation; PA President, Sophie Croft introduces the evening; the Hawthorn Town Hall was the venue for this year’s event.
Women Inspired
Jinah Johnston, Women Inspired Convenor
With the good fortune to gather in real life, we were indeed ‘women inspired’ at this special Parents’ Association event in May. This was our third Women Inspired event and Hawthorn Town Hall was buzzing with parents from MLC Kindle to Year 12.
This year’s theme, ‘Brave enough to be vulnerable’, was chosen to reflect the challenging times of the past year. Many in our community may have felt vulnerable and had to find courage while living with uncertainty. We invited speakers to share their stories dealing with real issues in our community. We wholeheartedly thank our speakers for their moving and insightful presentations. – MC Victoria Atkinson, MLC parent and
CMO of Healthscope, summarised the impact of COVID-19 on the health system, including mental health issues in children.
– Past MLC parent Leane Flynn spoke about her battle with ovarian cancer and her efforts to increase awareness of early detection tests, as an ambassador for the Ovarian Cancer
Research Foundation.
– Belinda Caldwell, CEO of Eating
Disorders Victoria, shared her experience caring for a child with an eating disorder. Belinda educated us about warning signs and the importance of early intervention.
Women Inspired’s 2021 speaker line-up included (L - R): MLC parent and CMO of Healthscope, Victoria Atkinson; CEO of Eating Disorders Victoria, Belinda Caldwell; and Leane Flynn, past MLC parent and ambassador for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. (L-R) AFL CEO Gil McLachlan being interviewed by MLC parent and sports journalist Stephen Quartermain at Beef & Burgundy.
AFL in the spotlight at Beef & Burgundy
John Fergusson, Beef & Burgundy Convenor
In April, the Richmond Rowing Sheds played host to our first in-person Beef & Burgundy event for 12 months. More than 130 MLC dads gathered under COVID restrained conditions on a beautiful Monday evening, against the backdrop of a stunning view of the Yarra and Melbourne city skyline. Those attending represented every MLC year level, from MLC Kindle through to Year 12. We were honoured to welcome AFL Chief Executive, Gillon McLachlan as our special guest for the evening. MLC father and highly respected Channel 10 sports journalist, Stephen Quartermain interviewed Gil before opening to the audience for an entertaining and candid Q&A. The success of MLC’s own GSV AFL teams in recent years, and the involvement of several past students in the AFLW, added another dimension to the evening. The event was a rare opportunity for MLC dads to come together, enjoy each other’s company and hear from a fantastic guest speaker. At the time of publication, we are still holding out hope to stage the second Beef & Burgundy in late November, COVID willing.
Care for Kew’s four legged community
Annette Dal Sasso & LJ Ryan, Community Care Group
Just as Term 3 began, the wider Kew community was hit with a COVID-19 outbreak right on MLC’s doorstep. Hundreds of families associated with our neighbouring schools, Trinity Grammar School and Ruyton Girls’ School, and many of our linked families, were required to isolate as primary or secondary contacts. The MLC Parents’ Association Community Care Group quickly realised that many local families needed help. We saw that the emerging need was not shopping and meals, which were easy to arrange online, but the many beloved dogs missing their daily walk. More than 150 MLC families and staff, including our Principal, Diana Vernon, offered their time and more than 50 happy four-legged friends were regularly walked during this challenging time. Feedback from MLC, Trinity and Ruyton families reflects just how much this gesture meant to our wider community: “Thank you, MLC. Was a life saver for us and Raffy the groodle thanks you!” “Coco and Lucy were walked for well over an hour yesterday by superstar MLC teacher Bridget. She made time for them after a full day of teaching. What an incredible effort!” “A big thank you to you and Di (our walker). I’m so humbled by the kindness of our community. Such a ray of sunshine and hope in this awful time.”
MLC volunteers provided much-needed dog walking services to local families under quarantine orders, co-ordinated by the Parents’ Association Community Care Group.
