When high-school graduates take a gap year or move into tertiary study, often their main source of income is working in the hospitality industry. Usually, they have only limited practical experience. Methodist Ladies College (MLC) in Kew has addressed this by including various hospitality options. From Years 8 to 10 there are numerous electives that complement the Home Economics core subject, and in Years 11 and 12 there are VCE and VET choices.
Principal Diana Vernon is impressed by the quality of the program. "MLC Year 11 and 12 students run the Terrace restaurant, which is open to the public. They prepare and cook all meals to an industry standard, while another group of students run front of house greeting and serving customers. These young women are gaining valuable experience not only preparing themselves for a career in the industry, but also for holiday jobs to support themselves through university. I highly recommend the Terrace restaurant as a very good dining experience."
There are close to 2200 students at the day and boarding school, including just over 100 at MLC Kindle, the Early Learning Centre.
"As a large school we have an extensive curriculum and a range of learning experiences," says Ms Vernon. "For students in Years 7 to 9, we offer a French Partial Immersion program." This sees students study a range of subjects in French including maths, geography and history at Year 7, science, drama and history at Year 8 and media studies in Year 9 Kew Term.
The school's Educational Outdoors program is diverse. Years 5 to 8 spend up to six days at MLC Banksia on the Banksia Peninsula near Paynesville, while the Year 9s undertake an eight-week experience at MLC Marshmead in the Croajingolong National Park, a program in its 25th year. Year 10 students are able to apply for a cultural exchange program run in conjunction with the Ngukurr community in southern Arnhem Land.
"The vast majority of our students are from Melbourne," says Ms Vernon, "so the outdoor learning experiences are extraordinary for relatively urban students."
Also in its 25th year at MLC is the school's one-to-one laptop program. Preps to Year 2 use iPads, and girls from Years 3 onwards use laptops – all with age-appropriate programs.
"Technology is driving the rate of change in the world, and it's important to ensure students are familiar with technology and what it can do for their learning and confidence," says Ms Vernon.
Ms Vernon is keen to instill "an enthusiasm and engagement for learning" in the students. "It's at the very core of everything we do. Teaching as a profession is very lucky to have a growing body of research that can assist us to understand what helps students learn and how to engage them in the classroom. I want all our students to leave with an enjoyment of learning. I hope that we can support students to discover their own potential and passion, while preparing them for university and beyond," Ms Vernon says.
