Mowbray College

Mowbray College is an independent, non-selective, co-educational, day school, located in Melton and Caroline Springs, Victoria, Australia.

Caroline Springs Brookside Campus

The Brookside campus is found in Caroline Springs. The Brookside Campus is Pre-school to Year 9. The facilities are shared with the state school Caroline Springs College but due to the difference in time tables the two schools will hardly ever see each other. From about February, 2009 the Year Seven, Eight's and Nine's will be at the Town Centre Campus, so the Brookside Campus will be Pre-school to grade 6.

Caroline Springs Town Centre Campus

The Town Centre Campus is found in the town centre of Caroline Springs. Currently the campus holds Year 10 to 12 students but as from February 2009 it will hold year 7 to 12 students. The town centre campus is on the main road in Caroline Springs (Caroline Springs Blvd.). Students have access to the Caroline Spring Library and Sports Stadium.

Buildings and Grounds

Some notable places around the college include:

Rose Garden

Formally Mr Patterson's Rose garden was a quiet retreat for students but has been transformed into a memorial garden for deceased students. Although the general theme of roses remains unchanged. Roses flower all year long. There is a small water fountain in the center of the garden, which used to be turned on most days of the year. As of late though, due to water restrictions, it is only filled and running on special occasions.

Dance Drama Studio (DDS)

A large hall which contains a stage and is used for many performances, concerts and gatherings. It has recently been renovated.

Peace garden

The peace Garden is situated off the main buildings as a retreat for students and an appropriate setting for the students to display their sculptural artworks.

Vegetable patch

The Vegetable Patch was a project tended for by students of the primary school to grow produce and build a sense of responsibility.

Pip's Memorial garden

Pip's Memorial Garden is a paved out cove in memorial of the former teacher Phillipa Nickson, the schools chaplain, after her passing and is decorated with native fauna and ceramic tiles created by her students upon her death. This is a common place for year 9s to spend their lunchtimes at the tables in the garden as it is close to the year 9 homerooms

Frenches field

Frenches Field is Mowbray's Main athletics track. It consists of a 400m elliptical running track, two inbuilt sand pits for long and tripple jump, and a hill on the west side which divides the field from the "Mowbray Maynor House" on the other side. Although classed as "out of bounds" to a vast majority of the students, students still go up there sometimes during breaks to play sports or to clear their heads.

Forrester's oval

Forrester's Oval is the main AFL football ground and in season is transformed into Mowbray's Cricket Ground. Or MCG; if you will. A large operation was carried out on this oval in term one of 2006, this was a complete overhaul of the oval and included planting a large sprinkler system to water the whole oval and the complete relaying of the turf on it.

House system

Mowbray College has eight houses names after prominent Australians which excelled in a variety of fields.

Dobell

Sir William Dobell (24 September, 1899 - 13 May 1970) was an Australian artist (sculptor and painter). The Electoral Division of Dobell is named after him. In 1943, Dobell's work of Joshua Smith "Portrait of an artist" was awarded the Archibald Prize. In 1948, Dobell entered "Margaret Olley" in the Archibald and won; he also won the Wynne prize for "Storm approaching Wangi".In 1959, Dobell again won the Archibald for "Dr E. G. MacMahon".Dobell was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 1965 and was Knighted in 1966. Dobell did not like fame and it nearly destroyed him.

Flynn

Reverend John Flynn (25 November, 1880 – 5 May ,1951) was an Australian Presbyterian minister and aviator who founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the world's first air ambulance. Flynn received an Order of the British Empire in 1933. He is featured on one side of the current Australian 20 dollar polymer note

Gilmore

Dame Mary Gilmore (1865-1962), Australian socialist poet and journalist. Her image appears on the Australian $10 note, along with an illustration inspired by No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest and, as part of the copy-protection micro print, the text of the poem itself. In the background behind the illustration of Mary Gilmore is a portrait of Mary Gilmore painted by the well known Australian Artist Sir William Dobell.

Kenny

Yvonne Kenny AM (born 25 November 1950, Sydney, New South Wales), is an Australian opera singer, particularly associated with the works of Handel. Yvonne Kenny sang the Olympic Hymn at he Closing Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Franklin

Miles Franklin (born "Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin"; October 14, 1879–September 19, 1954) was an Australian writer. She was born at Talbingo, New South Wales and grew up in the Brindabella Valley. Franklin is best known for My Brilliant Career, the story of an irrepressible teenage feminist growing to womanhood in rural New South Wales.

Kidman

Sir Sidney Kidman (9 May, 1857 - 2 September, 1935) was a pastoralist in Australia. Starting from nothing, he built up a huge pastoral business, with over a hundred cattle stations with total area of more than 3% of Australia - allowing him to move his cattle from north to south along the great inland river systems and drought proofing his empire. The area he owned was greater than the area of the British Isles. His land stretched from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Flinders Ranges and to the Fitzroy River in Western Australia. He was also an entrepreneur with interests in many other rural industries such as transport.

Melba

Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May, 1861 – 23 February, 1931), born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian opera soprano, the first Australian to achieve international recognition in the form. She also appears on the Australian $100 Bill.

Burnet

Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet (3 September, 1899 – 31 August, 1985)was an Australian virologist best known for his contributions to immunology. Burnet received his M.D. from the University of Melbourne in 1924, and his PhD from the University of London in 1928.He was the first recipient of the honorary Australian of the Year award.

Caroline Springs House System

The Town Centre and Brookside Campus's have a slightly different house system due to the amount of students. There is still the 8 houses that the Patterson Campus has but instead of 8 there is 4. Two of the houses are combined to make one house.

Kenny and Dobell makes Bourke

Melba and Kidman makes Mitchell

Flynn and Burnet makes Flinders

Gilmore and Franklin makes Chisholm

Principals

Mr Alan Patterson - Educator, Lover of the Arts and fine artist It should be noted that Mr Alan Patterson is the only principal referred to as the headmaster, even after his passing. no other principal is referred to as headmaster.

Mr Brian Simmons - Mr Brian Simmons replaced Mr Alan Patterson after his retirement and during his years as principal at the college, although he did not last a considerable amount of time as Principle of Mowbray, he is notable for the changes to the Mowbray Uniform

Mr John O'Shea - Educator and purveyor of fine wine Mr John O'Shea accepted the role of principal after Mr Brian Simmons departure, although several members of staff have not always seen eye to eye with Mr O'shea, he is well known for conflict resolution, and it has often been remembered by past students as being one to go to when in "strife".

College Slang

This is slang often used by students, more than teachers.

Coppin Court is a grouping of 11 and 12 classrooms, exclusively to students studying VCE (year 12).

The Fish Bowl is a classroom in coppin court with completely glass walls on two sides, enabling people to see from coppin court to the west border of the school and further off in the distance. The Fish Bowl is a Year 12 Homeroom

Headmaster's Quad is the former main entrance to the rose garden until a new reception was constructed on the site in 2005.

Fish and Chip Shop. Mowbray College does not have an on campus fish and chip shop to anyone who was wondering. Students and teachers often refer to the computer labs as "Fish and Chip Shops". At the moment, the most commonly referred labs are "The New Fish and Chip Shop" which is a building located north-west of the library and contains computer labs T12 - T16, The Computer Technition Office, VCE study Labs and the Careers Advisor's Office.

Techies Refers to the Computer Technicians who maintain the school's computer network across the three campuses.

Homegroup are groupings of students in a particular form (Year Level). Homegroups can vary between 1 and 6 per year level and each homegroup ranges from 15 to 30 people.

Homerooms are rooms which a homegroup is given to a class to perform Morning and Afternoon roll taking and notices in, as well as a place to use for recess and lunch breaks. each class is assigned a homeroom for the year at the start of the year and is responsible for maintaining that homeroom throughout the year. It is not uncommon for students from other homegroups to use homerooms other than their own.

Spares are officially referred to by college staff as "Study Periods". Students can take this time to study for exams, SACs or tests, or can use them to "chill out". It should be pointed out that "Spares" are only given to students in years 11 or 12. However, in recent times year 10's have been given the chance to have these "study periods" if doing VET. It should also be noted that spares can be given to students in a lesser year. eg. a student in Year 9 taking a year 11 or 12 subject may be given one period a week spare.

Blocks are groupings of 2 periods (explained below). there are 3 blocks per day and 15 blocks per week. Blocks are used mainly by students in years 10, 11 and 12 as all of their classes are in blocks, as opposed to single periods.

Periods are the schools way of organizing classes. there are 6 periods a day and these are divided into three "Blocks". Students from year 9 down will have single periods scattered throughout their week, whereas students in years 10, 11 and 12 do not have single period classes, but instead have block classes.

Transportation

Students may take the bus to and from school if they need it. Buses can take students to as far as Sunbury to Williamstown, Deer Park, Footscray, Werribee, Keilor and Taylors Lakes and many other places. There are late buses that can take students home at about either 4:30 OR 5:00.

Transportation Between Campus's

Buses take students between campus's when they have a class at another campus or for band practice or other activities.

See also

• List of schools in Victoria
• List of high schools in Victoria
• List of schools in Victoria, Australia according to 2006 VCE results
• Victorian Certificate of Education

External links

• Mowbray College Website