Online Campus Update
You might remember back in June this year I announced that MCC will be starting our Online Campus. It will open at the beginning of the school year 2025. I am writing to remind and update you on the progress that has been made towards commencement of online classes.
Before I say too much though, I should reiterate the reasons we are even considering this form of schooling provision. There are a couple of prominent reasons, and they relate to the numbers of enrolment applicants we are seeing.
Without being conceited, we; that is the Board of Directors, myself and all our staff, are very confident that what we do as a school is worthwhile. That bold statement is not bragging, it’s merely observation. You see, there are so many families wanting to enrol their children at MCC that we can hardly keep up with the demand for places. We don’t like saying ‘No’ to people, we would rather allow all families who want Christian education to be able to get places for their children.
Reading between the lines, you realise that it is not just directors, myself and staff who have confidence in this school, indeed, the demand for places from families of Melton and beyond indicates that they too have confidence in what we do here. And it is a noteworthy detail that almost all our enrolments are generated by word-of-mouth promotions. If you were to think about it, probably you and your family, as well as the MCC families you know are part of this because someone said that MCC is a good school where you should send your children. Isn’t that wonderful.
So, in order to expand our opportunity for families, we will be providing online learning in 2025, but not as you know it. Our online schooling in 2025 will be real teachers, on screen in real-time. Sessions will be recorded for family convenience. All the required subjects will be studied. Our MCC curriculum will be followed just as it is at Brookfield and Toolern Vale campuses. In the Online Campus, communal interaction times among students will be overseen by their teachers. A parent will be nearby in the home, and it will be great for parents being able to reinforce what has been taught, because they are nearby, maybe even working in the same room as their child.
Our teachers for the Online Campus have been appointed. That’s exciting. I am not yet going to reveal who they are, but that information will be released at the proper time.
These teachers are already collaborating to ensure that the curriculum will be covered appropriately, and that student learning progress can be measured and tracked though assessments.
We have applied to the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority for full registration as a campus, and they are responding to our application as we hone our policies to match the differences between onsite schooling, which we have done for thirty-nine years, and online schooling which begins next year.
As I said when last I wrote to you about this school’s newest upcoming campus: the future of schooling is here … or there, or wherever you are in Victoria because our Online Campus will allow students to stay home and be in class at the same time.
Please continue to share this news with your friends, especially anyone who has left it too late to get a place in our onsite Year 7 or Year 8 classes for next year, they may be able to fit into the online Year 7 or Year 8 classes.
david gleeson, principal