Melbourne Girls Grammar School

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Melbourne Girls' Grammar School
Melbourne Girls Grammar School crest. Source: www.mggs.vic.edu.au (Melbourne Girls Grammar website)
Nisi Dominus Frustra
(Latin:Without God, All is in Vain)
Established 1893[1]
School Type Independent, Co-educational (Pre-school), Single-sex (K-12), Day and Boarding
Denomination Anglican[2]
Slogan "Respect and Compassion"
Key People Mrs. Catherine Misson (Principal)
Miss Emily Hensley & Miss Alice Taylor (Founders)
Mr. John Blanch (Chairman)
Father Walter McEntee (Chaplain)
School Fees AU$13,158–21,777 p.a (Day)
AU$36,789–37,813 p.a (Boarding)[3]
Location South Yarra, Victoria, Australia Flag of Australia
Coordinates 37°49′53″S 144°59′6″E / -37.83139, 144.985Coordinates: 37°49′53″S 144°59′6″E / -37.83139, 144.985
Enrolment ~950 (P–12)[4]
Colours Navy Blue and White         
Homepage www.mggs.vic.edu.au

Melbourne Girls Grammar School (also known as MGGS), is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for girls, located in South Yarra, an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Founded in 1893 by Miss Emily Hensley and Miss Alice Taylor, the school has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 950 students from Pre-school to Year 12, including 90 boarders.[5]

Melbourne Girls' Grammar is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[6] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),[7] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),[8] the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV),[1] the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA),[2] and is a founding member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).[9]

In 2001, The Sun-Herald ranked Melbourne Girls Grammar School fifth in Australia's top ten girls' schools, based on the number of its alumni mentioned in the Who's Who in Australia (a listing of notable Australians).[10][a]

Contents

[edit] History

MGGS Chapel, 1929
MGGS Chapel, 1929

Melbourne Girls' Grammar School was founded in 1893, as a private school in Domain Road, South Yarra, by Miss Emily Hensley and Miss Alice Taylor. In 1900, the School moved to its current location in Anderson Street, and in 1903 it became the first girls' school to be owned by the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne.

Merton Hall, the senior school of Melbourne Girls' Grammar, was named after the house in Cambridge, England, where Newnham College began.[11]

The tenth Principal of Melbourne Girls Grammar, Mrs Christine Briggs, announced her retirement in 2007. Mrs Catherine Misson has been appointed to the position of Principal effective from 1 January 2008.[12]

[edit] Campuses

Melbourne Girls Grammar has two main campuses:

  1. Merton Hall (Senior School, Years 7–12): Anderson Street, South Yarra, opposite the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.
  2. Morris Hall (Junior School, Prep–Year 6): Caroline Street, South Yarra.

The Barbara Tolson Early Learners' Centre (ELC) for preschool students is the only part of the school that is co-educational. It is located within Merton Hall.

[edit] Buildings and facilities

The School opened its new Science Futures Centre in February 2005, with a ceremony attended by Sir Gustav Nossal. The Science Futures Centre comprises eight laboratories, three preparation rooms, three laboratory technicians' offices and a number of withdrawal areas.

In 2006, the school re-opened the Nina Crone Library, named after a past Headmistress. The newly renovated library features; wireless internet and new technology options.

[edit] Boarding

There are three boarding houses: Phelia Grimwade House, Jessie Bage House and Gilman Jones Hall.

[edit] Academics

Melbourne Girls Grammar offers Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) for its students at Years 11 to 12, with some students beginning their VCE studies in Year 10.

[edit] House system

In the Senior School, there are five houses:

  • Batman (Yellow), named after John Batman
  • Clarke (Red)
  • Hensley (Pink), named after one of the founders of the school, Emily Hensley
  • Mungo (Green), from "St Mungo" a house in Domain Road South Yarra where Miss Hensley and Miss Taylor first established the school.
  • Taylor (Blue), named after one of the founders of the school, Alice Taylor.

In the juinor school there are three houses

  • Chisolm (red)
  • Franklin (blue)
  • Gould (yellow)

[edit] Notable alumnae

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Academic
Community and philanthropy
  • Vera Deakin White – Red Cross worker[17]
Entertainment, media and the arts
Medicine and science

[edit] Associated schools

Melbourne Girls Grammar School has a strong association with Melbourne Grammar School, as the two stream productions, formals, workshops and concerts together. The student bases also enjoy a strong association throughout the secondary years as many MGGS girls attend 'Grimwade House' (Melbourne Grammar School's co-educational primary campus).

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Melbourne Girls Grammar. Find a School. Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  2. ^ a b Melbourne Girls' Grammar School. Schools. Australian Boarding Schools Association (2005). Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  3. ^ Schedule of Fees and Charges 2008 (PDF). Enrolment. Melbourne Girls Grammar School. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  4. ^ Melbourne Girls' Grammar School- School Structure (accessed:26-06-2007)
  5. ^ Melbourne Girls' Grammar School Annual Report 2006 (accessed:26-06-2007)
  6. ^ Victoria. School Directory. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  7. ^ JSHAA Victorian Directory of Members. Victoria Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  8. ^ Butler, Jan (2006). Member Schools. Members. The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  9. ^ Mawkes, Leonie (2005). Member Schools. Profile. Girls Sport Victoria. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  10. ^ Walker, Frank. "The ties that bind", Sunday Life, The Sun-Herald, 2001-07-22, p. 16. Retrieved on 2007-09-12. 
  11. ^ Melbourne Girls' Grammar School- Our Heritage (accessed:26-06-2007)
  12. ^ Melbourne Girls Grammar School: Announcement of new Principal (accessed:10-08-2007)
  13. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Allan, Frances Elizabeth (1905 - 1952) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  14. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Joske, Enid (1890 - 1973) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  15. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Kiddle, Margaret Loch (1914 - 1958) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  16. ^ a b Crikey.com.au: Famous alumni on Latham's hit list (accessed:26-04-2006)
  17. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: White, Vera Deakin (1891 - 1978) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  18. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Syme, Eveline Winifred (1888 - 1961) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  19. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Varley, Gwendoline (1896 - 1975) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  20. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Archer, Mary Ellinor Lucy (1893 - 1979) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  21. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Bryce, Lucy Meredith (1897 - 1968) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  22. ^ "HENDERSON Margaret Mary". Who's Who in Australia Live!. (2006-11-17). Ed. Suzannah Pearce. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 

[edit] Further reading

  • McCarthy, R. and Theobald, M.R. 1993. Melbourne Girls Grammar School Centenary Essays 1893-1993. Hyland House, Melbourne. ISBN 1-8756570-3-7.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Members of the Girls Sport Victoria, Australia