Mt Buffalo International School.(MBIS)

An Acquisition Through Action

school.

Location• Mount Buffalo

Chalet is a former guest

house situated in the Mt.

Buffalo National

Park.

Opportunity

• It is earmarked by The Victorian Government for an AUD 7.5 million refurbishment project beginning in the Spring time (Sep 2014).

Mt. Buffalo National Park

is a 31,000 hectares (77,000 acres) national park in Victoria, Australia. It is located approximately 350 kilometres northeast of Melbourne in the Australian Alps. It is 650 km south west of Sydney and 459 km from Canberra, the national capital.

Mt. Buffalo

Within the national park is Mt Buffalo, a moderately high mountain plateau, with an elevation of 1,723 metres (5,653 ft)

Environment

The region around Mt. Buffalo is one of the most pristine alpine

areas in Southern Australia.

Year Round Activities

Activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking,

horse riding and hiking are available year round.

Alpine/ Winter

• XC & downhill skiing/ snowboarding are available in Winter. The official Victorian ski season runs from June to September

Summer

There are both high altitude and plateau

level lakes. These are suitable for swimming, wind surfing, kite surfing and kayaking.

On site Facilities• The chalet still possesses

desirable recreation facilities.

Acquisition Through Action

(ATA). Globally, the most prestigious international schools (most in highland, sub – alpine or alpine areas) have extensive outdoor education/ adventure/ activity programs. Their enquiry based learning/ academic curricula are closely linked to these programs as a means of ensuring theory in all subject areas, is put into context.

e.g. Aiglon College• The The Good Schools Guide International

 called the school "strong educationally, strong emotionally, tough physically.

• Aiglon College is located at an elevation of 1,300 metres (4,300 feet) above sea level, in the alpine village of Chesières-Villars, near the ski resort of Villars-sur-Ollon. The closest larger town is Aigle, and the nearest major cities are Montreuxand Lausanne

Unique to SEA/ Sth Pacific

• The unique nature of MBIS would be

seen as a positive attribute in an

increasingly competitive international school scene.

Weather

Because of its relatively low altitude the plateau doesn’t experience extremely low winter temperatures. Similarly, during summers the plateau doesn’t experience the extreme 40 degree ‘highs’ of lowland areas.

Albury/ Wodonga• The regional centre of Albury/ Wodonga is

close by.

• These twin cities sit on either side of the Murray River, cleverly blending city style and country pace. Home to around 90,000 people, Albury/ Wodonga is served by major road rail and air links connecting it with Sydney, Melbourne & Canberra.

Tertiary Options in the

Region• Charles Sturt University (CSU) has a full

campus in Albury/ Wodonga, as has Wodonga TAFE/ La Trobe University. These are seen as a significant factors as they reinforce that the region could offer tertiary options to MBIS students.

CSU Students & Courses

• There is an existing international tertiary student population at CSU

• In context courses such as Agricultural and Wine Sciences along with more traditional courses such as Business, IT, Computing and Mathematics are available at CSU.

Existing Hospitality

Courses• Significantly, Wodonga TAFE has a hospitality section which operates an on-campus restaurant.

• This could mean the government’s plans for a chalet based cafe could be maintained and a teaching/ learning link established between the TAFE & MBIS.

IB & IGCSE @ MBIS

The IGCSE offers subjects such as :• Travel & tourism• Food and nutrition Environmental management IB Curriculum design could include in-

context subject matter within the Diploma CAS component and the Environmental Systems extra subject

Accessibility

• Albury/ Wodonga is also serviced by one of Autralia’s busiest regional airports. Both QANTAS and Virgin Blue utilise the airport.

Accessibility• Albury/ Wodonga is on the Hume

Motorway. The major road link between Melbourne and Sydney.

Environment

Albury/ Wodonga is also on the Murray River.

Golf

The Murray River region is Australia’s golfing capital. There are 41 courses within the region.

Vineyards• The region boasts 5 wine regions.• This vineyard in the shadow of Mt. Buffalo• The plateau characteristic of Mt. Buffalo

can be clearly seen from this image.• This characteristic makes the plateau

suitable for both downhill and cross-country skiing.

Acquisition Through Action• International schools with an extra

component to their method of teaching (e.g. activity associated) are becoming increasingly popular with parents, not in the least because of the incidence of obesity amongst children leading western type lifestyles.

MBIS - Why? The envisaged boarding component

to the school could particularly cater to international students from Asian regions as well as the growing Sth. American and sub-continental markets.

MBIS - Why?

Weekends and school holidays are seen as

potential money making opportunities for the school; rather than non-productive and idle times. The activity base to the curriculum would assist in utilizing these opportunities.

MBIS - Why?International schools have

approximately 115 days off per year.The ‘Summer Camp’, concept is yet to

arrive in Australia. MBIS would be in the perfect position to introduce the concept.

Three Important Recent Developments

The Victorian Government is currently spending 7.5 million AUD’s on the chalet to return it to appropriate standards .

The interest of landmark overseas institutions in Victorian entities e.g. Manchester’s City’s recent acquisition of Melbourne Heart

The further relaxation of Australian citizenship requirements for overseas investors

And on the international scene - • Int'l schools must follow national

curriculum, says minister ...• www.thejakartapost.com/.../intl-schools-

must-follow-national-curriculum..• This coupled with renewed calls for

international schools in Indonesia to increase their degrees of local ownership.

Developments in SEA’n International Education

• JIS has quite rightly had the reputation as one of the most prestigious IS’s in SEA

• Monetarily, it is a lucrative business• It is not surprising that the recent and

unfortunate events which have beset the school are now being used as a precedent by local politicians and business people to gain a foothold at the school.

And this week from Indonesia

• TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Education and Culture Ministry on Monday banned 'international' word from being used by foreign private schools , as written in Education and Culture Ministry Regulation on Cooperation in Management of Education by Foreign and National Educational Institutions which was passed on April 23.

The increasing interest in Australian business opportunities particularly by

Chinese investors.• Chinese buyer eyes Penfolds,

Rosemount group | decanter ...• www.decanter.com › News › Wine News• Leading Australian wine brands including

Penfolds, Rosemount and Lindemans could soon be under Chinese ownership, according to media reports. ...

Overseas interest in Victorian businesses

increases• Manchester City executives stated they had

chosen a Victorian business opportunity, in preference to any other Australian state, because of the growing Asian presence in Victoria.

• They chose an Australian opportunity in preference to an Asian opportunity because of the lack of; corruption in business and interference from government.

Summary