School Council Student Representatives
The Victorian Department of Education and Training now requires all government schools with secondary students to have two student members as part of each school council. Five students have been nominated for a position on School Council. These students are (in alphabetical order by surname):
Lewis C – Year 9
Jesse J – Year 12
Stanley L – Year 9
Sara P – Year 8
Radin T – Year 8
Students have until 3pm on Monday 24 February to place their vote via the link that has been emailed to them.
VicSRC Ambassador
Congratulations to Isabelle N and Lewis C of Year 9 who have been selected as 2020 VicSRC Ambassadors. The Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC) Ambassadors program aims to connect like-minded students in their local regions and support them to create real, student-led change in their communities. Isabelle and Lewis attended their first Ambassadors meeting last weekend. Topics on the agenda for the VicSRC Executive in 2020 include Climate Crisis & Sustainability Education, Politics 101, Real Life Skills in Education, and Fundamental Equity. In their role as Ambassadors Isabelle and Lewis will promote student voice and advocacy in their local community. Congratulations again, Isabelle and Lewis! We look forward to supporting your work throughout the year!
Year 8 and 12 Leadership Teams
Our Year 8 and 12 Student Leadership Teams are up and running on our Junior and Senior Campuses. Both teams held their first meetings during Week 2, and have already been busy setting goals and planning for the year ahead. Thank you to the Junior Sub-school and Senior Sub-school teams for their support our Year 8 and 12 Student Leaders.
Year 11 Leadership Team – 2020
Congratulations to Kim N, Luc L, Aarya T, Boris L, Hifzhan H, Stephanie K, Eve C, Rachel T, Lila O, Jaquelyn G, Alyssia F, Max C, Francis M, and Hannah R, who have been appointed as 2020 Year 11 Student Leaders. The team was officially introduced to the Year 11 cohort at an assembly on Monday afternoon. The Year 11 Leaders will work closely with staff and students throughout the year to represent their cohort and the college. Congratulations!
Mount Matters
Mount Matters Representatives attend fortnightly student-led focus groups where they represent their peers and work together with student leaders to create a forum for student voice and agency. Mount Matters nominations were held in Year 9 Home Group and Year 10 Mentoring classes this week, and will occur in Year 11 Mentoring and Year 7 and 8 Home Group next week. Thank you to all of the Home Group and Mentor teachers for their support in facilitating nominations, and to Nic Barca for overseeing this process on the Junior Campus.
Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA)
MUNA is a program for Year 11 students and is part of Rotary District 9810’s commitment to Youth Development. This year MUNA will run on the weekend of Saturday 2nd May and Sunday 3rd May 2020 at Parliament House, Melbourne. MUNA is a great program for those interested in global politics (or learning more about them!) and is a great way to develop skills in leadership, debating, public speaking and research. Above all else, it is a lot of fun! Students compete in teams of two, and represent a country from the UN. The Rotary Club of Mount Waverley will sponsor two teams from MWSC. Students who are interested should email Miss Dureau dur@mwsc.vic.edu.au.
International Visitors – The Danish Students’ Association
On Tuesday this week we had a visit from eight members of the Danish Students’ Association, Danske Skoleelever, the peak body for student voice in Denmark. The organisation represents the 700,000 students aged between 6 and 16 years old in Denmark. Four times a year Danske Skoleever hold National General Assembly events which attract 300-400 students. The National Danske Skoleever board consists of the 34 student regional leaders (two from each region), the two Vice Presidents and the President – 37 young people in total. We had the pleasure of meeting with eight of them – Thea, Niklas, Leanor, Esther, Mathias, Rasmus, Robert, Anne, and Henrik. The group toured both campuses and met with students and staff. They visited classrooms and had lunch with student leaders. A huge thank you to all staff and students involved in the organisation of the day!
Lions Youth of the Year Competition
On Wednesday evening Amit K (College Captains), Jennifer C (Deputy Captain) and Erin T (College Prefect) competed in the final stage of the Lions Youth of the Year competition – the public speaking component. They were each required to make a five-minute speech. All three spoke beautifully – Erin about climate change, Jen about Australian innovation, and Amit about superheroes!
They were competing against the Captain and Deputy Captain from Ashwood High School. Each competitor also had to answer two impromptu questions: Which celebrity would you like to meet, and why? and What do you think is the greatest challenge Australia is currently facing? Amit took out the award for public speaking, and Jen took out the overall Lions Youth of the Year prize and will move to the next round of the competition (district) on Sunday 15 March! Thank you to Karen Wade and Amanda Reed who attended to support Amit, Jen, and Erin.
Miss Hayley Dureau
Head of Student Voice