Welcome back
I hope everyone had a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable holiday. As College Principal I look forward to joining with students, teachers, and parents for another exciting and productive year of teaching and learning at Mount Waverley Secondary College.
I am pleased to report that the college continues to build upon our successes. Our 2022 VCE results were not only excellent but outstanding considering the last few years and is a testament to the dedication of our wonderful staff and the resilience of our students. Our 2022 College Dux, Ewan Burgess, received an ATAR score of 99.85 which was an outstanding result. Twenty-four students received an ATAR over 95 and seventy-five students received an ATAR over 90 which was 19% of our cohort. Two students also received perfect study scores of 50 in Further Mathematics (NHT) and Legal Studies and 276 students received their VCE certificate which was a great achievement.
A very warm welcome to all our new students and their families. You are embarking on a wonderful learning journey, which will be enhanced by always trying your personal best.
Mount Waverley Secondary College provides a learning community where we all respect and care for each other, always working cooperatively as a team. In addition, our college provides you with magnificent facilities and resources which are yours to use to maximize your learning opportunities. Please don’t be afraid to ask questions. Staff and students are eager to help you make a successful transition into our college.
Welcome new staff
I would like to welcome the following new staff to the college:
New Leading Teachers/Learning Specialists:
Ms Rachel Rooney – Head of Pedagogy – German/English
Mr George Dimovski – Learning Specialist – English
Other New Staff :
Ms Francine Cimino-English
Mr Tristan Dunkley – Chemistry/Maths/Science
Ms Anita Huang – Maths
Ms Simran Kaur – Business Management/Vocational Major/Humanities
Ms Michelle Kelly – English
Mr Aayush Khosla – English
Ms Olivia Lin – Accounting/Maths
Ms Melinda Malom – English
Ms Brinda Manogaran – Humanities
Mr Kelvin Nguyen – Biology/Psychology/Science
Ms Eleni Stavrou – Legal Studies/ Year 12 Coordinator
Ms Sumitra Suderson – Maths
Mr John Ung – Science
ES Staff:
Ms Maya Aspock – German Language Assistant
Ms Amy Flanagan – Food Assistant
Mrs Anne Green – Executive Team Assistant
Mrs Cheryl Mace – Senior Campus Reception
Ms Irine Sojan – Student Wellbeing Coordinator
Welcome to Country
At our first Staff Meeting this year we were lucky enough to welcome Mr Arbup Peters who is a Wurrundjeri Elder and is also the NEVR Inner East Koorie Education Coordinator at the Department of Education. Arbup gave the Welcome to Country as well as performing a traditional smoking ceremony for our staff.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have performed smoking ceremonies for thousands of years to cleanse people and places of bad spirits and to encourage good health and wellbeing. These ceremonies are considered to be an important way of connecting people to ‘country’. What a special event for our staff to acknowledge to traditional custodians of the land on which our school is located.
Off to a Great Start!
It was wonderful to see all our students returning to school last week. Thank you to my dedicated and hardworking staff for accompanying our students on camps and other activities on the Senior Campus during the first week back. I know that our students thoroughly enjoy these extra-curricular events which are important educational experiences. Our Junior Campus students will be taking part in the Year 7 Camp and the Year 8 Challenge Program during Week 3.
School Council Election 2023
The Department of Education (DE) has approved the commencement of the electoral process for the election of School Councillors for 2023.
- Membership
Our College Council consists of seven parents, two students, five staff members (including College Principal) and four community members.
- Term of Office
Term of office is for two years with half of members retiring each year but eligible for re-election. Four parents, two staff members and two student members end their term of office in March 2023
- Retiring College Councillors
The following members of College Council, while they may be eligible for re-election, retire next month:
Parent Members:
Mrs Chelsea Eow
Mr Madhur Gupta
Mrs Heidi Lombard
Mr Nishant Patel
Staff Members:
Ms Lisa McKiernan
Mr Bill Thomas
Student Members:
Krisha Patel
Qingran Wang
- Proposed Timeline
Friday 10 February Call for nominations
Friday 17 February Nominations close 4.00pm
Monday 20 February Nominations displayed at each campus
Election held if required
Friday 10 March Close of ballot 4.00pm. Votes counted
Thursday 16 March College Council AGM, followed by meeting of new Council - Voting
If the number of nominations exceeds the vacancies in either the parent, student or staff categories, an election will be necessary. All parents are entitled to vote for parent representatives, all students are entitled to vote for student representatives and Department of Education (DE) employees vote for staff representatives. - Methods of Voting (voting slips available on college website).
There are two ways in which you can record your vote on the official voting form during the election period dates as listed above:
1). Post or email your vote to the college to arrive by 4.00pm Friday 10 March
2). Students will receive electronic voting slips (if required)
- Nominations of Candidates
For most school councils, there are four possible categories of membership:
1). A mandated elected Parent category – more than one-third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Education (DE) employees can be Parent members at their child’s school as long as they are not engaged in work at the school.
2). A mandated elected Student category – to be elected the person must be a student enrolled in Year 7 or above. These 2 members are elected by all students enrolled in Year 7 or above at the school.
3). A mandated elected DE employee category – members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.
4). An optional Community member category – members are co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. DOE employees are not eligible to be Community members.
- Role of School Councillors
School Councillors currently play an important role in decision making and the management of our college. They donate many hours to the sub committees of Council: Finance, Education, Buildings & Grounds and Community Engagement. Councillors belong to one subcommittee, attend one monthly council meeting, and represent the college at functions.
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SCHEDULE 4 – Notice of Election and Call for Nominations An election is to be conducted for members of College Council of Mount Waverley Secondary College Nomination forms may be obtained from the college website and must be lodged by 4.00pm on Friday 17 February 2023. Following the closing of nominations, a list of the nominations received will be displayed at each campus. The terms of office, membership categories and number of positions in each membership category open for election are as follows: Membership Term of Office Number of positions Parent Member 16 March 2023 to 16 March 2025 4 DE Employee Member 16 March 2023 to 16 March 2025 2 Student Member 16 March 2023 to 16 March 2025 2 If the number of nominations is less than the number of vacancies, a notice to that effect and calling for further nominations will be posted in a prominent position at the college. If there are more nominations than vacancies, a ballot will be conducted. The ballot will close at 4.00pm on Friday 10 March 2023. Karen Wade |
2023 College Uniform
All families should have seen a copy of our 2023 College Uniform Policy. Your support in ensuring the correct uniform is worn is much appreciated.
If your child cannot wear the correct college uniform, a note from a parent/carer is required. This should be forwarded to the appropriate Year Level Coordinator before school. An out of uniform pass will be indicated in the students’ planner or a pass given.
Mount Waverley Secondary College is the college of choice in our local area, and it is important that our students wear the uniform with pride, representing the college in a positive manner.
Annual Privacy Reminder
Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy
Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s collection statement, found on our website https://www.mwsc.vic.edu.au/privacy-policy-3/
For more information about privacy, see: Schools’ Privacy Policy – information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Dari
- Gujarati
- Mandarin
- Somali
- Sudanese
- Turkish
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
Selective Entry High School
Congratulations to the following students who have been accepted into Year 9 at Selective Entry High Schools this year:
We know that your studies at Mount Waverley Secondary College have given you a strong foundation on your academic pathways.
| Arith D | Sakina K |
| Ojas D | Joshua L |
| Prithvi D | Crystal M |
| Nithilan E | Shreya N |
| Advay G | Rithila r |
| Debbie J | Aarnav S |
| Rutvi J | Deshan T |
| Yixuan Z |
COVID 19 Reminder
It is important that all members of our community remain vigilant regarding COVID-19.
It is recommended that rapid antigen tests (RATs) are used by students:
- If they have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, no matter how mild
- If they are a household or close contact of someone who has COVID-19
- If they are a social contact of someone who has COVID-19.
The Department of Health recommends that all Victorians should report their positive RAT result to the Department of Health online, or by calling 1800 675 398.
Where a student is identified as a positive case, the following steps should be taken:
- Parents/carers should inform the school by phone or written notification.
- Students who report a positive result must isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved.
If someone in your household tests positive for COVID-19 please test your student each day with a RAT test and ensure that they have a negative result, before sending them to school. In this case your child should also wear a mask at school.
We have medically vulnerable staff and students at the college so please ensure that the above guidelines are followed to protect everyone in our learning community.
2022 Virtual Presentation Evening
Our 2022 Virtual Presentation Award Evening is scheduled for online viewing on Tuesday 28 February from 7.30pm. The Presentation Evening is a special event in the college calendar where we celebrate the achievements of our students and enables us to recognise our Year 12 award winners and College Dux. Further details regarding this event will be released over the coming weeks.
Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal