MWSC College News – Issue 4

Teachers: Leading the Way to Improve Student Learning Outcomes

It is no surprise that recent research clearly indicates that the effectiveness of the teacher has a significant effect on the learning outcomes of students. At Mount Waverley Secondary College we are extremely fortunate to have the best of teachers. Our teachers are committed to sharing their practice to support each other in providing optimal learning experiences for our students.  This year we have provided additional meeting times for our teachers to work in teams to further develop their skills. Each team will investigate a range of proven research based teaching strategies and trial them in the classroom. This will ensure that the teaching and learning environment at Mount Waverley Secondary College will remain at the forefront of what is regarded as best practice.

2020 Presentation Night

A Compass alert has been sent out to 2020 students and parents/carers re our 2020 Virtual Presentation Night.
This is a special event in the college calendar where we celebrate the achievements of our students.  Students receive awards for academic achievement, endeavour, arts, music, sports and more.

Mount Waverley Secondary College is proud to present our 2020 Virtual Presentation Awards via a Webex Event on Tuesday 23 March 2021 at 7pm. A Webex link to be emailed closer to the day.

The Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards

Twelve successful teachers or school leaders across Australia were selected to receive a Teaching Fellowship and the award winners were announced on Friday 19 March.

I am pleased to announce that Miss Hayley Dureau, a Leading Teacher and our Head of Student Voice won one of these prestigious awards for the incredible work she is doing in this area.

The Teaching Fellowships are valued at approximately $45,000 each and include:

• $10,000 for each Fellow’s professional development;
• a group study tour to a high performing education system and/or schools
• $25,000 for the Fellow’s school for a strategic project

Throughout 2021, the Fellowship will also include unique opportunities for the Teaching Fellows to engage with leading education experts and to develop networks, skills and capabilities through a series of experiences that form part of the Teaching Fellowship year. The Fellows will also be invited to join an ongoing Teaching Fellows network that will grow every year, as each new group of Fellows is selected for the Awards.

Hayley met the following criteria:Transforming Learning Outcomes.

• Collaborating and Sharing Knowledge
• Engaging with the Community
• Passionate and Committed to Teaching

It was wonderful to be able to watch the award ceremony online and celebrate this great achievement with Hayley, the Executive Team and our College Captains. Congratulations Hayley we are so proud of your achievements!

To find out more about the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards and the 2021 recipients please visit: https://teachingawards.com.au/

Junior Campus Oval and Senior Campus Tennis Courts

We have received approval from the VSBA that we can finally start on our self-funded project for the upgrade of Junior Campus oval and Senior Campus tennis courts. We are hoping to build an artificial turf athletics track and soccer pitch and refurbish our tennis courts on the Senior Campus. This is very exciting news and thank you to Mr Ian MacLeod for his work overseeing this project!

 Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences

The focus for students at Mount Waverley Secondary College is to achieve their very best and to continually improve their learning. An important part of this focus is the partnership between school and home, between teacher and parents/carers and student. Parent/student/ teacher interviews play a key role in this partnership where all parties meet to discuss the student’s achievements, progress and strategies for improvement.

As per the notice that went out on Compass, Parent/student/teacher conferences for semester one are scheduled on Tuesday 30 March between 1pm and 7:30pm. These conferences will once again be held online via Webex links.   Tuesday 30 March is also a scheduled student free day.  No classes will be running on the day.

Please note the following dates and times:
Wednesday 17 March at 5pm – Conference bookings due to open to parents/carers via Compass
Monday 29 March at 9am  – Conference bookings due to close
Monday 29 March by 4pm -Confirmation email to parents/carers to be forwarded, noting selected conference times and Webex teacher links

Communication Policy

There are a number of documents relating to email and other communication at the college between staff, students and parents. The Communications Policy (https://www.mwsc.vic.edu.au/our-college/college-documents/ ) sets out a number of requirements and expectations.

The Communication Policy focuses on the following:

•  Building positive relationships between home and school and the community based on mutual respect and trust that results in success for all students
•  Ensuring the wellbeing of students and improvement of their learning outcomes.

The Communication Policy aims to:

• provide a framework for effective communication
•  create co-operative teamwork and partnership between school, parents/carers and students and the community
•  assist the best learning outcomes for students
• ensure that the college values are reflected through effective communication

Effective communication encompasses the exchange of ideas, where people feel they have been heard and their opinions valued, and where information is clear and accurate.

Communication needs to be related to student performance, wellbeing and behaviour, as well as school related issues.  Communication should be respectful, timely and relevant, allowing for open and honest interaction.

This policy refers to the following forms of communication:

•  voicemail/ telephone conversations
•  emails
•  official letters
•  student planner
•  college website
•  newsletters

All members of our learning community should respond to emails within 2 days. Emails should not be sent or responded to after 8 pm in the evening or on weekends – this applies to emails between students & teachers and teachers and parents.

Uniform Changeover Time

Winter uniform starts in Term 2, although for the first two weeks of term there is a changeover period where the students can wear either summer or winter uniform.

Please ensure that your students have the correct college uniform which is only supplied by PSW located at their store in Mount Waverley.  Please note that PSW are moving to a new spacious, state of the art retail outlet at 342 -350 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley (behind Officeworks) on 24 April.     The PSW new store will commence trading at 9am on Friday 30 April 2021. 

End of Term 1 – Start of Term 2

Students will be dismissed at 2.30pm on Thursday 1 April and we will look forward to their return for Term 2 on Monday 19 April.

Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal

Junior Campus activities and events

It has been another busy fortnight for our students at the Junior Campus. During this time we have had some Year 7 groups broadcast on SYN Radio, sporting round robins at both year 7 and 8, a variety of students filming for our upcoming Virtual Open Night, and a whole lot more. Again, it is so encouraging to see how staff and students come together to participate in these events that add so much to what it means to be a student at Mount Waverley Secondary College.

Lockers at the Junior Campus

Year 7 students have had access to their lockers for two weeks now. It has been great to see the vast majority have practiced how to use their lock, and are becoming more organised with their materials for class. Again, it is important that the lockers are used for daily storage only. We still expect students to be taking home their materials each evening in case of another period of remote learning being announced at short notice.

Year 8 students will begin their transition into lockers this coming week.

Year 8 Rubicon Camp

47 year 8 students head off this week to the Rubicon camp. The purpose of the camp is to develop teamwork and cooperation, and to continue challenging our students. Activities offered on the camp include: Orienteering, Bush walking, Camp Cooking, Mountain Bike Riding,”Giving Back” Activities and an overnight hike. Thanks to  Mr Mark Quiambao, Ms Kaye Gibson,  Mr Jamie Stroud and  Ms Danielle Roberston for accompanying our students on this wonderful experience.

Term 1 – A great start to the year!

Students and staff have settled into the year and the routine of college life very well across the Middle School.  Classrooms have been very productive with students experiencing a wide range of learning activities and Common Assessment Tasks.

A wide range of activities outside the classroom including lunchtime activities, Round Robin Sports and House Swimming Carnival have all had students involved outside the classroom.  With rehearsals for our college musical underway and our instrumental music there is plenty happening to keep students actively engaged both inside and outside the classroom.

It has been a great start to the year!

PSW

PSW are excited to announce the relocation of their Mount Waverley retail outlet to 342-350 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley VIC 3150, which will officially open for trade on Friday, 30 April 2021.

The PSW store currently located on Stephensons Road will close on Saturday, 24 April 2021 as part of the transition to the new outlet.   We look forward to PSW continuing to support our families with uniform in this new location.

ID Cards

Student ID cards will be distributed across the next few weeks to students.  Our ID Cards now have the Public Transport Victoria (PTV) logo which enables students to access students passes or concession fares on public transport.  Students need to ensure they carry their ID Card with them when travelling on public transport as valid proof of concession entitlement.

With the addition of the PTV logo to our ID cards students no longer need to arrange, pay and carry a dedicate PTV School Student ID.

Mr Ian MacLeod
Campus Principal

Parent Teacher Conferences and reporting and feedback via Compass

Parent teacher conference bookings are now open. These will take place virtually via WebEx and information has been sent to families via Compass. They will take place on Tuesday 30 March. Teachers are also working on putting all assessment activities, CATs and SACs on to Compass. The feedback provided relates to the skills and knowledge demonstrated by the student and suggestions for further improvement.  This provides parents/ carers with an opportunity to support their child at home and be aware of upcoming assessment.

2021 Central Australia Trip – Information Evening

The information evening will take place virtually on Tuesday 27 April at 7 pm. Information will be provided about the trip, cost and application process.
More information will be sent via Compass closer to the event.   Please email me (caj@mwsc.vic.edu.au ) if you have any questions.

Tips and strategies to support your child in VCE

The jump into VCE is always a big one and at times students and their families can feel overwhelmed. Please ensure that your child talks to their teacher and the year level co-ordinators if they are having difficulties with the work.

Some of the top tips to assist in VCE success include;

1. Create a study timetable and stick to it (for Year 12 students this should be 3 to 4 hours a night)
2. Find a place to study and set it up
3. Don’t study with a mobile phone or devices – they are a distraction
4. Practice applying your knowledge – not just remembering it
5. Use mind maps and tables to summarise the main points
6. Use the expertise of teachers
7. Keep a good work/ life balance – make sure you get enough sleep, exercise and social time. Have a part time job but be mindful of spending too much time working at the expense of study time.
8. Study time includes revision of work covered, not just homework

Mrs Julie Cain
Campus Principal – Senior School

School for Student Leadership

Congratulations to Year 9 students Avril, Aanya, Milly, Sophie, Liam, and Luke, who have been selected to attend the Victorian School for Student Leadership in Term 2. The School for Student Leadership is a Victorian Department of Education initiative offering a unique residential education experience for Year 9 students. At Gnurad-Gundidj, one of the school’s three campuses, classes have a focus on personal development and leadership, and students work on a Community Learning Project with students from their school. They also take part in a range of activities such as surfing, rafting, bridge building, mountain bike riding, and canoeing. We look forward to hearing more about their community learning project. Thank you to Mr Bill Thomas for his work overseeing this program.

Lions Youth of the Year

Congratulations to Deputy Captain Jaquelyn, who will compete in the District Final of the Lions Youth of the Year competition on Saturday 27 March. The competition, which focuses on leadership and community contribution, involves a written application, interview, and public speaking component.

More details about the competition can be found at: http://lionsclubs.org.au/activities/youth/yoty/

Report from Year 12 School Captains

Hello everyone, it’s Lila, Aarya, Francis and Jaquelyn, your 2021 College Captains.
We’re super excited for the year ahead and have many ideas for the rest of 2021! What a thrilling, exciting start to the term we’ve had so far. We are just one month into the year and the workload and responsibilities of the school year have begun to ramp up, but as always, we’ll push through it together. Of course, the uncertainty of “Will we go into another lockdown?” was always in our mind, and how ironic that we had a five-day lockdown.
Nevertheless, the beginning of our last year in high school, our last year together, was an amazing one.
A special moment was dressing up for the Swimming Carnival. One of the Year 12 students went as Ketchup and Mustard, while others decided to wear Hawaiian shirts to provide the illusion that they were in the Bahamas. Some of our friends were stressing about the first few SACs as they approached. The realisation that each SAC is more important than the ones in Year 11 caused anxiety levels to rise, but also a motivation to strive to do our best.
Lastly, our beloved Year 12 jackets arrived. When Ms Kosach, our Year 12 coordinator, announced in a Year 12 leadership meeting with pride that our jackets had arrived, the energy went through the roof. We shouted, jumped, smiled with a sense of satisfaction that our Year 12 journey had officially begun. Then the day arrived… we could finally wear our jackets! Wearing our jackets gave us a sense of accomplishment, pride and warmth as that Year 12 jacket became a part of our identity. We saw the eager faces of our peers as they waited at the door to our Year 12 Common Room, V2, to receive their jumper. It was fun and wholesome, and we hope that in the future we get to experience many more moments like these.

Mount Matters

Our Year 10 leaders ran their first Mount Matters session on Tuesday 9 March. They did an incredible job planning the session, which ran during Year 10 Mentoring time. Thank you to Mr Jacob Myers for his support of our Year 10 leaders team and to all of the Year 10 Mentor teachers for supporting the election of our 2021 Mount Matters representatives.

Our first Year 9 Mount Matters session ran on Thursday 11 March, before school. Facilitated by 2021 Deputy Captains Francis and Jaquelyn, 2021 Prefects Yuke and Noah, and 2020 Deputy Captain (Alumni) Jennifer Clarke, it was a great success. Thank you to all of the Year 9 Home Group teachers for supporting the nomination of our Year 9 Mount Matters representatives.

Our first Year 11 Mount Matters session for 2021 ran on Monday 15 March during Mentoring time.

Thank you to Ms Sam Cody for overseeing the process of electing our 2021 Year 7 and 8 Mount Matters representatives, and to all of the Year 7 and 8 Home Group teachers for supporting the process. We hope to run our first Junior Campus Mount Matters sessions before the end of term.

Connecting with students across the state

Year 12 Leaders Boris (Prefect), Thidas (Prefect) and Dylan (House Captain) met with Mr Scott Criswell and Year 12 Leaders from Alkira Secondary College during lunchtime on Friday 12 March. They shared their insights from running and participating in Mount Matters, including the impact, and the challenges. We are always thrilled to share our work in student voice with students, teachers and leaders at other schools. Thank you to Boris, Thidas, and Dylan for their time and effort in sharing our work with the broader community.

Year 12 games on the Junior Campus

On Wednesday 10 March, Year 12 Prefects Stephanie, Helena and Yuke, together with House Captains Eugene and Dulith and Year 12s Kende and Morgan, visited the Junior Campus at lunchtime to play games with the new Year 7 students. Thank you to Year 7 coordinators Ms Lauren Lockhart and Mr James Johnston, for supporting the Year 12 leaders to organise the visit. Well done to Stephanie for her leadership in planning the visit.

iLearn Values Working Party

Throughout Term 1, a group of students and staff have been working together on a project to promote the College Values: Integrity, Learning, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Nurturing, or iLEARN. Year 9 students Charlotte, Georgia, Farah, Luna, Maya, Alannah, and Clementine, Year 11 Sophia and Year 12s Luc, Francis, Lila, Hifzhan, Thidas and Aarya, have worked with Mr Thomas (Head of Community Engagement) to create posters to promote the values across the college, and plan activities for Home Group, focusing on the behaviours and actions associated with each of the college values. Thank you to Sam Cody, Leader of Junior School, for also meeting with the working party to discuss how their plans can be incorporated to the Junior School Home Group program.

Miss Hayley Dureau
Head of Student Voice

On Wednesday 3 March, Jemima Montag (Commonwealth gold medalist) presented to the Year 8 students on how important positive relationships and partnerships and support have been to her journey and how it can help them achieve their goals.  We thank Jemima for her engaging presentation which included a 30 minute question and answer and wish her luck at the Tokyo Olympics.

On Friday 5 March, the student wellbeing team hosted a International Womens’ Day event for some of our students leaders and staff. The students heard from Jenny Isbel a successful chemical engineer. She talked about her journey in a male dominated field to help inspire our female students to strive to achieve anything.

A message from the Nurses

The right fit is important

Unless your child complains that they are uncomfortable, you may not know when it’s time for a new pair of shoes. It’s a good idea to periodically check your children’s shoes to make sure what they’re wearing is still working for them. Look for particularly worn areas, or stressed seams.

Children outgrow their shoes very quickly so it can be tempting to buy shoes that are too big but you should never buy shoes that are more than one size too large for your child.

A poor-fitting pair could cause or exacerbate foot pain, knee pain, lower back pain and lifelong damage. Ill-fitting shoes can even cause blisters, corns and calluses

Having loose footwear or untied shoelaces can be a hazard; if your child has laces on their shoes make sure they are tied each day to create a firm foundation for the feet – don’t let them develop the habit of slipping their feet into and out of the shoe.

Shoe shopping should always be done later in the afternoon or evening, since feet swell over the course of the day.

Look for shoes made from breathable materials, such as canvas or leather. In addition to being more durable, they will help to keep the child’s foot cooler and dryer, helping to prevent blisters, discomfort, and smelly shoes.

Mr Paul Graham
Manager of Student Wellbeing

Year 11 Drama excursion Come From Away 

On Friday 12 March the Year 9 Journalism class travelled to RMIT to participate in an orientation program run by SYN Radio.  Students had fun participating in a workshop where they learned the basic skills needed to run their own radio program.  In the studio they recorded their own mini shows with music, talking segments and intro/outro scripts.  Students are now ready and excited to present their own one hour show next term.

At the end of Week 8, we see the commencement of our junior ensembles begin, giving our beginning music students their first taste of playing in a band/ensemble. Ensemble playing is an integral part of becoming a well rounded musician and I encourage any students who are learning brass, woodwind and stringed instruments externally to contact me if they are interested in joining an ensemble at the college.

Our music alumni continue to shine with three ex-students being chosen to perform as part of the radio show “The Talent” on 3MBS 103.5.
In the coming weeks Ray Liang and Richard Liang (piano) will all be performing in the coming weeks. It is wonderful to see our college musicians continuing to showcase their talents. For more information or to listen online please visit: https://thetalent3mbs.com/

Thank-you to the college community for the support of our upcoming Jazz Night. The limited tickets sold quickly and we apologise for anyone who missed out. We have organised a professional video recording of the evening that will be available in the upcoming weeks. Please keep an eye on Compass for information regarding this.

Mrs Titjte Keatley
Music Director

Year 8 Boys Cricket

On Wednesday 10 March,  our Year 8 boys cricket round robin was held at Mulgrave Reserve.   MWSC batted first in the match against Highvale SC scoring 110 runs off the allotted 15 overs.  Our Vice Captain Vishisht scored 15 runs and Jishnu made 26 not out.     In the field Highvale SC passed our score in the final over despite some fine runouts and a wicket taken by our Captain Johann.

The second match against Glen Waverley SC was reduced to a 12 over game. We restricted the opposition to 46 runs with some excellent bowling which included Jishnu being on a hatrick.   Our batters managed to score an excellent win on the final ball with Shriman and Vishisht scoring the most runs.

Congratulations to the following boys on the skills shown and representing the school with distinction:  Jishnu S, Johann T, Vishisht U, Minal N, Praharsh P, Daniel P, Shriman A, Austin H, Kavil S, Vid K, Tarique D, Siddanth N and Arith D

Thank you also to Charlie M for helping to umpire on the day.   Well Done!   ~ Mr Campbell

Year 8 Volleyball

Please read two examples of the talent in our midst.

“Most people lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them”.

the shards of glass illuminated in the moonlight,
an ominous glow ast on a marble form
its features frozen in an expression of pain
the artistry of its anguish unveiled for te world to see

the air, tranquil and fragrant
the scent of dianthus infusing the space around
an ethereal spectre posed above a lone gravestone
singing delicately;
a wretched song

the melodious tune of a soprano
echoed in the still
the song of a shattered heart
the cry of a desperate soul

see, she departed this earth in haste,
spurred on by her destined fate
but her story was not complete;
she still had a tale to proclaim

but her cries were disregarded,
her torment cruelly ignored
so now she sings to a cemetery,
where the spirits listen,
enraptured by her beauty