MWSC College News – Issue 1

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 2021 VCE results were not only excellent but outstanding considering the last two years of remote learning and is a testament to the dedication of our wonderful staff and the resilience of our students.  Our 2021 College Dux, Rachel Tan, received a perfect ATAR score of 99.95 which was an outstanding result and only 39 students (out of 50,723) received perfect scores across the state. Seven students received an ATAR over 99 and seventy-two students received an ATAR over 90 which was 20% of our cohort. Nine students also received perfect study scores of 50 in Accounting, English Language, Further Mathematics, Health and Human Development, Japanese, Music, Philosophy and Psychology which was amazing!

254 VCE students received their VCE certificate which is a great achievement, considering the challenging year we all experienced.

A very warm welcome to all of 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.

Introducing the Executive Team

 I am extremely lucky to have a wonderful Executive Team to support me in running such a large school. The Executive Team is made up of my three Campus Principals Mr Matt Sheehan who runs the Junior Campus and who is also responsible for the portfolios of student management and community engagement, Mr Ian MacLeod Campus Principal-Middle School who manages the portfolios of ICT, maintenance and facilities and Mrs Julie Cain Campus Principal-Senior School who manages the portfolios of teaching and learning and professional development.

My two Business Managers Mrs Linda Westgarth and Mrs Judith Walsh are also members of the Executive Team. Linda and Judith manage the finances of the college as well as lead our 50 Education Support Staff.

New to the team this year is Mr Paul Graham who is our Student Support and Resources Manager. Paul was our Student Wellbeing Manager previously, but his portfolio has expanded this year. As well as looking after our Wellbeing Team which includes our Mental Health Practitioners, Student Wellbeing Coordinators, Nurses and Inclusion Team, he will also be overseeing the Careers and Resource Centres. Paul will also be leading the ongoing implementation of our Student Wellbeing Model.

We welcome Paul to our Executive Team and know that his experience in the wellbeing area will be invaluable to the leadership of our college.

Welcome new staff  

I would like to welcome the following new staff to the college:

New Leading Teachers/Learning Specialists
Mr Sam Butterfield – Head of Pedagogy – English
Ms Melissa Chapman – Learning Specialist – Maths/Science
Mr Tristan Kent – Learning Specialist – English/English Language
Mrs Deborah McKay – Learning Specialist – English/History/Humanities
Mrs Asha Vazirani – Middle School Sub School Leader – Maths/Psychology

Returning Staff
Mrs Brittany Barber – Maths

Other New Staff
Ms Linda Davies – Food Technology
Ms Amy Farmer – Psychology/Health
Ms Ivanka Fonseka – Maths
Ms Beth Johnston – English
Ms Madeleine Kerr – Drama/English
Ms Stephanie Lamborn – English/EAL
Ms Sherilyn Lee – Piano
Mr David Radford – Literacy Tutor
Ms Laura Truong – Maths/Science
Ms Amy Walk – Media
Mr Hans Wang – Chemistry/Maths
Mr Adam Wheeler – Humanities
Ms Stephanie Xing – English
Ms Eliza Yates – English/Humanities
Ms Yuchen Zhao – Accounting

ES Staff

Mrs Emma Elliott – Senior Campus Reception
Mrs Claire Ferguson – Integration Aide
Mrs Sumali Jayaweera – Science Lab Technician
Ms Lea Marrison – Mental Health Practitioner

House Swimming Sports

On Friday 4 February we held our annual House Swimming Carnival at Oakleigh Recreation Centre. I had the pleasure of visiting the sports on the day and the weather was perfect.

 Our students can be extremely proud of their participation and conduct, including those who have been successful in gaining a place in our college swimming team. We wish these students all the best as they take on the division on other schools in the Division finals Friday 25 February.

 Congratulations to Mr Danny Gwynne and Mr Jaidyn Newport our Sports Leaders for their organisation of this event.

School Council Election 2022

The Department of Education and Training has approved the commencement of the electoral process for the election of School Councillors for 2022.

• 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 2022

• Retiring College Councillors – The following members of College Council, while they may be eligible for re-election, retire next month:

Parent Members:
Ms Divya Sharma
Ms Pene Dedes
Mr Jimmy Mastrandonakis

Staff Members:
Mr Ian Davidson
Mrs Debbie Sekula

Student Members:
Jane Kim
Monil Bhatt

• Proposed Timeline

Friday 11 February   –   Call for nominations
Friday 18 February   –   Nominations close 4.00pm
Monday 21 February  –  Nominations displayed at each campus
Election held if required
Friday 11 March  –  Close of ballot 4.00pm. Votes counted
Thursday 17 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 and Training (DET) employees vote for staff representatives.

• Methods of Voting – 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 11 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. 1.   A mandated elected Parent category – more than one-third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Education and Training (DET) 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 DET 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. DET 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 and Buildings & Grounds.  Councillors belong to one subcommittee, attend one monthly council meeting and represent the college at many functions.

2022 College Uniform

All families should have seen a copy of our 2022 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 nine community languages.

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 for your future academic pathways.

Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal

Welcome to 2022

Welcome to our new year 7 families and welcome back to our returning year 8 families for 2022.  The Junior Campus is an exciting place to be at this time of year. I am thrilled to be reading up the campus, alongside Mrs Debbie Sekula (Head of Junior School) and Ms Lauren Lockhart (Junior School Leader). I would also like to acknowledge the work of our year level coordinators, who developed an engaging program to help all students and teachers settle into 2022.   At year 7 we have Mr Jamie Stroud and Mrs Sarah Harris and at year 8 are Mr Jackson Waters and Miss Georgia Mangano.

Thanks must also go to all of our Junior Campus staff and students for the way they have started the year. It is an exciting learning community and we’re looking forward to a great 2022.

 Year 7 Camp and Year 8 Challenge Program

We thank our college community for their understanding and support with our decision to postpone the Year 7 Phillip Island Camp and the Year 8 Challenge Week. We intend to reschedule both events for term 4. More information will come later in the year.

Masks and social-distancing

The Junior School team has been very impressed with the responsible wearing of masks, and respectful social distancing, by our Junior School students. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and flexibility in this changing landscape.

Parent Communication

It is extremely important that we communicate with each other as part of our partnership in educating your child. If you have any matters you wish to discuss with your child’s classroom teachers, please contact them in the first instance. If there is something else you would like to discuss following this, please contact a Year Level Coordinator who will assist or refer it to one of our Leading Teachers/Campus Principals.

Car parking at the Junior Campus

This is a reminder to all families that unfortunately there is no parking available on-site at the Junior Campus. We ask that any families travelling by car make use of the streets adjacent to, and opposite, the campus, while respecting our neighbours’ needs. We also ask that families refrain from stopping on Stephensons Road. for pick-ups and drop-offs as this is very disruptive to the flow of traffic.

Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to school

Parents/ carers are reminded that the Department of Education and Training does not provide personal accident or ambulance cover for students. Parents and carers of students, who do not have private health insurance or ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for their injured child.

Private property brought to the college by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department is not responsible for any loss or damage. This can include mobile phones, calculators, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises.

It is recommended that parents/ carers consider insurance policies that can be purchased from commercial insurers.

Mr Matt Sheehan
Campus Principal – Junior School

Welcome back

Welcome back to what will be another busy year in the Middle School.  My name is Sarah Chase, I am the Acting Campus Principal for Term 1 covering Ian MacLeod, who works with Middle School.  I would particularly like to welcome our Year 9 students and families as they start their journey at the Senior Campus of the college and our returning Middle School students who are now in year 10..  

We welcomed our Year 9 and 10 students to the college last week.  Unfortunately due to the current situation the much anticipated Year 10 Camp which was due to head out on Monday was postponed but the adaptability and hardwork of the Middle School Team resulted in the Year 10 students enjoying a two day special program that included a guest speaker Jem Fuller, a careers session  

Our Year 9 student also returned to the college on Tuesday, starting the year with a special program that included a guest speaker, Rosie from Project Rocket, proactivity sessions,  a Careers activity and a Wellbeing session on Belonging. 

Thanks to the Middle School Team – Wayne, Sarah Smith, Grace, Chris, Bec and Asha for making this happen.  Thanks also to Jo Hall, Paul Graham, Kerry Haworth and Scott Smith who also contributed to the success of these programs.

Middle School Team

The Middle School team are here to help you support our Year 9 and 10 students both inside and outside the classroom.  Please contact the coordinators if you need any support.

The team is as follows:

Head of Middle School – Ms Asha Vazirani 

Leader of Middle School –  Ms Rebecca Kosach  

Year 9 Coordinators – Mr Wayne Griffin and Ms Sarah Smith 

Year 10 Coordinators – Ms Grace Leszcynski and Mr Chris Beale

Student Wellbeing – Mrs Kerri Haworth

MS Admin Support – Ms Karen Box

Student Planners

Student have received their planners which are valuable tool to support their learning.  Students should record homework and upcoming events to assist with time management and organisation.  The planner also contains many worthwhile resources and parents are encouraged to check it weekly and discuss “What went well” for the week.

Morrisby Year 9 Careers Program

The Morrisby Careers Program, funded by DET, is a unique program combines an online questionnaire and a follow up Careers Counselling Session for our Year 9 students.  The program is designed to help students identify possible careers, interests and options.  Planning is underway for running this program during Term 1.

Parking in and around the Senior Campus

The Senior Campus has parking which is for staff only.  The carparks at the Senior Campus should not be used for dropping off or picking up students as this creates a safety issues for both staff and students.  Students should be dropped off and picked up in adjacent side streets near the Senior Campus.  When parking near the college it is important that parking signs are observed and we ask that you respect our local residents by not blocking their driveways as you drop off or pick up your children.

Student Safety

With the commencement of the school year it is timely to remind all members of our College Community to observe all road laws.  In particular cyclists must wear helmets and when students are crossing roads, it needs to be done with care and observing traffic signals and the crossing supervisor if present.  Please discuss this with your son/daughter and emphasise the need to follow correct road safety practices to keep everyone safe.

Compass 

All parents should now have access to Compass.  Compass is used to communicate with parents on a wide range of activities within the school.  Compass can be access through the college website using any web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari) via your desktop computer or mobile device.   Alternatively, parents can also download the Compass App from the Apple App store or Goggle Play by searching “Compass School Manager” which will allow you to access Compass through their mobile device.  It is important to note that some of features of Compass are only available in the “browser” version.

Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to school

Parents/ carers are reminded that the Department of Education and Training does not provide personal accident or ambulance cover for students. Parents and carers of students, who do not have private health insurance or ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for their injured child.

Private property brought to the college by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department is not responsible for any loss or damage. This can include mobile phones, calculators, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises.

It is recommended that parents/ carers consider insurance policies that can be purchased from commercial insurers.

Ms Sarah Chase
Acting Campus Principal – Middle School

Welcome back to all of our senior students, it has been a productive and smooth start to the year. A special welcome to our new students and families who have joined our college community in 2022.

Senior School – First week back

Last week our students in Years 11 and 12 were involved in a range of different activities and programs. The Year 11 & 12 students attended a two-day special program which included guest speakers, sessions by Elevate Education and mentoring sessions. Feedback from staff and students was positive and it was then into classes for VCE students last Thursday.

Thanks to all of the senior subschool team who planned and organised the programs and to all of the staff who were in sessions and the students for their active participation. A special thank you to the Senior Sub School Leader, Mr Matt Cara and the Year 12 Co-ordinators, Tom Grant and Elektra Sassos. The Year 12 camp has been postponed so some of the Year 12 program had to be planned and organised during the holidays.

VCE Information Session – next week

An information evening for parents of Year 11 and 12 students will take place remotely shortly. Please check Compass for information and communications regarding the sessions.

Uniform and student planners

All students have received a student planner. There are tips, ideas and strategies for managing their school work. It is an expectation that students use the planners to write in assessment and other activities and plan their homework and study timetables.

The college also asks for your co-operation in ensuring our students are in correct uniform and wearing the uniform with pride to and from school and during the school day. The uniform requirements are set out in the student planner and in the Uniform Policy on the college website. If, for some reason, your child is not in full school uniform please contact the subschool or provide a note so a uniform pass can be issued.

Car parking – Senior Campus

The car parks off Lechte Road and Gordon Road are for college staff only. There are a few spaces available near the General Office at the front of the college for visitors (not to pick up students at the end of the day). Parents and carers are asked to drop students off in the surrounding streets. Please obey the parking restrictions and do not enter the school grounds to ensure the safety of our students and staff. When dropping off and picking up students please be mindful of other motorists and pedestrians.

Communication with staff at the college

The education of our students is a partnership between the school, teachers, the student and parents/ carers. Staff are happy to communicate with parents, however, as teachers spend most of their time in the classroom it is easier to contact teachers and subschool teams via email; teachers will respond.

Compass

Announcements, updates and information is available for parents and students through Compass, please check this on a regular basis.

Assessment Tasks – Common Assessment Tasks (CATs), School Assessed Tasks (SATs) and School Assessed Coursework (SACs)

Students in Years 7 to 10 complete a number of Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) each semester. Students in VCE complete SACs and in some subjects’ SATs. Information on upcoming assessment is available in Compass and feedback and results are also there which can be assessed during the term.

Parents/ carers are asked to access Compass on a regular basis to check upcoming assessment, and for feedback provided by teachers on completed tasks.

To make reviewing marks and comments for Learning tasks easier, MWSC has created a report that will be gradually populated over the semester. The assessment tasks will be visible by subject so this should be easier to navigate and check.

You can access this report at any time for up to date information. Not all learning tasks appear at the moment, the reported will be continually updated and teachers will notify you when feedback is available. The instructions to access the report are below;

Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to school

Parents/ carers are reminded that the Department of Education and Training does not provide personal accident or ambulance cover for students. Parents and carers of students, who do not have private health insurance or ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for their injured child.

Private property bought to the college by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department is not responsible for any loss or damage. This can include mobile phones, calculators, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises.

It is recommended that parents/ carers consider insurance policies that can be purchased from commercial insurers.

Mrs Julie Cain
Campus Principal – Senior School

The Student Wellbeing Program provided several guest speakers as well as developed and delivered wellbeing sessions to the senior campus students during week one.

Year 9’s received a presentation by Rosie Thomas – the founder of Project Rockit – a Youth driven movement against bullying, hate and prejudice. Rosie spoke to the year 9’s about finding their purpose, be the change they want to see in the world and surround yourself with people who have similar values to you.

The year 9’s also received a presentation designed by Kerri Haworth (Wellbeing coordinator) focusing on ‘belonging’ and identity.

The year 10’s heard from Jem Fuller – entrepreneur-  on developing a positive mindset. He highlighted the power of positive mindset and introduced them to the acronym, CIA (Control, Influence and Accept). He highlighted the impact that connection, kindness and gratitude can have on your wellbeing.

The year 10’s also received a presentation designed by Paul Graham (Student Support and Resources Manager) focusing on identifying who is in their support team and some mindfulness tips.

The Year 11’s and 12’s attended the Attitudes is Everything presentation by AFLW Richmond Tigers player, Gabby Seymour. She highlighted the importance of having a positive mindset heading into VCE, she encouraged students having a growth mindset and to focus on being persistent, working hard and seeing mistakes as an opportunity.

The year 11’s also attended a presentation by Paul Graham on coping skills to deal with the stress of VCE.

All of the guest presentations will be followed up with structured lessons in homegroup and mentoring –  designed to consolidate the key messages the students learnt.

Note from the Nurses

Please be aware that students are not to contact parents/carers directly if they are unwell whilst at school. They should present to the school nurse who will contact parents/carers.

Staff update

Unfortunately the funding source for our chaplaincy program ceased during the school holidays. With the support of our Chaplaincy partner, we are currently exploring other funding options for the future. What this means for MWSC is we say farewell to Ms Haley Bullmore who will be moving on. Haley has secured a position at Mt Erin Secondary College and her last day at MWSC is this Thursday 10 February.  We are sad to lose her but we know it’s a great opportunity for her at Mt Erin Secondary College.

This term we welcome two placement students to the wellbeing team.  Ms Emilia Thorne (Social Work student) on the Senior Campus and Ms Carly Gilbert (Youth Work Student) on the Junior Campus.

We have a new Mental Health Practitioner starting on the Senior Campus, Ms Lea Marrison (social worker). Lea has several years of experience working in schools – most recently as the MHP at Wantirna College. Lea will be commencing with us on Monday 21 February.

We also welcome a new inclusion support worker, Ms Claire Ferguson who has joined our wonderful Inclusion team.

Spare uniform

Please be aware we have several secondhand items donated by families which are available to students in need. Please contact  Ms Kerri Haworth (Student Wellbeing Coordinator) on the Senior Campus or Ms Danielle Mott (Student Wellbeing Coordinator) on the Junior Campus.

Mr Paul Graham
Student Support and Resources Manager

2022 Career Information     

The Careers Office have started interviewing Year 11 & 12 students discussing career options preparing to support them in their VCE journey.

Important dates to remember:

Year 9
16 February   – Morrisby Assessment
15 March  to 1 April   – Morrisby Interviews

Year 10
Work experience arrangement forms due Friday 1 April.

Year 11 and 12
Pathway interviews throughout term 1.

Ms Hall and Ms Geros from the Careers Department are here to support all the Year levels from year 7-9 through MCP. My Career Portfolio is designed to support students with resources to capture their career goals and plans. Year 10-12 students are supported through Work Experience, Career Expos, Pathways interviews and support through the VTAC/SEAS applications in Year 12.

Please feel free to contact the Careers Office on careers@mwsc.vic.edu.au if you have any questions.

Alumni News   

Mount Waverley Secondary College is starting an alumni program to build and mobilise the school’s alumni community, with the help of Ourschool.    Ourschool is a not-for profit service that helps public high schools build a thriving alumni network to benefit current students and the school community.    Our alumni program will help us grow our alumni community to benefit our students.

The alumni program will focus on doing these key things:

• Find and connect with alumni
• Invite alumni back to school to inspire students about study and career pathways
• Create opportunities for students via alumni providing work experience placements
• Invite alumni to provide philanthropic support for students and our school.

If you’re reading this and you’re a former student of MWSC, we would love to hear from you. You may also like to join the schools Facebook page and LinkedIn profile.  Please put MWSC as former Education if you are a former student.

https://www.facebook.com/MountWaverleySecondaryCollegeAlumni

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/6699153/

Get in touch with us by sending an email to: Ms  Athena Geros – alumni@mwsc.vic.edu.au

Stay tuned for more alumni news in the school’s newsletter, facebook page and website.

Ms Athena Geros
Career & Alumni Coordinator