MWSC College News – Issue 18

I look forward to writing my newsletter article because there are always student and staff achievements which have great cause for celebration.  This fortnight is no exception.

 2023 Year 7 Information Evening

It was wonderful to see many parents and students attend our 2023 Year 7 Virtual Information Evening on Tuesday 22 November.  I spoke about what skills, attributes, and strategies I would want my child to develop at school and encouraged the new Year 7 students to get involved in the many opportunities and extra curricula activities on offer at Mount Waverley Secondary College.  I left the students with a quote from Dr Seuss “You’re off to great places, today is your day.  Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!”

Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program

Over 1500 applications from Year 10 students were received for this exemplary Melbourne University program this year.  Mount Waverley Secondary College had two students Maya C and Farah H accepted into the Successful Class of 2024 Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars.

Thank you to Mr Jacob Myers Head of Student Voice for supporting our students with their applications.

2022 Presentation Night

Our 2022 Presentation Night will be postponed until Term 1 2023 to enable us to recognise our Year 12 award winners and College Dux. Further details regarding this event will be released at the start of next year.

Exams on the Senior Campus

Over the last few weeks, the Senior Campus has been a very busy place. Students in Year 9, 10 and 11 have been completing exams and teachers have been marking them and writing reports.

Our Year 12 VCAA examinations concluded on Wednesday 16 November and as you can imagine the organisation of these exams is a huge logistical task. Thank you to Mr Matt Cara, Senior Subschool Leader for overseeing this process along with our Chief Examiner, Mrs Trish Reid. We now await our Year 12 results which are released on Monday 12 December.

2023 Early Commencement

Our whole school rolled over to our 2023 timetable on Monday 30 November and our 2022 Year 8 students began classes on the Senior Campus.  Early Commencement is a great way for students to get a head start on their studies for next year.  I encourage all students to complete set homework and read their texts before returning to school next year. A special thank you to the staff for their efforts in running this program and in particular, the sub school teams, faculty heads and Mr Scott Smith (timetabler) for all their hard work.

Sports Awards Evening     

Congratulations to Mr Danny Gwynne and Mr Jay Newport our Sports Leaders for their work in organising our Sport Awards Night at the college on Wednesday 7 December. It was fantastic to see so many families and students in attendance, celebrating and recognising the great achievements our students have made in 2022. It was also wonderful to welcome back Ms Gemma Lagioia, a former Mount Waverley Secondary College student from the Class of 2019. Gemma is currently playing in the AFLW for the Western Bulldogs. Gemma willingly gave up her time to come back to Mount Waverley Secondary College for this special event and spoke to our students about her sports journey.

Semester Two Reports

Teachers have been completing reports and feedback for their students.  Year 7 to Year 11 students and parents/carers will receive an end of semester report via Compass on Tuesday 13 December. The reports are a culmination of the written feedback from their teachers with additional information on work behaviours and, for Year 7 to 10 students, Victorian Curriculum levels.

MWSC Term 4 Raffle

Congratulations to the following people who won prizes in our Term 4 raffle which was drawn on Tuesday 29 November. We raised over $1750 which was a great effort.
Thank you to all our sponsors who generously donated the prizes.

1^st Prize:    Garden Bench Seat, sponsored by Area Safe Products, valued at $2000 –  Winner: Jackie S
2^nd Prize:  Mitsubishi Electric Air Purifier, sponsored AirFour Airconditioning, valued at $1265 – Winner: Jill E
3^rd Prize:   Buds to Blooms Voucher, sponsored by Buds to Blooms valued at $390 – Winner:  Megan Dumas
4^th Prize:   Myer Gift Card, sponsored by Mathematics Online, valued at $300 – Winner:  Nikki Moore
5^th Prize:   Parliament House High Tea, sponsored by Matt Fregon MP, valued at $300 – Winner:  Kari Simmons
6^th Prize:   One by Wacom Creative Pen tablet & TI-30X Plus Calculator, sponsored by Learning with Technologies & Texas Instruments, valued at $142 – Winner:  Neyssa S
7^th Prize:   One by Wacom Creative Pen tablet & TI-30X Plus Calculator, sponsored by Learning with Technologies & Texas Instruments, valued at $142 – Winner:  Kaminis Family
8^th Prize:   Compendium & TI-30X Plus Calculator, sponsored by Maps Marketing & Texas Instruments, valued at $122 – Winner: Yulin Zeng
9^th Prize:   Educational Posters (3) & TI-30X Plus Calculator, sponsored by Stile Education & Texas Instruments, valued at $122 – Winner:  Sarah Wilson
10^th Prize: Shintaro Portable Vibro Speaker & TI-30X Plus Calculator, sponsored by Microland 2000 & Texas Instruments, valued at $82 – Winner:  Chia Ying Neo

Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal

Year 7 Fete

Last Monday saw the culmination of a number of weeks of Economics study in Humanities as the Year 7s conducted their Fete day. The students had to brainstorm, plan, and execute a small business idea in a bid to see which home group could come out on top. There were snacks, games and competitive activities, with the Basketball Shoot-out and Dodgeball games being the most lucrative and popular respectively.

Thanks to Miss Murphy and the Junior Humanities team for overseeing this, and for all Junior Campus staff and students for their participation.

Year 8 Girls’ Cricket – State Champs!

Well done to the Year 8 Girls Cricket team who won the State Finals last Thursday. After a comfortable first win, the girls had their closest contest yet in the final, and came away with the victory. They were greeted by a group of their teachers who waited back after school to give them a heroes’ welcome. Thanks to Mr Stroud for coaching the girls this year. Being the best team in the entire state is an extraordinary achievement, and we are very proud of their efforts!

End of 2022 Academic Year

As our Early Commencement Program has rolled around again I wanted to take the opportunity to thank this year’s Junior Campus community for all of their hard-work, support and wonderful resilience.

I wish our year 8s the best of luck at the Senior Campus, and look forward to our year 7s stepping up to the challenge of being our leaders in 2023. I would like to thank all of the Junior Campus staff for their great work in another challenging year, and wish all those moving campuses or to new schools all the best of luck. Likewise to all of the students who are seeking excellence elsewhere, we thank you for contributions to the MWSC community, and look forward to hearing of your successes in your new schools.

To all the families, have a happy and safe end to the year, a relaxing break over summer, and we look forward to working together again in 2023.

Mr Matt Sheehan
Campus Principal – Junior School

Early Commencement Program (ECP)

The ECP started this week for all students in Years 7 to 11. It has been great to see the students engage in their new subjects. Students in Year 8 have been able to spend time on the senior campus and have had an opportunity to settle in and meet their new teachers. VCE students will be given homework to do, and this must be completed before they start their classes next year. Students have access to this information via the Compass and through Google classrooms or Microsoft Teams which have been set up by their classroom teachers.

Reports – Years 7 to 11

Teachers have been working hard on completing reports. These will be available via Compass on Tuesday 13 December.  Please log in to the parent portal to access the report. The reports provide an opportunity for further discussions at home around progress and achievement on Learning Behaviours, Victorian Curriculum Levels (for Years 7 to 10), Common Assessment Tasks and/or School Assessed Coursework and for Year 9 to 11 students their exam results.

Each assessment item also includes advice on areas for improvement. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of teachers in assessing, marking exams, and writing reports at a very busy time of the year.
A special thank you to Mr Andrew Wallace, one of our Information Technology team, who have overseen and managed the process.

Talented staff

A number of our VCE teachers have been involved in assessing VCAA (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority) which is the body that oversees VCE, exams during the past month. Some teachers have also presented a conferences and professional development workshops for teachers.    This reflects the skills and experience of the staff who work at the college.

Mrs Julie Cain
Campus Principal – Senior School

2023 National Schools Constitutional Convention 

Congratulations to Jocelyn S who has been accepted into the 2023 National Schools Constitutional Convention, which will be held in Canberra in March next year.

The National Schools Constitutional Convention (NSCC) is one of the major components of the Australian Government Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) program. The NSCC is an annual peak event exploring the Australian Constitution for senior school students in Years 11 and 12.  A total of 120 students were selected nation-wide to attend (25 students from Victoria).

This will be a wonderful opportunity for Jocelyn to contribute to the Convention topic this year which is: “Constitutional Reform” – students will examine Section 128 of the Constitution and discuss if the requirements for alteration are still appropriate.

2024 Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program

Congratulations to Farah H & Maya C who have been accepted into the 2024 Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program, through The University of Melbourne. Farah and Maya demonstrated exceptional academic performance and community involvement to be accepted into the program.

The Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program is an academic enrichment program designed to support high achieving Victorian Year 11 and Year 12, and select secondary students.
As successful applicants of the Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program they will become a part of a supportive university community and peer network through a tailored program of events and activities.

Victorian Young Leaders Global Youth Forum 2023

The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow” .Victorian Youth Leaders Program is about young global leaders coming together to discuss issues around globalisation. The Young Leaders Program is a unique three-day residential program designed for young leaders by young Victorians. It aims to build on existing leadership skills with a network of young leaders around Victoria and its sister countries. In this course, we talked about culture, identity and globalisation. We learned what identity is, how it represents us as well as how it is created or discovered gradually. We explored the different aspects of culture and how it influences our identity as well as the impact of the way we form our beliefs and values as young people. We went through the idea of globalisation, discovering that each individual has their own idea of it and how they play an important role in society. This program has inspired us to thrive as young leaders and we are highly grateful for the opportunity we received.

Over the course of the three days, we had the chance to indulge in conversation with people from all around the world. We both found our conversations with the other schools quite eye-opening as we realised how privileged we are to be at a school like Mount Waverley. In this programme, we were introduced to several different keynote speakers of different backgrounds. These speakers were all young entrepreneurs who started their journey from scratch and built themselves up to who they became and who they are right now. We believe everyone who took part in this forum was able to take some form of inspiration from these speakers. Overall this program was educational, eye-opening and engaging and we both hope our school will continue to take part in this for years to come.

by Brintha B and Aarnavi M (Year 9)

Amnesty Victorian Youth Social Change Lab 

With our global society twisting and turning constantly, we are often spontaneously faced with various challenges. So with aims to equip ourselves with the skills to adapt to this rapidly changing world, along with a group of other Year 10 Leaders and Mr Myers, we attended the Amnesty Youth Social Change Lab at the University of Melbourne. 

The day began with various speeches, notably including a keynote speech from the National Director of Amnesty International Australia, Samantha Klintworth. She spoke to us about the various Human Rights violations occurring throughout the world, and on our own soil- and implored to us the changes we can make, highlighting the importance of activism. It was an eye opening experience, forcing us to confront the atrocities happening right under our noses– in Australia, a country that claims to be open and safe. 

Via icebreaker activities, throughout the course of the day we interacted with fellow students from numerous schools. It was enlightening to discuss their experiences of activism and leadership within their own environments, as well as talking about the societal issues that matter to us. We felt a sense of excitement and optimism fill the room as we realised that the future was in the hands of such passionate people– maybe there is hope after all! 

We concluded the day with breakout rooms focused on human rights issues; Environmental Rights, LGBTQIA+ Rights and Indigenous Rights. Each area included panelists with experiences in the relevant issues, such as Human Rights Lawyers, Aboriginal Activists and LGBTQIA+ activists. Post hearing these peoples stories, we created solutions to issues in these areas, and presented them to the forum.

Overall, this was a truly enriching experience, which instilled a sense of faith for the future. We have broadened our minds, and know our generation has the capabilities to make positive, lasting change.

by Georgia K and Farah H (Year 10)

Superhack

Over the weekend,  four teams from MWSC had an opportunity to compete in a hackathon; Superhack, hosted by Melbourne University Electrical Engineering Club.  Superhack is a hackathon to encourage female, non-binary and gender-diverse students from schools across Victoria (metropolitan and regional) to compete in teams and solve engineering design challenges based on real industry problems. This year’s challenge was to design and build a functioning prototype regarding ‘Automation and Productivity at Home’.  

Teams could choose from 3 different prompts:
1.   A device that increases house security and safety.
2.   An automation system to reduce electricity cost and consumption.
3.   A device that performs a chore.

Our group chose the third prompt; ‘device that performs a chore’. We created a device that can be installed in a shower to assist elderly and disabled people with low mobility and grip strength. This allows them to turn on and off the shower heads without the need for actually turning the knobs. In order to do this, we used a coding software program called Arduino and different engineering components such as ultrasonic range finders, buttons, resistors, breadboards and motor and wheels. After creating the prototype, we had 3 minutes to pitch our idea to the industry judges. Unfortunately, we did not win the grand prize. However, we definitely enjoyed the 2 day experience, learning from other group’s ideas and hearing from the sponsor speakers like CSIRO, Ford, SICK and Invetech on their career journeys. It was especially rewarding to program the components to work using coding and has certainly made us consider engineering as a potential career. We would like to thank our teachers for giving us this opportunity, our mentors for helping us and the club committee for hosting this event.

by Ellen L and  Amelia G (Year 11)

Student Wellbeing Parent Workshop

On Wednesday 30 November, parents/carers attended the inaugural Student Wellbeing Parent Workshop. Thank you to all the parents who attended and contributed. There was some great discussion and ideas on how we can strengthen our connection with parents and the broader school community.

Parents/carers also highlighted some of the challenges our students are facing and how they as parents/carers can help us as a school further embed the student wellbeing model. It was a very positive and beneficial event for all involved and we look forward to hosting future workshops and parent events in 2023.

Mr Paul Graham
Student Support and Resources Manager

“Diversity doesn’t look like anyone. It looks like everyone” – Karen Draper

A fantastic mural celebrating ‘Diversity’ has been painted at Mount Waverley Secondary College by students, in collaboration with mural artist, Pedro Arteaga.  At MWSC we are so fortunate to have such a rich and diverse community that nurtures individuality and inclusion.

Art Club students began the idea development with myself and then collaborated with Pedro, creating the basis of the individual characters, composition and then assisted him to paint the mural.  Beatrice L,  Faith C, Jasmine J, Maya C, Parker D and Sara P (Year 10) were absolutely amazing, coming up with creative and thoughtful ideas, using their skillful painting techniques, working effectively as a team and doing so with such positivity and engagement throughout.  We are so lucky to have such extraordinarily talented and socially conscious students in our school community.

Thanks also to Mr Paul Graham, Ms Jane Carter and Ms Cecilia Carlill for your assistance in the process.

Ms Lynette Spiller

Congratulations to the following VCE Studio Arts students, who were invited to exhibit at The Stan Gallery in Mount Waverley from 24 November to 11 December 2022.

Year 12s:   Viviana C, Sabrina C, Hanji Choi, Meeka F, Kye Li G, Alisha G, Bindya G, Wendi H, Raina K, Jemima L, Saraswathy N, Isabelle N, Maniesha S, Kai S and Olivia Z.

Year 11s:   Anna B, Csenge B, Oscar DP, Anne F, Jin G, Caitlin H, Liam H, Ethan L, Charlize M, Olivia R, Mirae S, Jessica T and Glanda Z.

It is a testament to the imagination, skill and hard work of these talented students, that their work was selected to be shown, giving most of the students their first professional exhibiting experience and a valuable opportunity to share their creativity with the wider Mount Waverley community.  The exhibition opening was attended by the students, their families, friends and MWSC staff: Mr Ian Macleod, Ms Jane Carter, Ms Lynette Spiller, Ms Amy Walk and Ms Judith Walsh.  Thank you all for attending and supporting the students.

Thank you to Kamara Wagstaff (Director of The Stan Gallery) for supporting the students at Mount Waverley Secondary College.  Anyone interested in viewing the students’ beautiful and thought provoking work (and maybe even purchasing a unique artwork for their home), can visit the gallery from Thursday to Sunday until 11 December at 49 Stanley Avenue, Mount Waverley.

Ms Lynette Spiller

Alumni

Thank you to those who recently registered to our Alumni community.  We are planning some exciting opportunities for Alumni in 2023. Don’t miss out!  For those who haven’t registered their details please click the link below:

Register here

Class of 2022

If you are from the Class 2022 the last newsletter will be dedicated to you so register now to receive this newsletter directly to your inbox.

Secondhand Uniform and Book Sale

On Friday 26 November, our Parents at Mount group held the annual secondhand book and uniform sale. It was a hugely successful event raising $9000 for the college to be spent on student led initiatives.

We would like to thank all of the parents who volunteered their time in organising this event and working on the day. We are still accepting donations of current uniform and textbooks and the secondhand shop is open every Wednesday 9am-12pm.