MWSC College News – Issue 13

Owa Senior High School Visit

Our sister school relationship between Minami Senior High School in Osaka, Japan and Mount Waverley Secondary College in Melbourne, Australia began 35 years ago.

In 1988 the College Principal Mr Don Laird and Japanese teacher Ms Megan McLaughlin looked to establish a sister school relationship with a school in Japan to enhance our Japanese language program. At that time Mount Waverley Secondary College was one of the pioneer schools teaching Japanese in Victoria.

Every second year since the program began staff have brought their two Intensive English classes to Australia. The following year Mount Waverley Secondary College has sent a student Study Tour to Japan. During this tour, a week was spent at Minami Senior High School and was timed for our students to take part in the Bunkasai Festival.

Hundreds of students from both schools have participated in this outstanding exchange program. Not only has cultural understanding and respect for diversity grown through these experiences but more importantly life-long friendships have developed.

In 2022 because of the declining birth rate in Osaka City, Minami Senior High School was amalgamated with two other schools in Osaka to form Owa Senior High School. Last week we welcomed the first tour group from Owa Senior High School who stayed with us for six nights.

Their Principal Mr Kawaguchi and English teacher Mr Tanagawa accompanied the group, and all students and staff were hosted by members of our leaning community. These international visits are so important and help us learn about each other’s cultures and customs.

Sadly, this will be their last tour to Mount Waverley Secondary College, but our annual three-month exchange program will continue, and we will look forward to many years of continued friendship and partnership with Owa Senior High School.

I would like to thank Mrs Yasunaga our Head of Languages for overseeing this visit and a special thank you to our host families for the warm way in which they accepted our visitors into their homes.

 

Term 3 College Raffle Winners

A special thank you to everyone who purchased tickets in our recent Term 3 College Raffle. We raised over $3280 which will go towards student led initiatives. Congratulations to our raffle winners.

Our winners are:

1st Prize – Austin Gould
Interior/Exterior Painting valued at $1500, sponsored by Master Colour Pty Ltd

2nd Prize – Julie Netkow
DJI Mini 2 SE Drone valued at $599, sponsored by Honeylight Consulting

3rd Prize – Melissa McGregor
Mercator Ceiling Fan & Brilliant Bathroom Heat Lamp valued at $460, sponsored by Airfour Air Conditioning

4th Prize – Nicole Bray
Ultimate & Teens Gift Cards valued at $400, sponsored by Product Dynamics & Paradise Shades

5th Prize – Austin Gould
Republica Restaurant Voucher, Texas Calculator & Campion Book Voucher valued at $295, sponsored by Quinces Coaches, Texas Instruments & Campion Education

6th Prize – Jayda Chhit
village Gold Class Indulgence Voucher valued at $219, sponsored by Toshiba

7th Prize – Stephanie Lai
Texas Calculator & PSW Voucher valued at $145, sponsored by Texas Instruments & PSW

8th Prize – Ayden Ushoroff
Texas Calculator & Coles Myer Gift Card valued at $145, sponsored by Texas Instruments & Premier Waste

We would sincerely like to thank the generous sponsors (listed above), for supporting our learning community with this fundraising event.

 

Book Week

Well done to our library team and student library leaders for organising great activities in both libraries last week during Book Week. The theme for the week was “Read, Grow, Inspire.” Special thanks to all the students and staff who joined in to celebrate our love of reading.

 

Wear it Purple Day

On Friday 25 August the college celebrated ‘Wear it Purple’ day. It was great to see students and staff wearing purple to celebrate diversity and inclusion. Well done to the Respect Association students on both campuses who helped organise lunch time celebration activities.

 

Year 11 Fancy Dress 

It was wonderful to see our Year 11 students dress up in their costumes and having a fantastic night on Friday 25 August at the Novotel Glen Waverley. I would like to thank Mr James Johnston, Acting Senior School Leader for his organisation of this event and our wonderful Senior Subschool Team and other staff for giving up their time to help supervise our students on the night.

 

Student Parent Teacher Conferences

A reminder that Semester Two Student Parent Teacher conferences are scheduled for Thursday 7 September between 1pm and 7.30pm.  Conferences will once again be held online via Webex links.  Thursday 7 September is a student free day, and no classes will be held.  Please encourage your child/ren to attend these conferences with you, so that they can receive feedback and take ownership of their learning.

 

2023 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

Invitations to the 2023 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey (previously known as the Parent Opinion Survey) link has been emailed out again this week via Compass. Each year the school conducts an opinion survey amongst a sample of our learning community. This year, all parents/caregivers/guardians have been invited to participate. Results will be used to inform and direct our future school planning and improvement. The survey will be conducted online and should only take 20 minutes to complete. Please take the time to respond to this important survey as we value your feedback.

 

Message from Our Nurses

Just a friendly reminder on what the protocol is for when your child is feeling unwell and would like to go home. Should your child fall ill during the day they must attend the First Aid Office on their respective campus for care. The Nurse will then assess them and if they are deemed too unwell to be at school, you will be contacted by the Nurse to arrange for them to be collected. If your child is under 16 years of age they will need to be physically picked up and signed out from school, they are not to leave the school grounds without being picked up by an adult.

Students should not be using any form of electronic device (mobile, laptop etc.) to contact their own parents/carers to arrange to be collected. If this occurs, we request your support to direct them to the Nurse.

We would also ask for your cooperation in not sending your child to school if they are unwell. Please do not give them medication to reduce fever and symptoms of viral illness before school in the hope that they can ‘push through’ the day. This will assist us in reducing the spread of illness at school and help your child recover and to feel their best whilst learning.

Please also note that a medical certificate will be required if your child does not attend a scheduled SAC.

Your support in this matter would be greatly appreciated as we are trying to keep our learning community safe and stop the spread of Covid and other illnesses.

 

 

 

Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal

Book Week 2023 – ‘Read, Inspire, Grow’

Thank you to our wonderful Resource Centre team of staff and students for last week’s Book Week and the continuous “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” on the Junior Campus. The activities were all aimed to focus on reading and students building new friendships across year levels. Students came to join in or run activities, encourage the students and staff, maintain order, support regular students in their lunchtime activities, act as crowd control, clean up, provide ideas and above all make the library another one of the great places students and staff like to be involved in everyday. It was wonderful to see staff and students side-by-side celebrating the joy of a good book and enjoying each others’ company!

 

MND Fundraiser

Our Junior Campus Sports Leader, Mr Danny Gwynne, is running a whole school charity event on Wednesday 13 September at the Junior Campus during period 5 and 6 (and after school) for any student who is interested in participating.

The purpose is to raise awareness and money for MND. Last week we heard the sad news that Chris Ross, a member of our class of 2007, who suffered from the disease, passed away. Over the past few years he set up what will be his legacy, Run For Rossy. Last year he raised over $110,000. With the support of our students, we are paying tribute to Chris and a show of support to his family, while raising much needed funds to fight MND.

 

Message from our Nurses

This is a friendly reminder on what the protocol is for when your child is feeling unwell and would like to go home.

Should your child fall ill during the day they must attend the First Aid Office on their respective campus for care. The Nurse will then assess them and if they are deemed too unwell to be at school, you will be contacted by the Nurse to arrange for a pick up. If your child is under 16 years of age they will need to be physically picked up and signed out from school, they are not to be leaving school grounds without being picked up by an adult.

Students should not be using any form of electronic device (mobile, laptop etc.) to contact their own parents/carers for arrangement of pick up. If this occurs we request your support to direct them to the Nurse. We would also ask for your cooperation in not sending your child to school if they are unwell, please do not give them medication to reduce fever and symptoms of viral illness before school in the hope that they can ‘push through’ the day. This will assist us in reducing the spread of illness at school and help your child recover and to feel their best whilst learning.

 

AGTV State Competition

The Secondary State Final of the AGTV Competition was held at the Austrian Club, Saturday 26 August . This year there were 16 Regional Finals for secondary students convened across regional and metropolitan Victoria. 81 students in Years 7, 8 and 9 made it to the State Finals.

We are delighted to announce that Jacob W  made 3rd place in the Year 7 open category (native speakers) and Elyann J made 4th place in the Year 7 category for German as a foreign language.

This is an outstanding achievement and reflects the ongoing time, dedication and hard work Elyann and Jacob have put into preparing their poems.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch!! (Congratulations!!)

 

Community Showcase – 13 September

On Wednesday 13 September, the Junior Campus will be hosting a ‘Community Showcase Afternoon’ from 4.00 pm – 6.00 pm. It is open to all families across both campuses, and seeks to highlight the community partnerships that exist within our college, and celebrate the excellent work done by our staff and students.

Please save the date and come along to have a look around at our amazing learning environment.

 

Getting to know: Mr Aayush Khosla

How long have you been at MWSC?
One year.

What is your role at MWSC? Previous roles?
English teacher. Previously I taught in South Australia.

What do you like to do outside of school?
Dancing, long hikes, gym, and partying!

Favourite thing about working at a school?
                                  Building meaningful partnerships with students and teachers.

If you didn’t work in a school, what would you be doing?
Emirates cabin crew.

What kind of student were you at school?
Extrovert and multitalented.

 

 

 

Mr Matt Sheehan
Campus Principal – Junior School

Year 11 Fancy Dress

The Year 11 Fancy Dress took place last Friday 25 August. The majority of the year level attended and students, and staff, put a lot of effort and thought into their costumes. It was an enjoyable evening for all.

A special thanks to Mr James Johnston (Acting Senior Subschool Leader) for overseeing and organsing the evening and thanks to the teachers who attended on a Friday night and to the subschool team; Ms Sarah Chase, Ms Lauren Lockhart, Ms Eleni Stavrou and Ms Beth Johnson who all assisted on the evening. It was great to see the staff get into the spirit of the evening with some very interesting costumes. Mrs Wade and I were there for part of the evening and were very impressed with the students.

 

Student Parent Teacher Conferences – Thursday 7 September

Next Thursday 7 September, is a student free day as parent teacher conferences are taking place virtually. Parents/carers have had the opportunity to make appointments and they provide a valuable avenue to receive feedback on your child’s progress and about strategies to put in place for term four. If a teacher is unable to attend the conferences, they can be contacted via email after the conferences take place.

All written feedback and grades for assessment tasks (SACs and CATs) can be found on Compass. It is important to check this prior to the conferences.

 

Central Australia Trip

Some of our Year 11 students and 6 staff members are heading off on the Central Australia Trip in the last week of term. An information evening was held this week to provide final details and to answer questions. Students and staff are looking forward to it.

 

Year 12 Formal – Wednesday 6 September

Next week is the Year 12 Formal. Year 12 students will have the chance to spend some time together before the end of term and before revision and the VCAA exams begin. Most of the cohort and a number of staff will also be attending.

 

Year 12 VCAA exams

The VCAA exams are fast approaching, and it is a great time for students to start to plan their study timetables and approaches now. The amount of revision and preparation completed in the next few months can have a real impact on the results achieved.

Some tips for revision and preparing for the exams include;

• Plan a study timetable. Feel assured you will cover your material in time with a realistic study timetable.
• Study in ‘chunks’ of 45 minutes to an hour at a time
• Have a dedicated study area with materials, books etc set up
• Maintain a work/life balance which includes staying healthy, regular exercise, eating properly and getting a good night’s sleep
• Minimise distractions
• Work out how and when you study best – make study and revision ‘active’ eg complete summaries, recheck and refine notes, complete practice exam questions.
• Ask your teacher for help, use the resources provided eg Edrolo, Google Classrooms, Revision Booklets and One Note.

 

 

 

Mrs Julie Cain
Campus Principal – Senior School

Share the Dignity Drive

On Monday 29 August, the College Captains – acting on behalf of the Year 12 Leadership team, dropped off all the sanitary products collected from the ‘Share the Dignity’ drive which has run throughout August. As a school we managed to donate a large amount of products which will now go on to help end period poverty. This was an amazing effort by everyone and we want to thank all of you who donated. Woolworths, one of the main supporters of the charity, were blown away with the amount we collected and gave us a lovely thankyou note which highlighted just how thankful they are for the effort we all put in. Collection boxes are still at your local Woolies so if you missed out you can continue to donate there or donate online to help end period poverty.

Jocelyn S
College Captain

Blood Donation – Wednesday 30 August

On Wednesday afternoon, a group of students, parents and staff from the College visited the local lifeblood center in Mount Waverley to donate blood and plasma. This is the second year a group from Mount Waverley Secondary College has gone to donate, with each donation saving three lives. The blood drive has recently been advertised in the school newsletter and it is not too late for people to donate under the team name ‘Mount Waverley Secondary College’.

Everyone was very excited after the donation, with some students and staff members competing to see who ‘had the best time’, it was brilliant  to have made such a meaningful impact on the community and the donation center was very grateful. This was a wonderful initiative promoted and led by the Year 12 leadership team and we are already looking forward to going back next year.

I would personally like to thank the students; Ellen L, Jess E, Natalie G, Luke G, Thomas H, Sophie D, Tom H, Emma P, Marios AA, Lachlan S, Sarah B and staff Mr Jaidyn Newport, Mr Liam Wall and Ms Sarsha Brighton for giving up their time and donating.

Mr Jacob Myers
Head of Student Voice

 

Term 3 in music has continued to be a busy time for the music faculty at Mount Waverley SC. On 22, August our Symphonic Band under the baton of Joseph Yu attended VSMF and was awarded a Gold Award for a wonderful performance. The ensemble had the privilege to work with Dr Mary Schneider from Michigan State University. Dr Schneider was the chief adjudicator for the event, and as well as providing invaluable written and audio feedback, she ran a workshop with the students on the stage.

 

Our MWSC Concert Band directed by Ms Melissa Knowles also attended the event this past Wednesday. The group were well rehearsed and performed their 3 competition songs at a very high level. The chief adjudicator was Dr Andrew Mathers. This group made up of students from Years 7-11 achieved a Silver Award.  Congratulations to the Concert Band on this achievement.

 

On Friday, the whole of Mount Waverley North Primary School attended a concert at the Unicorn Theatre. The faculties at both schools have been working together all term to offer the primary students an educational opportunity to attend a concert and participate in a unit of work analysing the music. The concert was performed two times by the Jazz Combo and the Stage Band, and was compared by music leaders from Mount Waverley SC who showed agency through their assistance in helping to run and organise this event. It was a wonderful experience and a great community event.

 

 

Mrs Tijtje Keatley
Music Director

 

On Wednesday 13 September, we are excited to open up our doors and welcome our parents and community to our first ever Community Showcase.

In the afternoon between 4 and 6pm on the Junior campus we will be hosting a range of community stalls from local services. This is a good opportunity to find out what support there is in the local community. Our student work will also be on display, which is a great way for parents to get an insight into some of the academic success that occurs at MWSC.

There will also be a sausage sizzle and yummy treats to buy whilst also listening to our senior school band who are playing a 1 hour set. Another special event is also occurring with an MND fundraiser for ex-student, Chris Ross, who tragically recently lost his battle with MND. This will be an inspiring event with students and staff running laps on our brand-new oval to raise much-needed funds to support MND research.

There will be plenty of staff and students on campus to meet and greet!! We cannot wait to celebrate our great school and local community – so please come along!!

 

 

Mr Paul Graham
Student Support and Resources Manager

 

If you have family or friends who went to Mount Waverley in 2013, please pass this on. 

Don’t miss out!   Click link for tickets or scan QR Code: https://www.trybooking.com/CKTPZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Alumni Coordinator