MWSC College News – Issue 18

College Council

Thank you to all members of College Council for their support this year. We held our final meeting for the year last week. College Council is made up of parent, student, and staff representatives as well as our College Captains and my Executive Team. We will be calling for nominations for the new College Council which starts in March 2024 towards the beginning of next year.

2024 Financial Contributions

Parents/Carers should have received a Compass alert regarding 2024 Financial Contributions. Parent/Carer voluntary financial contributions have allowed us to run extensive well-being programs, a wider offering of subjects and special curriculum experiences; enhanced digital learning opportunities; faster WIFI and internet, and enhanced grounds and indoor and outdoor learning spaces. The financial contributions we have received this year is lower than in previous years. This is likely to have an impact longer term to the college’s financial viability, in turn impacting what resources we can offer our students. Contributions to our Building Fund are tax deductible and you will be sent a tax receipt from our Finance Department. Please support our learning community by contributing to these important financial contributions.

Jazz Night

On Wednesday 6 December we held our annual Jazz under the Stars Night. The music was superb, and parents, staff and students all enjoyed the evening. Thank you to the parents who manned the sausage sizzle on the night and all the instrumental staff and other staff who supported this event. Special thanks to Mrs Tijtje Keatley-Music Director for overseeing this event along with our 2023 Music Captains- Madeline and Ethan. Funds raised will go towards the Generations in Jazz trip in 2024.

Farewell and Best Wishes to our Retirees

It is with sadness that we farewell four valued members of staff (teachers and support staff) at the end of the year.

Below I have listed their years of service to Mount Waverley Secondary College.

Mrs Bronwyn Nash – 26 years
Mrs Vicky Passmore – 22 years
Mrs Glenda Splatt – 20 years
Ms Kaye Gibson – 10 years

Thank you to all these wonderful members of staff for their dedication and service to our learning community over many years. We wish our retirees the best in their future endeavours and know that they will enjoy the next phase of their lives.

Award Winner

On Monday 11 December, Year 12 student Sarah B attended the Chisholm Community Spirit Awards. Dr Carina Garland, the MP for Chisholm presided over the event. Sarah was a part of a small group of students who received the award.

The Halina Strnad Community Spirit and Leadership Awards are presented to students in the Chisholm electorate. The awards recognise inspirational young people who make a difference to their communities and to the civic life of their schools. Congratulations Sarah and thank you to Mr Myers who represented the college on the night!

2024 Orientation Day

Thanks to the Junior Sub school Team for overseeing our Orientation Day on Tuesday 12 December, which saw nearly 300, 2024 Year 7 students join our learning community. It was a wonderful day, and it was great to see everyone welcoming our new students to the college.

Uniform Shop Volunteers

On Wednesday 13 December we held a lunch to thank our wonderful volunteer parents who run our Second-hand Uniform and Book Shop. This is such an important resource for our learning community, and we couldn’t offer this service without parent/carer support. Congratulations to everyone involved and we will be calling for expressions of interest for more parent volunteers to join our team early next year.

Year End Program (YEP)

The Year End program concluded this week. Thank you to all the staff who helped supervise the various activities. I heard our students thoroughly enjoyed their different sessions and excursions. Special thanks to Ms Misa Murphy and Mr Peter Young who oversaw this program with the help of Mrs Narda McLennan. It was great to see YEP return this year!

2023 Presentation Night

We held our first in person Presentation Night since 2019 in the Besen Centre on Thursday 14 December. It was great to recognise students from all year levels; including our Year 12 award winners which were determined by their official VCAA results which they received last Monday. Congratulations to all 300+ students who received their awards on the night in various categories. I am very proud of your achievements.

2024 Return to School Dates

The first day for Years 7 and 10 students is Tuesday 30 January. Years 8, 11 and 12 students start on Wednesday 31 January and our Year 10 and Year 12 students head off to camp on this day. The Year 9 students will return on Thursday 1 February. The General Offices will be open for business on Monday 29 January.

Year 12 Results

Congratulations to our 2023 College Dux Vicky L who scored an outstanding 99.65 ATAR. We also had 19 students receive ATAR scores above 95, 54 above 90 and 121 above 80 which was a great achievement. Well done to Sruthy S who scored a perfect study of 50 for Health and Human Development. We had 269 achieving their VCE Certificate this year which was one of our biggest cohorts completing Year 12 in the past few years.

Happy Holidays

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all students who have done their best always to fulfil their potential in all activities they have undertaken at Mount Waverley Secondary College this year. Such a positive attitude to learning enables our college to maintain its exemplary learning culture.

I wish all members of the Mount Waverley Secondary College learning community a well-deserved safe and relaxing holiday.
I look forward to joining you in 2024 for another successful year.

Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal

Thank you to all members of the MWSC Junior Campus community. 2023 has been a very busy and rewarding year, and I would just like to thank everyone for their contributions.

Our staff, as always, have done an amazing job in providing our students with a high quality education, as well as every opportunity outside of the classroom that one could hope for. Equally, our students give us the motivation to do so. I am always inspired by the energy our year 7 and 8 students bring, and the high level to which they contribute to our college community.

I wish everybody a safe and happy summer break, and look forward to another big year in 2024!

Mr Matt Sheehan
Campus Principal – Junior School

Early Commencement Program (ECP)

In late November we saw our students participating in the Early Commencement Program at the college.  This year’s Year 8 students became our Year 9 students for 2024 and our Year 9s moving into their Year 10 classes. The program has many benefits including helping to transition students into their new year level and it also allows them to better understand the learning program they will be undertaking in each subject in the coming year.

Thanks must go to the Middle School Leadership Team who work with our Middle School students, Mrs Asha Vazirani (Head of Middle School), Ms Jo Rogers (Middle School Leader), working closely with our year level coordinators, Mr Jackson Waters, Mrs Juliz Mathew, Ms Grace Leszcyzynski and Ms Stephanine Xing, providing guidance and support to our Middle School students across this year.  Thank you also to Ms Karen Box for supporting our staff and students.

Major Projects

We have now moved into our brand new STEAM Centre and the response of both students and staff has been very positive.  We look forwrad to seeing this building in full operation with classes in 2024.  The Junior Campus Oval is a fantastic addition to the college along with the Senior Campus Courts we have added two more areas for students to enjoy.

Facilitities and ICT

Thank you to the the Facilities and ICT Team for their work across this last year.  It is clear to see the results of your strong focus on improving the college for our students and staff.  Thanks to Mr Aro Ezackial, Mr Andrew Wallace, Mr Jacob Cox, Mr Steve Martin and Mr Santosh Asai Mohan for your great ICT work.  In Faciltiies, thank you to Mrs Wendy Middleton, Mr Kevin Cai and Mrs Anne Green for another succesful year.

Curriculum

Thank you to Mr Tim Peters, our Head of Curriculum for his leadership in this important area. To our Heads of Faculty – Ms Elizabeth Sutherland, Mr Wayne Griffin, Ms Lily Papadopoulos, Mr Tom Grant, Mr Matt Hall, Ms Ayako Yasanuga, Ms Jane Carter and Mr Liam Wall who have all done an amazing job this year in the curriculum space – Thank you!
The coming year will be busy as we see new curriculum documentation introduced into schools.

Finally, as this year closes, we start to look towards next year and the opportunities for learning and growth that will be on offer at the college. I look forward to welcoming students back to college next year as they continue their learning journey at Mount Waverley Secondary College. Can I wish all families a safe and happy holiday.

Mr Ian MacLeod
Campus Principal – Middle School

Early Commencement Program (ECP)

The ECP ran for students in Years 7 to 11(2023 Years 8 to 12) during the last two weeks. Students in Year 8 were able to spend time on the Senior Campus and had an opportunity to settle in and meet their new teachers.

VCE students were given homework to do, and this must be completed before they start school next year. Students have access to this information via Compass and through Google Classrooms or Teams which have been set up by their classroom teachers. It is important that students studying VCE and those in Year 10 competing a VCE subject complete all the set work before the start of term one 2024.

Thank you to all the staff who organised and taught in the program and to the students who attended classes. It makes for a very positive start to the new academic year.

Program at the start of 2024

Information has been given to students and communicated via Compass. The Year 12s will attend a camp and the Year 11 students have a special ‘Flying Start’ program. Please check Compass about the arrangements.

2024 Year 11 Central Australia Trip

In early 2024 information will be provided to students and families about the proposed Central Australia Trip. It will take in the last few days on term three and into the September holidays.

Reports – Years 7 to 11

All reports are now available via Compass. Please log in to the parent portal to access them. 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 and can be built upon in 2023. 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 ICT team who has overseen and managed the technical side of the process.

Year 12 results and Year 12 ATAR Day Breakfast

Students who completed a Units 3 & 4 subject in 2023 received their results last Monday. Year 12 students who have applied for a tertiary course also received an ATAR. On Monday morning nearly 100 Year 12 students attended a breakfast in the Fishbowl and had a chance to catch up with each other and their teachers. Thanks to Mr James Johnston for initiating this and to the subschool team and others for their assistance on the morning. Congratulations to all students who completed their VCE this year. I wish them well in their future endeavours.

More information about student achievement will be shared with the community.

I would like to wish all our senior students and families a Merry Christmas and safe and relaxing break.

Mrs Julie Cain
Campus Principal – Senior School

As the year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the incredible individual stories of resilience, strength, and growth shown by our students.  I’m also very proud of the proactive programs we provide our students throughout the year which focus on developing their skills to be the best versions of themselves.  I am grateful for the support of our Wellbeing Teams who have supported students and families and how they continue to strive to provide best practices.  Thank you also needs to go to you – our school community – for all the support you provide our students to thrive at Mount Waverley Secondary College.

We have several programs and wellbeing initiatives that we look forward to delivering in 2024 – which will support all students in achieving their academic excellence.

A friendly reminder that we have a range of support services to help those families who may be struggling financially or who need a helping hand.  If you need any information on State Schools Relief to get access to uniform or shoes or if you are concerned about school fees for 2024 – please get in contact with Ms Aisha Paternott (Wellbeing Coordinator – Junior Campus) or Ms Irine Sojan (Wellbeing Coordinator – Senior Campus).  We also have a food pantry – so if you are in need of any staples for the upcoming festive season, please get in contact with Ms Jaimi Gerosa (School Chaplin).

If anyone needs any support during the school holidays please don’t forget some of the great local services in our community including Monash Youth Services or Headspace Syndal.  More support numbers can be found on our website.

I would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Mr Paul Graham
Student Support and Resources Manager

At the end of another successful year of Music at Mount Waverley Secondary College, it is wonderful to reflect on the program and its achievements.

In 2023 the music program participated in:

• Soiree’s X2 featuring over 50 soloists and small groups Year 7-12
• Stage Band workshops with clinicians; Greg Clarkson and Christoper Rozakeas
• Lunchtime concerts on Senior and Junior Campuses
• Assembly Performances
• NEVR Concert Hamer Hall
• Victorian School Music Festival (VSMF) – 8 groups participating. The seven groups that entered competitive categories were awarded 3 golds and 4 silvers.
• Monash Youth Festival – 3 groups participating
• South Street Eisteddfod – Stage Band, 1st place and Chamber Strings 2nd place
• Concert for local Primary School students
• Recitals – Year 10, 11 and 12
• Gala Concert featuring all ensembles
• Year 7 Band Program Concert
• Jazz Night, held early December and featuring 2023 band, 2024 band, staff and alumni
• MWSC Presentation Night

These concerts featured over 500 students having the opportunity to play and perform music to the school community and beyond. The musical opportunities could not happen without the help and support of many people. Firstly to the music staff at MWSC. Excellent practitioners of their instruments/ensembles with the student as the focus. To the parents/carers of music students who support us in early morning rehearsals, practicing at home and attending concerts. Lastly, to the wonderful music student cohort who through dedication and perseverance, have taken the program to a whole new level.

I am looking forward to seeing the program grow and thrive in 2024.

Mrs Tijtje Keatley
Music Director

Work Experience 2024

Year 10 Work Experience will be running from 24-28 June 2024. Students should be seeking placements during the holiday period and using the resources in the Mentoring Google Classroom to assist them.

University and TAFE Course Offers

University and TAFE course offers for the December round will be available in students’ VTAC accounts on Thursday 21 December. We strongly encourage them to accept their offer. The next main round for domestic students will be on Friday, 12 January 2024. They will have the opportunity to change their preferences between rounds, subject to availability of courses. More information is available on the VTAC website. Click here

Mr Phil Newnham
Careers Education Manager

While the Class of 2023 has only just finished up, they are already doing some great work as Alumni and Mentors to their peers.

During ECP classes, the incoming Year 12 English Language cohort was lucky enough to have Class of 2023 students Sama, Viola, and Harry come in as an ‘expert panel’ to provide advice for students entering Year 12.

The trio helped students identify some strategies for SAC and exam preparation in English Language, Study Skills, Time Management and Wellbeing Techniques to help them succeed in Year 12 next year. Importantly, their main advice for students was around appreciating and enjoying all the exciting parts of completing Year 12, amidst their academic studies.

The 2024 Year 12 students then worked with these Alumni students in some small groups targeting each section of the English Language exam. Thankyou so much to Sama, Viola, and Harry for your time and support.

Mr Tristan Kent
Learning Specialist

Welcome to our last Alumni newsletter for the year.

As the school year grows to a close, we wish the Class of 2023 all the best for a successful journey ahead.  We look forward to sharing their achievements and memories with all our Alumni community.  This newsletter explores their journey this year.

We also extend our best wishes to our Alumni friends and family for a happy new year and a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

To view December’s newsletter, click this link: Alumni Monthly Newsletter Issue 11 – December 2023

To register to join our Alumni community please click here.

Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Alumni Coordinator