MWSC College News – Issue 7

Magnificent Work of our Education Support Staff

On Friday 16th May our Education Support staff were acknowledged and celebrated for their contribution to the college.  We are very fortunate to have a terrific team of support staff helping to care for and education your children and run our college.  Our Education Support staff, to mention a few, include our friendly and caring Admin and Finance staff, Wellbeing staff, Inclusion Assistants, Nurses, Interpreter/EAL Assistants, Resource Centre, Science Laboratory and Food Tech staff, as well as skilled maintenance and ICT staff.

It is such personnel who are quiet achievers and who so admirably support our teaching staff in effectively delivering the curriculum.  This large team of personnel are ably led by our talented Business Manager Ms Kari Simmons and Student Support and Resources Manager Mr Paul Graham.

On behalf of the college community, I wish to thank our Education Support staff for their significant contribution to our college.

2024 Annual Report

The 2024 Annual Report has been endorsed by College Council and now has been endorsed by the Department of Education. A copy of the report can be found on the college website if you would like to read it. We again achieved excellent results compared to the state and similar schools which was extremely pleasing.

Division Cross Country

The District Cross Country event took place on Tuesday 13 May with over 160 students participating. Mount Waverley Secondary College performed extremely well on the day, coming first overall winning the Junior Shield and coming second in the Middle and Senior Shields.

I congratulate all the students who competed and represented our college with pride. Thank you to Mr Jay Newport and Mr Danny Gwynne for all their hard work in getting the team ready for this event.

Well done to the following students who finished in the top three of their events:

Katia K – 2nd in 13 girls
Taara R – 3rd in 13 girls
Daniel K – 2nd in 13 boys
Daisy W – 1st in 14 girls
Seth J – 1st in 14 boys
Zach C – 2nd in 15 boys
Steven G – 3rd in 15 boys
Hannah R – 3rd in 16 girls
Julian D – 1st in 16 boys
Frances S.M – 1st in 17/20 girls
Aisha H – 2nd in 17/20 girls
Hayden V – 3rd in 17/20 boys

Our successful students will now compete at the regional level on Thursday 12 June.

NEVR Showcase

The NEVR showcase was held on Wednesday 14 May and is a new event which invited schools with medium to large ensembles to gather for a day of playing and collaboration. Our Concert Band was invited to perform on the day. Thank you to Mrs Tijtje Ellis and Mrs Melissa Knowles for supporting our students and special thanks to Mr Ian MacLeod for representing the Executive Team at this special event

Senior Campus Careers Week

Special thanks to Mr Paul Newnham our Careers Education Manager and Ms Victoria Tortopidis our Careers Education and Alumni Coordinator, for putting together a fantastic program of sessions for Career Week last week. It was pleasing to see so many students engage across the week to hear from a range of presenters.

Celebrating Diversity-IDAHOBIT Day

Our staff and students organised activities on both campuses to help celebrate diversity at Mount Waverley Secondary College recently. It is lovely to see that we are an inclusive school.

Professional Practice Day in Semester 2, 2025

The Department of Education has approved that teaching staff will be entitled to 1 Professional Practice Day in 2025.The department recommends that schools hold this professional practice day on the same day for all staff.  This is to make it easier for schools who are finding it hard to source casual relief teachers.

Our Professional Practice Day for 2025 will be held on Monday 3 November (the day before Cup Day) and students are not expected to attend school (unless they have scheduled Year 12 VCAA examinations on this day).

Preparing for Examinations

At this time of year our students are diligently studying for their outcomes and exams.  It has been pleasing to see students studying in the library and VCE Centre, attending Homework Club, catching up with teachers for additional support and attending revision classes to ensure they are thoroughly prepared for their exams.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish each student all the best for their exams.  I am sure they will be rewarded with results that reflect the hard work that has been undertaken throughout the first semester.  Our learning community is proud of the way our students approach their learning, whether it be academic studies, learning a musical instrument, mastering a drama performance, or representing our college in one of our many leadership programs.  Our students and teachers approach all activities with great enthusiasm, matching this with hard work and knowing they will achieve success by giving their best.

VCE Northern Hemisphere Examinations

I would like to thank Mr James Johnston Senior School Leader, our Chief Examiner Mrs Trish Reid and her team for the smooth way in which they ran the VCE Northern Hemisphere Timetable examination process on Tuesday 20 May and Wednesday 21 May.  Our students were involved in Unit 4 Accounting and Biology exams.  The examiners stated how well behaved our students were, which is a great credit to our school.

Semester 1 Exam Dates 2025

Year 9:  Monday 2 June – Friday 6 June

Year 10 & 11:  Monday 2 June – Friday 6 June and Tuesday 10 June – Thursday 12 June

General Achievement Test (GAT):  Tuesday 17 June

Year 10 Work Experience

All year 10 students are expected to complete a week of Work Experience during the last week of term from Monday 30 June-Friday 4 July. If students need help finding a placement, they should look for guidance on our college website as there are over 400 employers listed there.  For easy access to Careers Corner students can click on the link below. https://sites.google.com/mwsc.vic.edu.au/careers/middle-school/work-experience or make an appointment with our Careers team which comprises our Careers Manager Mr Phil Newnham and our Careers Education and Alumni Coordinator Ms Victoria Tortopidis.

Work Experience is an opportunity to give our students:

• an understanding of the work environment and what employers expect of their workers.
• an opportunity to explore possible career options.
• increased self-understanding, maturity, independence, and self-confidence
• increased motivation to continue study and/or undertake further training.
• a better understanding of how the school curriculum can help prepare young people for work.
• an introduction to workplace recruitment practices.
• enhanced opportunities for part-time and casual employment.
• the opportunity to include the employer’s work experience evaluation in future job and course applications.
• opportunities to develop work-related competencies and acquire skills.
• the chance to ‘try out’ a workplace.

Source: Work experience manual for Victorian Secondary Schools

I would like to sincerely thank Mrs Tortopidis for her work in organising all the documentation required to send our students into the workplace.

Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal

As we move towards the end of semester one, now is a good time to check in on your child’s organisation and homework schedule. Please check their planner regularly, and discuss any upcoming due dates. If there is any confusion, empower them to contact their teachers directly. Furthermore, if your child has any issues they wish to raise with the school, encourage them to speak to a trusted staff member in person or via email. We have a very supportive team of staff at the Junior Campus, and students coming forward to speak up on matters that are important to them is such a powerful process. We love seeing our young people feeling more empowered, and becoming agents of their own learning and wellbeing.

Every Day Counts

Did you know:

• Patterns of late arrival at school or missing classes are early warning signs of disengagement?
• Missing one day of school each week adds up to two months per year?
• Each day of absence has an impact on skill development and important social connections
• Poor attendance may be associated with future unemployment, criminal activity, substance abuse, and poorer health and life expectancy?

Top tips:

• We want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support
• Remember that every day counts
• There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
• Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
• Open and prompt communication with the school about all absences is a good idea
• Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
• Seek help from the school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. We want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.

Uniform Shop Volunteers

Our school has been very fortunate to have a wonderful group of parent helpers who have managed the second-hand uniform shop over the past few years.

Many of their children graduate this year, and therefore we will see the end of their excellent contribution to our community. We are looking for a new energetic team of volunteers to take over the uniform shop. If you are interested, and would like more information, please complete this survey. No matter what amount of time you are able to contribute, we would love to hear from you.

Mr Matt Sheehan
Campus Principal – Junior School

As we move through Term 2 students in Year 9 and 10 have been busy in the classroom with a wide range of learning activities.

Our Year 10 students are finishing their course in readiness for their first semester exams.  They will also undertake work experience later this term.  The final preparations for Work Experience with our Year 10 students starting their placements on Monday 30th June for one week.  This is a great opportunity for students to experience the world of work.

For our Year 9 students they are getting towards the end of the coursework and are about to begin their first experience of mid-year exams in the coming weeks.  The Year 9 Explore Program is in the final stages of being organised with students receiving information about this program recently.  The Explore program follows the exam period.

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 issue 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 and pick up your children.

Visitors to the College

We always welcome parents and carers to the college.  When visiting the college all parents and carers must go to the General Office in the first instance.  The General Office will then deal with your inquiry.

Mr Ian MacLeod
Campus Principal – Middle School

Well, we are almost half-way through Term 2. The term has been a productive one, offering our students many opportunities, both curricular and extracurricular.

I would like to acknowledge the amazing work of our teachers who have arranged both incursions, and excursions for our senior students. Over the past couple of weeks our students have had the opportunity to; gather primary data for Economics, learn about the impacts of gambling for Health and Human Development, develop personal development skills in VCE VM by attending a ‘Party Ready’ day, explore the NGV and State Library for History, go Mountain Biking for Outdoor and Environmental Studies, and complete their White Card training to name a few.

Last Friday, May 16 we also celebrated our incredible Educational Support (ES) staff. Without the support of our ES staff many things around the college would not be possible. I would like to say a big thank you to Mrs Linda Smith, Ms Susan Stratford and Ms Vanessa Chong for their work with our International Student Program, Ms Cheryl Mace and Ms Julianna Sung for the support they provide the Senior Subschool team, and Mrs Narda McLennan for her work with organising the upcoming Central Australia and New Zealand trips.

Northern Hemisphere Timetable (NHT) Exams

Congratulations to our Year 12 students who sat their Northern Hemisphere Timetable (NHT) exams this week for Biology and Accounting. It was clear the students had worked hard to prepare themselves. They are now one step closer toward achieving their Senior Secondary Certificate. Thank you to our NHT teachers for all the support they have provided our students during this time. Please note that from 2026 The VCAA will no longer be offering NHT subjects.

Professional Learning Week

This week our staff have had the opportunity to attend professional learning sessions centered around the theme of Inclusive Classrooms. The sessions provide our staff with the opportunity to further develop their knowledge and skills in an area of their practice to support all learners in their classrooms. It was fantastic to see our Learning Specialists, Head of Pedagogy, and Mental Health Practitioner in their element sharing their expertise with our staff.

Subject Changes for Year 11 Students

Year 11 students have the opportunity to submit a subject change form. Subject change requests must be completed on the hard copy form available at the Senior School, and will close on May 30th. Our Head of Senior School, Ms Sarah Chase will work through the requests and communicate with students as to the outcome. Any student considering a subject  is encouraged to talk to a teacher of that subject to assist with their decision making.

Exams

Students in Years 9, 10 and 11 will sit mid-year exams. For our Year 11 students these exams are an opportunity to test their understanding and knowledge of the skills and content covered in Semester One. Exam practice is an important experience for our students to assist them in preparing for Year 12 exams next year. I would like to encourage our students to use the exam advice provided to them by their teachers, seek out their teachers for assistance, and ensure they follow a study timetable to help them manage their time. An Exam Schedule has been shared with parents so that they can help support our students during this time.

The General Achievement Test (GAT)

The GAT is a test sat by all students studying a Unit 3 and 4 subject and will take place on June 17. The GAT is structured into two sections, with a range of question difficulties. Section A is a literacy and numeracy assessment consisting of multiple choice questions relating to reading and numeracy, and a writing task. Section B assesses general knowledge and skills and consists of multiple choice questions relating to maths, science, technology, arts and humanities and an extended writing task. The GAT plays a role in the quality assurance of all VCE assessments and it is important that all students try their absolute best on this assessment. Students will be receiving information relating to the GAT in their mentoring classes and year level assemblies.

Ms Lauren Kelly
Campus Principal – Senior School

Jemima Montag’s presentation to Year 11 Students:

Achieving Goals and Overcoming Adversity

Jemima Montag, a distinguished athlete with an impressive list of accolades including two World Championships silver medals, two Olympic Games bronze medals, and two Commonwealth Games victories, recently presented to our Year 11 students with her inspirational presentation.  As part of the IOC Young Leaders 2021-24 cohort, Jemima has channeled her passion for health, physical activity, and gender equality into “Play On,” an initiative aimed at empowering adolescent girls across Australia through sport and recreation.

Jemima is a professional full time athlete whilst also studying medicine. She has proven how to get the best out of herself whilst balancing sport, study and life. We are extremely fortunate to have a long standing relationship with Jemima – as she returned to our college for the 6th straight year to share her learnings and to motivate our students.

Jemima’s presentation was divided into two compelling parts: Realising Goals and Overcoming Adversity. In these sessions, she delved into insights she has learnt over the journey that resonated deeply with our students:

Part 1: Realising Goals

• Wants vs Needs: Jemima emphasised the importance of wanting success but not needing it.
• Identity Exploration: She challenged students to explore their own identities – who they are not what they do or what they achieve.
• Achieving Balance: Jemima discussed the significance of balancing all priorities during VCE and that at times students will need to focus on areas of their life – such as studying and preparing for assessments/exams, but not let go of everything else but instead “tone” them down.
• Fear vs Values-Based Motivation: Jemima encouraged students to align their actions with their core values and to seek motivation from what is important to them rather than chasing results based on fear – such as not wanting to disappoint others.
• Intentional vs Passive: She highlighted the importance of when to be intentional with effort – not to sit back and wait for results to manifest but to put all your energy into it and be intentional about the results you want.
• Disappointment vs Regret: Jemima shared her perspective on disappointment versus regret, emphasising to students to be ok with disappointment as there are things out of our control – but you want to avoid having regret (so ensure they do everything they can to get the best out of themselves)

Part 2: Overcoming Adversity

• Cognitive Expansion: She highlighted the need for students to make way for discomfort and she shares stories on how she has use a positive mindset to push through some of her races.
• Acceptance and commitment: She also highlighted the need for students to embrace their thoughts, especially if its around self doubt – then focus on being present and then do something that matters to gain a sense of perspective.

It was an empowering session delivered by Jemima, which left a positive impact on many students. Jemima stayed back after the presentation to take photos with students and to provide individual advice to many. We are extremely lucky to have Jemima make time in her busy schedule to speak with our Year 11’s.

Here is a video interview of Jemima after she won bronze at the Paris Olympics. This shows the character of the person and the life lessons she has learnt that we can all benefit from.

Mr Paul Graham
Student Support and Resources Manager

What is ‘Student Agency’?

One of our big aims across the years at Mount Waverley Secondary College (MWSC) is building students’ capacity for agency over their learning. At MWSC, we think about agency in the following terms: 

Agency is about how much and how often students take an active role in their own learning. A student who shows agency seeks and takes opportunities for independence, self-regulation and ownership of their learning.

This means lots of different things in classroom contexts, but we can narrow down to key elements of agency as seen in our MWSC agency rubric below that has been sent out to all students: 

The aim here is to encourage students to work towards being active and independent learners so they are ready for challenges ahead in school, further study, work and life.

As teachers, we are still very much here to provide students support and direction through that journey, but we are keen to guide students through the process of gradually building independence, and we are passionate about sharing the sense of confidence and freedom that comes with taking control and ownership over learning.

How do I understand my student’s progress?

The other good news is that your student’s teachers also report on student agency each semester to provide families with an indicator of progress. Under the ‘approaches to learning’ section of each class, there is a teacher assessment of ‘consistently, sometimes or rarely’ for student agency.

Detailed descriptors of these indicators are available at the front of each report and these indicators are great discussion points for our regular parent-student-teacher conferences (which we love our students to attend!).

What’s next?

This is a great chance for students to continue building their skills using the tools at their disposal.

Your student will hopefully have the chance to discuss with you and their teachers about setting a couple of personalised goals – perhaps even just one or two classes to start. For example, this might look like trying to ask 1-2 clarifying questions each week, or seeking out feedback for an aspect of their work they are unsure how to improve.

Their focus could even be on building a mindset that is curious, robust and hungry to learn. This might look like practicing emphasising curiosity for the bits of subjects they don’t yet understand, and the other many unknowns of school life (marks, friends, VCE, future careers). Building this mindset is a great asset that can help us avoid anxieties about uncertainty outside our control and instead focus on how things might turn out if we put effort into what we can control.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our students. We look forward to working with you and them to help build their agency and achieve their goals.

All the best with the rest of the semester.

Mr Thomas Grant
Head of Student Voice 

Education Support (ES) Day – Friday 16 May

Today we celebrated Education Support (ES) Day. This day recognises the vital contributions of support staff in education, including administration & finance, maintenance, library  and wellbeing staff, ICT, science and food technicians, and more.At Mount Waverley Secondary College, we are fortunate to have 60 ES staff led by our Business Manager, Ms Kari Simmons, and our Student Services & Resources Manager, Mr Paul Graham.

We enjoyed a delicious morning tea and coffee prepared by some of our wonderful students.

NEVR Ensemble Showcase

Last Wednesday 14th May, our 55 piece concert band directed by Ms Melissa Knowles participated in this new event run by NEVR. The NEVR ensemble showcase was held and Wantirna College and bands, string orchestras and choirs from Wantirna College, Wheelers Hill SC and Vermont SC also performed. Following each performance the school exchanged conductors to take part in a short, onstage workshop. All students took part in music trivia in between each item which they enjoyed.

The day was a great performance opportunity for this group who played really well. It was wonderful to see the students and staff having the chance to mix with other schools music students.

VCE Recital #1

Thursday evening was the first of our two VCE Music Recitals. This event is a key part of how we assess our Year 11 and 12 music students’ progress as they work towards their end-of-year solo performance exams and recitals and an opportunity for the school community to hear the hard work of our VCE Music students.

In addition to this, these recitals give students an opportunity to get feedback, which helps them improve their instrumental or vocal skills, and build their confidence in performing in front of an audience.

I would like to extend our congratulations to all the students who performed and would also like to thank Mr Oscar Jenkins-Wing and Ms Misa Murphy for assisting me in providing feedback to the students.

Chamber Strings Workshop

On Monday the Chamber Strings were fortunate to have an outstanding Taiwanese musician lead their regular afternoon rehearsal. Violinist, conductor and string teacher, Dr Edwin Yee conducted the 23 players of the orchestra in four varied pieces. Edwin has a Master of Music from UCLA and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Taiwan National University. He coached and encouraged the players to make much greater contrasts of dynamics, draw out the shape of melodies and listen more closely to each other.
Afterwards he remarked that the students were very responsive and adaptable musically. Next week our Presto Strings will also benefit from a workshop with Dr Yee, who has recently moved with his family from Taipei to East Burwood and has kindly donated his time for these valuable workshops.

Presto Strings MSO Excursion

On Thursday 15 May, the 30 members of the Presto Strings (MWSC’s intermediate string orchestra) saw the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform a program of musical excerpts on the theme of fairy tales, in Melbourne Arts Centre’s Hamer Hall – Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and Prokofieff’s Cinderella.

Many of the students had not heard a symphony orchestra live before, and all 30 members of the Presto Strings were excited and actually astonished by the power and range of expression, tone colours and dynamics (volume) of a professional orchestra. The concert gave them the experience of what can be created when they pursue higher technical skills and fuller musical expression.

Mrs Tijtje Keatley
Music Director

National Careers Week (12th – 18th May)

Thank you to everyone who supported Careers Week! It was great, with students engaging in a range of fun and informative activities across the week. Activities included Career Exploration Bingo, Job Skills, where students explored resume writing. We wrapped up the week with a Kahoot competition testing students’ knowledge about careers, skills, and future pathways.

It was fantastic to see students getting involved and having fun while planning their futures!

Year 10 Work Experience (30th June – 4th July)

A reminder to all Year 10 students — work experience placements need to be finalised by 26 May. Please ensure all paperwork and arrangements are completed as soon as possible.

Year 12 Career Interviews

We encourage students to book their careers appointment to discuss their post-school plans. Whether they are looking into university, TAFE, apprenticeships, or employment, we are here to support their next steps.

As always, the Careers Team is here to help, reach out if you have questions or need guidance.

Mr Phil Newnham and Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Careers Team

Making it to State finals for interschool softball was an unforgettable experience and one of the biggest highlights of our year. We didn’t quite expect to make it that far this year, but once we stepped onto the field, everything just came together. We played with heart, supported each other, and gave every game our all.

Each game brought new challenges and excitement, and when we made it to state, we were beyond proud. It wasn’t just about the wins, it was the laughs on the sidelines, the team spirit, and the memories we made along the way.
Taking home second place in the entire state was an incredible achievement.

While we were a little disappointed not to take first, we couldn’t be more proud of how far we came. This season will stay with us for a long time, and we’ll always look back on it with pride and a smile.

By Divya (Year 11)

This Semester 1, the Year 10 Theatre Production class brought Vladigore to life—a darkly comedic tale of unrequited love between a vampire and a human. The story follows the doomed romance of two lovers torn apart by the town’s Mayor, whose own daughter, Lucia, becomes infatuated with the vampire. In a dramatic twist, the show ends with everyone succumbing to vampirism.

Creating this production was a rewarding and collaborative journey. From building coffins and painting doors to choreographing dances and rehearsing scenes, every student put in a lot of effort. With Mr. Weekes’ passionate guidance and the class’s consistent dedication, each lesson became something to look forward to. We not only improved our acting skills but also grew in confidence.

Semester 1 Theatre Production was an incredible experience—one I highly recommend to all current Year 9 students!

By Avneet A (Year 10)

Welcome to Term 2’s issue of the Alumni Newsletter

In this edition, we take a walk down memory lane with Alumni, Mr Roger Redford and Ms Suellen Whitebrook who returned to campus in March for our School Reunion Tour.

We are also proud to spotlight Alumni Ms Helena Ly-Lu, an engineer from A.G. Coombs giving back and running a session on STEM for our students.

Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories, memories, and photographs. Your contributions bring this newsletter to life, please keep them coming!

To view Term 2’s Alumni Newsletter,  click here.

To register your details to join our Alumni group, click here.

The Class of 1995 and 2005 Reunion is shaping up to be a fantastic day! We have Alumni from the Class of 1993, 1995, 2004, and 2005 attending.  Secure your spot via the booking link below. We can’t wait to see you tour the grounds once more.

Class of 1995, 2005 Reunion

Thursday 19 June 2025

We are also happy to include students from the following classes:
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Click here to book your ticket!

Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Alumni Coordinator