MWSC College News – Issue 4

Mount Waverley Secondary College alive with the Sound of Music!

This year the college has an amazing 321 students participating in the Instrumental Music Program. They are committed to a gruelling training schedule which results in the students showcasing their incredible talents in 4 concert bands, 2 stage bands, 4 string orchestras, 3 guitar ensembles, 2 choirs, 1 improvisation ensemble, a jazz combo, percussion ensemble and various chamber ensembles.

In addition to this, every Year 7 has a music lesson on an instrument each week as part of the Classroom Music Program.  These students are involved in 2 string orchestras, 2 concert bands, a choir, a percussion ensemble and a guitar ensemble which gives them an opportunity to experience playing in a band.

In May this year 41 students and 5 staff members will attend the Generations in Jazz Festival, a nationwide competition and festival that gives our students the opportunity to compete against, and listen to, young jazz ensembles from all over Australia. In addition to performing, the students also get to attend concerts across the three days featuring influential jazz artists from Australia and overseas.

Our learning community looks forward to attending and enjoying many performances from these students through the year.  This fantastic music program is a tribute to the hard work and talent of our dedicated instrumental and music teachers.

Music Soirees

Our annual soiree concerts are short events, featuring small groups and solos from Year 7-12. With beginners to advanced musicians performing a range of repertoire, it is an opportunity for our students to show off their hard work.

When: Tuesday 24 March and Thursday 26 March, 6:30pm – 8:00pm (approx.)

Where: Unicorn Theatre

Cost: $5 entry fee

NAPLAN Testing

Well done to all the Year 7 and 9 students who sat their NAPLAN tests across the last two weeks. Special thanks to Mrs Lilian Jian who oversaw the organisation of this assessment program.

Harmony Week

This week we celebrated Harmony Week on both campuses. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries and our cultural diversity is at the heart of who we are. It’s important to celebrate our country’s diversity and ensure that we are inclusive, respectful and create a sense of belonging for all Australians, from the traditional owners of the land to our most recent arrivals. Many activities ran on both campuses across the week. On the Junior Campus students used virtual reality to visit different places in the world and on the Senior Campus we had a Bollywood dance performance by some of our students. Thank you to the Wellbeing Team and student leaders who organised these special events.

Communication with School Staff Policy

Mount Waverley Secondary College understands the importance of providing helpful and timely responses to common enquiries from staff, parents and carers. Communication is expected to be respectful, meaningful, timely and relevant.

To ensure that members of our school community are directed to the most appropriate person to assist them, the information below outlines key contacts for common queries:

• to report a student absence please enter it on Compass, or call the relevant General Office
• extended absences should be communicated to the Year Level Coordinator by email
• to report any urgent issues relating to a student on a particular day, please contact the relevant General Office
• to discuss a student’s academic progress in a specific subject please contact the relevant classroom teacher (email is best as your teachers are often in class)
• to discuss a student’s overall academic progress, health or wellbeing, please first contact the Year Level Coordinator
• for enquiries regarding camps and excursions, please contact the staff member listed as overseeing the camp/excursion on Compass
• to make a complaint, please refer to our Complaints policy
• to report a potential hazard or incident on the school site, please contact the General Office of the relevant campus
• for parent payments, please contact the General Office of the relevant campus
• for all other enquiries, please contact the relevant General Office

General Office Junior Campus: 9887 9290 General Office Senior Campus: 9803 6811

We will do our best to respond to general queries as soon as possible.

The right to disconnect legislation makes explicit that all employees have the right to refuse to monitor, read, listen to or respond to contact that occurs outside their working hours from their employer or a third party (such as a student or a parent), unless that refusal is unreasonable. Please allow two working days for a detailed response to general enquires. We will endeavour to respond to urgent matters within 24 hours where possible.

Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences

The focus for students at Mount Waverley Secondary College is to achieve their very best and to continually improve their learning. An important part of this focus is the partnership between school and home, between teacher, student and parents/carers. Student/ parent/ teacher interviews play a key role in this partnership where all parties meet to discuss the student’s achievements, progress, and strategies for improvement.

As per the notice that went out on Compass, Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences for semester one is scheduled for Wednesday 1 April between 1pm and 7:30pm. Please note Wednesday 1 April is also a scheduled student free day. No classes will be running on the day. These conferences will be held online via Webex links. Interview appointment times will be opened to parents on Friday 20 March.

These interviews provide our students with an important learning experience where they can reflect upon and evaluate their progress and join in partnership with their teacher and parents to plan for ongoing success. For these reasons I recommend everyone is involved in this process.

Uniform Changeover Time

Winter uniform starts in Term 2 which includes the long sleeve shirt and tie, although for the first two weeks of term there is a changeover period where the students can wear either summer or winter uniform.

Please ensure that your students have the correct college uniform which is supplied by PSW located at their state-of-the-art retail outlet at 342 -350 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley (behind Officeworks).

End of Term 1 – Start of Term 2

Students will be dismissed at 2.30pm on Thursday 2 April and we will look forward to their return for Term 2 on Monday 20 April.

Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal 

Mount Matters

Well done to all of those students who put their names forward to participate in the Mount Matters program. A student-led student voice initiative, Mount Matters seeks to listen to the voices of all students at the school. Mount Matters involves fortnightly student-led focus groups at each year level with representatives from each class.

Recognising and Celebrating at the Junior Campus

It has been wonderful to see so many staff and students celebrating and recognising various days and causes in recent weeks. One of the great strengths of our learning community is its diversity, and this has been on show lately with activities for Lunar New Year, Harmony Week and International Women’s Day, with a number of other days on the horizon. Well done to all of the staff and students who participated, and especially to those who took these events as an opportunity to learn more about each other.

School Drop Off and Pick Up

School Drop is a busy time around both campuses of the college.  There are cars, pedestrians and cyclists all moving around during this busy time.  Please be patient around these busy times so we ensure all students get to and from school safely each day. We also ask that parents refrain from entering either car park at the Junior Campus.

Accessing Student Learning Task Feedback

As we progress through the semester your student will begin to receive feedback on their CATs. The steps outlined below will allow you to access a summary of all the Learning Task comments and grades your student has received so far for all their subjects. This can be accessed at any point in the semester prior to the formal end of semester report being released.

1. Log onto Compass using your parent access details.
2. Click on ‘View Academic Reports’
3. Click on ‘2026 Semester 1 Current Learning Tasks’
4. A report will be generated that will include all Learning Task comments and grades currently entered on Compass for your student.
   Note: if no Learning Task data has been entered a report is unable to be loaded. 

Year 7 Welcome Picnic

It was wonderful to meet so many of our families at this week’s Year 7 Welcome Picnic. We hope that everyone enjoyed getting the opportunity to visit the campus, enjoy some games, and meet our staff and the wider school community. There will be a range of other events this year, including music afternoons, Night at the Museum, and our Annual Community Showcase. We look forward to seeing you all at these events.

Junior Campus Sport

It has been amazing to wander around the campus before school, at lunchtimes, and after school over the past few weeks to see so many students trying out for, and participating in, sports teams for term 1. As always, we had some great success on the sporting arena, with a number of our teams qualifying for progressing later in the year.

Mr Matt Sheehan
Campus Principal – Junior School 

It’s hard to believe how quickly term 1 is progressing. I have been incredibly impressed by the strong work ethic demonstrated by our students and the positive, purposeful way they have engaged in all aspects of school life. Whether in the classroom, on the sporting field, through the arts, camps, leadership opportunities or co-curricular activities, students have embraced the term with enthusiasm, pride and a genuine commitment to making the most of every opportunity.

As we move through the remainder of the term, we encourage students to maintain balance – continuing to invest in their learning while also taking care of their wellbeing and staying connected to the broader life of the school. The strong start we have seen sets a positive foundation, and I look forward to seeing our students continue to grow in confidence, capability and character in the weeks ahead.

An important opportunity for students and parents to engage with teachers are Student Parent Teacher Meetings.  These meetings provide an opportunity for reflection on progress, discussions about strengths and looking for opportunities for improvement.  These meetings are happening on Wednesday 1 April with bookings open now.

NAPLAN Testing

Over the past two weeks, our Year 9 students participated in NAPLAN – the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy. Students completed a series of assessments spanning key areas of both literacy and numeracy, providing a comprehensive picture of their skills and development at this stage of their schooling.

Results will be made available to students and families later in the year. We encourage parents and guardians to use these results as a conversation starter — not a definitive measure of ability — and to reach out to their child’s teachers if they have any questions or would like further context around the outcomes.

We are proud of the effort and focus our Year 9 students brought to these assessments, and we look forward to sharing the results with you in due course.

Introducing H1 – our brand-new room!

Thanks to Wendy Middleton our Facilities Manager who has managed the transformation of H1.  From electricians to plumbers, plasters and painters to name just a few of the contractors who worked on the project.  The room has been transformed from a commercial kitchen to a brand-new classroom!  Let the learning begin in this great new space.

Mr Ian MacLeod
Campus Principal – Middle School 

As we approach the last couple of weeks of a busy and productive term, I would like to congratulate our Senior students on how well they have worked with their peers, their teachers and the Senior Subschool this term. It has made for a very positive start to the year. Most students will have SACs and Assessment Tasks due in the next couple of weeks. I encourage them to keep up the hard work, and to continue to seek support from their teachers, peers, Year Level Coordinators or Wellbeing if they need assistance.

Parent Student Teacher Conferences

Term One Parent Student Teacher Conferences will occur on Wednesday 1 April. There are no scheduled classes on this day to enable students to attend. The conferences will take place virtually using Webex between 1-7.30pm. Bookings will open to parents/carers today (Friday 20 March) and will close at 9am on Monday 30 March. Parents/carers and students have been shared a conference prep task to help our students reflect on their term and to support them share their voice when participating in conferences.

Harmony Week

This week both campuses celebrated Harmony Week. This is a nationally recognised week dedicated to celebrating the rich cultural diversity in Australia to promote values such as inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging. Events were held at lunchtime for students on the Senior Campus including; cultural bingo, Henna, bracelet making, Karaoke and a Bollywood dance. Thank you to the Wellbeing staff for running these events, and the students and teachers for their participation.

Mount Waverley North Primary School and VCE Vocational Major

This year both Year 11 and 12 students completing the VCE Vocational Major Senior Secondary Certificate will regularly visit Mount Waverley North Primary School. These visits form part of their community engagement work to meet the learning outcomes for their Personal Development Skills subject. The students are split into groups to work either in the garden, supporting sport, or as Reading Angels in the Foundation classes. The students really enjoy this opportunity, and the Foundation students love having the older students helping them. Thanks to Mr Wayne Griffin, Mr Simon Bartlett and Ms Sally Robotham for their work in organising this valuable learning experience for our students.

Ms Lauren Kelly
Campus Principal – Senior School 

An Olympian’s Toolkit: Visit from Olympian Jemima Montag

On 6 March, our Year 11 students had the incredible opportunity to hear from Australian Olympian and elite race walker Ms Jemima Montag, who visited our school to share her journey, insights, and lessons from competing at the highest level of sport whilst juggling studying medicine.

Jemima’s presentation resonated far beyond athletics, offering powerful messages for all members of our school community – students, staff, and families alike.

Striving for High Performance

Jemima challenged students to think deeply about what drives them. She spoke about the difference between wanting to achieve something and needing to achieve it.

She also explored motivation – whether we are driven by fear or by our values. While fear can push us in the short term, Jemima emphasised that lasting success comes from being anchored in what truly matters to us.

Balancing Commitments

A key theme for our senior students was the reality of managing competing priorities. Jemima spoke candidly about balancing elite sport, study, and life commitments.

Her message – “You can have it all, just not all at once” – encouraged students to think about timing, prioritisation, and the importance of making thoughtful sacrifices. Success, she reminded us, is not about doing everything simultaneously, but about making intentional choices aligned with our goals.

The importance of Staying Active

Jemima also reinforced why staying active is essential for everyone, not just elite athletes. She highlighted three key benefits:

• Belonging – Being part of a team or active community fosters connection and support
• Physical Health – Regular activity builds strength, energy, and overall wellbeing
• Mental Health – Movement plays a critical role in managing stress, improving mood, and enhancing focus

Her message strongly aligned with our school’s commitment to student wellbeing and the development of the whole person.

Celebrating Harmony Week

This week, our school proudly celebrated Harmony Week – a time to recognise and embrace the rich cultural diversity that makes our community stronger.

Harmony Week is grounded in a simple but powerful message: ‘everyone belongs’. Throughout the week, students engaged in activities on both campuses focusing on celebrating culture. These included bracelet making, henna, karaoke and a Bollywood dance.

As a community, we are proud of the diversity within our school and the way our students continue to demonstrate empathy, respect, and openness. Harmony Week is a celebration of who we are and what we value – Everyone belongs.

Mr Paul Graham
Student Support and Resources Manager 

Financial Contributions

If you have elected to pay the voluntary financial contributions via instalments, a reminder that the second instalment is due to come out of your nominated payment method on Monday 23 March.

If you have any queries, please contact the Finance team on finance@mwsc.vic.edu.au.

Thank you for supporting our college.

Ms Kari Simmons
Business Manager

What an incredible start to the year we’ve had in the Music Department. We are happy to announce that 330 students have already kicked off their instrumental lessons, and all of our Year 7 students have successfully begun their musical journeys through the Year 7 Band Program.

Twenty ensembles have commenced rehearsals and students and staff are working hard to prepare for an amazing lineup of events planned throughout 2026, including:

• Generations in Jazz
• Victorian School Music Festival (VSMF)
• Royal South Street Eisteddfod
• The Annual Gala Concert
• Jazz Night
• Gala Concert
• Soirees

Important Reminder: Lesson Logistics and Compass

To help our programs run smoothly, we kindly ask families and students to carefully check Compass each week.

If an instrumental lesson clashes with a scheduled assessment, school excursion, or other important event, please email the instrumental teacher to request a lesson change well before the day of the lesson. While we cannot always guarantee that a schedule change can be accommodated, providing advanced notice gives our teachers the best possible chance to make it work.

Lunchtime Concert

On Thursday 26 February, the Senior Campus came alive with music for our first Lunchtime Concert of the year, organised by our 2026 Music Captains, Tai N and Nick Y. It was fantastic to see such a strong turnout from the school community to support the talented soloists and small groups who took the stage. We highly encourage all music students to keep an eye out for future lunchtime gig opportunities throughout the year, as they offer a wonderful, supportive environment to gain valuable performance practice and showcase all the hard work you’ve been putting into your lessons.

Celebrating Alumni Success

With such a strong and deeply connected community of music alumni at MWSC, it is always a privilege to share the ongoing successes of our past students. Today, we are incredibly proud to highlight two outstanding achievements from our former Music Captains.

Christopher Rozakeas (2021 Music Captain) Chris has been selected for the prestigious ANJO (Australian National Jazz Orchestra) Youth Big Band. This ensemble brings together Australia’s absolute best young jazz musicians aged 18 to 25. Entry is fiercely competitive and determined through an anonymous ‘blindfold’ audition system. Remarkably, Chris is one of only two Victorian representatives selected.

The ANJO Youth Big Band will be opening the Friday night concert at Generations in Jazz this May, which will be a fantastic opportunity for our current students to cheer Chris on from the crowd.

Ananya Hariharan (2025 Music Captain) Ananya has been selected to perform in VCAA’s Top Class Music as part of the VCE Season of Excellence. This is an honour that highlights the absolute top-performing VCE and VET music students from 2025. Ananya will be taking the stage at the renowned Melbourne Recital Centre in a showcase of exceptional solo and group performances across classical, contemporary, and VET genres.

2026 Music Soirees

When: Tuesday 24 March and Thursday 26 March, 6:30pm

Where: Senior Campus, Unicorn Theatre

Entry: $5, collected at the door, cash or card

Mrs Tijtje Keatley
Music Director

Year 8 Boys Cricket

On Wednesday 18 March, the Year 8 boys cricket team headed to Mulgrave Reserve for the District Round Robin. Our first game was against Vermont Secondary College where we bowled first.  With some good efforts in the field including an exceptional run out, Vermont SC went on to make 136 runs off 15 overs.  We then made 61 runs with Apurv K scoring 15 and Vikhyaath B making 13 runs.

We then played Highvale Secondary College in our next game. Batting first we scored 86 runs off our 15 overs, Shriyam S top scoring with 27. Highvale SC then passed our score with 4 overs remaining.  Kai S’s outstanding catch and Zach P’s two wickets were the highlights.

Congratulations to all the boys for their efforts and representing the school so well.

Thank you to our Year 10 coaches – Nibhish M and Rayon W.

Mr Greg Campbell

April School Holiday Events

Discover upcoming events at universities over the school holidays. Register early to avoid disappointment. View the flyer here.

Single Session Workshops

In partnership with Wellbeing, we are offering personalised, one-on-one workshops across both campuses providing individual sessions designed to build confidence and develop skills. Workshop topics include:

• Thinking About the Future: Let’s Talk Careers
• Resume Writing and Job Ready Skills
• Transitioning to VCE
• Managing Study and Exam Preparation

Students are encouraged to take advantage of this valuable support to help them feel prepared and confident about their future pathways.

Year 10 Work Experience

Work Experience will take place during the week of 22–26 June 2026, and Year 10 students are encouraged to secure placements as soon as possible.

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain insight into the workplace, develop valuable skills, and learn more about potential career pathways.

Students are encouraged to speak with family members, friends, and community contacts who may be able to offer a placement in an area of interest. Taking the initiative to reach out and secure a placement is an important step in building professional confidence and networks.

Year 12

For information, resources and personalised guidance, the Careers Department is the best place to start. The Careers team is available to help students plan their 2027 destination and beyond, whether that involves university, apprenticeships, employment or a gap year. Students are encouraged to book an appointment to discuss their options and ensure they are making informed decisions about their next steps.

Mr Phil Newnham, Ms Victoria Tortopidis, Ms Charli Bartlett
Careers Education

We love hearing about the incredible achievements of our alumni so please keep sharing your success stories with us!

Alumni School Tour

Class of 1976 & 1986 Reunion – Final Call for Tickets

Our upcoming reunion for the Class of 1976 and Class of 1986 is fast approaching.

The reunion tour will take place on Thursday 26 March 2026, beginning at 9:00am from the Senior Campus Main Reception. Alumni will enjoy a guided tour of the campus followed by a morning tea, providing a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with classmates and see how the school has evolved.

If you have not yet registered, be sure to book your tickets before 22 March to avoid missing out on this special event.

Click here to book your ticket.

If you have family or friends who went to Mount Waverley in the years listed, please pass on the exciting news.

Bookings essential.

Stay connected! Register your details to join our alumni community and receive the latest news and events and our newsletter directly in your inbox. To register your details, click here.

Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Alumni Coordinator