MWSC College News – Issue 14

MWSC Raffle

We have been working hard on sourcing some great prizes for our College Raffle this year. Over $7000 worth of prizes have been sought including a Mastercolour paint offer, SMEG Kettle & Toaster, Wireless noise cancelling headphones, Lenovo ThinkVision Curved Monitor, UE Boom Bluetooth Speaker, Soda Stream, Nutribullet, Gift cards and many more fantastic prizes.

Please support the college by purchasing either raffle tickets for $3 each or $15 for a book of 5 tickets or $30 for a book of 10 tickets.

Tickets are on sale via Compasstix link:  https://compasstix.com/e/lsswe2e1jl

Ticket sales will close on Tuesday 8 September and the raffle will be drawn on Friday 11 September.

Feel free to forward the Compasstix link above  to family and friends.

All proceeds will go towards the purchase of student-led college initiatives.

We would like to thank all our sponsors for their generous donations this year:
Active Monash, Bunnings Nottinghill, Cemoss, Edumarking, Funfields, Gumbuya World, HART Sports, Learning with Technologies, Lilydale Books, MAJ Business Services, Maps Marketing, Master Colour, Melbourne Office Supplies, Premier Paper, Premier Waste, Product Dynamics P/L, PSW, Quinces Bus Hire, Recwire Electrics, Schoolfurn, Smart Records Group, Texas Instruments, Toshiba Australia, Woods Furniture and Zart Art.

Book Week

Well done to our library teams and student library leaders for organising such wonderful activities across both libraries last week in celebration of Book Week. Their creativity and effort made the week engaging and memorable for everyone involved. A special thank you as well to all the students and staff who took the time to join in, get involved, and help celebrate our shared love of reading. It’s this kind of enthusiasm and participation that makes our school community such a vibrant place to learn and grow.

2026 JLTAV Junior Speech Competition

Congratulations to our Japanese students who participated in the 2026 JLTAV Junior Speech Competition at Hawthorn Arts Centre on Sunday 31 August! The students have been practicing their speeches since the end of last term, using their recess and lunchtime to prepare. They all did their very best, and we are incredibly proud of their hard work, commitment and courage.

Well done to:

• Year 7 Pair: Risindi WWG & Srilasya K
• Year 7/8 Individual: Hiruky P
• Year 9/10 Pair: Bridie O’M & Olyvia F
• Year 9/10 Individual: Kiki P
• Open Individual: Hannah C

Congratulations to Hiruky and Hannah for coming in first place – Great work!

A special thank you to our Japanese Language Assistant, Ms Yu Adachi, for supporting our Year 7 and 8 students at the Junior Campus each week, recording their speeches, providing corrections and practicing with them.  Your support was greatly appreciated!

Thank you also to our Japanese Language Teachers and Ms Nobuko Kumakawa for being there on the day to support our students.

Division Athletics

Over 130 students attended the Division Athletics carnival at the Bill Stewart Athletics track on Friday 21 August, representing our school with great energy and enthusiasm. The day was jam packed with running, jumping and throwing events, giving students plenty of opportunities to showcase their skills and give their best effort across a range of disciplines.

Well done to Mr Danny Gwynne and Mr Jay Newport, our Sports Leaders, for their great work in organising this event and ensuring the day ran smoothly for all involved.

Successful students will now progress to the regional level, and we wish them the very best as they continue to represent our school at the next stage of competition.

Star Performer

Congratulations to Year 7 student, William X, who achieved 2^nd place in the Division 3 Boys Snowboard Giant Slalom (GS) at the 2026 Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championships. William finished just 0.12 seconds behind first place. He now progresses to the National Interschools Snowsports Championships.

Congratulations William!

Wear it Purple Day

On Friday 28 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 Wellbeing Team and students on both campuses who helped organise lunchtime celebration activities.

Student Parent Teacher Conferences

These important meetings will be held on Thursday 10 September. They provide a valuable opportunity for students and parents to meet with teachers, receive feedback on progress, and develop action plans for further improvement in Term 4. I strongly encourage all students and parents to attend. Further details will be shared with parents via Compass in the coming weeks.

Please note classes will not be held on this day.

Mr Ian MacLeod
Acting College Principal

VSMF Concert Band and Symphonic Band

Close to 100 students in our Concert Band and Symphonic Band made their way to the Hawthorn Arts Centre to take part in the VSMF event.

The Victorian School Music Festival is an adjudicated event where students are given the opportunity to play for an audience, listen to other schools perform, get feedback from a panel of adjudicators and engage in a tutorial with an adjudicator on the stage.

ICAS Science Competition

We had our Junior Campus and Senior Campus students take part in the ICAS Science competition recently.

The ICAS Science competition is an internationally recognised assessment for students in Years 2–12 that tests scientific thinking skills – such as observation, data interpretation, prediction, and problem‑solving – through a challenging exam benchmarked across Australia, New Zealand, and over 40 other countries.

Congratulations to all the students who participated and wishing them all the very best of luck!

Year 10 Wellbeing Day

Ensuring that students receive a holistic education is now more important than ever.  To ensure our students develop all capabilities to become future ready individuals, they need to develop their social and emotional skills. The Year 10 Wellbeing Day gave our students this opportunity.  Students took part in a variety of engaging activities, including Art and Music workshops. Students also participated in a presentation and workshop from Project Rockit, centred on the theme of young people creating a kinder world.

Year 10 Gala – Oh What a Night!

The Year 10 Gala was a wonderful celebration for our students. They looked fantastic in their best outfits, captured countless photos, and danced the night away! For some students, this was their first opportunity to dress in formal outfits and build their social and emotional confidence.  Well done to all our Year 10’s as they step into the next phase of their journey.

E-Scooter Safety – What Students and Parents Need to Know

E-scooters are becoming an increasingly popular mode of transport for students and community members alike. With their growing use, it’s important that both parents and students understand the safety requirements and legal responsibilities that come with riding an e-scooter in Victoria.

Below is a summary of the key rules, as outlined by Transport Victoria:

What You Must Do When Riding an E-Scooter

E-scooter riders are required to:

•  Be 16 years of age or older
•  Wear a helmet at all times
•  Ride at a maximum speed of 20 km/h
• Ride single file – not in tandem or side by side
•  Ride only on:
  • Shared-use paths (not footpaths)
  • Bicycle paths
  • Roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h or less
• Not carry any passengers
• Use front and rear lights (steady or flashing) when riding at night or in low-light conditions
• Park responsibly, ensuring the scooter does not block pedestrian paths or create safety hazards
• Scooters should be locked with a bike lock when parked at school

Why It Matters

These rules are in place to help keep riders and others safe. Failure to follow them can result in fines and puts both the rider and others at risk. As e-scooter use grows, it’s essential we all do our part to promote safe and respectful riding in our community.

For more information and updates, please visit:
🔗 Transport Victoria – E-Scooter Road Rules

Ms Asha Vazirani
Acting Campus Principal – Middle School

The term 3 holidays are fast approaching and our Unit 3 and 4 students are nearing the end of their school based assessment tasks for their studies. We are aware this can be a stressful time for students and encourage them to seek support from their Year Level Coordinators, Wellbeing Team, their peers and parents/carers. Habits that will support students at this time are; making sure they are getting quality sleep, sticking to a study schedule, using their support network and moving their body.

Lately our Senior Students have had a lot of opportunities to engage in learning outside of the classroom. This has included our Unit 4 Biology students attending a session at The University of Melbourne, Unit 2 Food Studies students touring the Yakult Factory, the Unit 4 Outdoor Environmental Studies Winter Camp, the Unit 2 Environmental Studies Sailing Camp, the Unit 2 Psychology students heading to ArtVo, our Unit 2 History students touring the Vietnam Veteran Museum and our VCE VM students continuing on with their regular visits to AVEO Fountain Court and Mount Waverley North Primary.

Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences

Bookings for term 3 conferences opened on Thursday 27 August. These conferences provide a valuable avenue for feedback regarding your student’s progress this semester. It is a good opportunity to discuss suggested strategies moving forward, and for the teacher, parent and student to develop a shared understanding about how their learning growth can be supported moving forward. Bookings will close on Monday 7 September and conferences will occur on 10 September via Webex.

Unit 3/4 English Trial Exam

On Friday 18 September, students studying Units 3 and 4 English, English as an Additional Language (EAL) and English Language will complete trial exams. For our English and EAL students this is an opportunity for them to experience the full 3 hours of writing, and 15 minutes reading time required when completing the exam. The English exam will be marked by external assessors allowing students to receive valuable feedback on their progress. Students will have the opportunity to work through the feedback provided with their teacher. We hope students make the most of this valuable opportunity.

Unit 3 and 4 September Holiday Revision Program

Information relating to our holiday revision program will be released shortly. Students completing a Units 3 & 4 subject are strongly encouraged to attend if their subject is running a session. The program will be shared with students and parents/carers via Compass. The sessions on offer range from practice exam opportunities, extra support and revision lectures. Thanks in advance to all the teachers involved in the program and to Ms Lisa Worthy – Acting Senior School Leader, for her co-ordination and organisation of the program.

Home Study Tips

Completing homework and studying at home can be challenging. The tips below might be useful to help support your student to this time productively:

• Set up your space: pick a dedicated spot with a comfortable desk or a quiet kitchen table rather than studying in bed.
• Block out noise: Close your door or try soft background music if your house is loud.
• Prevent distractions: Put your phone in another room or use focus settings to stop mindless scrolling and other distractions.
• Manage your time: Map out your study blocks and have a to-do list to work through so you know what needs to be done.
• Take real breaks: Step away to stretch, walk outside, or grab a drink of water.
• Stay connected: If there is a hard topic to work through, organise a group study session to tackle it together.
• Ask for help: Reach out to teachers, the subschool, or wellbeing when you feel stuck

Ms Lauren Kelly
Campus Principal – Senior School

Supporting Student Wellbeing, Connection and Belonging

There has been a strong focus on student wellbeing across the college, with a range of activities and initiatives designed to support positive mental health, connection, inclusion and belonging.

Our Year 10 Wellbeing Day provided students with an opportunity to step away from the usual classroom environment and engage in fun creative and relaxing activities whilst also attending a workshop delivered by Project Rockit focusing on challenging prejudices at school. We look forward to continuing this work with our Year 9 Wellbeing Day, which is coming up on the last day of term.

Alongside our year-level wellbeing programs, our lunchtime activities have continued to provide students with opportunities to connect, participate and engage with important wellbeing and awareness initiatives. These activities have included a focus on Women’s Health Week, Bullying No Way Week and Wear it Purple, creating opportunities for students to learn, show support and contribute to a respectful and inclusive college community.

A highlight has been this week’s activity – decorating tote bags for our women’s essential bags which have been donated to ‘Our Village’, who collect and rehome essential baby and children’s items to children and babies in need.

These events are an important part of our broader approach to wellbeing. While the activities themselves may be simple — sharing a conversation, participating in a lunchtime activity or taking a moment to learn about an important issue — they help create a culture where students feel connected, supported and valued.

We are also looking ahead to R U OK? Day, which provides another opportunity to encourage students and staff to check in with one another and recognise the importance of genuine connection and conversation.

Ultimately, student wellbeing is not just about responding to students in need. It is about creating a College environment where students know they belong, have trusted people around them, feel safe to ask for help and have opportunities to develop the skills and confidence to support themselves and others.

This term the student wellbeing team launched Student Voice – a lunch time club for senior campus students to come along and sing songs together. It’s been a great addition to our lunch time clubs with students sending in requests to our wellbeing staff members Ms Xin Yi Lee and Mr Jason Mann – both of whom are very talented singers and instrumentalists.

Thank you to our students and staff who continue to contribute to a culture of connection, inclusion, kindness and wellbeing across the college.

Mr Paul Graham
Student Support and Resources Manager

Students in Years 7 and 9 should have received their 2026 NAPLAN reports. NAPLAN results provide a snapshot of how a student is currently performing in Writing, Reading, Grammar and Punctuation, Spelling and Numeracy. Parents and students also receive feedback on student learning growth between NAPLAN tests.

At Mount Waverley Secondary College NAPLAN proficiency levels play a role in helping us ensure we have identified students who may require additional support, supporting teachers to plan for differentiation, as well as monitoring whole school improvement strategies.

Last week NAPLAN growth data was finalised and schools received feedback on how they were performing in comparison to the state. The school uses growth data, alongside other data sets, to allow us to gain insight into how changes to whole literacy and numeracy approaches are supporting student learning.

Celebrating student learning growth is important as it recognises the effort, persistence and progress of our learners, not just the final outcome. As a school we are particularly proud of the learning growth our 2026 year 9 students have shown when compared to the state in Writing and Numeracy. It is recognition of the work our teachers have put in to ensure they are developing writing and numeracy skills across all subject areas

Year 8 Boys Table Tennis

On Tuesday 1 September, eight students from Year 8 represented the school in the District table tennis round robin. The boys performed very well against strong opposition from Vermont Secondary College, Glen Waverley Secondary College and Highvale Secondary College.

Well done to all the boys for their exemplary behaviour and fine sportsmanship.

The team consisted of: Stefano S, Agastya Y, Kyle W, Nikkash N, Livin F, Ian H, Howard C and Pratham K.

~ Mr Campbell

Lacrosse State Competition

Book Week 2026 at the MWSC Libraries

CBCA Children’s Book Week 2026 has now drawn to a close, and our MWSC Libraries enjoyed celebrating this year’s theme, Symphony of Stories.

Throughout Book Week, students across Years 7–12 were invited to take part in a wide range of library activities inspired by books, music, storytelling and this year’s CBCA theme. Activities included Soundtrack Your Story, where students matched music to the mood and atmosphere of a favourite book; Genre Orchestra, which explored how different genres might sound if they were part of an orchestra; and the Six-Word Story Sprint, challenging students to create an entire story in only six words.

Other Symphony of Stories activities encouraged students to identify motifs and recurring ideas in stories, imagine theme songs for characters and books, and think creatively about the connections between music, rhythm and storytelling.

At the Senior Campus Library, students could also pose with the CBCA Book Week photo frame, create soundtracks for favourite books, design MWSC bookmarks, take part in Bookface activities and explore displays featuring the CBCA Older Readers shortlisted, Honour and winning titles.

Many senior MWSC students participated in CBCA Shadow Judging, giving students the opportunity to read and discuss shortlisted books, share their own responses and compare their choices with those of the official CBCA judges.

Our Year 12 students also joined the celebrations, with plenty of familiar faces appearing in our Symphony of Stories photo frame.

Who’s Reading What? – MWSC Staff Reads Challenge

Students and staff also put their detective skills to the test in our Who’s Reading What? challenge, matching 25 MWSC staff members with the 25 books they were reading.

Across five rounds, participants used book covers and clues to work out each match. Thank you to everyone who took part, and especially to the 25 staff members who shared their current reads and helped us celebrate the wonderful variety of reading happening across MWSC.

The challenge provided another great opportunity to start conversations about books, discover new titles and find out what members of our school community enjoy reading.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the activities and helped make CBCA Children’s Book Week 2026: Symphony of Stories such an enjoyable celebration across the MWSC Libraries.

Mrs Tanya Alderton
Teacher Librarian, Senior Campus

September School Holiday Events

Discover upcoming events at universities over the school holidays. Register early. Click here to view the school holiday events.

Year 12 VTAC Application

Timely applications for 2027 courses are due 28 September. You can still change course preferences right up to ATAR release date at no additional cost. We recommend that students apply without delay.

Year 12 Career Interviews

Are you considering university, TAFE, apprenticeships, gap year, or entering the workforce, we’re here to support you in planning the next steps. Students are encouraged to book a careers appointment.

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

Mr Phil Newnham & Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Careers Team

Vietnam Veteran Incursion

On Monday 24 August, the Year 11 History class welcomed Mr Grant-Coulter Smith, a Vietnam Veteran, who spoke and shared his unique experience in the war as well as his insightful recounting of the events of the war. Grant’s presentation shared the events and, in correlation, the sentiments he felt during them, along with images of himself that accompanied them – highlighting the many lives that were impacted by the war.

Along with the presentation, Grant brought in physical relics from the war such as his backpack and the real artillery of the war. We were all intrigued by his experience and the personal challenges he faced during his time in Vietnam, as well as his inspiring will to participate in the war in support of Australia and then join the police force when he was back in Australia.

Not only were we able to see up close the relics that Grant brought in, but we were left with a profound understanding of the everlasting impacts of war, encouraging us to view it from a different perspective and leave with an important message. We were also able to try on some uniforms and artillery.

By Raquel MP (11D)

National Vietnam Veterans Museum

On Wednesday 26 August, as a Unit 1/2 Modern History class, we visited the National Vietnam Veterans Museum in Phillip Island and had the incredible privilege of meeting a veteran named Laurie, who served in the Royal Australian Navy.

The museum was packed with fascinating history, including real helicopters, military vehicles, and rows of uniforms and medals. Seeing the massive display of artefacts gave us a clear picture of what life was like for young Australians during the war.

The absolute highlight of our trip was listening to Laurie share his first-hand experiences about living and working on a naval ship. Hearing his stories made the history feel deeply personal and real, rather than just something we read about in a school textbook.

This excursion was incredibly helpful for the enquiry questions task we are currently completing in class. Being able to look at primary sources and ask a real veteran questions gave us unique insights and information that we couldn’t find online. Meeting Laurie and exploring the museum gave all of us a much greater understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices and experiences veterans were a part of.

By Isabel H (11M)

Clothing Donation Bin

We are pleased to be hosting a Green Collect Bin this term. Green Collect is a social enterprise that helps keep clothing and textiles out of landfill by giving items a second life through re-use, repair, and recycling.

We encourage families and community members to donate quality, clean clothing and textiles in good condition. Accepted items include:

• Clothing and footwear (in good, reusable condition)
• Towels
• Bed sheets and linen
• Other quality household textiles

Drop-off Location:
The Green Collect donation bin is located inside Gate 2 at the Senior Campus.

Please ensure all donated items are clean, dry, and suitable for re-use where possible.

Thank you for supporting this important sustainability initiative.

Seeking Volunteers

Mount Waverley Secondary College continues to thrive because of the strong involvement and support of our college community. Your participation benefits both the college and our students, while also helping you connect with staff and the wider school community.

We understand that everyone has different time commitments, but we encourage all families to be involved in some way. If you have skills, resources, expertise, or community connections that could support the college, we would love to hear from you.

If you are able to help, please complete this form and tick the specific areas where you are able to assist.

We have been working hard on sourcing some great prizes for our College Raffle this year. Over $7000 worth of prizes have been sought including a Mastercolour paint offer, SMEG Kettle & Toaster, Wireless noise cancelling headphones, Lenovo ThinkVision Curved Monitor, UE Boom Bluetooth Speaker, Soda Stream, Nutribullet, Gift cards and many more fantastic prizes.

Please support the college by purchasing either raffle tickets for $3 each or $15 for a book of 5 tickets or $30 for a book of 10 tickets.

Tickets are on sale via Compasstix link:  https://compasstix.com/e/lsswe2e1jl  or QR code, refer to poster below.

Ticket sales will close on Tuesday 8 September and the raffle will be drawn on Friday 11 September.
Feel free to forward the Compasstix link below to family and friends.

All proceeds will go towards the purchase of student-led college initiatives.

We would like to thank all our sponsors for their generous donations this year:
Active Monash, Bunnings Nottinghill, Cemoss, Edumarking, Funfields, Gumbuya World, HART Sports, Learning with Technologies, Lilydale Books, MAJ Business Services, Maps Marketing, Master Colour, Melbourne Office Supplies, Premier Paper, Premier Waste, Product Dynamics P/L, PSW, Quinces Bus Hire, Recwire Electrics, Schoolfurn, Smart Records Group, Texas Instruments, Toshiba Australia, Woods Furniture and Zart Art.

MWSC 2026 Raffle Poster

Stay connected to Mount Waverley Secondary College Alumni Community

📸 Celebrate – Like our Alumni Facebook page

🌐 Connect – Join the Alumni LinkedIn group

Share – Post to the Alumni Instagram page

Network • Share • Stay Connected

Term 3 newsletter coming out soon! Register your details to join our alumni community and receive the latest news and events and our newsletter directly in your inbox. Click the link below to sign up.

To register your details, click here.

Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Alumni Coordinator

The Australian National University (ANU) Languages in Australia Survey

This is an opportunity to show how many languages are used in Australia – not just spoken at home.

A major language use research project is being undertaken by the Australian National University (ANU) in order to get a more accurate picture of the number of languages spoken in the country and add detail to the kind of information collected in the 2026 census.

They are seeking any anyone aged 18 years or older who lives in Australia and who speaks a language (or multiple languages) other than English well enough to have a conversation. Participants are asked to complete a short online survey.

Click here to start the survey.