MWSC College News – Issue 15

Term Vacation

As we approach the end of Term 3, we are reminded of all our achievements to date, and we have the time to reflect and re-energise for the remainder of the year. It has been another successful term of learning for our students across the College. Students have been busy engaging with their studies in the classroom across the eight learning areas.

They have also had a wide range of activities outside the classroom that have added to their experience this term, including House and District Athletics, Round Robin Sports, the College production of High School Musical, the Year 10 Gala, and Year 11 Fancy Dress, to name just a few.

Our Year 12 students will be focusing on their studies over the holidays, ensuring they are consistently revising their coursework. In addition, students should be practising past exam papers under timed conditions. Examination papers can be viewed on the VCAA website: www.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Students should also access and read the assessment reports for each study. These are written by examiners and highlight common strengths and weaknesses in student answers.

I cannot stress enough the importance of using these holidays for revision and study purposes.

I would like to thank all students, teachers and support staff for their hard work during the term and wish them a safe and happy holiday.  I look forward to welcoming students back on Monday 5 October.

Scholarships for Students

The Department of Education manages a range of student scholarships. These are available for students who:

• complete Grade 4 to Year 11 in 2026
• are enrolled in Year 12 in 2026 and plan to do tertiary studies in 2027.

The department will evaluate applicants on their:

• academic achievement
• participation in school and community activities
• financial need.

Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course.
Applications for these scholarships open on Thursday 1 October 2026 and close on Monday 1 February 2027.

To view all available scholarships and for more information on each, including how to apply, refer to Student scholarships.

College Raffle

The College Raffle was once again a great success, with a wide range of prizes up for grabs. The raffle raised $2,559 – a fantastic effort. This again will contribute to improving our college. Hopefully you were a lucky winner!

Student and Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent–Teacher–Student conferences were held on Thursday 10 September. These conferences provided a valuable opportunity for students and parents to meet with teachers, reflect on progress, and identify areas of focus to support continued growth moving into Term 4. They also strengthen the important partnership between students, parents and teachers in supporting overall learning success.

R U OK? Day

On Friday 11 September we recognised R U OK? Day on both campuses. R U OK? Day is a key awareness day to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be stressed with life. “A Conversation Can Change A Life.” Thank you to all the students and staff who were involved in activities on the day.  And remember to ask R U OK?

2026 VCE Leadership Awards

Mango Fundraiser 

Information about our annual Mango Fundraiser was issued to families via Compass this week.
Trays of mangoes can be able to be purchased, and money raised will go towards student led projects.

You can order a tray of Bowen Special Mangoes (formerly known as Kensington Pride Mangoes) for $35 per tray (approximately 7kg of fruit, 12-24 mangoes per tray)

• Orders can be made from Thursday 17 September from 4pm via Trybooking link: https://www.trybooking.com/DPMZK
• Orders must be submitted by 5.30pm on Sunday, 25 October 2026
• Families will be notified of the time and venue to collect orders. Delivery date will be confirmed in mid November.

Please purchase a tray in support of our college.

Mr Ian MacLeod
Acting College Principal

Term 3 has been an action-packed term for our senior students with both curricular and extra-curricular events happening across all areas of the college. In particular it is always a busy term for our year 12 as they complete their final school-based assessment tasks for their studies. Whilst we hope the holidays provide some time for rest and relaxation, they should also be an opportunity to begin to revise, consolidate and prepare for the approaching exams.

Year 11 Fancy Dress

On Friday 4 September over 200 year 11 students rocked up to the Novotel in Glen Waverley in a variety of costumes ready to dance the night away. The photobooth got a work out, whilst the photographer got some amazing dance floor snaps. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to gather as a cohort and both students and staff had a great time. Thanks to all the staff who helped out on the night and for getting into the spirit with some great costumes.

Central Australia Trip

At 5:15am Wednesday morning 40 year 11 and 10 students and 5 staff set off for our annual Central Australia Trip. After an overnight stay in Adelaide they will make their way to Coober Pedy, Uluru, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs, with stops and day trips along the way to see the fantastic sights and enjoy the cultural experiences Central Australia has to offer. We are looking forward to hearing all about their adventures upon their return. Look out on our Socials for updates.

2026 VCE Leadership Awards

Unit 3 and 4 Holiday Revision Program

Students completing a Units 3 & 4 subject have been provided information about the revision program occurring in the second week of the term break. Students are strongly encouraged to attend if their subject is running a session. 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 for her co-ordination and organisation of the program.

The Age VCE Guide 2026

The Age releases a VCE Guide every year that contains information about exams, how students are managing stress, supporting your VCE student, exam marking and how the ATAR is calculated. A link to the guide can be found HERE. You may need to register with your email address to access the articles but they are free to access.

Preparing for Schoolies

With the completion of 13 years of schooling approaching, many students are looking forward to celebrating the end of secondary school with their friends at schoolies celebrations.

In Victoria, schoolies will run from Saturday 28 November to Saturday 12 December. Schoolies celebrations can go beyond these dates across Australia and overseas.

We encourage parents and carers to speak early and openly with their child about their plans for schoolies. This includes any travel plans.

This can help them to think ahead, make safer choices and know what to do if something goes wrong. It may help to talk about alcohol and other drug use, sex and consent, personal safety, and what to do in an emergency.

You may talk with your child about other risks and staying safe while travelling overseas. The deaths of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, 2 Victorian teenagers who died from methanol poisoning while travelling in Laos in 2024, are a tragic reminder of why this is important.

Useful resources for families and young people:

We encourage you to talk about and share these resources with your child:

• Raising Children Network, for advice on how to help students plan for and stay safe during schoolies
• Better Health Channel, for advice on partying safely at schoolies
• Alcohol and Drug Foundation, for advice on staying safe at schoolies and information on potential alcohol and drug harms when travelling
• Victoria Police, for advice on staying safe at school leaver celebrations. The page includes videos about sexual assault, illegal drugs and road safety
• Red Frogs Australia, a volunteer group that helps young people stay safe and seek help at events like schoolies, with tips and advice for students and families including a 24/7 hotline during schoolies
• Smartraveller, for advice on overseas travel for school leavers and partying safely
• Doctors without Borders, for information on methanol poisoning for travellers
• MethaKnow methanol awareness Instagram page, to help raise awareness about methanol poisoning.

Ms Lauren Kelly
Campus Principal – Senior School

Victorian School Music Festival (VSMF) – Jazz Bands

Last Monday night, the MWSC Stage Band, directed by Ms Tijtje Keatley represented the college at the Victorian School Music Festival (VSMF). Despite a challenging lead-up to the event, the group delivered an outstanding performance, earning a Gold Award alongside elite private and specialist music schools. To put their achievement in perspective, the Senior section entered by our Stage Band includes only 12 select bands capable of performing the complex set works.

Last Friday, our Jazz Band directed by Mr Damien Maughan competed in the Junior Jazz Section, which I was fortunate enough to attend. Mirroring the excellence of the Stage Band, the group played with remarkable precision and also earned a Gold Award.

Both ensembles had the privilege of working directly with chief adjudicator Mr Roosevelt Griffin III, a renowned jazz educator from Chicago, who led an engaging onstage workshop following their performances.

Well done to both of these hard-working groups.

Victorian School Music Festival (VSMF) – Choirs

On Wednesday, both of our college choirs represented the school at the Victorian School Music Festival, marking the culmination of a busy term that saw nine of our music ensembles take to the stage in this prestigious event.

This was a milestone occasion, as it was the first time both choirs attended the festival in one year. Our singers had a fantastic experience receiving constructive feedback from expert adjudicators, taking part in onstage masterclasses to refine their ensemble skills, and listening to performances from other schools.

A huge congratulations to director Mr Tom Frost for his leadership of these groups and well done to all of our dedicated student performers.

Gala Concert – Important Ticket Update

Preparations for our upcoming Gala Concert are well underway, with all ensembles busily rehearsing and fine-tuning their performances for what promises to be a fantastic showcase of student talent.

The showcase will take place across two separate sessions on Thursday 8 October in the College Theatre. Please note that separate tickets are required for each session:

• Concert 1 (5:00 PM – 6:30 PM): Featuring Strings, Percussion, Choirs, and Guitar Ensembles.
• Concert 2 (7:30 PM – 9:00 PM): Featuring Concert Bands, Rock, and Jazz Ensembles.

Important Ticketing Details:

Due to limited seating capacity in the theatre, tickets are strictly capped at 2 per family during the initial release to ensure every performing student has the opportunity to bring family and friends.

If remaining tickets are available, they will go on general sale during the first week of next term. Tickets are selling fast, so we urge families to secure theirs as soon as possible to avoid missing out. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Links to purchase tickets: 

Concert 1:  https://www.trybooking.com/DOZYG

Concert 2:  https://www.trybooking.com/DPACJ

Mrs Tijtje Keatley
Music Director

Senior Girls Soccer

On Tuesday 8 September, the Senior Girls Soccer team competed in the State Finals in Darebin. The team recorded wins of 1-0 and 11-0, with their only loss for the year coming from the eventual state finalists. The team represented MWSC exceptionally well across their three competition days, and they should be very proud of their efforts and teamwork.

~ Mr Johnston, Coach

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 Reminder – VTAC Applications

Equity Schemes (SEAS)

VTAC has sent a reminder to encourage all students submitting a SEAS application to have their supporting documentation submitted by Friday 18 September 5pm. If students have their documents in by this time, they will be checked for eligibility and checked that the document is correct for what is required to be uploaded.

SEAS applications close on Friday, 9 October at 5pm.

Timely Application

The close of the timely application period is coming around very quickly so we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you about payment advice for 2026. VTAC advice is to apply and complete payment within the timely application period (5pm, Monday 28 September 2026) to ensure you pay the lowest fee, and you are eligible for all courses and all offer rounds. Payment must be made at the time of submission.

Change of preference remains open until noon,  Saturday 12 December. ATARs are released on Thursday 10 December.

Account Enquiries

If you have any setup account enquiries over the school holidays, please contact VTAC directly on (03) 9926 1020.

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

Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee 2026

Almost 200 Year 7 and 8 students took part in the 2026 Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee, with an outstanding 23 MWSC spellers progressing to the State/Territory Finals: https://www.spelling-bee.com.au/

Competing at Red Level, our students tackled 30 words each, with only 25 seconds to spell each word. The challenge called for accuracy, concentration, a broad vocabulary and the ability to think quickly under pressure.

Our finalists reflected on the importance of reading widely, listening carefully and drawing on their knowledge of words when faced with unfamiliar vocabulary.

“Reading a lot of books helped me and extended my vocabulary. I recognised a few words because I had used them in essays before.”

“I wouldn’t know half these words otherwise. It encouraged me to read more books that include these types of vocabulary.”

One finalist also highlighted the importance of listening carefully:

“Rather than purely studying words, learning the specifics of pronunciation can help you significantly in the Bee.”

For another student, simply deciding to enter led to an unexpected achievement:

“I joined the Spelling Bee for fun, not expecting anything much. However, it turned into a highly enjoyable experience, and I ended up making it to the State Final.”

Our special congratulations to Shreya K, our Year 7 Champion, and Ayeeza A, our Year 8 Champion.

Congratulations to Ansh P, Arjun A, Ayeeza A, Chloe Y, Christopher G, Dhrumil M, Dhyey D, Dineth F, James K, Jonathan K, Kavish P, Krishav D, Max Z, Minh T, Naira S, Neil W, Rishita S, Saara M, Sanemi J, Serena Y, Shreya K, Tania L and Vanya Y on progressing to the State/Territory Finals.

Well done to all our MWSC spellers who took part and challenged themselves. For our Year 7 students, there is another opportunity ahead – they can return as Year 8 students in 2027 and take on the Red Level challenge again!

Mrs Tanya Alderton
Teacher Librarian, Senior Campus

Welcome to Term 3’s issue of the Alumni Newsletter.

In this edition, we reconnect with the Class of 2016, who recently returned to Mount Waverley for our School Reunion Tour. It was wonderful to welcome them back, hear their stories, reminisce about their school days and discover where life has taken them since graduating.

We also celebrate the ways our Alumni continue to give back to the College, including with our Year 10 students at our annual Tertiary Expo and with the College Production.

Take a trip down memory lane as we revisit cherished memories, and photographs from years gone by.

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 3’s Newsletter, click here.

To register your details, click here.

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

Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Alumni Coordinator