Celebrating 60 Years of Excellence in Education
On Wednesday 4 September we celebrated our 60 Years Anniversary at Mount Waverley Secondary College. Nineteen of our inaugural Class of 1964 Form 1 students returned for the occasion and we held a Junior Campus Assembly to celebrate this special anniversary.
Our 2 College Captains from 1994 also returned on the day to open their time capsule they had made 30 years ago.
Lunch followed with our special guests, and we played a video message from 1964 class member Peter Tatchell (who lives in London and is a human rights activist) and we also showed a video that some of these students had made called ‘A Hard Day’s Run’ (about a school cross country run).
Afternoon tea and cake cutting followed with other special guests including Mr Matt Fregon MP for Ashwood, Ms Eva McMaster Department of Education NEVR Regional Office, alumni and College Council members.
Afterschool we opened our doors to the local community and invited them to see a historical display across the decades as well as student classroom displays in our Technology, Art, Visual Communication and Design and Science areas in our new STEAM Centre.
Our Interact Club students organised a bake sale on the day to raise money for UNICEF, and our Friends of Music ran a sausage sizzle to support our Instrumental Music Program. Musical performances took place throughout the afternoon including the first performance of our MWSC Alumni Band. Special thanks to everyone who attended this historical event.
Happy 60th Birthday Mount Waverley Secondary College. May you serve our community for many decades to come!
R U OK Day
On Tuesday 10 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.
Student and Parent Teacher Conferences
Last Thursday 12 September the college ran another successful student and parent, teacher conferences via WebEx. Feedback from parents and staff was extremely positive. Thank you to all involved in organising the event and to the teachers who provided feedback and advice for their students and their parents/ carers.
VCAA VCE Leadership Award
The VCE Leadership Awards are coordinated by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) to recognise VCE students for their leadership, initiative, and involvement in extra-curricular and community activities. The 2024 VCE Leadership Award Ceremony was held on Friday 13 September and Georgia K of Year 12 (one of our College Captains) represented our college with pride. Georgia was one of eight students across the State who won a VCE Leadership Award and were in the running to be the VCE Leader of the Year. Although Georgia didn’t win the overall award, we are so proud of her achievements. Thank you to Mr Tom Grant Head of Student Voice, who attended the ceremony with me on the day.
Victorian State Schools Spectacular
The college would like to congratulate Ananya H, from Year 11, who participated as one of the Principal Vocalists in the 2024 Victorian State Schools Spectacular, held last Saturday at John Cain Arena. She sang some great songs and did an amazing job representing our school and was part of a wonderful show.
Shion M of Year 11 was also performing as a member of the orchestra playing violin.
Well done, Ananya and Shion!
Run for Rossy
Congratulations to Mr Danny Gwynne, Sports Leader who organised our second MND fundraiser fun run. Over 200 students signed up to run around the Junior Campus oval and we raised over $3000 in memory of one of our alumni Chris Ross, Class of 2007 who was diagnosed with MND in April 2021 and tragically passed away last month. Some of our ‘brave’ teaching staff also volunteered to be dunked in ice on the day to raise money. Thank you to all the students, families and staff who supported this important cause.
Whooping cough
Whooping cough cases are continuing to increase across Victoria, particularly among school-aged children. Whooping cough is a very contagious infection, mostly spread through coughing or sneezing. Symptoms include:
- blocked or runny nose
- tiredness
- mild fever
- severe bouts of coughing, often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound on breathing.
Whooping cough can lead to life threatening infections in babies. If your child is unwell, they should not attend school. Please see a doctor if you or your child develops whooping cough symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment will help reduce the spread of the infection.
To reduce the spread of infection and to protect others within the school community, students diagnosed with whooping cough are recommended not to attend school for 21 days after their cough was first present, or until they have taken a full course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor (usually a 5-day course).
If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know. I hope we can work together to protect the whole school community by following the recommended advice. For more information about whooping cough, refer to Whooping cough on the Better Health Channel.
Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of whooping cough. The Department of Health recommends staying up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. A free booster dose of the pertussis vaccine is covered under the national immunisation program for students aged 12 to 13. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor. I really appreciate your support in keeping our students safe and well.
Mango Fundraiser
The college is seeking your support for our 2024 MWSC Mango Fundraising Drive. If you love mangoes, here is your chance to indulge in fresh juicy Bowen Special Mangoes (formerly known as Kensington Pride Mangoes). These are picked and packed during the premium harvest. Ask your family and friends if they would like to indulge.
You can order a tray of mangoes for $30 per tray (approximately 7kg of fruit, number of mangoes per tray varies with size).
- Orders must be submitted by 3pm on Tuesday, 24 October 2024.
- All orders are via Trybooking link: https://www.trybooking.com/CVKIR
- Families will be notified of the time and venue to collect orders. Delivery date will be confirmed in mid-November for an early December collection).
Term Vacation
I wish all students and their families a safe and restful holiday. Year 12 students will be attending revision over the holidays and need to ensure that 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 access and read the assessment reports for each study on this website. These are written by the 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. Just a reminder that Term 4 begins on Monday 7 October and students should wear their summer uniform.
Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal