MWSC College News – Issue 19

College Council

Thank you to all members of College Council for their support this year. We held our final meeting for the year last week. College Council is made up of parent, student, and staff representatives as well as our College Captains and my Executive Team. We will be calling for nominations for the new College Council which starts in March 2025 towards the beginning of next year.

Jazz Night

On Tuesday 2 December we held our annual Jazz under the Stars Night. The music was superb, and parents, staff and students all enjoyed the evening. Thank you to the parents who manned the sausage sizzle on the night and all the instrumental staff and other staff who supported this event. Special thanks to Mrs Tijtje Keatley-Music Director for overseeing this event along with our 2025 Music Captains – Ananya and Jacqui. Funds raised will go towards the New Zealand Music Tour in 2025.

Uniform Shop Volunteers

On Wednesday 4 December we held a brunch to thank our wonderful volunteer parents who run our Second-hand Uniform and Book Shop. This is such an important resource for our learning community, and we couldn’t offer this service without parent/carer support. Congratulations to everyone involved and we will be calling for expressions of interest for more parent volunteers to join our team early next year.

2025 Orientation Day

Thanks to the Junior Sub school Team for overseeing our Orientation Day on Tuesday 10 December, which saw nearly 320, 2025 Year 7 students join our learning community. It was a wonderful day, and it was great to see everyone welcoming our new students to the college.

Award Winner

On Friday 13 December, Year 12 student Georgia K attended the Chisholm Community Spirit Awards. Dr Carina Garland, the MP for Chisholm presided over the event. Georgia was a part of a small group of students who received the award.

The Halina Strnad Community Spirit and Leadership Awards are presented to students in the Chisholm electorate. The awards recognise inspirational young people who make a difference to their communities and to the civic life of their schools. Congratulations Georgia and thank you to Mr Grant who represented the college on the night!

Year End Program (YEP)

The Year End program concluded last week. Thank you to all the staff who helped supervise the various activities. I heard our students thoroughly enjoyed their different sessions and excursions. Special thanks to Ms Brinda Manogaran and Mr Peter Young who oversaw this program with the help of Mrs Narda McLennan and Ms Juliana Sung. It was great to see our students enjoying these special activities at the end of the year!

Farewell and Best Wishes to our Retirees

It is with sadness that we farewell four valued members of staff (teachers and support staff) at the end of the year.

Below I have listed their years of service to Mount Waverley Secondary College.

Mr Kevin Cai – 12 years
Mrs Raelene Luscombe – 12 years
Ms Colleen O Shea – 38 years
Mrs Anne Peterson – 39 years
Mrs Mary Tsagaris – 31 years
Mr Alan Yeung – 31 years

Thank you to all these wonderful members of staff for their dedication and service to our learning community over many years. We wish our retirees the best in their future endeavours and know that they will enjoy the next phase of their lives.

2025 Financial Contributions

Parents/Carers should have received a Compass alert regarding 2025 Financial Contributions. Parent/Carer voluntary financial contributions have allowed us to run extensive well-being programs, a wider offering of subjects and special curriculum experiences; enhanced digital learning opportunities; faster WIFI and internet, and enhanced grounds and indoor and outdoor learning spaces. The financial contributions we have received this year is lower than in previous years. This is likely to have an impact longer term to the college’s financial viability, in turn impacting what resources we can offer our students. Contributions to our Building Fund are tax deductible and you will be sent a tax receipt from our Finance Department. Please support our learning community by contributing to these important financial contributions.

2025 Return to School Dates

The first day for Years 7, 10 and 12 students is Wednesday 29 January and Year 10 and 12 students head off to camp on this day. Years 8, 9 and 11 students start on Thursday 30 January. The General Offices will be open for business on Tuesday 28 January.

2024 Presentation Night

We held another great Presentation Night in the Besen Centre on Tuesday 17 December. It was great to recognise students from all year levels; including our Year 12 award winners which were determined by their official VCAA results which they received last Thursday. Congratulations to all 300+ students who received their awards on the night in various categories. I am very proud of your achievements.

Year 12 Results

Congratulations to our 2024 College Dux Maya C who scored an outstanding 99.55 ATAR. We also had 19 students receive ATAR scores above 95, 40 above 90 and 108 above 80 which was a great achievement. Well done to three of our students Maya C, Neyssa S and Suha R who scored perfect study scores of 50 in Art Making and Exhibiting, Health and Human Development and Visual Communication and Design. We had 257 achieving their VCE Certificate this year which was one of our biggest cohorts completing Year 12 in the past few years.

Happy Holidays

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all students who have done their best always to fulfil their potential in all activities they have undertaken at Mount Waverley Secondary College this year. Such a positive attitude to learning enables our college to maintain its exemplary learning culture.

I wish all members of the Mount Waverley Secondary College learning community a well-deserved safe and relaxing holiday.  I look forward to joining you in 2025 for another successful year.

Mrs Karen Wade
College Principal

Thank you to all members of the MWSC Junior Campus community. 2024 has been a very busy and rewarding year, and I would just like to thank everyone for their contributions.

Our staff, as always, have done an amazing job in providing our students with a high-quality education, as well as every opportunity outside of the classroom that one could hope for. Equally, our students give us the motivation to do so. I am always inspired by the energy our year 7 and 8 students bring, and the high level to which they contribute to our college community.

I wish everybody a safe and happy summer break, and look forward to another big year in 2025!

Mr Matt Sheehan
Campus Principal – Junior School

From late November into early December, our students recently completed the Early Commencement Program. This year’s Year 8 students began their Year 9 classes and our Year 9s moved into their Year 10 classes. The program has many benefits including helping to transition students into their new year level and it also allows them to better understand the learning program they will be undertaking in each subject in the coming year.

This was followed by the Year End Program with students undertaking a range of activities including travelling to Gumbuya World, The Melbourne Zoo and also undertaking school based activities.

Thanks must go to the Middle School Leadership Team who work with our middle school students, with Mrs Asha Vazirani (Head of Middle School), Mr Liam Wall (Middle School Leader), working closely with our year level coordinators, Mr Adam Wheeler, Mrs Juliz Mathew, Ms Stephanie Xing and Mr Aayush Khosla providing guidance and support to our Middle School students across this year.  Thank you also to Mrs Karen Box for supporting our staff and students.

Finally, as this year closes, we start to look towards next year and the opportunities for learning and growth that will be on offer at the college. I look forward to welcoming students back to college next year at they continue their learning journey at Mount Waverley Secondary College.

Facilities and ICT

Thank you to the the Facilities and ICT Team for their work across this last year.  It is clear to see the results of their strong focus on improving the college for our students and staff.  Thanks to Aro, Andrew, Jacob, Steve and Inocentes for their great ICT work.  In Facilities, thank you to Wendy, Dean, Darryl and Anne for another successful year of improving our buildings and grounds.

Curriculum

Thank you to Mr Tim Peters, our Head of Curriculum for his leadership of this important area.  To our Heads of Faculty – Ms Elizabeth Sutherland, Mr Wayne Griffin, Ms Lily Papadopoulos, Mr Robert Cetincic, Mr Matt Hall, Ms Michelle Lukaczynski, Ms Katja Chitters, Ms Misa Murphy and Mr Jackson Waters who have all done an amazing job this year in the curriculum space – Thank you.

Wishing all our families a safe and happy holiday!

Mr Ian MacLeod
Campus Principal – Middle School

As another school year draws to a close I am inspired by the growth, learning and pursuit of excellence all members of our learning community have shown. To our graduating class of 2024, congratulations on your achievements. We look forward to hearing about your future successes. Among the many accomplishments this year, the graduation of our inaugural VCE VM/VPC cohort stands out as a truly proud moment.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Senior Subschool team, our International Student Program team, the Learning Executive, and the Learning Specialists for all their hard work this year. The work you do to support all the members of our learning community is invaluable.

Early Commencement Program

The Early Commencement Program provided an opportunity for students in Years 7-11 to move into their 2025 classes. The program supports students with their transition between year levels, by introducing them to their peers and teachers for 2025, and a chance for the Year 8s to become more familiar with the Senior Campus. I would like to thank all the staff involved with making this program possible.

Results Day Breakfast

Students who completed a Unit 3/4 subject in 2024 received their results last Thursday. On Thursday morning approximately 150 Year 12 students attended a breakfast in the Fishbowl. Providing them with a chance to catch up with each other, their teachers, and watch the final edit of their year 12 video. Thanks to Mr James Johnston for organising this morning, and to all the staff who attended. Thanks also to the Careers Team who provided support to all our students following their results. Congratulations to all students who received their Senior Secondary Certificate this year. I wish them well in their future endeavours.

Reports

Semester Two reports are now available via Compass. The reports provide an opportunity for further discussions at home around progress and achievement on; Approaches to Learning, Victorian Curriculum Levels (for Years 7 to 10), Common Assessment Tasks and/or School Assessed Coursework, and for Year 9 to 11 students exam results.

A special thMr Andrew Wallace, from our ICT team who has overseen and managed the technical side of the process.

Start of Year Programs for Senior School Students

At the start of 2025 Year 12s who have paid and consented will attend a 3 day camp at The Summit from Wednesday 29 January to Friday 31 January. Details have been sent out via Compass. Year 11s will participate in a 2 day program called Flying Start. This program will include important information relating to their VCE/VCE VM journey. They will attend campus based activities on Thursday 30 January, and a day at Deakin University on Friday 31 January. Further details have been shared with students and parents/carers.

I would like to wish all our staff, senior students, and families a safe and relaxing break, and look forward to seeing you all in 2025.

Ms Lauren Kelly
Campus Principal – Senior School

Congratulations, Class of 2024! Your achievements are a testament to your dedication and hard work. Remember, the ATAR is merely a tool to unlock certain university pathways—it does not define your value. Planning and determination can guide you toward your aspirations, no matter the starting point.

Please take note of the important upcoming dates and deadlines, as well as the support services available to you. A list of important dates can be found visit: https://vtac.edu.au/dates.

Acceptance of Offers

We strongly recommend accepting your first-round offer, even if it is not your top preference. You will still be eligible for higher preferences in subsequent offers. Please continue to use the VTAC website for further updates.  For students not applying through VTAC, we encourage you to take this opportunity to apply directly to institutions for your preferred courses.

We wish you all the best for a happy and successful future.

Mr Phil Newnham and Ms Victoria Tortopidis
The Careers Team

Welcome to our last Alumni newsletter for the year.

As the school year comes to an end, we extend our heartfelt best wishes to the Class of 2024 as they embark on the next chapter of their journey. We look forward to celebrating their accomplishments and cherishing their memories with our entire alumni community.

This edition of the newsletter reflects on their remarkable journey throughout the year.

We also wish all our alumni, friends, and families a joyful New Year and a safe, relaxing holiday season.

To view December’s newsletter, click here.

To register your details, click here.

Ms Victoria Tortopidis
Alumni Coordinator

Ekprastic Writing Challenge

Congratulations to Dulara J of Year 8 2024 for being chosen for the November Geelong Writers Ekprastic Writing Challenge.  The Geelong Writers group run an Ekphrastic poetry challenge every month.  Ekphrastic writing is a poem or piece of writing inspired by art.

Dulara’s piece was inspired by a visual the group presented. The image “Complexity” by John Heritage provided the stimulus for original ideas about light and shade, intersections interactions and growth.

The Apothecary’s Wallpaper by Dulara J.

Leaves. Spiky green leaves, as far as the eye could see, even on the ceiling.

An interesting choice of wallpaper, the owner of the old fashioned apothecary shop had interesting tastes…to say the least. The leaves seemed to burst out of the wall, almost in 4D, with a glossy sheen and papery veins that seemed to whisper and rustle, and if you stared too long it looked as though a gentle breeze were swaying it. But curiously enough, with the seasons, so changed the leaves. When autumn fell, the glossy greens turned crisp colors of fire and earth, and in winter the leaves became skeletons with delicate frames and thorny vines, in spring the leaves bearing the most beautiful blossoms.

Everyone chalked it up to blunt, boring logic, that Ophelia, the owner, had merely put up a new wallpaper every season, but something about it just seemed to say otherwise. It was no secret that the apothecary shop had a certain charm, but charm to what extent?

I once asked Ophelia if the shop was magic, if she was magic, lured in by her kind, twinkling eyes and the knowing lilt to her mouth, quirked up just so, and from that mouth fell a pretty little laugh that twinkled almost as much as her eyes.

“Magic exists only if you believe in it.”  She smiled

And they say seeing is believing, so trust me when I say I believed fully and truly in magic when I touched a hand to the moving leaves, and instead of finding cold, flat wall, found a doorway, framed by an arch of leaves and flowers, for it was spring, a doorway that glowed with possibilities…

And all I had to do was step inside.

Little Stories, Big Ideas

Dulara has also received two Honourable Mentions on her writing piece submitted to Little Stories, Big Ideas in Term 3.  Little Stories, Big Ideas is a writing competition for Australian Secondary School Students.  What amazing achievement Dulara.  Congratulations!

Building Fund Contributions

Thank you to families who have contributed to our college Building Fund. Your donations have allowed us to transform some classrooms on the Senior Campus into our new Student Wellbeing Hub and completed the Outdoor Learning Space project.

 

2025 Financial Contributions